The Conductor: who should Breslow haul to Boston this winter?
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I’d be thrilled with Profar on a two year deal.
I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that although the window appears to be opening, we don’t really know who out of the next generation will hit, and who will flop. So, while this year can and should be a fun, competitive season, these younger guys are still developing. Their peak years may be a few seasons away. I think profar provides a great bridge to that, and he seems like a guy that would fit in great. If anyone has ever heard him in an interview, he’s super articulate and just has a warm presence to him. Easy to route for.
I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that although the window appears to be opening, we don’t really know who out of the next generation will hit, and who will flop. So, while this year can and should be a fun, competitive season, these younger guys are still developing. Their peak years may be a few seasons away. I think profar provides a great bridge to that, and he seems like a guy that would fit in great. If anyone has ever heard him in an interview, he’s super articulate and just has a warm presence to him. Easy to route for.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1873792339325706614?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
On a Zoom call, Craig Breslow says priority now is trying to balance out the lineup and "probably" looking to add in the bullpen.
Not sure this is news at all.
On a Zoom call, Craig Breslow says priority now is trying to balance out the lineup and "probably" looking to add in the bullpen.
Not sure this is news at all.
Only in that it suggests that they see the left-handedness as more of an issue than some of us here do
Me too. I'm glad to say that that does not sound like: "We are on the cusp of signing Bregman to a 6-year deal".
Looking at some pending free agents who are in the top 30 of Pull% I came across Dylan Moore
His numbers at first seem pretty blah, but he has an enormous home/road a split. He had a wRC+ of 62 at Seattle and a 139 wRC+ away. Additionally, he crushed lefties with a 125 wRC+. He has a career 117 wRC+ away from T-Mobile park. 87 at TMobile.
He ranked 7th in all of baseball in pull % by right handed hitters.
The value add of getting him out of Seattle and in Fenway would be enormous.
He also can play absolutely everywhere. First, second, short, third, and outfield and he’s actually competent there.
If we are going to go the “value add” route. He’s someone I’m sure they are looking at.
His numbers at first seem pretty blah, but he has an enormous home/road a split. He had a wRC+ of 62 at Seattle and a 139 wRC+ away. Additionally, he crushed lefties with a 125 wRC+. He has a career 117 wRC+ away from T-Mobile park. 87 at TMobile.
He ranked 7th in all of baseball in pull % by right handed hitters.
The value add of getting him out of Seattle and in Fenway would be enormous.
He also can play absolutely everywhere. First, second, short, third, and outfield and he’s actually competent there.
If we are going to go the “value add” route. He’s someone I’m sure they are looking at.
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His K% last year was 23% away from T Mobile. T Mobile is known to be the highest strikeout park factor in all of MLB.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel rated Best/Worst offseason moves ($). Breslow got a "Best" for Buehler signing, paraphrased: "probably more of a No. 3 or No. 4 starter than a staff ace; 2024 line shows he was still adjusting to a new reality with less dynamic raw stuff. He gave a glimpse of that promising new self down the stretch and in the playoffs; Boston is getting a nice bargain for a midrotation starter when some players of that caliber are commanding close to $100 million."
Breslow got another "Best" for the Crochet trade: "Crochet was the hottest name on the winter trade market, as an ace-adjacent pitcher -- if not an ace -- on a way-below-market contract for two seasons, and will l extend him before free agency or get a compensatory pick when he does. Boston's strong package fits what the White Sox needed, but I don't think it includes a future star. Boston's scouting/development success the past few years allowed it to make a deal like this without trading one of its best prospects. Given how the Red Sox seem focused on building their roster, controllable solid players are needed for putting together a sustainable contender, with stars being the key variables, and Crochet is one."
Breslow got another "Best" for the Crochet trade: "Crochet was the hottest name on the winter trade market, as an ace-adjacent pitcher -- if not an ace -- on a way-below-market contract for two seasons, and will l extend him before free agency or get a compensatory pick when he does. Boston's strong package fits what the White Sox needed, but I don't think it includes a future star. Boston's scouting/development success the past few years allowed it to make a deal like this without trading one of its best prospects. Given how the Red Sox seem focused on building their roster, controllable solid players are needed for putting together a sustainable contender, with stars being the key variables, and Crochet is one."
That's a good pick. Here's his spray chart (2024) overlay with T-Mobile, a lot of warning track power.
Same chart for Fenway:
Not sure the Mariners would want to move him though, right?
Copying over from the other thread.
Ward had 146 wRC+ against lefties last year and 125 away from Angels stadium. Definitely someone they are evaluating.
Not really a pull hitter. But getting him out of his current park would be a big help.
I feel like a trade for RHH is more likely. I like Taylor Ward. What would we have to give up? Another name i've heard floated is Spencer Torkelson, especially if Bregman ends up in Detroit and I think I read they're planning on moving Keith to 1B. He seems like the perfect change of scenery guy (especially going from Comerica to Fenway). I wonder what Detroit would ask for. It seems like we may have some redundancy with Arias, Cespedes and Romero.
It would certainly be a buy low situation. Didn't he hit 31 HR fairly recently?
I wouldn't give up much for him, but Torkelson will play next season at the same age as Dalbec made his debut.
Yoshida is already a better hitter than Tork. And will be for the next 3 years. Tork sucks. The League figured out he can’t hit certain pitches (I think it’s breaking stuff below his knees). Longenhagen or someone wrote an article about it. It had to do with lifting weights and becoming so big and stiff that he can’t hit breaking stuff lower in the zone when it drops because his lower body is too stiff.
For Ward, the Angels are supposedly wanting major league ready starting pitching but probably can’t be expecting anyone too valuable to be made available. Wonder if Fitts would be enough..
