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Post by agastonguay13 on Aug 15, 2022 12:02:59 GMT -5
I looked and dind't see a thread dedicated to the subject of the future of the outfield, so I created one myself. Feel free to merge them if there's already one I didn't find. Moving into 2023 the team has only Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran under contract to play OF. I've resigned myself to Duran just not having it at the major league level, and Verdugo is *fine* in LF. Hernandez is a free agent after 2022, and Pham has a mutual option that shouldn't be picked up, nor do I think he should be brought back for 2023. You've got one(1) better-than-intriguing OF prospect in the high minors in Ceddanne Rafaela, but I'd not expect him to be a regular contributor (if at all) until the second half of 2023 at the earliest. Your next two(2) OF prospects who seem to have any potential to be major leaguers are Miguel Bleis and Roman Anthony, who are both 18 years old and currently playing at the lowest affiliate level that exists in the contiguous U.S. So even if they both fulfill their potential, you can't realistically expect them to contribute until what? 2026? One thought that's crossed my mind is exploring what an Andrew Benintendi free agent deal looks like to come back and play LF, trading Verdugo (team friendly 2 arb years remaining) for a decent OF prospect who can actually play CF or packaging him with some prospects to acquire a legitimate RF(re-sign Hernandez) or CF(still potentially re-signing Hernandez and going with the 2 CF approach in CF and RF) - Thought process here being that Benintendi and Verdugo have put up extremely similar numbers in '21-'22 ( stathead.com/tiny/ekuDe ), and with the large amount of cap space you'll have moving into '23, you could afford to pay a higher (yet still reasonable) number for those statistics out of your LF (especially one you're very familiar with), re-shuffle the value of Verdugo's 2 years of team control into a player of similar value but with skills needed for this team to compete instead of creating redundancy at the easiest OF position to play in Fenway park, and maybe even give yourself the leadoff hitter you desperately need given Benintendi's re-reinvention into an .avg-over-.slg type player, or give yourself a good 7-8 hitter to help drive in the heart of the order and turn the lineup over a bit. It also doesn't hurt that Benintendi is the youngest free agent OF in the class and a fan favorite in Boston already. You've got to think that any deal Benintendi signs will be short-to-medium term (3-5 years?) and maybe in the realm of $9-12m per year? So considering those, admittedly speculative ranges, the deal totals between $27m on the low-low end to $60m on the high-high? Splitting the difference at 4 years $45m sounds like something I'd be ok with for the type of player Benintendi has seemed to settle into if it enables us to utilize Verdugo's value in other ways. |
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Post by julyanmorley on Aug 15, 2022 12:23:24 GMT -5
They have Refsnyder for two more years. I'd be very surprised if they don't gave him an arb pay day and an opening day backup job.
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Post by ematz1423 on Aug 15, 2022 12:31:21 GMT -5
They have Refsnyder for two more years. I'd be very surprised if they don't gave him an arb pay day and an opening day backup job. Refsnyder is going to be 32 and is a career -.5 fWAR player. I wouldn't be surprised to see them let him go, I'd try and bring him back on a minor league deal with a shot to break camp with the team if he looks good in ST though. |
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Post by seamus on Aug 15, 2022 13:19:11 GMT -5
I think Benny's probably going to command something like 4/60, maybe even more if he has a good end to the season considering how thin the free agent market is for outfielders. That's a little rich for my tastes given that you can probably bring back Pham for cheaper and get similar production in 2023. Even though he'll probably decline his option to test the market, something like 1/10 (maybe with something like an $8m club option/$2m buy-out for '24) probably gets it done and would seem to make more long-term sense without much difference in terms of production.
I'd like them to try targeting Nimmo and/or Haniger in the outfield as free agent additions, and see about bringing back Hernandez and/or Pham. I'd also see what the Pirates would want for Bryan Reynolds via trade, especially if the bigger free agents don't come our way (Yorke and Walter as centerpieces?). The days of great outfield defense are probably long behind us, but something like Pham/Nimmo/Verdugo or Verdugo/Hernandez/Haniger would be pretty reasonable. I really don't want Duran penciled in as a starter, but would be fine if he's the 4th outfielder (though my dream would be to trade him and just move on).
