Red Sox and Cubs make smart moves this winter

[Rog]

Technically, today is the first day of winter.  But it's seemed like winter since ... the end of the World Series.

Two teams with an abundance of young position players have already made some exciting moves this "winter."

The Red Sox have made three significant moves this winter and just got rid of eight figures of salary in an effort to stay under the salary cap, er luxury tax threshold.  

Their biggest move was acquiring Chris Sale, likely among the top five starters in the game.  The Red Sox were able to do so because they an abundance of young talent, including Yoan Moncada, considered by many the top prospect in baseball today, and Michael Kopech, one of the game's top pitching prospects.

They also picked up Milwaukee Brewers' closer Tyler Thornburg.  Thornburg is slated to be the primary set up man for incumbent closer Craig Kimbrel.  Kimbrel has been one of the most effective closers this decade, but the past two seasons he has posted ERA's of 2.58 and 3.40, easily the highest of his career.  He's still been an effective closer these past two years tough, registering 70 saves in 76 attempts.  Still, Thornburg provides valuable insurance against injury or erosion and is under team control for three years.

A lesser move was signing Mitch Moreland as a free agent.  Moreland has battled injuries, but he's considered a fine defensive first baseman and has a .778 career OPS against right-handers.  He provides a nice complement to Hanley Ramirez, likely moving Ramirez to designated hitter, where his weak glove won't cost runs.

Three moves of significance, and then the trade yesterday to get back under the threshold.  Pitcher Clay Buckholtz and his $13.5 million 2017 salary went for a prospect.  Buchholtz went a phenomenal 12-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 16 starts in 2013, but has been ravaged by arm problems since.  The Sox still list six starting pitchers, headed up, of course, by Sale.

After trading starting third baseman Travis Shaw in the Thornburg deal, the Red Sox are relying on Pablo Sandoval to take his place.  Pablo is said to have slimmed down significantly this winter, and can hit right-handers and field when his weight is under control.  The Sox have both a left-handed hitter and a righty to back up Pablo.

The Sox gave up a ton in young players this winter, but clearly they're going for it, adding three players of significance, including as good an ace as any team has, aside from the Dodgers.

Then there are the World Champion Cubs.  Already loaded, they traded fourth outfielder Jorge Soler to the Royals for closer Wade Davis while adding free agent center fielder Jon Jay to give them backup to former #6 overall pick Albert Almora in center field.

The Cubs' moves were less dramatic than the Red Sox, but they acquired a top notch replacement for departed closer Aroldis Chapman, who himself replaced injured closer and now set up man Hector Rondon.  Jay provides a lefty-hitting complement to the switch hitting Almora.  With Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Almora and Jay, the Cubs still have plenty of outfield depth despite the trade of Soler.  Their rotation isn't as strong as their position players, but it has enough depth that they allowed 15-game winner Jason Hammell to become a free agent in a move designed to help them stay under the "cap."

The Cubs are the reigning World Champions, and most consider the Red Sox to be their biggest threat in the American League.  Both teams took advantage of their depth of young players to make key moves this winter.  If everything  goes right for the Giants and they find a left fielder, they could approach that class.

[Rog]

A team going the opposite direction from the Cubs and Red Sox who have fared exceptionally well in a rebuilding effort is the White Sox. In trades this winter for Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton, the Pale Hose (as they're called in the Windy City) have netted what are now their #1, #2, #3, #5, #7 and #10 prospects. I have seen Kopech, now rated as the #5 prospect for the White Sox, as the #31 prospect in the major leagues. Not to mention Moncada and Lucas Giolito, two of the many prospects acquired in the trade, ranked #1 and #3 overall.

The Sox gave up an outstanding pitcher in Sale and a strong two-way outfielder in Eaton, but they restocked the cupboard to the extent that Old Mother Hubbard can retire there in extreme luxury. The Sox went from one of baseball's weakest prospect lists to its strongest. That's how you rebuild in a HURRY.

The formula for success is to develop or acquire stars and surround them with good players. The White Sox are acquiring the stars, and they might acquire more surrounding players. They still have several good trading pieces. It will likely be a few years down the line, but the White Sox could make Chicago the city with the best team in either league. The Sox of the other color have fine young players STARTING for them, so they could have something serious to say about that.

The Red Sox are going for it NOW. The White Sox are going for it later. Seems like solid strategy from both clubs.

[Rog]

The advantage the Cubs and Red Sox had over the Giants here is that they had excellent young prospects, while the Giants don't have nearly the full cupboard. If we're going to criticize the Giants' brass, perhaps it should be for not drafting and developing good enough players since it did a fabulous job with Lincecum, Bumgarner and Posey in 2006 through 2008 in taking advantage of high picks.

It's not that the Giants are beyond reproach in their player acquisition. It's more that if we're going to criticize, we should do so based on facts, reality and perspective.