Let's get reasonable (moderate improvements to the roster)

mfried

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I was thinking rather than re-signing Fister, Reed and Nunez the Sox should work out a trade with Reds for Iglesias, Stephenson and Peraza. Iglesias could do setup, Stephenson MR/Spot Start and Peraza covering 2B/SS. Then adding either Bruce as a DH/4th OF or Santana 1B & Austin Jackson 4th OF would be possible with money to spare for Trade Deadline.
Rumors I have read that Fister is signing with the Rangers, so that alternative is gone.
 
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chawson

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Good for the Rangers.

Really curious what the Twins do this offseason. 2018's as GFIN as it gets for them with three rebuilding teams in their division and final years for Mauer, Dozier, and Eduardo Escobar. Their rotation has a solid 1-2 with Berrios and Santana, but little else beyond that (Gibson, Mejia, et al.). Phil Hughes is still hurt and their young arms (Gonsalves, Romero, Graterol) probably can't be counted on next year.

If they can't shell out the cash for Ohtani, Darvish, Cobb, Lynn, or Arrieta, I wonder if they'd be interested in Porcello at 2/$42M. He's pretty much as Brad Radke as this decade gets.

They've got three top shortstop prospects (Gordon, Lewis, Javier) that could help us in the post-Bogaerts era.
 
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PapaSox

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Rumors I have read that Fister is signing with the Rangers, so that alternative is gone.
I saw that. Good for him. I think the thread convinced me there is enough within the organization that we could afford to forego re-signing Fister.
 

MikeM

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I saw that. Good for him. I think the thread convinced me there is enough within the organization that we could afford to forego re-signing Fister.
Beyond the surface fit a lot people here seem to like there, Fister was probably never going to pick Boston as the place he signed anyway. The same goes for Nunez's upcoming contract somewhere else as well.

We simply can't offer them the same open roster opportunities atm that other teams can, and which is something that should be remembered in any hindsight evaluation latter in the year.
 

PrometheusWakefield

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How about Matt Adams?
Buster Olney‏Verified account @Buster_ESPN
With contract tender date looming Friday, rival evaluators say Braves pushing Matt Adams to other teams. He had an .896 OPS vs. right-handers last year, and could be a fit for an AL team looking for 1B-DH type. (Cleveland?)

9:42 AM - 27 Nov 2017

The dude just can't seem to find a way to get playing time. But he's always hit, he is only 29 and the metrics show him to be a quality first baseman. An Adams / Travis platoon could provide most of the offensive production with way less cost and way less risk than Hosmer or Santana. And the Braves can't be looking for too much if they consider him a non-tender candidate at $2.8m for 1 year.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Good for the Rangers.

Really curious what the Twins do this offseason. 2018's as GFIN as it gets for them with three rebuilding teams in their division and final years for Mauer, Dozier, and Eduardo Escobar. Their rotation has a solid 1-2 with Berrios and Santana, but little else beyond that (Gibson, Mejia, et al.). Phil Hughes is still hurt and their young arms (Gonsalves, Romero, Graterol) probably can't be counted on next year.

If they can't shell out the cash for Ohtani, Darvish, Cobb, Lynn, or Arrieta, I wonder if they'd be interested in Porcello at 2/$42M. He's pretty much as Brad Radke as this decade gets.

They've got three top shortstop prospects (Gordon, Lewis, Javier) that could help us in the post-Bogaerts era.
Porcello had a much better season in 2016 than Radke ever had. Why would the Sox trade him anyways? If the team wants to get back to the playoffs they pretty much need Porcello. Not like Wright and E-Rod inspire a ton of confidence to hold up for an entire season.
 

MikeM

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I don't see Adams checking what will arguably be the most important box to DD, which is clearly established upside. Paying more for a guy like Logan Morrison, who probably is going to end up costing less then some early 3 year deal estimates I've seen, seems much more likely there imo.

That said I'm more convinced by the day that it's ultimately going to be Hosmer. Who just matches up too well when taking DD's comments this winter at face value and while factoring in his tendency to splurge.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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That said I'm more convinced by the day that it's ultimately going to be Hosmer. Who just matches up too well when taking DD's comments this winter at face value and while factoring in his tendency to splurge.
Except that he's not a big power bat and never has been. 25 home runs is nice, and would be a slight upgrade over Moreland's home run production, but it's just not special anymore, especially for a 1st baseman.

