moonslav59

I remember when we signed Pablito & HRam; the talk was we should have signed Scherzer. The following winter, we broke our self-imposed rule of no long term deals to anyone over 30, when we signed Pric e to $210M/7. At that time, I felt like Price had the type of profile worth overpaying for and giving an extra year or two. Even he did not work out as hoped or planned. Now, are Rodon and Syndergaard really the types of pitchers we want to go large and long on? Granted, they may accept less than 7 years, but I'm just not feeling the optimism with just about any FA SP'er, this year- not that my feelings matter, as I have been wrong so many times on who we should spend on, it's not even funny. My idea is to trade for a younger, cost-controlled pitcher, but that may be a bigger pipedream than those suggesting we spend $80-100M, this winter (beyond the $10M we just gave to Kike.) I see the best FAs out there as Nimmo and one of the 4-5 SSs (Turner, Correa, Bogey, Swanson and maybe Anderson.) Judge ain't happening. I'm not sure the lon term plans would allow for a top 6 or 2 top 12 prospects trade to fill another high need area- like pitching, so maybe all our hopes for 2023 are just a mirage. I hope not, but certainly a reset and a bigger spending winter for 2024 is a possibility. Even if that is the case, I think top brass knows enough to do something, this winter, to bring back some hopes and optimism to Sox Nation. I'm not sure a b unch of one year deals will calm the natives. I see the Story deal as one that was not just about 2022 and 2023, but the hopes were he'd be part of the longer term plan, as well. Maybe we make two deals like that, this year: 4-5 years, so not super long and $22-$27M, so not super large. Enough to reset, but leaving (too) many positions to the kids and in-house solutions for many or most fans to be satisfied with.

I added some minor adjustments. It's obvious Bloom's focus has mostly been on all 5 ways, with the FA choice being limited by a fairly strict winter spending budget- not strict in the sense that he had to spend less than 20 other GMs did, except before 2020, but strict in the sense that $40M AAV to fill 10-15 slots is not going to get you a Verlander.

Is he patting DD on the back for much of that $200M?

Top 25 Everyday WAR players on the same team: Rank: STL 2. Arenado 3. Goldschmidt 19. Edman LAD 5. Freeman 7. Betts 12. T Turner HOU 8. Y Alvarez 9. Altuve 16. Bregman 25. Tucker NYM 6. Lindor 18. McNeil 23. Nimmo BOS 14. Bogaerts 21. Devers CLE 13. Gimenez 15. Ramirez Pitchers SFG 1. Rodon 13. Webb HOU 3. Verlander 15. F Valdez AZ 10. Gallen 25. M Kelly CLE 8. Bieber 20. T McKenzie

MLBTR reports... Amidst a difficult Red Sox season, Matt Strahm has been a bright spot, posting a 3.92 ERA over 43 2/3 innings and filling a number of different roles in Boston’s bullpen. After being non-tendered by the Padres last winter, Strahm signed a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with the Sox in March and he told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo that he “would love” a return to Boston in 2023. Strahm also said he is open to returning to a relief role, but also wants to market himself as a starting pitcher. Strahm made 16 starts for the Padres in 2019 but none since, as knee injuries limited the southpaw in any role in 2020-21. However, Strahm said he is ready to resume a starter’s workload, as a consistent running program has made his knees “feel better than when I was drafted.” Since the Red Sox have multiple starters slated for free agency this winter, re-signing Strahm and at least giving him a trial run as a starter would make some sense, as the Sox would then have the fallback of moving the left-hander back into the bullpen. Cotillo reported that the Brewers, Royals, and Tigers were among the teams vying for Strahm last offseason, so any of that trio could conceivably still have interest in his next trip to the open market.

Ohtani and Angels avoid arbitration and agree on $30M deal.

Minor League FAs and Rule 5 Maybe Five? MiFA Minor League FA Enmanuel Valdez Johan Mieses Christian Stewart Rule 5 Ceddanne Rafaela Brandon Walter Thaddeus Ward Wilyer Abreu Good enough but too far away or on the Bubble? Eddinson Paulino Wikelman Gonzalez Chris Murphy David Hamilton Victor Santos Christian Koss Devlin Granberg Angel Bastardo Kole Cottam Jake Thompson Gilbert Jimenez Jacob Wallace Luis de la Rosa

What kind of eye testing is this? LOL

I'm shocked you're not riveted to the Sox-Jays game.

21 hits to 5 is almost worse than the 10-0 score.

I hope you are not "worrying" about all that happening, because you'll be in for a big disappointment.

I think de la Rosa was and still is the "sleeper." Wink and Cordero were the headliners. (LOL)

I'm not so sure $16M is all that great, either. I like Snell. Last 4 years: 103 ERA+ 1.27 WHIP

I lived in Milwaukee when the Brewers began. I was about 2 block from County Stadium and remember $1 bleacher seats. Tommy Harper became my favorite player, naturally, and when he was traded to the Sox, about the time my family moved to Maine, I became a Sox fan.

There is room for a couple deals. I'd like to get Snell. I'm not sure the Padres want to trade him, and the 1 year of control is not what I had in mind.

I'm not for getting Strasburg, unless the Nats paid a big chunk or his deal and or included some young players in the package. I'm not for adding more injury prone pitchers. I just raised his name as an example on how to acquire young talent that is not on the FA market.

