moonslav59

Yup, Brez could have totally botched things, but still ended up at the right point... or not.

Very well said. It should never be viewed in such simple terms as "Bregman was our number one target; we missed out on getting him; he must have botched it." Even if we did "misjudged the room," or were willing to pay more but did not get think we had to, the fact is we did not grossly overpay for Bregman, and we got a very good SP'er instead. Maybe he was an overpay or gross overpay, too, and time will show we chose wrongly. So be it. My opinion is, I'd rather have Suarez at $130M than Bregman at $170M, and for all we know, that may not have sealed the deal, if the no trade clause was a dealbreaker, anyway.

It was pretty lame.

They canceled school for today on Friday- over just the idea of a Saturday night ice strom. We got nothing but rain. It's sunny today, streets are dry and its about 32 degrees. LMAO!

The misjudged a lot about Masa. They may not have thought he was a plus defender, but they felt he was good enough to play LF, and he is not really "good enough." We've had worse defensive LF'ers, but most were hitting 30 bombs or getting on base over 35% of the time (or both.) The Masa signing was Bloom's worst decision, especially in light of how restricted his budget was. Masa and Story were a large percent of his total spending over 4 years. (The Betts trade was on JH & Co. IMO, so I don't hold that against Bloom, The return for Betts is up for criticism, but the only other reported offers were the one from the Padres w/o Price and the original offer by the LAD, which we tweaked Graterol out of the deal.) That $18M sure makes a big difference, especially from 2025 to now and next season. Thank God Story finally gave us something good. Let's hope that continues. I suppose Masa might still help us over the next two years, and if we trade an OF'er he will likely get a long look at DH. IMO, it's almost impossible for Masa to redeem himself and break e ven with his cost vs production, even when you factor in the norm for FA signings and their cost v production.

Exactly, and they did not view Masa as a DH. Now, to be fair, they were not sure all these OF'ers were going to do well. Even Duran, the longest well-performing OF'er of the 3, was a huge question mark the day we signed Masa.

I meant Early not Tolle. He may not have known who Valera was, but the system gets credit or blame based on results.

Speaking mistruths is not realism. You said JH would not spend and he signed Suarez. Yes, you said that surprised you, then you continue with the same comments, like "He's cheap," and "He doesn't spend," or "won't spend." That's not "realism" but yes it's excessive. He has spent- just not enough for you and most of us. Some of the big spending has not worked out (Yoshida, Story until '25 & others) and some has been horrible (Buehler, Kluber, Richards & Sandoval, so far.) No doubt we dropped down to rankings and the revenue vs spending low points of JH's era. We've all been upset over that and it deserves criticism, but since the Devers extension, there has been a clear and significant shift in spending and spending philosophy, such as extending young talent. That is "realism," too. There is no way the Suarez signing fit into your excessive realism mantra. To continue the mantra looks lame, to me, despite having a kernel of truth within it.

4 years: Draft: 2021: Drafted Mayer 1st & McDonogh 3rd 2022: Drafted Romero 1st, C Coffey 2nd & Meidroth 4th. 2023: Zaneteool 2nd & Anderson 3rd, K Campbell Comp pick IFA: 2026: D Brito (2nd highest bonus) 2025: D Soto (Highest bonus) Ramos (4th highest) 2024: Carrasquel (2nd) Fermin (5th) 2023: Cespedes (1st) Arias (2nd) Ruis (3rd)

While fangraph's projections are often wrong, here is how they score our pitchers by fWAR per IP: .029 Crochet .022 Gray .019 Suarez .012 Bello & Early .011 Oviedo& Sandoval .010 Tolle .007 Crawford _____________ .024 Chapman 0.16 Whitlock .007 Slaten

He's also paying over $20M for Crochet, Gray and Contreras

Is it still 23rd? If you divide this years $259.3 by the $574M revenue (2025) number, our % goes up to 45.1%, which places us 18th. While still not good, it is moving back into the right direction. 1% from middle of the pack. Yes, that is a major concern. I have voice displeasure over that, but I refrain from saying JH isn't spending any money on quality players and won't again. I don't know what he'll do. I thought last winter was a big step forward, then he dumped Devers. I don't disagree with your position that JH can and should spend more. I just disagree with the wording and your excessive pessimism.

Do you trade Sandlin, DHam and Soto for SS Ezequiel Tovar?

I really like Tolle, but would you give him up for a quality young 2Bman from MN- Luke Keaschall? I'd offer Tolle, Sandlin and Wong for Keaschall & one year of a good hitting catcher, Jeffers.

