MLB 2016 - Red Sox

[bly08]

Starting a Red Sox game with MLB quicksave. Follow along for some fast gameplay and lots of screenshots. I sim most of my seasons with control of my lineups and staff.

Settings:
- Ratings Scale: 1-20
- Scouting: Average
- AI Evaluation: 25/40/25/10
- Trade: Hard/Heavily Favor Prospects
- Batter and pitcher aging speed: .310
- Batter and pitcher dev speed: 1.300
- Talent Change - 100
- Automatic League Evolution Disabled
- Complete Coaching Disabled
- Injury Frequency - Normal

The league settings are according to Spanish Lefty in the Annual Settings Thread and is said to portray most accurately modern day MLB. Trading is on heavily favor prospects because it keeps the league competitive for smaller teams.

[bly08]

First order of business: hire a new scouting director and dump the horrible contracts on the roster. Hanley and Panda both have to go. Rusney Castillo is a waste of space. David Price may be moved if an attractive enough offer comes up. I see no reason to keep KimbreI given how volatile and replaceable relievers are and how big his contract is. I love Uehara but he is over 40 and can serve as a good trade piece. The rest of the rotation are all replaceable. Clay is an injury time bomb with an expiring contract. Porcello is overpaid given his past performance. Joe "I'm gonna win the Cy Young" Kelly is a fifth starter at best. I wish Steven Wright is as good in the game as he is in reality but that's not the case.

I favor strong defense and strong pitching, which usually leads to small ball. The Sox currently have a defensive stud in Jackie Bradley Jr. who shall remain the starting CF for years to come barring some unholy decline in talent. Pedroia is the best 2B in baseball and certainly the best defensive 2B in baseball with a team friendly contract. Blake Swihart is a rising star with strong defense (in the game) and a plus plus bat. Our defense up the middle is set for the foreseeable future.

1B - The most attractive option is to call up Sam Travis and hope that his bat will be major league ready, another option is to move Travis Shaw to 1B, like in real life, and get a new 3B.

3B - Shaw does not have a great arm and has little experience playing 3B, hence getting a serviceable 3B will be one of the priorities.

LF - Would prefer a strong bat here, but defense is also important given Fenway and the green monster.

RF - Mookie currently has the job, but with a slightly above average arm, he'll never be a great defender, plus he's greedy and will demand a hefty contract once his arby years are over. He is moveable if the right offer comes up.

Brock Holt is the best utility man a manager can ask for, he can play every position and possibly become the starting LF if worst comes to worst. His best years will also be under team control. Papi is still one of the best hitters in the league despite his advanced age, barring injury, his option will be exercised for next year. It's also important to keep leaders like him around the clubhouse for both the fans and the younger guys.

Attached are screenshots of last year's stats.

[bly08]

The Red Sox farm is as good as any in baseball. Even having traded Margot in the Kimbrel trade, there's plenty of talent to go around, Capping it off is the Cuban wonder Yoan Moncada. He will be moved from 2B to 3B both because his defensive abilities begs for so and because that will allow him the quickest path to the majors. Andrew Benintendi is the new draft pick who's ripped through the Rookie and short A leagues and will possibly be ready for the show in less than two years if not for his lack of defensive ability at CF. He could possibly be moved to LF or become the DH when Papi retires...or a trade piece. Rafael Devers is a third baseman with a plus plus bat but again, questionable defense.

Then there's the bunch of promising but unsure pitchers in AAA, Henry Owens, Matt Barnes, Edwin Escobar, who are all on the cusp of the Majors but will have to prove themselves pitching out of the bullpen first. E-Rod Eduardo Rodriguez has shown he can more than handle major league pitching from his stint in the rotation last year but is currently on the 60 day DL. Anderson Espinoza, an international find who tore through the gulf leagues is the unknown but highly projectable Sox pitching prospect who just made the Baseball America top prospects list this year. His fastball is already great, but he needs to develop his other pitches in order to have any future as a Major League starter.

[bly08]

The team was blown up on the first day of the season with 7 trades. If we're tanking, we're gonna make sure the whole ship sinks.




