A Realistic View at 2019: Part I

[Ghost of the Bloody Sox]

Never say never - though I'd be surprised if the Sox really were going to do that.

 

If you've been reading here for a while you know that there's very little (any?) support here for signing Harper. For one thing it's too much money and for another we've got three guys in our outfield now who are better defensively than Harper.

 

Unfortunately the FO doesn't always listen to the posters on TalkSox so anything can happen.... but I'd bet against it.

 

I'd say the chances are less than zero. We already have a fairly talented right fielder named Betts we might need to open the wallet for.

 

Like I said I've noticed in my time lurking this is a very level headed board, I know there wasn't support here to make this signing. I was just bringing up that many Sox fans accounts that I follow on Twitter seemed like they not only thought Boston might just take a run at Harper, but seemed to be in favor of it. The whole idea made no sense to me and I stated such on Twitter, with the outfield Boston has and a great DH in JD why on earth drop a astronomical amount on imo such a streaky oft-injured player like Bryce Harper. It would come across to much like the Ellsbury contract NY gave out after Jacoby's best days were behind him (again imo) but imo (yet again) there isn't a player alive in any sport worth paying 400 mil.

[Ghost of the Bloody Sox]

[

I know hometown discounts are largely a dream of fans who care about the budget, but I'm wondering how much this magical season will play in the minds of Eovaldi, Pearce and maybe others. The way the team treated Eovaldi after the extra inning loss was pretty unforgettable. The bonds this team had with each other might play into some of the choices our free agents will make.

 

I just read the SI article on our World Series win. Here are some notable quotes and paraphrasing I found:

 

Cora has 119 fotos on his office wall- one for each win we had this year.

 

Brock Holt agrees with me, when he said, "Now we deserve to be known as the greatest Red Sox team of all time, and if you want to put us with some of the best overall, we'll take that. This team is special."

 

After the 18 inning loss, Price was the first to meet Eovaldi near the dugout,but the entire team was there. Price hugged him hard and patted his chest and back. Cora was next. It seemed like "he was the one who hit the walk off homer!" The article says, "Price never left [Eovaldi's] side. He joined him in the training room...He sat next to him on the bus back to the ...hotel. The next day, he even took adjoining soaks with Eovaldi in the hot and cold tubs."

 

"Nobody has ever done anything like that for me," Eovaldi says. "He's a great teammate."

 

Although Cora apparently "abhors" team meeting, he called one right after the 18 inning loss vs the Dodgers. Holt said of the meeting, that it was a "big reason why we won the next two games...the whole group played for each other and would do anything to help the team." Cora said to the team, "Listen up! We just played one of the greatest games in World Series history. Red Sox. Dodger. Dodger Stadium. World Series. And, the way you competed is something all of us should be proud of. This is a great team. This is a great game, and you guyss proved it tonight. And Nathan..."

 

Cora went on to praise Eovalid, and when he was done, the whole clubhouse erupted into a standing ovation. "There were tears," Holt says. Porcello was one of the ones crying.Then, "every Sox player, coach and staff member lined up to take turns hugging Eovaldi- not one of those quick good game bro hugs. I'm talking about a minute each," Porcello says. "What Nathan did was the epitome of what our team is about...We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings, but after that [meeting], it didn't feel like a loss, It felt like we won."

 

"A short while later, as Cora unwound [in his office], he looked up to see a line outside his office. There stood Price, Porcello and Sale...They told him they were all ready to pitch the next game."

 

At 8:30 the next morning, Eovaldi told Cora, "I'm good to go tonight."

 

Porcello said after the game that during the last week of the regular season, Porcello, Moreland, Price and Kinsler, who had all been to the World Series before and lost, "made a vow over 3, 4, 5, 13 beers," Porcello says, "we'd do everything to win it all this year. I can't hold back the tears. I apologize. This is....beautiful!""

 

The article also mentions how DD thought Eovaldo could be our "Charlie Morton" in the playoffs, when we traded for him.

 

It mentions how Cora did not think HRam would do well when not playing everyday, and that is why he suggested we cut him, when we added Pedey to the 25 man roster. "people said it was about money," said Cora, "but this it was a baseball move."

 

The article mentions Cora's interview for the manager's job, and how management felt he "aced" the whole interview, except for the question on how he'd handle "reducing a star''s playing time. He dismissed the problem as "no problem at all." He would simply put the best team on the field. Apparently, upper management felt he was being naive. A team source later said, "Well, I guess he did ace the entire test."