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Aug 15, 2022 14:37:10 GMT -5
Nimmo and Hanniger would be targets, although Nimmo might get the QO. I think they need to move Verdugo back to LF, although they could sign back Pham and try to trade Verdugo. Hanniger would be somebody I'd like to see them try to get for RF. There's also Comforto as well. They cannot simply just bring back Pham and keep Verdugo in RF.
They need CF help as well. I think we'll see Rafaela at some point but they need a one year stop gap solution. I'd be fine with bringing Hernandez back for similar money to now, although I strongly suspect they'll bring in Kiermaier, which is unexciting. There's probably a better option out there that I'm not realizing. Laureano might cost too much in a deal? I don't think Duran will ever cut it in CF.
Other than Bleis, the Sox don't have anything that really excites for the future. Cedanne Rafaela probably does appear at some point in 2023 or 2024. Will he show enough plate discipline to take advantage of his hit tool and power? Abreu is intriguing but will he hit enough? Bleis is the guy, but he's a few years away. Who knows about Roman Anthony? Not a lot of future possibilities at this point beyond Bleis. If Romero hits, maybe he forces Yorke to LF? Maybe if the Sox extend X, maybe he eventually winds up in LF? Very murky outfield picture, short-term and long-term. At least there's Bleis to get excited about even if it won't be instant gratification.
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Post by bmoneyproblemz on Aug 15, 2022 14:44:45 GMT -5
I see nothing wrong with giving Tommy Pham a one-year deal at 6 million to play LF, just platoon him. It's not like we currently have a lot of OF talent in the high minors. Benny is going to get a 4/60 or 5/75 deal. I'd rather keep Verdugo and look to bring in a CF via trade.
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Post by agastonguay13 on Aug 15, 2022 14:53:25 GMT -5
I see nothing wrong with giving Tommy Pham a one-year deal at 6 million to play LF, just platoon him. It's not like we currently have a lot of OF talent in the high minors. Benny is going to get a 4/60 or 5/75 deal. I'd rather keep Verdugo and look to bring in a CF via trade. That's essentially what I was suggesting at the top, minus the Pham stuff, but instead of utilizing Verdugo's value on your team, you pay a similar player in free agency and transfer his value into the trade for a CF/RF. Essentially paying a bit more for the "same" LF to improve your outlook in CF/RF. |
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Aug 15, 2022 15:23:56 GMT -5
I looked and dind't see a thread dedicated to the subject of the future of the outfield, so I created one myself. Feel free to merge them if there's already one I didn't find. Moving into 2023 the team has only Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran under contract to play OF. I've resigned myself to Duran just not having it at the major league level, and Verdugo is *fine* in LF. Hernandez is a free agent after 2022, and Pham has a mutual option that shouldn't be picked up, nor do I think he should be brought back for 2023. You've got one(1) better-than-intriguing OF prospect in the high minors in Ceddanne Rafaela, but I'd not expect him to be a regular contributor (if at all) until the second half of 2023 at the earliest. Your next two(2) OF prospects who seem to have any potential to be major leaguers are Miguel Bleis and Roman Anthony, who are both 18 years old and currently playing at the lowest affiliate level that exists in the contiguous U.S. So even if they both fulfill their potential, you can't realistically expect them to contribute until what? 2026? One thought that's crossed my mind is exploring what an Andrew Benintendi free agent deal looks like to come back and play LF, trading Verdugo (team friendly 2 arb years remaining) for a decent OF prospect who can actually play CF or packaging him with some prospects to acquire a legitimate RF(re-sign Hernandez) or CF(still potentially re-signing Hernandez and going with the 2 CF approach in CF and RF) - Thought process here being that Benintendi and Verdugo have put up extremely similar numbers in '21-'22 ( stathead.com/tiny/ekuDe ), and with the large amount of cap space you'll have moving into '23, you could afford to pay a higher (yet still reasonable) number for those statistics out of your LF (especially one you're very familiar with), re-shuffle the value of Verdugo's 2 years of team control into a player of similar value but with skills needed for this team to compete instead of creating