Who should start for this team in 2021?

amRadio

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It does feel like the Schilling scenario in the sense that most people seem to be figuring that it's between BOS and NYY and the player seems to mean a lot to both teams right now.

As for players everyone expect NYY to buy that they didn't: Ohtani, Cliff Lee, Halladay, and Darvish. Last time I think BOS and NYY wanted the same player in the same offseason was Teixiera.

Edit: slow response.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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This of all off seasons seems like a crapshoot. Maybe BOS and NY both exercise reasonable restraint on a 35 yo who hasn’t pitched much or well for two years, and it’s instead the CWS or Padres who continue to spend.

I like Kluber, but... Let’s remember that there is serious downside risk here.
 

EvilEmpire

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If he only wants one year, there isn't much downside risk. One of those rare times in free agency when a team and player's interests align.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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My understanding is that the Yankees are now only about $15m under the CBT after the DJL signing. If that's the case, then that might constrain how far they might go on Kluber, IF resetting the cap is important to them. This might be one instance where the Sox have a financial advantage over NYY.
 

amRadio

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Cannot understate how disappointed I am in the Red Sox. Can't really see a scenario where I tune into very many games this season.
 

lexrageorge

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Sox could easily have met or exceeded that. Maybe Kluber really preferred NY no matter what. But, if not, it's a big miss by Bloom. Not good.
 

BillMuellerFanClub

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The optimist in me says this is the domino that topples the rest that are setup, according to a number of reports that Boston has a few irons in the fire. It would bring me a lot of joy to see Bloom win a few very nice trades in a row here to shore up the 2021 team.

Starting with a more robust Benintendi deal this weekend that no one sees coming.
 

DeadlySplitter

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I've calmed down a bit seeing his velocity was only at 87-89, maybe will top at 92, but I still think he was a worthwhile gamble in the low 8 figures for this team.

Need to see some moves soon, but I 100% believe they are not planning 2021 to be a truly contending year, regardless of whatever they come out and say when the dust settles.
 

DisgruntledSoxFan77

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So they passed on Sugano to concentrate on Kluber and Odorizzi and still come up short on Kluber? Kinda hard to find optimism for this team right now
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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I can only assume either Boston didn’t want him, or Kluber had no interest in Boston, because losing out on a player that signs for 1/11 is otherwise pretty pathetic.
 

The Gray Eagle

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Red Sox never wanted him, they were only feigning interest to dive the pice up for NY. All the way up to... 1 year, $11 million?
 

Manramsclan

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If I were a pitcher coming off an injury signing a one year make good deal, I would definitely want to go where the person who knows me the best could help me be at my best.

Please stop with the "Tampa Bay north" and hand-wringing over the size of the contract. It's pretty obvious that it came down to what I stated above.
 

chawson

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Bummer. Well wishes for Kluber but let’s hope this goes as well for them as Tulo’s comeback did.

I figure Odorizzi should also sign soon and Bloom will then move swiftly onto his trade contingencies, which is where the real prizes are anyway. I’m excited to see him finally be able pursue his vision without restriction.

My guess for the OD rotation is Rodriguez, Musgrove, Eovaldi, Pivetta and Chatwood, with swingmen Whitlock, Andriese and Rich Hill in the mix and Sale back in the summer. Houck starts in the minors/alt site, extend ERod if he’s healthy.
 

StuckOnYouk

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This isn't Cy Young Corey Kluber. I would have been fine either way. We are not competing for a championship in 2021. Bloom needs to make the moves to continue moving toward 2022 or 2023 being a big year.
 

koufax32

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This isn't Cy Young Corey Kluber. I would have been fine either way. We are not competing for a championship in 2021. Bloom needs to make the moves to continue moving toward 2022 or 2023 being a big year.
Then offer him 1/$15m to trade him in July for prospects. Use your wealth now to buy pieces for ‘22 and ‘23.
 

Oppo

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20+ teams went to watch him throw. Either he’s nothing better than a crapshoot or really wanted to pitch for NYY (WS hopeful, training staff, location, re-establish value, etc).
 

