Free Agency this off-season

[Sea Dog 23]

As Breslow begins his custodian of the Sox transactions this year, the record shows the Sox at this time have a current payroll (with the Devers deal incl) of $199mil.  It appears that the first threshhold in the CBT tax level is $237 mil prox.

On the FA front, I saw on a Twins site, Talkin Twins some predictions on the top FA's

Ohtani - Mets
Yamomota - Mets
Bellinger - NYY
Nola - Cardinals
Snell - Giants
E-Rod - Dodgers
Sonny Gray - Braves
Julio Urias - Cubs
Montgomery - Rangers
Kershaw - Dodgers
Jack Flaherty - Padres
Giolito - Twins
Josh Hader - Phillies
Shota Imanaga - NYY
Yuki Matsui - Cardinals
Hoskins - Mariners
Chapman - Dodgers
Hernandez - Tigers
Garver - Marlins Candalaria - NYY
JD Martinez - Mariners
Maeta - Dodgers
Guriel Jr. - Marlins

[MongoLikeSox]

Two starting pitchers eats most of that $37M up. We do have a couple avenues to save a bit of payroll. Trade Verdugo and non-tender Urias and there's $11M (last year's money). As far as I know, The Sox (at least Breslow) have only answered the payroll threshold question with the canned, "we're dedicated to winning" mantra. FWIW, Werner repeated his promise from last season to be competitive, so who knows.   

E-Rod vetoed a trade to the Dodgers last trade deadline, citing family reasons. I'm sure Miami's chocked full of pitching, which is probably his favored destination. Not sure if he's built for the Mets/Sox/Yankees/Phillies microscopes. I've been guessing Cardinals.

I can see the Yanks going long and hard after Bellinger.

Other than all that, I can see a few teams not doing much of anything until they know they are out of the Ohtani market. I hope that resolved soon, because those big names not signing can really screw up a Hot Stove season's pace.

[Sea Dog 23]

Two starting pitchers eats most of that $37M up. We do have a couple avenues to save a bit of payroll. Trade Verdugo and non-tender Urias and there's $11M (last year's money). As far as I know, The Sox (at least Breslow) have only answered the payroll threshold question with the canned, "we're dedicated to winning" mantra. FWIW, Werner repeated his promise from last season to be competitive, so who knows.   

E-Rod vetoed a trade to the Dodgers last trade deadline, citing family reasons. I'm sure Miami's chocked full of pitching, which is probably his favored destination. Not sure if he's built for the Mets/Sox/Yankees/Phillies microscopes. I've been guessing Cardinals.

I can see the Yanks going long and hard after Bellinger.

Other than all that, I can see a few teams not doing much of anything until they know they are out of the Ohtani market. I hope that resolved soon, because those big names not signing can really screw up a Hot Stove season's pace.

If Bloom was still in office, I could see him going heavy after Rhys Hoskins (ala Mondesi coming off an ACL).  I see the Yanks may have offered pitcher Clark Schmidt for Verdugo (at deadline or this week?) and there's some chatter that Verdugo and one of our BP may be the asking price to get Gleyber Torres to Boston for a 2B.  Personally I don't think we should emphasize 2B with our trade pieces.  There is more pressing needs for a RH power bat in the OF, pitching and catcher.  It will be tantalizing to see how much rope they give Breslow.

[MongoLikeSox]

If Bloom was still in office, I could see him going heavy after Rhys Hoskins (ala Mondesi coming off an ACL).  I see the Yanks may have offered pitcher Clark Schmidt for Verdugo (at deadline or this week?) and there's some chatter that Verdugo and one of our BP may be the asking price to get Gleyber Torres to Boston for a 2B.  Personally I don't think we should emphasize 2B with our trade pieces.  There is more pressing needs for a RH power bat in the OF, pitching and catcher.  It will be tantalizing to see how much rope they give Breslow.

Holy Smokes, the thought of running Gleyber Torres on defense for us is horrifying.

I agree on not diving too deep into 2B with trade pieces unless we're talking stud and 3+ years of control left. It'd cost too much, though. I'm still in favor of signing Whit.

I see catching as a lower priority need than SP, 2B and RH power bat. Breslow gave the vote of confidence, perhaps obligatory, to the incumbent catching brigade. I like what's coming up the pike for us with Keel. If they can improve Scott and/or Hickey's defense, that'd be even better. Wong is RH, though, and you'd HOPE he improved going into his second year on the job. We can do far worse than Wong behind the plate and batting 9th for a year.

A decent trade match might be Duran for a RH Power LF'er where that team is trying to add big time speed to the equation. Duran becomes a better OF'er away from Fenway, too. I don't know which team that might be, but it happens.

