2024-2025 MiLB Offseason
- Thread starter JM3
- Start date
Okay, for sure. Still, Campbell has done historic shit. Like very few minor leaguers have hit better than he has in the last twenty years.
Not trying to take anything away from Roman. I just think it's a toss-up who will have the better career.
I saw Zander facing the Sox in the FCL--kid's good. He'd have the last spot on the keyword page if not for Zeke Spruill.
I mean Boston already has guys playing 2B/SS/3B. There’s an OF slot open for the OF.
I mean kinda but not really. KCamp's '24 A+ was better than Roman's '23 A+, but at that point he's 3 years older. It's really just '24 AA he hit better than him, & Roman is significantly younger & imo is a better defender with more power potential.How confident are we really about this? Campbell is a little older, but other than 85 at-bats at AAA, he's outperformed Roman at every level.
Good problem to have, regardless.
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Anything is possible, but to me Roman is a comfortably better prospect & I'm still not fully sold on the likelihood of KCamp being a better prospect than Mayer.
I just found out that 5 of our guys are playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The regular season spans from 11/7 to 1/4 with the playoffs from 1/5 to 1/15.
The most interesting one definitely has been Eduardo Rivera. The 21 y/o 6'7 LHP from San Juan was a '21 11th round pick by the A's (same round Red Sox drafted Niko Kavadas).
Rivera was pitching poorly for the High-A Stockton Ports. He was placed on the Restricted List on May 16th & released on May 21st, which is a bit of a red flag.
Anyway, the Red Sox signed him on June 13th (his 21st birthday) & he pitched meh in the FCL for a bit before being promoted to Salem where he pitched well in his 6 appearances, including 2 where he pitched 4 scoreless & 2 with 3 scoreless. He also struck out 8 in each of his last 2 outtings.
Overall with Salem:
6 games, 22.2 IP, 1.99 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 2.8 bb/9, 11.9 k/9.
Rivera made his Puerto Rican Winter League debut last off season with Cangrejeros de Santurce. This roughly translates to the Santurce Crabbers. He pitched 20 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 4.5 bb/9, 5.4 k/9.
So far this season for Santurce, Rivera has 24.2 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 2.2 bb/9, 15 k/9... that's 41 strikeouts to 6 walks.
Overall it does seem to be a pitcher's league, with his 13-12 team posting a 2.83 ERA, but no one else on his team has more than 21 strikeouts. Eduardo has struck out 41.4% of batters faced. His teammates, including old friend Felix Doubront, have struck out 19.9% of batters faced.
Anyway, I would expect Rivera to start this next season at Greenville & it will be interesting to see if he's becoming someone worth paying attention to.
The most interesting one definitely has been Eduardo Rivera. The 21 y/o 6'7 LHP from San Juan was a '21 11th round pick by the A's (same round Red Sox drafted Niko Kavadas).
Rivera was pitching poorly for the High-A Stockton Ports. He was placed on the Restricted List on May 16th & released on May 21st, which is a bit of a red flag.
Anyway, the Red Sox signed him on June 13th (his 21st birthday) & he pitched meh in the FCL for a bit before being promoted to Salem where he pitched well in his 6 appearances, including 2 where he pitched 4 scoreless & 2 with 3 scoreless. He also struck out 8 in each of his last 2 outtings.
Overall with Salem:
6 games, 22.2 IP, 1.99 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 2.8 bb/9, 11.9 k/9.
Rivera made his Puerto Rican Winter League debut last off season with Cangrejeros de Santurce. This roughly translates to the Santurce Crabbers. He pitched 20 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 4.5 bb/9, 5.4 k/9.
So far this season for Santurce, Rivera has 24.2 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 2.2 bb/9, 15 k/9... that's 41 strikeouts to 6 walks.
Overall it does seem to be a pitcher's league, with his 13-12 team posting a 2.83 ERA, but no one else on his team has more than 21 strikeouts. Eduardo has struck out 41.4% of batters faced. His teammates, including old friend Felix Doubront, have struck out 19.9% of batters faced.
