moonslav59

In 83 PAs. He was at .523 in 2024. I'm okay getting a LHB, but not one needing a platoon.

As much as I mistrust projected numbers, I'd trust that over "Career OPS" and maybe even last 2, 3 or 5 year OPS numbers, STEAMER 2026 .869 Caminero .858 KMarte .857 Seager .840 Ramirez .810 Devers .806 de la Cruz .800 Paredes notables: .783 Bregman, .781 Muncy, .764 Donovan

Okay, so he pocketed a portion of a portion of about $5M we saved in 2025 on the Devsr trade-minus additions like Hicks, DMay, Matz....

Ill just go for OPS since 2021 (last 5 years) 2B: .857 KMarte (not available) .839 Altuve (Don't want him) .792 B Lowe (not .800) .775 Chisholm & Polanco, .772 Donovan 3B .868 Devers .865 Ramirez (not available) .842 Riley (owed a fortune and been declining) .822 Machado (see Riley) .819 Muncy (doubt he'll hit .800) .812 Caminero (not available) .799 Bregman (would not have met your criteria) .778 Arenado (LOL) .777 Paredes (My choice) Who would satisfy you?

So, it's structured so that he pockets it all?

We lost some of our best bats from 2025, and 7th in runs has to be within the context of playing half our games in a hitter's park. Top 6 OPS in 2025 (PAs) .905 Devers (334) .859 Anthony (303) .838 Refsnyder (209) .826 Romy (341) .821 Bregman (495) .790 N Lowe (119) That's over 1150 PAs gone. We added Contreras .791 in 563 PAs. He's one point better than Nate Lowe was. Okay, let's count on 300 more PAs from Anthony doing as well as 2025, we're still at least 300 PAs short of reaching last year's 1150 PAs, and Contreras probably won't match Devers/Bregman/Refsnyder's numbers. Yes, we can win in other ways, and our rotation looks way better. We shouldn't forget that we ended up trading for DMay to "fix" a rotation that got us to the playoffs. Now, how good does that look? Do the add & subtract comp to 2025 on that one. KaPOW!

Well, you continually neglected to even mention Contreras and quickly moved beyond the Gray and Suarez additions, so my guess is maybe nobody short of KMarte would get your okay. Is there anybody available or mentioned that you'd be okay with? Let's start there. If the guy we get hits .820 or is it .780, would you change your mind?

Not sure about this, but how do you figure that? 2025 money only, yes. He added Hicks, DMay, Matz & NLowe, which were drops in the bucket, but we aren't talking about $30M for Devers in 2025. It was a fraction (half?) or $27M. That's maybe $14M. Half of Hicks is $6M, so we're down to $8M for 2025 minus what was paid for DMay, Matz & others. Okay, he pocketed something.... maybe Joe's beach house and mine, too. Our budget is $25M more this year than 2025, so I'm not seeing pocketing going on at a higher rate than with Devers.

I don't trust them, anymore. I think cots has us about $23M below line 3. Spotrac has us at $275M. That's $9M below line 3.

Looking at the CWS BTV rundown, 3 of their top 11 players are from the Crochet trade: 3. Braden Montgomery 22 5. Chae Meidroth 21 11. Kyle Teel 18 Kinda wish we still had Meidroth and had sent them someone else- like Romero.

I think it's kinda funny how the money saved on the Hicks deal is about $6M x 2 years, and Donovan's arb estimate is about $6M for year 1.

So, you wanna believe that Brez placed the NTC limit on himself. You wanna believe he chose to put massive deferments on the contract, by himself. Fine, but that is you speculating, not me. Talk a out "missing the point" and see the "exact opposite." I'm not saying I know. I'm not speculating. I came right out and said "We don't know the orders given to him," so how is that speculating he was known to have orders? It's you speculating and blaming based on speculations.

LOL All that's left is Harrison & Jose Bello

Since the CWS are probably 5-6 years away from being respectable, how about... Masa + $10M out of $36M owed plus Soto, Delzine & Cason for 3 used bats? Then, we sign Suarez and trade for Paredes. That's two RHBs!