[longgame]

If Bloom was still in office, I could see him going heavy after Rhys Hoskins (ala Mondesi coming off an ACL).  I see the Yanks may have offered pitcher Clark Schmidt for Verdugo (at deadline or this week?) and there's some chatter that Verdugo and one of our BP may be the asking price to get Gleyber Torres to Boston for a 2B.  Personally I don't think we should emphasize 2B with our trade pieces.  There is more pressing needs for a RH power bat in the OF, pitching and catcher.  It will be tantalizing to see how much rope they give Breslow.

Holy Smokes, the thought of running Gleyber Torres on defense for us is horrifying.

I agree on not diving too deep into 2B with trade pieces unless we're talking stud and 3+ years of control left. It'd cost too much, though. I'm still in favor of signing Whit.

I see catching as a lower priority need than SP, 2B and RH power bat. Breslow gave the vote of confidence, perhaps obligatory, to the incumbent catching brigade. I like what's coming up the pike for us with Keel. If they can improve Scott and/or Hickey's defense, that'd be even better. Wong is RH, though, and you'd HOPE he improved going into his second year on the job. We can do far worse than Wong behind the plate and batting 9th for a year.

A decent trade match might be Duran for a RH Power LF'er where that team is trying to add big time speed to the equation. Duran becomes a better OF'er away from Fenway, too. I don't know which team that might be, but it happens.

Not to mention that Verdugo would become a Sox killer.  He's just the kind of guy that seems to need motivation to rise to his best level and he'd all over beating the Sox.

[Sea Dog 23]

If Bloom was still in office, I could see him going heavy after Rhys Hoskins (ala Mondesi coming off an ACL).  I see the Yanks may have offered pitcher Clark Schmidt for Verdugo (at deadline or this week?) and there's some chatter that Verdugo and one of our BP may be the asking price to get Gleyber Torres to Boston for a 2B.  Personally I don't think we should emphasize 2B with our trade pieces.  There is more pressing needs for a RH power bat in the OF, pitching and catcher.  It will be tantalizing to see how much rope they give Breslow.

Holy Smokes, the thought of running Gleyber Torres on defense for us is horrifying.

I agree on not diving too deep into 2B with trade pieces unless we're talking stud and 3+ years of control left. It'd cost too much, though. I'm still in favor of signing Whit.

I see catching as a lower priority need than SP, 2B and RH power bat. Breslow gave the vote of confidence, perhaps obligatory, to the incumbent catching brigade. I like what's coming up the pike for us with Keel. If they can improve Scott and/or Hickey's defense, that'd be even better. Wong is RH, though, and you'd HOPE he improved going into his second year on the job. We can do far worse than Wong behind the plate and batting 9th for a year.

A decent trade match might be Duran for a RH Power LF'er where that team is trying to add big time speed to the equation. Duran becomes a better OF'er away from Fenway, too. I don't know which team that might be, but it happens.

This is a pretty low bar, but looking at Outs above Average (OAA), Torres is an upgrade over some of our 2B last year .  He was -3 OAA in 1200 innings at 2B. Valdez had -4 in  350 innings (equates to -14 in 1200 innings). Reyes was -2 in 200 innings (-12 at 1200 innings). Urias was -5 in 400 innings (-15 at 1200 innings).  OAA on Whit Merrifield was +4 at 2B and -4 as OF in 2023.

[SeaBeachFred]

If Bloom was still in office, I could see him going heavy after Rhys Hoskins (ala Mondesi coming off an ACL).  I see the Yanks may have offered pitcher Clark Schmidt for Verdugo (at deadline or this week?) and there's some chatter that Verdugo and one of our BP may be the asking price to get Gleyber Torres to Boston for a 2B.  Personally I don't think we should emphasize 2B with our trade pieces.  There is more pressing needs for a RH power bat in the OF, pitching and catcher.  It will be tantalizing to see how much rope they give Breslow.

Holy Smokes, the thought of running Gleyber Torres on defense for us is horrifying.

I agree on not diving too deep into 2B with trade pieces unless we're talking stud and 3+ years of control left. It'd cost too much, though. I'm still in favor of signing Whit.

I see catching as a lower priority need than SP, 2B and RH power bat. Breslow gave the vote of confidence, perhaps obligatory, to the incumbent catching brigade. I like what's coming up the pike for us with Keel. If they can improve Scott and/or Hickey's defense, that'd be even better. Wong is RH, though, and you'd HOPE he improved going into his second year on the job. We can do far worse than Wong behind the plate and batting 9th for a year.

A decent trade match might be Duran for a RH Power LF'er where that team is trying to add big time speed to the equation. Duran becomes a better OF'er away from Fenway, too. I don't know which team that might be, but it happens.

I've always been a big fan of Whit Merrifield for his ability to hit for average, gap power, and defensive prowess.  He is also versatile enough to shift to other spots if need be.  He runs well and is a very strong competitor.  For that reason we probably won't get him since he is not a dumpster diver.  Sorry for the sarcasm but right now I have little confidence in our front office and leadership at the top.  We need to give Craig Breslow the opportunity to be able to go out and sign some free agents and make some trades to give us a chance to finally get out of the gutter for the next decade.  Merrifield would be a good start and Hoskins would be another RH hitter we could put in to our lineup giving us two good hitters, one with good power, to balance with our abundance of left handed bats.  I know it's very early but we should be working to change our team into winners at the get go and so far I haven't heard a damn thing from those jokers in the front office.  Let's see if this coming off season we can be proactive instead of reactive near the dumpsters.

