moonslav59

And, when Suzuki chose another team, Bloom pivoted to Story and obviously felt like that addition would outweigh the unfilling of the RH's OF slot. He erred thinking Arroyo could fill a role some cheap signing could have filled better, but now it looks like he had the right guy all along, but did realize his name was Refsnyder. (Of course, the sample size is was too small to be sure about that point.) I guess we can blame Bloom & Cora for not keeping Refsnyder up the first time.

We need to see Story snap out of this second long funk of the season. I'm glad we are still winning without his offensive help, and his D has been outstanding, recently, but he needs to get back on track. Good to see our starters staying in a prolonged groove, and the pen seems to be avoiding major meltdowns every other day. On e game at a time, guys!

I get that, and agree with it. My argument is about those blaming Bloom for the whole situation. Like he chose to cut the tax budget from $244M to $184M in his first year. I get the argument, and it is a valid one, that no GM should get a free pass with a budget of $184M, but some context is needed, when only $20M of the $184M was Bloom's winter spending budget, and he needed to replace and backfill many slots while cutting payroll. I think the expectations by some posters were a bit unrealistic for 2020. 2021 was a different story. Bloom has the 2020 deadline and following winter to work on filling many of the open or weak slots, but again, some context is needed. He was given just $40M to spend that winter, but the budget only increased by $23M overall. Again, how about a realistic expectation for what any GM could have done by increasing the budget by just $23M after a season where $60M was cut. I get the argument that we were one loss away from missing the playoffs, but we ended up just 2 wins away from going to the big show. If that was falling short of anyone's expectations, I think some justifying needs to be given for having those higher expectations within the context of the budget and lack of immediate ML ready farm infusion available. As it turned out, DD left Bloom with a better farm than many of us believed it was at the time of the regime change, but most were not ML ready or even close to being so. That's not a knock on DD, but it has to be part of the context needed to set realistic expectations for the Sox in 2020 and 2021. The spending Bloom was given, this past winter, was enough to have much higher expectations for 2022 than the previous seasons, and the poor start was fair game, but now tat we've turned things around, I'm finding it hard to understand, not the impatience at the 2022 season, but the level of unhappiness and seemingly pinpoint attention directed only at a few bad moves or non moves by Bloom, last winter. Yes, he talked about getting a RH'd OF'er and didn't, unless we want to count Refsnyder. Yes, he only spent $8M on the pen, not counting the Barnes extension that began, this year, but again, how much did he have to spend, and would anyone want to take back the Wacha or Strahm signing? Certainly the Hill and Story signings are debatable, this early in the season, but looking at the overall grade for last winter's moves, I'd say it's pretty much up in the air, so far, and for those who go just by wins and losses, again, I can't see how he gets a below C grade, even for 2022, let alone 2020 & 2021. I respect differing opinions, but I guess I'd just like to know why some of you had much higher expectations than I did. I have to think that's why you gave him loser grades than I did.

Pivetta is really in a nice groove. I hope he can keep it up. I gotta think Refsnyder has earned a longer look than maybe originally envisioned.

WOR with a 6 hit shutout- no walks and 11 Ks: 5 IP 3H 0 ER 0BB 6 K Seabold 2 IP 1H 0ER 0BB 1 K Bracho 1 IP 2H 0ER 0BB 3K Politi 1 IP 0H 0ER 0BB 1K Kelly JDavis with another good game 3-4, 2HR, 3B Duran 1-3 w HR and BB POR lost 2-0 6 IP 5H 2ER 1BB 3K Murphy GRE lost 10-6 Lugo 2-5, 2 HR Binelas 2-4, 2Bs Northcut 0-2, 2BB SAL won 12-3 Gonzalez 5IP 3H 2ER 3BB 5K Kavadas 3-3, 8th HR, 2B, 2BB Mayer 0-2, 3BB Jordan 3-5, HR Paulino 1-3, HR, 3 Runs, 3BB Bonaci 2-4, BB

There is no way of knowing, what other offers were made, but I'm assuming the choices were what we got or Graterol or Maeda, instead of Downs/Wong I find it really hard to hold the Betts/Price trade against Bloom, and with Price included, I actually view the trade as a net plus, despite hating the idea that Henry forced Betts out.

If we had to take Myers whole contract, I think that negates any chance that deal could fit the budget given Bloom that winter. No Price had to be a given, IMO.

Thanks

Just wondering why someone thought trading for him would change his condition

I know Detroit can cause anyone to become manic, but do you really think it's the city that is the root cause of ERod's issues?

True. You just blame him for not getting a better return, despite not knowing what else was offered. I may be wrong, and I hesitate to ask you to clarify your position, as that often sets you off, but you seem to hold the position that Bloom must sign Bogey but don't want him to pay what most think he will get, and if we lose Bogey, it will be Bloom's fault. Am I wrong assuming this?

Let me reword it: do you think Henry let's Bloom go higher with Betts had DD not extended Sale? Same question with not signing Big Nate. I'm not saying I think yes. Maybe Henry has an upper limit nobody can cross.

