PREAMBLE
I’m with Jim that Pedro Grifol needs to prove he can manage so I’m not helping him out with flashy free agents, not that any would sign anyway. Make the hot seat hotter in my opinion. Cut the payroll and show us what you got Pedro. Try in 2025 with a new manager. 2024 is not happening in any realistic case, especially with a rookie GM in charge.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Dylan Cease: $8.8M Tender
- Andrew Vaughn: $3.7M Tender
- Michael Kopech: $3.6M Tender
- Touki Toussaint: $1.7M Tender
- Trayce Thompson: $1.7M Non-Tender
- Garrett Crochet: $900K Tender
- Clint Frazier: $900K Non-Tender
- Matt Foster: $740K Non-Tender
CLUB OPTIONS
- Tim Anderson: $14M ($1M buyout) Pick it up, trade at deadline if he bounces back.
- Liam Hendriks: $15M ($15M buyout, paid $1.5M annually over next 10 years) Pick it up. The man beat cancer and will bring much needed levity to a crappy 2024 team. They signed him to this deal, rip the bandaid off all at once.
MUTUAL OPTIONS
- Mike Clevinger: $12M mutual option ($4 million buyout)- Buyout
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Yasmani Grandal (Made $18.25M in 2023)-Let go
- Elvis Andrus ($3M)-Let go
- Bryan Shaw ($720K)-Retain $2M
- José Ureña ($720K)-Let go
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Lucas Giolito (one year, $12M) Bring him back for a prove it deal, throw a mutual option in for a second year.
No. 2: Jack Flaherty (one year, $12M) High school teammates and coach reunite.
No. 3: Tony Kemp (two years, $9M) He always kills the Sox so bring him in. Will probably be horrible, but no worse than what we have.
No. 4: Austin Hedges (two years, $10M)
No. 5: Carlos Santana (one year, $9M)
TRADES
No. 1: Eloy to anywhere that wants to take him on for prospects.
ROTATION:
Cease ($8.8M)
Giolito ($12M)
Kopech ($3.6M)
Flaherty ($12M)
Toussaint ($1.7M)
BULLPEN:
Bummer ($5.5M)
Banks ($0.7M)
Crochet ($.9M)
Scholtens ($0.7M)
Santos ($0.7M)
Lambert ($0.7M)
Fujinami ($3M)
Shaw ($2M) Pitches every game and his arm falls off at seasons end.
Hendricks ($15M)
LINEUP:
C: Austin Hedges/Carlos Perez/Korey Lee ($5M/$0.7M/$0.7M)
1B: Andrew Vaughn ($3.7M)
2B: Tony Kemp ($4.5M)
SS: Tim Anderson ($14M)
3B: Yoan Moncada ($24.8M)
LF: Andrew Benintendi ($17.1M)
CF: Luis Robert Jr. ($12.5M)
RF: Gavin Sheets/Oscar Colas ($0.7M/$0.7M)
DH: Carlos Santana ($9M)
BENCH:
C: Korey Lee/Carlos Perez ($0.7M/$0.7M)
OF: Gavin Sheets/Oscar Colas ($0.7M/$0.7M)
UTIL: Zach Remillard/Lenyn Sosa ($0.7M/$0.7M)
Total Salary = $166M
SUMMARY: Run it back in 2024 with a few mediocre additions. Let Pedro fail again to make it clear change is needed. Maybe get some bounce back performances and sell at the deadline. Fire Pedro at years end and start over in 2025 when prospects are more ready.