Trade 1: Boston to LA Angels

LF Hanley Ramirez
SP Rick Porcello
3B Pablo Sandoval
OF Rusney Castillo
OF Allen Craig

For

OF Craig Gentry
C Taylor Ward
RP Mike Morin
SP Tyler Skaggs

That's $350 million off the books in a single trade. I would've gave away those guys for free, but the Angels were kind enough to offer some pieces in return. We got a good catching prospect in Ward, but he'll be blocked by Swihart and will thus become another trade chip. Gentry is a solid backup OF with good defense. Skaggs has shown promise in the past and could end up an end of rotation guy. Morin is a young reliever with solid stuff.

Trade 2: Boston to Texas

2B Dustin Pedroia
CF Chris B. Young

For

2B Jurickson Profar
3B Joey Gallo
RF Nomar Mazara

Yes, the fans will be angry, but there's not much to debate here with the value we got in return. Texas offered a package of three of their top prospects even though they have Odor at 2B already. I almost felt bad but hey, the trade difficulty is on hard. Profar has sat out an entire season in the past with injury, but when healthy, is one of the best young infielders in the league. Gallo has legendary power, but his future rests on if he can hit for average, strikeouts are not a concern. Mazara is the one of the best RF prospects in baseball, he'll hopefully be ready in a year.

Trade 3: Boston To Philadelphia

CF Andrew Benintendi
C Taylor Ward
RP Junichi Tazawa
SP Henry Owens
SP Joe Kelly
35th Round Draft Pick

For

SS J.P. Crawford

Crawford is one of the best shortstop prospects in baseball. He gives us more option in the infield. If for whatever reason, Bogaerts's glove falters, we can move him to third and use Crawford as the future shortstop. I hate not having a top defensive infield. We gave up Henry Owens, who may or may not have had a future in the rotation, but there are plenty of other options down at AAA.

Trade 4: Boston to Washington

SP David Price
C Ryan Hannigan
C Carlos Pulido
RP Marco Alcantara
RP Daniel Zandona

For

SP Lucas Giolito
SS Trea Turner
SP A. Cole
LF Michael A. Taylor

David Price's contract is too scary. I shopped him around and this is was the most value I could get in return. Giolito is a top 3 pitching prospect. His third pitch is lagging behind a little and he has control issues, but if everything pans out, he'll be an ace for years to come. Trea Turner is a great shortstop prospect who we have no need for. Cole has four good pitches and can potentially break the rotation this season. Taylor is speedy OF with a great glove and some pop, if he can hit .250, he'll be the starting LF.

Trade 5: Boston To Arizona

RF Mookie Betts
RP Roenis Elias

For

SP Shelby Miller
RP Silvino Bracho

This was the most difficult trade to make, but in the end, we need an ace more than we need Mookie. Mazara will be ready soon and our rotation has been gutted. Shelby Miller was the best pitcher I could get for Mookie. He should anchor the rotation for years to come. Bracho is another piece for the bullpen.

Trade 6: Boston to Toronto

DH David Ortiz
RP Koji Uehara
SP Steven Wright
CL Craig Kimbrel
C Roldani Baldwin
5th Round Draft Pick

For

SP Aaron Sanchez
SP Marcus Stroman
1B Rowdy Tellez

Sorry Boston fans, this had to be done. We have no need for Papi and Uehara given how hard we're going to tank. Kimbrel was included because I don't believe in paying $10 million+ for relievers. In return, we get two young arms for the rotation and young prospect at 1B.

Trade 7: Boston to Miami

SP Clay Buchholz
SP Robbie Ross Jr.
SS Trea Turner
SP Anderson Espinoza
C Samuel Miranda

For

SP Jose Berrios
LF Max Kepler

Time to trade away the last of what we knew as the Red Sox. Clay has an expiring contract and is hurt for half a season every season. Espinoza was one of our better prospects but he looks more like a future reliever. In return, we get another stud pitching prospect and a LF who's ready this season.

[yazfan67]

Do you just hate the Red Sox or are you trying to rebuild from scratch? If this was real life and knowing us Boston fans, you would thrown from the top of the Pru or they would impale you on the Citgo sign.

[yazfan67]

The only thing I agree with is getting the Panda off the books.

