Elktonnick

We have the best talent in the scouting and talent recognition areas as clearly documented by Chad Jennings article in the Athletic.

The point of the article substantiated my point that Boston's superior scouting was going to quickly return to the status quo ante the Club's minor league system. You said that everything had changed including the scouts. I pointed to an article that clearly refuted that contention. Obviously if you had read the whole article, you would have known the article was about Boston's superior scouting. It merely used historical data to substantiate that position. We are only three seasons removed from 2016. Clearly the championship was largely built on home grown talent scouted by its superior scouting department. The article points out that the scouting department is largely unchanged, its new management were all internal promotions. The article also points out that while the farm system was ranked 30 because most if not all its prospects are now in the majors it has rebounded to 22nd as the superior Red Sox scouts who are more adept at identifying talent than their competitor's is trending in the right direction. I believe I through authoritative sources have refuted all your points about the Red Sox scouts and the future direction of their farm system. All you have is unsupported and unsubstantiated statements. BTW I hate to bring this up but weren't you the guy who claimed after one season that Alex Cora was the greatest manager in Red Sox history? I believe Having used that talent to produce the championship the article also pointed out that while the

You are wrong again. The article I cited goes on as follows "When Dombrowski took over Red Sox baseball operations in 2015, he wasted little time making changes. Within months he traded for Kimbrel and signed David Price, but he didn’t touch the amateur scouting department. “I had the advantage of being somewhere else and knowing what the reports were on various organizations,” Dombrowski said. “So, there was no question that was an area of strength of the organization.” When vice president of amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye left for the Diamondbacks a year later, the Red Sox filled the position from within by promoting former scout, crosschecker, coordinator and director Mike Rikard – whose first selection as scouting director had been Benintendi. The group has just kept chugging forward ever since. “We found a really good process many years ago,” Rikard said. “We’ve honed that, we’ve improved that. We’ve continued to advance a lot of the concepts and ways of doing things through the years. We’ve also been very fortunate that we’ve been able to keep the majority of our staff together through the years. There’s nothing really that compares with knowing each other and having a consistency in the approach.” When this season started, the Red Sox system had been so thinned by trades and big-league promotions that Baseball America ranked it dead last among the 30 organizations. After the trade deadline, Baseball America moved the Red Sox up to 22nd despite their not having a first-round pick this year and despite Chavis losing his prospect status. The early returns of the 2018 class were promising enough to justify the improved ranking, and the 2019 class now has an early standout in fourth-rounder Noah Song, who’s allowed one run in his first six pro starts." Finally whose baseball judgment should we believe a professional baseball writer Chad Jennings who covers the Red Sox for The Athletic and was on the Red Sox beat previously for the Boston Herald or you.

Make that four.

The article was written a month ago. It is hardly old news. You are overly fixated on the IFAs. They aren't the only source of major league talent as Betts, Benintendi, et al attest. The author cites the facts demonstrated with clear data that Boston has better scouts based on clear results. We have track record of finding the talent that others don't recognize either through direct draft or through a series of astute trades. We have a proven track record of developing solid hitters demonstrated by hard data which shows better results than the major league average. We have only had one year since we won the title. In two years the historical record suggests that the sox will have a farm system ranked in the top ten. All you have is idle speculation that the sox minor league system won't perform up to its historical record. I will take a ten to 15year record of proven results of finding developing and producing major league talent over pessimistic musings especially when one can not cite any authoritative source to support such a claim.

The Athletic Aug 30 2019 makes the case as follows: "For more than a decade, the Red Sox’ 30-plus area scouts, national crosscheckers and scouting supervisors have been better than most when it comes to drafting big league talent and finding late-round impact. Their success can be overshadowed by the team’s massive payroll and Dave Dombrowski’s wheeling-and-dealing approach, but amateur scouting has facilitated high-profile trades and built the core of a championship roster. For the final out of last year’s World Series, five of the nine Red Sox on the field had been drafted by the team, and two more had been acquired in trades involving draft picks. The other two had been developed as international free agents. By comparison, the Red Sox’ most recent drafts are trending well above average. For their 10 draft classes from 2007 to 2016, the Red Sox already have gotten 16 of their 20 first-round picks to the big leagues (a number that includes supplemental first-rounders). That’s an 80 percent success rate, well above the league average, The Red Sox have gotten that impact despite typically drafting near the bottom of the first round. Twice since 2007 they haven’t had a true first-round pick, and twice they haven’t had a second-round pick. In that time, they’ve only twice picked higher than 12th overall. Eight of those first-round picks were No. 20 or later. That's why I believe as I do.

Castillo wasn't a failure of scouting but rather one of Cherrington getting overwhelmed by the hype about the value of Cuban players all of whom tended to be overvalued. As for signing strong prospects the complaint has been that DD gutted the farm. Well he couldn't have gutted the farm to build the championship team unless he had excellent prospects to trade. Baseball American earlier in this decade repeated rated the Sox farm system as among the best, in 2014 the Red Sox were ranked 2nd, 2015 Bleacher Report ranked Boston 4th and the Yankees 15 th. In 2016 pre season six months after DD's hiring, Bleacher Report had Boston 3rd and the Yankees 16th. By 2018 preseason the Sox were ranked 21st and preseason 2019 30 th. So the historical record supports those who contend DD depleted the farm to achieve his championship. So post Dombrowski there is every indication that Boston's farm system will return to the status quo ante, one of baseballs best. Remember Henry reportedly fired Dombrowski because of his leadership style. Specifically the reporting by Gammons et al was that DD wasn't listening to his scouts and minor league managers and coaching staff. Presumably his successor won't repeat that mistake.

