caulfield12

As part of our Best Tools package, Eric and myself (Dave Schoenfeld) discuss the most exciting players in baseball. We disagree on one pitcher but I think we're in agreement with the top guy. Yes, it's Yasiel Puig. I was trying to think who he reminds me of and the guy who pops into my head is a young Vladimir Guerrero, who had Puig's all-around talent and a similar reckless abandon when playing. It's too early to say if Puig will be as good as Guerrero but at least it's easier to watch him play than it was when Guerrero was in Montreal in the pre-MLB.tv days. Click here to rank the most exciting players. Disagree with the choices? Discuss below! http://www.espn.com/mlb

Soler's name hasn't been mentioned recently in this discussion... How much better is this guy compared to him? 1) Soler was viewed as at least 2 but possibly 3 years away (versus those who felt Viciedo and Cespedes were within a year of the majors at the time/s they signed) 2) Soler was viewed as having HUGE power...40+ homers, etc. 3) Soler was never perceived as anything but a corner OFer/DH (possibly 1B, but not with Rizzo entrenched there) Which scout gave him (this new guy) that 70 hit rating (now or projected)...? What was Viciedo's hit tool at the time of his signing...it should have been at least 60, because the ONLY reason he was signed was for 1) hitting/power, 2) the thought he was the probable 3B of the future and had a very strong/plus infielder's throwing arm. Does this guy take a ton of walks, compared to the other Cubans (Viciedo, Cespedes, Soler, Leonys Martin, etc.)???

QUOTE (scs787 @ Aug 13, 2013 -> 11:15 AM) He put up better numbers than Cespedes in Cuba, there's no reason he shouldn't get more than Cespedes got. Everyone's saying Trout has a huge advantage over Puig because he's a natural CFer....well, Cespedes in CF and LF giving you production (and this year has been a down one compared to expectations, just like with Viciedo) is a lot more important than a 1B with only two tools. I don't see the argument that he's worth 50-75-100% more than Cespedes, honestly.

Anything over $60 million is nuts for a one dimensional 1B/DH. Knowing the Sox, he's the bust whereas Puig looks legit....we'll see about Cespedes and Soler. Just say NO to overpaying....we're paying $20-30-40 million extra because of Puig, and they're nothing alike as players. We might as well send that money to the Dodgers to subsidize a Puig extension, as it makes no sense for the Sox at those numbers to get stuck with another bad contract. Even if his hit tool is MIGGY CABRERA...well, then I'll consider $60-65, but who is that hitter besides Cabrera/Trout/Davis?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 04:30 PM) Market for Cuban players is overinflated, imo. Tread carefully. LOL. Probably true, because of the bounceback from being wrong time to time (about Alexei Ramirez, then Cespedes, although that's shifting...and now because of PUIG, this guy's probably ending up benefitting 50-75% simply because of Yasiel's rookie season when it should be a completely independent judgment.)

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 02:42 PM) I wonder how they'll use him then. CF/3B/2B...? Like Alexei Ramirez, when he first came to us in early 2008...?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 12:50 PM) Grantland Mantle had BLAZING speed (before the catastrophic injuries) and 550 foot home run power...Trout rarely hits homers like that...and Mantle also had a gracefulness about his game whereas Trout's more just brute force and dynamic energy. Would never put Trout out there as a comp.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 07:41 AM) "Sale one of five best contracts in baseball" = headline. "Sale is the 6th best contract in baseball" = actual article. Meh, close enough. If Sale doesn't get hurt, this immediately becomes one of the five best contracts in baseball A bit confusing. Wouldn't you basically say that about any starting pitcher?

