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Post by taftreign on Jun 28, 2014 14:12:17 GMT -5
Still disappointed we couldn't garner enough dollars to land Matijevic. Anytime there is an opportunity to add a power bat to a system light on power bats you hope to get the deal done. None the less congrats to JJ who made Baseball America's 1st Team High School All-America list along with Chavis. www.baseballamerica.com/high-school/high-school-america-team/
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Post by taftreign on Jun 28, 2014 10:08:09 GMT -5
Swihart can take Betts place in the Futures Game with Mookie being ineligible now.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 27, 2014 10:36:18 GMT -5
I don't think it makes much sense to even look at Trey Ball's stat performance until the end of the 2015 season or half way through the 2016 season. Personally I doubt the Red Sox give much of a flip what Ball's stat line is either. Your introducing a young cold weather pitcher with a lean frame into a professional strength conditioning program which in time should have an impact on his ability to succeed. Undoubtedly they are working on improving his secondaries especially the curveball which is recent to his arsenal. Without seeing his pitching charts or scouting the games I can't tell you what they have him working on. Maybe it's fastball command, maybe he's not throwing many change ups which is a solid pitch for him to work more on the curve, maybe it's just working on pitch sequencing against batters, maybe their working on adjusting his mechanics or one of many other possibilities.
Trey is much lower on the learning curve than a few other high round draftees and I see no reason to make decisions until he has been given the chance to gain that experience. I'm certainly astounded at how quickly people are to right off a prospect as a failure. I guess I would understand if we were a franchise like the Angels or Milwaukee who has a lean farm system and understandably would put more hope in this guy but we have a franchise with an amazingly deep prospect pool that is extremely heavy on pitching at that. Your entitled your opinion I just have to say I'm not ready to agree by any means.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 18:53:39 GMT -5
Solid point on the IFA money if it has any chance of actually raising the pool to the "already spent" bonuses. I'd say I'm skeptical the team could get to where they needed with $1,881,700 available currently and I'd project the team to have somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 mil in commitments between Acosta and Espinoza alone. Any bonus slot pickups however would allow the team to either save some tax penalty dollars or sign an extra $100,000 to $250,000 prospect or two so it's not a moot point by any means. A few factors here. First, all of the other teams have more money than the Sox due to their finish last year and more importantly, there are always teams that don't intend to spend large amounts in the risky IFA market. I was thinking the 2 player numbers totaled $3.0m but even at $3.5m the $1.7m is obtainable, particularly if the Sox ate contract on a player to a small market team in contention. How many Carps does it take to generate under $2m ? That's not a lot to ask for, it's roughly equivalent to asking for a bag of hockey pucks. Not impossible but the question is can you get multiple draft slot bonuses. Here is an article that has the bonuses for each slot value and you're going to have to knock down a top 15 bonus slot to get you going quickly. After each teams first draft slot value the second slot values (31-60) range from $476,300 down to $325,900. www.baseballamerica.com/international/2014-15-mlb-international-bonus-pools-and-slot-values/
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 15:38:33 GMT -5
One thing I don't see mentioned and I might have my facts wrong but I'll mention it anyways. If we sell something now, we can trade for IFA cap money. It would then be possible to sign both pitchers we have been linked to without crimping on next year's IFA market. Solid point on the IFA money if it has any chance of actually raising the pool to the "already spent" bonuses. I'd say I'm skeptical the team could get to where they needed with $1,881,700 available currently and I'd project the team to have somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 mil in commitments between Acosta and Espinoza alone. Any bonus slot pickups however would allow the team to either save some tax penalty dollars or sign an extra $100,000 to $250,000 prospect or two so it's not a moot point by any means.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 14:32:16 GMT -5
Selective selling in areas of obvious depth or duplication can occur at any time but other parts are a wait for me as reasoned above although i will admit my hopes are low.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 14:21:26 GMT -5
Wait until the All-Star break. After the team finishes this current road trip the schedule leading up to the All-Star break consists of:
Home for 3 vs Chi Cubs (32-43) Home for 3 vs Baltimore (40-36) Lester and Lackey for 2 of 3 Home for 4 vs Chi WSox (36-42) Away for 3 @ Houston (33-45)
Not that winning against lesser competition will prove the team is playoff caliber but it would allow the front office to ascertain what the true position will be entering the trade deadline and the second half. It also would appear to be a stretch for the underachieving to raise any trade value they may have. Additionally it allows for a few of the injured players to get back into the lineup with Buchholz, Doubront, Victoriono, Middlebrooks and Carp.
