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Craig Kimbrel traded to Boston for prospects.
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My first reaction is "Fuck!"Originally posted by 6025 View Post -
Margot entered the season with the goal of cutting down his strikeouts, and he succeeded. He was the last player in pro ball to whiff this season, and he finished with just 51 strikeouts in 480 plate appearances. He’s a classic center fielder with excellent range to both sides of the ball as well as a strong throwing arm for the position. At the plate, he’s got gap power and will spray the ball around the diamond. He’s an aggressive player who is extremely fun to watch in person, and he came up just short of 40 stolen bases this season. After flourishing in high Class A Salem, he was bumped to Double-A Portland where he was among the league’s youngest players. He took a little time to adjust, but finished strong, including a cycle on the second to last day of the season at Hadlock Field. He’s an excellent prospect, but one who was made expendable by the glut of talent the Red Sox have ahead of him, including Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley and Rusney Castillo.
Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB OBP SLG
Salem (CAR) HiA .282 46 181 35 51 6 5 3 17 11 15 20 .321 .420
Portland (EL) AA .271 64 258 38 70 21 4 3 33 21 36 19 .326 .419
Este (DL) WIN .229 15 48 2 11 2 1 1 7 3 12 1 .264 .375
Javier Guerra, ss
Age: 20
One of the most pleasant surprises on a bountiful Boston farm this season, Guerra was slated to begin the year in extended spring training but his performance forced the organization’s hand and he was sent to low Class A Greenville. He didn’t disappoint. He lived up to his lofty reputation as one of the best defensive shortstops in the minor leagues while showing off range, quickness, instincts and a powerful throwing arm and was poised to become the next the line of Red Sox-bred shortstops, following Jose Iglesias (now with Detroit) and Xander Bogaerts, who broke out in his second full season in the major leagues. That much was expected, but the big surprise was his home run total. He hit 15 long balls, which placed him second in the system behind only third baseman and teammate Michael Chavis. He’s not likely to continue to show off that type of power, but he shouldn’t be a pushover, either. He needs to work on his selectivity, as shown by his nearly 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Even so, he instantly jumps to the forefront of San Diego’s system.
Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB OBP SLG
Greenville (SAL) LoA .279 116 434 64 121 23 3 15 68 30 112 7 .329 .449
Logan Allen, lhp
Age: 18
Allen, among other things, becomes the first player traded after the league adjusted its rules for same-year draftees because of the fiasco involving Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, who was drafted in 2014, then dealt over the winter as a player to be named later in the deal that sent Wil Myers to San Diego. Despite his trade being public knowledge, Turner had to play in the Padres’ system until a year after he was drafted. The league changed those rules this year, and now Allen, less than six months after being drafted, has been sent to San Diego. Taken out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Allen was drafted in the eighth round by Boston and signed for $725,000. He’s the owner of a low-90s fastball and a powerful curveball with enough bite to be mistaken for a slider at times. He also can loosen the pitch, and has feel for a changeup as well. He struck out 26 and walked just one in 24 innings this year between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and short-season Lowell of the New York-Penn League.
Club (League) Class W L ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
Red Sox (GCL) R 0 0 0.90 7 7 20 12 2 2 0 1 24 .171
Lowell (NYP) SS 0 0 2.08 1 1 4 6 1 1 0 0 2 .300
Carlos Asuaje, 2b
Age: 24
Boston’s 11th-round selection in 2011 out Nova Southeastern, Asuaje had hit well up until this season, when he ran into a bit of a bump at Double-A Portland. Scouts who’ve seen Asuaje like him for his ability to handle the bat, particularly when it comes to taking balls the other way. Even with his slash line a tad depressed, Asuaje still showed plenty of plate discipline while working 56 walks against just 88 strikeouts in 131 games. He was moved off of third base after the 2014 season and spent most of the year in 2015 at second base, where he best fits. He profiles as a utility-type and has seen time in the outfield as well.
Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB OBP SLG
Portland (EL) AA .251 131 495 60 124 23 7 8 61 56 88 9 .334 .374
Scottsdale (AFL) WIN .316 14 57 5 18 1 1 0 6 3 14 2 .355 .368Comment
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This is certainly confidence inspiring. We dump our entire system last year to load up on vets, don't dump the vets at the deadline and now we're dumping the vets to load up on...low minors-level prospects. So we'll end up with lesser quality and quantity. I'm not saying these acquisitions aren't good, at least the ones we are getting from Boston. Dunno about those other clowns at all. I'm sure they are guys with upside, but they are soon far away. Remember the last big deal for Boston prospects we made? How many of those guys panned out? Not because they weren't talented but bc they were talented at A and AA and so much can go wrong between here and there.
I didn't hate what we did last year. We took a shot and we took our lumps. OK. Didn't work out. But what we did over the summer and what we're doing now? Man, this just shows me that the franchise is rudderless again. No idea what they are doing. I'm not sure what's worse: that ownership made Preller do all those deals last year and now they are making him tighten budget or that it was his idea and so is this. Yay...they aren't threatening to move!!Last edited by ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR; 11-13-2015, 10:18 PM.Comment
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Some other thoughts:
He's really accumulating middle infielders which may mean Gyorko is either changing positions or could be headed out though I have no idea who would take on that salary. The guys he's getting seem OK, but none that are close which are impact players.
What is this fascination with utility guys? Is it just that he did such a bad job of cobbling together reasonable defenders last year that he just wants plug-n-play guys?
IMO step one is to try to get out of Gyorko's deal somehow (Or Melvin Upton's, but that's even less likely). Failing that, move him to third or first. Third means trading Solarte, which I'd rather not do as I like him better than Gyorko. The problem at first is that ideally I would probably try to convert Kemp into a first baseman, somehow. I also would have liked to have seen us play Norris at first with Hedges catching and still could like that but now you see Preller's problematic offseason last year. Logjam of guys at first and I haven't even mentioned Myers or Alonso (who is a deadweight loss at this point and we just need to move on from.
Kemp's not going anywhere and neither are Upton and (probably not) Gyorko. I'm hanging on to Myers. When he was healthy our offense was much better. I think he's a very good player with a very bright future but he needs to stay healthy. Solarte's a nice player who I would hang on to if I could, but he'd be valued on the market and he's not essential to our makeover. So I think somehow you try to convert Kemp to first (which, admittedly sounds ugly but you have to try to make that trade work and 1B are easier to find than good corner OFs), settle Spangenberg at 2B and hope one of these middle infielders works out at SS. I like Desmond as a bounce back but I can't see us making a big FA investment this year on a big if, esp after blowing our wad last year on Telesco style FA signings. And Preller's post-trade comments don't suggest that as a real alternative. You hope Myers can hold down left or RF, you get Jankowski and Upton share CF and then try to find stopgap OF until Renfroe is ready, though I'm not as big on him as I once was.
I'm done with Cashner, so get whatever you can for the guy. I hope Kennedy doesn't return. I'd like to build the staff around Ross and Shields. However, I suspect Ross is going to get traded and go on to big things elsewhere, which means we will prob try to make due with Kennedy and Shields as our build-around guys. And likely hang on to Cashner. To me he at least has some trade value, though certainly not what it was last year. He needs a change of scenery and health is always going to be an issue there. I'd get what I could for him and move on and try to get a reasonably effective, low dollar #3 and take my chances with in-house scrubs for 4-5 for this year.
There are more trades coming for sure. Preller indicated the direction here, which isn't pretty:
Words like flexibility can be translated as don't expect any big dollar acquisitions. "Reinvest" means "we left the cupboard bare, we fucked up and now we're back to square one." That's fine. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one. But in these coming trades, I just hope we're going to be adding quality young guys closer to the Majors than we have done so far. Closer to the Majors reduces your risk. And when you're trading the few quality assets you have, you need to make sure they return SOMETHING. We can't have another Agon scenario where five years later we have nothing but Cashner to show for it. Don't even get me started on the Rizzo trade. Casey Kelly and Fuentes were nice prospects but so far away that the risk just went way up. You have to keep in mind that we traded Trea Turner, Joe Ross and Mallex Smith last year and along with Wisler and Peterson, they will all likely be making impacts on big league rosters next year. If we only recoup a bunch of A and AA players, we've really not just messed up but taken a major step backwards if the new strategy is the build from within model, version 35. These A and AA players just have so many things that can go wrong. Injuries, failure to progress, work ethic issues, off field stuff, your poor job of scouting....just flat out missing it. So if the new build from within is based around them and some upcoming draft picks, you're not just admitting you took a step back last year and are retrenching this year you basically could be screwed for years to come."Now that we have more flexibility, we have a chance to really invest, whether it’s amateur, development programs, scouting,” Preller added. “We’ll look at all those avenues to be a championship team. Last year, we clearly fell short of that mark. This really gives us a chance to reinvest.”
