Sox re-sign Moreland

nattysez

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That's quite a drop in pay for a guy who's above-average when healthy. Maybe that's the rub.

This means they don't need to rush Dalbec, but at this salary for MM, they won't need to keep him on ice if he is ready for promotion.
 

chawson

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Can’t believe we got him.

is something about to happen with the Padres then? 1B is suddenly more clogged.
Yeah, this is probably a domino. It makes me think the Dodgers or someone else are more likely, since there are two rumored first basemen (Myers, Naylor) in the Padres’ package.
 
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DeadlySplitter

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this is a very team-friendly deal and keeps the 1B bridge going for a bit longer. and if it means the Mookie deal isn't going to be built around Myers/Naylor, that's even better.

if Dalbec emerges or whatever, it won't hurt to cut bait on this deal either.
 

nattysez

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I like Sox Scout's proposed idea on Twitter that they may look to have Chavis play a pseudo-utility role. Plays almost every day, but at different spots.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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I expected a LH bat to platoon at first and let Chavis cover 2d v RH. Moreland obviously makes sense. I’m actually a little surprised that he got $3m this late. Thought it would be $.5-1m less. but as an option/buyout, it works.

I do wonder where this leaves the Padres. We certainly don’t need Myers and Naylor. Especially with Dalbec and Casas coming.
 

chawson

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I like Sox Scout's proposed idea on Twitter that they may look to have Chavis play a pseudo-utility role. Plays almost every day, but at different spots.
Or he’s traded.

I guess I don’t mind a Chavis utility role either, but I’m not seeing it. If Peraza’s starting, they have Arauz and Lin on the 25-man prepared to do that (and we lose them if they come off the roster), with Marco in AAA. I also can’t see Chavis playing short, center or right, nor should Devers sit more than 5-10 games a year.

In other words, Chavis can play pseudo-utility at four positions tops, and two of those are manned by young guys who are above-average players and shouldn’t sit.
 
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Ale Xander

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I'd rather just play Dalbec, but this is mostly based on perceived injury risk. And want the 2+million difference allocated to Mookie.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Steak and potatoes!

If we're not a candidate to win 95 games this year at least we can spend the summer months watching a guy that gives us warm fuzzies about 2018.
 

Manramsclan

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I'm happy Mitch is back, but this is making me queasy thinking of what might be coming next.
 

Wallball Tingle

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Hey I thought he was a goner for sure, nice! Let's get some more well-timed, RISP 2-bags from Mitchy.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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I like Sox Scout's proposed idea on Twitter that they may look to have Chavis play a pseudo-utility role. Plays almost every day, but at different spots.
This is actually not to far off from a few of Brock Holt's seasons like 2015 and 2018 where he played 129 and 109 games respectively

2015 breakdown games by position: 58 2b, 35 OF, 33 3b, 11 SS, 8 1B
2018 breakdown games by position: 56 2b, 23 SS, 16 OF, 7 1B, 5 3B
 

scottyno

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Hard to find anything bad to say about it, above average hitting, above average 1b defense, for a contract that can probably be moved pretty easily at the deadline if they aren't going anywhere.
 

Yo La Tengo

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I like Moreland but I would have preferred Eric Thames for essentially the same deal ($3 million with a $1 million dollar buyout v. $2.5 million with a $500,000 buyout). Thames averages 30 homers per 162 games (Moreland averages 24) and has an OPS of .847 over the last three years since returning to the MLB.
 

Plympton91

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This is exactly what I hoped would happen. If we get lucky, no nagging injuries this season, allowing Chavis to play 2B everyday and Peraza to be depth.
 

JBJ_HOF

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I like Sox Scout's proposed idea on Twitter that they may look to have Chavis play a pseudo-utility role. Plays almost every day, but at different spots.
Bloom seems to agree
The Sox will look for Chavis to fill a platoon-type role, which could include time in left field — especially if the Sox trade Mookie Betts and need to rework their outfield.

“It just makes our roster that much deeper,” Bloom said. “On a given night, we’re going to have a lot of options to create a really productive lineup. We’re going to be better able to withstand the ups and downs of a season, the need to get guys rest and the injuries that will come along. We’ll be able to better take advantage of the versatility some of our guys have.”
 

jon abbey

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Called this one December 9 in the offseason thread, too cheap for Bloom to resist.

Why isn't Moreland ever mentioned as a possibility, just an assumption he'll make more elsewhere? It feels like someone like him or Smoak should be available cheaply, the market for first basemen is so weak these days.
 