Great news for Yankee fans: Rodon is now able to button up his shirt! https://www.mlb.com/news/carlos-rodon-gives-update-on-elbow-rehab-at-ny-baseball-writers-gala

Good points, Joe & notin. Not many teams have the luxury of not even counting on Tolle or Early to be on the opening day 26 man roster. When you couple that with the fact that we have Oviedo, Sandoval, Crawford and Harrison all having a legitimate shot at being the 5th starter at some point early in the 2026 season, our rotation looks as good as I have ever seen it look, in terms of overall quality of depth. Some of those SP'ers will likely help out in the pen, so I'm not too worried about losing Wilson, Bernardino and several others from our pen and pen depth. The everyday 13 does have one big hole: 2B or 3B, but with Mayer and Romy, we should be fine at one, if we add a quality player at "the other" slot. The Masa question continues to loom, and with Duran looking to play DH a lot, it seems pointless to carry a pretty much DH only guy on the MLB bench. If he can start the season in AAA, he could be useful depth, but I'm not sure that works. To me, the sure 10 are: Narvaez, Wong, Contreras, Romy, Mayer, Story, Duran, Anthony, Rafaela & Abreu. I'm pretty sure DHam makes the 26, even if we add a 2Bman not a 3Bman. That's 11, not counting Masa. We add a 3B/2Bman and it leaves 1 slot for Eaton or Sogard, with Campbell, Masa and maybe Romero as the AAA depth.

True. The roster transformation has been stunning by the numbers of players gone and added. While the numbers of top quality players added is not high, and some added like Bregman, are now gone, inaction is not Brez's issue, except maybe at deadlines. The losses of higher quality players have been the focus of most of the talk and criticism, and justifiably so. Devers, Sale, Bregman and to a lesser extent Giolito, Refsnyder, Priester, Wilson and inherited players like Turner, Jansen, Martin, Verdugo & Pivetta, who left for free agency total a hefty loss of talent. The shift towards pitching from top to bottom has shown positive results to date, but much is still in the TBD area. The everyday players are mostly holdovers from the Bloom era, and some were acquired under DD's reign. One noticeable aspect of this area of the roster is the many years of control to a large amount players, including some of our more younger players, including some unproven players. This looks like a good thing, but we'll find out in the upcoming years. (Note: many of our best pitchers are under team control for 2 or more years, as well.) With all the changes made, this feels like the players on the roster and in the farm now, are Brez guys or guys he likes. I get a sense that the make-over is near complete, and maybe just tweaks will be made in the coming years. Maybe we will finally see some continuity many of us have craved since the dismantling of that mega 2018 team.

It should worry all Sox fans that our everyday player part of the team is projected to be ranked 21st by fangraphs- a reputable site. It's concerning that we are 2 fWAR away from 15th. 3 fWAR from 12th and 5 fWAR from 10th. That's a lot of ground to make up to get to top 3rd tier (and just barely.) Paredes is not adding 5 fWAR. We may not need to be top 10 or 12, but it is very concerning we are this far away from it. We can argue some fWAR projections seem obviously low, but they are for almost every player. It should also be noted that we are about 6 fWAR ahead of the #10 team in pitching, the NYY. Overall, we are 7th in fWAR projections. 0.8 from #6 and 1.2 from #5. We are 2,3 from #4. A Paredes addition might jump us to #4 or 5. In 2025, we placed... #10 in everyday player fWAR (25.2) #7 in pitching fWAR (18.4) If we can get to 12th in offense/defense and 1st in pitching, that looks like a sizable improvement.

You mean that JH won't spend more and the $50M more than 2024 is a mirage?

Yes, I understood this, and agree.

I have said I would not have been upset had we matched or exceeded the Cubs offer and landed Breggie. We would clearly be a much better team with Breggie at 3B and Mayer/Romy at 2B. I wish he was on our roster. I also am happy Suarez is on our current roster, and I'm pretty sure we could not have had both, so to me that is the bottom line. Yes, it matters is Brez is a buffoon for not. Maybe he is. Maybe he's bungled his way into a lucky improvement of the 26 and 40 man roster. Time will tell on that, I suppose.

Here is what AI says about opinions on how Brez handled the Breggie negotiations: Opinions on Craig Breslow’s handling of negotiations with Alex Bregman, which saw the star third baseman sign a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs in January 2026, are deeply divided, ranging from criticism of perceived lowballing to defense of fiscal responsibility. Criticisms of Breslow and Negotiations: Failed to Land "Golden Goose": Many fans and analysts expressed severe disappointment that the Red Sox lost a key producer, viewing it as another failure to secure top-tier talent. Sub-par Offer Structure: Reports indicate the Red Sox's final offer was around 5 years/$165 million, which was $10 million less than the Cubs' deal. Furthermore, Boston's offer included "heavy deferrals" and did not include a full no-trade clause, making it less attractive than Chicago's offer. Misreading the Market: There is sentiment that the front office failed to properly read the market, resulting in a "close-but-no-cigar" outcome. Lack of Urgency: Critics argue that after trading away Rafael Devers (previously, for, in part, to make room for a team overhaul), losing Bregman puts the team in a tough position, with some viewing it as a lack of commitment to winning from ownership. Defenses of Breslow and Strategy: Avoiding Overpay: Some perspectives suggest 5/$175M was an overpay, and that passing on the deal was a wise move, as Bregman may not maintain that level of production. Focus on Alternatives: Supporters argue that the team is not in a "Bregman-or-nothing" situation, noting that money can be better utilized for other, potentially higher-upside, acquisitions like Bo Bichette. Strong Offseason Moves: The team has made other key additions, such as trading for pitchers like Sonny Gray, suggesting a focus on building a stronger overall team rather than spending on one player. Ownership Constraints: Some observers place the blame on ownership's financial constraints rather than Breslow's negotiating ability, suggesting he would have matched the offer if allowed. Breslow himself acknowledged the disappointment, stating, "Any time you are active in trying to bring a player in, it's disappointing to lose out," while maintaining that the team is committed to improving the roster for 2026.