Anyway, I would expect Rivera to start this next season at Greenville & it will be interesting to see if he's becoming someone worth paying attention to.
The other 2 Red Sox pitchers in the PRWL have not been nearly as dominant, including Brian Van Belle who you would expect to be more advanced as he spent all of this past season with Worcester, posting a 4.42 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 2.9 bb/9, 8.4 k/9 in 93.2 IP.
The 28 y/o 6'3 RHP who was originally acquired as a priority UDFA after the truncated '20 draft has posted fairly similar #s in his 1st season in Puerto Rico:
4.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 1.3 bb/9, 7.3 k/9
BVB pitches for Criollos de Caguas (Caguas Creole), who are 9-15. Caguas has a 3.94 ERA overall, & BVB's 21 innings leads the team.
Among his teammates is Eddy Alvarez who the Red Sox sold to the Mets in September, & WooSox teammate Mickey Gasper.
The 28 y/o 6'3 RHP who was originally acquired as a priority UDFA after the truncated '20 draft has posted fairly similar #s in his 1st season in Puerto Rico:
4.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 1.3 bb/9, 7.3 k/9
BVB pitches for Criollos de Caguas (Caguas Creole), who are 9-15. Caguas has a 3.94 ERA overall, & BVB's 21 innings leads the team.
Among his teammates is Eddy Alvarez who the Red Sox sold to the Mets in September, & WooSox teammate Mickey Gasper.
Gasper is not BABIPing so well... in 67 PAs he has 13 bb & 7 k, but only 11 hits with 0 HR. His .244 BABIP has led to a .212/.388/.269 slash & .657 OPS.
Other than the fact that he's the only player in the team to receive an intentional walk, not much to write home about.
Other than the fact that he's the only player in the team to receive an intentional walk, not much to write home about.
Their other PRWL pitcher is new Minor League Rule 5 acquisition Darvin Garcia. Garcia plays for Gigantes de Carolina who are 12-14.
Garcia, a 25 y/o RHP, has not helped their cause. 10.1 IP, 6.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 5.2 bb/9, 12.2 k/9.
Walk issues are nothing new for Garcia. In affiliate ball...
'24: 6 bb/9 (A+/AA)
'23: 7.8 bb/9 (A/A+)
'22: 5.6 bb/9 (A)
Garcia, a 25 y/o RHP, has not helped their cause. 10.1 IP, 6.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 5.2 bb/9, 12.2 k/9.
Walk issues are nothing new for Garcia. In affiliate ball...
'24: 6 bb/9 (A+/AA)
'23: 7.8 bb/9 (A/A+)
'22: 5.6 bb/9 (A)
Finally, there is Juan Montero, the 22 y/o catcher from Ponce, PR, like BVB, was a UDFA after the '20 draft. Montero is in his 4th season of PRWL & his 3rd with his home team, Leones de Ponce (Ponce Lions).
Much like with the Red Sox affiliates, Montero doesn't get a lot of run in Puerto Rico either. He has 16 PAs & unlike Gasper has a sterling BABIP (.500), leading to a .286/.375/.286 slash & .661 OPS.
In 4 PRWL seasons, Montero has 52 PAs. In 4 seasons with the Red Sox, Montero has 346 PAs (176 this past season, but mostly due to Johanfran's injury I believe).
Much like with the Red Sox affiliates, Montero doesn't get a lot of run in Puerto Rico either. He has 16 PAs & unlike Gasper has a sterling BABIP (.500), leading to a .286/.375/.286 slash & .661 OPS.
In 4 PRWL seasons, Montero has 52 PAs. In 4 seasons with the Red Sox, Montero has 346 PAs (176 this past season, but mostly due to Johanfran's injury I believe).
The next league to talk about is the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). The regular season ends in 2 days.
