Coffee and Clippings: Why did Red Sox pay Yoan Moncada instead of Jon Lester?

Alex Speier (@alexspeier) of the Boston Globe talks about why the Red Sox paid Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada instead of Jon Lester…

A question hovered like a balloon in the wake of the Red Sox’ decision to commit $63 million to sign dazzling but unproven 19-year-old Yoan Moncada: If the team was willing to set the market for amateurs, why wasn’t it willing to do the same to address an area of glaring need by opening its wallet for an ace like Jon Lester?

Red Sox principal owner John Henry, who also owns the Globe, offered some insight into the matter on Tuesday. He noted risk is universal in big contracts, that players who are stars at one point may decline. The Red Sox are now at a point where they want to invest aggressively in baseball players, but they’re more eager to bet on young players with upside rather than hoping that free agents in their 30s resist decline.

Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) of the St. Louis-Post Dispatch writes that Oscar Taveras’ death could have lasting impact on the Cardinals’ lineup…

The shocking death of young Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras raised many questions, most centered around the more personal aspects of a horrendous tragedy.

An alcohol-fueled wreck on the highway killed Taveras and his passenger, girlfriend Edilia Arvelo. It is still a sad time for their families, and for the baseball fans in the Dominican Republic. The stirring of a new baseball season is unlikely to provide comfort in Oscar’s homeland.

Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) of the MLB.com talks about Klay Thompson’s brother, a White Sox prospect, who played golf with Daryl Boston…

It wasn’t exactly Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus, but in a golf matchup between White Sox No. 14 prospect Trayce Thompson and White Sox first-base coach Daryl Boston, Thompson was tantalizing close to getting a victory.

“If I would have beaten him, it would have made my year,” said Thompson with a laugh. “But I blew it.”

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