Bregman to sign 5 yr 175 million deal with the Cubs

[Randy Red Sox]

So what now everyone?

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Randy Red Sox said:

So what now everyone?

My guess is Suarez.

[moonslav59]

No way should we have paid $176M/5, so it's hard for me to get upset at anyone for this happening.

[notin]

9 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

No way should we have paid $176M/5, so it's hard for me to get upset at anyone for this happening.

Only a $5mill drop in AAV for Bregman.

 

[notin]

9 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

My guess is Suarez.

Well, either Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw are now available…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

34 minutes ago, notin said:

Well, either Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw are now available…

Excellent -- now we just need to trade more young pitching for both of them, since combined last year they hit two more home runs than Bregman, who was only healthy for half a season.

Why spend money on talent, when you can waste fans' time cooling their feet in front of the cold stove.

[notin]

6 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Excellent -- now we just need to trade more young pitching for both of them, since combined last year they hit two more home runs than Bregman, who was only healthy for half a season.

Why spend money on talent, when you can waste fans' time cooling their feet in front of the cold stove.

If all you’re worried about is home runs, Bregman only hit 18 last year.  Sign Eugenio Suarez since he hit twice as many and in bigger ballparks…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

If all you’re worried about is home runs, Bregman only hit 18 last year.  Sign Eugenio Suarez since he hit twice as many and in bigger ballparks…

Ya, because I don't post about the importance of defense every single week. Sincerely, 5SilverSluggers

[notin]

2 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Ya, because I don't post about the importance of defense every single week. Sincerely, 5SilverSluggers

Then why poo poo a Gold Glove 5 bWAR second baseman on the basis of home runs?

 

[Randy Red Sox]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

Then why poo poo a Gold Glove 5 bWAR second baseman on the basis of home runs?

 

keep defending the FO.  They are doing such a great job so far.

[Deja Doh]

Do we even have a plan?  It doesn't seem like it.

Hoerner plays second and is going nowhere.  Shaw is replaceable at 3rd 

[Larry Cook]

70 million of Bergman’s 175 million is deferred. Wow!!! The cubs went all in that’s for sure 
 

We still need a left handed reliever !!!!

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Only a $5mill drop in AAV for Bregman.

 

I heard $70M is deferred. 

[harmony]

34 minutes ago, notin said:

If all you’re worried about is home runs, Bregman only hit 18 last year.  Sign Eugenio Suarez since he hit twice as many and in bigger ballparks…

FWIW in 365 games with the Seattle Mariners, Eugenio Suarez posted a .227/.317/..424/,741 line with an OPS+ of 112.

In 715 games with the Seattle Mariners before joining the Red Sox, Adrian Beltre posted a .266/.317/.442/.759 line with an OPS+ of 101.

Seattle is a tough place to hit.

[moonslav59]

20 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

keep defending the FO.  They are doing such a great job so far.

How is that dending the FO?

Now, if some said this, it might be viewed as defending the FO:

Wins:

78 in '23

81 in '24

'89 in '25

I'm upset at the limited budget, too. I'm not sure I can blame Brez for not spending what he's not allowed to spend, and I don't think Bregman or Bichette ate the guys I'd break the trend on. I think maybe Alonso came closest, out of those already signed. I'd have offered more than Polanco got, and since that was a shorter term deal, I have to think that was a FO decision and not a JH one, but who knows how he'll do, going forward.

It's frustrating to keep seeing our stars bolt of be traded, and most were prime or post prime, but the history has not been all that bad on those choices. Of course we like to harp on the handful that turned out badly: Lowe, Beltre, maybe Damon, Lester, maybe Sale and worst of all Betts, but we quickly forget Pedro, Mueller, Agon, Beckett, Ellsbury, Price, JD and maybe Bogey, too. Some minor-some major bitching when these guys left, too.

No doubt, we are running out of options, and this looks all-to-familiar. I'm not sure anybody is thrilled with the situation, but there is time, and there are options that can more salvage the offseason. We've added Gray, Contreras and Oviedo. We need one more major piece or maybe two moderate to semi-major pieces and we'll look better on paper than last year without even counting on younger players naturally progressing.

Am I confident we do what I feel needs to be done? HELL NO, but they surprised me last winter. (Then surprised me the wrong way with the Devers dump and failure to replace, in kind at the deadline.)

It sucks watching a quality player leave, and he had a big influence over the younger players on the team. Replacing him will not be easy.

