With the Red Sox front office seeing change at the top following the firing of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, it’s hard to predict what sort of direction Boston might go in this offseason before they find a replacement for Bloom at the top of the club’s hierarchy. Still, there are some clues, most notably comments by team president and CEO Sam Kennedy that indicate the club hopes to sign some of their younger players to long-term extensions, with the likes of right-hander Brayan Bello, first baseman Triston Casas, and outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu earning particular mention.
While Duran had experience in the infield during his time in the minors, both he and Abreu are exclusively outfielders at the big league level. Between Boston’s apparent belief in both youngsters, the emergence of top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela as perhaps the club’s best defender in center field, and the presence of Masataka Yoshida on a long-term deal, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see where outfielder Alex Verdugo fits in for the Red Sox. As noted by Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, however, Verdugo spoke glowingly of the organization on the final day of the regular season.
“Hopefully I stay here with the Red Sox,” Verdugo said, “I love this organization. I have made it clear to them.” At the same time, Verdugo acknowledged the uncertainty of his position headed into the offseason before saying, “You just have to work hard… If it’s not this team, there’s 29 other teams.”
A free agent after the 2024 campaign, Verdugo would be an interesting trade candidate if dangled by the Red Sox this offseason. Verdugo finished the 2023 campaign on a rough note, slashing just .225/.268/.367 in the second half. Prior to that, however, he was a borderline All Star with a .290/.360/.457 slash line that was in line with the very best performances of his career. Taken together, it makes for a roughly league average production (98 wRC+) in 142 games this year. Verdugo also contributed positively with the glove, registering +1 Outs Above Average after posting -5 marks in each of the previous two seasons. That combination of solid defense in right field and a league average or better lefty bat should be intriguing to outfield-needy clubs, particularly given a fairly soft free agent class at the position.
More from the American League…
- The Astros are set to begin their postseason push tomorrow with a five-game set against the Twins in the ALDS, but GM Dana Brown is already making plans for what comes next when the team’s season concludes. As noted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Brown, who joined the Astros as GM back in January, has made clear that promotions are inbound for other members of the club’s front office, saying that he’s “found out they have a lot of good people here.” Brown noted that “at least six” promotions are expected within the front office. While the specific personnel and role changes being discussed aren’t yet clear, it’s sensible for the Astros to promote from within as front offices around baseball begin asking their fellow organizations for permission to interview club employees for positions in their own organization. As previously mentioned, the Red Sox are looking for a new head of their baseball operations department, while the Mets could look to replace GM Billy Eppler in the near future after he stepped down from his role as David Stearns’s second in command yesterday.
- With managerial vacancies in Anaheim, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Queens already announced, plenty of clubs are already making changes in the dugout this offseason. MLBNetwork’s Jon Morosi suggests that the Mariners could see several members of their coaching staff get significant attention for the open positions, listing bullpen coach Stephen Vogt, first base coach Kristopher Negron, and third base coach Manny Acta all as Seattle coaches who could be under consideration for one or more of the current vacancies. Acta is the only one of the three with previous managerial experience at the big league level; in addition to three years with the Nationals from 2007-2009, he stands as Cleveland’s most recent manager besides Terry Francona, who retired from managing following the 2023 campaign.
I like Verdugo but it’s all they got for Mookie who is basically the perfect position player to sign long term. And as a Yankees fan I still can’t believe they traded him.
Miles – Some people overrate Wong, but yeah they never should have traded Mookie. Would have been better off trading Devers or Xander with Price, they still would have dropped below the tax threshold that way
Fever, Mookie was not staying unless they blew him away and met his demand. The pandemic changed things when the Dodgers made their offer. Mookie is very bright, believes in himself and made it clear he was going to free agency. Boston never expected the market to explode like it did with Mookie’s deal. They likely expected a correction due to the pandemic but it didn’t happen.
If you don’t trade him he walks for nothing. Now they’ll get someone good back for Verdugo as the article States outfielders are in demand.
Was there no chance of him signing in Boston? Again, he’s the type you open the bank for. So if money is the only thing in the way of resigning Mookie Betts they made a terrible mistake.
Miles – Some people try to defend Bloom/Henry by saying Mookie hated Boston and wouldn’t have accepted any offer from them. Most of us don’t buy it though. I have yet to see any evidence of Mookie not liking Boston. If the Red Sox had offered the same contract the Dodgers gave him, he would have stayed.
