BSN07

Finally a player we agree on. Even if it's improbable we get him He doesn't have much leverage for a trade. I can't see him holding out. But if the SOx will take on Nolasco and Morrisons contracts as well, then maybe they can find some kind of common ground.

I keep reading how furious Stanton is in Miami, and although team officials have said they aren't trading him(I'm sorry I just can't take anything they say at face value) but would anyone else be on board for trying to overwhelm Miami and bring in Stanton? The cost is going to be BIG. Like 3 top 15's and another high upside that may not be ranked high yet(this is just a guesstimate on my behalf). But I think he's the type of player they can build around for a long time.

Let's see what a PED-less Melky can do first. That said it's a decent sign for Toronto as he could at least be a serviceable 4th OF for a couple seasons.

The only way it was going to be close is if LAA made the playoffs. LA was a 3rd place team before Trout, 3rd place team after. Detroit does not win the Central without Miggy's Triple Crown season. It's really as simple as that.

Well ya because it's my personal opinion. I'm not naive enough to believe moving a 35 year old SS known for only his speed who makes 22M a season is going to be a hop skip and a jump. And to top it all off, your banking on Ben to be able to pull that miraculous trade off. The guy you have absolutely no faith in Classic, you haven't changed one bit

Oh I know he's right. Anything can happen. I was just explaining what it actually took to facilitate that trade.It wasn't just Crawford straight up. They had to give up one of the top 1B in the league signed to probably one of the friendliest big money 1B contracts in the league. Moving Reyes on his own without eating a big chunk of money or adding other talent to the package will be extremely hard to pull off. Again IMO it was smart to pass.

The only reason LA took Crawford and Beckett is because they got the Agon. The Sox did not want to part with Agon but it was the only way to get out from under the other contracts. I'm in no hurry to end up back in that spot.

Ya, it's plausible they sign him to be at 1B the majority of the time. He could also DH and serve as 3rd/emergency catcher.

Yes, this was not the right package for the Sox. This is a big risk for AA in Toronto, one that will save his job or end it.

I quoted Jung with that response. Time to visit the eye doc again 700?

Ya I saw that too. I haven't heard too many rumors about Grienke, so I'm feeling that this could be the big money guy if they do happen to go out and get one. They tried to downplay the Hamilton talks as due diligence. So I'm not totally sold they are serious about him. Besides I don't think they need to go right back to the LT limit this year. I think they can field a respectable team at 120-130M. Leaving plenty of room for moves over the next couple years.

So the plan is to bank on someone taking a 35 year old SS making 22M a year for 3 seasons, with an option for another 22M with a 4.5m buy out? Brilliant. Reyes is easily a top 10 worst contracts in the league.

You think teams are going to be interested in a 35+ year old SS at 22M a season? You do know how back loaded his wacky ass contract is right? Just incase you don't know, 13:$10M, 14:$16M, 15:$22M, 16:$22M, 17:$22M, 18:$22M club option ($4M buyout). And how many guys continue playing at a premium level at a premium position into the mid to late 30's? No one will be interested in the guy after 2015.

He's a talented ball player with an injury history worse then Crawford. No thanks. You don't give 20M a year to speedy ball players in their 30's IMO. It's not a smart baseball move. You especially don't give $ and prospects for players like that. If they are going to invest that amount of resources into acquiring a player, I would hope it would be a higher caliber player then Reyes. IMO the future of the Red Sox at SS is Igleasias or Bogaerts.

That's a reasonable plan for a competitive team. My only concern is who is the SP depth behind the first 5? There needs to be depth there with some of the starting rotation guys having injury history.

Yes they need life to be brought into the team, but Hamilton is not the right guy to do that IMO.

