Red Sox: Off Season '23-'24

[notin]

Would anyone really be shocked if there's some collusion going on? If owners have collectively decided to put the brakes on?

 

I hope not. They've been sued for that three times already and never won a case. If it happens again, will it lead to another expansion?

[notin]

It seemed like he believed the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets would come around and bail him out at the end again. It just didn't happen.

 

I would be ok (not quite happy, but at least I would understand it) if the Sox were holding out on spending to make a run at Juan Soto next year as the marquee name replacement for giving up on Mookie Betts. I do doubt that is the case, however...

[Bellhorn04]

I would be ok (not quite happy, but at least I would understand it) if the Sox were holding out on spending to make a run at Juan Soto next year as the marquee name replacement for giving up on Mookie Betts. I do doubt that is the case, however...

 

We should all doubt that with every fiber of our beings...

[Bellhorn04]

The Boras clients were all flawed FA's that were expecting way too much this offseason.

 

Most players are flawed, for the ones that aren't the flaw is the price tag.

 

And how do we know exactly what they were expecting?

[notin]

We should all doubt that with every fiber of our beings...

 

I am living in a world where they see him as a solid target. Do not ruin my world. Let Henry do that a year from now...

[notin]

Most players are flawed, for the ones that aren't the flaw is the price tag.

 

And how do we know exactly what they were expecting?

 

All I know about Montgomery is he wants 7 years, per multiple reports. As for Snell, I only know 5 years $150mill was not enough...

[Bellhorn04]

All I know about Montgomery is he wants 7 years, per multiple reports. As for Snell, I only know 5 years $150mill was not enough...

 

I would guess that Monty gave up on the 7 years a while ago...

[Bellhorn04]

I am living in a world where they see him as a solid target. Do not ruin my world. Let Henry do that a year from now...

 

Why put yourself through it?

 

Anyway, the Yankees will probably extend him and get the pain out of the way early for you...

[notin]

Why put yourself through it?

 

Anyway, the Yankees will probably extend him and get the pain out of the way early for you...

 

I do think at some point the Yankees have a spending limit. Can they/should they drop well over $100mill AAV on two corner outfielders (one with frequent injuries) and an oft-injured DH? They might do it, but I can see it causing some major problems.

 

I would think Soto's agent should see that Soto has far more earning power than Judge. What would that extension look like to make Soto give up on free agency before his age 26 season?

[Bellhorn04]

I do think at some point the Yankees have a spending limit. Can they/should they drop well over $100mill AAV on two corner outfielders (one with frequent injuries) and an oft-injured DH? They might do it, but I can see it causing some major problems.

 

I would think Soto's agent should see that Soto has far more earning power than Judge. What would that extension look like to make Soto give up on free agency before his age 26 season?

 

I don't know. I just figure that if the Yankees were prepared to trade a decent package for one guaranteed year of Soto, they're prepared to try to keep him, too.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Would anyone really be shocked if there's some collusion going on? If owners have collectively decided to put the brakes on?

 

John Henry had head-on collusion with a mirror.

[mvp 78]

I would be ok (not quite happy, but at least I would understand it) if the Sox were holding out on spending to make a run at Juan Soto next year as the marquee name replacement for giving up on Mookie Betts. I do doubt that is the case, however...

 

Yeah, I can't hold out hope anymore. The goodwill is over for me.

[mvp 78]

Most players are flawed, for the ones that aren't the flaw is the price tag.

 

And how do we know exactly what they were expecting?

 

We only know what has been reported. Snell had a 150M offer that he turned down. Monty wants 7 years, but has turned down other offers.

[mvp 78]

The collusion that happened in the 80's was on a much greater scale. From 85-86, only 8 FA's switched teams and the average MLB salary decreased.

[mvp 78]

John Henry had head-on collusion with a mirror.

 

Vampires and mirrors, a classic confrontation.

[dgalehouse]

It's not complicated. Players think they deserve more money. Owners want to keep the payroll down in order to increase their profits. It's the usual labor/management business , but perhaps on a bigger scale.

[mvp 78]

It's not complicated. Players think they deserve more money. Owners want to keep the payroll down in order to increase their profits. It's the usual labor/management business , but perhaps on a bigger scale.

 

A big difference is that baseball currently has an antitrust exemption.

[notin]

It's not complicated. Players think they deserve more money. Owners want to keep the payroll down in order to increase their profits. It's the usual labor/management business , but perhaps on a bigger scale.

 

It is odd that fans almost universally side with the players, who, let's face it, are no longer struggling financially.

