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HEY MVP!!!!!! f*** YOURSELF!!!!! Ive stuck around way longer than you thought I would. And.......I am promoting activity to the board, just as I do every time I come back. I am a lightning rod. You can thank me anytime you want.

Not arguing, but like I said....he was paid for what he did in the playoffs......and the value he has in future playoffs when he is moved from the rotation to be a dominant reliever. He was not paid to be a #3. Its an overpay for a "playoff gun", but it is well deserved money..The money was earned last year in the playoffs, and hopefully....this year in the playoffs when they can bounce him back to the bullpen. They did jack s*** to improve their bullpen for this year. In fact, they got worse.....Eovaldi fits in to their plans to be a lockdown reliever in the playoffs, when they get there.

Anyone else find it concerning that we still don't have an answer to this? Brasier barely pitched 2 innings and Matt Barnes was terrible. Travis Lakins and Marcus Walden were probably our best options given their years last year and their springs this year....neither will make the team.

We barely have board administrators, and regardless, this has always been my favorite place to post. This place has always policed its own well.

Yes, its guarenteed.....but it opens up a roster spot, and a spot on the 40 man roster. Who ever made mention of "saving money" by releasing Leon? I don't care if they pay him or not, I dont want him blocking Swihart. Yes. But this is like having your cake, and eating it too. He doesnt take up a roster spot, and we can bring him back. We don't know all the circumstances. Maybe he wanted his release rather than being designated for assignment and assigned to the minors. If he is not picked up, maybe he realizes that his value is how we see it, not how he sees it and he is more flexible with the roster options the team has against him. For Sale? Absolutely not. His best numbers were with AJ Pierzinski. He has thrown most to Tyler Flowers (who?) AJ was a terrible catcher. Flowers wasnt much better. Price concerns me a little bit. His best numbers were with Jose Molina. BUT, his second best numbers catcher wise....is with John Jaso, who had a reputation as a poor catcher. So, I guess....not really. A pitcher like Porcello would concern me more than Sale or Price. A guy that is borderline good to average. Catchers make more of a difference to those mid-range guys. EDIT: I take that back. Just looked at Porcellos career splits. There is no difference between Vasquez and Leon OR Alex Avila, who has caught him most. It really doesn't make much of a difference, except in special circumstances. Good pitchers, pitch good. Bad pitchers don't, regardless of who is catching....unless you are throwing to Mike Piazza or Jorge Posada (who Clemens was average AT BEST with)

Thats fair, we can agree to disagree.....because in the end, nobody knows how these mid range SP's will work out. I think we can agree however, these mid range deals are the meat and potatoes, roster building wise.....that make or break a team. Going back to Betts, is it worth it to pay 1 player all that money, or take the risk on these mid range players, especially filling out a rotation......that either make, or break your season, and your salary cap.

Well, first of all, they arent all the same. Cobb and Happ have been much better throughout their careers. Happ is much more established, Cobb has been much better than all 3 overall. Cobb gets hurt, so does Eovaldi. None of the 3 can throw 200 IP. Eovaldis contract is evidence of the "going up" in comparison to those BETTER pitchers.

Realistically, they made some decent moves. Cliff Floyd was a great trade deadline move. Alan Embree was a great move. They lacked a #3 Starting Pitcher. If they had one, they win over 100 games. If you replace Frank Castillos 6-15 with a 14-8, we win 101 games.

If Porcello takes that money, Im in agreement. Hes a solid 3/4. Hes been seriveable. The second his agent starts talking about his Cy Young award though, then you know hes out of our price range. He was slightly overpaid in his original Redsox contract. No need to overpay him twice. Hes young though, only turning 30 this year.....he is going to want to get paid......4-6 year deal most likely.

He was overpaid, because he is not a #3!!!!! Thats what Ive been saying. The market is spiking, look at at this offseasons contracts. They only go up, not down. They always go up. If Alex Cobb, with his 5-15 record, 4.90 ERA and 1.411 WHIP is your #3 SP.....then you suck. Hes never even thrown over 179 IP in a single year, hes never made 30 starts. We need better if we are championship material. You are arguing points with me, not realizing that you are in agreement.

But thats what I am saying. The market has changed. Those are old contracts. They will need to spend more than 16M (Eovaldi) for a #3 SP on a Championship team.

