2014 Sox

[Danzz]

IMO, Ellsbury, Drew, and Salty are gone. They will be too expensive to sign.
Bogarts and Middlebrooks have to be in the lineup. I really believe that Middlebrooks has the talent to be an outstanding hitter especially in Fenway. Looks like Ross will be the catcher and likely Lavarnway as backup if they don't sign someone. Victorino could move to CF if Bradley doesn't develop. Workman could start with Dempster to the bullpen.
Losing Ellsbury will be huge. Maybe Victorino will leadoff with Pedroia batting 2nd.
I really liked Ryan Kalish who missed the entire 2013 season with surgery. He looked to be a better player than Nava but we'll have to see what kind of player he is now. Overall the Sox will likely be weaker offensively but they should have enough to compete for an AL East title.
Sox fans should thank the Dodgers for making this season possible.

 

[nomar]

Ross can't play more than 80 games. We need a starting-caliber C. Hopefully it's RL. But I would take Salty back if the price is right.

We don't need Drew anymore.

It sure sounds like Jacoby is gone. Too bad. He was a big part of two titles. But he's about to command major bucks.

I wonder what the market for Napoli will be like.

 

[60'sfan]

I think the Sox can sign Salty but would rather not. He is just not good enough defensively to be playing every day. Plus the best prospects in the minors for the Sox are at catcher. There are some very good ones on the way. I always felt that if Jacoby had a good post-season he would be gone. He did and he will. If Jackie Bradley Jr. plays like I think he can, we may not miss Jacoby at all. The next big decision is Napoli or Drew. I think the Sox will go with Napoli. Bogaerts and Middlebrooks are both ready. And, Mookie Betts is on the way.

Pitching wise the Sox are in good shape. Lester, Lackey, Buchholtz, Peavy and Doubront are all coming back and the minors are loaded with good pitchers.

 

[Husky25]

I'll be enjoying 2013 for a while longer. Let 2014 take care of itself for a few days.
I do not think the Red Sox have as good a chance to get back to the World Series as the Cardinals though. Much like the 1998 Yankees, many of the 2013 Red Sox had career years. Their 2014 season depends on what happens with Lester and if they can solidify CF, the lower part of the batting order and the Bullpen.

 

[Danzz]

I'll be enjoying 2013 for a while longer. Let 2014 take care of itself for a few days.
I do not think the Red Sox have as good a chance to get back to the World Series as the Cardinals though. Much like the 1998 Yankees, many of the 2013 Red Sox had career years. Their 2014 season depends on what happens with Lester and if they can solidify CF, the lower part of the batting order and the Bullpen.

The Cards have some young and crazy good arms. If they can keep them they'll be good for a long time.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

Ellsbury could stay if he pulls a Varitek and tells Boras he wants to play in Boston. I'm guessing he won't In light of Boras telling the Globe he had 11 GMs contact him. I for one am shocked Boras' communications director Jon Heyman wasn't the one who broke the story. Would like to see him stay, but not end of the world if he goes.

 

[Cheddie]

Drew will be interesting. Teams only get draft picks if they make qualifying offers to potential free agents. At $14.1 million, Ellsbury is a given - that would be a bargain. Heyman writes that it would only be a $1 million or so raise for Napoli, so he'll get it. Not many available shortstops, and if the Sox think Drew will draw interest they may risk making an offer to get a pick. (It would bump his salary from $9 to $14 and he may accept).

No way Ellsbury is going to give Boston a hometown discount. He's Boras' #1 guy this year, now that Cano switched agents.

 

[Waquoit]

Ellsbury could stay if he pulls a Varitek and tells Boras he wants to play in Boston. ...Would like to see him stay, but not end of the world if he goes.

Exactly. He's a great player and the Sox won't be as good without him. I just can't see giving him a Max deal for 7 (or whatever) years.

 

[Husky25]

Exactly. He's a great player and the Sox won't be as good without him. I just can't see giving him a Max deal for 7 (or whatever) years.

