moonslav59

Maybe mediocrity is a step to excellence.

I don't disagree, but we are talking about the best GM and manager the Sox have ever had, here.

No doubt, but the thing is, it went on during winning seasons, too. We blamed Tito. We blamed Theo. We canned one of the best of the best Sox manager we ever had over this. What I was trying to get at with my "lesson learned" comment was not about making it okay to do what those gys did, but maybe not to play the blame game so harshly we make choices that have lasting negative affects- like firing Tito. Now, we are facing extreme bashing of Cora and Bloom over what is happening, now. Is it totally justifiable? I remember thinking Tito lost control of the team, back then, and agreed he had to go. I'm thinking I over-reacted and so did Sox top brass. Maybe not.

It appears the attempt to not turn off fans by "throwing in the towel" did not work. I don't think that's a radical position to hold. I think it helped lead to the decision to not trade JD, Nate, Wacha, Hill, Strahm and others. I'd totally understand that would have made a lot of fans angry. It's not rocket science. On the whole "Red thing." I admit I went too far, too many times. I can explain it away all I want as just playing tit for tat, but I was just as responsible for the grief I caused others having to put up with our BS. I've put Red, JD and Swi on ignore to try and avoid continuing or lessening the grief and personal attacks, but apparently it hasn't worked all that well. I am able to see a few posts by those I ignore, when others respond to them, and I'm happy with my choice to put and keep them on ignore. I don't want to open a can of worms or try and tell anyone what they should do. I don't want to try and force my ideas on anyone else. I realize it is a very rare thing when anyone on this site convinces someone else to change their opinion. I give my opinions, fully expecting someone or maybe even many people to disagree. I know I get testy, too easily. I'm trying to work on that, but I'm not perfect. I love the Sox, and I know most of those I disagree with on this site do, too (except JD.) We all have different expectations, viewpoints and opinions. What a boring world it would be, if we all agreed on everything. I do think I have tried hard to not make things personal, but sometimes it doesn't come across that way, and I apologize for my behaviors, in the past, most recently towards dgale and others. I'll continue to try and improve my tone and testiness, but I'm human. There is nothing like a bad stretch by the Sox to bring out the worst in most of us. Again, I sincerely apologize. No excuses. I went too far, too many times.

Every time a team does poorly, especially if there were high expectations, the blame game goes berserk. Where was the team leadership and manager through all that chickengate mess? Ow was the "mess" just a made up excuse? Did we learn a lesson from all that?

So, wait! Bogey, JD and Vaz are not good clubhouse leaders? I'm confused.

Or, it takes a long time to get there.

Seems to be a consistent trait of every Sox GM since early Theo.

an important distinction lost on several posters.

1/3 is about $8M. cots shows we are $11.8M over, right now, and I assume that counts Vaz's cut.

I read somewhere it was about $7M, and that trading JD alone would get us under. cots shows you are correct, so maybe trading JD, Vaz and Dieman would have gotten us close. Probably would have had to trade Wacha, Kike or Hill, too.

Good one. Vic had a 3 year deal and was eventually traded for fan favorite Josh Rutledge.

He looked scary bad his first call-up, but man-0-man, he's looked very good since then. (May 14>) 3.33 ERA 3.62 FIP .631 OPS Against Since June 19th: 45 IP 3.20 ERA 3.32 FIP .610 OPSA

Not only do we seem to have a void in clubhouse leadership, they aren't leading by example either. What bugs me the most is that people are lauding the leadership skills of Vaz and others and blaming the team malaise on trading Vaz. Where was the team energy and focus before the trade?

