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Adding a Lefty to the lineup/Bench
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Post by notnickyorke on Dec 8, 2021 7:13:27 GMT -5
Currently the only leftys projected to be on the opening day roster are Devers, Verdugo, and Bradley. That isn't ideal considering that a few of the players penciled in as regulars would benefit from not being left over exposed to platoon disadvantages (Dalbec, Verdugo, Arroyo, Bradley). There are probably two players that need to be added, bearing a major shakeup. Ideally they would improve the left/right imbalance and improve team defense, which really dragged the team down last year at times.
Bench Pieces
1B/2B - Brad Miller - feels like the perfect compliment to Arroyo and Dalbec. 1st and 2nd are his best positions defensively and the bat plays pretty well against rightys. Could see each player getting between 300-500 PAs depending on health and who seizes the opportunity the best. Would allow Kiki to spend most of his time in CF.
1B - Mitch Moreland/Travis Shaw/Colin Moran - 1B only lefty bat to platoon with Dalbec. Seems too one dimensional for the direction the team has been going in the last few years. Would mean Kiki spends a decent amount of time at second.
SS/2B - Jonathan Villar - Better coverage for the middle infield and a switch hitter that would platoon well with Arroyo at 2nd. Would allow Kiki to spend most of his time in CF. Leaves 1B a little exposed if Dalbec struggles for long periods again.
Starters that move bench roles around
1B - Anthony Rizzo - Would improve 1B defense (coming off a rough year defensively, but track record suggest better) and add a decent lefty bat to the lineup. Wouldn't want to commit to more then a year with Casas being so close.
3B- Kyle Seager - Would improve 3B defense and maybe 1B if Devers can be better on the other side of the diamond. Coming off a poor season, but has a great track record and is a good bet to bounce back. Also, there are not any prospects in the system who appear close to helping out at 3rd base any time soon. If its decided that Devers is not the long term answer at 3rd, the Red Sox will need to bring someone in from the outside and/or shift Bogarets over. It seems pretty risky to ask 2 established infielders to learn new positions in the same season and the FA 3B options for next year are not that great, so Seager might be the best option.
LF/1B - Kyle Schwarber - Mainly LF, but could take over for Dalbec sometimes and would probably get better at 1st as time goes on. Not a huge fan of this idea after year 1 because he is probably a full time DH and it would make it hard to keep both Devers and Casas in the lineup, assuming Devers is not long for 3B. For the first year though, it seems like the strongest lineup available.
My preference would be to sign Suzuki and Kyle Seager, while shifting Devers to 1st this year. It would make for the strongest defensive team and still have a pretty good offense. The only player who projects to below average defensively is Bogarets at SS and the unknown of Devers at 1B. Suzuki and Seager both project to add on both sides of the ball. It moves Dalbec into a bench role where he is better suited. Still pretty righty heavy roster, but it has three lefty regulars and the only regular projected to have OPS+ below 100 is Vasquez.
I would also be okay with signing Schwarber and Miller/Villar . Worse defensively, but has a better lefty/righty mix. Also the lineup would benefit from Schwarber taking the middle of the batting order to the next level. A Bogarets, Devers, Martinez, Schwarber middle of the lineup should be pretty intimidating, but leaves poor defenders at SS,3B,LF,and 1B.
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Post by oldfaithful2019 on Dec 8, 2021 9:39:30 GMT -5
Villar would be my choice of the infield options you propose. Veteran, capable with some position flexibility.I guess that applies to Miller as well, but Villar could play SS for a couple weeks if needed, not sure about Miller doing that. What I really want to see though is Arroyo staying healthy and playing 130-140 games. An in house middle infield back up option we have is Jonathan Arauz. Nothing special so far, but with Kiki available for a move to 2B if Arroyo can't shed his injury track record or does not work out. Jeter Downs at some point ? I just don't see infield needs as urgent. There is no need to consider moving Devers in 2022 as he is not going to end up at 1B with Cassas on the way. DH would be likely next spot if he moves.
For a left hand bat addition, since Schwarber can play LF everyday, I think he fits better than Rizzo. Schwarber will likely be pretty expensive though if the NL adopts the DH as is expected. Jarren Duran is a wild card here as well. He was on a pretty good trajectory in 2021 and if he rakes again in the spring should stick. Duran, Kiki and Verdugo cold very well be the primary OF in 2022. Not a stretch possibility. There is just something about Schwarber that feels good. He was a difference maker in 2021 and I'd be thrilled to see him back.
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Post by Underwater Johnson on Dec 8, 2021 11:29:03 GMT -5
It's a good question.
I think the answer is Miller. He's Brock Holt without the nickname. Actually has almost twice the career fWAR of BrockStar and his career is still going. Not a wizard with the glove but can play all over the field (good fit at 1B/2B, as you point out) and was good for 1.0 fWAR last year in 377 PA. I was on him at last year's trade deadline but DD decided to buy, not sell.
If you focus more on the UT's glove than his handedness (there must be a better word for that), maybe you bring Iglesias back (who fit in the clubhouse like BrockStar) and see how Fitzgerald and Hamilton develop. I see those two passing Arauz on the depth chart this year (although Fitzy is exposed to Rule 5). Hamilton also becomes your pinch-runner when he's ready (52 SB, 9 CS in 101 games at High-A/AA).
