mvp 78

Imagine this headline being written 12 months ago. Everyone would have been very confused.

I agree. If the Phils were trying to get out of the deal, it could make sense. I think DD just kind of stuck his foot in his mouth and the media ran with it.

If he was a FA, he'd get 7/210 right now. If the Sox swapped him for Masa, this place would be over the moon.

They traded him and Gomes for Cespedes and a comp pick then spun Cespedes in a deal for Porcello the following offseason. They lost the comp pick because they signed Hanley and Pablo, I believe. Austin Riley was available when the Sox would have been drafting.

No politics!

Get the duck boats out for this one.

If they don't sign anyone, he's the most likely 3b. Romy/Hamilton are ok for a platoon 2b. Story's arm isn't good enough for 3b. Romero could play a little 3b for BOS in '27 maybe. There's no one else.

They COULD do it, but there are just too many suitors out there and not enough supply. Brezzz would have to have the deals in place right away and possibly overpay for each guy to get them to sign before other teams are involved. With Masa on board, I think they are kind of stuck at the DH position this season. They could possibly DFA him next year and only eat one year of the salary or move him at this deadline if he's performing well. C Narvaez 1B Okamoto 2B Story SS Mayer 3B Bregman RF Anthony CF Rafaela LF Duran DH Yoshida Bench: Wong, Refsnyder, Hamilton, Romy Sox have said they want to turn the defense around. Not sure how they go about doing that with Story at SS. The logical move is Mayer to SS and Story to 2B. Bregman was decent at 3B and they clearly like his fit so they prioritize him over Schwarber and other big bats. To help the IF defense, they then target Okamoto who can also provide some RH pop and maybe some comfort to Masa. They deal Abreu instead of Duran in a package for a middle of the rotation arm. They stick with Duran because he stays in the lineup more and can backup CF if Rafaela needs to move to the IF in an emergency. They also believe in Anthony's glove in RF. Hope for health luck with Breggie, Masa and Oka to become fast friends, Anthony to have no post injury issues and Duran to return to a 120ish wRC+.

Flat out, all the owners could afford a forced 50M increase to payroll tomorrow. That's not dipping into their personal savings, it's what has been reported by Forbes and elsewhere. The money is just pocketed at the end of the year. If it really is so terrible in TB, MIA, PITT, etc., the teams should either be contracted, forced to be sold or moved by the current owners to a new stadium in a different city funded 100% by MLB.

Offer was clearly not competitive. He signed for 20%+ more. If you found a job that paid you 20% more for the same work, would you think your current job was paying you competitively?

Lester didn't leave in FA.

I think the point is that he's just "officially" on the back half of his contract after this season? We can all do math, buddy. He's still worth the price tag.

He's a lefty bat who sprays the ball really well and could use the Monster. His defense ticked down a little bit this season, but he's a patient hitter who k's less than the average MLBer. He's also supposed to be a great clubhouse guy if you can't re-sign Bregman. If he just averages 3 fWAR, he's worth the contract. I'm not sure what the trade would be, but there isn't a 1b pipeline in the org and if the cost is right the Sox should explore it IMO.

It's more likely they can swing a trade for Ryan than Greene. I also don't see them getting Schwarber, Suarez AND Hoskins. At most, they'd get two of three and maybe only one. Roster makes very little sense as Masa would be a permanent bench guy.

Owners would never go for a hard floor. Lowest payroll was $67M (Marlins). Good luck forcing them to get to a floor of $125M or so. There were 5 teams not even at $100M. Considering how much money the owners are making and the ways revenue is or isn't shared, it's not ultimately feasible to have a cap like NBA/NFL/NHL.

Good hard hit rate and pull air in '23. Thought he'd figure it out in '25. LOL nope.

Kinda.

Take that money and use it to fund youth baseball instead.

Considering what the Red Sox have put in the IF the past few seasons, he'd look like Keith Hernandez to us.

His fielding ability hasn’t been a particular standout strength. Didn't he win 3 gold glove equivalents at 1B/3B in the NPB?

https://www.mlb.com/news/jorge-polanco-vesting-player-option-2026-season Essentially, Polanco -- who was limited mightily with a left knee injury during his first season in Seattle -- gained clarity on his outlook for 2026 and the financial security that now comes with it, if he indeed exercises the option. The Mariners also carry a $750,000 buyout on that option.

Arenado was thought to be a mild bounceback candidate going into '25, but he kept sliding. Sox would be dumb to buy into him at this point. Exit velo, xWOBA, barrel %, hard hit % are all bottom 12th percentile. Back to back awful years from him. Not sure I'd trade Hicks for him straight up.

Yup, that's why they extended Raffy.

The real AAV is what counts against the CBT.

Vlad costs 35M next year. Schwarbgman costs 85M. Not equivalent.