moonslav59

1. The jury is still out on some prospects traded. 2. It's not always about how good the prospects traded away ended up doing, but what we got for them and their value at the time of the trade. Not one poster here has said he should not have made any prospect trades. He did great by deciding to keep Devers, and some of his draft picks, mostly very low in draft slots have done better than expected, so what was said a year or two back can be adjusted in hindsight, but even then, how many DD acquired prospects have lit the world on fire? (Yes, the jury is still out on them, too.) I see Houck. Am I missing someone else? Already, Bloom has brought us Whiltock and hopes are high on Mayer, Yorke, Seabold, Jordan and others. (Hopes are high on some DD guys, too: Bello, Casas, Duran, Jimenez & others)

Likely, yes, but they seem to find ways to do so while maintaining a strong farm and decent product on the field, even during reset seasons. Only a few teams go over the tax line enough to determine any pattern, but there has been very few times where a team goes over the tax line for 3 or more years in a row. People act like Henry suddenly deciding to tighten the checkbook is something new. Our history under Henry has shown that not only does he like to reset, often, the reset is usually followed by another year or two of under the tax line spending. It's not usually a one and done thing. I know, shocking, right? Here is the Henry history: No tax paid: 2003 (none in 2002 before Henry) 2008 & 2009 2012, 2013, 2014 2017 2020 & likely 2021 Only one reset (2017) was followed by going over the tax line the next season. ONLY ONE TIME! It's obvious, the tax means something to Henry. People can argue why it shouldn't all they want, but the fact is, it matters and likely will continue to matter, unless something radically changes. Years we paid taxes: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (by far the longest stretch) 2010-2011 2015-2016 2018-2019 Since the mega tax penalty for going over 3 years in a row was enacted, we have never gone 3 years in a row over the line. To me, that is one reason why not going over, this year, might have been with 2024 in mind. Our chances in 2024 will likely be better than 2021, IMO and probably Bloom & Henry's opinions, too. Plus, going over the tax line involves some penalties beyond just monetary.

I've kept the faith, all long. I'm no saint, though. I was one of the first to jump ship in 2019 and had zero faith in 2020's team.

Just reading the words, "Michael Chavis show" says it all.

A pretty but not completely bare farm system.

It's up to the owners- not us. Most very wealthy people got to be wealthy by pinching pennies and cutting costs and corners. Why should baseball owners fork over profits for our enjoyment, unless it makes them more money along the way? Yes, the value of the franchises is the hidden (well, not so hidden by many of us) profit maker when the owner sells, but most of these guys are in this to make more and more money. If winning helps them do that, then it becomes part of their plan. If they can make more money without winning, or by staying "just competitive enough," that's what many owners will choose to do. It's the American way.

The difference seems to be, their owner is not concerned with paying big and then paying big taxes on top of big salaries, AND they have an enormous revenue stream just from their TV deal, alone.

The data shows most Sox pitchers do way better without Vaz as their catcher- some by a very wide margin. CERA/OPSAgainst (PAs against) About 2 runs with Sale... Sale 2.51/.622 AJ P (226) 2.79/.578 Leon (436) 4.61/.762 Vaz (84) (No catcher on the CWS had a CERA worse than 3.53) Not much difference with ERod but still 1/4 to a half run. ERod 3.78/.778 Hanigan (50) 4.05/.700 Leon (118) 4.23/.723 Vaz (566) 4.44/.692 Swihart (75) About 0.80 with Porcello Porcello 4.19/.728 Leon (576) 4.93/.800 Swihart (122) 4.96/.794 Vaz (211) 5.38/.831 Holaday (55) (Nobody on Detroit with over 30 IP w Porcello had a worse CERA than 4.43) One and a half with Price... Price 2.96/.647 Leon (204) 4.27/.738 Vaz (360) (All other catchers with 30+ IP with Price had a CERA better than Vaz's. One guy, Gregg Zaun with only 43 IP had one close at 4.19. Everyone with more than 100 IP had a CERA or 3.61 or better.) Vaz has been slightly better with Eovaldi than Leon, but Leon only had 44 PAs with him. (Vaz>Salty is not surprising) Eovaldi 2.66/.419 Wong (20) 3.54/.657 Plawecki (69) 4.30/.765 Vaz (147) 4.53/.735 Leon (44) 4.85/.421 Salty (124) A run and a half or more with Buch... Buccholz 2.83/.642 VMart (241) 3.01/.646 Leon (155) 3.79/.629 Lava (36) 3.95/.737 Salty (207) 4.44/.705 Vaz (130) 4.68/.683 D Ross (73) 5.12/.801 VTek (118) 5.63/.836 AJ P (62) Others: Alex Avila 1.55/.587 in 52 IP

I'm disappointed, too, but far from surprised. Even after winning 2 of 3, there is still much negativity. This team has shown enormous grit on so many levels. Before the season even started, they were written off. After being swept by the O's in the opening series, just about everyone lost their slivers of hope. 30 some odd games, we were "down and out." Read the game threads of those games. Time after time, the same posters gave up and seemed shocked even by the 30th time! Hey, I realize, they may end up being right, and we end up missing the playoffs, but this has been one hell of a team to watch and get excited about, even if just for the chance that we end up overachieving but missing the grand prize. Not only was this season a great one, no matter how it ends, my hopes for 2022 and 2023 and beyond have grown enormously. I was thinking, with all the tough rules enacted against winning and high-spending teams, the cliff might last 3-5 years. It looks like it might have lasted one COVID-shortened season, at least in terms of really sucking badly.

