WestEddy

Phil Fox is coming along nicely, too.

I have no idea who's available. Neither do you. Most of us learn before our 30's that trade rumors are planted for reasons. Obviously, if Chris Getz is being offered Crochet packages for Robert, he should take the best one and run. If he's being offered garbage, perhaps there are creative ways to get more value.

But if those well-rounded players aren't being offered, then there is value in guys who have had prior success and need to readjust to the league. This isn't that hard to understand.

Baseball players don't develop from little league on knowing one position that they never move off from. Moving from SS to 3B isn't a traumatic move for a player. They have 3 shortstops moving through the system, and they just drafted 4 more. In a season where they'll lose 100 games, I'm not sure what the problem is with moving guys around to see where they fit better.

Every player who hits the bigs, then slumps when the league adjusts to them hasn't "shown you who they are" any more than when they had their initial success. All these guys need development, either as A-ballers, or even 2nd year big leaguers. If nobody's offering their top 200 guys, then there's value to be found with guys your development team thinks they can fix.

Colson has experience at SS. Perhaps they think getting multiple rookies at bats from positions where they collectively do the least damage is more important. It may not be a pursuit you like, I just don't agree it's "asinine" or "colossally stupid". The Sox aren't the only team in the major leagues getting players exposure to multiple positions for flexibility.

Can you define lottery ticket, and tell us why somebody considered a "lottery ticket" isn't a "top prospect"? Or even why a player taking on a label that literally means 10 million to one shot of success is intrinsically worth more than a player who had had sustained success at multiple levels of minor league ball, and maybe even hit in the majors before league adjustments?

All reasonable. I think a team can increase the value of their return by taking on slumping, post hype players, guys soon to be out of options, or other projects to fix. Unfortunately, Robert isn't commanding a knockout return.

3B isn't that radical a change for a good defensive shortstop. They're not trying to "win" this year, so I don't see it as asinine for the Sox to play Monty at 3B in order to get Sosa as many at-bats before the TDL, if that's an urgency of theirs.

Sanchez is a LHP. I've had it beaten into my head that the only way a prospect can learn the MLB game is by being slotted into the starting lineup for a year and stays regardless of whether he's failing over and over.

Unless, due to TV money cash flow and attendance problems, the budget just wasn't there.

I think Dobnak is like attaching Jared Shuster to Houser.

Houser comp? Paddack isn't striking out 10 per 9 anymore.

Houser comp?

But we didn't touch their top 3. We took a catcher, and an injured player who hadn't taken a pitch in their system. It may have been just what Getz was targeting, but it wasn't 3 top 50 guys.

Robert back in the lineup, today.

And perhaps the league didn't see Cease and Robert as the WAR gods that SoxTalk did.

Yeah. The only point of rumors now is for these guys to start the early shitting on Vientos, or whatever reasonable return is available, so that they can troll for the next 4 years after every 0-4 game.

For context...

Sure, but Taylor has a much higher ceiling than a closer. IF you were looking to move Taylor for "bats", a 2024 Crochet workload next season as a starter probably presents him as a TOR starter. I don't think he brings back that level of return as a leverage arm (he's not even a proven closer, yet really) at the TDL. I'm betting the interest Getz is getting right now is from GMs offering leverage arm returns for a TOR starter with oodles of cheap control.

Looking at the 2024 deadline deals, the only closer moved who brought back significance was Tanner Scott, when combined with Brian Hoeing, brought back a couple of MLB ready pitching prospects, and a couple of meh bats. Any other closers of note only really brought back pairs of arms. Tracking every 2024 Trade Deadline deal If the Sox wanted to move Taylor, I would think they'd get better offers in the off-season, as Taylor is really just a leverage arm, at this point, and has TOR starter ceiling.

Closing is Taylor's floor. #1 or #2 is his ceiling, and I would be looking for more of that level of return.

There's one pitcher off the market.