It’s kinda like blowing it on a date and then saying you never would have had a chance with her anyway. Lack of accountability, all too common these days.
Thank you for the info kind sir. And I wish I could argue with you on the accountability thing but if I did I’d be lying.
Fever, look through the archives. Betts refused to negotiate a contract with Boston, saying he wanted to test the market. Then he signs an extension a few months after the trade to L.A., making him a bare-faced liar. He was then quoted as saying Boston was racist and he didn’t feel safe there.
Miles, I don’t think there was because I believe Mookie wanted to get paid, and he didn’t care where. Personally I don’t think it’s smart to give out those Aaron Judge, Manny Machado contracts.
But the Dodgers opened up their checkbooks and that’s fine. Good for them. He’ll be Andrew McCutcheon halfway through it. Same player, same body, same skills, same amazing baseball player. But 5-10, 160 doesn’t play too well at age 35, 36.
So 1 or 2 of us are of the belief that big money in those later years will be a tough pill. But perhaps by then 40 million dollars really isn’t the same as it is today? I could see that happening the way salaries are going up today.
Fever, I have yet to see any evidence of Mookie being willing to accept the same contract from Boston. It’s speculation on both sides regarding what might have been.
Mookie did negotiate. The Red Sox lowballed him. Their final offer was no higher than he recieved his final season of arbitration. 8/205. A slap in the face basically. Of course he said no.
There was never a 10/300 offer. Betts and his agent said that was never presented or he would have accepted it.
Fever if you’re going to use a dating analogy here’s one for you.
There’s plenty of Red Sox fans that act like the pissed off boyfriend. She doesn’t do anything right, she makes a lot of mistakes that are easy to point out, and she’s horrible in so many things she does.
“What’s that? Oh yeah, I’m going out with her tomorrow night.”
Seemingly loyal yet bad-mouthing constantly. All too common these days.
Gbs, read articles with the interviews with Mookie and his agent this August just before the Dodgers were to visit Fenway.
I don’t know him but he seems logical because no Sox fan in their right mind can defend not keeping Mookie if he wanted to stay.
Mookie is better to sign long term than Judge in my opinion. And I’m a Yankees fan.
BIF, you’re the one trying to make a point, and I’m supposed to do your homework for you? I’m not sure you understand how debate is supposed to work.
Even so, I did some digging and found the article linked below in which Betts said he would have signed a 10-year, $365M deal to stay in Boston. However, that’s not the same as the 12-year, $365M deal he ended up signing the Dodgers.
boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2023/07/24/mookie…
DMiles, I agree. Betts has a broader skill set so he can afford to decline in one way and still contribute to others. He also has a better health history.
Try CBS Sports on around Aug 24 this year.
Mookie never received a 10/300 offer from the Red Sox or he would have accepted. Mookie and his agent have consistently said there was never a 10/300 offer on the table.
The Red Sox final offer according to this website was 8/205. He was already making $27 million in arbitration.
Merloni was the only guy that said there was a 10/300 offer, not multiple as that Boston.com article tried to say.
Of course Mookie would have accepted MORE money than the Dodgers offered. Pretty stupid for Holt to even ask that question.
Want to hear it from Mookie directly? Listen to the WEEI interview in June 2022 by Bradford.
Also read Peter Abraham’s article August 24th of this year in the Globe.
Merloni was the only guy that said there was a 10/300 offer,
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Merloni is right about 100% of the time.
He was wrong about that one so not 100%.
I can’t actually find many times he was right. He is the Bob Nightengale of Boston sports.
BIF, why do you continue to tell me to do the research to support your argument. You’re making it clear you don’t understand how debate works.
I found the article you referenced, but I’m not going to link it this time. In it, Mookie never said he was offered 10/$300M.
“That never happened,” Betts said of the reported $300 million offer. “I know that’s out there and people say what they’ve got to say. But no, they didn’t do that. They didn’t.”
He also doesn’t say in that article he would have accepted that offer, so you have yet to support your statement with any evidence.
Could you provide a link to that WEEI interview?
Abraham article is behind a paywall.
Insane – Not true, Mookie absolutely did negotiate … he submitted a counter-offer of $420M over 12 years, reported by numerous outlets.