Rizzo is going to get 3 or 4 years from someone and he blocks Casas. Schwarber is too much of a liability in the field and he's going to have too many suitors who will look past it. Seager, with his all-or-nothing bat and 34 yo glove, is a hard pass for me.
Villar is going to want to start for someone so maybe he becomes the starting 2B and Arroyo backs him up? He also turns 31 in May and played mostly 3B for the Mets last year (with Jeff McNeil at 2B until they traded for Baez). Are his middle infield days behind him? I think if Chaim shakes up the starting IF, it's not going to be with a guy like Villar.
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Post by jimed14 on Dec 8, 2021 11:31:11 GMT -5
I have the answer. Sign a RH OF to put JBJ on the bench, which has been the plan all along. They probably don't want 3 LH OF and they need another OF. I don't see Schwarber as an option unless there is a universal DH and they can trade JDM. I am not sure if they will do anything but sign a Moreland or Shaw as a platoon option for tough RHP so that Casas is not blocked in case he forces his way up, which I see as likely. His approach and pitch recognition makes him a little safer bet to be major league ready in my eyes. He's very baseball mature for his age and experience.
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Post by oldfaithful2019 on Dec 8, 2021 11:43:24 GMT -5
It's a good question. I think the answer is Miller. He's Brock Holt without the nickname. Actually has almost twice the career fWAR of BrockStar and his career is still going. Not a wizard with the glove but can play all over the field (good fit at 1B/2B, as you point out) and was good for 1.0 fWAR last year in 377 PA. I was on him at last year's trade deadline but DD decided to buy, not sell. If you focus more on the UT's glove than his handedness (there must be a better word for that), maybe you bring Iglesias back (who fit in the clubhouse like BrockStar) and see how Fitzgerald and Hamilton develop. I see those two passing Arauz on the depth chart this year (although Fitzy is exposed to Rule 5). Hamilton also becomes your pinch-runner when he's ready (52 SB, 9 CS in 101 games at High-A/AA). Rizzo is going to get 3 or 4 years from someone and he blocks Casas. Schwarber is too much of a liability in the field and he's going to have too many suitors who will look past it. Seager, with his all-or-nothing bat and 34 yo glove, is a hard pass for me. Villar is going to want to start for someone so maybe he becomes the starting 2B and Arroyo backs him up? He also turns 31 in May and played mostly 3B for the Mets last year (with Jeff McNeil at 2B until they traded for Baez). Are his middle infield days behind him? I think if Chaim shakes up the starting IF, it's not going to be with a guy like Villar. Completely forgot about Iglesias. He would be perfect and could/ would be a legit contender for the starting 2B position. Like Schwarber, he made an important impact in 2021. |
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Dec 8, 2021 11:48:27 GMT -5
I have the answer. Sign a RH OF to put JBJ on the bench, which has been the plan all along. They probably don't want 3 LH OF and they need another OF. I don't see Schwarber as an option unless there is a universal DH and they can trade JDM. I am not sure if they will do anything but sign a Moreland or Shaw as a platoon option for tough RHP so that Casas is not blocked in case he forces his way up, which I see as likely. His approach and pitch recognition makes him a little safer bet to be major league ready in my eyes. He's very baseball mature for his age and experience. That's assuming that Arroyo is the 2b. Correct? Because for JBJ to be the 4th OF, it would have to be an outfield of Verdugo/Hernandez/player to be determined (Suzuki hopefully). Is that what you're looking at? Are you saying they're handing the every day job to Arroyo at 2b to keep Hernandez in CF? If so then hopefully Bloom signs Miller or brings back Iglesias to fortify 2b. Because otherwise, I would think it's just as likely that JBJ winds up in CF with Hernandez at 2b against righties and Hernandez in CF and Arroyo at 2b against lefties. I'd hope you'd be correct - that Hernandez is the every day CF and Arroyo is the every day 2b, but it's hard to pencil in Arroyo for 400 plus ABs. |
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Post by jimed14 on Dec 8, 2021 11:51:08 GMT -5
I have the answer. Sign a RH OF to put JBJ on the bench, which has been the plan all along. They probably don't want 3 LH OF and they need another OF. I don't see Schwarber as an option unless there is a universal DH and they can trade JDM. I am not sure if they will do anything but sign a Moreland or Shaw as a platoon option for tough RHP so that Casas is not blocked in case he forces his way up, which I see as likely. His approach and pitch recognition makes him a little safer bet to be major league ready in my eyes. He's very baseball mature for his age and experience. That's assuming that Arroyo is the 2b. Correct? Because for JBJ to be the 4th OF, it would have to be an outfield of Verdugo/Hernandez/player to be determined (Suzuki hopefully). Is that what you're looking at? Are you saying they're handing the every day job to Arroyo at 2b to keep Hernandez in CF? If so then hopefully Bloom signs Miller or brings back Iglesias to fortify 2b. Because otherwise, I would think it's just as likely that JBJ winds up in CF with Hernandez at 2b against righties and Hernandez in CF and Arroyo at 2b against lefties. I'd hope you'd be correct - that Hernandez is the every day CF and Arroyo is the every day 2b, but it's hard to pencil in Arroyo for 400 plus ABs. I'd probably sign Iglesias if they can and they still have Arauz as depth. But yeah, I want Kiké in CF full time. I will admit that I really like that they expanded rosters to 26 and hope they don't revert back to 25 in the new CBA. That might be a carrot that is thrown to the small market teams. Miller seems exactly like a Bloom move. Or maybe even Brock Holt. |
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Post by greenmonster on Dec 8, 2021 12:00:35 GMT -5
Right after trading Renfroe, didn't Bloom hint at being a little more focused on adding a RH bat? I think it helped fuel the Suzuki speculation. I quickly searched for that quote but haven't found it yet.