redundancy at the easiest OF position to play in Fenway park, and maybe even give yourself the leadoff hitter you desperately need given Benintendi's re-reinvention into an .avg-over-.slg type player, or give yourself a good 7-8 hitter to help drive in the heart of the order and turn the lineup over a bit. It also doesn't hurt that Benintendi is the youngest free agent OF in the class and a fan favorite in Boston already. You've got to think that any deal Benintendi signs will be short-to-medium term (3-5 years?) and maybe in the realm of $9-12m per year? So considering those, admittedly speculative ranges, the deal totals between $27m on the low-low end to $60m on the high-high? Splitting the difference at 4 years $45m sounds like something I'd be ok with for the type of player Benintendi has seemed to settle into if it enables us to utilize Verdugo's value in other ways. Benintendi and 81% singles, 19% extra base hits, and $10,000,000+ salary are not coming back to Boston. That is not the type of FA Bloom signs. |
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Post by greatscottcooper on Aug 15, 2022 15:25:23 GMT -5
Unless the FO is planning another bridge year, I think you realistically have to sign two outfielders. I'd move Verdugo back to LF and work towards a RF/CF with Duran being the 4th guy. I'd love Judge and either Nimmo/Haniger. I think Haniger might take a contract that is very friendly but gives him an opt-out after this season to rebuild his value but given his age he might opt for more money and a long-term deal. Verdugo/Haniger/Judge would be....well much better than this year. I will spare you the lineup lineup post.
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Post by benzinger on Aug 15, 2022 15:54:34 GMT -5
I looked and dind't see a thread dedicated to the subject of the future of the outfield, so I created one myself. Feel free to merge them if there's already one I didn't find. Moving into 2023 the team has only Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran under contract to play OF. I've resigned myself to Duran just not having it at the major league level, and Verdugo is *fine* in LF. Hernandez is a free agent after 2022, and Pham has a mutual option that shouldn't be picked up, nor do I think he should be brought back for 2023. You've got one(1) better-than-intriguing OF prospect in the high minors in Ceddanne Rafaela, but I'd not expect him to be a regular contributor (if at all) until the second half of 2023 at the earliest. Your next two(2) OF prospects who seem to have any potential to be major leaguers are Miguel Bleis and Roman Anthony, who are both 18 years old and currently playing at the lowest affiliate level that exists in the contiguous U.S. So even if they both fulfill their potential, you can't realistically expect them to contribute until what? 2026? One thought that's crossed my mind is exploring what an Andrew Benintendi free agent deal looks like to come back and play LF, trading Verdugo (team friendly 2 arb years remaining) for a decent OF prospect who can actually play CF or packaging him with some prospects to acquire a legitimate RF(re-sign Hernandez) or CF(still potentially re-signing Hernandez and going with the 2 CF approach in CF and RF) - Thought process here being that Benintendi and Verdugo have put up extremely similar numbers in '21-'22 ( stathead.com/tiny/ekuDe ), and with the large amount of cap space you'll have moving into '23, you could afford to pay a higher (yet still reasonable) number for those statistics out of your LF (especially one you're very familiar with), re-shuffle the value of Verdugo's 2 years of team control into a player of similar value but with skills needed for this team to compete instead of creating redundancy at the easiest OF position to play in Fenway park, and maybe even give yourself the leadoff hitter you desperately need given Benintendi's re-reinvention into an .avg-over-.slg type player, or give yourself a good 7-8 hitter to help drive in the heart of the order and turn the lineup over a bit. It also doesn't hurt that Benintendi is the youngest free agent OF in the class and a fan favorite in Boston already. You've got to think that any deal Benintendi signs will be short-to-medium term (3-5 years?) and maybe in the realm of $9-12m per year? So considering those, admittedly speculative ranges, the deal totals between $27m on the low-low end to $60m on the high-high? Splitting the difference at 4 years $45m sounds like something I'd be ok with for the type of player Benintendi has seemed to settle into if it enables us to utilize Verdugo's value in other ways. Benintendi and 81% singles, 19% extra base hits, and $10,000,000+ salary are not coming back to Boston. That is not the type of FA Bloom signs. Thank you for being the voice of reason. The Sox don’t need another outfielder who struggles to hit 10 homers in a full season. We’ve seen enough of that. They need someone who actually has some power out there. Haniger is a good target, IMO. |
