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2018 Red Sox roster building
bosox
Veteran
Posts: 2,117
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Post by bosox on Jan 7, 2018 17:18:31 GMT -5
It appears there's interest in Swihart. Rotoworld is citing Rosenthal with The Athletic in regards to teams calling to express their interest in Swihart. Sox are inclined to keep him (which is usually the case until you hear an offer that works). Rotoworld
More on MLB Trade Rumors about DD's thoughts on moving Swihart who is out of options: Link |
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Post by jiant2520 on Jan 7, 2018 19:10:08 GMT -5
If Boston cannot come to terms with JD Martinez, I hope they try to make a trade happen.
I really don't like any other free agent, except Hosmer, who doesn't fit anymore, so I would rather not commit any money past this year. I like McCutchin as an option if JD is gone. I really hope Bruce is not considered. I don't think he is an upgrade over Hanley... Me, if Martinez is not obtained, I'd really prefer to see Brenz given a fair shot before a trade. I like Brentz too, but if we can get someone on a one yr deal, that is proven, I prefer that. I like Brentz as a platoon guy... I'd prefer McCutchin any day over him. That is a huge down grade from Martinez to Brentz.... |
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 7, 2018 19:36:55 GMT -5
I keep laughing at the thought of Brentz being the next JDM late bloomer.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2018 20:02:57 GMT -5
All this talk about JDM or some other power hitters. Who's playing 2nd base until Pedroia returns. Hernandez Marerro
Holt? Hernandez was out all of 2017, Marerro was a great but didn't hit. Holt was out with a concussion then vertigo and was not the same player. Esteban Quiroz? Can a player from the Mexican league go directly to the majors? Do they wait to see if Brandon Phillips or Chase Utley are still available and sign them to a contract with an opt out,?
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Post by p23w on Jan 7, 2018 20:30:09 GMT -5
I keep laughing at the thought of Brentz being the next JDM late bloomer. Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. |
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Post by p23w on Jan 7, 2018 20:34:51 GMT -5
All this talk about JDM or some other power hitters. Who's playing 2nd base until Pedroia returns. Hernandez Marerro Holt? Hernandez was out all of 2017, Marerro was a great but didn't hit. Holt was out with a concussion then vertigo and was not the same player. Esteban Quiroz? Can a player from the Mexican league go directly to the majors? Do they wait to see if Brandon Phillips or Chase Utley are still available and sign them to a contract with an opt out,? There are plenty of bodies and competition to keep 2nd base warm until Pedroia's return. I'd be more concerned about a 4rth and 5th starter at the start of the season, and who is going to lock down the 8th inning. |
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 7, 2018 20:39:10 GMT -5
I do wonder if JDM or Brentz would be the 4th OF if we sign JDM.
Or if it would lead to a Brentz trade, which will make me a little sad.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jan 7, 2018 20:43:20 GMT -5
I keep laughing at the thought of Brentz being the next JDM late bloomer. Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. Are you really saying that it's cool if JDM doesn't sign and Brentz winds up getting his ABs? Are you saying that they're comparable offensively? |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2018 21:08:27 GMT -5
I keep laughing at the thought of Brentz being the next JDM late bloomer. Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. If Brentz is going to get a look then Jeremy Barfield and Chavis should get some consideration. Barfield has to be in Dombrowski's plans . He signed him before he could become a free agent. Chavis will be in camp. |
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Post by p23w on Jan 7, 2018 21:13:33 GMT -5
Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. No. My point is that the sky does not Fall if JDM does not sign with the RS for 2018. If JDM does not sign, then I am willing to give Brentz ST AB's and following a promising showing a spot on the 25 man roster. Signing JDM is not necessarily a panacea for what I perceive to be flaws on this team, albeit such a signing would bolster the offense no doubt. |
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 7, 2018 21:22:16 GMT -5
I keep laughing at the thought of Brentz being the next JDM late bloomer. Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. Bryce Brentz can definitely contribute. He is not the next Aaron Judge, and he's not the next David Ortiz, and he is not a reason to be okay with missing out on JD Martinez. There is a massive gap there, and thinking a 29-year-old who took five years to graduate from Triple-A is going to be an All-Star/MVP/Hall-of-Fame level performer takes some very serious wishcasting. |
