ChiSox59

I don't disagree that Hoskins is better than AV or Eloy, and I also know you're over Eloy (and I certainly get why), but I don't really see what the benefit of dumping Eloy for little return is. May as well just hope he stays healthy and produces, and if he does and the Sox still suck, you're getting more for him in July than now. If he gets hurt like he always does, you're in the same spot anyways. No one is giving up anything of note for Eloy this offseason. The upside of keeping him far outweighs whatever meh prospect they'd get for him and $13.8M more dollars in JR's coffer.

Just out of curiosity, who you trading between AV and Eloy to make room for Hoskins? I just feel like those are the 2 guys left with legitimate untapped potential that both are at or near all time lows in trade value. I feel like AV and Eloy need to stay as you're not getting much in return and they are the two guys who something could click and become the 125+ wRC+ player the Sox need them to be.

The path to the Sox is the same for any other player in 95% of circumstances. Offer the most money, get the player. There are very few circumstances where the most after tax money doesn't win out. Of course if all is the same or extremely close, a player may prefer destination A to destination B based on any number of things, but the "no FA wants to sign here" gets totally overplayed here. Most players will be happy to sign with the Sox if they are the high bidder. This post is NOT necessarily directed at you, Bob fwiw.

Purely for the sake of the exercise... Free Agents: Lourdes Gurriel 4/$70M Hyun Jin Ryu 1/$14M guaranteed with an $18.5M club option Lucas Giolito 1/$14M guaranteed with an $18.5M club option Brandon Crawford 1/$8M Luis Severino 1/$8M Tommy Pham 1/$6M Adam Frazier 1/$5M Victor Caratini 1/$5M Reynaldo Lopez 1/$5M (gotta keep Gio/ReyLo together!) Sign Brad Hand 1/$2.5M Sign Bryan Shaw 1/$1M Lineup: Benintendi LF ($17.1M), Gurriel RF ($17.5M), Robert CF ($12.5M), Eloy DH ($13.83M), Moncada 3B ($24.8M), Vaughn 1B ($3.7M), Adam Frazier 2B ($5M), Crawford SS ($8M), Lee/Caratini C ($740k / $5M) Rotation: Cease ($8.8M), Giolito ($14M), Ryu ($14M), Severino ($8M) and Kopech ($3.6M) with Scholtens, Touki, Eder, Nastrini, Mena, Burke, Martin as options Pen: Santos ($740k), Bummer($5.5M), Crochet ($900k), Lopez ($5M), Touki ($1.7M), Hand ($2M), Shaw ($1M), Lambert ($740k) (out of options) with Leisure, Patino (out of options), Deivi (out of options), Speas, Ramsey, Foster, Banks, Ramirez as options BN: Lee/Caratini ($740k/$5m), Pham ($6M) with 2 of Romy, Sosa, Colas, Sheets, Remillard and JRod filling the bench. Colson and Ramos options a couple months in potentially sending Crawford/Frazier to bench. Total 2024 payroll: ~$180M (~$186.5M with dead money to Leury, Liam and Abreu) This team probably still sucks, but its about the best you can make it staying under $190M using just free agents. Defense is much improved, but Sox again sticking someone in RF who has never played in Gurriel, so he's not exactly a perfect fit. Rotation is at least mildly interesting and not relying on any of the prospects right out of the gate. The ALC is still very bad, so maybe this team floats around .500 for the first few months. I don't see anyone in the division running away and hiding. Twins in best shape, but they're looking to replace a decent chunk of their pitching as well. Of course, trades will be made. I toyed with some trade ideas but that's when the plans get a little wild. One sort of off the wall idea I had if the Sox were actually trying to "compete" in the ALC in 2024 - probably not the best move for the future, but I felt it was kind of interesting: Cease to the Rays for Glasnow and Lowe. The Rays are cheap and they turn 1 year of Glasnow at $25M into 2 years of Cease for less than $25M total. Sox get an ace (with injury concerns) back for Cease, and get a really nice lineup fit at 2B in Lowe who has 3 years of control via options. Lowe is a huge improvement over trying to plug 2 MI holes via FA that has so few MI options of note. Its at least interesting, but of course blows the Sox best non-Robert trade bullet without getting a single prospect of note. With Glasnow's huge price tag and limited control, maybe you can get back 45 FV pitching prospect in the deal. If you were to make this deal, you absolutely have to try to figure out how to make the 24 roster competitive. And the finances got really difficult to work with trying to stay under $190M with Sox taking on $25M in additional 24 commitments in that deal. Not a deal I am actually campaigning for, just offseason rosterbating more than anything.

