steveno89

Those moves would fit the budget for sure

Twins should be heavy favorites to land Cruz, and they may have to go 2 years to get it done. They have more payroll flexibility remaining right now than the Sox, I’d estimate about $25 million.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jon-gray-592351?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb Yikes, Gray's baseball savant is ugly after that 2020 performance. I'd rather look elsewhere for a SP. As for trade value? Gray's has to be pretty low at this point.

Not before he proves himself in the minors first. Dude has never played organized baseball in the USA outside of the WBC a few years back.

Bailey is a nice young prospect, unfortunately our system does not have much young prospect depth for us to trade from. Clearly clubs are valuing int'l signings and prep prospects over college players at the moment in trades

Escotto is a legit young prospect. We don’t really have a comparable guy in our system

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/6800306/mlb-how-trades-get-done This is a pretty good explanation of what it takes to make a trade from within an organization. Interesting to keep in mind.

That is false. If Crochet stays healthy and deals this year I could see his value skyrocketing. There are not many LHP on earth that can throw a baseball like him. The floor, assuming health, looks to be a solid setup man. The ceiling is Randy Johnson.

Cubs were in the thick of their contention window and badly needed Chapman to help them get over the top...and it worked out. Any smart Cubs fan would trade Torres all day for that 2016 World Series victory

Hard pass. Madrigal/Crochet/Stiever package would have me wanting more than Burnes, that puts you in the conversation for Woodruff. Vaughn/Kopech/Crochet are untouchables at the moment for the Sox

Which is why we should not trade a Vaughn/Kopech/Crochet at this stage, replacing them would prove costly. Abreu is not getting any younger, and the Sox can pay Vaughn peanuts for several years.

I totally agree^ You do have quite a bit of Sox twitter who will moan about how the Sox are cheap because they did not sign *insert big money FA* to a gigantic contract that is likely to go sideways. We all want to Sox to spend to improve the club, even overpay at times if necessary, but 6 year deals to players on the wrong side of 30 are how you kill a club.

great move for Sox bats to feast on

Moving Eloy to DH permanently just creates another hole in LF, and the organization does not have any obvious candidates to fill that spot. Vaughn has the upside of being a .300-30-100 middle of the order hitter who gets on base. Sox certainly want to keep him.

I would be shocked if the Sox dealt 6+ seasons of control over Vaughn with no clear DH and Abreu not getting any younger. He could be MLB ready sometime in the second half of 2021 and be our long term answer at 1B/DH. Sox do not play at the top of the FA market and cannot afford to trade potential future stars like Vaughn/Kopech/Crochet

Moncada was one of the best prospects in baseball at the time of the Sale trade. I like Burnes. I would be happy if the Sox acquired him. I just question why the Brewers would be willing to move him when his value could get even higher if he's actually the pitcher he was in 2020?

No doubt Burnes looked great in 2020, but his awful 2019, allowing 70 hits in 49 IP, does give me some concern. It is valid to ask why Milwaukee would trade him unless they felt this was selling high?

I would be very surprised if the Sox dealt Vaughn/Kopech/Crochet this offseason. Burnes is interesting, but I do question why Milwaukee would be willing to move him for less than a big package. Sox farm is top heavy and not deep. Reading between the lines, I could see some form of a Madrigal/Heuer/Kelley package being offered

Tough to say until he plays in the US, but he appears to have the stuff and command to start. Will immediately become one of the more interesting arms in the system.

If they cannot get Quintana, Wainwright for around $6 million would be a nice veteran addition on a one year deal. Richards just cannot stay healthy.

Agreed. Quintana/Richards/Archer/Leake sign as #4 starter La Stella / Brad Miller / Profar add as another bat with versatility Flowers would be solid if budget room remains. Going with Collins/Zavala/Mercedes wouldn't be the end of the world though

My take is that Richards is a fall back option for the Sox at around $8 million on a one year deal. Could start or be used out of the pen. Sox are interested in Kluber, but so is at least 75% of the league. Competition for him will be stiff, as even rebuilding clubs would value him as a deadline trade asset if healthy. I think they are also exploring trade possibilities, although I suspect they keep their trade chips for a deadline deal and prefer the FA route. Paxton and Quintana could be of interest as well.

I'd be pretty surprised if Molina got anywhere near that much money at his age.

Wainwright could be a really solid veteran addition to the backend of the rotation. A John Lackey "light" so to speak that would not require more than a one year deal. If he falters, you can go with Kopech/Stiever/etc.

I do not know if it really matters. Once players sign they are fully aware they can be traded at any time, it is just business. He still gets his money.