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Post by justen on Nov 11, 2015 14:28:21 GMT -5
Aaron Hicks had a monster July. 1.001 OPS. He cut his K's by a lot this year too. Not a bad pickup but Murphy is a good backup catcher. Hicks is a damn good defender as well, great arm picks up assists quite often. If the Yanks do decide to flip Gardner for pitching (which seems likelier with Hicks, because Ackley is already on their bench), Hicks is not a bad replacement at all. If they keep Gardner, he's a great guy to have on your bench to spell any of the three outfield positions.
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Post by justen on Nov 11, 2015 9:48:01 GMT -5
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Post by justen on Nov 10, 2015 8:53:45 GMT -5
Kinda feel like you are arguing with yourself here. Don't think anyone here genuinely thinks that Barnes has enough value to be a center piece to acquire a top flight closer. Barnes has an arm that offers pretty big potential out of the bullpen. That's pretty much common sense in which you seem to be assuming nobody has. Barnes offers wild-card potential in any potential trade, but obviously trading him now would be selling lower than low and really wouldn't make much sense anyway. And your point really doesn't make much sense (I may just be confused), the Yankees want to trade a guy with top-closer stuff for a just as expensive guy with top-closer stuff? Not sure what you mean there. Signing O'Day might make some sense after a Miller trade, but why strengthen an area like your bullpen through an acquisition, and then immediately retract from it? Cashman never said Miller was "available" only that he'd listen to what teams had to offer, just like all good GM's do. We're wildly overstating Barnes' value. His arm has showed no ability to limit contact in the major leagues. 11.6 H/9, 1.7HR/9. The exact last thing we're looking for in a reliever. And his minor league campaign was not that great either. People can hit a flat 95mph fastball. The potential you're referring to is essentially, "well if he suddenly gains pinpoint accuracy and movement on his fastball, he might be effective." Sure, you could say that about me as well. And re: the Cashman thing, I was only giving a scenario in which it would make sense. They know Betances can cover closing role with his somewhat diminished velocity. They can sell Miller for a prospect or two, sign O'day to the same contract that Miller has remaining, and use that prospect to include and flip towards someone like Carrasco. Do I think it would ever happen? Probably not, but closing is VALUABLE. So someone might overpay. We'll just have to see if someone offers Cashman a big time stud prospect like Matt Barnes that has him so enticed he'll bite. No, you're wildly overstating what the board's consensus of "Yeah, Barnes is a bit of a loogy but a better looking loogy than most loogy's". Literally no one has said "Barnes has a chance to be a big piece in the acquisition for a closer". Andrew Miller was a loogy (and failed starter) who threw hard and hadn't done much of anything. Barnes is simply a failed starter (happens all the time) who is much too young to totally discount talent wise. You can go on for a pretty good length of time on failed starters who who turned into pretty good relievers, and all for different reasons. Whether it be velocity uptick, cleaner mechanics from the stretch, or just have a more than suitable mentality (see: Papelbon, Jonathan) Am i trying to say he's the next M. Rivera? No that is ridiculous. Does the fact thart Barnes throws hard and has potential to be a mean he has good value? No... You are wildly understating the value of trying to maximize the effectiveness of your players. Re Miller availability: It's a pretty irrelevant argument at this point, because like you said, Miller isn't going anywhere being that no one is going to overwhelm Cashman with a blue-chipper.
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Post by justen on Nov 9, 2015 15:18:55 GMT -5
Miller had 1 save before this year. No one cares about how many saves anyone has. Money is always prohibitive for small market teams. And interestingly enough, I just read Heyman saying that Miller could be traded this winter. Lol. Let's look at context here: Miller got the job because Betances struggled in spring and his velo dropped. Yankees are ONLY making Miller available because they'd then go out and trade for Kimbrel or Chapman, or sign O'Day. They're not thinking of trading Andrew Miller and not replacing him.But dude, go ahead and keep deluding yourself into thinking Matt Barnes could get you a 50 save closer. You could try really really really hard, and you still couldn't come up with a less likely trade scenario. Kinda feel like you are arguing with yourself here. Don't think anyone here genuinely thinks that Barnes has enough value to be a center piece to acquire a top flight closer. Barnes has an arm that offers pretty big potential out of the bullpen. That's pretty much common sense in which you seem to be assuming nobody has. Barnes offers wild-card potential in any potential trade, but obviously trading him now would be selling lower than low and really wouldn't make much sense anyway. And your point really doesn't make much sense (I may just be confused), the Yankees want to trade a guy with top-closer stuff for a just as expensive guy with top-closer stuff? Not sure what you mean there. Signing O'Day might make some sense after a Miller trade, but why strengthen an area like your bullpen through an acquisition, and then immediately retract from it? Cashman never said Miller was "available" only that he'd listen to what teams had to offer, just like all good GM's do.
