a700hitter

I think that would be a very fruitful off season. Supposedly, they have also inquired about Masterson.

Workman has experience working out of the pen and he has done well at it. Webster would need some grooming at AAA to make sure that he could throw strikes and command the zone out of the pen.

Ryan Howard is done.

If he were a centipede with a glove on each leg, his defense will never be enough to justify keeping his bat in a major league batting order.

I'd be okay getting a coupon for a free Legal Seafoods Clam Chowder for Bradley.

And while we are in fantasy land let's top it all off with Kate Upton as our sideline reporter.

Last place finishes due to underperformance? Shocking.

In the 35 seasons between 1967 and the acquisition of the team by current ownership, there were only 6 seasons where they played below .500 ball (3 in the Butch Hobson years aka the Dark Age). The other 3 seasons wear scattered --1983, 1987 and 1997. They had one 90 loss season in those 35 seasons and no last place finishes in that period. They also had 6 Division Championships as compared to 2 Division Championships in the 13 seasons since current ownership took over. As for the good old days... I am a Red Sox fan. They are all good old days. Watching Schilling, Pedro in the same rotation, those were the good old days. Watching Rice, Lynn and Evans patrol the outfield on the same team as Yaz was the good old days. Watching Wade Boggs win all those batting championships were good old days. Watching Clemens strike out 20 guys in a game twice those were good old days. They were all good old days. I am a Red Sox fan,

On balance, this ownership has had some of the worst performances since the pre-1967 Impossible Dream team of the early 1960's and since pre-Yawkey years of the 1920s and 30s. The two 90 loss seasons in three yeaTulo's injury history is so rich that it infects his claim to "10 best players on earth". I know we disagree on Bogaerts (or more generally disagree on what a 21 year old's accomplishment says about the next ten), so no reason to rehash that. The need for any sort of 3B and quality starting pitching certainly trumps both. My earlier point on Lester is not to say he is not a #1 pitcher (clearly he is from recent accomplishment) but that the Red Sox were the wire to wire best team in baseball in 2013 on the strength of a balanced rotation and lineup which never gave teams a break - there were no sure outs and there was no starter who was a walkover (even Dempster). The holes in both are significant - but fixable when you have the money the Sox have and the inventory. The team is an interesting bounceback candidate - but it is not rs has not been done since the early 1960s. The two last place finishes has not been done since pre-Yawkey days. The record is far from all positive.

He has no excuses for 2015.

If the Marlins weren't such apoorly run organization they would have more revenue to support a bigger payroll. Stanton's price isn't the problem. The buffoons running their organization are the problem.

Who can figure out the thought process of the Marlins organization. They have made so many inexplicable illogical decsions. If anyone had a brain there, they would extend Stanton long term. He is the type of player that fans will pay to see.

The guy has destroyed his legacy. Plus, he has made himself a punchline.

It would have my blessing if it goes down, despit my blind hatred for the FO.

Agreed.

The highlighted statement is just silly and childish. I will always scrutinize the FO. They are the ones who are responsible for putting the team on the field. Scrutiny is not hate. Some moves are good some are bad. Their record speaks for itself, and it is very mixed with 2 last place finishes sandwiched around a World championship. Their record is almost schizophrenic. It is certainly not very consistent. You are right that I did like the acquisition of AGon, but that doesn't change the result that it was a mistake in the final analysis. Just because I was also wrong about it doesn't make them right. The fact that I liked the AGon move when it happened disproves your assertion that I always hate the FO. It is pretty clear that the FO made a very bad move in the end getting Webster and Rubby and $ for Rizzo. It's just that simple.

How many Rookies do you think will be in the 2015 rotation?

I am not dismissing anything. Sure trading AGon was a huge benefit from that point on, but it can't be separated from the transaction obtaining AGon that cost us probably the best hitting prospect that the organization produced since Ellsbury. Giving them credit for trading AGon after giving up Rizzo for him would be like giving someone credit for climbing out of a hole that they dug for themselves.

It is a "data point"? I dont even know what that means in this context. Comparing XB s stats to those of Dwight Evans rookie year or those of any other player is anecdotal and worthless as proof of anything. You mention Iglesias. Iglesias has less career career AB s than XB. Pedroia? After 170 games, Pedroia had won Rookie of the Year. XB has played 162 games.

My apologies to the late great Alex Webster - Hall of Fame football player, gambler and actor. Allan Webster should never be confused for Alex Webster.

The trade nets out as Webster and Rubby and $ for Rizzo. Try to tell me how that was a good thing. Right now you are just blustering nonsense in an attempt to bust chops. I can do this all day. If you are trying to get under my skin, you should know better than that after all this time. All my ballbuster friends are gone. I miss some of them. I enjoy an argumentative beat down.

Ditto.

You have always had a soft spot/blind spot for the underdogs.

BTW, the book can be closed on Bradley and Middlebrooks.

I like looking at numbers, but they mean nothing as they are merely anecdotal. There's no hate of XB from me. I haven't even come up with a good derogatory nickname for him yet, because it is too early to close the book on him. What we do know are the facts. The facts are that he did not cover himself in glory in 2014. His hitting was not good and neither was his fielding. He needs to improve both aspects of his game a lot to be our long term SS. Not a fact but my opinion is that he was not ready for MLB in 2014. He should have been working on his game at AAA. I also think it is unwarranted to expect or put any validity in these reports that he has a ceiling of Manny (unless they mean Manny Trillo) or reports of his massive potential. None of that means anything to me, because those people need stuff to write. Writing that he might only be meh isn't good copy. His "potential" means nothing now. He has had a full season in the majors. The only question now is how much he can develop and improve his game from what we witnessed in 2014. What he did in 2014 will not be acceptable going forward. We will know soon enough whether he is moving in the right direction. Predictions and scouting reports are useless at this point. He has a lot of work to do on his game.