SD to acquire Mitch Moreland for Hudson Potts and Jeisson Rosario

E5 Yaz

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Is Hosmer hurt? Or are they think of Mitch as a LHDH?
 

nvalvo

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From Fangraphs' Jeisson Rosario writeup, it sounds like the concern is that he may not have enough game power to be a viable everyday player, but he has a good eye, good bat-to-ball skills, and "a chance to be a special defender in CF."

I hope he gets a chance to be someone’s 8-hole hitter in the NL so he can take advantage of being pitched around and walk a ridiculous amount. Realistically, he’s a low-end regular in center field, or some sort of weird meta-game role player if the plus defense finally materializes.
 

curly2

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After the 2018 Sox won Game 2 against Houston, the one time I felt nervous was after Puig’s blast in Game 4 of the WS. Mitch’s 900-foot bomb changed everything.

He seems like a great guy, too, being a mentor to Devers.

Go get another ring, Mitch!
 

SouthernBoSox

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Yea, the Padres system is loaded. These are two actual real life prospects who will immediately enter our top 10.

I love Mitch Moreland and he was the definition of a pro, but this is an intriguing return for a platoon left handed first baseman.
 

canderson

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Thanks for a very nice career as a Red Sox, Mitch!

Devers has had his entire ecosystem removed it seems like, though. Worried about that.
 

nvalvo

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And Potts has huge power (20 HR in the Midwest League as an 18 year old!), but has perhaps shown himself to be too strikeout prone as he reached the high minors. He remains pretty young for AA, though. It sounds like he could play around the infield or as a corner OF, but we'll need to see if he can make enough contact against advanced pitching for the power to play in games at the highest levels.

Still, looks to me like we just traded a month and an option-year of Mitch Moreland, decent first baseman with good pop, for two players who are likely to make the majors, at least as role players.
 

RG33

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After the 2018 Sox won Game 2 against Houston, the one time I felt nervous was after Puig’s blast in Game 4 of the WS. Mitch’s 900-foot bomb changed everything.
Me as well. I was at the game in LA, and don’t think I ever yelled so loud.
 

Yelling At Clouds

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From Fangraphs' Jeisson Rosario writeup, it sounds like the concern is that he may not have enough game power to be a viable everyday player, but he has a good eye, good bat-to-ball skills, and "a chance to be a special defender in CF."
Kind of sounds like Duran to me? But he alone is better than I’d have expected for Moreland.
 

amRadio

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I like it. Two lottery tickets for a quality player who has some sentimental value to a lot of fans.

Potts basically died after being called up to AA. He's slashing .216/.285/.378 in 537 PA's over two seasons in the Texas League. Only 21 though, and this is obviously a very quick and dirty look at how he's progressing.

Jeisson Rosario is kinda neat though. 20 years old and has almost 1300 PA's across A-A+ (Midwest and California leagues) and is slashing .264/.376/.340. Weird batting profile, but that OBP jumps out. Strike zone recognition and defense are definitely skills you can build a major league career around in this era.

20/80 baseball had this write up on his defense:
Built with a medium frame that’s oozing athleticism and projectability, Rosario looks the part of a big league centerfielder. He’s a plus runner (4.15-4.21 times up the line) with wheels that show up on the bases and in the field. Rosario covers ground in the outfield with an easy glide, ranging well to both sides and showing the physical tools to be an above-average defender. He closed the gaps better than he went back on balls over his head in my look, but that’s a route running issue that can be ironed out with time.
Zone recognition, defense and speed could definitely make for a MLB career.
 

Diamond Don Aase

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Kind of sounds like Duran to me? But he alone is better than I’d have expected for Moreland.
The Padres would have faced a very difficult decision whether to add Rosario to the 40-man roster this off-season. If left unprotected, he very likely would have been selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Nonetheless, an intriguing addition at a position where the Red Sox lacked depth in the higher levels of the organization.
 

sean1562

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Also totally makes sense to get Dalbec at 1B to see if he can actually hit major league pitching. No reason to move Devers around if Dalbec isnt gonna be a major league hitter anyway. All of the reports make it seem like Dalbec is a plus defender at 3B so a month or two at 1B shouldnt have a negative effect on his development.
 

mauf

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Thanks for a very nice career as a Red Sox, Mitch!

