2020-2021 Offseason Thread

[moonslav59]

I was not referring to those names in any trades. Arenando would be a huge play at 3rd.... however we can not afford that contract. I was only trying to move the needle on the possibility of acquiring young arms to build for the future. And the bigger question in the future will be the contract demands of Devers. If we could not sign Mook to a career contract how can we attempt this with RD in the next couple years.

We apparently couldn't afford Mookie due to the need to reset and several underwater contracts at the same time.

By the time Devers reaches free agency, some deadwood will be gone.

Remember, even in our reset year, we still outspent the vast majority of teams. I seriously doubt we ever fall out of the top 4-6 spending teams.

That doesn't mean we can afford everyone, like proposed here by the soon to be O's fan, but it also does not mean we can't afford a few big ticket players.

[moonslav59]

Arenado would be an incredibly bad idea.

His career OPS at Coors is .985 while his career road OPS is .793. Now, plenty of players have home/road splits that favor their home park even when they don't play in a notorious lauching pad. But 200 points? Take him our of Coors and that home OPS in Fenway probably drops closer to (let's assume) .850, which would make him a roughly .825 OPS player. This makes his offensive output roughly equal to Devers (.830 OPS since 2016).

Granted, Arenado has 8 Gold Gloves in 8 seasons. But is the defensive upgrade really worth $200 million over the next 6 seasons? Devers himself might not be looking at a contract that expensive.

Avoid Arenado like the plague....

I totally agree.

The Devers part of the idea was one of the least worrisome.

[moonslav59]

E-Rod signs for 1 year and $8.3 million, avoiding arbitration.

Finally, some Sox news!

(Not that most teams have big news stories, already.)

[moonslav59]

Yeah, I'd rather have Devers. We know he can hit here and is a lot younger.

At worst, Devers becomes a beastly DH as he gets older.

I think he could be a plus 1Bman within one year of learning. DH may be further down the road.

[notin]

Finally, some Sox news!

(Not that most teams have big news stories, already.)

Joel Payamps doesn't get your engine revving?

[moonslav59]

Joel Payamps doesn't get your engine revving?

I hope he didn't get yours revving!

[oldtimer]

I think he could be a plus 1Bman within one year of learning. DH may be further down the road.

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

[moonslav59]

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

I'd give him at least another full season at 3B. If he looks sketchy, this year, on defense, he can start taking some reps at 1B, work out at 1B over next winter and maybe give 1B a try in 2022. He could always get some game in at 3B, too.

He's actually looked better at 3B than I first expected, but he seems very streaky.

He makes some plays very few third basemen make, but then he'll throw a ball away on an easy out.

[mvp 78]

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

[Donnie Sadler was short]

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

I dont want to see a chubby Devers in left...ever!

[mvp 78]

I dont want to see a chubby Devers in left...ever!

Why? He has the same sprint speed as Beni. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leade...eam=BOS&min=10

He's also got a much stronger arm than Beni.

[5GoldGloves:OF,75]

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

Your first sentence made me nod (though not too early; young athletes need to stay in the game so they can stay in the game). But the last sentence made me cringe -- I just can't see his body type chasing down long drives over his head as he ages.

I agree Cora is the key -- to Devers more than any other player. And by the time Casas is an everyday MLBer, JD will probably be gone. Then Rafie and Tris can share 1B/DH if need be.

[notin]

Your first sentence made me nod (though not too early; young athletes need to stay in the game so they can stay in the game). But the last sentence made me cringe -- I just can't see his body type chasing down long drives over his head as he ages.

I agree Cora is the key -- to Devers more than any other player. And by the time Casas is an everyday MLBer, JD will probably be gone. Then Rafie and Tris can share 1B/DH if need be.

You can't envison Devers with his body type chasing down fly balls as he ages?

What about this body type?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u0MzrYPm4w

[moonslav59]

Casas may be 3 years away and is far from a sure bet.

I expect Devers to stay at 3B- this is something I did not expect early in his career or after his first ML season.

I also think he will likely have at least one season much better than 2019- YES, MUCH better.

[Kimmi]

The one great season he had was the last full season he was able to play. He was turning it around last year. The second half of the season he OPS'd 897. That's only 19 points less than "his one great season."

Plus, don't count out the Cora factor.