We boast 2 players in that league who need a bit less introduction:
Bryan Mata (25 from Maracay, VZ) plays for Navegantes del Magallanes. The Magallanes Navigators are 27-25. I don't believe Magallanes was named after Magellan, even though it is near the Strait of Magellan as "magalla" is the word for a sea or small harbor.
Anyway, sorry for the detour. After circumnavigating that roadblock, back to Mata's season:
14 games, 14.1 IP, 3.14 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 3.8 bb/9, 5.7 k/9.
His team has a 4.84 ERA overall, & the pitching staff includes old friend Eduard Bazardo & 43 y/o Alfredo Simón & 39 y/o Junior Guerra, who is dominating with a 2.13 ERA & 8-1 record in 11 starts.
We boast 2 players in that league who need a bit less introduction:
Bryan Mata (25 from Maracay, VZ) plays for Navegantes del Magallanes. The Magallanes Navigators are 27-25. I don't believe Magallanes was named after Magellan, even though it is near the Strait of Magellan as "magalla" is the word for a sea or small harbor.
Anyway, sorry for the detour. After circumnavigating that roadblock, back to Mata's season:
14 games, 14.1 IP, 3.14 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 3.8 bb/9, 5.7 k/9.
His team has a 4.84 ERA overall, & the pitching staff includes old friend Eduard Bazardo & 43 y/o Alfredo Simón & 39 y/o Junior Guerra, who is dominating with a 2.13 ERA & 8-1 record in 11 starts.
Our other player in the LVBP is the newest (I think?) addition to our 40-man roster, Carlos Narváez. Narváez, a 26 y/o C/1B, like Mata is originally from Maracay.
Carlos has crushed this season:
.377/.456/.662, 1.118 OPS. He has 5 homers & 5 steals (0 cs) in 90 PAs. This is his 2nd season playing for Cardenales de Lara (Lara Cardinals).
He has been instrumental in his team's 30-21 record. Luisangel Acuña (.914 OPS) is also on this team, as well as old friend Gorkys Hernández (.829 OPS).
View: https://twitter.com/AlfonsoSaerG/status/1862724675538653221
Carlos has crushed this season:
.377/.456/.662, 1.118 OPS. He has 5 homers & 5 steals (0 cs) in 90 PAs. This is his 2nd season playing for Cardenales de Lara (Lara Cardinals).
He has been instrumental in his team's 30-21 record. Luisangel Acuña (.914 OPS) is also on this team, as well as old friend Gorkys Hernández (.829 OPS).
View: https://twitter.com/AlfonsoSaerG/status/1862724675538653221
Was just idly perusing the 40-man roster page on SP... same random things:
Connor Wong has the 3rd longest seniority... meaning only Devers & Houck were on the 40 pre-Betts trade.
25 of the 40 are on min salaries
4 are up for arbitration
4 make $2.5m or less
3 make between $5.5m & $10.75m
4 make $18m+
All but 6 players can be optioned to the minors (Devers, Story, Ref, Hendriks, Wilson, Chapman).
How acquired:
11 trade
8 draft
7 free agency
5 IFA
4 MiLB free agents
2 Rule 5
2 waivers
1 MiLB Rule 5
Of the 8 players they drafted:
1st round: 2 (Houck, Casas)
6th round: 1 (Murphy)
7th round: 1 (Duran)
8th round: 1 (Dobbins)
12th round: 1 (Shugart)
16th round: 1 (Crawford)
17th round: 1 (Guerrero)
The IFA Bonuses from highest to lowest:
Devers $1.5m
Jhostynxon $350k
Perales $75k
Bello $28k
C Note $10k
If we take the 11 players acquired by trade & pretend they're all we got in the trade, this is the combined transaction:
Wong, Winck, Blizzard, Wilyer, Weissert, Fitts, Grissom, Priester, Sogard, Crochet, Narváez
Betts, Price, Benny, Renfroe, Vaz, Verdugo, Sale, Yorke, Mazza, Springs, Teel, Montgomery, Wikelman, Meidroth, Elmer
The 6 guys who have been on the 40-man roster the longest are all 28...
