Rangers might trade lefthanded hitter/outfielder

[wsox05]

2 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

Agreed. This is how I envision it at some point...

1. Robert CF

2. Moncada 3B

3. Eloy LF

4. Grandal C

5. Castellanos RF

6. Abreu 1B

7. Collins DH

8. Anderson SS

9. Madrigal 2B

Haha so we’re really close to being lock step and in fine moving some of those middle pieces around a bit. 

[wsox05]

Just now, wsox05 said:

Haha so we’re really close to being lock step and in fine moving some of those middle pieces around a bit. 

In fact you’re right with Grandal at 4 breaking up the RH bats in the middle. 

[Lillian]

26 minutes ago, wsox05 said:

The lineup I’d like to see if Giolito we’re pitching if they signed Grandal and Castellanos. (once Robert & Madrigal called up)

 

1. Robert CF

2. Moncada 3B

3. Grandal 1B

4. Eloy LF

5. Abreu DH

6. Castellanos RF

7. McCann C

8. Anderson SS

9. Madrigal 2B

 

Then you have Collins that can take ABs when McCann isn’t catching and Grandal is. Plus you still can put together a bench with guys like Leury, Mendick, Engel and someone else now that they’ll have the 26 man roster. That helps Collins out a lot IMO.

 

Why put the only 2 LH hitters, back to back?  Why not switch Grandal and Eloy, in order to space them a little bit apart? You might even move another RH hitter after Eloy, before inserting Grandal. That OF defense troubles me, with both corners filled with weak defenders. Robert has the speed to patrol a lot of ground, but having to cover for both corners is a challenge.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Lillian

[steveno89]

On 11/10/2019 at 8:27 AM, Lillian said:

Why put the only 2 LH hitters, back to back?  Why not switch Grandal and Eloy, in order to space them a little bit apart? You might even move another RH hitter after Eloy, before inserting Grandal. That OF defense troubles me, with both corners filled with weak defenders. Robert has the speed to patrol a lot of ground, but having to cover for both corners is a challenge.

My hesitation with Castellanos is the poor glove as well. They would be asking a ton of Robert in CF to pick up the slack from poor LF/RF defense. 

Calhoun is far from a sexy addition, but on a short term deal he could hold his own for us in RF. 

[fathom]

11 minutes ago, steveno89 said:

My hesitation with Castellanos is the poor glove as well. They would be asking a ton of Robert in CF to pick up the slack from poor LF/RF defense. 

Calhoun is far from a sexy addition, but on a short term deal he could hold his own for us in RF. 

Stone said something about focusing on defense in RF, which makes me think Castellanos isn’t their guy 

[BackDoorBreach]

13 minutes ago, steveno89 said:

My hesitation with Castellanos is the poor glove as well. They would be asking a ton of Robert in CF to pick up the slack from poor LF/RF defense. 

Calhoun is far from a sexy addition, but on a short term deal he could hold his own for us in RF. 

On the flip side Castellanos is a much better hitter, is younger, and appears to be breaking out if not improving both offensively and defensively.  

The corner OF is not going to be good or probably not even average but the lineup really needs more production.  As long as the Sox don't do something stupid with Abreu and Nick does not improve in RF they can slot him in at DH in 2022/2023 assuming he gets a 4 year. 

[BackDoorBreach]

8 minutes ago, fathom said:

Stone said something about focusing on defense in RF, which makes me think Castellanos isn’t their guy 

I mean then they would be targeting junk.  Often injured Corey Dickerson played 3 or 4 games in RF his rookie year in 2013 and that's been it.

Who else would even make sense FA wise?  I'm not opposed to a trade but I'm pretty skeptical they can get a 3 WAR corner OF.

[ChiSox59]

There are scenarios where Castellanos makes some sense.  But those scenarios involve multiple other signings - a few of which with FAs just as prominent or more prominent than Castellanos - for it to make any sense.  It would also involve bringing in other RF on a 1 year deal that isn't awful in the field (this is where Calhoun make some sense). But I'll believe the Sox getting that aggressive when I see it.  

If Castellanos is the Sox premier offseason signing, it was a very poor offseason.  