I’ve often pointed this out, if the Red Sox had split the difference between their $300M opening number and Mookie’s $420M counter, it would have been $360M and Mookie would have taken it.
But the Red Sox never submitted a counter-offer to his counter-offer, thus all negotiations ended shortly after.
And I’ve asked this question of others countless times, where is the source of him supposedly saying he didn’t feel safe in Boston because of racists? Why can’t somebody – anybody – provide the link so we can see if he really said that, and if so in what context.
Gary – Don’t forget a large portion of his contract is deferred, that makes a big difference.
Yes Mookie was always intent on getting as much money as possible, not just for himself but also because he felt it was an obligation to set the bar higher for other players.
Maybe Covid motivated him to sign the extension instead of holding out for more, we will probably never know.
gbs – Obviously there’s no way to prove that after the fact, but it’s common knowledge that meeting in the middle is a tactic often used by those engaging in negotiations. Good faith negotiating is when both parties give some from their initial ask.
Life – My understanding is the $300M was suggested by the Red Sox, but yes they never put it in writing.
Where is the source that indicates he would have accepted $300M? I’ve heard him quoted many times about negotiations, but never heard him quoted about that.
Fever, you make a good point about good faith negotiating and meeting in the middle. And as you say in your reply to Life, sources are important. Otherwise, it’s just speculation – presented by him as fact. That’s the part that bothers me.
Gary – Ha, you just described how my aunt treats my uncle! She criticizes him all the time, yet they’ve been married for 52 years. Sometimes it’s just the personality or the culture.
But you know how my relatives look at it? It shows she cares. She doesn’t do it to be mean, she does it because she wants him to improve.
If you ever get married someday, pray that your wife doesn’t stop communicating and doesn’t start sitting there quietly when she’s unhappy. That is a sure-fire sign that she no longer has feelings for you. Apathy is a lot worse than good old fashioned venting.
Author Leo Buscaglia is quoted as saying “I have a very strong feeling that the opposite of love is not hate-it’s apathy. It’s not giving a damn.”
Miles – This was actually said on air by a Red Sox announcer during a Dodgers/Sox game this year:
“It’s a trade that can never be defended and a stain that will never be erased, the trade of Mookie Betts by the Red Sox,” said Sean McDonough
Sean also went on to say Mookie was the perfect athlete, everything you could possibly want in a player.
gbs – Yeah I agree, the Brock Star should have asked Mookie if he would have signed with the Sox for the exact same contract he signed with the Dodgers.
Life – I’m guessing the Brock Star screwed up and meant to say 12 years instead of 10, simple as that.
Joe – I agree, Loomer is one of the best and most accurate media personalities.
I really think the $300M was verbal … or maybe Mookie’s agent forgot to forward the offer to him? LOL
Absolutely correct Fever. About the only thing I’ve learned from my relationships is that I haven’t learned anything from my relationships.
Gary – Haha …. I know what you mean.
All of my relationship education has come from watching the Anger Management channel, too bad the show ended so quickly.
Fever, read my other post. Mookie never wanted a multi-year deal and would have played it out in my view in 20 but the pandemic necessitated a change in thinking. With the pandemic in crisis mode and no games and then no fans, most ownerships cut costs and looked to save where they could not knowing when things would improve.
Who cares what he says after the fact? He was setting the stage for a big ovation. Had he spoken what I believe was true, there might have been many boos.
Who believes him two years after? Everything released to the public at the time indicated he really did not want to stay.
Fever, I mediate often. Eventually you try to find middle ground but both the opening demand and first offer are usually unrealistic. Sides are not going to give away their true position early. For example, if there was a 12 year/$420m demand, the Sox might countered with a 6 year/$175m offer to start. That’s how typical negotiations start.
I have been a Red Sox fan for 52 years, but I would not want to live in Boston with its crap weather (cold wet springs, humid), old congested narrow streets,….
Betts was NEVER going to re-sign! He made that perfectly clear.
Use 12ft.io if you don’t have a subscription
The Red Sox never made a 10/300 offer. Only Merloni said that. Mookie and his agent said there was never a 10/300 offer on the table.
By trading Mookie they got it Wong!
