Infielder/outfielder Ryan Noda has been traded from the Angels to the Red Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. The Halos, who designated Noda for assignment a few days ago, receive cash considerations in return. The Red Sox optioned Noda to Triple-A Worcester and transferred outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot.
Noda, 29, was a Rule 5 success story just over a year ago. Going into 2023, the Athletics plucked him from the Dodgers and put him at first base almost every day, in addition to occasional time in the outfield corners. He stepped to the plate 495 times that year and posted an awful 34.3% strikeout rate but he also drew walks at a 15.6% clip and hit 16 home runs. Despite all those punchouts, he was on-base enough and had enough power to produce a .229/.364/.406 line and 122 wRC+.
That was generally in line with his previous minor league performance. In Triple-A with the Dodgers the year prior, he had a 16% walk rate, 28.2% strikeout rate and 25 home runs, leading to a .259/.395/.474 line and 125 wRC+.
But Noda got out to a slow start in 2024. He had a .128/.242/.198 line on May 2nd when the A’s sent him down to the minors. From then on, he did his usual thing. He had 447 Triple-A plate appearances last year with 22 home runs, a 19.9% walk rate and a 30% strikeout rate.
The A’s put him on waivers in November and the Angels claimed him. The Halos kept him in Triple-A to start the year, where he continued in his particular fashion, though with some apparent bad luck. He has a 20.1% walk rate and 34.4% strikeout rate so far this year with four home runs but a .224 batting average on balls in play, leading to a .148/.364/.270 line and 81 wRC+.
For the Red Sox, first base is an obvious target area. Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury a few weeks ago. Designated hitter Rafael Devers was approached about trying to learn the position but he didn’t take well to that request. Second baseman/outfielder Kristian Campbell has been doing first base drills but hasn’t yet appeared there in a game. Romy González took over the position for a few days before landing on the IL with a a left quad contusion. Glove-first utility guys like Abraham Toro and Nick Sogard have been covering the position in recent weeks.
Noda is a proper first baseman with a bit of major league success and options, so he’s a logical depth add for the Sox. They can get a close-up look at him in Worcester and decide whether they want to call him up for major league at-bats at some point.
As for Yoshida, this doesn’t change anything about his timeline. He has been on the 10-day IL all season, struggling to get his shoulder healthy after last year’s surgery. His 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement, so he’ll be eligible for activation in about a week. He has not begun a rehab assignment, so a return in the near future doesn’t seem likely. As of yesterday, manager Alex Cora said Yoshida would be restarting his throwing program after receiving a cortisone shot, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Can he play 1st base and can he at a minimum hit his weight average wise or is he a 4A depth player
He’s hitting .148 in AAA, so there’s that.
That strikeout rate fits right with this team.
Don’t forget Casas couldn’t hit at 1B, at least not consistently. So anything is as good or an upgrade
.800 career OPS. “Can’t hit”
“anything is as good or an upgrade”
Yeah, because every player has an.8oo OPS..
Right?
This dude doesn’t understand that being 25 years old with a career OPS of .800 is good..
OPS or not, how about his other stats? BA, OBP, strikeouts… OPS wasn’t doing much for him other than half of 2023… other than that, he’s been awful. Sample sizes heavily skewed.
As a 25 year old, he should be playing. He’s got a very small sample size. He’s half decent, but I’m not completely buying into the OPS because it was one season, and aside from that, he hasn’t been consistently good.
If he was traded, that would have been better. Hes become very injury-prone and a liability. But all I see him do at the plate is strikeout, so OPS or not, he strikes out a lot.
In any case, he has done little for 2025, so my case stands. He hasn’t been good until the second half and even then he can’t stay on the field.
OPS> BA and OBP
Are you a man from the past?
Admittedly, I never understood OPS. I’ve always concentrated on the pitching side of things. I’m not excited about Casas’ streakiness though. I always feel like he’s missing something and this year he’s basically been an automatic out.
What’s the problem with the old heads?