[fathom]

Just now, BackDoorBreach said:

I mean then they would be targeting junk.  Often injured Corey Dickerson played 3 or 4 games in RF his rookie year in 2013 and that's been it.

Who else would even make sense FA wise?  I'm not opposed to a trade but I'm pretty skeptical they can get a 3 WAR corner OF.

Calhoun seems like the overwhelming favorite of Sox media to be acquired 

[ChiSox59]

Just now, BackDoorBreach said:

I mean then they would be targeting junk.  Often injured Corey Dickerson played 3 or 4 games in RF his rookie year in 2013 and that's been it.

Who else would even make sense FA wise?  I'm not opposed to a trade but I'm pretty skeptical they can get a 3 WAR corner OF.

Then sign someone on a 1 year deal and reassess next offseason.  Forcing a bad fit just because he is the best of a bad crop of options isn't the wisest move.   

[BackDoorBreach]

1 minute ago, fathom said:

Calhoun seems like the overwhelming favorite of Sox media to be acquired 

He stinks like a Sox signing that fails miserably to me.

[ChiSox59]

Sox three biggest needs for RF:

- A good, or at worst, average defensive OF

- An above average hitter

-Ideally left handed

Castellanos fits 1 of 3 needs. 

[BackDoorBreach]

1 minute ago, ChiSox59 said:

Then sign someone on a 1 year deal and reassess next offseason.  Forcing a bad fit just because he is the best of a bad crop of options isn't the wisest move.   

I don't think Castellanos is a bad fit though.  He's my #1 want for OF.

[Balta1701]

8 minutes ago, BackDoorBreach said:

He stinks like a Sox signing that fails miserably to me.

As long as it's only a 1 year deal, I'm ok with that.

If we sign 4 free agents this year, at least 1 is almost certain to be a complete failure, maybe 2, by the end of the year. Hopefully not 3-4. But if the guy that fails is only a 1 year deal, he can be replaced far more easily.

[EloyJenkins]

If Eloy can get better in the field (it's a stretch, i know)...then Robert can shade to RF a bit and mitigate a mediocre defender. Then Castellanos is viable. But they really seem to be pushing for a LH guy no matter what the skillset is. 

[steveno89]

8 minutes ago, BackDoorBreach said:

He stinks like a Sox signing that fails miserably to me.

I would not mind Calhoun on a one year deal. His glove and arm are solid, and his bat has some pop. It would be far from a splashy signing, but combined with more higher profile signings it could make sense. This also gives us financial flexibility next offseason. 

I like Castellanos, but his defense is well below average, hindering his value. If we signed him to a long term deal I would worry that we are inking the 2017 version of him, an unspectacular 1.5 WAR player that ends up being overpaid. The poor defense puts a ton of pressure on his bat, and he does not exactly draw tons of walks. 

[ChiSox59]

23 minutes ago, BackDoorBreach said:

I don't think Castellanos is a bad fit though.  He's my #1 want for OF.

Fair enough. I disagree, but we’ve had this discussion, so no need to have it again. 

[BackDoorBreach]

8 minutes ago, steveno89 said:

I would not mind Calhoun on a one year deal. His glove and arm are solid, and his bat has some pop. It would be far from a splashy signing, but combined with more higher profile signings it could make sense. This also gives us financial flexibility next offseason. 

I like Castellanos, but his defense is well below average, hindering his value. If we signed him to a long term deal I would worry that we are inking the 2017 version of him, an unspectacular 1.5 WAR player that ends up being overpaid. The poor defense puts a ton of pressure on his bat, and he does not exactly draw tons of walks. 

I don't think this is realistic since all of his numbers have been improving.  He was worth 3 WAR in 2018 and 2.8 in 2019, improving peripherals in pretty much all major categories over the last 3 or 4 years.  Also I think just getting out of Detroit was a huge boost to him.  OPS'd over 1000 while playing with the Cubs.  

I don't hate Calhoun if he is brought in as an addition to Castellanos, I just don't want him in the lineup every day.  I don't think it's wise to have a streaky unimpressive hitter get 500 ABs because of his handedness. Obviously this is just my opinion but he has a much higher bust potential than Castellanos and we can't really have a black hole in RF again, even if it's 1 year.