Mo Pena switching sox colors?

by SouthpawsLaundry on May 14, 2007 8:53 PM CDT Comment 32 comments

It seems as if the Red Sox are going to try and deal Willy Mo Pena, as his trade value is rapidly declining because of his ability (or lack thereof) to play the outfield. He comes relatively cheap at 3 mill and is locked up for next year. He could fill in for Thome until he comes back, and platoon in left field (if we can stand Lee in the outfield, Pena isnt that much worse). He is known for only making nice with latin players, and not only do we have those, but we have a latin coach. Anyone think we'll take a shot at him?

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Unless he starts putting up a higher OBP...

We have more than enough swing-for-the-fences type hitters on our team. I like the power potential but he looks like he is going to be Sosa without the roids. High SLG but low AVG and OBP.

by SSH2005 on May 14, 2007 9:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

301

he hit 301 last year in a limited role, why couldnt he hit 280 in chicago, in a role where he wouldn't have to worry about defense, and wouldn't be protecting Ortiz and Ramirez?

Bucky v Southpaw

by SouthpawsLaundry on May 14, 2007 10:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

meh

Pena's .315 career OBP is ugly, and in a perfect world the Sox don't need a backup DH. Erstad should be at first, and Konerko should be filling Frank's ass dent on a clubhouse couch. There's no need for another stop-gap solution with Sweeney, Anderson, and Fields looking for experience.

by Paxson Jackson on May 15, 2007 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He has some solid slugging numbers...

but Thome will not be out much longer and Pena can't play center. Who would we send down/trade to get him on the roster? Can't get Thome and Pena and a backup CF on the same roster.

by CatBrains on May 15, 2007 8:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Willy Mo Pena

I would want him just because he has the best name in baseball.

by ChicagoPete on May 15, 2007 9:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I prefer...

both Milton Bradley and Coco Crisp with Coco Crisp being my favorite name in the majors. Hard to top a sugar soaked kid's cereal for a name.

I thought Cleveland had it right when they were both on the team, and I thought they should have gone for Mienksnewitz, Torrealba, and Grudsielanek (far to lazy to look up the spellings) as well as any other funky names out there. Hell, they even had Pronk - but that was before Pronk was Pronk, I think.

Breaking up Bradley and Crisp two ensures that the Indians never deserve to win a World Series! ;)

GO SOX!

by rhythm on May 15, 2007 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

pena

pena is still young, looking at his overall numbers is like looking at brian anderson's overall numbers. he hit 301 with 20 homers while getting 350 abs. he'd have a similar role here, he's very inexpensive, and we wouldn't have to give up very much.

Bucky v Southpaw

by SouthpawsLaundry on May 15, 2007 11:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i'm puzzled

why there's so much resistance to this. willy mo would be a marked improvement over just about everyone we have in the outfield. yeah, he's basically an average player but, in the land of below average players, the average player is king.

as for who we would dump, is that even a question? luis terrero anyone?

and as for not being able to play center, seems like he'd do a roughly adequate job. we've got a guy in center who bats just above .100 against lefties. willy mo hits lefties just fine. thus, whatever we may lose in defense seems like it would be picked up in offense.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also...

Ryan Sweeney is perfectly capable of playing center field, as far as I know.

I'm terrible at determining trade value, though, so I'm not sure what the Red Sox would want in return. I would think quite a bit.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on May 15, 2007 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well

the idea (or, more specifically, what ozzie would actually do) is play pena against lefties - and sweeney doesn't really hit lefties.

they may want lots but i'm not sure they'd get it at this point - doesn't really seem to be an outfield market as of yet. the problem may be that pretty much what we have is pitching and they don't really have a great need for it. their pen has been fantastic and we don't really have an expendable starter who could entice them, even with beckett out and tavarez sucking.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

why bother?

The marked improvement might just be Willy bending to Boston's offensive philosophy, and who's to say Ozzie and Walker won't let Willy Mo go back to his old swing and miss strategy or just have him bunt? It depends on what Boston needs (what are they looking for anyway?), but I'd like to see Kenny hold on to tradeables for a better player.

by Paxson Jackson on May 15, 2007 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

what exactly are our "tradeables"

that you claim could get a better player? we're not going to trade a gio or fields or sweeney. we don't have anything that could get a better player. this sort of player is our ceiling.

pena hit about the same in cincy so i'm not sure what this "bending to boston's offensive philosophy" gobbledygook means. his value is in his slugging, not batting average.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it isn't gobbledygook

Epstein & Co. value OBP, and Willy's jumped nearly .050 in his first season with Boston. I couldn't care less about his batting average. I retract any marked improvement statements because his best year was in 2004 with the Reds. I thought we were discussing Willy getting on base instead of being an out.

