What does 2023 look like?

YTF

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Just looking at the daily lineup excluding pitchers for the moment and I have to say that I like the bulk of what the Sox currently have on the roster. I think the team is OK behind the plate and should actively look at pursuing Trey Mancini to as the RH power at 1B/corner OF that the team needs. If they can do that and find a way to keep Bogaerts in the fold I think that they might be able to sign a few low to moderate priced FAs to round out the 13 non pitchers while utilizing that DH slot as a means to rotate players in and out of the line up to keep guys fresh as well as give guys partial days off. I mean seriously, you can pretty much swap out JDM for Mancini and the lineup looks pretty good.

C Wong/McGuire
1B Casas
2B Story
SS Bogaerts
3B Devers

The outfield
LF Verdugo
CF FA (Kike' hopefully this season helps to keep the price down)
RF Mancini

The bench
Utility Arroyo
OF Duran
IF/OF FA (RFsnyder shouldn't cost a whole lot)
OF FA (Pham maybe the mutual option comes into play)
C Wong/McGuire

In the wings is Franchy who is a bit redundant with Pham and RFsnyder
 

mikcou

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Just looking at the daily lineup excluding pitchers for the moment and I have to say that I like the bulk of what the Sox currently have on the roster. I think the team is OK behind the plate and should actively look at pursuing Trey Mancini to as the RH power at 1B/corner OF that the team needs. If they can do that and find a way to keep Bogaerts in the fold I think that they might be able to sign a few low to moderate priced FAs to round out the 13 non pitchers while utilizing that DH slot as a means to rotate players in and out of the line up to keep guys fresh as well as give guys partial days off. I mean seriously, you can pretty much swap out JDM for Mancini and the lineup looks pretty good.

C Wong/McGuire
1B Casas
2B Story
SS Bogaerts
3B Devers

The outfield
LF Verdugo
CF FA (Kike' hopefully this season helps to keep the price down)
RF Mancini

The bench
Utility Arroyo
OF Duran
IF/OF FA (RFsnyder shouldn't cost a whole lot)
OF FA (Pham maybe the mutual option comes into play)
C Wong/McGuire

In the wings is Franchy who is a bit redundant with Pham and RFsnyder
Mancini is a good fit as a DH/1B/OF flex bat type especially if they were thinking of finding a RH bat to complement Casas. He is not an everyday defensive OF and he absolutely cant play RF in Fenway. He is objectively a bad defensiveOF and is really a LF only type.
 

YTF

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Mancini is a good fit as a DH/1B/OF flex bat type especially if they were thinking of finding a RH bat to complement Casas. He is not an everyday defensive OF and he absolutely cant play RF in Fenway. He is objectively a bad defensiveOF and is really a LF only type.
Thanks for the input. I thought his primary OF position was right, but it seems that was just for the '19 season and the rest of his career has seen him in LF when he's not at 1B. Sounds as though he might still be a good option.
 

chawson

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I'm surprised there's not more thirst for Judge to be the starting RF in 2023.
I suspect people are picking their battles right now, but I’m surprised too. I’m hoping it’ll be revisited once people get over their infatuation with spending big money on the Mets’ version of Benintendi.

We should offer Chris Sale a 5 year extension too.
Is the joke that he’s injury prone? Judge is 4th among MLB outfielders in games played over 2021-22. Pitchers are a much different sort of injury risk.

Is the joke that we shouldn’t give out big contracts because they backfire? Then the Sox are going to lose. It’s a star-driven league, and Judge fills a massive void.

The Sox are 18th in MLB among home runs hit by RHB this year (79), and 53 of those are by departing players (Bogaerts, JDM, Kiké, Vázquez, Pham, Plawecki and Dalbec, assuming he’s gone). I’m not optimistic Judge leaves New York, but we badly need right-handed power.

