2011-2012 Offseason Thread

[mvp 78]

HAHAHA

Beware about bad-mouthing the FO here. The Pollyanna Police are watching you......

Hard to say that they are really THAT cheap any more, after spending all that money on Gonzalez and Crawford. Stupid, maybe, but not really overly cheap. The fact is that they do spend a ton of money. I wish they would spend a little more on Oswalt (again, only if we are already over the cap).

How do they rank among all the ML teams in terms of money spent on salaries? Pretty high, I think.

 

How do they rank in tv revenues and ticket prices? Just as high. More of a reason to open the purse strings.

[a700hitter]

"So I clearly was in the the right all along while all you other guys and gals are dickwad asshats."

 

That was what I was reading your underlying point as. If I was wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. (Some people can actually admit they don't know everything.)

You are very hostile today.

[iortiz]

I can't take credit for it: I think Paladios came up with it first.

 

Well, then Pal's idea is great

[Elktonnick]

Anyone wishing to see live competetive baseball the Australian League Championship is on the MLB TV network. Not bad. They annoucers said the Giants were watching yesterday's game and offered on the players a contract. Coup[le of former ML players are in the game.

[a700hitter]

I can't take credit for it: I think Paladios came up with it first.

I remember. I liked the idea than and I like it now. It would give the team a great deal of flexibility with the pitching situation and the potential to have a great bullpen. But it is all contingent upon getting Oswalt.

[mvp 78]

You are very hostile today.

 

Hostile? Never. There's no reason to be upset over a messageboard.

[FredLynn]

How do they rank in tv revenues and ticket prices? Just as high. More of a reason to open the purse strings.

 

OK. Talked me into it.

On Sawxheads I have been maybe the most vocal critic of the owners' penny pinching ways. After all, they are BILLIONAIRRES. If they know we need more starting pitching, that that is our major need this offseason, and they fail to address it pleading poverty, well, thats not a valid arguement. None of the ownership group is going to starve if they hire Oswalt for one season. And doing that could very well put us back in competition for a ring, if he can perform.

[a700hitter]

Hostile? Never. There's no reason to be upset over a messageboard.

Then you need to read what you right before you hit submit, because it some of it is coming off as hostile.

[mvp 78]

I agree with that. The Soxshould not function as a member of the Sister of the Poor. Are we talking about another $100M contract? Nope. A one year $10M deal isn't going to remotely kill their bottom line. Considering the sad 10-11 seasons, adding one more piece would have done a lot to generate goodwill with the fans.

[a700hitter]

I agree with that. The Soxshould not function as a member of the Sister of the Poor. Are we talking about another $100M contract? Nope. A one year $10M deal isn't going to remotely kill their bottom line. Considering the sad 10-11 seasons' date=' adding one more piece would have done a lot to generate goodwill with the fans.[/quote']Nevermind the goodwill. I believe that they still think they have plenty of goodwill, because the fans are still buying up tickets. This one acquisition would just make the whole pitching staff so much better. It would give us depth in the rotation and the bullpen.

[mvp 78]

Exactly. And ownership's favorite fan are the ticket scalpers. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to tout a sellout streak.

[iortiz]

Nevermind the goodwill. I believe that they still think they have plenty of goodwill' date=' because the fans are still buying up tickets. This one acquisition would just make the whole pitching staff so much better. It would give us depth in the rotation and the bullpen.[/quote']

 

They say that they feel comfortable with the current pitching staff.. Why I don't believe them. <_>

[a700hitter]

Exactly. And ownership's favorite fan are the ticket scalpers. Otherwise' date=' they wouldn't be able to tout a sellout streak.[/quote']Well, the other thing they do that is a really good business move, but it pisses me off is the Game Pax. If you want Sox tickets, you can get them, but you have to get them early. The Game Pax go on sale during the first week of December. They put up for sale about 8 Pax. Each Pax has 4 games, usually 1 good game, e.g. a Yankee, Interleague or weekend game. The other three games are either weekday games or a weekend game against an unpopular team. Yes, the tickets are available to the fans, but the cost of a game Pax can be prohibitive and if you can't use the tickets for a couple of the games, you, the fan are forced to sell them. It's a sly way to unload tickets for a lot of the unpopular games. I don't know if they have any underhanded arrangements with scalpers, but this Game Pax sales promotion turns the regular fan to Stubhub to get rid of unwanted tickets. I try to give mine to family or sell them to people I know for face value, so we don't have to get gouged for fees. I look to get back face value.

[User Name]

Food for thought:

 

Over the last few years, the Red Sox have sustained a payroll that is roughly 80% of the Yankees payroll while reportedly perceiving around half the revenue.

 

The 10 million wouldn't affect their bottom line, but the short-sighted part of this argument, is that most of the impact from the LT abuse will not be felt now, but later on.