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Post by Soxfansince1971 on Aug 15, 2022 16:42:01 GMT -5
Benintendi and 81% singles, 19% extra base hits, and $10,000,000+ salary are not coming back to Boston. That is not the type of FA Bloom signs. Thank you for being the voice of reason. The Sox don’t need another outfielder who struggles to hit 10 homers in a full season. We’ve seen enough of that. They need someone who actually has some power out there. Haniger is a good target, IMO. Pham is a good fit in LF. He has some pop, and defensively LF for 81 games in Boston is a good fit. Maybe 2 years or 1 with an option at a reasonable price makes sense. If Bloom is ok with Verdugo in RF he stays, but the outfielders need to be more productive. |
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Post by dirtdog on Aug 15, 2022 16:58:08 GMT -5
I looked and dind't see a thread dedicated to the subject of the future of the outfield, so I created one myself. Feel free to merge them if there's already one I didn't find. Moving into 2023 the team has only Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran under contract to play OF. I've resigned myself to Duran just not having it at the major league level, and Verdugo is *fine* in LF. Hernandez is a free agent after 2022, and Pham has a mutual option that shouldn't be picked up, nor do I think he should be brought back for 2023. You've got one(1) better-than-intriguing OF prospect in the high minors in Ceddanne Rafaela, but I'd not expect him to be a regular contributor (if at all) until the second half of 2023 at the earliest. Your next two(2) OF prospects who seem to have any potential to be major leaguers are Miguel Bleis and Roman Anthony, who are both 18 years old and currently playing at the lowest affiliate level that exists in the contiguous U.S. So even if they both fulfill their potential, you can't realistically expect them to contribute until what? 2026? One thought that's crossed my mind is exploring what an Andrew Benintendi free agent deal looks like to come back and play LF, trading Verdugo (team friendly 2 arb years remaining) for a decent OF prospect who can actually play CF or packaging him with some prospects to acquire a legitimate RF(re-sign Hernandez) or CF(still potentially re-signing Hernandez and going with the 2 CF approach in CF and RF) - Thought process here being that Benintendi and Verdugo have put up extremely similar numbers in '21-'22 ( stathead.com/tiny/ekuDe ), and with the large amount of cap space you'll have moving into '23, you could afford to pay a higher (yet still reasonable) number for those statistics out of your LF (especially one you're very familiar with), re-shuffle the value of Verdugo's 2 years of team control into a player of similar value but with skills needed for this team to compete instead of creating redundancy at the easiest OF position to play in Fenway park, and maybe even give yourself the leadoff hitter you desperately need given Benintendi's re-reinvention into an .avg-over-.slg type player, or give yourself a good 7-8 hitter to help drive in the heart of the order and turn the lineup over a bit. It also doesn't hurt that Benintendi is the youngest free agent OF in the class and a fan favorite in Boston already. You've got to think that any deal Benintendi signs will be short-to-medium term (3-5 years?) and maybe in the realm of $9-12m per year? So considering those, admittedly speculative ranges, the deal totals between $27m on the low-low end to $60m on the high-high? Splitting the difference at 4 years $45m sounds like something I'd be ok with for the type of player Benintendi has seemed to settle into if it enables us to utilize Verdugo's value in other ways. Benintendi and 81% singles, 19% extra base hits, and $10,000,000+ salary are not coming back to Boston. That is not the type of FA Bloom signs. Yeah that is pretty much my thinking as well, the Benny ship has sailed. I think he is one of those players who works best in a small market FWIW. |
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Post by dirtdog on Aug 15, 2022 17:15:04 GMT -5
