Red Sox sign Steve Pearce

[notin]

Spot on.

 

We only see the tax limitations. The owners are more worried about bigger financial lines. If they are profitable and wining, they don't care if we go over the tax threshold.

 

It’s weird how many people think Henry doesn’t mind paying taxes as long as the baseball team is good. Sure he’s making more money, which he needs to do to pay off those taxes.

 

But then rich people like paying taxes. That’s why the Republican Party went extinct.

 

Oh wait...

[moonslav59]

Yes, but in your example, how much of the $80M is tax, and how much is actual payroll?

 

$40M tax and $40M contract cost in the year you do not re-set.

 

It's still an $80M savings in this scenario where there is never any taxes for going over the $40M line. It would be worse, if the team went over the $40M line, and of course, less if the team doesn't go $40M over every year.

 

Is an $80M savings worth having one season where you spend $40M less than the norm and maybe not be highly competitive? That's the big question.

 

Remember, that one reset year (2021), the team can still spend $210M, and in theory should still be pretty good.

 

[Bellhorn04]

$40M tax and $40M contract cost in the year you do not re-set.

 

It's still an $80M savings in this scenario where there is never any taxes for going over the $40M line. It would be worse, if the team went over the $40M line, and of course, less if the team doesn't go $40M over every year.

 

Is an $80M savings worth having one season where you spend $40M less than the norm and maybe not be highly competitive? That's the big question.

 

Remember, that one reset year (2021), the team can still spend $210M, and in theory should still be pretty good.

 

 

Right, but cutting payroll is cutting payroll. It's a whole separate thing from the tax saving on the re-set.

[Kimmi]

Nice. Once again, DD does not screw around. And such a reasonable deal. Hometown discount?

 

I think it's a hometown discount in terms of years. I was pretty sure Pearce would get a 2 year deal.

 

So far this offseason, Dombrowski is 2 for 2, extending Cora and re-signing Pearce.

[Kimmi]

Sooo excited! Pearce is my favorite player on the team now.

 

The fact that Pearce obviously wanted to be back with the Sox and probably left a 2nd contract year on the table gives me a whole new respect for the guy.

 

Good for him.

[Kimmi]

H

 

Even Pearce fears The Cliff...

 

Ha.

[Kimmi]

One thing I'd be careful about, as a fan. Steve Pearce played well above his career ability last year and he'll be 36 this year. I don't think it's fair to expect a WS MVP level performance for 1 year at 6.5. If he puts in the kind of year we got from Johnny Gomes in 2013, that's more or less what I actually expect from him. Something between .740 and .780 OPS. If he does much more than that, that'll be fantastic, but it's not what I expect out of him.

 

The beauty of the one year contract. Pearce can absolutely stink and the Sox would be able to eat the contract fairly easily.

[moonslav59]

Right, but cutting payroll is cutting payroll. It's a whole separate thing from the tax saving on the re-set.

 

Yes, they are separate but related. You can't save the tax without cutting the salary, and both end up saving Henry loads of cash the year he cuts $40M in salary and saves $20M in taxes. The added bonus is the taxes he saves over the next 2 years until he reaches the 50% tax rate again in year 3.

 

If cutting $40M in salary for just one year saves about $40M over 3 years, it's a plan that certainly is being seriously considered by Henry at some point around 2021 or 2022.

[radatz17]

Mitch Moreland is the guy who may like the signing of Pearce more than anyone else as he will now get the majority of time at first base on another good Sox team who may be

able to win again.

 

He now is very unlikely going to get 'salary dump' traded to a non contender like he may have if the Sox had gone after some one like the first baseman from Arizona.

 

If he and Pearce can combine to hit .280-.290, hit maybe 25-30 HRs and drive in 85-100 they could both possibly be back again together in 2020 as their combined salary for 2019 is not too much for this kind of production (and good fielding) at first base.

[Kimmi]

Mitch Moreland is the guy who may like the signing of Pearce more than anyone else as he will now get the majority of time at first base on another good Sox team who may be

able to win again.

