beck72

Sox get Craig Kimbrel for Gavin Sheets [or Jake Burger], Codi Heuer + another prospect. If they are going to go all in, getting Kimbrel for the 8th to team with Liam [and be insurance in case of an injury to Hendriks] makes a ton more sense than just adding a guy like Richard Rodriguez. I still think the Sox add another LH reliever and add an IFer [Trevor Story]

I agree. Hahn didn’t sign Grandal, and Hendriks and trade for Lynn to waste their solid All Star years. Hahn sees the bullpen weakness as well as anyone. He has to address those holes with at least 2 8th innings guys. The 2020 bullpen guys cannot be trusted.

I'm amending my prediction based on WASH now being sellers: *Jake Burger, Micker Adolfo, Matt Foster for Brad Hand and Daniel Hudson: [It might be too much. But if the Nats are packaging both like its been reported to get the best return, the Sox will match and beat other teams offers]. *Matthew Thompson and Bryan Ramos for Trevor Story [Escobar probably isn't healthy enough or the Sox would have pulled off a deal already]

Tampa Bay did trade Blake Snell for four prospects [and he was signed to a team friendly deal through 2023]. My point I was making was that the Sox will need to trade a proven talent as well to keep the pipeline of young talent coming into the Sox to extend their ability to contend for a World Series. And unless and until the Sox win a World Series, I wouldn't advocate to trade a top young talent like an Eloy or a Cease.

The Sox will be in a similar position. They won’t be able to afford to keep all their young and / or expensive talent. So they will have to be on target with who they trade. Without hurting the Sox chances of winning too much. That also means also getting prospects that pan out from those trades.

Well said. Knowing who to keep, who to trade when their values are high, knowing who to trade for, will keep the Sox contenders beyond a five year "window". The Sox should make some moves in the offseason that both help the 2022 team as well as help restock the farm system [taking into consideration the upcoming deadline moves]. Down the road, that should mean making unpopular moves, like TB does, that lead with the mind [facts, data, analytics] not the heart.

Another aspect of Story being acquired to play 2b despite not having played it in the majors is how often he plays out of positon at SS for shifts. A SS like Story often plays near second base and towards the right side of the IF. If the Sox are going to add an IF, I like his athleticism, power, and hard contact. While Escobar has had a better 1st half, Story is likely to improve and Escobar is likely to see some regression.

Well put. The Sox need to build up with the thought that the Astros, Red Sox et al will add to their teams. Even with the good news about Eloy and Robert, adding minor pieces this year isn’t going to cut it.

I just think the “window” to win even it is 5 years, 2021 counts as 20% of the years. The Sox are a few additions short even with Eloy, Robert and Grandal coming back. (Even then, it’s almost impossible to get the same production from them they typically would produce). The bullpen guys and Escobar would be expected adds. Gallo would be a reach but if he’s going to be dealt, why not the Sox? He makes a lot of sense for the next 2 years with Vaughn in LF. Especially as he can play 1B as well as RF The key for Hahn and the front office is knowing who to hang onto and who to deal. This means minor league talent as well as proven major leaguers.

Who the Sox Will Add: Joey Gallo Andrew Chafin Eduardo Escobar Yimi Garcia Traded: Gavin Sheets Jared Kelly Matthew Thompson Jonathan Stiever Jimmy Lambert Micker Adolfo Matt Foster Bryan Ramos + a few others The Rangers deal for Gallo could be Sheets, Kelly and Thompson headlining. [Both Kelly and Thompson are from Texas]. In the offseason I could see the Sox trading Jake Burger and Dallas Keuchel to rebuild some lost depth.

Anything close to this and the Sox should be all over it. I’d include Kelly over Yoelqui though. Sheets would make sense for them too.

The Sox should be making moves to win the ALCS. Getting to the World Series means being able to beat Houston, Boston and Tampa. That should mean adding two top bullpen arms, LH and RH, and another quality hitter. Whether that’s Escobar, or better, depends on the prospects. With Burger and Sheets showing ability, the Sox have more to offer other teams than just lower level prospects. I could the Sox going for a rental position player but bullpen guys who have more than a year control.

Everyone digs the longball! I'm no different. My point was that good pitchers miss their spots less often and give up less HR's than your typical non-contending club. The sox could use another bat who can work counts, foul off 'pitchers pitches', and then drive pitches that they should hit. Whether that's adding a HR guy [your Gallo] or a 2b's guy. Grandal and Madrigal are big losses to the lineup and helping in that capacity could mean also adding some HR pop. Whoever the Sox add this deadline, should be made with the intent to get past Houston, Boston and to win the AL. No doubt that should help the Sox win in a NL park if they get to the World Series

Welcome aboard! No need to apologize. Your post and questions were fine. We're all Sox fans here and few of us are experts.

