A Realistic View of 2023: Part II

[mvp 78]

Chaim said he's "pretty excited" to have Urias because of his intriguing upside... and of course, because he's under control.

 

Do those two reasons show that Bloom is viewing this addition as someone who will give them that playoff push for this season?

 

Probably not. I meant to quote moon's prior post.

 

Do .145 hitters get arb raises?

 

I think I might want Urias at $4.8M than Arroyo at $2.8M or more.

 

Who know? Maybe we cut him, and you can gloat all spring long.

[mvp 78]

Signing Kluber for 20 mil, Kike for 15, Jansen for 20 per, and Martin for 17 per would have made you happier then? It's not about how much they spend, it's who they sign. There's no info on a specific mandate to not spend any money. Rather, this has been Bloom's M.O. since his Rays' days. The Sox have consistently been top-echelon spender for years, but why would they continue spending a s*** ton of money during a clear rebuild (or retool if you want to call it that). The problem is that there's nothing in the world easier than spending somebody else's money. If It was JH, I'd keep spending middle of the pack until this team is ready to seriously contend too.

 

The wife is going to have quite the earing collection for a few years then!

[mvp 78]

Now Dipre, you know very well I didn't mean spend more just for the sake of jacking up the payroll number.

 

The team as it stands does have a shot at the playoffs and the playoffs do have a lot of crap-shootiness. The 2021 Red Sox and 2022 Phillies are clear and recent examples.

 

The 2021 Red Sox were much higher in the standings from what I remember. This team hasn't spent a day in first place.

[Dipre]

Now Dipre, you know very well I didn't mean spend more just for the sake of jacking up the payroll number.

 

The team as it stands does have a shot at the playoffs and the playoffs do have a lot of crap-shootiness. The 2021 Red Sox and 2022 Phillies are clear and recent examples.

 

It was hyperbole, sure. But I think everyone here thought this was a flawed roster that needed a ton of work. Some guys coming into their own like Casas and Duran, as well as some of the pitchers, accelerated the timeline. Lots of injury-prone pitchers, unproven players and 2022 underperformers. I just don't see the market yielding instant solutions that would have made this roster competitive for '22. Y'all are welcome to disagree, but I've been banging the '24 drum for a while.

[Old Red]

The 2021 Red Sox were much higher in the standings from what I remember. This team hasn't spent a day in first place.

 

Loser attitude, and I don’t think Cora, or the players in the clubhouse feel that way.

[Dipre]

The 2021 Red Sox were much higher in the standings from what I remember. This team hasn't spent a day in first place.

 

This was and is a very flawed roster, I wouldn't have dumped 220 mil on this team honestly.

[Dipre]

Loser attitude, and I don’t think Cora, or the players in the clubhouse feel that way.

 

You don't know how anyone feels. And what they feel doesn't really matter. They don't own or operate the team.

[Bellhorn04]

The 2021 Red Sox were much higher in the standings from what I remember. This team hasn't spent a day in first place.

 

Pretty weak counter.

 

The 2021 Red Sox had a Pythagorean record of 88-74. They beat a Rays team that had a Pythagorean record of 101-61.

[Bellhorn04]

This was and is a very flawed roster, I wouldn't have dumped 220 mil on this team honestly.

 

Of course it's flawed. They have also gone 7-1 against the Braves, Rangers and Jays over the last month. They have gone on some really good runs. They're dangerous in any one game or series. But if they don't get to the postseason it's all moot of course.

[Old Red]

You don't know how anyone feels. And what they feel doesn't really matter. They don't own or operate the team.

 

What Cora, and the players feel is what mattes the most, and also the fans that pay TOP dollars to watch.

[Dipre]

Of course it's flawed. They have also gone 7-1 against the Braves, Rangers and Jays over the last month. They have gone on some really good runs. They're dangerous in any one game or series. But if they don't get to the postseason it's all moot of course.

 

I've been saying since the beginning of the season, that beating good teams and losing to mediocre/bad teams is the mark of a bad team, and this team has adhered to that adage. I like this roster, but it's not a true contender. Got my eye set on '24 for a while, though I'd welcome a surprise playoff run.

[Dipre]

What Cora, and the players feel is what mattes the most, and also the fans that pay TOP dollars to watch.

 

It really doesn't. The owner and the FO will do what they feel is right, regardless of what people think. Sometimes they take half measures to "appease the fanbase", but they've executed their plan to build the farm and cut down on stupid contracts, and you're still watching. Seems to me like you're another pawn in their chess game.

[Old Red]

Of course it's flawed. They have also gone 7-1 against the Braves, Rangers and Jays over the last month. They have gone on some really good runs. They're dangerous in any one game or series. But if they don't get to the postseason it's all moot of course.

Is there any team out there that isn’t flawed? There’s more flaws out there this year than any I can remember.

[Old Red]

It really doesn't. The owner and the FO will do what they feel is right, regardless of what people think. Sometimes they take half measures to "appease the fanbase", but they've executed their plan to build the farm and cut down on stupid contracts, and you're still watching. Seems to me like you're another pawn in their chess game.