Miles – You are very welcome and yes, we now live in a world where people are taught to never apologize or even acknowledge their mistakes. Not a good way to go through life.
Probably, but I don’t think that’s a bold statement. Mookie had hip issues last year which I think is concerning. We’ll see. Boston isn’t for everyone. Some love it, some don’t. I thought of Ellsbbury when hearing of Mookie and staying with the Sox. Always felt like he was playing with one foot out the door. Fun to watch.
Mookie’s counter offer was to the 8/205 offer from the Red Sox. He never received a 10/300 offer from them.
The interview with Bradford on WEEI
audacy.com/weei/sports/red-sox/mookie-betts-wants-…
“As far as wondering if I was going to be a Red Sox, I always thought that was gonna be the case. You think in normal negotiations, one side is really high and one side is really low and you negotiate. It didn’t happen. And that’s OK. It’s part of life and it’s OK.”
The Red Sox made a ridiculous 8/205 offer, the only one they have publicly stated they made.
Mookie countered with an equally ridiculous 12/420.
The Red Sox stopped negotiating after that.
It’s against the law for an agent to not forward an offer.
Dewey, so you are saying Mookie is a liar.
Mookie never said publicly at the time that he wanted to leave. In fact, everything he said in that offseason and after the fact was that he wanted to be a Red Sox for life.
So you are trying to say he was lying then and now.
Hey there’s Bloom’s BFF Gary! You still heartbroken the Red Sox fired him? You’ll get over it someday.
Boxscore yes and I’ll support the next guy they hire as well. Sox fan all the way !! Let’s go !!
Can’t wait to see what happens this off season. Who will we sign, who will we trade.., we better darn well pick up at least 2 legitimate starting pitchers at the minimum. We need a basher in the Outfield also. 35 home run type guy.
Gary – Which OF’er do you want to get rid of then?
I still think this winter’s money should be allocated for a bigtime starting pitcher, then a #3 starting pitcher, then a stud lefty reliever. Only if Turner leaves do the Sox need another big bat.
I want them to save some salary space for the trade deadline!
AV is gone. I think his glove is better than those stupid metrics but the OF is too left handed. I’d rather re-sign Duvall and have Yoshida, the “next Mookie,(imagine that) in center and Duvall in right. Get what you can for AB.
Yes Fever, I also believe two starters are necessary but I think the bullpen is fine as it sits. Leave Whitlock there and with a similar crew from ’23 they should be okay. Then the Masher in the Outfield and things will be on the upswing.
I’m thinking Turner is gone and Adam Duvall is gone.
Gary – You want to go with Bernardino as your only lefty reliever?
Great point Fever. Another lefty they can count on for outs. Not two or three guys they Shuffle in and out during the season.
Fever Pitch Guy21 hours ago
Gary – Which OF’er do you want to get rid of then?
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Just for funnsies, how about Duran? I’m not bashing him, and he might turn out to be quite good.
But I also have issues with his fit. If Ceddanne is a player, then CF is taken, and RF is out of the question. He could fit in LF, but that would require Yoshi to go to DH.
Grisham doesn’t seem popular with the SD fans. Grisham + a decent prospect for Duran. Let Verdugo go after 2024, and let Grisham go after 2025. Bring in Ceddanne in 2025 and Anthony in 2026.
I can respect that. To me, it’s not about support mostly because I don’t think the CBO is reading this site I’m here to give my take pro or con. And fact is recently it’s been con simply because the decisions have been bad. Yup this off-season is huge and will have ramifications for the next four or five seasons. They need to do whatever it takes to ink Yamamoto and Nola. That’s a great start to the off-season if they can get that accomplished.
Joe – Which outfield position is the most difficult to play in Fenway?
The right answer is Right Field. That’s why Rafaela needs to be the RF which means Duran is the CF unless Anthony proves to be a better defender but that seems unlikely.
Until Anthony arrives there is Abreu who can play LF since Yoshida is a butcher just like Devers. You can’t fix the defense unless you address the issues of Devers’ defense and Yoshida’s defense. Ignoring the problem is exactly what Bloom did so you suggesting to ignore it does not ring true as an improvement. Status quo is NOT good enough. Do you want 78 wins in 2024? FYI… 78 was below your predicted wins range so you’ve missed 3 of the 4 years that Bloom derailed the team.
