mvp 78

Secret budget? How much did you guys drink this holiday season?

None of us know what their budget it. Many of us projected a big splurge last offseason. Nada. Then they were going go up to the 2nd line this offseason. Now it looks like payroll may be lower than '23? Until pitchers and catchers report, I'm not sure we have a good handle on what the budget is. Anything else is us just projecting our personal biases onto the budget and where it is currently at. If ownership continues on the next few years with a Colorado Rockies budget, but LA Dodgers ticket prices, I think they will be doing a great long term disservice to the fanbase. Red Sox fans have long memories.

But who are you to judge posts like "Craig Breslow has been hitting singles and doubles all free agency and has not missed: He hasn't hit the big home run like signing Yamamoto but has hit on every move. We added some relief depth. Traded Verdugo for prospect and added O'Neil to replace him. Now the Lucas Giolito and Vaughn Grissom we are doing good. Just because we haven't hit a home run yet doesn't mean we have failed this offseason. Breslow is doing big things and getting the wheels moving." Crag "Punch and Judy" Breslow

Oh no! Say it ain't so Joe! Is that what the 1919 Black Sox scandal was really about? Not answering reporters' questions in the right manner? Mookie should have been paid. Henry should be flayed.

"I'd give yuh a bag uh ballz dat wuz left outside in da rain last night."

7 on the MLB list (behind Strider, Harris, Waters, Muller, Elder and Shoemake). At the time of his callup in August of '22, he was probably their best prospect. He was named their MiLB Player of the Year in '22.

As a fan, if I'm choosing between billionaire owners that treat teams another investment in their portfolio or players that treat this game as their livelihood, I'll err on the side of the players 100% of the time.

I read through his comments and didn't see any other prognostications. The Snell post is his only post. All his comments are under other posts and don't offer anything new. IDK.

@PatSullivan05 Red Sox have signed RP Max Castillo Slider Stuff+ 101 Changeup Stuff+ 100 Location + 101 ~ Has a nice changeup, 16° Gyro Degree, 1585 RPM, 14.4 HB”. ~ Changeup also sits at 87 MPH Yay.

I went through the redditor's posting history and the Snell rumor is the only inside info he's ever claimed to have. His account is less than a month old. Fake AF.

IDK, smells Rotten.com to me.

Not sure anyone was going to pay Sale's full salary and give back anything worthwhile. We all know his limitations health wise.

I was thinking it was closer to Something Awful than /b/.

At worst, they wasted one year of Chris Frail Sale on a guy with upside that flames out. They weren't going to give him a QO at year end and I don't think Sale was going to be bringing back a crazy return at the deadline. I think the trade is fine. Grissom should be better at 2B than any guy they currently have on the 40 man roster. He hits RH and doesn't have a significant split against LHP/RHP. He's younger than Rafaela. After 2 mediocre seasons for Yorke, Sox needed someone else to give the reps to. Many people on here hated Sale UNTIL he was traded apparently. Somehow he's going to be great for ATL, but was going to be utter s*** here. Maybe the Sox can deal Grissom and the same people will lament the loss of him as well?

That sub also posts tweets from Boston_Strong34 everyday that get 500 upvotes. The account also said that it wouldn't have posted the rumor if they had to either delete their account or be banned from the sub if it didn't come to fruition. A lot of the responses OP made to other redditors seemed to be in jest too. I didn't put much stock into that post while I was eating breakfast.

Keith Law: On defense, he has struggled at shortstop and projects to be average to a tick above at second base, although I could see him improving at the keystone once he plays there consistently. From Mass Live: SCOUT 1: “I think he got into the habit of being too fast on some routine plays in the infield and is in need of more game-speed experience. I guess I see him as an offense-first shortstop option who would, ultimately, fit better at second base.” SCOUT 2: “Carries the profile of an offensive second baseman, but his defense can be underwhelming. Still, he should have everyday, run-producing value at Fenway.” SCOUT 3: “I’m luke-warm on him. He really can’t play shortstop, and I see him being limited to either second base or a corner outfield spot. He has contact skills, but the power is not there. For me, not an impact guy.” SCOUT 4: “It’s all about upside and patience with him. He has the talent to be a productive major league bat in the No. 2 hole in need of an OBP upgrade, strike zone (recognition) and walks. Has some defensive versatility and could play at second, short and the outfield, but we had some concerns about his ability to play shortstop. He should be able to hit and play second base. Has a good work ethic and can be tough on himself. Brings some instincts and attitude to develop. He’ll need some time (to develop further) at the major league level, sort of like (Triston) Casas did.”

Grissom '23 AAA: Home 820 OPS Road 999 OPS His home stadium is one of the most pitcher friendly in the International League.

The '22 report on Grissom: Braves Top Prospects | MLB.com WWW.MLB.COM The Official Site of Major League Baseball Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 55 Grissom routinely displays outstanding bat-to-ball skills with a very good approach. He has a strong feel for the barrel from the right side of the plate, manages his at-bats well, draws walks and rarely strikes out. He’s short to the ball with relatively simple hitting mechanics and has solid bat speed. The Braves hope he’ll continue to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame and grow into more power as he matures. As solid as Grissom has been at the plate, it’s been less clear where he might belong long-term defensively. He’s still seen more time at shortstop than any other position, but he’s also played a fair amount at third as well as a little at second. He has the arm to stay on the left side of the infield, where he’s more comfortable and while he doesn’t always have silky-smooth actions, he’s a solid defender. If he can’t play short, he might need to raise his power profile a bit to be a fit at the hot corner as a regular.[/i]

21 - 23 Sale: 151 Innings Giolito: 525 Innings Giolito's performance should be within spitting distance of Sale's, but he could lap his innings considering Sale's history.

Heard he has elite velo.

He was playing OF because he was blocked in ATL by Ozzie and Riley. It was the only way he'd get AB's there. If a guy is poor at SS because of a lack of range, his defense will be considered better at 2B. Less is demanded at that position. Also, his numbers at 2B are already better than SS in their small sample sized way going back to '22 (only had 19 G at 2B prior to being called up in '22). 2023 in AAA: SS 967 Fldg% 70 starts, 9 errors 2B 992 Fldg% 31 starts, 1 error

Surgery is almost becoming a rite of passage for young arms these days.

He has notable struggles with offspeed pitching. He k's at a 25% rate.

He's projected to have a 2+ fWAR this year and a 778 OPS. Yeah, he had a -0.7 fWAR in '23, but a 0.7 fWAR in a small sample as a 21 year old in '22. A lot of people are ignoring that sample for some reason. He had a 920 OPS in AAA last year. He's not a complete slouch and moving him off of SS will help his defensive metrics.

Oh boy...