On the bright side, Keith Law thinks the Re Sox gave up too much quality to get Kimbrel. So he thinks highly of SD's haul. But the dark cloud is that Law doesn't assign much value to big dollar closers.Comment
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From the Boston GlobeThe Red Sox landed one of the top late-innings relievers in the game Friday in Craig Kimbrel. In exchange, the team is parting with its most significant prospect package since landing Adrian Gonzalez – coincidentally, also from the Padres – in exchange for then-top prospect Casey Kelly, No. 3 prospect Anthony Rizzo, and No. 6 prospect Reymond Fuentes after the 2010 season.
Here’s a closer look at the players the Red Sox gave up in the Kimbrel deal. In the listings, I’ve also included the ranking that I gave to each player in Baseball America’s Red Sox top 30 prospect list, a list that I was in the draft stages of compiling.
Javier Guerra, shortstop
Red Sox prospect rank: 5
Future scouting grades (on 20-80 scouting scale): Bat: 50 (average); Power: 55 (above-average); Speed: 45 (below-average); Defense: 60-65 (plus or better); Arm: 65-70 (elite)
Notes: When the Sox signed him for $250,000 out of Panama, Guerra showed advanced instincts and defensive tools while also displaying a solid swing that offered an offensive foundation. His emergence as an impressive defensive shortstop is not shocking, but Guerra’s offensive development advanced faster than anyone anticipated and beyond anyone’s best-case scenario.
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Red Sox acquire star closer Craig Kimbrel from Padres
Kimbrel, 27, was acquired for center fielder Manuel Margot and shortstop Javier Guerra, two of the Sox’ top prospects.
The Sox believed that Guerra could become at least a gap hitter, but in 2015, he turned heads with the frequency with which he showed pull power, finishing second in the team’s system with 15 homers while hitting .279/.329/.449 – excellent marks for a 19-year-old shortstop with a potentially elite glove.
With a lean, athletic frame, Guerra’s actions on the field are fluid and easy, yet come with an element of electricity, both in terms of his ability to make standout plays thanks to elite instincts and field awareness on defense (he would often make spectacular plays, throwing behind runners after gloving balls with dives) and his ability to barrel fastballs.
The combination of plus-defense and 15 or even 20 home run potential at shortstop offer considerable ceiling, though his high strikeout rate (23.5 percent), particularly against lefties (33.8 percent), raises questions about the likelihood he’ll be an everyday player. Still, if his plate approach improves, his ceiling is that of a championship-caliber shortstop.
“Guerra hurts,” said one major league evaluator of the package the Sox sent to San Diego.
That said, because the Sox have Xander Bogaerts at shortstop for years, it made that point of pain somewhat more tolerable – even if Guerra represents a striking chip to use for a reliever, even an elite one.
Greenville's Javier Guerra reacts after a hit by Lexington. The Greenville Drive hosted the Lexington Legends Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at Fluor Field. (Richard Shiro for The Boston Globe)
RICHARD SHIRO FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Javier Guerra in action for Greenville in May.
Manuel Margot, center field
Red Sox prospect rank: 7
Future scouting grades: Bat: 50 (Average); Power: 45 (Below-average); Speed: 60 (Plus); Defense: 60 (Plus); Arm: 55-60 (Above-average to plus)
Notes: Margot earned national attention by opening 2015 with an excellent start that included 62 straight at-bats without striking out, but between injuries and the challenges of playing at a higher level, his year leveled to marks of .276/.324/.419 with six homers and 39 steals in 110 games. Still, he impressed as a player who was considerably younger than his league at two separate levels.
His Salem manager, Carlos Febles, said that Margot’s tool set bore some resemblance to that of another 20-year-old with whom he played, former Royals teammate Carlos Beltran.
