A Realistic View at 2024: Part I

[Bellhorn04]

I blame him for doing nothing at the deadlines, and I count Hosmer as nothing. Really I could see counting Austin Davis and Hansel Robles as nothing, too. My exact words were “twiddled his thumbs”, which is a metaphor for inaction, not for “failing to sell.”

 

I wouldn’t have liked it if he dealt JD and Sale in 2022 and Turner in 2023, but I would at least acknowledge he had a direction.

 

Unlike some people, I’m not criticizing Bloom for not running the team the way I wanted it run; my criticisms are when he failed to run it at all…

 

And I'm not convinced Bloom didn't get screwed over and scapegoated by Henry and company, especially seeing how this offseason is going so far.

[notin]

And I'm not convinced Bloom didn't get screwed over and scapegoated by Henry and company, especially seeing how this offseason is going so far.

 

I think he was given a talk much closer to bring Tampa North. And he laid out his plan to fit his Tampa North budget.

 

It fits most of your criticisms,. After all, how many free agent pitchers does Tampa spend more than $10mill on? Is Eflin the only one?

 

I’m glad he spent some cash on players to help this team, although sometimes it felt like spending for PR purposes. Why else would they sign Story? At least that’s what it felt like at the time. My only thought were that it quashed any suspicion that they really were Tampa North. Maybe that was the whole goal there.

 

Bloom might have been scapegoated, but his indecisiveness definitely merited being fired…

[Old Red]

He definitely let 1b go that one year.

 

But you’re falling into the “This move didn’t work out do the whole plan is shot” mentality. Every GM makes moves that don’t work out. The idea is to limit those to impacting one season…

 

Arroyo in RF, and Franchy at 1B shouldn’t have been part of any plan in the first place.

[notin]

Arroyo in RF, and Franchy at 1B shouldn’t have been part of any plan in the first place.

 

Arroyo in RF was more Cora than Bloom. Bloom didn’t fill out lineup cards. Ever.

 

You may not have liked letting Bradley hit vs LHP, but it was always an option and he could definitely play the defense. If Cora thought they needed a RHH RF, he could have ignored Arroyo and let Bradley post a sub-.500 OPS vs LHP. By playing Arroyo, all he did was leave himself open to criticism for benching his best defensive outfielder while playing a teammate out of position. He likely only does that if he believes Arroyo can vindicate him.

 

That Arroyo made it out to RF as often as he did shows just how on board Cora was with that move. This doesn’t surprise me; Cora has always been a big Arroyo supporter. And I don’t think that was necessarily a flaw…

[Bellhorn04]

I think he was given a talk much closer to bring Tampa North. And he laid out his plan to fit his Tampa North budget.

 

It fits most of your criticisms,. After all, how many free agent pitchers does Tampa spend more than $10mill on? Is Eflin the only one?

 

I’m glad he spent some cash on players to help this team, although sometimes it felt like spending for PR purposes. Why else would they sign Story? At least that’s what it felt like at the time. My only thought were that it quashed any suspicion that they really were Tampa North. Maybe that was the whole goal there.

 

Bloom might have been scapegoated, but his indecisiveness definitely merited being fired…

 

But not so much if the indecisiveness was from the whole front office. We just know so little about what the hell is going on there.

[Bellhorn04]

I mean, if the mandate given to Bloom was to "rebuild but compete", there are obviously going to be situations where the two goals are completely at odds with each other, like the Turner/Cabrera trade that didn't happen.

 

Maybe "rebuild but compete' was just a bad strategy to begin with...

[Old Red]

Arroyo in RF was more Cora than Bloom. Bloom didn’t fill out lineup cards. Ever.

 

You may not have liked letting Bradley hit vs LHP, but it was always an option and he could definitely play the defense. If Cora thought they needed a RHH RF, he could have ignored Arroyo and let Bradley post a sub-.500 OPS vs LHP. By playing Arroyo, all he did was leave himself open to criticism for benching his best defensive outfielder while playing a teammate out of position. He likely only does that if he believes Arroyo can vindicate him.

 

That Arroyo made it out to RF as often as he did shows just how on board Cora was with that move. This doesn’t surprise me; Cora has always been a big Arroyo supporter. And I don’t think that was necessarily a flaw…

 

I didn’t like the JBJ trade in the first place. I know you did, and was one of the few who did, so JBJ shouldn’t have been part of the problem.

[notin]

But not so much if the indecisiveness was from the whole front office. We just know so little about what the hell is going on there.

 

But like most fans, I solely blame/credit the name they give me. I never blamed Lucchino for anything and heaped it all on Cherington. I am not going to dump on or credit Kennedy for anything that happened with abloom in charge. Breslow is a similar focal point with me, although clearly operating within a budget that is not his fault…

[Old Red]

I mean, if the mandate given to Bloom was to "rebuild but compete", there are obviously going to be situations where the two goals are completely at odds with each other, like the Turner/Cabrera trade that didn't happen.

 

Maybe "rebuild but compete' was just a bad strategy to begin with...

It was only bad if you thought you had to rebuild in the first place. Like I’ve repeatedly said that the core of the team should be Mookie, Bogey, and Raffy, and then adding to that core either by trades, FA, or the farm.

[Bellhorn04]

But like most fans, I solely blame/credit the name they give me. I never blamed Lucchino for anything and heaped it all on Cherington. I am not going to dump on or credit Kennedy for anything that happened with abloom in charge. Breslow is a similar focal point with me, although clearly operating within a budget that is not his fault…

 

Which is fine. But there's no getting around one thing, which is that the Sox have been replacing their CBO every 4 years while everyone else in that front office seems to stick around and even get promoted...