It would be a bad as Crawford's deal in 2011. As much as I've liked Ellsbury for the last 6 years, at the end of the day, speed does not age very well and Ellsbury will enter 2014 on the wrong side of 30. The Sox have some speed in the minors, though the real value to Ellsbury is his patience. He sees a lot of pitches and allows his teammates to see a lot of pitches.

 

[mauconnfan]

It would be a bad as Crawford's deal in 2011. As much as I've liked Ellsbury for the last 6 years, at the end of the day, speed does not age very well and Ellsbury will enter 2014 on the wrong side of 30. The Sox have some speed in the minors, though the real value to Ellsbury is his patience. He sees a lot of pitches and allows his teammates to see a lot of pitches.

I actually agree and think the Sox would be really stupid to sign him for any amount of years. If he doesn't want to come back for actual his market value may be for someone else then let him go, the Sox have plenty of talent to work around that loss.

 

[60'sfan]

It would be a bad as Crawford's deal in 2011. As much as I've liked Ellsbury for the last 6 years, at the end of the day, speed does not age very well and Ellsbury will enter 2014 on the wrong side of 30. The Sox have some speed in the minors, though the real value to Ellsbury is his patience. He sees a lot of pitches and allows his teammates to see a lot of pitches.

Both Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. have reps for being very selective at the plate. Middlebrooks not so much. When Ellsbury first came up his biggest criticism was that he was not selective enough at the plate. He learned and so can Middlebrooks. If he doesn't, the Sox have maybe even a better third baseman in Garin Cecchini on the way.

 

[Danzz]

I think the Sox can sign Salty but would rather not. He is just not good enough defensively to be playing every day. Plus the best prospects in the minors for the Sox are at catcher. There are some very good ones on the way. I always felt that if Jacoby had a good post-season he would be gone. He did and he will. If Jackie Bradley Jr. plays like I think he can, we may not miss Jacoby at all. The next big decision is Napoli or Drew. I think the Sox will go with Napoli. Bogaerts and Middlebrooks are both ready. And, Mookie Betts is on the way.

Pitching wise the Sox are in good shape. Lester, Lackey, Buchholtz, Peavy and Doubront are all coming back and the minors are loaded with good pitchers.

The Sox made a qualifying offer to Napoli today but passed on Salty.
The jury is still out on Bradley for me. He would be replacing a .300 hitter with 50+ stolen bases. We'll be weaker but I still wouldn't sign Ellsbury unless there is a deep home town discount and that is highly unlikely with Boras as his agent. I'm actually more optimistic about Middlebrooks.

 

[60'sfan]

If you compare Ellsbury's and Bradley's minor league records they were both excellent. Ellsbury hit for a higher average, but with less power and a lower OBP. Jacoby was a much better base stealer. They are both very good outfielders but Jackie has a much better throwing arm. Assuming that Jacoby is gone, I would give Jackie the position with a relatively long leash. I wouldn't be too concerned about his "quiet" start in 2013. Pedroia started out slowly too.

 

[Husky25]

The Sox made a qualifying offer to Napoli today but passed on Salty.
The jury is still out on Bradley for me. He would be replacing a .300 hitter with 50+ stolen bases. We'll be weaker but I still wouldn't sign Ellsbury unless there is a deep home town discount and that is highly unlikely with Boras as his agent. I'm actually more optimistic about Middlebrooks.

QO's to Drew and Ellsbury as well. Ellsbury is almost definitely exploring the market and is probably a goner Sox get a sandwich compensatory pick. I don't understand the Drew offer (Rumor is that he will decline) with Bogaerts and Middlebrooks in the wings.

What happens with Salty now? can they still negotiate/extend some sort of other offer? It sounds like they can't. Anyone have a better understanding of the process than I?

 

[60'sfan]

QO's to Drew and Ellsbury as well. Ellsbury is almost definitely exploring the market and is probably a goner Sox get a sandwich compensatory pick. I don't understand the Drew offer (Rumor is that he will decline) with Bogaerts and Middlebrooks in the wings.

What happens with Salty now? can they still negotiate/extend some sort of other offer? It sounds like they can't. Anyone have a better understanding of the process than I?

