Finding a LH/Switch hitting OFer

[caulfield12]

Ichiro...too old, more of a 4th/5th guy now

Granderson...was often mentioned as a possible free agent signing in the offseason, probably too expensive for that level of production, basically a platoon guy at this point in his career

Aoki...maybe

Markakis...depends on the cost in dollars/years

Nava...meh

Jay...don't think Cardinals will make him available after bounceback year

Ethier...see Carl Crawford below

Leonys Martin...another Cuban, coming off pretty decent (for him) offensive year

Rasmus...will the output be worth the "potential" tag often attached? can anyone get through to him?

Denard Span...quietly having a very strong season for Nationals

Carl Crawford....either or neither Ethier can stay or go (bad attempt at pun)

Josh Hamilton....often debated/discussed

Matt Joyce...this is the typical KW bounceback/buy low candidate after a disappointing 2014

Gerardo Parra....declining defensive splits, nothing close to average offensively

Domonic Brown....see Matt Joyce, non-tender candidate who's another version of Dayan Viciedo in many ways

Dexter Fowler...would definitely have some interest in him, depending on cost

CoCo Crisp...how many baseball lives can this guy have? about as many as Victor Martinez seemingly

Grady Sizemore...just for Lillian if she's still lurking

 

I disqualified Melky Cabrera off the bat for being out of our probable price range

Edited September 23, 2014 by caulfield12

[SCCWS]

Ichiro...too old, more of a 4th/5th guy now

Granderson...was often mentioned as a possible free agent signing in the offseason, probably too expensive for that level of production, basically a platoon guy at this point in his career

Aoki...maybe

Markakis...depends on the cost in dollars/years

Nava...meh

Jay...don't think Cardinals will make him available after bounceback year

Ethier...see Carl Crawford below

Leonys Martin...another Cuban, coming off pretty decent (for him) offensive year

Rasmus...will the output be worth the "potential" tag often attached? can anyone get through to him?

Denard Span...quietly having a very strong season for Nationals

Carl Crawford....either or neither Ethier can stay or go (bad attempt at pun)

Josh Hamilton....often debated/discussed

Matt Joyce...this is the typical KW bounceback/buy low candidate after a disappointing 2014

Gerardo Parra....declining defensive splits, nothing close to average offensively

Domonic Brown....see Matt Joyce, non-tender candidate who's another version of Dayan Viciedo in many ways

Dexter Fowler...would definitely have some interest in him, depending on cost

CoCo Crisp...how many baseball lives can this guy have? about as many as Victor Martinez seemingly

Grady Sizemore...just for Lillian if she's still lurking

 

I disqualified Melky Cabrera off the bat for being out of our probable price range

 

 

Nava. Has had a solid 2nd half of season. he can also play 1st base as well. Would come cheap. But I don't think he can play center

 

[jhonnydanks]

I'd love to see Span here.

[LDF]

Nava. Has had a solid 2nd half of season. he can also play 1st base as well. Would come cheap. But I don't think he can play center

 

he is interesting, I really wonder if he can handle the outfield on a full

time basis. his power numbers may not justified being a full time 1b

especially if he can't recoop what he was 2 yrs ago.

[LDF]

I'd love to see Span here.

yeah, according to his profile he is consider the premier base stealer. so will

the Nat'l give him a QO? what will he salary request be?

[caulfield12]

yeah, according to his profile he is consider the premier base stealer. so will

the Nat'l give him a QO? what will he salary request be?

 

 

10:$0.75M, 11:$1M, 12:$3M, 13:$4.75M, 14:$6.5M, 15:$9M club option ($0.5M buyout)

 

That's a pretty steep price to pay for Span, salary-wise, not to mention talent surrendered in trade.

 

I'd probably pass at that price, although he is very familiar with the AL Central (especially the stadiums), so that would be a huge plus in his favor.

Edited September 23, 2014 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

Nava. Has had a solid 2nd half of season. he can also play 1st base as well. Would come cheap. But I don't think he can play center

 

 

You definitely don't want Nava in CF.

 

That would be the equivalent of Brian Daubach out there.

[witesoxfan]

10:$0.75M, 11:$1M, 12:$3M, 13:$4.75M, 14:$6.5M, 15:$9M club option ($0.5M buyout)

 

That's a pretty steep price to pay for Span, salary-wise, not to mention talent surrendered in trade.

 

I'd probably pass at that price, although he is very familiar with the AL Central (especially the stadiums), so that would be a huge plus in his favor.

 

$9 million for Denard Span is a steal. He'd get $12-15 mill per year on the free agent market.