[notin]

I didn’t like the JBJ trade in the first place. I know you did, and was one of the few who did, so JBJ shouldn’t have been part of the problem.

 

Do you have a relevant point? It’s not about whether or not you liked JBJ. Or Renfroe. And guess what - none of Bloom nor Cora nor Brian O’Hallorhan’s wife’s boyfriend cares about your thoughts on Bradley or Arroyo. They don’t care about mine either. Only one of us seems ok with that.

 

The point is Cora had the option of playing either Bradley or Arroyo in RF. Cora chose Arroyo. Bloom did not. You might wish Cora had better options, but that didn’t change the fact that CORA CHOSE to play Arroyo out of position…

[Randy Red Sox]

But not so much if the indecisiveness was from the whole front office. We just know so little about what the hell is going on there.

 

they like it better that way. they think we are all stupid. i saw this 'plan' a long time ago and called them out on it and ended up getting banned on another Fan Forum for it. I wonder what they are thinking now.

[notin]

Which is fine. But there's no getting around one thing, which is that the Sox have been replacing their CBO every 4 years while everyone else in that front office seems to stick around and even get promoted...

 

They replaced two CBO’s after 4 years.

 

I’m not even sure how important folks like Kennedy and O’Halloran are in that place. I think that’s why I almost never complain about them…

[Randy Red Sox]

Gotta get on to MLBTR now and check the latest M/L signings

[Bellhorn04]

They replaced two CBO’s after 4 years.

 

Right, Cherington only left because he was a crybaby who didn't appreciate the new opportunity he was being given.

[Bellhorn04]

Gotta get on to MLBTR now and check the latest M/L signings

 

The latest word is that the Sox could definitely sign Montgomery but have no plans to.

[notin]

Right, Cherington only left because he was a crybaby who didn't appreciate the new opportunity he was being given.

 

Granted it seems like the structure was different. But Cherington also want the CBO. His title was General Manager/EVP. Both Dombrowski (Hazen) and Bloom (O’Hallorhan) had GMs underneath them…

[notin]

Right, Cherington only left because he was a crybaby who didn't appreciate the new opportunity he was being given.

 

And yes, Cherington’s resignation did feel like it was accompanied by a hissy fit…

[notin]

Gotta get on to MLBTR now and check the latest M/L signings

 

Why?

 

So I can see what players that I didn’t care about signed elsewhere?

[Bellhorn04]

And yes, Cherington’s resignation did feel like it was accompanied by a hissy fit…

 

Some would say he only did what any self-respecting individual would do in the circumstances.

[Bellhorn04]

Granted it seems like the structure was different. But Cherington also want the CBO. His title was General Manager/EVP. Both Dombrowski (Hazen) and Bloom (O’Hallorhan) had GMs underneath them…

 

Titles shmitles. All that matters is de facto authority.

[notin]

Titles shmitles. All that matters is de facto authority.

 

 

But how it rolled out (Cherington quitting, Dombrowski’s statements about wanting to keep Ben on) shows Dombrowski was brought in to replace Lucchino, not Cherington. If you count Cherington in the “every 4 years” thing, you’re mixing roles and misrepresenting…

[notin]

Some would say he only did what any self-respecting individual would do in the circumstances.

 

Last post about him, you called him a crybaby…

[Hugh2]

I don't think Montgomery is going to get the $150 million MLBTRADERUMORS, and certainly not the $172 million he is looking for in free agency.

 

If he can be had in the $90-$130 range (depending on years) Sox should bite

[Hugh2]

Next years pitching class has some interesting names in it as well.

 

Brandon Woodruff

Max Scherzer

Justin Verlander

Shane Bieber

Zack Wheeler

Max Fried

Walker Buehler

[notin]

I don't think Montgomery is going to get the $150 million MLBTRADERUMORS, and certainly not the $172 million he is looking for in free agency.

 

If he can be had in the $90-$130 range (depending on years) Sox should bite

 

The big problem Montgomery is facing is neither he nor Snell is going to get the payday they want until the other signs somewhere, making him the last option on the table when teams just get desperate. But neither one is going to sign solely to help out the other. And this situation is further hampered by both having the same agent…

Edited January 27, 2024 by notin

[dgalehouse]

Having a series of last place teams so you can get high draft picks and " improve the farm" is not a plan too many fans are okay with. We don't want to imitate Tampa Bay or Baltimore. We had a winning system before Bloom. Why change it? Strictly to save money. All this while the Sox are one of the most valuable franchises in MLB. Be like the Rays or Orioles? Give me a break.

[dgalehouse]

Could it be that Breslow just doesn't think that Montgomery is all that good? Could he be right in thinking that?

[Old Red]

Could it be that Breslow just doesn't think that Montgomery is all that good? Could he be right in thinking that?

 

I’ve said all along before FA even started that Monty would help the Red Sox, but he isn’t worth the money. He is available, and there is a big need out there for starting pitching, and that why his value has gone up. He had a good stretch run, and postseason with Texas, and that helped his value more than before that happened. Evol had a good postseason in 2018, which helped him get his contract with the Red Sox.

[Bellhorn04]

But how it rolled out (Cherington quitting, Dombrowski’s statements about wanting to keep Ben on) shows Dombrowski was brought in to replace Lucchino, not Cherington. If you count Cherington in the “every 4 years” thing, you’re mixing roles and misrepresenting…

 

I believe Dombrowski was brought in to be the man with the most authority over baseball decisions and Cherington was being removed from that position and he didn't accept it and he quit. No idea what it is I'm supposed to be misrepresenting.