Elktonnick

The way I see it, if Farrell gets canned in midseason then Louvello would be named interim manager for the rest of the year. That's why the FO signed him to the contract they did. He is manager in waiting so to speak. At the conclusion of the year, if the Sox finish strong and either make the playoffs or make a good run then Louvello would probably keep the job. If the Sox record doesn't improve over what it was when Farrell gets fired then Louvello too would probably be gone. In any case, if Farrell gets fired either mid year or at the end of the year the FO will still conduct a search for manager regardless of whether they decide to keep Louvello. It would simply be a good business practice to exercise due diligence.

Yea like what Dombrowski has told him his fate would be if the Sox continue to suck like they did last year.

It seems that there is a consensus that Farrell doesn't have a freaking clue.

Of course they do! If Shaw takes Sandoval's job it means no complacent vet with a fat contract is safe from an upstart rookie who could take their job as well. BTW I am sure there were vets on the Yankees who wanted Wally Pipp to get his job back.

I love the knuckleball. I agree I think Wright may have won the job today. The only downside to todays performance is the Phillies aren't a very good team and they weren't playing their best lineup

Again wishful think. Pablo isn't going to be anywhere near that guy unless he gets an attitude adjustment and loses a ton of weight. So far I see no indication that he is ready to do what he has to do.

Only the one I see in the mirror every morning BTW Lackey is still a despicable human being. Being a good pitcher doesn't change that fact.

It also is the opinion of the guys who work the games. I was told this by an usher who has worked every game in ST for the last ten years and who played ball on the Cape with my father in law back in the day. So he is a man whom I trust. He said that Sandoval weighed in 20lbs heavier then last year. He said that Sandoval was unable to pick up a slow roller because he was too fat. Now I didn't interrogate the man and demand proof ( as you would have) because he is in a better position than either you or I to have such information and has no reason to be making up such a story. Moreover, I was standing very close to Sandoval on the field last year. (When you take the tour you get to go on the field behind the batting cage during BP I was less then 5 yds from the man) This year I was nearly as close. He was clearly fatter. Now you can believe what you want. However, you have no logical basis and no evidence to substantiate your belief other then your wishful thinking which seems to dominant your thought process. For all I know you believe in the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy. But there is no denying the salient fact Sandoval came into camp too fat to be an effective defensive 3rd baseman.

Actually Sandoval's problem is his height. He needs to a get taller!!, a lot taller!!!, a real lot taller!!

You are the one making a mountain out of a mole hill! OMG what a s***** pun!!! Sorry about that. BTW If you haven't seen it look at the Feb photo of Sandoval reporting. He was as Bernie Sanders would ay YUGE! !!

Kimmi ,That is another load of horse s***. You refuse to accept anything as proof except Pablo Sandoval admitting that he lets himself go because of his contract. The facts speak for themselves. He lost weight in 2014 before he got his contract. He hasn't since. You like to denouce everyone as prejudiced and judgmental when they don't agree with your point of view but you won't accept the clear facts that didn't get himself in shape to be the best player he could be.

Like I said earlier he came into camp heavier then he left, it was all over Fort Myers. Even if you don't believe that, published photos in the Boston papers clearly show him bigger then he was at the end of last year.

He obviously gained a lot of weight this offseason since came into camp heavier than he was before.

Kelly has been as much an enigma as Buccholtz. One never knows how either of them will be on a consistent basis.

Wrong. What constitutes proof? Fact, Pablo came into camp significantly over weight. Fact in 2015 he was also significantly over weight and was the worst 3rd baseman in baseball. Fact in 2014 he lost 40 lbs. It was his free agency year. He had an excellent year. At the end of that year he let himself put on a tremendous amount of weight and he hasn't been the same since. What conclusions would a reasonable person conclude from these facts-- that Sandoval is being maligned and really is a dedicated misunderstood ballplayer not being given a fair chance. Or that Sandoval isn't trying as hard in 2015 and in 2016 as he did before he signed his big secure contract. You can believe the former if you what to but to do so flies in the face of both logic or reality.

Why one and not the other?

Just how do you know that? Did higher ups force him to take Craig also. Here we go with that crap of every bad move wasn't Ben's fault but every good move was to his credit. News Flash: Cherrington didn't get fired because he did what he was told to do. Get over him, he is out of baseball, and may be for a very long time!

The serious part of spring training doesn't really start until two weeks before opening day. So in that sense Vazquez has enough time to show whether he is ready. In any case, either Swihart or Vaz start the year in Pawtucket. I don't see the Sox carrying three catchers.

If one looks really closely at Sandoval's defensive WAR one sees that his defensive ability he never has been outstanding "From 2009-14, he ranked ninth out of 19 qualified third basemen in Fangraphs' Defense metric (19.7) and 10th in Ultimate Zone Rating (8.7). So he was right in the middle of the pack — pretty good. " but not outstanding "Then came 2015, his first season with the Boston Red Sox. His Defense metric (-15.1) and UZR (-16.9) ranked worst among all qualified third basemen. " More importantly in 2014 he lost 40 lbs in 2013 he lost 22 lbs. Photos of him in 2014 show a much slimmer man. So the obvious conclusion is that Sandoval has to lose a lot of weight in order to be an effective above average fielder. In 2014, he was motivated by his upcoming free agency, what motivates him now?

That last line is ********! Sandoval has been given every opportunity. As of right now he is simply being outplayed for the position. If he were to actually keep the job with Travis Shaw having better production then it would be Shaw who hadn't been given a fair chance. Baseball should be the most Darwinian of sports. Survival of the fittest is what is a fair chance.

Shaw was a highly ranked 1st base prospect so despite his shortcomings in earlier scouting reports regarding his lateral movement he should do well at 3rd. He is noted to be a hard worker student of the game with a strong arm. From what I've seen he'll do fine at 3rd. He is definitely an upgrade to Sandoval defensively. There is no need to go get anyone for 3rd at this juncture since if your priority is early wins the need is in the bullpen. That's where DD efforts need to focused.

While injuries are a fact of life in baseball and all ballplayers get injured, Sandoval's weight and overall poor conditioning makes it more likely that he will get injured, more often and for longer periods of time. Whatever your concerns about Shaw at third should be doubled with regard to Sandoval. Shaw is more athletic and has better range than Pablo. If I were DD I'd be more concerned about adding another reliever than 3rd baseman. The Carson Smith injury is a cause for great concern. Smith has a funky delivery and an elbow or forearm injury was only a matter of time. I am more concerned about how well Smith will bounce back. Moreover given the shaky rotation after Price I can see a difficult early season ahead. There are simply too many questions both with the rotation and in the pen to give me any cause for comfort.

I am still in FT Myers that must have been the cause of the slight rumble we all felt.

While I agree with your general premise that sabermetrics has over valued certain aspects of the game, sabermetrics is just one tool. Even John Henry has recognized that the sox have placed to much emphasis on the quantitative analytical approach. The great thing about baseball is the game is always evolving. The sabermetrics "money ball" approach of the past 15 years is but one example. The KC Royals approach and their winning the championship is yet another. The next brilliant innovating Owner, GM or Manager will be some one who can convince hitters and develop players who will hit against the shift. Making that tactic over used and obsolete.

In the current market the concept of an "overpay" is utterly meaningless. The market price is what it is. The real question is whether the market price is worth it. The simple truth is one can't say whether the price the Red Sox paid for Kimbrel is worth it because he hasn't done anything yet. We have some data on the price they paid for Sandoval based on his performance. However, even though I think the Sandoval deal may have been a mistake we really won't know since the deal hasn't run its course and it still may be possible to wring some value out that deal as well.