You are Chris Getz. You've been handed a job you probably didn't deserve. JR wants a winner, but he also wants the roster to have a new complexion. JR has given you a 2024 budget similar to that of the offseasons of 22-23; $190M max on opening day 2024. The current payroll projection filling the team with league min players is $112M. Clevinger just declined his side of the option, and you've bought out TA and Liam. Build me your squad that is at least afloat in the AL Central race in 2024.

Surprised

I’d go with Brandon Crawford myself. Bat sucks but glove is still great and if Colson pushes his way onto the roster, Crawford is easy enough to push aside. Also seems like the type of guy that the clubhouse could use. I am also assuming the Sox keep TA and put him at 2B.

You’re probably right in the pitching. And I am OK with that. I refuse to believe that Getz first move as a GM will be hamstringing his financial flexibility with Salvador Perez. I could see them trading for him as there is obviously smoke there, but only if KC eats at least half the deal prorating the AAV to $10M or so.

Sox gonna need to sign 3 SPs. Flaherty, Giolito, Montas, Lynn, Ryu, Severino, Cueto, Maeda is the pool of 1 year stop gaps I am guessing they’ll be shopping.

I really like Jake Burger. Easy dude to root for. The improvements he made with MIA make him a much more playable player IF he sustains it, let alone stays healthy. That said, I remain fine with this trade. Sox badly need SP prospects. While 2023 Burger is a useful player, this is a soon to be 28 year-old weak side platoon bat best suited to DH. While he certainly has pop in his bat, he doesn't walk much at all, though that did improve with MIA in SSS. Bottom line is Sox need SP more than they need a poor fielding RH corner slugger with questionable at best plate discipline. Its a gamble, and the early returns on Eder with the Sox obviously have been disappointing while Burger did quite well with the in Fish in small sample, but I think this is a trade that needs a few years before evaluating.

Even if it a character issue, trading him now makes little sense imo. He has two option years remaining. They don’t have to make a long term decision on him this winter. He does some things this org needs. Albeit he also has some tendencies this org badly needs to get away from. At least let him rake in AAA for a couple months next season to rebuild some value before trading him. I’d certainly rather give him MLB at bats than Gavin Sheets or Trayce Thompson.

How so? What did he say? I could see him saying Oscar needs to earn his reps, but writing off Colas seems really dumb. edit: saw you said because they want a good defensive RF. Still think think Colas has a future here, but get any people are down on him.

Frankie Montas and ReyLo

Anderson 2B, Benintendi LF, Robert CF, Eloy DH, Montgomery SS, Vaughn 1B, Moncada 3B, Salvy C, Canha RF BN: Merrifield, Colas, Andrus, Lee 2/$25M Canha Sox acquire Perez + $20M for nothing in top 10. Merrifield 2/$20M Giolito 1/$15M, team option for $18M Clevinger excerises player option at 1/$12M Frankie Montas 2/$27M Andrus 1/$3M Insert a couple relievers in 1 year deals between $6-10M. Montgomery takes Elvis spot by mid May. Sox spend $200-210M or so. Does that team win 81 games?

Cease's "such a bad season" was still worth 3.7 fWAR (9th among AL SP) with 214 Ks (5th in AL). Cease took a solid step in the wrong direction in 2023, but this is still a top shelf SP with 2 years of arb control (MLBTR estimate for 24 of $8.8M). Cease's value is still tremendous; it definitely depends one one's definition of "top prospects" but Cease most certainly can still return a top 30 type centerpiece and a backhalf top 100 piece, IMO. That being said, I do think the Sox will hold Cease and see what 2024 brings, and move him at the TDL if need be.

Well, the Sox have a new set of decision makers, so that changed since the TDL. If the price was too high in July, it may very well be too high still. The Royals can ask whatever they want. If they still value him as vintage Salvy, good for them - they can enjoy paying him $44M the next two years to be a replacement level player. I just don't see the Sox actually acquiring him unless Royals eat AT LEAST half the deal, and the prospect package is nothing overly interesting. Would be an odd first move for Getz to acquire an over the hill player getting paid like he's still a star.

I don't doubt the Sox have real interest in Salvy, but what I struggle with is why they would pay any sort of price to acquire him. He's a significant negative trade value at 2/$44M. Now I believe it that the Royals might have a high price on him, but I cannot imagine anyone, including Getz who just got this job, eating that deal and/or giving up legit prospects to get him. It doesn't make a sliver of sense.