 

There's much more to the article, but it really left me feeling very warm inside about this team. They are the best I've ever seen, and again, I think Cora is the best Sox manager of all time.

I got emotional reading this, thank you for that.

[sk7326]

I know hometown discounts are largely a dream of fans who care about the budget, but I'm wondering how much this magical season will play in the minds of Eovaldi, Pearce and maybe others. The way the team treated Eovaldi after the extra inning loss was pretty unforgettable. The bonds this team had with each other might play into some of the choices our free agents will make.

 

I just read the SI article on our World Series win. Here are some notable quotes and paraphrasing I found:

 

Cora has 119 fotos on his office wall- one for each win we had this year.

 

Brock Holt agrees with me, when he said, "Now we deserve to be known as the greatest Red Sox team of all time, and if you want to put us with some of the best overall, we'll take that. This team is special."

 

After the 18 inning loss, Price was the first to meet Eovaldi near the dugout,but the entire team was there. Price hugged him hard and patted his chest and back. Cora was next. It seemed like "he was the one who hit the walk off homer!" The article says, "Price never left [Eovaldi's] side. He joined him in the training room...He sat next to him on the bus back to the ...hotel. The next day, he even took adjoining soaks with Eovaldi in the hot and cold tubs."

 

"Nobody has ever done anything like that for me," Eovaldi says. "He's a great teammate."

 

Although Cora apparently "abhors" team meeting, he called one right after the 18 inning loss vs the Dodgers. Holt said of the meeting, that it was a "big reason why we won the next two games...the whole group played for each other and would do anything to help the team." Cora said to the team, "Listen up! We just played one of the greatest games in World Series history. Red Sox. Dodger. Dodger Stadium. World Series. And, the way you competed is something all of us should be proud of. This is a great team. This is a great game, and you guyss proved it tonight. And Nathan..."

 

Cora went on to praise Eovalid, and when he was done, the whole clubhouse erupted into a standing ovation. "There were tears," Holt says. Porcello was one of the ones crying.Then, "every Sox player, coach and staff member lined up to take turns hugging Eovaldi- not one of those quick good game bro hugs. I'm talking about a minute each," Porcello says. "What Nathan did was the epitome of what our team is about...We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings, but after that [meeting], it didn't feel like a loss, It felt like we won."

 

"A short while later, as Cora unwound [in his office], he looked up to see a line outside his office. There stood Price, Porcello and Sale...They told him they were all ready to pitch the next game."

 

At 8:30 the next morning, Eovaldi told Cora, "I'm good to go tonight."

 

Porcello said after the game that during the last week of the regular season, Porcello, Moreland, Price and Kinsler, who had all been to the World Series before and lost, "made a vow over 3, 4, 5, 13 beers," Porcello says, "we'd do everything to win it all this year. I can't hold back the tears. I apologize. This is....beautiful!""

 

The article also mentions how DD thought Eovaldo could be our "Charlie Morton" in the playoffs, when we traded for him.

 

It mentions how Cora did not think HRam would do well when not playing everyday, and that is why he suggested we cut him, when we added Pedey to the 25 man roster. "people said it was about money," said Cora, "but this it was a baseball move."

 

The article mentions Cora's interview for the manager's job, and how management felt he "aced" the whole interview, except for the question on how he'd handle "reducing a star''s playing time. He dismissed the problem as "no problem at all." He would simply put the best team on the field. Apparently, upper management felt he was being naive. A team source later said, "Well, I guess he did ace the entire test."

 

There's much more to the article, but it really left me feeling very warm inside about this team. They are the best I've ever seen, and again, I think Cora is the best Sox manager of all time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is off to a good start.

[Kimmi]

LOL, just enjoying watching the Pats lose while still thinking of the Sox.

 

This is something that sounds like it should be against the law.

[Kimmi]

Just quibbling here, but it could be argued that the really sexy move before the 2011 season was trading for A-Gon. That was the one that got everyone excited because he represented the big power bat. And no one ever really questions that this was Theo's move.

 

I think the Crawford signing was more surprising than it was sexy. And Crawford was supposedly a much more complete player than A-Gon.

 

IMO the reason the Crawford signing gets picked on more than the A-Gon trade is simply that it was a more obvious bust.

