Warden's Off Season Plan
Warden's Offseason Plan
I feel the Sox are on the right path, and with a few selected additions can be a contender for years. Clearly they have a need for a 3rd starter, a Right Fielder, a reliever or two, a backup catcher, and a DH.
They have strength in young pitching and a solid core built for the next 5 years of contention a few select additions and subtractions this year could keep them in the mix for another World Series title.
Manager
This is my least favorite problem to have, although our North Side neighbors did very well changing managers after a rebuild, I am not nearly as enthusiastic with some of the mentions of AJ Hinch or Alex Cora, these are guys who have been caught cheating, and for leading a group of young kids I think they would be entirely inappropriate. Tony La Russa while a hall of fame guy is old and pretty rigid, something about it just feels wrong. I like Bruce Botchy, but again it seems wrong with no real past ties to the Sox. I love the option of AJ Pierzynski but he has no experience.
I am going to say Bruce should be given the helm with AJ as his bench coach. Not sure where to go with the pitching coach, let Tony decide.
84 million committed
Arbitration-eligible (with projected salaries from MLBTR):
Nomar Mazara, $5.9 million non-tender // too much for a platoon player.
Yolmer Sánchez, $2 million non-tender // like him but its not worth the roster spot barring injury.
Adam Engel, $1.4 million tender // No brainer for a solid contributer.
Carlos Rodón, $4.55 million tender // inexpensive pitching is hard to find career 4.12 era.
Lucas Giolito, $5.3 million tender // Like anyone would debate this.
Reynaldo López, $2.2 million tender // good controlled pitching is hard to find 3 years left of team control.
Evan Marshall, $1.9 million tender // he's reliable, and trusted
Jace Fry, $1 million tender // controlled for years
16.35 million added to payroll
100.35 Committted
Impending Free Agents
cut loose Alex Colomé (2020 salary: $10,532,500) 18.9 is too much, even a marginal raise takes away a lot of flexibility.
cut loose James McCann (2020 salary: $5.4 million) Just too expensive.
cut loose Jarrod Dyson (2020 salary: $2 million) No, just No we don't have a roster spot to waste on a pinch runner.
Still 100.35 Committed
Team Contract Options
decline Edwin Encarnación (2021 salary: $12 million) Any questions?
decline Gio González (2021 salary: $7 million) way too much for not a very good pitcher.
pick-up Leury García (2021 salary: $3.5 million) Multiple positions defensively, and has a bit of offense
3.5 Million added to payroll
103.85 Committed (although with a 250,000 buy out being cancelled buy signing Garcia) maybe 103.6 Committed
Free agents
There are 4 I would like to see signed
Tommy LaStella // for 3.25 mil for a year a weak middle infield group in the minors and Madrigals injury say this is a good bet.
Yoelnqui Cespedes // 5 milCuban born international free agent The sox have 5 million to use in the market here, use it here and potentially solve Right field for 6 years.
Jeremy Jeffress // 8 mil per 2 years Good right hander to complement Bummer
Jake McGee // 3 mil for a year a solid lefty veteran
19.25 Million added to payroll
122.85 - 123.10 Committed
Trades
So I have one trade in mind, with the Texas Rangers
Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo López, minor leaguers (Sox #7) Steiver and (Sox #12) Gonzales for Lance Lynn. This is a trade that replenishes the Rangers minor leagues, gives them some solid if injury prone starters, and lots of controlled expense, with Corey Kluber coming back and no real chance to contend Lynn is only under control for 1 year which gives some of the other Sox pitchers a chance to develop his 9 million dollar contract keeps the Sox target payroll on target.
9.35 mil - 4.55 - 2.2 = 2.6 mil added to payroll.
125.45 - 125.70 Committed
Summary
With a lineup this year of
Anderson SS
Moncada 3B
Abreu 1B
Jimenez LF
Grandal C
Robert CF
Vaughn DH \\ The #13 prospect in the Majors can't be worse than Encarnacion was.
Cespedes RF \\ Engel
Madrigal 2B \\ LaStella
The bench consisting of:
LaStella IF, Garcia IF/OF, Collins C, Engel OF
Starting Rotation 6 players
Giolito(R), Kuechel(L), Lynn(R), Cease(R), Kopech(R), Dunning(R) // I think Cease is the odd man out, here but you need 6 guys to guard against injuries.
Relievers 7
Bummer (L), Jeffress(R), McGee(L), Marshall(R), Fry(L), Crochet(L), Foster(R) with Foster and Crochet being swing guys I think Heuer might battle Foster but mostly because they might want Foster stretched out.
Totals 26 total for the starting team.
In the minors on the 40 man roster...
Pitchers(6) - Lambert(R), Bundi(R), Heuer(R)/Foster(R), Cordero, Ruiz(R), MCrae(R), Flores(L)
Hitters(6) - OF Adolfo, OF Rutherford, 1B Sheets, Mercedes C, Zavala C/1B
In terms of fitting the 5 year rebuild, this completes the team in a great way. But what I am really thinking about is the next 4 years.
Cespedes is 23 and will lock down the RF spot giving the Sox an all Cuban outfield for 5 years.
The infield of Abreu, Madrigal, Anderson, Moncada, and Grandal is locked down too until 2023.
The Sox might not even need to dip into free agency after 2021 with this team only LaStella, Garcia and McGee would be free agents, and McGee would be under pressure from a bunch of pitchers who are in the minors now.
in 2023 Abreu, Jeffress and Marshall would be free, I think Abreu has a good chance to resign and stay a lifelong Sox. Jeffress goes the same way of McGee.
in 2024 Grandal, Engel, Kuechel, Giolito, and Fry become free agents. While resigning Giolito would be nice, being realistic if he makes it this far without resigning he is likely gone (for a compensatory pick), Kuechel will be 35, ad a back end guy or decline risk, A rotation of Crochet, Kopech, Dunning, Cease and if the starters in the minors continue to develop Kelley. Grandall would be the big loss, if his skills stay high resigning him might happen.
This is a roster without holes excepting career ending injuries, it has depth to handle short term injuries, and it still has a lot of growth potential over those years.