He's really not.
MLB 1B in 2022: .252/.327/.426, 112 wRC+
Eric Hosmer 2022: .272/.336/.391, 107 wRC+
Sox acquire Eric Hosmer
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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MLB 1B in 2022: .252/.327/.426, 112 wRC+
Eric Hosmer 2022: .272/.336/.391, 107 wRC+
What's even more twisted is how questioning a deal turns into "raging that the acquisition is worthless", or that most of the posters here, presumably the ones questioning these trades, are "incredibly fucking dumb". That's weird, on a discussion board.
It looks like there is a bwar/fwar split here, but the Padres are the fifth worst fwar team to date in production from 1B - mainly driven by Hosmer's awful production since May 1.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-2022-replacement-level-killers-introduction-first-base/
You could argue that last place teams who are trading starting players for middling prospects don't really have positional needs anymore.
What is a "free" Hosmer worth?
I jokingly said Gilberto Jimenez in the Soto thread. Once he rejected the trade, it was pretty obvious he'd be here.
I jokingly said Gilberto Jimenez in the Soto thread. Once he rejected the trade, it was pretty obvious he'd be here.
He *is* better than what they've been doing at 1B so far, yes? Considering they're surrendering nothing of value (so it appears), what's the problem?
The plan (emulate LAD) is the best we could hope for and the absolute correct decision but it's not shiny enough and takes too long for the relentless radio call in folks that have found there way to this board.
Well. That’s… unfortunate.
HosmError.
I’m going with the theory that a change of scenery will improve his glove and bat.
He almost won a triple crown once.
I’m going to tell myself that THAT’s the Hosmer we’re getting. .
I don't see this as a major component of any "plan". This seems to be Bloom jumping on an opportunity.
Hosner squashed going to DC and the Padres had to move him. They also are willing to eat a substantial portion of his contract. So it's kind of a no-lose for Bloom. He's an immediate upgrade to our black hole at 1B, and if he sucks we can cut him without being on the hook for much money.
Honestly, it'll surprise me if Hosner is on the roster this time next year, but it seems like there's very little downside here.
Hosner squashed going to DC and the Padres had to move him. They also are willing to eat a substantial portion of his contract. So it's kind of a no-lose for Bloom. He's an immediate upgrade to our black hole at 1B, and if he sucks we can cut him without being on the hook for much money.
Honestly, it'll surprise me if Hosner is on the roster this time next year, but it seems like there's very little downside here.
I like the trade because it's a clear upgrade in my opinion, but I think the disconnect is comparing his bat league-wide opposed to just first baseman (as you did). While he's a welcome upgrade in our lineup, the Red Sox still lack an above-average first base bat. In terms of wRC+, he's 20 out of 26 qualifying 1B; 25 out of 26 in ISO. Hopefully next year Casas breaks that trend because I doubt he'll get an extended September look at this point.
This is where I am at. I assume that Bloom saw an opportunity to gain value in some manner when the Padres were pretty much forced to dump Hosmer at a loss. Let’s see
What did the Sox send to SD in this trade? Or, are they just picking up Hosmer and some of his salary?
And that would not be unreasonable. But at 3 games out of the playoffs, it's also not unreasonable to try and upgrade a position at virtually no cost. The downgrade at another position presumably comes with some other benefit (the prospect return).
Eric Hosmer is probably the biggest punchline in the league, largely because of his contract. He's an immensely frustrating player whose reputation both at the plate and on the field has almost always far exceeded his production. I genuinely would rather give the next three years to Dalbec, who at least has upside.
I'm partially reserving judgment because there's still a lot of time left and we don't know the prospect attached to the trade. If it's Campusano, then I like the deal a lot more. But as for Hosmer, it's basically no better than getting James Loney -- except now you're stuck with him for three additional years.
So I think if there's a disconnect here right now, it's "Hosmer is a free pickup with little downside" versus "Hosmer is an uninspiring pickup with little upside." Both of those can be (and are) true, and where you come down on it, I think, depends on what your expectations for this team are. Is this a genuine contender? Then Hosmer is a disappointing addition to a roster that was fatally misconstructed in the offseason. Is this team building toward something better in the future while aiming for at least base competency? Then Hosmer is a fine if not helpful addition to a roster that ... well, was fatally misconstructed in the offseason. Speaking purely for myself, I want the Red Sox to be in on marquee players and impact additions, and it's disappointing that instead this roster looks like a mid-tier NL Central squad hoping and praying to reach 82 wins.
Personally I don't have a problem with pointing out that Hosmer himself is "not good." Note that's different from claiming that he's bad. There's a big difference between the inaccurate claim that he's below average and the accurate claim that he's average.
As to the last bit, I see it totally differently. The way I see it is "has the bar for this team gotten so high that we're upset when the team acquires a cheap, merely average player for nothing?"
It feels like we're late in the ballgame with 2 outs and nobody on and the crowd is booing the batter for getting a base hit because we felt that we deserved a home run.
