Lillian

Valdez has actually been better against RH hitters, in the last couple of years. Not by much, but enough to make an all RH hitting lineup, less than optimal. I would go by who are the better hitters, regardless of handedness. Wow, that will probably shock some of you. At the least, I'd rather see Goodwin instead of Hamilton. As I've often stated, I prefer a balanced lineup. If they get into the Astros pen, there will need to be a lot of substitutions, with Moncada being the only one who can bat left handed.

That would be a tough call. I'm not sure I'd do that. If the Sox view Crochet as a future piece of the starting rotation, I don't think I would. If Texas wouldn't accept some hitting prospects and an arm like Steiver or Lambert, I'd pass. There is always free agency, after next season. They might be able to just sign him then. I'd rather that they settled for Escobar, which shouldn't cost much, as a rental, and let the guys they have handle RF, for the rest of this year.

I don't think that it would take that much, but if so, I would not be in favor of it.

You know me. That RF spot needs to be filled by a LH bat. Acquire Gallo for the next year and 1/2. Then, hope either Colas, Rutherford or some other player can fill that spot. I have never liked the idea of Cespedes filling that hole in RF. He's yet one more RH bat, to go along with T. A., Eloy, Abreu, Robert, Vaughn and Madrigal. I would gladly give up Yoelkis and a couple of other lesser prospects, for Gallo. Who knows, maybe they could extend him, after next season. Gallo is only 27, so he could become one of the core pieces, for the rest of this window of contention.

What do you think it would take?

Is that because the Rangers, or the Sox, would balk at the deal?

Now, acquiring Gallo for the second half and all of next year, becomes even more desirable. If MLB.com thinks that Cespedes and Caleb Freeman would come close to getting it done, then add another prospect and pull the trigger. Imagine this lineup, next season: Anderson, Moncada, Abreu, Eloy, Gallo, Robert, Grandal, Vaughn, Madrigal. That might be the best lineup in baseball, if Robert and Vaughn become the hitters we think they will. The only off season acquisition that might be required would be another bullpen arm.

I hope that you meant to put that post in teal.

The Braves are said to have released Lucroy, because they made a trade with the DBacks, to acquire catcher Stephen Vogt. He's not very good either, but apparently they prefer him to Lucroy. I have no idea what's going on with Lucroy, but if he could fill the hole, behind the plate, until Grandal returns, he could be useful. Noone answered my question, regarding how good of a defensive catcher Deivy Grullon is. Does anyone know? He has hit decently, since arriving at Charlotte.

That's a valid point. Nevertheless, I would think that he would be a defensive upgrade over Collins and Zavala. Is that appraisal too generous?

It would be for his defense and pitch calling, not for his bat.

Go get Lucroy. Simple and effective solution to the problem.

The question that I'd like answered is; with which teams are the Sox in competition to acquire a power, switch hitting second baseman, or a right handed reliever for the 8th inning?

I understand. Thanks for the clarification. If Adolfo goes to another organization, does that afford the acquiring team any more flexibility, regarding his need to be added to the 40 man roster?

My guess is still Escobar. However, I would be very surprised if it would take those four players to acquire him, even if the Dbacks included Soria. I'm not even sure why the Sox would want Soria. He isn't that good and doesn't represent a significant upgrade for the pen. Both Escobar and Soria are rentals, who will be free agents, after this year. The other name that intrigues me is Iglesias, however I have no idea what it would take to get him.

I suppose that many of you have seen this suggestion, which sounds much more plausible to me: https://www.mlb.com/news/2021-trade-deadline-ideas-for-first-place-teams?partnerId=zh-20210717-439601-MLB-1-B&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20210717-439601-MLB-1-B&bt_ee=RVdEfRbbnZDDZ8Lkr4Q0Ehiza0%2B8eqtlWmdHErmmB8EOOO5lN7KiIGbbLtopPmLd&bt_ts=1626525274515 White Sox get: OF Joey Gallo Rangers get: OF Yoelqui Céspedes (White Sox No. 2 prospect), RHP Caleb Freeman (No. 19)

I read the Fan Graphs' article. Interesting read, thanks for the link.

How good is his defense?

Escobar is a much better rental than Pederson. Nevertheless, this trade should give us an idea of how inexpensively some of these rentals will be. That statement by Bernstein, regarding what he thought it would take, for the Sox to acquire Joc, simply tells you how little he knows about the subject.

Let me preface this post with the admission that I'm not very conversant with some of the more nuanced saber metrics. I'm kind of "old school". Give me OBP and SLG% and that kind of tells me how to rate an offensive player. I've been trying to understand this wOBA statistic, or weighted On Base Average. Here is a precise definition: Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) is one of the most important and popular catch-all offensive statistics. It was created by Tom Tango (and notably used in “The Book”) to measure a hitter’s overall offensive value, based on the relative values of each distinct offensive event. Since we're discussing how good of an offensive player Moncada is, I thought that it might be useful to see where he ranks in wOBA. He is 57TH among all of MLB. His wOBA is .357, which is considered "above average". Putting that stat into perspective, relative to his other more traditional stats, he is interestingly enough, also 57TH, with a .791 OPS. His one exceptional stat is his .401 OBP, which is 5TH best in baseball. There is no argument that he is getting on base, the value of which has long ago been recognized. The fact that he doesn't steal bases, somewhat diminishes the value of his high number of walks. He is not hitting home runs, so if he could use his elite speed, to get into scoring position, that might make him a terrific lead off hitter. However, he is not leading off, and he was expected to be a run producer, not just a run scorer. As I've already stated. He's a very good player, and I like him. It just seems disappointing that he is not performing like the 5 tool guy, most of us expected. He is hitting for a decent average, and walking a lot. However, he is not hitting the long ball, so the "power" tool isn't there. Nor is he stealing bases, which significantly diminishes the value of his "run" tool. Speed is not much of a factor at the hot corner. It does impact his ability to come in on bunts and swinging bunts, and he can certainly throw on the run, as well as anyone. Then too, there is the base running element, to speed. But there too, his speed is somewhat offset by his poor decision making. He is not a good base runner. It's an interesting discussion and it appears as though there are going to remain diverse opinions on just how good Yoan is. The one thing, upon which most of us can agree, is that he has the tools and the talent to be even better. Let's hope that we see him realizing more of his potential, and soon.

I must admit that I'm a little perplexed by those who seem to object to suggestions about how to improve this roster. I guess they should register their complaints with Rick Hahn, as he readily admits that he never stops trying to improve the team.

I'm just curious. What is your stance? Do you think that this team, as constructed, with the pending return of Eloy and Robert, are all set to go deep into the play offs?

If he becomes the player that he is, so far this year, with "25 HR power," I would be very happy. If injuries are really the reason that he isn't hitting for power this season, then we'll just have to wait until he's healthy. I sure hope so, because he is going to be very expensive, during the last 3 years of that contract. As I stated earlier, $24 & $25 million is lot to pay a guy producing what he is producing this year. Mr. Reinsdorf's unwillingness to spend big, means that the Sox can't afford to be paying that much money to anyone, who isn't a super star.

Of course you are, as is practically everyone. The point is that a HR is often very instrumental in achieving that win.

Perhaps the better question is; Why are those who want to see this team win it all, criticized and ridiculed for wanting the team to get better? La Russa is well known for sharing that kind of competitive drive. If a team wants to be champions, they must always strive to be better and to fix any deficiencies. I'm sure that the skipper would quickly eschew any comments, such as "we're in 1ST place, so what are you complaining about?" It's not complaining, it's striving to improve and be the best.