Bellhorn04

Not exactly. What I said, or meant to say, was that the Porcello signing doesn't put them in a financial position of not being able to make a serious bid for a FA pitcher.

Not really. Next year Napoli and Victorino are off the books. That's 29 million. If Masterson is gone that's another 9.5 million. Plus we don't really know how the Red Sox feel about exceeding the tax threshold any more. With the piles of money they've been spending maybe they don't really care that much.

$80 million isn't the Mercedes price any more. Lester got double that much.

Maybe his shoulder is finally 100%. Sure took a while though.

I don't think he's in the elite group either. But the price of pitchers just keeps going up at an insane rate. The Red Sox did manage to keep the length of the deal to a reasonable 4 years, and probably had to bump the AAV a couple million to do so.

OK, good response. Now, since you obviously believe in WAR, I assume you're good with FanGraphs WAR values for Porcello and the dollar values of about $20 million for both 2013 and 2014.

Be reasonable. Harang is 36. He got paid back in 2009-2010, making $14 million and $12.5 million those years, which is pretty close to $20 million in current baseball economic values.

Well, it's probably natural that he'd still have some fear about letting it fly. It's still pretty early in the process.

Hamels and Lester are both cooked. The Red Sox FO is right - once pitchers hit 30 they might as well be put in old age homes.

Detroit is actually rated as a hitter's park, with a factor of 102 for 2014 and 105 cumulative.

Almost forgot: Cole Hamels is a washed-up bum. Thank God we didn't trade for him.

Not enough of an overreaction. See mine about Hanigan.

Ryan Hanigan is a phenomenal game-caller, and as his .833 OPS shows, much better offensively than expected.

They punched his ticket out of town in a hurry too LOL

OTOH, the lockdown they did with Lester returned big value. Pitchers are risky plain and simple.

I don't see an extension for Buch. The team has options for EACH of 2016 and 2017. A very good deal negotiated by Theo. Hopefully Clay will be motivated this year by his financial future.

Well played.

And here's one of the best things I've ever read about the whole game-calling thing. June 8, 2007 Associated Press OAKLAND — Maybe the next time a Boston pitcher takes a no-hit bid into the ninth inning, he'll listen to catcher Jason Varitek. Curt Schilling came within one out of his first no-hitter Thursday, losing his bid when Shannon Stewart lined a clean single to right field after Schilling shook off his catcher. Schilling finished with a one-hitter as the Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 1-0. "We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life." It was not the first time a Boston pitcher shook off Varitek in the ninth inning only to see a no-hitter broken up. Pedro Martinez did it Aug. 29, 2000, against Tampa Bay, giving up a single to John Flaherty on a fastball instead of the curve that Varitek called for. Schilling said he called off Varitek between five and 10 times, saying it "was one time too many." "Hindsight is always 20/20," Varitek said. "It wasn't the first time he shook off all game. We had like a half-dozen. It doesn't really matter. He made a quality pitch. If he didn't make a quality pitch then you can second-guess." Schilling (6-2) looked to be on his way to making history when he retired Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall on grounders to shortstop for the first two outs of the ninth. Having called fastballs to the first two batters, Varitek called for a first-pitch slider to Stewart. Schilling wanted to throw a fastball. "I was sure he was taking, and Tek was sure he was swinging," Schilling said. "And I was wrong." With a strong contingent of Red Sox fans cheering on at McAfee Coliseum, Stewart lined the first pitch through the hole between first and second for Oakland's only hit. Stewart said he was expecting the take sign when he came up, but when he was given the go-ahead to swing away, he did just that.

92 wins and the division title.

Can't we get the data on each ump's usual strike zone somewhere?

Ah yes, Erik Bedard. That went well.

We also have an occasional poster called Prune Face now.

It is, but you also have to consider that Buch hasn't thrown a pitch yet.

I thought that no one had been able to prove anything about game-calling yet.