Well I'm more commenting on your policy since I've known you. And hey it's not wrong to want your team to make moves to get more competitive. I think everyone wants that. I think the speed that it happens is really the only thing people are disagreeing on. It's either slower rebuild from within, retool and bring in guys on short term deals, or go crazy Blue Jays on everyone's ass. I don't like the risk involved with the latter. I'm hoping the are going with more option 2, but if they go with the first choice then well I guess we have to dig in for the long haul. I will say one thing good about the current losing ways of the Sox. It's really purged a lot of the bandwagon fans that became the face of the fan base there for awhile

If it wasn't the Marlins that did this, it wouldn't be as big of a story. It be a last place team casting off it's expensive contracts in order to rebuild. But when you add all the other s*** in there it's just awful for Marlins fan. Loria says he's not selling the team. I'm not buying that either. The only way I don't see him selling is if he goes back in a reinvests this year in FA. Who knows, maybe he plans on getting Arod to come to Miami and add Hamilton as well? Weirder s*** has happened. Stanton/Hamilton/Arod would be an interesting start to a lineup.

Part of the job is to show some restraint. Something the franchise has not done of late. There is no elite talent available without ? marks. The 2nd tier guys seem to be wanting big money. I mean Anibal Sanchez asking for 100m? That is very worrying. I think we need to give this FO group another year or two before we judge if they are able to develop Pitching or not. Since they have taken over there seems to be more quality arms in the pipeline. Patience has never been your deal, but it's something you should probably expect. I too would like to see the Sox rebuilt in one off season and back in contention next season. But it's just not that easy unfortunately. Let's see what some of these guys do at the ML level, where is the fun in writing them off now? I mean last year you said no one currently in the minors was going to contribute anything of note for the next couple seasons. And then Middlebrooks crashes onto the scene. You just never know a700. As far as Grienke goes, I would be ok with him. But like you guys said it all a matter of how much the deal is. If the can get him at 4-5 years at 17-22M AAV then I'm intrigued. If it starts getting up to 6-7 years plus at 20M+ a year, then that may be too much of a risk at this point in time.

So Iglesias has no chance to develop into a decent hitter? I think it's a bit early to be giving up on him. He's going to be 23, he started directly in AA and made it to AAA and a September call up with his defense alone. I think he should at least get a couple years at the ML level to see if he can develop. Right now his defense alone makes him the best choice that's currently on the roster. I think he could have a positive impact on the pitching staff with his D. Is he going to be Tulo? No, not many SS carry that kind of lumber. But a team doesn't always need an elite offensive SS to contend.

This is still Ben's fault. The fact he did not even try hypnotism is ridiculous. He got his lunch eaten here...

And Hunter really wanted to play in Detroit. It's not surprising he chose the Tigers situation over Boston's. He wants a ring, Boston can't offer that at this time. It's incredible that the Yankee fan has the most rational view of the player signing. He wanted this, they offered this, he chose somewhere else. OK move on. The usual suspects around here jump right into blaming the FO for being inactive, without any thought that Hunter might have actually liked Detroit and it's chances better Just because the jersey says Red Sox, doesn't mean everyone wants/has to go play there.

Even if they had offered him a similar contract, why the hell would Hunter chose Boston over Detroit for the next couple years as he attempts to win a ring before he retires? He signed early and with a title contender, where he was rumored recently to want to play for. Do you even know if the Red Sox were given an opportunity to counter? Just because Ben and company didn't get player X, does not automatically make it their fault. That thought process is ridiculous.

I'm not saying Toronto didn't improve on paper, they obviously did. Now they need a manager to run this group and hope it gels this season or next. It's a lot to ask, and these type of moves rarely work out. I'm really just trying to keep people from jumping off the ledge already. I've seen people handing them the division already, they still need to leap frog 3 teams for that. And the off season has just begun, there's no telling what the other teams could look like next March. I also think there is enough long term risk in this package that it was smart for the Sox to pass. It would have been a gamble with a decent shot at getting them put right back in the s***** situation they were in before. Also Hunter just signed with Detroit, he would have been a great addition in Boston, but I'm sure he wants to contend for a WS ring and that's something the Red Sox aren't in a position to guarantee right now. Detroit made added a solid piece to a title contender.

That just shows how bad Boston's rotation is, not how good Mark B. is. I wanted him last year, but not at the deal he got but on a 2 or 3 year deal. This whole thing could look good next season and the season after, those last few years on some of those contracts are going to be awful. In the end I'm glad the Sox didn't waste resources on this.