By age today:
21 - 1 (Perales)
22 - 1 (Jhostynxon)
23 - 2 (Grissom, Priester)
24 - 3 (Casas, C Note, Guerrero)
25 - 5 (Bello, Abreu, Fitts, Dobbins, Crochet)
26 - 3 (Winck, Murphy, Narváez)
27 - 4 (Hamilton, Slaten, Sogard, Penrod)
28 - 9 (Devers, Houck, Wong, Whitlock, Duran, Crawford, Criswell, Romy, Shugart)
29 - 3 (Kelly, Weissert, Gasper)
30 - 1 (Giolito)
31 - 1 (Yoshida)
32 - 3 (Story, Berny, Booser)
33 - 1 (Ref)
34 - 0
35 - 1 (Hendriks)
36 - 1 (Chapman)
37 - 1 (Wilson)
Avg Age: 27.7
Birth Country (8):
USA - 28 (see below)
Venezuela - 4 (Abreu, Perales, Jhostynxon, Narváez)
Dominican Republic - 3 (Devers, Bello, Guerrero)
South Korea - 1 (Ref)
Curaçao [Netherlands] - 1 (C Note)
Japan - 1 (Yoshida)
Australia - 1 (Hendriks)
Cuba - 1 (Chapman)
Birth State (USA - 13):
Texas - 6 (Wong, Story, Blizzard, Slaten, Shugart, Dobbins)
California - 6 (Duran, Murphy, Berny, Giolito, Sogard, Wilson)
Florida - 4 (Crawford, Casas, Grissom, Romy)
Georgia - 2 (Whitlock, Criswell)
Illinois - 2 (Houck, Priester)
Ohio - 1 (Winck)
Virginia - 1 (Kelly)
New York - 1 (Weissert)
Washington - 1 (Booser)
New Hampshire - 1 (Gasper)
Alabama - 1 (Fitts)
Idaho - 1 (Penrod)
Mississippi - 1 (Crochet)
Going to avoid the obvious things like "position" because I'm sure that's done elsewhere.
https://soxprospects.com/40man.htm
Connor Wong has the 3rd longest seniority... meaning only Devers & Houck were on the 40 pre-Betts trade.
25 of the 40 are on min salaries
4 are up for arbitration
4 make $2.5m or less
3 make between $5.5m & $10.75m
4 make $18m+
All but 6 players can be optioned to the minors (Devers, Story, Ref, Hendriks, Wilson, Chapman).
How acquired:
11 trade
8 draft
7 free agency
5 IFA
4 MiLB free agents
2 Rule 5
2 waivers
1 MiLB Rule 5
Of the 8 players they drafted:
1st round: 2 (Houck, Casas)
6th round: 1 (Murphy)
7th round: 1 (Duran)
8th round: 1 (Dobbins)
12th round: 1 (Shugart)
16th round: 1 (Crawford)
17th round: 1 (Guerrero)
The IFA Bonuses from highest to lowest:
Devers $1.5m
Jhostynxon $350k
Perales $75k
Bello $28k
C Note $10k
If we take the 11 players acquired by trade & pretend they're all we got in the trade, this is the combined transaction:
Wong, Winck, Blizzard, Wilyer, Weissert, Fitts, Grissom, Priester, Sogard, Crochet, Narváez
Betts, Price, Benny, Renfroe, Vaz, Verdugo, Sale, Yorke, Mazza, Springs, Teel, Montgomery, Wikelman, Meidroth, Elmer
The 6 guys who have been on the 40-man roster the longest are all 28...