Devers has had his entire ecosystem removed it seems like, though. Worried about that.
Devers is the worst defensive third baseman in The Show. We probably would’ve moved Moreland for two prospects anyway, but one of the other things I like about this move is that it opens first base for Devers, because I think that’s where he belongs.
 

amfox1

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Rosario & Potts were both fringe Top 100 prospects at one point but their stock has dipped a bit. Potts is still young & talented but has contact issue, may be a RH corner UT while Rosario still has contact/speed/def in CF but lacks pop. Both had to be added to the 40-man in Dec.
 

Pedro's Complaint

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Also totally makes sense to get Dalbec at 1B to see if he can actually hit major league pitching. No reason to move Devers around if Dalbec isnt gonna be a major league hitter anyway. All of the reports make it seem like Dalbec is a plus defender at 3B so a month or two at 1B shouldnt have a negative effect on his development.
Devers is the worst defensive third baseman in The Show. We probably would’ve moved Moreland for two prospects anyway, but one of the other things I like about this move is that it opens first base for Devers, because I think that’s where he belongs.
Any sense if Dalbec is coming up to play 1B or 3B or both? In a lost season, I'd be happy to see Devers get reps at 1B.
 

ledsox

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Gonna miss Mitch. A true Red Sox World Series hero and he loved being a Sox.
Interesting return, hope it works out well for both teams.
I think MM gets time at 1b as Hosmer is no great shakes there.
 

AMS25

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_l57S-QHGE


I will never forget this moment. Thanks for all you did here big guy.
I love the expression on Madson's face.... I've watched that game several times this summer as a way to fall asleep. The 2018 World Series DVD collection is awesome -- can watch the Sox beat the Yankees, Astros, and the Dodgers in one tidy package.

Farewell, Mitch! You've been a joy to watch.
 

mauf

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Any sense if Dalbec is coming up to play 1B or 3B or both? In a lost season, I'd be happy to see Devers get reps at 1B.
Defense doesn’t come easily for Devers. I’d much rather let him play out the string at third during this lost season, then talk to him after the season and try to get him to buy into a move to first in 2021, with the offseason to prepare.
 

brandonchristensen

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Devers is the worst defensive third baseman in The Show. We probably would’ve moved Moreland for two prospects anyway, but one of the other things I like about this move is that it opens first base for Devers, because I think that’s where he belongs.
I like Devers’ glove but his arm is 50/50. First base would suit him well. Just hope Suppan isn’t caught napping at third in the World Series.
 

Joe Nation

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@JeffPassan: General sense among evaluators: Red Sox did very well in both of their trades. There are a lot of Connor Seabold fans, and in Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts, they get a 20-year-old CF with an excellent sense of the strike zone and 21-year-old IF with legit power, respectively.
 

E5 Yaz

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Yes, Moreland gave us all we could hope for from him and even more. Then he re-signed here cheap and brought back a couple interesting prospects. The Mitch Moreland experience has been great for the Red Sox, I'll miss him.
Mitch Moreland, meanwhile, proposed an idea during the meeting to take more action than sitting out one game.

“Mitch Moreland, he’s concerned about really making a change,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said during a Zoom call Thursday. “It’s one thing sitting out a game and not playing the game to get people aware of this. But what do we do after that? He recommended this group starting a charity with the players. I know the organization — I talked to (chief baseball officer) Chaim (Bloom) a little bit about what Mitch had to say — and starting something that will make a difference and won’t just stop with tomorrow when we start playing again. And I think it was a great idea. So hopefully we can get that going.”

