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I think the Sox have to go forward with Vaughn. This is one thing I agree with everyone on. 2023 could be an even bigger breakout year since it'll be his 3rd year in the league. 1st year was a disaster offensively but not unexpected given he was out of position and had very little time in the minors . 2nd year was a disaster defensively but he started showing his potential offensively. He didn't have the legs to play OF and it wore him out. He'll be in more of a comfort zone playing 1st base. Sheets :I really wanted him to do well last year. He showed it at home offensively but as a whole that's only 1/4 of the job. the other 3/4 is offensively on the road (terrible) and defensively both at home and on the road (also terrible). There's no room for him in the OF. The Sox have to improve defensively. A Sheets /Colas platoon doesn't work for me because it requires Sheets to play OF and both are LH. Colas showed in the minors he can hit LHP. I'm not expecting miracles from him as a rookie but he needs to play every day and more than Vaughn did his 1st year. He should have the chops defensively . Offensively I don't think he'll be a liability but he has holes in his game. Mostly ones that a lot of guys do, mainly K's and plate discipline but I think he needs to be just playing and helping defensively and the bat may surprise us all. At least the majority of pitchers he'll be facing are RH so that will help as much as it hurt Vaughn. Sheets should be traded. He isn't versatile enough to be on the roster as a bench piece. Of course he could be a depth piece in the Minors at 1st base if Vaughn gets hurt.

I probably 1st mentioned him as who I wanted to get before the Kimbrel trade went down. Instead we got Pollock. Money down the drain as usual with this team.

I think that if he wasn't a 7th round draft pick and because he took time to develop his swing to where it now, he is under ranked. As far as comparing him to Busch. Busch is not really an OF . He's a 1st baseman, a late 1st round draft pick and much more highly touted than Outman. (1st round vs. 7th round.) So as far as needs go the Sox need Outman more than they need Busch. Very good defense to go along with his bat so I'd say his upside is higher than Busch because he can earn WAR offensively and defensively. Busch is only 6 months younger than Outman. Since his promotion in 2021 to AA he's been about a .950 OPS guy and one of the best, if not the best, defensive OF in the Dodgers system. As far as hitting goes I think he is equal to Busch and far better defensively. So if Busch is ranked 45 and you want a definitive answer I'd say right now I'd rather have Outman than Busch. The need for an OF far outweighs our needs for another defensively limited player. Plus I think what you asked is a loaded question. I'm not a scout and I don't rank prospects for a living. Asking me if I think Outman should be ranked in the top 45 is not up to me. I just identify Sox needs and see who fits them and think Outman may be under ranked and therefore thought of as less than ideal when people tell me "but he's only the 13th ranked player in the Dodgers system". Do deeper dives instead of surface investigating.

I really do love all the responses here.

Miller and Stone are good arms in the Dodgers System. To get one of them along with Outman, Hendriks may not be enough so that's where I'd throw in a prospect. If the Dodgers are serious about Judge. Outman may be even more available. LOL you quoted me then quoted me again. That's my personal opinion after I got all the scouting grades and after reading as much as I could about Outman.

I think Outman is a serious piece. There's plenty of articles about him on pay sites like Baseball America and the Athletic. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/james-outmans-dreamlike-dodgers-debut-was-years-in-making https://www.mlb.com/news/james-outman-homers-3-hits-dodgers-major-league-debut This one Outman says he had a "cavemen" swing when he 1st got into pro ball. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/patience-pays-off-for-dodgers-james-outman/ https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/james-outman-refines-his-hitting-mechanics/ I'd love an OF (L-R) of Robert, Outman, Colas or Outman , Robert, Colas. Robert just isn't the same guy since his major injury. I wouldn't mind if the Sox moved him to LF to ease expectations. That's a pretty smooth fielding OF with plenty of offensive upside from the left side. I honestly think it's the best path for current and future teams. They aren't going to spend this year. Everyone else you're banking on comebacks for way more money and very few years. This one year and gone stuff is bullshit. Rookies with upside are great if you can get the core position players in the right spots and to rebound. Sox aren't going anywhere anyway without Eloy, Moncada, Gio, Kopech, Lynn, Anderson, Robert all staying on the field or producing at levels they have shown in the past. The Sox aren't in any position to play garbage fielders in the OF . Just throw Colas and Outman out there and tell them to play hustling defense because the positions are theirs . It's up to the rest of the guys to show who they are capable of being.

