ChiSox59

Like? Delmonico and Leury are really the only guys on the current roster I can think of they've moved around. And that is because Delmonico was literally awful at 3B, a position he has yet to appear at in the big leagues. I don't really consider moving a guy like Yolmer, a middle infielder by trade, around the infield all that flexible. Cordell was an infielder by trade. No appearances in the IF. Palka is supposedly able to play 1B. Haven't done it. Haven't tried guys like Yolmer or Davidson in the OF. I get not moving around guys like Anderson and Moncada, but even going back to previous seasons, I can't think of the Sox tinkering around with fringy guys playing new positions much at all. We must just have different definitions of "quick to expand versatility".

I doubt they just dump him with an option left.

Nice, I like it. I've been a bit tuned out the last couple weeks. Good teams find a way to make log jams work. The Yankees and Cubs are recent examples. Sox have been very reluctant to move guys around. I hope that changes as spots on the roster become harder to come by.

Did I miss the Sox plan to have Rondon learn the OF news? If so, I dig it. Sox need to be more willing to try guys it other positions. That's how you make logjams works, and find nice values. I'd roll like this to start the year: LF - Delmonico CF - Engel (i'd play Leury a decent amount too) RF - FA DH - Palka / Davidson (Davidson plays some 3B and 1B as well) BN: Smith, Leury, Yolmer, Davidson DFA: LaMarre Non-tender: Avi Option: Cordell and Rondon Trade for a bag of balls: Castillo Option Delmonico whenever it is that Eloy comes up. Eloy plugs RF, FA moves to LF. I'd love to sign AJ Pollock and put him in CF, just don't see it happening.

I expect Gio to be much better. (7) I expect about the same from Rodon with more Ks. (8.5) I'd be thrilled with the same from Lopez, but I think a slight step back, but still a solid back end of the rotation guy. (5.5)

Delmonico has an option and I don't see any way he is on the roster next year once Eloy is around. Maybe he makes the OD roster and goes down when Eloy comes up, but there just isn't room for him.

Knowing the Pirates, there is no way he starts that game.

I'd be super duper surprised if LaMarre is in the organization when the 40 man needs be finalized before Rule 5 draft.

Palka is my full time DH (with occasional OF start) against RHP next season, and PH bat of the bench in late innings when a LHP starts. He's earned it. Not sure who the other side of the platoon would be though. Not sure there is room for both him and Davidson due to lack of defensive flexibility, though Davidson would be a good fit for the job if we had more roster spots.

Afford? Lol. They can afford to put a A ball team out there right now. Losing is more important than winning. Cordell hasn't been good in his limited chances, but I assume he has at least 1 option left so he'll be around for a bit still.

And water is wet.

Healthy Nate is never a bad thing. He’ll be around next season whether you want him to be or not.

That 2025 season is exactly why Eloy isn’t in a Chicago. And I love it.

No, but they’re being put in a position by management. Players aren’t trying to lose. No reason for Gomez to be back out there in the 10th I’d youre actually trying to make it to the 11th. But at this point, losses are good. Gimme that third pick.

So you expect him to be the same dude in 2020 after repairing a major elbow ligament and having not thrown a competitive pitch in 20 months? Seems a bit optimistic.

I don't see how anyone can spin it that losing ~20% of control of a front of the rotation pitcher is anything but crippling. Its an absolute kick straight to the nuts. He was one of the 3 main pillars of this rebuild, and at this point its tough to count on him for much of anything until 2021. And which point he'll have spent 2 seasons and change on the active roster if the Sox keep him on the MLB DL.

Yah, it'd be a tough story to spin, but honestly not much tougher than Eloy. Kopech actually had struggled for significant portions of the AAA season so keeping him there this season wouldn't have caused any more uproar that Guerrero/Eloy. Next year would be tough to spin when you send him back to AAA to start the season, as it will be for Eloy. But we're talking like 2 weeks. The players, certain media members and fans would b**** and moan, and maybe the player files of grievance. But there is no precedent for them to win. It is what it is at this point - but again, its turned out to be an incredibly costly decision. Maybe he gets hurt anyway in AAA, but at least he spends the next year and half on the minor league DL. Still sucks, no doubt, but its better than current situation. Maybe he makes it through the season and hurts himself in offseason, or even early next season in AAA. All scenarios the Sox are in better situation than they find themselves in today.

Meh, we've discussed this at length and its spilled milk at this point. But had he stayed in AAA, he would have for sure gotten 3 more starts (8/21, 8/26 and 8/31 or 9/1) so he still would have surpassed his previous high inning total. The control was well worth waiting seeing as though it was already late August. Now, hindsight is 20-20, but it could turn out to be a crippling move.

Highly debatable.

If the whole board ignores him and/or stops quoting him, it makes it alot better.

I have to imagine that there are guys out there who have gone done for TJS with less than 50 innings pitched in the big leagues that were optioned before appearing in another big league game. I don't really care to spend the time to look it up, but I don't think the Sox would blazing some new trail. I get the optics may not be fantastic, and for that reason, maybe they don't do it. But it seems to make a ton of sense in salvaging something out of pretty much worst case scenario the past couple weeks have been for Kopech.

By that point he will not have pitched in a game in 20 months and is pitching with a newly constructed UCL. Slightly different circumstances. And for the record, I was never really in support in Kopech getting called up this year, Once it was done, I certainly looked forward to and enjoyed watching him pitch, and also understood that things are bit different for pitchers than position players. But I would have left him in AAA with Eloy. Obviously I would never in a million years wish ill upon the kid, but what has transpired is pretty much the worst case scenario in that now ~20% of his service time with Sox is down the drain assuming the Sox don't option him out of ST 2020. And when rosters expanded 10 days ago, he'd been raking for a few weeks in AAA and was by far the best CF option in the organization. Yet they told him to go home because 10 more days on the 25 man meant they get him one less season.

No they weren't. When he was originally optioned after his minor league rehab was maxed out in July sometime, you could make an argument it was performance based. Since he came off the minor league DL again in mid-August, he hit .365/.400/.550 in AAA and plays gold glove caliber defense. The Twins made the decision they made 100% completely and solely due to getting an extra year of control. If they can do that with a guy with over 300 games played in the MLB, the Sox can option a kid with 14 innings pitched in the big leagues, coming off a major elbow injury and who hasn't pitched in a game that counts in 20 months.

Why? He's pitched 14 innings in the big leagues. This isn't some seasoned veteran. I am not saying option him now, or next season while he sits on the DL. That would be a grievance and would never fly. But I don't see why the Sox couldn't option him following 2020 Spring Training and let him work his way back to MLB action in the minors and not on the MLB DL. If he spends 55+ days down there, the Sox get an extra year. If he doesn't they are in the same position they would have been anyway. If the Twins can do what they're doing with Buxton right now, the Sox can definitely do that with Kopech.

Why? Just option him after spring training 2020 and let him rehab while not accruing more service time. It makes way too much sense. If he kicks ass and the Sox need a starter, you call him up before the 55 days.