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Verdugo Extension Discussion
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Post by scottysmalls on Jul 20, 2023 10:57:14 GMT -5
There are a lot of factors to consider that make it really unclear what to do with him from the outside I think:
- Is Verdugo willing to a sign a relatively team friendly deal (like a 4/50-ish)? - Is he someone you think likely to thrive once he has the money locked up? And related, is he someone who is going to thrive in a contract year in 2024 that you want to keep around for that? - Do you want to move Yoshida to DH starting in 2024? - What do you think of Rafaela, is he someone the team wants to be occupying an OF spot beginning next year?
I don't think there's a real obvious best outcome here, so extend him, trade him in the offseason, play him in 2024 and maybe give a QO, it all seems fine.
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Post by ematz1423 on Jul 20, 2023 11:04:05 GMT -5
There's a lot of factors to consider that make it really unclear what to do with him from the outside I think: - Is Verdugo willing to a sign a relatively team friendly deal (like a 4/44-ish)? - Is he someone you think likely to thrive once he has the money locked up? And related, is he someone who is going to thrive in a contract year in 2024 that you want to keep around for that? - Do you want to move Yoshida to DH starting in 2024?- What do you think of Rafaela, is he someone the team wants to be occupying an OF spot beginning next year? I don't think there's a real obvious best outcome here, so extend him, trade him in the offseason, play him in 2024 and maybe give a QO, it all seems fine. Personally I'd say yes to Yoshida to DH in 2024 or 2025 if Turner is back. I'm with you though, it's hard to pinpoint what the best outcome would be with Verdugo. If you extend him for a team friendly deal and Duran and Rafaela pan out as two of your three starting OF and then some other big time OF becomes available you like more than Verdugo, Verdugo probably still offers value on the trade market. Give him a QO next year and either get the pick for him if they want to move on or perhaps he accepts it. I don't think Verdugo back on the 1 year QO would be a bad outcome either. Really I'd probably be good with any outcome for him outside of some unforseen overpay which I doubt we'd see Bloom and Co. do.
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Post by freddysthefuture2003 on Jul 20, 2023 11:31:12 GMT -5
You offer Verdugo a team friendly extension in the offseason, 3 years/$30 million or something along those lines. If he wants to hit free agency you keep him for the last year to try and make a run and then let him walk. A lot can change in a year and a half but I am sure Bloom will have plenty of corner OF depth at the minor league level to plug in, plus money to spend and a deep farm system to deal from. I think at this point we know what we have in Verdugo - he's a good hitter with great command of the strike zone but not much power, and a solid defender in a corner. He'll go through stretches where he has a .370 wOBA and you think the breakout is coming but then will regress back to his normal ~.340 wOBA self. That is a solid player to have on your roster but it shouldn't be too hard to replace that production. 3/30 isn't team friendly, it's insulting.
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Post by awalkinthepark on Jul 20, 2023 11:47:50 GMT -5
You offer Verdugo a team friendly extension in the offseason, 3 years/$30 million or something along those lines. If he wants to hit free agency you keep him for the last year to try and make a run and then let him walk. A lot can change in a year and a half but I am sure Bloom will have plenty of corner OF depth at the minor league level to plug in, plus money to spend and a deep farm system to deal from. I think at this point we know what we have in Verdugo - he's a good hitter with great command of the strike zone but not much power, and a solid defender in a corner. He'll go through stretches where he has a .370 wOBA and you think the breakout is coming but then will regress back to his normal ~.340 wOBA self. That is a solid player to have on your roster but it shouldn't be too hard to replace that production. 3/30 isn't team friendly, it's insulting. I have never understood what an insulting offer even is. It's $30 million - if he doesn't like it he can just say no and hit free agency. What else is he going to do? Mope around and intentionally play poorly? I am sure that is a great way to make the most money.
Regardless, I was just guessing at what his value would be, if 3/$30 is too low that bump it up. My point is that it should be a pretty significant discount.