He's sub .520 vs LHPs career. Yikes!

I totally get that point. What makes you think I don't? The Sox have missed out on "the player they wanted" countless times. They may have come closest on Breggie, but so what, They set a price and got beat, once again, The limits are set by the team so I can't see why they'd blame Brez for sticking to the limits they place on him. It seems to me that is the point one of us is missing. Of course they wanted Breggie and are upset we didn't get him. It's the assigning blame part i am odds with you over and NOT the fact that we missed out on our Plan A. (I'm pretty sure he was plan A.) Why ask if I think Cora wanted him back? You think I feel he didn't? What did I ever say to make you even thing to ask such an absurd, yes absurd, question? You often think the problem with someone who disagrees with you is because the simply don't understand or are "missing the point." Of course, everyone sees the point that is front and center: once again, the Sox missed out on a player they were interested in. Bregman was probably the most wanted of all those in recent memory. I get that. That fact does make this more impactful and concerning. If they can't get the guy they really wanted most of all over several years, then WTF? I just am not about to place all the blame on the guy following the orders given him, and yes we do not know what orders were given him, which is all the more reason for me to not jump to conclusions, and certainly what "more knowledgeable" taking heads on ESPN and wherever else isn't going to force me to make a false choice.

No. I disagree on knowing what the budget line is. The tax years will likely reset after 2026. I could see line 2 or line 3 being the limit, and that's a $20M difference, which is about what Suarez gets. All the trade guys mentioned are under or near the cap space we are at now on line 3. Paredes makes $12M, and I think he's the most costly. Donovan is $5.8M, which is what we just saved on the Hicks deal. Sandlin, Hicks and $8M for Donovan is pretty nice at even cost.

I felt the same way for a while, but he's pretty good, and we still have Romy. Of course, I'm not for platooning Donovan, but we do have a good RHB on the bench. He may be needed more to platoon with Masa at DH or Mayer at .... eek!... 3B. Donovan has pretty bad career splits vs LHPs (.651) and it was .614 in 2025. Baty is a LHB, too. I still like Paredes best, and Matt Shaw is a RHB. Nobody is talking RHB E Tovar, and he has reverse splits but is over .700 vs each side. Who is next tier? E Suarez or Vientos?

Houston probably wants MLB player(s) for Paredes- like W Abreu, so I'm not sure that fits with adding to the 40 without subtracting anyone, unless it's like Abreu for Paredes and B King.

I do not want to trade Tolle or Early for 2 years of Donovan, and I'd seriously resist trading Witherspoon or Valera, but I'm not sure how else we get STL to a yes. BTV would approve Arias & Phillips as the next highest two valued prospects. Soto, Phillips & Azocar equal Donovan's BTV value, too. That deal leaves us the TOP 4 pitchING PROSPECTS I mentioned and Arias, Gonzales, Romero and Godbout- the closest to MLB level top 4 everyday players in the system. Not sure STL says yes.

I could see us trade prospects for Donovan (est $5.8M arb) which is almost exactly what the Hicks trade saved! Then, we sign Wilson and stay under tax line 3.

I was just about to post this! I was going to say Wilson or Coulumbe + Rengifo.

Hicks is owed $24M/2. We are paying $8M. Yes, assuming they can trade him at the deadline without paying anything, it might just cost them $3-4M. Good point. The AAV does not matter to them, but it matters to JH, so that is one aspect of the trade. Trying to get a team like the Mets to take Masa would mean they pay the remaining Masa money plus a tax. Deals to teams like the CWS might be more likely. (I doubt we trade Masa, but I doubted we'd trade Hicks, too. I was admonished for even suggesting it, just weeks ago.)

I guess they don't mind burning a little money to get a hopeful "suspect." Now, who can we part with to get them to take Masa? Drohan, Mullins & Masa plus $18M for a couple used bats?

"The Red Sox feel the same way?" What does that even mean? JH, Kennedy & others are upset Brez didn't go beyond the parameters they limited him with? They wish he offered him a NTC prohibited by the "Red Sox?" They wish he put us over the tax line by lessening the deferrals?