[notin]

32 minutes ago, Deja Doh said:

Do we even have a plan?  It doesn't seem like it.

Hoerner plays second and is going nowhere.  Shaw is replaceable at 3rd 

Hoerner has one year left at $12 mill.

Shaw was a minimum wage rookie and former first round draft pick that exploded through their minor leagues.

They could demote Shaw.  If I ran the Cubs, I’d trade him, especially considering a couple incidents from this year plus the rise of James Triantos in the minors making him more expendable.

If I’m Boston, I pass on Shaw unless I can flip him.  But I’d be interested in Hoerner…

[moonslav59]

18 minutes ago, harmony said:

FWIW in 365 games with the Seattle Mariners, Eugenio Suarez posted a .227/.317/..424/,741 line with an OPS+ of 112.

In 715 games with the Seattle Mariners before joining the Red Sox, Adrian Beltre posted a .266/.317/.442/.759 line with an OPS+ of 101.

Seattle is a tough place to hit.

I thought OPS+ adjusted for park factors. Correct me, if I'm wrong.

Suarez is no sure bet, but in terms of offense, neither is Bregman or Bichette. To me, the age and D are what worries me most about Suarez. If he puts up a 120 OPS+, the Ks don't bother me one bit.

OPS+ (age) last 4 years:

Suarez: 129 (30)> 103 (31)>115 (32)> 126 (33)

Breggie: 134 (28)>124 (29)>117 (30)>130 (31)

Bichette: 128 (24)>122 (25)>70 (26)> 129 (27)

Bregman was in decline before his 2/3 season in '25. He will be 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 for his 5 year deal.

Bichette's age is his big plus, not his power and not his any great OPS+ years. He may sign 6 or 7 years- maybe 8. A 7 year deal brings him to age 34.

If Suarez signs a 2 year deal, it will be ages 34 and 35. His last season will be younger than Breggie's last season. (3/5ths of Breggies deal would be at the same or older ages than Suarez.)

IMO, we should sign Suarez and trade Duran + Crawford (about $10M in AAV) for a quality SP. I think it can be a #2, but certainly it can be a solid #3 type. Maybe we need to involve a third team to get Lodolo, Ryan or the like. Maybe we can trade Campbell ($7.5 AAV) and Hicks ($10M AAV) for someone else's salary issue like Pablo Lopez, Luis Castillo or gamble on Alcantara. We could probably get Keller or Singer for less. Another one year guy could be Bubic.

I'm not optimistic we do something like this, but we could without burning a hole in JH's wallet, which seems to be what's holding us back, right now.

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, notin said:

Hoerner has one year left at $12 mill.

Shaw was a minimum wage rookie and former first round draft pick that exploded through their minor leagues.

They could demote Shaw.  If I ran the Cubs, I’d trade him, especially considering a couple incidents from this year plus the rise of James Triantos in the minors making him more expendable.

If I’m Boston, I pass on Shaw unless I can flip him.  But I’d be interested in Hoerner…

I really hate giving up a lot for one and dones, but maybe we can extend Hoerner.

I think it's more likely we make some minor trade for Vientos or just sign W Castor and a decent RP'er.

I'm not confident we do anything bold. I'm not giving up hope, either.

[notin]

21 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I really hate giving up a lot for one and dones, but maybe we can extend Hoerner.

I think it's more likely we make some minor trade for Vientos or just sign W Castor and a decent RP'er.

I'm not confident we do anything bold. I'm not giving up hope, either.

Castro isn’t even a lateral move.  I’d rather just play Hamilton/Romy.

I could see Vientos, but I’m not wild about him.  And the Mets, unless they get a 1b, really need him...

[moonslav59]

23 minutes ago, notin said:

Castro isn’t even a lateral move.  I’d rather just play Hamilton/Romy.

I could see Vientos, but I’m not wild about him.  And the Mets, unless they get a 1b, really need him...

Casas for Vientos?

Romy (1B)  for Vientos? (Mayer at 2B)

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Ya, because I don't post about the importance of defense every single week. Sincerely, 5SilverSluggers

I'm not sure what direction you're going.  If you prefer HRs, then Suarez is better.  If you like GG defense, then Hoerner is better.  Heck, even Vientos is a better HR hitter than Bregman at this point.

[Randy Red Sox]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

How is that dending the FO?

