2 minutes ago, EloyJenkins said:

this guy Vaughn and this other guy Engel hit LHPs...pretty well. 

The point is you don't pay $20M+ which is gonna be close to 1/8 of the entire payroll for a platoon bat.  

The way our lineup is currently constructed, you sign Conforto BECAUSE of his vR splits. 100%. Not everyone in the lineup needs to kill lefties.

 

4 minutes ago, EloyJenkins said:

this guy Vaughn and this other guy Engel hit LHPs...pretty well. 

It isn't worth 5/100 for a platoon player.

1 minute ago, Polar Bear said:

The point is you don't pay $20M+ which is gonna be close to 1/8 of the entire payroll for a platoon bat.  

Beat me to it.

Just now, Capn12 said:

The way our lineup is currently constructed, you sign Conforto BECAUSE of his vR splits. 100%. Not everyone in the lineup needs to kill lefties.

 

All anyone had to do was watch the playoffs last year and see what was needed. 

You platoon Sheets not Conforto. 

 

3 minutes ago, chw42 said:

We've been trying to get a left handed power bat forever, but now that left handed power bat also has to be great against lefties too? Isn't that the strength of this offense? So the only guys we'd be okay giving money to are Juan Soto-types?

The fair market rate for Conforto is around $20 million a year. If the Sox aren't willing to pay that, that's fine. But let's not act like that would be some kind of bad contract and that whoever pays that is absurd. Cause guess what, if Conforto were able to also hit left handed pitching well, he'd cost north of $30 million a year. 

The best thing about Conforto, in my opinion, is that shitty 2021.  Without it, he's probably already signed a deal around what Freeman got.  The shitty 21 allows the Sox to get a potential bargain.  Everyone here seems worried about Colas and Cesepdes, but guess what - if Conforto bounces back to his 17-20 self, he's a bargain around $20M AAV.  Now the SOx have the ability to pick and choose who to trade between Colas/Cespedes and Conforto.  Good problems to have.  

35 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

The point is you don't pay $20M+ which is gonna be close to 1/8 of the entire payroll for a platoon bat.  

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you squander (currently) 27% of your budget on RPs that can't play the OF or 2B.

Yes, this is far and away the highest % of RP spending in the league. Even IF RH can remove all of Kimbrel’s contract, the SOX would STILL have the highest % of team total payroll on RPs in MLB.

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by Two-Gun Pete

1 minute ago, Two-Gun Pete said:

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you squander (currently) 27% of your budget on RPs that can't play the OF or 2B.

If you consider getting RP squandering that is.  ? Regardless of that as he stated 20+ AAV for a platoon bat is a waste of resources as well.

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by ptatc

4 minutes ago, Harry Chappas said:

All anyone had to do was watch the playoffs last year and see what was needed. 

You platoon Sheets not Conforto. 

 

So you're gonna put a clunky 1B in RF in a playoff game?

2 minutes ago, Two-Gun Pete said:

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you squander (currently) 27% of your budget on RPs that can't play the OF or 2B.

1. Sign TLR so he can manage NL-style baseball

2. Sign Velazquez as a relief pitcher

3. Boom. RP in the OF.

1 minute ago, ptatc said:

If you consider getting RP squandering that is. Regardless of that as he stated 20+ AAV for a platoon bet is a waste of resources as well.

Calling him a platoon bat is pretty disingenuous.

Just now, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Calling him a platoon bat is pretty disingenuous.

that's what he said in the quote, you quoted. 

Just now, ptatc said:

If you consider getting RP squandering that is. Regardless of that as he stated 20+ AAV for a platoon bet is a waste of resources as well.

Right.  Sox needed RP.  Got 2 solid ones.  I don't consider the $16.5M they spent on RP squandering at all.  If you want to b**** about that, b**** about the long list of guys who could be in our bullpen and most of them all flamed out.  Burdi, Tyler Johnson, Bernando Flores, Ian Hamilton, Alec Hansen, Caleb Frare, Ryan Burr, etc., etc

Just now, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Calling him a platoon bat is pretty disingenuous.

On that, I agree. Just because he doesn't kill vL, doesn't mean he is automatically just never playing vL. Talk about jump to conclusions.

27 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

That's the only reason his market isn't higher.

Right some guys peak early and some peak later. We want to believe his peak can last 6 yrs but in reality only the best players have peaks that long. The bad year even if due to his hamstring puts doubt in fans minds. Even though we have been cautioned that GM's do not react to that bad year as much as us fans do, it does give them the opportunity to offer less. However, the fact remains that winning organizations many times will assume that risk. All it takes is a couple GM's bidding against each other for Conforto to get $80M+.

5 minutes ago, ptatc said:

If you consider getting RP squandering that is.  ? Regardless of that as he stated 20+ AAV for a platoon bat is a waste of resources as well.

You got in before my edit, but 27% is the league high % spent on RPs. Even without Kimbrel, the theoretical 19.7% is the highest in MLB.

The other thing that you're willfully ignoring is that none of the recent signees are multi-inning types that can substantially lighten the load on the starting rotation. So even the makeup of the pen is questionable, unless you trust and believe in Lopez.

And thats even before you consider how TLR & Katz USE their BP. Last season, Sox Relievers pitched the fewest IP in MLB. 

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by Two-Gun Pete

2 minutes ago, Quin said:

1. Sign TLR so he can manage NL-style baseball

2. Sign Velazquez as a relief pitcher

3. ???

4. Boom. RP in the OF.

5. Profit!

Fixed. ?

20 minutes ago, YouCanPutItOnTheBoardYES! said:

He’s a stud against right handers. That’s why you sign him.

not for $100M you don't

Just now, Two-Gun Pete said:

You got in before my edit, but 27% is the league high % spent on RPs. Even without Kimbrel, the theoretical 19.7% is the highest in MLB.

The other thing that you're willfully ignoring is that none of the recent signees are multi-innkng types that can substantially lighten the load on the starting rotation. So even the makeup of the pen is questionable, unless you trust and believe in Lopez.

True, but when they have a young cost controlled lineup, they can do that.

If they have a number of quality one inning guys the need for multi-innings guys decreases. Plus Crochet will move to a multi-inning guy. I don't know the guys they picked up well enough to discern that but I like the idea.

4 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

Right.  Sox needed RP.  Got 2 solid ones.  I don't consider the $16.5M they spent on RP squandering at all.  If you want to b**** about that, b**** about the long list of guys who could be in our bullpen and most of them all flamed out.  Burdi, Tyler Johnson, Bernando Flores, Ian Hamilton, Alec Hansen, Caleb Frare, Ryan Burr, etc., etc

Most cursed dude in recent memory.

OK, look, there are reasons to not want Conforto.  His 2021 could well be a redflag to start with.  But because he doesn't hit great against lefties?  I mean have you see the rest of this roster?  There is literally everyone else on this roster who can hit against lefties.  We would be fine.

2 minutes ago, JoeCredeYes said:

not for $100M you don't

not my money; all I care about is the Sox winning games and championships. I'd sign him for 100 million of jerry's money tomorrow and the next day. guy has gotten filthy rich enough off support from people like myself. 

8 minutes ago, SoCalChiSox said:

So you're gonna put a clunky 1B in RF in a playoff game?

Better fielder than Leury 

 

So here's what an actual platoon bat looks like are when discussing real players

Joc Pederson, famous Platoon Bat (all career numbers)
Vs. RHP - 123 wRC+
Vs. LHP - 68 wRC+ (25% worse than Conforto's weakside platoon)

Theres a guy that a lot wanted here during the playoffs that had a similar career line. Nobody called him a platoon bat.

Vs. RHP - 130 wRC+
Vs. LHP - 91 wRC+

(Conforto is 136/94)

8 minutes ago, ptatc said:

True, but when they have a young cost controlled lineup, they can do that.

If they have a number of quality one inning guys the need for multi-innings guys decreases. Plus Crochet will move to a multi-inning guy. I don't know the guys they picked up well enough to discern that but I like the idea.

Tampa, our SOX's FO's baseball intellectual superiors, already tried this a few years ago. It didn't work.

When they were trying to entirely avoid a 3rd time through a lineup for their SPs, their pen got burned out, and they fell out of contention. They discovered that you need some length, SOMEWHERE, to be able to get through 162.

Given that Kopech will be IP limited, and Crochet hasn't been stretched out/tried as a multi-inning guy, it's irresponsible for them to have not included this in their now-$50MM bullpen.

 

Also, intelligent FOs allocate resources to close holes in the roster. A cost-controlled lineup should have afforded them the opportunity to add a RFer, but here we are.

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by Two-Gun Pete