ChiSox59

Depending on the price, could be and interesting fit. The rangers can’t expect too much, I wouldn’t think.

I think you missed the point. You can send him to AAA and skip starts there. I'd rather they do that than keep him on MLB roster and not use him, or just phantom DL him to skip starts. There are multiple ways to manage the situation, but the best way to manage it (IMO) is to to take it slow in the early going in AAA and do what you can to get the year back.

Yep. If the Sox sign an IF, it should be one that can cover 2B for a bit and then be a super utility guy. Still love the idea of trying to get Derek Deitrich. He'd be great fill-in at 2B, and then could play him around the diamond and DH.

Garcia can also make CF just fine for 2 weeks.

Which is all "what if". Having him the extra year is definitive. We don't know that calling up Robert tomorrow would have any meaningful difference on his 2020 performance. Its logical to assume that he'd work through some struggles and adjustments, but these are just possibilities. For all we know he rakes from the beginning and it makes no difference. The extra year is for sure.

I don't even understand why Rendon is mentioned. While a player that good always fits, the Sox aren't fucking with Moncada and they have one of the best 2B prospects in the game that will be ready at some point next season. Cole on the other hand......is most definitely a fit.

This has been repeated so many times. The Sox would be without Robert for like 15 games in 2020. Losing him for 15 games >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than an entire season. The Sox can compete next year with Robert coming up in late April. They won't compete next year if they sit out free agency again. If you want to get up in arms about competing next season, worry about the Sox signing some SP and not Robert spending a little over 2 weeks of games in the minors leagues.

EE is also due $11M more than Abreu this season, and is a bigger defensive liability than Abreu at this point. But yah, Abreu isn't bringing back much, but I suspect he'll be moved if something relatively interesting is offered. If not, he stays.

Both the Dodgers and Braves are going to have 40 man issues this offseason. These are the teams that theoretically you should be able to extract the most value from because they'd rather get something for their assets as opposed to holding and creating roster casualties in the offseason.

Well, that fan is an idiot. Eloy alone is more valuable than Beinintendi at this juncture, purely based on amount of contractual control. I too agree many fan trades are funny - but there at least appears to be some willingness on Boston's end to part with Benintendi based on the recent reports, so its not quite as out of left field as the white sox trading Jimenez and Cease.

The good thing is, the Sox have a pretty impressive stable of controllable talent built up from rebuilding and draft. Free agency should be used to supplement a core, and hopefully that is what the Sox are going to do. Moncada, Anderson, Eloy, Robert, Madrigal, Vaughn, Giolito, Kopech, Cease, Lopez and 4-5 very good and interesting relief arms in a REALLY good start. The Sox should be able to fill in the gaps via FA and less regarded prospects (whether as contributors or trade bait). That is how a true winner is built, and the Sox are definitely pointed in the right direction.

I'd much rather see Kopech shuttled between AAA and the big leagues than be given phantom DL stints throughout the season. If you don't want to keep him in AAA until June 1 or whatever the exact day may be, fine, but instead of skipping starts and phantom DLing him, option him to AAA for 10 days. As I mentioned earlier, the Padres have done that with Paddack and the Rays with McKay, who are also pretty elite talents, so its not like the Sox would blazing some new trail. They should be able to get him to spend 6-8 weeks on the AAA roster and get the year on control back if they handled it that way, so long as he initially spends the first month in AAA. Once you use the option, may as well take advantage of it instead of just having him use a useful 25 man spots while being skipped, or accruing MLB service time while on a phantom DL stint.

It's easy to say pass on Bumgarner, and while I actually agree - there are only two or three clear cut better options in Cole and potentially Strasburg (he should opt out). I think Ryu is a better option too, IMO. But after that, Bumgarner is going to be at the top of the list. I just think he's very likely to stay in the NL, and for good reason - I think he's at best a mid rotation SP in the AL at this point in his career. Yep. I am more confident than others that the Sox will take a far more aggressive approach. How they figure out RF and DH will be the most interesting to me. The next week may provide some clues has to what their plans may be. There are plenty of options on the FA market to plug 1 or 2 SP spots - depending on how they plan to handle Kopech - but the RF options on the FA market are not great for this particular team's needs. While it seems like it should be easy to fill the DH spot - the Sox have proven that isn't really the case, so that too will be interesting. Part of the reason I love the Grandal idea so much is that he sort of fills the DH role, and I do think a Grandal/McCann/Collins catcher and DH platoon would be pretty lethal. I suspect Grandal will be in demand this offseason, but I guess you never know after how his offseason went. IIRC, the Sox definitely were in contact with Grandal, so you know the interest is there. No draft pick forfeiture this time, and while McCann has patched the catching issue momentarily, I predict serious regression offensively next season.

Yah, I like this. We’re on the same page.

+100. Nice post. It may be a PR nightmare, but at least people are/will be talking about the Sox. There are much worse situations than having a prospect so good that your decision to keep him in the minors leagues creates media attention.

Certainly not worth starting a new thread so putting it here, but the Rays DFA'd Ian Gibaut today. Interesting youngish relief arm that appears to have just been a causality of 40 man roster crunch. Surprised to see Rays DFA him, so perhaps they have a trade lined up for him. If not, doubt he'd make to the Sox in the waiver order, but if he does, they should definitely pounce.

Would be nice to grab one of those guys in a deal for Colome. All LHP as well.

Jordan Guerrero released.

You pinned instead of closing. LOL

Heeeeeeeeeesssssss baaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkkk ......in the majors. Rockies just called him up. LOL

The trade season is clearly moving very slowly. We're a week from a hard trade deadline and Andrew Cashner and Martin Maldando have been the biggest names moved. Major yawn.

Nah. Robert would be up now if he was coming up this season. He isn't. It's next April.

I miss MB so damn much. So does my wife. She loved the 90-120 minute games. LOL

IMO - no, they should wait like 2 weeks. I really don't see any scenario that Robert breaks camp with the Sox if he doesn't appear in the big leagues this season. Only scenario I guess would be an extension, but that has been discussed at length as to why that is unlikely.

My honest opinion - I don't particularly GAF what the Padres or the Braves, or anyone else is doing. It was refreshing to see the Padres give Tatis a shot from the get-go this season. I personally think it was short-sighted and kind of dumb, but definitely refreshing to see a team stay "fuck it" to the contractual control and actually put their best talent on the big league roster. That being said, the Padres are in a slightly different spot than the Sox seeing as they just spent $300M on Machado, and also have a couple other large, long(er) term contracts in Hosmer and Myers. The Padres were no longer tanking or frankly really rebuilding once they gave Machado $300M. My position on Robert would likely be a little different if Machado was on the Sox.