Red Sox Trade Valdez for Vogatsky (12/15/24)

The Enmanuel Valdez era in Boston came to an end today as the Boston Red Sox traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for their 19th round pick in the 2024 draft, 22 year old right handed pitcher Joe Vogatsky out of James Madison University.

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Its a shame things ended the way they did for Valdez. He was the original centerpiece of the trade that sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros for Valdez and Wilyer Abreu. Valdez hit 22 home runs and drove in 77 runs for AA and AAA before hitting 7 dingers with 30 rbis for Worcester to end the 2022 season. He played 49 games for the 2023 Boston Red Sox but managed to hit just six home runs. Last year he hit just 6 home runs in 76 games while hitting .214. Clearly he was flaming out so Sox GM Craig Breslow is cutting his losses.

                                                              Bye bye Valdez

So who the hell is Joe Vogatsky? He was James Madison University's set-up man in 2023 and 2024 recording 14 saves combined. The concerning factor was his 3.49 ERA his senior season which dropped his draft stock. He was taken in the 19th round by the Pirates just three picks before the Sox took D'Angelo "Little Papi" Ortiz. He didn't pitch to end 2024 so he most likely will start the 2025 season in the Florida Complex or Salem. Amazing how Breslow took almost all pitchers in the 2024 draft and just got another one.

                                                           Good luck in Boston

In other news, the trade with the New York Yankees for backup catcher Carlos Narvaez made Danny Jansen expendable. Jansen signed with Tampa Bay so he's gone too. Looks like it will be Connor Wong/Narvaez to start 2025 with only Nathan Hickey in AAA in case someone gets hurt.

                                                                   Bye bye Jansen

Corbin Burnes remains un-signed as well as Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Bregman. If the Sox can get Burnes and just one of the two available bats, they'd be instant contenders for the AL East title. John Henry's cheapness cost them the last four years, its time he spends money to win.

Rule 5 Draft Results (12/12/24)

Lost in all the confusion of yesterday's big news was the Rule 5 Draft results. Unlike the last two years, the Boston Red Sox didn't lose any huge names. A lot of guys did go in the minor league phase of the draft but they also picked up a few as well.

The only real name lost was the Toronto Blue Jays took right handed pitcher Angel Bastardo. Bastardo was on a downward trend the last five years. He was 1-3 with a 6.67 ERA back in 2021 for the Florida Complex and was 0-5 with a 5.36 ERA for Portland before having Tommy John surgery in June. Why the Blue Jays wanted someone who won't even pitch for most of next year is anyone's guess.

                                                          Bye bye Bastardo

In the minor league phase, the St. Louis Cardinals took Greenville Drive outfielder Miguel Ugueto. Ugueto hit just .242 with 4 home runs for the Drive this past season after hitting just .216 last year. Guess the Cards think they can get something out of him.

                                                                 Bye bye Ugueto

The Chicago Cubs helped close another chapter of the Chaim Bloom era when they selected 27 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski. Robert was an undrafted rookie free agent signed after the 2020 draft. He turned things around in 2024 to go 13-2 for Portland and Worcester out of the bullpen. Unlike the others, at least he had a good season which could be a hidden gem for the Cubs.

                                                                      Good luck in Chicago

The Philadelphia Phillies ended up taking 22 year old Greenville Drive utility player Eduardo Lopez. Lopez hit just .232 with the Drive this year although he did clock 6 home runs in 56 games. The Phillies are hoping his power develops. Maybe it will.

                                                                  Off to Philly

Last, the Kansas City Royals took 23 year old Portland Sea Dogs outfielder Bryan Gonzalez. Its a shame the Sox couldn't protect him because he came on strong in 2024 for the Greenville Drive, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 59 runs before earning a cup of coffee with Portland. The Royals are banking on him continuing his power stroke in AA and beyond. If he does, then kudos to the Royals for making the move.

                                                           Could be a future star in KC

Now who did the Sox get in the draft? First, the Sox chose 25 year old right handed pitcher Jack Anderson from the Detroit Tigers. The funny thing was the Tigers took Anderson in the 2021 draft one pick before the Sox took BJ Vela who they released in Spring Training in 2023. Anderson went 5-1 with a combined 3.66 ERA between Double and Triple A. The Sox need pitching depth in Worcester and this definitely fills a need there. Anything else they get from him is a bonus.

