Free Agent Relievers

[Brian]

I'd go after Andrew Miller. Also didn't realize James SHields is 33. That could work for us if we go after him. No reason for too long of a deal. 3 or 4 years.

 

Anyway...

 

Right-Handed Relievers

 

David Aardsma (33)

Mike Adams (36) – $6MM club option

Matt Albers (32) – $3MM club option with $200K buyout

Burke Badenhop (32)

Ronald Belisario (32)

Matt Belisle (34)

Heath Bell (37)

Jared Burton (34) – $3.6MM club option with a $200K buyout

Joba Chamberlain (29)

Manny Corpas (32)

Jesse Crain (34)

Kyle Farnsworth (39)

Jason Frasor (38)

Kyuji Fujikawa (34) – $5.5MM club/vesting option with a $500K buyout

Luke Gregerson (31)

Luke Hochevar (31)

Matt Lindstrom (35)

Brandon Lyon (35)

Carlos Marmol (32)

Dustin McGowan (32) – $4MM club option with a $500K buyout

Peter Moylan (36)

Pat Neshek (34)

Darren O’Day (32) – $4.25MM club option with a $400K buyout

Juan Carlos Oviedo (33)

Joel Peralta (39) – $2.5MM club option

David Robertson (30)

Fransicso Rodriguez (33)

Joakim Soria (30) – $7MM club option with a $500K buyout

Koji Uehara (40)

Jamey Wright (40)

 

Left-Handed Relievers

 

Craig Breslow (34) – $4MM club option with a $100K buyout

Sean Burnett (32) – $4.5MM club/vesting option with a $500K buyout

Phil Coke (32)

Scott Downs (39) – $4MM vesting option with a $250K buyout

Tom Gorzelanny (32)

Jose Mijares (29)

Andrew Miller (30)

Franklin Morales (29)

Joe Thatcher (33)

 

[JoshPR]

Andrew miller, David Robertson and maybe neshek. All the rest can be put in a blender and not one good reliever comes out

[daggins]

Try to get a discount on Hochevar, maybe.

[Brian]

I'd say Joba but bet Detroit keeps him.

[2nd_city_saint787]

If Andrew Miller hits FA he should be the top target IMO. I don't care what those who bring up finances say, this team has such a low payroll that it can sacrifice 5-7M on a guy who makes this team A LOT better.

 

Casey Janssen or "taking a flyer" on Jim Johnson would also be nice. Johnson is available right now, so I'd really like to see him brought in this year to see if Coop can fic em.

[Eminor3rd]

TBH, it might as well be any of these guys. Hahn will take a flyer on the ones the staff likes the best and hopefully they'll work out better than they did this year.

[caulfield12]

Just don't overbid on Miller just because...well, chasing performance in short relievers (see Kelly Downs or Jim Johnson) is just like buying last year's 130% returning mutual fund on a high, only to see it lose 30% the year you buy in.

[southsider2k5]

If Andrew Miller hits FA he should be the top target IMO. I don't care what those who bring up finances say, this team has such a low payroll that it can sacrifice 5-7M on a guy who makes this team A LOT better.

 

Casey Janssen or "taking a flyer" on Jim Johnson would also be nice. Johnson is available right now, so I'd really like to see him brought in this year to see if Coop can fic em.

 

The Sox aren't in a position to pay $5+ annually to a reliever. That is a last piece move, not a .500 team move.

[Feeky Magee]

Just don't overbid on Miller just because...well, chasing performance in short relievers (see Kelly Downs or Jim Johnson) is just like buying last year's 130% returning mutual fund on a high, only to see it lose 30% the year you buy in.

The Sox aren't in a position to pay $5+ annually to a reliever. That is a last piece move, not a .500 team move.

Yup.

[2nd_city_saint787]

The Sox aren't in a position to pay $5+ annually to a reliever. That is a last piece move, not a .500 team move.

