Free agent Teoscar Hernández just won a World Series and is now drawing interest in the early days of the offseason. The Red Sox and Orioles are interested in the outfielder, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network on X. The Dodgers and Hernández also have mutual interest in a reunion, per Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports.
Hernández, 32, was a free agent a year ago and received interest from the Red Sox at that time. Chris Cotillo of MassLive (X link) reported that the Sox offered him $28MM over a two-year deal, numbers that were later confirmed by the player himself when speaking to Rob Bradford of WEEI and the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast.
He turned down that offer and instead took a slightly smaller guarantee on a one-year pact with the Dodgers. That deal paid him $23.5MM with some deferrals, but perhaps most importantly, allowed him to return to free agency after hopefully having a bounceback year.
That bet on himself looks like it will pay off well. From 2020 to 2022, he slashed .283/.333/.519 for the Blue Jays, production that led to a 132 wRC+. His defense wasn’t great but he did steal 24 bases in that stretch and the offense was undeniable. He was traded to the Mariners prior to 2023 and had a down year at the plate, hitting .258/.305/.435 for a 106 wRC+. With that weak platform year, his free agent market was fairly tepid, including the aforementioned offer from Boston.
But his year with Los Angeles could hardly have gone much better, as he hit .272/.339/.501 for a 134 wRC+, right back to his previous form. His defensive metrics still weren’t great but he swiped another 12 bags. He got into 16 playoff games and hit .250/.352/.417 for a 119 wRC+. On MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents post, we predicted that he could secure a three-year, $60MM deal this time around.
Whether he can get that deal or not, the Sox would almost certainly have to increase their offer from a year ago. If they are willing to do so, his right-handed swing would fit well on a roster with plenty of left-handed bats. Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all hit from the left side, as do prospects Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony.
Last year, the Sox complemented their lefty outfielders by having Tyler O’Neill, who had a good season in a specific way. He was injured a few times, struck out a bunch and did most of his damage against lefties, but still had a strong season overall. He hit 31 home runs in 113 games for a .241/.336/.511 slash line and 131 wRC+, all that despite a 33.6% strikeout rate and a meager 91 wRC+ against righties.
Hernández should be ranked a bit above O’Neill as he has a slight edge in most of those areas. His 28.8% strikeout rate in 2024 was high but not as bad as O’Neill’s. He does have platoon splits, though not to the same extent as O’Neill. Hernández has a 140/113 wRC+ split in his career and was at 154/126 in 2024. He’s also far more durable, having played at least 125 games in each of the past six full seasons, whereas O’Neill has only hit that number once in his career.
Either could work as the needed righty for Boston. Hernández would arguably be better but would also likely cost more. O’Neill was predicted by MLBTR for a three-year deal just like Hernández but with a lesser guarantee of $42MM. However, Hernández received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers and is therefore tied to draft pick forfeiture, whereas O’Neill is not. Per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe on X, the Sox remain engaged with O’Neill’s camp and could potentially bring him back.
Either should fit in the club’s budget. RosterResource projects the club for a payroll of $136MM right now, more than $50MM below where they were in 2024. They’re about $70MM below the competitive balance tax line. They have needs on the pitching staff but could certainly spend on an outfielder if they want.
For the Orioles, they are a logical fit for similar reasons. Their lineup features lefties Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad and Jackson Holliday. Prospects Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers are also lefty swingers. Their outfield just lost switch-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander to free agency, so Hernández could slot in as Santander’s replacement if the O’s don’t re-sign him.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias recently identified a right-handed hitting outfielder as an offseason target, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. The big question is how much spending capacity the club will have this winter. In the past six years, they haven’t given a free agent a multi-year deal, with Craig Kimbrel’s $13MM guarantee on a one-year pact their largest expenditure.
For much of that time, they were rebuilding and then the club was up for sale. David Rubenstein took over ownership officially just as the 2024 season was getting started. It has been expected that the club will get a bit more aggressive and their trade deadline behavior gave some encouraging signs in that regard. They took on notable money to acquire Zach Eflin and Seranthony Domínguez, but it’s still unknown exactly how far they plan to go this winter.
“Whether it’s free-agent spending or it’s support for my staff or the baseball organization, I think we have everything that we need financially to make the optimal decisions for the long-term health of the franchise. And a lot of that’s going to be in my judgment,” Elias said this week. “But certainly, if we have something that we want to do and we need financial support for it, I’m exceedingly confident that that’s going to be there.”
Returning to the Dodgers is also easy to see, especially with the club planning to move Mookie Betts back to the infield next year. That means the projected outfield currently consists of Andy Pages, James Outman and utility guys like Tommy Edman and Chris Taylor. While the Dodgers could easily fit Hernández in there, they will probably first see how things play out with their reported interest in Juan Soto.
Until Breslow signs a big name ticket, anyone else concerned that it’s just more rhetoric?
Ah, the over used rhetoric word. Heard that way too much in this political season. But you’re right. Red Sox- much ado about nothing
Rhetoric is the right word. Full throttle was used by the front office last season, and that didn’t happen.
The Red Sox DO NOT need to sign a FA big $$ outfielder who’s pretty good. They’re loaded on the grass and they’re going to let another pretty good outfielder walk away.
I think they even have to trade from their abundance and get a decent pitcher. I’m talking about Jaren Duran and maybe the gold Glover in right as well.
So they’re definitely not going to sign this guy which I guess it means it’s just rhetoric LOL.
Good point, Gary. They recently signed Devers to a $331M extension and Story to a $140M deal and people still question their willingness to spend.
Suit – the Devers deal was a big overpay and they were forced into it by blooms bungling things so badly.
Story’s deal was, again, bloom trying to get cute with things and will go down as a pretty horrible contract.
I can’t look at either as a sign of willingness to spend when a top 5 revenue team is spending an actual payroll that falls into the middle of the pack for mlb.
They’re big chunks of money going to a single player, but, don’t support the idea the team is willing to spend commensurate with its revenue. The best they can support is the willingness to have higher aav fa contracts by over-allocating big chunks to a single guy out of from a sub-par level of spending pool for the season. Until we see an actual fiscal year payroll back in at least the top 8, but, really should be top 5, it’s a fair criticism to argue the ‘not willing to spend’ angle
Henry signed off on both so I blame ownership. With Devers, it was an overpay to try to salvage good will.
GA: That’s BS. I just cited two examples of the Red Sox spending and you are saying they don’t count. Was John Henry forced into being a billionaire? I don’t think so.
What I said is they’re not sufficient proof of willingness to spend, or sufficient to refute claims of being cheap on payroll.
A minimum wage employee can go out and buy a pair of designer shoes and overpay on a single outfit. Neither would support claims they’re willing to spend big on a wardrobe when the rest of their clothes are all homemade or come from goodwill and Walmart.
GA: If $331M does not impress you, nothing will. Cheap teams don’t spend that kind of money.
I just told you what would.
But no, being ranked outside the top 10 in mlb in both actual payroll (even when accounting for retained and buried payroll no less!!!) and in cbt figures, then no it does not impress me just because they handed out one bad bloated contract of over a decade long.
When the teams above and below you on payroll are the blue jays and cardinals, and, you hadn’t sold off expensive players at the deadline to save money to get there, that is not impressive if you’re solidly within the top 5 revenue producing ball clubs for many many years running.