If the team has a run in them it would start in that 13 game stretch. The team could win each series (2 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 4, 2 of 3) or 9 out of 13. A long shot maybe but you get a better idea then if your ready to sell or wait until the deadline and run the tougher post All-Star break 13 games consisting of:
Home for 3 vs KC Away for 4 @ Tor Away for 3 @ TB Home for 3 vs Tor
By the end of July you are going to know with almost certainty having 7 games against the division leading Blue Jays.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 13:43:56 GMT -5
If the front office decides this season is not salvageable then my preference would be to wait on Betts. First, I'd rather Betts first exposure to the major leagues to be with a roster of players that is optimistic about winning ball games and achieving a common goal of the playoffs. Second, I'd prefer to give Bradley more than half a season of consistent playing time. I want to see how Bradley performs in the second half vs the first. He still brings it in the field and you can count on that. I want to see if he can continue to make adjustments before I'm willing to consider the 4th OF role. Third, there is a chance Pawtucket can make the playoffs being only 4.5 out of the WC spot. If Pawtucket's rotation continues to perform I'd rather Betts have a taste of a late season playoff run. Not sure they will call up any of Swihart, Coyle or Marrero to help the cause as they are currently sitting in first in Portland and all three are experiencing their first taste of AA ball this year. And fourth it does save the team from freeing up another 40 man spot until the offseason although that appears to be just delaying the inevitable.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 25, 2014 10:52:15 GMT -5
There is already a likely need to replace the injured Carlos Correa and Marco Gonzales was called up by St Louis so I believe that will make him ineligible. Not sure if Swihart will be one of the first two picked based on positional need but he will definitely be in the mix.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 24, 2014 21:08:09 GMT -5
I would think it would help as a whole in this process to create tiered rankings based on presumed trade value to other teams. Taking both the major league roster pieces and the minor league prospects that are believed to be willingly traded by the front office and forging mixed tiers?
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Post by taftreign on Jun 24, 2014 21:01:56 GMT -5
I'd expect anything with Baltimore would not include AJ but would rather have to include Vazquez. Perhaps with the Dodgers as well. He appears to have some of the highest trade value of our prospects as he is major league ready defensively with enough in the bat to make him playable now.
Also to this point it seems (rightfully so) that Duquette has been very very unwilling to include his top pitching prospects in any short sighted deal. I would imagine he would need a front line veteran starter and/or young players or major league ready prospects that still have multiple years control left. I do think the most attainable piece may be Harvey though as he is likely close to 4 years from the bigs and with Baltimore's impending free agent losses of Wieters, Davis, Hardy, Markakis and so on their window is this year and next. Both Bundy and Gausman can contribute as soon as now or in the very near future given health in regards to Bundy.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 24, 2014 20:45:14 GMT -5
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Post by taftreign on Jun 22, 2014 9:19:05 GMT -5
May very well end up being the worst part of the Peavy deal for the Red Sox instead of Iglesias. Just like there is no worst part of the Beckett deal, there is no worst part of the Peavy deal. Rings cancel worst parts. Touche!
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Post by taftreign on Jun 21, 2014 21:24:42 GMT -5
May very well end up being the worst part of the Peavy deal for the Red Sox instead of Iglesias.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 18, 2014 21:06:48 GMT -5
In other news, Chicago Cubs recently signed 2014 1st round pick has managed to get himself promoted after only 5 games played for the SS Boise team now heading to Low A Kane County. He was 12 for 20 with 4 HRs and 10 RBI. Low A would seem to be a more reasonable destination for an advanced college bat. Kris Bryant is also heading up to AAA Iowa after destroying AA. I imagine he is in line for a late season call up and an opening day roster spot on the 25 man unless Chicago decides to try to save a year of control and/or arbitration. www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140618&content_id=80467532&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
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Post by taftreign on Jun 17, 2014 13:24:30 GMT -5
It is not just sports organizations. It is businesses everywhere that test for drugs. I get drug tested for work. As a player or employee, you make a choice that working for an organization/business is worth the cost (refraining from using drugs) and the invasion of your personal privacy (drug testing). It is pretty universal thinking. Whether you support the legalization of marijuana or not, until it is legal, employers everywhere will hold their employees accountable. Well... that's a pretty small universe you have there. Here in Germany it would be seriously illegal for employers to drug test their employees in most cases. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Germany have one of the strongest Unionized labor forces in the world which may have an effect on whether employees retain the right to not be tested. Where as the MLB players union has consented to the level of testing in an effort to "clean up" the game and remove the cheaters.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 23:02:54 GMT -5
This may truly be a top ten pick year. I continue to wait for the team to pull out of it but the small gains seem to be temporary. Last year was a special year and that team pulled together in the face of tragedy to carry the city of Boston not only to the playoffs but to a World Series title on the back of emotion. You have to wonder that after an extremely emotion driven season if the team hasn't fallen victim to the curse of playing flat. It seems to occur frequently across sports that long emotional winning stretches or even one very emotional game is often followed by flat play. I just don't see the spark that will ignite this team coming.