6. Chris Sale ($850,000) and all of the other pitchers who have taken the Jon Lester Extension pause before inking their contracts. Almost five years ago, Lester signed the largest pre-arbitration contract ever for a pitcher: five years, $30 million plus a team option. It became the most copied deal in baseball. About a year later, Yovani Gallardo signed almost the exact same deal with Milwaukee. A few months later, it was Ricky Romero's turn. And then Trevor Cahill and Derek Holland and Madison Bumgarner and, finally, Sale, who the White Sox locked in this March to a five-year, $32.5 million deal with two club options. If Sale doesn't get hurt, this immediately becomes one of the five best contracts in baseball, alongside Salvador Perez's (three years, $5.25 million, with three club options for $14.75 million total), Matt Moore's (three years, $9 million, with three club options for $26 million total) and the mirror deals that … Paul Goldschmidt would be an MVP candidate if the Diamondbacks were playing better. (USA Today Sports) 7. Paul Goldschmidt ($500,000) and Allen Craig ($1.75 million) signed this season. Goldschmidt's, which doesn't kick in until next season, is for five years and $32 million with a club option. Craig's started this year and covers five years for $31 million with the same option. It is like the Lester contract migrated to first base. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/10-degrees--m...-022434079.html Article about Trout for MVP based on salary/ROI vs. payroll limitations, and includes other "favorable" contracts like Matt Harvey

Is he a better CFer than DeAza? That's all I need to know...wasn't Eaton another name being thrown out there earlier this year (not sure if any of the DBacks' names were realistic).

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 06:50 PM) There are a lot of moving parts with this strategy, but what does a Kendry Morales signing accomplish? If the Sox have a payroll floor for next year make good use of it by getting prospects who might be on the next good Sox team. What assets besides Sale, Santiago, Quintana and Reed are left? You can't be arguing Alexei Ramirez will net us "good" prospects after arguing for 2+ years he was an approaching bad contract...or approaching albatross contract status with Dunn and Danks.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 07:06 PM) Oh I agree about signing veterans at this point, unless its a guy that's still young and fits our needs perfectly. But there's no reason to just throw money away! I like HH's idea of front loading deals if we really need a place to spend the money. Of course, that flies in the face of every Sox contract written since the Schueler days....with money deferred as long as possible to compete in the short-term. The funny thing is that agents might not like it because they'll be complaining about inflation protection in the future (when the contract value comes down) and/or that the contract's no longer fair or advantageous to their client with market conditions shifting...like an adjustable rate mortgage but as a baseball contract.

Back up to 1.044 OPS. Barely trailing Davis, 100+ behind Cabrera. Trout knocking on the door of 1.000. Just got intentionally walked in favor of facing Ethier, who made an out. Piling up a lot of walks recently. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/i...ig-or-wil-myers Who would you build a team around, Puig or Wil Myers, interesting discussion. Puig's winning the poll 60/40 right now.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 06:41 PM) They'll be competitive quicker by not signing these guys next year. So if it was Gillaspie/Keppinger at 3B (if they can't dump Keppinger), Beckham at SS, Semien at 2B, Viciedo/Dunn/Wilkins at 1B, Flowers/Phegley catching....DeAza in LF, Ethier or Upton in CF and Avisail Garcia in RF, that would make them more competitive quicker? HOW?

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 06:36 PM) Yes. I want the Sox to try to contend next year, not suck again like this year just so they can get another top 5 pick in 2015. I don't want them to sign any of these guys to ridiculous contracts, but I do want them to try to acquire a couple of free agents to make the team competitive again. I know Morneau supposedly hates the Sox, but if they somehow acquired a guy like him to play 1B and got McCann to catch split some time at DH/1B, and they can piece together a bullpen, they can easily be contenders again next year and still be in a position to continue to retool and improve more for 2015. scratch out easily from "can easily be contenders again next year" and I'll agree...IT'S POSSIBLE, but certainly not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination even with "bad" Verlander and closer problems and Peralta-Gate, nobody's going to touch the Tigers again

As long as Balta is in charge of fundamentals and Josh Phegley improvements in 2014 Spring Training, things will go quite smoothly. It's an EVEN numbered year, after all.