 

That's a fair point about the AGon trade being a sexy move as well. As I said, sometimes the sexy moves and the baseball moves are one and the same. I thought trading for AGon was a good baseball move regardless of whether it was sexy or not.

 

Truth be told, I liked the Crawford addition. I did not like the contract, but I thought he would be a good player for us. Though at that time, I still believed in 'line up protection'. LOL That said, I also have some suspicions that signing Crawford was done in part to keep him away from the Yankees.

 

Signing Price was also a sexy move, though it was a good baseball move too. I think that move was more baseball oriented than sexy oriented, despite the contract.

[Kimmi]

[

I got emotional reading this, thank you for that.

 

I had read many of those comments before, shortly after the 18 inning game.

 

It gave me chills then, and it gave me chills reading about it again.

[moonslav59]

This team is really special. I can't help but feel Cora (and DD) was a big part of the clubhouse confidence and cohesiveness.

 

I got choked up reading the article.

 

What a great team!

 

I'm hopeful we can keep it going, at least another year. I'm more inclined to want Eovaldi back after reading the article. (I wanted him before reading, but felt the years would be too long.)

 

 

 

[S5Dewey]

 

I'm hopeful we can keep it going, at least another year.

 

[/b]

 

Me too, but aren't we getting greedy now? It wasn't that long ago when we'd have been happy with one ring. Now we're hoping for B2B! LOL

 

As I've said here before, perspective is everything!

[Dojji]

Me too, but aren't we getting greedy now? It wasn't that long ago when we'd have been happy with one ring. Now we're hoping for B2B! LOL

 

As I've said here before, perspective is everything!

 

That's how hope works. There's no reason we can't keep competing, this team has a very competitive shot next year, it's probably going to break camp as a favorite to win the AL East, and there's nothing stopping us from winning the crapshoot that is the playoffs again. Nothing guaranteeing it either, but hope doesn't care about odds, it cares about possibilities, and the Red Sox have one of the more favorable chances to win next year compared to the rest of the league.

[Slasher9]

I like the idea of having a 3rd catcher who can play other positions on the roster. That said, if Cora is not willing to play Swihart more often than he did this past season, it's probably in the team's best interest to go ahead and trade him.

 

this. there were stretches where literal cobwebs were forming on him.

[Bellhorn04]

this. There were stretches where literal cobwebs were forming on him.

 

lol

[moonslav59]

Me too, but aren't we getting greedy now? It wasn't that long ago when we'd have been happy with one ring. Now we're hoping for B2B! LOL

 

As I've said here before, perspective is everything!

 

For thirty plus years I used to say, "I'll take 10 last place finishes for just one ring!"

 

I don't feel that way anymore. I admit; I'm spoiled.

 

I really don't mind having a couple down years starting in 2020 or 2021... call it a cliff or whatever you want, but because of this ring, it will all be worth it.

 

That being said, how about another one in 2019 before the semi-rebuild begins?

[jacksonianmarch]

For thirty plus years I used to say, "I'll take 10 last place finishes for just one ring!"

 

I don't feel that way anymore. I admit; I'm spoiled.

 

I really don't mind having a couple down years starting in 2020 or 2021... call it a cliff or whatever you want, but because of this ring, it will all be worth it.

 

That being said, how about another one in 2019 before the semi-rebuild begins?

 

2019 is going to be a little less talent laden if you don't bring back Eo, Kimbrel and Kelly (which almost everyone doesn't expect the latter 2). But the 2019 team will be strong enough to likely enter the year as favorites or at the very least title contenders. Enjoy it.

[Nick]

This team is really special. I can't help but feel Cora (and DD) was a big part of the clubhouse confidence and cohesiveness.

 

I got choked up reading the article.

 

What a great team!

 

I'm hopeful we can keep it going, at least another year. I'm more inclined to want Eovaldi back after reading the article. (I wanted him before reading, but felt the years would be too long.)

 

 

 

 

I want us to sign both Eovaldi and Pearce. Bullpen will be manageable. Add reinforcement if needed in July.

 

I know I sound like broken record but Eovaldi signing is a hedge against losing both Porcello and Sale the following year.

 

Think also about another possibility with Eovaldi in the fold.

 

Assuming Wright comes back healthy, and both Hector and Brian continue to improve, I can see a scenario where one of them will occupy the fifth starting slot.