By age today:
21 - 1 (Perales)
22 - 1 (Jhostynxon)
23 - 2 (Grissom, Priester)
24 - 3 (Casas, C Note, Guerrero)
25 - 5 (Bello, Abreu, Fitts, Dobbins, Crochet)
26 - 3 (Winck, Murphy, Narváez)
27 - 4 (Hamilton, Slaten, Sogard, Penrod)
28 - 9 (Devers, Houck, Wong, Whitlock, Duran, Crawford, Criswell, Romy, Shugart)
29 - 3 (Kelly, Weissert, Gasper)
30 - 1 (Giolito)
31 - 1 (Yoshida)
32 - 3 (Story, Berny, Booser)
33 - 1 (Ref)
34 - 0
35 - 1 (Hendriks)
36 - 1 (Chapman)
37 - 1 (Wilson)
Avg Age: 27.7
Birth Country (8):
USA - 28 (see below)
Venezuela - 4 (Abreu, Perales, Jhostynxon, Narváez)
Dominican Republic - 3 (Devers, Bello, Guerrero)
South Korea - 1 (Ref)
Curaçao [Netherlands] - 1 (C Note)
Japan - 1 (Yoshida)
Australia - 1 (Hendriks)
Cuba - 1 (Chapman)
Birth State (USA - 13):
Texas - 6 (Wong, Story, Blizzard, Slaten, Shugart, Dobbins)
California - 6 (Duran, Murphy, Berny, Giolito, Sogard, Wilson)
Florida - 4 (Crawford, Casas, Grissom, Romy)
Georgia - 2 (Whitlock, Criswell)
Illinois - 2 (Houck, Priester)
Ohio - 1 (Winck)
Virginia - 1 (Kelly)
New York - 1 (Weissert)
Washington - 1 (Booser)
New Hampshire - 1 (Gasper)
Alabama - 1 (Fitts)
Idaho - 1 (Penrod)
Mississippi - 1 (Crochet)
Going to avoid the obvious things like "position" because I'm sure that's done elsewhere.
https://soxprospects.com/40man.htm
Some of these are going to be minimums cuz service time clocks & such buuuuut...
9 years - 1 (Devers)
8 years - 1 (C Note)
6 years - 13 (Bello, Perales, Booser, Priester, Sogard, Shugart, Gasper, Guerrero, Fitts, Penrod, Dobbins, Jhostynxon, Narváez)
5 years - 8 (Murphy, Hamilton, Abreu, Berny Weissert, Slaten, Criswell, Grissom)
4 years - 9 (Wong, Whitlock, Duran, Crawford, Winck, Story, Kelly, Casas, Romy)
3 years - 2 (Houck, Yoshida)
2 years - 1 (Crochet)
1 year - 5 (Ref, Giolito, Hendriks, Wilson, Chapman)
Also, that last Bello year is a club option pretty sure & they've listed it as a player option, so going to overrule that but haven't cross-checked everything.
Giolito's 2nd year is a mutual option if he pitches more than 140 innings this year & a team option if he pitches less.
Hendriks' 2nd year is a mutual option.
9 years - 1 (Devers)
8 years - 1 (C Note)
6 years - 13 (Bello, Perales, Booser, Priester, Sogard, Shugart, Gasper, Guerrero, Fitts, Penrod, Dobbins, Jhostynxon, Narváez)
5 years - 8 (Murphy, Hamilton, Abreu, Berny Weissert, Slaten, Criswell, Grissom)
4 years - 9 (Wong, Whitlock, Duran, Crawford, Winck, Story, Kelly, Casas, Romy)
3 years - 2 (Houck, Yoshida)
2 years - 1 (Crochet)
1 year - 5 (Ref, Giolito, Hendriks, Wilson, Chapman)
Also, that last Bello year is a club option pretty sure & they've listed it as a player option, so going to overrule that but haven't cross-checked everything.
Giolito's 2nd year is a mutual option if he pitches more than 140 innings this year & a team option if he pitches less.
Hendriks' 2nd year is a mutual option.
People love to be grumpy.
We don't have a lot of room for ok pitchers right now, but we certainly may later in the season when Sandoval would hopefully be ready. 6-pitch mix where his changeup was his most heavily used offering is pretty fascinating.
