Hitch

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.

Yes, agreed. Also, completely speculative again, but he seems like a man that finds it hard to trust people. Which may explain why he's not hired anyone yet. Or maybe he hates to delegate. Or it's none of these things. But, yes, would be a good step.

That's a weird one!

I wasn't being passive aggressive. It's just you've been arguing most of the day for Schwarber, but if you're not bothered about how the roster shapes up with him on there, then there's no point me being either (in response to your arguments). No biggie. Plus, I don't think there's any chance NYC go for him.

I might be giving Breslow too much credit, but he sometimes comes off to me as a man that is fully and absolutely fed up with circus around baseball. I get the impression he loathes the press, or at least having to do that part of his job.

At least I know there's no point engaging any further on this topic. Thanks for that at least ha!

No it doesn't feel like we've gotten nowhere. Since this time last year: we have traded for, and extended, one of the very best pitchers in the world. We have developed, for what feels like the first time in a long time, exciting starting pitching. We have built a lot of depth. We have developed and locked down one of the most exciting young players in the game. We have built a formidable pen. For the first time in as long as I can remember, it feels like if we nail the acquisitions on 1st base, 3rd base, and get a #2, (just 3 positions) we have a change at winning it all. You can try and frame it as getting nowhere before actually giving them a chance to sign the players they need to fill those holes if you want, but I cant think of a more stupid and useless way to look at it. Now if they don't nail these acquisitions and/or go cheap, then sure, hammer them, they'll deserve it. But give them the time to make these moves first, Jesus. In terms of them being intentional deceptions, honestly I think you're miles off. People always think there's some 4D chess being played, and dastardly people are making dastardly plans. I always like to think of the great quote by Jennifer Lawrence's character in 'Don't Look Up' - "You guys, the truth is way more depressing. They are not even smart enough to be as evil as you're giving them credit for." Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I've filmed behind the scenes at a huge sporting organisation for the past 4 years, and worked for, and interviewed, a billionaire that makes Henry look like a pauper. If I told you some of the things I've seen and/or heard over the years you'd think I was lying. And not just lying, but making up conversations that can't possibly be true. You only need to look at Musk's twitter posting to see how a man can be both incredibly accomplished and brilliant, and simultaneously one of the stupidest men alive. Everyone is fallible. When Werner came out and said 'full throttle' I can imagine Henry facepalming. I don't for one second think they agreed to get that message out and then let the fans down as some classing deception. Why on earth would they? Honestly, the sooner you come to the realisation that everyone is just winging it, everyone, winging the f*** out of it, the more the world starts to make sense in these crazy times. I do believe Henry doesn't want to waste money, and would love to win cheaper if he can to prove how brilliant he is, but he wants to win first and foremost, and as well as this, there has been huge mistakes made by this organisation in the past 7 years, huge, and we're only now coming out the other end at long last. If he doesn't jump on it, he will rightly be hammered for it. But I don't think there's been, or will be, any sham, just ineptness on a huge scale across multiple departments at the highest levels of the Sox up until this point. Let's hope Breslow is up the job, I believe he is. As an aside, at Liverpool where he has had much smarter people working at the same level (Gordon is the kind of Exec Henry wish he had in Kennedy), they have had a decade of success and near misses. The Sox have just been poorly run. It's really that simple for me.