The 1800’s called. The time machine left you in the wrong century.
Casas has only had 1/4 of a bad season and that has drug down his OPS. After his 1st 840 PA over 3 years it was .830.
Being able to walk is not the same as being able to hit. .148 ave in AAA doesn’t inspire confidence in that regard.
By the way, I mentioned “consistently.” You did not tell the whole context.
“OPS or not, how about his other stats? BA, OBP, strikeouts”
You know we can read your posts too, right?
“Casas has only had 1/4 of a bad season”
How in the world do you figure that? He’s only played one full season because he cant stay on the field. And his numbers have been below average in the other three seasons.
The guy has a great eye and bat, but his fielding and running are poor. And then you add in that he’s injury plagued, and has questionable work ethic, and you’ve got a guy who’s going to be out of the league soon.
Modern baseball called, and said using OPS to judge a player’s entire game is so 1980s.
1/4 of a bad season? He was so terrible the first half of 2023 that everyone wanted to ship him out and then all of a sudden he did well the second half and he was all of a sudden some godsend. Flaky Boston fans jump on the bandwagon when something is good and bash it when it’s bad. They don’t see the whole picture.
And Casas was terrible to start this year before the injury. Every other year is a small sample size outside of 2023 because he can’t stay on the field. You can’t really even use last year- it was fragmented around injuries and was not consistent stats one bit
That’s kind of the shallow uneducated point of view of Triston Casas. If you watched closely this season and watched Casas since he was drafted and playing in the minor leagues you would realize Fatse or Cora or both were trying to get Casas to be something he wasn’t. They wanted him to swing and in theory ambush pitches that a lot of pitchers were just throwing get me over strikes. The problem is that isn’t Triston Casas he likes to see pitches he likes to walk, he’s ok hitting deeper into counts.
The problem with what they were trying to do with Casas trying to make him more aggressive just isn’t the hitter he has ever been. He was out of sorts he was caught in between. He was turning that around before he got injured he was starting to walk more he wasn’t swinging at the first pitch and his at bats were getting better. It still wasn’t translating to his overall hitting thanks to his comically low babip for someone who hits the ball as hard as he does but he was turning it around. This last part is speculation because we will never know but I believed he was about to go on a tear. He had stopped swinging early in the count he was starting to really settle in imo. Sadly we will never know because once again his season was ruined by injury.
Casas has always been a slow starter even in the minors. It’s just unfortunate that we won’t know the tale until, and if, he puts another full mostly uninsured season together.
@Bruin1012 This is probably the most true statement…
Throw all the OPS stats you want but he walks and strikes out probably as much as he hits and I’m sorry, just watching him is a drag. I don’t find him as elite as everyone says he is and the streakiness and slow start does not help one bit.
You are saying that you don’t realize that walks are important? Probably? You know you can look up stats, right? You don’t have to make uneducated guesses. The link is in the article.
Walks are important when you can get runners home. This team cannot do that in crucial moments.
Contrary to your beliefs, I know enough about the game. But keep playing the fiddle sticks. It makes you look bad, not me. If you just want to heckle members, join some place like Heckle R Us and get off a baseball forum about baseball.
Never once said walks aren’t important, you heavily implied
You’d take Lee Stephens at 1b in a pinch, no? He’s your comp
I think he is aaa depth since so many 1b capable guys have been called up…would be shocked if he ever plays over sogard,toro or romy when back
He’s Noda gonna be the new first baseman.
He’s a first baseman who had an okay rookie year in 2023, sucked in 2024 and has sucked in the minors so far this year.
The Akil Baddoo of first baseman.
He wasn’t bad for the Athletics two seasons ago and it looks like he’s played 1B before. Worth a shot I suppose…
he hit 238 his first year.
With a 122 wRC+/119 OPS+.
Currently hitting .148 in AAA, and plays in the hitter friendly PCL.
He costs nothing. Maybe a change of scenery to Worcester can help. Can’t be worse than the Angels minor league development team.