One problem with spending elsewhere is that many of the best FAs are SSs. There are precious few solid pitchers without health or long term production issues. Only Judge and Nimmo look like serious upgrades for our OF, and Judge is a pipedream for Sox fans. Maybe we can trade for a salary dump that allows us to add a solid SP'er- like with the Marlins by taking on Garcia's OF salary, or take a huge rsik b y taking on Strasburg's enormous contract in hopes he can stay healthy, while getting them to give us some young talent for the effort. It's a tough call.

I really like the healthy Arroyo. We'd need a solid plan B, if we go that route, or win the lottery on Judge by going light on replacing Bogey.

I am not so sure Story can't play SS, like some here, and if he can and does play SS, next year, one could add Kolten Wong to the one- not two- step down addition that would "save money" over bringing Bogey back, but the step down would have to be made up by someone like Wong, Swanso or Anderson doing well, and by upgrading at least one other position by more than the loss of Bogey. I think Story's D at 2B has been so impressive, many don't want to mess that up. To me, if his arm is okay for SS, I'm all for having superior D at SS over 2B.

Not a complete list and some would be very hard to pry from their current team. BTV Values (Yrs of control) 6+ 40.7 Ashby 29.9 Hall (BAL) 28.8 Abel 22.6 Ashcraft 5 38.8 Lodolo 34.5 Duran (MIN) 28.8 Ryan (MIN) 27.8 Detmers 27.6 Gore 27.6 Greene (CIN) 23.1 Contreras (PIT) 15.9 Garrett 15.7 Lynch )KCR) 15.3 Ober 10.5 Gray (WSH) 9.1 Cabrera 8.8 Sanchez 7.8 Kremer 4 68.7 Peralta 40.2 Rogers 39.4 Shubal 31.6 Sandoval (LAA) 29.6 McKenzie (CLE) 28.6 Wright (ATL) 11.8 Lambert 11.7 Irvin 11.1 Alzolay 3 64.7 Cease 47.0 Gallen 31.2 Suarez (PHI) 29.3 Singer 27.5 Williams (MIL) 22.1 Luzardo 21.7 Manning 20.1 Javier 19.7 Keller 17.8 Kopech 12.9 Kelly (AZ) 11.8 Antone 10.3 Quantrill 10.0 Civale 9.8 Urquidy 2 94.1 Burnes 57.8 Bieber 35.2 Lopez 33.2 Woodruff 23.1 Turnbull 19.8 Gallegos 5.8 Means 1 72.2 Ohtani 35.3 Nola 13.0 Mahle 12.6 Giolito 2.2 Snell

I'm not sure they really think all that much about "blocking" Mayer- maybe some for Rafaela, but since he can play numerous positions, very well, I'm not sure they worry about filling one or two of his positions, either. Maybe Swanson or Anderson would agree to a 1-3 year deal, too. If we are thinking about "blocked prospects," then Yorke, Romero and Paulino might be high on our prospects-to-trade list, but Yorke's stock is a bit lower, now. I could see us thinking Romero & Mayer are duplicate values and choose one to deal, especially if we sign a SS to more than 3 years, but we could always trade someone 2-4 years from now, too, if a logjam develops.

A very colorful guy who was raised in Woo. One hell of a softball player, too.

Bello was graduated by soxprospects.com. I don't think thise is their year ending rankings, but it may be a hint at what if will be: (End of 2021 rankings) 1. Mayer (2) 2. Casas (1) 3. Bleis (15) 4. Rafaela (NR) 5. Yorke (3) 6. Mata (10) 7. Romero (N/A) 8. Walter (17) 9. Paulino (NR) 10. Anthony (N/A) 11. Wong (16) 12. Murphy (14) 13. Wikelman (12) 14. Valdez (N/A) 15. Perales (NR) 16. Jordan (7) 17. Lugo (NR) 18. TWard (19) 19. Bonaci (NR) 20. Hickey (N/A) 21. Coffey (N/A) 22. Kavadas (N/A) 23. Seabold (11) 24. Downs (5) 25. Rodriguez-Cruz (N/A) 26. Abreu (N/A) 27. German (NR) 28. Drohan (NR) 29. Kelly (N/A) 30. B Brannon (N/A) N/A= not in top 20

Another look at the ETAs for our top prospects: Graduated: 2020: none 2021: Dalbec, Houck & Whitlock 2022: Duran, Crawford, Winckowski, Bello (Oct 2022) 2023 2. Casas 4. Rafaela (late) 6. Mata (mid) 8. Walter (late) 11. Wong 12. Murphy (mid) 14. Valdez (mid) 23. Seabold 24. Downs 27. German 29. Kelly 2024 1. Mayer 17. Lugo 18. TWard 22. Kavadas 26. Abreu 28. Drohan 2025 3. Bleis 9. Paulino 13. Wikelman 16. Jordan 19. Bonaci 20. Hickey 2026> 7. Romero 10. Anthony 21. Coffey 25. Rodriguez-Cruz 30. B Brannon

What are the chances we take a step down at SS, but not two steps by signing Swanson or T Anderson? With the money "saved," we upgrade more at RF and pitching.