Just looking at the daily lineup excluding pitchers for the moment and I have to say that I like the bulk of what the Sox currently have on the roster. I think the team is OK behind the plate and should actively look at pursuing Trey Mancini to as the RH power at 1B/corner OF that the team needs…I mean seriously, you can pretty much swap out JDM for Mancini and the lineup looks pretty good.
I wouldn’t hate a deal for Mancini and he seems like a good dude, but doesn’t he seem a little overrated as a hitter? Don’t forget: his big 2019 was a juiced ball year, the same year Vázquez hit all his home runs. Mancini reminds me a little of Tom Brunansky, aka an awful team’s best power hitter (who also can’t play the field). Factor defensive value, and I’m not sure he’s a better DH/OF fit than Pham.
 

dhappy42

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That's fine if he is THE missing piece. The Sox need multiple pieces.
He's not the only missing piece, but he's the biggest missing piece. The glaring hole in the Red Sox lineup this year and certainly next year is a power-hitting bats-right right-fielder.
 

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Is the joke that he’s injury prone? Judge is 4th among MLB outfielders in games played over 2021-22. Pitchers are a much different sort of injury risk.

Is the joke that we shouldn’t give out big contracts because they backfire? Then the Sox are going to lose. It’s a star-driven league, and Judge fills a massive void.
In my mind, the "joke" is that Judge, and his contract, are unlikely to age any better than Pujols or Miggy.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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I suspect people are picking their battles right now, but I’m surprised too. I’m hoping it’ll be revisited once people get over their infatuation with spending big money on the Mets’ version of Benintendi.



Is the joke that he’s injury prone? Judge is 4th among MLB outfielders in games played over 2021-22. Pitchers are a much different sort of injury risk.

Is the joke that we shouldn’t give out big contracts because they backfire? Then the Sox are going to lose. It’s a star-driven league, and Judge fills a massive void.

The Sox are 18th in MLB among home runs hit by RHB this year (79), and 53 of those are by departing players (Bogaerts, JDM, Kiké, Vázquez, Pham, Plawecki and Dalbec, assuming he’s gone). I’m not optimistic Judge leaves New York, but we badly need right-handed power.



I wouldn’t hate a deal for Mancini and he seems like a good dude, but doesn’t he seem a little overrated as a hitter? Don’t forget: his big 2019 was a juiced ball year, the same year Vázquez hit all his home runs. Mancini reminds me a little of Tom Brunansky, aka an awful team’s best power hitter (who also can’t play the field). Factor defensive value, and I’m not sure he’s a better DH/OF fit than Pham.
Not a joke but he’ll be 31 next year. Average age when players begin their decline. Judge has also, despite the last two seasons, a pretty good history of injuries.
This incredible season he’s having is going to drive up his cost and years to a point that I don’t think it’ll be worth it. I expect regression next season and nagging injuries, a good but not great player mostly at DH in 3 years spending half seasons on the DL.
 

nvalvo

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A question I have:

Can Trevor Story in fact still play SS? I don’t think we have any doubt about his range, which has always been excellent, but after his well-documented elbow issues from his April 2021 injury, can he still make all the throws? I assume the team has a read on this, but I have absolutely no idea what his elbow is like now. Has anyone read or heard anything?

This matters because it bears not only on how urgently we should be retaining Bogaerts with Marcelo Mayer in Greenville (and thus probably two years out), but also whether we need to be acquiring a starting middle infielder at all. To be clear, a reasonable Bogaerts extension is Plan A from where I sit. But if Bogaerts wants 10/$250m to stay, suddenly a lot depends on Story's positional flexibility.

It would be one thing to go with a Christian Arroyo/Enmanuel Valdez platoon at 2B with Story at SS, but if Story isn't a candidate at SS anymore, it’d be another matter to try to replace that internally, and I really don't think we're well positioned to acquire another big FA SS — unless we want to trade Mayer.

(...which thought got me wondering what a package for Ohtani would look like...)
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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A question I have:

Can Trevor Story in fact still play SS? I don’t think we have any doubt about his range, which has always been excellent, but after his well-documented elbow issues from his April 2021 injury, can he still make all the throws? I assume the team has a read on this, but I have absolutely no idea what his elbow is like now. Has anyone read or heard anything?

This matters because it bears not only on how urgently we should be retaining Bogaerts with Marcelo Mayer in Greenville (and thus probably two years out), but also whether we need to be acquiring a starting middle infielder at all. To be clear, a reasonable Bogaerts extension is Plan A from where I sit. But if Bogaerts wants 10/$250m to stay, suddenly a lot depends on Story's positional flexibility.

