@PeteAbe
Mookie Betts arriving at JetBlue Park today. #RedSox #SpringTraining2018
mookie.jpg
@PeteAbe
Mookie Betts arriving at JetBlue Park today. #RedSox #SpringTraining2018
mookie.jpg
@PeteAbe
Some #RedSox items: Andrew Benintendi has not yet hired a new agent … Marco Hernandez says his surgically repaired shoulder is coming along well but he will need to ease into baseball activities. … Mitch Moreland is very pleased he signed when he did and isn’t a free agent.
If Hernandez isn't ready to go on opening day, does that mean we're getting more Brock Holt?
Sounds like Mitch is really happy to be back.
http://www.weei.com/articles/column/...er-free-agents
Listen to how the first baseman's 6-year-old son responded upon his father landing for another spring training at JetBlue Park. "He's fired up," Moreland said in a sit-down interview Tuesday afternoon. "Yesterday, as soon as I got on the phone with him he said, 'Have any of the guys asked about me?' He's excited about it."
"I just told my agent that if we get close, I'm ready to do it. It's just nice to have the security of knowing everybody here and not having to learn a new organization. Being somewhere where my family is comfortable and somewhere that is a winning environment. All of those things factor into something like free agency. This is a great place to be, so obviously, it was my first choice."
"I knew I had a good time here. Obviously, all of our conversations with staff and front office were good heading out. I guess the way everything has been going the last few years, you never know what's going to happen. This year has been a prime example of that even more. I really didn't know what to think. Just keep an open mind and let them know I had fun playing being part of this organization and playing for the Red Sox. I would love to come back, but I also understand it's a business. That's kind of the way I approached it. Obviously, when the time rolled around and we started talking a little bit, I was happy to come back. I wanted to be here.
"I told my agent, 'Listen, man, I want to be somewhere I'm going to be happy and somewhere I'm going to win.' I loved playing here last year. So when the opportunity came about, it checked all the boxes. I've got to take care of my family. I'm not worried about the market part of it. When I saw the opportunity, with something I was happy with, and my family was happy with, I jumped at it."
"I go to the field ready to go every day," Moreland said. "That's what I do. I try and be ready to go when my number is called, whether it's in the first inning, fifth inning, whenever. That's what I shoot for. Last year I was supposed to be part-time and I got more at-bats than I have ever had. I don't think you can look at a scheduled set-up of playing time because we're still two months away from the season right now and there is a lot of stuff that can happen. I'm going to be focused on getting ready to play every day and being ready to go when that time comes here."
"I got in yesterday and went and hung out with the guys the first night. I told my wife, "Hey, I got invited to hang out with the guys the first night.' Last year it took me a week before I hung out with the guys. It's nice," he said. "Just having familiar faces and knowing the situation. Everyone talks about how it helps having that comfort level in baseball whether you're on the field or off the field. It makes those adjustments easier. We had a blast, so I'm happy to do it a couple of more years."
Blake Swihart, erstwhile Red Sox catching prospect, on the spring-training experiment to turn him into a super-utilityman: "I pride myself on being an athlete. I feel like I can play other positions. Catcher is my favorite position to play, but if I need to play somewhere else I can. I feel like if I put in work, I can play anywhere."
I'd avoid Cobb and Lynn. Both have missed significant time in the past three years and consequently have been outperformed by Cashner and Liriano over that stretch. And as Cobb and Lynn are more talented, both appear to want more money and years. But both also have issues showing up for work and their recent TJ surgeries would indicate both are more likely to miss a full season during their next deals.
At this point, sign Morrison or Duda, Cashner or Liriano, and Watson and Nunez, assuming Nunez is happy with AA super sub role. If Nunez prefers a team that can guarantee him a bigger role, the surprisingly still productive Brandon Phillips might be an excellent stopgap 2B. Or Neil Walker, who is somehow still available and getting no buzz...
Makes sense to me, notin.
Signing LoMo would probably mean we can only sign two of these three: Cashner or Liriano, Watson & Nunez. We could probably sign Duda plus the 3 and still stay under the $40M over penalty level.
We'd have a major roster crunch, but I wouldn't be saddened to lose out- of- options Brentz, Marrero and Swihart or maybe Holt and save $2M. Signing 2 pitchers would put the squeeze on Hembree, Wright and Johnson, who are all out of options.
25 man roster with all 4 signed (Duda, Cashner, Watson & Nunez):
SP (6): Sale, Price, Pom, Porcello, Wright (phanton DL?), Cashner
RP (7): Kimbrell, Smith, Watson, Kelly, Barnes, Johnson, Hembree
DL: ERod & Thornburg
AAA: Velazquez, Elias, Beeks, Scott, Maddox, Workman
C (2): Vaz & Leon (Swihart)
AAA: Butler
1B/DH (3): Moreland, HRam, Duda
AAA: Travis (Ockimey?)
2B (1): Nunez
DL: Pedey & Marco
AAA: Quiroz
3B (1): Devers
AAA: Chavis
SS (1): Bogey
AAA: Lin
IF Utility: Marrero & Swihart
AAA: Holt
LF (1): Beni
CF (1): JBJ
RF (1): Betts
AAA: Castillo (Mars)
Traded/DFA: Brentz
That's just not true at all.
When looking at your 3 year stretch, Lynn has a higher WAR than either Cashner or Liriano.
Cashner has a higher career FIP after spending most of his time in pitcher friendly SD. Liriano has been less than a 1 WAR player the past two seasons. Lance Lynn has been far and away the best of the 4 over the past 4 years when accounting for WAR (+4 WAR over the other guys). Cobb iwas out for a long stretch so it's really hard to compare in that small sample. He has been above W WAR in every season he's appeared in 10 games. You certainly can't say that for Liriano.
You're looking at Lynn's last 3 fWAR totals and ignoring his missed season. In 2015 through 2017, he was worth 4.5 fWAR. Cashner was worth 4.5 (so I did misspeak about being more productive, but he was as productive)
as well in those seasons and Liriano was worth 5.0. (Cobb was worth 2.3).
Cobb and Lynn are better pitchers, but neither has been as reliable, which is the entire point. Given that TJ surgery has an average lifespan of about 600 innings, both are high risk to miss more time.
As neither Liriano nor Cashner are likely to command the money or years, both are safer options...
"Hating the Yankees like it's a religion since 94'" RIP Mike.
"It's also a simple and indisputable fact that WAR isn't the be-all end-all in valuations, especially in real life. Wanna know why? Because an ace in run-prevention for 120 innings means more often than not, a sub-standard pitcher covering for the rest of the IP that pitcher fails to provide. You can't see value in a vacuum when a player does not provide full-time production."