GreenSox

Tampa Bay could certainly use another reliever. Could use a 2B too. I'd like to see Cooper get his hands on Blake Snell - looks like a good fix-em project. I see a team that could use Melky.....Royals.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 13, 2017 -> 11:02 PM) Dee Gordon would be more interesting....with contract extension? Mercy

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 13, 2017 -> 10:29 PM) Yeah, unfortunately he probably isn't part of the next contender because it's so unlikely he signs an extension. But the time to move him is after he becomes a consistently above average pitcher. We'll have him for at least another calendar year, maybe two. And by the time the Sox are ready to trade him, they may be looking for a different type of prospect - the more polished ML ready in the Eaton, Quentin, Davidson mode. I would mind seeing the Sox flip one of their guys like Yolmer for a similarly situated pitcher. they just can't throw out 4 James Shields out there, rebuilding or not. Hahn's going to have to start making some moves of that sort soon enough.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jun 17, 2017 -> 05:09 PM) Joe Gray showing off the plus plus plus arm. https://twitter.com/hudsonbelinsky/status/876193735821983744 Wow - that guy might be able to reach home plate from the wall!

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Jul 13, 2017 -> 07:26 PM) I would not be against it, especially because it seems like no teams are going to be offering good prospects. Like if we could get away with giving up a few of the guys we having bouncing between the majors and AAA and get him I think it would be a good deal. What do to with the current pre-arb players (Davidson, Leury, Yolmer, Engel, e.g.) who, hopefully keep improving, will be an interesting part of the next phase of the rebuilding. Will they be part of the plan, traded, etc.?

Yes, especially considering they used practically the entire 2017 draft on offense. Bigger gaps reside in defense at certain positions and perhaps pitching, imo. The tear down should be 80% done in about 2 weeks. Then the really difficult work beings; building a contending major league team.

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Jul 13, 2017 -> 06:58 PM) Ok, the Reed thing makes me wonder, and I want some input from older folks... Back in the day, late 1990s-early 2000s, I was a pre-teen so my actual understanding of prospects was pretty limited, but it seemed like we had a pretty kickass system. Rauch, Reed, Owens, Borchard, Sweeney, Honel, Hummel, Malone, Wells, Fogg, Barcelo...just to name a few. None turned into anything for us, and very few did anything for anyone else. (I admit I may be squeezing together players from different eras too). So, that said, was our farm system ever like this? You never know. That wave of prospects didn't turn out to be much; that's a big reason 2005 wasn't sustained much past then. On the other hand, the Sox had a wave of young players between 1995 and around 2000/01 that was terrific: Mike Cameron, Ray, Durham, Magglio Ordonez, Mark Buehrle, Carlos Lee, Joe Crede, Aaron Rowand, Greg Norton, James Baldwin, Chad Bradford, Jon Rauch, It was light in starting pitching, and Williams spent most of 2001-2005 getting it fixed. Most of these guys weren't even on the 2005 team, but the talent pool was rich back then.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 13, 2017 -> 04:47 PM) I think the Sox would need a considerable package in order to move Abreu. I see them keeping him another season or two to mentor younger players, and as a potential bat to flip later Agree - there's not much of a market this year. Yanks don't appear ready to make serious deals yet. Wait a year, and they may be willing to pay. Or Henley could be scuffling this time next year. Or whatever - the market couldn't be worse than it is this year.

Tally Ho, Hahn. Well-done! Gonna miss you, Q.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 11:44 PM) If we get a guy like Jimenez, Brinson, or Acuna, we are likely not going to have heard of anyone else in the deal. I'm not convinced any of those guys are even on the table. I doubt they are, but if they were, I'd fine with nothing else but lottery tickets. Braves are a team that I think the Sox could start further own the prospect list, but end up with a good deal. But I suspect any Cubs deal = Schwarber. That's their spare part - he's killing their defense - they hope an AL team will take him as DH. Which one may; but it makes no sense for the Sox. Sox could have probably had a Schwarber deal any time in the last 10 months, so tend to doubt it's him, unless they are completely capitulating.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 09:38 PM) According to 90% of Twitter Cubs fans, we are being blessed with Schwarber and John Lackey for Quintana! That's about as nauseating a scenario as I've read. I pray Williams doesn't like Schwarber (or at last isn't in love with his skills) I'd rather 5 prospects in the 100-200 range.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 07:56 PM) For that kind of return (Jimenez and Cease), one would think it has to be coincidence, Q, or someone who has not been discussed as being available. If Gray were to command that package, I suspect we majorly f***ed up, or else we are going to be very pleased at some point in the next few weeks. I haven't seen a thing on the Cubs (and honestly, except for some Sox reporters, I haven't really seen much at all). But if they're willing to go Jimenez/Cease, you have to keep an open mind. Now I think they'll try to move Schwarber because he's a DH. He may be a good one; I don't know, don't care, don't want. Impossible for me to root against Quintana, no matter where he goes. I don't particularly care for the Cubs or the Brewers (gifted our spot in the AL East), but those are minor concerns.