DeadlySplitter

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My guess for the OD rotation is Rodriguez, Musgrove, Eovaldi, Pivetta and Chatwood
Chatwood has been sub-replacement level 2 of the past 3 seasons. That'd be a 1 year flyer to maybe, maybe, get an OK prospect at the deadline, and hopefully not part of any vision for the next great team.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Most obvious answer to not getting Kluber- he saw NYY's as best chance to be on a team that could win the WS THIS YEAR. The Sox aren't that team... and adding Kluber would have been yet another question mark. Didn't make sense to try and get him.... and wouldn't have been able to anyways.
 

JimD

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This isn't Cy Young Corey Kluber. I would have been fine either way. We are not competing for a championship in 2021. Bloom needs to make the moves to continue moving toward 2022 or 2023 being a big year.
This is where I am. Let Chaim do his thing and build the next great Sox team. I'd rather not have him feeling pressure from Werner & company to sign a few big names to boost NESN ratings.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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I really don't understand the interest in signing this guy to a one year contract anyway. The team is unlikely to compete this year. If Kluber returns to form, we need to give him a big contract or he leaves. If Kluber hasn't recovered from his injury, he's a waste of money and innings that could have gone to somebody over whom we have more future control. Neither outcome really helps the club when we are more ready to compete in 2022 and beyond.
 
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ramfan

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I really don't understand the interest in signing this guy to a one year contract anyway. The team is unlikely to compete this year. If Kluber returns to form, we need to give him a big contract or he leaves. If Kluber hasn't recovered from his injury, he's a waste of money and innings that could have gone to somebody over whom we have more future control. Neither outcome really helps the club when we are more ready to compete in 2022 and beyond.
1. He'd be a placeholder to help us be more competitive while we develop future pitching.
2. Most of out talented pitching prospects either aren't MLB ready or will be pitching limited innings. He's wouldn't be stealing anyone's innings that deserve them
3. As Koufax said, if he pitches well he could have been flipped for prospects at the deadline.
 

Apisith

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I really don't understand the interest in signing this guy to a one year contract anyway. The team is unlikely to compete this year. If Kluber returns to form, we need to give him a big contract or he leaves. If Kluber hasn't recovered from his injury, he's a waste of money and innings that could have gone to somebody over whom we have more future control. Neither outcome really helps the club when we are more ready to compete in 2022 and beyond.
If he’s good and we’re competitive, then things have worked out great. If he’s good and we’re not competitive, we trade him for high-end prospects. This would also be considered a great outcome. If he sucks, we’ve only spent money and we didn’t lock ourselves into a long term deal. Our window isn’t open yet so we should be signing a lot of short deals that can be traded if the player performs and we’re not competitive. The best case scenario is a repeat of 2013.
 

amRadio

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If you mean "overstate," then I agree with you.
Hah, I zigged when I meant zag. We agree.

I think the biggest disappointment is that if his velocity increases and he returns to form, he's going to be a Yankee to end his career. If I were a Yankee fan I would be rooting for a return to form and a longer term contract. That would be great for any baseball team going forward. Meanwhile, we're over here with Nick Pivetta and Matt Andriese. Not great.
 

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Hah, I zigged when I meant zag. We agree.

I think the biggest disappointment is that if his velocity increases and he returns to form, he's going to be a Yankee to end his career. If I were a Yankee fan I would be rooting for a return to form and a longer term contract. That would be great for any baseball team going forward. Meanwhile, we're over here with Nick Pivetta and Matt Andriese. Not great.
If his velocity increases and If he returns to form....big, big ifs. Nothing wrong with taking the chance, and I would have enjoyed seeing him on the Sox.
But he could also be swiftly on the downside, and Nick Pivetta could be a better pitcher going forward. Great.
 

Randy Red Sox

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If his velocity increases and If he returns to form....big, big ifs. Nothing wrong with taking the chance, and I would have enjoyed seeing him on the Sox.
But he could also be swiftly on the downside, and Nick Pivetta could be a better pitcher going forward. Great.
Nick Pivetta has a 5.40 career era in 406 MLB innings. Besides 2 good starts in garbage time for The Red Sox last year and coming over from the Phils where his era was north of 15.00 what makes you think he will be a better pitcher than Kluber?
 

