BlackSox13

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Apr 20, 2017 -> 07:41 PM) What might be the match up of Japanese Otami, who can pitch and play the field, and the Cuban phenom Robert? We only had two Japanese players that I remember and both did pretty good If I had a choice between Otani and Robert I would take Otani without thinking twice. Dig the idea of Otani pitching every fifth game and DH'ing the four games in between.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Apr 20, 2017 -> 06:32 PM) To get Moncada , Kopech, Basabe and Diaz the Sox gave up Chris Sale who had basically 3 years ( 1 and 2 option years ) left on his contract totaling $38M. I will guess if the bidding goes beyond $18M the Sox are out. I know Robert isn't quite the prospect Moncada was when he signed but one thing that is concerning is that it's possible Robert is worth Moncada's 31.5M contract in today's market. Not to be Debbie Downer but it's that possibility that keeps my expectations kinda low.

Ouch!

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 20, 2017 -> 12:44 PM) Can we please stay away from "Significant swing and miss issues" Yeah, not to discount Manuel's selection but swing and miss issues goes directly against the recent draft philosophy change to more polished hitters with OBP potential.

QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Apr 20, 2017 -> 12:48 PM) I can see you're already enjoying the holiday today, can you hook a fellow Soxtalker up??

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 19, 2017 -> 11:18 PM) I approve of this thread and Greg's reaction to it. Nicely done, sir, from one troll to another. Come on now. Give the rest of us some credit for helping with the trolling. It really has been a group effort.

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Apr 20, 2017 -> 12:29 PM) Those were established players in MLB though, Reinsdorf is on record saying he doesn't like prospects Yes he has and imho, Williams has taken a brunt of the backlash from fans. Not that Williams has always made the best of decisions, just that JR's mentality towards prospects has forced Williams to the old "rebuild on the fly" way of doing things which thank goodness the Sox have moved on from. Same can be said for Hahn during the '15/'16 winter where Hahn had a very small window in the budget to work with to build a " contender" for JR. Imho, JR set Hahn up for failure that winter. However. Obviously JR is on board with this rebuild so there is cause for some optimism that JR will open the wallet for a talent like Robert. Think I'll just keep my expectations in check to avoid a potential let down if Robert signs elsewhere. Just going to remain a little hopeful is all.

The trolling in this thread really belongs in a Seinfeld episode. Good stuff.

QUOTE (beautox @ Apr 19, 2017 -> 10:41 PM) Soto & Kieboom sounds great to me. If Robertson continues to be solid that won't be considered too high of an asking price in July. The longer Washington waits, the higher the price gets and the better chances of other teams getting into the mix.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Apr 18, 2017 -> 02:35 PM) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2704212...-about-for-2017 I don't think the Sox will move Robertson and pick up salary unless the return is better than this article is suggesting. Robertson could be one of the best relievers available at the deadline and it would be foolish to waste that trade chip right now for the sake of making a deal Plus, since when are players like Kieboom and Voth untouchable? Lol, especially Voth? Seriously? No biggie, they can keep him , it's just the notion that makes me laugh. If the Nat's think they will get Robertson that cheap, they won't be acquiring him. Would love to snag Juan Soto and Blake Perkins from Washington.

Covey goes down when Rodon comes back. Petricka to Charlotte for rehab? As for Burdi and Beck, they can stay in Charlotte since there is no rush to bring them up.

Let's just give Avi the Cespedes proposal from last year. 6/135M should do the trick.

Yep, happy to say Avi is making me eat my words. Hats off to MiGo for pitching so well against a hot team in a tough place to pitch.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 18, 2017 -> 06:37 PM) If Dunning throws another 6-7 innings of zeros, I think he will get his Low A diploma. Yeah, Kanny has a handful of names that should be getting bumped up to WS in the near future. Dunning, Hansen, Booker, Roman and Remillard are all off to good starts for Kanny.

