Free Agency - How confident are you?

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

4 minutes ago, RTC said:

Or maybe it's because there's a guy at SS named Tatis.

Right, yet Tatis grades out poorly there and he wasnt on the Padres when they signed Machado so.... it's almost like once he got paid, his sole purpose of "showing" he can still play SS went away

[caulfield12]

1 hour ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Machado changed positions twice for two reasons:

1. Playing time. He was "blocked" by JJ Hardy as a kid and his path to professional baseball at a young age was switching to third base.

2. He switched back to SS to maximize his worth because SS's make more money. He was bad at SS and now he's back at the position he's elite at because he got paid.

Machado is an example of what I have said are the reasons players change.

Clearly, Machado got paid and wasnt demanding he played SS anymore. Why? Because he wanted to play SS, in his head, thinking it would garner him a bigger payday.

He has played SS quite well this year, though, and also has enjoyed it.

[poppysox]

5 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

At the time, Madrigal had not proven anything in professional baseball. Machado could play third and Moncada would move back to 2nd. Or Machado could play SS, and Tim could play the OF.

Rendon can not play SS.

Over the past year, things have changed too. Players have gotten hurt (pitchers mostly) and position players have taken big steps forward (Madrigal, Tim and Yoan).

I have never agreed with those who think moving Moncada to 2nd was going to happen.  Once the team uses the 4th overall pick in the draft to pick Madrigal he is not being used as a bargaining chip.  If Hahn made that move I would surely think him incompetent.  GM's stake their reps on drafting and trading for the right guys.  Even when they are wrong they stick with their mistakes a long time (see Beckham).

[Bob Sacamano]

1 hour ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Right, yet Tatis grades out poorly there and he wasnt on the Padres when they signed Machado so.... it's almost like once he got paid, his sole purpose of "showing" he can still play SS went away

Right. It was to expand his market from teams who need a 3B to teams that need a 3B or SS. He was going to play whatever position the team that paid him the most told him to play.

[Flash]

1 hour ago, Moan4Yoan said:

Exactly, these are top of the game young athletes.  Most of them have played multiple positions throughout their life.  All it takes is time and practice for most of these guys to change positions, not including a drastic change to catcher, pitcher, and to a lesser extent SS and CF.

I'm not so sure moving from IF to OF is as easy as we assume (see Dee Gordon/Mariners). I was never a gazelle but played 4 yrs of HS baseball back in the day and remember how the ball appeared to wobble as my feet planted in pursuit of fly balls. Getting an instant beed on trajectory, angle flight path, etc. is harder than it seems. That said, I wouldn't move Moncada, even he he took to the OF naturally. TA on the other hand, I would try, especially if we can upgrade our defense while also filling an OF spot and keeping TAs bat in the lineup.  

[SoxBlanco]

How would people feel if the only four signings this offseason were Castellanos, Wheeler, Will Smith, and Nova?

[35thstreetswarm]

14 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

How would people feel if the only four signings this offseason were Castellanos, Wheeler, Will Smith, and Nova?

Like we have the chance to be a pretty good team. 

[Jack Parkman]

17 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

How would people feel if the only four signings this offseason were Castellanos, Wheeler, Will Smith, and Nova?

Do they re-sign Abreu or not? 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

54 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

He has played SS quite well this year, though, and also has enjoyed it.

Hes played 34 games and grades out -2 DRS. That averages out to -10 DRS over the course of a season which is bad and far from playing the position "quite well."

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

43 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

Right. It was to expand his market from teams who need a 3B to teams that need a 3B or SS. He was going to play whatever position the team that paid him the most told him to play.

And no intelligent team with a hole at BOTH SS and 3B would chose to move Machado between the two or primarily play him at SS. There are times where you have a back up 3B but not SS so that flexibility is nice, but Machado should be playing every game possible at the position he's elite at. That's how you maximize value.

In 1900+ career innings at SS Machado is -13DRS.

In 7300 innings at third his DRS is +91.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[Bob Sacamano]

24 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

Do they re-sign Abreu or not? 

I'd hope so:

Robert CF

Anderson SS

Moncada 3B

Castellanos RF

Jimenez LF

Abreu DH/1B

Collins 1B/C

McCann C/DH

Madrigal 2B

Maybe too right-handed but just give me the best 9 you can possibly put out. Also don't think right-handers have as extreme of splits as lefties do against lefties.

