Sox trade Will Middlebrooks for Ryan Hanigan

[Snodgrass'Muff]

Are the pitchers he'd be facing in winter ball likely to provide enough of a challenge to help him learn to recognize and lay off bad pitches at the major league level, though? We're not talking about a prospect here. At some point more reps against low quality pitching is just spinning your wheels. In the case of someone like Castillo, it makes sense. He'd seen no in game pitching in almost 2 years. That's not the case with Middlebrooks.

I get why people think Middlebrooks should be doing everything possible to earn a spot on a 25 man roster, but going to winter ball isn't pure upside for him. And Ras, I don't think it's fair to assume that mindset across the board... especially with a player who had missed significant time with injuries during his physical prime.

 

[BoSoxLady]

FTR...WMB isn't married. He and Jenny aren't getting married until February, 2016.

We obviously don't know what WMB was thinking when he turned down the request by the Sox that he play winter ball however, what I do know is that after the 2014 season, he and Jenny gave up their Boston condos and moved to Texas to be near his family. Her family is from RI. My guess is that WMB knew his time in Boston would end sooner rather than later and that was well before the Sox signed Panda.

This is the baseball life. Traveling and spending time away from family and friends is what players, wives, gf sign up for. The allegation that WMB refused to play winter ball to spend time with his fiancee is ridiculous IMO. He wanted to rest/heal so if he ended up somewhere else, he'd be healthy.

WMB needed a fresh start and now has an opportunity away from the bright lights of Boston to achieve his goal. I wish him well.

 

[InsideTheParker]

 
 
WMB isn't married. He and Jenny aren't getting married until February, 2016. 

This is a very long engagement. Have they stated why it's so long?

 

[Darnell's Son]

This is a very long engagement. Have they stated why it's so long?

Jenny covers football and Wombat plays baseball. I would assume late January early February is probably the best time for them both, professionally speaking. 2015 was probably too soon.

 

[Darnell's Son]

I would think that there's always a concern when a baseball player doesn't want to "play baseball". It suggests that there are other things that are a bigger priority to the player, which probably isn't what the organization wants to hear. Even if those reasons are perfectly valid. Didn't Cherington or Farrell say something to this effect?

 
 

 
After the 2012 debacle, Farrell made a lot of hay about working with Cherington to put together an all baseball-guy team of players with real passion for the game and who put it before almost everything else in their lives. To me, refusing to get LASIK/wear contacts and play winter ball sounds like he's just not one of their guys.
 
I was really excited about Middlebrooks but now I'm thinking, yeah, he just might be brick stupid.

 

[The Tax Man]

Presumably she's waiting on the wedding to see if he can rebuild his potential as a MLB player or if he's going to wash out.  
 
I think its natural to question a player's desire to succeed in MLB if he's unwilling to play more baseball or deal with contacts or sports goggles.  We all know WMB has natural talent but his unwillingness to budge on these issues [SIZE=13.63636302948px](coupled with his pitch recognition) [/SIZE]might end his career.  There's nothing more that fans hate than wasted natural talent.  

 

[BoSoxLady]

This is a very long engagement. Have they stated why it's so long?

Their engagement will be eighteen months when the marriage takes place. In baseball, that's long long at all. Baseball players generally marry between November-January because of the schedule. WMB's is scheduled before position players report to spring training in 2016.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

I would think that there's always a concern when a baseball player doesn't want to "play baseball". It suggests that there are other things that are a bigger priority to the player, which probably isn't what the organization wants to hear. Even if those reasons are perfectly valid. Didn't Cherington or Farrell say something to this effect?

 
I completely agree. The Red Sox have been involved with Will since they drafted him, they know how he's responded to situations and have a much more detailed understanding of what went down. Middlebrooks' decision not to go play Winter Ball pissed them off. I'm certain there are good reasons for some not to go play Winter Ball, reasons a club could reasonably understand. The Red Sox were put off by his refusal, which probably says more about what came before than specifically the refusal to play Winter Ball.
 
Honestly, the contacts thing is more damning to me of the two, and wasn't he sent down at least once to get his head right? Seemed to me like someone who had some early success, lost focus and is being stubborn about ways to address it.

 

[gammoseditor]

Are the pitchers he'd be facing in winter ball likely to provide enough of a challenge to help him learn to recognize and lay off bad pitches at the major league level, though? We're not talking about a prospect here. At some point more reps against low quality pitching is just spinning your wheels. In the case of someone like Castillo, it makes sense. He'd seen no in game pitching in almost 2 years. That's not the case with Middlebrooks.

I get why people think Middlebrooks should be doing everything possible to earn a spot on a 25 man roster, but going to winter ball isn't pure upside for him. And Ras, I don't think it's fair to assume that mindset across the board... especially with a player who had missed significant time with injuries during his physical prime.

 
He might not be a prospect anymore, but he's not a proven commodity either, and has a lot to learn.  His major league success consists of less than half a good season in 2012.  Lots of guys have success over a small sample at the major league level, and don't sustain it for a number of reasons.  In addition, injuries have limited the amount of competitive pitching he has seen the last two seasons.  He absolutely could use the at bats in winter ball.  It's pretty surprising that some on this board don't see it as a major red flag that he refused to go.  

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

This is a very long engagement. Have they stated why it's so long?

 
You missed the press conference?
 
Unbelievable.

 

[nvalvo]

For all we know, he's spending the winter adjusting to wearing contact lenses in an environment where he doesn't have to catch up to fastballs. 
 
It might not be the worst plan. 

 

[gammoseditor]

For all we know, he's spending the winter adjusting to wearing contact lenses in an environment where he doesn't have to catch up to fastballs. 
 
It might not be the worst plan. 

 
He had plenty of days off during the season to execute that plan. 

 

[Devizier]

I don't really get winter ball. It's voluntary, right?

 

[nvalvo]

 
He had plenty of days off during the season to execute that plan. 

 
There's that. I wish him the best in SD, but I won't be holding my breath.