moonslav59

We just signed old friends Travis Shaw and Deivy Grullon to minor league deals. Bloom is el fuego!

Jorge Soler, thought by some to be our possible plan B to Susuzki, is talking to ATL & SDP. No rumors connected to the Sox.

Well, if you are planning your rebuild around 2026, then that value will never be realized.

You're welcome. It also shows a near continuous signing and extension pattern, and it also shows 2006 and 2017 with no major or tier 2 moves. Here is the combined tier 1 and tier 2 list: Blue= My idea of a good deal (maybe not great): 12 Black= Okay or undetermined, so far: 11 Red= Bad, or bad, so far:11 2022 $19M/2 Barnes 2021 Kike $14M/2 2020 Sale $145M/5 w opt out Bogey $120M/6 w opt out 2019 Nate $68M/4 2018 JD $110M/5 2016 Price $217M/7 Porcello $83M/4 2015 Pablito $95M/5 HRam $88M/4 $18M/2 Uehara $19M/3 Miley 2014 Pedroia $110M/8 R Castillo $73M/7 (IFA) Napoli $32M/2 2013 Vic $39M/3 Dempster $27M/2 (retired after 1 season) Ortiz $26M/2 2012 AGon $154M/7 Buchholz $30M/4 2011 Crawford $142M/7 Josh Beckett $68M/4 2010 Lackey $83M/5 Cameron $16M/2 2009 Youkilis $41M/4 Lester $30M/5 2008 Lowell $38M/3 2007 JD Drew $70M/5 Dice-K $52M/6 (+ hefty posting fee as IFA) Lugo $36M/4 2005 Renteria $40M/4 (ended u being about $40M/1) VTek $40M/4 Clement $26M/3 2004 Foulke $26M/4 2002 Damon $31M/4 2001 Manny $160M/8 1999 Offerman $26M/4

Not doubting you, but can you name the 13?

I may be in a small minority, but I'd actually be fine with going into the 2022 season with this roster, if I was 100% sure we will be making a big move to get to a top 3-5 roster, next winter. I might even be fine for 2024, if we did enough to stay entertaining for these two year. I'm having doubts about us going large and long enough to bring us another ring in the next 4-5 years. Maybe the plan is to try and get one without doing so, but will that mean we watch Devers and Bogey walk (or trade them?) I shutter to think of those upcoming rosters. If the plan is to spend near the tax line every year, I think we are bound to be top competitors and some point in the next 3-4 years, but it remains to be seen, if we do it without some major "large & long" signings. Here is a list of our last major signings: Red= extension only from 2009 to today 2020 Sale $145M/5 w opt out Bogey $120M/6 w opt out 2019 Nate $68M/4 2018 JD $110M/5 2016 Price $217M/7 Porcello $83M/4 2015 Pablito $95M/5 HRam $88M/4 2014 Pedroia $110M/8 2011 Crawford $142M/7 2010 Lackey $83M/5 2007 JD Drew $70M/5 2001 Manny $160M/8 Tier 2 (some not large-some not long & Kike and others not really large or long) 2022 $19M/2 Barnes 2021 Kike $14M/2 2015 $18M/2 Uehara $19M/3 Miley 2014 Napoli $32M/2 R Castillo $73M/7 (IFA) 2013 Vic $39M/3 Dempster $27M/2 (retired after 1 season) Ortiz $26M/2 2012 AGon $154M/7 Buchholz $30M/4 2011 Josh Beckett $68M/4 2010 Cameron $16M/2 2009 Youkilis $41M/4 Lester $30M/5 2008 Lowell $38M/3 2007 Dice-K $52M/6 (+ hefty posting fee as IFA) Lugo $36M/4 2005 Renteria $40M/4 (ended u being about $40M/1) VTek $40M/4 Clement $26M/3 2004 Foulke $26M/4 2002 Damon $31M/4 1999 Offerman $26M/4 Not counting trading for large salaries with multiple years remaining, like JBJ, Kimbrel, Allen Craig, Jake Peavy, VMart, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay

I did not mention interest in all these players, except maybe the 2Bmen

I thought he was open to moving. I guess this adds a reason to not re-sign him.