& anytime you can grab a distressed asset from a garbage org there's a chance of a bump.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/patrick-sandoval-663776?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb
& they still have a ton of $ they can spend & he's only 28.
Side note...apparently I thought Sandoval was already heading for TJ in July '23.
View: https://twitter.com/gingersnaphyde/status/1870141241351934064
We don't have a lot of room for ok pitchers right now, but we certainly may later in the season when Sandoval would hopefully be ready. 6-pitch mix where his changeup was his most heavily used offering is pretty fascinating.
& anytime you can grab a distressed asset from a garbage org there's a chance of a bump.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/patrick-sandoval-663776?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb
& they still have a ton of $ they can spend & he's only 28.
Side note...apparently I thought Sandoval was already heading for TJ in July '23.
View: https://twitter.com/TJStats/status/1870138965296132380
View: https://twitter.com/gingersnaphyde/status/1870141241351934064
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1545869179651244038
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1637974212634636288
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1651406271696760832
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1691246235355639809
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1704287862869401729
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1637974212634636288
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1651406271696760832
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1691246235355639809
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1704287862869401729
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1775577470214840351
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1789753880152014986
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1787985437866221685
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1785786651983143268
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1802086539247116714
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1789753880152014986
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1787985437866221685
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1785786651983143268
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1802086539247116714
Sandoval definitely has some high leverage and/or bulk relief ability even if things don't work out as one might hope.
In his career:
1st time through: 3.00 ERA
2nd: 4.34
3rd: 5.26
There are definitely also a lot of raw materials to work with in the next 14 months or so.
In his career:
1st time through: 3.00 ERA
2nd: 4.34
3rd: 5.26
There are definitely also a lot of raw materials to work with in the next 14 months or so.
I think it's a good value. If he helps the second half of this season, great, but hopefully he is ready by next year, and if the pitching team can get him to throw the ball in the strike zone he could be very good. And he's relatively young in pitcher years, so if things go well, maybe they get him on a decent 4 year extension or something.
Man, I do not miss my days posting on the Main Board.
I was just going back through that big argument...BPMS was trying to trade Bleis for Sandoval.
& now he's upset about having Sandoval for just $.
https://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/trade-deadline-approach.40015/page-3#post-5664064
I'm going to just put this little rant in spoilers...
Dead money at the beginning of contracts: No!
Dead money at the end of contracts: Yes!
Just a bunch of not very informed posts complaining & pushing for versions of things that aren't tenable, possible, realistic or sustainable.
I really do hope ownership doesn't cheap out & destroy what could be a sustainable juggernaut before it gathers steam, though.
That one is a valid concern...a bunch of posters with virtually no understanding of modern baseball busting out the pitchforks anytime the shiniest bauble isn't acquired at full price & pretending like they're smarter than the FO without actually having the ability to delve deeper into the WHY & the possible permutations really are missing the point & missing out on a whole lot of the joy that sports should provide, though.
It's not entitlement as much as it is weaponized self-loathing.
Dead money at the end of contracts: Yes!
Just a bunch of not very informed posts complaining & pushing for versions of things that aren't tenable, possible, realistic or sustainable.
I really do hope ownership doesn't cheap out & destroy what could be a sustainable juggernaut before it gathers steam, though.
That one is a valid concern...a bunch of posters with virtually no understanding of modern baseball busting out the pitchforks anytime the shiniest bauble isn't acquired at full price & pretending like they're smarter than the FO without actually having the ability to delve deeper into the WHY & the possible permutations really are missing the point & missing out on a whole lot of the joy that sports should provide, though.
It's not entitlement as much as it is weaponized self-loathing.
Pronation Pat has a nice thread on the signing...unfortunately it's almost impossible to link here since it's in so many parts with videos & such...
