harfman77

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 04:04 PM) Basto is in AZL right now, last I checked anyway. He is in the AZL, but is also listed on the 7 day DL at W-S, so it looks more like a rehab assignment than a re-assignment.

Wouldn't be surprised if he was traded to the Angels. They are desperate for a bullpen lefty and he was pretty successful there the last three seasons. Maybe for an A baller or cash.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:30 AM) Does that include his catcher at NC State? Wouldn't that defense technically be in front of him?

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 26, 2014 -> 08:05 AM) Any updated news on Montes de Oca I dont believe there will be one until Rodon signs. Any further signings are dependent on how the budget looks after he gets his money.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 02:44 PM) And Franklin is lock? We have L Garcia to hit .220 and play SS. Why in the world would we want another one. I'd much prefer A or AA prospects over prospects that are well on their way to being failed prospects. Ackley? He can't hit either. We could put any of our prospects in the OF as well. "Steverson can fix 'em" prospects should be taken off waivers or in return for one of our Ackleys. We have Abreu, so we trade for Smoak? This is why deals are so hard to make. Franklin and Ackley are exactly who the Mariners want to trade for someone like Alexei. But who wants those guys? that's why I say A or AA prospect with some ceiling, regardless of position. Don't need more junk in this organization. We have Abreu, but Dunn is a FA so there is a DH hole to fill. Seattle is a notoriously poor hitting park, I would roll the dice on those guys as pieces in a trade. If the Sox are giving up Alexei, then none of those guys can be the centerpiece but can be throw ins to sweeten the deal. You realize that these guys were those A and AA prospects with HUGE ceilings and had a lot of success all the way up to the ML level, right? I think a deal for Alexei starts at James Paxton as Peterson and Walker are probably out of scope. From there you try to pry out as many as of the rest that you can.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 02:26 PM) Michalczewski stays in Kanny all year despite production right? Depends what they want to do with Basto. He is currently on the DL but has handled WS pretty well and there is no one in BHam that is blocking him. Knowing the Sox, they will both move up a level at some point this season. Speaking of promotions, I imagine Peter will be headed to Kanny pretty soon the way he has torn through the Pioneer league this far.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 02:01 PM) A no-hit infielder is exactly what Sox don't need. Sox are loaded with MI prospect sox need pitching c, and OF. and players who can actually hit. Mariners may have some good A or AA pitching they'd deal. But we don't need their AAA/ML players/prospects like Franklin or Ackley. The problem is though, none of the Sox prospects are close to a lock at being able to stay at SS. Saladino has played there the most but probably isn't an everyday MLB guy. Ackley could slide into LF next season and you can hope that a change of scenery and Severson can pull the tools that made him a big time prospect out of him. I would have no problem taking Ackley, Smoak, and Franklin back in a deal depending on what the Sox are giving up, they are all buy low candidates and if one of them can put it together you made a steal.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 25, 2014 -> 01:04 PM) Trade Viciedo while he has some meek semblance of value. They have so many LH DH types in Seattle I doubt they would look at Dunn. Their DH options are RH - Hart and Montero though Smoak bats B if they choose to bring him back. Currently they are using Cole Gillespie as their DH. Mariners 1B/DH this season: Gillespie (RH) - .254/.315/.328 1HR 67 ABs Hart (RH) - .209/.295/.353 5HR 139 ABs Morrison (LH) - .221/.280/.426 4HR 68 ABs Smoak (B) - .208/.282/.361 7 HR 216 ABs So Dunn would be an upgrade for them.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 24, 2014 -> 10:13 AM) I'm not going to get too worked up about this until signing day is near. Also, I doubt there is a player of his caliber available at 4 next year. Boras knows that. Hahn knows that. Maybe the Sox are picking at #2 and 4 though. #BIGGESTDRAFTPOOLEVA

QUOTE (JoshPR @ Jun 24, 2014 -> 02:39 PM) Newsflash... DeAza still a bad ball player. Dump them both. Teams is poorly constructed Why? Dump them for what? So that we can have Jared Mitchell and Jordan Danks as our corner OF's? How does that make the team better?

