SoxBlanco

Yeah, I’m expecting him to be on the opening day roster, to be honest. Give him one last shot and then cut ties if it doesn’t work out.

I had the exact same thought.

Good to hear about JD.

You might be right, but I’m willing to give RR the benefit of the doubt until he pulls that crap when we are in a contending year. Same with refusing to move Abreu out of the 3 hole. Those type of things were annoying, but they didn’t really matter much in a rebuilding year. I’d like to think he will choose winning over loyalty at this point.

Agreed. Collins could also get more time at DH against right handers, when Abreu gets the day off and EE plays 1B.

Actually, he might not have any clue whether the guy has sources, which is why your way of wording it wouldn’t work in this case. He’s not sitting there thinking, “this guy doesn’t have sources,” but he’s also not sitting there thinking that this guy does have sources. He just isn’t sure one way or another, which is why he worded it the way he did. Wow, my head hurts now.

Yep. And for the AL Central.

With only one year of control left, would a team that won’t be contending be interested in McCann? Are there contending teams that are looking for a catcher?

Great point, and I’ve been excited about this as well. Hitting is contagious, both positively and negatively (like Birmingham’s first couple of months last year).

I don’t think this is a guarantee like it used to be. Last year, RR didn’t have many options for the 3 spot. Eloy was struggling early, and we didn’t have Grandal or EE. I would guess that Abreu starts at 3, but I don’t think RR will refuse to change things up. This is the first team he has ever coached that isn’t in a rebuilding year.

No worries. I edited my last post, and I see why it was confusing.

Yeah, but that has nothing to do with his point. His point is that the three positions where the Twins might have an edge are not weaknesses for us. EDIT: I see the confusion now, and I see it’s been cleared up.

If RR wants to let Robert lead off right from the start, I think he goes with something like this: Robert Moncada Abreu Grandal Eloy Encarnacion Anderson Mazara Madrigal If not, I think he just switches Robert and Anderson.

Huh? What does that have to do with the point he was making?

You’re right. Duh. Not sure how I missed that.

Do you think Stone knows of a specific signing/trade that is close to happening? Or do you think he just knows we’ve been looking into bullpen help and expects something to happen soon?

Yeah, I’m picturing a possible scenario where everything goes right, and Kopech and Rodon come to be lockdown relievers for us in a playoff run. Obviously pretty far fetched, but fun to dream.

Is there a scenario where all five starters are pitching well enough to stay in the rotation come the end of May, and Kopech gets called up to pitch out of pen? I know he’ll be a starter long term, but is there any way he pitches out of the pen this year?

You think we’ll still make a serious offer to Springer after landing Betts? Can’t say I agree with going after both.

This has to get announced by the end of the day tomorrow, right?

If we add EE, we are basically replacing Engel, Cordell, Yolmer, Alonso, and McCann with Robert, Mazara, Madrigal, Encarnacion, and Grandal. I’m not a WAR expert, but my calculations say that improves our team by about 217 wins (give or take a couple).

I’d go with this: Robert CF Moncada 3B Eloy LF Grandal C Encarnacion DH Abreu 1B Anderson SS Mazara RF Madrigal 2B

I have to imagine this is only a matter of time, and probably would have happened already if his father hadn’t just passed.

Castellanos also put up a 2.0 fWAR in only 51 games once he left Comerica. I understand that’s a small sample size and he’s unlikely to keep that pace...he got really hot with the Cubs. But he’s also only 27 years old and has been improving his power the past few years. I could definitely see him as a 4 or 5 win player in RF for the Sox next year. I’d be happy with him or EE, to be honest, but I’ve been pushing for Castellanos all offseason.

You should tweet Cole with that exact question. That’s pretty funny, and you make a good point.