Red Sox Spring Training 2023

[Nick]

Just as a fyi. Opening Day Payroll (not the luxury tax payroll)

 

01 $345M Mets

02 $271M Yanks

03 $238M Phillies

04 $236M Padres

05 $216M Dodgers

06 $208M Angels

07 $207M Blue Jays

08 $186M Astros

09 $182M Giants

10 $179M Cubs

11 $178M White Sox

12 $175M Red Sox

13 $174M Cardinals

 

Mets Opening Day payroll is twice as much as Sox's? Unreal.

 

Dodgers are definitely going after Otani.

[Bellhorn04]

Who would have thunk we'd be behind the Jays, Giants and White Sox in payroll?

[notin]

Who would have thunk we'd be behind the Jays, Giants and White Sox in payroll?

 

The Giants are typically among the top spenders. Jays? Almost never. White Sox? Definitive second tier for payroll…

[Bellhorn04]

The Giants are typically among the top spenders. Jays? Almost never. White Sox? Definitive second tier for payroll…

 

The Giants have been very up and down over the years. A few years in the top 5. A number of years out of the top 10.

[notin]

The Giants have been very up and down over the years. A few years in the top 5. A number of years out of the top 10.

 

Exactly. And I’m not surprised being behind them. The same didn’t go for the Jays and White Sox…

[jad]

Who is blathering on tv? Is that Youkilis?? For God's sake, STFU!!! He seems compelled to provide a b.s. commentary on every pitch. (A routine g.b. to second is not 'a great at bat'!)

 

Time to turn the sound off.

[Bellhorn04]

Who is blathering on tv? Is that Youkilis?? For God's sake, STFU!!! He seems compelled to provide a b.s. commentary on every pitch. (A routine g.b. to second is not 'a great at bat'!)

 

Time to turn the sound off.

 

Sound off has been my standard policy for years now.

[Nick]

Who is blathering on tv? Is that Youkilis?? For God's sake, STFU!!! He seems compelled to provide a b.s. commentary on every pitch. (A routine g.b. to second is not 'a great at bat'!)

 

Time to turn the sound off.

 

Unless it's bottom of the 9th, game tied in 7th game of the world series.

 

Yeah, I agree. I'm 99% sure Casas wasn't happy.

 

I don't know who the play by play guy was couple of days ago, I couldn't stand it. They were laughing all the time. Really unprofessional.

[jad]

He's as bad as Tony Romo or Hubey Brown. Maybe these guys should listen to an old game called by Vin Scully. Let the game explain itself. Nobody wants to hear a speculative psychological analysis of the hitter pacing a 1-0 pitch.

[moonslav59]

The Giants have been very up and down over the years. A few years in the top 5. A number of years out of the top 10.

 

The Giants have also had many lacklustre years along the way- just not last to first to last like the Sox do so often.

[Old Red]

Who is blathering on tv? Is that Youkilis?? For God's sake, STFU!!! He seems compelled to provide a b.s. commentary on every pitch. (A routine g.b. to second is not 'a great at bat'!)

 

Time to turn the sound off.

 

That’s the musical group OB, and the Yuckers. Middleton, Millar, Lenny D, Wake, and Youk. What a drop in Quality from Rem, and Danny O, and Eck. Not ML quality to me, and substandard for the history of good Red Sox announcers.

[notin]

He's as bad as Tony Romo or Hubey Brown. Maybe these guys should listen to an old game called by Vin Scully. Let the game explain itself. Nobody wants to hear a speculative psychological analysis of the hitter pacing a 1-0 pitch.

 

If you’re not listening to Rick Sutcliffe, you have no reason to complain.

 

Just ask yourself “WWRSD?” (What would Rick Sutcliffe do?) and know the answer is blather on endlessly about unrelated topics until you as the audience either fall asleep, throw a chair at the TV, or (somehow) both.

 

You’re not listening to Rick Sutcliffe. It’s a good day…

[Nick]

I'm guessing Houck's day is over. 3 IP, 59 pitches.

 

Anxiously waiting for Mata's turn.

[Nick]

Well, I guessed wrong. Houck came back, got the pitch count up to 75, allowed two runs after a hit batsman followed by a walk.

 

Best thing today was he threw 75 pitches. And he didn't get hurt.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Nick

[Nick]

Mata looked fit. I thought he was little pudgy last season from the pictures I saw. He really looks good.

 

High velocity, nice cutter and also impressive 12/6 curveball.

 

Moon and I have always liked this guy. Not sure where all the bullpen talk came from......come to think of it, it's due to his lack of command. That's fair.