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Post by rjp313jr on Jul 20, 2023 11:54:51 GMT -5
3/30 isn't team friendly, it's insulting. I have never understood what an insulting offer even is. It's $30 million - if he doesn't like it he can just say no and hit free agency. What else is he going to do? Mope around and intentionally play poorly? I am sure that is a great way to make the most money.
Regardless, I was just guessing at what his value would be, if 3/$30 is too low that bump it up. My point is that it should be a pretty significant discount.
Insulting offers have impacts whether we can see them or not. First, if your goal IS to resign the player then opening with a god awfully low and unrealistic offer starts things off way wrong and will make negotiations harder. Second, if your goal is to only sign the guy to a super cheap deal then players talk and you get a rep around the league. They should have their number, but ask Verdugos reps where they are at and if it’s way off then I’d be trading him this deadline if someone will give up a real legitimate package (think 1 or 2 top 100 type prospects). If not then I’d look to possibly deal him in the offseason. You can listen to their number and say “I understand that’s where you are but with the money we already had tied up with left handed bats we can’t get there, let us know if that number comes down.” They insulted Xander and Lester… they also waited way too long.
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Post by thegoodthebadthesox on Jul 20, 2023 12:03:34 GMT -5
There's actually probably some merit to an "insulting" offer in this case. If he gets offended, the worst case is he declines the QO next year and you get semi-fair compensation for losing a pretty good player. Honestly, if I'm ranking scenarios that benefit the Red Sox the most, I'd probably say (Trade for a good return > Declines QO and signs elsewhere > Extended) anyway - though I'd still try to extend him. Best case is he accepts an insulting offer an you have him on a surplus value contract. For every Bogaerts and Lester you may run into a Ronald Acuna here and there, as I would've thought his camp would view the contract he signed as insulting.
Now, I think 3/30 is probably below insulting given the year he's had and how consistent he's been, but you can make the argument that this is the exact situation in which a lowball offer is actually a good strategy.
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,903
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Post by nomar on Jul 20, 2023 12:23:49 GMT -5
There's actually probably some merit to an "insulting" offer in this case. If he gets offended, the worst case is he declines the QO next year and you get semi-fair compensation for losing a pretty good player. Honestly, if I'm ranking scenarios that benefit the Red Sox the most, I'd probably say (Trade for a good return > Declines QO and signs elsewhere > Extended) anyway - though I'd still try to extend him. Best case is he accepts an insulting offer an you have him on a surplus value contract. For every Bogaerts and Lester you may run into a Ronald Acuna here and there, as I would've thought his camp would view the contract he signed as insulting. Now, I think 3/30 is probably below insulting given the year he's had and how consistent he's been, but you can make the argument that this is the exact situation in which a lowball offer is actually a good strategy. Verdugo would never accept a one year deal no matter what unless he misses all of 2024 for some major injury. So I don’t see any merit in doing that. I think it will boil down to if they think he’s going to get better or if he has plateaued. If it’s flat or downhill from here, I don’t see the point of extending him (and I like him & appreciate his clutch hitting). I’d be kicking the tires on moving him personally. There are teams like the Reds who could use him and have prospects that would interest the Red Sox, and the Red Sox would still have have Refsnyder, Duvall, Duran, Yoshida, and maybe Reyes for outfield depth afterwards. If no team wants to pony up, no need to move him, but he’s worth way more than Duvall and the difference between those 2 players over 2 months probably wouldn’t equate to much.
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Post by awalkinthepark on Jul 20, 2023 12:27:12 GMT -5
I have never understood what an insulting offer even is. It's $30 million - if he doesn't like it he can just say no and hit free agency. What else is he going to do? Mope around and intentionally play poorly? I am sure that is a great way to make the most money.
Regardless, I was just guessing at what his value would be, if 3/$30 is too low that bump it up. My point is that it should be a pretty significant discount.
