FoxForce2

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.

Too sensible - which is why it probably won't happen.

But since when have the Sox ever played anything other than a mid-market team prioritizing a best-bang-for-the buck approach? I don't dismiss this kind of philosophy, but in order to get it to pay off the organization has to be both efficient and effective. Something the Sox have a sketchy record on. There is little reason to think that the Sox are going to make the big splash in FA. The key word being 'make'.

Yeah but where does (do), Eloy and Vaughn fit in? At least from one POV, Sheets and Vaughn can be viewed as an either/or situation. Stallings - yes, but the DH is still a juggling show.

Considering the logjam the Sox have at DH, I agree with at least part of that.

Almost as easy to drive.

I like Stroman, but we'd need a good 2B to make it work. TA picking his field game up a notch wouldn't hurt.

Well this 'top pitching free agent' will definitely be a top priced one, and for several years at that. He misses bats, I'll give him that - but wait til he gets a load of Eloy in left and Sheets in right. He'll know then that he has to miss bats.

hhhmmm I dunno -is Ray anymore than the flavor of the month/season? Nice year --- do it again --- and again.

So where are you going to play Schwarber? Do we not have enough DH's on the roster already? IMO while we need a lefty bat, competent ML play in the field is a higher priority. Schwarber doesn't address that.

You're right! I was confusing S. Marte with K. Marte as a switch hitter. I think i got the rest of it right though...

Yeah not likely many teams would be going 4 years on him. Diminishing returns pretty much built in at that length. The Mets are just splurging at this point, scrabbling to get back into the game - in appearance if nothing else.

I'd say he sold a bit short. Age is obviously a factor esp. considering that he's a speed player, but he's a premier CF with a plus SH bat in a sparse market. I'd have liked the guy in a Sox uniform, but there wasn't much interest on Hahn's part. As an aside I've seen two writeups on his signing as an indication that Conforto's list price could go down somewhat. Maybe so...

Bringing in Taylor or Marte could easily turn 2B/RF into positions-by-committee. I kinda like the idea but I don't know that TLR would take to it especially well.

I prefer Stroman over Gausman but whatever... neither of them are exactly Sox locks in this market. Your lineup is interesting. I've thought about alternating Moncada and Anderson at the 1 and 3 spots. Slotting everyone else down a rung. i.e Abreu and Eloy alternating at 4 and 5. Grandal can get hot and he'd be getting AB's higher in the lineup at times. Where did you come up with Marchan? Having posted it elsewhere, I don't see how the Sox can rely on Grandal for much more than 80-90 games behind the plate in '22, which would necessitate having a more experienced catcher to come in on a regular basis. A couple of the best FA #2/Backup catchers have already been scarfed up and that segment of the market is drying up.

I only hope that this signing doesn't rule out going after Tepera. IMO - the stronger the pen, the stronger the staff. But I thought the pen was a strength coming into the 2021 season - the first half proved, in great part, otherwise. So what do I know?

I see that the Cards are closing a deal with Matz for $11 mil/3-4 yr. I don't recall seeing any Sox interest in him, but I'd like to have a solid middle rotation LH SP in the mix. I don't see much interest from Hahn on Stroman either, he's a bit pricey and a ground ball pitcher but durable and reliable within his zone. What is Hahn looking at in a SP? If at all?

Not weighing in on a Eloy/Vaughn trade point so much as looking at K. Marte as a trade target. I like the guy at the plate and he gives you a decent versatility card in the field, but he hasn't played 2B regularly since 2018. He's been mostly in CF the past 2-3 years - filling in at 2B here and there. Odd thing is he shows better defensive numbers as an infielder than in the OF and he doesn't have especially good numbers in CF. As to how well he'd work out in RF is something of a question mark. If the Sox are seeing some kind of shift of Marte/Leury/Romy at 2B and Marte/Engel in RF, snagging Ketel could prove to be innovative move. But yeah, you're going to have to give up a Vaughn and someone else to make the deal work.

You guys going on about Scherzer... And I'm going on about a month with Scarlett Johansson... Not only do I have better odds - I'll have better results over the course of a year.

I like Matz. Unfortunately, so do a lot of others. He's not a TOR - now anyway, but he's shown improvement over the past few years and had a nice season last year. An entire staff of #2-3 starters is not a bad thing - with conditions. Still waiting for Gio to go full Ace.

That way we could have annual $28 mil in two catchers and $30 mil in two closers. LOL!

You've done some great homework here. Is this your thesis/resume? If so you either graduate or you're hired. I'll only join the chorus of quibblers on this. 1. I'm a big Starling Marte fan, at least regarding the Sox finding a way to bring him on board. But as a premium CF he has a lot of suitors that are going to make premium offers. He's looking at $20mil(+) X 3-4. I don't know that the Sox are wanting to go CF money for a RF. A position he hasn't played - but is likely to take like a duck to water as a 33 year old. Great get, but I don't know how practical the deal would be. 2. Quintana hasn't been effective the past two seasons. I don't know if this is a long term trend or not. He's a smaller piece of the puzzle but we might be able to get someone more effective at $4 mil. I like your 30+ reliever FAs though. 3. The Ketel deal is intriguing and plausible. This would be an ideal score. 4. I doubt we get that much for Kimbrel. In fact, it might become more difficult to unload him as time goes by. I like the set you're getting for him though, especially the catcher. 5. It's going to be tough to move Keuch to the Cards or anyone else. As of right now, even moving him for salary relief is going to require eating a big piece of his contract. Albatross for Thanksgiving anyone? Collins in the mix or not. I could see Keuch going elsewhere as a secondary piece of a trade, but even then we'll have to eat salary. Keuch is a problem. 6. Leury stays! Hamilton yeah --- somewhere... 7. Ketel at cleanup? hmmmmmmmm Good post. Good read! And a tip o' the hat.

errrrrrr Not likely.

I I should probably have qualified what I meant by 'high priority'. I'm not intending to relay that I consider the position (#2 catcher), necessarily a high paying one, at least relative to the positions you mentioned, but rank a #2 catcher as a significant piece of the roster puzzle and in the Sox' case - somewhat more critical than with other contenders. Is there much reason to think that Collins/Zevala are more than backups behind the plate? Further, is there much reason to think that Grandal will be able to make much more than 80 -100 games at 2? Running him much more than that increases his chances of injury/fatigue. We tried the Grandal/Collins/Zevala mix last year with less than optimum results. Collins' LH bat is a 'nice to have' option, and I know he caught Rodon's no-no, but has he developed into a regular ML catcher? If not by now - when? Obviously, Pina is not a marquee name nor even a full time starter but the Braves did place some priority on the position and got that targeted need out of the way early in the process. edit: Can anybody around here throw out a runner? Make the quick snap to first i.e. behind the runner? How about blocking a WP or not letting a PB all the way to the backstop? Houston ran on us >at will< in the playoffs and that was only partly due to not holding the runners on. I don't expect to have a Molina in the game - but geeeeeze. And then there is the matter of calling the pitches...