Mookie Betts and David Price have been traded to Dodgers

[Elktonnick]

My advice would be to never play chess or poker with Chain Bloom.

 

Really, I think this deal was a case of the Dodgers cleaning the Red Sox clocks. The Sox because of Henry's misguided pronouncement of getting below the Lux Tax put poor Bloom at a competitive disadvantage in any trade negotiation. He was dealing from a position of weakness.

 

The only good thing about this trade is that I won't have watch drama Queen David Price pout his way through 2020 season. Bloom did okay in the sense he was dealt a crappy hand by his owner and he played about as well as he could but he still came out on the short end of the deal.

[moonslav59]

Houston definitely has something to prove this year. I think they will need to add a starting pitcher, but they might find one at the trade deadline.

 

They were one team in on Eovaldi when the Sox signed him.

 

I wonder, if they'd have interest, now or at the deadline, assuming he's healthy and doing well.

[mvp 78]

Very positive reviews from Keith Law.

"If the return were just Downs for a year of Betts, I'd still say it was a good deal for Boston." Verdugo well above average regular. Wong an unusual utility guy that could be a regular catcher.

[mvp 78]

Is “well above average” the same as “so-so”?

[moonslav59]

Really, I think this deal was a case of the Dodgers cleaning the Red Sox clocks. The Sox because of Henry's misguided pronouncement of getting below the Lux Tax put poor Bloom at a competitive disadvantage in any trade negotiation. He was dealing from a position of weakness.

 

The only good thing about this trade is that I won't have watch drama Queen David Price pout his way through 2020 season. Bloom did okay in the sense he was dealt a crappy hand by his owner and he played about as well as he could but he still came out on the short end of the deal.

 

It didn't help that Henry said what he said, but I doubt it made much of a difference.

 

The writing was on the wall. We obviously were not out to compete in 2020. We let Porcello go and signed only scrubs.

 

I think Bloom knew what he was getting into and will have a chance to shine after we reset.

[Swiharts Ghost]

Joc Pederson ? Lol how pissed would the Angels be ?

[FredLynn]

Very positive reviews from Keith Law.

"If the return were just Downs for a year of Betts, I'd still say it was a good deal for Boston." Verdugo well above average regular. Wong an unusual utility guy that could be a regular catcher.

 

I think this is a much better deal for the Sox. Downs could step in and play 2B and Verdugo is a decent OF. I would have loved to get a good SP, but for one year of Betts I think we did OK. This will likely be a down year, and we can choose to sign Betts in 2021.

[moonslav59]

Very positive reviews from Keith Law.

"If the return were just Downs for a year of Betts, I'd still say it was a good deal for Boston." Verdugo well above average regular. Wong an unusual utility guy that could be a regular catcher.

 

Plus, we dumped Price! I thought he was worth $12M a year, and we got LA to pay $16M a year.

 

It's like we got Verdugo, Downs, Wong and $4M.

[moonslav59]

I think this is a much better deal for the Sox. Downs could step in and play 2B and Verdugo is a decent OF. I would have loved to get a good SP, but for one year of Betts I think we did OK. This will likely be a down year, and we can choose to sign Betts in 2021.

 

I was hoping for Gonsolin or Gray, but the two we got are better. We still need pitching, but we just gave a huge boost to our farm and extended future. Verdugo still has 2 pre-arb years!

 

Welcome to Boston, Mr. Bloom!

[mvp 78]

Plus, we dumped Price! I thought he was worth $12M a year, and we got LA to pay $16M a year.

 

It's like we got Verdugo, Downs, Wong and $4M.

 

I think Price is worth 15-18M. They better use the savings on a pitcher at least as good as Price.

[mvp 78]

I was hoping for Gonsolin or Gray, but the two we got are better. We still need pitching, but we just gave a huge boost to our farm and extended future. Verdugo still has 2 pre-arb years!

 

Welcome to Boston, Mr. Bloom!

Seems like a good haul. The prospects may flame out, but you can’t do much better on a one year rental.