[bly08]

2016

Needless to say, the first season wasn't pretty. With only three major league ready starters on opening day, I hurried to the FA pool and signed journeymen Mark Buerhle and Josh Johnson. Jason Frasor was added to the bullpen.

Rotation:

RHP Shelby Miller
RHP Marcus Stroman
RHP Aaron Sanchez
LHP Mark Buehrle
RHP Josh Johnson

Bullpen:

Mike Morin
Matt Barnes
Jason Frasor
Brian Johnson
Silvino Bracho
Tommy Layne

Eduardo Rodriguez and Carson Smith finished their rehab stints around June. E-Rod replaced Buerhle in the rotation. The 37 year old was sporting a 7 ERA at the time and still refused demotion. He was let go. The staff performed as expected with a makeshift defense behind them. The young guys did okay, Josh Johnson not as much.

With no right fielder on opening day, I signed Alex Rios to fill the spot for the season.

By June, Travis Shaw had proved himself incapable of fielding at Third. I didn't need someone that made my pitchers look even worse. The Marlins wanted nothing to do with veteran Martin Prado's expiring contract and I happily took him for a song, specifically backup catcher Dan Butler and a minor league reliever. Prado played solid defense for a few months, and seeing that Joey Gallo hovered near the Mendoza line in AAA, I gave Prado a one year extension.

Lineup:

C: Blake Swihart/Christian Vazquez
1B: Travis Shaw
2B: Brock Holt
SS: Xander Bogaerts
3B: Martin Prado
LF: Max Kepler
CF: Jackie Bradly Jr.
RF: Alex Rios
DH: Sam Travis

With the season long lost even before July, I decided to make one more trade:



A.J. Cole was progressing slower than I'd hoped, and with J.P. Crawford tearing through the minors, it was Bogaerts's turn to say goodbye. After all, how much angrier could Boston fans get? They'll forget everything once things turn around. I shopped Bogaerts for more pitching and was offered the most valuable commodity in baseball - a true ace under team control. With all the prospects we had stashed away, this rotation could be the best in baseball very soon. Gray was in Cy Young form at mid-season. I quickly extended his contract into his 5th year for $8 million per, thereby avoiding arbitration.

Crawford, Gallo, and Profar were called up in August, Giolito pitched for a few weeks in July due to injuries in the rotation. I wanted to keep everyone in the minors for one more year, but they were ready and I didn't want them to rot. Gallo had already accrued service time with Texas, and Profar played two seasons before his year out. We had been lucky with injuries for most of the season, but in September Aaron Sanchez succumbed to shoulder inflammation and would be out for 8 months. Giolito took his spot in the rotation.

Surprise surprise, we went on a hot streak to end the season. It was too little too late, but there was a lot to be hopeful for next year. The team finished at exactly .500. Not bad for a tank.

The eventual champions were the Yankees.

[bly08]

Originally Posted by yazfan67

Do you just hate the Red Sox or are you trying to rebuild from scratch? If this was real life and knowing us Boston fans, you would thrown from the top of the Pru or they would impale you on the Citgo sign.

The second. I'm trying to win a championship as soon as possible and this was the way.

[bly08]

2016 Offseason

Sonny Gray wins the Cy Young!

Signings:

Aroldis Chapman - Closer - 4 years/$8mil per with opt-out after first year
Matt Belisle - Reliever
Greg Holland - Reliever
Matt Moore - Reliever
Cam Bedrosian - Reliever
Josh Reddick - Right Fielder to replace Alex Rios - $4mil
Chang-keun Choi - 22 yr. International 2B, minor league contract, high potential.
Seisaburo Kimura - 30 yr. International slugger.

I struck gold with Kimura, he looked like the next Sadaharu Oh:



I had to fend off a few teams but ended up signing him to a 7 year/$84 million deal, with the last two years as team options. Not bad for a potential all-star. He would play 3B or DH depending on his defense.

Spring training went okay except for Shelby Miller getting hurt for two months. But it wasn't a big deal since I had plenty of able starters. On opening day I traded away Prado for John Jaso to serve as backup 1B. The plan was to start Gallo at third and Shaw at first.

