moonslav59

Let's say Pina costs $3M, and we shed Vaz and Plawecki, who will cost about $9M, next season. Is a Pina- Wong/Hernandez combo that much of a downgrade from Vaz/Plawecki, and if yes, does a $6M RP'er added make up the difference?

I don't think Wong was kept in the minors to play everyday. That is part of it, but I doubt Bloom & Cora think he's good enough to play FT, next year. As for playing everyday, the catching position is different. They rarely play 154 games as FT'ers. Most barely start 4 out of 5 games or even 3 out of 4, so the back-up catcher plays way more than the back-up 2Bman. Only 9 catchers have over 100 GS'd at catcher. Only 15 have 93 or more starts at catcher. 10 FT catchers in MLB, this year, have under 78 GS'd, so far.

While true, I don't think starting the 2022 season with Wong and Ronald Hernandez as the only catchers is a winning decision. I would think, if Wong was that good, he'd have replaced Plawecki, by now. My point is: Wong/Hernandez + $9M RP'er > Vaz/Plawecki and a scrub RP'er. or Pina/Wong + $6-7M RP'er >Vaz/Plawecki and a scrub RP'er.

When the contenders are at 6.12 of lower, yes. BTW, I'd put our pitching at 9.5, but our defense at 1.5 or lower.

Yan Gomes Manny Pina Connor Wong & Ronald Hernandez

I think our offense is very good, even without Schwarber. Schwarber is not the only good bat around. There is no need to double up on DHs just so we can have Schwarber in 2023, after JD bolts. I'd love to have Schwarber back. It's not about that. It's about DH not being even close to our highest need area. The fact that he can play LF or maybe 1B, where we have two good players, already doesn't change the fact that he is a DH. We have too many holes to fill in the pitching staff to think we can divert some funds to a low need area. To me, defense is the second priority to pitching- not batting. Again, if we can find a taker for JD, even if we pay $5-7M of his deal, I'd jump all over Schwarber. It's not worth paying $14M for 2 DHs, and then do complicated rotating rest regimes to find room for everyone to play 8 or 9 games out of every 10. How much will it cost to fill these holes? SP1 Sale SP2 _____ SP3 Eovaldi SP4 _____ SP5 Pivetta SP6 Seabold RP1 Houck RP2 Whitlock RP3 ______ RP4 Barnes RP5 Taylor RP6 ______ RP7 Sawamura RP8 Rios, Davis, Brasier, Valdez I'm thinking more than what our budget allows, and that's not counting the money we'll need to spend on a quality utility IF'er like maybe Iggy. Ideally, we trade JD, sign Schwarber, sign Iggy and maybe Yan Gomes or Manny Pina at catcher. Then we have over $30+M to spend on 3-4 pitchers.

No doubt, it was a gamble. It looked terrifying, to me, too, but leaving Houck in was no given choice, either. I agreed with your position. I just disagree with assigning so much blame on the manager for making a choice that had some merit.

Couple that with this: Rizzo career: .874 v RHP .787 v LHP The choice had merit. It wasn't a baseless decision.

Jays won 5-2. Pressure is high.

I had us at about $170M with Vaz's $7M, JD staying and player benefits and arbs figured in. Not knowing what the new tax structure will be makes it hard make suggestions, now, but I'm thinking we can probably spend $30-50M, this winter. A very good utility IF'er should not cost that much. The rest should be spent on not just replacing ERod, Richards, Perez, Robles & Ottavino but improving on them. If we can spend $50M, it should be easy, but $30M means we have to be right on just about every signing and trade.

I hate these Sunday night games.

Had one pitch by DHern not been a ball, things might have changed. That was my point. No doubt, 3 relievers and Eovaldi all sucking in a 2 game sample size sucks, but reading more into it just being one bad outing by a few players is reaching, to me. All these guys have stepped up and done well, in recent high leverage games. I also would not proclaim the Yank pitchers have dominated. In yesterday's game, they let up more hits and twice as many HRs. It was all about timing- not necessarily skill or ability. I'm sure, if we lose, today, you guys will all jump on me and say, "see, I told you they were chokes," but I don't see it that way, at all. These guys have over performed, all year. Their grit is exemplified by all their come from behind wins and breaking the Sox record for 3 rum HRs in a season. Just because we hit a ruff patch at the exact wrong time doesn't necessarily mean we have some mental deficiency or choke complex. I think we'll win today, but I doubt that will even convince all the nay-sayers that this team deserves making the playoffs. BTW, deserving the playoffs may not be so much about us being great, as much as it is about us having fewer weak areas than teams like the Yanks and Jays. Harmony can make valid claims about strength of interleague games, but there is no doubt the Sox had one of the toughest schedules in MLB, up to this point. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We deserve a playoff ticket as much or more than any other team in the WC chase. Only the Jays have a higher run differential. We can be happy the Yanks play the Jays next, and one of them has to lose 2-3 games, so our destiny is in our own hands, even if we lose, today. BTW, the Jays are up 5-2 in the 9th, so today's game will determine us being 1 ahead of the Jays or 2, after today- assuming they hold on.