[cp176]

There is no question that in terns of a deal, this was a much better get than the original. Having a hard time with the euphoria being shown here as well as the tremendous concern for the imaginary billionaire budget. It's done. i hope that Mookie Betts continues to thrive and put up the numbers that we have all become accustomed to as he continue his journey toward the Hall. Thanks for the wonderful memories. It is quite possible that I will not see a player as talented in Red Sox uniform again. Have to live with the deal and hope for the best but it certainly doesn't make me happy.

[Elktonnick]

It didn't help that Henry said what he said, but I doubt it made much of a difference.

 

The writing was on the wall. We obviously were not out to compete in 2020. We let Porcello go and signed only scrubs.

 

I think Bloom knew what he was getting into and will have a chance to shine after we reset.

Of course it made a big difference, you can not unring a bell.Henry set everything in motion which led up to this trade. I am not blaming Bloom. He did as well as he could under the circumstances.

[moonslav59]

I think Price is worth 15-18M. They better use the savings on a pitcher at least as good as Price.

 

We can disagree on Price's value, but $15M is not far from $12M.

 

I hope we can find some fine pitching, and it need not be for 2020, IMO.

[jad]

Wow. Prospects! Holy cow, can't wait. Although I have to say, I'm worried: who knew there were so many fans who would prefer to watch prospects than the best player in the league? I better get my SeaDogs tickets quick, if, that is, there are any left.

[a700hitter]

Seems like a good haul. The prospects may flame out, but you can’t do much better on a one year rental.

Time will tell. I’d rather have watched Mookie play 1 more year for the home town team. He is one of the most exciting players to wear the Red Sox uniform and these acquired guys are not worth 1 year of Mookie to me from a fan’s perspective. Plus, we now have a gaping hole in the rotation. It is shaping up to be a forfeit of a season if Bloom doesn’t make some other moves.

[moonslav59]

Of course it made a big difference, you can not unring a bell.Henry set everything in motion which led up to this trade. I am not blaming Bloom. He did as well as he could under the circumstances.

 

I'm saying it might not have mattered by as much as some think it did.

 

I think the hype around this type of situation is overblown.

 

I think we got more for Betts than I expected before Henry's statement.

 

5 years or Verdugu, 5+ years of Downs and Wong plus $15 off the lux tax in 2021 and 2022.

 

Price was iffy over the last few years. He came through, when we needed him, and I'll always be thankful for that, but the last 3 years of his deal were always expected to be below value, even if he'd done well up to now.

 

We did well. If all this about Henry was true, then since we are now below the tax line, we should be able to trade JBJ, Eovaldi and others as there is no longer any pressure or feeling that other teams know we have to dump them, right?

 

(Nope.)

[moonslav59]

Wow. Prospects! Holy cow, can't wait. Although I have to say, I'm worried: who knew there were so many fans who would prefer to watch prospects than the best player in the league? I better get my SeaDogs tickets quick, if, that is, there are any left.

 

Who knew there were so many fans who care only about watching one guy play for one losing season at the expense of several years of winning, afterwards?

[jad]

Time will tell. I’d rather have watched Mookie play 1 more year for the home town team. He is one of the most exciting players to wear the Red Sox uniform and these acquired guys are not worth 1 year of Mookie to me from a fan’s perspective. Plus, we now have a gaping hole in the rotation. It is shaping up to be a forfeit of a season if Bloom doesn’t make some other moves.

 

Who knew there were so many fans who care only about watching one guy play for one losing season at the expense of several years of winning, afterwards?

 

Oh. I didn't realize we had already had winning seasons in 2021 and 2022 and beyond. My bad. I also was unaware that we would have a losing season in 2020. I really need to pay more attention to analytics.

[jacksonianmarch]

Bloom did well here. Jeter Downs is a look alike for Mookie Betts. Remember, Betts was a MIF coming up through the system. Short, African American, power and speed combo player. Doesn’t have the same contact skill Mookie had, but the kid has potential to be an all star. Wong looks like a powerful back half of a catching tandem. Verdugo is a now player who could progress into a cornerstone player. To get those 3 and have someone pay half of Price’s deal is a nice get for the Sox.