E5 Yaz

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As much hype around Kluber to Boston had, it was tough to compete with NY due to Eric Cressey and Matt Blake being on their staff.
Quoting this so that folks might actually understand this time why a guy needing to re-establish himself would go to a team with people in place who know how to get the best out of him.
 

chawson

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Nick Pivetta has a 5.40 career era in 406 MLB innings. Besides 2 good starts in garbage time for The Red Sox last year and coming over from the Phils where his era was north of 15.00 what makes you think he will be a better pitcher than Kluber?
Pivetta was one of the brighter young pitchers in the league as recently as 2018, when he put up a 3.48 expected ERA. He’s lost a couple mph since then from injuries but that guy’s a top 25 pitcher in MLB if he can find his way back. He’s 27.
 

nvalvo

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Nick Pivetta has a 5.40 career era in 406 MLB innings. Besides 2 good starts in garbage time for The Red Sox last year and coming over from the Phils where his era was north of 15.00 what makes you think he will be a better pitcher than Kluber?
I don't think anyone thinks Pivetta will ever be a better pitcher than classic Kluber. What BMHH said was that Pivetta (who will turn 28 next season) could be better going forward than Kluber, who will be 35. In any year after steroid testing, that's a decent prediction of basically any 28 year old and any 35 year old.

You are, of course, correct to note that Pivetta's MLB track record is grim. But ERA is a uniquely bad stat for him, as his issue seems to have been the long ball. His career ERA is 5.40, but his career xFIP (which normalizes HR/FB ratios) is a much more appealing 4.03. His walk and hit rates are manageable, and he gets a decent number of strikeouts. That's not to say that he's secretly been good this whole time; it's to identify that it's the long ball that gets him in trouble.

The most promising thing about his starts for Boston last season was that he gave up one HR in 10 IP, a rate, 0.90/9 IP, well under the league average of 1.34. (And to Marcel Ozuna, which, you know, happens.) In his abortive early season with Philadelphia, he gave up 3 HR in 5 2/3 IP. That's 4.77 HR/9 — yikes! It's not hard to see where that 15+ ERA came from.

There's a reason people keep giving Pivetta starts, and it's because he has good velocity on both four-seam and two-seam fastballs, and great spin rates on his curveball — 92nd percentile, and 11 inches of drop. That's an out pitch. If they can tweak something in his repertoire that helps him keep the ball in the yard, he could be pretty good. Is he too predictable? Is he tipping his pitches? Did the league have the Phillies' signs?

(Also, we basically got him for free.)

Pivetta was one of the brighter young pitchers in the league as recently as 2018, when he put up a 3.48 expected ERA. He’s lost a couple mph since then from injuries but that guy’s a top 25 pitcher in MLB if he can find his way back. He’s 27.
I don't think the velocity is the issue. He threw just as hard in his awful 2019 as he did in his strong 2018, and he threw softer in his strong starts with Boston in September 2020 than he did in his catastrophic 2020 starts with Philly.
 

nvalvo

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While I was poking around in Pivetta’s numbers, I found one reason for optimism.

By leaving the NL East, he shouldn't see so much of the Washington Nationals. He's made 9 starts and 2 relief appearances against the Nats, and only has 37 IP to show for it. Pivetta turns the Nats into 2002 Manny Ramirez: .350/.429/.650. The split is so astonishing that I just set up a quick spreadsheet to calculate his career line against everyone but the Nationals: .256/.317/.367. That's a .367 delta in OPS. The Nationals have been responsible for 14.5% of the Total Bases he has conceded in 10% of the plate appearances. And it's not even a result of familiarity — two of his first three big league starts were against Washington, and they trounced him both times.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

allmanbro

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While I was poking around in Pivetta’s numbers, I found one reason for optimism.

By leaving the NL East, he shouldn't see so much of the Washington Nationals. He's made 9 starts and 2 relief appearances against the Nats, and only has 37 IP to show for it. Pivetta turns the Nats into 2002 Manny Ramirez: .350/.429/.650. The split is so astonishing that I just set up a quick spreadsheet to calculate his career line against everyone but the Nationals: .256/.317/.367. That's a .367 delta in OPS. The Nationals have been responsible for 14.5% of the Total Bases he has conceded in 10% of the plate appearances. And it's not even a result of familiarity — two of his first three big league starts were against Washington, and they trounced him both times.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wow! That is hilarious! Who knows what it means, but I am sure Pivetta himself is happy to be out of there.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Why would Kluber choose Boston? a team with no chance of competing this year? His rehab is being overseen by Yankees guy, as well. I mean I can't imagine Boston was in his final four choices, not should it be. And I'm not sure why Sox would be interested in paying for one year of a guy who likely can't pitch 150 innings. Unless he idea was to allow him to rehab and then trade him at the deadline, but why would Kluber agree to that?
 