When the teams above and below you on CBT taxation are those same Jays and the D-backs, again, and, you are still in the middle third of mlb in ranked order despite revenue through the roof, again, same answer.
I think the Red Sox are trying to spend smartly instead of cheaply. I think they are avoiding long, expensive deals for older free agents that often go bad. Avoiding these deals will result in a lower payroll, but it doesn’t mean they are cheap.
Allin – Agreed. Ownership will spend when the young guys are ready, which may be this year. I would hate for the Red Sox to have spent big money on a pitch three years ago, who performed great in the year they were non-competitive only to have a mediocre season in his years 4, 5, and 6 of his contract.
Any team willing to spend 331 million for a DH is not cheap
With the stupid extra wild cards, you just need to get into the playoffs. Look at 21 for a Sox example. Had the team had pitching, they could have made the playoffs this season and then who knows? Sox revenue is such that they can if they choose, do both, build for the future and be competitive.
Suit, their CBT payroll last year was #13, not far from the league median. Team revenues are in the top five. It is reasonable to point out the discrepancy between the two..
tff17: If the Red Sox have made a decision to avoid long, expensive contracts to older free agents because they are high risk of going bad, that will lead to a lower payroll. It doesn’t mean they are refusing to spend. It means they are refusing to make bad deals. It’s fine with me. I’ve had enough of waiting out bad contracts like Sale and Story. They have shown they will spend on younger, lower risk players such as Devers, Bello and Rafaela. How do you think John Henry felt looking at Sale and Story and their $49M total salary on the IL? He probably concluded there is a better way to do things and he is trying something different.
Right. They traded Betts because it doesn’t make sense to invest in mediocre aging free agents?!?
They aren’t spending because Henry wants to run a fat operating profit, and most of the teams in the majors are not. You can cite Story as a willingness to spend, but he was seen as a discount signing vs. the alternatives (including Bogaerts).
I agree that you can’t build a team through free agency without spending $400M+ on payroll and penalties, but that isn’t what we are talking here. They have a team that can be competitive if they add an ace pitcher, and plenty of payroll space to fit that into the budget without killing their future.
Up to Henry whether he wants a competitive team or one that sits at .500 year after year. Right now (assuming Pivetta stays) they are at .500 or a little lower.
tff17: I agree it is up to them, but if the only options available for improvement are high risk bloated free agent contracts or trades that rip them off, I am fine with building through the farm system.
I’m okay with a bloated contract or two if it puts them over the top. The Red Sox might be able to eschew big deals and still make the playoffs, but they wouldn’t have enough talent to go anywhere in October. They need to find some ace pitching for that. You try to find the best deal you can, but you need to land one.
I agree you can live with a couple of bad contracts, but they arguably already have two bad contracts – Story and Yoshida. Maybe they will risk having one more, but I find it hard to blame them for not jumping at more high risk contracts.
What you seem to be missing, Suit, is that these bad contracts are the *RESULT* of going cheap. If you pay the fat price for the top free agents, you may spend more money but you get a LOT more bang for the buck.
Story signed for the “bargain” price of $140M, vs. Semien at $175M and Seager at $325M. Story has delivered +3.5 WAR over the first three years of the deal, while Semien has +14.8 WAR and Seager has +15.2 WAR.
Yoshida at $90M was a bargain vs. Nimmo at $162M, but Yoshida has produced just 1.4 WAR (he can’t play defense) while Nimmo has already turned in +6.9 WAR.
The solution to overpriced free agents is not to sign second-rate talents. Those very quickly fade to oblivion, leaving you with players who are still paid large amounts and fill a lineup spot that could be better used for a more productive player.
The solution is to fill most of your needs internally, and to go big on the handful of free agents that are actually worth the big money. Use free agent signings to add star talent to the roster, guys who actually add to the team.
I don’t agree that a $90M contract and a $140M contract are a sign of cheapness. I think the Red Sox would spend a lot less if they actually were cheap.
“The solution is to fill most of your needs internally, and to go big on the handful of free agents that are actually worth the big money.”
It looks like the Red Sox are doing this and you should be happy. The better prospects should be up with the Red Sox in the next two years and then they should fill the holes through free agency at that time.
If they actually go big on somebody this winter, I will be happy. I’m just not convinced they are willing to spend what it takes to compete. Most of the playoff teams spend more than the Red Sox, and the others get advantages for playing in a small market.
If you wait until 2027 to compete, the window will be almost closed. That is Houck’s walk year, and the FA piles up after that. They need to open the window of contention now, and that should give them a solid 4-5 year chance.
All = The Devers deal was desperation to save any semblance of a face as owners after letting Mookie, Bogey and JD move on. And to top it off it’s the worst deal in 100 years of Red Sox history. That proves nothing except stupidity by the owners.
The Story deal is even farther back in the past and was also another enormous mistake. What have they done lately?
Actually, lets refine the question, what intelligent deal have they made for big money since they made in to the playoffs?
NOTHING!!!! Is that good or bad? Probably good since they are so misguided in the choices and bad at the same time because it shows a huge level of apathy as owners of a major market team.
You are back on the money spending rants without logic behind the spending because the two you listed were ridiculously bad contracts and they should be embarrassed to have signed them.
All- $331 Million for a clown like Devers impresses nobody. Teach the guy how to field and it might have made sense but a $331 Million DH is a complete waste of money and he’s not going to age well from a body perspective so that makes it so much more short sighted to suggest it’s a good deal is just flat out wrong.
Red Sox fan Eric – Not they aren’t cheap they are stupid. Is that better than being cheap or worse. My vote is in the worse column!!!
All – Do some math. You started with $300 Million in profits and you spend how much to maintain a championship team?
The answer is less each year dating back to 2019. The profits are still pouring in but the team is getting early first round picks rather than rings.
Why do you think that is a winning formula that shows a willingness to spend money? Let’s forget history prior to 2019 because prior to 2019 the owners had NOT had an out of body experience where their brains were removed.
The “NEW” owners who don’t behave like the old owners have been shoving money in their pockets as fast as they possibly can and you believe they have been or are willing to spend money? That makes no sense.
If you are a relative of the owners or something I can understand why you might want to defend their actions but as a non-relative, I think they lost their minds in 2019 and they haven’t found them yet. Probably should create a missing brain report for the Boston Police because NOTHING suggests that they will be found any time soon.
I doubt John Henry does anything out of desperation. I think you get to be a billionaire by thinking independently and not by desperately trying to please others.
If spending $331M on one player does not impress you as being willing to spend, nothing will.
I think spending over $200M and being right around the luxury tax threshold as the Red Sox are every year should be enough to to field very competitive teams. They just need to spend it better and I think Breslow is working on that. I am happy to avoid long, expensive contracts for older free agents that often to bad and leave you with unproductive money and roster spots. I think the Red Sox are trying a different approach to putting teams together and I think they are trying to be smart instead of cheap.
The “very competitive” teams that made the LCS were the Guardians, Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers. The three top payrolls in the game, all with CBT payrolls over $320M, and *one* of the 27 team below that level.
Or look at all 12 teams that made the playoffs (including some that had no business being there). The Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Philies, Astros, and Giants all exceeded the luxury tax threshold. Five others didn’t.