 

This group is all about the team and winning. I can see one of starters stepping in after the All Star break to become a closer. You may think it's stupid idea but who would have thought we'd use so much of our starting pitching out of the pen?

 

Big if but if Pedey comes back healthy and productive, it will solidify one of our weak spots. Young Devers will continue to improve. Christ, he's young. Leave him alone. Star in making.

 

We can build the next great team around Devers and Beni. Hopefully Dalbec, Groome, Chavis, Feltman, Shawarryn, and others will come through.

[harmony]

The Red Sox topped my Seattle Mariners in this ranking of farm systems:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/post-2018-farm-system-rankings/

[moonslav59]

2019 is going to be a little less talent laden if you don't bring back Eo, Kimbrel and Kelly (which almost everyone doesn't expect the latter 2). But the 2019 team will be strong enough to likely enter the year as favorites or at the very least title contenders. Enjoy it.

 

We may not be able to bring Eovaldi, Kimbrel, Pearce and Kelly back, but we should have enough budget space to fill those roles with capable players- enough to make us a top 4 contender.

 

2020 will be more difficult, and 2021 looks almost impossible to me, unless Henry spends way more.

[moonslav59]

I want us to sign both Eovaldi and Pearce. Bullpen will be manageable. Add reinforcement if needed in July.

 

I know I sound like broken record but Eovaldi signing is a hedge against losing both Porcello and Sale the following year.

 

Think also about another possibility with Eovaldi in the fold.

 

Assuming Wright comes back healthy, and both Hector and Brian continue to improve, I can see a scenario where one of them will occupy the fifth starting slot.

 

This group is all about the team and winning. I can see one of starters stepping in after the All Star break to become a closer. You may think it's stupid idea but who would have thought we'd use so much of our starting pitching out of the pen?

 

Big if but if Pedey comes back healthy and productive, it will solidify one of our weak spots. Young Devers will continue to improve. Christ, he's young. Leave him alone. Star in making.

 

We can build the next great team around Devers and Beni. Hopefully Dalbec, Groome, Chavis, Feltman, Shawarryn, and others will come through.

 

I want Eovaldi back, too, but he's older than Sale and Porcello and will be aging more when they reach free agency. A 4 year deal for him may really bite us in 2021.

[notin]

I want Eovaldi back, too, but he's older than Sale and Porcello and will be aging more when they reach free agency. A 4 year deal for him may really bite us in 2021.

 

Eovaldi isn’t older than Sale. He’s 11 months younger...

[Station 13]

The Red Sox topped my Seattle Mariners in this ranking of farm systems:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/post-2018-farm-system-rankings/

 

Red Sox world series Champions of Baseball. Seattle longest American pro sport club with playoff appearances drought.

[Station 13]

I want Eovaldi back, too, but he's older than Sale and Porcello and will be aging more when they reach free agency. A 4 year deal for him may really bite us in 2021.

 

Or it could be a steal. We need a high end performer if Sale walk, Eovaldi has high end stuff. Both has durable issues. Sale would command a monster deal to retain ($200M). I think bringing back eovaldi is a no brainer.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Station 13

[notin]

The Red Sox topped my Seattle Mariners in this ranking of farm systems:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/post-2018-farm-system-rankings/

 

Only one prospect in the entire MLB minor league system has a Future Value of 70. Something tells me his name rhymes with Glad Vuererro Jr...

[oldtimer]

Eovaldi isn’t older than Sale. He’s 11 months younger...

 

And because of Tommy John he has pitched a lot less innings.

[notin]

And because of Tommy John he has pitched a lot less innings.

 

Not really a selling point.

 

He also lacks Sale’s pedigree that includes 6 top six finishes in Cy Young voting, with an extremely likely 7th coming this year....

[sk7326]

I know hometown discounts are largely a dream of fans who care about the budget, but I'm wondering how much this magical season will play in the minds of Eovaldi, Pearce and maybe others. The way the team treated Eovaldi after the extra inning loss was pretty unforgettable. The bonds this team had with each other might play into some of the choices our free agents will make.

 

I just read the SI article on our World Series win. Here are some notable quotes and paraphrasing I found:

 

Cora has 119 fotos on his office wall- one for each win we had this year.

 

Brock Holt agrees with me, when he said, "Now we deserve to be known as the greatest Red Sox team of all time, and if you want to put us with some of the best overall, we'll take that. This team is special."