I might be in a small minority, but I think Bloom might choose to be a seller, even if we are within 3-5 games- up od down- of the last WC slot. I think the long term plan is the top priority, but losing fans might be the only think holding him back- not like that is a minor thing.

Do you think henry lets DD go higher, if Sale's contract wasn't on the books? (Or maybe even Nate's?

But when we use that very excuse for Bloom, you dismiss it and still blame Bloom.

Seriously, folks, what GM not from La-La-Land could have spent $20M on 2020 and created a winner? Even in hindsight FA signings, it's impossible. Plus, that $20M was after we cut Betts and half of Price's contracts from the budget, so really, Bloom was handed a negative spending budget. To pretend Bloom chose to cut the budget by himself is complete fantasy. DD would have quit, if he was given the limits Bloom was given. He certainly could not have done any better. His M.O. is not finding gem for cheap. It's about spending large and then even larger. When his budget was restricted before 2019, what happened? Who chose to re-sign Eovaldi, Pearce and extend Sale and not Betts or Bogey? Some of you seem to blame Bloom for that.

Revisionist history is the new fad, these days. That and Alt facts.

The concept of context has no meaning to you. You think DD wins a ring in 2020 with $20M to spend? $20M doesn't even cover Betts and the $16M saved on Price.

What else are you counting? No rings? That is simple-mindedness, personified.

Not fiction, and when I made my statement, I qualified by saying he was given a solid core of 8-10 players and maybe another 10 so-so players. I stand by that statement, and will defend it. 1) Counting Betts as a core inheritance misses the fact that he was forced to trade him. 2) Counting Price and that contract as part of a solid foundation is what I'd call fiction. 3) Counting Sale with his injury situation is questionable, too. The cliff deniers want to think back with nostalgia at the 2019, and not recognize the train wreck was upon us, much quicker than even the cliff dwellers had imagined. I was very clear about the "mess" being the bottom 20 on the 40 man roster and a farm that had very few ML ready assets. Not the top 10. Maybe partially the next 10. Betts - to be traded Price- to be traded as salary dump Sale- injured ERod- to contract COVID, but certainly not known at the time of Bloom's take-over, so don't count the illness, if you wish. Bogey Beni Nate Barnes That's 8. Saying 10 by counting Vaz and Moreland, who was due to age decline very soon, and did is stretching the limits. I'll count them, but to me, they'd be in the so-so category of the next 10. Yes, teams do win with a core of 8-10 solid players, but it is very rare to see a team win with next to nothing as a supporting cast, and that's where the "mess" Bloom inherited was clearly focused on in my statements. Looking back on my statement, I'd say my biggest mistake was not calling it a mess, it was saying we have 10 "so-so players" after the core 8-10. Here's the reality: Betts & Price shouldn't really count, but they did bring us back Verdugo, who could be counted as a solid core player or a so-so player. Blame Bloom, if you must, for not getting a better return, but throwing in Price, someone you felt had plus value back when the trade was made, was one reason our return was limited. It was fantasy then, and hindsight proved Price was washed up and not a solid core guy. The "so-so players" I mentioned proved to be near replacement level players, mostly. Workman- good Taylor- good Chavis Dalbec Plawecki Walden DHern Hembree You call this not "a mess?" That brings us to 18-20 players, and that's counting Sale & ERod. The rest of the 40 man was a total disaster, and that is reality- not fiction. Being forced to trade Betts & Price, and having 10+ ML level slots to fill while also trying to upgrade the other 20 slots on the 40 man roster with just $20M to spend was clearly and certainly a total mess. That part was. Having a solid core of 8 players, including 2 that had to be traded and 2 that were hurt or would get COVID is not much of a foundation to work with. Then, your manager is forced out for a season, and Beni gets hurt for much of 2020, too. Big Nate misses 25% of his starts, and you guys, cling to your belief there was no such thing as a cliff approaching, chose to live in La-La Land and somehow expected Bloom to make us a contender in 2020. Too funny! Then, after some nice deadline moves in 2020, and the steal of Whitlock in rule 5, Bloom is given just $40M to spend before the 2021 season. Sure, several of his signings flopped or flopped for half the season, but Bloom, somehow built a winning team, but what? You guys thought a ring was called for under those conditions? Please! Talk about fiction!

You think he ends up in Greenville before the season ends?

Where did I even hint at saying no? Bloom took over a mess and got us to within 2 games of the WS in 1 year. We are in the race again this year.

Being proud of having a simple mind is not something to brag about. Context is needed. He was handed a 40 man roster with 20 holes and 10 so-so players, told to dump Betts and Price and given $20M to make them a contender in one year? He was handed $40M, the next year, which is not much, and he made them into a contender. Is that simple enough for you?

I doubt they rush Rafaela, but he's already got the D down. Duran and Rafaela would save money, so we could afford Judge. Maybe trade Verdugo for that much needed closer?

Top Pitchers by Level OPS Against AAA .506 Seabold .511 Kelly .562 Winckowski .594 Ort .603 German .674 Bracho AA .460 Bello (.543 AA/AAA) .518 Politi (.571 AA/AAA) .522 Murphy .554 Walter (.585 AA/AAA) .680 Santos