Fire Bloom .

[moonslav59]

I think chances are less than zero JH isn't allowing spending up to the $232 at least.

 

I agree, but I'm just giving possible scenarios where I might not be against firing Bloom.

 

Another one might be, if he swings and misses badly on his winter additions. Unforeseen injuries might be another factor, but that would have to far surpass the norm to be a big enough excuse to defense Bloom.,

[notin]

Yes, I know more about baseball than CHB.

 

No, it doesn't bother me if people don't like Bloom. However, it does bother you if people like Bloom. I don't care about him either way.

 

 

It’s not even Bloom in particular that Bloom supporters like. It’s the organization’s newfound dedication to maintaining a competitive team by building a winner from within as opposed to quick fix high-priced solutions that offer no guarantee of winning but do provide a guarantee of down years while those players decline and strangle the budget.

 

Bloom may or may not be the guy. If he gets fired and Click (who really didn’t do it for Houston) replaces him, that’s ok, since it still means that is the goal. (Really the readily available Jeff Lunhow might be the guy, as he built the Astros.)

 

I just want this team to compete every year without those awful years waiting for expensive players and their deals to expire. If Bloom gets us there, great. If he flops and Lunhow or Click or whoever does, also great. If the Sox give up and just start throwing money around and emptying the farm, hopefully it works quickly. Because it will definitely fail long term…

[mvp 78]

The only way I can see Bloom getting canned is if the extra money from Bogey leaving is spent on actual stud pitching -- and the Red Sox still suck.

 

But if X signs elsewhere, and all Bloom does is fill in with a placeholder and add a few other mediocrities just so they can field a team, then you have your answer: the bank's closed.

 

So what if they miss the postseason again, as long as they still trade assets for prospects, stay under the tax, get into a good draft position, and give their farm another year to grow. Bloom will be doing his job and get to keep it.

 

Unless ownership is planning on selling the Sox soon...

 

If ownership is looking to sell, they are better off NOT encumbering the team with longterm contracts.

[mvp 78]

I agree, but I'm just giving possible scenarios where I might not be against firing Bloom.

 

Another one might be, if he swings and misses badly on his winter additions. Unforeseen injuries might be another factor, but that would have to far surpass the norm to be a big enough excuse to defense Bloom.,

 

Aging SP's being put on the IL wouldn't fall under "unforeseen" injuries. A bus crash? Sure.

[moonslav59]

A classic chicken and egg conundrum.

 

People make comments others disagree with. Those people respond. It's what sites like this are all about.

 

Does it matter who commented first or responded first?

 

I know I'm as biased as anyone else, but I think 99% of my posts "supporting" Bloom seem to be in response to someone criticizing him to a point where I think it is either unfair or does not tell the whole story (lacks context.)

 

I know I have also been sharply critical of a number of moves Bloom has made and got push back from several posters (like my "head scratching" comment about the JBJ trade, Diekman signing and Story addition without having him play SS.) I didn't get all upset about those push-backs. It's all part of the give and take. I heard notin's context about the team trying to improve defense, and Bell's comments about the budget hit not being as bad as I made it out to be, as Renfroe had a couple arb contracts coming up. It didn't change my opinion, but I appreciated the specific and perhaps constructive criticism.

 

Others criticize some moves Bloom has made that I have not felt were all that bad. I make my points.

 

Some make blanket statements implying Bloom has donr nothing to improve the team, and I point out the moves he made that helped. I don't even view that as "supporting Bloom" but rather fact checking.

[mvp 78]

It’s not even Bloom in particular that Bloom supporters like. It’s the organization’s newfound dedication to maintaining a competitive team by building a winner from within as opposed to quick fix high-priced solutions that offer no guarantee of winning but do provide a guarantee of down years while those players decline and strangle the budget.

 

Bloom may or may not be the guy. If he gets fired and Click (who really didn’t do it for Houston) replaces him, that’s ok, since it still means that is the goal. (Really the readily available Jeff Lunhow might be the guy, as he built the Astros.)

 

I just want this team to compete every year without those awful years waiting for expensive players and their deals to expire. If Bloom gets us there, great. If he flops and Lunhow or Click or whoever does, also great. If the Sox give up and just start throwing money around and emptying the farm, hopefully it works quickly. Because it will definitely fail long term…

 

The problem is the bottoming out years we've had in 12, 14, 15, 20, 22. I think the organization was supposed to be built in a manner that was to smooth out the leaner years. Too much feast or famine.

[moonslav59]

Aging SP's being put on the IL wouldn't fall under "unforeseen" injuries. A bus crash? Sure.

 

No. I expect Sale and Paxton to get maybe 20-30 starts, combined, but a plan should be in place for 0-19.

 

One problem is with the 40 man roster. We can't put Sale & Paxton on the 60 day IL, until opening day, so keeping them on the roster makes it tough to add a bunch of pitchers.

 

I think the Story injury was unforeseen, but I was getting at the amount of such injuries that might tilt the excuse meter a bit.

