BHB, that doesn't sound like much of a plan to me...WMB, Cecchini, switch Bogie to 3b, bring up Marrero, try to find someone mid season -- a virtual recipe for disaster just like the one we just lived thru.
I think the primary concern with Cecchini, aside from his AAA mediocrity at the bat, is that he is not a ML defensive 3B. at least not yet.
Isn't Brock Holt the real alternative to obtaining a new 3B? Certainly his 100 OPS+ at 3b would be more cost effective than Pablo's 110, but you don't know really what you are going to get with Holt, and you pretty much do with Sandoval, tho his potential upside is under-appreciated here I think.
As for 5/90 being crazy for Panda, of course it is, but so is the cost on every other FA too. You wanna save that money and play Holt at 3b so you can throw crazy money at some SPs. If it comes down to it, I would take my chances on Sandoval in 2018-19 over James Shields. Or put another way, I would bet that Sandoval offers more over the ready alternatives, than Shields would over the length of a 5 or 6 year deal.
Re Headley, at the risk of beating a dead horse, he is 2+ years older than Sandoval. Thus on a 4 year deal for Headley, you are buying his age 33 and 34 year. Buying age 33 and 34 seasons is generally a bad bet. He has (had?) a herniated disc in his back which scares me as much as Pablo's weight. Sandoval won't turn 33 until August of the 5th year of the deal. FAs as young as Sandoval just don't come around that often. Sandoval has a chance to be a useful player if he gets surpassed at 3b by someone else in the org, Headley really doesn't.
If the Sox got Headley and used the money smartly elsewhere, I wouldn't squawk, but a 4 year deal at what Headley is going to get also carries considerable risk.
I think the primary concern with Cecchini, aside from his AAA mediocrity at the bat, is that he is not a ML defensive 3B. at least not yet.
Isn't Brock Holt the real alternative to obtaining a new 3B? Certainly his 100 OPS+ at 3b would be more cost effective than Pablo's 110, but you don't know really what you are going to get with Holt, and you pretty much do with Sandoval, tho his potential upside is under-appreciated here I think.
As for 5/90 being crazy for Panda, of course it is, but so is the cost on every other FA too. You wanna save that money and play Holt at 3b so you can throw crazy money at some SPs. If it comes down to it, I would take my chances on Sandoval in 2018-19 over James Shields. Or put another way, I would bet that Sandoval offers more over the ready alternatives, than Shields would over the length of a 5 or 6 year deal.
Re Headley, at the risk of beating a dead horse, he is 2+ years older than Sandoval. Thus on a 4 year deal for Headley, you are buying his age 33 and 34 year. Buying age 33 and 34 seasons is generally a bad bet. He has (had?) a herniated disc in his back which scares me as much as Pablo's weight. Sandoval won't turn 33 until August of the 5th year of the deal. FAs as young as Sandoval just don't come around that often. Sandoval has a chance to be a useful player if he gets surpassed at 3b by someone else in the org, Headley really doesn't.
If the Sox got Headley and used the money smartly elsewhere, I wouldn't squawk, but a 4 year deal at what Headley is going to get also carries considerable risk.