Trust my baseball acumen .

You know every time I mention Outman in a Hendriks trade somebody says that. You'd think after all my posts about a potential Hendriks /Outman trade somebody would remember I'm not suggesting a 1 for 1 trade. Those are the main pieces but potentially not the only pieces. I'd see if I could get a SP prospect too and even throw in a prospect from our side if it helped get a deal done. But if you want to free up the most salary for other potential moves, Hendriks is the choice.

I've mentioned James Outman as a guy I'd trade for in a Hendriks trade. Just skip down to Outman if you rather just read about him. The Dodgers have a ton of ranked OF prospects from MLB pipeline Aug16, 2022 Update. The 1st number is how they rank in the Dodgers system. 3. Miguel Vargas, 3B/OF (MLB No. 44) Age 23, Bats R, Throws R, 6'3 205 ,.915 OPS in 113 G at AAA , Good strike zone awareness, 71 BB 76K Scouting grades: Hit :60 , Power: 55 , Run: 40, Arm: 55, Field:45 Overall: 55 Misc. Cuban 4. Michael Busch, 2B/OF (MLB No. 45) Age 25, Bats L, Throws R, 6'1 210, .823 OPS in 111 Games @ AAA . Not really an OF more like Muncy in that he plays 2nd and 1st base but saw time in LF . Scouting Grades: Hit 55, Power 55, Run 45, Arm 45, Field 45, Overall 55. 5. Andy Pages, OF (MLB No. 69) Age 21, 6"1 212, Bats R, Throws R, Stats dropped going from A+ in 2021 to AA this year. Scouting Grades: hit 45, Power 60, Run 50, Arm 65, Field 50, Overall 55. Misc. Cuban 8. Jose Ramos, OF , 21, 6'1" 200, Bats R , Throws R. Signed for $30K from Panama in 2018, Grew 2 inches and gained 50 lbs after he was signed as a 17 yr. old. Got a quick bump from A to A+ this year but he had some difficulties. Scouting grades: Hit 50, Power 55, Run 50, Arm 70, Field 55, Overall 50. Grades may be lower now if they haven't been adjusted for his growth especially running and fielding but he has a HUGE arm. *13. James Outman , Age 25, 6'3" 215, Bats L throws R, In 2018 Baseball America rated him the best defensive player and best Athlete in the class. Starting in 2021 Outman reworked his swing and since then he's gotten better and better. Every new level he did better than the previous level. He takes walks and hits for power. Despite the 13 rank in the Dodgers system I suspect the Dodgers are highest on him even over Busch and Vargas as an immediate impact player defensively and offensively. Scouting grades: Hit 45, Power 55, Run 60, Arm 60, Field 60. Overall 50. I think if we reworked those grades his overall grade would now be a 55 minimum. He only hit .249 at Sacramento St. but he has come a long way since he was a 7th round pick in 2018 then and is a developmental system's dream player. Very capable in any OF position. I think the Dodgers would trade Busch before they traded Outman and Busch is ranked #45 on MLB Pipeline. But I'd go after Outman if the rankings don't catch up to his true value. His upside is clearly the highest as far as potential WAR.

Nope. I'll give it a 5% chance.

from MLBtraderumors: Signing Garrett to a major league contract doesn’t mean the Nationals are obligated to carry him on the MLB roster. He still has a full slate of minor league option years, so the Nats can keep him in Triple-A Rochester for the foreseeable future as upper level depth. Rather, the MLB deal and immediate 40-man spot presumably served to differentiate the Nats from other teams that were willing to offer him a minor league deal with an invitation to big league Spring Training. Garrett is still nowhere near even the one-year service threshold, so he’d be controllable through at least the 2028 season if he establishes a lasting role in D.C. Edit: A minor league contract is cheaper than a MLB contract that the Nats signed him too. I don't think Garrett is some amazing overlooked player. He's a corner OF type with the speed to play CF but not the instincts as far as I know. I just don't want to see Sheets, Vaughn Leury ,Payton, Cespedes or Eloy play OF for 1 damn inning. I mean when the Pirates have a better OF than a team that's supposed to be a contender, it's just sad. It's also sad that the Sox are just continuing to do Sox type things. We have all off season to see what will happen but my opinion is you are all going to be disappointed because that's what JR and Hahn do. And if anyone gets excited at the prospect of getting Profar because he can play an equally bad 2nd base and OF for a couple years @$10M/yr., good luck with that.

Plenty of guys have had successful careers after being cut . The Dbacks are loaded with good young OFers. Snagging one that was cut loose isn't a bad idea. But hey keep hoping JR has a heart and signs yet another veteran retread for $3M-$15M while the Sox keep ignoring their woeful farm system. Signing those types is what put the Sox in the position they are in now after they reached their peak in the 1st half of 2021.

LOL hey It's pitiful that I'm fighting for DFA guys I know. But that's how dire the situation is. We're going to get some older retreads (Payton) and waste money on garbage like the Sox always do and basically everyone is giving that their seal of approval. Give me 6 years and upside every time. That's how teams find guys like Muncy, JD Martinez and Chris Taylor and many others.

Of course there are other factors but there are also factors that would've been simple to get them too. AFter DFA you can trade for a guy if you want him. Wouldn't take hardly anything. After that 7 days it's free agency. Not getting the best depth possible and treating the Sox like they do any other year is just a pitiful sign that winning isn't a priority. Now it's JR saying I've spent enough. Trouble is he let the crazy old man into the clubhouse and let him do as he saw fit and ruined a lot. Plus Hahn did his bit to set them back too.

Your guy Jason Martin is still out there. Kind of a small guy but LH has power. No success in his MLB trials in the past. Has the speed to play CF but supposedly not a good fielder so basically a corner guy mostly LF. 3 years younger version of Payton. I've seen most reports that list him at 5'9" and one at 5'11"

Your argument was precisely the reason why I was suggesting guys who were better than Cespedes from the beginning. Viable 4th OF and better depth pieces than Payton. Of course they chose Payton rather than 20 something guys with upside. But there's still time but the guys I liked are already gone, except Outman and he's a trade piece.

Hey at least I identified a couple guys who were snatched up early. OF depth and defense remain a big problem not likely to be solved through Free Agency.

I knew he would sign somewhere fairly soon. He's got too much talent , just got victimized by AZ. Horn of Plenty in the OF. My main guy Outman can still be traded for. He's the one I want most. However still need depth pieces and 2 I thought were good for that already gone.

I brought him up at the trade deadline. Always a possibility.

Yep when I can say the QO should've been made and I can say way ahead of time he should've been resigned without knowing what the Sox knew about his medicals you know winning a championship is never a priority. But many here were very concerned about his past injuries and didn't want to resign him. Not even our medical expert wanted to resign him. I always thought there was nothing wrong with his arm except fatigue. After all, even when he slowed down in August he'd get extra rest and go right back out and also made a playoff start. It never sounded like an injury to me. Also working with Katz improved his mechanics and I was confident that he had eliminated most of the things that led to his injuries. All season long people here were almost hoping he'd have arm problems because I was so vociferous about wanting him to return. April , May, June, July I'd hear "he's gonna get hurt just wait " but it never happened. SF didn't make the playoffs but Rodon had a great season. Thanks JR, Hahn, Sox medical staff for successfully making a decision that benefitted SF more than the Sox in this laughable championship window.

There's no consensus on Soxtalk. We hear the same names bantied around like Benintendi, Gallo, Conforto , Bellinger but I'm highly doubtful on FA signings from this point forward in the OF. That leaves Trades and dumpster diving. I've suggested names in trades and dumpster dives for guys who are definitely better than Cespedes who currently is the 3rd real OFer the Sox have and not real close to MLB ready. No one really likes hearing about DFA guys as viable solutions but for depth purposes and even for 26 man roster purposes there are always MLB ready fast defense types with upside power bats. I suppose it would be disappointing to many to get some of those guys. But they are ready defensively and had successful small samples in MLB last year.

Good spit

So it's Grandal for Kepler now ?

Are those AAA stats ? I like OAA better or scouting reports although usually on a 27 yr old scouting reports are old and injuries can change the grades. But like that you are exploring on the margins depth pieces. Trea Turner not a chance in hell.

Just like any other move it either will or won't work out. But like you said defense has to be better which is what I've been aiming at . Speed , good gloves , strong armed power hitting, dynamic, energetic MLB ready, 20 something OFers. Clevinger has a good ground ball rate which the Sox usually target for SP.