steveno89

The current MLB so heavily rewards tanking it's crazy. A lottery system and/or salary floor would discourage teams from flat out tanking for the #1 overall pick.

I totally agree. The picks and additional draft pool money is incredibly valuable. While the draft can be a crapshoot to a large extent, having the additional bonus pool money provides huge flexibility. Give smaller market teams an additional 5th, 7th or 7th round pick, but picks in the 30's are too valuable in the modern MLB

Sox have gotten screwed by comp picks for years. The league honestly needs to do away with a built in draft advantage for certain clubs that others will never have access to. Can you imagine if the NFL gave 6-8 teams an extra second and third round pick in perpetuity?

Cade Doughty | Rank: 109 School: Denham Springs (La.) HSYear: SeniorPosition: SSAge: 18 DOB: 3/26/2001Bats: R Throws: RHeight: 6'1" Weight: 195 lb.Commitment: Louisiana State WATCH Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45 Denham Springs (La.) High has produced Ben McDonald, Russ Johnson and Travis Swaggerty, all of whom blossomed into first-round picks after attending college. The Yellow Jackets' latest star is Doughty, who could follow the same path if he makes it to Louisiana State. How much teams buy into his power potential will determine if he goes high enough in the 2019 Draft to divert him from Baton Rouge. Doughty is an advanced hitter for a high schooler, showing nice feel for the barrel while employing a compact, quick right-handed swing. He has a controlled approach that mainly produces line drives but he also has room to add 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-1 frame. Though Gatorade's 2019 Louisiana high school player of the year presently has below-average pop, he could develop into a 20-homer threat if he gets stronger and more aggressive. Doughty can generate some plus run times but figures to lose a step as he matures physically. His quick hands and plus arm allow him to make plays at shortstop, though he probably will wind up at second or third base as he slows down a bit. Adding more power would help him profile better at a less challenging defensive position. This is the sort of player that would make for a very interesting third round pick. A developmental prospect with the upside to develop into a regular.

With #81, #110, #140, #170 and #200 the Sox still can look to add considerable talent to the organization. Plenty of reason to tune in today.

I don't love Vaughn's floor, but he might be the right guy to select for us. The bat and power should play at the mlb level, but I do worry about passing over a better long term talent in a prep guy like Abrams.

Almost a bigger concern than the lack of free agent spending, is how crappy our farm system has been in 2019 so far. Madrigal has been so-so, Robert has been great, but beyond that nearly the entire system has underwhelmed.

$2?? Done and done Let me know if I can help support in any other way as well. Appreciate the work you guys do.

Our farm has been decimated by injuries, it's almost unbelievable at this point

Although the Sox seem to prefer the "Safer" college bats in recent drafts, when selecting top three they really should be looking at highest upside possible. I'd be intrigued to select Witt Jr. or Abrams, as an up the middle pick is a better draft "value" in my opinion. Unless Vaughn rakes, he's completely useless.

If Adley and Vaughn are off the board, I really hope Witt Jr. or Abrams is the pick instead of reaching for a college player. This organization needs a pipeline of talent for down the road as well, and while a high school player does not ideally fit into our current rebuild schedule, not taking BPA would be a mistake.

I think you have to look at it from the standpoint that you cannot teach elite defense at SS, that is rare talent. With any improvement in strength or hit tool, you are looking at a MLB starting SS, super valuable.

Indians still control Lindor for the next three seasons, I feel the uproar is totally overblown. The team very well could end up extending him in a season or two, you never know?

I really do not see Adley falling to #3 at this point. We are likely looking between Witt Jr., Vaughn, + the field for the #3 overall.

I agree with you completely. Like Dick Allen just said, Robert is a combine star who has yet to be healthy and reach the massive potential. He certainly could be a player who clicks in 2019 and has a major breakout season, or could get injured again and disappoint.

I do not think Robert has shown the plus hit tool he would need to end up as a top five overall prospect. He seems to have a 50/55 grade hit tool at best, which will hold him back some.

2019 is a total rebuilding season anyways, why bother signing Keuchel to a 2-3 year deal right now?

Worst case the Sox will still control Eloy for the next seven seasons. I'm not at all worried about an extension until he proves himself at the mlb level + remains healthy.

Really depends on which Cole shows up in 2019. If he puts up another 6+ WAR season he is ticketed for $130-150 million over 5-6 years. If he puts up a 3 WAR season then I think he's getting 4-5 years and $80-100 million.

Qualifying offers can tend to hurt free agent's value as well. I wonder if no QO was attached how the market for Kimbrel/Keuchel would be.

We'll all be keeping an eye on Madrigal as he starts the season in high A ball. I fully expect him to finish the second half of the season in AA though.

After what just happened this offseason, I have serious doubts about our ability to make big additions in future offseasons as well. If we weren't going to be players for 26 year old stars, why would we pony up for 29-30 year old guys? It very well may be a year early, but you cannot control when premium talent will be available for only money. Using our financial flexibility to sign elite players should absolutely be a large part of our rebuilding effort. I believe they did try hard for Machado, and felt they had the best offer until the Padres blew them out of the water at the last minute. Fault still lies with the organization for not getting it done.

I do not see Keuchel getting 5 years at this point. a 3-4 year deal is far more likely. Qualifying offer hurts his value.

The difficulty is that in reality you are dealing with real money. It’s easy for fans to suggest taking on $18 million in salary to net prospects, but in practice is a much more difficult to thing to sell ownership on.

It really can go either way. The upside tends to be higher with elite high school prospects, but stars can come from the college ranks as well. I worry about the Sox ability to develop a high end HS position prospect as well, especially due to lack of track record. The last one they tried was Hawkins, who failed miserably.