Opening Day Roster

Rotation:

Sonny Gray
Marcus Stroman
Eduardo Rodriguez
Edwin Escobar
Lucas Giolito

Bullpen:

Aroldis Chapman
Mike Morin
Greg Holland
Cam Bedrosian
Matt Barnes
Silvino Bracho

Lineup:

C: Christian Vazquez
C: Blake Swihart
1B: Travis Shaw
2B: Jurickson Profar
SS: J.P. Crawford
3B: Joey Gallo
LF: Michael A. Taylor
CF: Jackie Bradly Jr.
RF: Josh Reddick
DH: Seisaburo Kimura
UTL: Deven Marrero
UTL: Sam Travis
UTL: Peter Bourjos

Mazara and Berrios would get called up around the time of the draft to get an extra year out of them.

[bly08]

2017

The team got off to a great start and were first place in June. Sonny Gray took a while to hit his stride. The rest of the rotation made up for it. Aaron Sanchez returned from the disabled list with his injury history downgraded to "fragile." Meanwhile Jose Berrios was knocking on the doors of the big leagues by the time the draft hit. Mazara and Tellez were crushing AAA pitching..I needed to make room.

Travis Shaw was traded to St. Louis for Tony Zych, a fireball reliever.

and



SP Aaron Sanchez
SP Edwin Escobar
1B John Jaso

For

CF Daz Cameron

A spot had to be made in the rotation for Shelby Miller's return. I got a young CF with a decent bat and great defense as security for JBJr.

The future was here. I called up Tellez to replace Shaw at 1B, Mazara to replace Reddick at RF, and Berrios to replace Sanchez. Eduardo Rodriguez would move to the bullpen.

Crawford was on pace for a 7 WAR season, playing spectacular defense and getting on base. Profar was right behind him with his projected 5 WAR. The Japanese slugger Seisaburo "Hightlight Reel" Kimura lived up to his nickname and then some, leading the league in most offensive categories at midseason. Gallo's power was coming along but he couldn't stay above .250. His defense and OBP made up for it.

The Red Sox would lead the AL East for the rest of the year. The rotation became the best in baseball after All-Stars. Sonny Gray remained at his Cy Young level. Stroman improved upon his numbers from last year. Shelby Miller got lit up for a few starts after returning from rehab but eventually rebounded. Giolito was on a pitch count limit and did pretty well except for occasional control issues. Berrios, perhaps the best of the bunch, started hot and never looked back. From the time he was called up to end of the season he was the best pitcher in baseball.

We finished the regular season 107-55, leading the second place and defending champs Yankees by 25 games.

[GoPedro99]

Damn. That was quick

[bly08]

2017 Postseason

The Red Sox were headed to the playoffs as the best team in baseball. With a 1-2-3-4 punch of Sonny Gray, Jose Berrios, Marcus Stroman, and Lucas Giolito, and an offense driven by sluggers Joey Gallo and Seisaburo "Highlight Reel" Kimura, rookies J.P. Crawford and Nomar Mazara, and team leader Jurickson Profar, the team was the favorite to advance to the World Series provided their inexperience did not hinder them.

The division series was a breeze. The team made quick work of the Indians 3-1.

The ALCS proved more difficult. We dropped the first two games with a stalling offense. Things were looking down, until Joey Gallo smashed four HRs in the next four games and willed the Red Sox to a 4-2 series comeback.



We made it to the World Series!

The Los Angeles Dodgers stood on the other side behind their aces Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood. Their rotation was equal to ours. In Game 1, Sonny Gray outlasted Kershaw over eight innings in a pitcher's duel that would go down in Boston lore. The tone was set for the rest of the series.



The Red Sox would steamroll their way four games to one to claim their ninth World Series Title, and second in four years.

[bly08]

2017 Offseason

It was a season to be savored. We won it all despite having missed the playoffs the year prior, kinda like the last time. We also did it with the 5th lowest payroll in baseball.

Overview:

Looking at the salaries, the two longest contracts are Stroman and Shelby Miller's. Stroman had a terrific year and looks to be improving. Miller came off a shoulder injury early last season and was mediocre for a while. His K/BB had improved, however, so no worries yet. The team's priority is to lock up Sonny Gray to a team-friendly contract. Giolito and Berrios are still on their rookie deals.

