moonslav59

The "bashing" is 24/7, too. We understand your position. Disagree does not mean not understanding. That works both ways. When there are parts we don't understand, we ask for clarification and at times get stone-walled or accused of overanalyzing for trying to dive deeper into the debate.

Maybe, he things right and wrong is decided by majority. I also think he is overestimating the amount of Bloom supporters, here, and to what extent they "support" him. When a poster says something like, "He's done nothing to help the team," and someone responds, "What about Whitlock, Schreiber, Renfroe, Refsnyder, Wacha...," I don't see that as meaning the responder loves Bloom or even thinks he's made more good moves than bad. He's just pointing out something he disagrees with on that post. I know I am lumped in with the "Bloom supporters" or "apologists," but I have been sharply critical of many of the moves Bloom has made. I think his grade is largely a incomplete. I think one major priority he was given was to build up the farm and 40 man roster foundation before the next step is made. On those two front, we can't really grade out the farm, yet, but on paper, it looks much better, in part because some of DD's prospects have risen father and faster than expected. On the 40 man roster foundation, he ha swung and missed a lot on minor and moderate additions. It's been a revolving door with the bottom 10-15 slots on the 40, since day one. I, for one, expected him to do better on the minor moves, although I realize it's hard for any GM to have more hits than misses on waiver wire additions, Rule 5 selections and free agent signings at $7M or under. His $10M signings: Richards for 1 year and Paxton for 2 did not work out. The Story signing is suspect, at this point. I know I am not thrilled with what Bloom has done, but I feel optimistic about the direction of the roster and team, and think this winter should be the breakout moment of his tenure, here.

Agreed. I was just pointing out we have gone out of our way to not DFA for so long, I'll believe it when I see it. I don't want to DFA Taylor, if he's healthy. He'd take Brasier's slot at #11, if we moved Brasier. I still want 4 pitchers, and I do think we can trade some others, DFA 1 or 2, and keep others in AAA, until we IL someone, but I'm just pointing out the need to do so, if we do add 3-4 arms.

Because 1B/DH is about 6th or 7th on our high need area and spending almost $20M out of maybe $90 on your 6th priority is not that great an idea. Plus, they guy is 36.

I won't disagree, but I think we can get him to sign for $275/10 or maybe $300/11 or 12.

Again, not me. My point is someone has to go to do it. That's all I'm saying, and Paxton seems like one I might want near the top of the list. We won't trade or DFA Joely. Brasier seems like he's a permanent fixture. You can't put someone on the 60 day until the season starts. A 15 day IL doesn't open up a slot on the 40. It's not like I'm saying we already have 10 good pitchers for a 13 man rotation and can't add 4, but look at my list 1 through 11. I had Brasier 12th. We'd have to trade someone. All 11 are out of options, except Bello, Whitlock, Houck and Schreiber, who might be close to the best 4 we have. My only point is someone will have to go, if we add 4. Maybe Houck or Bello are part of a trade to get an ace. As much as I want to see Kelly, German and Crawford get another shot, and Mata, Walter and maybe someone else get a look at some point, I'm fine with starting them all in AAA, until the inevitable injury or two or three happen, but who goes?

Hardly anyone gets what their first number put out is.

I want 2 SP'ers and 2 RP'ers but will settle on 3 good ones. My point is, if we do that someone like Paxton will have to go, and that includes dumping Brasier, which for some reason, never seems to happen. Again, I am not arguing against the need to 2 SP'ers.

ML contract at a base of $1.5M. Bloom sitting on his hands, AGAIN! LOL.

There may be a greater risk of injury or shortcomings, but it's 2-3 years not 5-8.

My wish list is about 10 slots long. I'd love to have a plus hitting catcher that pulls his weight on defense. (I don't know much about Contreras' D, and I'm not sure dWAR encompasses all I value in what a catcher does behind the plate, but if the Sox think he's a plus on D, that would increase my willingness to agree on trying to sign him. I look at the Astros wanting him as a back-up for a .590 hitting catcher as a warning sign.) Unless we make some 2 or 3 for 1 deals, I don't see us adding 10 players, unless we subtract 3-4 along the way (trade or DFA.) To be honest, I'm growing tired of dividing each winter spending budget into 8-12 allotments. I pretty sure we have more money to spend, so we should still be able to get better quality, even if we add 10 players, but I'm ready for some top quality players. The Sale, Bogey and Nate extensions doesn't feel like additions, because they weren't. After the Price mega signing, we added only JD before the Story signing. Both were not over $24M/yr. I'm not saying we have to spend $28M on 3 guys, but I'm dying to see us add a real stud- FA or by trade. I don't see Contreras fitting that bill, and signing him might prevent us from getting a better player. Now, if we can trade for an ace, who makes arb money, maybe we can spread the rest of the money out and add one more slot like catcher to the upgrade list.

Truth is not proved by majority.

Almost all the "support" is from posters responding to near non stop bashing and lack of context criticism. Some of those you may think are supporters might not be as supportive as you think: they might just trying to bring the extreme bashers closer to center. IMO, it's too early to get much of a read on who Bloom is, or what his final legacy will be. The shackles should be coming off. His farm will start adding players in the next few years. The player budget has just become more than 50% his.