[Eminor3rd]

$9 million for Denard Span is a steal. He'd get $12-15 mill per year on the free agent market.

 

Was about to post the exact same thing; remembered to scroll down and see if you already did this time. Good for me.

[caulfield12]

$9 million for Denard Span is a steal. He'd get $12-15 mill per year on the free agent market.

 

 

Here are my concerns:

 

1) You have a speed-based player turning 31 before next season...

 

2) His defensive value is lessened by playing LF at USCF compared to CF in Washington

 

3) You really HAVE to get big-time power from the DH position (as well as Avisail and Conor/Semien) if you have Eaton/Span/Micah Johnson in the same line-up.

 

4) He's been pretty consistent, a 737/707/765 OPS line over the last three years, averaging around a 3.5 WAR. That said, he had two very subpar seasons with MINNY where he was just a 2ish WAR guy, and that's concerning since he would be back in the AL and also facing some really tough pitching staffs in DET, CLE and KC. I'm willing to pay $12-13 million for a 3.5 WAR guy, but not a 2 who's going to presumably be declining.

 

That said, Span/Eaton/Micah would create some interesting run-producing combinations...and bring a lot better defense to the table than what we've gotten out of Viciedo/DeAza the past 2-3 seasons. That's GOT to be a priority for Hahn, to shore up that hole both offensively and defensively.

 

To summarize, for my money, I'd rather give Aoki two seasons with a mutual option, but Span's the better player...worth the difference in the end?, yes at 3.5 and not at all around 2. However, he deserves some additional benefit of the doubt as a playoff-experienced veteran and leader. We need to bring in more of those type of character guys, since Eaton can't be the only leader of the team, especially when he's injured.

 

 

It would/could also make for an interesting debate about paying Span/Rasmus/Markakis $12 million vs. Melky Cabrera $15 million over 3 years. I'm not going to call it a "steal" unless we also believe we "stole" Alex Rios for the amount of production vs. his salary numbers.

Edited September 23, 2014 by caulfield12

[witesoxfan]

Here are my concerns:

 

1) You have a speed-based player turning 31 before next season...

 

2) His defensive value is lessened by playing LF at USCF compared to CF in Washington

 

3) You really HAVE to get big-time power from the DH position (as well as Avisail and Conor/Semien) if you have Eaton/Span/Micah Johnson in the same line-up.

 

4) He's been pretty consistent, a 737/707/765 OPS line over the last three years, averaging around a 3.5 WAR. That said, he had two very subpar seasons with MINNY where he was just a 2ish WAR guy, and that's concerning since he would be back in the AL and also facing some really tough pitching staffs in DET, CLE and KC. I'm willing to pay $12-13 million for a 3.5 WAR guy, but not a 2 who's going to presumably be declining.

 

That said, Span/Eaton/Micah would create some interesting run-producing combinations...and bring a lot better defense to the table than what we've gotten out of Viciedo/DeAza the past 2-3 seasons. That's GOT to be a priority for Hahn, to shore up that hole both offensively and defensively.

 

To summarize, for my money, I'd rather give Aoki two seasons with a mutual option, but Span's the better player...worth the difference in the end?, yes at 3.5 and not at all around 2. However, he deserves some additional benefit of the doubt as a playoff-experienced veteran and leader. We need to bring in more of those type of character guys, since Eaton can't be the only leader of the team, especially when he's injured.

 

 

It would/could also make for an interesting debate about paying Span/Rasmus/Markakis $12 million vs. Melky Cabrera $15 million over 3 years. I'm not going to call it a "steal" unless we also believe we "stole" Alex Rios for the amount of production vs. his salary numbers.

 

For the record, I'm not suggesting the Sox acquire him, just that he's a steal at $9 mill. Still...

 

1) Denard Span does not have to steal a lot of bases to be a good base runner and athletic players age much better than unathletic players. As long as he remains a good hitter, the legs should still be good enough to provide positive value on the bases even if he's not stealing a ton of bases.

 

2) He's still a very good defender, so whether it'd be him or Eaton in LF, they'd have great range in LF and CF.

 

3) You don't need power to be a good team. You need good hitters who can extend innings. Dayan Viciedo has a hell of a lot more power and a much better Iso than Span (.174 vs .115), yet there's no way in hell you'd prefer Viciedo over Span right now or moving forward.

 

4) 2 WAR is worth anywhere from $11-14 mill on the open market, which means he'd still be providing surplus value.

 

I don't know why the Nats would trade him, as it makes very little sense from their end, but he's a good player and I'd gladly take him on the Sox.

