Sox acquire Eric Hosmer

Cesar Crespo

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Did they?

I had no idea Groome still had defenders. Pretty sure he was getting launched off the forty-man in a few months.
Maybe they did. Chances are Groome makes the major leagues. I don't think you can say that about Ferguson or Rosier yet.
 

absintheofmalaise

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You know, that makes sense considering John Henry's unwillingness to spend money on the guys that do actually come from the farm system. Might as well make it the best part of the organization.
We all get it. You're pissed off and think Bloom is doing a shitty job. How about adding some substance to your drive-by hot takes going forward.
 

amfox1

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Groome was on the 40-man and would have only had 1 option yr left. He could have been a guy at some point, possibly the pen. This could signal they can't fit all their dudes on the roster going forward. Would have been tricky to keep him long-term if he didn't stick next year.
 

KillerBs

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Idk, admittedly just looking at bbref pages, but Ferguson looks like a complete non prospect and Rosier is almost 23 and underwhelming in high A. Both look like org filler to me, while Groome's stat line appears he likely on track to make the big leagues. If it is a push on the prospects while solving a 40 man issue, then at least that makes sense, but surely we can't be paying Hosmer more due to this part of the trade.
 

Gash Prex

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I never believed Groome's stuff post TJ would have played at the major leagues in any way. Hope he proves me wrong.
 

Farty Barrett

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Idk, admittedly just looking at bbref pages, but Ferguson looks like a complete non prospect and Rosier is almost 23 and underwhelming in high A. Both look like org filler to me, while Groome's stat line appears he likely on track to make the big leagues. If it is a push on the prospects while solving a 40 man issue, then at least that makes sense, but surely we can't be paying Hosmer more due to this part of the trade.
I found this promising. Scroll down to see Ferguson’s write up where he mentions Rosier.

The guy is a true base stealer who could possibly play a good 2nd and/or CF.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-john-schreiber-has-changed-since-his-detroit-days/
 

DeadlySplitter

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Great news. Free better 1B (relatively) now, can be flexible with DFA'ing / flipping him whenever. Chaim loves his flexibilty.
 

RG33

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Source: SD is paying Hosmer down to the minimum. They are sending Sox about $44m.
That makes it a pretty strong value for the Sox to get two prospects and a serviceable veteran 1B with a classic Fenway swing for the veteran minimum for Jay Groome who was likely going to be bullpen fodder or Rule V’d away.

This isn’t a deal that matters for this year, or maybe even ever, but it is the kind of deal you want your GM and POBO to bemaking consistently. They will add up over time and have a positive impact.
 

AlNipper49

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Simplifying things, 44 million for Jay Groome is about 43.5 more than I would have spent for him and I LOVE Groome. I’ve seen him pitch probably 10-12 times and he seems like a great guy. But at this point the best way to describe him as spinning his wheels in mud. Chances are he’ll just continue to drop deeper but there is always a chance of him catching on a rock and vaulting himself out.
 

scottyno

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That makes it a pretty strong value for the Sox to get two prospects and a serviceable veteran 1B with a classic Fenway swing for the veteran minimum for Jay Groome who was likely going to be bullpen fodder or Rule V’d away.

This isn’t a deal that matters for this year, or maybe even ever, but it is the kind of deal you want your GM and POBO to bemaking consistently. They will add up over time and have a positive impact.
They're still very much in the playoff hunt, and should be getting a lot of guys back soon, so it seems way too early to say that it won't matter for this year
 

billy ashley

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folks, the issue wasn't that Groome was likely to be selected in the rule 5, it is that he was likely to be designated for assignment due to a crunch in the 40 man.

4 months from now, he was literally going to be placed on waivers and likely selected, for nothing.
 

chawson

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That makes it a pretty strong value for the Sox to get two prospects and a serviceable veteran 1B with a classic Fenway swing for the veteran minimum for Jay Groome who was likely going to be bullpen fodder or Rule V’d away.