The farm was upgraded over 2021. The 40 man roster for 2023 was improved at the deadline (McGuire, Hosmer, Pham added without losing a single player with team control beyond 2022.) Added Prospects: 10. Romero (draft) 14. Anthony (draft) 16 and rising. E Valdez (Vaz trade) 20. Coffey (draft) 26. Abreu (Vaz trade) 28. Binelas (JBJ trade) Plus, many of Bloom's earlier farm additions seem to have made strides. (true, many have not.) This does not address your point. 1. Mayer (draft) 4. Yorke (draft- stock has fallen) 9. Winckowski (Beni trade) 12. Seabold (Workman/Hembree trade w Pivetta) 17. Wong (Betts trade) 18. Jordan (draft) 22. Hickey (draft) Stock rose a ton 25. Kavadas (draft) Stock rose a ton 30. German (Ottavino trade) might be a ket pen piece in 2023

100%. Just trading JD alone puts us under the tax line for 2022. Big mistake.

I'm not "worrying about" Henry. I'm not justifying his going stingy, at times. I'm just facing the reality that it is what it is. He opened the wallet enough, IMO, this winter, to make us more competitive than we ended up being, but I don't think he or Bloom saw this deadline as being the right time to splurge and sacrifice some of the future to go for a ring. I agree with their assessment. You don't, but it is what it is. Henry chose not to spend at the deadline.

Yes, indeed. Baseball is still the best game. It's much more fun watching a winning team, but within the context of the curse being broken, it's not so hurtful watching the Sox lose as it was years ago.

Indeed. I'm not blaming Story for getting hurt or Bloom for not foreseeing the injury. The jury is still out on Story, and I do think Bloom made a credible effort to add some serious RH'd offense to the roster by signing Story.

I don't think Henry and Bloom's plan involved winning a ring in 2022, so it's hard to assign a grade based on that. I agree on the long term outlook looking much better than it did after 2019 and 2020, and a bit better after 2021. This winter will be Bloom's flashpoint moment and will largely set his legacy in stone.

I'd say B on effort- D- on results for 2022 only.

Perhaps, but we have a lot of other players, I feel are more likely nontender/DFA or trade candidates. A lot depends on how many Rule 5 guys we add to the 40 and how many roster additions we make over the winter, but here is my list: Sanchez Ja. Davis Barnes Familia Brasier Cordero (can play OF, so maybe not) Wong or RHern (assuming we add a starting catcher) Downs Dalbec When you consider we are losing 8 roster slots to free agency and have options on Pham & Sawamura, one has to think several of these players on this list will be back on the 40, hopefully not the 26, next season.

I like your thought process, here. I don't disagree on any of this, but want to add... 1) I don't playing Story at SS, until Mayer is ready is a bad idea. (We might see Valdez at 2B/DH in 2023 and then DH only once Mayer joins the team.) 2) I'd love to see a Nimmo addition. I'm okay with Verdugo in RF, but have vociferously questioned Sox management's views on him in RF. 3) With a gaping hole at SS/2B, maybe Valdez gets a shot at 2B, despite his reported less than average defense, there. 4) Singing to the choir. 5) I've been saying for a while, Casas might be traded- not because I don't like him, but because you have to give top value to get top value, and as bad as 1B has looked for us, recently, I don't think Hosmer/Dalbec (Kavadas/Valdez?) is one of our highest need areas. If we can package Casas for a top pitcher, catcher, 2B/SS or CF'er, I'm interested. Finding a 1Bman, if Hosmer & Co. fail in 2023 is easier than adding an ace or top 2B, C or CF'er mid season.

Since Bobby Dee has options, and has very little trade value, I think he'll remain on the 40, but maybe not the 26. As bad as the Dalbec 2022 season has been, and it's hard to imagine he can get any worse, he is currently sitting at a .340 OBP and .759 OPS vs LHPs and a projected 32 HRs over 650 PAs, which is the short side of a platoon. He has a career .860 OPS vs lefties with an astounding 650 PA line of 38 HRs and 116 RBI (even a .330 OBP!) I don't think we throw in the towel, just yet, on Dalbec, but DH and ack-up 3B/1B seem like his best spot on the 26.

Call me a nit-picker, but you did say "no REAL effort." Story was a real effort that failed in 2022, but it was a real effort. BTW, had he not gotten hurt, he might have ended up with more RBIs than Schwarber and Renfroe, while playing GG defense. It was an effort.