A Realistic View at 2023: Part I

[Tedballgame]

The Red Sox going into a season not expecting to be competitive is not acceptable and is an indictment of the whole organization starting at ownership and going down to the front office. These are the Boston Red Sox, NOT the Pittsburgh Pirates. They must think Sox fans are a bunch of suckers. We are always going to cherish the 4 WS titles but they can't live off those going forward. Put a good product on the field. Spend some money and get good some good players. I am convinced that the analytical geeks are ruining baseball and the Sox front office is filled with them. Give me Dave Dombrowski any day.

[Tedballgame]

SOX sign Justin Turner.

[Tedballgame]

SOX sign Justin Turner.[/QUO

[a700hitter]

38 year old Justin Turner? Maybe Devers is getting traded.

[a700hitter]

This is certainly a move that is building for future sustainability!

[Hugh2]

If this is a precursor to trading Devers I’m out.

 

If it’s a RH replacement for Hosmer then I’m in.

[Bellhorn04]

If this is a precursor to trading Devers I’m out.

 

If it’s a RH replacement for Hosmer then I’m in.

 

Turner will DH, can play some 1B and spell Devers at 3B.

 

It's not a bad signing.

 

Maybe we'll get a big finish to the offseason.

 

One can dream.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Bellhorn04

[Bellhorn04]

Will they trade Dalbec? His possible places to play are drying up.

[moonslav59]

Turner will DH, can play some 1B and spell Devers at 3B.

 

It's not a bad signing.

 

Maybe we'll get a big finish to the offseason.

 

One can dream.

 

It's not a bad signing, if we go on to add a SO, SS and RF'er, but until we do, I'm puzzled.

 

JT had a .968 OPS after June 30th. The guy can hit.

 

We needed a RH'd bat, but other needs were greater.

[moonslav59]

Will they trade Dalbec? His possible places to play are drying up.

 

There was talk, earlier, Bobby Dee was on the block. I have to think he's a goner.

 

Turner has played 39 games at 1B, so he must be better on D at 1B than BD.

[moonslav59]

So, we trade Bobby Dee and give E Valdez a spot on the 26? (Assuming no other additions, like Andrus)

 

1. L Yoshida LF

2. R Story SS

3. L Devers 3B

4. R Turner DH

5. L Casas

6. R Kike CF

7. L Verdugo/ R Refsnyder RF

8. R Arroyo/ L E Valdez 2B

9. L McGuire/Wong C

(Dalbec?)

 

[Hugh2]

So they’re definitely comfort with Yoshida in left and Verdugo in right then.

[moonslav59]

According to cots, the Turner signing still leaves us with about $37M to spend and still reset.

 

$14M x 2 or 3 Kluber

$12M x 1 or 2 Andrus

 

Trade Dugo and Dalbec for a real RF'er.

[moonslav59]

So they’re definitely comfort with Yoshida in left and Verdugo in right then.

 

Strange how as badly as JBJ was doing, this season, they totally avoided putting Dugo in RF.

 

The year before, they put Renfroe in RF, obviously not liking his D over letting Dugo play RF and Renfroe LF.

 

I think Dugo gets traded.

[moonslav59]

So they’re definitely comfort with Yoshida in left and Verdugo in right then.

 

Strange how as badly as JBJ was doing, this season, they totally avoided putting Dugo in RF, until we traded for Pham.

 

The year before, they put Renfroe in RF, obviously not liking his D over letting Dugo play RF and Renfroe LF.

 

I think Dugo gets traded.

[moonslav59]

Would most Sox fans be upset with this winter, if we extended Devers and signed Andrus & Kluber?

 

1. L Yoshida LF

2. R Story 2B

3. L Devers 3B

4. R Turner DH

5. L Casas

6. R Kike CF

7. L Verdugo/ R Refsnyder RF

8. R Andrus SS

9. L McGuire/R Wong C

Bench: R Dalbec & R Arroyo

(L EValdez/R Rafaela/ L Duran/ L Hamilton)

 

SP1 Sale & Paxton combined

SP2 Whitlock

SP3 Kluber

SP4 Bello

SP5 Pivetta

 

RP1 Jansen

RP2 Martin

RP3 Housk

RP4 Schreiber

RP5 Barnes

RP6 Joely

RP7 Mills

RP8 Brasier/Taylor/Crawford/Kelly/Wink/German/Mata/Walter/Murphy/Seabold

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by moonslav59

[Tedballgame]

I'd prefer Whitlock in the bullpen.

[cukes]

The Red Sox going into a season not expecting to be competitive is not acceptable and is an indictment of the whole organization starting at ownership and going down to the front office. These are the Boston Red Sox, NOT the Pittsburgh Pirates. They must think Sox fans are a bunch of suckers. We are always going to cherish the 4 WS titles but they can't live off those going forward. Put a good product on the field. Spend some money and get good some good players. I am convinced that the analytical geeks are ruining baseball and the Sox front office is filled with them. Give me Dave Dombrowski any day.

 

very well said, they are satisfied with mediocrity, another site had all Bloom's moves since he got here and it looked like Custers last stand but people accept his inept style and make excuses for an upcoming weak season, I gave up. Devers at his age I would play one more year and write my own ticket with a 4 year opt out and control the next 10 to 15 years

[moonslav59]

Brantley just signed with HOU.

