What do the Red Sox need to do to make the playoffs?

[jung]

I think the Sox will try to replace Beckett as well. I think they will move him and try to bring in a true 1 for the rotation. I would be willing to bet that doing it in FA will turn his $17 into something closer to $20 by the time it gets done. I could be wrong but the cost of pitching is escalating at such a clip that I just have to believe that a replacement for him will cost more than he is costing.

[2004 ALCS]

Are you sure about these numbers? I count 107m for just:

 

Beckett (17)

Buchholz (7.95)

Crawford (21.11)

Gonzalez (21.86)

Lackey (15.95)

Lester (13)

Pedroia (10.25)

 

That doesn't include any of the guys who will be at Arb (current salary, so project it higher):

 

Aceves (1.2 + Arb3)

Atchison (Arb1)

Aviles (1.2 + Arb3)

Bailey (3.9 + Arb3)

Bard (1.6 + Arb3)

Miller (1 + Arb3)

Morales (.8 + Arb3)

 

I suspect that will put them much closer to 130, before filling any spots.

 

I stated that the Red Sox currently had $95 million committed to 2014, hence why the figure would not include team options they haven't activated (Lester) or arbitration offers they haven't made (the rest).

[jung]

Well V has always been the one guy in the entire Sox organization that you could claim without question truly cared about the Sox prospects for the 2012 season. He has tried to bring players up that he thought would help him win this year and he has tried to use the assets he has to do just that.

 

Tonight the look on V's face not in his presser but in the dugout at game end spoke volumes. I think he is now staring directly into the abyss and the pit truly does look bottomless.

 

I believe it likely that regardless of the chances of success that V is going to try to force this "team" to finally look at itself honestly and recognize that "we have met the enemy and it is us".

 

Although on the other hand (boy I have never been this conflicted before) there is the chance that what we are seeing from this team is a caricature of the baseball V wants them to play. V shuns the sacrifice and in fact hates it. Maybe he is actually telling them to just go up to the plate...."see the ball, hit the ball". I suppose I have to deal with the possibility of that being the case, that he is actually not asking more of this team than that. I doubt it though because they are a caricature, they are an exaggeration of something.

 

I hope that is not the case because if that is true, if they are playing the game the way V has asked them to play, then this team has left V with nowhere to go. What could he do at this point. Say, sorry fellas' it looks like maybe you guys took me to literally or maybe I thought you all were better hitters than you are but this is not working.

 

This looks more like the remains of last year's debacle finally reaching rock bottom in the form of a completely independent group of players that don't play baseball as a team at all.

 

I don't know what to make of this. They don't look like they dislike each other. So why would they set themselves up for the kind of collapse and resultant criticism that they are destined for at this rate? Why would you do that? I rarely agree with the radio talking heads but the one thing they have been saying the past few weeks that I do agree with is that the fans are not really blaming V as much as they are blaming the players for this mess.

 

Anyway I think V has one shot if this door is still open to him. He has to force the players to confront what they have become. That is not going to be easy because what they have become is not a very pretty picture. If he can force them to see that they are eating themselves from within, maybe they will snap out of it. If he can prove to them that they are putting themselves in positions where their very careers may not recover, that might work. They might be. The kind of failure we are seeing here may be the kind of failure that imprints certain players for the rest of their careers.

 

Anyway, they have got to start to play as a team. If they play on Sunday like this is a getaway game...and just pack it in, then there is nothing left to hope for this season. They are done and dusted.

[SCM33]

Well V has always been the one guy in the entire Sox organization that you could claim without question truly cared about the Sox prospects for the 2012 season. He has tried to bring players up that he thought would help him win this year and he has tried to use the assets he has to do just that.

 

Tonight the look on V's face not in his presser but in the dugout at game end spoke volumes. I think he is now staring directly into the abyss and the pit truly does look bottomless.

 

I believe it likely that regardless of the chances of success that V is going to try to force this "team" to finally look at itself honestly and recognize that "we have met the enemy and it is us".

 

Although on the other hand (boy I have never been this conflicted before) there is the chance that what we are seeing from this team is a caricature of the baseball V wants them to play. V shuns the sacrifice and in fact hates it. Maybe he is actually telling them to just go up to the plate...."see the ball, hit the ball". I suppose I have to deal with the possibility of that being the case, that he is actually not asking more of this team than that. I doubt it though because they are a caricature, they are an exaggeration of something.

 

I hope that is not the case because if that is true, if they are playing the game the way V has asked them to play, then this team has left V with nowhere to go. What could he do at this point. Say, sorry fellas' it looks like maybe you guys took me to literally or maybe I thought you all were better hitters than you are but this is not working.

 

This looks more like the remains of last year's debacle finally reaching rock bottom in the form of a completely independent group of players that don't play baseball as a team at all.

 

I don't know what to make of this. They don't look like they dislike each other. So why would they set themselves up for the kind of collapse and resultant criticism that they are destined for at this rate? Why would you do that? I rarely agree with the radio talking heads but the one thing they have been saying the past few weeks that I do agree with is that the fans are not really blaming V as much as they are blaming the players for this mess.

 

Anyway I think V has one shot if this door is still open to him. He has to force the players to confront what they have become. That is not going to be easy because what they have become is not a very pretty picture. If he can force them to see that they are eating themselves from within, maybe they will snap out of it. If he can prove to them that they are putting themselves in positions where their very careers may not recover, that might work. They might be. The kind of failure we are seeing here may be the kind of failure that imprints certain players for the rest of their careers.