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Jan 7, 2018 22:14:53 GMT -5
Are you really saying that it's cool if JDM doesn't sign and Brentz winds up getting his ABs? Are you saying that they're comparable offensively? No. My point is that the sky does not Fall if JDM does not sign with the RS for 2018. If JDM does not sign, then I am willing to give Brentz ST AB's and following a promising showing a spot on the 25 man roster. Signing JDM is not necessarily a panacea for what I perceive to be flaws on this team, albeit such a signing would bolster the offense no doubt. What do you think the biggest flaw on this team is then? James Dunne posted exactly what I was thinking. Brentz is hardly a consolation prize if they miss out on JDM. JDM is a true middle of the order hitter. The Red Sox lack power. He can provide power as his slugging average attests to, but he's not just a power hitter. He's truly a hitter. He's not Joey Gallo who hits homers or nothing. Martinez is a true middle of the order hitter, one they need since they have not replaced David Ortiz. All this said, I do think the offense will be better even if they stood pat, but I don't think it will be good enough given the offense of other teams in the league. The only way it would be is if the Red Sox pitching and defense is much superior to the other teams with powerful offenses. While I think the offense will be better with the potential to be much better if they get JDM, I worry that pitching might show itself to be the achilles heel of this team next year. Right now, you look on paper and you have Sale, Price, Pomeranz, Porcello, and E-Rod once he's healthy and a viable #6 starter in Wright who was an all-star before a freak injury. You can also see reasonably good depth options in Johnson if he can make the roster, Velazquez, and Beeks. You look at it and the last thing you need is a starter, yet it wouldn't surprise me if Sale wasn't as good next year, Price had health issues, Pomeranz regresses, and Porcello was just mediocre. Who knows if E-Rod will still have issues? I'm not saying the Red Sox SHOULD have problems in the rotation. I'm just saying I have a weird feeling that the starting pitching won't be what we hope it is. The bullpen is a concern for me. Kimbrel was awesome last year but I don't think he'll be as bulletproof as he was last season. The bridge to Kimbrel is a question mark. Will Smith be healthy and effective? Same question but with less certainty for Thornburg. Is Kelly still going to be Kelly? Will Workman be able to put a whole healthy season together? Who are trustworthy lefties? So I look at the team and think that JD Martinez is exactly what they need, and that either Watson or Duensing could help the bullpen and that they need to hope that Smith steps forward and runs with the 8th inning bridge to Kimbrel job. But it wouldn't shock me if pitching winds up being the issue with next year's team. Again, not a lot to go on other than hunches, which is not a good reason to drop a bunch of money on Cobb or Darvish and not sign a needed bat like JDM. |
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jan 8, 2018 10:46:45 GMT -5
Trying to find a reasonable projection for Bryce Brentz, I'd peg his reasonable 1% peak outcome probably at peak Brandon Moss, hitting .230-.250 with 25-30 bombs. That's if everything goes literally perfectly. More likely, he's a nice fourth outfielder who's a poor fielder but you can deal with by moving Benintendi around. Perhaps even more likely, Brentz loses the adjustment he made last year and turns back into a pumpkin.
Brentz is 29 this coming season. Let's look at the other players mentioned here entering their age 29 seasons:
JD Martinez: wRC+ of 154, 136, 141 the prior three seasons
Aaron Judge: He just finished second in the MVP voting at age 25, so he's got three more years before we can comp him to Brentz.
Chris Davis: Was coming off a down season, having hit 53 home runs in his age 27 season. Prior 3 years wRC+: 94, 168, 121
Khris Davis: Was coming off a 42 HR season, with wRC+ in the prior three seasons of 121, 122, 107.
David Ortiz: Was coming off two top-five finishes in the MVP voting and had already cemented himself in the annals of Boston sports history by leading the Red Sox to a World Series win the previous season. wRC+ of 147, 145, 118.
The point: Brentz is already past being a late bloomer. There's a slim chance he turns into a productive MLB regular, but it's a slim one. You don't see guys change their hitting mechanics at age 29 and turn into a middle of the order hitter after being a poor AAA hitter for more than two seasons.
The only way Brentz is a fallback for Martinez, imo, is if the Red Sox miss out on Martinez and decide to go in a completely different direction and sign Darvish or Arrieta or something crazy and build the best pitching staff in baseball, in which case Brentz will get to compete for the fourth outfielder spot with other cheap guys they have and/or bring in. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I think it's unreasonable to hope Brentz turns into a guy that can anchor a lineup.