The teams that are willing to exceed the threshold made the playoffs in 7 out of 8 cases. The teams that didn’t made the playoffs in 5 out of 22 cases.
I agree with you that this strategy is likely to get the Red Sox into the playoffs roughly once every four years (5 out of 22). I’m just baffled why you feel that is good enough.
Spending doesn’t guarantee anything. Just a year ago in 2023, the O’s and Rays won 101 and 99 games respectively while spending way less than the Red Sox and the Diamondbacks went to the World Series with a CBT payroll of $138.9M after eliminating the Dodgers. You must have seen the billions of dollars spent by the Dodgers over recent years and they finally won a World Series. After spending over $300M this year, the Dodgers barely had enough starting pitching. BTW, I have never said that I am against spending or going over the luxury tax threshold. The Red Sox will probably be spending more in the next couple of years when Anthony, Teel and Campbell are on the Red Sox. So, I am not against spending. I am against people saying that the Red Sox are cheap and/or not trying to compete. Other teams have been spending significantly less than the Red Sox and been more successful.
The O”s, Rays, and D’Backs are all CBT *recipients*. They get additional draft picks and international bonus pool as a result, allowing them significantly more talent from the draft and international markets.
There are two ways to contend. Either you are a big market team and you spend big money, or you are a small market team and MLB gives you extra talent. Free draft picks, improved compensation for losing a free agent, and so forth. The Red Sox are not in the bottom ten in either market size or revenue, therefore they will never get the CBT advantages that the small market teams.
I agree with you that spending doesn’t guarantee anything, but a big market team can’t contend without spending money up to and beyond the luxury tax. They can probably stay under the luxury tax this year and still add an ace starter and ace reliever. Next year they might have to go over to continue improving the team.
As for the Dodgers? Let’s see… Twelve straight playoff appearances, four World Series appearances, two World Series wins. Seems they are doing okay for themselves?!?
In contrast, the Diamondbacks (are they to be our model for contention?) have just *four* playoff appearances in the last *twenty* years, caught fire at the right time to make it to the World Series once, but even then fell short. They weren’t even able to make the playoffs the following year.
Despite their CBT advantages, the D’Backs have just four playoff appearances and one WS appearance (no rings) in twenty years. That is the path that the Red Sox have been following since 2020. I believe the Red Sox can and should expect more of themselves than one playoff appearance and an early exit every five years.
These teams get like one extra draft pick a year, right? I don’t think that is a big advantage. The Red Sox are doing very well internationally. I don’t think they are falling behind there. Also, if you think 2020 was a real season and the World Series counts like any other, we will not agree on much. I will say that things may be unfair now with small market teams getting extra draft picks which we low risk while large market teams play Russian roulette on high risk free agent contracts. I don’t think this set up should be a reason for the Red Sox to play Russian roulette.
tff17: You say that spending does not guarantee anything, but also want more spending. I think that does not make sense. I think spending does not guarantee anything and I don’t worry about spending. I actually worry more about getting stuck with a bad contract than not spending enough.
which are low risk
Signing top flight players tends to work out a lot better than chasing the second tier. Players are already 29-30 when they hit free agency in most cases, and only the best players are likely to be productive into their mid 30s. So when you sign second tier players like Story or Yoshida or Giolito, you get a couple years of disappointing production followed by a steep decline. Top talent may also give you a couple years of decline at the end of the deal, but first you get to enjoy 3-4 years of high level performance.
I don’t expect guarantees, but their best shot is to ramp up the payroll to the $300M level that their competition already spends (not all at once – over 3-5 years). It doesn’t replace the need to develop talent internally, but done right it supplements that need.
Hard to find fault with the Dodgers or Yankees. They are perennial playoff teams. Trying to be a top contender without bringing in outside talent is much chancier path.
The only real drawback of a bad contract is that you have to wait before you reallocate that money. But if you aren’t spending that money anyways, or are wasting it on second tier talent, then it isn’t really any worse. At least give yourself a chance at a GOOD contract.
I will need to keep an eye on these $300M teams who finally won a World Series and see if it seems to make sense to continually spend this much money and get lowered draft picks etc. I think the Red Sox have been building toward a window of strong competition that should begin no later than 2027. The farm should be fully stocked and a good young core on the Red Sox. Then I expect significant spending on free agents to finish off the team. I’m not sure the team is ready to be finished off yet. The Red Sox should still be competitive in 2025 and 2026 if they keep spending near the luxury tax threshold. The Orioles for example are in their competitive window after restocking the farm system, but they have failed to finish off their team through free agency so far.
Do you expect $300M teams to compete every year? I think they will need some down years to restock their farm system. I’m not sure spending $300M per year with all the penalties is a sustainable model.
That’s all I’ve been asking! Spend up to the luxury tax this year, then work on extending the homegrown talent and maybe add another top FA in a year or two.
Have you looked at the roster? Even assuming Pivetta takes the QO, they still have $50M to go. Their roster needs are for one ace starter and one ace reliever. They don’t have roster space for more than that. Heck, they don’t have roster space for all the talented outfielders they have, and only one of Grissom or Campbell can play 2B.
That $50M gets you a top starting pitcher and a top reliever.
The Dodgers are on a 12 year playoff run. The Yankees have missed the playoffs just twice in the last decade. The Mets have made the playoffs in two out of three seasons since approaching that level. You begin with talent in the system, then you ramp up the FA budget and expect to make the playoffs maybe four years out of five.
In contrast, if you spend in the $150M to $200M, you expect to make the playoffs one year out of five. Maybe a little more often if you can take advantage of the extra draft picks.
If the Red Sox spend up to the luxury tax this year, and don’t balk at letting the payroll climb further over the next five years, they will make the playoffs in 2025 and possibly be a top team from 2027-2030. That’s enough of a playoff window that you have a really good shot at another World Series victory. Given that playoff series are basically a coin flip, you need to win your division four times or play in the Wild Card round eight times to reach the World Series once. A small edge to the stronger teams, of course.
If you slip in as a Wild Card once every five years, you should expect ~40 years in between World Series appearances. The Red Sox need to set their sights higher than that. Doubt I’ll be around for another 40 years.
The luxury tax threshold is $241M in 2025. The Red Sox probably enter the season with a CBT payroll around $231M. This leaves about $10M for adding salary at the trade deadline. If they enter the season less than say $228M, then they are possibly underspending.
So, you think they are $71M below the tax threshold ($241M)? From what I was reading on soxprospects.com, I didn’t think they had that much to spend. If I recall correctly they were saying they are $63M below the threshold, giving them about $53M to spend (saving $10M for the trade deadline). I will look into it in the near future, but I doubt it will be hard to spend another $53M.
I guess the other part of this is, if the team is not good at the trade deadline, they will not add salary and look underspent. That may have been what happened this year.
I think the Red Sox have their sights set high. I wouldn’t follow them if I thought they didn’t.
Roster Resource says the Red Sox are $71M below the $241M threshold. Soxprospects.com says the Red Sox are $66M below the threshold. So, they have roughly $56-61M to spend. That is not a whole lot which is why I worry about getting stuck with bad contracts. Pitching is very expensive these days.
Roster Resource has them at $169M, which is $72M shy. Set aside $21M for Pivetta, and $10M for the trade deadline if you wish, and they still have $41M of space.
