If you'd been GM since mid-2013 ...

[BillyWilliams]

We all like to play GM, and criticize or praise moves when they occur, so here's my honest assessment of what the Red Sox would look like now, if I'd been GM since the middle of the 2013 season.

 

Starting rotation

SP Chris Sale - I thought this trade was genius, and I can only hope I would have thought to make it as well.

SP Max Scherzer - I wanted the Sox to go hard after him when he hit free agency.

SP Jon Lester - I would have never let him go.

SP Brian Johnson

SP Rich Hill - I would have held onto him as well.

SP Hector Velazquez (depth)

SP Steven Wright (DL)

SP Jalen Beeks (AAA, depth)

 

Note that I never traded Lester, so I never acquired Cespedes and I never flipped him for Porcello. I didn't need to sign Price because I already had Scherzer.

 

Outfield

LF JD Martinez - Another great signing I fully supported!

CF Andrew Benitendi

RF Nelson Cruz - The same offseason as Scherzer I would have signed him

CF JBJ (depth)

 

Infield

3B Xander Bogaerts - I'm pretty sure I would have kept him at 3rd like he was in 2013.

SS Jose Iglesias - I never moved him to Detroit.

2B Mookie Betts - I kept Mookie a second baseman.

1B Travis Shaw - I kept Travis Shaw as a first baseman.

Utility Brock Holt

Utility Marco Hernandez

 

Catcher/DH

C - Blake Swihart

C - Christian Vazquez

DH - Dustin Pedroia (to preserve his knees; maybe he wouldn't be on the DL now?)

 

Note that Cruz or JD play DH when JBJ plays center.

 

Relief pitching I won't go into, except that I kept Andrew Miller and praised the trade for Craig Kimbrel.

 

I think it's a comparable team to what they have now, but we'll never know

 

Okay, your turn!

 

Where is Trout, Kershaw, Verlander and Baumgardner?

[Spudboy]

This statement needs a little elaboration. When you say 'bigger', what do you mean?

 

My guess is Kimmi was referring to a player with the ability to make a bigger impact and at greater expense.

 

I see Shoop went to the Brewers. He is having a downish year but he would have been a good long-term replacement for the cooked Pedroia.

[a700hitter]

My guess is Kimmi was referring to a player with the ability to make a bigger impact and at greater expense.

 

I see Shoop went to the Brewers. He is having a downish year but he would have been a good long-term replacement for the cooked Pedroia.

DD was interested in Schoop, but the price was too high.

[Spudboy]

I wasn't really big on signing Scherzer, but losing Lester hurts. That said, I would not have tried to outbid the Cubs for him. But if that situation had been handled correctly, it never would have gotten to that point.

 

Boom.

 

The Sox screwed that pooch big time.

[Kimmi]

This statement needs a little elaboration. When you say 'bigger', what do you mean?

 

Let me preface what I'm going to say with the fact that I don't know what other moves Dombrowski tried to make that just didn't work out. I also don't know which players might have been available.

 

1. If we are over the highest tax limit anyway, why not make other moves (where we take on salary for the remainder of the year rather than give up prospects) that might have a greater impact? Beltre comes to mind. Relief pitchers? A #2/3 starting pitcher?

 

2. I don't know how far over we are, but I don't think it makes any sense to go over the highest tax limit for someone like Kinsler. That is nothing against Kinsler, and he does improve our team, but is he worth going over the next limit for? Not in my opinion.

 

I was fine with the team the way it was before any trades were made. As much as I like the players that Dombrowski acquired, I would have rather not gotten them and stayed under the threshold.

[Kimmi]

My guess is Kimmi was referring to a player with the ability to make a bigger impact and at greater expense.

 

I see Shoop went to the Brewers. He is having a downish year but he would have been a good long-term replacement for the cooked Pedroia.

 

Correct. Bigger impact. The greater expense, in terms of dollars, doesn't mean that much if you're going over anyway.

[Bellhorn04]

Let me preface what I'm going to say with the fact that I don't know what other moves Dombrowski tried to make that just didn't work out. I also don't know which players might have been available.

 

1. If we are over the highest tax limit anyway, why not make other moves (where we take on salary for the remainder of the year rather than give up prospects) that might have a greater impact? Beltre comes to mind. Relief pitchers? A #2/3 starting pitcher?

 

I would agree, but I would guess that in most cases prospects were being asked for.

 

With Beltre, there was a story about this on MLBTR and that the Red Sox did have some talks with the Rangers about him, that his no-trade clause might be an issue etc.

[Kimmi]

I would agree, but I would guess that in most cases prospects were being asked for.

 

With Beltre, there was a story about this on MLBTR and that the Red Sox did have some talks with the Rangers about him, that his no-trade clause might be an issue etc.

 

I think you are probably right about the prospects.

 

As far as Beltre goes, do you think that he wouldn't have waived his no trade to come back to Boston for a WS chase?

[Bellhorn04]

I think you are probably right about the prospects.

 

As far as Beltre goes, do you think that he wouldn't have waived his no trade to come back to Boston for a WS chase?

 

I think he would have, yes-if he was guaranteed to be the everyday third baseman.

[kenmeister]

Where is Trout, Kershaw, Verlander and Baumgardner?

 

Yes very funny. We really were lucky that Sale and Kimbrel were on the trading block and our minors were at the time stocked with the talent to get them. Trout, Kershaw, and Bumgarner were never made available as far as I know.

 

Now Justin Verlander, what a stroke of genius by the Houston GM. I admit I didn't realize how much he'd return to form.