GreenSox

The full windup motion - the way he has that mini pause at the belt; a little jerky. I'm not saying I think he's going to bust. It's just that among the top 6 or so college players, I think has the highest chance to bust.

Leiter is my bust pick in this year's draft. Some Fulmer vibes.

Need more young players to emerge from the farm; depth needed to stay there and for it to last more than a couple of seasons. And they may develop it - a lot of productive farms aren't at the top of the rankings.

Burdi, good gracious. Still trying to overcome the FO's 2015-2016 clowning.

It didn't look good the second after they made the trade.

Not when you have several players on the roster who can't hit a lick.

The marginal from adding another good starter is probably less than the marginal benefit from adding even an average left-fielder, who would come at a much lower price. It's simply not an area of need.

No one really knows whether this is legit or a flash. But to me the difference between Mercedes and the typical AAAA player is that the AAAA player has sat in AAA for multiple years. Mercedes hasn't. He sat in A ball a long time with Tampa, presumably to develop his defense. But once the Sox drafted him, he moved up pretty quickly and hit at each level. Heck he hit in Birmingham when no one else could.

I see this as good news.

We'd have been much better off the last 9 years if Hahn hadn't made any trades. Hopefully we make the best of Giolito, Cease, Eloy, Moncada and Kopech. But you can segregate his work. Trade for prospects: decent. Trade for veterans: awful.

They probably should trade a Collins (whom I'd rather see as the #2 catcher than Lucroy) or the like for a similarly situated OF and pray.

They didn't suck for 7 years either.

He's a utility player; he can play IF and OF -that's his value. He doesn't hit much. But he should preclude the need to keep 2 guys who can't hit on the roster as position players (3 I guess, as Lucroy's going to make this team).

Collins is who you trade for a good reliever in July.

Well if they can do that, then they can extend Lynn/Giolito. It's not like those 3 had below-market contracts. Seems like JR is reverting to his 80s/90s philosophy of no extensions for young pitchers.

I have little doubt about that.

Law has the Sox #22, last in the AL Central. 3 ALC teams in the top 10. Really disappointing since all of the high draft picks are included in that #22 or have been flameouts.

Both the early 80s and early/mid 90s editions had a lot of young quality starting pitchers, and JR wouldn't/didn't extend any of those guys. He's relented the last 15 years with Sale, Q, MB and Danks so hopefully they can get Giolito done. So far, to me, he's the best player in this rebuild; he's the 2nd (or perhaps 3rd) best young starter of this century and top 5 young starter in JR's 40+ years of ownership.

Well, they don't have a DH (last year, they did - McCann - although they didn't use him as such with regularity) and have questions in RF and perhaps 2B. Questions at SP #4 and #5 (lots of hitting may be required in those starts). During the rebuild, the Sox auditioned a dozen or more young players who hadn't done much, and McCann was the rare find who blossomed once here. Maybe that's the comparison with Lucroy...among the seeming dozens of declining veterans that the Sox have signed over the years, maybe he'll be the rare one that reverses, instead of accelerates, the decline.

Aside from my general weariness of insiders, has he ever scouted or evaluated talent? My understanding is that he's a contracts guy, like Hahn.

Even if Lucroy can catch decently (which is not a certainty), the Sox really can't afford his dead bat in the lineup.

Better Getz than Haber (if the Sox must stay inside).

Annoying that the Cards get Arenado for this price, the Mets get Lindor and 3 years of Carrasco for, from what I can tell, not much more than what the Sox gave up for 1 year of Lance Lynn.

Given that they weren't going to spend a pile, I think they did pretty well. The top 3 starters are really good, the bullpen is great and pretty deep- should se up well for post season (if they can get there). Rodon signing surprised me; not that I'm against it, just surprised, as I had inferred from what I read and heard that they weren't 100% on his work ethic.

That would help a lot; and they could have a great pen as currently constructed, although I'm a little concerned with the back end (meaning the 5th and 6th inning guys) should the Sox 4th and 5th starters really struggle. Hopefully another young guy or 2 pops up in the Spring. Not a huge issue, but I'd like to see Eaton recover some of his RF defensive prowess.