But the only two remaining needs are an ace pitcher and an ace reliever. They have enough position players coming up (including some who are right handed) that they can’t really add more there unless they clear other space. I would prefer to give the time to Campbell, for example, rather than throwing large amounts of money at Teoscar Hernandez. If you look at the projections, they could be similarly good.
The Red Sox need a “first pace” ace starter, though. They have three “second page” guys in Houck, Bello, and Pivetta, and Houck could climb onto the first page if he repeats 2024, but they are clearly weak at the top.
If it comes down to an ace starter OR an ace reliever, give me the starter and pick up that reliever at the trade deadline. Relief pitching is pretty cheap then.
So it comes down to $40M of payroll space and one major need. Get it done! None of the available ace starters will exceed that $40M.
On top of that, I would be okay with trading Abreu and/or Crawford in the right deal. Lower end talents that are replaceable from within. That could potentially be competitive in a trade, even for Crochet. Teams are very unlikely to trade a top 20 prospect for him.
Just remember that the luxury tax threshold is a “soft cap” that many teams exceed each year. The Red Sox can probably stay under that this year, but if they want to keep the window of contention open for longer than a year or two, they have to be willing to spend the money to keep their talent together.
You talk about waiting for 2027 to compete, but Houck walks at the end of that year (unless they pay him big money) with Casas and others leaving after 2028 (unless they pay them big money). Waiting until 2027 doesn’t make the window of contention stronger or cheaper, it just limits you to a single shot. Remember that there are no guarantees. You can have the best team in the game, and wash out of the playoffs with a single bad series. You have to think in terms of multiple years of contention if you want to have a decent chance of winning something.
Note also that bad contracts for pitchers are mostly just overpaying for somebody who is sometimes healthy and sometimes on the DL. Bad contracts for hitters lock you into a mediocre player at that position until the contract expires. Yoshida, for example, is too expensive to move but too weak to contribute much to the team.
Put that together with the structure of the team and the talent in the minors, and there is one obvious gap – ace starting pitching. Essentially all available money over the next few years should go towards either ace pitchers or extending the kids to long term deals.
I agree with most of that except I don’t see many unquestionable aces available, especially as free agents. For example, I am concerned about Burnes’ falling numbers and health of Fried and Crochet. I’m not sure how long they will last. So, I am not eager to give them 7 years at $35M per year or whatever they will want. Crochet might be affordable. It seems to be pretty challenging to improve the rotation.
I’m not advocating about 2027, I’m just guessing that by 2027 they should be completely in go-for-it-now mode. There should be no reason to hold back on spending then. In 2025 and 2026, they may want to hold back a little on spending to keep some money available for 2027. It is possible they go into go-for-it-now mode in 2026. I’m just guessing about all this, but I don’t see a reason to complain about spending until the top prospects of this rebuild are on the Red Sox which should be soon.The young core is retainable for at least 6 years. So, I see a 6-8 year window of contention coming up soon, maybe more if they can lock guys up (which should be easier to do it they have a bit of restraint in spending now). Some of the available money may go to Houck.
Yes, the CBT luxury tax system is a soft cap. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Yankees and Dodgers after years of getting their draft position dropped and other penalties. I’m not claiming I have this all figured out, but I think the Red Sox likely have a good approach and plan for the future. I am not convinced of the cheapness claims we hear.
Burnes’ velocity and control are intact, so I’m less concerned about the declining K rate. He has a long history of inducing weak contact that continued this year. I’m concerned about ALL pitchers past the age of 29, but Burnes seems a better bet than most. Especially since he isn’t relying on extreme velocity to get those outs.
Agreed that Fried and Crochet are also risks. But you look at all three, assess the price (and prospects) to acquire them, and go with your best shot. History demonstrates that the second tier is almost as costly and far less productive.
I’d be a little surprised if Burnes went at $245M, but anything is possible. I would try to get Fried on a five year deal for $150M (and also kick the tires on Crochet).
The young core can be retained for three years, that’s when Houck hits free agency. The only guys who can be retained for six are those who have not yet reached a year of service, or are already signed. That excludes Duran and Casas among others…
I believe this is the year to start filling gaps. The need for an ace starter is the most obvious gap, and one that won’t be filled internally over the next two years. Thus that is where I would start today.
An ace reliever would be nice, but bullpens are always a work in progress. They might be okay without replacing Jansen, with Hendriks and Whitlock heading that way.
How long do you think the window of contention will be? After 6-8 down years and rebuilding, the window should be pretty long. They will need to extend their players along the way.
The length of a window of contention, and the time in between, has more to do with a willingness to spend than anything else. If the Red Sox hadn’t messed around with discount window signings under Bloom, and had been more willing to trade away their aging stars rather than letting them walk in free agency, they could have put together a solid contender in 2024. If they are willing to spend, they can make it happen this year. If they continue to mess around with an active roster in the $160M to $180M range, then it could be another couple years before making the playoffs.
The teams that practice payroll discipline are frequently one-and-done. The teams that run $300M payrolls can compete pretty much every year, with occasional seasons to reset. Tell me where the Red Sox fall on that spectrum and I’ll tell you what their window will look like.
The Rays have never had a window of contention longer than five years, and that is with very aggressive roster churn. Nor did they have especially much success in the playoffs, where star talent counts for more than depth. On the other hand, the Astros have put together an eight year run, two World Series titles, and two additional appearances. They haven’t gone crazy with the payroll, but (unlike the Red Sox) they have consistently been in the top ten.
I don’t see any reason the Red Sox can’t try to emulate that model, but they will need to be willing to increase the payroll to do so. The #12 payroll isn’t enough.
Makes sense. I looked at Burnes’ stats some more and they don’t show a lot of decline. So, he could be a good signing. If big spending will work, I am for it. I am not convinced so far that they need to spend $300M every year.
“Need” is a tricky word, but they are stuck with non-performing contracts to Yoshida and Story, signed while they were in bargain-hunting mode, and thus the amount they will need to spend to achieve a certain level of competitiveness is about $40M higher than it would have been otherwise. That pushes them up to the luxury tax threshold earlier than is normal for the start of a window of contention.
That seems to make sense, but does that assume they get rid of Story and Yoshida and still pay most of their salary? We might have to endure them for one more year before they do that.
It assume we are paying them for production that we could get from one of the kids at little or no cost. That doesn’t mean we need to release them, but it does mean that their segment of the payroll is essentially wasted.
tff17: I keep being hesitant to call for big spending by the Red Sox because I see what the Rays have done. The Rays have done the following with very few big free agent contracts and low spending:
2018: 90 wins/$60.9M CBT payroll/missed Wild Card, would be WC in current playoff format
2019: 96 wins/$91.9M/Wild Card
2020: not a real season
2021: 100 wins/$86.4M/AL East winner
2022: 86 wins/$121.6M/Wild Card
2023: 99 wins/$114.6M/Wild Card
The Red Sox significantly outspend the Rays and should be able to do significantly better than the Rays without going over the luxury tax threshold. The Red Sox have spent consistently over $200M per year in CBT payroll which is way more than the Rays. This is why I am hesitant to jump on the spend big bandwagon. I’m not sure it is necessary. Yes, the Rays get an extra draft pick each year, but I don’t see that as a huge advantage. This is why I conclude the Red Sox are likely spending enough, but they need to spend it better. The Red Sox should be able to retain their good home grown players and have longer windows of contention. The Rays usually can’t afford to keep their good home grown players which holds them back.
The Rays churn their roster, trading away most of their fifth and sixth year players before they hit free agency. They don’t sign any top free agents and don’t even sign their star players to long term deals.
That can be a “smart” strategy, as you are trading players away at their peak value, and it certainly minimizes the payroll. But as they’ve proven, it doesn’t win many divisions and doesn’t fare well in the playoffs (due to the lack of star talent).
Since 1998, the Rays have just *three* players with 1000+ games in their uniform. The Red Sox have five, the Yankees have six. The Rays don’t have a single player with 1500+ games, no Ortiz, Varitek, or Pedroia.
Even if that strategy could win championships — and the evidence is that it doesn’t work well for that — I’m not sure I would enjoy it as a fan? The players are as important as the uniform, and they churn the roster so fast that nobody lasts.
“The Red Sox significantly outspend the Rays and should be able to do significantly better than the Rays without going over the luxury tax threshold.”
I’m skeptical. Either you churn the roster or you don’t. Either you tank for 3-5 years at a time or you try to stay competitive. A half-way measure could easily be weaker than either extreme (as the Bloom tenure shows).
I’d look at the Braves or Cardinals for examples of extended success without regularly going over the CBT threshold.
Suit: it’s not *just* the bonus draft pick which alternates between essentially being at the end of the 1st round, or end of the 2nd round, on alternating years. So you’re picking from among the higher rated talent, much different than say a bonus 5th rounder would be.
The rest of things are skewed in their direction: those picks increase bonus pools dramatically. They lose less in compensation for signing free agents. They gain better compensation when they let FAs depart.
There’s a lot more set up in the way the CBA is structured that benefits a recipient like the rays and gives them inherent advantages in non-monetary FA signing muscle. The whole system was designed to.
tff17: You are faulting the Rays for churning their roster. I have pointed out that the Red Sox should not need to do that. I just posted a 5 year window of contention by the Rays. If 2020 was a real season, they probably make the playoffs and have a 6 year window of contention. The Braves have crossed my mind as they lock up their young talent like the Red Sox appear to be doing. If the Red Sox outspend the Rays by about $100M in CBT payroll, which they have been, I think the Red Sox should be able to do even better than the Rays, probably much better.
GA: I don’t see what you are pointing as much of an advantage for teams like the Rays. The Red Sox have improved their farm system significantly over the last 5 years. Nothing held them back. The Dodgers have had a top farm system recently also. The Yankees are always turning out pitchers from their farm system. On top of this, the Red Sox are significantly outspending teams like the Rays. I don’t see a problem.
Suit: IMO You need to look deeper then.
Re: the rays, if you don’t see an extra 1st or 2nd round pick every draft, and, an expanded bonus pool that let’s you play with slot values amd grab talent other teams don’t have the space to sign isn’t an edge, then at least also consider not losing as high of a draft spot to sign the QO denying players amd such as well.
The Yankees and dodgers aren’t a fair comparison for one reason: THEY SPEND! (Unlike henry.) Those two clubs issue QOs on players they let leave, buy another top flight FA, and bank the draft compensation to supplement their farms, rinse and repeat. That’s one key difference. Also remember they use that spending power to ‘buy prospects’ or ‘buy top players’ by taking on underwater deals and undesirable contracts in the process.
The redsox had to tank and come in last of the division, bottom of baseball 3 of 4 years to build up that farm system you speak of once they stopped spending. Anyone can do that, BUT, they wouldn’t have the system they have if the bloom years weren’t such a disaster full of losing, and, letting top tier talent leave to get QO picks.
Boston doesn’t bring in tip talent worthy of QO compensation for the most part since DD left. And not only did bloom let the talent leave, he didn’t replace it just bringing in a string of second tier or worse players, and, tanking for draft picks.
You don’t need to get am impact player in a QO slot or a supplemental round slot, sometimes just the extra bonus you’ve gained in the process allows you to change up how you handle the rest of your draft pulling off things you otherwise couldn’t.
It’s fine if you don’t buy into that, but you’ve got to look at the whole of how teams operate to figure out where their advantages lie, and, whether they’re leveraging that power appropriately.
GA: The Red Sox are outspending teams like the Rays by about $100M in CBT payroll. You want me to believe this is not enough and that in order for the Red Sox field a better team than the Rays they need to outspend them by significantly more? I’m not buying it. So far, I’m not buying that what the Red Sox are spending is not enough to overcome teams like the Rays. Maybe my mind will change at some point.
No, I didn’t fault the Rays for anything. I was characterizing their strategy. It works, and it is indefinitely repeatable as long as they make good choices.
What I said is that adding another $100M of payroll to the equation would alter their strategy significantly. It might make them a better team, but it might also get in the way of how they operate.
I also said that I prefer the Red Sox don’t operate that way. Fans like some consistency of talent. The Rays don’t have any fans to worry about, so churning the roster makes sense for them and gives them a consistently competitive prospect for a very low payroll.
Yes, the key to the Braves is producing young talent from the minors and locking it up long term. They are willing to spend, but conservatively.. That is a much better model for the Red Sox to follow.
Do you see any team with a $160M payroll that churns their roster the way the Rays do? If not, there is probably a reason why.
The other factor is that Bloom was drafting HS talent (especially in the early years). High school players typically spend 2 more years in the minors than college players, and thus essentially ALL of the talent that Bloom drafted over four years is still in the minors. If he had been drafting college talent, half of that would have graduated by now and our minors would be thinner.
Not a criticism of the strategy, just an observation. By drafting young, he lengthened the period of mediocrity but also brought a fat crop of talent to the majors all at once.
Suit, we never said that the Red Sox can’t field a better team than the Rays. In fact I hope they will! What I said is that to spend that $100M effectively, they need to follow a very different model than the Rays. It isn’t as simple as “do everything the Rays do but $100M more”.
How could adding $100M to the Rays payroll adversely affect them? I don’t think it would.
In theory it shouldn’t adversely affect them, but it might help less than you anticipate. Their current strategy focuses on churning young talent and low end “rebound” free agents, who then get flipped for more young talent. If you start locking up your stars, instead of trading them, you get less young talent coming in. If you sign higher priced free agents, then their contracts are an obstacle to flipping them.
To use the money, they would need to largely change how they operate. And when you start changing things, there are unanticipated consequences. Thus I prefer to stick with relevant comps…
I think building a young core through the farm system and then retaining them and filling holes through free agency is a viable way to have a long window of contention. The Red Sox seem to be doing that. The Red Sox are spending way more than other teams who have built through the farm system and had good windows of contention such as the Rays. The Red Sox seem to be keeping financial flexibility in play for when their best prospects reach the Red Sox which will likely lead to some team-friendly extensions. So, I am happy they are going in the right direction. Bloom may have messed up with Yoshida and Story and at trade deadlines, but he is gone. I think this sums up my view pretty well.
Sure, that sounds more like the Braves than the Rays. Will note that the Braves have had a top ten payroll the last few years, though, so that model implies the Red Sox should also ramp up a bit over time.
The Braves are a well run organization.
