Timmy U

Where would Ian Happ play for the Sox long term? I gotta say, if you don’t like Moncada’s strikeouts, you wouldn’t like Happ either. That said, probably still has more value than Gio.

Like it. Would much rather have Moncada hitting second though. Also, Castillo is not as good as Ricky thinks he is.

That sounds about right. Too bad for Ruiz and Thompson. Both pitched well enough to make the team

Escobar is godawful. That said, he may be better than Goins? Sox really good at collecting garbage players.

Ha ha on getting paid millions. He got a one time bonus and now makes less than the drive thru guy at the Wendy’s. He hasn’t received a check from the Sox since Labor Day 2017. Listen to him being interviewed about his rehab. He worked hard. You are turning his body type into a moral issue. Take it up with God or his DNA or whatever.

I get it, people are negative about everything since Machado, but do we really need to fat shame some 23 year old kid recreationally? He doesn’t have the ideal body type for a third baseman, let’s burn him at the stake. Not his fault we drafted him in the first round. The personal nature of the comments in this thread are astounding. I think you’d be banned if you said any of this to another poster.

Yeah, I think Adam Engel and Yolmer both have compromat on Renteria.

He played in instructs. That’s where his profile jumped.

That is absolutely not true. Keith Law wrote at least one piece where scouts said, if eligible for the draft, Tatis would have gone 1-1. I remember because I was horrified the Sox were even contemplating a foolish move like that. A lot of people knew Tatis was good.

How the heck do you know? Betting against any individual pitcher becoming a number one is a pretty solid bet, but are you a scout? A pitching coach? A character from Back to the Future?

One key difference: Fulmer has never dominated at any minor league level. Hansen led the minors in K’s. Hansen just needs to return to form. Fulmer needs to form.

Equally important, also said he was in a good place mentally.

Fixed it.

Getz had nice things to say about Hansen on the broadcast today. Still cautiously optimistic.

Well, the choices are Eloy, Engel, Jay OR Palka, Jay, Eloy, so... clone him?

I get it’s the DR, but I think Eloy’s mom is a cop and his dad is a teacher/basketball coach, so I don’t think he grew up in abject poverty. Still, good for him. Face of the franchise, and if he carries it over from the minors, a potential leader.

I think that is possible since they recently hired his uncle.

Ah, but here’s the beauty: For luxury tax purposes he counts $12.5 million because that’s the average, but the Sox won’t actually have to pay him $12.5 million. It is not a front-loaded contract. Think of this like commodity trading. The Sox are buying $100 million worth of 2026 Eloy futures. They bet by the end of the contract, that will be worth like $150 million. And, they get to pay on the installment plan with big balloon payments near the end. Future value of money works in their favor here.

Yeah, he did. Couldn’t tell if it was lack of confidence, discomfort with being interviewed, or sadness reliving his nightmare season. I agree, it’s crucial for him to get off to a decent start.

Robert cost something like $46 million, half of which had to be paid upfront, at age 20. Jimenez would cost $100 million spread out over 8 years at age 22. Jimenez counts $12.5 million against a $200 million luxury tax cap. The money spent on Robert obliterated their pool and meant he would be the only significant LatAm pool signing for three years. Yeah, they’re different: the Robert signing is waaaay riskier. If Jimenez busts, all you’re out is money. Now, I get what you’re saying re: bidding. Other teams were vying for Robert’s services, whereas The Sox imagine the market for Jimenez will be higher in the out years and are trying to lock in cost certainty. I suppose it all comes down to projection. I agree with the Sox that he’s going to be good and that the benefits of cost certainty, luxury tax flexibility, and the extra control outweigh the monetary risk. You disagree. We’ll see, won’t we? Philosophically, they’re not crazy.

I like it. Since, for luxury tax purposes, they take average salary, I say spend as much money in these non-competitive years as possible. $12.5 million of the deal would count against this year when they have payroll space to burn. And as far as the "never played in the majors" argument, this is only about double the outlay for Robert, a guy who had never played in the MINORS. I like paying for young talent instead of, say Nova, Alonso, and Jay. They're more than $20 million of just dead money. Also, the Moncada argument doesn't work for me because a) they never offered him anything like this, so maybe they knew he'd struggle at the start b) he probably wouldn't have taken it anyway since he's got $26 million in the bank.

Hansen was Garfien’s guest on the podcast. Seems like a good kid. He’s rooming this spring with Cease and Lambert. Says forearm affected him, and he lost 40 pounds last year. Says he is back to previous weight. Feels strong and is throwing well in his bullpens. He has got a live batting practice I think on Thursday, then he’s going to pitch in a minor league game. After listening to him, I am cautiously optimistic. Can’t say that about many things this spring.

Catcher: Castillo, McCann 1b: Abreu 2b: Yolmer Sanchez ss: Anderson 3b: Moncada lf: Palka cf: Engel rf: Jay dh: Alonso Rotation: *Rodon, Lopez, Giolito, Nova, Santana Bullpen: Herrera, Colome, Jones, *Fry, *Banuelos, Minaya, Hamilton, Vieira Engel goes down for Eloy, Jay and Leury keep center warm for the year. Covey starts in the minors.

No matter how well he does in the minors, I doubt the Sox would want Eloy and Lu Bob eligible for FA the same year.

If you move Eloy to first and rotate outfielders into the DH slot, you could pick 3. To me, they are closely bunched. Have no idea who's going to be really good and who's going to bust. Reminds me of when the Sox had Magglio, Cameron, and Jeff Abbott in the minors. Abbott couldn't throw and he changed his swing to try to get more power, which ruined his career. The other two, obviously, had outstanding careers.