Except for Greinke and Josh Hamilton? Sorry Marty, had to...but we can be buddies now, I agree with 60-65% of what you're saying these days...well, not about Viciedo.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 02:57 PM) I don't think that is necessarily the case. Also, I'm not saying that's what they will do, it what I would do. I've heard Hahn discuss the priority of pitching and the rumors were that the Sox were looking for pitching with Peavy and they did get 2. Except how easy is it going to be to acquire a High A or AA starter with even better potential than Santiago/Quintana...? Not very. And Addison Reed won't get you a Martinez (maybe Wacha) from the Cardinals, or a Top 50 or even Top 75 level of starting pitching prospect. So that means you're essentially trading for more bullpen arms...in the end.

QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 03:14 PM) Can someone give a good recap of our salary for 2014, our roster locks and possibilities, and 2014 draft prospects since we will have a top 3 pick in next years draft? Also some free agents we could target? There are REALLY no roster locks, right now....looking forward to 2014, except for John Danks and Adam Dunn. FA (McCann)/Phegley or Flowers as back-up 1B ??? (Morales/Morneau/Carlos Pena)...possibly Viciedo 2B Beckham/Semien SS Ramirez/Leury Garcia/Semien/Carlos Sanchez 3B Gillaspie/Keppinger (if not traded)/Semien LF Viciedo/DeAza/FA/trade CF DeAza or A. Garcia (Granderson/Choo/Ellsbury) RF A Garcia or Viciedo Sale Danks Santiago or Quintana (one likely to be traded for a hitter, in theory) Erik Johnson Andre Rienzo/Snodgress/darkhorse candidate/FA/trade Reed (if not traded) Jones (if not traded) Lindstrom will be gone Santos Rodriguez/Veal/Purcey (pick one loogy, perhaps 2) Webb Montas (maybe, if they decide he won't stick as a starter) Axelrod (god, i hope not), Simon Castro, Petricka, Taylor Thompson, Salvador Sanchez, etc.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 02:47 PM) I still hold to the philosophy that you don't trade young pitching without getting pitching in return. Except if we do trade Santiago/Quintana/Reed/Jones, it will be for hitting prospects in all likelihood. Particularly in the case/s of those first three guys on the list.

QUOTE (Noonskadoodle @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 02:19 PM) Tigers broadcast didn't mention if it has or not.....Sure if somebody is tuned in with the Yankees they would. Miggy took him OPPO & Victor just unloaded to RF for an upper deck shot. Its funny though because Prince hit a jam shot to 3rd that was caught, Kelly hit a nubber to the pitcher, & Perez got jammed for a lazy fly to right.....which all 3 are vintage Mo. Balta said Victor Martinez was done earlier in the year...guess you can't kill very good hitters, even if you take them out ala Nancy Kerrigan at the kneecaps.

For some reason, we're comparing Beckham's range at 2B (possibly SS) with Garcia's at SS...not sure why, though. Don't buy for a minute that Gordon at 2B would translate into the type of arm/range/athleticism of Garcia at SS. Just NO way.

The funny thing is that DJ was just going on and on about how good Quintana was to be throwing a shutout without his best stuff and then that happened...

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 01:55 PM) What? You mean the same guy that Hahn asked for the Phillies best prospect in return. How much of a laughing soundtrack did that engender in response? We're not talking about Dominic Brown anymore, so who is/was their best prospect at the time of trade discussion/s? We can always send DeAza to the Pirates via waivers....assuming he gets to them. He'd be better than Schierholtz and probably Rios for them as a platoon candidate/4th outfielder.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 11, 2013 -> 01:53 PM) That'd be lunacy. We need a coach who can get to him. Like Robin Ventura did in 2012. Why is it that ALL of the Latin position players across the board (DeAza, Ramirez, Rios and Viciedo) have struggled in all these areas (fundamentals, base-running and defense) SEEMINGLY the entire length of the season? Can someone please explain that one? Maybe the coaches just don't have a good repoire with those players? No idea. But it's weird...