Evan DrellichVerified account @EvanDrellich 4m4 minutes ago
Sources: Red Sox to land Rajai Davis. Silence for now because the A’s are currently playing extras. He’s lone man on bench.
Rajai Davis to Red Sox
- Thread starter DeadlySplitter
- Start date
Evan DrellichVerified account @EvanDrellich 4m4 minutes ago
Sources: Red Sox to land Rajai Davis. Silence for now because the A’s are currently playing extras. He’s lone man on bench.
It could, but Davis also fits just fine on an expanded post-season bench -- especially if Nunez, the guy I figured would be our designated pinch runner, is busy playing 2B.
See the Bradley DL thread .. doesn't seem season ending. Maybe two-three weeks pessimistically I'd say.
Not a bad pickup - assuming the cost is low , which it should be.
It's Rafael Rincones so yes the cost is low. He's playing the Roberts role plus filling in some OF until JBJ comes back.
Immediately thought the Dave Roberts role as well. Probably a bit of both. They can use him to cover some of JBJ's load until rosters expand and then move him into a more focused utility role for the stretch and playoffs.
I think they picked him up to further taunt Aroldis Chapman, and to play the Quintin Berry role. I'm all in.
Hard to find anything to dislike after seeing what we're sending out. Love the signal this (hopefully) sends to the team: FO believes this is a championship team that needs those small, important pieces.
Anecdotally, Rajai always seems to be smiling and laughing with our guys on the bases. Seems like a guy that will slide right into this team's culture.
Anecdotally, Rajai always seems to be smiling and laughing with our guys on the bases. Seems like a guy that will slide right into this team's culture.
Something I didn't even know about Rajai till I googled him....he's a New England kid, born and raised in eastern Connecticut. Born in Norwich, played Little League in Willimantic, was a triple-letter kid at New London High School and went to the Avery Point campus of UConn in Groton. Given the part of Connecticut he's from, it's even conceivable that he rooted for the Red Sox as a kid.
Fantastic move. Love the price, (lack thereof). Love the diminishing role for Holt. Love the diamonds in Chapmans pants
Maybe he can also help with Indians scouting (not that this is football).
Maybe he can also help with Indians scouting (not that this is football).
According to this guy's social-media-based research, it's a tough call. Norwich, where Davis was born, and Groton, where he went to college, run basically 50/50; Willimantic (in Windham), where he played Little League, is decidedly a Sox town at 77.8%; but New London, where he went to HS, is just 35.4% Sox fans.
Of course this data is from 20 years after Davis's childhood (and a whole lot of Sox-promoting stuff happened in between; it seems like a reasonable guess that the percentages ran at least a bit more in the Yankees' favor in the 80s and early 90s).
Why are there so many Yankee fans in New London ? I find this hard to believe. Seems like most people in Eastern Conn. are Sox fans.
Agreed on the "all-in" sentiment as Rajai brings more to the table on offense and defense than Berry. Solid pickup!
Well, let's hope we can see him do this in the same series (against a different pitcher obviously).
https://www.mlb.com/video/davis-game-tying-two-run-homer/c-1210972683?tid=63106348
https://www.mlb.com/video/davis-game-tying-two-run-homer/c-1210972683?tid=63106348
Per Castig on the radio broadcast earlier tonight -- who seems to chat with just about every player from New England in the league -- Rajai grew up a big Mets fan. Very young for the '86 Series, probably rooted for them hard against the MFY in the '00 series. I'll take it!
Edit: Anyway, as others have said, great addition for the stretch run and playoffs as a 4th OF and pinch runner.
DD said they moved on him now because they had a roster spot
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Would have liked to see what Brentz could do ... especially if we were going to DFA Selsky anyway and open up a 40-man roster spot.
I follow the minors pretty closely and I've never heard of this guy.
They would have been better off playing Powerball if they wanted a lottery ticket.
Not according to two polls. In 2006 the poll was done called the Munson-Nixon line. It basically said the line was Northwest to Southeast Connecticut is mostly Sox fans while Yankee fans are the reverse. New London according to the poll was more Red Sox fans as was Hartford slightly. New Haven was more Yankee fans. The poll showed a divide between Old Saybrook being Yankee fans and Old Lyme Red Sox. The Connecticut river being a border. I think the total poll was Yankee fans around 42 % Red Sox 36 % Mets 15 % and the final 7 % other teams. A Different poll a few years after that showed Hartford a little more Yankee fans but New London still a little more Red Sox fans then Yankee fans.
Young is a RHH, Holt/Davis/Beni/JBJ are all lefties. On a team where Nunez is your only other RHH option off the bench in the OF, Young has more value than Brock Holt.
Agreed that he seems to make Young redundant. He's faster, better defensively and better against lefties. And of course he has the speed that is his calling card.
But can't Brentz get called up next week after rosters expand? They wouldn't be able to get Davis then.
I like this move, Davis used to annoy the shit out of me when he was with the Blue Jays, but he is a fun player to watch. Hopefully JBJ is back and healthy and Davis becomes a great option on the bench down the stretch run.
He doesn't make Young redundant. He compliments him. Young is the 4th OF, Davis is the 5th... assuming JBJ is going to be back.
If JBJ and Pedey are healthy, they've now got plenty of speed on the bench and lots of flexibility. So this makes sense. It's not really a roster altering deal, but it's August, so unless Nick Punto is involved, that's not likely to have happened anyway.
I agree Davis and Young complement each other, although not so well as if Young were the LHH bench bat instead of Holt.
But getting Davis means JBJ can afford to take a little more time to heal up properly, since Rajai can play everyday CF while Young shouldn't play defense every day, even in LF.
I think Young isn't redundant because he can still support corner OF, PH for Moreland against LHRP, and bat the occasional DH game vs LHSP. That works out even if/when JBJ and Pedey are back.
I also think this move means we've seen the last of Brock Holt, outfielder.