Where Hosmer upgrades the team over Moreland is in OBP and SLG, and I'm not knocking that. He's certainly a better overall player, but I'm almost 100% positive that those two numbers aren't predictive. But even if 2017 is exactly who he'll be going forward, Hosmer ranked like this among first basemen in 2017:

HR: 17th
AVG: 3rd
OBP: 6th
SLG: 13th
2B: 12th
3B: T-13th

He's a middle of the pack power guy. I don't get why so many (mostly in the media) keep lumping him in with Stanton and Martinez. And all of this is before we consider the possibility that Hosmer is what his career numbers say he is, which is basically what Mitch Moreland gave the team in 2017.

Add in the QO penalty and I'd be lukewarm on his acquisition unless his market has bottomed out and he's way cheaper than what is currently being estimated.
 

PapaSox

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Except that he's not a big power bat and never has been. 25 home runs is nice, and would be a slight upgrade over Moreland's home run production, but it's just not special anymore, especially for a 1st baseman.

Where Hosmer upgrades the team over Moreland is in OBP and SLG, and I'm not knocking that. He's certainly a better overall player, but I'm almost 100% positive that those two numbers aren't predictive. But even if 2017 is exactly who he'll be going forward, Hosmer ranked like this among first basemen in 2017:

HR: 17th
AVG: 3rd
OBP: 6th
SLG: 13th
2B: 12th
3B: T-13th

He's a middle of the pack power guy. I don't get why so many (mostly in the media) keep lumping him in with Stanton and Martinez. And all of this is before we consider the possibility that Hosmer is what his career numbers say he is, which is basically what Mitch Moreland gave the team in 2017.

Add in the QO penalty and I'd be lukewarm on his acquisition unless his market has bottomed out and he's way cheaper than what is currently being estimated.
I must admit I was on the Hosmer bandwagon earlier in the off-season. However, as I've read more I must agree with your analysis. The only thing I find similar to Stanton and Martinez is the number of years and salary that is being proposed to sign him. I'd rather sign Santana for 3 - 4 years or try to get Martinez to take a Cherington like contract for 3 - 4 years. Give him big money for a short period of time and then let him walk.
 

MikeM

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Wasn't really arguing against any of that. Considering what's been said so far I just don't think there is much of a possibility that DD gets "cute" with this particular solution fix. Meaning he likely just goes out and signs whatever he views to be the best FA 1B option available (especially if/when Jay Bruce decides he doesn't want to consider an alternating position situation when he can get an equal'ish offer elsewhere that lets him continue sticking at what he's been doing his whole career).

Which probably leaves us making a similar comparison to the one above on the other 2 most likely outcomes (imo), at least while eliminating Duda due to his weak finish and surrounding durability concern:

Santana
HR: 20th
AVG: 18th
OBP: 10th
SLG: 20th
2B: 3rd

Morrison
HR: 3rd
AVG: 22nd
OBP: 15th
SLG: 10th
2B: T-23rd

I don't like the idea Hosmer from a personal preference POV (because of the $$$ obviously), but for better or for worse I can certainly see DD making that pick based on his age and a highest visible/immediate upside factor. Even if he doesn't offer as many total homeruns as Morrison might.
 
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Dewey'sCannon

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I sincerely hope that the Sox are not the ones to make the best offer to Hosmer, unless they are literally the only team making an offer. I'd want no part of giving him a deal for 6-8 years at 120-150. He's simply not put up the kind of numbers on a consistent basis to justify such a contract, and while he's a good all-around player, he doesn't provide the additional power that they should be looking to acquire.

If they can't get Stanton or JDM (which may also be due to overly expensive acquisition costs), then I think the best options are either Santana or Abreu.
 

MikeM

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I sincerely hope that the Sox are not the ones to make the best offer to Hosmer, unless they are literally the only team making an offer. I'd want no part of giving him a deal for 6-8 years at 120-150. He's simply not put up the kind of numbers on a consistent basis to justify such a contract, and while he's a good all-around player, he doesn't provide the additional power that they should be looking to acquire.

