a700hitter

It is their club. They should decide. There need to be standards which I am pretty sure would be enforced. They don't want to dilute their own accomplishments. The veterans committee has been far from a free pass. Very few players have made it that way and some very deserving players have not made it -- like Gil Hodges imo.

In a slow boring Hot Stove season, without condescension, I am not left with much. LOL!!

I don't think there is any chance of a trade happening with a negotiation window. Machado is going to test the free agent market. He's not going to sign or extend now. The Orioles are also more likely to trade him to a division rival knowing that it might only be for one year. They don't want this guy bashing in the heads of their pitching for 8 years.

I'm in.

Where are you seeing/hearing these rumors?

i also hadn’t heard about this. Scary stuff. People on blood thinners have to be very careful about any head injury.

They are probably eating cotton candy and texting during the game.

Pablo’s Giant’s career is done. We will pay him for sitting on a couch the next two years.

Noted. IDK why I thought we finished with only a 1 game. Did they have it down to 1 hame that final weekend.

i’m jonsing for a big move. A lesser move will fix me for a couple or 3 days, but we have a lot of cold dreary days ahead and I need something big.

Good point. Fundamentally sound base running and fielding would improve the team.

The good thing with both Garcia is and Anibel Sanchez is that they don’t have to find living accommodations, because they both reside on the DL.

LOL! The whole notion of regression from season to season is a completely dopey notion. And “positive regression” is positively stupid. These are people playing a highly skilled difficult game. This is not merely rolling dice where the rules of probability and the odds eventually win out.

So True. Both teams have upgraded the field manager.

I am in big time withdrawal needing a big move. The team as constructed will not be able to get the job done. They will not win the Division and probably not have enough for a Wild Card spot. The Yankees have taken a big step forward and they only needed to close a 1 game gap. Our offense is not going to "regress" to the mean enough to appreciably improve their run production. Pedroia will miss 2 months. That will be a hit to the offense right out of the gate, creating a big hole. I am expecting marginal improvement from Betts (+40 OPS) and a healthy Bogaerts (+30 OPS). I expect no improvement from Bradley or Benintendi. I expect a slight downturn from Moreland and only the slightest improvement from Hanley if any. Who knows what to expect from Devers. He could be a break out star or maybe the pitchers have adjusted to him and he will struggle out of the gate. I would not be surprised by a notable step back by Vasquez. Overall, I expect run production to struggle maybe more than last year, because we will not have Nunez stepping in for Pedroia. It is the same squad. Expecting big improvement is just homer-ism supported by nothing.

Downgrade at manager? LOL!

We could have won with a number of other closers in 2016. CK was clearly injured and not performing to his standards.

A very strong argument can be made that if the Red Sox had any closer other than Kanley Jansen that we do not win the Division last year.

Former Players would far outweigh the managers. I do believe that managers fall into the idiot category, but they know how to play the game and they know who is good and who is not. What they don't know how to do is manage -- the one thing they are paid to do.

All Former players and managers should vote. No sportswriters and absolutely no geeks. People who played the game are in the best position to judge greatness.

I am yet to see a move by GM where the GM did not have a rationale for the move, even the worst of moves. Having a rationale for the move doesn't make it less bad. Pablo was a horrible move.

If DD signs J.D. there is no logjam?

The good GMs know which prospects to keep and the rest should be trading chips to maximize their value.

So the Red Sox are only be on the hook for $20 million in 2018. If they sign JD and cut Hanley, that would be great imo. DD has had to eat an awful lot of bad contracts that he inherited— Pablo ($54 million), Hanley ($23 million) and Craig ($12 million)—that’s almost $90 million in parting gifts. That is ridiculous. And we still have Rusney Castillo rotting away in the minors for another 3 years.

Do you think that is a possibility? If he goes elsewhere and his option vests, won't we be on the hook for 2 years/$40 million?