Photo: Philliedelphia/Kevin Durso
The rich got richer the yesterday when the Boston Red Sox landed free agent infielder Yoan Moncada. Moncada worked out for reportedly 10-12 teams, before agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox for a signing bonus around $30 million. The Red Sox will have to pay a 100% fine for exceeding their allocated international signing dollars. The move leaves many questions, including many asking, "NOW can the Red Sox acquire Cole Hamels?"
Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston pointed out that the Red Sox are so deep, where might Moncada play?
It remains to be seen where the Red Sox will play him. The Sox would appear to be set at second base, shortstop and third base with Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts and Pablo Sandoval, and the outfield is also crowded.
The Red Sox have many prospects and perhaps nowhere for Moncada to play.
The Red Sox break down this way, position-wise in terms of young talent or long-term deals:
Outfielders:
Hanley, Ramirez (four-year deal), Mookie Betts, Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley, Jr., possibly Allen Craig, Brock Holt
Third base:
Pablo Sandoval (four-year deal), Brock Holt
Shortstop:
Xander Boagerts
Second base:
Dustin Pedroia (seven-year deal)
First base:
Allen Craig (Mike Napoli has one year remaining), potentially Blake Swihart
Catcher:
Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart
Designated hitter:
After David Ortiz retires, could be any of the above
The Red Sox have plenty of depth even without considering Moncada. The Red Sox have discussed moving Blake Swihart to first base, which would take away the possibility of moving Pablo Sandoval there. Sandoval could replace Ortiz as designated hitter and Moncada could possibly play third base.
Either way, the Red Sox have some extra pieces. They seem particularly worried about trading either Swihart or Betts. Could that mood change now?
One Red Sox blog, Over the Monster, believes nothing has changed in terms of top prospects:
And they're right, absolutely. A Hamels trade is more likely today than it was yesterday, and it's because the Red Sox have added a top prospect to their system without adding to their payroll, at least not as it counts against the luxury tax threshold.
It's still probably not going to happen.
They write that the Red Sox will hold on to their top prospects, even though they would trade a larger quantity of those further on the list. The Red Sox have seven prospects on Baseball America's top 100 prospect list, even before Moncada undoubtedly is added to the list. But, the Phillies want quality.
The Red Sox have plenty to trade. If the Red Sox were willing to include Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart, the Phillies and Red Sox could have a deal tomorrow. But the Red Sox have even more depth than ever and could be more inclined to trade some prospects further down the list.
The teams who missed out on Moncada might be interested in Hamels. The Padres were reportedly one of the top bidders for Moncada, which could mean they have some money left. The signing of Moncada means that the bidding team has until July 15 to pay the 100% penalty in full. That means the Padres probably have the cash to pay Hamels' salary in 2015. However, the Phillies reportedly were not too fond of the Padres' prospects.
The Hamels saga continues.