Brad Miller to Rangers and Jonathan Villar to Cubs, so it looks like no significant upgrade at 2B via free agency, this year. Archie Bradley to LAA for under $4M. Corey Dickerson $5M to Cards Matthew Boyd to SFG for $5.2M with over $2M in incentives. Royals looking into Montas trade! Options are dwindling as we speak.

Easier to move Bogey to 2B and keep Kike in CF FT. Verdugo plays LF or RF, depending on who else is playing- JBJ or Duran (the perfect lefty-lefty platoon!).

Houclock does?

I think Cora is really good with the pen he's been given. (2018's was pretty good, but it started leaking late in the season. I remember some felt Joe Kelly should not have even made the playoff roster, yet he turned into a hero.) As for starter health, we did lose Sale for most of 2021, and Houck missed some time, but yes, the rest stayed very healthy. In 2020 (no Cora), we missed ERod and Sale and 25% of Eovaldi's starts. In 2019, Sale missed time, Price started just 22 games and Eovaldi just 12. We got 37 starts from Velazquez, Johnson, Cashner, Chacin, Weber, Lakins and 4 others.

...and the genealogy.

Like I said, I need to get new glasses.

I do like Wacha ($7M) and Hill ($5M) more than I liked Richards & Perez at $15M combined, last March. That may not be saying much, because I was not thrilled with those signings either. We lost ERod, Ottavino, Richards, Perez, Robles and few others. We gained Wacha, Hill, Diekman and Strahm. We had hopes more innings from Sale might make up for some of the losses, but now...

Could be real bad, unless we sign 2-3 top FAs to fill the gaps left by Bogey, JD, Kike and Eovaldi, next winter.

Why not call it Whithouck?

I doubt both Houck and Whitlock start, so the other could close. I'd have Barnes, Taylor and others ahead of DHern, but your comment was well-taken. My only optimistic view on our pen is that I've felt this way about our pen for many of the last few years, and they keep surprising me. Have we got lucky? Is Cora a genius at pen usage? Are our pitchers better than we think they are? Houck/Whitlock Barnes Taylor Diekman Strahm Brasier Sawamura Davis (no options) DHern/Bazardo/Valdez/Feltman/ZKelly of a converted AAA starter: Winckowski, Crawford, Seabold, Bello, Groome

Henry has gone 2-3 years without major spending, before. I know that does not mean he will follow the same pattern and spend big, again. He might still be serious about success, but is looking for a different method to get there- a slow and steady approach without taking major long term risks, in which the vast majority of ours have been failures to varying degrees. I'm skeptical, too, and next winter should be the major test.

In 2021, it sure looked that way, but he had under 300 PAs. He's better than Arroyo.

...and we ended up with $10M Richards and $5M Perez in the pen, too.

...and maybe Springer & Biggio, too

Good points, but they also have Berrios for a full season and signed Kikuchi, this winter. Rotation: Ryu, Berrios, Gausman, Manoah & Kikuchi Their infield is insane! Guerrro (1B), Biggio (2B), Bichette (SS) and Chapman (3B) with Santiago Espinal at utility. Their OF is not too shaby either: Gurriel, Springer & Teoscar Hernandez (Grichuk as the #4) Jansen is their catcher. Their pen is not great. OPS in 2021 1.002 Vlad .907 Springer .870 THern .828 Bichette .785 Gurriel .781 Espinal .772 Jansen .716 Chapman (.808 career) .703 Grichuk .678 Biggio (.762 career)

I think would probably be starting, even if Sale was healthy. 1. Eovaldi 2. Sale 3. Pivetta 4. Hill 5. Wacha

Impressive line-up!