Hitch

Alonso obviously adds power and the vast majority of your fictional 65 home runs, but the conversation was about Bo and isn't in a vacuum, it has the context of all that's come before it, as I suspect you know. Bo has averaged 14 Hrs the past 3 seasons. This team is lacking in HR power. We have Roman who we're hoping can hit 20. Story may or may not hit 20 again. Abreu has averaged 18.5 a season (and will he still be here?) Apart from that we're not very threatening. We need that HR threat (which Breslow alluded to himself). Alonso will provide a large part of that (hopefully), but Bo and Alonso just gives us what Devers and Bregman were giving us and that wasn't enough. If we didn't sign Alonso but got Bregman and Bo we certainty wouldn't be thinking we'd solved our power issue. I'd much prefer we brought in Marte. I'd probably even prefer Bregman back. But all that said, I would not turn my nose up at Bo. As I've previously stated, this team also needs players that puts the ball in play - another thing we're lacking. But if that's the only moves on the offence, I don't know if it's enough considering where we're starting from, and likely to lose one of our best offensive players in a trade of Duran/Abreu. Don't take this the wrong way, but your analogy is a nonsense.

Oh, you've got me by 5 years you young scoundrel.

I would like to see us act with haste and get things locked down, but that often isn't in the hands of a single GM.

I sometimes wonder if the age of our posters is significant in this mindset. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the youngest on the site outside of Thunder (and I'm still middle aged) and so I'm always thinking 5/6 years in advance. But I get it if some of the older guys are life F- that, I want success now when I can enjoy it.

All fair questions and I don't know the answer because if someone is willing to go 7 at $210m for Bregman and Alonso (or anything approaching that), I don't want any part of it. But, we also badly need bats and they need to make it happen one way or another. Maybe then we look at your Marte's and do it that way. My dream is that they go and get Bregman, Alonso and trade for Marte and a #2. I'm also keenly aware that's got next to no chance of happening. I'd be very happy with Alonso and Bregamn/Bo and a #2 with some bullpen help. My guess is it'll be Alonso, plus another slightly lesser player and a trade for a #2 and some bullpen help. That's isn't hugely impressive, but it's definitely a step in the right direction with them being able to add in season. But yeah, if things get crazy price wise then it will really get hot in JH's and Bres' kitchens.

2015 - 3rd highest payroll 2016 - 3rd 2017 - 3rd 2018 - 1st 2019 - 1st 2020 - 3rd 2021 - 3rd 2022 - 6th 2023 - 13th 2024 - 12th 2025 - 11th So I'll ask the question again, do you think it's more likely that an ownership group that was routinely in the top 3 payroll (and sometimes the highest spender), that brought unprecedented success to this fanbase, decided 3 years ago that they no longer wish to compete and instead want to sit around trying to swindle its fanbase with shams, or, that they believed the roster was in bad shape, with contracts that were hurting them, and needed to get itself back on track before they outlaid big sums again? Because I know which seems most likely to me. If they don't go big this summer, they will deserve a hammering. Other than making stupid mistakes and comments/promises, I don't think they deserve all the ire they get on times.

They've always spent. Always. It's only very recently they've eased off. Do you think it's more likely they saw all the mistakes and thought it would be sending good money after bad at that point? Or that they just decided enough is enough, we're happy finishing bottom?

No, he doesn't, but I mean, when you're making the mistakes we've been making, I don't begrudge him pulling the handbrake. There's also this idea that John Henry is a billionaire and so should be launching all his money into this. His assets are why he's worth billions. He'd have to sell them to be as cash rich as people seem to think he is. The Red Sox should spend the money they turnover, no more. That's all we're entitled to. Forbes had the 2024 Red Sox coming out at $120m ahead. So there's room for more to be spent, but they're going to want safety on their bottom line, too. So we're not far off what is perfectly acceptable if they spend another $50/80m this year. I'm still holding up hope for 2 big bats and a trade for a starter. Though we'll likely need to nab some bullpen depth now, too.

I'm pretty confident they will hit at least this point. He's spent and been near the top when the team looks like it could win. When it hasn't, he's kept his gunpowder dry. Which is not unreasonable considering the mistakes made the past 7 years. He's made plenty of mistakes, but this cheap tag is overcooked.

There's plenty of truth in Old Red's posts. Duran is worth quite a lot to many clubs, and very little to others. It's all about needs. We shouldn't make the mistake of valuing BTV too much, it's a good tool, but absolutely useless in some ways, and we shouldn't make the mistake of seeing other trades and suddenly valuing our players off it. There are always things at play we don't take into account. You only have to see trade proposals on this forum (and social media) that make next to zero sense from the other team's POV. It's fun to compare value and use BTV, but it is much more complicated than this. And we as fans ALWAYS overvalue our own players and prospects. I do it regularly.

Same. In a heartbeat.

I mentioned in the other thread that I thought we might see some surprising trades yesterday, I didn't expect the surprise to be Bernie. I will miss Bernie, I liked him. The moves make sense though. And makes me thing we'll be adding some more to that bullpen after all.

The system needed catchers badly. So can't grumble at these moves even if I am surprised by Bernie going.

But again, I think I'm right in saying, with each new collective bargain, there is a reset on the tax implications for teams. So Year 3 is going to be a rest no matter what we spend this year (Year 2). And with Yoshida and Story coming off the books in two years, we should be able to reset or manage it after that, too. Which all adds up to them needing ti spend big this winter. Fingers crossed.

Wonder if Torres takes Tigers out of the Bregman sweeps.

I've taken it to mean we're trading one of the other bench players we have. But hard to guess right now.

Yeah we'd have to get the power from the other acquisition. Alonso and Bo wouldn't be too shabby, but lacking in power a little.

Definitely can't be ruled out.

I like Bo's ability to get bat to ball and put it in play. As well as needing power in this team, we could do with some of that, also. Bregman worries me - there's a lot I love, but how he ages concerns me.

There's a big part of me that would prefer this to Bregman. But if his D doesn't come good at 2nd....eesh.

With only 1.8k posts? Pfft! Don't talk down to your elders.

Yeah that trade is an odd one to me. I doubt it likely, but my mind went to a trade of Sogard or Eaton before the deadline for a non 40 guy.

I wonder if this precedes a surprising cut of someone we hadn't considered.

Well, I'm glad you're not the GM, then. 😆

Again, this isn't fantasy baseball. Every move has ramifications. I wanted to see where you thinking was on how this roster works out once we sign Schwarber, and with it, close none of the three major holes we have. If you haven't thought about it, or don't want to, no bother, but it's the kind of thing I like to do, and understand that others have too. Just saying sign Schwarber is a nothing to me. I'm interested in what comes next, how it shapes up.