You mean a guy with a big contract who was supposed to play third base but can't really do it at a major league level and also was a major disappointment at the plate in 2015?
We really could use another of those guys!
Infinite trade speculation
- Thread starter dhappy42
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We really could use another of those guys!
Thanks for explaining this for everyone.
Red Sox fans... we're the smahtest in baseball!
Yeah, they had an overflow of outfielders to begin with. They're not in the market for another.
Seriously though, does every outfield injury across MLB have to be followed up, seriously or in jest, with "what do you think they'd give for Castillo?" It gets old.
Red, I get what you're saying here, but I sincerely hope that Hazen and DD are asking that question. There are still needs for this club and at the moment there seems to be no plan for Rusney. Given the investment made, I don't understand his value to the club (or anyone) while sitting the bench as the 5th OF.
The better question will be when a catcher injury happens: "what would they give us for Hanigan or Vaz?"
Agreed, that's why I said there are still needs for this club and question Castillo's value to anyone in his current role. The Sox can't just buy a pitcher, not at this point. Playing Castillo everyday in AAA maybe either draws interest or allows him the chance to prove himself a useful piece on the 25 man roster. As currently constructed he's a much less useful piece on that roster.
I'm not really talking about Hazen and Dombrowski. Those guys should be doing their due diligence at every turn, and I expect they are, but none of it has to be through public means (i.e. we don't have to know about it).
I'm talking about us as fans. I don't find it an interesting talking point to bring up, particularly if the question is raised without any consideration given to what the team in question already has in-house in terms of outfield help.
No, he really didn't. He had a nice game. But no one is going to change their valuation of him based on a sample size of 1 game.
or, Rusney took a single step today on the long journey toward building up his value
It really is a pity Junior Amaro isn't still working for another team.
He may have moved in front of Panda on the depth chart (Holt can always play 3b). At least Castillo looked like a functional baseball player, which is more than I can say for Panda who struck out 3 times, made a throwing error, and broke his belt.
He doesn't just look like a functional baseball player, he is one. He's an excellent fourth outfielder/passible 2nd division starter. The trouble of course, is that he's paid like an average regular. Unfortunately for both Boston and Castillo, his primary value on this team is largely redundant due to the existence of Betts and Bradley. Meanwhile, his biggest vulnerability also happens to mirror that of Bradley.
I don't think it would be shocking to see Castillo be an okayish regular on another team. The trouble will be finding someone who will take on his contract for the pleasure of gambling that he won't just be an exceptional fielding, dismal hitter.
Sandoval on the other hand looks to be headed for an early exit from Major League Baseball, which is unfortunate. The guy clearly had talent.
Is there really nothing a team can do when a player refuses to report and stay in reasonable playing shape?
Doesn't he owe his employer duty to remain in playing shape?
I do realize there are union issues here but maybe it's time for a team to step up and say enough is enough.
I also realize there are EEOC and perhaps ADA issues at play here.
That video of Sandoval busting his belt has gone viral.
He has become a distraction.
One could argue it is not good for the Red Sox brand.
But then again they did sign this guying knowing about his weight issue.
Would the Red Sox have been wise to take out insurance for this type of outcome?
Would the Red Sox be liable if his belt buckle hit a fan in the stands?
Is new netting now required?
It would be interesting to hear everyone's take on this.
Doesn't he owe his employer duty to remain in playing shape?
I do realize there are union issues here but maybe it's time for a team to step up and say enough is enough.
I also realize there are EEOC and perhaps ADA issues at play here.
That video of Sandoval busting his belt has gone viral.
He has become a distraction.
One could argue it is not good for the Red Sox brand.
But then again they did sign this guying knowing about his weight issue.
Would the Red Sox have been wise to take out insurance for this type of outcome?
Would the Red Sox be liable if his belt buckle hit a fan in the stands?
Is new netting now required?
It would be interesting to hear everyone's take on this.
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I don't know all the rules governing minor league demotions, and I think Sandoval can refuse to be demoted, but they really need to send him down, let him play every day, and hopefully get him into playing shape. Maybe he would accept a temporary minor league assignment, with the understanding that he must improve his conditioning.
And have him work with a sports psychologist in order to help him overcome his food addiction. Then again, maybe the guy doesn't care--maybe he likes food more than baseball.
And have him work with a sports psychologist in order to help him overcome his food addiction. Then again, maybe the guy doesn't care--maybe he likes food more than baseball.