Insulting offers have impacts whether we can see them or not. First, if your goal IS to resign the player then opening with a god awfully low and unrealistic offer starts things off way wrong and will make negotiations harder. Second, if your goal is to only sign the guy to a super cheap deal then players talk and you get a rep around the league. They should have their number, but ask Verdugos reps where they are at and if it’s way off then I’d be trading him this deadline if someone will give up a real legitimate package (think 1 or 2 top 100 type prospects). If not then I’d look to possibly deal him in the offseason. You can listen to their number and say “I understand that’s where you are but with the money we already had tied up with left handed bats we can’t get there, let us know if that number comes down.” They insulted Xander and Lester… they also waited way too long. I have never believed any of this. I don't think the offers to Lester impacted signing Price and I don't think Xander's offer impacted Devers. In fact I think if a guy's ego is so small that a guaranteed multimillion dollar offer during a negotiation offends him, maybe you don't want him on your team anyway?
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Post by thegoodthebadthesox on Jul 20, 2023 12:40:00 GMT -5
There's actually probably some merit to an "insulting" offer in this case. If he gets offended, the worst case is he declines the QO next year and you get semi-fair compensation for losing a pretty good player. Honestly, if I'm ranking scenarios that benefit the Red Sox the most, I'd probably say (Trade for a good return > Declines QO and signs elsewhere > Extended) anyway - though I'd still try to extend him. Best case is he accepts an insulting offer a you have him on a surplus value contract. For every Bogaerts and Lester you may run into a Ronald Acuna here and there, as I would've thought his camp would view the contract he signed as insulting. Now, I think 3/30 is probably below insulting given the year he's had and how consistent he's been, but you can make the argument that this is the exact situation in which a lowball offer is actually a good strategy. Verdugo would never accept a one year deal no matter what unless he misses all of 2024 for some major injury. So I don’t see any merit in doing that. I think it will boil down to if they think he’s going to get better or if he has plateaued. If it’s flat or downhill from here, I don’t see the point of extending him (and I like him & appreciate his clutch hitting). I’d be kicking the tires on moving him personally. There are teams like the Reds who could use him and have prospects that would interest the Red Sox, and the Red Sox would still have have Refsnyder, Duvall, Duran, Yoshida, and maybe Reyes for outfield depth afterwards. If no team wants to pony up, no need to move him, but he’s worth way more than Duvall and the difference between those 2 players over 2 months probably wouldn’t equate to much. Wait, I’m confused. If he’s not going to accept a one year deal no matter what, wouldn’t that be MORE incentive to offer him the QO?
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,903
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Post by nomar on Jul 20, 2023 13:07:03 GMT -5
Verdugo would never accept a one year deal no matter what unless he misses all of 2024 for some major injury. So I don’t see any merit in doing that. I think it will boil down to if they think he’s going to get better or if he has plateaued. If it’s flat or downhill from here, I don’t see the point of extending him (and I like him & appreciate his clutch hitting). I’d be kicking the tires on moving him personally. There are teams like the Reds who could use him and have prospects that would interest the Red Sox, and the Red Sox would still have have Refsnyder, Duvall, Duran, Yoshida, and maybe Reyes for outfield depth afterwards. If no team wants to pony up, no need to move him, but he’s worth way more than Duvall and the difference between those 2 players over 2 months probably wouldn’t equate to much. Wait, I’m confused. If he’s not going to accept a one year deal no matter what, wouldn’t that be MORE incentive to offer him the QO? Sorry, meant that there’s no reason to lowball him. They would 100% QO him
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Post by oldfaithful2019 on Jul 20, 2023 18:33:54 GMT -5
Verdugo is still #14 in the AL with .352 OBP and 26th with .793 in OPS. He has settled in very nicely in RF. I'm still of the mind that an extension would be a good idea. I actually highly value him in the range of performance he is in and don't need him to reach a new plateau to be pleased with our RF situation, of course it would be great if he did. I would offer 5/70 ish and if he declines do the QO.