[caulfield12]

It's back to the Royals' example...most of their hitters are in the 50's and 60's for RBI's, Gordon is their most talented player, and he's been in a huge slump and they're still going to make the playoffs because of overall depth and balance and a rotation led by Shields, Ventura and Duffy at the top....with Guthrie essentially their version of Hector Noesi and Vargas a much better Danks.

 

Essentially, Gordon/Hosmer/Perez/Butler are their four best hitters, although you could make an argument for Lorenzo Cain.

 

What they do well is play great defense and then they wipe out innings 7-9 with Wade Davis, Herrera, Finnegan and Holland (like our 2005 and early 2008 pens).

Edited September 23, 2014 by caulfield12

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

If you go with the premise that anyone is available there's so many more guys you could have named.

 

If you wanted to find guys that you think are untradeable for various reasons ,there's Bryce Harper , Jason Heyward, Christian Yelich , Bret Gardner, Wil Myers, Joc Pedersen, Gregory Polanco, Sin Soo Choo.

 

 

Than there's expensive and injured guys like Ryan Zimmerman and Carlos Gonzales.

 

Coors Field products like Corey Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon.

 

Jay Bruce coming off a bad year.

 

Michael Saunders injured a lot but much improved in plate discipline and good at everything on the field . High baseball IQ. We need some of those types.

 

Steve Pearce who's the very definition of late bloomer .

 

Platoon guy like Kevin Kiermaier.

 

Dustin Ackley , Brock Holt.

 

Nava also is a high IQ type. S/H but def. a platoon type . Splits are bad when he hits RH. Pretty good on the bases, good arm , good fielder . Will be 32 in February.

Edited September 23, 2014 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[caulfield12]

If you go with the premise that anyone is available there's so many more guys you could have named.

 

If you wanted to find guys that you think are untradeable for various reasons ,there's Bryce Harper , Jason Heyward, Christian Yelich , Bret Gardner, Wil Myers, Joc Pedersen, Gregory Polanco, Sin Soo Choo.

 

 

Than there's expensive and injured guys like Ryan Zimmerman and Carlos Gonzales.

 

Coors Field products like Corey Dickerson and Charlie Blackmon.

 

Jay Bruce coming off a bad year.

 

Michael Saunder injured a lot but much improved in plate discipline and good at everything on the field . High baseball IQ. We need some of those types.

 

Steve Pearce who's the very definition of late bloomer .

 

Platoon guy like Kevin Kiermaier.

 

Dustin Ackley , Brock Holt.

 

Nava also is a high IQ type. S/H but def. a platoon type . Splits are bad when he hits RH. Pretty good on the bases, good arm , good fielder . Will be 32 in February.

 

Cargo's the most interesting name (to me) on that list, and certainly more interesting than Josh Hamilton or Ethier/Crawford. But he'd have to be 100% healthy to make that kind of gamble.

 

Saunders is a much better player for Seattle then he would be playing 81 home games at USCF...for a long time, I always confused him and Michael Brantley until Brantley became something approximating a stud this season for the Indians.

 

 

Someone mentioned Bonifacio before....yet another rebound candidate, not sure I'd pair him with Eaton, though.

 

 

 

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Cargo's the most interesting name (to me) on that list, and certainly more interesting than Josh Hamilton or Ethier/Crawford. But he'd have to be 100% healthy to make that kind of gamble.

 

Saunders is a much better player for Seattle then he would be playing 81 home games at USCF...for a long time, I always confused him and Michael Brantley until Brantley became something approximating a stud this season for the Indians.

 

 

Someone mentioned Bonifacio before....yet another rebound candidate, not sure I'd pair him with Eaton, though.

I'm not sure what you say about Saunders is true. No one can be expected to put up decent power numbers in Seattle . Saunders might get better HR numbers here. He might be ready to bloom at 28 next year as a hitter if he can stay healthy. I like him a lot just for his baseball smarts , speed and good base running. I really like the fact he improved his plate discipline a lot. Just a smart ballplayer good at everything. Now if only he could stay healthy .

[2nd_city_saint787]

Not sure why it HAS to be an OFer, and with that said, the guy I have my eye on is Justin Morneau. Rockies wanna move Rosario to 1B which makes Justin available.

 

 

[caulfield12]

Not sure why it HAS to be an OFer, and with that said, the guy I have my eye on is Justin Morneau. Rockies wanna move Rosario to 1B which makes Justin available.

 

 

Because our defense in the outfield has been terrible this entire season outside of Eaton.

[shysocks]

Not sure why it HAS to be an OFer, and with that said, the guy I have my eye on is Justin Morneau. Rockies wanna move Rosario to 1B which makes Justin available.

