Eminor3rd

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 7, 2015 -> 10:05 PM) has anyone ever gone to the winter meeting???? Yes, it's a blast. You can meet to many interesting people, be on vacation at a high end resort, and check Twitter a lot.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Dec 8, 2015 -> 09:54 AM) Well said. If we get those two, and if we see production from Melky and LaRoche that is similar to what we expected when we signed them... Eaton Melky Abreu Upton LaRoche Frazier Avila/Navarro Saladino Sanchez That's a very good lineup. Exorcising Avi Garcia would really do wonders. I want a T-shirt that says, "Exorcise Avi!"

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 8, 2015 -> 12:57 AM) Yes, this, yes. A great way to waste precious time and recourses is to chase the antiquated lineup "fit", when in reality you should be looking for substantial improvements in whatever form they present themselves. Just because Heyward is going to maybe hit a dozen HR less than you'd like when attempting to supplement this power starved offense, doesn't mean you overlook how much of an upgrade he is in every other facet of the game compared to other options. In my mind he actually draws comparisons to the offseason's hottest geezer in Zobrist, minus some of the defensive flexibility. He's the wise pickup of the offseason, even if he commands the highest position player payout. Indeed, and ESPECIALLY when your team needs help in so many ways. The offense is power-starved, yes -- but it's also OBP starved. And the defense is, well, defense-starved.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Dec 8, 2015 -> 07:16 AM) http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-would-...tion-look-like/ The whole idea of lineup protection is generally overstated. Thanks for posting that, so I didn't have to

It would be terribly sad and short-sighted if the Sox actually DON'T make a move because they can't find a way to move the final $13m owed to LaRoche. Make the right moves, THEN worry about reclaiming some LaRoche money. If you can't, then that's the price of taking a gamble, Mr. Reinsdorf.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 7, 2015 -> 09:16 PM) If the Sox spend the kind of money needed to acquire someone like Upton, Heyward or Gordon, that would preclude any other big signings. Therefore, unless they are willing to trade a starting pitcher, the guy whom they sign better be their much needed clean up hitter. Who would fill that role better, Upton or Heyward? I continue to believe it doesn't make sense to target guys based on traditional batting order roles. The most important thing is that a "good hitter" will be added somewhere in the first four slots. Using that logic, Heyward is clearly better, as he adds a left-handed threat (the one LaRoche was supposed to add) and substantially improves the defense at the same time.

Bill Plunkett Verified account ‏@billplunkettocr Latest percolation in Nashville -- #Dodgers deal for Chapman not finalized yet because might be part of multi-team move. #beentheredonethat MYSTERYTEAM

As a long-term move, Upton makes sense on the surface -- the swing in productivity on both sides of the ball from Avi to Upton would be staggering, and the guy is only 28 -- but the cost is high, even if he's "worth it" in terms of dollars to productivity. Realistically, if you're going to have "building block" players that eat up ~$20-25m of your yearly payroll, you have to be willing to continually increase said payroll to patch up the holes that inevitably appear elsewhere. The Dodgers make it work, but the Sox have yet to show such a tendency. Otherwise, it ends up as more of a "HAIL MARY" move, like the Padres just became famous for. I can't support a move for Upton in that context.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 7, 2015 -> 10:44 AM) I think this is real. Now, lucky for him, with the royals success even non-closers are getting paid 10 million per now if dominant. But this is certainly a risk. I don't think there's a ton of evidence that teams are still paying free agent money for saves / NOT paying for holds. Arbitration, now, is another story.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 7, 2015 -> 10:28 AM) above avg to great players starts off as a prospects. But the ones that are 25 years old and signed to long-term, below market rate contracts are what you HOPE the prospects turn into. Those guys are the epitome of "building blocks."

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 6, 2015 -> 10:44 PM) I'm okay with Upton if they get rid of Melky and trade Eaton. Avi-Trayce-Upton is a much better OF. Much rather sign Upton than trade young players to rent an overrated fraud like Frazier. For the life of me, I don't understand this obsession with moving Eaton. Why in the world would you sign a $100m+ outfielder just to cancel the gain out by getting rid of a similarly valuable outfielder who makes 80% less money?

Despite Lawrie's recent mediocrity, I'm pretty sure he still has significantly more value than Avi.

I can't imagine Hahn committing substantial resources to starting pitching this year.

QUOTE (Sockin @ Dec 4, 2015 -> 01:41 PM) Sale calls Hahn to discuss direction of Sox I think the implication that non-tendering Tyler Flowers indicates any sort of "direction" is funny.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 4, 2015 -> 08:31 AM) Pick up a bad contract in the deal, but at a more useful position (Ethier, Crawford, Frazier) ?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 3, 2015 -> 10:08 AM) Wasn't the worst strike called a ball in 2015 Samardzija pitching and Flowers catching? It was something like 2 inches from dead center but Flowers was really awkward trying to catch it as he was set up on the corner. It looked so much like a ball, even Hawk didn't complain. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-worst-c...-of-the-season/

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Dec 3, 2015 -> 10:05 AM) Agree about pitch-framing, but looking back in past years Flowers didn't rate too highly there (2014 he was below average, 2013 only slightly above average), is this something that we can be sure is a permanent change? There does seem to be a consensus that pitch framing can be taught, so a catcher improving over time makes sense.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 3, 2015 -> 08:46 AM) Looking at the pitch framing statistics, most of the guys at the top of the heap were personal catchers for some of the best pitchers in baseball. Are we going to say that the pitcher is elite because of the framing of his pitches or say that the strikes called outside the zone are because the pitcher is elite? It will be interesting to see where he ends up because Sale almost single handedly puts Flowers at the top of the stack rankings. And I am not sure I am on board with Flowers' pitching framing being the reason he gets so many called strikes. This is why FanGraphs doesn't include it in fWAR, despite the fact that Prospectus clamors for it. Cameron isn't ready to assign 100% of the value of the "stolen strikes" to the catcher, but there isn't any data at all pointing to what fraction the the pitcher or catcher. It's universally acknowledged that it is a skill of the catcher and adds value, but the amount of value is not known. Certainly, it's some fraction of the actual value of the added strikes.

The night of the Peavy trade, when we found out which teams are involved, I said: "I'll be happy as long as we don't end up with Will Middlebrooks or Avisail Garcia." It seems pretty likely that we're about to have both at once!

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 2, 2015 -> 04:39 PM) Did you read the quotes on MLBTR? That's what I was referring to. Yeah, that's what my "lol" was referring to also. Sorry for unclear. I am lazy with posts sometimes.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Dec 2, 2015 -> 03:02 PM) fWAR is useless. Doesn't make sense. lol

I wish Gordon all the luck in the world, but I sure as HELL wish we could have just cut bait about 3 f***ing years ago.

QUOTE (shipps @ Dec 1, 2015 -> 06:08 PM) I will let you know when I have... https://www.youtube.com/embed/gpaOy8b8X6A

What a thread

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 1, 2015 -> 05:57 PM) If he can still be okay behind the plate, I'd love for him to take Flowers roster spots and also take some at bats away from Laroche. Unfortunately I don't see us doing that anyways. He's supposedly extra-bad behind the plate, and I don't know that the difference between his bat and Flowers is enough to justify both the defense loss and the Chris Sale sadness.