I'd also see what the Pirates would want for Bryan Reynolds via trade, This is intriguing depending on who all from this team comes back. Reynolds and Bednar would be nice gets for a reasonable package. |
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Post by benzinger on Aug 15, 2022 18:54:16 GMT -5
Thank you for being the voice of reason. The Sox don’t need another outfielder who struggles to hit 10 homers in a full season. We’ve seen enough of that. They need someone who actually has some power out there. Haniger is a good target, IMO. Pham is a good fit in LF. He has some pop, and defensively LF for 81 games in Boston is a good fit. Maybe 2 years or 1 with an option at a reasonable price makes sense. If Bloom is ok with Verdugo in RF he stays, but the outfielders need to be more productive. I like Pham as a $5m/year(or so) guy, and I was looking for them to sign him LAST year. He has a little of that Carl Everett craziness in him. The team needs someone like that. He’s also looked great, so far. I think you definitely try and keep him. |
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Post by soxinjersey on Aug 15, 2022 20:53:55 GMT -5
I'd look internally first. I also like Pham, and I like Kiké and Verdugo even more. They would form a fun, high-energy group. It also seems to me in the most recent games I've seen that Duran is getting more comfortable in the OF and swinging the bat with some authority. (If you want to get a sense of how hard it is to make the jump to the majors for hitters, go through some old BA Prospect Handbooks and look at the stats of the top prospects from 2-3 years ago. A week ago, I checked 15-20 high-ranking players from those days and only Julio R had an OPS over .800 and that was just barely.)
But I'd also like the Sox to consider other internal possibilities. To me, Trevor Story looks and moves like a centerfielder. Can he catch flyballs? Is his arm OK? I don't know, but I do know that he is a fine defensive player in something of Kiké's mold and maybe he could make a similar move. Also, at some point they are going to have to move X (if they re-sign him). LF might be the perfect spot for him as many here have suggested.
Despite his injury woes, I like the thought of Arroyo full time at 2B.
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Post by notstarboard on Aug 15, 2022 21:24:57 GMT -5
I'd look internally first. I also like Pham, and I like Kiké and Verdugo even more. They would form a fun, high-energy group. It also seems to me in the most recent games I've seen that Duran is getting more comfortable in the OF and swinging the bat with some authority. (If you want to get a sense of how hard it is to make the jump to the majors for hitters, go through some old BA Prospect Handbooks and look at the stats of the top prospects from 2-3 years ago. A week ago, I checked 15-20 high-ranking players from those days and only Julio R had an OPS over .800 and that was just barely.) But I'd also like the Sox to consider other internal possibilities. To me, Trevor Story looks and moves like a centerfielder. Can he catch flyballs? Is his arm OK? I don't know, but I do know that he is a fine defensive player in something of Kiké's mold and maybe he could make a similar move. Also, at some point they are going to have to move X (if they re-sign him). LF might be the perfect spot for him as many here have suggested. Despite his injury woes, I like the thought of Arroyo full time at 2B. I agree with a lot of this, but you do not play Trevor Story in CF lol. He's in the middle of his career and has been fabulous at middle infield; no sense in radically changing his position now. I'm confident Arroyo could be a solid full-time 2B if he could stay healthy, but as you alluded to he's been fragile so far in his career. That plus his ability to play 2B/SS/3B (and emergency 1B/LF/RF), makes him feel like a better fit in his current role as a high-end utility guy that will play most nights. Edit: That said, if we don't sign Bogie and instead sign another high-end backup middle IF type, that could be a way to save cash for big OF additions. Arroyo could open the year at 2B, but we'd have quality depth if and when he went down. I wouldn't hate it. |
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Aug 16, 2022 3:11:03 GMT -5
Fun fact #1: Verdugo's numbers in a Sox uni vs. RHP (869 PA), expected and then actual:
.294 / .346 / .470 = .353 xwOBA
.300 / .351 / .462 = .340 wOBA.
The slightly higher BA and lower SA is exactly what you'd expect playing half your games in Femway, so over three years his xwOBA appears to have no noise at all.
So his bad wOBA - xwOBA this year is almost certainly bad luck, as was his good differential in 2010.