If you don't mind venturing to X, his stuff is here:
https://x.com/PatSullivan05
His main takeaway is that Sandoval is a really good reclamation project & due to the way he pitches he would be a great candidate to add a cutter/curveball & remove the sweeper because that will better utilize his arm angle.
Here are a few excerpts...
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154073791431105
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154077444944138
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154093420790097
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154121560396049
If you don't mind venturing to X, his stuff is here:
https://x.com/PatSullivan05
His main takeaway is that Sandoval is a really good reclamation project & due to the way he pitches he would be a great candidate to add a cutter/curveball & remove the sweeper because that will better utilize his arm angle.
Here are a few excerpts...
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154073791431105
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154077444944138
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154093420790097
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1870154121560396049
The chance to offer him a QO is almost as good & there's no buyout like there would probably have to be with a team option.
Won't get any arguments from me.
Walker Buehler signing I think would round out the rotation nicely.
View: https://twitter.com/matthewcrory/status/1870203525554196929
This seems relevant to "the Mariners starters had a better ERA than the Red Sox starters & that super means something" argument lol
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast-park-factors
(Red Sox play in 2nd most hitter-friendly park at 107 & the Mariners play in by far the most pitcher-friendly at 91)
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast-park-factors
(Red Sox play in 2nd most hitter-friendly park at 107 & the Mariners play in by far the most pitcher-friendly at 91)
I agree, Buehler would be a nice add, depending on the price, but starting pitching contracts are bonkers. I could see some team handing him a silly contract.
I am getting really curious to see what the Bregman market looks like. I don't want him at 6+ years, but if his market is crashing to the 3 or 4 year range, sign me up. I really wanted Walker, though, and am sad he is off the table.
I am getting really curious to see what the Bregman market looks like. I don't want him at 6+ years, but if his market is crashing to the 3 or 4 year range, sign me up. I really wanted Walker, though, and am sad he is off the table.
Yeah, everything depends on the price. The rumored prices seem reasonable, but if the market isn't that, I won't lose any sleep over it.
& Bregman is interesting...apparently he's a legit clubhouse leader type who could take a lot of pressure off other guys if true & if he can keep producing.
But yeah, with almost anyone it comes down to how much & what's the opportunity cost.
This guy cracks me up...
If Bill James realizes he's not the expert, I wonder if random posters should also realize that...
View: https://twitter.com/billjamesonline/status/1870357918345843121
Next post will be another in depth breakdown of why Sandoval is a good buy low candidate from a Substack.
View: https://twitter.com/Marino_Pepen/status/1870455233656037535
If Bill James realizes he's not the expert, I wonder if random posters should also realize that...
View: https://twitter.com/billjamesonline/status/1870357918345843121
Next post will be another in depth breakdown of why Sandoval is a good buy low candidate from a Substack.
Post from a guy named Jack Lindsay from Red Sox Dugout. Wasn't familiar with his work, but liked this:
https://jalindsay04.substack.com/p/red-sox-player-profiler-patrick-sandoval
& if it doesn't, the $9m/year investment has no bearing on whether the Red Sox actually acquire the shiny bauble or not.
https://jalindsay04.substack.com/p/red-sox-player-profiler-patrick-sandoval
There is a breakdown of why his HR rate was an outlier last year, leading to a 5.08 ERA with a 3.87 ERA & then this stuff on BABIP:
Then it gets into the pitch mix & explains he has a garbage tier fastball buuuuut...
& his changeup...
& there is a reasonable breakdown of expectations:
Bailey really leaned into pitchers' strengths & having a guy with 2 top tier pitches, & like Pat said, room to add a cutter that mechanically should be effective, could turn into a really effective pitcher.
& if it doesn't, the $9m/year investment has no bearing on whether the Red Sox actually acquire the shiny bauble or not.
Would have been kinda shocked if any of those guys didn't get NRIs.
Wyatt Mills is interesting insomuch as no one has really talked about him in forever. & I kind of forget if he has a chance to be good at baseball after missing the last 2 full seasons to injury.