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 8, 2018 10:57:44 GMT -5
I hate bringing this up again, but we'd have more information if we got to see him last September to see if there were any glimpses of being able to handle major league pitching.
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 8, 2018 11:15:44 GMT -5
I hate bringing this up again, but we'd have more information if we got to see him last September to see if there were any glimpses of being able to handle major league pitching. I don't know that 25 to 30 at-bats would've really told us anything about Brentz. On the other hand, the Red Sox unwillingness to turn to a totally obvious 25-30 at-bat upgrade within their organization told us plenty. Anyway, the pro-Brentz line would be that, with his adjustments and natural power, he could totally be like a 21st-century John Jaha-esque all-bat late bloomer. Putting David Ortiz and Aaron Judge into that conversation is nuts. Ortiz might go to the Hall of Fame, and Judge just had what would pass for a clear HOF-level peak season. If Bryce Brentz ends with a career bWAR that matches Judge's 2017 8.1 total, I'd be thrilled. EDIT: Was this whole post just an elaborate excuse to name-drop John Jaha? Maybe. |
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Post by rjp313jr on Jan 8, 2018 11:29:51 GMT -5
When does the free agent signing period open this year?
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steveofbradenton
Veteran
Watching Spring Training, the FCL, and the Florida State League
Posts: 1,840
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Post by steveofbradenton on Jan 8, 2018 12:28:27 GMT -5
When does the free agent signing period open this year? Hilarious!! At least we keep our sense of humor. |
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jan 8, 2018 13:10:43 GMT -5
No arbitration for Carson Smith. His contract for the upcoming year is for $850K.
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Post by p23w on Jan 8, 2018 13:27:05 GMT -5
No. My point is that the sky does not Fall if JDM does not sign with the RS for 2018. If JDM does not sign, then I am willing to give Brentz ST AB's and following a promising showing a spot on the 25 man roster. Signing JDM is not necessarily a panacea for what I perceive to be flaws on this team, albeit such a signing would bolster the offense no doubt. What do you think the biggest flaw on this team is then? James Dunne posted exactly what I was thinking. Brentz is hardly a consolation prize if they miss out on JDM. JDM is a true middle of the order hitter. The Red Sox lack power. He can provide power as his slugging average attests to, but he's not just a power hitter. He's truly a hitter. He's not Joey Gallo who hits homers or nothing. Martinez is a true middle of the order hitter, one they need since they have not replaced David Ortiz. All this said, I do think the offense will be better even if they stood pat, but I don't think it will be good enough given the offense of other teams in the league. The only way it would be is if the Red Sox pitching and defense is much superior to the other teams with powerful offenses. While I think the offense will be better with the potential to be much better if they get JDM, I worry that pitching might show itself to be the achilles heel of this team next year.
I concur. Right now, you look on paper and you have Sale, Price, Pomeranz, Porcello, and E-Rod once he's healthy and a viable #6 starter in Wright who was an all-star before a freak injury. You can also see reasonably good depth options in Johnson if he can make the roster, Velazquez, and Beeks.
I look at IP, and after the trade deadline NP. I'm not sure I like what I see. Personally I'd rather see a 180+IP top of the rotation starter added to this mix. You look at it and the last thing you need is a starter, yet it wouldn't surprise me if Sale wasn't as good next year, Price had health issues, Pomeranz regresses, and Porcello was just mediocre. Who knows if E-Rod will still have issues? I'm not saying the Red Sox SHOULD have problems in the rotation. I'm just saying I have a weird feeling that the starting pitching won't be what we hope it is. The bullpen is a concern for me. Kimbrel was awesome last year but I don't think he'll be as bulletproof as he was last season. The bridge to Kimbrel is a question mark. Will Smith be healthy and effective? Same question but with less certainty for Thornburg. Is Kelly still going to be Kelly? Will Workman be able to put a whole healthy season together? Who are trustworthy lefties?
And yet Reed is still out there, and is about as proven commodity (all things considered) as exists in this market.
So I look at the team and think that JD Martinez is exactly what they need, and that either Watson or Duensing could help the bullpen and that they need to hope that Smith steps forward and runs with the 8th inning bridge to Kimbrel job.
If Hanley does a Panda then this team is in trouble. If not then JDM is not imperative. Brentz gets his chance to spell Bennie and/or JBJ against lefties.
