Buy? Sell? Hold? - Post Trade Ideas Here

[Frater Perdurabo]

Who knows where the 2022 Sox are headed?

But I thought it would be fun to pitch trade ideas - whether buying to compete this year, or selling to look ahead to next year.

One idea that occurred to me is we might be able to get Tyler Naquin relatively inexpensively from Cincinnati. He’s only signed through this season. He’s 31. He used to play for the Tigers. He has a career .808 OPS v. RHP (and .850 this year, including a .509 SLG) and is acceptable defensively in RF. He could platoon with Pollock (who has sucked against RH pitchers this year) or Engel in RF and could provide sorely needed LH hitting against RH pitching.

What ideas do you have - for buying or for selling?

[BigKlu59]

First start a Go Fund Me page to buy out JR and we can form an LLC and snap the ants off of the picnic blanket. I’ll be the CEO of Concessions, so I can get my churros kickbacks. You big brains go out and sift the wheat fields and palm trees for Roy Hobbs clones.

BK59

[Domeshot17]

I would sell, I’m not a believer in this team any more. If they buy, Brandon Drury is a name I would look at if he’s affordable. But why trade for a second baseman when you know even if he is a superior player LaRussa will bench him for Garcia

[ChiTownTrojan]

I would sell, I’m not a believer in this team any more. If they buy, Brandon Drury is a name I would look at if he’s affordable. But why trade for a second baseman when you know even if he is a superior player LaRussa will bench him for Garcia

Why have two mediocre utility infielders to cover 2B when you can have 3! And I get that Drury has been better than Harrison and Leury this year, but career wise he's the same type of guy. With Harrison's resurgence the past month and a half, I'm not sure a marginal upgrade at 2B makes much sense.

[Noneck]

Drury has shown pop this year. Is it legit? Don’t know

[BigKlu59]

Drury has shown pop this year. Is it legit? Don’t know

They all have pop till they play for the Sox at 35th and Shields.

BK59

[Frater Perdurabo]

Why have two mediocre utility infielders to cover 2B when you can have 3! And I get that Drury has been better than Harrison and Leury this year, but career wise he's the same type of guy. With Harrison's resurgence the past month and a half, I'm not sure a marginal upgrade at 2B makes much sense.

There are two inter-related problems that Drury doesn’t solve.

The first is the fact that the Sox struggle against RHP because they don’t have many good LH hitters.

The second is that TLR’s actions suggest that he believes simply playing a LH hitter - any LH hitter - will generate more production against RHP. And that is why he plays Sheets in RF (with disastrous consequences for the defense and thus the pitching) and why he plays Leury as much as possible at any position (but particularly 2B right now, with all-too-often bad consequences for the offense) against RHP.

So, acquiring another RH hitter at any position doesn’t solve the problem, and acquiring a LH hitter who struggles against RH pitching also doesn’t solve the problem.

If we want to get Leury out of the lineup, we need a LH hitting 2B who hits RH pitching well. There are numerous options on teams that aren’t going anywhere (like Jazz Chisholm or Ian Happ), but they would likely come at high cost - probably Colson Montgomery and more.

If the goal is simply to increase production against RH pitching without having to give up Montgomery or other premium prospect capital, then RF would seem to be the place to do it, which is why I suggested Naquin.

We could probably get Naquin for Jake Burger, which would probably seem/feel like an overpay and would make many people angry. Burger would probably go on to have a pretty good career hitting home runs and providing mediocre 3B defense for a Reds team that will occasionally bludgeon other NL Central teams but will likely never be a serious contender even in that division.

Naquin, on the other hand, would likely be a platoon placeholder in RF until Oscar Colas is ready, but he might just provide enough production against RH pitching (as well as solid defense that allows starters to pitch a bit deeper and reduce bullpen overuse) to win a few more close games and perhaps be the difference between winning and losing the division this year and next year.

[ChiTownTrojan]

Who knows where the 2022 Sox are headed?

But I thought it would be fun to pitch trade ideas - whether buying to compete this year, or selling to look ahead to next year.

