'16 Sox will be much improved without other moves

[harfman77]

I mean he isn't lying. He's not saying they're title contenders or anything, just improved. I don't think anyone can say they aren't.

 

I would really dispute if they are really improved. Losing Alexi will hurt more than most think. Not enough OBP guys at the top to make the power acquisition of Frazier worthwhile and I really am I not sure that Lawrie will be an upgrade of what I think Sanchez would have done this season. The rotation is not any better and the bullpen is worse. Catcher may be a wash, but the continuity that came from pitchers working with Flowers is gone which may be a negative as well. Given the further expected decline of LaRoche and Cabrera and I don't think that you can say that this team is improved. I think the Frazier acquisition was necessary just to get the team back up to their level of last season.

 

I really hate the idea of giving up young assets, especially Montas seeing what closers have garnered on the trade market, for what at this point is at best an incremental upgrade.

[Dick Allen]

I would really dispute if they are really improved. Losing Alexi will hurt more than most think. Not enough OBP guys at the top to make the power acquisition of Frazier worthwhile and I really am I not sure that Lawrie will be an upgrade of what I think Sanchez would have done this season. The rotation is not any better and the bullpen is worse. Catcher may be a wash, but the continuity that came from pitchers working with Flowers is gone which may be a negative as well. Given the further expected decline of LaRoche and Cabrera and I don't think that you can say that this team is improved. I think the Frazier acquisition was necessary just to get the team back up to their level of last season.

 

I really hate the idea of giving up young assets, especially Montas seeing what closers have garnered on the trade market, for what at this point is at best an incremental upgrade.

How is Frazier at 3B an incremental upgrade? WAR wise, it's one of the biggest one player positional upgrades in baseball? I liked Montas myself, and still think he could be a starter. A lot of people look at his innings and say he is a ways away, which he could be. One thing they didn't look at were his pitch counts. They were numbers guys pitching 6 or 7 innings a start get, so theoretically, if he could learn to limit his pitches a bit, he could jump up drastically in innings pitched without the normal extra wear and tear. Alexei was negative WAR last year, so improvement shouldn't be that difficult.