2023 Free Agents

[moonslav59]

Which was basically the same roster from the year prior where they won like 120 games including the playoffs...

 

Not really.

 

No Kimbrell, Kelly or Nunez and then the 2020 team lost, beyond cut or traded contracts (Betts, price, Porcello, Pearce...) saw ERod and Sale miss the whole 2020 season.

 

If people want to blame Bloom for 2020, fine.

 

I don't.

 

Sure, his low budget moves almost all failed, and I had hoped he would have done better, since that was his M.O., it's hard for me to count much of anything in 2020 against Bloom.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Not really.

 

No Kimbrell, Kelly or Nunez and then the 2020 team lost, beyond cut or traded contracts (Betts, price, Porcello, Pearce...) saw ERod and Sale miss the whole 2020 season.

 

If people want to blame Bloom for 2020, fine.

 

I don't.

 

Sure, his low budget moves almost all failed, and I had hoped he would have done better, since that was his M.O., it's hard for me to count much of anything in 2020 against Bloom.

 

Failing is still a problem, even if directly the result of ownership refusing high budget moves. Chaim Bloom may have been hired as the anti-Dombrowski, but every time someone points to the Sox' top five payroll, it makes a lot of Bloom's bad decisions look worse.

 

2020 facts: he took the job, he traded the team's best homegrown player in half a century, he said the Sox were going to be worse, and he acquired the majority of the pitchers who gave up 5 1/2 runs per game.

 

Very few of his additions in '20 had any positive effect, except Verdugo's two months and Pivetta's two starts.

 

But I'm on board in Two-Three with Yoshida, advocated for Duvall, and hope Turner pulls some highballs in Fenway (can't shake a Jack Clark-Andrew Dawson vibe for the latter two, but maybe one can have an Esasky season).

[Bellhorn04]

2020 facts: he took the job, he traded the team's best homegrown player in half a century, he said the Sox were going to be worse, and he acquired the majority of the pitchers who gave up 5 1/2 runs per game.

 

Very few of his additions in '20 had any positive effect, except Verdugo's two months and Pivetta's two starts.

 

If you're going to tank, you can't fool around.

[mvp 78]

Not really.

 

No Kimbrell, Kelly or Nunez and then the 2020 team lost, beyond cut or traded contracts (Betts, price, Porcello, Pearce...) saw ERod and Sale miss the whole 2020 season.

 

If people want to blame Bloom for 2020, fine.

 

I don't.

 

Sure, his low budget moves almost all failed, and I had hoped he would have done better, since that was his M.O., it's hard for me to count much of anything in 2020 against Bloom.

 

I was saying the 2019 was the same as the 2018 team. Calling the 2019 just a .500 team is underselling the talent that squad had.

[mvp 78]

If you're going to tank, you can't fool around.

 

They tanked 2020 and got a great draft pick out of it. Mayer is already a top 10 prospect by some accounts. Too bad we couldn't get a second one for last season's LAST PLACE FINISH.

[notin]

They tanked 2020 and got a great draft pick out of it. Mayer is already a top 10 prospect by some accounts. Too bad we couldn't get a second one for last season's LAST PLACE FINISH.

 

Well, maybe we still can get a top ten prospect out of it…

[notin]

I was saying the 2019 was the same as the 2018 team. Calling the 2019 just a .500 team is underselling the talent that squad had.

 

But at the end of the year, talent or not, the 2019 team was 84-78, 19 games out of first place. They finished two games closer to the top than the last place 2022 team…

[moonslav59]

Failing is still a problem, even if directly the result of ownership refusing high budget moves. Chaim Bloom may have been hired as the anti-Dombrowski, but every time someone points to the Sox' top five payroll, it makes a lot of Bloom's bad decisions look worse.

 

2020 facts: he took the job, he traded the team's best homegrown player in half a century, he said the Sox were going to be worse, and he acquired the majority of the pitchers who gave up 5 1/2 runs per game.

 

Very few of his additions in '20 had any positive effect, except Verdugo's two months and Pivetta's two starts.

 

But I'm on board in Two-Three with Yoshida, advocated for Duvall, and hope Turner pulls some highballs in Fenway (can't shake a Jack Clark-Andrew Dawson vibe for the latter two, but maybe one can have an Esasky season).

 

All true. He had about 20 slots to fill on a dollar ninety-nine, so we got what we paid for.

 

The Perez and Springs additions could be viewed as good- just 2 years too early, but yes, they all pretty much sucked.

 

After being forced to trade Betts and Price and not replace Porcello and other money coming off the books, he spent about $15M on 5 non min wage players...

$6M Perez

$4.2M Pillar (traded at deadline)

$2.9M Peraza (complete bust)

$2.5M Moreland (traded at deadline)

$1.5M lucroy (complete bust)

$850K osich (traded at deadline)

Non-arb additions at min wage or close to it:

Covey

McHugh

Brice

Brewer

MHall

Arauz (Rule 5)

KHart

CMazza

JSprings

 

 

[moonslav59]

I was saying the 2019 was the same as the 2018 team. Calling the 2019 just a .500 team is underselling the talent that squad had.