QUOTE (Tannerfan @ Jun 24, 2014 -> 11:48 AM) Does anyone think there's merit in moving Gillaspie to the outfield? If he could play left you've got him Eaton and Garcia left to right. This means Davidson has to pan out at 3b, or maybe Semien can stick at third. More likely that Semien ends up in LF than Gillaspie.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 24, 2014 -> 08:09 AM) By the way, file this under "probably nothing but caught my eye"... Josh Phegley was taken out after the 6th inning last night. Skinner doesn't normally pinch-hit for guys, and it certainly is unusual with a catcher unless there was an injury. But when Set Lakso asked Skinner about it, Skinner said he's perfectly healthy, no injury, he's fine. Hm. Has he gotten to the point where they want to bring in a defensive replacement when they have a lead? They were up 6-0 when the change was made.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jun 23, 2014 -> 07:50 PM) An international draft is a terrible idea. I love how success is determined in the INTL by who can scout talent better, I believe that Starlin Castro was signed for $ 50,000. He was an under the radar prospect that the Cubs found and developed into a superstar. An international draft would completely kill that competitive nature in my opinon. If only that were how it truly works. There is a lot shadier side to what goes on with the handlers for these prospects and the deals that are made with them to steer their prospects to certain teams. Players are drafted based on their scouting reports, so I am not sure how that undermines the scouting process. What it would kill is all of the backroom deals that are going on to make special deals, it would kill the innate disadvantage that teams that operate within the rules currently have.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 24, 2014 -> 10:02 AM) I'd trade Noesi before he regresses, just like most reclamation projects do. I am keeping him. The Sox tried to pick him up in the Swisher deal and have really liked him for a while, I think they saw something there and are starting to bring it out of him. He is cost controlled and has yet to reach his ceiling. I think the pieces you need to trade are Alexei, as he is a FA in 2016 right when the core of the team should be hitting its stride, and Q as he is the most valuable trade chip that you could legitimately deal and receive appropriate value back in return. I'd also trade Beckham now that he has restored some of his value, if you can get a good enough return.

Joel Sherman writes that the Yankees may have interest in Danks. Maybe something like John Ryan Murphy, Miguel Andujar, and the #17 draft slot ($677,400)?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 23, 2014 -> 12:39 PM) It is also the quickest way into perpetual rebuilding. On this team right now, the max value guys are Chris Sale, Jose Abreu, Jose Quintana, and Alexei Ramirez. I'd personally also put Putnam and Noesi on that list, because I think they fall back to earth sooner or later. What is going to make next years Sox team any better than this one? Looking at what is available in FA, they won't likely be heavily involved. Garcia will be an upgrade offensively in RF, but the pitching problems will still be an issue as well as production at LF, and C and a likely downgrade at 2B, DH. Yes, it is a gamble to trade for prospects, but, you have to gamble a little to get rewards.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 23, 2014 -> 11:56 AM) Trading Quintana and Lexi would be dumb if we are ever planning to finish outside of last place again. Embarrassing to finish in last 2 years in a row in a market like Chicago. The rest of those guys are our scraps. If anybody wants them, god bless 'em and good luck Hahn in getting anything but L. Garcia types. I guess if you can get 3 great players go ahead and deal Lexi. You have to give up value to get value back. Trading players at their highest value allows you to rebuild in a much more efficient manner than waiting for your A ball prospects to eventually make it to the majors. Alexei is going to be a FA right in the middle of the window of contention for the core that is being put together and there are internal options that can handle the position. A deal with the Mariners with De Aza for Nick Franklin, James Paxton, and one of their three struggling prospects Smoak, Ackley, or Montero would make sense. You then have a cost controlled SS, a SP that can be a #2-4 rotational piece, and a lottery ticket to see if a change of scenery will get them going.