 

He now is very unlikely going to get 'salary dump' traded to a non contender like he may have if the Sox had gone after some one like the first baseman from Arizona.

 

If he and Pearce can combine to hit .280-.290, hit maybe 25-30 HRs and drive in 85-100 they could both possibly be back again together in 2020 as their combined salary for 2019 is not too much for this kind of production (and good fielding) at first base.

 

I think Moreland and Pearce make a very fine tandem at 1B.

 

They should help to keep each other healthy.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

So together Pearce and Moreland will make around 13 million next year. Goldschmidt will make just a little more than that, but I suspect that Dombrowski checked in on Goldschmidt and discovered that the trade cost was too high.

 

It sounds like the Diamondbacks are going to trade Goldschmidt. The Yankees offered Sheffield and were turned down.

 

It doesn't make sense for Dombrowski to overpay in terms of prospects for Goldschmidt, a player they don't want to sign long term anyway. The Red Sox are set at the corner infield position with Devers and Dalbec; and maybe Chavis. In a few years, Casas will be knocking at the door.

Edited November 25, 2018 by Fan_since_Boggs

[notin]

So together Pearce and Moreland will make around 13 million next year. Goldschmidt will make just a little more than that, but I suspect that Dombrowski checked in on Goldschmidt and discovered that the trade cost was too high.

 

It sounds like the Diamondbacks are going to trade him. The Yankees offered Sheffield and were turned down.

 

It doesn't make sense for Dombrowski to overpay in terms of prospects for Goldschmidt, a player they don't want to sign long term anyway. The Red Sox are set at the corner infield position with Devers and Dalbec; and maybe Chavis. In a few years, Casas will be knocking at the door.

 

Goldschmidt was never an option for the Sox with their farm system.

 

But to say the Sox shouldn’t be interested in one of the best sluggers in the game because of a kid who was in high school last year? Casas is miles away if he pans out at all.

 

At least Dalbec is in AA ball and might be good. But players have done better inAA than him and still flopped (Middlebrooks?), so I hope DD isn’t passing over options just because of these guys. Ditto Chavis, whose future position is a question mark and is probably 50/50 on whether or not he’s still in the organization in April...

Edited November 25, 2018 by notin

[cp176]

It’s weird how many people think Henry doesn’t mind paying taxes as long as the baseball team is good. Sure he’s making more money, which he needs to do to pay off those taxes.

 

But then rich people like paying taxes. That’s why the Republican Party went extinct.

 

Oh wait...

 

Oh baby there you go again notin. i think that you ought to stick to baseball here. Although what the hell notin - go for it if that is what you like.

[notin]

Oh baby there you go again notin. i think that you ought to stick to baseball here. Although what the hell notin - go for it if that is what you like.

 

Well then maybe you’re right. Henry LOVES spends money. I think he approves signing Harper and Machado and Corbin and Kimbrel and then gives DD a bonus for recognizing these are the best talents.

 

Or are only you allowed to be sarcastic?

[cp176]

Well then maybe you’re right. Henry LOVES spends money. I think he approves signing Harper and Machado and Corbin and Kimbrel and then gives DD a bonus for recognizing these are the best talents.

 

Or are only you allowed to be sarcastic?

 

Not what I said. Not even what I implied. Just don't want to see you get into any trouble due to your little snippets of political wisdom. Just trying to help you out here notin. lol

For the record though, I could care less what JH does with his money. That is just the thing though isn't it - It is his money. Maybe he wants to give it away - what do you think?

[Bellhorn04]

Bumping this thread as a reminder of reactions at the time.

[notin]

Bumping this thread as a reminder of reactions at the time.

 

To be fair, it was unknown at the time signing Pearce would supplant replacing bullpen help. Although earlier in this thread I appear to be concerned about that, as well as bidding an early goodbye to Swihart...

[Bellhorn04]

To be fair, it was unknown at the time signing Pearce would supplant replacing bullpen help.