 

What about J Turner for a DH? (Not that I want us spending there.)

 

What a guess!

[moonslav59]

I'd prefer Whitlock in the bullpen.

 

I do, too, but they've already decided.

[moonslav59]

The Red Sox going into a season not expecting to be competitive is not acceptable and is an indictment of the whole organization starting at ownership and going down to the front office. These are the Boston Red Sox, NOT the Pittsburgh Pirates. They must think Sox fans are a bunch of suckers. We are always going to cherish the 4 WS titles but they can't live off those going forward. Put a good product on the field. Spend some money and get good some good players. I am convinced that the analytical geeks are ruining baseball and the Sox front office is filled with them. Give me Dave Dombrowski any day.

 

The Geeks aren't the ones telling JH not to sign any large and long deals, IMO, anyway.

[jad]

JH/Bloom obviously don't care that fans are human beings and get attached to other human beings--players we've followed for a while. Vaz, Beni, Betts, Devers, Bogey, even JBJ, JD. Even announcers are expendable. Apparently they think all fans are automatons, wannabe GMs and fantasy geeks. But we're not (well, I obviously can't speak to all of you). We actually care about the particular individuals who play the game. Why should I follow the RS, when I can follow the players I've grown to care about right here in LA?

[moonslav59]

JH/Bloom obviously don't care that fans are human beings and get attached to other human beings--players we've followed for a while. Vaz, Beni, Betts, Devers, Bogey, even JBJ, JD. Even announcers are expendable. Apparently they think all fans are automatons, wannabe GMs and fantasy geeks. But we're not (well, I obviously can't speak to all of you). We actually care about the particular individuals who play the game. Why should I follow the RS, when I can follow the players I've grown to care about right here in LA?

 

Why didn't you quit being a Sox fan when we lost Pedey, DLowe, AGon, Beckett, Beltre, Jake...

[Old Red]

Why didn't you quit being a Sox fan when we lost Pedey, DLowe, AGon, Beckett, Beltre, Jake...

 

Not many homegrown in that bunch. Gee!

[jad]

Why didn't you quit being a Sox fan when we lost Pedey, DLowe, AGon, Beckett, Beltre, Jake...

 

Because not all of those had long tenure with the RS. Also, I wasn't aware that Pedroia was shipped off; you mean Nomar. Two different humans.

[Old Red]

Because not all of those had long tenure with the RS. Also, I wasn't aware that Pedroia was shipped off; you mean Nomar. Two different humans.

 

He missed the point big time on that one.

[moonslav59]

Because not all of those had long tenure with the RS. Also, I wasn't aware that Pedroia was shipped off; you mean Nomar. Two different humans.

 

Oh, they have to be long tenured, like Boggs. That was a good time to quit.

 

Or, back when Evans left, of the great Haywood Sullivan purge.

[Old Red]

Oh, they have to be long tenured, like Boggs. That was a good time to quit.

 

Or, back when Evans left, of the great Haywood Sullivan purge.

 

Two strikes on you now. Wow! Was JH/Bloom there was those guys? He spelled it out for you the first time, and your trying to deflect away from JH/Bloom combo, but it didn’t work.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Old Red

[moonslav59]

I thought we were 4-5 players away from being very competitive- maybe not top 6-7 in MLB, but pretty close, and with so many kids coming up and a bunch of players (Kike, Story, Sale, Paxton) who were hurt last year possibly doing more in 2023, I felt this winter was the the time to go big.

 

I guess the Sox top brass felt the foundation needed more building up. That whole add 7-9 players might have been the only truthful thing they said all year.

 

In a vacuum, each signing looks decent to pretty good. The non signings are what look scary- both in terms of our own players not extended and all the players who play our positions of highest need all but gone and signed elsewhere.

 

I'm surprised they have taken this route. The talk that Abreu was their first choice should have raised the red flag higher than it did, for me.

 

There is not much this whole board can agree on, but I'm pretty sure 99% of us felt SP, SS and RF were 3 of our top 4 or 5 highest need area. I know I'm not the only one who thinks winters are meant to address a team's weaknesses and maybe strengthen a few strengths with upgrades, along the way, if resources are available to do it all.

 

It's like we went backwards through our need areas, except for beefing up the pen. Even that joy may be lessened, if Houck joins Whitlock in the rotation, due to our lack of acquiring a solid SP'er. Did our pen really get all that much better by adding Jansen, Martin, Joely & Mills, but subtracting Whitlock, Houck and Strahm?

 

I'm not so sure.

 

Okay, apparently we have $36-37M left under the tax line and 3 major needs to fill- 2 at least:

 

SP

 

SS

 

RF (I guess a Dugo-Ref platoon is bearable, if we fill the other 2, nicely.)

 

I'm really trying to find reasons to be positive, but I doubt I can, until some more is done.

[moonslav59]

Not many homegrown in that bunch. Gee!

 

LOL, JD and Beni were real long term, too. JD was not homegrown, so what was the criteria?

 

Ellsbury, Pedro and even Beckett lasted longer than both.