He doesn't even know what media is, but don't try to explain it: "nothing ventured- nothing gained." Come to think of it, he doesn't know what that means, either. I think he meant, "don't bother venturing, since nothing will be gained," but I hate to put words in his mouth with a foot already stuffed in it.

I suggested Verlander or Scherzer, last winter. If we can't go large and long, I'd rather go large and short than small and long.

NCAA Rankings going into conference championship weekend: 1. Georgia 12-0 (vs. LSU) 2. Michigan 12-0 (vs Purdue) 3. TCU 12-0 (vs Kansas St.) 4. USC 11-1 (vs Utah Friday Night) 5. Ohio St 11-1 6. Alabama 10-2 7. Tennessee 10-2 8. Penn St. 10-2 9. Clemson 10-2 (vs North Carolina) 10. Kansas St. 9-3 11. Utah 9-3 (@ USC Friday Night) 12. Washington 10-2 13. Florida St. 9-3 14. LSU 9-3 15. Oregon St. 9-3 16. Oregon 9-3 17. UCLA 9-3 18. Tulane 10-2 19. South Carolina 8-4 20. Texas 8-4 21. Notre Dame 8-4

So... the media.

Good to know. I see he's 10th out of 37 SSs in DRS since 2018 but 18th in UZR/150. Story is 3rd and 8th. Bogey is 31st and 11th.

Actually, it did need to be repeated many times for some to "get it."

Note: Sports Talks Shows are considered media.

Since the JD signing, our biggest signing was in March or 2022: Story. If you count Sale and Bogey's extensions, the window shortens, but they were extended in 2019. From after 2019 to March 2022, there has been only one deal signed for 3 or more years (Story.) That's a timeframe from Nov 2019 to March 2022. Count it as 2 seasons with nothing major. 2007 $14M x 5 JD Drew $13M x 4 Papi $10M x Beckett $9M x 4 Lugo $8M x 6 Dice K (plus $52M posting fee) 2009 $10M x 4 Youk $7M x 6 Pedey $6M x 5 Lester 2010 $17M x 5 Lackey 2011 $20M x 7 Crawford $17M x 4 Beckett 2012 $22M x 7 AGon $7M x 4 Buch 2013 $13M x 3 Vic 2014 $13M x 8 Pedey $10M x 7 Castillo 2015 $22M x 4 HRam $21M x 4 Porcello $19M x 5 Pablito 2016 $31M x 7 Price $11M x 2 Kimbrel (traded for last 2 yrs of 4 yr deal) 2017 (traded for Sale $7M 2017, $12.5M 2018, $15M 2019) 2018 $22M x 5 JD 2019 $17M x 4 Nate 2020 (extended before Bloom) $25.6 x 5 Sale $20M x 3 Bogey (opt out) none after 2019 season 2021 None 2022 $23M x 6 Story (I may have missed a big signing or extension.)

When you look at new spending vs salary lost to trades, free agency or retirement, the net has been very low, until the Story signing. The total budget ranking is misleading when we are talking about Bloom's spending. Now, a $40M AAV winter spending budget (like in 2020 and 2021) is not a small amount, but when you factor in losing and needing to replace some key players and their salaries, $40M was woefully inadequate to just replace who we had, in kind, let alone improve on the 2019 team. $31M Price (we lost $15M via trade) $29M Betts 2020 arb salary $20.6 Porcello $13.8 Pedey out hurt but still paying him (until 2021) $6 Pearce, $5 Nunez Had he just kept Betts and Price, that's the full $40M winter spending budget, right there. No money to replace Porcello or the 8-10 other holes in the roster. (Then, Price would opt out of 2020 and give the team nothing, except some unexpected salary relief.) Plus, Bloom was handed salary increases of Sale $15>$25.6 and Bogey $12M>$20M from DD extensions. Sure, if we had a healthy Sale and ERod in 2020, we probably don't finish in last, but the team had serious issues.

I've given my top Bogey offer ($160M/6 or $180M/7.) I'd try to get Swanson at $140M/6 or $160M/7, but I don't know enough about his defense to be sure about that. Yes, I'd prefer to lose the draft pick and sign Nimmo at the overpay of $110M/5 than Contreras at $84M/4, It's about the same tax hit. I don't think Contreras is the plus on D some might think he is. He'll probably be a DH in a year or two.

Not me. My point was, if we do, and I think we should plus at min 2 solid RP'ers (maybe one if we move Whitlock to the pen), I don't see room for Paxton on the 26, even as a pen arm. 13 pitchers 1. Sale 2. _SP___ 3. _SP___ 4. Whitlock 5. Bello 6. Pivetta 7. _RP__ 8. Houck 9. Schreiber 10. Barnes 11. Joely 12. Brasier (I'd DFA him, but I doubt we do. Bloom might not add 4 pitchers just so he can keep Brasier!) 13. Crawford/Winckowski/Taylor/Kelly/Paxton/Mata

I guess, if Jose Abreu gets $19.5M x 3, Contreras is worth $100M/4, but I think we need to fill our biggest need areas first, and unless our budget is over $110M, which I doubt it is, I'd pass on Contreras ar even $84M/4.