 

Meh, the team is .500 because of the pen for the most part. I'd to waste another year of Sale/Abreu by having another pen that is not very good.

 

Sox payroll is gonna be under 50M next year before arbitration, with not many arb eligible players to pick back up. 5-7M barely scratches the surface of what I believe will be back up to ~90M payroll.

 

 

[LittleHurt05]

Just don't overbid on Miller just because...well, chasing performance in short relievers (see Kelly Downs or Jim Johnson) is just like buying last year's 130% returning mutual fund on a high, only to see it lose 30% the year you buy in.

 

This x 100. I will not be happy if they pay up for Andrew Miller.

[2nd_city_saint787]

This x 100. I will not be happy if they pay up for Andrew Miller.

 

How do you suggest fixing the bullpen? Taking another chance on guys like Belly and Downs?

[LittleHurt05]

How do you suggest fixing the bullpen? Taking another chance on guys like Belly and Downs?

 

Do I have a simple fix? No. But Andrew Miller is gonna get a hefty contract, and bullpen guys can be so fickle, I hate to spend that much salary on a guy. Scott Downs was one of the most reliable lefty relievers in all of baseball the last 10 years, so the Sox gave him $4 million and now he's in Kansas City. I bet you can find a guy for less than half the price that will be just as reliable.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Do I have a simple fix? No. But Andrew Miller is gonna get a hefty contract, and bullpen guys can be so fickle, I hate to spend that much salary on a guy. Scott Downs was one of the most reliable lefty relievers in all of baseball the last 10 years, so the Sox gave him $4 million and now he's in Kansas City. I bet you can find a guy for less than half the price that will be just as reliable.

 

One thing Miller has going for him is he's 9 years younger than Downs so there's a bit of a difference there.

 

Ay some point you gotta take advantage of the fact that the Sox currently have 3 guys, Sale, Q, and Abreu who are big time steals for 3 more years. Signing Miller is not gonna break the bank.

 

 

 

[witesoxfan]

No way I'm spending on Miller or Neshek. Not that they're bad relievers, but Miller could get upwards of $20+ mill and Neshek could be around $15-20 mill and I'm not too keen on spending that much for calculated lottery tickets.

 

 

[harfman77]

How do you suggest fixing the bullpen? Taking another chance on guys like Belly and Downs?

 

I think some of the Sox starting pitching prospects end up in the bullpen. Leesman and Snodgress probably end up in the pen in the not too distant future add in Hansen and Goldberg and there are quite a few internal options that can be tried next season to see what the true holes in the pen are going forward.

 

From that list you can take a flier on whoever is willing to take a one year deal, possibly a couple buy low guys like Mijares and Hochevar to see if you can turn them into anything at the deadline next season.

[southsider2k5]

Meh, the team is .500 because of the pen for the most part. I'd to waste another year of Sale/Abreu by having another pen that is not very good.

 

Sox payroll is gonna be under 50M next year before arbitration, with not many arb eligible players to pick back up. 5-7M barely scratches the surface of what I believe will be back up to ~90M payroll.

 

Spending money, just for the sake of spending money, is stupid. That is how you end up with Edwin Jackson on a 100 loss team. You add $5 million relievers when you are close winning, not just cuz.

[southsider2k5]

Do I have a simple fix? No. But Andrew Miller is gonna get a hefty contract, and bullpen guys can be so fickle, I hate to spend that much salary on a guy. Scott Downs was one of the most reliable lefty relievers in all of baseball the last 10 years, so the Sox gave him $4 million and now he's in Kansas City. I bet you can find a guy for less than half the price that will be just as reliable.

 

So was Scott Linebrink when we signed him too.

 

Relievers are such a bad investment in general. Especially when you are looking at the difference between 78 and 82 wins.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Spending money, just for the sake of spending money, is stupid. That is how you end up with Edwin Jackson on a 100 loss team. You add $5 million relievers when you are close winning, not just cuz.

