steveno89

This totally feels like Robert would benefit greatly from a change of scenery and reach his potential, if healthy.

Have to imagine Tucker is destined for free agency after the 2025 season The money too gigantic to not

One year away from free agency, would Tucker bet on himself to cash in next year? Any extension done now would have to be at current market rates would have to imagine

You are right, he is only 21 and likely bounces right back from mthe injury Even still, a Kris Bryant comp is a big stretch for him, who was essentially a slam dunk prospect

Kris Bryant was an elite prospect who absolutely destroyed the minor leagues upon arrival I would temper expectations big time for Braden Montgomery coming off injury

Valid points here Sox will need to develop him well to have him reach his potential Power is a valuable commodity, and is not easy to teach...he has it. Now just need to figure out how to get the hit tool playable enough to use it.

Sox are going to have to get creative the next couple seasons to improve for the future Shrewd signings, taking on a bad contract for prospect return, trades, draft, etc

Montgomey hits the ball hard when he connects, which should result in a strong BABIP Hopefully he can rectify some of the swing and miss problems because the pop is legit

It can be really tough to find bats that can stick on a major league roster for an entire season in the rule five draft, especially after the first round Shane Smith I believe can be os use as a potential starter or reliever right away on a crappy White Sox club

No reason to trade Cannon now, agreed, especially when the White Sox need starting pitchers to get through the season He could be a nice workhorse backend #4/5 starter with his profile

I am not haha

I'm assuming Mayer was made available by the Red Sox, but the White Sox were leery about his injury history? Anthony and Campbell were never going to be on the table for obvious reasons

Sox have to bring in a few veteran arms to eat innings for what is going to be an awful 2025 club

Teel is a great catching prospect, but I am not sure I see huge offensive upside beyond him being a solid regular at the position. That is still a valuable player, but I am not sure he will ever be a star. He should start the year in AAA and would probably benefit from a full season there to work on hitting and defense. Montgomery has a high ceiling, but the ankle injury absolutely gives some cause for concern. Hopefully he is fully healthy and gets off to a strong start in the lower minors in 2025. Meidroth looks like a utility player/bench bat at the next level who could carve out a role. The fringy defense, speed and lack of pop probably prevent him from profiling as a regular, but you never know? Gonzalez is a reliever at the next level, but there's some upside there if his control can improve. Sox may continue to try him as a starting pitcher considering he was better in the second half of 2024.

Boston pretty clearly was unwilling to trade Anthony or Campbell, the two best prospects in their system by quite a bit. Mayer has nice upside, but injury concerns had to cause concern for the White Sox. I doubt Boston would have been willing to include Mayer and Montgomery in the deal as well.

Zero chance Korey Lee has the bat to profile at 1B in the major leagues

2018 turned out to be a really weak top of the draft for bats overall Madrigal's defense was majorly overrated, and you cannot select a player in the top five that has 20-30 grade pop at best even with a good hit tool.

I wanted at least one toolsy youngster with upside to dream on in the return, like Franklin Arias, who could be a top 25 prospect in baseball by this time next year. Boston was never going to include Anthony or Campbell for obvious reasons, and Mayer may have carried too much injury risk for the White Sox to stomach despite his upside and pedigree. Not sure another club was going to offer the combination of prospects the White Sox received back, so Getz likely did the best he felt he could do.

I am still digesting this trade. Of Boston's top four prospects for the White Sox, Teel is the worst fit. Catching prospects are really difficult to hit and get value on, plus the fit with Quero seems awkward. Montgomery has pop and a big arm, but is coming off an ankle injury and is several years away from the majors. Lengthy development path ahead, with hit tool questions that need to be answered. Mediroth can hit and looks like a future utility player at the MLB level Gonzalez is most likely a reliever, but Sox can continue to develop him as a potential starter. I'm sure this was intentional, but it is noteworthy to me what the Red Sox did not trade. They kept their three up the middle top prospects (Anthony/Campbell/Mayer), as well as their toolsy teenage prospects who could be worth even more in a year (Arias, Cespedes, Bleis) This may have been the best that Getz was offered, but I really wish the Sox would have focused on up the middle talent as the return.

If I were a contending club in need of an OF I would monitor Robert's market for sure Is he risky? Absolutely, but there is also potential reward as a chance of scenery candidate that was great as recently as the 2023 season. The option years are not too expensive if he stays healthy either, reducing the risk a bit.

It is an interesting idea, but beyond Salas and de Vries the Padres system thins out quickly. I just do not see a current match that makes sense, even with potential Cease return.

I also expect the club to double dip and make a selection in the second round. What do they have to lose?

As much as I am sure the organization would like to move on from Robert, keeping him and hoping he can stay healthy and rebuild value in the first half seems to be the best choice vs. taking a substandard return this offseason. If he can look anything like his 2023 form, he will have nice value at the deadline with two fairly reasonable $20 million club options

My understanding is that the Red Sox are unwilling to part with Duran, Anthony and Campbell at this time

Correct There is more inherent risk in a Crochet extension for the Sox than potential reward. They need postion player prospects in return to start to build a future offense. The current system is pretty bare of impact type bats.