A FEW WAYS FOR RED SOX TO POWER UP
There is more than one way to add big bat this offseason
Twenty-nine teams spent last week at the general managers meetings trying to figure out how they can catch the baseball-bashing Houston Astros.
For the Red Sox, that means one thing: Add power.
Toward that end, we’ll take a stab at some potential scenarios:
• MOVE: Trade CF Jackie Bradley Jr., RHP Steven Wright and 3B Michael Chavis to the Miami Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton and cash.
• Skinny: The belief is that the Marlins shouldn’t get much of a return on Stanton if the acquiring team assumes the 10-year, $295 million contract remaining. But the reigning MVP is among the best power hitters in the history of baseball and just 28 years old. If the Marlins agree, say, to pay $5 million of that salary for three years until Stanton can opt out, that could net them the Sox’ best position player prospect in Chavis, Bradley, 27, who will cost near $6 million in his second of four years in salary arbitration, and Wright, 33, who could provide cheap innings for the Marlins.
• Follow-up moves: MLBTradeRumors.com projects a three-year, $36 million deal for left-handed first baseman Logan Morrison,
30, who hit a career-high 38 homers this year.
• Payroll implications:
Stanton is owed $25 million, but if the Marlins send $5 million per year and take about $7 million off the books in Bradley and Wright, that still gives the Red Sox about $25 million in flexibility to pursue Morrison, among others, while avoiding the top-tier luxury tax penalty (and losing 10 spots on their first draft pick) at the $237 million mark. The potential for trouble arrives in 2019, when Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz and Craig Kimbrel
are set to be free agents, and the Red Sox will have to contend with Xander Bogaerts’ and Mookie Betts’
raising salaries.
• Impact: Power acquired. Over the past five years, Stanton has averaged 35 homers. Morrison is a gamble, given his poor track record prior to 2017.
• MOVE: Sign J.D. Martinez.
• Skinny: Reports indicate that agent Scott Boras
is looking for more than $200 million for the slugger who hit 45 homers in just 119 games this year. His .936 OPS since 2014 ranks him seventh, just behind Bryce Harper and David Ortiz.
• Follow-up moves: Keeping Bradley, Betts and Bogaerts in this scenario, the organization must save money for extensions and would be wise not to make any other moves of significant impact. Minor trades for a reliever and/or infielder could be in play.
• Payroll implications:
Adding $25 million to $30 million to a payroll already over $200M gives the club little flexibility if they’re to stay under the $237 million mark.
• Impact: It puts a big bat in the middle of the order, but that’s a lot of pressure on one player, particularly one who has been on the DL four times in five years. And Hanley Ramirez, now 34 and coming off shoulder surgery, would have to play first base.
• MOVE: Sign Eric Hosmer.
• Skinny: The Sox would find a leader, a World Series winner who is regarded as a clubhouse glue stick. One former coach of Hosmer described him as “the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry.” MLBTradeRumors.com projects six years, $132 million for the Boras client.
• Follow-up moves: With a little more wiggle room here than in the Martinez scenario, the Sox could pursue a more established reliever, or an elite second baseman/utility infielder such as Eduardo Nunez.
• Payroll implications:
Putting the bottom line at about $220 million wouldn’t be detrimental to 2018 plans. And Hosmer’s contract shouldn’t be so large that the Sox would have to trade a young star or avoid going after a free agent in next year’s class.
• Impact: Hosmer has won four of the last five Gold Gloves at first base and has hit 25 homers in each of the last two seasons. His opposite-field swing could provide a big spike in doubles at Fenway Park. The downside? He averaged just 15 homers in his first five seasons and the Sox can’t afford to miss on their one chance to get a true power bat.
• MOVE: Shop in the second-tier aisle for first basemen and aggressively pursue Shohei Ohtani.
• Skinny: Carlos Santana
is the best available behind Martinez and Hosmer, while Morrison and Lucas Duda present cheaper options. Japanese sensation Ohtani (who wants to pitch and hit) could be in play, too, given the $20 million posting fee would have no effect on the Red Sox payroll for luxury tax purpos- es. He’d enter the league like any other rookie, with three years at near-minimum salary before arbitration begins, giving the Sox at least six seasons before he’d earn a market value salary.
• Follow-up moves: With flexibility by spending less at first base, the Sox could afford a premium infielder such as Nunez and premium set-up man such as Jake McGee or Bryan Shaw.
• Payroll implications: They wouldn’t have to push the limits on the $237 million mark. It allows for a multitude of midseason upgrades and keeps the payroll flexible for long-term commitments to young players and/or big contracts to free agents next winter.
• Impact: Santana would be a nice get, but it’s hard to see Morrison or Duda having more of an effect on the offense than Mitch Moreland did in 2017. The club would be relying on better performance from much of the same players.
300-K ring? No Sale
In September, Sale became the 16th player to strike out 300 batters in a season. On Wednesday, he became the seventh pitcher in the Cy Young Award era to strike out 300 without capturing the trophy.
Sale lost to Corey Kluber, who earned 28-of -30 firstplace votes.
As rare as it is to strike out 300 batters, the feat hasn’t seemed to matter much in Cy Young voting since the award was introduced in both leagues in 1967. This year marked the 18th instance in which a pitcher struck out 300 and did not win the award.
Nolan Ryan struck out 300 six times, yet never won a Cy Young Award.
Curt Schilling went 0-for3 in his Cy Young chase when striking out 300.
Randy Johnson wasn’t awarded during his first two 300-strikeout seasons, though he won the trophy the next four times he reached 300. J.R. Richard and Sam McDowell each struck out 300 twice without winning; Clayton Kershaw and Mickey Lolich once each.
Astros true winners
Congratulations to the Astros, who saw second baseman Jose Altuve take the American League MVP award on Thursday, and as a team took home one last prize — the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence.
The Astros have helped more than 30,000 children in the Houston area with baseball/softball programs and education-based initiatives. After Hurricane Harvey, the ’Stros donated thousands of meals to relief workers and thousands of school-supply kits to children affected. And they sent hundreds of thousands of pounds of supplies to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.