poppysox

A championship team needs 4th outfielders and good middle relief. I know the attention goes to the stars but it is a 25 man roster.

Not surprisingly...that has become a problem.

Afraid we waited to long to find SP. Also, we were unlucky with the Kopech/Rodon injuries. I will try to be content with the growth of Anderson/Moncada/Jimenez/Giolito and the finding useful pieces of McCann/Tilson. A productive winter and the return of the walking wounded will have us competing for the division next year.

And he is reported to be baseball smart.

When in a rebuild...finding a player who wasn't on the radar (McCann) is really BIG. Tilson has also been a pleasant surprise. Perhaps two pieces of the 25 man puzzle.

Don't be sad...not long now.

I agree. He would take a very reasonable amount IMO. He would value highly the security of a 20-25 million 4 or 5 year extension for family security. He hasn't been banking mega millions like some who would consider that small change.

Like all relievers...needs to throw strikes.

Good games for all the little ball guys. I love winning both ends of a DH with 1 run victories.

If only we had Kopech & Rodon off the DL.

Fast workers keep the defense in the game.

Working fast and throwing strikes...that's what good pitchers do. Didn't shake McCann off once.

A very good days work for the boys! Sox Win---Sox Win!

Throwing strikes is a real good thing for relivers to do.

Keep pitching like he is and he's worth his weight in gold at the deadline.

Gio works fast and throws strikes. That's a winning combination. I wish we could convince a few of our other pitchers to give it a try.

What's not to like about McCann?

I agree that Robert belongs on the list. I didn't put Jimenez or Madrigal on my list because they do not have 5 tool potential. Abreu has always been this to me. Very good player but just ok at defense & speed. That's why Abreu types can be picked up in free agency without breaking the bank. Five tool players and TOR pitchers need to be developed internally in order to afford todays game.

Performance for #79 is still relevant if his value for trade is in FO thinking.

I believe the Sox have potential stars in Anderson, Moncada, Cease & Kopech and we got them how you need to get them...we trade for and draft stars. Free agency is a very expensive place to shop for this type of player. However, many items are for sale in the medium price range aisle. It's a very nice place to shop for your need someone to upgrade this weakness or 3rd or 4th starters. In business you might say...maximize use of minimal resource.

I like how the Sox have approached this rebuild. When I look at 2005 there were no mega stars. They had some moderate power, good defense, great pitching, lockdown bullpen and some speed. Pods and Iguchi brought a spark but most importantly they had 25 complimentary pieces. These mega deal guys don't seem to work out all that often. I think that's because those deals go to power hitters and strike out pitchers. Guys like Iguchi, Pods, Dye and Rowland were nice complimentary pieces not high priced stars. We had AJ and Dye and Crede as moderate priced guys who were productive and not expensive. Kind of McCann like guys. We will be winning when we get 25 players who do their jobs well. One or two so called stars are not the answer. Pitching, timely hitting, speed & and defense is needed on a well balanced wining team. I will say that half of those 25 men are pitchers. If those 12 or 13 guys aren't good... your wining nothing.

Find someone from organizations like St. Louis, Milwaukee or Minnesota. All small market teams that manage to win without buying their teams.

Good guess might be lead off hitter with high average & walks for high obp... A forty + base stealer and a player with a high baseball IQ...a really good glove and the quarterback of the infield. I'll take a dozen years of that.

Kenny has always prized athleticism over baseball skills. Hasn't always worked.

This might drive Balta off the deep end. We better take a pass.