It would be one thing to go with a Christian Arroyo/Enmanuel Valdez platoon at 2B with Story at SS, but if Story isn't a candidate at SS anymore, it’d be another matter to try to replace that internally, and I really don't think we're well positioned to acquire another big FA SS — unless we want to trade Mayer.

(...which thought got me wondering what a package for Ohtani would look like...)
During today’s game Eck was talking about Story’s throwing. I was only half paying attention, but my recollection is him saying that when you’re near major leaguers throwing, you can tell that they’ve got something extra. And Story doesn’t have it.
My recollection could be wrong — somebody please correct me if it is.
 
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Harry Hooper

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During today’s game Eck was talking about Story’s throwing. I was only half paying attention, but my recollection cation is him saying that when you’re near major leaguers throwing, you can tell that they’ve got something extra. And Story doesn’t have it.
My recollection could be wrong — somebody please correct me if it is.
That's pretty much what I heard too. The sense was Eck had been kind of watching Story close in drills or pre-game warmups, but he hadn't seen strong snap in Story's throws.
 

nvalvo

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During today’s game Eck was talking about Story’s throwing. I was only half paying attention, but my recollection cation is him saying that when you’re near major leaguers throwing, you can tell that they’ve got something extra. And Story doesn’t have it.
My recollection could be wrong — somebody please correct me if it is.
Well, if this is the case, we might see Bogaerts get a bigger deal here than we may have predicted.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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I'm guessing its the 2022/23 offseason version of Trevor Story - which ever free agent shortstop ends up last in the game of musical chairs and so has to sign a still-pretty-good-in-an-absolute-sense but not fantastically long or expensive deal. That could end up being Xander.
 

joe dokes

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I'm not sure this means anything of value what he was throwing while warming up.

All the Sox need to do is run a few drills with him in the SS position. They'll know soon enough
I think Eck's time around big leaguers probably gives him some insight. But, as to the second point, given that the Sox have played everyone *except* Trevor Story at SS this year, I hink they have a pretty good idea what they've got.
And third, in some thread somewhere, there was an indication that his velocity is down.
 

nvalvo

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I'm not sure this means anything of value what he was throwing while warming up.

All the Sox need to do is run a few drills with him in the SS position. They'll know soon enough
I'm sure they have. I'm not saying they don't know. I'm saying I don't know.
 

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I wonder if Story has a partial UCL tear where throwing 75 MPH from 2nd base is okay, but airing it out from across the diamond would be risky.
 

YTF

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I'm sure they have. I'm not saying they don't know. I'm saying I don't know.
Yeah I don't know either. I know the Sox have been consistent in saying that they want Story to concentrate on his new position this year and have resisted any thought of Story at SS this season even when there seemed to an occasion to slide him over there for a game or two. Personally I think he's been great at 2B and should stay there.
 

Rovin Romine

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Yeah I don't know either. I know the Sox have been consistent in saying that they want Story to concentrate on his new position this year and have resisted any thought of Story at SS this season even when there seemed to an occasion to slide him over there for a game or two. Personally I think he's been great at 2B and should stay there.
Some factors probably include the shift and the new "let's not mangle the 2Bman rules."
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Well with Kiké back it does clarify another small part.

C—Wong/McGuire (would really have liked to see Hernandez here too but he’ll be claimed)
1B—Casas, Hosmer
2B- Arroyo, Story
SS- ??? (I don’t think X will be back)
3B- Devers
RF- ??? (Need to add a legit hitter here)
CF- Kiké, Duran
LF- Verdugo
DH- Valdez

I know the Hosmer/ Casas thing doesn’t really work as a platoon but a rotating DH spot for him, Casas, Valdez, Story, etc… would see them all in the field 5 games every 7 and a DH day 1/7 and a rest day per 7.

I’m not writing Duran off and don’t think Bloom has either. But he clearly can’t be inked in as the starter next season. Should’ve been dealt when his value was highest….

Which brings me to Mayer. Trade him. I’m feeling good about Lugo and/or Romero. Turn him into a SP with 3,4 years remaining still and a good RF’er-add in Mata.
 

