Very thorough, and I mostly agree. Just a few nits I'd like to pick.
Picking up Otero's option, let alone having him as a pre-emptive lock to make the team, is a bit outrageous to me.
Clippard has 100% earned a MLB contract with his performance this year.
McKenzie will start in AA, zero chance they back track him to Lynchburg after he's already pitched a large chunk of games for Akron.
This part isn't a nit-pick, just an opinion, but I don't think Bauers has an edge of Zimmer at all in the race to make the 25 man next year. If I had to guess, I think we'd head into next year with Mercado in left, Zimmer in center, and Naquin in right with Luplow and Allen off the bench.
I figured you weren't just nit-picking but having an honest discussion. This is a super early look so I'd rather have someone disagree to be honest.
I am personally leaning towards not keeping Otero, but I have a hunch the brass want to keep Otero and his price of 1.5 mil is better than the price of a reliever on the market. I just feel if they do pick up the option on him, he is a lock to start the season on the team because of the way he is in the club house as well. Sincerely I would rather go with Sandlin in his place in the bullpen, so I am going with Francona liking his veterans here.
Clippard on paper has earned a MLB contract, but at his age and the fact bullpen guys have not had a good time in free agency the last few years, he may not get a major league deal. His track record the last few seasons is a work horse of the pen with middle of the road ERA and FIP etc. Baseball logic says pay the man, but the market isn't in his favor, so the teams that would pay him probably aren't going to be contenders.
The reason why I stated McKenzie may start at A+ isnt because talent wise he shouldn't be at AA or higher, its because he has lost a full season. I am only looking at 2-3 starts area just like a rehab stint kind of thing, but if healthy, I plan on after that AA and if he is back to preforming well, getting to AAA by mid summer in a sense. Either way makes sense to me, so if he starts at AA then so be it, I don't mind being wrong here.
That OF honestly looks like a big open competition to me and that should be a good thing. We will have the best 4-5 OF guys coming out of spring training and talent that is badly itching to get on the team as well. It should be a very good mix of an OF, though Mercado I only like in CF, since he seems to do poorly still in the corners, but I am taking a guess at it to be honest. Any of the guys stated make sense.
@AZ_ I know its not a big deal, but I am pretty positive Plutko is out of options and with the other arms having I believe better talent than him overall, I don't see him making the roster next season. I personally feel Morgan can replace his production in a sense in the depth chart.