With a .364 OBP. You’ll take the Greek God of Walks, competent 1b, and power to boot, no?
Great pickup! Power and walks, you’ll love him.
The last thing this team needs is another player who strikes out in 30%+ of his at bats. The Red Sox are already in the Top 5 for most strikeouts on the season so adding Noda (even for cash) makes no sense as he requires a spot on their 40 man roster.
As long as he swings at the first pitch every time. He will fit right in.
Wow! It sounds like a former bad relief pitcher is running the team.
Didn’t Toro suck enough? Front Office buffoon strikes again.
Please stop coming to this website
You actually think this guy will see the mlb club? Dude its a aaa depth move since thier 1b are all in boston…yer the buffoon if you cant see that
@PoolHall –
The issue here is that Noda required a spot on the 40 man roster. I agree that he won’t see the majors but they did not have the room to add this guy to the 40-man. They should have waited until he cleared waivers (which he would have) and then signed him to a true, non-40 man minor league deal.
I’m guessing that as soon as they need that spot, he will be the first one to be DFA’d or straight up released.
the flaw in your logic is here: Noda has never cleared outright waivers and would’ve been kept in the LAA system if he cleared for the first time. the only way to acquire him was to pick him up and give him a 40 spot FOR NOW, and the fact that he is bad means next time you need a 40 man spot means you might get to run him through waivers yourself soon. certainly not worth getting baked up over, in fact you should be excited about the opportunity here at a free milb player
“Front Office buffoon”
Oh how clever.
Never got a chance in Oak after starting out slowly in ’24. Elite bat discipline , .364 OBP and 118 OPS+ his rookie yr. .877 OPS last year in AAA. And yes, I’m biased as he’s a backup on the taxi squad
Why lol.
At least the acquisitions last year (Smith, Cooper) had some potential. A guy who is currently.hitting .148 in the PCL is no solution to their problems.
Wow we have a low bar now when consider smith and cooper as having potential..i dont see them as any better than toro,sogard, romy or hamilton who has never played there…this is emergemcy depth move lets please stop thinking this dude will see the mlb club
Pool – Smith and Cooper were significantly better options. Potential as in they could actually potentially hold down 1B in the MLB. Smith did that, Cooper did not.
And why sign him then? Why not just go with Hickey or Grandal who are already in Worcester?
Could be wrong Its my opinion the move was for worcester because if we pull up hickey or grandal its likely because one of the mlb guys toro or sogard got hurt and worcester doesnt have anyone..yer right smith was ok at least on par with sogard better than toro..worse than romy
Romy Gonzalez had a setback. 1B was a blackhole for the Yankees last season and it was brutal to watch. Get as much as depth as possible and play the cheap hot hand until Campbell is ready.
Yankees – last year was also brutal for the Sox.
I don’t think this guy is a better minor league depth option than Grandal and Hickey.
Joe – I’d much rather give Grandal a try, not sure why they haven’t yet.
FPG….If a position is going to suck I think the team prefers youth.
bum – I would agree with that if it’s a young guy with a legit future, let him take his learning lumps in the majors.
Noda is 29 and shows no sign of a future.
What’s interesting is KC’s slump began almost exactly when Casas got injured.
Now 5-for-57 with a slash of .088/.119/.140/.259
Really seems like they pushed the envelope too far with him.
You might want to google the definition of “potential”
Decent rookie year as a rule 5 pick and nothing since. Maybe he turns things around at Worcester
Liked him as a savvy Rule 5 grab from a loaded Dodger system. Don’t understand why the As weren’t more patient with him in ’24, suffered a freak injury getting hit by the batting practice machine that threw him off all season. Angels would have kept him as depth but are desperate to address their devilish bullpen (current E.RA 6.66). Sleeper pick by the Red Sox.
He will come up big for Red Sox
Lol
“I saw the little runt sitting there on a log, I asked him his name and in a raspy voice he said, Noda….N-O-D-A, Noda…”
So they are going for back up for Sogard while Campbell learns the new position?
