moonslav59

That doesn't address why you make up positions I don't hold. BTW, I know full well that a ton of fans don't care about the reality of the situation. You don't have to keep telling me, like I don't understand. Not agreeing and not understanding are two different things.

Can you stop the strawman crap? Honestly, it is getting very tiring. 1. I'm not giving up on 2023. 2. It has nothing to do with Bloom. It's about JH deciding to break a long-standing policy or not. 3. I think we can put a better team on the field in 2023. I have never come close to even hinting we cannot, so please stop. I doubt we can win a ring in 2023 without a major change in spending policy and/or the sacrifice of more of the farm than it seems we have been willing to do since the Nate trade in 2018, but I do think we can compete for the playoffs and greatly improve on the 2022 record. Nowhere have I ever said or implied differently, yet you continue to invent false positions b y others and rant and rave against them. STOP!

A lot depends on JH's willingness to spend, perhaps more and for longer than he has ever done before. So far, we have never gone over the tax line for 3 years in a row. We have rarely gone way over in any single year, either, and when we did, we almost immediately reset, the next year. In our current situation, our hopes in 2024 are better than 2023, assuming we extend Devers, but if we don't reset in 2023, then 2024 will be the third year penalty year. It's a mess that was created, needlessly by not resetting, this year. JH will almost certainly have to break a long-standing policy in 2023 or 2024. I'm not so sure he will.

Yes. Once again, my bad. I forgot Cole was starting, today.

How many prospect trades will Bloom agree to make, this winter? I'm thinking twisting his arm for one may be a stretch. My hopes were the "one" would be for a solid pitcher. Moree and more, I'm thinking I need to lower my hopes for 2023.

I never thought I'd be thinking of a Beni return, but other than Nimmo and the QO penalties or a trade, he is starting to look like the next best option. Someone mentioned $106M/6, and no matter what, I'd never be for that contract.

Then, why bring up the starter issue?

What happened to the vaunted Yankee starter depth? They had a long rest before this series and a day off after game 1, and this is what they have? Cashman shoulda kept Montgomery.

Gallo's .319 OBP in his last 1250 PAs should be enough to turn Bloom off, but Nimmo will be costly and may have a QO to boot. If the choice is between Beni (Dugo to RF), Pederson, Haniger or Gallo, I'm not liking any choice, here. Maybe we trade for a RF'er, but I was thinking one big prospect trade is about all we can expect (if that), and trading for a SP'er makes more sense, to me.

I'm talking only defense. I have already said I DO NOT WANT GALLO. I even have Haniger slightly ahead of Gallo, so that should be telling enough.

Yup. My philosophy is taking a beating. Admitted.

It may not be by much, but I think Dugo in LF and Nimmo in RF is better, defensively, than Beni in LF and Dugo in RF, especially in Fenway. Nimmo is also a better hitter, but should be more costly, too.

It's not that part that is the killer, IMO. It's the timing part. A winning team needs to time going over the tax line just right, so every 2-3 years, you are set up where you can re-set, and the years you don't you don't make big signings of QO FAs, unless it is the year after a reset. We knew we were not going to win it all this year. I get the crapshoot playoff theory that is back in Vogue, this playoff cycle, but Bloom & Co. buckled to the pressure from Sox Nation and the financial bottom lines to not be sellers at the deadline. We can choose to go over, tis winter. We can choose to sign a QO FA or two, and face the stiff penalties that will adversely affect our extended future. Our farm has been strengthened enough to handle a little blip, but it still was unnecessary. Clearly, we'd be in a much better position for 2023, 2024 and beyond had we just sold off one or two more pieces out of the 5 we could have traded. 1. We'd have gotten something of value for them, even if just mid tier long shot promises. 2. We'd have been in year 1 of going over the tax line-not year 2. 3. Next year, we might be in year 2, not year 3 of going over. 4. The lost draft picks and bonus pool money would not affect this winter's plans and lessen the penalties for 2024, too. Many fans would have been irate, in August, but we could have gotten better, more easily going forward had we reset. Now, Bloom has to walk an even finer line- a line that was already extremely difficult to do.