amRadio

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If his velocity increases and If he returns to form....big, big ifs. Nothing wrong with taking the chance, and I would have enjoyed seeing him on the Sox.
But he could also be swiftly on the downside, and Nick Pivetta could be a better pitcher going forward. Great.
With 30+ million left under the luxury tax an 11 million dollar 1 year deal wouldn't have been much of a gamble. I'm going to be in the stage of grief that comes after denial in about 24 hours, I'll have perspective at that time maybe. I just really felt like with the pitching staff they had last year, a lottery ticket type signing for an all-star caliber pitcher like Kluber was warranted. I agree with not wanting to sign a long term deal that could cost us a pick, I agree with not trying to make big headlines, but the pitching staff needs support.

Quoting this so that folks might actually understand this time why a guy needing to re-establish himself would go to a team with people in place who know how to get the best out of him.
I thought if he came to Boston it would be a curious choice from the perspective of a player who hasn't earned as much as he could have in his career and is looking for a one year bounce-back deal. Hitters park and all that. That's true in NY too. Hopefully the coaching staff is a bigger factor and he can cash in.
 

Oppo

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While I was poking around in Pivetta’s numbers, I found one reason for optimism.

By leaving the NL East, he shouldn't see so much of the Washington Nationals. He's made 9 starts and 2 relief appearances against the Nats, and only has 37 IP to show for it. Pivetta turns the Nats into 2002 Manny Ramirez: .350/.429/.650. The split is so astonishing that I just set up a quick spreadsheet to calculate his career line against everyone but the Nationals: .256/.317/.367. That's a .367 delta in OPS. The Nationals have been responsible for 14.5% of the Total Bases he has conceded in 10% of the plate appearances. And it's not even a result of familiarity — two of his first three big league starts were against Washington, and they trounced him both times.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oct 1-3 Bos@Was to end the season
 

Niastri

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With 30+ million left under the luxury tax an 11 million dollar 1 year deal wouldn't have been much of a gamble. I'm going to be in the stage of grief that comes after denial in about 24 hours, I'll have perspective at that time maybe. I just really felt like with the pitching staff they had last year, a lottery ticket type signing for an all-star caliber pitcher like Kluber was warranted. I agree with not wanting to sign a long term deal that could cost us a pick, I agree with not trying to make big headlines, but the pitching staff needs support.



I thought if he came to Boston it would be a curious choice from the perspective of a player who hasn't earned as much as he could have in his career and is looking for a one year bounce-back deal. Hitters park and all that. That's true in NY too. Hopefully the coaching staff is a bigger factor and he can cash in.
Since Kluber chose the Yankees, I hope he's out of the baseball by May.

With 30+ million available for off-season pickups, I have every reason to believe that our starting staff includes someone not currently on the roster. I was hoping for huge upside that only cost money, but I have seen enough to believe that Bloom has a plan.

Regarding Pivetta, he looks like a lot of statcast type potential without the ability to actually pitch successfully. Do the Sox have a glimmer of hope of being successful with him, as opposed to the Phillies?
 

JM3

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Seems like the best way to use that space under the luxury tax is the way smart NBA teams have used their cap space over the last couple years - taking on other team's bad contracts & getting 1st round picks attached (or in this case, prospects).

It would be very Knicksian to use their cap space on short term rentals on older players rather than taking on similar players at only slightly worse prices who come with future help attached.
 

chawson

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Regarding Pivetta, he looks like a lot of statcast type potential without the ability to actually pitch successfully. Do the Sox have a glimmer of hope of being successful with him, as opposed to the Phillies?
I don’t know what “the ability to actually pitch successfully” means in practical terms, but it seems like guys who fit this description are exactly the pre-breakout types you wanna acquire.

Fangraphs writer Alex Chamberlain has a useful player comparison tool here that uses Statcast-type metrics (launch angle, exit velocity, pitch type and movement) to compare recent player seasons. According to that tool, the closest comps to Pivetta’s 2018 season are German Marquez’s 2020 and 2018, Taillon’s 2018 and recent seasons from Bauer, Buehler, Severino and Morton. His 2019 comps are much worse, but the upside is there.
 

StuckOnYouk

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Regarding Kluber, its possible he also knew it was at least 50-50 the Sox were just going to trade him off at the deadline and he didn't want to be moving midseason rather than picking his spot where he could just set up camp.
 