This isn’t a deal that matters for this year, or maybe even ever, but it is the kind of deal you want your GM and POBO to bemaking consistently. They will add up over time and have a positive impact.
Hard to argue if Preller is picking up 100% of Hosmer's tab, we get a couple of lottery tickets and Groome was going to be DFA'd soon anyway. But make no mistake, we still have a black hole at first base and the defense may have worsened.
 

Ale Xander

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Assuming Groome doesn’t turn into a stud, this was a fleecing. Not a fan of any of the other moves, or much of the last 30 months in total, but this was a fleecing, given our 1B situation.
 

Cesar Crespo

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If the Padres were releasing Hosmer anyway, they probably prefer Groome over the 2 prospects they moved. It's really prospect for prospects.
 

Drek717

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If the Padres were releasing Hosmer anyway, they probably prefer Groome over the 2 prospects they moved. It's really prospect for prospects.
The Padres have moved a ton of players off their 40 man in their recent acquisitions so Groome likely has a spot and is close enough to MLB for them to bring him up in a pinch as a bullpen arm (they sent a ton of bullpen depth to Milwaukee for Hader if I recall). So it isn't necessarily even a straight up talent eval, they might be boosting his value above the two lower level guys because they simply need live arms on the 40.

Plus while Hosmer isn't a threat to make them regret dumping him moving him to the Sox ensures he doesn't wind up on an NL team they're competing with and finds a month of former glory at just the wrong time for SD.
 

scottyno

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Assuming Groome doesn’t turn into a stud, this was a fleecing. Not a fan of any of the other moves, or much of the last 30 months in total, but this was a fleecing, given our 1B situation.
Unless he turns into a stud in the next 2 months it won't matter, because if he did it wasn't going to be with the Sox anyway. Of course that doesn't stop people from complaining about Beni being traded when he didn't get good until over a year after he was dealt.
 

BaseballJones

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At least they now have a competent major league first baseman for the next few years with a legit track record for league minimum. That’s not nothing. In fact, that’s pretty solid.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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That makes it a pretty strong value for the Sox to get two prospects and a serviceable veteran 1B with a classic Fenway swing for the veteran minimum for Jay Groome who was likely going to be bullpen fodder or Rule V’d away.

This isn’t a deal that matters for this year, or maybe even ever, but it is the kind of deal you want your GM and POBO to bemaking consistently. They will add up over time and have a positive impact.
This is where I’m at, and I’ve been hopeful about Groome. But this is just solid roster management.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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At least they now have a competent major league first baseman for the next few years with a legit track record for league minimum. That’s not nothing. In fact, that’s pretty solid.
Somewhere, the top prospect for the rejuvenated Sox farm system, Triston Casas, weeps.
 

BaseballJones

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Somewhere, the top prospect for the rejuvenated Sox farm system, Triston Casas, weeps.
He need not weep at all. Good chance JD isn’t back next year. They’ll need a DH. Between Hosmer and Casas they can fill both spots. Or if they’ve added a better bat, they can let Hosmer go for no cost at all. And if Casas isn’t ready, Hosmer fills the role just fine. I mean he’s not great but he’s at least league average for a league minimum salary, which is pretty sweet.

Casas will have no problem playing with the Sox if he proves he’s ready. Hosmer is no barrier to that.
 

radsoxfan

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If the Padres were releasing Hosmer anyway, they probably prefer Groome over the 2 prospects they moved. It's really prospect for prospects.
I assume you’re right, though I am a little surprised at the outcome still.

Would Hosmer only be able to get the minimum on the open market right now?

I certainly expected the Padres to pick up most of the tab, though figured some team out there would pay SOMETHING.
 

Jungleland

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I'm not thrilled about how today ultimately ended up, but I find it really hard to be upset about this deal. Hosmer for the minimum has value both now where he's a significant upgrade over the incumbents and next year where he means you have a decent 1B option no matter what and don't have to rely on Casas being ready for the majors in April. It has been a while since I've followed Groome closely, but if his departure was inevitable this offseason then all the more reason to be positive on this deal. I think RG33's take is right on.
 