I hope for your sake the new GM is good and optimistic predictions like yours can come to fruition more often in the future.
The last thing this team needs is another outfielder!! Grisham has been disappointing his entire career so once again you are expecting changes when they haven’t occurred in the past, like Devers defense not getting better.
Also, Rafaela is ready in 2024 to be the RF until 2030 or later. Duran is ready to be the CF until 2030 or later. Anthony will arrive in 2024 and he will be ready to be the LF until 2031 or later. The outfield is set. Forget wasting money on the outfield. The holes are at 3B and 2B plus 2 SPs. That’s what is critical for the new GM.
A bigger issues with the Mookie negotiations was that Dumbo was dumb enough to take him to arbitration. Arguing for why a player should make less money is never a recipe for amicable negotiations. Theo had it right by making it a policy to avoid arbitration with players.
Boxscore I’m with you on all those points.
Mookie made 27M in 202o, Red Sox do not get under the threshold by swapping early arb players, Devers and Bogaerts. Just another lie.
Agreed, Miles. Trading Mookie is an inexcusable misstep. Here come the comments about “cutting payroll” and “he wanted out” – right. Massive mistake trading Mookie in his prime. Inexcusable.
I love Doogie. He fits on literally any team in baseball as a regular, can hit him up and down the lineup and give you consistently good abs. He just doesn’t have a monster ceiling
SODOMOJO – Doogie is a slightly above league average player. Most teams want keepers with more talent. He will be a guy that plays for many teams because he’s not possessing enough skills to stay in one location.
I like Verdugo but it’s all they got for Mookie
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They also got Wong.
And Downs who was a top 50 prospect in AA at the time.
Jeter Downs was such an interesting case. Highly ranked Prospect yet teams kept trading him. The Sox were left holding the bag at the end.
Thank you. Forgot Wong. Left of Downs cause he’s no longer with.
Miles – Hey I mentioned Wong way near the top of the thread over 4 hours ago! LOL!
Haha I apologize kind sir. And replying to a post from earlier Mookie really is the perfect athlete. And even when his athleticism fades his bat will still carry enough to pop to move to a corner outfield spot. Or hell, he could probably be a better than average third or second baseman.
Mookie already primarily is a corner outfielder. He just has the athletic ability to moonlight as a middle infielder as needed.
Joe – You look at WAR but not opportunity cost WAR. That’s a huge mistake when evaluating a trade.
WAR is not a contribution like they suggest. It’s a benchmark for comparing players. Regardless whether you believe in it or acknowledge it as useless you can’t use it to evaluate a trade because the data does not consider opportunity cost.
If you can go out and get a Verdugo replacement for the same or less money and that resource can produce an equivalent or greater WAR does Verdugo’s WAR count as an add or as an opportunity cost when you subtract the WAR of the alternative player?
I say you must do the subtraction to get the NET WAR considering alternatives available at the time of the deal.
WAR is a comparison tool not a measurement tool. Part of the comparison that is excluded from WAR numbers is the opportunity cost of spending a specific amount of money to get the WAR. You must net out the alternative to see if the value is positive for your team..
You can list Mookie’s WAR in 2020 as 3.6 according to Baseball Reference and try to compare it to the total of the others in the deal.
Verdugo 8.2 in four seasons 2.05 average
Downs 0.1 in 1 season
Wong 2.4 in 3 seasons 0.8 average
Total average WAR for 3 players is 2.85 or 0.95 WAR per roster spot
Don’t you think we could have found comparable WAR producing players costing $10.5MM over the last 4 years?
OPPORTUNITY COST. You must consider it. Roster spots must be maximized in value and not putting the WAR into context based on money and alternative choices is looking at WAR in a vacuum.
You can ignore the fact that LAD had the inside track on extending Mookie which by definition is an asset known as goodwill. That goodwill was converted to an actual asset with great value when they got the deal done. Now they have a guy who has produced a 22.4 WAR in 3 1/2 seasons. That’s more than the careers of the three individuals Boston got in the deal!!!
Now looking at the critical concept of opportunity cost, you must consider whether LAD could have gotten a more productive player for the money they spent on Mookie. If not, then his full WAR can be counted for the 10 year period because they realized the goodwill that was included in the trade.