 

Anyway, they have got to start to play as a team. If they play on Sunday like this is a getaway game...and just pack it in, then there is nothing left to hope for this season. They are done and dusted.

 

 

I dont understand why people keep going back and forth with it.

 

They aren't very good, its ok for people to admit it. They have been .500 over the last CALENDER year.

 

Stop worrying about a 5th playoff spot. They have no shot at winning anything, and settling for the 5th playoff spot is pathetic. Boy have our expectations changed around here.

 

Play the kids, trade the guys we can deal in 10 days....and lets see what we have to work with next year. Starting guys like Cook over Morales is ridiculous and extremely short sighted.

[jung]

They may be trying to save Morales arm for next season though. He must be on an innings limit.

[a700hitter]

From this point on, the Sox have to play .626 ball to get just to 90 wins. I don't see it happening. This team doesn't have what it takes to play with that consistency.

[example1]

I dont understand why people keep going back and forth with it.

 

They aren't very good, its ok for people to admit it. They have been .500 over the last CALENDER year.

 

Stop worrying about a 5th playoff spot. They have no shot at winning anything, and settling for the 5th playoff spot is pathetic. Boy have our expectations changed around here.

 

Play the kids, trade the guys we can deal in 10 days....and lets see what we have to work with next year. Starting guys like Cook over Morales is ridiculous and extremely short sighted.

 

This is an over simplification, isn't it? They have the best offense in baseball by some measures, and have some pitchers who, when on, can be very good. They also have a very solid bullpen and very good defense. To simply say they aren't good seems to miss the forest for the trees. Their starting pitching is awful and there seems to be a culture around the team that perpetuates extreme streakyness.

 

It's like the Philadelphia Eagles or something.... on paper the team is really good, by history they are really good. In some areas they are really good. But on the field, not so much.

[jung]

Unfortunately, I think that long before the entire season is done, this edition of the Sox will have wiped out any and all possible illusions of goodness that its fans might hold for it. It seems to be its one unifying, all encompassing goal!

[wyo-sox]

Well V has always been the one guy in the entire Sox organization that you could claim without question truly cared about the Sox prospects for the 2012 season. He has tried to bring players up that he thought would help him win this year and he has tried to use the assets he has to do just that.

 

Tonight the look on V's face not in his presser but in the dugout at game end spoke volumes. I think he is now staring directly into the abyss and the pit truly does look bottomless.

 

I believe it likely that regardless of the chances of success that V is going to try to force this "team" to finally look at itself honestly and recognize that "we have met the enemy and it is us".

 

Although on the other hand (boy I have never been this conflicted before) there is the chance that what we are seeing from this team is a caricature of the baseball V wants them to play. V shuns the sacrifice and in fact hates it. Maybe he is actually telling them to just go up to the plate...."see the ball, hit the ball". I suppose I have to deal with the possibility of that being the case, that he is actually not asking more of this team than that. I doubt it though because they are a caricature, they are an exaggeration of something.

 

I hope that is not the case because if that is true, if they are playing the game the way V has asked them to play, then this team has left V with nowhere to go. What could he do at this point. Say, sorry fellas' it looks like maybe you guys took me to literally or maybe I thought you all were better hitters than you are but this is not working.

 

This looks more like the remains of last year's debacle finally reaching rock bottom in the form of a completely independent group of players that don't play baseball as a team at all.

 

I don't know what to make of this. They don't look like they dislike each other. So why would they set themselves up for the kind of collapse and resultant criticism that they are destined for at this rate? Why would you do that? I rarely agree with the radio talking heads but the one thing they have been saying the past few weeks that I do agree with is that the fans are not really blaming V as much as they are blaming the players for this mess.

 

Anyway I think V has one shot if this door is still open to him. He has to force the players to confront what they have become. That is not going to be easy because what they have become is not a very pretty picture. If he can force them to see that they are eating themselves from within, maybe they will snap out of it. If he can prove to them that they are putting themselves in positions where their very careers may not recover, that might work. They might be. The kind of failure we are seeing here may be the kind of failure that imprints certain players for the rest of their careers.

 

Anyway, they have got to start to play as a team. If they play on Sunday like this is a getaway game...and just pack it in, then there is nothing left to hope for this season. They are done and dusted.

 

I think V is letting everyone have their own way. His bosses told him who his coaches would be. The fans and media crucified him for calling out Youkilis when he was playing like crap. His players say things like ''Thats not how we do it in Boston''. I'm sure he is letting everyone do things their way as the results are as they have been for a while now.

[SoxSport]

I think they have to do something "bold", but Silverman at the Herald doesn't think so--if you read his column this morning. He does say they need another starter--but that would be very "bold" for this management.

[SoxSport]

I think V is letting everyone have their own way. His bosses told him who his coaches would be. The fans and media crucified him for calling out Youkilis when he was playing like crap. His players say things like ''Thats not how we do it in Boston''. I'm sure he is letting everyone do things their way as the results are as they have been for a while now.

 

V's biggest mistake was mouthing off to the media about one of his players. The media response of Pedey was also out of line, and hinted the players were running the asylum--which may be the underlying problem. It's not a very disciplined team.

[SoxSport]

From this point on' date=' the Sox have to play .626 ball to get just to 90 wins. I don't see it happening. This team doesn't have what it takes to play with that consistency.[/quote']

 

 

I see this team as having a lot of internal problems. I don't think they're going anywhere until LL/Henry corrects those problems.