FoxForce2

The Natural if only for Randy Newmans' score. Imagine what a downer that film would be with the novel's ending.

Just for grins: 2 - Yaz is average as a catcher (framing taken into account), and well above average at the plate. But how often can he be counted on to catch? 3 - Abreu is likely, in at least some degree, in decline. High GDP and lowering BA indicate as much. The numbers don't show a lot in his field play, but the eyeball test says he improved as a fielder last year. Leadership and attitude keep his rank high - but superstar? Not unless he re-surges at the plate. 4 - We don't have a 4. 6. - TA brings a lot to the table. Great leadership and attitude with first class athletic ability but he's an average MLB SS and just doesn't like walks which drags his OBP down. A very high above-average player but not quite a superstar at this point. 5 - Moncada is an above average fielder that makes some super plays with good OBP at the plate, but hasn't produced as much SLG power as most of us would like to see. Above average. 7 - Eloy is still a question mark. For all the superstar plate potential he has, we don't really know what he is at this point. 8 - I honestly think Robert can put up near Trout numbers at the plate and exceed Trout in the field -------- if he doesn't get hurt. An 'if' that inconveniently gets in the way of superstar status. 9 - We don't have a 9. Depth - is at least interesting. Engel and Leury are IMO first class depth guys. i.e. Assuming Engel can play most of a season. Vaughn and Sheets are still question marks - and for all practical purposes still prospects. I won't go into the 1's in much detail, but will say that we're not as strong in starters as we were last year. Replacing Rodon's first half performance will be challenging. Lynn needs to get in shape. Can Keuch rebound? Can Kopech 'stretch' into a starter role? Lot of uncertainty there. I still think the Sox need another reliever. Tepera is still on the market. Too many holes and question marks for me to call this team loaded. Good thing we're in the AL Central.

With Eloy and Robert out, how many outfielders did the Sox have on hand? Then considering Engels on and off availability, what were the Sox supposed to do regarding outfielders at all? The outfield for much of the season was a game of musical chairs. Vaughn and Sheets were the only in-system options.

It was possible but not set in granite. Due to lack of depth, the Eloy injury and later Roberts' pretty much made it necessary.

Had Robert and Eloy not been long term absent last year, neither Vaughn nor Sheets would have gotten much more than a large cup of coffee or two in the bigs. Or at least one would have hoped not. Never know about this organization.

I realize you've brought up a hypothetical point. But I don't know that this organization hasn't bounced ideas like this around even if only in a strawman context. Does Vaughn really need to be pinballing around at multiple positions all the while getting seasoned as a major league player/hitter with pretty much ZERO experience at the minor league level? The point being - do the Sox really want to groom Vaughn to be a utility player? The guy needs to concentrate on his strengths (hitting at a MLB level), and possibly add some versatility over the course of a few seasons. Even if he's capable and willing to give these variations a shot, he's simply not the kind of player one would want to overly experiment with. Swap him out with Eloy in left/DH and get him some first base time in spelling Pito. The end.

That would be the point. Vaughn and Crochet won't bring that level of talent. Therefore - you keep and develop them. Their ceilings are high enough that you don't need to go chasing guys that don't come in at Franco's level. Maybe my sardonicism was a tad obscure.

I'd say that Vaughn and/or Crochet are off the table under almost any circumstances. They are high ceiling prospects that carry limited data sets. For the present, there is little reason to think that they are moveable for anything short of a Wander Franco level prospect. For anything less that that kind of return, as a fan, I'd hate it and think moving them would be little short of selling the future for the present.

I don't know how you define 'prospect pedigree' but Burger was one of the top rated hitting prospects in his draft class, and not much has changed with that over the past couple of years. The problem with trading Burger is uncertainty about the Achilles status. Burger would likely bring equivalent value at the AAA level. Yes, Vaughn is the most coveted prospect the Sox have in the system. Not much doubt about that. So how is Abreu 'going to be gone in a year'? Considering the Sox commitment to the Cuban Connection, Abreu is an invaluable piece of the roster puzzle even if only considering his leadership traits. Barring a catastrophic decline in performance, Jose is here for the duration. And yes, that would be based on a Konerko model.

Putting some time in at second will likely broaden his experience and possibly improve his play at his natural position at third. I really think that it would be best for all concerned to move him to a team where he has a legit shot at making a ML club at third. With the logjam at DH and Moncada locking down the corner he could easily get lost in the shuffle. Win -win in moving him to another team.

I more or less remember seeing Roger Maris hit a dinger at Comiskey in '61. I'm thinking it was off Ray Herbert, but as an 8 year old at the time, the memory-image is a little fuzzy. I do recall not realizing the significance of it until several years later. As for this site - I've lurked here for years but only joined earlier this season I didn't feel the need to join the fray and simply used the site to see what's up with the Sox. I still have family in the area but haven't lived in Chicago in a long time.

All well and good. Hope he doesn't get injured in working the moves that a second basemen needs. The Sox need a professional second baseman. Period.

Signing Leury was independent of the search for a regular 2B. But if Hahn can't close a deal, it might just work out that way. Alas - the Aparicio-Fox days are such an ancient and much storied memory. Maybe an AI genius could find a way to animate the statue.

I'm not sure that I'm reading the Sportrac numbers correctly. They have the Sox on the hook to pay Keuchel guaranteed $55 mil over the course of 2020-2023 with the innings-based vesting option kicking in for 2024. McCann has $30 of his $40 mil guaranteed spread over the next 3 years. In simple terms of gross pay over the course of a contract, the Sox would be trading approx $27 mil/2 years for $30 mil/3 years. I'm no accountant and don't have the details of dollar distribution over time of these contracts but McCann's salary-rate would be mitigated by the shedding of Keuchel's payout. It's still a high number for a backup, but begs the question of whether McCann would be a full time backup at all. I'm fully convinced that Yaz isn't likely to crouch much more than 90-100 games in 2022 and that's probably a high number. IMO the Sox don't so much need a backup as they do an alternate catcher. Which, of course, complicates the DH situation even further LOL. While McCann's remaining payout is high-ish, several of the available quality catchers have already been scarfed off the market. I guess the Phils have a well regarded young catcher in their system who could come along with Segura, but even at that, I don't know how much Hahn is prioritizing the idea of a second (alternate) catcher.

Timothy Leary's dead.