I think, and I'm no expert either, that Salty now becomes a free agent and anyone including the Sox can negotiate with him. If someone else signs him the Sox don't get any compensation. I am sure that they were unwilling to offer him 14.1 million.

I think the Sox are only willing to go one year with Drew so he will probably look for something long term.

 

[nomar]

The Cards have some young and crazy good arms. If they can keep them they'll be good for a long time.

Yeah, we didn't even see Shelby Miller or Mujica, two big reasons why the Cards won 97 games. Miller is a stud.

 

[The Viking]

QO's to Drew and Ellsbury as well. Ellsbury is almost definitely exploring the market and is probably a goner Sox get a sandwich compensatory pick. I don't understand the Drew offer (Rumor is that he will decline) with Bogaerts and Middlebrooks in the wings.

What happens with Salty now? can they still negotiate/extend some sort of other offer? It sounds like they can't. Anyone have a better understanding of the process than I?

Drew was a solid offensive SS (postseason excluded) and very good with the glove. A 1 year/14 mil offer is fine thinking that they would keep Bogaerts at 3B for his first full year in the unlikely event Drew actually accepted it (hard to believe he would).
Middlebrooks needs to get better at recognizing the strike zone, the way Bogaerts was able to do over the past season.

 

[Danzz]

Drew was a solid offensive SS (postseason excluded) and very good with the glove. A 1 year/14 mil offer is fine thinking that they would keep Bogaerts at 3B for his first full year in the unlikely event Drew actually accepted it (hard to believe he would).
Middlebrooks needs to get better at recognizing the strike zone, the way Bogaerts was able to do over the past season.

I really don't want them to sign Drew because it would likely slow the development of Middlebrooks who I think could be a stud. If the Sox do something nuts like trading Middlebrooks, they'll regret it down the line. And for what, 1 year of Drew at SS? I'd like to see them go with Bogarts at SS and see how he handles it. If Bogarts turns out to be the reincarnation of Don Buddin the Sox can always find an offensively challenged decent defensive SS. Farrell really likes Drew so I think that they sign him.

 

[Husky25]

I really don't want them to sign Drew because it would likely slow the development of Middlebrooks who I think could be a stud. If the Sox do something nuts like trading Middlebrooks, they'll regret it down the line. And for what, 1 year of Drew at SS? I'd like to see them go with Bogarts at SS and see how he handles it. If Bogarts turns out to be the reincarnation of Don Buddin the Sox can always find an offensively challenged decent defensive SS. Farrell really likes Drew so I think that they sign him.

I think yours is the prevailing feeling around New England. On the other hand, Drew is a Boras client and will probably reject the QO.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I really don't want them to sign Drew because it would likely slow the development of Middlebrooks who I think could be a stud. If the Sox do something nuts like trading Middlebrooks, they'll regret it down the line. And for what, 1 year of Drew at SS? I'd like to see them go with Bogarts at SS and see how he handles it. If Bogarts turns out to be the reincarnation of Don Buddin the Sox can always find an offensively challenged decent defensive SS. Farrell really likes Drew so I think that they sign him.

The Red Sox already have such a shortstop if Bogaerts has to change positions. Devan Marrero, their #1 pick a couple of years back, is already a major league ready defender. He'll be starting at Portland where he'll have to show improvement on the offensive side if he wants to show that he an be a strong offensive/defensive starter in the major leagues. Either way he'll probably be ready for Boston by 2015 (as a defensively oriented 2nd stringer or, with improvement at the plate, a strong field/good hit starter).

 

[Danzz]

The Red Sox already have such a shortstop if Bogaerts has to change positions. Devan Marrero, their #1 pick a couple of years back, is already a major league ready defender. He'll be starting at Portland where he'll have to show improvement on the offensive side if he wants to show that he an be a strong offensive/defensive starter in the major leagues. Either way he'll probably be ready for Boston by 2015 (as a defensively oriented 2nd stringer or, with improvement at the plate, a strong field/good hit starter).

Good to know and all the more reason to pass on Drew.