 

The entire system boils down to a few hundred people who cannot agree on how to divide up roughly ten billion dollars. I think their all in the wrong...

[mvp 78]

It is odd that fans almost universally side with the players, who, let's face it, are no longer struggling financially.

 

The entire system boils down to a few hundred people who cannot agree on how to divide up roughly ten billion dollars. I think their all in the wrong...

 

It's not odd at all. Fans cheer for the players. Owners don't do anything for fans to cheer about except increase prices and ask for the public to subsidize their new ballpark.

[Bellhorn04]

It is odd that fans almost universally side with the players, who, let's face it, are no longer struggling financially.

 

The entire system boils down to a few hundred people who cannot agree on how to divide up roughly ten billion dollars. I think their all in the wrong...

 

Some might argue it's just regular old capitalism and markets at work. It's not pretty, but neither is the alternative.

[Bellhorn04]

It's not odd at all. Fans cheer for the players. Owners don't do anything for fans to cheer about except increase prices and ask for the public to subsidize their new ballpark.

 

Yeah, I'd say players are much easier to sympathize with, when you see the money these franchises are raking in from fans and the general public.

[moonslav59]

Yeah, I'd say players are much easier to sympathize with, when you see the money these franchises are raking in from fans and the general public.

 

Much like the rest of the business world, there seems to be a very wide pay scale.

 

I still wonder why the player's union did not fight harder for raising the min wage more than it did and improving the arb system than keeping huge contracts for the very few well protected.

Edited March 19, 2024 by moonslav59

[Bellhorn04]

Much like the rest of the business world, there seems to be a very wide pay scale.

 

I still wonder why the player's union did not fight harder for raising the min wage and improving the arb system than keeping huge contracts for the very few well protected.

 

It's the old "choose your battles" thing, I suspect.

[moonslav59]

It's the old "choose your battles" thing, I suspect.

 

I think their belief is that huge contracts to a few bring up the next level contracts, but I'm not so sure.

 

Look at this winter: it was highlighted by a couple massive deals, and the rest were at or under projected contract costs and years.

[notin]

Some might argue it's just regular old capitalism and markets at work. It's not pretty, but neither is the alternative.

 

I would think it’s closer to Communism than Capitalism. It’s obviously not Communism, as the government doesn’t control any part of it…

[jad]

It is odd that fans almost universally side with the players, who, let's face it, are no longer struggling financially.

 

The entire system boils down to a few hundred people who cannot agree on how to divide up roughly ten billion dollars. I think their all in the wrong...

 

Do you think so? Every time there is a labor dispute in sports, all I hear are cries that the players get paid way too much; I never hear about owners making big profits. And it's always struck me as odd. Maybe bec. fans these days are into fantasy sports, and thus relate more to the FO than to the players?

[Elktonnick]

Do you think so? Every time there is a labor dispute in sports, all I hear are cries that the players get paid way too much; I never hear about owners making big profits. And it's always struck me as odd. Maybe bec. fans these days are into fantasy sports, and thus relate more to the FO than to the players?

Fans have no skin in the game other than their emotional attachment to the laundry.

How ever the owners and players wish the divide the pie is really not my concern. I will make my decision whether to support a team, watch its telecasts, or attend it's games based on things I can control.

If MLB wishes to price itself out of existence is not something I can control.

If they make bad choices and go the way of horse racing and prize fighting two sports which were arguably once more popular than MLB, then I will just find other sports to follow. I think that is the way of the world.

Life will go on.

[Bellhorn04]

As far as the 2024 Sox are concerned, I seem to have gone through all the stages of grief, and now accept that they're probably going to suck again and that the owners don't really care that much about it.

 

There's certainly nothing any of us can do about it, other than voice our opinions.

[Elktonnick]

As far as the 2024 Sox are concerned, I seem to have gone through all the stages of grief, and now accept that they're probably going to suck again and that the owners don't really care that much about it.

 

There's certainly nothing any of us can do about it, other than voice our opinions.

And/or withhold our custom!

[mvp 78]

Do you think so? Every time there is a labor dispute in sports, all I hear are cries that the players get paid way too much; I never hear about owners making big profits. And it's always struck me as odd. Maybe bec. fans these days are into fantasy sports, and thus relate more to the FO than to the players?

 

???

 

The players haven't even had a strike since 94-95. Every stoppage since then has been a lockout and on the owners. The issue is that reporters are beholden to the owners for the most part and a lot of people just don't think for themselves. I think there are enough pro-player voices if you know where to look.