I think the Red Sox may wind up looking like the Braves model. The Braves do come to mind when the Red Sox extend their young talent. I cite the Rays because I find it amazing what they have done in the AL East with much less money than the Red Sox and Yankees.
Gary – the Sox desperately need a true middle of the order RHB and Teoscar is it.
That being said, they would need to trade Masataka if they sign Teoscar. Free up the DH spot for their surplus of OF to rotate through.
Joemo – Hernandez is a slightly better than average player who won’t end up making as many all-star teams as Duran, Anthony or Campbell. He can’t stick with a team for a reason, he’s not that good but thinks he is.
He played in the DOSL in 2011 14 years ago at age 18 for the Astros. He spent 5 years working his way through the minors until he finally hit .300 for the first time in 2016. The following year he impressed a very good Houston farm system so much they traded him to Toronoto to play with Vlad and Bo. At age 25 in TOR he hit .240 followed by .230 at 26 in TOR.
Finally during COVID in 2020 at age 27 he hit .290 in 50 games. Then in 2021 at age 28 he finally broke through as a regular who could hit above league average. He had ONE good season in 2021 (10 years after joining the Astros) and then had a decent 2022 in TOR as well. Not all-star material but borderline after what appeared to be a fluke 2021. Once he established he could repeat an above league average year in 2022, TOR traded him to Seattle where he stair stepped back to being a league average player. LAD signs him and he suddenly has a rebound to his 2021 level.
So how much do you pay a guy who has had two good years out of 9 and is now going to be 32 years old? He’s past his prime and he only had two years of prime years based on the data so what do you pay a guy who is a major candidate for regression?
Now consider the upside of the outfielders in the Boston Farm System and explain why you would prioritize your money for an outfielder rather than a #1 SP or #2 SP. It makes no sense and the chance of blocking a far better player is very real with the talent in the Red Sox minors.
Unless Hernandez can play 3B, Boston has no need for him.
Saga – Devers isn’t moving off of 3B for a while, hate to break it to you.
Boston needs a RHB and Teoscar is the best player to fill that void. The Sox are in a bind with how many LHB they have on the roster. It is going to be tough to find good, top of the order RHB that are in positions that the Sox currently do not have a long term solution for.
Taking a look at the team:
Wong/Teel
Casas
Campbell/Grissom/Meidroth/etc (please no more Hamilton)
Story/Mayer
Devers
Abreu/Duran/Anthony/Rafaela/Refsnyder (easily at the back of this rotation)
The only position which has a RHB is 2B. Story is awful and Mayer should be up second half of 2025 baring an injury.
The team NEEDS to free up the DH spot (bye Yoshida) so they can properly balance out the lineup.
While I view Rafaela as the best defensive CF, his versatility (and a DH position that rotates between players) allows the team to sign a big name RHB OF.
Teoscar should give them a short term solution as they develop some RHB. Montgomery being a SH might be a solution but he’s a few years away.
What other solutions are there for a RHB?
I believe this should be the Sox priority for this off-season:
Top of the rotation starter
RHB
Second good starter
Bullpen help
Catcher (veteran to split time with wong until Teel is ready)
2B (depending on how they feel about Grissom/Campbell. They have internal options aplenty but you can never be too sure)
With the Sox having 70M (or so, I forget) before the first luxury tax threshold, they can easily address the 2 SP and RHB in free agency. Now that Sasaki was posted, an off-season of say Burnes/Fried and Sasaki combined with a RHB and wow, the Sox look great for 2025.
I’d like to hear about what it’d cost to pry arenado away from the Cardinals.
He’s expensive, but, the rockies are still kicking in 5m a year for now, and, it’d help drive the price down.
That’s a RHB, hits for average, power has been dropping but may see a fenway bump, can steal the occasional bag, and, PLAYS DEFENSE!!!
Slide him to 3B, let Devers and Casas platoon 1B and DH to get a feel for how Devers can take to the position. If he doesn’t, well, you’ve got dh. If he does, you decide whether Casas becomes a DH, or, you package him towards an ace. Worst case scenario is Casas becomes the dh-only which depresses his arb earnings and helps lower overall salary in the next few years.
Dewey – yep. I find it comical how far off the Sox were for Teoscar. Two year deal for slightly more than his one yes pact with the Dodgers.
Can’t wait to see how far off they will be this time.
This is our full throttle! It is the full throttle that will go forth from this moment and this time, a full throttle that will guide us, and we will be forever transformed by it.
I’d bet on LA wanting what worked for them to keep working.
Dodgers resign Teo, sign Adames and a frontline starter, Sasaki if he’s posted, otherwise Snell or Fried.
Not Snell.
I bet dodgers will resign both hernandez’s, sasaki if he is posted and Buehler. I would like to have blake treinen back as well.
The Dodgers are the modern day Yankees. They’ve got a scheme for deferring money into the next century so there are no limits. Soto will get signed with 2060 money and Mookie will play SS better than most players in the game despite him not being good enough to get a 12 year deal by the all knowing Boston Red Sox owners.
It’s monopoly money in LA. It’s crypto currency and a ponzi scheme all rolled into a sport filled with gambling. It’s truly a joke what they have now done to baseball. It’s just as bad as LeBron making super teams. I’m curious to see how long the Steinbrenners will sit idle and watch LA steal their thunder. It’s like the baseball version of WAR GAMES the movie.
Say… what?
Teoscar will most likely be back with the Dodgers.
O’neill is a platoon player… that’s it. Any team offering him a full time position is foolish.
ONeill was a league average hitter against righties in 2024
He was Aaron Judge against lefties
That’s not a platoon player.
91 wRC+ against RHP isn’t really league average. .208/.290/.403.
His career is an above average 750 OPS
You telling me you didn’t notice that?
The difference is between his career numbers and his 2024 numbers against righties is all BABIP.
@blackpink “O’Neill was a league average hitter against righties in 2024.”
Vtadave pointed out (as the the article also did) how O’Neill was below average against RHPs in ’24.
Blackpink responds with an unqualified comment about a career 750 OPS.
He was slightly below average because OPS+ focuses more on OBP and not slugging. His OPS was darn near average.
His career OPS, which is definitely relevant for predicting the future, says he’s above average against righties.
So what’s the point? That by the specific definition of OPS+ he’s slightly below average for 2024 or THAT HES NOT A PLATOON PLAYER.
Because thats the comment I replied to chief.
O’Neil is not for this club unless you get a second righty bat. Too injury prone to be the only righty bopper at Fenway. Remember the days of Rice, Fisk, Evans and Hobson? And they had Yaz and Lynn from the left side. Had ownership not screwed up and that lineup stayed together…
Dewey, even then he’s not the right fit.
Refsnyder is back, plays OF, and bats RH, technically meeting your definition.
BP – wrong as usual. WRC +91 is not league average, and most of TO’s production (31 HRs and 41 of his 61 RBIs came in just 24 games!) 89 games had 0 HRs and only 20 RBIs combined with a 33% K rate.
It’s close to league average. And that’s not the point troll. The point is the guy said he’s a platoon player and that’s stupid and simply not true. As Joe pointed out he had bad luck on balls in play in 2024. But you ignored that for some reason.
Wrong as usual? Say something else stupid and I will mute you. I guarantee it.
These writers need to be better. There’s no way the Sox pony up enough money to sign Teoscar.