So long as a team has competent scouts and makes sound decisions on its draft picks the farm system will naturally replenish itself. Except for the development of pitchers, the Red Sox have proven quite adept at signing good prospects and making sound draft choices, pitching being the most problematic. I have no doubt that within a very short time the Red Sox farm system will be awash with very promising young position players.

amen

Under JD's current contract I believe he gets 2.5 million if he opts out this year but none in either 20 or 21. I think the only way he does not opt out this year is if he gets some guarantee that Boston won't trade him. I don't see Boston giving such a guarantee because there is a lot of speculation among Boston sportswriters that the Red Sox want him to opt out for a whole host of reasons. As to a trade JD's contract with the opt out years in 20 and 21 means that the receiving team is getting a one year rental unless JD and Boras are willing to renegotiate his contract. Under such conditions I don't see Boston getting that much in any deal other than a salary dump. Furthermore, given the number of players Boras represents and his exposure across baseball, I am sure he has a pretty good idea which teams would want JD and at what price. I suspect he probably has a better idea and handle on JD's market value than does Boston. The fact that Boston doesn't have a current head of baseball operations handicaps them going forward despite what Henry et al may say to the press.

JH is all about the bottom line. He made his money and name on developing techniques to take emotion out of business decision making. He has done that with the Red Sox and Liverpool as well. DD did the job he was hired to do and got paid very well to do it. In doing that job he created a situation that required a different leadership style for the future. Henry simply is looking for the next head of baseball operations to take the team to its new direction. Once that new executive is no longer the one capable of keeping up with the next phase he will be fired as well. Remember what Henry said when he fired Francona, all managers have a life cycle or words to that effect. "It's personal Sonny, it's business."

I think JD is giving every indication he is opting out. He has got his ring. John Henry is giving every sign he wants to cut payroll. JD has to be thinking that the Red Sox aren't going to be as good in the next few years so why not try and sign with a team hell bent on winning.

Check out E-R0D's salary at 2million plus he is a huge bargain. He isn't arbitration until 2020. No way should the Sox consider moving him.

The object of a major league baseball team is 1. Put fannies in your seats. 2 You do that by putting a competitive baseball team on the field. The object is not to have the best farm team and put fannies in seats in Pawtucket (Worcester) and a host of other minor league towns.

The point is that opt outs make it it very difficult to trade him. Besides with Boras as his agent everything is a negotiation. The opt.out provisions gives him a virtual veto to any trade. All he has to do is insist that Boston commit to not trade him or he opts out. If Boston refuses then he opts out. Boston is not going to play fast and loose with a Boras client regardless of any no trade clause that is why Boras put the opt outs in the contract to give his client some negotiation power over his own future.

According to sportstrac web site, JD indeed does have an opt out in both 20 and 21. He remains virtually impossible to trade. Plus if he suspects the Sox have any inclination to trade him if he doesn't elect to opt out Boras would insist on written guarantees.

JD is virtually impossible to trade until he makes a decision on his option. In addition, he has an opt out in 20 and 21 as well. If he exercises his opt out option in 2019 there is nothing to trade.

Of course it was worth it. What is the farm for other than to produce Championships. Teams can go for years with great farms systems but never produce a title. The Padres and Reds are both cases in point.

Latest rumor is that Sox are looking at Dan Duquette coming back. JH said he wants some one who has had experience running a big league club and some one outside the organization. Could the Duke be the one?

I tend to agree that it was more style over substance. That being said I can not say that with ontological certainty.

I think Sale was the big reason for bringing Leon back. I believe Sale did not care to pitch to either Vazquez or Swihart. Whatever the catching controversy added to the mix it all comes back to there being internal divisions on pitching which apparently gave the front office the appearance of chaos dysfunction and DD's isolation that so many have spoken about. For me the big issue will be: will JH go outside the organization for DD's replacement ? And, will the departure of DD result in a major shakeup in the way the Sox approach pitching that so many like Jim Rice are advocating.

That has been my take since the outset. Moreover Spiers remarks about Bannister along with all the reporting regarding DD leadership style and front office personnel complaining about not having their voices heard probably means that the internal divisions over pitching philosophy, development, strategy and approach played a major part in DD's dismissal. This could help explain why Sox starting pitching never recovered from their dismal start.

Alex Spier just said on the NESN post game show that Brian Bannister the guy brought in to help revamp Boston pitching opposed the go slow spring training approach used last year. Spier said that as early as April Bannister said that the go slow approach was a big mistake. He argued that pitchers needed at least 6 weeks to get ready for the season. Jim Rice also said during the show that there is discussion about going back to some of the old basics like having the pitchers running leg sprints in the outfield to build up their leg strength and stamina. Apparently there is recognition in the front office that there needs to be a major rethink about Boston's total approach towards pitching.

I was referring more to the following: "In a column headlined "Why nobody might want to be Boston's GM," ESPN's Buster Olney detailed the negative perception of the Red Sox around baseball. According to Olney, many view the Red Sox as a dysfunctional organization with a bad culture." I believe Epstein has pretty much ruled out any reunion with the Red Sox in the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately JH only fired DD. It seems that the talk around baseball is that Boston's front office is a dysfunctional mess. Many of the prominent national baseball writers have indicated that Henry may have a challenge replacing DD with top notch talent. In view of this, I am surprised in the face of what appears to be significant shake up of the front office that Henry did not give his incoming head of baseball ops the option of bring in his own person to be field manager. I just wonder if this will further complicate the process of replacing Dombrowski if Henry decides to go outside the organization for a replacement.