KillerBs

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Totally agree that is far from ideal to have 2 guys on active roster who play 1b only, especially as you want to pair a righty bat with at least one of them. Re Hosmer I am most concerned about him as full-time bad 1b/dh in 2023 and beyond. Hopefully JD accepts the QO and forces the Sox to move Hosmer to the Pirates or somewhere of that sort.
 

Hank Scorpio

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I’m by no means a fan of Eric Hosmer, and he’s not a guy I’m excited to have on the team by any stretch, but I think he’s an asset at the league minimum. Free money to spend elsewhere. Having a guys like Hosmer batting 6~8 in the lineup isn’t really a bad thing if you have a strong top of the order.
 

scottyno

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Thats cool, but carrying two LH 1B, who only play 1b and who struggle against LH, historically, seems like a weird roster dynamic.
If Casas shows he's ready then Hosmer probably won't still be on the team, and if he doesn't look like he's ready then there's no need to rush him or go out and find a stop gap.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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Honestly, what Hosmer has done this year is probably a realistic expectation for Casas this year. So if this buys us time and allows us flexibility to ease Casas in, great.
 

koufax32

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If Casas shows he's ready then Hosmer probably won't still be on the team, and if he doesn't look like he's ready then there's no need to rush him or go out and find a stop gap.
Yep. Either way, the 1B position, one where you don’t really want to spend top dollar, is covered for the next three years for minimum wage. That cost certainty has value just like the options Bloom has now has value.
 

SoxinSeattle

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Yep. The Dodgers spent a lot starting in '12 and were decent when Friedman got there in '14 but he instantly started trading starters to stock up the farm while spending more money to restock. It took him two years to have the best farm in baseball. He did all this while the big club was winning 90+ games a year. Every team is unique and starting from a different level but another example is TB. Friedman took over the hapless '04 Rays and led them to there first playoff appearance in '08 without spending like a drunken sailor. The man has talent. Hopefully Bloom is in the same galaxy.
 

scottyno

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What's the luxury tax hit here? His salary each year is $13 mil but the luxury tax hit is $18 mil, so are we on the hook for a $5 mil luxury tax hit each year?
Apparently there's something with the new cba where by when you trade a guy it resets the tax number to be based on whatever he has left, but I believe that hit goes mostly to the padres since they're covering his salary and the sox would only have a tax hit of the amount they're actually paying him. Sox still have a 16m hit on Price for this season.

So by trading him the Padres saved more than just the minimum money the Sox are going to be paying him because they'll have $5m less of a tax hit over the next 3 years.
 
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DanoooME

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Some hope for Hosmer (and take this with a shaker of salt): Career numbers in Fenway - 109 PA, .354/.404/.485, OPS+ 133.
 

TheDeuce222

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folks, the issue wasn't that Groome was likely to be selected in the rule 5, it is that he was likely to be designated for assignment due to a crunch in the 40 man.

4 months from now, he was literally going to be placed on waivers and likely selected, for nothing.
Does someone have a list of all the guys that are under contract or will need to be placed on the 40-man come November/December? I guess the impending free agents are also question marks obviously vis-a-vis whether they are signed. Related question - if someone gets a QO, but they haven't signed yet (or particularly by the time of the Rule V draft), do they take up a 40-man spot? Thanks so much!
 

Cesar Crespo

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Does someone have a list of all the guys that are under contract or will need to be placed on the 40-man come November/December? I guess the impending free agents are also question marks obviously vis-a-vis whether they are signed. Related question - if someone gets a QO, but they haven't signed yet (or particularly by the time of the Rule V draft), do they take up a 40-man spot? Thanks so much!
Someone on here made a shortened list of the top 30 guys but here's the full list. https://www.soxprospects.com/rule5.htm

It's also Rule 5, not V.
 

Mooch

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Hell, for a part-time starter and bench bat, you could do a lot worse than Hosmer at the minimum.