Another non answer. I don't have a narrative other than we don't know, so no AJP does not fit my narrative. He clearly is not saying Brez botched or didn't batch anything, so what are you reading into his comments that I am missing? I pointed out that "all accounts" are not saying or even implying Brez botched the Breggie negotiations. You can choose to think AJP fits into "all accounts." if you want, but to me it does not. He doesn't "fit my narrative," and he surely doesn't fit yours or your "other peoples words," either. Are you laying blame on Brez or not? Just answer. Tell us what he specifically did wrong other than "reading the room wrongly." which is not anything specific. Not believing the Cubs made a better offer could very well have happened, and I suppose that is "misreading the room," but if he wasn't ever going to offer more or give the no trade clause, it doesn't matter. I thought to you the bottom line was results. You are glad we didn't pay Breggie what he got, so the end result should be viewed as positive, yet you move the goalposts to the perceived process failure on this one- not the end result. Sure, it's worrisome if Brez is a bungler. I do worry, if he overanalyzes things and doesn't realize that sometimes overpaying is needed to improve the team. That is probably a common thing many or all GMs do, at times. He doesn't seem paralyzed to inaction, like Bloom appeared to be most of the time. He's got a lot done for a bungler and botcher. Most has been positive, so maybe he's just lucky for a 12th round guy.

I actually like that progression of plans, if that is what it was. When I look at the dollar amounts of each deal, I like the Suarez deal better, so I'm having a hard time viewing this as a Brez botch or Brez bungle. That's not to say he didn't make some mistakes or misjudgments in the Breggie negotiations, and even if he did, it's not like he's the only GM that ever misjudged and lost out on a signing. I'm glad we didnt pay $165M or more for Breggie. That's my bottom line. If Brez has serious issues with negotiations, that is a problem. It can be a big problem. He did miss out on adding key pieces last summer, after saying he wanted to add quality players. Matz worked out well, but D May fell way short. I have to think he wanted more, but not getting more does not prove he negotiated badly. It could just mean he refused to overpay grossly, and no significant mistakes were made. Maybe he botched a key deal or two. We may never know. I look at our roster at the end of 2023. I look at our farm, especially the pitching. I look at the overall system, direction and winning trend, an I see it as being mostly positive. It could have been better, but I'm happy we look better and the future looks even brighter. We need one more significant player added to the infield. I suppose Brez may be judged primarily on how he fills that need, but the Suarez, Gray, Contreras and other additions should be a big part of the final judgment, too. How well Bregman, Devers, Hicks, Harrison and others do going forward will be heavily discussed, too.

IKf we don't get "that guy" I'll be joining in on the choir, but yes, 6 weeks to get one guy should not be reason to crying that the sky is falling. Suarez Gray Contreras Oviedo Returning players like Crawford, Sandoval and hopefully full seasons from Anthony, Mayer, Harrison, Slaten and others could help, too. Of course, several players will get hurt, some of whom I just mentioned might be on the IL. Other teams have key players starting the season on the IL or who have long histories of injury or have shown recent decline due to age. Our team is no different, and we are actually younger than most of our closest competition, so expect growth could be higher for us. This looks like a damn good 13 man pitchings staff: Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello & Oviedo/Sandoval/Crawford/Harrison Chapman & Whitlock project to be one of the best one-two punches in all of MLB. The rest of the pen has some questions, but I think it matches up pretty well with the vast majority of MLB teams: Slaten, Weissert, Harrison/Crawford/Sandoval/Oviedo plus Watson/Moran/Hicks/Kelly/Sandlin and Uberstine/Drohan and others. Then there are Tolle and Early who represent some serious upside wildcards that few other teams have the luxury to start in AAA. The line-up and defense have a hole or two, but don't most? Defense looks suspect at 3B, SS and maybe 2B, but the OF might be the best in MLB on D. We look fine at 1B and catcher. The offense lacks a true clean-up hitter, and when we look at our 4 ring teams, they seemed to have two great middle order batters, so we naturally feel a sense of hopelessness unless this issue is fixed. I feel worried, too. Very concerned. I dislike hoping on rookies to carry a team. "Hope" is not a strategy. It should not be "the plan." While I do think we should see an overall improvement from our vast number of our pre-prime and prime batters. Only Story and Contreras are not on the upside of their careers, but neither is post prime enough to think they cannot have a very nice season. Anthony 22, Mayer 23, KC 24, Rafaela 25, Casas 26, Abreu & Narvaez 27, DHam 28 and Duran & Romy 29 represent 10 players that could have career years in 2026. Some will likely have off years. Some may stay the same, but overall, we should really expect more than we got in 2025. If we can add someone like Paredes, I think our offense should be good enough to see help our team win 3-5 more games. The hopes of our youth improving greatly could boost that total to 5-10 more wins.