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Post by justen on Nov 6, 2015 11:28:47 GMT -5
If we are going to trade for a Nationals' SP, I'd rather trade for Gio Gonzalez. Miley + Marrero for Gio + Papelbon(entire contract) might get it done. The Red Sox get a #3 pitcher with excellent track record and an established closer in Papelbon. The Nationals get rid of a major headache in Papelbon while reducing their 2016 payroll in 17M. Miley would be appealing as an affordable inning-eater #4 with some upside left and Marrero could serve as an utility man for the Nats. Steamer projects Gio Gonzalez to be 2.6 WAR, which I find a bit odd, as he was worth more than 3 fWAR each of the past six seasons. If that his expected production then it doesn't make much sense to trade for him. Gonzalez has a ridiculously team friendly contract in which he earns no more than $12 million all the way through 2018 (club option) so he isn't going anywhere.
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Post by justen on Nov 4, 2015 10:46:02 GMT -5
Just for record-keep purposes, that hasn't actually happened yet. Outside pitch reported that CBS reported it. CBS reported that The Boston Herald reported it. The Herald basically said it was almost certain to happen in November at the deadline. It would've been a pretty big indictment of Light had he not been added. Even if the Sox don't love him he has enough value as a trade chip that they weren't going to risk exposing him to the Rule 5. ----- Unrelated thought: My pet 2016 reclamation project idea is Rafael Soriano. Given how little he'd cost and how good he was as recently as '14 I'd give him a guaranteed one-year deal with an option for '17. Plus there's the fact that he has a history of success in the AL East, if that's the sort of thing you are worried about. Agreed! How about a Trevor Cahill kind of guy as well? I know he was pitching for the Cubs after a transition to the bullpen. Pretty sure Maddon even used him in the post season as a reliever. Young guy with a good sinker, and his shady track record of late should keep him at a pretty moderate price. Could also provide value with some spot starts. Davis and Clippard seem poised to be overpaid by someone else, but either one of them would be such a nice get for this bullpen which really needs a shutdown arm. Love me some Tony Sipp as well, but here's to hoping Hill comes back just as strong. Once we get Workman back from TJS, that will be a nice boost as well. Wonder if Dom picks a couple arms from our system to fast track to the bullpen, as many people above have mentioned. Barnes and kelly themselves have good enough arms to make a pretty big impact on that bullpen.
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Post by justen on Nov 3, 2015 13:31:07 GMT -5
A thought to those who would prefer the team hold on to the #12 pick this year rather than sign a QO pitcher, but may be less worried about trading for a pitcher. Which would you rather have? Zack Greinke, Manuel Margot, & Javier Guerra (or whatever prospects you'd need to trade for someone on his level) Chris Sale & the #12 pick It's oversimplifying things to a large degree, as a trade likely gets the team a much younger pitcher (the Sale/Greinke part isn't important to the point I'm making). What I'm trying to show is that I think I'm seeing much less willingness to give up the draft pick than there is to trade a prospect who's already in the system such as a Manuel Margot or Javier Guerra, and I think that's kind of backward. Personally, I'd much rather give up the draft pick than trade a player from the current top 8 in the system. It's fun to think about what's behind door #2, but I'd say it's less likely that the player turns out to be as good as those 8 guys than it is that he does. See Ball, Trey. There's certainly an argument that trading the existing player gets a much greater return than giving up the pick for a free agent, and I get that and probably agree with it. I just think that isn't what I'm seeing for the most part. Completely agree. To me it shouldn't be about holding onto as many prospects as possible, but instead identify the one's who hold the most value to us and using the surplus to further improve your team. There's absolutely nothing wrong with strengthening your farm system and not trading from it at will, but what are the realistic chances that every single one of these kids is a superstar? Obviously, the strength of our system makes for kind of a special case, but to build (and remain) a championship team there needs to be a decent balance of what's done with the prospects. Blocked prospects like Margot and Guerra seem like ideal candidates to be used as trade bait. Even with the non-inclusion of our big 3 (Moncada, Espinoza, Devers) we still have guys who could be top 3 in plenty of other systems. I'm not advocating for the trade of a Miley or a Kelly, but for the teams who refuse to budge without inclusion of "major-league ready" talent, we have that too. The best part about all of this, the teams who are willing to move that ace, we're the first to contact. We'll be the first to set the bar most of the time at least, as far as trade packages go. I'd probably rather give up the #12 instead of give up prospects who I already know are good. It all depends on the market which is a pretty wide one right now when it comes to starting pitching. I guess what I'm attempting to say is that I'd probably rather overpay monetarily for a Greinke or Price and simply lose one potential blue chipper, than have to include multiple high-level prospects who can be spread out to acquire more impact talent, or become the impact talent themselves.
