There’s really no way around this when you’re the last place team in the best division in baseball.
And under the old scheduling model it would’ve been worse.
Offseason rumors
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And under the old scheduling model it would’ve been worse.
Yoshida at DH is the obvious move; but wondering why Breslow went out of his way to claim that wasn’t going to be the case a few months back. Was it a matter of needing to talk to Yoshida about it first, or as result of not landing another bat (or of not dealing a Duran, perhaps?)
Regardless, should help both the defense and Yoshida’s offense, so good move IMO.
Regardless, should help both the defense and Yoshida’s offense, so good move IMO.
Four months ago, Breslow wasn't done addressing the roster (still isn't). No reason whatsoever to hold him to that statement now. Considering spring training starts tomorrow and Cora can only deal with the roster he has, what else do you expect him to say?
The 5 stages of the Red Sox Offseason
1. Denial. We ARE going to sign YY!.
2. Anger - is this all there is? Boo!
3. Bargaining - OK how about just Montgomery.
4. Depression - We aren't going to sign anyone. We suck.
5. Acceptance - This is it. We hope Crawford/Houck/Whitlock can start. The offense might be good. The days of the Red Sox being big players in the FA market are done, and we are really just another team.
Of course if they sign Montgomery tomorrow this all changes.
1. Denial. We ARE going to sign YY!.
2. Anger - is this all there is? Boo!
3. Bargaining - OK how about just Montgomery.
4. Depression - We aren't going to sign anyone. We suck.
5. Acceptance - This is it. We hope Crawford/Houck/Whitlock can start. The offense might be good. The days of the Red Sox being big players in the FA market are done, and we are really just another team.
Of course if they sign Montgomery tomorrow this all changes.
Cotillo: Sox still trying to add an OF.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1757430777661243453?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
At this point, why bother? Assuming they are not thinking big, none of the available options are going to move the needle much, why take AB away from Duran/Abreu/Rafaella?
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1757430777661243453?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
At this point, why bother? Assuming they are not thinking big, none of the available options are going to move the needle much, why take AB away from Duran/Abreu/Rafaella?
Right on O'Neil, but I'm assuming an additional OF wouldn't come at his expense.
I dunno, I'll wait and see. Maybe they keep Abreu/Rafaella in AAA for a month to get an extra year of service time. Kind of a lame move, but those are the rules and it's such a huge potential benefit they'd be stupid to not consider it. And as least in the case of Rafaella, it's completely justifiable.
Yeah, not seeing it unless there’s a trade still waiting some alignment (salary or otherwise).
How about an RH 1B/3B/DH ?
Because Rafaella needs to be in AAA, Duran is coming off major injury, and O'Neil gets hurt every year.
Every single off season we go in circles about not needing players with people having a thesis of a zero injury year.
I still like the idea of signing Michael Taylor and shifting Duran to left. Duran - Taylor - Abreu can really go get it. O'Neil is a really nice 3.5 OF who can cover all three and platoon with Abreu
I'm not holding out much hope that the next addition to this roster is anything more than a field player coming off an off year. Anything more will be a pleasant surprise and give the fans a reason to buy more tickets this year.
I agree that it'd be a good idea to find an RHH OF who can also play 1B, but I'd also be okay with Michael A. Taylor, who's been an average-ish hitter against LHP over his career and is playable in CF or Fenway's RF.
If a Duran deal is on the table, then a one- or two-year deal for Michael A. Taylor makes a good amount of sense. He's a tremendous center fielder and while a flawed hitter who struggles against RHP, he doesn't really chase pitches and the power is really solid.
Adding Story and Michael Taylor, while swaping out Yoshida for Duran in left would be a very clever and quick way to upgrade the team defense from horrific to maybe well above average.
Taylor would help the defense but is pretty meh as a hitter. I don't see a fit unless the move Duran, which I don't think is either wise or likely.
Cooper seems to be the best fit since he is RH and can play 1B and corner OF.
Cooper seems to be the best fit since he is RH and can play 1B and corner OF.
I suspect that the Soler signing and the Cotillo report about the Sox still in the market are not unrelated. Most of the rumors have not come from local sources - this one did in part because the RS knew the press was going to be tough about losing Soler. It makes me marginally less optimistic about Montgomery - since if that was a possibility you would float that too.
I like it, except it doesn't clear a lane for O'Neill to get 500 or so PAs. I don't think they think of him as weak-side platoon hitter, and if they did it would obviate a Taylor signing. (This is assuming an Abreu/Refsnyder RF platoon, which I think is above average.)
