SoxBlanco

I’m not trying to compare them. I’m saying there’s no way they differ by $25M.

Even without signing anyone, we're going to have that same lineup with Vaughn instead of Cruz...so it'll be better than that actually. (I'm 48% joking)

It's kind of funny that Quintana has had a better career than Bauer, yet Bauer wants $35M and Quintana wants $10M. Even as recently as the last full season played in 2019, they were pretty comparable (Quintana was arguably a little better). I'm not saying that Bauer shouldn't get more, but there's zero chance that there's a $25M difference between them.

I would be very happy with a Quintana signing. His numbers since leaving the Sox have not been nearly as bad as people make them out to be.

I recently found a ten dollar bill in a parking lot and immediately quit my job and retired early. After all, it was double the highest amount I’ve ever found on the ground before, so that proves it’s a lot of money!

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but yes, I believe he is better than what is out there in the non-Bauer free agency world. Would I trade assets for him? That completely depends on which assets. I’d give up Stiever and Thompson, but I don’t think Pitt would come close to making that deal.

That’s exactly what I suspected. That’s why I keep going back to Musgrove. Seems like the most logical SP that wouldn’t cost a fortune to trade for.

I suggested Kopech, Madrigal, and Heuer yesterday, and you said Cincinnati would probably be asking for Kopech and Vaughn.

You’re absolutely right. There is no clear and obvious choice. That’s why the best route might be to make a trade that doesn’t involve Vaughn, Kopech, or Crochet. Heuer, Madrigal, Kelley, Stiever, and Thompson seem like the likely names if a trade is made. Try to get the best value using some combination of those five players.

Any chance of signing him if his market is nonexistent and we can work out a one or two year deal? I’m guessing the answer is still no.

Kopech, Thompson, and Kelley for Castillo Is that enough? Too much?

Wasn’t that just a settlement to avoid arbitration?

Give Richards $7M, with an extra $3M as an innings incentive. If he’s pitching well, you gladly pay the extra $3M. If he’s struggling or injured, Kopech takes his place in the rotation in June. If Richards can find a $10M guaranteed offer with another team, let him take it and go after another target. With all the different trade talks that have been rumored, I don’t think we are going to spend a penny more than what we feel somebody is worth. If we can’t land somebody on our terms, then we try to make a trade a month from now (or sooner if the right deal comes along).

I think you’re mixing up the two different discussions that were happening. Jorge has an unofficial agreement with the Rockies. Colas doesn’t have an agreement, as far as we know.

Can we keep Vaughn and give up Kopech, Madrigal, and Heuer instead?

Agreed. Some people think good coaches can fix anything. Similar to when an offense sucks and it’s automatically the hitting coach’s fault. Sometimes players just aren’t good enough, regardless of how they are coached.

I want to circle back to Musgrove for a minute. With only two years of control, what will it take to land him? He had to be the cheapest of the potential trade targets, right? Here’s a somewhat recent article on him. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mlb.com/amp/news/joe-musgrove-trade-candidate-analysis.html

Who do you dislike more? Grandal or Madrigal?

I don’t think so. They seem to be hinting that Richards is more likely.

Hey Liam, if you're reading this, you're lucky that Abreu hit that ball right at the second baseman in game 2. Also, nice job shutting us down in game 3 after throwing about 327 pitches in game 2. Glad to have you on board. Looking forward to the season.

It would make for a pretty good pool to guess the opening day DH right now. There are so many variables, like whether we will sign somebody or whether we will work out an extension with Vaughn. Even the opposing pitcher for opening day would be an important variable. If you guys had to predict a name right now on January 15, who would you guess?

Oh, I totally agree. I guess I was just saying it would have been better to say "like the Sox will ever get close to $200M" instead of "like the Sox will ever have to pay the luxury tax". I realize those are basically the same thing, but I'm just pointing it out for the sake of the point he was trying to make,

That’s kind of his point, though, if what he’s saying is correct. If there’s no chance the Sox will ever pay the luxury tax, it’s good to know the payroll can actually be higher than $210M without having to pay it.

I’m with you. I think he’s a perfect fit for our situation right now. High ceiling, but if he sucks/gets injured, hopefully Kopech is ready to take his spot in the rotation.

It’s an interesting proposal, but I think I agree with @Y2Jimmy0 that the Brewers say no. Burnes is such a unique trade target. His potential is through the roof, which means the Brewers would probably want Kopech or Vaughn. But it’s tough for us to give up our best prospects for a guy who is still unproven in a way.