Timmy U

Link to Wittenmyer's article in here. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/garrett-crochet-rumors-cubs-padres-yankees-red-sox-reds.html

Cincinnati beat reporter Gordon Wittenmyer says Reds are out on Crochet.

Ugh. Not a Lowder fan. I watched him in AA and he did not dominate. I get that he pitched well in mlb, but look under the hood and it is not promising. SSS and all that. I need guys with ceiling. I could see 2 of Collier, Arroyo, and Stewart, plus Chase Petty. Lowder would be the major piece if you got him and the Sox need bats.

Trading Crochet to the Reds really depends on how you feel about Cam Collier and whether you believe Arroyo's gonna hit. Would be a huge risk cuz Collier's trending towards 1b and Arroyo missed almost all of last year and has not been great since the Reds got him from Seattle. If he reverts to pre-trade form, he'd be a cornerstone. If not, it's a quantity trade hat holds down the fort until guys like Bonemer and Wolkow either develop or bust.

Of those two, Magdaleno makes more sense to me. 8th guy in the 'pen as a lefty. Probably has as good/better stuff than Ellard. I feel like Webb is just a guy. Would be a replacement if you trade Shuster, but is he really better than the 2nd/3rd tier lefties in the system like Bush, Eder, Schweitzer, Gordon, and Murphy? I didn't like the Drohan pick last year and I would not be thrilled with Webb, but I like upside.

I would definitely give Sosa at bats somewhere. He went to winter ball to work on playing shortstop. It is the position he feels best at. Kind of a menace everywhere else. He crushed that league, but hard to read too much into that. The last month of the season, Sosa was one of their best players. SSS and all that, but he was at least good in AAA. I want Sosa, Baldwin, Ramos, and I suppose Vargas to play. Sosa or Vargas at DH. Baldwin could do multiple positions. OTOH, I am very skeptical about Fletcher’s ability to hit. He is an excellent defensive right fielder, but iffy in center. I am intrigued by DeLoach because he was quite good in AAA, but 26 year old 4A players rarely make the leap to cromulent regular. I love Colas’ tools and he can play 1b, but Fuller has a lot of work to do on his swing decisions. Will be interesting to see if they get even one mlb-ready player for Crochet. I wouldn’t bet on it. I think they are prizing ceiling over proximity.

I would hate this trade almost as much as I hated the Vargas trade. Bradfield is a 4th outfielder/pinchrunner. He cannot hit.

I do not believe that any of the young lefties have earned a job, let alone two of them. There will plenty of at bats to go around for 4A types without opening another position for them.

I am no sure a Crochet trade is dependent on any of these signings. FAs are flying off the shelf at really high prices. Tyler O’Neill just signed as largely the weak side of a RF platoon for $16.5 mil a year. Fried is gonna make a ton. I think there will be at least one team that would rather spend prospects than $$$$.

Not sure I believe the source, but would rather have three years of Benintendi than 3 games of Taijuan Walker. Not a believer.

I don’t think there’s a lot of separation in that 5-7 area. I am a big believer. I would put Taylor at 5. I also would put Burke and Wolkow in the top 10. Keep in mind, Big George is younger than Bonemer. Hopefully, he starts back in Kanny and gets a chance to find a groove.

This is a horrible idea and not just because last year’s golden bat for the Sox would have been Paul DeJong.

BA's JJ Cooper published his Rule 5 preview today. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2024-rule-5-draft-preview-top-players-to-know/ There are no Sox listed, so it would be a surprise if they lose someone, but who knows?

I'll believe Baltimore will give up anything significant for anybody when I see it. I hope it's Boston.

I think Sox gotta get two guys from Red Sox. I have seen Campbell + Montgomery floated. That sounds about right

Just listened to Garfien’s podcast with Gene Watson. Scary thing is Sox scouting still really believes in Vargas. He and Colson are the only players Watson mentions as core guys. He seems a little less convicted on Quero.

I gotta say, Paddy sure signed a lot of R/R 3b types who were sort of marginal prospects. Hard to get excited about the latest.

To me, Fletcher, DeLoach and Colas have to earn playing time from Spring Training on. Enough gift ABs to marginal prospects. Non-tendering Sheets means there are ABs to be had, but maybe don’t nail guys to the line up the way they did with Fletcher and Vargas after the trade deadline.

In what way is this signing about throwing the Sox from a window? Wouldn't hurt anyway. Sox dwell in the sub-basement.

If the Sox were the highest bidder, I bet he'd jump at the chance but only if the Sox made him their starting rf. He needs to shed the platoon label.

I wanted the Dodgers, but why give up players when your team prints money? I wonder if this means Sasaki is headed to the Padres.

So the worry here is that the Sox graduate 4 rookies past their eligibility in one year and that, despite 16 first rounders making the list this year, pick 1-10 is not a top 100 prospect. I will point out that Iriarte is close on several lists and that Wolkow, Bonemer, and Grant Taylor all have the tools to be top 100 guys. But sure, the Sox could have zero top 100 guys at this time next year. Anything is possible.

BA just put out the O's top 10. Nothing I didn't know, but bleah. Mayo and Basallo both project as 1b. They're not giving you Kjerstad, but he's 26 and his best position is probably 1b too. Honeycutt and Fabian are highly unlikely to hit enough to get to their other tools. Beavers and Bradfield look like below average regulars/4th outfielders/pinchrunners and Chayce McDermott would be like our 10th ranked pitching prospect. I hope to God Crochet does not go to them.

Why? You don't think they can draft a 50 and a 45 in like the 3rd and 4th round this year? With the slashing of minor league rosters, guys like that are getting less and less valuable. Might as well stick and hope to win the lottery with Robert as to acquire some org filler in a system that is already awash in 45/50 type guys.

Are they trying to make sure that Vaughn is the highest paid player on the team as payback to everyone who said he should be non-tendered?