Kimmi

Having to give up draft picks for Chen and Lackey is definitely a strike against signing either of those two. In the end, it all depends on what kind of contract those two could be signed for in contrast to what Price can be signed for. Price might end up being the better value, or Chen/Lackey might be. That said, I think the chances that Lackey wants to return to Boston are slim to none. I also am not very confident that Price wants to pitch for Boston. He could probably be persuaded with a big enough contract, though I'm not sure having him sign with us if he really doesn't like Boston is a good idea.

You may be right about Cleveland not being willing to trade without getting some major league ready offense back. Who knows, they might have been willing to take Hanley if the Sox ate a big part of his contract and JBJ? If not Cleveland, then perhaps Oakland or Miami would be willing to trade for prospects. Or perhaps the White Sox would trade for a package including Swihart. In fairness to Dombrowski, none of knows which teams are actually willing to trade for what. I'm sure he did his due diligence and arrived at the conclusion that a trade for a starter would not be possible. OTOH, maybe all of this talk about how Price is our #1 target and how he doesn't see us trading for a starter is just a ploy to get the other teams to come down in their demands.

The Sox have been a very well-run franchise for a long time now and letting Theo go was indeed foolish. The Sox have never had it so good. Since winning a couple of WS rings, the fanbase, on the whole, has become spoiled and entitled. I know that people here don't like to hear that, but it's true. We (and I use that term loosely) have become exactly what we and other team's fans always hated about the Yankees fans. There was something kind of nice about being the loveable losers, not that I would give back any of our championships.

Things are cyclic to an extent, meaning that no team is going to be able to win every year due to injuries, underperformances, and just plain luck. However, I still believe that a well-run team, especially one with the financial resources that the Sox have, should be able to put together a contender (on paper) year in and year out.

Cool. Who knew the Sox were so popular in the UK? Or is it that there are only 3 Red Sox fans in the UK, and they all managed to find this site to post on?

I think it is possible to field a competitive team year in and year out. That doesn't mean that you'll win every year. It might also turn out that the team finishes in last place due to injuries and/or gross underperformances. But the team should at least be competitive on paper. I know that the games aren't played on paper, but as I've said before, all a GM can do is put together a team that is competitive on paper. He can't control what takes place on the field. Since this new ownership took over, I have felt like we have had a team that could compete every year. If Dombrowski signs Price and makes a few other tweaks, I will feel like we have a competitive team again this year. What I don't want to happen is to go into a season knowing up front that the team has no chance. Let me say for the record, contrary to popular belief, I am not a Dombrowski hater.

I have said that if Dombrowski signs Price and does not further gut our farm system, I will be happy. I still won't like that contract, but as a fan, I will be thrilled. If future moves involve trading players that you've listed above (win now at any cost mentality), then there's a problem.

With the Jays signing JA Happ, it appears they have closed the door on re-signing Price. Not that they were likely to re-sign him anyway, but that has to be good news for the Sox, even if it helps us out only slightly.

That was my attempt at humor. I'm not disagreeing with the idea of acquiring two starters at all. That would be my preference. Personally, I would have liked to see Dombrowski sweeten the Kimbrel package some and traded for Carrasco or someone similar instead of trading for Kimbrel. Then sign someone like O'Day and perhaps another starter like Chen. FTR, I would have no problem with signing Chen and Lackey over Price. I think it's everyone else on this site that you have to convince.

So perhaps we need a change in our draft and/or development philosophy as far as pitching is concerned, or a change in our scouting/coaching staff. Not a change in the overall philosophy of how to build a winning franchise.

I disagree. Everyone wants to win championships, but I think it can be done without sacrificing the long term outlook of the team. I don't like that approach at all.

I have said many times that Panda's contract was not a good one. There were better options for 3rd base that I preferred over the Sox signing Panda. Hanley's contract I was okay with. Four years for a player that was supposed to be a premium hitter is not a huge contract. But whether anyone thought they were good moves or not, those contracts kind of make my point, don't they?

Not fretting about signing a bonafide ace. Fretting about the possible long term repercussions of a big contract. Contrary to what people think, the Red Sox do not have unlimited resources. They may be willing to go over the luxury tax limit this year, but I very much doubt they will be willing to go over it in consecutive years. So, what happens if Price's contract prices us out of being able to retain Mookie and/or Xander when they become free agents? Will we be happy then?

He was very successful in building a contending team, no doubt. He gets credit for that. However, what state is the team in now? The "win now" thing usually works for several years. My concern is not how the team will look for the next 4 years or so. My concern is what happens when the high-priced free agents are no longer living up to their contracts and there are no cost-controlled youngsters that are worthy of being MLB starters? There has to be a balance between short and long term goals. A win now at any cost mentality is not the way to build a franchise. I think everyone here agrees with that. That's all I'm trying to say. And again, just to be clear, I am not saying that Dombrowski is heading in that direction. I'm just voicing concerns.

Yes, I have acknowledged that several times.

You make some good points. Dombrowski and the Tigers did have some very good years, as teams who are in "win now" mode usually do. However, during that span, they did not win the World Series. I think it is very possible to have the same run of success without being in "win now" mode. It is very possible to build a franchise that can compete both in the short and long terms. I think we agree that it starts with the farm system. It might be necessary to hand out a big contract to a free agent once in a while, but that should not be the norm. IMO, the free agents that are signed should be more of the solid, 2nd tier type players, not the superstars. The superstars should be the guys that are home grown. I also prefer paying more per year for fewer years rather than having a longer contract. As far as why we haven't been able to graduate #1 pitchers, I think part of that has been our draft position, and part of that has been our draft philosophy. If the farm is strong enough, however, a top starter can be acquired through trade.

Part of the reason for them winning for so many years is the division that they play in. A win now mentality will make the team good for several years. Signing Price alone will likely not hurt the team in the long term. But signing several free agents to huge contracts in addition to selling the farm will. Not saying that Dombrowski is going to do that. I'm just saying that I hope that's not the direction the team is heading.

Betts and Xander are not going to be cheap forever.

The Tigers are now in a state that comes long term with that "win now" mentality. The worst thing is, that win now mentality guarantees nothing. In fairness to Dombrowski, I do believe that he was operating under the wishes of the Tigers' owners.

They really have not flip flopped on their overall philosophy. They may have had different strategies on how to fill the holes via free agency, but their overall philosophy has remained the same. It appears that there is a change in that philosophy this year, however.

I have already stated that it is too early to say that Dombrowski has a win at all cost mentality. I have also said that if he gets us our #1 starter and does not further gut the farm system, then I am good with what he has done this offseason.

Justin Masterson is available, and I'm sure he'd be cheap.

Everyone knows how badly the Sox want Price. That can't be good. One GM speculated that Dombrowski is willing to go over the highest offer by $30-$40 million. If this is true, this is not the type of thing that you want Price and his agent to know. That's like adding on an extra $30 mil before negotiations even start.

We don't NEED Price plus one more pitcher. Acquiring two would be my preference, but if we get Price the rotation should be pretty good. We do need another really good BP arm, IMO.

If the team does in fact take on a win now at any cost philosophy, the drought could very well be longer than 4 years. So, the team doesn't finish in last, but it fails to be competitive for 7-8 years. Is that any better? As far as the 3 last place finishes in 4 years, there was a WS Ring in 2013. That is not an insignificant point when talking about droughts.