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Which brings me to Mayer. Trade him. I’m feeling good about Lugo and/or Romero. Turn him into a SP with 3,4 years remaining still and a good RF’er-add in Mata.
You are out of your mind. For one thing Lugo has hardly been playing SS at all (the latest Sox Prospects podcast has good scouting on him and they basically say he can't stay on the position); so you're down to Romero, who I would not bet on him over Mayer, especially given Mayer's head start. I could see Ceddanne Rafaela as some sort of defensive stop-gap, but not a starter until they iron out his approach at the plate...

Edit: left out a word on the mobile typing, which really changes the meaning
 
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nvalvo

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Well with Kiké back it does clarify another small part.

C—Wong/McGuire (would really have liked to see Hernandez here too but he’ll be claimed)
1B—Casas, Hosmer
2B- Arroyo, Story
SS- ??? (I don’t think X will be back)
3B- Devers
RF- ??? (Need to add a legit hitter here)
CF- Kiké, Duran
LF- Verdugo
DH- Valdez

I know the Hosmer/ Casas thing doesn’t really work as a platoon but a rotating DH spot for him, Casas, Valdez, Story, etc… would see them all in the field 5 games every 7 and a DH day 1/7 and a rest day per 7.

I’m not writing Duran off and don’t think Bloom has either. But he clearly can’t be inked in as the starter next season. Should’ve been dealt when his value was highest….

Which brings me to Mayer. Trade him. I’m feeling good about Lugo and/or Romero. Turn him into a SP with 3,4 years remaining still and a good RF’er-add in Mata.
If Hosmer is DHing, we're not trying to win. Honestly, if Hosmer is playing in a situation where Casas is healthy, we're not really trying to win. A bad defender at 1B with a .750 OPS and no remaining upside is not a player who belongs on a team with any kind of playoff aspirations. I would rather DH Valdez. I liked the trade as a vehicle to convert a post-prospect we were going to lose anyways into younger guys, but I would have preferred taking on some salary for better prospects. Hosmer should not factor into longterm planning at all, and I expect he's already had his last PA with the Sox. He's very likely not worth a 40-man spot this winter, and I expect him to be traded before then. His injury complicates that somewhat, unfortunately.

As for trading Mayer, I don't think there are terribly many moves where that would make sense for us for players likely to be available, but do we think the Angels are making Ohtani available this offseason? Because a package built around Mayer could be competitive, I'd think.
 

Ale Xander

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Well with Kiké back it does clarify another small part.

C—Wong/McGuire (would really have liked to see Hernandez here too but he’ll be claimed)
1B—Casas, Hosmer
2B- Arroyo, Story
SS- ??? (I don’t think X will be back)
3B- Devers
RF- ??? (Need to add a legit hitter here)
CF- Kiké, Duran
LF- Verdugo
DH- Valdez

I know the Hosmer/ Casas thing doesn’t really work as a platoon but a rotating DH spot for him, Casas, Valdez, Story, etc… would see them all in the field 5 games every 7 and a DH day 1/7 and a rest day per 7.

I’m not writing Duran off and don’t think Bloom has either. But he clearly can’t be inked in as the starter next season. Should’ve been dealt when his value was highest….

Which brings me to Mayer. Trade him. I’m feeling good about Lugo and/or Romero. Turn him into a SP with 3,4 years remaining still and a good RF’er-add in Mata.
Mayer is going to be the face of the franchise in 2025, figuratively and literally.
 

SouthernBoSox

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You are out of your mind. For one thing Lugo has hardly been playing SS at all (the latest Sox Prospects podcast has good scouting on him and they basically say he can't stay on the position); so you're down to Romero, who I would not bet on over Mayer, especially given Mayer's head start. I could see Ceddanne Rafaela as some sort of defensive stop-gap, but not a starter until they iron out his approach at the plate...
Mayer could be one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball 12 months from now. Those guys don't grow on trees.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Mayer could be one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball 12 months from now. Those guys don't grow on trees.
I'm just concerned about the hype. Moncada was also a top prospect and while he's been good, he hasn't matched the hype. When hype gets this elevated, I think it's seriously worth considering using that hype as leverage to extract a player that we KNOW is good at the ML level.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I'm just concerned about the hype. Moncada was also a top prospect and while he's been good, he hasn't matched the hype. When hype gets this elevated, I think it's seriously worth considering using that hype as leverage to extract a player that we KNOW is good at the ML level.
And what pitcher with 3-4 years remaining would you target? Considering how volatile pitching is, can a pitcher be proven after 2 years in the MLB? Which team is going to trade a young cost controlled pitcher with 4 years left for prospects in A+?