 

After the 18 inning loss, Price was the first to meet Eovaldi near the dugout,but the entire team was there. Price hugged him hard and patted his chest and back. Cora was next. It seemed like "he was the one who hit the walk off homer!" The article says, "Price never left [Eovaldi's] side. He joined him in the training room...He sat next to him on the bus back to the ...hotel. The next day, he even took adjoining soaks with Eovaldi in the hot and cold tubs."

 

"Nobody has ever done anything like that for me," Eovaldi says. "He's a great teammate."

 

Although Cora apparently "abhors" team meeting, he called one right after the 18 inning loss vs the Dodgers. Holt said of the meeting, that it was a "big reason why we won the next two games...the whole group played for each other and would do anything to help the team." Cora said to the team, "Listen up! We just played one of the greatest games in World Series history. Red Sox. Dodger. Dodger Stadium. World Series. And, the way you competed is something all of us should be proud of. This is a great team. This is a great game, and you guyss proved it tonight. And Nathan..."

 

Cora went on to praise Eovalid, and when he was done, the whole clubhouse erupted into a standing ovation. "There were tears," Holt says. Porcello was one of the ones crying.Then, "every Sox player, coach and staff member lined up to take turns hugging Eovaldi- not one of those quick good game bro hugs. I'm talking about a minute each," Porcello says. "What Nathan did was the epitome of what our team is about...We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings, but after that [meeting], it didn't feel like a loss, It felt like we won."

 

"A short while later, as Cora unwound [in his office], he looked up to see a line outside his office. There stood Price, Porcello and Sale...They told him they were all ready to pitch the next game."

 

At 8:30 the next morning, Eovaldi told Cora, "I'm good to go tonight."

 

Porcello said after the game that during the last week of the regular season, Porcello, Moreland, Price and Kinsler, who had all been to the World Series before and lost, "made a vow over 3, 4, 5, 13 beers," Porcello says, "we'd do everything to win it all this year. I can't hold back the tears. I apologize. This is....beautiful!""

 

The article also mentions how DD thought Eovaldo could be our "Charlie Morton" in the playoffs, when we traded for him.

 

It mentions how Cora did not think HRam would do well when not playing everyday, and that is why he suggested we cut him, when we added Pedey to the 25 man roster. "people said it was about money," said Cora, "but this it was a baseball move."

 

The article mentions Cora's interview for the manager's job, and how management felt he "aced" the whole interview, except for the question on how he'd handle "reducing a star''s playing time. He dismissed the problem as "no problem at all." He would simply put the best team on the field. Apparently, upper management felt he was being naive. A team source later said, "Well, I guess he did ace the entire test."

 

There's much more to the article, but it really left me feeling very warm inside about this team. They are the best I've ever seen, and again, I think Cora is the best Sox manager of all time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discounts are entirely possible - but not crazy ones. They might pick the Red Sox if they are not the #1 offer. But the Sox will have to at least be on the podium.

[oldtimer]

Not really a selling point.

 

He also lacks Sale’s pedigree that includes 6 top six finishes in Cy Young voting, with an extremely likely 7th coming this year....

 

I'm suggesting he has less wear and tear on him. Maybe he could produce for a few years. I'd take him ahead of what else we may get.

[Kimmi]

The Red Sox topped my Seattle Mariners in this ranking of farm systems:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/post-2018-farm-system-rankings/

 

Yeah baby!

 

The cliff is no more!

[Kimmi]

Yeah baby!

 

The cliff is no more!

 

Oops, my bad.

 

I forgot this was the 'realistic' thread.

[sk7326]

Yeah baby!

 

The cliff is no more!

 

What is educational is how 5 of the 12 playoff teams are among the bottom 10, while only 3 of them are in the top 10.

 

What is also interesting is that Baltimore and Kansas City are profoundly effed.

[Kimmi]

What is educational is how 5 of the 12 playoff teams are among the bottom 10, while only 3 of them are in the top 10.

 

What is also interesting is that Baltimore and Kansas City are profoundly effed.

 

So it is possible to build a WS contender (or even champion), without decimating the farm.

 

LOL about Baltimore and KC.

[harmony]

Red Sox world series Champions of Baseball. Seattle longest American pro sport club with playoff appearances drought.

It's safe to say each team generally attracts a different type of fan.