Yes. The 7 game series should produce the better team winning, more often, but this year, we have two long shots vs each other, so one is going to the big dance. I gotta say, I love seeing the Dodgers ousted. They have become the mega-spending team the Yanks were once viewed as. It was nice seeing Philly advance, but I still like the way the Braves run their system more. Now, go Guardians! Go Tito!

If one of this off-season's top priorities is to not sing any QO FAs, I can't see how we can make a strong run at a 2023 ring. It would probably also mean a reset and a look at making 2024 the "go for it" season, although maybe beyond 2024 will still be the higher goal. We really messed up by not re-setting in 2022. Big time.

The five game series certainly add to it.

The Dugo in RF part would be the "poorer" D component vs someone like Nimo or Gallo.

Edit function not working, again.

Good read. They still have Pham as a 46M option not the $12 it is. They list Joc Pederson as an OF option. A few notable quotes: That attempt at a last-minute push for a wild card berth well fell short, leaving the Sox slightly above the luxury tax threshold (and the only one of the six tax-paying teams to not reach the playoffs). The actual $900K in taxes is a relative drop in the bucket, but the Red Sox now face added penalties in regards to qualifying-offer free agents this winter. Should the Sox sign a QO-rejecting free agent, they’ll have to give up $1MM in international bonus pool money, as well as their second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2023 draft. Also, the compensatory pick that the Red Sox would themselves receive if a QO-rejecting free agent — like Bogaerts or Eovaldi — signed elsewhere will now fall after the fourth round of the draft. In fairness, the Sox were a lot more competitive than your usual last-place team, and might have been contenders in any other division. (Boston had an ugly 26-50 record against AL East opponents but were a dominant 52-34 against non-division clubs.) The Red Sox might’ve made more of a charge in 2022 if they’d had had only an average number of injuries, yet the AL East is so competitive that the Sox can hardly just run things back and hope for better health next year, especially with so much key personnel slated for free agency. The end summary... As aggressive as Bloom has been in reshaping the Red Sox with under-the-radar or mid-tier transactions, some big swings may be necessary to get the Sox back into contention this time around.

My anti- playoffs-are-a-crapshoot philosophy is taking a beating. I do still think the 'Stros win it all, but who knows?

I actually feel bad for jacko.

wow!

Funny how they change the ghost runner rule, when the games count.

So, if it's mostly about OBP, how would you feel about Beni in LF and Dugo in RF? Would the poor D outweigh the supposed boost in OF OBP? (Ref could be the 4th OF'er.)

Much of the thoughts have focused on how we can replace Bogey and JD's production in 2023. Bringing Bogey back would help, for sure. Replacing JD's .790 OPS in 2022 might not be real hard, but even .790 can be costly. There is another way to look at 2023, too. It's looking at who we can expect will bounce back and which lower producing players should be getting less or no PAs, next year. Not so easy to replace: .833 Bogey 631 PAs .790 JD 596 PAs .759 Vaz 318 PAs Who should/might improve : (OPS/PAs) The team OPS was .731 in 2022. .766 Casas 95 (could get 400+ more PAs) .737 Stroy 396 (may get 200+ PAs more) .736 Arroyo 300 .732 Dugo 644 .629 Kike 402 Who will get more PAs but will not likely repeat their OPS (but could be over .731): .881 Refsnyder .877 McGuire Who should get less, way less or no PAs: .697 Corderp 275 .672 Pham 235 .652 Dalbec 353 .645 Duran 223 .578 JBJ 290 .574 Plawecki 175 .427 Downs 41 .322 Sanchez 44 .000 Shaw & Arauz 31 This is about 1600 PAs or pathetic hitting that should be gone or greatly lessened.