But it wouldn't shock me if pitching winds up being the issue with next year's team. Again, not a lot to go on other than hunches, which is not a good reason to drop a bunch of money on Cobb or Darvish and not sign a needed bat like JDM.
Keep in mind that the Yankees pushed the Stros to the limit with their pitchers. The Sox could have pushed the Stros to a 5th game with better pitching.
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Post by jimed14 on Jan 8, 2018 13:34:13 GMT -5
What do you think the biggest flaw on this team is then? James Dunne posted exactly what I was thinking. Brentz is hardly a consolation prize if they miss out on JDM. JDM is a true middle of the order hitter. The Red Sox lack power. He can provide power as his slugging average attests to, but he's not just a power hitter. He's truly a hitter. He's not Joey Gallo who hits homers or nothing. Martinez is a true middle of the order hitter, one they need since they have not replaced David Ortiz. All this said, I do think the offense will be better even if they stood pat, but I don't think it will be good enough given the offense of other teams in the league. The only way it would be is if the Red Sox pitching and defense is much superior to the other teams with powerful offenses. While I think the offense will be better with the potential to be much better if they get JDM, I worry that pitching might show itself to be the achilles heel of this team next year.
I concur. Right now, you look on paper and you have Sale, Price, Pomeranz, Porcello, and E-Rod once he's healthy and a viable #6 starter in Wright who was an all-star before a freak injury. You can also see reasonably good depth options in Johnson if he can make the roster, Velazquez, and Beeks.
I look at IP, and after the trade deadline NP. I'm not sure I like what I see. Personally I'd rather see a 180+IP top of the rotation starter added to this mix. You look at it and the last thing you need is a starter, yet it wouldn't surprise me if Sale wasn't as good next year, Price had health issues, Pomeranz regresses, and Porcello was just mediocre. Who knows if E-Rod will still have issues? I'm not saying the Red Sox SHOULD have problems in the rotation. I'm just saying I have a weird feeling that the starting pitching won't be what we hope it is. The bullpen is a concern for me. Kimbrel was awesome last year but I don't think he'll be as bulletproof as he was last season. The bridge to Kimbrel is a question mark. Will Smith be healthy and effective? Same question but with less certainty for Thornburg. Is Kelly still going to be Kelly? Will Workman be able to put a whole healthy season together? Who are trustworthy lefties?
And yet Reed is still out there, and is about as proven commodity (all things considered) as exists in this market.
So I look at the team and think that JD Martinez is exactly what they need, and that either Watson or Duensing could help the bullpen and that they need to hope that Smith steps forward and runs with the 8th inning bridge to Kimbrel job.
If Hanley does a Panda then this team is in trouble. If not then JDM is not imperative. Brentz gets his chance to spell Bennie and/or JBJ against lefties.
But it wouldn't shock me if pitching winds up being the issue with next year's team. Again, not a lot to go on other than hunches, which is not a good reason to drop a bunch of money on Cobb or Darvish and not sign a needed bat like JDM.
Keep in mind that the Yankees pushed the Stros to the limit with their pitchers. The Sox could have pushed the Stros to a 5th game with better pitching.
It also helped the Yankees and hurt the Red Sox that the Astros stopped hitting completely for 3-4 games against the Yankees while every single ball that was getting hit was a HR against the Red Sox in the first 2 games. That's just what happens in small samples though. That doesn't mean that the Yankees had better pitching. |
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Post by p23w on Jan 8, 2018 13:57:33 GMT -5
Think of Bryce as the next Aaron Judge then. Or C(K)hris Davis, or the next coming of David Ortiz. Myself, I can't remember the last time a member of this organization hit 38 home runs in one year, at any level. Point being NOT signing JDM is NOT the end of the world (or the 2018 season) as some would have you believe. Bryce Brentz can definitely contribute. He is not the next Aaron Judge, and he's not the next David Ortiz, and he is not a reason to be okay with missing out on JD Martinez. There is a massive gap there, and thinking a 29-year-old who took five years to graduate from Triple-A is going to be an All-Star/MVP/Hall-of-Fame level performer takes some very serious wishcasting.