With us trading off almost all our other guys on one-year deals, I'd think O'Neill is here as an audition to re-sign, to receive a QO, or to get traded at the deadline. All those scenarios require him to be more or less a full-time outfielder.
Yeah, with today's confirmation that Yoshida will mostly DH, I'd put my $$ on O'Neil to lead the team in OF innings.
Given O’Neill’s track record of injuries, I think I would take that bet
But I agree, barring a surprise trade for a legit starting caliber OF, I think it’s Duran/O’Neill/Abreu in some alignment getting the bulk of the OF innings. Rafaela starts in AAA for service time reasons and they upgrade the Refsnyder/4th OF spot with someone like Duvall.
I'm sure this has been discussed - easy to lose track! - but I guess if they acquire another OF, then Refsnyder can be used in the backup 1B/DH role. He doesn't have a ton of experience at 1B, but he's already on the roster and not Bobby Dalbec.
I don't know that every story about/coming from the Sox is some 4D chess move playing against fan interest or agent interest. I'm guessing most casual fans don't really care about Soler. The press does not seem to be too critical about this "loss" either. I'm guessing it's a genuine report--they are still looking to add an outfielder.
I just don't think you should worry about figuring that out right now. Performance and health will dictate who plays
Is Duvall much of an upgrade over Refsnyder for that particular role, though? Duvall's been a worse hitter vs. LHP two of the last three years, and the primary 4th OF's job in 2024 would seem to be platooning with Abreu.Given O’Neill’s track record of injuries, I think I would take that bet
But I agree, barring a surprise trade for a legit starting caliber OF, I think it’s Duran/O’Neill/Abreu in some alignment getting the bulk of the OF innings. Rafaela starts in AAA for service time reasons and they upgrade the Refsnyder/4th OF spot with someone like Duvall.
Far as I know. But I don't think Duran is in a strict platoon, is he? If they add another outfielder, that seems like a lot of guys for three outfield spots, even counting Yoshida as full-time DH (not necessarily true) or factoring a Rafaela call-up. There's also still Pablo Reyes, who played a good amount of outfield in the Winter Leagues this year, and in AA last summer, and who doesn't have options.
"One industry source who had recent contact with the Red Sox." Is it me or is this reaching absurd levels. Why believe any of this stuff? I know that there's nothing better to do, but that could literally be almost anyone. If you squint, it could be some of us. It's all horseshit.
I envision the role as more expansive than just a straight platoon. Injuries happen, poor performances happen, etc. When they do, if you have any hope of competing, you can’t rely of Refsnyder getting the bulk of playing time.
This doesn't make sense to me. Breslow says he doesn't want Yoshida to get the DH duties because we're probably going to sign someone else, but now that we won't sign someone else, we can't hold him to that statement?
Cooper is more interesting than I had realized. Even with his abysmal year overall last year, he put up a 101 wRC+ against lefties. His OF defense has actually been fine up until last year, so that might be a fluke. Not a large sample though. Either him or Solano really might be better fits (if worse hitters) than Soler.
View: https://twitter.com/gingersnaphyde/status/1757436982127480849?s=46
FO still grinding away. Who knows if anything will come of it.
Cora definitely is keeping all doors open
View: https://twitter.com/bossportsgordo/status/1757418676192497788?s=46
FO still grinding away. Who knows if anything will come of it.
Cora definitely is keeping all doors open
View: https://twitter.com/bossportsgordo/status/1757418676192497788?s=46
First, the bolded isn't a given. Second, I don't recall him saying he doesn't want Yoshida to DH. He said he prefers to not have a regular DH. From the Globe in January: "Breslow reiterated his preference for not having a regular designated hitter, saying his plan remains to rotate at-bats through a number of players. He voiced confidence in the idea that left fielder Masataka Yoshida will improve defensively, but ultimately Yoshida may fit best as the DH."
Ultimately, things change over the course of a few months of the off-season. Stating preferences and goals before the off-season is different than dealing with the results come spring training.
But if getting a better hitter was a stated goal, then why should they not be held to that goal? It's not someone else set a goal for them that was too lofty to reach - they put it on themselves, and it looks like they will not meet it. IMO, they should 100% be held to their own words and stated goals.
I'm not really sure what Duran has to do with my point which is that (health permitting) it might not be hard to find 500 ABs when the guy who might be considered your best all around outfielder can play all three spots. If you would like to consider Duran's role, I think that ATM he's probably seeing time in LF and FWIW there have been several rumors recently that San Diego is interested in dealing for him.