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Post by rjp313jr on Jul 21, 2023 6:59:07 GMT -5
Insulting offers have impacts whether we can see them or not. First, if your goal IS to resign the player then opening with a god awfully low and unrealistic offer starts things off way wrong and will make negotiations harder. Second, if your goal is to only sign the guy to a super cheap deal then players talk and you get a rep around the league. They should have their number, but ask Verdugos reps where they are at and if it’s way off then I’d be trading him this deadline if someone will give up a real legitimate package (think 1 or 2 top 100 type prospects). If not then I’d look to possibly deal him in the offseason. You can listen to their number and say “I understand that’s where you are but with the money we already had tied up with left handed bats we can’t get there, let us know if that number comes down.” They insulted Xander and Lester… they also waited way too long. I have never believed any of this. I don't think the offers to Lester impacted signing Price and I don't think Xander's offer impacted Devers. In fact I think if a guy's ego is so small that a guaranteed multimillion dollar offer during a negotiation offends him, maybe you don't want him on your team anyway? No, when you’re willing to pay more than anyone else it doesn’t affect those signings. No one suggested it did. Why would you want to continue to play for a team that tells you they don’t value you?
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Post by benogliviesbrother on Jul 21, 2023 13:05:47 GMT -5
He’s one of the leaders on the team. I think we need to keep him around for 4-6 more year. How do we know this to be reliably so?
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Post by bosoxnation on Jul 26, 2023 2:50:03 GMT -5
Alex Verdugo says that there hasn’t been an approach by the Red Sox to try and extend him but he has made it very clear that he wants to stay in Boston. “If they want to talk, we can talk.” (WEEI)
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jul 26, 2023 6:23:49 GMT -5
The beat approach for the Sox is to do nothing. Let him play out this year and next, assuming the Sox play well enough in 2024 that they're not in sell mode.
See where Roman Anthony is by then. My guess is he could be tearing up AA by then.
If that's the case, what you would need for RF would be a stop gap and signing Verdugo to a big contract extension wouldnt make much sense.
Yes, Verdugo could easily shift to LF but by then you have to figure it's likely that either Yoshida or more likely Duran is patrolling left, with Yoshida the primary DH as I'd think bu then that Rafaela is starring defensively in CF.
If those scenarios come to fruition, which appears to be where they're heading, I don't see how a 5 year 100 plus million deal for Verdugo makes sense for the Sox. I doubt he'd take 3 years. He could do better on the open market.
I think the big plus this year is Verdugo being in shape and playing a strong defensive RF.
His bat will come around. It always does. But it's disappointing that he has those stretches of disappearing offensively that prevent him from being a .300 plus hitter, and without power, his bat is merely good than great.
Good player, but with Duran's emergence, Yoshida's presence and the likelihood of Tafaela seizing CF and the oncoming potential star status of Roman Anthony, there just might not be a long term space for Verdugo. They might just get some 1 or 2 year RH power hitting solution in RF until Anthony is ready
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Post by ematz1423 on Jul 26, 2023 6:45:42 GMT -5
If I'm the Sox I'm just playing out the next year and half with Verdugo. To me he's just not the type of player they need to be extending, he's a fine player even a good player at times but as others have said with Duran's emergence, Yoshida probably at least being a part time LF and hopefully Rafaela forcing the issue soon I'm in no hurry to extend Verdugo.
Not to mention that there is a huge prize available the same offseason Verdugo is an FA in Juan Soto. In a perfect world they QO Verdugo he signs elsewhere and then they give Soto a boatload of money. Soto is a guy that could truly raise this offense and team, you're not getting that with Verdugo.
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Post by notstarboard on Jul 26, 2023 7:37:28 GMT -5
If I'm the Sox I'm just playing out the next year and half with Verdugo. To me he's just not the type of player they need to be extending, he's a fine player even a good player at times but as others have said with Duran's emergence, Yoshida probably at least being a part time LF and hopefully Rafaela forcing the issue soon I'm in no hurry to extend Verdugo. Not to mention that there is a huge prize available the same offseason Verdugo is an FA in Juan Soto. In a perfect world they QO Verdugo he signs elsewhere and then they give Soto a boatload of money. Soto is a guy that could truly raise this offense and team, you're not getting that with Verdugo. Only problem with Soto is that he's a tragic defender. I don't want him playing RF in Fenway and I don't think Duran has the arm for it either. If Rafaela can indeed stick in CF, we would basically have two LHH LF/DH types in Soto and Yoshida, but with Duran as the likely LF. We could trade Duran, Yoshida, or Rafaela, but I'd rather just not sign Soto and invest in top of rotation starter(s) instead. Agree about Verdugo, though. I like him, but he's just a solid corner OF. That's not the kind of guy you need to chase in free agency when you have promising internal options or better external options. A QO could make a lot of sense, although I'm expecting the Sox to be over the CBT next year, so it'd be another 4th rounder if he goes elsewhere.