Rich Garces Belly

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I’m wondering if after the Covid limitations and nobody throwing much last season if the value of starting pitching is going to be way down in 2021. Maybe it would be more prudent to invest the $11 million on multiple Matt Andrieses who at worst can provide multiple innings out of the bullpen.

or

If they can get a starter for multiple years to contribute in their next window (2022-2023?) like Odorizzi then I would much prefer that over one year of Kluber as well. I have zero regrets over losing out on Kluber, I did not see the point in signing him as he does not fit our timeline.
 

bohous

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Pretty underwhelmed by the Perez signing. Assuming they still need 1 more SP I keep coming back to Taijuan Walker. He's in such a weird position after missing most of 2 seasons then coming back and looking great in his short come back stint last year. Plus he's only 28. I would gamble on him.
 

nvalvo

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The 2020 Red Sox had a horrible starting rotation. In 60 starts, they averaged 4.1 IP* and a 5.34 ERA. They conceded 49 HR, and had a K/BB ratio around 2. The team as a whole had an 85 ERA+. None of that is good.

There were some bright spots, however. The last few weeks of the season saw Eovaldi finish strong (returning from the IL, he posted a 0.64 ERA in 14 IP across three starts), a great debut from Tanner Houck (21 strikeouts in 17 IP, all against playoff teams!), a pair of promising outings from Nick Pivetta (13 SO in 10 IP), and at least presentable outings from Chris Mazza (a misleading 3.00 ERA across his last two tightrope act starts) and Martín Perez (whose September was four good starts and a shelling), whose option was not picked up but is rumored to be in discussions about a return.

That good news, along with positive reports about the health of Eduardo Rodriguez, after his scary bout of COVID-induced myocarditis, and Chris Sale, who is throwing again, offer us at least a tentative sense that there are the ingredients of a good starting rotation here.

But clearly more personnel will be needed. For much of last season, Perez was our best starter almost by default. He's not a bad pitcher, but a good rotation would be one where he was a fourth starter. But because it seems like a bunch of teams may be in rough financial shape and trimming payroll, there may be some pretty interesting pitchers available in post-non-tender free agency or via trade.

Here's how I think things should shake out.

Boston Rotation
Rodriguez
Eovaldi
FA1 (Quintana/Odorizzi/Morton/Minor type) ($10-15m AAV)
FA2 (Perez/McHugh/Leake/Walker type) ($4-8m AAV)
Pivetta

It looks to me like what we need are two FA SP anticipated to be more reliable than Pivetta. I'm rather less confident than usual that I know what players will cost this offseason, so those price ranges are estimates after eyeing the Fangraphs crowdsourced estimates. Who knows?

Injured List
Sale

Worcester Rotation
Houck
Mata
Seabold
Mazza (or mlFA)
Weber (or mlFA)

Something very exciting is that we again have actual prospects who are also big league SP depth. Guys like Mazza and Weber are of course fungible, and I would not be at all surprised to see them replaced with other comparable pitchers in the 7/8/9 depth slots.

Portland Rotation
Ward
Reyes
Raudes
Groome, maybe?
etc., etc.

What do you all think? Am I right about the shopping list here? Who would you target? Which trade candidates and non-tender possibilities are you interested in?
Martín Perez is back, for slightly cheaper than we already had him. I like it, tentatively. He is a competent pitcher with a rubber arm, and seems like a really positive guy who likes playing in Boston. But as I said months ago, a good rotation is one where a guy like Perez is the fourth starter. Speier reports a "team source" saying the Sox are still looking to add one more starter. If that starter is clearly better than Perez — Quintana would be my pick, I think, but Odorizzi is also a good option — I will probably be pretty happy about the offseason.

So looking back at the post with which I started the thread, we're now looking at:

Rodriguez
Eovaldi
FA1 (I hope)
Perez
Pivetta

Andriese (SW)

Sale (IL)

Houck
Mata
Seabold
Whitlock
Payamps

That is a real pitching staff.
 

Jack Rabbit Slim

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Martín Perez is back, for slightly cheaper than we already had him. I like it, tentatively. He is a competent pitcher with a rubber arm, and seems like a really positive guy who likes playing in Boston. But as I said months ago, a good rotation is one where a guy like Perez is the fourth starter. Speier reports a "team source" saying the Sox are still looking to add one more starter. If that starter is clearly better than Perez — Quintana would be my pick, I think, but Odorizzi is also a good option — I will probably be pretty happy about the offseason.

