Pitchers to watch this season?

[Sea Dog 23]

It's getting to be about Free Agent time, I think Tuesday next week is the first available.  Some early wannabes for pitchers that have come up so far - we need at least two in the rotation --  Snell (too pricey for Boston), Nola, Yamomota (between Boston and Mets people think), Stroman (Breslow knows this guy well), Montgomery, Sonny Gray, and an interesting nugget for some GM looking for upside -- Luis Severino.  Would he join the host of ex-Yankees on the Sox having a comeback season playing in the ALEast?

[MongoLikeSox]

I was just reading that Montgomery's stock has risen. No surprise with the post-season he had and having Bora$ as an agent. The famous often wrong Bowden is predicting Nola, Snell and Montgomery to each clear the 5-year, $125M mark.

St Louis is seeking 3 Starters. Sox need 2. Oh how nice it would be to be a FA Starting Pitcher.

It's gonna cost some money this year. Same story, different year. I don't need an ace. A couple #3's that can chomp some innings gives us more chances than last season.

[Sea Dog 23]

I was just reading that Montgomery's stock has risen. No surprise with the post-season he had and having Bora$ as an agent. The famous often wrong Bowden is predicting Nola, Snell and Montgomery to each clear the 5-year, $125M mark.

St Louis is seeking 3 Starters. Sox need 2. Oh how nice it would be to be a FA Starting Pitcher.

It's gonna cost some money this year. Same story, different year. I don't need an ace. A couple #3's that can chomp some innings gives us more chances than last season.

I know Breslow was flexing his muscles last week talking about maybe no financial limits to getting the good ones.  But I don't see Henry wanting to spend for the value of Snell, Nola, Montgomery.  I think Breslow will strike a happy medium and work hard to get a #2 starter like a Stroman, Sonny Gray or Yamomota.  I think another starter will come by a trade of one of the OF's plus a prospect or two, and I heard Mayer's name come up yesterday for the first time (only from a poster).  Mayer had a brutal year in AA after he injured his shoulder running the bases (his BA went down to the .190s before they shut him down).  So you could risk selling high if another team has not done their homework, as he may struggle again in AA next year. 

Sorry to digress,  but we will surely know how confident, or desperate, Breslow will be in the next four weeks.

[Sea Dog 23]

They say today,  at the GM meetings that Sox people spoke with the agent for Jordan Montgomery.

FYI, the following is the list of Free Agent pitchers, with the position ranking listed against all the free agents.  This week Charlie Morton and Heaney at Texas picked up their team options, or vice versa.

3 Nola
4 Yamamoto
5 Gray
6 Montgomery
7 Snell
8 E Rod
11 Imanaga
12 Hendricks
17 Lugo
18 Clevinger
20 Wacha
21 Kershaw
22 Maeda
25 Giolito
26 Lorenzen
30 Flaherty
35 Manea
39 Severino
40 Nick Martinez
43 Gibson

[MongoLikeSox]

I was surprised to see Wacha's name on you list. I thought for sure that the Padres would pick up the team option of somewhere around $16M. (Looked up and subsequently forgot exact #'s.)

[Sea Dog 23]

Looks like Breslow may have found a non-descript pitcher from down in never never land.
RedSox are signing LHP Helcris Olivarez to a minor league deal with an MLB Spring Training Invite.  Originally Colorado's #11 prospect. Coming off shoulder surgery, which sidelined him for most of 2022 while in the minor leagues.

The 23-year old LHP Dominican flamethrower is a former top prospect with the Rockies.

He has made 50 MiLB starts and has a career 10.4 K/9, and has touched 101 MPH.

[MongoLikeSox]

Looks like Breslow may have found a non-descript pitcher from down in never never land.
RedSox are signing LHP Helcris Olivarez to a minor league deal with an MLB Spring Training Invite.  Originally Colorado's #11 prospect. Coming off shoulder surgery, which sidelined him for most of 2022 while in the minor leagues.

The 23-year old LHP Dominican flamethrower is a former top prospect with the Rockies.

He has made 50 MiLB starts and has a career 10.4 K/9, and has touched 101 MPH.

Gotta love Minor League free agency. :)  (I hope!)

[SeaBeachFred]

Same old shit.  Signing a hard throwing pitcher who wasn't wanted by his old team and trying to palm him off on us.  Maybe this guy might hit the jackpot but how have we done in the past with all this dumpster diving and that is what this guy is un til he shows he is ready to be a successful big league pitcher----which from his record doesn't look to good.  Now how about getting the money ready from the vault to go out and get a couple of real solid pitchers, money be damned and start getting in front of the line with offers that will net us some real talent instead of hearing with a month or two the same sad and sorry refrain that......WE MADE HIM A GOOD OFFER BUT HE DECIDED TO SIGN SOMEWHERE ELSE which is a code phrase that we didn't want to spend the money.  I seeing some real bullshit type of work so far that almost seems a carbon copy from seasons past. Spend, spend and be smart and get good talent and stop with these horse dung signings that has bared nothing by rotten low hanging fruit too many times. GET YOUR ADD IN GEAR BRESLOW.  I don't want to hear any more about the dumpster signings.