 

In doing so, Bloom effectively killed 2020. Dealing off Price and having literally nobody behind him and nobody left on the FA market sinks the Sox to 3rd or 4th in division.

 

Since this deal doesn’t address the rotation and at the very least, Bloom will want his rotation to have some young arms in it, my bet is he isn’t finished. More dominos will fall. But if he gets value like he did for one year of Mookie Betts, then you’ll be happy when the Sox finally rise again

[moonslav59]

Oh. I didn't realize we had already had winning seasons in 2021 and 2022 and beyond. My bad. I also was unaware that we would have a losing season in 2020. I really need to pay more attention to analytics.

 

We have a much better chance of winning in 2021 and 2022 than before the trade, but if that idea is too hard for you to comprehend, then you'll just have to wait it out and cry about 2020.

[mvp 78]

Wow. Prospects! Holy cow, can't wait. Although I have to say, I'm worried: who knew there were so many fans who would prefer to watch prospects than the best player in the league? I better get my SeaDogs tickets quick, if, that is, there are any left.

 

I think the vast majority of fans wanted Mookie here. It was just inevitable that he’d be gone considering the smoke signals from ownership the last few years.

[moonslav59]

Bloom did well here. Jeter Downs is a look alike for Mookie Betts. Remember, Betts was a MIF coming up through the system. Short, African American, power and speed combo player. Doesn’t have the same contact skill Mookie had, but the kid has potential to be an all star. Wong looks like a powerful back half of a catching tandem. Verdugo is a now player who could progress into a cornerstone player. To get those 3 and have someone pay half of Price’s deal is a nice get for the Sox.

 

In doing so, Bloom effectively killed 2020. Dealing off Price and having literally nobody behind him and nobody left on the FA market sinks the Sox to 3rd or 4th in division.

 

Since this deal doesn’t address the rotation and at the very least, Bloom will want his rotation to have some young arms in it, my bet is he isn’t finished. More dominos will fall. But if he gets value like he did for one year of Mookie Betts, then you’ll be happy when the Sox finally rise again

 

Good analysis, but I think we were likely toast in 2020, even with Betts & Price.

 

I agree, we are likely not done, but I think any deal we make for a starter should be more about 2021 and well beyond than 2020.

 

While Verdugo is a "now player," he's still got 2 pre-arb years left and has 5 years of team control.

 

[notin]

Bloom did well here. Jeter Downs is a look alike for Mookie Betts. Remember, Betts was a MIF coming up through the system. Short, African American, power and speed combo player. Doesn’t have the same contact skill Mookie had, but the kid has potential to be an all star. Wong looks like a powerful back half of a catching tandem. Verdugo is a now player who could progress into a cornerstone player. To get those 3 and have someone pay half of Price’s deal is a nice get for the Sox.

 

In doing so, Bloom effectively killed 2020. Dealing off Price and having literally nobody behind him and nobody left on the FA market sinks the Sox to 3rd or 4th in division.

 

Since this deal doesn’t address the rotation and at the very least, Bloom will want his rotation to have some young arms in it, my bet is he isn’t finished. More dominos will fall. But if he gets value like he did for one year of Mookie Betts, then you’ll be happy when the Sox finally rise again

 

Connor Wong is a positionless hitter who is definitely not a catcher. The Dodgers have tried him at 2b and 3b and the early returns were not exciting. He may settle in as an infielder but is probably going to play OF at some point. Downs will be dealt for a pitcher. No one named Jeter should play for Boston...

[Larry Cook]

Which is still way better than what the Yankees have accomplished!

 

As much as I can not stand the Yankees, last I looked, they had 20 plus championships more than us,

 

Although almost 2/3 of their great teams of the 20’s were our guys that our owner sold off to them to finance broadway plays! So technically, we probably would have won most of those.