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Post by justen on Sept 9, 2015 15:54:34 GMT -5
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Post by justen on Aug 25, 2015 18:41:03 GMT -5
typical huh Really can't imagine him being as bad at first having experience in the infield. Definitely creates potential at moving him to offset some salary or hold until Ortiz's demise. Good idea all around. #LetJBJplay www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramirha01.shtmlI should have said per 162 games for the 26 HR, but yeah the slash line is his average Misunderstood OBP for BA I apologize. Is there some sort of defensive metric available that might be able to at least point to whether or not he'll be even slightly efficient at 1b?
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Post by justen on Aug 25, 2015 18:06:01 GMT -5
Actually please let him be a league average defensive 1B with his typical slash line of 367/495/862 with 26 jacks. And maybe a tad better with less wear and tear. That would make him both valuable and tradeable. typical huh Really can't imagine him being as bad at first having experience in the infield. Definitely creates potential at moving him to offset some salary or hold until Ortiz's demise. Good idea all around. #LetJBJplay
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Post by justen on Aug 18, 2015 22:01:44 GMT -5
Ahhh, so you have no defense of the Detroit years then? Didn't think so. I linked to an article you are taking too long to read. I can wait until you're finished to continue, but you did ask for a quick synopsis. Ya that article genuinely 360'd my thinking of this move. Everything in the article pretty much points to Dom being excellent at evaluating talent while coming out ahead in just about all his trades. Really is impressive the core he put together. And about all the "he's gonna trade the whole farm" blabber, I feel it'd be difficult to completely deplete this farm system of its talent. Trades are going to be made and we'll lose some favorites but there's no reason this hire should indicate a chain of farm system mediocrity. I'm a typical Boston fan who panics too quickly. I'm very young, but this will easily be the most interesting transition I've ever been able to to witness of the franchise.
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Post by justen on Aug 18, 2015 20:52:26 GMT -5
Trying real hard to hold down the throw-up.
I just don't understand why it had to happen so fast.
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Post by justen on Aug 1, 2015 14:20:50 GMT -5
How about some on the field Patriots talk? How do we think Blount holds up as this years every-down back? I for one am pretty excited at its potential. Easely came back from the PUP and is now practicing in full pads. Our D-Line definitely has some scary potential with a fully healthy Easely, always consistent Rob N, and a fresh monster in Malcom Brown. Chandler Jones is going to stay healthy and put up big numbers. Not to mention Jones and Branch provide pretty decent depth. I'm still pretty nervous about our secondary holding up, but I expect Allen to really step up and Fletcher to not be a complte flop. Our linebacking/Dline core should provide plenty of relief. Think we all expect another dynamic offense this year, and there's no reason not to even with the subtraction of Brady the first four games. Garoppolo is either going to build a bunch of trade value or potentially cement himself as the heir to Tom, but who knows after guys like Cassel and Mallett.
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Post by justen on Jul 24, 2015 10:11:52 GMT -5
I've seen some rumors the Nats are interested in Zobriest and even Chapman. Both would be expensive but maybe a Holt/Koji deal would be cheaper. Would a Joe Ross be too much to ask for a Koji/Brock combo? Nationals have a few interesting prospects they'd be a nice target.
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Post by justen on Jun 25, 2015 8:03:35 GMT -5
Royals are another team who could certainly find interest in Buchholz, depending on whether they feel the need to upgrade its rotation over potentially improving its bullpen or infield. The Royals system though, isn't very strong and probably isn't a match to net a strong return. I'm all for keeping Buchholz as part of this rotation if we can't genuinely maximize the return. He has the experience necessary to at least lead our younger arms in the right direction as far as handling the pressure of pitching in Boston. FWIW, fangraphs article on state of Royals rotation, who are in a good position to cement their playoff hopes with the right acquisition: www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-badly-do-the-royals-really-need-a-starting-pitcher/
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Post by justen on Jun 25, 2015 7:56:26 GMT -5
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Post by justen on Jun 23, 2015 9:16:38 GMT -5
Virginia's not-matching camo vs. Vandy's all-black pinstripes. I can't decide which team has uglier uniforms. Well tradition says we hate the pinstripes more. Vandy is so good every single year. Trying to be first back to back CWS winners since South Carolina did it just a few years ago. Only been done 4-5 times in CWS history.