 

I haven’t watched in a month now.

[Dipre]

Is there any team out there that isn’t flawed? There’s more flaws out there this year than any I can remember.

 

I will direct you to the Braves, Rays, Dodgers, Astros and Rangers, even with some injury issues. Having flaws is one thing, being flawed is something else entirely.

[Bellhorn04]

I've been saying since the beginning of the season, that beating good teams and losing to mediocre/bad teams is the mark of a bad team, and this team has adhered to that adage. I like this roster, but it's not a true contender.

 

Did you think the '21 Sox were a true contender?

[Dipre]

I haven’t watched in a month now.

 

But you're here talking about them, generating interest! I only watch because you and the other old timers here keep whining about them! They can have my money!

[Old Red]

But you're here talking about them, generating interest! I only watch because you and the other old timers here keep whining about them! They can have my money!

 

More crying, and whining on here the last two yeas have come from those wanting a fire sale. Loser attitude at its best.

[Dipre]

Did you think the '21 Sox were a true contender?

 

Going into the season? I thought they were a decent team, but consider the following:

 

April 17 10 129 105 .630

May 15 11 140 119 .577

June 18 10 141 138 .643

July 13 12 118 117 .520

August 12 16 147 141 .429

September 14 11 138 119 .560

October 3 0 16 10 1.000

 

Were it not for their typical August swoon, this was a 97-100 win team, they played over .500 ball at home and on the road, spent 71 days in 1st , among other positive factors.

[Dipre]

More crying, and whining on here the last two yeas have come from those wanting a fire sale. Loser attitude at its best.

 

Don't really care about your hot takes about people's attitudes, fortunately. Since you don't even watch the team, you can take your whining somewhere else, for all I care, good sir.

[Old Red]

Don't really care about your hot takes about people's attitudes, fortunately. Since you don't even watch the team, you can take your whining somewhere else, for all I care, good sir.

 

Bless your pee picking heart with all the kind words.

[Dipre]

Bless your pee picking heart with all the kind words.

 

That's a loser attitude.

[Dipre]

On another note, my boy Triston Casas appeared in MLB.COM's Hitter Power Rankings for the first (and certainly not the last) time in his young career.

[Bellhorn04]

2022 Dodgers 111 wins 116 Pythagorean wins

2022 Phillies 87 wins 87 Pythagorean wins

2022 NL champs Phillies

 

If that ain't a crapshoot I don't know what is. A 24 win difference and a 29 win Pythagorean difference.

 

The MLB playoff system is more crap-shooty all the time.

[Dipre]

2022 Dodgers 111 wins 116 Pythagorean wins

2022 Phillies 87 wins 87 Pythagorean wins

2022 NL champs Phillies

 

If that ain't a crapshoot I don't know what is. A 24 win difference and a 29 win Pythagorean difference.

 

The MLB playoff system is more crap-shooty all the time.

 

You know I'm very much a proponent of "Playoffs are a crapshoot" theory, but the main factor to winning in the playoffs is having the players who got you there available to get you through it. I don't think this pitching staff, even if reaching the playoffs, would be healthy/effective enough to survive it, even if they had added a realistic option like Jack Flaherty (Verlander and Scherzer were a pipe dream).

[Old Red]

2022 Dodgers 111 wins 116 Pythagorean wins

2022 Phillies 87 wins 87 Pythagorean wins

2022 NL champs Phillies

 

If that ain't a crapshoot I don't know what is. A 24 win difference and a 29 win Pythagorean difference.

 

The MLB playoff system is more crap-shooty all the time.

Like I keep saying the overall attitude on here of why bother the Red Sox aren’t good enough is not like that any other place that I hear, watch, and see.

[Dipre]

Like I keep saying the overall attitude on here of why bother the Red Sox aren’t good enough is not like that any other place that I hear, watch, and see.

 

Those other places have a loser attitude. You should stay away from them, maybe you'll learn a thing or two.

[Old Red]

Those other places have a loser attitude. You should stay away from them, maybe you'll learn a thing or two.

 

In my little corner of the world of only on here. Sad, but true.

[Bellhorn04]

You know I'm very much a proponent of "Playoffs are a crapshoot" theory, but the main factor to winning in the playoffs is having the players who got you there available to get you through it. I don't think this pitching staff, even if reaching the playoffs, would be healthy/effective enough to survive it, even if they had added a realistic option like Jack Flaherty (Verlander and Scherzer were a pipe dream).

 

But IF Sale was healthy and we got Flaherty...Sale, Paxton, Bello and Flaherty could be a pretty decent four.

 

Needless to say there's a pile of Injury Luck involved.

[Dipre]

But IF Sale was healthy and we got Flaherty...Sale, Paxton, Bello and Flaherty could be a pretty decent four.

 

Needless to say there's a pile of Injury Luck involved.

 

Lots of ifs. I just don't see it. Houck and Whitlock have been neither healthy nor effective, and Sale has barely pitched the last three years. The fact that The Big Injury has pitched this much is a minor miracle. Maybe I'm the negative Nancy?