Boston got 3 players who were completely interchangeable with other free agents with respect to cost and value. If Boston had chosen NOT to do the deal those three roster spots could have been filled with far more productive players at a lower cost.or at least an equal cost. Therefore, the deal gave Boston NO VALUE because they would have gotten a comparable or better WAR from those 3 roster spots.
If you could get 10 controllable years in a deal it’s still a fallacy to think those years are of value unless the player out-performs the alternative players they could have had for the same money/roster spot.
So stop pointing out all the years of mediocrity that Verdugo, Wong and Downs provided by adding up their WARS unless you are going to subtract the OPPORTUNITY COST WAR for not maximizing the value of each of the roster spots. Verdugo is the best player of the three and he’s completely replaceable as Abreu proved at a much lower cost. BOSTON will always have been better off with Mookie and the inside tract to sign him versus the three slugs Friedman gave Bloom. Worst deal since Ruth.
Someone (not the Red Sox) should give Verdugo a 4 or 5 year deal so he can finish the AfterPay payments on all his chains
Kristopher Negron would be a great manager for the Mariners. Definitely time for a change!!
Wrong,
Agree with Fred, it would be a terrible decision to do that to a clubhouse that loves Scott and is already ticked off by personnel decisions, notably the Sewald trade (and after Dipoto previously lost the clubhouse with the Graveman trade).
I don’t know why they would take issue with the Sewald trade. Rojas did some great things after the trade
I could see them keeping Doogie through spring training incase there is an injury, but I don’t expect him to be on the opening day roster otherwise.
DBH – It’s very rare to make trades of starting players right after ST. Other teams will already have their roster pretty much set by then and their payroll allocated. I think Dugie goes by the end of this year, probably at the winter meetings or shortly after.
Are you gonna run another competition? Don’t forget I’m the defending champ. Haha!
Fever – A good GM packages him with Devers or Yoshida. The defense needs to be fixed and Yoshida and Devers are DHs killing the defense. One has to go. Doogie has a year left and is fine as a fourth outfielder but his personality won’t play well being the fourth outfielder so avoid the clubhouse issues and move him with either Devers or Yoshi to get a permanent 3B.
It’s time to part ways with Verdugo. He can have stretches here and there of productivity but ultimately he’s selfish and gets lazy. I would much rather keep Turner and/or Duvall, but if not just roll with a Duran/Rafaela/Abreu Outfield with Yoshida splitting time in LF/DH
Rsox – Another factor is that Dugie clashed with Cora multiple times.
I mentioned this the other day, the start of next season I think the OF will be comprised of Yoshida/Duran/Rafaela/Abreu/Ref with Rafaela splitting time between OF and IF.
The only other OF possibility is if they let Turner walk and they acquire a big OF’er such as Soto.
Soto if dealt will go to NY. I loved Duran this year but we need to see it again in spring training. I’m not giving him CF. He has to earn it both in the field and at bat. Abreu is strictly a DH in my view.
dewey – Tough crowd! Haha! Duran played in 102 games, how many do you think a player needs to prove themself?
Certainly Rafaela hasn’t proven himself on either offense or defense. Are you advocating bringing Duvall back to play CF? I would be more opposed to that primarily because he’s so streaky at the plate and he often gets hurt playing the field.
Duran played in 102 games, how many do you think a player needs to prove themself?
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He’d have to prove the BABIP is not a fluke. At a minimum of 350 PAs, his BABIP ranked #5 out of 245 players. The league average is .297. An OPS of .828 can revert pretty quickly with those numbers.
Joe – Every player should be reviewed on a regular basis. Heck Devers pretty much spit the bit this past year so he needs to bounce back in hopes of getting value for him.
Duran plays until he plays himself out of the position. The same is true for Rafaela in RF and Abreu in LF. Yoshi has to be traded if Devers is to be the DH. If Devers isn’t a DH, then stick a pin in 78 wins because you can’t win with crap defense. Devers is already an albatross and the $30MM doesn’t start until next year!!
I get that you have some weird obsession with hating on Devers KD17 but he hardly spit the bit or whatever antiquated term you want to use. His offensive numbers were well in line with his career averages which are already elite.
I want the Mariners staff to stay put.
I guess you have a good staff if others are trying to entice them away.
Go Mariners!