Edited August 27, 2019 by soxfan2014

[SoxAce]

7 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

I'd hope so:

Robert CF

Anderson SS

Moncada 3B

Castellanos RF

Jimenez LF

Abreu DH/1B

Collins 1B/C

McCann C/DH

Madrigal 2B

Maybe too right-handed but just give me the best 9 you can possibly put out.

Abreu batting 6th. Ricky would never...

[mqr]

1 hour ago, SoxBlanco said:

How would people feel if the only four signings this offseason were Castellanos, Wheeler, Will Smith, and Nova?

That could work. 

[Springfield Soxfan]

No thanks on Puig.  That is not spending the money wisely. 

[Dick Allen]

1 hour ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Hes played 34 games and grades out -2 DRS. That averages out to -10 DRS over the course of a season which is bad and far from playing the position "quite well."

Yet you praise Moncada who is -6 DRS, so about -10 over 162, and TA is -8 DRS, so even worse. Pick a lane,.

[caulfield12]

All I know is that Anderson and Tatis are two of the best young shortstops in the game...don’t need DRS to confirm that.

And Machado is more than capable of playing SS for extended periods of time.

 

But I could also imagine Moncada/Machado/Madrigal with Eloy/Anderson/Robert or Eloy/Robert/Anderson as a potentially even more dominant lineup...which would be contingent on what kinds of jumps/reads Anderson was getting in the outfield.

Since they won’t sign Rendon either, they need to invest at least $150 million into all aspects of the rotation and bullpen and hope whoever they bookend Robert with in CF doesn’t get him seriously injured out there.

Imagine Jimenez and Robert meeting at full speed and extended...

Edited August 27, 2019 by caulfield12

[ChiSox59]

3 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Imagine Jimenez and Robert meeting at full speed and extended...

Why would anyone imagine that just for funsies?

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

Yet you praise Moncada who is -6 DRS, so about -10 over 162, and TA is -8 DRS, so even worse. Pick a lane,.

Fair point. I should have cited something else. Every defensive metric grades machado poorly defensively at short. DRS is the only one that grades Yoan poorly.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

8 hours ago, ChiSox59 said:

Why in the world would be move our very good young controllable long term SS to the OF (a position he hasn't played in professional bal) for a 30 year old Gregorius?  Its an outside the box thought, but its pretty dang farfetched.  

Anderson is not a good defensive shortstop. 

[poppysox]

22 minutes ago, South Side Fireworks Man said:

Anderson is not a good defensive shortstop. 

Lots of errors but he sure covers some ground and has a canon for an arm.

[ChiSox59]

58 minutes ago, South Side Fireworks Man said:

Anderson is not a good defensive shortstop. 

Meh. He definitely has too many mental lapses, but he gets to balls most SS can’t even dream of and has an absolute cannon for an arm. He is amazing on pop outs in foul ground. Great on the transfer. 

Hes not perfect, but he’s still young and can improve and has the talent to do so.

Im not moving him to RF for a 30 year old stop gap. 

Edited August 28, 2019 by ChiSox59

[Flash]

5 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

Meh. He definitely has too many mental lapses, but he gets to balls most SS can’t even dream of and has an absolute cannon for an arm. He is amazing on pop outs in foul ground. Great on the transfer. 

Hes not perfect, but he’s still young and can improve and has the talent to do so.

Im not moving him to RF for a 30 year old stop gap. 

Who is the 30 year old 'stop gap' you refer to?

[Moan4Yoan]

18 minutes ago, Flash said:

Who is the 30 year old 'stop gap' you refer to?

Didi Gregorious.

[Flash]

11 minutes ago, Moan4Yoan said:

Didi Gregorious.

Gregorious won't be 30 until next Feb. Been injured for most of this year but had 4.6 WAR in 2018 and 4.0 in 2017. Obviously the very definition of stop gap.

[GermanSoxFan]

Moving Anderson to RF is crazy talk. Either he is the SS for this team or you trade him.  What makes Tim valuable is his bat at SS and the potential to be a good defender. Having him relearn a completely different position is just bonkers.