Margot’s strong wrists create plus bat speed, and he can manipulate the bat well enough to post high contact rates that should allow him to hit for average. He also has the strength to drive the ball out of the park on occasion, though his aggressive approach – he chases pitches out of the zone – and emphasis on hitting the ball up the middle and to right-center mean that his power will manifest primarily in doubles and triples.
He combines above-average speed with baserunning smarts in a way that suggests an impact runner, and has the ability to glide to the ball in center. Though young, he’s close to maxed out physically, limiting his future projection, but his overall skill set suggests an excellent likelihood of at least an average starting center fielder in the bottom-third of the order.
Though Margot has moved quickly, and he’s a major league defensive center fielder now, he could benefit from a lengthier apprenticeship in Triple A as he adjusts to pitchers attacking him with more advanced mixes. He’s also lost time to injuries in each of his pro seasons.
Margot is a good player – an excellent bet to be a starting center fielder – who is held in high regard throughout the industry, but with Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, and possibly (in the future) Yoan Moncada ahead of him as future center field options, there was a wide expectation that Margot would be used as a trade chip, particularly given that he’ll have to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason.
Logan Allen, LHP
Red Sox prospect rank: 12
Notes: Allen entered the draft out of the IMG Academy as a polished high schooler with a four-pitch mix. The Sox signed Allen to a $725,000 bonus that would have been in line with a third-rounder.
Once in the Sox system, he reminded some team officials of a familiar pitcher in both appearance and delivery.
“If you put his video right next to Jon Lester, you’d think it was Jon Lester. That’s how eerily similar the body type is, the delivery is, the way he looks,” said GCL Red Sox manager Tom Kotchman. “When our scouts first saw him at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, that’s exactly what he looks like.”
“I actually think Logan’s curveball is more advanced than Jon’s was,” said Red Sox pitching coordinator Ralph Treuel, who worked with Lester as an 18-year-old after the Red Sox picked him in the 2002 draft. “The secondary pitches, both of them – the changeup and curveball – are a little more advanced. I think Jon threw a little harder early on. But that’s a pretty good guy to be compared to.”
Allen doesn’t have a lot of physical projection left, so no one would suggest that he has Lester’s ceiling as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. But as an 18-year-old who regularly worked at 92-93 mph (a likely above-average pitch given his ability to repeat his delivery and command), he showed comfort incorporating his changeup, demonstrated the ability to spin a curveball, and threw four pitches for strikes while punching out 26 and walking just one in 24 1/3 innings between the Gulf Coast League and Lowell. Allen showed what could be No. 3 or No. 4 starter potential.
Given his unusual refinement and pitch mix, he has a chance to move through a system quickly compared to the normal high school pitching population. He ranked as the Sox’ fourth best starting pitching prospect, behind Anderson Espinoza, Brian Johnson, and Michael Kopech.
Carlos Asuaje, IF/OF
Red Sox prospect ranking: Not in Red Sox Top 30 prospects this year; No. 25 Red Sox prospect entering 2015
Notes: Asuaje’s 2014 season – a .310/.393/.533 line between Single A Greenville and High A Salem – was one of the foremost surprises in the Red Sox system last year, particularly given the startling way that he consistently drove the ball with a big swing from a diminutive, Brock Holt-sized frame. He led the Sox in 2014 in slugging percentage (.533), extra-base hits (65) and RBIs (101) in 129 games.
In 2015, however, he proved far streakier in Double A Portland, posting a .251/.334/.374 line with eight homers and 38 extra-base hits in 110 games. In 2015, against Double A opponents, he struggled against lefties (.216/.328/.267) but showed a bit more pop while posting solid across-the-board marks against righties (.261/.336/.406). He does a good job of swinging at strikes, which has allowed him to strike out in just 15.8 percent of his career plate appearances – a useful trait for a player whose best bet for a big league future is as a reserve/superutility option.