Q was nearly a 5 war player for 3 straight years. this year, even in an "off" year, it will be 3.5 and probably close to 4. Sonny Gray has never had a year anywhere close to any of Q's 2014-2016. Cole has had 1. Tehran has had none - in fact, Tehran's best year won't be as good as Q's 2017. He nets a top prospect or the equivalent. As for the Cubs, no problem here as long as the Sox due it on the Sox terms. Sox don't need a DH at this point.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 04:15 PM) Frazier + Adams + Florial I would do Brinson + Ortiz + Phillips I would do Rodgers + McMahon + Almonte back I would do Albies + Gohara + Pache I would do Tucker + Whitley/Perez + solid third piece I would do I'd be thrilled with any of these.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 09:03 AM) Or Joey Gallo, for example? I'm still glad we didn't go down that route.

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Jul 12, 2017 -> 07:54 AM) I'll probably get mocked for this, but I don't like that Brinson is 23, with the clock running, and has had a May-esque cup of coffee in MLB. I know 35 PAs are stupid, but it just bugs me. Didn't like it with Moncada, Giolito or Lopez either. Give me Albies and some other Braves (Gohara and Pache would receive no complaints here). 20 years old in AAA, plus defender, low K rate, yes please. Although, I will ask, how's Brinson's D? All MLB says is that his speed can compensate for shaky reads and jumps, which sounds iffy. Bad cups of coffee don't bother me...when dealing with contenders it may make players more obtainable because you're asking not for a player that the team is depending on this year to win. What does bother me is when a contender has a clear need, a seemingly ready prospect to fit that need, and they don't call that prospect up. That signals to me that the prospect may be stale. Now it certainly is a stereotype, isn't always the case, etc. But everyone has their likes and dislikes.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 10:34 PM) You mean Kenny Yep

I remember when first acquired that there was thought that he would play CF. May actually have some in Charlotte before called up.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 07:59 PM) Which is why I'd go: Anderson - SS Albies - 2B Moncada - CF This No one is blocked at this point anyway. Accumulate talent. I'm thrilled the Braves are involved...that's one deep farm system. That's a team where quantity could work out well.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 02:03 PM) The mentality really changed by the end of 2016, which led to them dealing Sale/Eaton and now likely Robertson/Quintana/etc to rebuild. I'd say they knew in July - just a few weeks after the Shields trade and the Burdi pick. There were heavy trade rumors, especially Quintana as I recall, in July last year.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 12:33 PM) Essentially a deal where we accept a team's second tier guys and allow the buyer to keep the truly elite prospects off the table would be disappointing. I don't really expect a truly elite for Q...but I would think someone in the 20-35 range. We'll see.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 11:27 AM) And the tweet has been deleted.... It's now "To be clear - many I talked to felt 100 percent, Jose Quintana gets dealt & some believe it'll be 'sooner than you think'"

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 10:29 AM) Swarzak might get you a piece like Duke did last year, or be a throw in as a part of a larger deal. That would be fine - although a guy lower in the minors and less developed with higher ceiling would be a preferable demographic. The Sox have a lot of so-so AAA prospects. I would think a package for Kahnle roughly equivalent to what they would get for Robertson would be something that have to consider closely, although it probably won't be offered.

QUOTE (KnightsOnMintSt @ Jul 11, 2017 -> 09:30 AM) I'm thinking of keeping Q passed 2019 in the sense that I think we could sign him to an extension and have him apart of the future. But for me, we need the bats. And if a team offers some top hitting talent, I think we have to take it. But keeping Q for the rebuild, if we're able to turn some other guys into decent pieces, would be ok with me. It's too far in the future; we can sign a different player if need be when the time comes. The Sox get will get miniscule value from having Q on the team the next few years. The Sox just need good baseball players. The biggest deficit in 2015 and 2016 was defense, starters 4 and 5 and bullpen depth.

QUOTE (kwill @ Jul 10, 2017 -> 06:41 PM) My Plan. Really enjoyed reading your well-constructed analysis. My Plan that I think is realistic (assuming Sox trade with only top 12 or so organizations) Trade Q for a MLB top 20-50, 1 MLB 50-100, 1 in an org's 5-10 range and one 10-15. Trade Robertson for 1 org 5-10 and 1 10-15 Trade Frazier for 1 org. 10-15 Trade Swarzak for 1 org 10-15 Trade Melky for a lottery ticket on a waiver deal. Pitching prospects are fine throughout, if necessary. Can always trade them - that's how the Sox got Eaton. Everyone seems to want to build via position prospects, so there may be more excess value in pitching prospects (see Eaton Deal #2).