He could close out games sometimes. It's why he only pitched 40 innings. He just was no longer durable. They had Robbie f-r-e-a-k-i-n Ross get 6 saves in 2015. Jean Hatchimachi had 4 saves. Uehara was the closer because of a lack of other options. I bet the Sox would have rather had Uehara in a different role if they could have (which is why the traded for Kimbrel after the fact).
Little was gifted a superior roster to what Jimy had. Jimy was a better fit for the Sox during that time period and I believe he could lead them out of the wilderness again.
Also, s-c-r-e-w Grady Little forever and a day.
You only need a replacement if you plan on competing. We still don't know what the overall plan is for 2021, a year where ERod and Sale remain big question marks again.
Jimy took some really mediocre Sox teams and made the best out of them. He was let go because he didn't like Carl Everett. Clearly, Jimy knew better than Duquette on that.
If Jimy wasn't fired, they win WS in 03 AND 04.
Lock Jimy Williams in NOW .I demand it !!!!!!! I will Haunt you .
Honestly, Jimy is the only former sox manager still alive that deserves a second chance until Tito is no longer gainfully employed.
It's really, 1 year of Betts plus the value of a QO pick versus the value of Verdugo through his arb years. I think Wong and Downs were just a bonus at that point.