Look, you can point out the guy's downsides or why you think this is a short-sighted trade (or whatever) without distorting the factual truth. You're getting lambasted for that. There's enough histrionic bullshit about. Just stick to the facts and make your arguments from them. You might find people agree with you if you do that.
Yeah, I think that's fair, and probably the way to look at this trade, as opposed to it being part of a long-term plan.
But the Sox aren't paying that contract. And the disconnect between his reputation and his skills are not terribly relevant and seem to be accounted for in the salary side of this deal (based on what we know so far).
What factual truth have I distorted? I literally quoted the man's season stats and splits. There's no cherrypicking here; hell, I *highlighted* a good stretch.
Doesn't matter. He's an absolute out machine and he's terrible with the glove (per outs above average). There are far better uses of a roster spot -- especially with the number of prospects we need to protect this winter -- than Eric Hosmer, age 33-35.
He's an improvement at the position, and they can ditch him in November if it comes to that.
This isn't James Loney's corpse replacing Adrian Gonzalez.
and what financial commitment do they have to Eric Hosmer to keep him on the 40 after this season? Or even the rest of this season?
Hosmer is mediocre, but if this team was able fill out the second half of the lineup with “mediocre” they would probably have been a playoff team.
If he’s nearly free, I’m all for it. Might even be a bit more upside here than some think (not that I’d bank on it).
If he’s nearly free, I’m all for it. Might even be a bit more upside here than some think (not that I’d bank on it).
Think this one being way overthought, particularly since we have no idea of the actual trade beyond Hosmer. But seems very likely they have a near-free upgrade at 1B (and we all agree he sucks and is not a huge upgrade but he is an upgrade). They're not tied into it, he's not blocking anyone, etc. I'd say decent chance he doesn't even start next season with the Sox.
I would rather give Aug-Sept at bats to Casas than Hosmer, but we’ve still got a few hours to go…
That second quote isn't me, so please don't put it on me. And while I definitely think that there's some valid criticism of Hosmer as a player in this thread, there are also multiple people making claims that this deal is evidence that Bloom has no idea what he's doing and is running the team into the ground.
I like this take a lot; it very much rings true to me. I'm definitely in the building toward the future camp and am all for any moves that boost the team in the present without compromising that future. I think the Hosmer deal (as far as we know) fits that description well. In general I also want the Sox to be in on marquee players and impact additions, but not if it's going to compromise the organization's long term growth.
Overall I absolutely get people being blase about this deal. I don't get people being actively angry with it.
I genuinely would rather stick a needle in my eye than give the next three years to Dalbec, assuming he doesn't literally morph into mid-90s Mo Vaughn starting tonight.
50 games of Hosner and then an offseason upgrade is fine.
Right. Far worse would have Bloom going "No, no, no, A.J. We're not taking Hosmer, he's not on our white board..." As others have mentioned, at worst Hosmer is a better bridge to Casas than anyone in the dugout. Getting $0.80 on the dollar a year from now is a short money to give your #19 prospect in baseball a little more runway.
Let’s hope he’s got a Matt Carpenter vibe. I see no issue with a free first baseman if it means I never have to see Franchy at first base ever again.
Hosmer will likely turn out to be Cassas insurance. He'll likely give us a slightly-above-average bat and decent 1B defense if Cassas struggles. You get the whole 2022 Dalbec/Shaw/? role filled by Hosmer. Since the Sox will have very little salary to worry about (if the deal is as reported) they can very likely move him - and while not sexy, he has some value in plugging the same kind of (emergency?) hole on another team in 2023 or 2024.
So, oddly, I'd say this is a 2023 move - they're just pulling the trigger on it now. I mean if Hosmer was available as a FA for $4m (or whatever) during the off-season, he'd be a perfect fit for that role.
I'm done with Dalbec too, but there's a conceivable chance he puts it together, and he's controlled through 2026. With Hosmer there's no upside whatsoever, and he doesn't improve the infield's defense.
Again, I'm still waiting for details.
IF SD is picking up most of his salary Hosmer is a free asset. Not a great one but still with value. There shouldn’t be any difficulty flipping him when Casas is ready.
In the interim the team is better.
So what to do with Dalbec?
In the interim the team is better.
So what to do with Dalbec?
Trade him if anyone wants him, otherwise let him play against lefties? We also don't exactly have a 3B right now either.
They're only even getting Hosmer because the Padres are taking on a bunch of salary. Otherwise, it would make no sense. Obviously, their plan at 1B failed due to the Casas injury this year. They need a competent 1B for the rest of the season and somebody who can fill the spot if Casas isn't ready for April 2023. You're right: if this is their idea of an impact move then it's one thing. But Hosmer certainly doesn't preclude them from doing whatever they want this offseason to retool the roster. I don't think anybody has any ideas about them contending, so this move is about getting through the rest of the season without embarrassing defense at 1B and having a placeholder in '23 in case Casas is not ready(or if they move him for an impact player).
