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Post by juanpena on Oct 29, 2018 8:28:35 GMT -5
I know there are people here who don't like Dave Dombrowski and his moves -- to the point of bastardizing his last name -- but I have to give him a shout-out.
If you're going to make a big push to trade assets to win, you need to finish the job, and boy did he ever do it. This is the best Red Sox team any of us will ever live to see and it was just a true joy to watch.
And he didn't "trade all the prospects." I'm sure a lot of teams tried to get Benintendi, but he didn't give him up. We know the White Sox started the Sale talks by asking for Devers, and Dombrowski told them, basically, "We can make a deal, but you're not getting Devers."
And the last 12 months have been mind-boggling good, starting with hiring Alex Cora, the perfect choice to manage this team. Then, to add the player who was a perfect fit for the team, he got into a staredown with Scott Boras, and Boras blinked. Sure, he got lucky with Ryan Brasier, he did sign him.
Then he had the guts -- with the backing/urging of Cora -- to release Hanley Ramirez when Hanley couldn't heat good heat anymore. Have a hole for a right-handed hitter who can play first? Trade Santiago Espinal for Steve Pearce. Need to add an arm who can start or relieve? Nathan Eovaldi for Jalen Beeks.
And he and he people seeming to be drafting very well. Now the task is moving forward, and hopefully that starts with a qualifying offer to Kimbrel that brings back a draft choice. But that's a talk to wait until after the Duck Boat parade. For now, the man who was brought in to deliver a World Champion did so spectacularly.
Well done, Dave!
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Post by juanpena on Oct 26, 2018 13:17:10 GMT -5
One of the ways they could fit Eovaldi is to let Kimbrel go and go cheap at closer. That would get them part of the savings, in addition to Ramirez and Pomeranz, as is mentioned above.
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Post by juanpena on Aug 7, 2018 20:46:01 GMT -5
Jerez called up to the Angels. Good for him!
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Post by juanpena on Jul 30, 2018 23:16:44 GMT -5
The ceiling of Buttrey is as a high-leverage guy. But a more realistic, and still good, outcome for him would be Ryan Brasier. And the Sox already have a Ryan Brasier, with options and years of team control.
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Post by juanpena on Jul 30, 2018 22:47:04 GMT -5
I was hoping Jerez would make it to Boston. From the game logs at Pawtucket, he could either be dominant or hit pretty hard.
Jrrusso mentioned Lakins. He would probably go to Pawtucket now, right?
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Post by juanpena on Jun 11, 2018 23:53:29 GMT -5
Teams miss on players all the time. I recall Meadows being behind Frazier but very highly regarded, but I'm sure the Sox saw something on Ball. They missed. It happens.
But the Sox DID screw up the 2013 draft, not so much by drafting Ball, but by leaving more than $900,000 on the table. Obviously they tried to sign Sheffield or Boldt but unless one of those guys really misled them on signability, the Sox should have had a contingency plan. If you're not sure of Plan or OR Plan B, have a Plan C.
In hindsight, it would have been Matt Thaiss, but it also could have meant draft another "tough sign" near the end as a fallback, as they did this year with Zach Watson, if Nick Northcut decided he really wanted to go to school.
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Post by juanpena on Jun 6, 2018 11:56:27 GMT -5
14: Red Sox take Nicholas Lucky, 2B from Cocalico HS. He's probably got an unsustainable BABIP number.
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Post by juanpena on Jun 4, 2018 22:43:20 GMT -5
Wow, BA really an outlier there. Hope they're the ones who are wrong.
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Post by juanpena on Jun 4, 2018 21:52:10 GMT -5
Lenny Torres to the Indians. Knew it was highly unlikely, but was hoping he'd be there for the Sox second pick.
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Post by juanpena on Jun 4, 2018 14:29:33 GMT -5
Anyone have a heck no list? Luke Heimlich, in any round. Legally he has a right to make a living, but let it be with some other organization.
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Post by juanpena on Jun 1, 2018 10:51:13 GMT -5
So I guess he's soft.