[moonslav59]

Connor Wong is a positionless hitter who is definitely not a catcher. The Dodgers have tried him at 2b and 3b and the early returns were not exciting. He may settle in as an infielder but is probably going to play OF at some point. Downs will be dealt for a pitcher. No one named Jeter should play for Boston...

 

Wong might be our JD replacement at DH with the 3rd catcher value helping us PH for our catchers more often.

 

I don't think we trade Downs. We'll just get him to change his name.

 

This trade is really about Verdugo, despite what Law says. He could have a bust out year as soon as 2020. He might disappoint, but getting Downs and Wong and big salary relief hedges that bet.

[jad]

We have a much better chance of winning in 2021 and 2022 than before the trade, but if that idea is too hard for you to comprehend, then you'll just have to wait it out and cry about 2020.

 

Oh. Well now we know. (Or at least, since "winning" is undefined here, and all alternatives will be purely speculative, you can pride yourself in knowing that your argument/assertion is irrefutable.) But I realize there are different types of fans, and as a serious answer, yes, I would rather watch the best player in the world 162 times in 2020 than prospects, and as for 2021-22? we may all be dead. And if the Sox suck, then they suck: I didn't become more of a fan in 2003 than I was in the 50s. And I really don't care about fantasy-sports, dueling analytics, competitive GM-ing or John Henry's bank account. I do care about watching great players who have been with the team a long time. If they make the post-season? great--there will be more games. If not? so what?

[moonslav59]

Oh. Well now we know. (Or at least, since "winning" is undefined here, and all alternatives will be purely speculative, you can pride yourself in knowing that your argument/assertion is irrefutable.) But I realize there are different types of fans, and as a serious answer, yes, I would rather watch the best player in the world 162 times in 2020 than prospects, and as for 2021-22? we may all be dead. And if the Sox suck, then they suck: I didn't become more of a fan in 2003 than I was in the 50s. And I really don't care about fantasy-sports, dueling analytics, competitive GM-ing or John Henry's bank account. I do care about watching great players who have been with the team a long time. If they make the post-season? great--there will be more games. If not? so what?

 

I said much better chance, not that I "know" we'll be better in 2021. The idea is to try to be, and this was an attempt to do so.

 

I'll still enjoy 2020. I may even enjoy it more knowing the future is not as bleak as it was before the trade.

 

It would really suck watching us repeat 2019 knowing we'll get nothing for Betts and staring at having to reset in 2021. That would have been a fun summer!

[jad]

I said much better chance, not that I "know" we'll be better in 2021. The idea is to try to be, and this was an attempt to do so.

 

I'll still enjoy 2020. I may even enjoy it more knowing the future is not as bleak as it was before the trade.

 

It would really suck watching us repeat 2019 knowing we'll get nothing for Betts and staring at having to reset in 2021. That would have been a fun summer!

 

Ah, we survived Bobby Valentine. And a couple of other last place finishes that seemed to take place for no more rational reasons than the inexplicable WS victories. My summer will be fine. I just won't enjoy baseball as much w/o two of my favorite local figures: Cora and MB.

[moonslav59]

Ah, we survived Bobby Valentine. And a couple of other last place finishes that seemed to take place for no more rational reasons than the inexplicable WS victories. My summer will be fine. I just won't enjoy baseball as much w/o two of my favorite local figures: Cora and MB.

 

I hear you. I'm a big Cora fan, and even called him our greatest manager ever.

 

What's not to love about watching Betts every game possible. It sucks it came to this. I still want him back. I've suggested offers that are higher than almost anyone else on this site. Our budget will be set up as to allow us to sign him, if that's what we Bloom & Henry really want, so I'm feeling optimistic about our future.

 

As for 2020, maybe I vastly underestimated our chances at winning a ring or giving us an exciting run at one, but to me, we'd have had to spend a boatload of money this winter to gives us decent odds at winning it all. We'd have come up short and been left with horrible draft picks, a huge tax bill and little chance at seeing a quick rebuild afterwards.

 

Just my take.