[Sea Dog 23]

It looks like the Phils also inquired about Verdugo in a trade for RHand OF Castelanos.  Castelanos had an incredible Aug-Sept and really helped Philly get into the playoffs.  However his bat went stone cold in the NLCS.  He is a marginal OF.  There are probably some other players on the Phils that we would prefer more like Stott or Bohm .  Bohm, a righty, played 1B most of the year after Hoskins went down.  Bohm will be available  a trade since Harper said this week he wanted to be the full-time 1B.

[elktonnick]

Verdugo is as good as gone.  Cora clearly does not want him around.

[Sea Dog 23]

Besides dealing with the Yanks, there are some rumblings with Milwaukee.  At the meetings in Scottsdale their GM supposedly said all their players are expendable.  Some of the good fits are SS Willy Adames, RH pitcher Corbin Burnes and RF Christian Yelish (in a salary dump).  Adames had an off year in 23 hitting .217, OPS .717, but 24 HR.  He has a .247 career avg.

Righty Corbin Burnes had a 3.39 era in 23, 1.06 WHIP.  6-3, 245, 29 yo. Arb eligible, becomes a FA in 2025.   Two years ago was the NL Cy Young winner.

Breslow said it's fair to assume they have spoken to or will speak to any agent who represents a free-agent SP and any team that would consider trading a SP.  He also said getting the right pieces in place on the roster is more important than stockpiling position depth in the minors.  (Seems to differ from what Bloom's plan was last year, Cora also didn't care for depth.)

[longgame]

Besides dealing with the Yanks, there are some rumblings with Milwaukee.  At the meetings in Scottsdale their GM supposedly said all their players are expendable.  Some of the good fits are SS Willy Adames, RH pitcher Corbin Burnes and RF Christian Yelish (in a salary dump).  Adames had an off year in 23 hitting .217, OPS .717, but 24 HR.  He has a .247 career avg.

Righty Corbin Burnes had a 3.39 era in 23, 1.06 WHIP.  6-3, 245, 29 yo. Arb eligible, becomes a FA in 2025.   Two years ago was the NL Cy Young winner.

Breslow said it's fair to assume they have spoken to or will speak to any agent who represents a free-agent SP and any team that would consider trading a SP.  He also said getting the right pieces in place on the roster is more important than stockpiling position depth in the minors.  (Seems to differ from what Bloom's plan was last year, Cora also didn't care for depth.)

Got to love that last part about getting the roster right as a priority.  Can you imagine a company having a terrible year and saying “hey, we need more inexperienced new hires to turn this around?”  We’ve all be saying he same the past few years - identify your weaknesses and go out and address it.

[MongoLikeSox]

Got to love that last part about getting the roster right as a priority.  Can you imagine a company having a terrible year and saying “hey, we need more inexperienced new hires to turn this around?”  ....

This might be my new favorite analogy regarding roster building during the Bloom era.

[elktonnick]

Breslow  also said he does not plan to trade Verdugo this off season.  If true  that blows my theory that Verugo is as good as gone because he is always in Cora's  doghouse.

Is Breslow marking his turf and telling Cora⁸ who is the boss with this remark about not planning to trade Verdugo?

[MongoLikeSox]

Breslow  also said he does not plan to trade Verdugo this off season.  If true  that blows my theory that Verugo is as good as gone because he is always in Cora's  doghouse.

Is Breslow marking his turf and telling Cora⁸ who is the boss with this remark about not planning to trade Verdugo?

He could simply be posturing for bargaining leverage amongst his fellow GM types. Maybe an indication that he's had some bargain hunter interest at best? 

[SeaBeachFred]

Breslow  also said he does not plan to trade Verdugo this off season.  If true  that blows my theory that Verugo is as good as gone because he is always in Cora's  doghouse.

Is Breslow marking his turf and telling Cora⁸ who is the boss with this remark about not planning to trade Verdugo?

He could simply be posturing for bargaining leverage amongst his fellow GM types. Maybe an indication that he's had some bargain hunter interest at best?

Well he didn't win himself any accolades with his first personel move.  He signed a former Twins reject, a left handed hitter to boot like we are short of them, and if this isn't a case of dumpster diving then let's just say it is a trip to the backyard garbage can.  Breslow????? Get your ass in gear and stop trying to act like Bloom.  Already this guy has gotten my goat.  We need some good free agents and make some good trades and not more of the same.  If this is what you were hired for you already have a strike against you.  We do NOT need any rejects from o ther teams.  You didn't win a fan with me with that stupid move.