They need another outfielder like they need a hole in the head. Guys are lining up around the block to play on the grass at Fenway, and that’s just dudes from their own system, LOL.
Teo > Soto. U already know what chemistry Teo brings to the organization … winning ! That would leave alot of money to be spent on other areas of team not giving Soto 600-700 Million. Dodgers don’t need Soto.
Teo was terrific for the Dodgers but is not better than Soto. Winning? Both have done that. Chemistry? Winning is a part of that. Otherwise, fans have no idea about chemistry because none of us have been in a Major League clubhouse with either player.
The Dodgers have a lot coming off the books now and in the next few seasons. If they want Soto, there’s room on the payroll. Whatever happens, I trust the Dodger’s FO to do what they believe is necessary to improve the team.
It’s true that chemistry is an overused word, but we can also see which players always seem to be upbeat and take the game’s ups and downs in stride. We know from our own lives that this kind of person is a lot easier to be around every day than an egotistical sourpuss. So call it what you will, but it’s pretty clear Teo Hernandez is one of the former and as a result is well liked by his teammates. He’d be a positive influence on any clubhouse.
Upbeat. Takes things in stride. Just like O.J. Simpson.
I’m not remotely suggesting Teo is a bad guy. And no one should be suggesting someone else is an egotistical sourpuss. Fans need to stop pretending they “know” these players and what goes on beyond the scenes. None of that can be proven because we have no evidence. One clear thing is that Soto is a better player than Teoscar.
Front office decisions shouldn’t be dominated by sentimentality over what players have done in the past. They should be made for what will hopefully make the team better.
Now try rereading what I wrote for content.
You stated that Teo was a positive influence in the clubhouse without evidence.
Not without evidence, just without evidence you wanted to consider. Instead of reading what I actually wrote, you started with a bizarre analogy and went downhill from there. That’s what I get for more or less agreeing with your original point. You are so welcome. It’s been a pleasure.
Insofar as eyewitness testimony can count as ‘evidence’ in court, I think we could agree that the statements by Teo’s teammates that he’s an important part of the chemistry of the team, _and that the chemistry was important in their success_ constitute evidence.
Also echoed by Brandon Gomes. Teo was the first member of the team to develop a personal relationship with Ohtani and even learned some Japanese and taught Ohtani some Spanish. He also mentored younger members of the team. The concept of chemistry is overrated if it means finding some perfect mix of personalities. It should really mean that positive energy people like Teo fit in anywhere. Hope the Dodgers give him the three years he’s after. He’s the fish they can catch. Soto, I’m not so sure.
If Pivetta doesn’t take the QO, the Red Sox will have a pick that can replace the one they would loose on Teoscar Hernandez. Maybe the Red Sox upgrade from Tyler O’Neill. In any case the Red Sox need to up grade from O’Neill as 3/4 of his production occurred in 24 games, which is not acceptable for a team with aspirations of a division title.
Boston needs to make a trade because they need to get rid of a lefty hitter in the process of finding a righty.
Teo makes no sense for the RS. It feels like I hear this every year. The RS have 3 current outfielders, 2 very good OF prospects, and one good OF prospect. I’d be shocked if they added a FA OF.
Joe – I wouldnt be shocked, but, I would *probably* be disappointed because it would mean they traded away some of the best products coming from the last 5 years of pain and austerity.
Giving 20-25m/yr to a FA outfielder while trading away multiple cheap controllable talent pieces for a player with likely only 2-3 seasons left sounds a lot worse than playing those guys making almost nothing and doling out big money FA pitching deals to the right guys
sounds a lot worse than playing those guys making almost nothing and doling out big money FA pitching deals to the right guys
=====================
IMO, all players qualify as risks. Sometimes star prospects can’t play. And sometimes shiny new FAs get hurt or underperform.
But more importantly-
1-How you feeling?
2-How do feel about the 2018 Challenger Scat Pack? Not seriously shopping yet, but it feels like a lot of muscle for the dollar.
Joe, somehow my reply posted below as a new comment rather than a reply here as intended. So, apologies on the tech snafu, amd I’ll point you there rather than duplicate it as the time to edit has long since passed.
Joe – Agreed! All the Red Sox budget needs to be spent on staters and bullpen! They also do not like to sign players that have compensation picks attached.
The interested articles always make me lol as an agreement can be make that nearly all 30 teams are interested in every players…..lol
It is all click bate…
They also do not like to sign players that have compensation picks attached.
==========================
You know, the brainy part of me understands most of the RS moves, But the animal spirit side of me says that we will eventually have to muscle up. I know the era of the NYY/RS being the only game in town is over. But I would still like to see us just flat outbid everyone for the right player.
Joe if they sign Teo I think they get rid of Masa somehow. Teo would fit in very well as the Right Handed power DH part time outfielder.
Teo has always hit well in Fenway it makes sense but have to move on from Masa if you add him. Pitching is also a bigger need than a right handed power hitter so if they go this route the better be ready to go past the lux tax.
Bruin1012 – Please tell me you don’t support the idea of adding TEO when we need a SP1 and SP2.. It makes absolutely no sense. Next they’ll be adding a DH or two.
How is adding TEO a step forward rather than backward in trying to improve the OVERALL roster?
Kristian Campbell could be better than Hernandez. Less power, probably, but a better overall game.
Saga relax I have been saying pitching, pitching and more pitching. I’m simply saying if they can somehow swap Teo for Masa as the DH I’d be fine with that. Pitching at least one tor starter and a high end bullpen piece or two has to be the priority.
I’d be fine with swapping Yoshida for Hernandez, but I’m guessing that would require an additional $60M plus over the next few years. Like you, I would rather see that money spent on pitching.
Teo is an integral part of the team and definitely should be signed. He provided consistent offense, while also being a positive influence in the clubhouse alls eason. He’s a winner and the Dodgers should prioritize bringing him back. Teo, Buehler, Adames and Friend should be the main priorities this offseason and not Soto.
If guys are into sports betting and need picks, go check out @Lowkeyrothstein on instagram
How much time did you spend in the Dodgers’ clubhouse?
Soto is also a winner: two World Series appearances and one title before age 26.
Teoscar would ideally work for the Red Sox if there wasn’t any nuance to solving the problem.
I don’t think it’s the salary that’s going to be too rich for Boston; it’s the lost draft pick. Yes, Boston has been cheap lately, but I expect this contract will be reasonable and the Sox would do it. What they won’t do is forfeit a draft pick to sign a FA who’s only marginally better than other options out there.
If the Orioles sign Teoscar and would cost a second overall team draftpick, would they lose their incentive pick at the end of the 1st rd for having Colton Cowser win ROY ?? That would be big loss for the team wouldn’t it
I’d rather the Orioles just re-sign Santander than sign Hernandez and I don’t even want to re-sign Santander.
If I’m the Dodgers I re-sign Teoscar and pass on Soto. Get more starting pitching.
Teoscar loved playing in LA and he was great in the clubhouse with chemistry.
Get Walker Buehler re-signed and place a bid on Sugano or Sasaki to build up the starting pitching staff.
Yamamoto, Glasnow, Buehler, Sugano or Sasaki, Kershaw.
Maybe go with a 6 man rotation and add Dustin May to that.
For the playoffs, just go with the top 4 in that rotation.
Get Kike Hernandez and Blake Treinen re-signed as well.