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Post by juanpena on May 29, 2018 10:42:43 GMT -5
Or, instead of all the hair-pulling we're doing over Quintana, they could have just drafted Bo Bichette over C.J. Chatham in the second round.
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Post by juanpena on May 25, 2018 23:57:20 GMT -5
Since the Mets claimed him when the Pirates waived him at the end of spring training, what makes you think they wouldn't claimed him if the Sox had waived him at the end of spring training.
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Post by juanpena on May 10, 2018 19:31:06 GMT -5
Not exactly sure how Benny missed that HANGING curveball. But he did. Not sure how Devers missed that ball hit right to him.
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Post by juanpena on May 9, 2018 21:46:33 GMT -5
On an unbelievably sucky day in Red Sox land, Shawaryn is a bright light.
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Post by juanpena on May 7, 2018 19:48:02 GMT -5
The one X factor that could keep the Yankees away from a starter is Jestus Sheffield, but I still think the Yankees go after a starter and use Sheffield out of the bullpen in the playoffs and September this year. Kind of like with what Tampa Bay did with Price in 2008. I think there's a good shot the Yankees give up more than they would have had to surrender for Gerrit Cole and come away with a lesser pitcher. Brian Cashman may be kicking himself for not pulling the trigger on Cole.
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Post by juanpena on May 6, 2018 16:31:10 GMT -5
Ball gave up five hits, including two homers, in 2.1 innings today. That's four straight appearances he's been torched.
It's hard to find any reason for optimism.
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Post by juanpena on May 3, 2018 21:17:53 GMT -5
May not be a popular opinion here, but that would not make me particularly upset. I think his best years are behind him, and Boston simply isn't a great fit for him. But...let's see how things pan out the rest of the season (these are painful games to watch though) Not a popular opinion? I think people would be doing cartwheels if he opted out.
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Post by juanpena on May 3, 2018 20:16:49 GMT -5
I know the error hurt, but still. But this site keeps telling me Devers is great defensively.
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Post by juanpena on May 1, 2018 19:22:27 GMT -5
CVaz is -.3 bWAR. He's 27 years old...not good. And they have him a contract extension.
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Post by juanpena on May 1, 2018 15:43:29 GMT -5
How can the Sox system be considered weak when the best pitcher in baseball is the No. 20 prospect? Shawaryn's start is encouraging. Hope he can keep it up, and that Lakins can be healthy and pitch well. Beeks gives them what appears to be a legit -- not elite, but potentially solid -- starting pitching prospect at the upper levels. It would be nice if Shawaryn and/or Lakins gave them another one, as all the Class A guys develop.
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Post by juanpena on Apr 28, 2018 15:38:01 GMT -5
Actually, probably second base and they don't re-sign Nunez. Yes, and when Pedroia comes back, he might become the starting center fielder. Note: I'm NOT trying to redo the Sale trade, just saying where Moncada would play if he were here.
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Post by juanpena on Apr 27, 2018 1:40:06 GMT -5
The "win now" notion that we can only win now with Sale, or Thornburg or whoever seems a bit of a stretch. E.g, the Beckett trade was justified because the Sox won the 2007 WS, but in 2007 Hanley batted .332 with an OPS of .948 and 212 hits -- he would have been the 2nd best hitter on the team behind Papi and ahead of Manny, and most likely could have contributed to a WS run. Hanley was a 4.4-win player in 2007. Mike Lowell was a 5-win player, and was lights-out in all three rounds of the playoffs.
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Post by juanpena on Apr 12, 2018 17:20:56 GMT -5
Thanks, SoxSignatures and Chris.
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Post by juanpena on Apr 11, 2018 16:29:39 GMT -5
Did they ever say why he didn't pitch in spring training? I saw mention of Maddox's injury, but never a mention of Jerez's.
It's nice to see him pitching well. I think Johnson will do well this year in the bullpen, but I could see the Sox -- facing another money crunch next year and needing to re-sign Kimbrel -- letting Pomeranz go and putting Johnson in the rotation, giving Jerez a shot as a second bullpen lefty next year.
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