Red Sox: Off Season 2024-2025

[jdc69]

4 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

If I had to bet, I think I would say yes, due to the  fact that I did not see the teams better than us improve or improve by more than we did. It's close, and it shouldn't have had to be this close.

I always think the team with better pitching has a chance. I hope our O and D can do well enough to get us there. I think the O can. The D still needs help- mostly via health.

True. Alot of talent has definitely shifted to the NL. Another thing, though that I don't see much talked about is protection for Devers in another power bat. Of course we can't have everything, like a young, RH power bat, all the while getting that D, pitching and health, but that is on my list of things we need. 

[notin]

5 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

If I had to bet, I think I would say yes, due to the  fact that I did not see the teams better than us improve or improve by more than we did. It's close, and it shouldn't have had to be this close.

I always think the team with better pitching has a chance. I hope our O and D can do well enough to get us there. I think the O can. The D still needs help- mostly via health.

It’s not just about who improved.  Sometimes it’s about who took steps backwards.

 

One of the biggest factors last year appeared to be the abominable play of the White Sox.  Detroit (76-73) was barely above .500 against the rest of MLB.  And KC (74-75) and Minnesota (70-79) were both under .500.

And then Boston went and acquired the White Sox best player, making them even worse…

[moonslav59]

That does matter, too, but I'm looking at who we need to pass to make the playoffs, and I don't see any teams that finished ahead of us in the AL who clearly improved. Some look worse, on paper.

[notin]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

That does matter, too, but I'm looking at who we need to pass to make the playoffs, and I don't see any teams that finished ahead of us in the AL who clearly improved. Some look worse, on paper.

Man’s even on paper, the White Sox look worse than a team that only won 41 games last year, which I was not sure was possible.  It’s not hard to envision them having a major impact on the AL postseason again.  I mean, they single-handedly made everyone else in the AL Central look competitive…

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Man’s even on paper, the White Sox look worse than a team that only won 41 games last year, which I was not sure was possible.  It’s not hard to envision them having a major impact on the AL postseason again.  I mean, they single-handedly made everyone else in the AL Central look competitive…

Unfortunately the Red Sox could only take 4 of 7 from them.   

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Unfortunately the Red Sox could only take 4 of 7 from them.   

Now that they are worse, we can go 5-2!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

12 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Unfortunately the Red Sox could only take 4 of 7 from them.   

If they could do that again this year, it could mean they win the ALCS! 

Boston has slyly Chicagoized its forces by adding Crochet, Giolito, Hendriks and Romy. They must be better than Teel, Monty, Meidroth and Wikelman.

[notin]

41 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

If they could do that again this year, it could mean they win the ALCS! 

Boston has slyly Chicagoized its forces by adding Crochet, Giolito, Hendriks and Romy. They must be better than Teel, Monty, Meidroth and Wikelman.

The White Sox very likely kept Seattle out of the postseason.  
 

Boston was third in the East; they have other mountains to climb.

Baltimore has yet to do much to improve, save o adding an off-injured O’Neill.  But they also didn’t as Burnes until February of last year, and c could do something similar this off season, especially since they have a very highly ranked Coby Mayo and no place to play him…

[Bellhorn04]

1 hour ago, notin said:

The White Sox very likely kept Seattle out of the postseason.

This isn't meant to undermine your point, but when I looked up Seattle's W-L splits last year I couldn't help noticing that they got annihilated by both Detroit and Minnesota, going a combined 3-10, scoring 34 and giving up 71.

[notin]

5 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

This isn't meant to undermine your point, but when I looked up Seattle's W-L splits last year I couldn't help noticing that they got annihilated by both Detroit and Minnesota, going a combined 3-10, scoring 34 and giving up 71.

And 3-3 vs KC.

They went 6-1 vs the White Sox, while KC went 12-1 against Chicago and finished just one game ahead for the last wild card spot…

[mvp 78]

17 hours ago, notin said:

Man’s even on paper, the White Sox look worse than a team that only won 41 games last year, which I was not sure was possible.  It’s not hard to envision them having a major impact on the AL postseason again.  I mean, they single-handedly made everyone else in the AL Central look competitive…

TBF, they underperformed and were supposed to win 48 games if you believe in Pythagoras. 

[mvp 78]

Man, if we only had an ownership group that cared....

MLB's 2024 revenues: $12.1 billion
According to Forbes, Major League Baseball's 2024 revenues were a record $12.1 billion. That's up from $11.6 billion in 2023. Revenues for just the 30 clubs, not including league revenues, were $11.34 billion, or $378 million per club.

That number does not include ancillary revenues from things such as real estate/mixed-use development around ballparks such as The Battery in Atlanta, Ballpark Village in St. Louis, and other similar enterprises. Those things are considered non-baseball revenue, even if those developments would not be feasible without baseball games being played in the middle of 'em. Nor does it include revenue from team-owned sports networks like the Yankees' YES Network or the Cubs' Marquee Sports Network.

