steveno89

Sox wouldn’t trade Bummer for a one year rental

I can’t handle more of that BS. All the smoke suggests the Sox have put 5/100+ million in the table for Wheeler, and are a top suitor. I cannot see the bidding going way higher than that.

Pederson is worth more than that on the trade market, especially coming off a 3.0 WAR season. Sox clearly are assessing the free agenct prices of Ozuna/Castellanos, compared to trade prices of guys like Joc and Starling Marte.

I just retweeted that article as well! interesting that he mentions Joc Peterson again as a possible trade candidate?

Im not concerned with super 2 for a player like Madrigal. If he’s good enough to warrant that concern then great, but he does not have the power to make himself into a true superstar. He can be a darn good glue player for a championship team up the middle though.

I cautiously optimistic, but man it will sting if the Sox fail to ink Wheeler. They could still have a solid offseason, but I feel a quality #2/3 starter is badly needed on our roster.

Pitching staff and bullpen is still pretty questionable. Wheeler (figure $21 million) and Betts ($28 million) would pretty much prevent us from being able to add much in the way of bullpen/bench/another starter help. we would have to give up significant assets as well, and the roster is not championship ready considering Robert and Madrigal have yet to play a MLB game yet. 2020 should be a big step, but true contention is likely 2021.

I do not want Betts on a one year deal though. He will cost $28 million and we still will not be realistic contenders in 2020 even with Betts and Wheeler hypothetically.

Hahn alluded that Brantley wanted to go play for an immediate contender, exactly. We do not need to totally blow our wad this offseason and should tactically make sure we have 20-30 million to play with next offseason at least.

The fake insiders keep coming out earlier and earlier ACH offseason it seems. Last year was especially brutal with the Harper and Machado rumor mill. Ever since Katy Perry’s bottle hole and wetbutt were actually right it has seemed to give credibility to any keyboard warrior. Unless it comes from a Passan, Morosi, Rosenthal, etc. it’s 99.99% BS.

Porcello is not getting $30 million coming off a rough season. He’s getting a one year prove it deal and hopes to hit the market again next year.

Truth haha!

Seems like all the speculation is related to the leak of the Palka and Yolmer moves. No sources have come forward regarding what might be next beyond pure speculation.

This is a business at the end of the day, do not forget that. I’m not pissed about the Abreu deal, but it’s hard to argue that 3/50 is not an overpayment in terms of dollars and years. No other club would have offered him that deal.

My issue with the Abreu deal is that the Sox did not receive any discount for going multi year with him. It’s all risk for the club if he declines, because we pretty easily could have retained Abreu next offseason for 2/32 if he did well in 2020.

Madrigal will not be up on opening day, for pretty clear service time reasons. Same goes for Robert.

$120 million is a reasonable estimate of where the Sox might be comfortable in 2020 payroll. I could see them topping out around $140 million while looking to contend, maybe $150 million if they really felt they were in it.

Phillies are discussing a long term extension with Realmuto, there is a chance he never makes it to free agency. The other 2021 FA catching options are not great. Vlad Jr.'s hit tool is far beyond Collins', it is totally reasonable to ask if he can hit well enough to be worth a 25 man roster spot.

Just once I think. Sox should be in the mix, but I think Wheeler will have the strongest market of almost any free agent. Sox not being an instant contender might hurt unless they pay up big time.

I get what you mean, and sticking with Collins would be ideal as long as he produces. My issue is that I feel like McCann's 2019 was a fluke and his second half numbers reflect that. Collins might improve at the plate, but we know he will never even be an average defensive catcher. McCann's first half was a mirage that is not going to be repeated. We need to be proactive and stabilize that position this offseason in Grandal. Grandal is available right now and would solidify the catching position with a plus player for the next few seasons. McCann could be the backup in 2020, or traded if the Sox want Collins as the backup. I want to avoid the nightmare scenario of both McCann and Collins having crappy 2019's leaving catcher as a huge void going into 2021.

You are suggesting that we rely on McCann/Collins in 2020 and onward right? No Grandal pursuit?

Gallo has enormous power, which helps offset the swing and miss. I do not hate Collins, I just struggle to understand how any fan could reasonable pencil him in to regular at bats in 2020? He cannot be our main option at DH, because if he flops we would be screwed, with no viable in house alternatives.

Cease was solid down the stretch in September, posting a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings with solid peripherals. The stuff is there, he just needed to adjust to the majors. I'm fine with penciling him in as our 5th starter in 2020, and hopefully he proves to be rotation worthy onward. Collins simply plays well below average defense, and a wRC+ of 77 across 27 games does not inspire much confidence yet. I am not writing him off, but Cease has earned a lenthy look in 2020, Collins has not. Where do pro-Collins fans want him to play in 2020? Backup catcher? Generally you want that to be a glove first player in case your starter gets injured. 1B/DH would be enormous pressure on his bat, which has not been there. I would park Collins in AAA for the time being.

Collins could figure the hitting out, but I do not think he will or should get long of a leash at the MLB level. A 38 K% even in 27 games is alarming.

1) Collins is a below average defensive catcher, no way to argue otherwise right now. 2) Collins, albeit in a limited sample size, has not hit well at the MLB level at all. No way we can rely on him to be anything beyond a backup catcher in 2020.