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Post by ematz1423 on Jul 26, 2023 7:40:05 GMT -5
If I'm the Sox I'm just playing out the next year and half with Verdugo. To me he's just not the type of player they need to be extending, he's a fine player even a good player at times but as others have said with Duran's emergence, Yoshida probably at least being a part time LF and hopefully Rafaela forcing the issue soon I'm in no hurry to extend Verdugo. Not to mention that there is a huge prize available the same offseason Verdugo is an FA in Juan Soto. In a perfect world they QO Verdugo he signs elsewhere and then they give Soto a boatload of money. Soto is a guy that could truly raise this offense and team, you're not getting that with Verdugo. Only problem with Soto is that he's a tragic defender. I don't want him playing RF in Fenway and I don't think Duran has the arm for it either. If Rafaela can indeed stick in CF, we would basically have two LHH LF/DH types in Soto and Yoshida, but with Duran as the likely LF. We could trade Duran, Yoshida, or Rafaela, but I'd rather just not sign Soto and invest in top of rotation starter(s) instead. Agree about Verdugo, though. I like him, but he's just a solid corner OF. That's not the kind of guy you need to chase in free agency when you have promising internal options or better external options. A QO could make a lot of sense, although I'm expecting the Sox to be over the CBT next year, so it'd be another 4th rounder if he goes elsewhere. I agree if they somehow landed Soto he'd play LF in my fantasy scenario but with a bat that special you sign him and figure it out later. I agree that Duran probably isn't suited for RF in Fenway either, but same scenario sign Soto and figure the rest out later.
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,903
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Post by nomar on Jul 26, 2023 10:09:20 GMT -5
If I'm the Sox I'm just playing out the next year and half with Verdugo. To me he's just not the type of player they need to be extending, he's a fine player even a good player at times but as others have said with Duran's emergence, Yoshida probably at least being a part time LF and hopefully Rafaela forcing the issue soon I'm in no hurry to extend Verdugo. Not to mention that there is a huge prize available the same offseason Verdugo is an FA in Juan Soto. In a perfect world they QO Verdugo he signs elsewhere and then they give Soto a boatload of money. Soto is a guy that could truly raise this offense and team, you're not getting that with Verdugo. Only problem with Soto is that he's a tragic defender. I don't want him playing RF in Fenway and I don't think Duran has the arm for it either. If Rafaela can indeed stick in CF, we would basically have two LHH LF/DH types in Soto and Yoshida, but with Duran as the likely LF. We could trade Duran, Yoshida, or Rafaela, but I'd rather just not sign Soto and invest in top of rotation starter(s) instead. Agree about Verdugo, though. I like him, but he's just a solid corner OF. That's not the kind of guy you need to chase in free agency when you have promising internal options or better external options. A QO could make a lot of sense, although I'm expecting the Sox to be over the CBT next year, so it'd be another 4th rounder if he goes elsewhere. 65th percentile arm strength for Duran this year. Considering the ground he would cover in a big RF like Fenway’s, I think that’s a trade off you could live with. Plus his bat will be more palatable in RF once his BABIP stabilizes and he’s closer to what xwOBA says he is. Ultimately, it is still relatively unlikely that both he and Rafaela settle in as long term answers at CF. If they both do then it’s a good problem to have. But I would say that when it comes to Soto, you go all out for him, stick him in LF and let the rest of the pieces fall into place. He and Devers would anchor the lineup for a long long time. Not sure there’s a safer bat to bet on than Soto, and that goes a long way in my eyes after seeing all the huge contracts this year… almost none looking good outside of Swanson and Eovaldi.