 

That is, of course, assuming they're still under the lux tax. If they're over it, then this is just retarded.

[User Name]

Show me where is says he is our #4 SP. Everything I have read (and everything YOU have read too' date=' whether you wish to admit it or not) says that he will be given a chance to be a SP. The job is not his until he earns it. Now I think he will do fine in that capacity, but I do not view it as a "given" that the job is his. I also like him in the pen better than as a SP if we get Oswalt.[/quote']

 

"Every chance". To be a starter. AKA unless he implodes during ST, he will be a starter. Not rocket science.

[a700hitter]

We're still hearing garbage about Varitek and Wakefield' date=' but those predictions haven't come true. [/quote']These two guys are still in the news. Just as of today:

 

Both Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek have received interest from other teams, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the two are expected to decided between the Red Sox or retirement. Boston has extended minor league offers to both players.

 

They have been offered minor league contracts, so those were not unfounded rumors. But for the fact that Bobby V has more or less stated that neither of them will make the team, they would both be at Spring Training.

 

BTW: Check the Jet Blue Spring Training thread. Wake has been lurking around.

[iortiz]

Food for thought:

 

Over the last few years, the Red Sox have sustained a payroll that is roughly 80% of the Yankees payroll while reportedly perceiving around half the revenue.

 

The 10 million wouldn't affect their bottom line, but the short-sighted part of this argument, is that most of the impact from the LT abuse will not be felt now, but later on.

 

That is, of course, assuming they're still under the lux tax. If they're over it, then this is just retarded.

 

Agree 100%. As I said, I wouldn't like it but at least it would be consistent in the way they have been executing this offseason.

 

On the other hand, and even in a cheap mode, still they could use Ortiz money in order to bring a SP who was/is our major concern.

[a700hitter]

Agree 100%. As I said, I wouldn't like but at least it would be consistent in the way they have executed this offseason.

 

On the other hand and even in cheap mode, still they could use Ortiz money in order to bring a SP who was/is our major concern.

Lucchino most recently stated that they are over the cap.

[Station 13]

 

BTW: Check the Jet Blue Spring Training thread. Wake has been lurking around.

 

 

That has been removed from the original source.

[a700hitter]

 

That has been removed from the original source.

They update the column?:dunno:

[iortiz]

Lucchino most recently stated that they are over the cap.

 

Then... I just do not get it.... MVP and you would be right, 10 MUSD shouldn't affect the BL at all.

[Station 13]

They update the column?:dunno:

 

yup. :dunno:

[a700hitter]

Then... I just do not get it.... MVP and you would be right' date=' 10 MUSD shouldn't affect the BL at all.[/quote']As of yesterday:

 

Not surprisingly, Lucchino scoffed at recent criticism that the Sox have been too frugal this offseason: Now, this year, if you want to talk specifically about 2012, we will have the highest payroll in the history of the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Will we eclipse the luxury tax threshold? To be sure, we will — once again. So I think the talk of us not spending needs to be viewed in the context of real facts and in comparisons to real dollars.

[iortiz]

As of yesterday:

 

No more to say. You and MVP are right. I just do not get it...why in the hell did they release Scutaro?... (of course assuming that another SP won't land)

[a700hitter]

Marlins Make Offer To Yoenis Cespedes

By Zach Links [February 11 at 1:54pm CST]

 

Yoenis Cespedes met with Marlins brass this week and returned to the Domincan Republic with an offer worth roughly $40MM over six years, a source close to the negotiations told Eric Reynoso of Cafe Fuerte. Cespedes, according to the source, still doesn't have any immediate plans to meet with other teams.

 

Prior to meeting with Cespedes, Marlins president David Samson hinted that the club would make an offer to the Cuban outfielder. The interest seems mutual as Cespedes told reporters that he would like to play in Miami.

 

Also within the piece, Reynoso writes that utility player and fellow Cuban Adonis Garcia became a free agent on Thursday. Agent Carlos Perez says that he has fielded interest from six teams, though the Marlins are not among them. The 26-year-old, who has shown the ability to hit for power, spent this winter with the Magellan Navigators of the Venezuelan League

[seabeachfred]

You know Muggah, what's strange is that some of the people here actually agree with a lot of what we say, reluctantly sometimes, but they do. They just don't like the way we say it. We're too "brutal" according to one poster. Well perhaps we are a little more verbose than the garden variety poster around here but I can't see how anyone can be satisfied with the way things have gone this winter. After last year's miserable choke job we should have a better team heading down to Fort Myers than we did last season---and we don't.