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Post by incandenza on Dec 8, 2021 12:48:54 GMT -5
Right after trading Renfroe, didn't Bloom hint at being a little more focused on adding a RH bat? I think it helped fuel the Suzuki speculation. I quickly searched for that quote but haven't found it yet. I believe it was something like it "moved the dial a little toward adding a RH bat from where we were," but I think that was overinterpreted. It could have meant anything from "we were certain to add a LH bat before but now we're open to the possibility of adding a RH bat" to "we were open to adding a LH bat before but now we're certain to add a RH bat." I imagine all handednesses are still on the table. |
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Dec 8, 2021 12:54:17 GMT -5
Right after trading Renfroe, didn't Bloom hint at being a little more focused on adding a RH bat? I think it helped fuel the Suzuki speculation. I quickly searched for that quote but haven't found it yet. Yes he did. But the way he said it left room to go either way but the first part of his quote he was talking about the need for a RH batter because with the acquisition of JBJ they're slanting more left. I can't find the exact quote but the way he said it leads me to believe that when he's looking at the 2022 lineup he sees Devers, Verdugo, and JBJ as the LH bats because otherwise what he said doesn't make sense. Even with JBJ as a starting CF, I don't think they lean too far to the left side of the plate, but Bloom indicated the desire for a RH bat to replace Renfroe, which people are assuming means "Suzuki" - I suspect that's his hope. That's why I question the thought of Hernandez in CF and Arroyo at 2b and why I think it will be Bradley in CF and Hernandez at 2b against righties and Hernandez in CF and Arroyo at 2b against southpaws. I believe Bradley will be part of a platoon with Arroyo while others here feel Hernandez will be the regular CF and Arroyo will be the regular 2b. It could very well be that latter scenario where JBJ starts off as the #4 OF, but Bloom's quotes about needing a RH bat because they might be too lefthanded struck me with the impression that he sees JBJ in the lineup because if he isn't, you have count 'em, 2 LH bats - Devers and Verdugo, and we know he didn't feel 2 was enough which is why he went out and got Schwarber in the first place. |
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Post by Underwater Johnson on Dec 8, 2021 14:32:35 GMT -5
If they carry 14 pitchers, like they did most of last year, it's a 3-man bench, assuming a 26-man roster (which I think the union will fight to keep).
As of right now, that's Plawecki, an OF, and a UT, with the last two spots unknown. Based on Chaim's comment's, it seems likely that he'd prefer a starting-caliber RHH OF, who JBJ would complement. I think the priority for the UT would be his glove and versatility, more than needing to be LHH.
If they drop it to 13 pitchers, because we're coming off a full season and not as many guys will need to limit their innings, you can add a spot for a LHH 1B who can also play OF or another IF position. Maybe that spot goes to Casas later in the season.
Given the Casas angle and the fact that they signed two older starting pitchers and there could be a Houck/Whitlock piggyback in the rotation, I think it's likely they'll start the season with 14 pitchers, focus on a versatile UT as the third bench spot, and leave the door open for Casas in the second half, when they could drop it to 13 pitchers.
If Casas is not ready, maybe then you make a deadline move for a LH 1B if Dalbec still hasn't established himself as a full-time player. However, that assumes you go into the season with only the UT as your back-up 1B. Does that mean it's finally time to work Devers out at 1B in ST? Or maybe Bogaerts? With a plus-glove 2B/SS like Iglesias as your UT and Dalbec on the bench, that would leave you with an IF of Devers at 1B, Arroyo at 2B, Iglesias at SS, Bogaerts at 3B. If Devers can play 1B at the same level as Dalbec, that's actually a better defense than the presumed starting IF of Dalbec, Arroyo, Bogaerts, Devers.
Still a lot of moving parts, plus all the rumors about Story and Correa. Can't wait until they can start actually making moves again.
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Post by baseball3 on Dec 8, 2021 16:15:33 GMT -5
Brad Miller sounds good. I don't think the Sox are moving Devers off 3B yet. Probably should be the move, but I just have a feeling they won't yet.
Maybe signing a good/great glove at Short Stop (Story, Correa) will help take the pressure off Devers at 3B. If the Sox have to move Devers off 3B soon, I think the chances of resigning him go way down.
I don't think Sieger is a option for this reason.
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