I'd be in favor of that. Splits show that his numbers aren't just a product of Coors and he has an option for 2016. I imagine the price to get him wouldn't be too high.

[caulfield12]

I'd be in favor of that. Splits show that his numbers aren't just a product of Coors and he has an option for 2016. I imagine the price to get him wouldn't be too high.

 

 

But they're also not going to be desperate to cut payroll if they actually do trade Tulo and CarGo this offseason. They would kind of have to be bowled over.

 

That said, there's also a lowered incentive to keep an aging veteran coming off a career rebirth/renaissance season if there's little or no thought to competing in 2015.

 

This would also put Michael Cuddyer in play as a possible DH (if they won't give up Morneau) who could be paired with a left-handed OFer.

[shysocks]

But they're also not going to be desperate to cut payroll if they actually do trade Tulo and CarGo this offseason. They would kind of have to be bowled over.

 

That said, there's also a lowered incentive to keep an aging veteran coming off a career rebirth/renaissance season if there's little or no thought to competing in 2015.

 

This would also put Michael Cuddyer in play as a possible DH (if they won't give up Morneau) who could be paired with a left-handed OFer.

That's what I'm thinking. If they really are looking to shift Rosario (and I'm just going off what was stated earlier, I haven't read that anywhere myself), then Morneau has nowhere to play and they'll basically have to move him.

 

Cuddyer's a free agent regardless. Don't tell Hawk.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Because our defense in the outfield has been terrible this entire season outside of Eaton.

 

I'm aware but I think the Sox look to add a DH and a LFer, only 1 really has to be lefthanded.

 

But they're also not going to be desperate to cut payroll if they actually do trade Tulo and CarGo this offseason. They would kind of have to be bowled over.

 

That said, there's also a lowered incentive to keep an aging veteran coming off a career rebirth/renaissance season if there's little or no thought to competing in 2015.

 

This would also put Michael Cuddyer in play as a possible DH (if they won't give up Morneau) who could be paired with a left-handed OFer.

 

You missed the part where they wanna move Rosario to 1B. It's not about shedding payroll for them, it's about Rosarios inability to catch.

[harfman77]

Ichiro...too old, more of a 4th/5th guy now

Granderson...was often mentioned as a possible free agent signing in the offseason, probably too expensive for that level of production, basically a platoon guy at this point in his career

Aoki...maybe

Markakis...depends on the cost in dollars/years

Nava...meh

Jay...don't think Cardinals will make him available after bounceback year

Ethier...see Carl Crawford below

Leonys Martin...another Cuban, coming off pretty decent (for him) offensive year

Rasmus...will the output be worth the "potential" tag often attached? can anyone get through to him?

Denard Span...quietly having a very strong season for Nationals

Carl Crawford....either or neither Ethier can stay or go (bad attempt at pun)

Josh Hamilton....often debated/discussed

Matt Joyce...this is the typical KW bounceback/buy low candidate after a disappointing 2014

Gerardo Parra....declining defensive splits, nothing close to average offensively

Domonic Brown....see Matt Joyce, non-tender candidate who's another version of Dayan Viciedo in many ways

Dexter Fowler...would definitely have some interest in him, depending on cost

CoCo Crisp...how many baseball lives can this guy have? about as many as Victor Martinez seemingly

Grady Sizemore...just for Lillian if she's still lurking

 

I disqualified Melky Cabrera off the bat for being out of our probable price range

 

Off that list Leonys Martin is very intriguing, though I am not sure what it would take to get him. Matt Joyce is probably someone they can get in a reasonable deal as he is a year away from FA.

[max power]

Id take markakis.

 

I'm assuming he doesn't make anywhere near as much money.

Edited September 23, 2014 by MAX

[witesoxfan]

Not sure why it HAS to be an OFer, and with that said, the guy I have my eye on is Justin Morneau. Rockies wanna move Rosario to 1B which makes Justin available.

 

This is how I see it:

 

Here's what's working against Justin Morneau

-He's 34 years old

-He'd have to be traded for

-He's at his highest value in 6 seasons

-He's been really bad in 3 of the past 4 season

-He only plays 1B, limiting bench versatility

-He's one blow to the head away from being done forever and ever

 

Here's what's working for Justin Morneau

-He's left handed

-He's been good this year

 

Frankly, even knowing how poor he's been in the majors, I'd rather give Andy Wilkins a shot as opposed to trading for Justin Morneau. Trading for a 1B right now is just not ideal, no matter the cost.

[LDF]

Id take markakis.

 

I'm assuming he doesn't make anywhere near as much money.

 

he has a mutual option so I will probably scratch that.