The Red Sox should have TOLD Devers he had to
work out at 1st.He’s will hit wherever he plays and
it would allow a rotating DH with Roman Anthony
coming up.
How many different ways does a guy have to say no?..i mean you can “TELL” him…and he will say NO..he acts like a child..but you paid him 30 mil per so ya gotta live with it..and technically he probably has a greivance case if he deems a second move is dangerous for him physically..bottom line Devers to 1b isnt happening let it go and lets deal with reality
He has no grievance case. Unless his contract specifically states he will only play certain positions, he is the employee. If told to play 1B and he refuses, he could suspended without pay. I’m sure an arbitrator would then be involved, but I don’t think his case would be very strong.
stymee – “…he could (be) suspended without pay.”
He doesn’t work at Burger King. He has a contract and a players union. If he refuses to play a position, they could bench him. But he can’t be suspended without pay.
Styme im unsure if you are a lawyer and have read the cba in this regard but thats not true he very much could file one as his his right.. An MLB player could potentially file a grievance if they believe they are being subjected to excessive and unjustified position changes. However, the success of such a grievance would depend on the specific circumstances, the language of the CBA, and the player’s ability to demonstrate a legitimate violation of their rights…also any suspension without pay would 100% lead to a conflict with the union so they can talk tough about being an employee etc but thats never going to happen
Its called the restricted list and that is exactly what would happen if he refused to play because they wanted to move him to a new position.
Poolhall, players cannot file a grievance because the team told them to play another position. Try reading the CBA. Here is the link. mlbplayers.com/cba
Outdield..that likley would not be the specific reason used..if you reread what i wrote either way why are we even discussing this the sox would never push it that far..who are you kidding restricted list the face of the franchise lol?
oilf – When was the last time a player making $30m a year was placed on the restricted list for refusing to play a certain position?
You said, “unsure if you are a lawyer and have read the cba in this regard but thats not true he very much could file one as his his right”
They CAN place him on the restricted list and he can’t file a grievance. The team has the right to play him at whatever position they choose. He doesn’t have a choice. Read the CBA.
The Red Sox have had Devers working out at 1B in infield practice.
Devers lost the face of the franchise description by being a spoiled pathetic and me first type of player. Bregman is the face of the franchise now.
What does it matter how much money he makes? That is a really pathetic take. If he refuses to play 1B and that is hurting the team then he will go on the restricted list. He is working out at 1B in infield practice before games now.
oilf – ok, ignore his salary. When was the last time any player was put on the restricted list for refusing to play at a specific position when told to do so?
Oilf you are arguing a moot point this scenario while it might technically possible its not worth digging that far into because would never happen…move on
Wrong question. The actual question should have been, when was any player selfish and ignorant enough to think that he could refuse to play any position the team tells him to play?
Its not a moot point, because Devers is now working out at 1B in IF practice before games. He was told in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t have a choice where he plays. What is moot is you arguing against facts.
0ilf – “Wrong question.”
Huh? That’s what people say when they know the answer to the question asked will contradict their point. I’ll decide what question I ask.
So, again, when was the last time any player was put on the restricted list for refusing to play at a specific position when told to do so?
I’ll give you a hint – Never.
The moot point is no matter what position he plays they are never going to put the best hitter on the team on the restricted list for refusing to play 1b so long as he plays DH..and if hes not hitting well enough to DH then he sure as hell isnt hitting well enough for 1B where we get to enjoy his crappy defense as well.
.moot point restricted list will never happen and tbh DH is the best place for him and the only reason anyone cares right now is because ofvthe holes in tje IF…side note do you think we win in 04 with ortiz at 1b vs menty?..no way..get someone to fill that spot who is capable
Nope. YOU are asking the wrong question. That is the point.
Answer this question.
When was any player selfish and ignorant enough to think that he could refuse to play any position the team tells him to play?
The answer to that is NEVER.
The moot point is anything you are saying.