Chapman will opt out of his contract, the clause was an oversight, forgot to cancel it when I offered the deal. The bullpen currently has six solid arms in Zych, Holland, Morin, Smith, Barnes, and Rodriguez as the long reliever. If there's a good deal to be made in free agency then I may pick up one or two more for backup.

The catcher position is not a big concern but a little underwhelming. Swihart fell in a long slump last year and ended the second half as the backup catcher and finished with a 0.3 WAR. Vazquez has great defense but a below average bat.

At DH, Kimura is one of the best hitters in the league and will hopefully remain so until the end of his deal.

1B Tellez put up decent power numbers in limited time last season, his power seems to have filled out, but he doesn't draw walks and had a .960 EFF at 1B.

2B Profar and SS Crawford will be cornerstones for years to come.

3B Gallo had a great postseason and a decent regular season. He hit .230 and struck out 185 times in 130 games, but it was his first full season. He also played good defense.

Taylor had a bumpy year at LF, great defense but terrible offense. He will need to improve his hitting to remain the full-time left fielder. JBJr. succumbed to an 8 months long shoulder injury near the end of the regular season. Daz Cameron had to be called up a little early than I'd liked, but he looks capable of becoming the everyday CF, that is if JBJr. never recovers to his previous standard, in which case JBJr. will be moved faster than I'm writing these dynasty reports given his big contract. Nomar Mazara is the future all-star RF with a 4 WAR season in 100 games.

Farm:

Despite having called up most of the team's top prospects, the Sox still have one or two guys who could make an impact in the near future. Moncada's ratings indicate he's ML ready, but he hit .250 in AAA last season and was blocked by Gallo at 3B. He may be moved in the upcoming year if Gallo keeps performing. Devers will play in AAA next year, his eye and contact need work. Nicholos Hamilton has turned into a 5 star potential CF according to my scout. He will start next year at advanced A. I drafted about 20 SPs with four pitches or three good pitches from the past two year's drafts, hopefully at least a couple will work out. There are also a pair of power hitting catchers in rookie league signed from international free agency.

Awards:

Jose Berrios won the Cy Young on just 24 starts!

Arbitration and Free Agency:

Swihart got a standard arbitration deal.

The headliners in this year's FA are Tyson Ross, 30 years old and coming off of a 4.6 WAR season, and Chapman, who saved 40 games for us last season and is now demanding $20 million, glad I gave him a qualifying offer. No real interesting prospects, might get a few relievers left over in spring. We have $140 million available. Some of that will go into extensions for Gray and Profar. And the rest will be saved for Bryce Harper I guess.

[bly08]

2018

Offseason Transactons:

RP Koji Uehara - 1 year/$2.2 million
RP Craig Kimbrel - 3 years/$36 million, 3rd year team option

Acquired RP Aaron Barrett from the Washington Nationals for RP Cam Bedrosian

Signed Sonny Gray to a one year deal worth $12 million, last year before FA

Getting Koji and Kimbrel is a nice reunion that boosts fan interest. Kimbrel's deal is usually more than what I feel comfortable paying relievers but he's still one of the best and I have too much unspent money. The trade was one reliever who made too much for another about to hit arbitration.

Opening Day Roster:

[jvjc1233]

I still won't forgive you for trading away Papi

[bly08]

2018 Midseason

Transactions:

Signed Jurickson to a very team friendly deal
Released Koji Uehara - He fell off a cliff and refused demotion
Signed international amateur RHP Angel Trejo for $9.4 million

Acquired 1B Paul GoldSchmidt, CF Marcus Wilson, CF Peterson Piaz from the Arizona Diamondbacks for 3B Yoan Moncada, SP Trey Ball

Acquired SP Peter Lambert from the Colorado Rockies for 1B Rowdy Tellez, 2B Chang-Keun Choi, and LF Juan Barriento

Moncada was doing too well in AAA and it would've been unfair to keep him there. His defense is worse than Gallo's so he had no shot at 3B. Tellez has been the same as last year, can't draw walks, subpar defense, lots of power, pretty much a worse version of my two other sluggers. He was flipped for a pitching prospect.