If they can't get Stanton or JDM (which may also be due to overly expensive acquisition costs), then I think the best options are either Santana or Abreu.
Agreed, but the perfect storm scenario that results in Hosmer is just too damn visible atm, with an implied decision to not to move on from Jackie Bradley playing just as big a role in leading us there as anything else btw. Once the big trading options get cut out from under us, and with roster flexibility narrowing the search down to a one-and-done player solution at 1B/DH...it's basically setting the table for DD to be DD on guy who is much more likely to fall into our lap (so to speak) then JD Martinez is.

As appealing as the concept is on the surface, DD just isn't the GM that goes the more cutesy/value route there. The guy we'd need to do that got the boot a couple years back.
 

chawson

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Matt Adams and Eric Hosmer have the same career wRC+.

Hosmer belongs in the tier of first basemen that should be interchangeable—Adams, Alonso, Duda, Frazier, Moreland, Morrison. There are more of those players than suitors.

The money would be better spent assuming another team's bad contract paired with a good young player under team control—like the Beckett/Lowell trade—and then signing Napoli or Holliday or Mark Reynolds for 1/$5M.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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I'd still prefer they try to make a deal for Abreu (Bradley? - or what we could get from a third team for Bradley?) for two years than sign Hosmer. The former not only more directly address the power shortage, it also leads us more financial flexibility to extend or resign their own players in future years (Betts, Bogie, Sale).
 

Tyrone Biggums

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I'd still prefer they try to make a deal for Abreu (Bradley? - or what we could get from a third team for Bradley?) for two years than sign Hosmer. The former not only more directly address the power shortage, it also leads us more financial flexibility to extend or resign their own players in future years (Betts, Bogie, Sale).
A way to get a leg up on teams with such an underwhelming farm system would be to absorb contracts. For example if the Sox decided to take on the final year of James Shields contract in an Abreu deal then maybe Bradley wouldn't be moved. Maybe the White Sox would be willing to settle for Travis or someone who would be a B/B- prospect in another system.
 

chawson

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With the Rays cutting payroll, another 1B option could be Brad Miller. Had a bad/hurt/unlucky 2017, but has some pop (.239 ISO in 2016 was 6th in MLB), versatility (can play SS/2B/1B, though not super well), and had a weird spike in plate discipline last year.

The Rays were on the fence, but it looks like they're tendering him a contract. He earned $3.6M last year. Would seem to be a decent Fenway fit.


2017


2016
 

Devizier

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Hosmer is the last guy I'd want the Red Sox to pursue, although Santana and Abreu are a close second. Those guys just aren't that much better than Duda, Morrison, et al. who will be much cheaper and are just as available.
 
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Snodgrass'Muff

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Hosmer is the last guy I'd want the Red Sox to pursue, although Santana and Abreu are a close second. Those guys just aren't that much better than Duda, Morrison, et al. who will be much cheaper and are just as available.
If you look at the last year only, sure, a bunch of them look very similar. If you look at the last three, however, Abreu stands out. Especially if the goal is to add a big power hitter to the middle of the lineup.
 

chawson

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If you look at the last year only, sure, a bunch of them look very similar. If you look at the last three, however, Abreu stands out. Especially if the goal is to add a big power hitter to the middle of the lineup.
Abreu is fine. He’s likely to be overrated by trade value and I’m worried we’re going to do something stupid to get him. Lots of guys are “big power hitters” these days.

I’ve banged the drum for Brandon Belt too much the last few weeks, but I really hope a Stanton trade pushes him to us in a type of salary dump/payroll offset. He balances our lineup’s L-R split, plays great defense, and there’s virtually no lefty hitter better suited for Fenway that I can find.
 