Also, Moncada was #1, in AAA and already had a cup of coffee. Mayer hasn't cracked the top 10 (though I think I may have saw him 8th).
 

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And what pitcher with 3-4 years remaining would you target? Considering how volatile pitching is, can a pitcher be proven after 2 years in the MLB? Which team is going to trade a young cost controlled pitcher with 4 years left for prospects in A+?

Also, Moncada was #1, in AAA and already had a cup of coffee. Mayer hasn't cracked the top 10 (though I think I may have saw him 8th).
That kind of proves the point, right? Even the most highly rated prospects close to the majors don't become superstars. It would be nice to be able to trade Mayer for the modern day equivalent of young Manny Ramirez, but that kind of guy doesn't seem to exist anymore. At least not on bad teams looking to improve their farm system.
 

Cesar Crespo

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While the Sox have a ton of SS/IF in the system, the only ones who project to be better than average are Mayer, Rafaela, and Ravelo. Romero could stick, but projects to average and many think his long term position is 2b.

Rafaela's best position is CF and the Sox have a shortage in CF/OF prospects. Though with Rafaela's defensive versatility, being a super sub who plays pretty much every day would have a ton of value. If one "bench" player was getting 500-600 PA a year and can actually hit, it gets rid of a lot of crappy PA. Romero has an interesting bat but has his work cut out for him at SS, and is very far away. Ravelo is even further away and can't hit (yet, anyway). He's projects to be (may already be) the best defensive SS in the system. That includes the Boston Red Sox.

I guess if they traded Mayer, it would open SS up for Rafaela whose ETA is late 2023 or 2024. That opens up a potential long term hole in CF where Rafaela could potentially be the answer. Mayer's ETA is late 2024 or 2025. Romero is late 25 or 2026.

Paulino has been playing in CF and early signs are positive. He also projects to be average at 2b/3b. Sort of like a poor man's Rafaela. He's not sticking at SS. Lugo has been playing a lot of 2b/3b since Mayer has been promoted. If his bat continues to develop, maybe he'll hit enough for a corner OF spot. He has the arm for it. My early impressions of Coffey is he doesn't stick at SS.

The glut of MI in the system is very real but a lot of them are going to end up at 2b, 3b, or the OF. Some will end up in a utility role. A few will wash out before making the majors.

I'd guess in 2026, Mayer is the starting SS, Rafaela is our CF. One of Lugo/Romero/Paulino worked out and is in a utility role. If the team is really lucky, one of them is an every day player. If Ravelo hits at all, he's traded to a team who can play him at SS.

I'm also higher on Rafaela than publications and scouts seem to be. There is no consensus #4 in the Sox system though.
 

jon abbey

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It would be nice to be able to trade Mayer for the modern day equivalent of young Manny Ramirez, but that kind of guy doesn't seem to exist anymore.
Yordan Alvarez is the closest thing to a young Manny, and the Astros actually got him from the Dodgers in a trade for meh reliever Josh Fields in 2016. Yordan was only 19 then though, and did not blossom at the big league level until 2019. Yordan's career OPS+ is currently 159, Manny's was 154.
 

Cesar Crespo

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That kind of proves the point, right? Even the most highly rated prospects close to the majors don't become superstars. It would be nice to be able to trade Mayer for the modern day equivalent of young Manny Ramirez, but that kind of guy doesn't seem to exist anymore. At least not on bad teams looking to improve their farm system.
Most of the time, top 20 prospects become league average players with a pretty good chance of being better. Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada are meh results.

Whether it proves the point or not, I dunno. My point was Mayer has less value than Moncada did. Moncada was also packaged with Kopech who was ranked anywhere from 18-30 and Basabe who was a interesting lottery ticket.