 

[60'sfan]

The Red Sox already have such a shortstop if Bogaerts has to change positions. Devan Marrero, their #1 pick a couple of years back, is already a major league ready defender. He'll be starting at Portland where he'll have to show improvement on the offensive side if he wants to show that he an be a strong offensive/defensive starter in the major leagues. Either way he'll probably be ready for Boston by 2015 (as a defensively oriented 2nd stringer or, with improvement at the plate, a strong field/good hit starter).

I keep track of a lot of the Red Sox prospects and I think that Devan Marrero has been a disappointment so far. He has hit poorly everywhere he has played (so far Lowell, Salem and Portland). He has shown no power at all. He has even struggled defensively. He played DH for several games while with Lowell. He does have good speed and his strike out to walk ratio is not bad. He was considered to be the 10th best prospect in the Sox minor league system at the start of the 2013 season but probably has dropped since then. He will turn 24 next season so he is not longer considered young by baseball standards.

There are many position players (lots of catchers) and pitchers in the Sox system. I think the names to keep in mind for infielders are Garin Cecchini and Mookie Betts.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I keep track of a lot of the Red Sox prospects and I think that Devan Marrero has been a disappointment so far. He has hit poorly everywhere he has played (so far Lowell, Salem and Portland). He has shown no power at all. He has even struggled defensively. He played DH for several games while with Lowell. He does have good speed and his strike out to walk ratio is not bad. He was considered to be the 10th best prospect in the Sox minor league system at the start of the 2013 season but probably has dropped since then. He will turn 24 next season so he is not longer considered young by baseball standards.

There are many position players (lots of catchers) and pitchers in the Sox system. I think the names to keep in mind for infielders are Garin Cecchini and Mookie Betts.

Marrero is a vacuum cleaner at short. He made only 4 errors in more than 400 chances at Salem over 85 games. Given minor league infields, that's a tremendous percentage that also indicates good range. He has, however, been a disappointment with the bat. It was reported that he had pretty good bat speed when he was drafted, but that hasn't really translated into the good contact and at least doubles power that you'd hope to see. Whether Deven (sorry, I spelled his name wrong earlier) begins to hit like he did early in his college career will determine whether he is a utility player or a starter.

As for Cecchini and Betts, both are excellent athletes and much better hitters than Marrero. Unfortunately, neither one is a shortstop. Cecchini is a third baseman that could also end up in the outfield and Betts is a second baseman. With Pedroia locked up for a number of years at 2B, Betts may be tried at SS, but more likely in CF.

 

[60'sfan]

Marrero is a vacuum cleaner at short. He made only 4 errors in more than 400 chances at Salem over 85 games. Given minor league infields, that's a tremendous percentage that also indicates good range. He has, however, been a disappointment with the bat. It was reported that he had pretty good bat speed when he was drafted, but that hasn't really translated into the good contact and at least doubles power that you'd hope to see. Whether Deven (sorry, I spelled his name wrong earlier) begins to hit like he did early in his college career will determine whether he is a utility player or a starter.

As for Cecchini and Betts, both are excellent athletes and much better hitters than Marrero. Unfortunately, neither one is a shortstop. Cecchini is a third baseman that could also end up in the outfield and Betts is a second baseman. With Pedroia locked up for a number of years at 2B, Betts may be tried at SS, but more likely in CF.

I think that Bogaerts is the shortstop down the line. If Drew signs it will be for one year at most and I think he will be looking for a multi-year deal. Bogaerts is a very good athlete and will be at least a good major league shortstop. Cecchini will challenge Middlebrooks for third base and may push him eventually to first but he is probably a year away. If Betts continues to hit the way he has, the Sox will find a place for him. He is probably two years away. Isn't it great to have some excitement down on the farm?

 

[The Viking]

If Drew and Napoli both come back I think the Sox actively market Middlebrooks in the winter and there will be suitors. Despite his flaws, he's hit 32 HR's in 615 AB's in the big leagues. With pitchers taking back the sport, those are numbers that will make GM's consider talking turkey when Cherrington calls.
And after the offseason Cherrington just had, I trust him to make the right move AS LONG AS HE DOESN'T TRADE FOR ANOTHER RELIEVER.