                                   Sox are going to pretend they took him instead of Vela

The Sox then took 22 year old left handed pitcher Manuel Medina from the Florida Marlins. He's been bouncing back between the Complex League and Low A for three years now. Maybe this year he'll stick around in Salem.

                                                           Bouncing back and forth

The Sox also selected 25 year old right handed pitcher Darvin Garcia from the Pittsburgh Pirates. This one doesn't seem like a great idea as his career record was 16-10 with a 5.06 ERA between 2019 and 2024. He was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in High A, that doesn't really translate to success in the higher levels. Still, with all the guys going, they have to have someone left to pitch games.

                                                                  5.06 career ERA

Lastly, the Sox picked 31 year old career minor leaguer, right handed pitcher Hobie Harris from the New York Mets. Harris was originally drafted in the 31st round by the New York Yankees back in 2015 and bounced around ever since. He did manage to make his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals back in 2023 but was hammered for 12 runs in 19 innings. He spent 2024 with the St. Paul Saints and was straight batting practice, going 4-6 with a 6.79 ERA. Why they think he can bring success to the table is anyone's guess.

                                                               Batting practice in 2024

Kind of amusing how the Chicago Cubs might have gotten a good pitcher while the Red Sox took castoffs and career minor leaguers. Every year it seems they get raided except for 2021 when they stole Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees. This year there was nothing to raid after the trades they made so this just seems inconsequential. Still, you never know if someone will be good or not.

Red Sox Trade Teel, Others For Crochet (12/11/24)

Just when it seemed like the Boston Red Sox were about to waste yet another off-season, they did something drastic. Just days after the New York Mets outbid the Red Sox by 65 million dollars to land Juan Soto, the Texas Rangers re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Blake Snell and the New York Yankees signed 2021 World Series contributor Max Fried....the Red Sox made a bold move. The Red Sox sent 2023 1st round pick and top catching prospect Kyle Teel, 2024 first round pick Braden Montgomery, 2022 fourth round pick Chase Meidroth and 22 year old Venezuelan pitching prospect Wilkelman Gonzalez to the Chicago White Sox for their ace, 25 year old left handed pitcher Garrett Crochet. Then, they traded Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for backup catcher Carlos Narvaez. To make room on the roster for Narvaez, Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment.

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So who did they give up? The prize was Kyle Teel, the top catching prospect in the system. Teel was apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Marcello Mayer that terrorized AA pitching for the first half of the 2024 season. All three ended up in Worcester by the end although Mayer didn't play due to injury. Teel hit 13 home runs and drove in 78 runs between Portland and Worcester, so why was he on the trading block? Connor Wong broke out this year hitting .280 with 13 home runs as the starting catcher and Nathan Hickey is still in AAA. Wong turns 29 in May so he still has one or two years left of his prime. Teel will now be given a chance to start right away in Chicago.

Braden Montgomery fell to the Red Sox in the 2024 draft due to an horrendous injury suffered at the college world series for Stanford. He was one of the best outfielders in NCAA and a few teams were scared that his ankle wouldn't be the same. He was projected to go in the top 10 in the draft so if he lives up to his billing, Chicago may have a stud.

Chase Meidroth was a fourth round pick in 2022 and hit 9 home runs while driving in 57 runs for Greenville and Portland to finish 2023. In 2024 he was Worcester's starting second baseman hitting .293 with 7 home runs and 54 rbis. The Red Sox are willing to give Vaughn Grissom another chance at second base and they're still in the hunt for Alex Bregman, thus making Meidroth expendable. Another guy who might be a star in Chicago.

Wikelman Gonzalez was a Venezuelan teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski back in 2018. He started to break out in 2023 going 9-4 in 25 starts between Greenville and Portland. In 2024 he was 4-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 19 starts. Those numbers might seem disappointing, but at 22 years old he has a few more years to turn it around.

Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez was drafted as a high school junior out of the Puerto Rican baseball academy in the fourth round back in 2021. In 2024 he went 5-5 between Salem and Greenville as a 20/21 year old. Giving him up for a backup catcher seems like a bad trade.

