Rounding_Third

Agreed but I'm confident the Sox will make a trade(s) when and where needed. RH has the Sox financially well positioned & KW has long established it as a preferred strategy.

I hear ya. Look at it this way, what if EE had a 2020 line of; .250/.340/.440/.740, how much better would the Sox have been? Are these #'s Vaughn could achieve this year? Good chance, I think. What's a really nice luxury, thanks to EE's terrible season, is that he doesn't have to be great this year for the Sox to be even more dangerous.

As much as I've been against Vaughn being DH without more minors time, I've come to accept it and understand the Sox scouts' belief in him. Also, that he's getting older and Covid robbed him of normal progression. That all said, its hard to imagine him not exceeding EE's very low benchmark. Sox are better by default, if nothing else. If Vaughn just puts up mediocre stats, it'll be a huge DH improvement and who knows how high he could go. Hope he's physically and especially mentally ready for the up's & downs of a season over 3 times longer and against an extended quality level that he's never experienced. From Sox accolades, if anyone can succeed in what he's about to attempt, its him.

I'm probably one of the few here that like this plan and suggested it a few weeks ago. Its a smart way to manage Kopech's innings while keeping him relative for most of the season. All indications are that he's on a pitch/innings limit. He can long relief or spot start. There will plenty of opportunities for several starts. If he begins in Charlotte then comes up as starter, its an awkward plan with two windows of alt starters for 1st 6 weeks and especially the last 6 weeks of season. I suspect the Sox hope for good things from other pitchers, Rodon, Lopez, Stiever, others(?), as 5th starter, evaluate the situation, then act accordingly in a trade. There are numerous 2022 FA they could trade for (rent) once they know who's having decent seasons on early sellers for affordable cost (prospects/draft picks/cash). It feels less choppy this way.

Oh Idk, not going to go back and look, especially since we now know 2020 performances. Just saying that C was not a weak position going into 2020 with lots of potential from 2019 performances. When you look at 2019 McCann vs Grandal stats and 2020 $'s for both, I don't see how Grandal was ~$13m better.

First, I preface by saying Grandal's a great catcher, one of the best, that's obvious. But it seems the Sox catching valuation process has been a little odd the last 2 years. Both Yermin & Collins had shown in MiLB that they were ready to compete for a job in 2020; both having very good 2019 O & D #'s, Zack had his troubles in his 2019 call up but still deserved to be in the mix again. McCann also had his breakout 2019. So the 3 of them formed a pretty good trifecta with lots of potential & at the least, adequate. But instead the Sox do this kneejerk reaction and sign Grandal. That was a real head scratcher for me at the time. They basically thumbed their noses at all 3 of them. That $18m could have been spent much smarter by re-uping McCann for 2-3 years relatively cheaply and spending the rest elsewhere. Then both Yermin and Zack would have had a much fairer chance to compete and prove if they were worthy. All the while, the dropoff from Grandal/McCann to McCann/Collins/Yermin would not have been that impactful with an extra $12-13m spent elsewhere (after a McCann signing). We had bigger needs elsewhere particularly with all the TJ's going on, and still do. Even if they didn't spend it and hung on to it for this offseason, think of how they could have used it. Like I said, I like Grandal but I'll never understand his signing in that moment. I4 s as if they lost site in what they had and went for a big splash event instead.

For sure! Also, I'd be shocked if the Sox didn't pick up a good cheap SP before the trade deadline. They have plenty of reserve cash. There are about 65 SP's who will be FA's after this season; many on sellers by that time. They'll have a good idea where Kopech stands for shutdown. If need be, maybe go with a 6 man rotation until he's done. Probably be some DH's scheduled in Aug & Sept by then. And have another quality SP for playoffs.

If true maybe I'll get my wish of TA 3rd. Over the last 2 seasons, 21 of his 28 hr's have been solos. Chances are good that he hits >=25 this year. Would be nice to see him get a chance to hit more with men on.....not that I'm complaining!!! Like to see Abreu protecting him in cleanup, too.

Anderson can't be that low.

Yeah, I get Madrigal 9th. But I do see him improving his BB rate too. I really like Anderson 3rd to take advantage of his slg. Mostly why I went with it. I get the "why mess" too. Eaton has a helluva obp when healthy. Hopefully still has some speed on the bases, too. Just to clear, my Madrigal/Eaton is not uncertainty but rather against L-R SP.

gonna throw a curve so I can be yelled at. 1. Madrigal/Eaton (R-L SP) 2. Moncada 3. Anderson (last 2 yr slg .508 & .529) 4. Abreu 5. Jimenez 6.Grandal 7. Robert 8. Vaughn 9. Madrigal/Eaton

I think the Sox believe in him but smart enough to know they can't afford to try to train him during a WS run. If he and Lucroy both have good ST, it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod for opening day, But if he struggles in ST, they just can't hand him the job. I assume they would not trade him. It's almost as if he just needs to flip a switch, maybe he did this offseason already. I mean, hitting aside, how does a fairly good defensive catcher just forget it going to the show? That's not a skills problem. I think other teams know it too. Could be a change of scenery flips him on. But the Sox do need him and need him to figure it out quickly, That's best accomplished playing as much as possible. Hopefully they both don't struggle in ST....eeesch!....hello Yermin!