He turns 30 in January & has 42 career MLB innings. He was acquired for Jacob Wallace who was a decent AA reliever last year in his age 25 season.
I found this by accident which I thought was funny...
View: https://twitter.com/MoneyballMemes/status/1551928306617942022
Heyyyy we got my #1 free agency target lol
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1846899586108961116
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1846734345559515150
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1297015722837762049
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1412198293891862538
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1142403414044942337
Going to believe his struggles are much more related to injury than all of a sudden forgetting how to pitch at 27.
& good for him for wanting to bet on himself.
Feels like we're doing a much better job of asset management under Breslow in terms of QOs, trading guys to open 40-man spots, consolidation trades to avoid r5 crunches, etc.
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1846899586108961116
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1846734345559515150
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1297015722837762049
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1412198293891862538
View: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1142403414044942337
Going to believe his struggles are much more related to injury than all of a sudden forgetting how to pitch at 27.
& good for him for wanting to bet on himself.
Feels like we're doing a much better job of asset management under Breslow in terms of QOs, trading guys to open 40-man spots, consolidation trades to avoid r5 crunches, etc.
Hey! Have I discovered at last the place where I can go to get the analysis I love without all the complaining and toxicity of the main board? I just read through this whole thread and it was like the friendly highlights of the last few months of the main board, except without any of the unpleasantness! Where have I been all this time?
We try to keep things fun in this forum. Sorry for the misleading titling & Yordanny angst. Welcome!
Was skimming some stuff after reading this... where else are you going to get things like the Red Sox will trade an OF, a C, Meidroth & a pitcher with a name starting with "Wi" for Crochet?
Actually to expand...
Abreu & Montgomery are both strong-armed players whose best position is probably RF.
Wong & Teel are both offense first catchers whose last names have 4 letters.
Winck & Wikelman are both guys who came up as starters whose best role may be out of the bullpen but they have not fully foreclosed the chance of being back-end rotation guys.
& Meidroth IS Meidroth & is my #1 comp for Meidroth.
Abreu & Montgomery are both strong-armed players whose best position is probably RF.
Wong & Teel are both offense first catchers whose last names have 4 letters.
Winck & Wikelman are both guys who came up as starters whose best role may be out of the bullpen but they have not fully foreclosed the chance of being back-end rotation guys.
& Meidroth IS Meidroth & is my #1 comp for Meidroth.
Here's Pat's stuff on Buehler. Again, it's a bit hard to post with the threaded Tweeting but good stuff as always:
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214802036744431
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214819787030557
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214853442117808
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214881971609998
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214908131459401
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214802036744431
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214819787030557
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214853442117808
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214881971609998
View: https://twitter.com/PatSullivan05/status/1871214908131459401
I was fascinated by the Yordanny angst. I didn’t know much about him, and I was delighted to find that Boston has a pitching prospect that someone is that excited about. Also, I didn’t remember the results of the R5 draft, so I was in actual suspense as the thread approached the dreadful day. It was fun.
Lol this made me smile, thx.
Unrelated to this, I was just looking at Corbin Burnes' Savant page & he seems like the kind of guy the Red Sox wouldn't sign because they would have to pay full market rate without there being obvious room for a large bump from their pitching infrastructure.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/corbin-burnes-669203
Burnes already doesn't throw a 4-seamer - he hasn't thrown one since '22 & hasn't thrown more than 34 in a season since '19.
His pitch mix also seems to be fairly sensible & optimized with his top 5 pitches being fairly effective:
Cutter: 45% usage, .307 xWOBA, .386 xSLG
Curveball: 21.5%, .246, .351
Slider: 12.8%, .223, .290
Changeup 11.1%, .266, .358
Sinker 7.8%, .335, .380
Sweeper 1.8%, .303, .527
Plus due to the QO they would have to give up their 2nd round pick in the '25 draft & $500k in IFA $$$. Just doesn't seem too likely at this point.