 

Yes, I know what you were saying, and I pointed out how the 2019 was NOT the same as 2018, because Kimbrel, Kelly, Nunez and others were gone.

 

I also did not say they were "just a .500 team." I said the barely reached .500, and they did. by just 4 games.

 

Yes, the squad had talent on paper, but a few were in decline, a few became injury issues, and a few underperformed expectations in 2019. It was not the same team.

[moonslav59]

But at the end of the year, talent or not, the 2019 team was 84-78, 19 games out of first place. They finished two games closer to the top than the last place 2022 team…

 

Can we ignore the 2022 team record and just say it was the same team as 2021?

[dgalehouse]

The 2019 Red Sox had a very good lineup. They were hurt by a weak bullpen and injuries/underperformance of some starting pitchers.

[moonslav59]

But at the end of the year, talent or not, the 2019 team was 84-78, 19 games out of first place. They finished two games closer to the top than the last place 2022 team…

 

It wasn't just bad luck that doomed the 2019 season. The team had serious flaws.

 

We had worse luck in 2020 and 2022 than 2019, in terms of injuries.

 

A lot of blame was thrown at "restgate," but seriously, some players just underachieved... like the 2012 rotation that all imploded in the same season.

[moonslav59]

The 2019 Red Sox had a very good lineup. They were hurt by a weak bullpen and injuries/underperformance of some starting pitchers.

 

We had 15 different pitchers start at least 1 game, and not just because of injury.

11 guys started 3 or more games and 9 started 5 or more.

4 of the top 5 SP'ers had 22 or more GS'd, but yuckaddodle!

 

34 ERod 3.81 ERA

32 Porcello 5.52 (dropped off a cliff)

25 Sale 4.40 (the year he turned from Chris Freakin' Sale to Freakin' Chris Sale.)

22 Price 2.28

12 Nate 5.99

 

The pen had a half a run better ERA than the starters, but with no Kimbrell, Kelly and others, only Workman, Barnes and Walden kinda shined:

 

IPin relief only RP ERA

73 Workman 1.88

78 Walden 3.81

64 Barnes 3.78

 

[notin]

Taylor was also good in his 47 IP that year…

[moonslav59]

Josh Harrison signs for just $2M with Phillies.

 

At that cost, I'd like to have seen us sign him.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Josh Harrison signs for just $2M with Phillies.

 

At that cost, I'd like to have seen us sign him.

 

Dombrowski keeps spending like his window is wide open, arms outstretched past the shutters to Philly fans... the crowd eagerly cheering him on.

 

Bloom is shrouded behind small but colorful stained glass, the kind at churches. It looks like he might be waving at Sox fans, but he's really just holding up one finger. If it's his index, it might mean wait...

[moonslav59]

Dombrowski keeps spending like his window is wide open, arms outstretched past the shutters to Philly fans... the crowd eagerly cheering him on.

 

Bloom is shrouded behind small but colorful stained glass, the kind at churches. It looks like he might be waving at Sox fans, but he's really just holding up one finger. If it's his index, it might mean wait...

 

$2M seemed like a perfect Bloom-type signing- not really up DD's alley.

[notin]

$2M seemed like a perfect Bloom-type signing- not really up DD's alley.

 

Maybe DD had to talk Harrison up to $2mill…

[Bellhorn04]

$2M seemed like a perfect Bloom-type signing- not really up DD's alley.

 

$2 million plus $600K tax, for the Phils.

[mvp 78]

$2 million plus $600K tax, for the Phils.

 

Bloom would have to DFA Rafaela to make it work. He's next on the list.

[a700hitter]

I just looked at the list of remaining free agents. What a pile of garbage!

[mvp 78]

I just looked at the list of remaining free agents. What a pile of garbage!

 

It usually is at this point in the offseason. Maybe they can sign somebody to drive the truck on Friday?

[moonslav59]

Why is Chafin being black-balled?

[mvp 78]

Why is Chafin being black-balled?

 

@BOSSportsGordo

Andrew Chafin has not been a Red Sox target to this point, per @ChrisCotillo

 

Asking price is reportedly steep.

[moonslav59]

@BOSSportsGordo

Andrew Chafin has not been a Red Sox target to this point, per @ChrisCotillo

 

Asking price is reportedly steep.

 

Too steep for everybody, seemingly.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Why is Chafin being black-balled?

 

He opted out and is looking for a whole Wacha of cash.

[notin]

Too steep for everybody, seemingly.

 

If the Sox did sign him, would they DFA Mata?

[a700hitter]

It usually is at this point in the offseason. Maybe they can sign somebody to drive the truck on Friday?

And our roster is still a pile of garbage.

[moonslav59]

If the Sox did sign him, would they DFA Mata?

 

We can be sure it's not Ort or Brasier.

 

Maybe Hamilton? Murphy?

[notin]

We can be sure it's not Ort or Brasier.

 

Maybe Hamilton? Murphy?

 

Yoshida?