Really hope we can keep Vogt, Acta and Negron too. Maybe someone can poach our hitting coach instead?
The ALDS isn’t “a five-game set”, it’s best 3 out of 5. Same goes for the NLDS.
Thanks for clarifying that.
5 game set, meaning the series is set to go no more than 5 games.
What would we do without you, Chucky?
Dugie is soild.. but don’t think he’ll fetch much… we have 3 young outfielders who for short- medium spurts showed promise… might bring something more back in package for pitching than Alex…
I agree that the return for Verdugo wouldn’t be much. Alex got 6.3 million last year and will be due a raise next season in arbitration. I don’t know how much surplus value he would have if any. The Sox may be better off just keeping him?
Nope. Keeping him because a coin flip of a reliever is the max return is no reason to clog a roster with better younger options
Yes but those young guys are a coin flip compared to Alex Verdugo who’s a bona fide major leaguer and still youngish.
Gary – Think about his 2024 situation. Verdugo costs $6.3MM and produced a 100 OPS+ (100 is league average) and Abreu cost peanuts and provided a 132 OPS+. Cost versus value. You can replace Verdugo’s value with a guy who cost the minimum!!! Save the $6.3 plus the arbitration uplift in 2024 and dump Verdugo in ANY deal. Yoshida or Devers need to go so package Verdugo and get the most you can get. It’s a salary dump with regard to both Yoshi/Devers and Verdugo. None of the players provide value as great as their cost going forward. Yoshi is the most likely of the three to earn his money during the life of his contract but dumping Devers will be hard thanks to Bloom giving him a 20% above market contract for a decade!!!
Trollfree I’m in agreement with you. I was opposing the first post, olmtiant, who said trade three young guys for pitching instead of verdugo. He thought the three young guys would fetch more whereas I’m saying Verdugo is a bona fide major Leaguer and will fetch more to the right team. I agree with you.
You trade him with $4m and you get back two decent prospects like how Abreu came for Vasquez.
Verdugo’s problem is Alex Cora. Cora has favorites and treats them differently. Verdugo is not a favorite. Verdugo is a “character” as are many MLB players. Great managers know how to handle them. Despite John Henry’s hero worship of Alexa Cora, he’s not a great manager. A cheater, but not a great manger.
Players are favorites because they bring certain elements to the team. Verdugo brings nothing that makes him a favorite. If that’s an issue he has, then his issue is professionalism and is part of what’s holding him back.
PK – Well said! One of the reasons Tito was a good manager with the Red Sox, he handled Manny/Pedro/Millar/Damon/Pap very well.
Cora is like a substitute teacher, wants to be liked but then can’t handle it when players take advantage of the laid back atmosphere.
PK – agreed, Cora is not a great manager. He is not a good manager. He should never have been rehired after his suspension. He misuses his bullpen causing fans to constantly wonder why he uses pitchers in situations.
In 2018 the Red Sox won the WS because they were loaded, and they won in spite of Cora, not because of him. Since 2018, the only successful thing Cora has done is to help get Bloom fired.
Cora is rubbish. Can’t manage a bullpen to save his life.
DAMN!!! Sam Kennedy is 19 and played some college ball this year while being President and CEO of the Red Sox. Impressive.
Verdugo GIDP’d with 1 out to end the game, in Yankee Stadium.
I knew right then and there he was gone. As Michael says, “see ya!”.
Northeasternskier1 day ago
Verdugo GIDP’d with 1 out to end the game, in Yankee Stadium.
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That was the last draw for me. Holmes walked three straight guys to load the bases, and Verdugo swings at the first pitch?
Joe – Not to sound like I’m making excuses for Dugie, but there was a whole lot of that going on throughout the lineup for the last month of the season. Cora didn’t give a crap because he felt Bloom didn’t acquire the pitching help he should have, and the players felt if Cora isn’t motivated then why should they be? The only reason they split in Baltimore is because the O’s were hungover after clinching last Thursday and the Sox were supposed to win for Wake on Sunday.
Even Turner sucked in September with an OPS of .580 and how do you think he feels, sitting home during the postseason for the first time in a decade. It’s absolutely inexcusable, no large market team should miss the postseason 4 out of 5 years.
I’ve been done with Verdugo for a while. It was time to move on from hit at the deadline.
Same group that likes to yell at clouds