BornToRun

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I’ll add on to the positive sentiments others have shared. Mitch has been a favorite of mine since he first came aboard in 2017 and I’m glad to have him back. It’s funny to me how a guy that I think most of us thought of as a 1 year stop gap is now heading into his 4th season with the team.
 

Le Bastonois

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Hit a homer in the World Series and you got a job for life. Mitch Moreland is awesome. He's going to be 34 and he's still playing for a World Series contender. It ain't about the money anymore. Awesome glove coach for our upcoming stars. Scary pinch hitter.
 

BaseballJones

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Hit a homer in the World Series and you got a job for life. Mitch Moreland is awesome. He's going to be 34 and he's still playing for a World Series contender. It ain't about the money anymore. Awesome glove coach for our upcoming stars. Scary pinch hitter.
Great deal and I’m happy. But I love your post (no sarcasm). It ain’t about the money at this point. But what kills me is that he’s still making, what, THREE MILLION DOLLARS for one year? It’s true that in baseball that isn’t much.

I’m in the wrong line of work....
 

Salem's Lot

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Great deal and I’m happy. But I love your post (no sarcasm). It ain’t about the money at this point. But what kills me is that he’s still making, what, THREE MILLION DOLLARS for one year? It’s true that in baseball that isn’t much.

I’m in the wrong line of work....
Moreland is still one of the best 300 or 400 hitters on the planet right now. It pays well to be one of the best 1% of people in many industries.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Ride the Early Season Mitch until his first injury and then catch the New Guy Catches Lightning ( a la Chavis' first month) with Dalbec and it'll end up a great season at 1B in aggregate for the Sox- .875 OPS with 30 HR's.
 

chawson

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I wonder how we’d have felt in the 2016-17 offseason knowing we signed Mitch Moreland to a 4-year, $21.5 million deal. Or 5-year, $24.5 million deal as the case may be.

Seems like a good deal no matter how it’s sliced. I’m less sold on a Moreland/Chavis platoon for 2020. Chavis had awful numbers vs. LHP last year, and while that could be a SSS/fluke, most of those struggles came against breaking pitches (.204 expected wOBA) and changeups (.196 expected wOBA), which seems like a consequence of his all-or-nothing approach.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Mitch is like the Sox' booty call. He never seems to be the one they're after, yet they keep ending up with him.
Seems he was very much what Dombrowski was after, signing on December 8, 2016 and December 17, 2017, well ahead of many/most of the alternatives (Hosmer, Alonso, Adams, Duda were all available in 2017). Not so much for Bloom, obviously.

Good signing. I know others seem to feel otherwise, but this move along with others certainly look to me like Bloom is assembling a roster for a run at the division title (just on the cheaper side). As of now, there isn't a lot of tangible difference between the 2018 roster and this one. With good health, this team can compete with the Yankees IMO.
 

EricFeczko

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That's quite a drop in pay for a guy who's above-average when healthy. Maybe that's the rub.

This means they don't need to rush Dalbec, but at this salary for MM, they won't need to keep him on ice if he is ready for promotion.
In terms of production by either rate or value, MM ranks in the bottom third over the past three years (31/38). He's a first baseman that, at best, can create runs 10 percent better than the average ML hitter. The average 1B produces runs about 20 percent better than the average ML hitter.


Seems he was very much what Dombrowski was after, signing on December 8, 2016 and December 17, 2017, well ahead of many/most of the alternatives (Hosmer, Alonso, Adams, Duda were all available in 2017). Not so much for Bloom, obviously.

Good signing. I know others seem to feel otherwise, but this move along with others certainly look to me like Bloom is assembling a roster for a run at the division title (just on the cheaper side). As of now, there isn't a lot of tangible difference between the 2018 roster and this one. With good health, this team can compete with the Yankees IMO.
Strange interpretation of a low-cost signing to fill a gap at 1B. I don't see how this move shifts the needle for a division title one way or another. In part, the lack of a good 1B is offset by having a catcher with league-average run creation -- giving us a top 10/top 5 catcher. In any case, whether we make a run depends on whether mookie gets traded, not who we sign at 1B.

Mitch is like the Sox' booty call. He never seems to be the one they're after, yet they keep ending up with him.
It is what it is. 1B market doesn't have many players. For example, one could argue that EE was the best player on the market, while CJ Cron was one of the better deals.