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Post by notstarboard on Jul 26, 2023 10:36:00 GMT -5
Only problem with Soto is that he's a tragic defender. I don't want him playing RF in Fenway and I don't think Duran has the arm for it either. If Rafaela can indeed stick in CF, we would basically have two LHH LF/DH types in Soto and Yoshida, but with Duran as the likely LF. We could trade Duran, Yoshida, or Rafaela, but I'd rather just not sign Soto and invest in top of rotation starter(s) instead. Agree about Verdugo, though. I like him, but he's just a solid corner OF. That's not the kind of guy you need to chase in free agency when you have promising internal options or better external options. A QO could make a lot of sense, although I'm expecting the Sox to be over the CBT next year, so it'd be another 4th rounder if he goes elsewhere. 65th percentile arm strength for Duran this year. Considering the ground he would cover in a big RF like Fenway’s, I think that’s a trade off you could live with. Plus his bat will be more palatable in RF once his BABIP stabilizes and he’s closer to what xwOBA says he is. Ultimately, it is still relatively unlikely that both he and Rafaela settle in as long term answers at CF. If they both do then it’s a good problem to have. But I would say that when it comes to Soto, you go all out for him, stick him in LF and let the rest of the pieces fall into place. He and Devers would anchor the lineup for a long long time. Not sure there’s a safer bat to bet on than Soto, and that goes a long way in my eyes after seeing all the huge contracts this year and almost none looking good outside of Swanson and Eovaldi. Alright, I'm convinced! I had noticed his arm strength on Savant, which looks fine in a vacuum, but among CF he has below average arm strength and you need even more for RF. This year, average OF arm strenghs from left to right are 87.5 mph, 89.2 mph, and 91.2 mph. Duran's at 87.2 mph. Verdugo's at 92.5 mph, for comparison. Still, guys like Mookie Betts and Manuel Margot are down at 87.9 mph and 87.3 mph respectively, so you can certainly be a good RF with an arm like Duran's. Duran's had a quick jump this year to go with improved routes to balls, so range-wise I think he'd do well there. So, I'd be more open positionally to acquiring Soto than I was before.
I still don't think he's a good fit lineup-wise. This team is already very LHH heavy, and signing Soto would potentially make our 5 best hitters LHH, even if Verdugo leaves: Soto, Devers, Yoshida, Casas, Duran. The only RHH who might touch the top 5 would be Story; Rafaela and Wong would be very unlikely to, and there aren't that many bopping 2B out there that we might pursue. So, again, I'm back to wanting to invest at the top of the rotation instead. And regardless I wouldn't want to sign Verdugo long term unless it's at a discount.
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Post by ematz1423 on Jul 26, 2023 11:11:53 GMT -5
65th percentile arm strength for Duran this year. Considering the ground he would cover in a big RF like Fenway’s, I think that’s a trade off you could live with. Plus his bat will be more palatable in RF once his BABIP stabilizes and he’s closer to what xwOBA says he is. Ultimately, it is still relatively unlikely that both he and Rafaela settle in as long term answers at CF. If they both do then it’s a good problem to have. But I would say that when it comes to Soto, you go all out for him, stick him in LF and let the rest of the pieces fall into place. He and Devers would anchor the lineup for a long long time. Not sure there’s a safer bat to bet on than Soto, and that goes a long way in my eyes after seeing all the huge contracts this year and almost none looking good outside of Swanson and Eovaldi. Alright, I'm convinced! I had noticed his arm strength on Savant, which looks fine in a vacuum, but among CF he has below average arm strength and you need even more for RF. This year, average OF arm strenghs from left to right are 87.5 mph, 89.2 mph, and 91.2 mph. Duran's at 87.2 mph. Verdugo's at 92.5 mph, for comparison. Still, guys like Mookie Betts and Manuel Margot are down at 87.9 mph and 87.3 mph respectively, so you can certainly be a good RF with an arm like Duran's. Duran's had a quick jump this year to go with improved routes to balls, so range-wise I think he'd do well there. So, I'd be more open positionally to acquiring Soto than I was before.