What do people think it would take for Castillo to reclaim a starting spot in Boston, or enough of a high-usage role that Holt returns to being super-sub (which is his best use)? It seems the consensus is that his talent level just isn't up to snuff to be that guy, but I'm not entirely sold on that point yet. Irrationally or not, I'm still waiting on him to be worth his contract. Personally, I would have preferred they stick with what was thought to be the original plan in the OF and let him sink or swim through the first 50 games or so. Even as a bad hitter, he still offers positive value (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/making-a-player-out-of-rusney-castillo). So, it's not quite the same as throwing Panda or even 2014 JBJ out there every day. But at this point, how much would we need to see to let him get back to having that chance? Does a .680 OPS over 100 ABs do it? .700 over 50? .750 over the entire first half? An injury to both Young and Holt?
http://www.lonestarball.com/2016/4/9/11400662/robinson-chirinos-has-broken-right-forearm
I realize at some point that the Hanigan-Swihart-Vazquez situation will need to be addressed and I'm sure there'll be buyers for whomever we dangle out there (obviously Hanigan.... right?....) but who could we extract from TX in this situation?
I realize at some point that the Hanigan-Swihart-Vazquez situation will need to be addressed and I'm sure there'll be buyers for whomever we dangle out there (obviously Hanigan.... right?....) but who could we extract from TX in this situation?
Not to sound facetious, but I like this winning thing that's happening more than I like the idea of using a batting order slot to see if a player can "sink or swim." Castillo is going to get into games as is. If he starts starts hitting, he'll have more opportunities to play. If someone else gets cold, likewise.
We should rename this thread "The Curse of the Benbino". Sandoval, Castillo, Hanley and Porcello were all questionable acquisitions. All of them have talent and it's still early so I'm willing to take a wait and see approach especially if we keep winning. Sandoval seems the least likely to turn it around and appears to be a sunk cost, a waste of a roster spot and a potential distraction. Hanley could turn into a real asset at 1B and so far so good. Rusney and Rick are somewhere in the middle and hopefully can help the team eventually. Rusney on the field or by being packaged in a trade.
The Sox have time to let these situations sort themselves out and we all know injuries and poor performance by other players may make Sandoval and/or Castillo very important for the Sox playoff aspirations. Only if their talent/potential translate at least in part to performance, though.
The only obvious gap the Sox have right now is at SP. I seriously doubt that this early in the season and with Sandoval and Castillo as centerpieces we are going to get anyone better than we've already got here or in the minors. It is silly to think of trading anyone else this early that could actually net a clear SP upgrade. But, hey speculate away and who doesn't like fantasy baseball anyway?
The Sox have time to let these situations sort themselves out and we all know injuries and poor performance by other players may make Sandoval and/or Castillo very important for the Sox playoff aspirations. Only if their talent/potential translate at least in part to performance, though.
The only obvious gap the Sox have right now is at SP. I seriously doubt that this early in the season and with Sandoval and Castillo as centerpieces we are going to get anyone better than we've already got here or in the minors. It is silly to think of trading anyone else this early that could actually net a clear SP upgrade. But, hey speculate away and who doesn't like fantasy baseball anyway?
He's not, though, not really. The price of an average regular on the free agent market these days is roughly 40% more than what Rusney is making ($7.5M x about 2 WAR = $15M).
He's being paid like a below-average regular or a quality, high-use bench player. Which is still a good deal more value than the Red Sox are likely to get from him if they use him the way they currently are, but things could change.
Sit back, boys, and listen to the tale of Allen Craig.
Except Craig and Sandoval are two different situations. The team can't do with Sandoval what it did with Craig.
Essentially Pablo Sandoval can not be sent down. For one, he has no options left so to be sent down would require removal from the 40-man roster (DFA). If he is DFA, the team can attempt to out right him to a minor league roster. However, due to his 5+ years of service time, he can refuse the assignment and force the team, within 10 days, to either add him back to the roster, trade him, or give him an unconditional release. The release would require paying off the remainder of his contract immediately. Where Craig's situation differs is he doesn't have the service time to force the team into anything...he can either accept the assignment or elect free agency. Free agency in his case would mean forfeiting his existing contract.
The only chance the team would have to send Sandoval to the minors would be on a DL rehab assignment. Of course, part one of that is putting him on the DL. Part two is there is a 20 day time limit on his rehab assignment once he begins play.
I hope to God this doesn't mean anything other than just going to Salem as a regular check-in.
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats 40s41 seconds ago
Have it on good authority Dombrowski is spending the next 4 days in Salem watching Benintendi and Moncada
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats 40s41 seconds ago
Have it on good authority Dombrowski is spending the next 4 days in Salem watching Benintendi and Moncada
Cherington and Theo used to do this too. Routine trip to assess the prospects, no different than occasionally accompanying the big league team on a road trip. I don't think it portends anything other than DD wants to get a first hand look at those guys (and surely others) and their progress over the first few weeks.
That's the likely case, but with DD's history of not being afraid to trade prospects it worries me.