If he refuses to play 1B, they can and will place him on the Restricted List. If they FO thinks him playing 1B will make the team better, he doesn’t have a choice. He cannot refuse to play 1B. If he does, then he is gone until he does. That is why the pathetic, selfish POS has started taking reps there in infield practice before games. The owner came and told him in no uncertain terms that he either does what they tell him to do or he can go sit at home not getting paid.
One player does not make a team. This is not the NBA.
Oilf – I never said you are asking the wrong question so your response is puzzling. Avoiding answering my question with evidence to support your argument proves you are wrong. Pride is tough to overcome. Good luck with that.
That ship has sailed. Maybe next season for him.
Noda Trade Clause!
On another note im officially ready to say i was wrong Cora is not doing a good job this year at all.. poor pitching management (all around) as well as lineups..like move story down to the bottom bench wong. Etc
Striking out 36% of the time fits right in with Sox. So does his .228 average. Useless pickup.
We already have a couple of 4A players for first, and a guy learning first. I am assuming this is to add depth to the franchise since the Casas injury exposed we have almost no franchise depth at 1st base. Something they should have known but ignored.
This is a nothing burger unless we see him at the big league level, which would mean things really got bad.
William – They needed a 27th-man tomorrow. LOL
FPG – probably Grandal for tomorrow. The bigger question remains, where is this team heading?
I’ve said it a million times here, but the constant movement between positions is degrading the defense leaves no room form growth among the young guys. Let’s find a position and play there
Sad – The 27th man is always a pitcher, one they can use up and then immediately send back down. To Cora it’s like the free spot on a bingo card. LOL!
It’s impossible to know where the team is heading. I still think if things break just right (good health, good managerial decisions, etc) they could compete for a WC spot but they really need to promote Anthony and Mayer, which I think won’t happen until July.
Did you hear about the Liam situation? Just as I said during the offseason, he’s not shy about expressing his opinions or complaining and he definitely wants to be used more often especially in higher leverage situations. I can’t blame him, it’s a contract year and he didn’t battle back from TJS just to be a seldom used mopup guy.
Another one to watch is Narvaez, is he really this good?
KC isn’t really this bad, but just like Bello I think he may need a reset in the minors.
I think the sure things are Devers, Duran, Abreu and Bregman (although I expect him to cool off a bit).
And if Story is truly done as a hitter, what do they do with him? Is his defense alone worth keeping him on the roster and not eating his contract?
Overall I expect some big changes before the trade deadline. Let’s hope they take care of business with at least 6 wins against Baltimore and Milwaukee.
FPG
So disappointed in Bello. I thought he was finally going to put it all together this season. Become that solid # 2/3 guy in the rotation. You can see the talent, it’s the temperament, I believe. Who would have thought Narvaez would be our/Sox R.o.Y. candidate? He has supplanted Wong as the main guy. Must give Breslow props for this apparent heist from the Yankees. As discussed before, Dever’s lack of enthusiasm for 1stbase has put the Sox in a tough spot. It would cover up managements gross lack of vision for a back up plan for the oft injured Casas. Inexcusable!
The problem with Liam is a double edged sword… from ST all the way into the season, the results just aren’t there. He almost needs a minor injury to log a bunch of innings in aaa and show he can be trusted in those higher leverage spots.
This team is struggling to keep above .500 without Liam blowing holds and saves. He can’t get better without use, but, using him *will* cost games
GaSox – You are 100% correct, but realistically it’s hard for anyone to expect a sense of urgency with this team when you see things like what happened Wednesday with Crochet being pulled after just one out in the 6th inning on only 85 pitches. Cora has been roundly criticized for that decision, even by the normally tame NESN announcers. This has been an issue with him for many years now, I wouldn’t expect it to change.
BTW – Liam and his wife have gotten death threats and been told horrible things along the line of that Cleveland fan with Duran ….. as if players needed yet another reason to stay away from signing with the Red Sox :O(
Hey I hope you have a great holiday weekend! I’m flying into Philly and spending time on the Jersey shore, where my Red Sox gear always gets plenty of attention. LOL
cd – Unfortunately it seems like the two 2024 longterm extensions both have the exact same problem, they are both very talented but just don’t have a good head on their shoulders.