Enmanuel Valdez was actually the more highly touted prospect when he along with Wilyer Abreu was sent to the Boston Red Sox by the Houston Astros for Christian Vazquez at the 2022 trade deadline. Valdez showed promise to end the 2023 season by hitting 6 home runs in 49 games along with batting .266. Then he fell apart in 2024 hitting just .214 in 76 games with 6 home runs. He got leapfrogged by Abreu and the Sox are banking on Vaughn Grissom having a bounce back season, hence, making Valdez expendable.

Now who did they get? Garrett Crochet made his MLB debut at 21 years old in the Covid shortened 2020 season.  He went 3-5 with a 2.82 ERA as a set up man in the Chicago bullpen in 2021 and returned from a gruesome injury in 2023. He switched to the rotation in 2024 and went 6-12 with a 3.58 for a terrible White Sox team. The thinking is he will have much more success with a better offense in Boston. With Chris Sale traded before the start of last season, they needed a new lefty power arm. They got one.

Carlos Narvaez, like Gonzalez, was a Venezeulan teenager signed by the New York Yankees who made his Dominican League debut in 2016 at 18 years old. He developed an all or nothing power stroke starting in 2022 where he hit 10-11 home runs a year but batting .194, .239 and .254. He made his MLB debut for the Yankees on July 20th this past season and had just 3 hits in 13 at-bats. If the Sox are so desperate to save money they traded the career of Elmer Cruz for Carlos F'n Narvaez just so they could let go of Danny Jansen, they're far more pathetic than they're going to get critized for.

Instantly this improves the Red Sox rotation by putting Crochet at the top with Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford as your 2, 3 and 4. Lucas Giolito is due to return from Tommy John surgery at some point but the Sox can put themselves in better position if they make one more signing. The biggest fish still available in free agency is Corbin Burnes. If they open up the checkbooks to get him, their rotation instantly becomes comparable to the New York Yankees. Still, just getting Crochet is a step in the right direction. Narvaez is just a depth piece and it feels like they could have traded ANYONE to get him and they had to give away a future star.

Red Sox Sign Aroldis Chapman (12/3/24)

The Boston Red Sox signed their first free agent this winter off-season.....and it was very controversial. The Red Sox signed 36 year old closer Aroldis Chapman to a one year $10.75 million dollar deal. Yes, THAT Aroldis Chapman.

                                                     The iconic image from 2019

For those living under a rock, Chapman was a fireball closer for the Cincinnati Reds from 2010 to 2015 before signing with the New York Yankees in 2016. When the 2016 Yankees faltered, they made the decision to trade their two best relief pitchers (Andrew Miller the other) for prospects. Chapman went to the Chicago Cubs and his October woes started as he famously blew a 3 run lead in Game 7 of the World Series. He did get credit for the win when the Cubs rallied, but it was concerning.

                                                              Least he won a ring

After the 2016 season, Chapman returned to the Yankees. Once again, after having a good regular season, he allowed a walkoff double in Game 2 of the ALCS to the Houston Astros. He did bounce back to save Game 4, but the Yankees lost in 7 games. In 2018, as well all know, it was the year of the Red Sox. Chapman did blow a regular season save against the Red Sox in their early August sweep of the Yankees, but there was nothing he could do in October against the juggernaut Red Sox. In 2019, he famously allowed a walkoff home run to give the Astros the pennant in Game 6. The following year, he allowed a go-ahead home run to Mike Brosseau to lose the 2020 ALDS to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees were swept by the Houston Astros out of the 2022 ALCS which wasn't really Chapman's fault. In 2023, he signed with the Kansas City Royals but was traded to the Texas Rangers. He actually pitched well in October, allowing just 2 runs in 8 innings as the Rangers went on to win the World Series.

                                                  Two time...TWO TIME....Champion

Last year at age 36 he went 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves for the last place Pittsburgh Pirates. With Kenley Jansen running for the hills before the season ended, it was obvious he wasn't coming back in 2025. Signing Chapman to replace him makes sense, and it also saves money. Jansen made 16 million in 2024 and Chapman is making 10. If the Sox plan on fixing the team, they're going to have to do better than sign a 36 year old closer....but it's a start.