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I think you're seeing marketing angles where none exist. How will the Sox market Puig ? Hey Sox fans watch this dude ignore coaches telling him where to position himself in the OF , watch him ignite bench clearing brawls that could result in someone more important getting hurt, watch him continuously overthrow cutoff men with his rocket arm , look on in amazement as he licks his bat and best of all listen to him talk and say things like "The last couple years, I didn't work hard because I still have a contract to go," Puig said in February, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. "Now I think I'll work hard more than any year in my life." (because he was going to be a free agent.) https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2822390-yasiel-puig-says-he-didnt-work-hard-in-the-past-due-to-being-under-contract

Did you mean players that are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft rather than Non Tendered ? The Non tendered players list doesn't come until Dec. 2nd. It took me a moment to figure out what you meant. I am a Minor League Manager. I have no idea where these designations come from.

Definitely worth looking into as long as you wait until after Dec. 2nd. No need to make any trade offers before then.

No you are not the only one. I've made posts like yours too. I've mostly sighted how long it could possibly take Kopech, Cease , Lopez to reach the level worthy enough to be in the top 3 in the rotation of a World Series Contender. Especially now with the addition of Grandal the lineup is looking much better and it appears the need to sign a DH is unnecessary even though people continue to post about getting one. I understand the mistrust of Collins but why so much trust in Kopech and Cease ? Are they not all similar in that we don't know how they will perform ? Collins actually has the most recent dominant performance in the minors among the three which give me some confidence that among ABreu, Grandal, Collins and McCann we have DH covered. I also have much more confidence in the starting lineup with the additions of Robert and Madrigal who are also unknowns but I just expect position players to be more durable and more likely to hit the ground running than young starting pitchers. A big year from Eloy helps too and I'd be fine with a repeat year from Moncada if he plays a few more games. I don't think it's that big of a deal to sign someone like Wheeler to 4 or 5 years and also sign another guy to perhaps a 2 year deal which would allow Kopech time to get back to a full schedule of pitching and to experience the highs and lows associated with that and allows Cease the time to ramp up his game also. When Rodon comes back perhaps he can start or relieve depending on how the rest of the rotation is performing or if Kopech is piling up too many innings take over for him. In order to get the innings eater type we want it might be necessary to go to 2 years anyway . I just prefer someone better than Nova to be that 2nd FA starter and if it takes giving someone better 2 years instead of 1 so be it. Trades can always be made if all of a sudden we have too much pitching.But I don't think signing a second FA starter to a 2 year contract instead of 1 year will result in too much pitching.

I can't answer that with any degree of knowledge so I'll just guess. I've made previous posts on JR perhaps not liking the whole IFA system regarding how exploitative it is towards very young players who get surrounded by people looking to ride their talents for cash. In light of that argument my guess is JR is sympathetic to how Jose Abreu ended up getting out of Cuba, leaving his family behind , not seeing his son for a while and the dangerous and frightening journey it was. In spite of all that he is not bitter, is quite humble and a leader and perhaps had a lot to do with Robert signing and Moncada 's assimilation/comfort . You cannot compare any of that to American born players even though I'm sure there are some American hard luck stories out there .

I think there's a pretty equal amount of people sympathetic or not upset to the signing as there are people who think it's terrible. The people not overly upset don't see the money as all that wasteful and can see the value of or even approve of the "kind" nature of the deal. For the rest it's all about the bottom line and applying that to creating the best team possible.

Unfortunately there's not much of a pipeline anymore. The Dodgers became much more involved with signing Cubans than the Sos were. Not sure if it's paying off for the Dodgers. The Sox haven't really shown us they are that interested in signing anyone besides the big names like Abreu and Robert recently. Maybe they made an effort for the Gurriel brothers but I can't recall it. They just haven't used International free agency to it's full advantage. It might mean something with a player like Grandal or other major leaguers but money is always the determining factor. Grandal was born in Havana, Cuba, where he He emigrated to the United States with his mother, step-father, and maternal grandparents at age 10 "the easy way," through the lottery system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasmani_Grandal

If winning the Central is a priority how do you feel about when Kopech, Robert and Madrigal are all starting the season in the minors ? Combined that may be over 50 games that valuable members of the team aren't contributing to winning the Central .Even if Collins is on the 26 man roster do you think he'd be getting more than 2 starts a week at DH/C/1B with Grandal, McCann Abreu others given DH duty on an occasional basis.

I'm a little sad that Hawk is no longer around to talk about our very own Yas..

Not to quibble but reigning batting champ vs. unproven rookie ? Maybe Future Madrigal yes but current Madrigal you put at the bottom of the lineup to take any pressure off of him. In no way shape or form will Timmy be 9th in the lineup.

Happy Birthday Slugger.

According to a NY guy , also a link posted since the Grandal signing yes he is . Go back a few pages . You'll find it.

I don't think there are necessarily divided camps. I totally understood the importance of Grandal yet I posted scenarios with and without him because I always thought pitching should be priority one. But this is a great signing and there is still room for a guy like Wheeler and maybe a MIley. It might limit other position player signings however. Probably won't spend on a DH now and RF might not be a high priority either.

Nah Flavum is a true blue Sox fan through and through. One of the top posters here for many years. He just doesn't like cheaters. He isn't the vindictive silly guy who would do that.

Tony said Castellanos is 100% on the Sox radar.

Or we may just hear "we signed he 2 biggest contracts in franchise history this year."

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Gio was hurt a lot last year by poor pitch framing. I know Grandal can't catch every game but our best pitcher becomes even better with Grandal. If Gio stills likes McCann after knowing those facts yea McCann will still be his personal catcher.

Steve Stone is going to be on High Heat soon with Christopher Mad Dog Russo for those who have the MLB Network.

And helps every single pitcher he catches since stats have shown Gio and Lopez were among the pitchers hurt the most by framing.

Your wish and many others here has been granted.

I think it just means he has a buddy with the Sox who told him the Sox signed Grandal before it hit the media since he put the eyeballs in the Grandal thread just a few minutes before it was announced.

3 4 5 in the lineup could be all Cuban or 3 4 5 6 when you add Robert. Abreu must be stoked . Hell anyone expecing to be on the Sox in 2020 should be stoked including other free agents.

Last year Grandal signed a 1 year $18.25M contract with the Brewers, 4/$73M is exactly $18.25M a year.