I still don't think he's a good fit lineup-wise. This team is already very LHH heavy, and signing Soto would potentially make our 5 best hitters LHH, even if Verdugo leaves: Soto, Devers, Yoshida, Casas, Duran. The only RHH who might touch the top 5 would be Story; Rafaela and Wong would be very unlikely to, and there aren't that many bopping 2B out there that we might pursue. So, again, I'm back to wanting to invest at the top of the rotation instead. And regardless I wouldn't want to sign Verdugo long term unless it's at a discount.
I feel like if Juan Soto is available you disregard whether or not your line up is too left handed. He's arguably the best hitter in baseball, you can make it work with him. Even though he's probably my dream target I'm certainly not saying the likelihood is very high he becomes a Red Sox, I doubt they pony up the 12 year $500M type of deal he is going to command but a guy can dream.
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Post by kwodes on Jul 26, 2023 11:39:03 GMT -5
Alright, I'm convinced! I had noticed his arm strength on Savant, which looks fine in a vacuum, but among CF he has below average arm strength and you need even more for RF. This year, average OF arm strenghs from left to right are 87.5 mph, 89.2 mph, and 91.2 mph. Duran's at 87.2 mph. Verdugo's at 92.5 mph, for comparison. Still, guys like Mookie Betts and Manuel Margot are down at 87.9 mph and 87.3 mph respectively, so you can certainly be a good RF with an arm like Duran's. Duran's had a quick jump this year to go with improved routes to balls, so range-wise I think he'd do well there. So, I'd be more open positionally to acquiring Soto than I was before.
I still don't think he's a good fit lineup-wise. This team is already very LHH heavy, and signing Soto would potentially make our 5 best hitters LHH, even if Verdugo leaves: Soto, Devers, Yoshida, Casas, Duran. The only RHH who might touch the top 5 would be Story; Rafaela and Wong would be very unlikely to, and there aren't that many bopping 2B out there that we might pursue. So, again, I'm back to wanting to invest at the top of the rotation instead. And regardless I wouldn't want to sign Verdugo long term unless it's at a discount.
I feel like if Juan Soto is available you disregard whether or not your line up is too left handed. He's arguably the best hitter in baseball, you can make it work with him. Even though he's probably my dream target I'm certainly not saying the likelihood is very high he becomes a Red Sox, I doubt they pony up the 12 year $500M type of deal he is going to command but a guy can dream. Agreed, if they could get a middle of the order righty then you'd have a 2-3-4 of Soto, Righty, Devers. That's unbelievable
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Post by bosoxnation on Jul 26, 2023 12:14:15 GMT -5
The fact anyone thinks we are going to outbid the Padres for Soto is laughable. Anyone else plays GG defense in RF. Top 10 in doubles, 3rd on the team in WAR .2 behind Devers, it’s being praised, at this point i’m blaming Mookie.
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Post by briam on Jul 26, 2023 12:40:24 GMT -5
The fact anyone thinks we are going to outbid the Padres for Soto is laughable. Anyone else plays GG defense in RF. Top 10 in doubles, 3rd on the team in WAR .2 behind Devers, it’s being praised, at this point i’m blaming Mookie. I think it’s mainly because he’s hit a bit of a wall this season. 27 wRC+ in the month of July, granted it’s only 63 PAs.
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Post by oldfaithful2019 on Jul 26, 2023 12:44:51 GMT -5
Trot Nixon, J.D. Drew, Shane Victorino, Mookie Betts all have two things in common.
1. Were the Sox regular RF on a WS winning team. 2. Played excellent RF Fenway Park defense.
#2 is an under appreciated aspect of building a winning Red Sox team. There were doubts about Dougie, but he has shown this season that he can check off that #2 box. If he ends up as a #9 hitter (doubt that allot) he is a player I want the team to extend. My story !!
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