He's hot at the moment and if his .340 this year continues to rise, he'll end up projecting to better than .350.
There are 81 OF's who have 400 PA vs. RHP the last 3 years, and Verdugo ranks 20th in xwOBA. Mookie Betts ranks 26th at .347.
There are 90 OF's with 700 total PA the last 3 seasons. FanGraph's "Clutch" calculation is sloppy, but it's still in the ballpark, and Verdugo ranks 3rd. (Mookie ranks 75th.) You've seen that, of course, and it seems to have a real component.
As half of a platoon, when you factor in some real clutch, and his average range in LF and plus arm (accuracy and quick release) he's just a tad shy of All-Star quality.
Against LHP, he's gone .244, .282, .322, and he actually has a mild reverse split in his current hot streak. If we take .320 as his current level, he's .340 overall, and that's still a first-division starter without factoring in clutch or defense.
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They'll re-sign Kiké. That's easy.
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The rest is not. You have three options for RF.
1) Acquire a full-time RF who can field the position in Fenway (as Renfroe couldn't quite; he was also 90th, dead last by a mile, in FG Clutch) and platoon Refsnyder with Verdugo. Upsides: highest quality option; give you flexibility at 4th bench role and DH, which is to say either one can be your backup 1B. Downsides: expensive in dollars or talent; lose Pham's clubhouse presence.
2) Acquire a platoon LHB for RF, platoon him with Refsnyder, and keep Pham to platoon with Verdugo. Upsides: RF production may be even better than option #1, for much lower expense; keeps Pham in the clubhouse. Downside: You have to fill DH with an acquisition who can play 1B, or keep Hosmer in that role when he may not project to hit well enough; it's deeply unclear whether the offensive upgrade in LF is worth the Pham roster spot. Pham is .346 this year vs. LHP but .330 over the last 2 seasons.
3) Same as #2, but continue to use Verdugo full-time, let Pham go, and fill DH and the last bench spot freely as in #1.
Given that the last bench spot might be either Duran or Dalbec, option 2, with its lack of flexibility, seems unlikely. But options 1 and 3 are very viable and I am at present resisting the urge to try and find the available OF's (if any) who fit the platoon description.
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Post by notstarboard on Aug 16, 2022 8:03:32 GMT -5
Fun fact #1: Verdugo's numbers in a Sox uni vs. RHP (869 PA), expected and then actual:
.294 / .346 / .470 = .353 xwOBA
.300 / .351 / .462 = .340 wOBA.
The slightly higher BA and lower SA is exactly what you'd expect playing half your games in Femway, so over three years his xwOBA appears to have no noise at all.
So his bad wOBA - xwOBA this year is almost certainly bad luck, as was his good differential in 2010.
He's hot at the moment and if his .340 this year continues to rise, he'll end up projecting to better than .350.
There are 81 OF's who have 400 PA vs. RHP the last 3 years, and Verdugo ranks 20th in xwOBA. Mookie Betts ranks 26th at .347.
There are 90 OF's with 700 total PA the last 3 seasons. FanGraph's "Clutch" calculation is sloppy, but it's still in the ballpark, and Verdugo ranks 3rd. (Mookie ranks 75th.) You've seen that, of course, and it seems to have a real component.
As half of a platoon, when you factor in some real clutch, and his average range in LF and plus arm (accuracy and quick release) he's just a tad shy of All-Star quality.
Against LHP, he's gone .244, .282, .322, and he actually has a mild reverse split in his current hot streak. If we take .320 as his current level, he's .340 overall, and that's still a first-division starter without factoring in clutch or defense.
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They'll re-sign Kiké. That's easy.
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The rest is not. You have three options for RF.
1) Acquire a full-time RF who can field the position in Fenway (as Renfroe couldn't quite; he was also 90th, dead last by a mile, in FG Clutch) and platoon Refsnyder with Verdugo. Upsides: highest quality option; give you flexibility at 4th bench role and DH, which is to say either one can be your backup 1B. Downsides: expensive in dollars or talent; lose Pham's clubhouse presence.