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I think they'd want more than just Fitts. Maybe Fitts + someone like Cespedes?
As a bat, Rhys Hoskins really seems like the next logical figure in the series that begins with Hunter Renfroe, Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall, and Tyler O’Neill.
Given our outfield depth and some questions about Casas’s health after last year, I think the bat makes more sense as a 1B/DH type than an OF/DH type. So unless it’s something bigger, then Hoskins, Bohm, or maybe Connor Joe all make sense to me. A Justin Turner-type, basically.
Given our outfield depth and some questions about Casas’s health after last year, I think the bat makes more sense as a 1B/DH type than an OF/DH type. So unless it’s something bigger, then Hoskins, Bohm, or maybe Connor Joe all make sense to me. A Justin Turner-type, basically.
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Guess it all depends what you think about Cespedes. He’s a bit of a lottery ticket and he may end up in LF eventually- so if that happens he’ll need to really produce with the bat.
Ward is a solid fit for this roster and is signed for two more years on a reasonable contract. He’s a fairly good defender in LF and crushes LHP. Certainly wouldn’t be a bad guy to have around as they gradually get Anthony integrated into the lineup. Would also allow them to sit Duran more against LHP.
It is too bad that there isn't a spot for Profar on this roster. I'm a believer in the importance of vibe guys, and it seems like Profar is beloved by his teammates in San Diego.
David Peralta, who admits he disliked Profar from the other dugout: Profar “takes everything personally.” The losses affected Profar more deeply than most other players, he observed. “On the other side, you can take that the wrong way. . . . He has a little bit of everything: He’s gonna fight. He’s gonna get everyone excited and crazy in the clubhouse… You need those guys to bring the energy and the craziness… The chemistry of the team — the success of the team — starts inside the clubhouse. . . . Profar, he’s a crazy motherfucker! In a good way. We had so much fun. Any team, any manager, would love to have him because he’s gonna give everything he’s got every single day. I saw it.”
How would a Crawford for Ward trade look for both teams? Seems like maybe the Angels would have to add a bit more because of the amount of control left for Crawford versus Ward.
Rhys Hoskins picked up his 2025 $18m player option to stay with Milwaukee. If we’re talking health, he missed the entirety of 2023 due to injury.
Bohm I think is dreadful tbh, not much pop and defence has been very bad. Also, that whole incident where he was benched during the playoffs didn’t make him look great.
Connor Joe, no. I think I would legit take JT back over any of these options. The main issue with that is that his pop is pretty much gone, though iirc he missed time due to illness so that may have impacted him in that department Grissom-style, and T-Mobile is a terrible park to hit in. But at his age you’d really want him to DH more often than not, with limited time backing up 1B.
Looking at the LAA roster, they skew very right-handed, need a corner OF spot to move Trout to (and thus a CF), and they still have Rendon penciled in at 3B despite failing to break 60 games played each of the last 4 years.
Trout could move to LF in the event of a Ward trade, so I think Ward is reasonably available but it would still have to be something worth their while to move their starting LF. In addition to one of Priester/Fitts/Criswell, David Hamilton seems like a good fit. He can cover 2B when Rengifo is inevitably moved to 3B to cover for a Rendon IL stint.
They have acquired several short term pieces this offseason so I think they would be more interested in major league pieces rather than prospects years away.
Maybe Trout+$100M cash would be interesting. Incredible talent but he is owed $37M for another 6 years and has averaged 66 games played over the last 4 years.
I can't imagine the Angels being willing to subsidize his contact enough to be worth a trade, he is just worth more to them as a future HOFer.
Trout just looks like acquiring the name and hoping he's the player everyone remembers as great, rather than the actual guy you're getting.
I haven't heard any "lifting weights makes you too stiff for baseball" talk in like 40 years. Glad to year that some of the old timer scouts are still kicking around, munching sunflower seeds and talking about the war.
I thought the issue was that his front leg was very stiff or locked when he plants so that he has a hard time adjusting to pitches low in or heading below the zone. It's a hitting mechanic that is shared by Marcello Mayer, and Tork's performance with similar mechanics was a reason that FG's Longenhagen has been down on Mayer in the past.
After studying every freaking right handed hitter in baseball, listening to Breslow discuss Ceddane in CF, realizing Yoshida is basically un-moveable, getting the sense the tax threshold is a real thing, I cannot find a path to added right handed hitters without trading Abreu. It needs to be in right field and preferably someone who could back up first.
They could easily add a bench bat like Canha or Grichuk and start Hamilton at AAA - if the unlikely happens and everyone is healthy to start the season.
The comments from Breslow make me feel that are looking for more than that.
I also think, they might just think Campbell is really that guy and see what happens.
I do think a sequence that involved getting someone like Taylor Ward for a package around Hamilton and then trading Abreu for high minor catching would be very shrewd.
I could get into that and had similar thoughts about minors catching, but I have doubts about whether Abreu is enough to get something really exciting in that area. Like would he get you a Teel? I feel like you'd need to add more.
I’ve been playing around with a Drake Baldwin trade from the Braves centered around Abreu. I think there is something there. I can see them wanting someone like Zach Kelly as well. Would fill two of their major holes with pre Arb guys.
Id want more than just Baldwin in that scenario.
I've had a similar (and less exhaustive) search and I think the options are a player who is 2 of the following 3: catcher/right handed DH/back up infielder, with Romy going to AAA. But, if it is not a catcher, it only makes sense if the new guy is a material upgrade on Romy, who put up good numbers against LHP last year.
It would be prudent to option Romy to AAA. Once you get past Campbell and Roman, which we assume will be major league starters once they are called up, the AAA positional group is scary thin.
They should utilize Romy’s option to create more actionable 40 man depth.