 

Now I'm talking to myself.

 

Mata throws 47 pitches and three innings of shut out ball.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Nick

[moonslav59]

Mata looked fit. I thought he was little pudgy last season from the pictures I saw. He really looks good.

 

High velocity, nice cutter and also impressive 12/6 curveball.

 

Moon and I have always liked this guy. Not sure where all the bullpen talk came from......come to think of it, it's due to his lack of command. That's fair.

 

Now I'm talking to myself.

 

Mata throws 47 pitches and three innings of shut out ball.

 

I think MVP has spoken of Mata and the pen, often.

[cp176]

If Sale can be Chis Freakin’ Sale for 3 full seasons, starting now, $128M/3 is about the going rate for a top ace.

 

I'm just thrilled that he is still with us. Quick question - How many of these game changing athletes ever are really worth the money in the long run? Winning teams for the most part accept that. Our potential pitching staff going in to this season, would look a little sad without Chris Sale leading the way. Too much bitching about the past for me.

[notin]

I'm just thrilled that he is still with us. Quick question - How many of these game changing athletes ever are really worth the money in the long run? Winning teams for the most part accept that. Our potential pitching staff going in to this season, would look a little sad without Chris Sale leading the way. Too much bitching about the past for me.

 

 

Sale hasn’t been a guy that produced on the early part of his deal and is just dealing with age-related regression. Since driving that deal in 2019, he has been paid $71million (accounting for a partial 2020 season) and thrown 48 innings total. He’s basically been paid $1.5mill per inning.

 

The good news for Sale is with contracts, it’s not how you start but how you finish. Not many when talking about Lackey mention his first 3 years in Boston, for which then then-highest paid pitcher in team history totaled a 5.26 ERA across 375 IP. He’s much more remembered for seasons 4 (especially in the postseason) and season 5…

Edited March 12, 2023 by notin

[mvp 78]

I think MVP has spoken of Mata and the pen, often.

 

He struggles to maintain his form over multiple innings from what I’ve heard. From outing to outing, his consistency can be poor as well. He just doesn’t have tight mechanics. Maybe he can fix it?

[cp176]

Sale hasn’t been a guy that produced on the early part of his deal and is just dealing with age-related regression. Since driving that deal in 2019, he has been paid $71million (accounting for a partial 2020 season) and thrown 48 innings total. He’s basically been paid $1.5mill per inning.

 

The good news for Sale is with contracts, it’s not how you start but how you finish. Not many when talking about Lackey mention his first 3 years in Boston, for which then then-highest paid pitcher in team history totaled a 5.26 ERA across 375 IP. He’s much more remembered for seasons 4 (especially in the postseason) and season 5…

 

I've read all that has been written about Sale's contract situation and whether or not people feel that the money spent and is being spent was worth it. Obviously I don't care. It is henry's money and I am glad that Sale is in a Red Sox uniform. Now for all of those whining about what a poor re-up sign it was and how that money could have been used more wisely - with bloom leading the way and looking what he has done to date, how could anyone suggest that that money might have been used in a more productive manner?

We are damned lucky to have Chris Sale on our roster.

[notin]

I've read all that has been written about Sale's contract situation and whether or not people feel that the money spent and is being spent was worth it. Obviously I don't care. It is henry's money and I am glad that Sale is in a Red Sox uniform. Now for all of those whining about what a poor re-up sign it was and how that money could have been used more wisely - with bloom leading the way and looking what he has done to date, how could anyone suggest that that money might have been used in a more productive manner?

We are damned lucky to have Chris Sale on our roster.

 

Before you go too deep into how little you care about Sale’s contract, bear in mind you did bring up about the contracts of game-changing athletes being worth it long term.

 

I just hope Sale lasts all year. I’ve stated many times 2023 rests largely on Sale…

Edited March 13, 2023 by notin

[cp176]

Before you go too deep into how little you care about Sale’s contract, bear in mind you did bring up about the contracts of game-changing athletes being worth it long term.

