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I agree with almost everything you said (specially the soccer sucks part), but i think three challenges for each manager would add more than a few minutes depending on the strange incidents and importance of certain games. They have to make some moves to counteract the added time from replay so they can avoid losing some more of the casual fans. If i recall correctly, they were going to do something regarding mound visits, pitching changes, and time spent between pitches (suck it Beckett).

Back to actual baseball: Trying to discount the narrative that Ruiz can't hit righties, he has a .758 career OPS against them. Even though he was pretty terrible against them last season, his entire body of work suggests he can hold his own against them. With McCann being too expensive, and Salty still sucking on defense, he may actually be the best value they can get at catcher. Sign before the Phillies plz.

As clarification, i am also assuming they non-tend Bailey and Morales, saving just enough money to keep the Sox under the lux-tax threshold. For this to afford the Red Sox with enough flexibility for a mid-season trade, they'd probably have to trade Dempster.

This hasn't been brought up, but: From Mlb.com.....thoughts?

I wasn't making fun. I was being serious. This isn't the first time you pull this s***. Get off my nuts.

For this thread, i shall operate under the assumption that the Red Sox allow all four of their major Free Agents go with a focus towards making out like bandits in the draft. This is highly unlikely as there's a very significant chance that two of Salty/Drew/Napoli stay, but let's ignore this for a minute and see what kind of roster could the Red Sox build in 2014 without signing any of their own FA's or any QO'd FA. Roster as it stands: C-Lavarnway 1B-Carp 2B-Pedroia SS-XB 3B-WMB OF-Nava/JBJ/Victorino DH-Ortiz Bench: Gomes Berry Ross Pitchers: SP: Lester/Buchholz/Lackey/Peavy/Doubront/Dempster RP: Koji/Taz/Breslow/Workman/Bailey/Miller As of right now, the Red Sox need a 1B/OF to platoon with Carp, a regular catcher, an ultility player, and pitchers to round out the bullpen. What i would do: Sign 1B/OF Mike Morse to a 1-year pillow contract to rebuild his value after a disastrous 2013. Sign C Carlos Ruiz to a 2/20 contract with a $10 million team option for a third year with a 1 million buyout. Sign Brian Wilson to a 2/26 contract with a vesting option based on appearances for a third year at 14 million. Sign Rajai Davis to 2/10 contract. Sign John Macdonald to a 2/4 contract. Depth chart: C-Ruiz/Ross 1B-Carp/Morse platoon 2B- Pedroia/MacDonald SS-XB/Macdonald 3B-WMB/XB/MacDonald OF-Nava/JBJ/Gomes/Victorino/Morse/Carp/Davis DH-Ortiz Bench: Ross/Morse/Davis/MacDonald Pitchers: SP: Lester/Buchholz/Lackey/Peavy/Doubront RP:Koji/Wilson/Breslow/Taz/Dempster/Miller Note: The only reason i would start Workman in the minors is because the Sox view him as a starter long term, and it would be a good idea to let him get regular rotation turns until someone inevitably goes down. I also get that Dempster would be one expensive mop-up guy, but these pitching "surplus" situations always sort themselves out. The lineup would be: Vs R: Victorino XB Pedroia Ortiz Carp Nava WMB JBJ Ruiz Vs L: Victorino XB Pedroia Ortiz Gomes Morse WMB Ruiz Davis Why it would work: Pitching: The Red Sox still have stellar pitching, with Buchholz avoiding any major injuries, and Lester avoiding any major mid-season ruts. Lackey regresses a bit, but the presence of Peavy helps balance the rotation out. The Sox turn Wilson into their closer, with Koji becoming relief ace, allowing the Red Sox BP to work out of almost any situation. That, combined with a top-5 rotation, allows the Sox to steamroll the AL East once again. Offense: The offense obviously regresses, but with steps forward from JBJ and XB, the offense ends up in top-three territory again, with both platoons working and the lineup once again churning out quality AB after quality AB. Why it wouldn't work: Pitching: Buchholz and Peavy both go down with significant injury, and the rotation can't provide the same quality it did in 2013. Offense: Carp and Nava regress, WMB continues his sophomore slump and Morse goes down for significant time with an injury, and the infield corners become a little house of horrors for the Sox all season long. The point of the exercise is to show that even in the worst case scenario, the Sox would still put out a quality team in 2014 with a couple signings without having to break the bank. I will take the analysis a little further using available data projections for all players of this "fantasy" team.

I don't get it. People are flipping their lids and the FA signing period just began. Even if they let all 4 major FA's go it really wouldn't be the end of the world unless they didn't have replacements waiting, which they do for three and only need a platoon partner for the other. I don't get the angst.

Take your meds jerkoff.

But would they be going "on the cheap" if they let Napoli go, and re-signed Ellsbury and Drew instead? Because that's my problem with the whole issue. The Red Sox keep fielding near--or-over luxury tax teams, yet some people have the balls to say they're going "on the cheap". Please stop saying stupid things.

It's November 15th. The free agency period has barely begun.

Can't say i'm surprised. Please stop.

No one here has even hinted at the idea that character can't be identified. They simply said it can't be measured, which is absolutely true. Seriously, why do you keep making these logical leaps of faith to reach such unexplainable conclusions?

This is spot on (can't believe i'm saying this). And the Carp issue would be solved simply by getting a RHH who can play 1B/OF and mashes lefties.

Cutch was a solid choice for NL MVP. Not surprised Cabrera repeated.

My phone has a small screen. When i'm reading posts on it length IS a problem, but fair enough.

jung, can't you make your posts a bit more condensed? I wanna read what you have to say, but not if every post is a goddamned thesis.

So this justifies overpaying for a player whose skillset has been historically proven to quickly erode, and said player is also fragile to boot? The Sox will also have to spend money locking up some of its young talent, give Lester his new deal, and deal with new contracts/departing players by the boatload after the end of next season. Your reasons to justify the idea of the Sox blowing a wad of cash on Ellsbury are indefensible. Please stop.

Scherzer and Kershaw take home the AL and NL Cy Youngs. Worthy choices IMO.

It's sarcasm bro.

"Narcolept". And it's just a sleeping disorder. Educate yourself.

They supposedly vote on all the awards right before the playoffs start.

Dude, what are you talking about? Corey Hart did not play in a single MLB game last season.

For the record, the fact that Farrell won the WS supposedly "doesn't count" towards his MOTY case.

Please copyright this.

No i saw that Francona won. I'm just expressing my disbelief. What a shitload of f***.