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2020/08/mitch-moreland-wants-boston-red-sox-players-to-create-charity-for-social-injustice-awareness-hes-concerned-about-really-making-a-change.html
 

amRadio

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Fangraphs appears to already have Potts ranked #5 overall in the Sox organization. That seems like a bit of a leap given his production to date, projectability or no.

I get there is a big age gap between him and Wong, but I'm not sure how anybody could arrive at the conclusion that Wong stands a lesser chance to become a MLB contributor.
 

nattysez

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Rosario & Potts were both fringe Top 100 prospects at one point but their stock has dipped a bit. Potts is still young & talented but has contact issue, may be a RH corner UT while Rosario still has contact/speed/def in CF but lacks pop. Both had to be added to the 40-man in Dec.
Joel Sherman has a Twitter thread where he theorizes that with 26-man rosters next year and a desire to keep payrolls down, a lot of teams will be looking to stash Rule 5 guys at the end of their bench. As a result, teams are likely to lose good prospects not on their 40-man, so teams with great systems like SD are smart to get value for their lesser Rule 5-eligible prospects.
 

Beomoose

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Went from being somewhat unexcited the day Mitchy came onboard to genuinely sad to see him go. That said, in this dumpster fire of a year it's easy to see this is a solid trade. Here's hoping all 3 guys hit the ground running at their new homes.
 

high cheese

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Thanks for a very nice career as a Red Sox, Mitch!

Devers has had his entire ecosystem removed it seems like, though. Worried about that.
No worries there - you've just got to realize chemistry and such is irrelevant - statistical analysis is how you build a team. Platoons, shifts, and thrift store finds is how you become like the Rays. Don't forget John Henry reminded us that they won as many games as the Red Sox over the last five years!

The sad demolition of a great team continues.
 

mauidano

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Probably safe to say no one on the pitching roster right now is safe either for 2021, excepting Eovaldi. Not emotional about any of them.
 

A Bad Man

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Love it. Young dudes with upside for Molten Mitch. Take care, brother. Keep it rollin', Chaim.
 

jon abbey

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Joel Sherman has a Twitter thread where he theorizes that with 26-man rosters next year and a desire to keep payrolls down, a lot of teams will be looking to stash Rule 5 guys at the end of their bench. As a result, teams are likely to lose good prospects not on their 40-man, so teams with great systems like SD are smart to get value for their lesser Rule 5-eligible prospects.
Joel Sherman has mostly lost his FB the last year or two, teams had 26 man rosters this season (pre-Covid even) and always want to keep payrolls down, and there were not many players taken in the rule 5 draft last winter.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Probably safe to say no one on the pitching roster right now is safe either for 2021, excepting Eovaldi. Not emotional about any of them.
Sale obviously isn't going anywhere; Barnes who knows (but that may be lack of interest); I think they hold onto Perez unless they're blown away; and I can't really see Hernandez getting moved, or at least I wouldn't like it anyway. Your inclusion of Eovaldi makes me think think you're not just talking active roster, so not sure.
 

scottyno

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Probably safe to say no one on the pitching roster right now is safe either for 2021, excepting Eovaldi. Not emotional about any of them.
I can't see any scenario where it makes sense to trade Valdez. He isn't proven enough for another team to give up much, but he has enough potential where it doesn't make sense for Sox to just give him away for a lotto ticket.
 

effectivelywild

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Joel Sherman has a Twitter thread where he theorizes that with 26-man rosters next year and a desire to keep payrolls down, a lot of teams will be looking to stash Rule 5 guys at the end of their bench. As a result, teams are likely to lose good prospects not on their 40-man, so teams with great systems like SD are smart to get value for their lesser Rule 5-eligible prospects.
FWIW, Fangraphs has an article about teams that may have a 40-man crunch going into the rule 5 draft and San Diego was listed as one. Potts and Rosario were listed as "maybes" among their "must-add prospects" list. So while some of this may be to try to get some value out of their Rule 5-eligible guys, I think it's more likely than not that these two would have been protected.