At the time this went down, I was asked who I'd pitch. I said Houck for 3 or bring in Richards for the rest (implying .1 to 1.1 innings from Richards.) I still think that was right, but I will never say Cora made a mistake by bringing in DHern. Maybe, if we heard his reasoning, we'd think differently. Maybe not.

16 smixteen. No way anyone knows what Houck might have done had he been left in. Yes, he was wild, right before being yanked, but his stuff looked electric. Again, I'm not big on the recency effect, but sometimes pitchers just don't have it on a given night and the manager has to be ale to judge that correctly. Since we can never know all the what ifs, I will say that there have been countless times, it looked like a pitcher did not have his best stuff and I felt like he should be yanked, but Cora left the guy in, and he went on to do well or good enough. There is merit to the idea of yanking Houck for DHern. There is merit to the idea of yanking Houck for someone else. There is merit to the idea of leaving Houck in. We only know the results to one choice- in hindsight, so it's easy to think he made the wrong call. I, for one, cannot bring myself to be overly critical of Cora for making a decision I would not have made, when he has proven my opinions wrong on so many previous choices made. I also view choices like this as impossible to label right or wrong based on the actual end result. The choice of calling on DHern might have worked 99 out of 100 times and was clearly the right call, but this was the 1 in a 100 time it fails, so we call Cora a bum or idiot. Of course, there's no way of knowing it was a 99 out of 100 time "right call," and I doubt any call is ever that "right," but you get my point. I'm not saying Cora never makes mistakes, but I do think it is a complicated slope to climb, and posters seem so sure of themselves when they call out an "obvious" bad call. I realize some of the opinions given were before hindsight, and that does add some credence to the opinion given, but just because a poster may look like he was right on their opinion, does not mean they were right. Who knows what might have happened, with the choice not taken.

I didn't say it's a back-breaker. I think he would likely get that on the FA market, especially for a 1 year deal. I happen to think we can do batter at that cost, but I'm not sure Bloom & Cora agree. I won't be too disappointed, if he's back for another year. I think there are some fine catchers out there that do great on defense and handling the staff, but struggle on offense. I'm not so sure Vaz can or will return to his near .800 OPS of 2019-2020, so we may not be losing any offense by replacing him. It's not a major aspect of my suggestions for upgrades, this winter, but it seems like an easier one than moving stars off position or trading them. I think the other 8 positions are pretty well set. With Iggy and Shaw free agents, this winter: catcher and utility infielder seem like the most likely and easiest positions to upgrade. Pitching should be our major focus. Defense seems too complicated to deal with, this winter, except for maybe making sure the utility player and catcher are top notch defenders.

One pitch gets away from you and hits a batter, and you are a "choke." Man, you guys are brutal. This game is not easy. Mistakes are made all the time. Just because one is made at the highest pressure point in a big game, doesn't mean it was the result of a breakdown in a player's psyche or intestinal fortitude. We should have won the game. If blame has to be divvied out, as it seems it must be in today's society, then plenty of players should get a share. Not meaning to offend anyone, and I know some statements are hyperbolic, but to say something like "Cora 100%" is really quite absurd.

That was great! DD deserves all the props he got and still gets. I think the nail would be in the coffin, already, had Bloom been given $20-30M more to spend over the winter and at the deadline.

I have, but I rarely make definitive judgements on players based on one play or one game. I might call for the DFA of 3-5 players, not 30-35. I was actually the last guy to say Valentine needed to go. (not bragging about this.)

If we think any GM would want Vaz at $7M, take the option and trade him. Otherwise, I agree, do not take the option. With arb raises, we won't have $60M, and if we spend $15M on a second DH, we'll have $15M less to spend on pitching. I love Schwarber. I'm a big fan of JD, too, but even I would try to trade JD, so we could keep Schwarber, even if we eat $5-7M of his deal. If we don't or can't trade JD, I'd pass on Schwarber. Trading Verdugo or Renfroe could free up space for Kyle, too, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. I love the idea of Houck and Whitlock in the pen, but with the cost of decent SP'ers so high, and the lack of clear FA pitching targets on the market, this winter, maybe moving Whitlock to starter- taking ERod's slot is a better idea. Spending on decent set-up RP'ers should be less costly, and we can get 2-3 of them for the cost of one top starter. My guess is we make one big trade, and maybe even with a surprise player (like Bogey, Verdugo, Renfroe or even the inexpensive Dalbec.) I hope Henry opens the wallet, and Bloom spends what he gets wisely. I like our depth, now. I think our farm has a few pieces that offer even more depth, but we still will need a super utility guy that will blow Marwin away. That should not cost an arm and a leg. We got Kike for $7M x 2. Do not spend on another DH, unless we unload JD and add a little cost by signing Schwarber and paying part of JD's deal. Sign a super utility player and call the non pitcher roster a go. Use as much of the financial and trade capital remaining to improve the pitching. I'd like to see our defense improved, too, but it's too complicated for this winter. I think we can avoid a long term deal for a SP'er by going with an older one like Scherzer, Verlander or Greinke. We probably shouldnt try to win a bidding war for Kershaw or Gausman. Stroman might be worth it, but I'd have to see the final offers. A sleeper pick might be someone like Kikuchi, a guy I wanted us to try and trade for, last winter. Robbie Ray and ERod (QO offer?) have to be on the table, too. If we can't get any of these guys, a trade would have to be found. Otherwise, we go with this: Sale Eovaldi Pivetta Whitlock Seabold Not a winning rotation. Even keeping ERod and replacing Perez/Richards/Houck with Whitlock may not be enough. Lots to think about, but the budget should not be an issue, if we focus it almost all of it on pitching.