[MongoLikeSox]

Same old shit.  Signing a hard throwing pitcher who wasn't wanted by his old team and trying to palm him off on us.  Maybe this guy might hit the jackpot but how have we done in the past with all this dumpster diving and that is what this guy is un til he shows he is ready to be a successful big league pitcher----which from his record doesn't look to good.  Now how about getting the money ready from the vault to go out and get a couple of real solid pitchers, money be damned and start getting in front of the line with offers that will net us some real talent instead of hearing with a month or two the same sad and sorry refrain that......WE MADE HIM A GOOD OFFER BUT HE DECIDED TO SIGN SOMEWHERE ELSE which is a code phrase that we didn't want to spend the money.  I seeing some real bullshit type of work so far that almost seems a carbon copy from seasons past. Spend, spend and be smart and get good talent and stop with these horse dung signings that has bared nothing by rotten low hanging fruit too many times. GET YOUR ADD IN GEAR BRESLOW.  I don't want to hear any more about the dumpster signings.

To his credit, he did agree with you (and most of us) and sent Ort packing.   thumb_u

[longgame]

Still need minor leaguers too Fred.  The market for MLB players is yet to start.

[Sea Dog 23]

First trade for Breslow.  We get a RF relief guy Isiah Campbell from Seattle for our 2B Luis Urias.
Campbell has a fastball, cutter, slider. Fastball up to 95. Pitched in both AA and the bigs last year, and was an effective 1 inning reliever.  Sox traded a righty bat IF for what looks like a Breslow/Bailey type arm with some heat.  I think I read that Campbell has six years of control with two options left.

Sox maybe fall back on a combo of Reyes, Valdez at 2B.  They could also put Raphaela in at SS and move Story to 2B.  Still other 2B options in a trade.

[SeaBeachFred]

First trade for Breslow.  We get a RF relief guy Isiah Campbell from Seattle for our 2B Luis Urias.
Campbell has a fastball, cutter, slider. Fastball up to 95. Pitched in both AA and the bigs last year, and was an effective 1 inning reliever.  Sox traded a righty bat IF for what looks like a Breslow/Bailey type arm with some heat.  I think I read that Campbell has six years of control with two options left.

Sox maybe fall back on a combo of Reyes, Valdez at 2B.  They could also put Raphaela in at SS and move Story to 2B.  Still other 2B options in a trade.

I like this trade because Campbell had a decent ERA this past season for Seattle and used as a one inning pitcher could be a boon for us.  He at least has talent.  As for second base, get us Merrifield and no damn Valzez.  Bad enough we have a sieve defensively at third in Raffy; Valdez is worthless with a glove.  As it stands I still believe Raffy should be our DH.  HE HAS NOT IMPROVED ONE TWIT AS A FIELDER SINCE HIS ROOKIE YEAR OF 2017.  In fact he might have actually gotten worse.  Now let's sign some real position players and get us two top notch starters.  We know what we need.  Can someone convince Henry to let loose of his wallet?

[Sea Dog 23]

First trade for Breslow.  We get a RF relief guy Isiah Campbell from Seattle for our 2B Luis Urias.
Campbell has a fastball, cutter, slider. Fastball up to 95. Pitched in both AA and the bigs last year, and was an effective 1 inning reliever.  Sox traded a righty bat IF for what looks like a Breslow/Bailey type arm with some heat.  I think I read that Campbell has six years of control with two options left.

Sox maybe fall back on a combo of Reyes, Valdez at 2B.  They could also put Raphaela in at SS and move Story to 2B.  Still other 2B options in a trade.

I like this trade because Campbell had a decent ERA this past season for Seattle and used as a one inning pitcher could be a boon for us.  He at least has talent.  As for second base, get us Merrifield and no damn Valzez.  Bad enough we have a sieve defensively at third in Raffy; Valdez is worthless with a glove.  As it stands I still believe Raffy should be our DH.  HE HAS NOT IMPROVED ONE TWIT AS A FIELDER SINCE HIS ROOKIE YEAR OF 2017.  In fact he might have actually gotten worse.  Now let's sign some real position players and get us two top notch starters.  We know what we need.  Can someone convince Henry to let loose of his wallet?

er

Interesting background on Campbell.  He was the ace pitcher at Univ Arkansas.  However their manager put him through too many innings, an old story, he suffered through a few elbow injuries in the minors.  He was Seattle's second pick in the 2019 draft.  Injuries and covid delays slowed him down, and he gave up on his curve ball and change-up, so went to the pen with a three pitch ability.

Another reliever, from the lefty side, is Brandon Hughes.  The Cubs did not tender Hughes yesterday, and Breslow, who should know him well, could make a quick decision on his value. 

Hughes, who will be 28 at the start of next month, has been non-tendered after an injury-riddled season of his own.

After posting strong numbers as a staple of the Cubs' bullpen in 2022 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.092 WHIP in 57 games, Hughes battled leg injuries throughout 2023 and was limited to just 17 games.

[MongoLikeSox]

On paper, I am really digging this trade. 6 years of control for a sub 3.00 ERA BP guy is good by me. And to trade Urias for that is a plus. I was surprised we got anything out of him. I figured he would be non-tendered. Interesting dynamic in play with Cora obviously liking this guy a ton. His new Cora favorite, I thought.

I was never sold on Urias to begin with. I had thought even the secondary prospect (on early career injury comeback trail) they gave up was too high a price for what was a Brewers' salary dump. A SP named Blalock. Fwiw, the Brewers added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from Rule-5 despite a handful of starts at A+.

So, in about 4-5 years, we can look at what was, in the end, essentially a trade of minor league starter named Bradly Blalock for a relief pitcher named Isaiah Campbell and see how this worked out.

[longgame]

I'm with everyone else. It's not like it's a big impact move but it's "wicked smaht" as they say.  Dump a poor player and pick up a high potential guy showing signs of life?  Bloom would have done it the other way around.  The bigger moves will start happening soon.