[sk7326]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Man, if we only had an ownership group that cared....

MLB's 2024 revenues: $12.1 billion
According to Forbes, Major League Baseball's 2024 revenues were a record $12.1 billion. That's up from $11.6 billion in 2023. Revenues for just the 30 clubs, not including league revenues, were $11.34 billion, or $378 million per club.

That number does not include ancillary revenues from things such as real estate/mixed-use development around ballparks such as The Battery in Atlanta, Ballpark Village in St. Louis, and other similar enterprises. Those things are considered non-baseball revenue, even if those developments would not be feasible without baseball games being played in the middle of 'em. Nor does it include revenue from team-owned sports networks like the Yankees' YES Network or the Cubs' Marquee Sports Network.

While I am not in favor of salary caps on principle - if we used a share ratio like they do in the NBA/NFL, you'd land on a cap of $189M per team.  In 2024, only 11 of the 30 teams got to that number.  (the Red Sox were basically on the line) 

[moonslav59]

21 minutes ago, sk7326 said:

While I am not in favor of salary caps on principle - if we used a share ratio like they do in the NBA/NFL, you'd land on a cap of $189M per team.  In 2024, only 11 of the 30 teams got to that number.  (the Red Sox were basically on the line) 

No way the union ever agrees to a cap 1t $240M, let alone $189.

One way to persuade MLB players to accept a cap would be to vastly increase the min wage and establish a hefty floor cap over a 3 year period.

[sk7326]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

No way the union ever agrees to a cap 1t $240M, let alone $189.

One way to persuade MLB players to accept a cap would be to vastly increase the min wage and establish a hefty floor cap over a 3 year period.

Every sport that has salary caps has minimum guarantees of revenue.  The minimum wage should increase of course.  the Union has been short sighted about the cap ... their peers in football and basketball are getting more of the pie.

It is still wild that the players could not get the luxury tax tiers tied to something auditable.

[mvp 78]

 

[moonslav59]

BULL!

[moonslav59]

Yanks talking extension for Boone.

LOL!

[Randy Red Sox]

On 1/26/2025 at 10:19 AM, moonslav59 said:

There seems to be a few players still on the market that are getting no firm offers.

You wonder if Pivetta or Flaherty will even sing before opening day.

There are a few RP'ers left, and surely teams want and need to boost their pens, the Sox included.

Bregman and Alonso and a few other everyday players are in limbo.

meanwhile the Sox keep signing BBB'S on 1 yr deals

[moonslav59]

10 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

meanwhile the Sox keep signing BBB'S on 1 yr deals

It has become an ugly pattern. A few is fine, but every signing has become one and dones or take a half season or more to get off the 60 Day IL, then give us one season.

[Randy Red Sox]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

It has become an ugly pattern. A few is fine, but every signing has become one and dones or take a half season or more to get off the 60 Day IL, then give us one season.

it has been the Red Sox way ever since JH fired DD and it ain't changing any time soon.  BTW- when is the Crochet extension coming ?

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, Randy Red Sox said:

it has been the Red Sox way ever since JH fired DD and it ain't changing any time soon.  BTW- when is the Crochet extension coming ?

Oh, I'm sure they've been working hard on that extension offer.

The only problem will be when Crochet and his agent see the numbers. 😛

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

it has been the Red Sox way ever since JH fired DD and it ain't changing any time soon.  BTW- when is the Crochet extension coming ?

We are far enough away from the tax line, that there does not seem to be a reason to wait, until the season starts, unless we also want to extend a younger player or prospect, too. Maybe, we are waiting on Bregman to choose the timing aspect of the signing, but who knows with these clowns?

[moonslav59]

Scherzer to TOR for $15.5M.

Catcher Elias Diaz signs w SDP for $3.5M/1.

Not much to talk about, except maybe TOR's budget to sign or not sign Bregman.

[harmony]

With Max Scherzer reportedly signing with Toronto, the Blue Jays have slipped past the Red Sox in FanGraphs' projected 2025 WAR:

https://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=ALL&teamid=14

The Red Sox rank ninth in the American League in projected 2025 WAR (and a close last in the AL East).

[moonslav59]

23 minutes ago, harmony said:

With Max Scherzer reportedly signing with Toronto, the Blue Jays have slipped past the Red Sox in FanGraphs' projected 2025 WAR:

https://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=ALL&teamid=14

The Red Sox rank ninth in the American League in projected 2025 WAR (and a close last in the AL East).

I can't see thinking TOR is better.

[Duran Is The Man]

Dodgers just DFA'd Braiser.

[moonslav59]

Polanco signs with SEA for $7.5M. 

Astros were interested. Is Bregman going to HOU?

[moonslav59]

25 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

Dodgers just DFA'd Braiser.

Here's our chance to boost the pen!

[Duran Is The Man]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Here's our chance to boost the pen!

i'm actually expecting the idiots in our FO to claim him.