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Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
I agree that Hosmer is significantly overvalued if MLBTR's 6/132 prediction is even close. I find him an intriguing option because of his tendency to hit the ball hard in the air to left field (when he hits it in the air at all, which is not often enough). But we're talking about a guy who has only ever had one year of 4+ WAR, and who by fWAR has had a value of zero or less in two of the past four seasons. He's a good, somewhat inconsistent player, nothing special. I'm not sure where he fits on the Belt/Santana/Duda/Morrison spectrum, but my guess would be "smack in the middle". I wouldn't want the Sox to go after him unless/until his market slips well below the range being predicted for him, but if that happens, he could become a smart late buy.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Abreu is fine. He’s likely to be overrated by trade value and I’m worried we’re going to do something stupid to get him. Lots of guys are “big power hitters” these days.
Yes, but we don't have any of them, and that's a problem we may have to pay a mild premium to solve. Which may, of course, mean that not solving it--shopping for overall quality without worrying about having a 30+ HR guy--is the smart strategy. But somehow I doubt that's going to be Dombrowski's way.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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Abreu would probably be my preference, not only for the HR power and solid offensive game but also because of the limited term commitment (two years). But given the likely acquisition cost, I'd probably stay away. Belt and Santana would probably be about equal as my next choices, so it would depend on the cost for each - if SF is looking to move some salary to accommodate Stanton, then something may be workable there (without giving up JBJ). I'd prefer either of those guys to Hosmer, just in terms of performance, even leaving aside the price tag he'll probably be wearing. I'd go for the "cheaper chicken" of LoMo or Duda before blowing the bank on Hosmer.
 

sean1562

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Is anyone actually gonna pay hosmer that? It feels like the absurd 200 million figure did him more harm than good, just highlighting that boras was going to be unreasonable, causing teams to look elsewhere
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Adams pros:

1) He hits the ball really hard.
2) He's a good defender, by the numbers at least.
3) He'll be cheap.

Adams cons:

1) His power is skewed to the pull side.
2) He's even more of a platoon player than Duda; he can't hit LHP for love or money (career wRC+ of 58).
3) He has a pretty atrocious contact/plate discipline package: nearly 4:1 career K/BB.
 

simplicio

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How much do his struggles against LHP actually matter though, given that there seem to be more left handed starters on the Red Sox than the rest of the East and all the other AL contenders combined?
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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How much do his struggles against LHP actually matter though, given that there seem to be more left handed starters on the Red Sox than the rest of the East and all the other AL contenders combined?
Does the new cba have a provision whereby the team with fewer lefty starters can't use them or left handed relievers against a team that has more?
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
It's a valid point that the Sox in recent years have faced fewer LHP than the average team, but it's easy to exaggerate this effect. Here are the 2017 percentages of total PA vs. LHP for the Sox and MLB as a whole:

Sox: 22.3%
MLB: 25.8%

In practice, this means that a player hitting 5th in the order (a likely destination for Adams in a Sox lineup) and starting 150 games would have a vs. RH/vs. LH PA breakdown of 507/145 vs. 484/168 if the Sox were facing LHP on an MLB-typical basis.

What would this mean for Adams if the Sox sign him and don't platoon him? His wRC+ breakdown for RHP/LHP over the past three years is 110/69. Pro-rating per PA, that translates to an overall wRC+ of 101 in a Sox uniform, vs. 99 for a hypothetical all-MLB team. (His actual wRC+ over that stretch has been a little higher--103--because his teams have hidden him from LHP to a degree.)

So, as a full-time, non-platooned starter, he'll hit better for the Sox than for a typical team--but just barely. And this assumes that the Sox remain atypically shielded from LHP. Things change.
 

Buzzkill Pauley

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Scooping up Adams from the scrap heap is probably the one proposed move that makes the most sense this offseason.

Doing so would allow the Red Sox to use Brentz and Ramirez — two assets they have under club control already — in a 1B/DH rotation that projects to be very strong against both RHP and LHP.

LHP = Ramirez 1B, Brentz DH
RHP = Ramirez DH, Adams 1B

And for all those inclined to add JD Ramirez on a grossly bloated contract late in the offseason while selling off JBJ for nickels on the dollar, it doesn’t stand in the way of doing so.

Atlanta’s move does force me to move on from my delusions about obtaining Freddie Freeman, though. Sigh....stupid reality.
 

grimshaw

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Brentz is an asset?

I have a hard time believing they are going to replace Mitch Moreland with Matt Adams.

He's cheap, but I kind of doubt he'd move the needle over last year's 1b production.

I will be shocked if DD punts there.
 