So who is the pitcher with 4 years of service time left that would be worth Mayer, Bello and Lugo? I'm not sure that would be enough to land the equivalent of Chris Sale but if there's an ace available with 4 years left, that gets the Sox in the window.

edit: His original post he specifically said a pitcher. I'd be a bit more willing to move Mayer for a positional player with 4 years left. The price would probably be cheaper, too.
 

grimshaw

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edit: His original post he specifically said a pitcher. I'd be a bit more willing to move Mayer for a positional player with 4 years left. The price would probably be cheaper, too.
If the Sox went that direction then yes, I would hope it would be for a position player. For me it would have to be for a major positional need for an all-star with at a guy maybe entering arbitration. And I don't see teams doing a one for one type thing, so would think it would be some kind of multi player deal. I no longer want anything to do with moving positional blue chippers for pitching. IMO they just need to keep drafting and signing international guys through the pipeline and adding deadline rentals for multiple non top 10 guys.

At some point, if the Sox do have a completely loaded system like the Dodgers and Padres and they are close to contention then I'm completely fine with them aggressively throwing prospects around, because trades are a lot lower risk than big free agent signings IMO. They are still short but at least making huge progress.

I can't think of many guys out there who fit the bill but they are in major need of outfield help. I mentioned Bryan Reynolds this off-season but man that was a terrible idea in retrospect.
 
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Yo La Tengo

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C—Wong/McGuire
1B—Casas
2B- Story
SS- ???
3B- Devers
RF/LF- ???
CF- Kiké
LF/RF- Verdugo
DH- ???

Bench- Arroyo, Hosmer, OF, Catcher



I think this line-up will be solid. Hopefully the team keeps Xander, extends Devers, and signs or trades for a good outfielder.

As for improving the team, the focus has to be on pitching. Even with all of the problems the Sox have had offensively this year (.658 OPS at 1B, .652 OPS from RF, .667 from CF), they are 3rd in the AL in runs scored and 4th in OPS.

Finding a solid LF or RF should be a priority, since 1B and Catcher will provide uncertain offensive production. What would it take to sign Mitch Hanigar? He's turning 32 this winter and has missed a bunch of time with some fluke injuries, but when he has played he's been really good.

I could also be talked in to a Pham/Joc Pederson platoon in LF and/or DH.

The bigger problem is the Sox have given up more runs than any AL team other than the Royals.

Are there names on the free agent list that SOSH is excited about? Rodon's injury history scares me off. Aaron Nola would be a great addition but I think he's going to get a huge contract. Any chance Clevinger signs a reasonable deal? Or Bassitt? I've never bought in to the Syndergaard hype. Taillon?

How about trading for and extending arbitration eligible pitchers? The Brewers' stars, Woodruff and Burnes, both hit free agency in 2025. Would Milwaukee trade one of them? How about Pablo Lopez in Miami? I can't imagine the prospects that the Sox would have to give up to land one of those three.

Putting a QO on Wacha and Eovaldi, who will be 31 and 33 years old to start next season, might be the right move.
 

scottyno

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Until 2022 Moncada was a really good player, if Mayer becomes a 3.5-4 war per 162 player during his cost controlled years like Moncada was no one should complain
 

Rovin Romine

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I think this line-up will be solid.
The 2023 in org depth chart looks something like:

C: McGuire/Wong
1B: Casas/Hosmer/Dalbec
2B: Story/Arroyo
SS: Arroyo/Hernandez/Downs/Fitzgerald
3B: Devers/Dalbec
CF: Hernandez/Duran/Rafaela
LF/RF: Verdugo/Cordero/Refsnyder
DH: Odd man out plus Valdez?

For the lineup I could see:

C: McGuire
1B: Casas
2B: Story
SS: Arroyo
3B: Devers
CF: Hernandez
LF/RF: Verdugo/Cordero
DH: Hosmer

Bench: Wong, Dalbec, Refsnyder, X depending on injury: (Duran/Rafaela/Valdez).

The most redundant pieces would be Hosmer and Cordero assuming everyone is healthy and having a good year.