I totally get that the Sox can't be expecting guys like Goodwin, Leury, Sheets and Burger to be getting big hits in the playoffs. They've done great but we can't be counting on them as starters. Having another big, middle of the order bat makes sense.

Vaughn has started to figure things out. He's likely to put up some good numbers in the 2nd half. Overall, though, the decreased power numbers don't worry me too much. Playoff type pitchers don't give up many long balls and scoring runs without HR's is what will decide how far the Sox go in the playoffs.

The Sox do have some history trading with Texas. The Lynn-Dunning trade worked for both so there may be less risk of losing a trade involving Gallo. Texas' offense is putrid, near the bottom of the AL in SLG and OPS [14th]. Pitching isn't bad but not great. If they want a position player near or ready for the bigs Burger or Sheets as a headliner could work. Texas would be wise to sell high now on Gallo. His current numbers of .239/.402/ .522 are better than his career .213/.339/.502 line. If Gallo drops the rest of 2021 they may not have a better deal on the table for them in the offseason.

What’s Gallo’s contract status? I figured his bat would be out of the Sox ability to get and add bullpens arms. He and Bryant would probably cost similar in terms of prospects. Another big LH power bat would be ideal. I only see the Sox adding one decent position player with the bench players like Goodwin and. Leary doing so well.

The HR's should increase in the 2nd half. TA, Moncada, and Abreu are all below their SLG norms and are likely to hit more. Vaughn is figuring it out. Eloy, Robert and Grandal returning will help. I'm just of the mind of the Sox adding the best hitter they can afford in terms of prospects and salary [after they add to the bullpen-which is the priority] will help them maintain the AL Central lead and go far in the playoffs. But having that bat who can also play multiple defensive positions should be key. That way he can be insurance for another injury. Javy Baez would be the ultimate insurance policy for 3b, SS and 2b. Kris Bryant a close 2nd with him being able to play all over the diamond at 3b, LF, RF and 1b. Escobar would be good for 3b and 2b. Frazier isn't ideal as he'd be here for 2022-though his bat fits in great. Vaughn is showing he can play LF for a few years and Nick back would block Frazier-unless Frazier could play RF. Marte I like-esp. as he's improved his BB% and can play CF and a corner. It will be interesting to see who the Sox add. Depending on the bat they add, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of Burger or Sheets be traded. Neither is a long term piece but could be major league regulars. Teams that want to "retool" rather than "rebuild" [like the Cubs at least say they want to do] could be trading partners.

I’d be fine with Escobar. Especially as he can give Moncada a break at 3b as well. As long as the Sox get the bullpen additions, I wouldn’t be against Frazier though if the price wasn’t too high. The Sox do need another high OBP and guy who can work counts. Grandal is due back but plan B to replace both Madrigals and his OBP with only Escobar might not be enough vs top pitching.

A Konerko who can play a passable LF too. Leaves 1B for a few years of Abreu.

While 2b may not be a big concern with Garcia hitting out of his mind, the 2nd half he’s likely to come back down to earth. For that matter, Goodwin as well in the OF. Frazier has a far better track record than Garcia and Goodwin and should be counted on to produce vs. top pitchers-esp who they’d face in the playoffs.

I'm not concerned about the low ranking. The Sox have enough young talent to sustain years of being at the top of the AL Central. The Sox can use guys in the system to improve their chances of winning this year-that means probably no big position player add but getting two of the best bullpen arms. Going forward, to sustain the success, they will need to know who to trade and who to build around. Young guys who have had some success in the bigs can then be traded to add other young talent. It may mean trading a guy like Crochet, Cease or Moncada down the line. The Sox aren't going to spend like the Yankees so the Tampa Bay route of selling high on proven talent should be the route to take. This year, until the Sox win or get to a World Series, they can be aggressive trading prospects in the minors.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a current bullpen guy could be included in a deal. That deepens our pool of talent to trade. Of course not just for a rental. If the Sox see an arm on the market this year they need-say Rich Rod-they have to make sure they don’t get outbid by another team.

I totally agree. The Sox need to add at least two top bullpen arms, preferably LH and RH. I could see moving one or more our current bullpen group of the name’s you mentioned-especially if it was for a proven arm that was around for more than just this year.