Getting everyone healthy would surely allow the team to push out of the bottom 10 but I struggle to feel good when considering playoff chances. I'm getting closer to accepting the season as a big disappointment and pushing for letting the kids (JBJ, Workman, De La Rosa, Vazquez, etc .. ) get a heavy workload of big league experience along with trading off expendable pieces for whatever gains possible. 17 games until the half way point and July is coming quickly. 9 games out in the division. 5.5 games out of the 2nd wild card having to surpass 9 other teams in front of them (including Houston by % points). If that number is around 12 out divisional and 8 out in the wild card come July 1 I'll choose the side of selling and youth. Sometimes it's not your year and for some it's even the year after winning the whole dang thing.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 22:43:37 GMT -5
Wasn't very long ago that it seemed plausible to trade Lester for Will Myers. In that deal TB got Myers, Odirizzi and two other prospects for Shields and Wade Davis. Now with only a half season of control instead of two full what does that reduce the value to? Whatever it is I imagine it would still be more valuable than a supplemental first. Even if the team gains a supplemental pick signing any alternative free agent starter likely costs them their first rounder which is a higher pick making zero sense unless they have a protected pick. I truly hope the team makes a legitimate attempt to resign Lester. The only scenario better than resigning him is trading him for prospects and then resigning him as a free agent but whichever team gives up prospects would sure as heck make a strong push to resign him to avoid fan backlash.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 20:21:18 GMT -5
Solid 7 innings for Stank, 7 IP 2 H 0 BB 6 K vs Charleston on 93 pitches with 68 strikes. Asuaje with his 7th HR of the year. Can't say enough how much he has impressed in his first full season. He should be part of the promotions occurring after the minor league All-Star breaks.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 20:06:41 GMT -5
He's trending fine since the 1st inning. Every inning counts of course but that 1st was his downfall tonight.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 19:52:35 GMT -5
Remy said he'd love to call an entire game as a "homer" would. Apparently he is doing so this inning.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 19:38:58 GMT -5
I'm always amazed by Adam Jones. .303 BA with a .319 OBP. Currently wielding a career low 2.2 BB% but he makes it work.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 11, 2014 19:24:47 GMT -5
Solid first 6 innings for Stank, 6 IP 2 H 0 BB 5 K vs Charleston on 81 pitches with 59 strikes.
Asuaje with his 7th HR of the year. Can't say enough how much he has impressed in his first full season. He should be part of the promotions occurring after the minor league All-Star breaks.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 10, 2014 22:47:14 GMT -5
Maybe just due diligence for a team that may become sellers down the line. Workman would be one of the most valuable pieces that the front office may deem to be a tradable asset. I prefer to keep him in the bottom of the rotation as he has shown nothing but consistent output in whichever role he's been placed. Quite a few of those teams could use a bullpen arm as well on a night that Miller, Tazawa and Uehara threw.
Add: I agree with django that the team is only an extended run of winning baseball for the rest of June from being buyers.
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Post by taftreign on Jun 10, 2014 13:28:31 GMT -5
Someone actually has to want injured, ineffective, out-of-options Doubront enough to give up the pick and the financial flexibility that comes with it. I don't necessarily get the love for Bryan Morris myself but the Marlins likely targeted him specifically. They didn't just take on some dude because they wanted to get rid of the pick. Good points on Doubront. I guess I was thinking more along the lines that he is controllable for 3 more seasons and his stuff may play better in the bullpen or could plug into the back of a rotation as a fill in. I didn't check his options and that is a factor to consider for sure. But even so no one would have traded for him being currently injured at the time. It was more a point that if a team like Miami would have preferred a starter type who doesn't project to be a rotation piece for Boston or looks to be squeezed out in favor of other prospects then I would have considered the idea in a reshuffling of the deck of sorts. Of course was not the only choice to offer in exchange as a few relievers could be made expendable. It would have had to be one with years of control however such as Tazawa or Britton.
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