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I’m actually kind of shocked how good this system is for having practically nothing coming from Latin America. I really like the top 9 guys. I think Schultz & Smith are both suffering from some prospect fatigue and deserve a greater benefit of the doubt when it comes to their somewhat lackluster results last year. If Schultz’s slider comes back next year (which I don’t see why it wouldn’t), then I see him as the same high ceiling, 60 FV talent he always was with the same question marks on health & durability. Bonemer has a fuckton of helium right now and could cement top 30 prospect status with a strong start to the season. And candidly, I think that Braden is being slept on a ton. Dude no doubt has contact issue concerns, but he has insane physical ability and was pushed up three levels in his first professional season. Overall, the top nine is very fucking good. I think 10 through 20 is where you start seeing the cracks. Lots of low ceiling SPs, an intriguing arm who likely ends up being a reliever in Batista, a high ceiling high floor OF in Wolkow, and a bunch of UT / 2B types. We’re really going to need some breakthrough performances from guys in the 20’s and beyond to fill in the gaps here. The likely graduations of many guys in the top 20 won’t help matter, but what should be a strong 2026 draft should help by season’s end. Again, really need the LA program to start bearing fruit in the next couple of years if we ever want to have a consistently good farm system.

What is this infatuation with Shaw that I clearly don't see? He had 3rd percentile exit velo, 16th percentile bat speed. He doesn't hit the ball hard at all. Sure he's fast and good on defense, but you can't stick at 3B hitting the ball that softly. His entire Baseball Savant page is blue (ironic) except his whiff% and sprint speed.

Teams run fake screen wheel all the time. Hell, Sarkisian runs it every game with the Longhorns and it usually works when they play bad teams. But the fact that Ben put Wright out there on the opposite side of the formation as a blocker made it look so much like a screen that Green Bay 100% took the bait and left DJ wide open. What's also great on that play is that if the safety bit too much towards DJ on the wheel, Loveland would have been wide open on the post. Ben dressed up a very vanilla play and threw in a wrinkle in there to basically make sure there was an option no matter what Green Bay did out of a single high look. This is why the details matter.

Twitter:

A lot of negative WAR was framing though. He’s known as a good pitching handler and I believe the other aspects of his defense are viewed as being solid (or will be with time). But yes, maybe going young at catcher is a tougher sell when you are trying to win a World Series. But if it allows you to afford Tucker…maybe?

Good trade for Sox if Philly is willing. I can’t see a team in the Phillies’ position turning their catching over to Quero: Not a lot of experience and he had a negative fWar.

1) Matt Shaw isn't available. 2) I'm picking Vargas over Shaw 10 times out of 10 due to coachability, track record and makeup. 3) There is no need to obtain another infielder. The Sox have already chosen Vargas, Meidroth, Monty, Mead, maybe Ramos...Murray...Antonacci - to work with and place-hold until Bonemer, Carlson and 2026/1,1 start filtering up. 4) Any trade resources should be used to add an OF, SP or bullpen, in that order. 5) As a thought exercise, yeah, it would be fun to grab Matt Shaw off waivers, or to trade Benintendi for him. Nothing palatable is in the realm of possibilities. 6) I support you in wishing Chris Getz was banging the phones to obtain him. I think that would be a waste of Getz's time and energy. And yours.

Again, we have dudes we could do that with on our own. Not interested in wasting resources on shorter term acquisitions for failed former top prospects. It is positively Getzian.

Part of the thought would be to potentially move him to LF since he played there in college. Benintendi could DH until he is finally gone forever.

This part here again.

Keep #26 far away from him.

I honestly think it’s because the organization as a whole thinks Sirianni is weird lol. And, I mean, he is. Not even like coachy coach weird, just a strange dude. And I think that a better HC can take that roster farther at this point, this season was very strange for them

I agree, but probably harder now after signing Murakami and keeping Robert (assuming that they do).

Let’s be honest, Vargas has two full seasons worst of plate appearances and was significantly better in his second set. There is still plenty room for improvement at his age and with his limited experience. We’ll see if he can ever live up to his past top 60 prospect status, but he’s far from a finished product (good or bad).

No idea, but Shaw isn’t going to be free while Vargas is. Ultimately, I don’t see us being interested in Shaw given our glut of infielders. Just a poor use of resource allocation unless he comes incredibly cheap, which I very much doubt. IMO, you need to see what you have in Vargas at 3B this year. If he can handle the position and show a bit more power, he can be a core piece from 2027 to 2029 or at worse a valuable trade chip. Vargas flashed enough last year to avoid blocking him with further outside additions.

More like Meal-loy. Dude is fatter for sure. Not how one should look when trying to make a comeback.

Wish the Sox took swings like taking on salary and prospects from a team trying to salary dump because Castellanos would be an obvious one.

Yeah, I’d assume Marsh is the primary CF but he would need a platoon partner. Regardless, that wouldn’t be Crawford due to handedness. I don’t believe that Castellanos ends up in their 2026 plans and will eventually be cut. He has negative surplus value and they appear to be done with him altogether.

Shaw arguably outperformed Vargas in his rookie season last year by some metrics (not all), while Vargas was playing in his fourth MLB season. Shaw is also 2 years younger than Vargas (24 vs 26) and has 2 more years of control. Vargas will be a free agent in 2030. Shaw will be a free agent in 2032.

who is better, Shaw or Vargas?

In that scenario, I assume Marsh moves to CF full-time so they don’t necessarily “need” Crawford? I think that trade makes sense for the Sox and I’d be aboard. Not sure I see the Phillies seriously going after Tucker considering they appear to have the outfield and DH covered already… Castellanos Marsh Garcia Schwarber I believe that’s already a combined $53.2 million dollars in payroll for 2026 for that outfield and DH. I know they want to dump Castellanos but at $20 million remaining for him for 2026, they are probably in a worse position trying to move him than the Sox with Robert.

The GM did make it sound like the CF job was his to lose but you’re right that signing Tucker can push him out. Especially if they need to add a catcher.

I was at the game and it was surreal. Not as good as world series but right there with Bulls championship games I was at. The Bulls were MJ as I don't really care about basketball as much but when they beat the Knicks it was awesome. The 4th quarter was surreal. I rewatched it yesterday and here are the things that stuck out. I totally forgot about the missed FG. Love is a system guy and they can move on easily from him. He was awful in the second half. Ben Johnson seemed to be having a very bad day until he had a really good day. The play design on the DJ Moore play will dissected for a while. I believe Wright was at TE with Theo at LT to set up the WR screen. It had been run 5 times previously as a screen. The Packers on their missed FG drive stopped the clock three times going OOB that's how the Bears had so much time. If the defense can get a bit more healthy this week and mother nature gets angry, who knows. Lafleur and Love fell apart in the 4th quarter. If I am the Packers, Harbaugh intrigues me.

To get this thread back on track, there has been some buzz that the Phillies are trying for Kyle Tucker. If they add Tucker, does that take them out of the Realmuto market and force them to look at cheaper options for catcher? I know it won’t be popular here, but I still like the idea of a Quero for Crawford trade and Justin will be hard pressed to get any meaningful playing time if Tucker is added.

Wow, the Sox have no one else in the top 100 outside of the two guys were already knew of. Can’t wait to these Keller classes start hitting because we are at such a disadvantage without a competent International program.