Now, if some said this, it might be viewed as defending the FO:

Wins:

78 in '23

81 in '24

'89 in '25

I'm upset at the limited budget, too. I'm not sure I can blame Brez for not spending what he's not allowed to spend, and I don't think Bregman or Bichette ate the guys I'd break the trend on. I think maybe Alonso came closest, out of those already signed. I'd have offered more than Polanco got, and since that was a shorter term deal, I have to think that was a FO decision and not a JH one, but who knows how he'll do, going forward.

It's frustrating to keep seeing our stars bolt of be traded, and most were prime or post prime, but the history has not been all that bad on those choices. Of course we like to harp on the handful that turned out badly: Lowe, Beltre, maybe Damon, Lester, maybe Sale and worst of all Betts, but we quickly forget Pedro, Mueller, Agon, Beckett, Ellsbury, Price, JD and maybe Bogey, too. Some minor-some major bitching when these guys left, too.

No doubt, we are running out of options, and this looks all-to-familiar. I'm not sure anybody is thrilled with the situation, but there is time, and there are options that can more salvage the offseason. We've added Gray, Contreras and Oviedo. We need one more major piece or maybe two moderate to semi-major pieces and we'll look better on paper than last year without even counting on younger players naturally progressing.

Am I confident we do what I feel needs to be done? HELL NO, but they surprised me last winter. (Then surprised me the wrong way with the Devers dump and failure to replace, in kind at the deadline.)

It sucks watching a quality player leave, and he had a big influence over the younger players on the team. Replacing him will not be easy.

try listening to the Bastards of Boston podcast.  i think they speak for the vast majority of Sox fans.   Best line so far "will John Henry ever be able to smoke a cigar in public in Boston again?"

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Casas for Vientos?

Romy (1B)  for Vientos? (Mayer at 2B)

I doubt Romy gets us Vientos.  But I would trade Casas straight-up for Vientos easily, though I doubt the NYMs make that trade.

• One extra year of control.
• A righty.
• A very nice backup for Mayer against tough lefties.
• At worst, he can platoon with Yoshi.  At best, he can replace him.
• In 2028, he replaces Contreras at 1st.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

8 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure what direction you're going.  If you prefer HRs, then Suarez is better.  If you like GG defense, then Hoerner is better.  Heck, even Vientos is a better HR hitter than Bregman at this point.

Sure you do: Silver and Gold. Slugger and Glove. Bregman was both, but hobbled in the second half. A diamond dog like him is a good bet to get healthy and contribute on both sides of the ball for more good years. That's a rare combo, silver and gold. But we let him go.

Suarez is a career negative dWAR who's never led the league in homers but has led in Ks three times. The Red Sox don't need more swing and miss, but I've said all winter I'll take 25-HR contact guys like Bichette and Yandy Diaz any day. 

[moonslav59]

Cotillo reports the Sox offered $165M/5, so they did go 5.

That is a fair to overpay offer, anyway you look at it.

[moonslav59]

43 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I doubt Romy gets us Vientos.  But I would trade Casas straight-up for Vientos easily, though I doubt the NYMs make that trade.

• One extra year of control.
• A righty.
• A very nice backup for Mayer against tough lefties.
• At worst, he can platoon with Yoshi.  At best, he can replace him.
• In 2028, he replaces Contreras at 1st.

With Casas, I might add Mullins or even Sandlin.

I like Romy. I might add Cespedes, Bleis or Castro with him- all prospects I have written off.

Maybe we overpay to get him. Again, I'm not high on Vientos, at all. I'm just pointing out a minor move we could do to get us close to being better than 2025. (I also mentioned adding a decent RP.)

[moonslav59]

47 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

try listening to the Bastards of Boston podcast.  i think they speak for the vast majority of Sox fans.   Best line so far "will John Henry ever be able to smoke a cigar in public in Boston again?"

I could care less what others think. The Sox 26, 40 and system as a while is way better now than a few years ago.

Our longer term outlook looks as good as anytime since 2017.

I guess that counts for nothing, because we failed to grossly overpay Breggie.

[moonslav59]

Word is the Sox refusal to give a no trade clause was also a factor, but I'm not sure he's have taken $10M less to get that. Thee Cubs gave him the no trade clause.

It was also said the Sox deferrals were spread over "decades".

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

With Casas, I might add Mullins or even Sandlin.

I like Romy.

That's probably right on Casas, but my guess is that the NYM want to see him healthy.

[Randy Red Sox]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Cotillo reports the Sox offered $165M/5, so they did go 5.

That is a fair to overpay offer, anyway you look at it.

read the whole report. Sox weren't really close on the overall offer.