I am not as anti-Perez most Sox fans seem to be. The FA catcher market is putrid, and I sure as s%*# know I don't want Lee as the only option. The issue is the dollars due. If the Royals eat $27-30M, essentially making it a 2 year $14-17M deal, and the Sox give up nothing overly interesting, I can live with that. What I cannot live with is paying him anymore than $7-8M AAV, and/or giving up anything of value to acquire him. Thing is, I bet the Royals still value Salvy a good bit just because he is their guy and fan favorite. He's worth more to the Royals than anyone else. So they probably aren't just going to hand him over and pay 75% of the tab to do so.

$100 buy in. 100% payout. 10 team league on yahoo. Have 8 returners, need to replace 2 spots. Fairly standard settings. Draft Monday Oct 23 @ 8pmCT. DM me if interested. Here are settings: Max Teams: 10 Live Draft Pick Time: 1 Minute, 15 Seconds Scoring Type: Head-to-Head Max Acquisitions for Entire Season: No maximum Max Trades for Entire Season No maximum Trade End Date: March 7, 2024 Allow Draft Pick Trades: No Waiver Time: 1 day Waiver Type: FAB w/ Continual rolling list tiebreak Waiver Mode: Standard Allow injured players from waivers or free agents to be added directly to injury slot: No Can't Cut List Provider: Yahoo Sports Trade Review: League Votes Votes Required to Veto: Default Trade Reject Time: 1 day Post Draft Players: Follow Waiver Rules Max Acquisitions per Week: 6 Weekly Deadline: Daily - Today Start Scoring on: Week 1 Playoffs: 6 teams - Week 21, 22 and 23 (ends Sunday, Apr 7) Playoff Tie-Breaker: Best regular season record vs opponent wins Playoff Reseeding: No Lock Eliminated Teams: Yes Divisions: No Lock Benched Players: No Make League Publicly Viewable: No Invite Permissions: Commissioner Only Send unjoined players email reminders: Yes Roster Positions: PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, Util, Util, BN, BN, BN, BN, IL, IL+, IL+ Players Stat Categories: Field Goal Percentage (FG%), Free Throw Percentage (FT%), 3-point Shots Made (3PTM), Points Scored (PTS), Total Rebounds (REB), Assists (AST), Steals (ST), Blocked Shots (BLK), Turnovers (TO), Double-Doubles (DD)

Hitting a baseball at the major league level is really hard, especially when you were not given the chance to develop in the minors. AV has been very disappointing (especially in 23), but I am not ready to just write him off as he is what he is. I think there is more in there, and I do eventually think he'll become a more well rounded offensive player, but I can understand folks losing faith in him becoming anything more than a slightly above average bat. That being said, there is really no option but to stick with him at this point. He's worth more to the Sox than what they'd get for him via trade.

Not really on topic, but I hope the Sox take a run at Mark Canha this offseason. He is not a sexy name by any means, but he seems like he'd be a great fit on a shorter term deal. He gets on base, and is a grinder type this club badly needs. Can take the RF job until Colas earns his reps back (whenever that may be), and then becomes a great platoon partner for him (and Beni) against LHP. Can play RF and LF (CF and corner IFs in a pinch). I just really like the fit. 2/$25M should get it done. Might even be able to get him on a 1 year deal.

Vaughn hit tool is definitely not "maxed out".

Id pick up the option on TA. I don’t think he’s nearly the clubhouse issue some insinuate and there’s no where to go but up after his 2023 season. Sox have all sorts of $ to spend and no one better to take his spot right now. But I admit it’s no longer a no brainer and definitely interested to see what Getz does. If he moves another direction, I understand and wish TA the best. I suspect he’ll have a solid bounce back 2024 no matter where he is.

Are you including Moncada’s 2025 option buyout? Those figures I quoted are the guaranteed annual salaries for 2024 + MLBTRs arb estimates + dead money to Leury and $1.5M to Liam. I wasn’t including signing bonuses spread amongst contract term for luxury tax purposes or Abreus $1M, so maybe that was the difference.

Nearly certain to be rostered: Moncada, Benintendi, Jimenez, Robert, Bummer, Crochet, Cease, Touki, Kopech = $86.5M (9 players) Options likely to be exercised: TA = $14M Dead contracts: Leury & Liam (assuming Sox buy him out) = $7M Options I think will be exercised: Clevinger: $12M = $119.5M for 11 players. Filling out the roster with pre-arb guys = ~$11.5M = $131M total If TA is bought out and Clevinger opts out of his side, its more like $105M. Regardless of what happens with TA, Liam and Clevinger, the Sox should have plenty of money to spend if JR allows it.