Narvaez is a great story so far. It’s still early and Red Sox catchers have a history of starting off great on offense then crashing, but I’m glad he’s been moved up on the lineup ahead of Sogard and KC. He should be ahead of Story too IMO but whatever. LOL
Tonight is Devers bobblehead night!! It’s pretty cool, you ask the bobblehead to do something and it shakes it’s head from side to side ;O)
FPG
Very funny. His bat is on fire now. Takes some heat off him for not wanting to play 1st. Hopefully Bregmans injury isn’t serious. We cannot afford to lose that guy for an extended period of time. I still have hope for Bello , considering his 2nd half last season. I agree on your assessment of Narvaez,many catchers wear down later in the season. Wong,’s B.A. was well over .300 for almost 2/3rds of last season. I’m not against Cora “protecting” Crochet. His 146 innings pitched last year was a career high. He should surpass that number easily,and if we/Sox make the playoffs,it will probably be well over 200 innings. That will be a significant increase..
Cd – I’m fine with protecting, but it’s important to pick the right spots.
Cora claimed the 85 pitch limit was planned over a week prior … why? Makes zero sense to plan it, but that’s what he does … pitcher usage is often planned before the game even starts. That’s a horrible way to manage.
Yet another player who plays multiple positions, none of them particularly well…
The motto of the Breslow era
Which is really just a continuation of the Bloom motto
Absolutely
Pedro – couldn’t agree more
Pedro – with only 4 position players on an MLB bench, (1 being a catcher), the three remaining players need to be able to play multiple positions. What rock have you been living under.
Right, because every other player on that bench doesn’t already do that. Wake up
This is a shot that basically cost nothing. It’s worth a look.
Craig Breslow’s side hustle: We’re not Even Trying & It Shows LLC. My god, why? Yet another garbage trade for someone no one’s ever heard of. Fire Breslow
Quinn…So i guess that narvaez move sucked? Fitts weissert and a lottery ticket for verdugo? Terrible right? ..man that bregman guy what a waste….what in the world are we taking slaton in the rule 5 for..trash huh?..and that crochet dude and chapman both total jokes? I can keep going but if you think all breslows moves are bad you might want to rethink your statement
Pool – Agreed. Fitts and Weissert for Verdugo was a steal. Narvaez was a very unheralded acquisition. Breslow got the Bregman deal signed. Crochet for the package is solid and needed. Montgomery will be missed, but how many outfielders can you play at once. The Red Sox will need to trade someone to get Roman Anthony into the lineup.
Bloom made some good trades like acquiring Abreu for 2 months of Christian Vazquez. Bloom was just lacking on free agents like Story and Yoshida. He also had the disadvantage of an owner who was not spending while he was PBO.
lol first of all Bregman isn’t a garbage player so you can remove that from your argument. Some of his moves have worked out yes. However when the team needs things there is no sense of urgency with Breslow. I’m not saying they need to go out and spend like the dodgers but he is the king of waiting. We almost didn’t get Bregman. Narvaez has been a great story and I’m impressed. Chapman is a great story yet he’s 37, so taking another chance. As for Fitts and Weissert again great stories. But The Red Sox need help in there bullpen since the starting staff other than crochet is barley giving them 5 innings. They need starting pitching other than an expensive 1 year flyer on Buehler and the ace we acquired (never said he was trash either) in Crochet. The Red Sox have a wonderful group of young talent and I don’t think Breslow has the urgency to help them get there. Our starting 1st baseman goes down for the year and his solution is Nick Sogard lmao oh and this new guy who can’t hit a beach ball in AAA. Breslow and Bloom are just not the men for the Red Sox. Again not saying they need to spend a billion dollars but this is pitiful
Breslow has been a massive improvement from Bloom. There is no denying it.
Ban – There’s some people here who for 4 years defended every move Bloom made….. can you believe it?