PapaSox

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Someone said it earlier on the board, which thread I'm not sure, that DD needs to make a splash. I think that means one of three things: Hosmer, JD Martinez or Stanton.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Except that because Adams hits fly balls the other way at a below league average clip, he's probably not going to get the full benefit of either of those Fenway bumps.
Yeah, I wasn't specifically talking about Adams just the ballpark factors and LHH in general. Depending on price, I wouldn't mind Adams but he doesn't seem much different than Mitch Moreland. You'd also need a platoon partner, which I guess could be Hanley vs L while someone else plays DH.
 

Devizier

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Looking at Adams' spraychart from baseball savant doesn't turn up any major concerns. He had one (right field) HR in 2017 that maps into Fenway and five or six flyouts that land beyond the monster. The trend holds up for last year, too.

Adams is almost exactly the kind of player that the Red Sox should be looking into, especially given that they have two RHH 1B rostered.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Someone said it earlier on the board, which thread I'm not sure, that DD needs to make a splash. I think that means one of three things: Hosmer, JD Martinez or Stanton.
JD Martinez is the only option that makes any sense to me and the more time that passes, the more I believe he's the way to go. Hosmer wants to be paid the same as JD and if Stanton's price tag isn't scaring them off, there is no reason JD's should.

edit: JD+Adams would make me happy. They'd then have the ability to trade JBJ or Ben10 if the right deal presented itself.
 

chawson

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Kind of shocked to find love for Matt Adams on this board. I’d far rather pursue a trade for Brad Miller, who can take a walk, go the other way, and actually play defense.

Adams had one very good, very well publicized month last year stepping in for Freddie Freeman, and if he hadn’t, he might have been out of the league. He’s interesting insofar as his availability makes anyone who signs Eric Hosmer to a bloated contract look even more stupid, as they have roughly the same value. Adams might even be a better defender at first.

Bit if we’re gonna “punt” first base, there’s no reason to choose Adams over Moreland.
 
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Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Someone said it earlier on the board, which thread I'm not sure, that DD needs to make a splash.
Why? What bad thing happens if he doesn't make a splash, and instead just improves an already good team incrementally through a couple of smart acquisitions of good-not-great players to fill specific needs at a moderate cost?

Looking at Adams' spraychart from baseball savant doesn't turn up any major concerns. He had one (right field) HR in 2017 that maps into Fenway and five or six flyouts that land beyond the monster. The trend holds up for last year, too.
That chart is somewhat reassuring -- he doesn't hit that many FB to left field, but when he does hit them they go pretty far.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Kind of shocked to find love for Matt Adams on this board. I’d far rather pursue a trade for Brad Miller, who can take a walk, go the other way, and actually play defense.

Adams had one very good, very well publicized month last year stepping in for Freddie Freeman, and if he hadn’t, he might have been out of the league. He’s interesting insofar as his availability makes anyone who signs Eric Hosmer to a bloated contract look even more stupid, as they have roughly the same value. Adams might even be a better defender at first.

Bit if we’re gonna “punt” first base, there’s no reason to choose Adams over Moreland.
He has a career .286/.333/.495 slash line against R in 1510 PA. Since 2013, his OPS+ numbers are 129, 116, 78, 106, 117. The 78 was in 2015, the year he was on the DL for 60 days to a quad injury. There's no way he'd have been out of the league. There is also no reason not to choose Adams over Moreland, especially if he comes at a cheaper price.

edit: Also not sure why you like Brad Miller so much. His walk rate did spike last year but so did his K rate and his batting average catered. I'd like him in the Nunez role but I don't see how he's better than Adams. His Swing and Miss % was up considerably last year too and the trend is bad. 14.7>17.5>19.0>20.5>24.1. He's gotten worse every year.
 
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Buzzkill Pauley

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Brentz is an asset?

I have a hard time believing they are going to replace Mitch Moreland with Matt Adams.

He's cheap, but I kind of doubt he'd move the needle over last year's 1b production.

I will be shocked if DD punts there.
Why would you be shocked?