Major Injuries:

Michael A. Taylor - Out for the season with a torn labrum
Lucas Giolito - Out for two months with herniated disc

Performance:

We built up a double digit lead over the Yankees in the AL East by July. The rotation was on fire prior to Giolito's injury. Shelby Miller looked a little bothered by his shoulder injury from last season, but still pitched well enough for a #4 starter. The bullpen was terrific. Kimbrel blew a few saves but the setup guys were unhittable. On offense, everyone carried over their numbers from last year. Mazara's power numbers declined slightly. Gallo still couldn't hit for average. Kimura raked with a 170 OPS+. I saw an opportunity to get Goldschmidt and took it. His contract was running out and the Dbacks were rebuilding. Tellez was good, but not the 1B I had in mind for the next ten years. Goldschmidt was that guy, great hitter, great makeup, never got hurt. I had faith that Gallo would improve and hold down 3B so Moncada was expendable.

[bly08]

2018 Part II

We won 100 games and finished 1st. Daz Cameron and JBJr. would alternate stints on the DL. The rest of the lineup would remain healthy. Gallo was becoming a monster even with his .230 average. Mazara finished the year strong, as did Goldschmidt. Kimura was once again a top 3 hitter in the league. The rotation proved itself the best in baseball again. Berrios put up insane numbers even with a pitch limit. Shelby Miller would rebound from his first half. Giolitlo pitched decently after coming back from rehab.

[bly08]

2018 Postseason

We made quick work of the Yankees and Astros to advance to the World Series. Berrios and Gallo were terrific. The Dodgers would be our opponent once again. This time it wouldn't be as easy. Behind Kershaw and Corey Seager, the Dodgers would take the series to game 7. Berrios dominated the entire series and would do so one more time in the decider. He outdueled Hyun-jin Ryu with a complete game shutout en route to a WS MVP performance. There was no question that in two short years, the 24 year old had become the best pitcher baseball. The Red Sox repeated as world champions. John Henry was pleased and the fans were ecstatic.

[bly08]

2018 Offseason

Transactions:

Extensions:

SP Sonny Gray - 9 year/$265 Million
SS J.P. Crawford - 8 year/$72 Million
1B Paul Goldschmidt - 8 year/$192 Million

Signings:

OF Bryce Harper - 9 year/$317 Million
SS Vince Serrano - 3 year/$14 Million
RP Mark Melancon - 1 year/$5.7 Million
RP Huston Street - 2 year/$8.5 Million
RP Kyle Hansen - 1 year/$761K

The goal was to keep the team together. The core was coming out of their arbitration years and it was time to spend. Sonny Gray, Crawford, and Goldschmidt were given long term deals. Goldschmidt's was perhaps the most risky since the deal would end when he's 39. Bryce Harper was the prize of this year's free agency. We locked him up early without having to go through a bidding war. The money represents a huge investment, but he's young and had just come off of a 11 WAR season, so I was confident that we underpaid even with the $300 million. The opening day roster was the same as last season's except Bryce Harper would start at LF over Michael A. Taylor. JBJr. was declining quickly as I had feared, and would be replaced by Daz Cameron. It was perhaps time to get JBJr.'s contract off the books, but we'll wait and see. The staff was the same, except Sonny Gray got hurt for 2 months during spring straining. Matt Barnes would take his spot in the rotation.

[bly08]

2019

We were once again the best team in the AL East in July. There were some causes for concern, however. Goldschmidt was in a long slump JBJr. and Daz Cameron both continued their frequent trips to the 15 day DL. Both Swihart and Vazquez at catcher were barely replacement level hitters. Worst of all, Bryce Harper would miss the entire season with a broken kneecap.

On the bright side, Joey Gallo finally learned how to hit for average and was becoming an all-star 3B, athough his defense had declined. Berrios was pitching at Pedro Martinez circa 2000 level and was the AL triple crown leader. Sonny Gray remained on the DL. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well in his absence. Giolito and Miller both had control issues.

The Red Sox finished the season winning 102 games, 2 more than last year. Sonny Gray was on fire since returning from the DL. Even without Harper, we were poised for another strong postseason run.

We beat the Indians in seven games to win the ALCS. Our third straight World Series appearance was against the Cubs. There would be no three-peat, however, as the Cubs slaughtered us 4-1. Our offense never showed up.