Keep in mind that SF likely had to overpay Soler to get him, so I wouldn't place too much precedential value on how much they're paying Soler. SF's FO has failed to close the deal with a bunch of big FAs, so agents of even semi-big FAs can hold that over them -- "you don't want to blow another deal, do you? Why not up your offer and make it impossible for us to say no?" Also, SF as a city has a terrible reputation at the moment (we can discuss whether or not it's deserved in V&N), so FA are going to be able to argue that they need more $ in order to sign there. Plus California taxes (which haven't seemed to impact the LAD), being far from Cuba and SF having a smaller Cuban community than places Soler has played in the past, etc.
I don't get why people get so upset at reporting -- or, really, microreporting via Twitter -- like this. Beat writers are constantly talking to agents and other executives who are constantly talking to the Red Sox front office, and I, for one, am interested to know what they're hearing.
I still can't figure out what going up against pitching that he beat the snot out of last season will do for him. Will he be instructed to lay off pitches and look to just look to get walks? I can't see how opposing pitchers wouldn't just throw him strikes then. He's at the same point of development where he needs to play as much as possible and struggle against ML pitching. He may never be a high OBP guy but with his defense and bat to ball skills he's going to be highly valuable. He may also really suck for two months and like Casas and Pedroia, posters here will question what he's doing on the roster and demand he be sent back to AAA... to learn.... how to beat the snot out of inferior pitchers. Has facing AAA hitters helped out Bobby Dalbec????
He did only have 219 PA in Worcester. Plus there's the service time part of it. But if he does start at AAA, I'd expect he'll be up at some point, assuming he continues to hit.
Last year, the Sox gave ~1700 PA’s to Verdugo, Turner, Tapia, and Duvall. Let’s say we can get 250 more from Duran- which brings him up to 600. That’s still 1450 AB’s. 500 for O’Neill? 400 more Abreu? I guess a bunch from Rafaela? Still seem a bat short in the OF, even in the best case scenarios.
If he starts the season in AAA, he’s depth- that will inevitably be needed. If he starts the season in the majors, they are just that further down the depth chart for the next man up.
I don't have a problem with putting on the board -- it certainly is worth of putting in a rumors thread. That wasn't my point. I'm not trying to shut down conversation or reporting these tweets. I just don't believe any of it reflects any kind of truth, other than someone with an agenda said a thing. Which can be interesting, for sure.
To me, that is by far the most interesting part. I've posted a lot that I think much of what we've been discussing has been an indirect dialogue between Scott Boras and the Boston Red Sox, taking various shapes and forms. Whether it results in anything happening this year, or is more a long-term dance. Obviously, that's rank speculation on my part, so I'm not adverse to that in a rumors thread.
I was just trying to make the point that any tweet that starts with "An industry source who had contact with the Red Sox" is very possibly next-level nothingness as to whatever follows, except that it was important to someone that it got reported.
Do we have a scenario in which we get someone like Tatis via trade? I know I’ve heard reports of them being interested in Jansen and Duran. Could something be worked out there? Moving Houck to the closer role still intrigues me.
It bugs me, but I'm resigned to the fact that social media now plays such a huge part in all of this and that it has become the primary source for these guys to get the word out as soon as they have any morsel that they want out there. Writing a column that might be obsolete before it's even printed must suck, but on my end the constant bombardment of rumors in 40 characters or less in an era where anyone who has the means (connected or not) can pretty much post anything for our consumption can be wearing. Especially in an off season like this.
It’s more about maximizing the value of your assets. It’s not absurd to think that Duran could develop into an above average CF. Give him the opportunity to do that vs moving him to LF and never finding out.
If Rafaela goes to AAA, improves his approach and becomes a good hitter, great! Now you’ve gained another year of service time. If Duran is struggling into the summer, call up Rafaela and see if his hitting translates to the major leagues.
I can't imagine the Padres are open to moving Tatis considering he's the only outfielder of any quality that they have at the moment. I think it would take a hell of a lot more than Jansen and Duran to get him too. Probably talking one or more of Mayer, Anthony, and Teel as a foundation for a trade like that.
Sure, I agree with that. It's certainly fine/smart to stock up in case of injury. One potential issue though, is whether a free agent considering signing here could foresee the amount of playing time that he wants.
Hmm, maybe I misunderstood your point. Yes, O'Neill can play all three positions. What I'm suggesting is that if we're adding another outfielder (say, Duvall or Taylor), I'm totally not sure I see a path for O'Neill to get a full season's worth of PAs without a trade, probably of Duran.
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