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Post by justen on Jun 17, 2015 16:21:19 GMT -5
www.minorleagueball.com/2015/6/15/8768873/ten-value-picks-from-the-2015-mlb-draftTen value picks from the 2015 MLB Draft By John Sickels on Jun 15, 2015, Here are ten "value pick" sleeper prospects selected in the 2015 MLB Draft. These prospects were all drafted no earlier than the 10th round but (perhaps) have a better chance to contribute in the majors than is typical for late picks. This list is NOT about players who dropped for signability reasons; it is not a list of late-round "maybe he'll sign for an over-slot bonus" pick. As a result, there's only one high schooler here and most of the others are college seniors. … Mitchell Gunsolus, 3B, Boston Red Sox: Drafted in the 10th round out of Gonzaga University, Gunsolus hit .353/.449/.556 this spring with solid plate discipline and the look of a professional hitter and potential on-base machine. His defense needs work and the physical upside as a senior is limited, but he's got a chance to be a Matt Carpenter type surprise..
Different hand positioning to start but definitely a spot-on swing comparison with the short, compact swings. Really through the zone quick.
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Post by justen on Jun 17, 2015 15:59:48 GMT -5
This seems like throwdown talk.
Brock Holt is going to take us to the World Series anyway.
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Post by justen on Jun 17, 2015 14:55:59 GMT -5
Agreed that it would take more but certainly an interesting player to have in mind with the demise of Ortiz.
Amfox pointed out the Cubs bullpen being one area of potential need for an upgrade, but it's already pretty solid. If we were completely out of it I wouldn't be against packaging Uehara if it meant maximizing the value of both players. But that would be hard to do.
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Post by justen on Jun 17, 2015 10:56:43 GMT -5
Some Cubs fans suggested a Buchholz for Baez swap last week. Sign me up. The Cubs would probably be a good match if the Red Sox decided to trade Buchholz. Theo and his troops likely know what he can do, and reuniting Lester/Ross and Buchholz could be a good match. Also, it is unlikely that CIN/MIL will trade within the division or that CWS will trade within city limits, thereby taking Cueto, Leake, Samardzjia, etc. off the table. The Cubs need upgrades in LF, the bullpen and need one more starter. Currently, they would be the 2nd wild card if the season were to end today. Schwarber could be the answer in LF for the Cubs, so I wouldn't expect him to be traded. Alternatively, there's been some buzz about trading for Zobrist to fill the spot. There's also been some buzz about trading Baez to the Mets for Steven Matz, and it does seem like Baez, Starlin Castro and Billy McKinney are the most likely trade bait for the Cubs to use. Baez is currently hurt and not expected back until sometime in July (broken finger), and I'm not sure we need to be trading for a middle infielder with a lot of swing-and-miss in his game and questions about his ability to handle premium velocity, albeit one who may eventually move to 3B. I would love me some Danny Vogelbach who is blocked by Anthony Rizzo and doesn't have the positional flexibility to go elsewhere. Dude walks just as much as he strikes out, only question mark is ability to play first. No doub to me the power is on its way as well.
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Post by justen on Mar 16, 2015 9:43:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham ?@peteabe Farrell: Castillo “game ready” by Wed. … Escobar to be developed as a reliever. … Much confidence in S. Wright as depth starter #redsox Also tweets that Ross needs work and that Farrell has been impressed by Tommy Layne. Does Escobar being developed as a reliever mean a Portland starter like Keith Couch gets promoted? Or does one of Workman/Hernandez occupy that spot?
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Post by justen on Mar 16, 2015 9:36:50 GMT -5
I feel like there are so many.
On the offensive side you mentioned Aybar, who I'm pretty excited to watch grow into his frame and play at age-advanced levels. I have a thing for Longhi I think he has a really sweet swing. Chavis is an obvious one to watch as he should be nice and acclimated to pro ball now. I really like Guerra on the defensive side and I think the contact skills could turn him into a very nice prospect, but it could still be a couple years before we see an offensive "breakout". Sam Travis is underrated, he rakes.
The amount of arms in this system is genuinely impressive, with potential from the bottom to the top. Kopech and Ball are my automatic favorites. I think Ball is going to have a huge season, I'm not good with advanced statistics but it's a gut feeling I don't mind having. With Mercedes at 23 I'd kinda like to see him move to the bullpen already, but I understand more innings means more pitch-development. Two of the real young international arms Emmanuel Dejesus and Jhonathan Diaz had very good first years, and could certainly make a name for themselves debuting state-side this year.
If I had to pick two: Longhi and Ball
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Post by justen on Dec 16, 2014 22:10:45 GMT -5
Jeff PassanVerified account ?@jeffpassan Could be a similar situation to what happened with Andrew Heaney: traded to one team, onto another. GMs these days always five steps ahead.
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Post by justen on Dec 11, 2014 16:45:17 GMT -5
How about Craig and a lower level prospect for one of Morris/Dunn plus back-up-catcher Mathis?
Mathis plays pretty good defense and is younger than Ross, one of the relievers could help with bullpen depth nicely. Both Dunn and Morris have a couple years of control as well.
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