Aaron Judge never hit more than 20 Hrs in the minors. Ortiz "best" minor league season produced 31 Hrs. Brentz hit 38. I don't care about his age, particularly in comparison to JDM. (whose top Hr season in the minors was 18). Brentz has hit 30+ twice. Brentz is NOT a replacement for JDM. He is an intriguing 4rth OFer option. His defense is far superior to JDM. His arm is probably as good as Bennitendi's. Comparing 5+ years of JDM to 1(+) years of Brentz is illogical. Like it or not the Yankees are the team to beat. Their offense is better than the RS. JDM may close that gap, but but does not make the Sox offense better than the NYY offense. The path to beating the Yankees in 2018 lies with the pitching staff. IMO, the Red Sox need to strike first and sign a free agent RH SP. You know the Yankees will sign or trade for a SP. Hopefully the RS can gain an advantage over NY with pitching because it ain't happening with the bats.
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Post by James Dunne on Jan 8, 2018 14:28:32 GMT -5
Brentz hit 31 homers in the minors, not 38.
Also, Judge had a 50 homer season in the majors before he was Brentz's age. Ortiz had two 40-homer seasons in the majors. You don't get to throw out major league stats when comparing a minor leaguer who is older than the major leaguers you are comparing him to. Rick Lancelotti hit more minor league homers than Ken Griffey Jr.. Brentz got to hit those homers in the minors that Ortiz and Judge didn't because Ortiz and Judge were good enough to be called up to the majors before their fifth full season in Triple-A.
Also, Brentz is basically as bad as Martinez defensively. The range is better-ish, but his gaffes are brutal. Brentz's arm is probably stronger than Benintendi's, but it isn't as accurate and his release isn't as quick.
Also, too, I don't understand the logic that the Red Sox should focus on improving on the part of the team that is already better than the Yankees, rather than improving the team's obvious weakness. Because the Red Sox offense won't be better than the Yankees offense, they shouldn't close that gap? Instead they need to spend far more money to make much more marginal improvements to that thing they are already better than the Yankees at? The idea that you only improve your team by making what it does best even better is... not a traditional view, nor is it one that's easy to back up.
EDIT: This is my third post pointing out that Bryce Brentz isn't Aaron Judge or David Ortiz, which seems like a deeper examination than the subject deserves. That's going to be my last statement on that totally absurd argument. I wouldn't predict the #1 prospect in baseball to have Ortiz's offensive career or have a best season of his career as good as Judge's 2017. If you want to argue that Brentz can contribute, stop putting such ridiculous names into the argument. They hurt any attempt at discussing the situation rationally.
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Post by p23w on Jan 8, 2018 14:31:58 GMT -5
Trying to find a reasonable projection for Bryce Brentz, I'd peg his reasonable 1% peak outcome probably at peak Brandon Moss, hitting .230-.250 with 25-30 bombs. That's if everything goes literally perfectly. More likely, he's a nice fourth outfielder who's a poor fielder but you can deal with by moving Benintendi around. Perhaps even more likely, Brentz loses the adjustment he made last year and turns back into a pumpkin. Brentz is 29 this coming season. Let's look at the other players mentioned here entering their age 29 seasons: JD Martinez: wRC+ of 154, 136, 141 the prior three seasons Aaron Judge: He just finished second in the MVP voting at age 25, so he's got three more years before we can comp him to Brentz. Chris Davis: Was coming off a down season, having hit 53 home runs in his age 27 season. Prior 3 years wRC+: 94, 168, 121 Khris Davis: Was coming off a 42 HR season, with wRC+ in the prior three seasons of 121, 122, 107. David Ortiz: Was coming off two top-five finishes in the MVP voting and had already cemented himself in the annals of Boston sports history by leading the Red Sox to a World Series win the previous season. wRC+ of 147, 145, 118.
The "age" narrative is not relevant at this point in time.
The point: Brentz is already past being a late bloomer. There's a slim chance he turns into a productive MLB regular, but it's a slim one. You don't see guys change their hitting mechanics at age 29 and turn into a middle of the order hitter after being a poor AAA hitter for more than two seasons.
I could postulate that Brentz "found himself" for a second time.... or that he has proven not to be overwhelmed by Major League pitching in his previous 25 man roster appearances, or that he had injuries, or that his odyssey through AA/AAA has come at a time when the team has seen 3 different GM's, each with a different agenda. None of this is relevant as to why Bryce can or cannot contribute in 2018.
The only way Brentz is a fallback for Martinez, imo, is if the Red Sox miss out on Martinez and decide to go in a completely different direction and sign Darvish or Arrieta or something crazy and build the best pitching staff in baseball, in which case Brentz will get to compete for the fourth outfielder spot with other cheap guys they have and/or bring in. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I think it's unreasonable to hope Brentz turns into a guy that can anchor a lineup.