In the end, I was right about Bloom …. Abreu, Pivetta and the farm system ….. those are pretty much the only good things he did.
You can only sign who is available and willing to come.
I can think of some arms everyone cried for breslow to sign over the past two off seasons that haven’t gone well for their new teams.
You don’t empty the farm system to trade for a handful of relievers, a volatile at best position.
Now some fans clamoring for a 1B trade… but no proposals of who they’d sacrifice, and, who they would get.
Take a deep breath… this is year 1, the opening of the contention window. It’s not as if this was year 6 and 2/3 of your homegrown kids are facing FA.
Just gathering as many terrible players as possible
Another bum.
Will Tristan give him nail-care tips?
Why do you need some Paulie?
Adam-you’re like a bad penny. Lmao.
naw Paul. you’re obsessed with the red sox and Triston Casas. The sox and casas are your daddies
So the Red Sox trade Niko Kavadas to the Halos in the gruesome Luis Garcia trade, and now they need….a 1B/OF back from the Angels?
Yeah, I get that Niko is a AAAA player, but still.
Breslow, up to his old tricks again! Another bag of balls for another stiff that won’t sniff the big club. To fill this void externally you’ll have to give up something more than that, Craig.
So who is available that you would have acquired to play 1B?
I don’t understand why Roman Anthony can’t play 1B. Marcelo Mayer at SS and flip Story (who I like) and cash for a middle reliever. I also would rather hold onto Ceddanne if it was possible, but if not flip him for something seriously good, like above average pitching or a first baseman who can rake. Gotta get Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer into the lineup, why not go crazy and just start shaking things up.
Nobody wants Story and Anthony is an outfielder, not a 1B.
Too Tough – why would you ask Anthony to switch, he hasn’t even played one game yet. Over the course of the next few weeks here’s what I would do.
To me the answer is simple. Ask Story to play 1B. He’s big, athletic, he’s solid defensively and wouldn’t have to dive as much which cuts down on potential injuries. Now Mayer is where he is supposed to be. That could happen in four or five days, get Story some reps at first.
Next, I would flip David Hamilton for a useful arm. Trading him alone may get you a pretty decent reliever.
Bring up Anthony. Raffaele can be a nice compliment to Abreu (part time) and Campbell (part time), not a platoon, but a fill in and late inning defense, or base runner.
I don’t think this would be terribly disruptive if phased in correctly
Sad – If Bregman has to go on the IL, do they call up Mayer? And if so, does he play 3B or does he play shortstop with KC going to 3B and Story going to 2B?
Really, Story shouldn’t even be in the picture …. he’s looking more and more like Chris Davis at the plate. 20 hits yesterday and the only guys who had less than 2 are Story, KC and Rafaela …. same old, same old.
BTW – Devers is making the “he has no trade value” people look REALLY foolish! It’s a shame one of the greatest hitters in the game isn’t appreciated by some Sox fans. He’s fully healthy now and he’s showing what’ he’s capable of. Worth every penny of his contract.
I see a scenario if Bregman goes on the 10 day IL, where Mayer fills in at 3rd . During that time Story must get his bat going or upon Bregmans return, Mayer will take over the SS position. Hopefully Story does get going and Mayer goes to 2nd and KC is then ready for 1st. KC to 1st is a big ask. He is already slumping badly. Between him and Story, Yikes ! Good thing Devers got his bat red-hot or I would be even more upset. I wonder what his teammates really feel about his attitude?
Cd – No need to wonder, Middlebrooks said he spoke with the players and they told him they love Devers and support him. Devers has earned their respect from his time with the team. They know he’s a quiet funloving guy that does a lot to help the team win. They don’t care about his issues with management.
None of those scenarios are likely.
Ceddane does not net you either decent pitching or a raking 1B.
Story, even with most salary paid down, nets you lottery ticket results. Not serviceable BP arms. Story’s arm has been waaay down this year, as has his defense. The bat…. well, I’m not sure even Story knows where he left it.