All that means is that he wasn't guaranteed a roster spot. He has to earn it. He's a risk with a much higher ceiling than his competition.

Seem like a good plan based on where the Sox sit now. Maybe even schedule an occasional Crochet combo with Lopez and/or Rodon start. Concerned with relying on either to finish off Kopech's spot after he's shut down though, especially if he turns out to be highly successful. Could be as much as 4-6 weeks and possibly playoffs depending on Cease and others' performances. Trading for another high quality SP before deadline seems inevitable or at least I hope so. Unlikely that Lopez keeps his era under 5 and Rodon goes 100 innings without incident.

Lucroy hardly fits that description. His 3 recent years playing with a herniated disk blows away Sox BUC competition. i.e. could beat 'em with one hand tied behind his back.

Also the tv playoff revenue. Dodgers vs/or Yankees, advertising price goes up. Not so much for Pirates vs/or Rays, etc. Big bucks for all teams.

Either go back down and work on his holes and be ready for callup or get traded to a non competitor where he gets the same chance perhaps at MLB level. He has skills but Sox need dependable backup. He needs more significant competitive playing time somewhere.

If by that they mean its his job to lose, I like it! My point is that hopefully his body is ready to compete again. No one can predict that and say its a done deal. I was able to thumb thru the BoSox 2020 ST box scores (couldn't find 2020 ST stats) and found he hit .286 so that's great news. Pretty much had equal AB's among C's, too. Why he barely got a chance after ST (1 G, 2 inn, 0 PA's for all 2020) is a little odd although they kept him in the org for most of the year, They also had some other pretty good catchers. I've quickly become a big fan of him and his story of courage & perseverance.

As tough as he is, he's struggled post surgery but hasn't quit. They're hoping more than factual. Me too! Hopefully, the added rehab time, allows him to compete at a higher level. But I think he's in uncharted waters (have there been others?) Maybe he's already shown he's capable and some are privy but no public hint of that yet. Otherwise, Merkin and others have no clue unless he/they play Orthopedic Surgeons on tv. It will be a helluva story if he makes it!

Lucroy timeline as best I can together (with herniated disk): 1. plays about 3 seasons with it (2017-2019) 2. July 7, 2019 - home plate collision gets concussed and broken nose (on top of disk). Has nasal surgery. 3. July 31, returns to lineup in 3 weeks, get a couple of hits. 4. Aug 7th, gets traded to Cubs, numbers down a bit but finishes the season, plays in 27 games, starts 14 with 11 CG's. 5. 2019 post season surgery & rehab (date?), signs with Red Sox, goes to ST just 3-4 months after surgery (not 100% yet), plays just 2 innings in July, dfa'd July 29th (to alt train site), released Sept 15th. This guy is a freakin' bad ass! If anyone can return from this surgery, its him. If he can and makes the club, think of the leadership alone that he adds.

Bold prediction not knowing if his upper body still works at a MLB level. Hope you're right!

Really looking forward to seeing Lucroy in ST. I'm anxious to see if playing after disk surgery >= playing with the herniated disk. I would be very happy with his results during those 3 years but does the surgery permanently restrict certain physical abilities and/or risk further damage more so than the herniated disk itself. If he's slowed by it, his career could be over but if he's not restricted, he could play a major role.

Sure Rodon has decent numbers when he's healthy. But his long unreliable history with injuries is the issue. He's the org's #1 hope for defense against rotation problems and there's a lot that could go wrong. After him, who's next? Lopez? Its ridiculous!

I don't know a darn thing abut herniated neck disks or their surgery, recovery, and effect on performance. But if his doc assured him that its okay to play hard, ie swing a bat full speed, the rigors of the position including throwing hard to all bases without consequences, I think TLR gives him every chance to be the BUC on opening day. Collins isn't getting the position handed to him. He's gonna have to prove that a sea change has occurred. My goodness, Lucroy's last 3 years playing with the bad disk (2017-19) blow away Collins! Even if Lucroy just has an average ST (for him historically), Collins will have to be way better than he has. Plus, a vet is just better suited for BUC. Don't see how a struggling Collins improves sitting on the bench 75% of the time. However, I do think that if they have similar ST's, its Collins job. But keeping it would be contingent on his performance; that he can remain somewhat effective given his limited opportunities. That's been an impossible task for him so far.

Wouldn't that be fun? Hopefully he can find his game again.