Would Darvish or Arrieta sign for less (AAV) than Price? I would love for this to be the case, and would laud DD if he could make it so. I share your doubt that Brentz could anchor the 2018 line up, but I've yet to see a 4rth OFer that could or did.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jan 8, 2018 14:49:33 GMT -5
The age narrative is completely relevant for the reasons James stated. If you don't want to use age, fine, use "8th season in the minor leagues" and "struggled in AAA in his 6th and 7th seasons in the minors, a point by which most MLB players are well-established in MLB" instead. Works just as well. Keep in mind that he made a minor tweak to his mechanics - he didn't gain a cybernetic arm, or in a more realistic example ditch switch-hitting or something.
To use recent examples, Earl Snyder and Izzy Alcantara (oh kungfuizzy, how we don't miss you) have hit 36 home runs in a season for the PawSox. Snyder did it in back-to-back seasons! Combined, they've hit 7 MLB home runs. You can't just throw out "but he hit 30 home runs" without looking at the context.
At any rate, I'm not sure why this debate is happening because I don't think anyone is disagreeing about the underlying premise.
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Post by p23w on Jan 8, 2018 15:28:43 GMT -5
Brentz hit 31 homers in the minors, not 38.
Brentz hit 7 hr in 2017 for the Mexican League. The 38 Hr in 2017 came in 600 AB's.
Also, Judge had a 50 homer season in the majors before he was Brentz's age. Ortiz had two 40-homer seasons in the majors. You don't get to throw out major league stats when comparing a minor leaguer who is older than the major leaguers you are comparing him to. Rick Lancelotti hit more minor league homers than Ken Griffey Jr.. Brentz got to hit those homers in the minors that Ortiz and Judge didn't because Ortiz and Judge were good enough to be called up to the majors before their fifth full season in Triple-A.
Circumstances have much to do with when, and why players get called up. Judge earned his way onto the starting day roster because the Yankees had a weak OF. Brentz had every bit as good a minor league season as Judge at age 22 (Brentz hit 30 Hr's Judge hit 20) but the stars did not align.
Also, Brentz is basically as bad as Martinez defensively. The range is better-ish, but his gaffes are brutal. Brentz's arm is probably stronger than Benintendi's, but it isn't as accurate and his release isn't as quick.
I would disagree but as you say the difference is marginal. Still, I think Brentz is the better defender (although the choice is not either/or unless Rameirez is DFA';d or traded,)
Also, too, I don't understand the logic that the Red Sox should focus on improving on the part of the team that is already better than the Yankees, rather than improving the team's obvious weakness. Because the Red Sox offense won't be better than the Yankees offense, they shouldn't close that gap? Instead they need to spend far more money to make much more marginal improvements to that thing they are already better than the Yankees at? The idea that you only improve your team by making what it does best even better is... not a traditional view, nor is it one that's easy to back up.
If you wish to believe that the post regular season Red Sox pitching was better than the Yankees, I don't know where to begin. If you wish to hang your hat on the fact that the 2017 Red Sox pitching staff was 2 games better than the Yankees pitching staff over the course of the regular season, OK. If you account for the 8-11 record the RS had versus the NYY on the basis of a lesser offense as opposed to a better pitching staff, how would you suggest we reverse this fact for a team that added the NL MVP (a RHH) and MLB home run hitter against a team whose #1-3 SP are LH? The way to beat the NYY in 2018 is to extend your perception of wherein lies our strength, namely pitching. Specifically a top of the rotation RHSP. Adding JDM is not going to vault the RS offense past the Stanton NYY. The narrative, the hype is pundit generated. The pressure on the (young) players follows the narrative. If you want poor Cora to be another Francona give him what he (the team) really needs, sign Arrietta or Darvish.
EDIT: This is my third post pointing out that Bryce Brentz isn't Aaron Judge or David Ortiz, which seems like a deeper examination than the subject deserves. That's going to be my last statement on that totally absurd argument. I wouldn't predict the #1 prospect in baseball to have Ortiz's offensive career or have a best season of his career as good as Judge's 2017.
Thank god If you believed that this was about a direct comparison of Brentz to Judge or Ortiz than you have been out of the thrust if my metaphor from the git go.
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