One idea that occurred to me is we might be able to get Tyler Naquin relatively inexpensively from Cincinnati. He’s only signed through this season. He’s 31. He used to play for the Tigers. He has a career .808 OPS v. RHP (and .850 this year, including a .509 SLG) and is acceptable defensively in RF. He could platoon with Pollock (who has sucked against RH pitchers this year) or Engel in RF and could provide sorely needed LH hitting against RH pitching.

What ideas do you have - for buying or for selling?

Another idea I saw on Twitter that is similar in spirit is David Peralta. Both are LH outfielders who have a history of producing well against RHP. Peralta has been exclusively a LF for the past 5 years, but he's currently 93 percentile in OAA and it's not a stretch to think he could handle RF better than Sheets.

If you ask me though, I don't think the Sox should give up any of their top prospects. This team probably isn't worth an all-in type move.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Another idea I saw on Twitter that is similar in spirit is David Peralta. Both are LH outfielders who have a history of producing well against RHP. Peralta has been exclusively a LF for the past 5 years, but he's currently 93 percentile in OAA and it's not a stretch to think he could handle RF better than Sheets.

If you ask me though, I don't think the Sox should give up any of their top prospects. This team probably isn't worth an all-in type move.

Agreed on Peralta. I too was/am concerned about the lack of RF experience - what do we know about his throwing arm?

[longtimefan]

Who do the Sox have that is tradeable and we are willing to trade? I would part with Moncada but he has little value. He has a big salary for a 3Bman who can't hit. Hendriks may bring a return. I wouldn't trade Vaughn. Eloy is a possibility, but he can hit and that is what we need. Abreu is at the end of career plus I suspect JR wouldn't allow Jose to be traded. TA is here to stay. The minor leagues are not exactly stacked with valuable talent. I wouldn't trade Mongomery. That might turn out to be the Tatis Jr trade version 2.

[Noneck]

Sox won’t go into rebuild so the only players that should be traded at the deadline have very little value. The off-season is a different story.

[ChiTownTrojan]

Sox won’t go into rebuild so the only players that should be traded at the deadline have very little value. The off-season is a different story.

Anyone who isn't under contract long-term could in theory be traded in a "soft sell". Guys like Abreu, Pollock, Cueto, and Harrison. Burger or Sheets could go as well. Maybe one of the high-priced relievers as well, if someone is willing to take on the contract. I agree none of these guys are not going to fetch a big haul, but each could have value to a contender. Abreu would have to ask to be traded of course, but he might be willing to do so to chase a ring.

If the Sox were going to push it even further, it might make sense to trade Giolito, who would fetch a big return. Then they would have to replace him in free agency in the offseason. But I don't think they would do that.

I also agree that any wholesale changes to the roster would take place in the offseason, not at the deadline.

[ChiTownTrojan]

Agreed on Peralta. I too was/am concerned about the lack of RF experience - what do we know about his throwing arm?

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/david-peralta/2136/stats?position=OF#fans-scouting-report

I'm not sure I'm reading this correctly, but per Fangraphs it seems okay? He comes in as a 56 for arm strength and a 50 for arm accuracy, I think this is on a 20-80 scale. AJ Pollock, as a point of comparison, is 48/59. Naquin is 57/43. In any event, I can't imagine it's any worse than having a first baseman in RF (they don't have any ARM info for Sheets, not enough innings to qualify I imagine).

If the Sox were to acquire Peralta (or Naquin), they would send Sheets down for the rest of 2022 and he could maybe return to contribute at 1B/DH in 2023 with Abreu gone. The regular OF would then be Eloy/Robert/Peralta (with Pollock against LHP and to give others the occasional break against RHP). Engel would be limited to a late-inning defensive role, coming in for Eloy (with Peralta or Pollock sliding over to LF).

It would have to come cheaply, because I don't want the Sox to over-invest in this team and this manager.

[Noneck]

If the Sox were going to push it even further, it might make sense to trade Giolito, who would fetch a big return. Then they would have to replace him in free agency in the offseason. But I don't think they would do that.

.

The Sox won’t go for a prospect haul for giolito at the deadline. Better to wait for the off season to make deals like that.

[ChiTownTrojan]

The Sox won’t go for a prospect haul for giolito at the deadline. Better to wait for the off season to make deals like that.

Waiting until the offseason just means he has 1/2 less season of control, I don't see how that would increase his value in any way.