Devers signs 11 year $331 million extension

[Bobe2]

I was happy we signed HRam to play 3B, then the Pablo signing shook me- and not in a good way.

 

It kinda reminds me about this winter and signing 2 guys best suited to DH- Yoshida and Turner, when we needed a SS, SP and RF'er more.

 

You shouldn’t be surprised, you know Blooms philosophy is a ball player can play any position

[Old Red]

You shouldn’t be surprised, you know Blooms philosophy is a ball player can play any position

 

Like Arroyo in RF, and Franchy at 1B.

[mvp 78]

Like Arroyo in RF, and Franchy at 1B.

 

When has an OFer ever been converted to 1B before? I can't think of one. Quite the novel idea Bloom came up with!

[mvp 78]

Turner, Devers, trade for Wendle?

 

Turner is basically DH only going forward and backup 3B. His defense is fallen off since he's almost 40. Pablo was 28 and Hanley was 31 when they signed as FA.

 

Wendle '22:

2B 33 games

SS 34 games

3B 43 games (his worst defensive stats too)

 

Wendle comes in to platoon with Arroyo at 2B and just fill in as a UTIL guy. Story would be fulltime SS.

[notin]

You shouldn’t be surprised, you know Blooms philosophy is a ball player can play any position

 

How much of that was Bloom as opposed to Cora?

 

We saw Christian Vazquez starting games at 2b long before Bloom arrived…

[notin]

When has an OFer ever been converted to 1B before? I can't think of one. Quite the novel idea Bloom came up with!

 

I’d also bet Arroyo in RF was also Cora simply trying to get a good player more involved. It didn’t work out smoothly, but in don’t think it was a bad idea…

[notin]

Turner is basically DH only going forward and backup 3B. His defense is fallen off since he's almost 40. Pablo was 28 and Hanley was 31 when they signed as FA.

 

Wendle '22:

2B 33 games

SS 34 games

3B 43 games (his worst defensive stats too)

 

Wendle comes in to platoon with Arroyo at 2B and just fill in as a UTIL guy. Story would be fulltime SS.

 

As much as I like Andrus/Story up the middle, I do think Trevor can handle SS short term.

 

So. … on to second base! Like to see the Sox make some inquiries into the recently displaced Nick Madrigal…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I think signing Raffy also explains why we never went high enough to sign Bogey. It was likely always an either or, whether we agree or not.

 

It might also explain why no Andrus, but we could have signed Andrus, instead of Turner.

 

Rob Bradford revisited a fall podcast where Bloom explains why the Red Sox were in a better place to lock up Devers than they were when they traded Mookie. It had nothing to do with the ability to pay either, but was all about timing, the depth of the farm, and maximizing the prime years of the chosen star by being able to surround him with other elite talent going forward.

 

It's a candid, though debatable strategy (if it's not bs)... reasonable, but painful, considering Betts is by far the better all-around player -- and maybe more helpful in contributing to any core (at least in WAR).

[mvp 78]

I’d also bet Arroyo in RF was also Cora simply trying to get a good player more involved. It didn’t work out smoothly, but in don’t think it was a bad idea…

 

It wasn't a "bad idea" but I think they ended up using him too much in RF and waited too long in ST before they tried the experiment out. It really ended up being a last second decision.

 

According to the below story, he didn't even start working on RF until the last two weeks of ST. That's not enough time to be ready and really put him in an unfair position.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/dewey-alright-sox-legend-evans-111700823.html

[mvp 78]

Rob Bradford revisited a fall podcast where Bloom explains why the Red Sox were in a better place to lock up Devers than they were when they traded Mookie. It had nothing to do with the ability to pay either, but was all about timing, the depth of the farm, and maximizing the prime years of the chosen star by being able to surround him with other elite talent going forward.

 

It's a candid, though debatable strategy (if it's not bs)... reasonable, but painful, considering Betts is by far the better all-around player -- and maybe more helpful in contributing to any core (at least in WAR).

 

I also am able to explain how a 250lb Santa Claus can slip down my chimney to my kids and still have time to deliver presents all over the world in one single evening.

[Bobe2]

How much of that was Bloom as opposed to Cora?

 

We saw Christian Vazquez starting games at 2b long before Bloom arrived…

 

I wasn’t in the dugout that day, I couldn’t tell you, but that is a Bloom trait confirmed by past statements by the redsox

[Old Red]

I’d also bet Arroyo in RF was also Cora simply trying to get a good player more involved. It didn’t work out smoothly, but in don’t think it was a bad idea…

 

It was Cora, because he didn’t have many other options, because of the failed Renfroe for JBJ trade. JD could have been an option, but I think the Red Sox brain trust didn’t want to chance him tripping over 2B again, and getting hurt. Also , because Bloom didn’t seem fit to go, and get a regular OF until August. I don’t think it had much of anything to do with getting a so called good player more involved. Renfroe alleviated all the needs, and problems.

[Old Red]

It wasn't a "bad idea" but I think they ended up using him too much in RF and waited too long in ST before they tried the experiment out. It really ended up being a last second decision.

 

According to the below story, he didn't even start working on RF until the last two weeks of ST. That's not enough time to be ready and really put him in an unfair position.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/dewey-alright-sox-legend-evans-111700823.html

Especially RF at Fenway.

[Old Red]

When has an OFer ever been converted to 1B before? I can't think of one. Quite the novel idea Bloom came up with!

 

A two month failure wasn’t long enough for you? Hurt the team in the process too.