This has to be the most important game of the season, as yesterday's was before this game. I can understand the frustration and negativity, but this team of ours has over performed all year. They have fought back to win games and series we should have lost. They have shown true grit and determination. We've had some very tough stretches, and when it seemed like all was about be lost, we found a way to bounce back to life. The recent 7 game win streak was just such a moment. One can point to the opponents as being light weights, but winning at Seattle has never been easy, even for the best of Sox teams. We lost big in game one, but the Yanks did not really rise to the occasion, yesterday, as much as we handed them the win. Sure, they hit the granny while we hit 2 solo HRs. They capitalized on our mistakes, and we did not, but we showed we can compete, and I think we will today. ERod has been much maligned, this season, and I'm not going to make excuses, but he is a different pitcher over his last 14-15 starts than his first 14-15. Our pen has been iffy the last couple months, but they too have risen to the moment many more times that they failed. Our offense has been our most consistent plus area, and today would be a great time to bust out a few crooked numbers. I won't make any predictions, here, but I will say that it seems like the moment Sox nation is at it's lowest point, we seem to respond with a win. Tonight's Line-up: 1. Kike CF (Hope he finds the groove he had before COVID) 2. Renfroe RF (Time for a big blast) 3. Devers 3B (Seems to be hitting the ball harder, of late) 4. Bogey SS (The "rest" helped- time for a big game) 5. JD DH (Lead by example, my man!) 6. Dalbec 1B (The hottest Sox hitter since the deadline) 7. Arroyo 2B (I'm going out on a limb and saying he gets a big hit) 8.Verdugo LF (Show us why we liked you so much, last year) 9. Vaz C (ERod does better with Vaz. Keep it up!) Go Sox!

Blaming someone seems to be the default action by just about everyone, these days. Baseball is a game where players fail much more often than they succeed. A player can be totally fooled by a pitch and get a bloop or broken bat hit, and another player can crank a ball that would be a homer anywhere but Fenway, and it's an out and the guy is a bum. I know I play the blame game, too. Maybe, we just need to realize nobody is perfect, and we should stop expecting perfection. We have some damn good players that have some areas where they are not so good at. Very few players are excellent in a every area, and even those that are, sometimes make mistakes or go through tough stretches. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll just stop while I'm behind.

I am not innocent, as you point out. As much as I have criticized (or bashed) defense and things like Vaz's CERA issues, I never say they suck or should be DFA'd. Yes, guys like Santana and Marwin, I have. I've been critical of Bogey's D, but try to always say he is by far a net plus. I've been critical of Cora and Bloom, too, but I guess it just bothers me that people confuse making a bad decision, which might not even be all taht bad, with calling the guy a "bum" or to say "cut his ass," not that you have gone to those extremes. BTW, not everyone agrees Cora is a major reason we are where we are, today. Most do but not all. Same with Bloom.

At the time, I wanted Houck to stay in the game, too, but it's understandable taking him out. I don't think calling Cora a bum, like some did is appropriate-even in the heat of the moment. I've disagreed with many Cora moves, and most of them worked out. That's not to say he's never made a mistake. He'd probably tell us he's made dozens, this year. (There is a difference between being critical and bashing.) All managers do. Cora is a great manager. He's proven me wrong on so many moves, that I'd think I would be hypocritical to bash him when some moves go wrong.

Yes, "recency." There is a middle ground between "who cares" and thinking only the last two games matter and project who we will be in the next game or week. Baseball is a game where the best team does not always win. That's why they play 162. It's also why we should not let one or two games define who this team is. Of course, it sucks. Of course, we should care. Of course, it tells us something about this team- just not everything. I think we will win, today, but even if we lose, we should make the playoffs and getting swept by the Yanks will have no bearing on how we do in that play-in game or beyond, should we win. (Ok, maybe close to nothing.)

They would, if they were right in front of some of these "fans" at certain times.