He’s looked respectable both at second base and in left field, and he has experience at both third and shortstop, positions where he could help in a pinch, though he is limited by below-average arm strength.Comment
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Hey, we got an elite arm. Too bad it belongs to a shortstop and not a pitcher.Originally posted by ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR View PostComment
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Right now, I don't care. I just want to make sure we're getting value. Last year's escapades raised real questions about Preller's strategic and evaluative skills. I'd like to feel better about at least one of those over the short run.Originally posted by Engine Engine Number 420 View PostComment
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Interesting take on Kemp. To my knowledge he's never played 1B, it's not as easy at it sounds to convert, I'd be skeptical but he's a liability in the OF too. When healthy, Alonso was often the bright spot offensively. Unless we can get some value for him (I don't know his status offhand, is he signed or a FA?), I am skeptical of moving on from Alonso.Originally posted by ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR View Post
What is the status of Justin Upton? Is he a FA and gone?Comment
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Agree on Kemp. Like I said, it might be ugly. But we have to find someplace to play him bc he's not going anywhere. Alonso does nothing for me. Not sure what his status is.Originally posted by 6025 View Post
Upton's gone. I don't see much chance in them bringing him backComment
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We might need Kemp to pitch next year.Originally posted by ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR View PostComment
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John SIckels:
Last night the Boston Red Sox traded four prospects to the San Diego Padres for veteran closer Craig Kimbrel. Here's a quick take on the newest quartet of talent joining the San Diego farm system.
Logan Allen, LHP: Allen was drafted by the Red Sox this past June out of IMG Academy in Florida as an eighth-round choice, though he was rumored to go as high as the third round at one point. He is a 6-3, 200 pound left-hander with a low-90s fastball. Both his curveball and change-up have a chance to be quality major league pitches, giving him mid-rotation projection if everything works out.
Allen is just 18 years old but was very successful in his pro debut, posting a spectacular 24/1 K/BB ratio in 20 innings for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox with a 0.90 ERA. The GCL is a long way from the majors of course but his debut could not have gone any better, with superior control standing out as a huge positive.
Carlos Asuaje, INF: Asuaje was an 11th round pick in 2013 from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. He had an excellent 2014 season in A-ball (.310/.393/.533) but was unable to duplicate it in Double-A this year, hitting .251/.334/.374 for Portland in the Eastern League. He did post a solid 56/88 BB/K ratio and has shown defensive versatility at second base, third base, and the outfield.
Age 24, Asuaje is a left-handed hitter. He's not a big guy at 5-9 but he controls the zone well and has some pop in his bat, more than he showed this year even if the 2014 numbers were overstated. His tools are average in most respects but he is a useful organization player with a chance to help on a big league bench in a year or two.
Javier Guerra, INF: Signed by the Red Sox out of Panama in 2012, Guerra had a breakthrough 2015 season hitting .279/.329/.449 with 15 homers in 434 at-bats for Greenville in the Low-A South Atlantic League. His strike zone judgment is rather shaky (30/112 BB/K) but he showed much more power than anticipated and has a chance to keep that going at higher levels if contact doesn't get away from him. His glove is excellent: range, hands, arm strength are all above-average or better.
Just 20 years old, the right-handed hitter is still raw offensively but his upside is intriguing. He'll stick at shortstop and could provide more offense than typical for the position, though he's likely two or three years away.
Manuel Margot, OF: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, Margot has the largest file of press clippings in the quartet, drawing frequent praise the last two seasons for his speed, defense, and power potential. His actual performance has been decent enough, if perhaps not quite as good as his reputation. This year he hit .276/.324/.419 between High-A and Double-A, combining for six homers, 39 steals, 32 walks, and 51 strikeouts in 439 at-bats.
Age 21, Margot is a balanced prospect with multiple tools and steadily refining skills. It is still uncertain how much power he'll develop and there's some risk he could be a tweener if the power doesn't come and if his speed declines with age. At worst he'll be a good fourth outfielder, but if his bat continues to progress he can be an above-average regular contributing in multiple categories, notably speed and defense.
SUMMARY: Overall, I think the Padres did well with this package. I'm high on Allen, Asuaje is a nice asset, and both Guerra and Margot can develop into major league regulars. That's a solid return for a guy who wouldn't be in the long-term plan. As for the Red Sox, Kimbrel obviously helps them in the short run and the farm system is deep enough to part with these four without it being a massive blow. This seems like a good move for both teams.Comment
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