[moonslav59]

The problem is the bottoming out years we've had in 12, 14, 15, 20, 22. I think the organization was supposed to be built in a manner that was to smooth out the leaner years. Too much feast or famine.

 

After Theo left, he spoke about how the team got away from the model they wanted, and relied too heavily on FA signings and prospect trades. That was before Ben. I think Ben was handed priorities similar to Bloom, but I'm not sure why they didn't learn the lesson from what happened before Ben and even during Ben. The moves DD made created an awesome window that should have lasted longer than it did, but I'm extremely thankful for that 2018 season, but the team clearly got away from trying to smooth out the lows.

[mvp 78]

After Theo left, he spoke about how the team got away from the model they wanted, and relied too heavily on FA signings and prospect trades. That was before Ben. I think Ben was handed priorities similar to Bloom, but I'm not sure why they didn't learn the lesson from what happened before Ben and even during Ben. The moves DD made created an awesome window that should have lasted longer than it did, but I'm extremely thankful for that 2018 season, but the team clearly got away from trying to smooth out the lows.

 

Was Theo really just making excuses for 2011? Had they gone away from the model prior to that?

[moonslav59]

Was Theo really just making excuses for 2011? Had they gone away from the model prior to that?

 

I'm just saying what he said. I tried googling the statements but can't find them.

 

I think he meant they got away from the model of not relying heavily on free agents, but they kind of did for many of his years here, not just at the end. I do think the farm was not as great in 2012 as beforehand, but many of their major prospect trades were long before 2011 (Schilling and Beckett trades.) Was he implying the AGon trade and extension was a mistake?

 

The Crawford signing was probably viewed as a major mistake, and by the time Theo left, Lackey had yet to show much production, so maybe that was the main focus of his feelings.

[mvp 78]

I'm just saying what he said. I tried googling the statements but can't find them.

 

I think he meant they got away from the model of not relying heavily on free agents, but they kind of did for many of his years here, not just at the end. I do think the farm was not as great in 2012 as beforehand, but many of their major prospect trades were long before 2011 (Schilling and Beckett trades.) Was he implying the AGon trade and extension was a mistake?

 

The Crawford signing was probably viewed as a major mistake, and by the time Theo left, Lackey had yet to show much production, so maybe that was the main focus of his feelings.

 

I know you were just repeating what he said, I was just wondering if what he said had any validity.

 

The 2004 team was filled with FA's. The 2007 was mostly the same, but with Youk, Paplebon and Pedroia. Lester and Ellsbury played minor roles that season.

 

Aside from "winning the 2010-11 offseason" I'm not sure where else Theo was feeding the monster.

[moonslav59]

I know you were just repeating what he said, I was just wondering if what he said had any validity.

 

The 2004 team was filled with FA's. The 2007 was mostly the same, but with Youk, Paplebon and Pedroia. Lester and Ellsbury played minor roles that season.

 

Aside from "winning the 2010-11 offseason" I'm not sure where else Theo was feeding the monster.

 

Well, by saying "we got away from..." does imply towards the end of his tenure in Boston, so that was one hint.

 

The AGon trade & signing and CC signing were the biggest moves made by the Sox in maybe forever. (The Manny signing adjusted for inflation might be equal or bigger, and the Price signing came after Theo.)

 

The farm was not as good in 2012 as it was in many previous seasons. I think he was talking about more than just FA signings.

 

Also, the rules changed about comp picks, which Theo milked, but I think that came after Theo, right?

[mvp 78]

@BaseballAmerica

Baseball America's MLB Executive of the Year

 

The

@Braves

hired Alex Anthopoulos as general manager in November 2017.

 

The club has done nothing but win ever since.

 

How do we get that last part?

[moonslav59]

@BaseballAmerica

�� Baseball America's MLB Executive of the Year

 

The

@Braves

hired Alex Anthopoulos as general manager in November 2017.

 

The club has done nothing but win ever since.

 

How do we get that last part?

 

To me, it starts with a strong and deep farm, as well as a system that masters prospect development. Top major and minor league talent evaluators are essential.

 

Good manager and a solid roster foundation.

 

See: it's easy!

[dgalehouse]

It’s not even Bloom in particular that Bloom supporters like. It’s the organization’s newfound dedication to maintaining a competitive team by building a winner from within as opposed to quick fix high-priced solutions that offer no guarantee of winning but do provide a guarantee of down years while those players decline and strangle the budget.

 

Bloom may or may not be the guy. If he gets fired and Click (who really didn’t do it for Houston) replaces him, that’s ok, since it still means that is the goal. (Really the readily available Jeff Lunhow might be the guy, as he built the Astros.)

 

I just want this team to compete every year without those awful years waiting for expensive players and their deals to expire. If Bloom gets us there, great. If he flops and Lunhow or Click or whoever does, also great. If the Sox give up and just start throwing money around and emptying the farm, hopefully it works quickly. Because it will definitely fail long term…

 

Yeah. This approach is working really well.