Anthony has zero experience in the IF, and, no experience with the other type of reads of the bat, playing gounders, covering the bag. Etc etc etc… real list isn’t a video game where you just assign a guy there and he catches balls.
“Ceddane does not net you either decent pitching or a raking 1B.”
Im not sure what the definition of a ‘decent pitcher’ or ‘raking 1B’ is but Rafaela has decent trade value.
Is he too much of a free swinger? Absolutely. But, other parts of his game make up for that and then some:
1) Rafaela is one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball. He’s in the 100th percentile of outfielders, and second with +7 OOA.
2) Rafaela is also one of the best baserunners in baseball. He’s in the 97th percentile of all players.
He’s only making 1.25M and when his WHOLE game is looked at he is a valuable asset as shown by his BWAR of 1.8, which over a full season works out to a 5.6 BWAR. Too many oldtimers here only fixate on batting average and OPS, which analytic departments of teams have long moved on from.
I didn’t propose the trade idea, but, to me a decent pitcher that first OP idea of abive average means a #3 or maybe #2 for your rotation. And raking 1B is probably a guy to the Alonso/Vlad Jr level…
Ceddane isn’t valueless, but he’s not worth either of those things. A team would probably want mayer as well. Right now he’s a couple million bucks. But will he be worth nearly $14m as a 30 year old? That hurts his surplus value in any trade
Defense only outfielder players tend not to age well, and, ceddane has a sizable contract attached.
“But will he be worth nearly $14m as a 30 year old?”
First off its only $13.25M in the last year of the contract not $14M, with a team friendly option at the end.. I dont know why you feel the need to exaggerate.
Secondly, Yes I feel he will be worth more than $13.25M. I guess you feel his talent has topped out at 22 years old. He has no more growth, I strongly disagree. The hitting instructor worked hard with him on pitch selection during the offseason, and he showed it was working for first month. Sadly, he reverted to his old ways. However, over time, I believe he will learn to be more patient at the plate and that is the weakest part of his game.
Lastly, the Red Sox or any other team would be getting great value early on in a contract, and that by his age 30 season, they will be way ahead in value. This year, if he continues on his pace, he will produce 5.6 BWAR for a measly $1.25M, which is a steal. Teams care more about the now than the later, as seen with almost every contract. Soto, Ohtani, Devers, etc. — Those contracts will almost certainly not be worth the value in the final year of the contract. You need to look at the whole value, not just the last year, when he’s being paid the most, and may start to slip a little bit. But, it is only 30 years old we’re talking about.
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One last note: Vlad, Alsonso for Rafaela? Lol, what? You also cant get Judge or Ohtani either.
Again Salvi- you’re confusing me for the OP…
I do not propose trading Ceddane *at all*. I’m responding to someone else, who, thinking ceddane can be traded for a ‘raking’ 1B… to me, that means looking ar a certain class of hitter at 1B.
My position is ceddane doesn’t have that value. And, I’m not sure 16m with a 4m buyout is exactly team friendly. There’s a lot ywy to come to decide whether to apply that label or not, but, imo it doesn’t currently fit.
I think everyone saw how JBJ aged, who, seems a decent comp for rafaela thus far.
I don’t think ceddane has topped out, *but* i do think cora throwing him around the field to.new positions is hurting his development, results, and value.
Alot of the positions you’re assigning to me you’ve got to put there they belong, with the OP tooTough…
JBJ had a .814 OPS during his age 30 season. If Rafaela duplicates JBJ thru his age 30 season, I’d be fine with that contract.
Tough – Rafaela has little trade value with that contract of his. How much do you propose the Sox eat in a trade?
The Red Sox are taking Angels trash? How far the mighty have fallen.
Trollinleftfield would be a better name.
Hunter Renfroe just dfa and has a few games at 1b…maybe worth a call?
POOL – the first thing I checked when I saw that was to see hiw many games he’s ever played at 1B.i li Ed him when he was here, but not enough experience to justify a look
Lol bummer yea i did a quick scan and noticed a few games