Jack Parkman

Yes, Lopez has 1 option left and I think Cease has 2.

Nobody gets that either.

The issue with Rodon is that he's been here for so long and hasn't been able to put it together yet. The stuff is probably still there, as I don't think he was 100% recovered from TJS. If you look at him objectively rather than through the lens of Sox fan frustration, then it's a good gamble. Now go sign Folty to a minor league deal.

If Rodon had the same track record on another team we'd all be ok at the very least with this signing.

I saw that. I'd think Gray is more likely than Marquez and I don't think he'd be that expensive either. Worth a try.

Maybe he had to do it to not burn his source. If he's cheap, I'd take a flier on getting Gray away from Coors.

Al's Beef posted something about the Sox sniffing around Marquez and Gray. Will see if I can find it.

I'd be down for Archer.

Who else has upside in the low tier category besides Folty?

I despise that this is a thing we Sox fans have to deal with. If the Sox want to be cheap at the MLB level, they should be spreading their draft picks between NCAA and HS players. Also...the international market thing sucks too. However, most teams would kill to be able to grab older Cuban talent like Cespedes/Colas like the Sox do.

I think that's who they'll bring in to DH. He should be pretty cheap as he hasn't played much in years due to weird injuries away from baseball.

What Rodon had that was supposedly special was a wicked slider and mid 90s heat from the left side. Unfortunately for him, his fastball command has been god awful, he's been injured often and is now in the low 90s with the fastball, and he has not been able to develop a 3rd pitch. Rodon could possibly still have a career ahead of him if he's willing to move to the bullpen, but......idk if he can ever throw enough strikes to stick. He looks to be one of those guys who has good to great stuff, but can't throw strikes or locate to save his life.

I agree with this sentiment.

There is a scenario that they can pick up a franchise QB without giving up a ton of assets......they have to draft one. I don't trust Ryan Pace to get that done. If Kyle Trask is sitting there somewhere from pick 28-32 I'd jump up and grab him though. You want that 5th year option for a QB. I'd rather they they pick an OL at 20 and jump into the end of the 1st if Trask or Mac Jones are sitting there. The other option is to trade down 5-7 spots if you think your QB will be there.

The only way the Bears are getting Watson is if he can use his NTC to force a trade here. Even then, why would he want to come here? In a truly open competition for his services, the Bears have nothing comparable to offer.

Not necessarily. Rumor has it they might piggy back him with Kopech/Cease for 2-3 innings if they struggle with their control. They're going to find creative ways to get Crochet innings, like coming in after the 5th in blowouts and such. They want him available with the MLB club this year.

That's Dan Clark. He's a fraud, I thought we've been over this already.

Yes. If there's no baseball then it will likely be a lockout vs a strike. A strike could only happen if the owners choose not to lockout the players first. There's no chance of a repeat of 1994 because the CBA has not expired yet. I thought we were discussing the potential for a mid-season strike in 2021 followed by no baseball in 2022. Not happening because the circumstances are different.

You know the difference between a strike and a lockout, right? The players can't strike this year while they could in 1994 because in '94 the owners chose to play with no CBA and did not lock out the players. In 2021 the CBA is still in effect. They have to play legally unless the owners attempt Force Majeure to stop the season, which then goes to court.

^^^^^^^ They cannot afford Giolito, Keuchel or Lynn to miss one start all season as currently constructed.

It's a fine line. I would have liked one more solid starter. I would have made a package around Cease and Madrigal for a controllable starter, but that is just me. I'm not a huge fan of either guy.

Depending on what the Twins do, it's still going to be a close race. If they bring back Odorizzi and Cruz they're right there with the Sox.

I don’t think that Cease will ever be a TOR arm. He might be a decent #3 but not more than that.

This is a really good point. All we're asking is for the Sox to level with the fans about spending. We're stuck in a no-man's land where they operate somewhere in between the Rays and Cardinals. If they're going to go full Rays, fine.....but they better invest in international players and analytics. Nobody knows what to expect in a given offseason, because they're wildly unpredictable. They should just pick an organizational lane and if that lane is the Rays but with $100-120M payrolls that's fine. But you better be willing to not let anyone leave for free, and quit trading Dane Dunning type prospects for one year of Lance Lynn. I love that they extend their own guys, and if they get Giolito extended, that's great and probably worth being stingy on the rotation. I just hope that Cease can figure out how to find the strike zone because if he doesn't the 5th starter will be a black hole. I expect Kopech to at the very least be ok(like 4.00-4.25 ERA) when he comes up.

Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Sox. Moncada being healthy and good is a huge upgrade already. I didn't even expect them to land Hendriks, so that alone is an upgrade. I thought they'd end up with Rosenthal. It's just beyond aggravating that they're relying on Reynaldo Lopez, who has proven he sucks repeatedly, yet again for 5th starter innings.