[harmony]

To me, it starts with a strong and deep farm, as well as a system that masters prospect development. Top major and minor league talent evaluators are essential.

 

Good manager and a solid roster foundation.

 

See: it's easy!

Like a franchise recognized this week by Baseball America:

 

https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/mariners-named-baseball-america-mlb-organization-of-the-year-8386f5adca8f

 

:)

[moonslav59]

Like a franchise recognized this week by Baseball America:

 

https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/mariners-named-baseball-america-mlb-organization-of-the-year-8386f5adca8f

 

:)

 

Come back when you have a ring.

 

[notin]

Come back when you have a ring.

 

 

Or a World Series appearance

[harmony]

Come back when you have a ring.

 

Gladly.

[moonslav59]

Yeah. This approach is working really well.

 

You think a farm can be built in less than 3 years?

 

Even if it can, you still expect results on the ML level by year 3?

 

Seriously, can you reply to this?

 

One problem with the plan we are speaking about was that it was never implemented in full. There was always the "try and win now, too" aspect to planning. We never had a tear down-rebuild phase. Many of the trades we made that netted us prospects also included veterans, like Verdugo, Pivetta & Cordero, so expecting better from the prospects we did get was maybe just wishful thinking.

 

Some of the model teams we see winning now, that still have good farms, like ATL, HOU and LAD did not build up their farms in 2 years. The Astros tanked for several years to build their up, but they can now keep winning even when they lose some key free agents like Springer, Cole and Correa. The Braves have shown how to build up a farm and lock up younger players, long term, early on. The Dodgers have found a way to keep their farm strong for many years, but they often buy a high need player rather than trade their best prospects for one, although they still do, at times.

[harmony]

Or a World Series appearance

Credit the 2021 Red Sox with falling only two wins shy of the World Series, a feat the Seattle Mariners have not accomplished since 2000.

 

However, over the past three regular seasons the Mariners are 30 games above .500 at 207-177 while the Red Sox are four games above .500 at 194-190.

 

The Red Sox may or may not close the gap. The resilient Sox have a history of making Houdini-like escapes from the last-place cage. It could happen again.

 

Wishing the best for our favorite teams.

[moonslav59]

Credit the 2021 Red Sox with falling only two wins shy of the World Series, a feat the Seattle Mariners have not accomplished since 2000.

 

However, over the past three regular seasons the Mariners are 30 games above .500 at 207-177 while the Red Sox are four games above .500 at 194-190.

 

The Red Sox may or may not close the gap. The resilient Sox have a history of making Houdini-like escapes from the last-place cage. It could happen again.

 

Wishing the best for our favorite teams.

 

I'll stir it all up again: we play in a tougher division, so the 13 win gap may be misleading.

 

Also, nice strategic choice on the last 3 years not 4.

[Bellhorn04]

I'll stir it all up again: we play in a tougher division, so the 13 win gap may be misleading.

 

Also, nice strategic choice on the last 3 years not 4.

 

I think 5 is the number you're looking for.

[harmony]

I'll stir it all up again: we play in a tougher division, so the 13 win gap may be misleading.

 

Also, nice strategic choice on the last 3 years not 4.

In the seven seasons before this year the AL East averaged one win better than the AL West in head-to-head competition. This year the AL East dominated the AL West with a regular season record of 99-66 before the AL West went 6-0 against the AL East in the postseason, knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

[Bellhorn04]

In the seven seasons before this year the AL East averaged one win better than the AL West in head-to-head competition. This year the AL East dominated the AL West with a regular season record of 99-66 before the AL West went 6-0 against the AL East in the postseason, knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

 

It's all very arbitrary and random. If someone didn't have the genius idea of moving the Astros from the NL Central to the AL West, that would impact the numbers a bit too...

[moonslav59]

I think 5 is the number you're looking for.

 

Seems like just 4 years ago! LOL!

[moonslav59]

In the seven seasons before this year the AL East averaged one win better than the AL West in head-to-head competition. This year the AL East dominated the AL West with a regular season record of 99-66 before the AL West went 6-0 against the AL East in the postseason, knocking out the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

 

Oh, now it's 7 years.

 

You got this year thing mastered, (unlike me...lol)

[dgalehouse]

Re. AL East vs AL West: Tommy : " I might have gotten my ass kicked, but I live in a tougher neighborhood than you Jimmy.". Jimmy: " You might be right about the neighborhoods Tommy , but you still got your ass kicked. You need to get stronger. "

[moonslav59]

Re. AL East vs AL West: Tommy : " I might have gotten my ass kicked, but I live in a tougher neighborhood than you Jimmy.". Jimmy: " You might be right about the neighborhoods Tommy , but you still got your ass kicked. You need to get stronger. "

 

The point it, Tommy would and did kick Jimmy's ass.

[Bellhorn04]

The point it, Tommy would and did kick Jimmy's ass.

 

And then Tommy chocked his ass off in the playoff meetings.