The 2023 Red Sox Budget

[Old Red]

I'd take Swanson due to an upgrade in SS defense and being a year younger. His contract would end at 3 years younger than Bogey's in my second scenario.

Last year you wanted Baez. I’ll take Bogey.

[mvp 78]

The hardware doesn’t mean s as h much (different positions plus want he a KC dole team rep?), but Benintendi’s age and that he’s generally healthier than Nimmo should matter. The big issue with Benintendi is that as a hitter he’s about as unpredictable as it gets. 2022 he was a high OBP singles machine. In 2021, his OBP about 50 points lower but his SLG was 50 points higher. In 2020, he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, but he did draw a lot of walks.

So what is he?

In 2020, he bulked up and got injured so we can throw that season out. I think he's somewhere between 2021 and 2022.

xSLG
2017 52
2018 67
2019 55
2021 68
2022 55

While the actual slugging rate went down, the slugging rate went down across the league. His percentile was consistent with 17 (435) and 19 (456) even though this season it was down to 407.

[moonslav59]

If you sign Bogey for 6 years or Swanson for 6 years, how does Swanson's Contract end 3 years sooner if he's only a year younger? It still ends only a year earlier?

Good one.

My bad... again!

[mvp 78]

Last year you wanted Baez. I’ll take Bogey.

Baez
Manning
$15M

for

Cutter Coffey
Kutter Crawford

[moonslav59]

Last year you wanted Baez. I’ll take Bogey.

Glad you finally stated someone you want.

It's easy to never be wrong, when you don't state your specific plan ideas.

It's easy to be right, when you just say, "We need to upgrade our pen," then claim you were right when the pen sucks.

[Old Red]

Glad you finally stated someone you want.

It's easy to never be wrong, when you don't state your specific plan ideas.

It's easy to be right, when you just say, "We need to upgrade our pen," then claim you were right when the pen sucks.

I haven’t always said I want Bogey even when you, and others didn’t think Bogey was a good enough SS? Common sense says the BP needs upgrading if you want to have a winning team, and get out of last place in the Div it’s just a question of how high the priority is, which I put it on the top. Ideas?Ive been saying since last off season the Red Sox need a good reliable closer, and am still saying it.

[moonslav59]

I haven’t always said I want Bogey even when you, and others didn’t think Bogey was a good enough SS? Common sense says the BP needs upgrading if you want to have a winning team, and get out of last place in the Div it’s just a question of how high the priority is, which I put it on the top. Ideas?Ive been saying since last off season the Red Sox need a good reliable closer, and am still saying it.

Name a closer you want.

BTW, we both were almost exactly the same on what we'd offer Bogey, so keep building your strawmen. I value him as much as you do.

[moonslav59]

I'll be 100% correct on this winter's Red-like suggestions:

I want a SS who will do great in 2023, like Bogey and will pay him exactly the same as those who think he's "not a good enough SS."
I want a reliable closer and SP'er.
I want a reliable RF'er.

If we don't do this, Bloom sucks and I was 100% right.

[notin]

Baez
Manning
$15M

for

Cutter Coffey
Kutter Crawford

No!

No trading all the Sox Cutters/Kutters in one trade!!

[notin]

If you sign Bogey for 6 years or Swanson for 6 years, how does Swanson's Contract end 3 years sooner if he's only a year younger? It still ends only a year earlier?

First you need to put Swanson in a rocket that travels at the speed of light…

[Old Red]

Name a closer you want.

BTW, we both were almost exactly the same on what we'd offer Bogey, so keep building your strawmen. I value him as much as you do.

Bogey’s price has gone up the second he opted out. They have had since last offseason to work on this, and like I have said their actions have spoken more than their words.

[Old Red]

I'll be 100% correct on this winter's Red-like suggestions:

I want a SS who will do great in 2023, like Bogey and will pay him exactly the same as those who think he's "not a good enough SS."
I want a reliable closer and SP'er.
I want a reliable RF'er.

If we don't do this, Bloom sucks and I was 100% right.

This is more of a option than your Jeter Downs, Duran, and the Ref proposal you threw out there.

[notin]

An interesting but rarely (if ever on this board?) thought might be Willson Contreras as catcher/DH.

It might mean the Sox would have to keep Connor Wong and jettison Bobby Dalbec. I’m not sure that’s a dealbreaker for anyone.

Except Dalbec, obviously…

[notin]

So my thoughts on free agent pitchers:

1. Give a QO to Eovaldi. If he accepts, he’s certainly tolerable for one season. I don’t think Nate has very many seasons left in him, but he was the best pitcher in the AL by fWAR as recently as 2021. $19.35mill is not a big raise, but the one year makes it a bargain.

2. Looking at Zone% and Contact% over the past 3 years, the two best free agent SPs might be Eovaldi and Carlos Rodon. Both are worrisome for multi year deals. Both are smarter investments than Jake deGrom.

3. Free agent relievers like Rafael Montero, Robert Suarez and Michael Fulmer should be signed. And Bloom? If you can’t decide which one, collect them all!

[moonslav59]

This is more of a option than your Jeter Downs, Duran, and the Ref proposal you threw out there.

It wasn't a proposal, for God's sake.

When someone says one position is our highest need area, I look at our high need areas and see which ones I think need the most help. It's not a proposal: it's a statement of fact on what we have at each high need area and which one(s) is the worst.

I don't think it's the pen, especially if Houck and or Whitlock is part of it.

IMO, our weakest positions, right now, are SS, RF and SP (not necessarily in this order) and then the pen.

Of course, you overanalyzed again and read things into my statements that were not even mildly implied.

Nobody, including myself, is advocating Downs at SS, Duran/Refsnyder as platoons in corner OF or Winckowski as a SP'er. All need fixing, as does the pen. My point was only about what is our top priority, which implies ranking the need areas.