2) Acquire a platoon LHB for RF, platoon him with Refsnyder, and keep Pham to platoon with Verdugo. Upsides: RF production may be even better than option #1, for much lower expense; keeps Pham in the clubhouse. Downside: You have to fill DH with an acquisition who can play 1B, or keep Hosmer in that role when he may not project to hit well enough; it's deeply unclear whether the offensive upgrade in LF is worth the Pham roster spot. Pham is .346 this year vs. LHP but .330 over the last 2 seasons.
3) Same as #2, but continue to use Verdugo full-time, let Pham go, and fill DH and the last bench spot freely as in #1.
Given that the last bench spot might be either Duran or Dalbec, option 2, with its lack of flexibility, seems unlikely. But options 1 and 3 are very viable and I am at present resisting the urge to try and find the available OF's (if any) who fit the platoon description.
I'm curious why you're rating Pham's clubhouse presence highly. I haven't heard any bad things since he's joined, but his reputation was bad enough coming in that I was more worried about him being a clubhouse cancer. I agree they should re-sign Kiké. He's a good fit and hopefully will be a bargain after his 2022. I also like option #1, i.e. having Refsnyder spell Verdugo a fair bit against lefties, with Verdugo of course playing all the time against righties, and then signing an RF. Nimmo would be lovely; a high OBP CF that should be able to play a darned good RF. Then the only question is whether we'd consider trading Duran (or even Verdugo, if Duran puts it together and we feel he can step into a platoon role). I don't think the money should be a concern, because besides SS I can't think of a better place to spend (for the 2023 season) than OF. We have a lot young pitching talent, to the point where I'd rather limit investment in the pitching staff. I'm totally fine platooning Wong and McGuire too and keeping that position cheap with solid defense. Plan A: Kiké, quality OF FA (Nimmo?), SS FA (could be a top tier guy, or a guy like Iglesias), extend Devers, remaining cash to pitching (could be SP or RP depending on cost, but if SP it had better be an impact arm to justify not playing the kids) |
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Post by greatscottcooper on Aug 16, 2022 8:18:37 GMT -5
You know when it comes to building a team you don't always have to dish out cash, sometimes you can trade for cost-controlled players, especially if you don't have the best track record of developing your own pitchers, I'd rather trade for a younger guy than sign a FA 30-year-old pitcher. My point? I'm not afraid of investing more money in this offense and going big in 2023. Maybe my Judge dream is too big, but I'd like to see Nimmo plus. I'd like to see Verdugo back in LF and find two guys to plug up CF/RF with Duran as the backup. Let Kiké and Pham walk.
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Post by threeifbaerga on Aug 16, 2022 9:07:37 GMT -5
RE Pham - aside from the situation with Pederson I think Pham has always been looked at as a fiery teammate, a real emotional leader and competitor in the clubhouse which is something I think the team is missing without Sale in the dugout. The leaders and stars on this team aren't the rah-rah type which I think can be detrimental when the team isn't performing as it should. This is obviously something that isn't necessarily quantifiable, just what I feel about the team.
As for the outfield going forward, my team building philosophy emphasizes CF defense so I'd start with re-signing Kiké to a 1 or 1+1 year deal and find a backup outfielder who can play above average defense at the corners and you would be comfortable giving regular at bats to should Hernandez go down for an extended period. Both of these deals would be made with an eye toward Rafaela breaking in should things break our way in 2023.
As for the corners I don't see the impetus to move on from Verdugo at what would amount to yet another sell low situation. Bring him back and hope his power returns. For the other corner I see the allure of Brandon Nimmo for sure but if the Mets or another contender want to give him a huge deal let them.
Am I crazy for thinking that Joey Gallo might be a good buy low candidate for RF? He was a plus defender there in Texas and already looks like a new man with the bat in LA. His power would be welcome in the lineup and at 28 there's reason to believe he isn't just toast. He could be the Schwarber replacement who can actually be an asset in the outfield instead of a problem.
I'm not sure who that backup OF is and I don't know what happens with Duran in that situation but we'd have good outfield defense and valuable bats without any huge commitments.
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