moonslav59

They did have varying seasons, and chokes like Bonds became clutch, and clutch like Beckett became chokes. To me, it's the same as saying player X is great on Tuesdays but sucks on Fridays. It's a skill.

I knew you wouldn't.

Before the year started, I thought it was going to be, and I think Bloom did, too. That's why Dalbec and Cordero were given long leashes, and Perez and Richards were give 1 year + option deals. The argument is over whether the plan should have changed after our unexpected good start to 2021. I say, no. It wasn't the time to go all in, because the roster had too many holes to fill to become a major contender. (I'm not part of the playoffs are a crapshoot club.)

It is, but unless you are doing great, you may not get to the 5th by the time the 19th batter comes up, and I think Whitlock is better suited to go 5+, next year. Plus, we'll need an Ottavino replacement. I'm fine with Houck starting, but I like Whitlock better, and I think we'll sign a better SP'er, this winter. (if not, then both Houck & Whitlock start.)

To not go over the tax line, so we'll be much better positioned in 2022, 2023 and 2024. To not trade away any highly promising prospects. To try and at least appear to be competitive in 2021, so fans would watch the games. Win. Win. Win.

We both knew it was coming. We disagreed on whether 2018 and the 3 division wins in a row was worth the price, but the writing was on the wall. I had hopes the window would last longer than halfway through 2019, but I also thought, under the current rules, it would take much longer to rebuild the farm and team that Bloom was able to accomplish. The farm still has a long way to go, but adding Mayer and the other players Bloom has acquired has sped up the timetable more than I thought possible or likely.

Me, too. I do think NYY will pass OAK, and we'll play them in the play-in game.

I have said, I agree, especially with Houck- enough so, that I now think Houck should be in the pen, next year.

I guess Bloom was supposed to know Manfred mania was going to kill those two, midseason.

Was the Ottavino trade worth it considering how close it got the Sox to the cap? If we stay under, the money part is not a big deal, unless it kept us from getting someone better. (We would likely have not traded promising prospects, anyway, so I'm not sure the money was the main reason we did little at the deadline.) What the Richards deal a good deal? It sucked, but so did Kluber, who was the guy many felt we should have gotten, instead. Has Perez been worth his contract? Easily, yes. His first 11 starts were priceless, and got us to the playoff slot we currently hold. He didn't need to be started so many times, recently. That's on Cora/Bloom. Was the plan the FO had for the OF a good one? Better than "good." It was excellent and still is, IMO. Are you ok with them not getting a veteran backup in the offseason? Yup, considering the budget and counting on Houck & Seabold as depth. Several people questioned the SP additions (as always), the RP additions, the lack of a 3rd OFer, the lack of a reliable 1B. I did, too, but with a limited budget, Bloom had to roll the dice at the positions he thought could get by in-house. Not all did. 1B: Dalbec, Marwin> Failed OF: 3rd OF'er was Cordero> Failed/ 4th was Kike (Arroyo at 2B)> Worked SP: Worked for 2.5 months, then failed, and now is showing some renewed hope. RP: Far exceeded expectations, until just recently.

You know the answer. They planned on a Cordero-Renfroe-Verdugo-Duran OF and Kike-Arroyo at 2B. You still didn't answer my question, which seems to happen often, lately. Why not mention all the players we added? Plus, you mentioned Perez, who we added, last year but not Pivetta.

Why not mention Kike? Whitlock?

I was thinking more about coming back to win the WC1 against OAK, who has a very difficult schedule going forward, or coming back on NYY or TOR should they pass us. I'm not ruling out the Rays, but it will be very hard. Here are the records of the best teams from 2020-2021: 112-63 LAD 110-65 TBR 103-74 SDP 103-73 CWS 103-72 OAK 103-72 SFG 99-77 MIL 97-77 HOU 96-79 NYY 94-80 TOR 94-81 ATL 0thers: 90-87 BOS

The Yanks play at OAK 4 games at the end of August: someone has to lose. The Yanks play TOR 7 times by the end of the year and end the season play TBR for 3. TOR plays at SEA for 3 starting tonight. Someone has to lose. They play the CWS 4 games, soon. They also play OAK for 3 and at NYY for 4. They end the season playing TBR 6 times & NYY 3 times in their last 19 games. OAK has this stretch starting 8/16 4 @ CWS 3 v SFG 2 v SEA 4 v NYY later, they play 3 @ TOR & 3 v CWS. They end the season with 3 @ LAA, 7 v SEA & 6 v HOU

Funny. You thought the 2021 team would lose 90 games, but that's not "shambles." 2020 was not "shambles," because it was shortened. The end of 2019 was not "shambles," because the start of 2019 was so good. Bloom turns things around, quickly, and DD gets the credit. Nice try.

..and player comfort slots in line-ups.

If we can come back in games so many times, we can come back in the standings as well.

I'd like to see the "ghost runner" start in the 11th or 12th inning. 7 inning double headers will be gone, after this year.

It's not hard to trade away top prospects, either. He did keep Devers, and I'm glad he did that, and I, for one, do not have a problem with what DD did, because it got us a win and a fantastic journey in 2018, but I also knew all along, a price would be paid later, and that later is now (and 2020).

I don't think there is a pitcher like the one we both want, this winter. That's why I think we'll sign an aging pitcher to a short term deal, and hope we get "that guy" we want, in 2023 or 2024. We may need that aging pitcher to pull a pre-2021 Verlander for us to win in 2022.

That's why I mentioned it's not just pitch-calling, but relationships and comfort levels. It may not be called a "skill," but it is certainly real for many pitchers.

Does it matter the reason for better success? Did you see the massive disparities over the longer term sample sizes I posted? Almost all showing anybody and just about everybody getting more success with our pitchers than Vaz did/does?

Yes, Schwarber has taken longer to return than I bet Bloom expected. That hurt the most. I think a couple minor roster moves or non moves hurt a little. (Missing a Houck start, waiting to call up Sale, not replacing Marwin or Arauz with Munoz...) I think the next 2 weeks makes or breaks us, and some turning points might be... Sale's first start (Sunday). Schwarbers first few games. Arroyo's return. The Yankee 3 games in 2 days series.

Why would anyone "wish" that? It would expose a serious mental flaw with one of our key pitchers. I'm still not sold on needing a third pitch to get by the third time around.

Nightmare on West Street.