 

It's also pure speculation that there was any connection between the two. They may have not spent on a nickel on the pen either way.

[notin]

It's also pure speculation that there was any connection between the two. They may have not spent on a nickel on the pen either way.

 

 

But what we didn’t know at the time and that is NOT speculation is that the Sox prioritized a backup 1b over the bullpen.

 

And considering the one reliever the Sox did add is the worst one, maybe it means they should have...

[Bellhorn04]

And considering the one reliever the Sox did add is the worst one, maybe it means they should have...

 

They're only paying Brewer minimum wage of course, so he's basically a non-entity.

[Slasher9]

Bumping this thread as a reminder of reactions at the time.

 

nice Bump!

personally i dont think i will ever complain about a 1 year contract. unless it involves a PeD user or a wife beater.

i dont blame DD for trying to catch lightning in a bottle for a second season on a 1 year contract.

[dgalehouse]

Pearce is 36 , so the bat speed could be dropping. Who knows ? He might still come around . Not a terrible signing . Low risk , possibly high reward . I do question the wisdom of spending on a first base platoon when there are other areas of need and the budget is tight .

[mvp 78]

To be fair, it was unknown at the time signing Pearce would supplant replacing bullpen help. Although earlier in this thread I appear to be concerned about that, as well as bidding an early goodbye to Swihart...

 

If Pearce helped us move on from Swihart, good!

[vegasbob]

Pearce is 36 , so the bat speed could be dropping. Who knows ? He might still come around . Not a terrible signing . Low risk , possibly high reward . I do question the wisdom of spending on a first base platoon when there are other areas of need and the budget is tight .

 

In retrospect (hindsight) , Pearce's signing independent of the BP and Swihart situations was understandable . Moreland, while a tough guy playing with injuries has had weak splits in second halves (.853 pre A-S; .600 post A-s in '18) so a backup RH hitter, who should be hitting .250 with 3-4 HR's by now, was not a bad choice. The price was probably a little rich, but Pearce was the WS MVP ( not the basis for a big payday). Now he is truly in a deep slumps with a high K ratio (40%), no HR's and a.336 OPS. Not DD's fault, and there are still about 120 games to go.

 

The Sox have to pay him anyway and none of the IL list returnees are pressing the 1B position. You may say that if the 2Bmen (Pedey/Holt) return that Chavis becomes the pressure point to leave second base and go to first as the RH power hitter Pearce was supposed to be. Well if that's the case, come up with a phantom IL problem for Pearce so he can do a rehab at Portland and maybe find his swing again. Right now Steve Pearce is contributing nothing and the FO can't ignore it completely. I think the decision point becomes whether you want Chavis to get reps at 1B in Pawtucket or at 2B in MLB until one or another player drops out before Pearce does.

[Kimmi]

But what we didn’t know at the time and that is NOT speculation is that the Sox prioritized a backup 1b over the bullpen.

 

And considering the one reliever the Sox did add is the worst one, maybe it means they should have...

 

The Sox did not prioritize a backup 1B over the pen.

 

They prioritized spending on a backup 1B over spending on the pen. There's a difference.

 

Also, it's the correct prioritization.

[Thunder]

I still don't have a problem with the Pearce signing. Would have been nice to get bullpen help instead, but you can't leave the WS MVP out on the street. He deserves one year of immunity

[kenmeister]

I still don't have a problem with the Pearce signing. Would have been nice to get bullpen help instead, but you can't leave the WS MVP out on the street. He deserves one year of immunity

 

I still think they should be playing Pearce in the hope his bat recovers.

[mvp 78]

I still think they should be playing Pearce in the hope his bat recovers.

 

Burying him on the bench won't make his bat come around any sooner.

[Slasher9]

I still think they should be playing Pearce in the hope his bat recovers.

 

MM is hot right now tho. hard to sit him.

[mvp 78]

MM is hot right now tho. hard to sit him.

 

He needs to at least get pinch hit opportunities if he's not starting.