He has been worth less than replacement level NOT "is" or "will be."

When the sample size is 416 PAs, almost every player's numbers are skewed by just a few games or one long stretch. His numbers are also skewed by just last night.

Yes, and my bet is the A's have one of the very hardest. That also implies, the A's have had an easier schedule, to date, than we have, so them "looking so good" has to be taken in context. That's not to say the A's suck. They don't! We are better. (The A's do not have Sale, Schwarber, Arroyo and others joining their team, either.)

Well said.

30th Bleacher Report (same after the 2019 draft and at the end of the season) 27th Prospect Digest It’s essentially the Michael Chavis show. The young third baseman is the lone Top 100 prospect in the system. And, really, there’s not a whole lot developing down on Boston’s farm. Darwinzon Hernandez can miss bats with the best of them, but his inability to throw back-to-back strikes is more than concerning. Fellow left-hander Jay Groome looked poised for a big 2018, but he missed the year recovering from Tommy John. Mike Shawaryn and Alex Scherff fall into the backend starting category. And Triston Casas, the club’s first round pick last June, owns impressive power but he’s (A) likely to slider over to third base and ( owns a questionable hit tool. MLB.com: 25th at the start of 2020

Theo was given a very nice foundation to work with and better than what Bloom got.

He has said some things better left unsaid, but some of the characterizations given to his statements here, like "celebrating" resetting the budget, seems a bit too embellishing.

I felt like Manny and Price were two of those players. (The Sale trade, too, but that was not a high cost, until we extended him.) I hated the CC deal- day one.

It's been 17 days, since the last time we were able to even say, "We've won 2 out of 3 games."

Funny how jacko poo-poo'd Sale's recovery while sugar-coating Sev's.

Schwarber forever! Lock him up- longterm!

Do you think his whole career will be like his first 416 PAs? His, D, too? He was actually a decent 3Bman and has seemed to be making more and more good plays at 1B as the season progressed. Maybe he can make or has already made the key adjustments. Only time will tell, and when you're on a contending team, sometimes time is not on your side. Bloom and Cora have been extremely patient with Dalbec, Corder, Marwin and even Santana. Maybe they go oh for 4 on these guys. I, for one, think they overplayed Marwin. I'm done with Santana, too, but I think he deserved a long look, and am not upset about how long a look he was given, as long as he doesn't get another one with us. Cordero is the tougher call. Bobby clearly will get a longer look sometime and somewhere.

He's barely near the 2/3 mark of a 650 PA season. New players need time to adjust and more time to adjust to the adjustments pitchers made to them. Sometimes, that takes time, and sometimes too much time is needed to find out it won't work. It's been extremely frustrating watching Dalbec (and Cordero) struggle, this season. I'm still hopeful but more cautious than ever.

He may end up being a 40 man casualty when Rule 5 comes around, but I seriously doubt it. There are more players with less promise than his, but some are younger, so who knows. I'd give him another long look, or two, but there just may never be an opportunity like that with a winning team.

I loved watching DDs teams, and 2018 was amazingly special, but he left a farm and payroll in a mess as a result of giving us that wonderful window. Some bad luck prevented the window from being longer than just 3 years, but it is what it is. We have been paying the price for that window and still are. I’m fine with that. I thought the price would be greater and longer, but some of the youth DD left behind and Bloom had acquired are brightening up the longer outlook , and 2021 has come out of nowhere to be a very exciting and gritty team to watch. I’m not seeing anybody totally hating on DD. Some of us have been critical of him and some of Henry. I also see some trying to sugar coat what DDs strategy led to and always has led to. Blaming Henry for doing what he’s always done: ordered resets and lower spending from time to time or blaming the GM who happens to be at the helm during those times for not doing enough or swinging and missing on the few big moves they were allowed to make. All these guys have flaws. They are human. I guess it’s in our nature to pick at the scabs. I for one, am glad add was our GM, and I’m also glad we replaced him with Bloom.

Nice job, old timer. Alll your points look solid. I will add that using your criteria every time will mean we’ll never sign the very best free agents or keep our own. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I think there comes a time, maybe twice a decade, where you just need a certain guy so badly, you have to throw some caution to the wind.