ChiSox59

Now do Cueto, if you're concerned about statcast metrics, since that is the guy you're lobbying for instead. Like I said, Clevinger was actually a really useful SP for most of last season. As was Cueto! Clevinger wore out towards the end, which makes sense all things considered. Putting aside the character and off-field issues that have arisen, I have no problem betting on the guy that is half a decade younger.

Well, we now know why.

Clevinger was actually really good last year until like mid August. His xFIP was in the mid 3s. He clearly ran out of gas late in the season, which makes sense for a guy that didn't pitch in 2021 coming off his 2nd TJS, and his workload was appraoching the most he'd pitched since 2019.

Yes, with the benefit of hindsight. Choosing Clevinger over Cueto was the right idea for baseball reasons in 2023. As most things have gone for the Sox the last 2+ years, it aged really poorly. If we all knew Clevinger was going to be suspended in 2023, of course signing Cueto would have been preferred. This isn't rocket science.

Cueto can't either. He hasn't done that since 2016. In hindsight, of course Cueto looks pretty good right now. BUt moving on from Cueto, who frankly was pretty bad since that 2016 season and is 37 years old, made a ton of sense. Cueto was great for the Sox - legitimately like finding a $100 bill on the ground. There is next to 0% chance he repeats his 2022 season.

As would Ramos, if you care to include him in the equation. He's probably a 3B or OF though, so I get not including him. Romy and Yolbert are in fact dime a dozen types. I do think Romy has a chance to be a useful super sub, though.

Got it. So basically, as example, let's say that Clevinger gets placed on administrative leave and then the league hands down an 81 game suspension mid-season, Sox would owe him $4M for 50% of 2023, + the $4M buyout if htey released him at that time. Wonder how that buy out is going to be treated. Probably would need to get suspended for over 162 for that to be be void.

Martin is a perfectly acceptable #6...first guy up type of deal. As someone we are actually relying on for 25+ starts...big yikes.

I....disagree on the $ part. Trevor Bauer didn't get paid a dime while he was on administrative leave. If MLB places Clevinger on administrative leave while they determine his suspension, and then he is ultimately suspended he almost certainly will not get paid his entire contract. Only way he's getting paid the entire contract is if it turns out this situation was largely exaggerated by a jilted ex and Clevinger is cleared. I don't see that happening. Releasing him now guarantees him the $. That would be a stupid decision regardless of if the Sox intend for him to ever suit up for them. If he's never part of the clubhouse - which he certainly will not be if he's suspended or on administrative leave - not sure how it can be much of distraction to the team.

Yes, great idea. Let's reward this twat with the $12 million when its extremely likely he will lose a good chunk, if not all of it, and the team we all root for will get the $ back to invest elsewhere. Brilliant idea, I tell ya. That'll really show Clevinger!

I keep seeing people say this here and even more on twitter, but beyond Clevinger just sort of having a rep for a being a bit of a dirtbag, how were the Sox supposed to know about this? There is no police report. Extremely likely that even if they pulled a detailed background check, nothing about this would have come up. The MLB doesn't report to local police departments. The league is quite literally bound by confidentiality on issues like this prior to the player having their day in court and they cannot essentially blackball a guy from the league for allegations. I understand why folks have a hard time wrapping their head around that, but that is quite literally what the legal document says. Go look at @Y2Jimmytwitter page. Are you expecting someone in the MLB offices to break those rules and call up the Sox when the caught wind of the signing? I mean, that is literally what people are insinuating should have happened. That would open up the MLB to all sorts of risk. Now, I can get people saying that Clevinger has always appeared to be a dirt bag and just steering clear of that type of character in general. I don't necessarily agree with that because I think alot of professional athletes are dirtbags and you're just putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage by avoiding all adulterous athletes, but I can at least see it. But to insinuate the Sox knew about this is advance, lied about it in their released statement, and just chose to sign this guy anyway is beyond silly.

That's fair. I too would like to do better, but trying to be realistic. I'd be happy to trade one of JRod or Ramos as the headliner for player that can give a bigger impact with less control.

Is it? Sox #8, #20 and #22 prospects per Fangraphs latest list, in what is a bottom tier and top heavy farm. Royals aren't going to hand over 5 years of control on Lynch and 3 years of Lopez for trash. Gotta give up something. But yah, also realize Lynch and Lopez aren't exactly game changing players, but assuming Clevinger never pitches for the Sox, we really need a guy who can give us decent innings.

Spitball trade just for fun: Daniel Lynch + Nicky Lopez for Christian Mena + Wes Kath + Luis Mieses. Mena R5 eligible in December, Mieses already was. Is that enough for the Royals to part with 5 years of Lynch? He wasn't exactly great in 2022, but I love the arm. Might have to include one of JRod/Ramos/Sosa instead of Kath to make that work, and if that's the case, I'd probably rather aim for a better arm with a little less control.

You can still go with Sosa tho. Again, I am not really a proponent of acquiring Nicky Lopez, but doing so doesn’t mean that Sosa can’t still get the majority of the at bats at second base in 2023 and onward.

I just don’t really get the no prospects to trade. Every team would be interested in Montgomery. Most teams would be interested in Ramos, Jrod, Sosa, Vera and Mena. They have a limited number of guys to trade with value, they just chose not to move them. That doesn’t even mention guys like Colas and Burke who also have value but should impact the Sox 2023 roster.

It did, but he was placed on unpaid administrative leave pretty quickly.

Lol. If the Sox knew about it they wouldn’t have outwardly lied about that in their released statement. They just would have been silent on knowing about it. There is very little chance the Sox knew. There does not appear to be a police report. The ex gf appears to have reported it to the Padres and to MLB, the latter of which is bound by confidentiality and the former of which had no reason to inform the Sox. Let’s at least be logical about the situation.

Sosa being plan A isn’t a good plan. Even if they don’t bring anybody else in, Sosa is very unlikely to get the job right away.

Yah, this isn't a move that would excite me. I'd rather have Massey.

Except he hits left handed and actually fields his position exceptionally well.

Nah, not really.

Eh. Hiring Tony was.

Yah. Its pretty hard to wrap one's head around.

What was the Nightengale hint? Must've missed it.