So looking back at the post with which I started the thread, we're now looking at:

Rodriguez
Eovaldi
FA1 (I hope)
Perez
Pivetta

Andriese (SW)

Sale (IL)

Houck
Mata
Seabold
Whitlock
Payamps

That is a real pitching staff.
Minor point, but doesn’t Whitlock need to be in the majors to keep him?
 

Manramsclan

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Minor point, but doesn’t Whitlock need to be in the majors to keep him?
Which is probably why he has him listed?

Usually with a Rule 5 pick you intend to use him at the Major League level because you think he is valuable and want to keep him long term.
That would basically telegraph that they think Whitlock has a future in MLB and they are willing to keep him at the Major League level come hell or high water this year so that they have him for future seasons.
 

Randy Red Sox

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Pivetta was one of the brighter young pitchers in the league as recently as 2018, when he put up a 3.48 expected ERA. He’s lost a couple mph since then from injuries but that guy’s a top 25 pitcher in MLB if he can find his way back. He’s 27.
I agree with the poster who said we got him for nothing and there is always a chance he could work out but I was responding to the fact as to whether or not he was better than Kluber. That is really an irrelevant factor in any event since Bloom was never going to go to 11 million/yr for Kuber or any other FA pitcher. I am quite sure that Bloom is functioning under orders from JH to build from with-in the farm and sprinkle in FA signings like Martin Perez etc. Bloom saved the Sox close to 2 million by declining Perez's option and then re-signing him at a much lower rate. These type of signings are why Bloom was hired. Perez at 4.5 was an ok signing because it is only for a 1 year while allowing guys like Houck and Mata an extra year of development. There is NO chance a 6 million option for Perez will be picked up after 2021. Watch for Workman , Pillar, and even Moreland to be signed to 1 year deals as well. Meanwhile Bloom will look for ways to get out from under the JDM and Eovaldi contracts.
 

Niastri

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I don’t know what “the ability to actually pitch successfully” means in practical terms, but it seems like guys who fit this description are exactly the pre-breakout types you wanna acquire.

Fangraphs writer Alex Chamberlain has a useful player comparison tool here that uses Statcast-type metrics (launch angle, exit velocity, pitch type and movement) to compare recent player seasons. According to that tool, the closest comps to Pivetta’s 2018 season are German Marquez’s 2020 and 2018, Taillon’s 2018 and recent seasons from Bauer, Buehler, Severino and Morton. His 2019 comps are much worse, but the upside is there.
Some of these new measurables are as valuable as the old measurables... If a guy is fast and strong big and can jump higher, etc. does that make him a good player? Not necessarily, but that big strong fast athletic guy will get more chances than the Dustin Pedroia type who is going to out produce him on the field. The new equivalent is spin rate, verticle drop and it's like. They are probably more precise, measurable and therefore valuable than the scouts archaic 50 fastball 60 slider 45 curve scale. But at the end of the day, can he get enough MLB hitters out? Not yet, in Pivetta's case. The new statcast measurables might keep Pivetta in the game the same way Willy Mo Pena stayed in the game long after everybody knew he couldn't hit.
 

Rich Garces Belly

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Jun 14, 2009
340
I agree with the poster who said we got him for nothing and there is always a chance he could work out but I was responding to the fact as to whether or not he was better than Kluber. That is really an irrelevant factor in any event since Bloom was never going to go to 11 million/yr for Kuber or any other FA pitcher. I am quite sure that Bloom is functioning under orders from JH to build from with-in the farm and sprinkle in FA signings like Martin Perez etc. Bloom saved the Sox close to 2 million by declining Perez's option and then re-signing him at a much lower rate. These type of signings are why Bloom was hired. Perez at 4.5 was an ok signing because it is only for a 1 year while allowing guys like Houck and Mata an extra year of development. There is NO chance a 6 million option for Perez will be picked up after 2021. Watch for Workman , Pillar, and even Moreland to be signed to 1 year deals as well. Meanwhile Bloom will look for ways to get out from under the JDM and Eovaldi contracts.
where have you seen that the Fed Sox won’t go to $11 million or above for any free agent pitcher? I hope that’s true but I haven’t seen that anywhere.