 

And again, I think this team is indeed close to winning. Fix the bullpen, get Avi back, add a quality starter and a quality LH hitter and I really think they're right there.

 

With their payroll being as ow at is, and the Sox being a "Large market team" I fully expect this teams payroll to be at the very least in the 80M range. To get to the 80M range we're talking about 30M in contracts. I don't see why 5M of that could be used on a guy who is one of the most dominant set up men in the game this year. He's not just a loogy either, RHB are hitting just .174 against him as well.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

And again, I think this team is indeed close to winning. Fix the bullpen, get Avi back, add a quality starter and a quality LH hitter and I really think they're right there.

 

With their payroll being as ow at is, and the Sox being a "Large market team" I fully expect this teams payroll to be at the very least in the 80M range. To get to the 80M range we're talking about 30M in contracts. I don't see why 5M of that could be used on a guy who is one of the most dominant set up men in the game this year. He's not just a loogy either, RHB are hitting just .174 against him as well.

 

They aren't. We shouldn't be thinking playoffs this year. Realistically, unless Verlanders arm falls off after he runs int Miguel Cabrera, which knocks his legs off, we shouldn't be expecting to win in 2015 either.

[witesoxfan]

They aren't. We shouldn't be thinking playoffs this year. Realistically, unless Verlanders arm falls off after he runs int Miguel Cabrera, which knocks his legs off, we shouldn't be expecting to win in 2015 either.

 

I agree they shouldn't expect to, but I think they can. Just stick with this same approach and get youngish cost controlled players.

[harfman77]

They aren't. We shouldn't be thinking playoffs this year. Realistically, unless Verlanders arm falls off after he runs int Miguel Cabrera, which knocks his legs off, we shouldn't be expecting to win in 2015 either.

 

I really don't think this team is that far away from competing. One more SP and one more bat and this team is right in the thick of things. Oakland is all in this season and will come back down to earth next season when they lose Lowrie, Hammel, Lester, Gomes, and Callaspo to FA and then will probably trade Samardjzia to fill some of the holes on their ML roster and farm. The Sox should be in wildcard contention all season next year. If the Tigers lose Scherzer and Martinez the Sox will be right in it for the division race as well, and perhaps even if they don't lose those guys. You don't want to take away from the long term plan to compete now, but, the farm system is starting to produce excess pieces that can be used to upgrade the ML roster.

[2nd_city_saint787]

They aren't. We shouldn't be thinking playoffs this year. Realistically, unless Verlanders arm falls off after he runs int Miguel Cabrera, which knocks his legs off, we shouldn't be expecting to win in 2015 either.

 

Anything is possible man. Let me throw it out there, so you can get some perspective on where I'm comin from....I think Avi is going to be a really good baseball player. I'm talking all star caliber. You add that to another FA bat or 2 and IMO this offense would be good enough to compete.

 

You get to the playoffs and anything can happen. Add a quality RHP to Sale and Q and that's a 1-3 that could do some damage in the playoffs.

[LDF]

taking a look at this scenario, I never thought we will in position to compete this yr. with the addition

of the players and the pride of the players, we came pretty damn close.

 

we have something like 30-40 mil

 

I sp = + /- 20 mil

dh = + / - 13-15 mil

rp = + /- 5-8 mil

 

total is 40 + / -

 

is dv going to dh or play of. now everything being equal lets assume danks is not traded.

[harfman77]

taking a look at this scenario, I never thought we will in position to compete this yr. with the addition

of the players and the pride of the players, we came pretty damn close.

 

we have something like 30-40 mil

 

I sp = + /- 20 mil

dh = + / - 13-15 mil

rp = + /- 5-8 mil

 

total is 40 + / -

 

is dv going to dh or play of. now everything being equal lets assume danks is not traded.

 

Which DH option are they going to pursue?

 

The LH options available are Adam Dunn, Kendrys Morales, Victor Martinez, Carlos Pena, and Pablo Sandoval. Given that landscape, I think they re-up Dunn.