They go almost ZERO production out of 2 of their lineup spots (2B and DH/1B....depending on which Daubach was NOT penciled in at) Their pitching rotation was a mess outside of Pedro and Lowe. #3,4 and 5 were terrible. They actually didn't even have a consistent 5 man rotation all year. They barely had a 4 man rotation. John Burkett was their #3 SP and he had a 1.439 WHIP. Their #4 SP was Frank Castillo (only 23 starts) and he was terrible. The bullpen was decent. Their hole was the starting rotation.

The data from 6 years ago is irrelevant to Nathan Eovaldi and the price of a #3 SP in Boston next year. If anything, you proved my point that they will have to pay EVEN MORE to get a quality #3 SP next year, and not one of the shitbums you have just listed from the previous 6 years.

Damon was a traded from Kansas City to Oakland. Damon was awful in Oakland. I remember when we signed him, a lot of people thought it was a terrible contract for a light hitting left fielder with no arm that only stole 27 bases with a .327 OBP. Kansas City and Oakland had both been transitioning him to LF.

What does 6 years ago have to do with next year? Market has changed, significantly. Most of those guys you listed are either done with baseball, or should be done with baseball. Or they were just straight up awful, some BRUTALLY bad......not exactly what we are looking for on a Championship Caliber team.

No argument.

LOL, seriously? He caught him for 3 years.......only 109 of his career 603 starts, and the numbers are only marginally better than with any other catcher. But you are going to sit there and say you remember him being a Randy Johnsons catcher because you found an article online that the Seattle Mariners inducted him in to their HOF? The same HOF that has such greats as Alvin Davis, Jamie Moyer and Jay Buhner? GTFO, what a comedy show. FWIW, Johnsons numbers were EXTREMELY better pitching to Damian Miller with the Dbacks. 3.03 ERA to a 2.45 ERA, almost the exactly same amount of games and innings.

Redsox never made an attempt to re-sign Boggs after his deal expired. He was 34 years old coming off a season he hit .259 with a .711 OPS. They thought he was cooked. Both the Yankees and Redsox were terrible in 1992. There was no rivalry at the time. Neither were very good in 1993 either. This was before the Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera days. Bernie was in his first year as the starting CF. Its hardly as bad as what Damon or Ellsbury did. Damon did it right in the middle of the "evil empire" years ans Ellsbury did it during a rivalry period....and did it solely for the money, as he disappeared almost immediately after.

Some pitchers feel more comfortable with certain catchers. Many times though, it really doesn't matter. There are times when a great defensive catcher gets the most out of a fringe pitcher and makes him look better....but think about it.... Who remembers any of Roger Clemens catchers? Who remembers any of Randy Johnsons catchers? Who remembers any of Nolan Ryans catchers? Glavine and Smoltz both threw to Javy Lopez, who was awful (Maddux preferred Eddie Perez) Good pitchers are good, because they are good. Not because a catcher makes them good. A catcher doesn't give the pitcher velocity, control or movement. I am not disagreeing with you, just adding to your points about how the circumstances change based on the different ability levels of the battery. I will disagree with 104. Thats a little bold haha. Id be happy with 95 wins and an AL East title. Just win more than the Yankees.

16M is probably more suited for the #4 slot with the way contracts are skyrocketing right now. Rick Porcello is making 20M as a #3 SP right now, and that is an OLD contract. Eovaldi is making 16M on a NEW contract. They are going to have to spend 20-23 to have a real #3 SP, and what I mean by that....is someone that at least equals Porcellos production in market like Boston. Johnny Cueto is making 21M Yu Darvish is making 21M Jordan Zimmerman is making 22M A real number 3 is going to cost more than Eovaldis 16M. They paid him for his versatility, and his ability to change his role come playoff time. Not to be the #3 SP.

DFA, Waivers and outright release are completely different transactions. Notin explained what I was trying to get to. Clear waivers, release him...then bring him back on a minor league deal.

Why be fair to a greedy player? He did it to himself.

I hated the Redsox for letting him walk after 1 year.

Hopefully with an OB% in the .340-.350 range. Not high, but....he is 22, and that is a big jump from where he is now. Completely reasonable accomplishments.

Teams breaking camp, hes still a FA. Talk about bad advice from your agent. Hes already 2/3 weeks......maybe even 4 weeks away from being MLB ready (depending on his offseason workouts). No team is paying him HALF of what he was looking for AAV. He really screwed himself. Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.