Group4’s Offseason Plan

PREAMBLE

Because of all the injuries to starters and minor league prospects, 2018 was a bit of a lost year.  As such, nobody can expect the Sox to check off every box on the rebuild during this particular offseason.  But… we are gonna try.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

  • Jose Abreu, $16M TENDER
  • Avisail Garcia, $8M NON TENDER
  • Yolmer Sanchez, $4.7M TENDER
  • Carlos Rodon, $3.7M TENDER
  • Matt Davidson, $2.4 NON TENDER
  • Leury Garcia, $1.9M NON TENDER
  • Danny Farquhar, $1.4M NON TENDER

CLUB OPTIONS

  • Nate Jones, $4.65 million/$1.25M buyout Pick Up
  • James Shields, $16 million/$2M buyout Buyout

OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS

Try to retain, or let go?

  • Miguel Gonzalez (made $4.75 million in 2018) LET WALK

FREE AGENTS

No. 1: Bryce F’ing Harper, RF: 

Jerry will have to back up the Brinks truck, but hey it ain’t our money!!!  10 years, $330M, w/ a player opt-out after 4 years.  He fits perfectly into basically ANY organization, so no need to explain the appeal.  Left handed, young, charismatic, etc., etc.  Will hit 3rd in front of Eloy and play RF for the next decade.

No. 2:  Mike Moustakkas, 3B:

Two years and about $16M sounds about right.  Surely by the end of this deal we will know if Burger or somebody else can man the position.  Or maybe Moncada takes over there in two years to make room for Madrigal?  Maybe that happens after one year and Moose becomes the DH in 2020. Either way, this guy fits into 2019 and 2020 really well.

No. 3: James Shields, SP:

Fairly obvious candidate to sign a 1 year, $5M deal.  Innings, innings, innings.  5th starter, we can do worse here.

TRADES:

No. 1: Rutherford, Hansen, Giolito, Collins, and Adolfo to NYM for Noah Syndergaard

Hear me out!!!!!  The Mets are going nowhere fast and need an infusion of young talent.  Maybe this is not quite enough for him, so add Dunning instead of Hansen or Luis Gonzalez instead of Adolfo if you need to.  Thor will be 26 next year and though he has a troubling injury history, I believe this to be worth the risk.  He’d command the #1 Ace designation and everybody else could then fall in line.  And then Kopech comes around in 2020.  Watch out.

SUMMARY:

Lineup (on April 15th, 2019):

  1. Moncada, 2B
  2. Anderson, SS
  3. Harper, RF
  4. Abreu, 1B
  5. Eloy, LF
  6. Moustakkas, 3B
  7. Engel, CF (FOR NOW)
  8. Palka DH
  9. Castillo, C

Bench:

Yolmer/Navarez/Delmonico/Right handed hitting 4th outfielder TBD

Rotation:

  1. Thor
  2. Rodon
  3. Lopez
  4. Cease
  5. Shields

Bullpen:

I Hamilton, J Fry, R Burr, A Bummer, N Jones, S Adams, J Ruiz (Burdi and Tyler Johnson are coming fast as well)

A few other notes:  

  • Let’s be sure to draft that catcher form Oregon St w/ the #3 overall pick.  Probably a 50/50 chance we get him… from all accounts he’d be ready to roll by midseason of 2020.  Solves our catching issue for the next decade. Love that he hits left-handed.
  • I know that I am more bullish on Cease winning a spot in the rotation than most.  But man this guy looks like he is going to dominate spring training and FORCE his way into the Sox rotation.  I think he basically 6 months ahead of what the Sox were thinking for him.
  • If everything goes according to my admittedly idealistic plan (particularly health), we’d have one of the best rotations in baseball.  And it would be 80% young in 2019.  Dunning and Kopech will both be ready to take Shields spot in 2020, so continuity would be at an all time level.
  • Need to continue to pray for Luis Robert or Basabe to continue their ascent and take over for Engel in 2020.  One of these two will simply HAVE to become a big time player in order for 2020 and beyond to be as rosy as it is in my head.
  • Not sure where I came in at for salary but I imagine it is in that $110M range.  We’d be set up for a long, long time in that we’d be adding to the core (Cease, Dunning, Kopech, one of the Luis brothers, the catcher from Oregon St that I already am convinced we are gonna take) as the years go on, while subtracting the older or less talented guys after this upcoming year (Shields, Engel, the catching tandem).

This is a team that would compete next year for sure.  And it would be set up for a decade of success.

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lil jimmy

“50/50 chance we get him…. Love that he hits left-handed.”
more like 33/66 I say, and he’s a switch hitter so even better.

Greg Nix

Getting Thor would require Robert or Cease to topline the offer at minimum. No way they take a poo-poo platter of former top-100 guys.

Eagle Bones

Yeah I was going to say madrigal or robert. Then again, it is the Mets. One of the few teams i might consider more inept than the sox.