I have no idea who Kenny wants to shop, with the exception of Anderson probably on the way out. I just don't see the wisdom of acquiring another junky outfielder at the expense of any prospects.

by Paxson Jackson on May 15, 2007 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm looking at OPS

his value isn't hitting or getting on base. as mentioned above, he's sosa sans the 'roids.

i'm not sure how you can retract "marked improvement." he is a marked improvement over what we have right now. it's ridiculous to argue otherwise. mack is right around 50 OPS. erstad is at 80 or something and is probably in negative territory when against lefties. ozuna is at 36. and let's not kid ourselves that this is just these guys "not hitting" and they'll "come around." these guys - even at their best - are not as good as pena. period.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I misread your original

"marked improvement" comment, and please stop trying to read my mind. Of course he's an upgrade, but he isn't a player I want to see in a Sox uni the next few seasons. I want some foresight out of Kenny, dammit! It would be a great trade if the Sox could unload Podsednik, but he's hurt. I don't like the idea of Ozzie handling another outfielder either.

by Paxson Jackson on May 15, 2007 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i have to try to read your mind

if you're misunderstanding thing.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You argued that Todd Walker would cost something.

So what do you think Pena would cost us? For an average player (like you stated), he wouldn't be worth the cost in prospect(s). I would love to have him if he cost us only Nick Masset or something like that but I just don't see it happening.

by SSH2005 on May 15, 2007 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not sure i said walker would cost something

just that we couldn't get him for free until he clears waivers. i wouldn't be surprised if some team paid the waiver fee to get walker.

as is our problem with most teams, i'm not sure we're a good match for the bosox. their pitching is very solid and that's what we pretty much have to offer. honestly, the bosox are an all-around solid team (as their record indicates) so i'm not even sure they'd want major league talent for him. and we don't have much depth in our system. i could see the sox becoming desperate if, as pointed out above, taverez continues to suck (he will) and beckett continues to have blister trouble. we could maybe package together some pitching then - but you know another team could provide more major league ready starters than we could.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the reason I wouldn't mind dealing Masset...

is not because he got rocked recently but because he is nothing like Kenny advertised.

"Masset's velocity is just a tick lower than Jenks'."

My ass. Masset walks far too many batters and strikes out too few with his supposed great stuff.

by SSH2005 on May 15, 2007 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't been that impressed...

with Nick Masset. I'm still not sure why he was handed a job at the beginning of Spring Training. I suppose he's okay as a long reliever/innings eater, but I don't see whatever the Sox see in him, and I'm still not sure why he got a job over Charlie Haeger.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on May 15, 2007 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

haeger is getting lit up in charlotte

flip a coin between them. masset's just is a mop up guy so who cares? at any rate, if haeger isn't going to start here, i'd much rather he was starting in charlotte. he just needs to get lots of innings to develop that knuckler and he wouldn't have gotten that here, obviously.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, maybe not Haeger then...

but someone else. I was more confused as to why Masset had seemingly won a job before a single pitch was thrown in Spring Training.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on May 15, 2007 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

who then?

not like we're sitting on a bunch of relief talent in the minors. the sox have floyd and haeger pencilled in as starters of the future. they apparently don't think of masset that way so send him to the pen. again, on a team like ours with starters who go deep routinely, who really cares who the last guy in the pen is? our pen doesn't get stretched (especially now that we've got 7 relievers).

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess it doesn't...

really matter, but I guess I just don't see what the organization sees in Masset.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on May 15, 2007 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not sure i do either

didn't know all that much about him to begin with, other than that he supposedly had good stuff but no control. we've seen the latter but not really the former. i can't say i'm seeing a future with our organization.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haeger

Isn't a good option ofr the pen, IMO. The lack of control limits the situation he can be used in. And he hasn't pitched well this season at all.

That being said, Masset doesn't have nearly the stuff he was touted as having. He has 92 MPH fastball and 3 other pitches has has no control over. I'm really tired of players coming to the Sox or up from the minors and losing velocity. Masset was supposed to sit at 94 - 96 MPH and that's just not the case.

by hitlesswonder on May 15, 2007 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

the problem with velocity

may be the switch to reliever. he may not have worked up the strength to reach that velocity. control, of course, has always been an issue for masset.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 15, 2007 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd be happy

With Pena in LF this season and going forward. I'd rather have him than a player like Crisp. The question, as always, comes down to what the Sox would have to give up. I don't think he'd be cheap at all. If Boston wants prospects I think they'd ask for Gonzalez and Fields. And I wouldn't do that.

by hitlesswonder on May 15, 2007 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

as much as I like his name

I don't see how adding another 4th/5th outfielder is going to make much of a difference. What we need is for Konerko and JD to get their shit together.

by ChicagoPete on May 15, 2007 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

price of WMP

ESPN insider rumor blog says the red sox have been shopping him all year and no one has been offering. It is reported that a small market team such as san diego or oakland has made some offers, but if any team steps up with a decent offer the red sox would love to deal him.

Bucky v Southpaw

by SouthpawsLaundry on May 15, 2007 3:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs