Jake

Remember that Driveline is associated with strong stances on several things — not just mechanics but also the importance of various physical and statistical indicators of performance (e.g., spin rate) as well as training, like their use of weighted balls and the volume of throwing. White Sox could be perfectly aligned on most things but disagree greatly on one and that would be sufficient for them not to encourage their players to work with them.

One potentially important difference between MadBum and Keuchel/Ryu is the draft pick compensation.

Can you point me to a link to Hahn's comments about Kopech? I've never seen anything like that.

How would they? Giolito, Cease, Kopech, Lopez, someone else. And we know they wouldn't go with Covey or Fulmer for the 5th spot even if they don't bring in a legit FA starter.

and FWIW Gammons said it was clear they were "far apart" on a price

Yeah I mean if we're going to go big let's get Sale. If Red Sox want to dump him then let them dump him on us. White Sox can afford to take a gamble on a guy who has done nothing but pitch like a hall of famer.

If they did that then there's no reason for them to go out spending money on anyone because they don't care about winning right now

Why do Sox need two starters, anyway?

Avi is still a pretty good fit I think. Makes Mazara the DH when everyone is healthy.

Yes that seems like a clear option although one wonders if Castellanos would be on board with potentially getting stuck at DH in the event that Mazara breaks out. If he's thinking about his next contract he probably wants to play in the field for as long as possible.

I see Hahn's comments as being consistent with a number of things, including bringing in a bigger fish for RF, adding someone who is more like a platoon partner, and/or bringing in a big name at some other spot (probably SP)

One thing I think about with regard to whether Mazara's past is going to predict his futureis this: If he was signed out of the DR at age 18 and had just worked his way up to the majors last season and put up those numbers, people would be pretty intrigued by what he might do at age 25 in MLB. But because his prior experience was actually in MLB, people look at him as unlikely to progress — and maybe he won't. I know the lack of long-term team control limits his full upside in terms of contract value, but in terms of deciding how he will play for the next 2 years, I think it's worthwhile to cut him a little slack compared to most other players who haven't broken out in 4 years of MLB experience.

I don't like trading Steele Walker for him, although I do agree with many others that it's more likely than not we never hear about Walker again. That being said, if the Sox talent evaluators are convinced Mazara is going to be a productive player, it's hard to blame them going out and getting him.

Well I will say this: I think Avi Garcia is clearly a more attractive option if you want to maximize the probability of having a player who produces more than 1 WAR in RF without vastly overpaying for it. Castellanos and Ozuna are both solid players but each has some problems and you'll be eating a lot of risk to bring them in. I don't think the Sox are well-situated to absorb some of those risks but I won't be mad if we do go after them.

In fairness, the choices available for offensive signings are not super attractive

I should also say that it seems inaccurate to call him left-handed Avi Garcia because Avi is clearly more accomplished and a safer bet. If handedness isn't an important consideration, I'd happily give Avi a two-year deal to fill that hole and fix the mistake we made in cutting him last year.

And if he plays well, then who cares if you have too many good players? But more likely that Vaughn isn't ready to go until partway into the final year of control for Mazara anyway

Let's find out the price before we go crazy here. What do you like more, 5 years and $100 million for Nick Castellanos or Kodi Heuer for 2 years of Mazara (second year non-guaranteed) at a maximum of about $16M? I think it's quite plausible we could roll the dice on a guy like this *and* bring in a Castellanos or JD Martinez type player who you plan to DH but could go to RF if Mazara doesn't work out

People act like the Sox think that the way he has played is good and that it's what they hope to get from him. Acquiring him is taking a bet that in his age 25 season he might tap into some of his physical gifts. It's not that complicated and it's not that crazy of a bet.

Yeah there's just no way they're going to give up a talent that good just to get rid of Price's contract. You'd still be looking at a Madrigal or Vaughn going the other way, I think.

No clue why people think we would get Benintendi in a deal with the BoSox

Give them Kodi Heuer or Gavin Sheets or something and I think it's worth a shot. I just would want the Sox to figure out a backup plan if he doesn't meet expectations.

That's how you get good players without giving up good players. Another plausible alternative that adds less to the payroll is also getting Jackie Bradley Jr although I think the Red Sox have a little less incentive to move him for nothing since he isn't earning as much.

I'd guess Sox going after Price and JD Martinez for minimal talent going the other way is more likely than taking one of their cheaper players.

What I like about Ryu is you can be reasonably confident that when he's pitching, he's going to be really good. That's the kind of upside I think the Sox should be looking for.