 

What we do have is a better medical staff with that butcher Gill gone, a much much much better field manager than the bungler we finally got rid of, and hopefully a lot better luck in the health department. With 90% of things going right we might actually make a positive move, especially if Bard can measure up as a starter (questionable), Youk and Crawford make good comebacks (expected) and the rotation goes deeper in games. Since BV is not a pitch count moron like you remember who, that may be possible.

[seabeachfred]

Thats not the way it was worded. If thats not what he meant (muggah) or what you mean, then choose your words better. When I call someone an idiot, its deserved.....the original post was deserving.

 

 

Yeah, well I hate to break it to you, but I piss people off over here at times too because I am also critical of the Redsox......do you know why I do not post about it 50 times a day? Because nobody wants to hear it. Everyone around here knows what I think, there is no reason the say the same negative s*** over and over every single day.....and again, its not personal.....its the internet. You want to talk about thin skinned? You take the internet personal, thats thin skinned my friend.

 

 

If its not that important, then why do you keep responding? If everyone around here is "thin skinned" then why do you take the remark "idiot" about your boy from sawxheads so personal? Why do you take this forum personal?

 

 

Right, because you are the ones thinking that you are being attacked......hows that "thick skin" working out for you? Everything around here is personal to you guys. There is nothing wrong with an honest opinion....I actually share much of the same opinions some of you guys have. The problem is, everyone is sick of hearing the same s*** over and over.

 

On the actual topic, I hope to hell that Oswalt is coming to Boston......otherwise, they have some questions to answer about why their starting SS was traded. They said he was traded to make room for a pitcher.......so I hope that happens.

 

I'll let Muggah and Pumpsie answer the part of the thread that refers to them, but as for me, yes, I have a tendency to repeat things over and over again but if you read these posts you would know that it's because some simply want to disagree to be disagreeable, then when someone else posts something similar they then agree. I'm not going to accept that ********. If I am right say so and agree with me and if I'm wrong, say so AND TELL ME WHY I AM WRONG WITH SOME OPINIONS OF YOUR OWN. When that happens I'm pretty easy to disarm because I like a good argument where I can get some new insights on things. But to disagree just to be disagreeable? No, I won't stand for that.

[seabeachfred]

Some people urged patience and extolled Benny Boy's measured careful approach. They said it 's just Thanksgiving. No one is making major moves. Then it was' date=' it's only Christmas. There's plenty of time and plenty available options. Well,here we are at Truck Day, and we still don't have our pitching situation settled. We came into the off season needing 2 -3 pitchers at a minimum. We lost two pitchers-- Wheeler and Papelbon, and we picked up 2 pitchers Melancon and Bailey. We are still short. There are only a few days left. Oswalt is low hanging fruit. I am getting sick of the "he doesn't want to pitch in Boston" stories in the press. The guy is a professional without too many suitors. All the big boys are out of the hunt. They need to sign this guy. Time is getting damn short. This team is much thinner than the roster that collapsed last year. What are they thinking. Do they think Bobby V can use smoke and mirrors every 5th day? I'm not seeing the plan if they don't get Oswalt.[/quote']

 

My friend, you warned everyone of this months ago and were called on it. I remember because I was covering your back then as well. Now that you have been proven spot-on right, some of the posters who urged patience have been proven to be miserably wrong and are resentful to for your accuracy from the word go. I've seen this before somewhere else. I get tired of this Oswalt soap opera but if the Red Sox sweetened the pot to around nine of ten mil we might get the guy. Lucchino can play Pinnochio all he wants because I hold the guy in ill repute and don't believe a word he says about no limit on spending, but I would think many of you on this board should see through this mirage as well. That some of you still believe the tripe being dispensed by the FO only tells me, 700 and others that you will hold blind faith in the FO and be willing to go down with the ship.

[iortiz]

I like Yoenis, compa. A couple of friends have followed him and have said me that he has Crawford's potential... We'll see. MLB is another thing though. It is a lot more tougher.

[seabeachfred]

The problem is that he's taking his own conjecture as fact. This is not meant to insult you btw Fred, but it's the truth.

 

Even while trying to get rid of Tek and Wake they need to do it as gently as possible because of the PR hit it would entail.

 

User, you and MVP may not agree with this but if the Red Sox had just given the two of them an unconditional release from the Red Sox last fall we wouldn't be talking about this now. Being a free agent means nothing if there is a chance that these two are still going to be resigned. With them released they could have tried to hook on with another team and we would have had the problem solved, but as some of us predicted they would not get an offer from another team, neither one would and that has happened and now they are invited to ST. What if they do show up--which I think they will. You will have Varitek lobbying the pitchers for support and Wakefield taking time and innings away from pitchers begging for a chance to show what they can do. We saw what Wakefield can do last summer and if you or others forgot, I didn't. He was a total abomination, could pitch, couldn't field, couldn't move. Valentine must make it clear that he does not these guys there.