[Bobe2]

Rob Bradford revisited a fall podcast where Bloom explains why the Red Sox were in a better place to lock up Devers than they were when they traded Mookie. It had nothing to do with the ability to pay either, but was all about timing, the depth of the farm, and maximizing the prime years of the chosen star by being able to surround him with other elite talent going forward.

 

It's a candid, though debatable strategy (if it's not bs)... reasonable, but painful, considering Betts is by far the better all-around player -- and maybe more helpful in contributing to any core (at least in WAR).

 

You can think either or all you want with Bogaerts and Devers but the fact of the matter is, they took the only one that was left

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I also am able to explain how a 250lb Santa Claus can slip down my chimney to my kids and still have time to deliver presents all over the world in one single evening.

 

I'd like to not be an elf on the shelf in that conference room

[Old Red]

You can think either or all you want with Bogaerts and Devers but the fact of the matter is, they took the only one that was left

 

A PR, or a real baseball decision, or a combination of both?

[mvp 78]

A two month failure wasn’t long enough for you? Hurt the team in the process too.

 

If the team had traded for Hosmer sooner and never played Cordero at 1b, how many more wins would they have had? 1?

[mvp 78]

I'd like to not be an elf on the shelf in that conference room

 

There's eggnog and peppermint bark.

[Old Red]

If the team had traded for Hosmer sooner and never played Cordero at 1b, how many more wins would they have had? 1?

 

Is that the real point, or is it Bloom didn’t act, or knew what to do in real time?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

You can think either or all you want with Bogaerts and Devers but the fact of the matter is, they took the only one that was left

 

I never thought they were resigning Bogey since their joke of an offer a year ago. A one-year extension -- and let's not pretend it was anything else, literally -- to a Scott Boras' client in his prime -- after just splurging on a lesser player from Colorado?

 

That could not possibly be a mistake -- by an Ivy League front office -- so we have to assume it was intentional, and they knew and expected all the probable ramifications.

 

I said then they were intentionally pissing off Xander enough to make a mid-season trade more palatable. But now I'm also thinking about how disruptive it was to all the veterans and future free agents on the club... so Bloom was actually getting them all prepared for a firesale. And then ownership stopped him...

[mvp 78]

I never thought they were resigning Bogey since their joke of an offer a year ago. A one-year extension -- and let's not pretend it was anything else, literally -- to a Scott Boras' client in his prime -- after just splurging on a lesser player from Colorado?

 

That could not possibly be a mistake -- by an Ivy League front office -- so we have to assume it was intentional, and they knew and expected all the probable ramifications.

 

I said then they were intentionally pissing off Xander enough to make a mid-season trade more palatable. But now I'm also thinking about how disruptive it was to all the veterans and future free agents on the club... so Bloom was actually getting them all prepared for a firesale. And then ownership stopped him...

 

They shouldn't have stopped him. It was was the right thing to do.

[moonslav59]

You shouldn’t be surprised, you know Blooms philosophy is a ball player can play any position

 

DH should not be one of the two, and we already had a LF'er (Dugo) and 3Bman (Devers) and 1Bman (Casas & Dalbec).

 

Our biggest needs were SS, RF and SP. We only added Kluber at those 3 highest need areas.

 

That's my biggest beef about this winter's moves.

[mvp 78]

Is that the real point, or is it Bloom didn’t act, or knew what to do in real time?

 

How much did Cordero's defense hurt the team? It's the point you brought up.

[mvp 78]

DH should not be one of the two, and we already had a LF'er (Dugo) and 3Bman (Devers) and 1Bman (Casas & Dalbec).

 

Our biggest needs were SS, RF and SP. We only added Kluber at those 3 highest need areas.

 

That's my biggest beef about this winter's moves.

 

Most of us share the same concern, I think.

[moonslav59]

Turner is basically DH only going forward and backup 3B. His defense is fallen off since he's almost 40. Pablo was 28 and Hanley was 31 when they signed as FA.

 

Wendle '22:

2B 33 games

SS 34 games

3B 43 games (his worst defensive stats too)

 

Wendle comes in to platoon with Arroyo at 2B and just fill in as a UTIL guy. Story would be fulltime SS.

 

Wouldn't it be better to add Rojas, instead of Wendle?

[Old Red]

How much did Cordero's defense hurt the team? It's the point you brought up.

 

In numbers maybe a couple of games, but a circus, and an embarrassment in the process. I guess it didn’t bother you, and that’s fine too, but a good GM should have done better, or at least tried.

[jad]

How much did Cordero's defense hurt the team? It's the point you brought up.

 

His play on that infield pop-up is burned indelibly into my mind as the future of the Bloom-Sox. Let's hope it turns out to be a delusion.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

They shouldn't have stopped him. It was was the right thing to do.

 

The flaw in Bloom's plan was to start the firesale and then drop and roll until the flames were snuffed out and all his clothes were charred.

 

The real damage was what the Vazquez trade did to the psyche of the clubhouse.

 

And the catching upgrade with McGuire is arguable; after all, the guy he replaced caught a no-hitter by four pitchers in the freaking World Series.

[Old Red]

The flaw in Bloom's plan was to start the firesale and then drop and roll until the flames were snuffed out and all his clothes were charred.

 

The real damage was what the Vazquez trade did to the psyche of the clubhouse.

 

And the catching upgrade with McGuire is arguable; after all, the guy he replaced caught a no-hitter by four pitchers in the freaking World Series.

And after all that Bloom who’s supposed to be a smart ivy leaguer still stayed above the lux tax.