This team really plays well together.
Alot of high end talent with no egos and some glue guys that are productive.
Defense is important. There were multiple comments in this article that his defense is not good, and he would cost a pick that the Orioles can ill afford to surrender, so I hope the Orioles will look elsewhere.
Defense is overrated. Except in the 5th inning.
I don’t see Soto coming to la. I see la as a way to increase Boris leverage with the nets and Yankmes.
Why is Mookie going back to the infield?? Edmond proved he’s an everyday player. Mookie is probably one of the best RFs in the game. Any Red Sox fans feel the curse of Mookie yet???
The move to remote working is the curse John Henry is feeling in his commercial real estate portfolio. When people have to go back to the office, Henry will spend again….
I would rather re-sign T.O….He’s athletic, has power and makes decent contact. He’s the incumbent player on the team and I don’t see a huge upgrade. Teoscar has more durability but he is less athletic. Teoscar hits a bit harder but not enough to make up for the difference in athletic ability in the field. The Red Sox are deep enough in the grass to handle an occasional injury from T.O….These Red Sox are players that can fly around the bases, hit for power and in the outfield field their positions. I’d like to see the Sox get a 3B and move Devers to DH. I’d start Story on 2B come ST and let Raffaella grow into SS. Story with his injury history I don’t think is durable enough for short anymore.
If the Sox aren’t interested in playing him, why isn’t Trevor Story’s name showing up in the ‘who they trade for….’ Conversations?????
Teo will be back w LA but 3/60 seems a little light. they just gave him 23 for one fabulous year and his presence is a lot more than just his bat. big time clutch hits and breathless enthusiasm are his card.
Thanks for asking Joe, hanging in there day to day is how I’ll put it. Been a pretty rough summer and early fall as far as relapse goes and a plethora of new/increased side effects.
As for the fun part of your other question though, I’ll say all the pony cars have their share of warts. The challenger stats are strong on paper, but a little misleading.
I know in the past we’d talked about the GT mustangs so I’ll compare it to that for context
Challenger Scat: highest gross ratings at 485/475 it’s the heaviest, usually in the 4400-4500lb range, and, when they dyno stock ones due to drivetrain parasitic loss I saw a 331hp, 421 lbft result. tap.fremontmotors.com/challenger-scatpack-on-the-d…
Also, peak hp is up above 6k rpm and peak torque above 4k. That’s also why the automatics typically launch in 2nd gear in the 8spd slushbox. Rear gearing is usually only a 3.09 ratio, better for fuel mileage, worse for acceleration but a trade they made for CAFE numbers, and because it’s so heavy.
Summary: a heavy lady that won’t feel the most responsive or nimble in stock form, but, fun. Makes its power at a higher rpm. Also note as heavy as it is, they used extremely thin sheet metal. So thin that they had issues for a number of years with the panel bond adhesive at the factory (especially roof) causing spontaneous small dents to appear while parked in garages.
Mustang GT: 3700lb range, rated 460hp 435 lb ft. Ford played the insurance game of reportedly *underrating* the engine power level as there was a shop that did a stock dyno pull with the factory option gt performance pack 1 that had 415hp 397 lb ft at the rear wheels. It also carries a steeper 3.55 rear axle ratio. autoevolution.com/news/2018-ford-mustang-gt-dyno-p…
Takeaways: lighter car, less parasitic power drain on an engine that was underrated (made more power than advertised) with taller gears so it will have better acceleration. More of that power is getting to the pavement.
The higher numerically the axle ratio is the faster it accelerates because at a given speed the rpms are higher, putting you into the higher power bands of an engine sooner.
Biggest cons, less roomy especially in the back seat, but, has an overly large trunk for what it is. Paint coverage from the factory wasn’t the best in rear window channels or door jamb surfaces so watch for surface rust or touch up the paint there if it gets thin.
At this point maintenance is key as any performance car has likely seen some spirited driving. By 2018 there should’ve already been factory improvements to the valve train area, but, earlier hemi engines in those challengers (and ram trucks for that matter) were prone to failures and ruining camshafts.
GA, refreshing post. Thank you for going outside the box and providing this. I think most can appreciate the information to some degree or another, even if it’s just a distraction from the worries of life.
Speaking of the worries of life, sorry to read of your struggles. Not sure if it is welcome but I will send a prayer up today on your behalf.., and I always refer Matthew chapter 8 to those who are interested. God bless and thanks again.
Appreciated and my thanks to you Gary.
For whatever reason this was supposed to be for Joe’s comment above, but, I’m sure something I did had it go here instead of there. Plenty of attention lapses these days. But every few months we’ll slip in some non-strictly-baseball content into our conversations. If nothing else, it gives a touch of community feel to the boards so long as it doesn’t go to excess
Yes and I love that. A certain part of me who has recognized the names over 15 plus years here would love to have a little get together or something where we could all have a root beer and talk about all this stuff that we do here. Perhaps that’s the excess you mention but I think it would be just great.
The basketball site too, a good group of guys overall, and in the dream world it be great to have a huge Meetup and talk trash with each other.
It’ll never happen but the occasional post like yours help in developing and reminding us of the community we have here.
I’ve met a couple of the posters here, some at fenway, some elsewhere, and it’s always been fun. Usually happens when one or another of us are traveling to see a ballgame.
Health and schedules willing, I’m always up for meeting more as well. Never gave much thought to a group get together though, seemed too hard logistically to iron out although I’d suppose it could work depending on what part of the country and where geographically pockets of us are located in.
Oh wow that’s cool. Sounds great you were able to pull something like that off.
I have a group of buddies that lived in San Diego at some point in their lives and we’ve kept in touch.
We meet once or twice a year in Nashville or wherever for a guy’s four day weekend and it’s always a blast. One former NBA guy on a championship team, and he always has great stories to share.
Again, thanks for sharing your experience.
GASoxFan – Hope some day we get to talk in person. Having grand kids has forced us to move back to the north east despite loving the southern climate. Having had a rough year myself, I’m glad to hear when things go better for the folks who write on this site and have the long standing love for the game. I wish you continued success and I look forward to day I happen across your path by accident or in a planned manner.
Saga – my leukemia got worse through the summer, so, my 3 month visits went back to monthly…. for now. We’ll see what the spring holds.
But, I’d gladly buy you a drink in the fens then catch a game with you and anyone else fairly local one of the trips up this next season… as long as Henry cracks open that dusty wallet. I’ve gone from spending tens of thousands per season at fenway to zero since they aren’t investing in the team. TV is good enough at that point. It’s not like they’re banking money they’ll splurge on an ohtani-style contract once they do spend to contend, so, in the meantime I refuse to pad his wallet.
One thing that’s always fun is monster seats for the futures doubleheader days each year. Even buying on the secondary market, irs under $100 a ticket and a cheap way to have a monster experience not once, but twice.
LOL! I love reading your reviews if only because it forces me to leave all my comfort zones. Just another fascinating review my friend. I need to absorb all this and re-evaluate my positions. That’s a good thing.
Sad to hear that the health is not where it should be. You are n my prayers.
I read your post below and do not disagree. I get a little annoyed when some teams have no local support, but the fans expect huge payrolls. But in this case, the RS should be spending more. Hopefully we can combine our financial strength with our farm and become a serious threat once again.