 

I just hope Sale lasts all year. I’ve stated many times 2023 rests largely on Sale…

 

What does this even mean? I think that it is pretty obvious how I feel about whether or not players actually produce relative to the contracts that they are signed to. It is about as arbitrary as anything could possibly be. If signing the best there is means spending some of a billionaires dollars, for the umpteenth time - bothers me not at all. Now - if I really felt that Bloom had a magic wand that allowed him to use the money at his disposal in a way that really made him stand out as exceptional, perhaps I would feel differently. I don't think that he stands out at all. He has the job and that's it. Our front office has allowed some of the best to leave. I am thrilled that Sale continues to be in a Red sox uniform and I will be whether he lasts the season or not. As a fan, I like being able to identify in a small way with the best there is. It makes me want to watch them.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

What does this even mean? I think that it is pretty obvious how I feel about whether or not players actually produce relative to the contracts that they are signed to. It is about as arbitrary as anything could possibly be. If signing the best there is means spending some of a billionaires dollars, for the umpteenth time - bothers me not at all. Now - if I really felt that Bloom had a magic wand that allowed him to use the money at his disposal in a way that really made him stand out as exceptional, perhaps I would feel differently. I don't think that he stands out at all. He has the job and that's it. Our front office has allowed some of the best to leave. I am thrilled that Sale continues to be in a Red sox uniform and I will be whether he lasts the season or not. As a fan, I like being able to identify in a small way with the best there is. It makes me want to watch them.

 

Your last two lines represent what I also believe is a big part of what it means to be a sports fan.

 

Sometimes the way a front office operates may overlook these aspects -- not so much because they're run by nerds, but mostly since hearts are superseded by budgets.

 

But personalities remain paramount. Not all free agents signed by Boston are fan favorites; let's not rewrite history and pretend there were ever lots of kids wearing Price or Lackey jerseys.

 

Maybe pitchers aren't great shirt sellers anyway... except for Martinez, for a lot of reasons (though there are somehow shirts circulating that say "Williams" -- which must mean Jimy, since Ted never had his name on his back).

[Bellhorn04]

What does this even mean? I think that it is pretty obvious how I feel about whether or not players actually produce relative to the contracts that they are signed to. It is about as arbitrary as anything could possibly be. If signing the best there is means spending some of a billionaires dollars, for the umpteenth time - bothers me not at all. Now - if I really felt that Bloom had a magic wand that allowed him to use the money at his disposal in a way that really made him stand out as exceptional, perhaps I would feel differently. I don't think that he stands out at all. He has the job and that's it. Our front office has allowed some of the best to leave. I am thrilled that Sale continues to be in a Red sox uniform and I will be whether he lasts the season or not. As a fan, I like being able to identify in a small way with the best there is. It makes me want to watch them.

 

The only thing I really disagree with is this: Henry doesn't spend his own money on players. The money comes from us, the fans, and he decides how to use it.

 

Steve Cohen is a different story, this guy is spending so much that a big chunk will come out of his own pocket.

[Bellhorn04]

Your last two lines represent what I also believe is a big part of what it means to be a sports fan.

 

Sometimes the way a front office operates may overlook these aspects -- not so much because they're run by nerds, but mostly since hearts are superseded by budgets.

 

But personalities remain paramount. Not all free agents signed by Boston are fan favorites; let's not rewrite history and pretend there were ever lots of kids wearing Price or Lackey jerseys.

 

Maybe pitchers aren't great shirt sellers anyway... except for Martinez, for a lot of reasons (though there are somehow shirts circulating that say "Williams" -- which must mean Jimy, since Ted never had his name on his back).

 

You mention Price and Lackey, and you could go back a little further to Schilling and Beckett. All were critical to our rings, and none will ever be regarded as fan favorites.

[Hugh2]

The only thing I really disagree with is this: Henry doesn't spend his own money on players. The money comes from us, the fans, and he decides how to use it.

 

Steve Cohen is a different story, this guy is spending so much that a big chunk will come out of his own pocket.

 

What Steve Cohen is doing this year is something we've never seen before. It almost really makes one want to see the Mets lose.

[mvp 78]

You mention Price and Lackey, and you could go back a little further to Schilling and Beckett. All were critical to our rings, and none will ever be regarded as fan favorites.

 

Sale

Price

Lackey

Schilling

Beckett

 

Those are 5 guys with distinctive personality flaws. I can see why they wouldn't be a "fan favorite." Yuck!

[mvp 78]

What Steve Cohen is doing this year is something we've never seen before. It almost really makes one want to see the Mets lose.

 

We don't really know what the Mets' financial situation looks like, so it's hard to say if it really is dipping into his pockets.

[Hugh2]

This is probably not a huge issue but one thing about Sox players being at the WBC is they're not getting experience with the new pitch clock, it will be interesting to see if any of those guys take longer to adjust once the season starts.

[mvp 78]

This is probably not a huge issue but one thing about Sox players being at the WBC is they're not getting experience with the new pitch clock, it will be interesting to see if any of those guys take longer to adjust once the season starts.

 

For pitchers it would only affect Bleier then. Fine?