That's not how blown saves work, really. They only indicate a lead was lost, not that the game ended in a loss. The Sox were 6-19 this year in games in which at least one blown save was recorded. Obviously not great, but the fact that the team that had the most blown saves is a playoff team suggests it's not all that meaningful to overall W/L records.
No question it was a weakness. There were a few games in which the pen blew a lead (and got dinged with a blown save) early, then held the opposing team down the rest of the way such that the offense could have come back but didn't. Tough to totally blame the bullpen for a loss because they turned a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit in the 6th, and then the game ended 3-2.
Bringing back the coaching staff certainly leads one to believe they see the 2022 season as mostly down to injuries and bad luck. Not so sure about the notion of bringing back the free agents though. The free agent market isn't exactly deep this winter so bringing back certain players might simply be a matter of choosing the known versus the unknown among otherwise equivalent options, especially if it's on shorter term deals (i.e. better Eovaldi on a 1/18 than Syndergaard on a 3/55).
Yeah, I'd think so. White was smart to take it, though. I don't get how his minor league numbers warranted a long term contract. He was old at each level and his numbers were decent but not spectacular. Was ranked in the 50s in all of baseball as a prospect. It would kinda be like offering Rafaela that deal. I like Rafaela, think he may be an above average CF. He's still not the type I'd lock up without seeing in the Majors for 6 years.
Did they really have a thin rotation? Or did it just look thin because Sale and Paxton ended up giving them 6 total innings and because they needed to go 4 deep at the same time from the Worcester rotation?
What’s the difference between the rotation being thin because Sale, Paxton and Eovaldi were injured and looking thin because Sale, Paxton and Eovaldi were injured?
Frankly, I thought the rotation had some depth even before considering Sale and Paxton. Eovaldi, Pivetta, Wacha, Hill, Houck, and Whitlock were the top six to start the year, and performed fairly well while healthy (high water mark of 11 games over .500 and second place on June 26). By the time they got to mid-July, four of those guys were on the IL and one was entrenched in the bullpen. Any rotation is going to look thin when it's running out #9, #10 and #11 on their depth charts to make multiple starts in the middle of the season. Doesn't mean it was thinly built to start with, which is I think the argument scotty was trying to counter.
One is something you can blame the team for the other isn't really. The rotation Bloom built wasn't thin, but any rotation in baseball would look thin if they had as many injuries as the Sox ended up having at once.
You mean the Rodon who has thrown over 150 IP twice in 8 years? Or the deGrom who has thrown less than 100 in the last two years? Or the Verlander who is 8 million years old and had TJS last year?
Kind of, but also in reality all three of those guys are going to get massive deals this winter anyway, maybe not all in length but in AAV those three will get a minimum of $80M combined IMO.
They will. And when one of your top rotation guys is sucking up $30M and can’t be counted on to stay healthy…. The last thing to do is throw $30M at another like him. That’s why, despite their issues, the Hill and Wacha (and although a flop… Paxton too) type signings are key at least until there’s 2-3 young cost controlled healthy guys in the rotation that can provide what Hill, etc. did.
I’d be quite disappointed by such an off-season. I’m expecting a new (as in, acquired from outside the org via FA or trade) corner OF, a new starting C, one or maybe two new relievers, and a new DH. If Xander leaves, I expect a new middle infielder, too.
Since the trade deadline, Boston catchers collectively ranked #2 in avg and #7 in OPS in baseball. Not sure how much better you could ask for.
I'm not sure how sustainable that might be, but I'm more than OK going with McGuire and Wongers. Both players played well sharing duties behind the plate and IMO, with both guys in house and controlled for a few more seasons I think that resources are best spent elsewhere.
The cheap young guys at catcher, first, relief pitcher, SP4 and 5, and (to a lesser extent) LF will allow us to spend big to keep SS elite and get an elite right fielder and perhaps an elite starter as well.
For a fellow who transitioned from infield to catcher, Wong often seemed pretty clumsy behind the plate in the late season, missing blocks and pitches that just didn't seem that hard to catch. He looked much better to me earlier. I figured him for a decent defensive guy, but the late season raised doubts.
Here we agree precisely.
Unfortunately the only elite RF on the FA market is a player unlikely to ever sign with Boston unless they really overpay him. It’s a lot easier to get high end offensive production out of a LF than right. Guys like Verdugo and Benintendi just aren’t terribly valuable. During Ben10’s first run in Boston they could live with the mediocre LF production because they had an elite offensive and defensive cost controlled RF.
So Benintendi in LF and Verdugo stays in RF? Benintendi has never played RF, exclusively a LF since a bit of CF with BOS in 2019, but he is a LF.
Yes. Verdugo was -1 OAA in RF in half the innings as LF, where he was -5 OAA.
I agree with Apisith that Ben10 might be a decent fit. But I cannot see the Sox or anyone giving him a contract near that. It's peculiar how the $/WAR is applied. It is not a straight linear relationship (e.g. the 6 WAR player is not getting $54M per year). Benny has had a couple good years. I could see him getting 4 years, $48-60M, but not from the Sox. I too think they'll either trade for someone or sign someone on a one year make good contract.
I’m curious who you’d target in trades and for whom? There’s some Unexpendable prospects/young players…. But obviously for the right deal anyone could be available. The idea tossed around here for Yellich is interesting to me but with lots of red flags.
Also tossed around has been Kepler and I like him better than Yelich. I messed around with the MLB trade evaluator app (first time!). One even trade is Kepler ($5.6M) for Jimenez (2.2), Hosmer (3.1!), and Dalbec (0.5). Not sure what the Twins need.
I don't know much about Kepler.... but a .660 OPS in '22 isn't exactly exciting. I'd rather take another chance on Duran and hope that he can develop some defensively while his actual offensive skills will play up better with the new shift ban.
I don't think anyone was making the case for acquiring Yelich qua Yelich. But if Woodruff or Burnes is involved, I think you've got to listen.
Please excuse the incredulous tone of my response to this post, but do you really think that Chaim would dole out 4 years and $75M for a guy who he deemed to be fungible a couple of years ago and traded away when he was making a fraction of that cost? That defies belief, to put it bluntly.
Spoiler alert!
Hah! I was thinking Kepler is A and Yellich is B. Who wins the prize Chawson?
Now do the same analysis for each of the wild card teams to see how many games they left on the table.
Except the roster as constituted (without having Sale yet) was a playoff team through over half the season until everyone got hurt.
Sort of; but the halves of the season aren’t equal in terms of quality of opponent; they barely played the Yankees, Jays, Rays, etc in the first half.
Not a lot of comps but Starling Marte got 4/78 and he's 5 years older. They are both very solid offensive players but Nimmo seems to be the better fielder. I'd go 5/100 for sure.
Of the FA crop Nimmo probably makes the most sense, but should Duran find his way back into the OF mix you do run the risk of becoming a bit left handed in the OF again this year. A healthy Kike' and retaining RFsnyder should temper that.
Bloom traded him because he wanted prospects, lower payroll and because we had a surplus of outfielders who were equally good but cost less (Verdugo, Kike, Renfroe).
I think they need to set their sights higher. He's hit below .200 three years in a row, the only reason 2021 was OK because he had a walk rate that he'd never come close to before and it dropped back down this year. I mean, if it's a minor league deal, sure. But I don't see that happening when someone like Pittsburgh or Oakland can offer him a job with the hope that he turns it around for a few months and they can flip him for a grade B prospect or two.
Seems like an inefficient use of dollars that could go towards extending a current player (e.g. Devers, Xander) or signing some desperately needed pitching help.
Could hitters like him though have a higher value with new defensive limits on shifts?
