Perspective, Greed

[harmony]

And they chose Detroit and Seattle? It’s not like the Sox bullpen is so devoid of opportunities...

Not every player wants to play in Boston.

[oldtimer]

Not every player wants to play in Boston.

 

I think a lot are still trying hard. To name a few, Bogaerts, Beni, Devers, and others.

[notin]

Not every player wants to play in Boston.

 

Most players don’t care which team as long as they play and get paid. Sox had the opportunity to play. They just needed to offer to pay...

[Kimmi]

The problem with hiring Dombrowski is that you knew you were making a deal with the devil. I think, Kimmi, you were on record as a Cherington defender and have been to some degree a Dombrowski defender as well. DD was brought here with a purpose. You knew the mission was win now and he achieved that mission. You knew the cost was a scorched earth rebuild with players getting paid far beyond their best production. The fans of Cherington wanted to suckle off the teat of Epstein and keep a strong farm system foundation while building a team that could win for a long time and was sustainable. Cherington was pushed into signing Hanley and Pablo and when they bombed, he paid the price for it. DD comes in, sells off everything Cherington worked for and won 3 straight ALE titles and won the 2018 big league title. I think Henry saw the Yankees in a down phase and made the move when he thought the ALE was easy to win. He was right. In doing so, he desecrated his farm and essentially doomed the sox to a long rebuild. You take that if you win the title. Sox fans shouldn't be upset about it. This was the deal Henry made. He took advantage of a weak ALE, made a team that was a juggernaut and won a title. This season may be a world series hangover, but it is rapidly looking like a team with players starting to fall into the down phase or players coming down from career highs that won't be reached again. With every possible depth piece now in other organizations, he has nothing left. The one major critique on DD is that he drafted poorly and development bombed. But for the most part, this is the end of the window. Sox fans cannot lament it. You won 3 ALE titles and a world series. Time to pay the piper

 

I do not disagree with a lot of what you say. However, this year's team should not be playing as poorly as they have been. We weren't going to repeat the 108 win season from last year, but we shouldn't be this bad. Even you have to agree with that.

 

We knew what was going to happen with Dombrowski. Thankfully, we did win a WS Championship through it.

 

My contention is that we could have won the championship without decimating the farm. Cherington's team was ready. Henry sold out too early on Cherington's 5 year plan, which BTW, also resulted in a WS Championship. We could have had all that success and still have a decent farm system, IMO.

[Kimmi]

I agree Henry with Henry's decision to not add payroll. He gave DD plenty of budget to make a competitive team.

 

And I like that he added Cashner. It hasn't worked out, but at least he did do something.

 

But really, DD has been pretty absent all year. Dozens of pitcher have hit the waiver wire, and DD been absent on all, despite most clearing waivers (which means he certainly had an opportunity). Right now in the AL, two teams have closers that were acquired mid-season as free agents because they both cleared waivers. (Bass in Seattle and Rosenthal in Detroit.) These are minimum wage players to their respective teams. How was DD not involved? But hey, he did add Cody Asche and Chris Owings for reasons no one understands...

 

I agree that there are in season moves that Dombrowski could have made for virtually pennies. I'm not sure why he was MIA for some of those. He certainly could have acquired one or two bullpen depth pieces without much cost.

[Bellhorn04]

My contention is that we could have won the championship without decimating the farm. Cherington's team was ready. Henry sold out too early on Cherington's 5 year plan, which BTW, also resulted in a WS Championship. We could have had all that success and still have a decent farm system, IMO.

 

We really shouldn't go down this road again, but it does give us something to yak about.

 

I don't really believe Cherington had a 5 year plan. And if he did, I don't see why it included signings like Panda, Hanley and Castillo.

 

Ben left a lot of capital prospect behind, no question. But he left virtually no pitching, either at the major league level or in the near-MLB-ready category.

[Kimmi]

We really shouldn't go down this road again, but it does give us something to yak about.

 

I don't really believe Cherington had a 5 year plan. And if he did, I don't see why it included signings like Panda, Hanley and Castillo.

 

Ben left a lot of capital prospect behind, no question. But he left virtually no pitching, either at the major league level or in the near-MLB-ready category.

 

It's because Cherington was tasked with trying to stay competitive while rebuilding. It worked beautifully in 2013, signing the likes of Napoli and Victorino. Not so much with the signings of the three you mentioned. IMO, there is no way Ben signs Panda without the heavy arm of Lucchino 'persuading' him to do so.

 

Ben left virtually no pitching. So, you sign Price. I can understand that. Maybe you even trade for Sale. The rest was overkill, including the trade for the great Kimbrel.

[notin]

We really shouldn't go down this road again, but it does give us something to yak about.

 

I don't really believe Cherington had a 5 year plan. And if he did, I don't see why it included signings like Panda, Hanley and Castillo.

 

Ben left a lot of capital prospect behind, no question. But he left virtually no pitching, either at the major league level or in the near-MLB-ready category.

 

Unless you count Michael Kopech.

 

Also I think a lot of Sox fans have ignored or disrespected Wade Miley, who, outside of a rough time in Baltimore, has been a really good pitcher since leaving Boston...

[Bellhorn04]

Unless you count Michael Kopech.

 

But I wouldn't call him near-MLB-ready when Ben left. I'm talking about our prospective staff for the year 2016.

[notin]

But I wouldn't call him near-MLB-ready when Ben left. I'm talking about our prospective staff for the year 2016.

 

What about Johnson and Hembree?

[Bellhorn04]

What about Johnson and Hembree?

 

Sure. I didn't mean literally zero pitchers.

[jacksonianmarch]

I do not disagree with a lot of what you say. However, this year's team should not be playing as poorly as they have been. We weren't going to repeat the 108 win season from last year, but we shouldn't be this bad. Even you have to agree with that.

 

We knew what was going to happen with Dombrowski. Thankfully, we did win a WS Championship through it.

 

My contention is that we could have won the championship without decimating the farm. Cherington's team was ready. Henry sold out too early on Cherington's 5 year plan, which BTW, also resulted in a WS Championship. We could have had all that success and still have a decent farm system, IMO.

 

I agree with what you say. Cherington brought a title in 2013. His system was brimming with talent. The problem was the sox ended up in last 2 yrs in a row. The Yanks were sputtering and stuck under massive contracts for underachievers. The Rays were heading for a down phase. The O's and Jays had just made the POs, but you had to know they weren't making it for long. It was a timing thing and JH couldn't wait.

[Jack Flap]

Great post, Danny C, and I couldn't agree more.