Looking at the potential trade pieces and potential destinations: Gordon Beckham - San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Miami, Washington, Oakland Alexei Ramirez - Detroit, Seattle, Cincinnati De Aza - NYM, Baltimore, Boston, Seattle Viciedo - Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle Dunn - Texas, NYY, Oakland, Milwaukee Quintana - Miami, San Francisco, St. Louis, Toronto, Texas, Seattle, NYY, LAA, Boston, Milwaukee I think given the need for pitching and Quintana's contract status, he could probably bring back the biggest return of ANY pitcher that will be dealt this summer. I doubt that he is moved, but he would certainly have a lot of value and could fill multiple holes on the roster through one deal.

Things aren't looking great for the Sox to land any of the top players. There are quite a few teams that are going to go over their allotment and accept the penalties. The Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Brewers, and possibly Blue Jays. Four of BA's top 10 are expected to sign with the Yankees, BA says that Ynoa is choosing between the Twins and Red Sox now. The Sox are still in on Alfaro, but his scouting profile sounds a lot more like Miguel Gonzalez than his brother Jorge. I think the Sox are back to a point where they are going to have a tough time competing in the international market until the draft is put in place, as JR is loathe to bust through the spending limits. The good news is that the Sox will probably stock up on more mid-level guys and being at such a young age, many of them could take big leaps forward. The Sox will also likely have some money to make a run at some of the ML ready international FA's like Yasmani Tomas.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 23, 2014 -> 09:10 AM) Why would Tampa trade him away for scraps and lose their opportunity at the 1st round pick? I have no idea, there farm system is running dry so perhaps they want some upper level players to help restock their ML roster. I probably would not do make the trade if I were them, but it they want the trade that was proposed, you take it.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 21, 2014 -> 04:33 PM) So I would imagine that the Sox are offering slightly over slot at around $6 million. Boras is holding out for the entire overage that JR has never been willing to pay. Rodon will sign for like $6.1 million around the signing deadline date. Boras is probably trying to get the Sox to set a precedent by giving up their first rounder next season to get a deal done. Though knowing Boras' style, he probably has not even returned the Sox call on Rodon yet and will wait until the 11th hour to negotiate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 21, 2014 -> 01:13 PM) I believe that was Jordan. Projected to go around the 2nd round, had Boras as agent, dropped past the 6th and out of the first day, the Sox drafted him in like the 7th and he switched his agent. I think it was both of them.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 21, 2014 -> 09:50 AM) Rick Hahn has said that he's only interested in trading for pieces that fit into the long-term plan. Price doesn't. If you could get Price for what Bowden is proposing, you do it and then flip him for more long term pieces in the off-season or a you get an extra first round pick next season to put into the long term plan.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 20, 2014 -> 03:00 PM) Keith Law has an insider piece on Tomas today: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/...aw_YasmaniTomas He says that he may have more power than Abreu does but he isn't as good of a prospect as Puig or Abreu. Says he has below average bat speed, will have to play in an OF corner, and will have a low .obp. Good for 25-30 HR's annually though. He expects that he will get paid more than he should because that market is still the only one without a cap on spending. Now I really want him. Law on Abreu: "Abreu has enormous raw power, probably a 70 or perhaps higher, on the 20-80 scale. The power is evident in BP and should translate to 25-35 homers a year in the majors. The concerns about him revolve around his bat speed and his conditioning, only one of which can be fixed or improved at this point. "

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 20, 2014 -> 02:00 PM) Isn't he about a month or two ahead of his pace? I think, but I also think that there is little incentive for a team to sign him at the end of August or early September because he would not likely be able to contribute this season anyway, so I think they will move the negotiations back to when teams aren't worried about tweaking their rosters for the stretch run and also have a better idea of what financial commitments that they will have in place for next season. You would hate to not be able to make a move to put your team over top because you just threw some money at a guy that can't help you until at least next season.