Chris Sale traded to Braves

[Old Red]

Yeah, with some kids, the more new toys they get, the more bored they get with them.

Especially rich kids.

[Bellhorn04]

I think that's the entire freaking point. Blame whoever you want to, but the Sox so-called brain trust seems to have lost its ability to make good decisions on which pitchers, especially starters, are worth acquiring/retaining and which are not.

As it has turned out this season, the key acquisition was Bailey, the pitching coach. Thanks to Bailey--or so we all believe--this is the best Sox pitching staff in a long time.

They got incredibly lucky when they chanced into Breslow, because I think Breslow is the one who landed Bailey.

[notin]

Incorrect. I rarely log in on the weekend.

You think you’re alone in nitpicking me?

Newsflash. You have competition…

[mvp 78]

You have competition…

What the hell?

[mvp 78]

They got incredibly lucky when they chanced into Breslow, because I think Breslow is the one who landed Bailey.

Yes on both counts.

[Maxbialystock]

Yeah, with some kids, the more new toys they get, the more bored they get with them.

Oh, stuff it. JH underwrote one the top payrolls in MLB every freaking season from 2003 to 2019, and in 2021 and 2022 it was 6th biggest. That's 2 freaking decades of "new toyism."

[Maxbialystock]

Yes on both counts.

Agree and would add that I think Breslow insisted the old pitching coach had to be replaced.

[Bellhorn04]

Oh, stuff it. JH underwrote one the top payrolls in MLB every freaking season from 2003 to 2019, and in 2021 and 2022 it was 6th biggest. That's 2 freaking decades of "new toyism."

Like I say, it's not his money. He gets rich off the fans, not vice versa.

He was a great owner until the moment he okayed trading Betts.

[mvp 78]

2020 - under CBT
2021 - under CBT
2022 - oops went over thanks to Bloom's JBJ trade
2023 - under CBT
2024 - probably under CBT

Two decades of dominance... no longer.

[mvp 78]

Like I say, it's not his money. He gets rich off the fans, not vice versa.

He was a great owner until the moment he okayed trading Betts.

Yes, dicking around with Lester was one thing. When you have a true franchise player like Betts, you do NOT let that guy walk out that door.

[Old Red]

And if Henry, Breslow, etc. thought Sale would be healthy, this deal didn’t happen. And neither does Giolito…

That may have been part of it, but I think the Braves came to the Red Sox as they had been interested in Sale before, and made an offer of a suspect at a position the Red Sox had a need for. Supposedly Bloom had offers for Sale, but wouldn’t agree. Brez wanted Gio, and couldn’t quite afford both, and made the deal.

[Old Red]

They got incredibly lucky when they chanced into Breslow, because I think Breslow is the one who landed Bailey.

I don’t know if getting Brez was lucky, but more like addition by subtraction.

[Old Red]

I think that's the entire freaking point. Blame whoever you want to, but the Sox so-called brain trust seems to have lost its ability to make good decisions on which pitchers, especially starters, are worth acquiring/retaining and which are not.

As it has turned out this season, the key acquisition was Bailey, the pitching coach. Thanks to Bailey--or so we all believe--this is the best Sox pitching staff in a long time.

If you are John Henry, you have to be wondering why year in and year out you spent a king's ransom of starting pitchers who didn't deliver.

And let's get real specific. This year's brain trust, including Breslow, all agreed it made sense to hand over $17M to the Braves for them to take Chris Sale off their hands. That alone is compelling evidence the Sox brain trust is consummately stupid and that the Braves brain trust knows what they are doing.

Agree with most, but I wouldn’t go so far on the brain trust. I’m not sold on Brez at all, but may change my mind in two weeks. Then again I might not. Watching that road very closely to see which direction they take.

[Maxbialystock]

Like I say, it's not his money. He gets rich off the fans, not vice versa.

He was a great owner until the moment he okayed trading Betts.

He was a great owner because he hired a good brain trust and underwrote--with on averaged among the highest payrolls in MLB--their recommendations. And he did that from 2002 through 2019. Plus the 2021 and 2022 payrolls were 6th highest in MLB. Those teams ended the 86 year drought and brought 4 WS titles.

As for trading Betts in 2019, the Sox already had the highest payroll in MLB and did not make the playoffs--with Mookie and a bunch of other presumably great and expensive players.

At the same time--say August 2019--DD had to tell John Henry, "boss, I know we already have the biggest payroll in MLB, but I need a whole bunch more to keep Mookie (the Dodgers want him bad and will big very high). Plus, sad to say, our two very pricey starters, Price and Sale, are out of action. We have to keep paying them tons of money, but we also need to spend a bunch more to get two new reliable starters."