Pawtucket @ Charlotte 6:05 CT Fulmer pitching. Frederick @ Winston-Salem 6:05 CT Easterling pitching. Kanny @ Asheville 6:05 CT Dunning pitching. Birmingham PPD http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?s...mp;ymd=20170418

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 06:04 PM) Cash or future considerations. To me something like that would be a consideration. Could it be a thing where if the Sox chase Robert, they have a deal in place to get cap room from TB? It is a wild speculation on my behalf. It's interesting how we still don't know exactly what the Sox received in the Bourjos trade. The Sox knew their CF situation and still traded away a plus defender. You might be onto something with your speculation.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 05:59 PM) If they are getting anything for Peter Burjos, it was a win. I am really hoping it is Latin American cap room. That would make a whole lot more sense. I hadn't thought of the cap room possibility.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 05:57 PM) The Bourjas trade is still a head scratcher in that they literally gave him away and had no viable option behind him. If the spring performance of May lead them to believe he was the answer, well, I am not certain what to make of that. If it was a 40 man roster spot that they did not not want to give him, then ok, that makes some sense but I don't think that is the case as the 40 man is at 39 I believe but I could be wrong. I know there is a rebuild and winning and losing is not the main thing but that move makes no sense at all. I don't get it either. Especially since the trade was made after Tilson went down. Bourjos' defense alone was worth keeping around until a better option presented itself.

Given the outfield situation and the lack of talent to cover CF, I would think that if the Sox felt Saladino could play CF he would be there already. Leave Saladino on the infield where we know his defense is plus.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:45 PM) I do agree with that. Help out the pitchers by having his defense in CF. Like I said above, I just checked out the high minors and there is no one deserving of that playing time anyway. Exactly. At the moment, there isn't a better option for CF. It's easy to say keep Leury or May out of the lineup, but not so easy coming up with a replacement. For now, it is what it is. Hopefully mid-summer trades will bring back a quality OF prospect or two. QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:45 PM) I found it intriguing that Garcia's Range Factor in CF two years ago was similar to May's Range Factor in CF last year. Maybe Willy has lost a step in the past two years? Would seem odd though for someone that's only 24. Either way, I don't see May as a great defender. If they want all defense and no offense, Engel is a better option than May. Don't know why the Pirates moved Willy out of CF but I'd have to guess it's due in part to his lack of speed. I'm all for giving Willy ab's , just not from the CF position. I like his bat's power potential and his strong arm so he is intriguing and worth a look for a rebuilding team. I do agree that Engel is a better defensive option but he's hitting worse than May right now. Sigh, there just aren't any good options for CF at this time.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:25 PM) After watching him play LF yesterday, putting him in CF could be a comedy show. Seriously. I do not want to see an OF defense that has Melky in LF, Willy in CF and Avi in RF. The three stooges. QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:30 PM) Played it quite a bit two years ago. Not saying he's going to be a plus defender out there but if he's even not awful his bat appears to play better than any of the other current options. I guess it depends on what you feel is more important. For me, I'd rather have May's defense in CF than Willy's bat. Willy is the better hitter but May is the better defender.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:20 PM) Hopefully the kid's confident, and this doesn't hurt his development long term Yeah, I think May's confidence will be fine. I thought he did very well in his recovery from the concussion a few years ago so he seems resilient. I'm hoping at some point he can hit well enough to be the team's fourth OF.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:17 PM) I'm not sure Bourjos has a better bat than Garcia at this point in their careers. Garcia put up decent offensive numbers in AAA over the last two seasons while Bourjos has been well below average offensively since he left LAA in 2013. I'd give Garcia a slight advantage due to his trend line seemingly pointing up while Bourjos' is pointed down. Given that Garcia is also 4 years younger I don't see this trend reversing itself any time soon. Either way, I believe they should start working the other Garcia (Willy) in CF in AAA because his bat represents the biggest upside of anyone currently in AA or AAA that is capable of playing CF. How is Willy capable of playing CF? His lack of speed won't play well in CF and the scouting reports seem to say Willy is a corner OF. I wouldn't count on seeing Willy in CF.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 12:11 PM) May can defend a major league CF today. His bat wasn't even AAA ready last year. It doesn't look much better in a small sample size this year. I think this is why May is still on the team. Until Tilson comes back, all the Sox have to play CF is Leury, May and Engel. That's pretty slim pickin's to choose from.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 17, 2017 -> 07:57 AM) People can say it's BS because it's 100 percent BS. If he has nothing to pitch for this year then he's had nothing to pitch for in the previous 4 seasons and shockingly he was still great. Yeah, I don't buy the nothing to play for nonsense. If anything, pitching for a team that has just begun it's rebuild could be all the motivation Q needs to pitch his way onto a contending team in June/July. Pitching well=getting traded to a contender. Same applies to Shields, though the bounty will be far less than Q.