The Red Sox offense returning to top-tier form is going to rely on at least two of three things happening:

A) A big bounce-back from Hanley. His OPS drop of .126 moved the team from having a very productive 1B (.286/.361/.505, +19.7 oWAR per Fangraphs) to having an immovable contract at DH (.242/.320/.429, -10.0 oWAR). This offensive collapse occurred was generally while hitting in the middle of the Sox lineup, magnifying its effects on the team's run-scoring performance.

B) Getting one big contribution from OF. JBJ went from being a very productive CF (.267/.349/.486, +20.0 oWAR) to being a replacement level hitter (.245/.323/.402, -1.8 oWAR). But since he generally hit at the bottom of the lineup, this offensive collapse didn't effect the team's performance nearly as much. Replacing him with a masher like JD Martinez would very clearly boost the Sox offense, while although it would also very clearly downgrade the team's defense and run prevention. Benintendi doesn't have anywhere near enough innings logged in CF to be able to run a projection, so that downside risk is all about scouting analysis.

C) Getting a big offensive contribution from Hanley's and Beni's complementary pieces. Obviously, there needs to be a 1B if Hanley DH's, and vice versa. Less obviously, Beni was pretty bad against LHP and either needs a RHH platoon partner or to be dropped to 8/9 in the order against LH starters. Moreland was slightly below average as the starting 1B (-3.5 oWAR in 576 PA), but Young was terrible for a bench player given that he got less than half as many PA's as Mitch (-3.9 oWAR in 276 PA) and Travis showed even less than Young (-2.2 oWAR in 83 PA). There's tons of room for improvement here, regardless what changes, if any, are made in the outfield.

And yes, this is where Brentz may actually be an asset. He's not very likely to be a game-changing one, but there was enough to like about his AAA performance (.271/.334/.539 in 450 AB) that he should definitely remain in the picture. He's not the only way to solve this section, but this is where DDski has the most flexibility to piece together above-average production a la 2013's Nava/Gomes/Carp.

JBJ can't be flipped for JD Martinez until Martinez has a contract in hand. Stanton clearly won't waive his no-trade to come to Boston. No other viable OF option is so clearly an upgrade that banking on it -- rather than a JBJ bounce-back -- is a good bet. And while Hanley might recover from his shoulder surgery, there's clearly no way his bloated contract is moveable right now for anyone other than guys with even worse contracts, such as Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols.

So for the moment, the one move that makes sense for DDski to act on would be to pick up Adams from the scrap heap for cheap money and 1-2 years, and hope his career split against RHP (.286/.333/.495) holds up in Fenway and allows the Sox to start assembling complementary pieces into a solid whole. There's less than one standard deviation between Adams' and Santana's career offensive numbers.

1B FAs - Career OPS+
121 - Santana
120 - Duda
117 - Napoli
112 - Lind
111 - Adams
111 - Hosmer
109 - Morrison
109 - Alonso
108 - Alvarez
104 - Reynolds
100 - Moreland
 
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PapaSox

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Why? What bad thing happens if he doesn't make a splash, and instead just improves an already good team incrementally through a couple of smart acquisitions of good-not-great players to fill specific needs at a moderate cost?
I'm not saying he has to make a splash. I just feel he thinks he needs to make a splash ... a statement of some sort. I for one strongly support moderation.
 

Cesar Crespo

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And yes, this is where Brentz may actually be an asset. He's not very likely to be a game-changing one, but there was enough to like about his AAA performance (.271/.334/.539 in 450 AB) that he should definitely remain in the picture. He's not the only way to solve this section, but this is where DDski has the most flexibility to piece together above-average production a la 2013's Nava/Gomes/Carp.
Brentz should fill the Chris Young role nicely. He has a much better approach vs L than R. I could see him giving us 200 PA of solid production if he's platooned correctly. If JD Martinez is signed and one of JBJ/Ben10 is traded, Brentz no longer has a role on the team though.
 

Green (Tongued) Monster

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He has a career .286/.333/.495 slash line against R in 1510 PA. Since 2013, his OPS+ numbers are 129, 116, 78, 106, 117. The 78 was in 2015, the year he was on the DL for 60 days to a quad injury. There's no way he'd have been out of the league. There is also no reason not to choose Adams over Moreland, especially if he comes at a cheaper price.

edit: Also not sure why you like Brad Miller so much. His walk rate did spike last year but so did his K rate and his batting average catered. I'd like him in the Nunez role but I don't see how he's better than Adams. His Swing and Miss % was up considerably last year too and the trend is bad. 14.7>17.5>19.0>20.5>24.1. He's gotten worse every year.
Not too sure a response to chawson's nonsense was necessary. I almost stopped reading when he said that Adams was almost out of league. Then I laughed out loud when he said that same guy has roughly the same value as Hosmer.
 