SP: Sale, Paxton, Pivetta, Bello, Whitlock (Crawford/Winckowski/Seabold)
PB: Houck, Schreiber, Barns, German, Kelly, Taylor, Danish, Brasier
 

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If Hosmer is DHing, we're not trying to win. Honestly, if Hosmer is playing in a situation where Casas is healthy, we're not really trying to win. A bad defender at 1B with a .750 OPS and no remaining upside is not a player who belongs on a team with any kind of playoff aspirations. I would rather DH Valdez. I liked the trade as a vehicle to convert a post-prospect we were going to lose anyways into younger guys, but I would have preferred taking on some salary for better prospects. Hosmer should not factor into longterm planning at all, and I expect he's already had his last PA with the Sox. He's very likely not worth a 40-man spot this winter, and I expect him to be traded before then. His injury complicates that somewhat, unfortunately.

As for trading Mayer, I don't think there are terribly many moves where that would make sense for us for players likely to be available, but do we think the Angels are making Ohtani available this offseason? Because a package built around Mayer could be competitive, I'd think.
I think the sox can wait another year to get Ohtani. We will have the money and the cap space to blow any other team out of the water for his services.

And we'll keep Mayer + prospects.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
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SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
I think the sox can wait another year to get Ohtani. We will have the money and the cap space to blow any other team out of the water for his services.
No idea why you would say or think the latter, as if you somehow know the spending ability of every team a season from now, but more importantly, Ohtani did not even briefly consider any East Coast teams last time he was a free agent and I'm not sure why that would change now.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
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SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
"So what happens when he becomes a free agent?

Maybe there’s a scenario where the Angels put a more complete team around Ohtani in 2023, everyone stays healthy and they have a big, exhilarating postseason run that inspires him to stick around — for the most humongous contract ever. But what happens in an alternate universe, where next season goes even remotely like this season? (Angels fans should cover their eyes now and just skip ahead to the next section.)

“I don’t think he’s an East Coast guy,” said another exec. “My first instinct is to say Dodgers or Giants. But I actually don’t think he would go to the Dodgers just because it would look like he’s sticking it to the Angels. I could see him going to Seattle. But West Coast. That’s my guess.”

https://theathletic.com/3477638/2022/08/05/mlb-trade-deadline-2022-lessons/?source=twitterhq
 

nighthob

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
12,678
No idea why you would say or think the latter, as if you somehow know the spending ability of every team a season from now, but more importantly, Ohtani did not even briefly consider any East Coast teams last time he was a free agent and I'm not sure why that would change now.
I agree that he’s staying on the west coast, which is part of the reason that I’d rather they keep their powder dry for Soto.
 

BravesField

New Member
Oct 27, 2021
252
You got this coming off season all figured out?
I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I do think Chaim is not going to be spending a lot. I know I'm in the minority when I say that, but I look at 2023 as a bridge year. That AL East is a beast.

BTW, I like your list above. It's not too far off from what I was thinking too. I had Story at SS and Valdez for 2B, but everything else looks good to me.
 

manny

New Member
Jul 24, 2005
266
Who knows it this is definitely true or what it looks like in practice, but Chaim supposedly told Kike that the Sox will be "way better" next year. (https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/kike-hernandez-drops-first-clue-chaim-bloom-red-sox-could-have-big-offseason)

On its face, that would indicate the Sox will make some big moves this offseason--presumably retaining Xander or signing one of the other top FA SS, bringing in another big bat and SP (trade or FA for both). That's what I would anticipate (and seems Kike is sort of anticipating) if Chaim truly thinks they will be "way better." That said, Chaim could argue better health, better fielding, some prospects (Bello, Casas) being MLB-ready, and a few "key" (i.e. not huge) signings would make them "way better."
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I do think Chaim is not going to be spending a lot. I know I'm in the minority when I say that, but I look at 2023 as a bridge year. That AL East is a beast.

BTW, I like your list above. It's not too far off from what I was thinking too. I had Story at SS and Valdez for 2B, but everything else looks good to me.
The Sox clearly thought of 2021 as a bridge year and had the 6th highest payroll. I'm sure we'll never know their true thoughts about whether 2022 was one as well after the 2021 success, but they again had the 6th highest payroll, and that payroll jumped $20m from 2021. Even if they consider the 2023 team a bridge year they're still going to spend a ton.