Rays (Scholtens) vs Red Sox (Early): 5/8/26, 7:10pm

[FredLynn]

1 minute ago, Old Red said:

I told you they didn’t get it, and they still don’t. Bregman was plan A, and Alonso was the first choice to along with plan A. The Red Sox got neither, and went to cheaper options. It’s really not that difficult to understand?

Apparently it is for some here. Good thing there are astute fans like you and me here 😉

[notin]

12 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I told you they didn’t get it, and they still don’t. Bregman was plan A, and Alonso was the first choice to along with plan A. The Red Sox got neither, and went to cheaper options. It’s really not that difficult to understand?

“Plan A” just means what gets reported first.  No one on here knows all the orders of the conversations and back-and-forths.  I know you’ve tried to establish yourself as bring in the room where it happens, but the issue is you don’t really know how much you don’t really know…

[moonslav59]

I'd prefer Durbin, IKF & Monasterio over DHam, Drohan and maybe Harrison, but I do think we could have gotten Durbin or IKF plus Schwarber or Alonso and been much better.

I do notice you stopped saying Schwarber, Alonso, Breggie or Bichette.

I don't think the $6M spent on IKF prevented one of those signings, and I know you don't either. I'm not sure why you coach it that way.

You were fine with R Suarez, Contreras and Gray, but you wanted at least one more big bat. Some you listed (Schwarber & Alonso) are doing okay or well. Some are doing poorly to okay (Bregman) and some are off to horrible starts (Bichette and ESuarez.) Some of my suggested gets are doing poorly to okay, too.

[notin]

30 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'd prefer Durbin, IKF & Monasterio over DHam, Drohan and maybe Harrison, but I do think we could have gotten Durbin or IKF plus Schwarber or Alonso and been much better.

I do notice you stopped saying Schwarber, Alonso, Breggie or Bichette.

I don't think the $6M spent on IKF prevented one of those signings, and I know you don't either. I'm not sure why you coach it that way.

You were fine with R Suarez, Contreras and Gray, but you wanted at least one more big bat. Some you listed (Schwarber & Alonso) are doing okay or well. Some are doing poorly to okay (Bregman) and some are off to horrible starts (Bichette and ESuarez.) Some of my suggested gets are doing poorly to okay, too.

This conversation has drifted too far.  The original point was the Sox could have added MULTIPLE elite hitters.  The counter was ALONSO AND BREGMAN ARE NOT ELITE HITTERS.  Just because they are better than 5 or 6 guys on the Sox does not make them elite hitters.  It doesn’t change whether or not they were Plan A or better than IKF.  Alonso and Bregman are above average hitters likely to become average hitters in the next couple of seasons.  I get the current lineup is frustrating.  These two (and Bichette) have been as well, not to mention in two or three years, the same people saying “release Yoshida and bring in someone better” will be spearheading the charge to “release Bregman and bring in someone better.”  And be calling Henry cheap because he isn’t willing to dump a player with $70million left on his deal.

Anyone bringing up IKF is a clear straw man.   And not even a good one.

Bringing Gasper into it caused my IQ to drop 30 points just reading the sentence.  My only hope is “maybe it’s a joke that isn’t funny.  Not every joke is funny.  It happens.”  Anyone seriously bringing up Gasper as the Sox substitute for Schwarber/Alonso should be slapped and sterilized.  We realize there’s no hope for you, but we also need to make sure it ends here.

The only “elite” options this past off-season were Tucker, who didn’t need to be the Sox radar.  And I can see an argument for Bichette.  Bo has struggled the last few seasons with injury, but he has shown himself to be a very good hitter and is the right age for a breakout.  But his recent health issues also make him a huge gamble.

Alonso and Bregman are the types of free agents best avoided.  I’m glad Boston did…

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

Apparently it is for some here. Good thing there are astute fans like you and me here 😉

Con Man was cheaper than Alonso. Ranger was cheaper than Bregman, and DUBin was just plain cheap. Some think plan A was just what was reported first. OMG, and Good Golly Miss Molly.🙈

[JoeBrady]

48 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I wanted Alosno, too, and I'd have been okay with Alonso & Contreras, booting Masa and trading an OF'er for a 2B/3Bman (good bat or not.)

I think what some fans don't differentiate is that all these moves are 'okay', but never, ever consider the long-term results.  It's entirely possible that Alonso will out-play Contreras this year.  But over two years, Alonso could even be ahead by 1-2 WAR, but then you are stuck with his salary for three more years.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

It wasn't a signing, and certainly did not prevent another addition. We claimed him off waivers and pay him the minimum.

Every team adds players like this and hope they never need to call them up.

Casual fans don't understand AAA depth.

[Old Red]

1 minute ago, JoeBrady said:

I think what some fans don't differentiate is that all these moves are 'okay', but never, ever consider the long-term results.  It's entirely possible that Alonso will out-play Contreras this year.  But over two years, Alonso could even be ahead by 1-2 WAR, but then you are stuck with his salary for three more years.

I agree, and that’s why I said at the time when the Red Sox first signed Bregman that the money was too much, but the length of 3 years was just right. 5 years was to many for Bregman.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

Bregman was plan A, and Alonso was the first choice to along with plan A. The Red Sox got neither, and went to cheaper options.

I can't believe that people are still pining for Bregman.  For the price of Alonso & Bregman (1.6 bWAR), we got Contreras, Suarez & Durbin (2.8 bWAR).

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, notin said:

No one on here knows all the orders of the conversations and back-and-forths.

Fred & Red apparently have inside sources in the RS FO.

[JoeBrady]

5 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I agree, and that’s why I said at the time when the Red Sox first signed Bregman that the money was too much, but the length of 3 years was just right. 5 years was to many for Bregman.

So we made the right move not signing him?  And I assume everyone agrees that adding Contreras over Alonso was correct as well.

Is it that two rights make a wrong?

[JoeBrady]

35 minutes ago, notin said:

Bringing Gasper into it caused my IQ to drop 30 points just reading the sentence.

Fred thinks we signed Gaspar for minor league pay as some sort of equivalent to spending $42M on Bichette.  But even worse, he is the last person on the planet that still wants Bichette.