Buzzkill Pauley

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Brentz should fill the Chris Young role nicely. He has a much better approach vs L than R. I could see him giving us 200 PA of solid production if he's platooned correctly. If JD Martinez is signed and one of JBJ/Ben10 is traded, Brentz no longer has a role on the team though.
I disagree. I see Brentz’s role as depending on what happens at 1B/DH.

Because — especially if JBJ is traded — the better complementary bench piece to actually play the outfield is old friend Rusney Castillo, who was chained up in Farrell’s doghouse.
 

Cuzittt

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Sinister Funkhouse #17
Castillo was chained up in luxury tax purgatory. Which can not be blamed on just Farrell.

While Rusney's numbers in AAA last season were certainly ok... I'm not sure they were OK enough given his salary to let him out of purgatory. Especially since he only played 87 games due to injury.

(Essentially... if you fail with Brentz, you can cut him and get someone better with little impact on salary/future luxury tax considerations. Not so with Rusney)
 

chawson

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Not too sure a response to chawson's nonsense was necessary. I almost stopped reading when he said that Adams was almost out of league. Then I laughed out loud when he said that same guy has roughly the same value as Hosmer.
Adams was traded on May 20 for a 19-year-old non-prospect. Before that, he put up a 95 wRC+ on the strength of a .419 BABIP and striking out in 32.1% of his PAs. With bad defense. Out of the league is hyperbolic, sure, but no one considered him a starting first baseman.
 
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Harry Hooper

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Scooping up Adams from the scrap heap is probably the one proposed move that makes the most sense this offseason.

Doing so would allow the Red Sox to use Brentz and Ramirez — two assets they have under club control already — in a 1B/DH rotation that projects to be very strong against both RHP and LHP.

LHP = Ramirez 1B, Brentz DH
RHP = Ramirez DH, Adams 1B

And for all those inclined to add JD Ramirez on a grossly bloated contract late in the offseason while selling off JBJ for nickels on the dollar, it doesn’t stand in the way of doing so.

Atlanta’s move does force me to move on from my delusions about obtaining Freddie Freeman, though. Sigh....stupid reality.
Right, if you grab Adams now, you can still add later another guy as the musical chairs game of 1B/DH options plays out. Adams can be Jeremy Giambi 2.0.
 

Buzzkill Pauley

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Castillo was chained up in luxury tax purgatory. Which can not be blamed on just Farrell.

While Rusney's numbers in AAA last season were certainly ok... I'm not sure they were OK enough given his salary to let him out of purgatory. Especially since he only played 87 games due to injury.

(Essentially... if you fail with Brentz, you can cut him and get someone better with little impact on salary/future luxury tax considerations. Not so with Rusney)
I’m sure I’ve read reports that the CBT loophole he was grandfathered into got closed, but I’m unclear if that meant his salary would count against the cap if he ever got called up again (even if removed from the 40-man afterward), or if when he’s assigned to Pawtucket this March his salary will count against the cap for next year’s calculations despite not being on the 40-man. Very confusing.

Anyway, I expect that Cora will be able to break Rusney out of RI, should that be what he thinks is best for the team as a whole. If the Sox need a bench bat to platoon with Beni in CF and also play LF as a defensive replacement for JDM, I hope they give Rusney another chance. The Sox are going over the tax threshold in each of the next two seasons, regardless.

But it’s been well-documented that Farrell didn’t think Castillo would be an asset over what Young, and then Davis as well, brought to the club (for less money). I think that assessment was the deciding factor, given how DDski shitcanned $50MM because Farrell didn’t think Panda was an asset to the team over Marrero and Holt, and then didn’t even pour a cup of September coffee for Brentz, who had only led the IL in homers. So yeah, I still think it’s fair to blame Farrell.