I don't think there's anyone available that would even warrant their inclusion. Who would they trade for?
What would be the purpose of self-scouting these guys if the intent is to trade them? If they don't look good, will DD try harder to unload them before word gets out?
Frankly, I'd be more concerned if he wasn't taking the approach of seeing what the organization has with his own eyes. Probably easier to pull the trigger and trade guys who are just names on a spreadsheet rather than players you've invested time into watching develop and grow.
They look tremendous this year. Moncada is off to a .357/.509/.524 start with 10 steals in 13 attempts. Benintendi is hitting .327/.390/.635 with 4 doubles and 6 triples in 52 at-bats. My fear would be because the rotation is not solid past Price and knowing DD's aggressiveness he would be evaluating them for a trade down the road. Most likely, it's just routine evaluation. One would also wonder if he is evaluating Benintendi for a possible September call-up.
Obviously won't be the last time DD or any of his chief scouts will be there to watch him but his start has to have grabbed their attention. With his torrid start, yes he could be putting himself in position to be called up in September.
Barring catastrophic injuries, there's zero rush to call him up in September even if he's tearing the cover off the ball all year at multiple levels. If the team is in contention, they're not going to hand a green rookie at bats in meaningful games. If the team is playing out the string in September, they gain nothing putting him on the 40-man and starting his service clock when the roster spot could be better used over the course of the winter for an acquisition or to protect a Rule 5 eligible prospect (which Benintendi will not be).
If he puts up these kinds of numbers throughout the season wherever he is what's to say he won't be in the mix to be the LF in Boston next year? The 40-man roster spot won't be wasted. If they are thinking that way, it wouldn't hurt for him to get his feet wet if they are out of contention.
Which is all well and good but if DDs mind is on September call ups right now, he needs a better daily agenda. You worry about that in July. I'm not convinced it has anything to do with a trade and it's more evaluation I'm sure, but I doubt the thought of September call ups had anything to do with it. It's almost surely just due diligence and familiarizing himself with the prospects he has in his tool box.
I don't have a problem with it. Trading prospects is a legitimate use of your farm, as long as you're targeting a good player who helps the team win, and it's not done with a blind eye turned to the 5 year plan, trade away. And let's be fair to DD, he had a lot of homegrown talent on those Tiger teams, even though he was never afraid to make the big trade.
It's not like holding onto these kids is risk free, if you could have gotten a return on a guy and he fizzles, that's value lost too.
Among front line guys, Verlander, Porcello and Avila. That team was built exclusively through trades and a couple of big name FA signings.
I would say this is a routine type of thing, but I don't recall Ben's regime ever having something leaked he was looking at two guys specifically.
Visiting Salem, yes. The president of baseball ops scouting his top two guys, no. It's weird.
Visiting Salem, yes. The president of baseball ops scouting his top two guys, no. It's weird.
Is there anything other than a tweet by somebody who may be extrapolating that says Dombrowski is only looking at those two guys? And why would Dombrowski's travel plans be "leaked" information. Methinks you're jumping to a lot of conclusions.
How much clearer does someone having it on good authority that he is scouting two guys on one team needed? It's probably due diligence, but I just thought it was oddly specific
I hope he's there to watch Devers, too.
I personally think it's okay to scuffle as a 19-year old power hitter in high-A, and I hope he pulls it together soon. But most especially, I want DDski to know all his top prospects as well as possible before making any trades this season.
It could be confirmation bias at work, but it seems to me that tweets are more often misleading (or simply wrong) than informative. It wouldn't surprise me if the actuality is that Dombrowski had the trip planned for awhile and because of their good starts somebody asked him if he was looking forward to seeing Benintendi and Moncada, and Dave replied "Sure!".
When Hazen was down here in Greenville he said that it was to assess the players himself and more importantly to work with the affiliates on organizational consistency type things. They have guys to handle this but like any high profile job there is an element of touching base that needs to be done regularly
No, DD isn't 'let me go see the Salem guys so I can figure out who to trade'. The top names on that team he already knows very very very well.
If I read him right, Dave Cameron is suggesting Braun & Lucroy for Castillo, Swihart, and secondary prospects. That seems pretty heavy in the Sox favor, I think. I don’t love the idea of adding another hitter in his 30s through 2020, but he becomes an 8 mil per year commitment if you factor in Castillo, who is pretty close to zero intrinsic value at this point. And then I’d just flip Lucroy for prospects, or just tell the Brewers they can keep him and see how that changes the other aspects of the deal (maybe we give them someone less than Swihart, or they keep Swihart and take Panda instead of Castillo).
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/finding-a-trade-partner-for-ryan-braun/
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/finding-a-trade-partner-for-ryan-braun/