moonslav59

That's a separate issue. My point was to trade Betts and then sign him for 2021 and beyond AFTER WE RESET. All we have to do is match or top the highest bidder. If that number is not Trout-like, then we have a chance.

We don't know if Bloom sees value in big contracts. He was highly restricted in TB. We don't know how he places value on a player like Betts. One hint might be his choice of trading JD or not.

Well said! BTW, JBJ had a +1.4 fWAR.

Nobody has claimed WAR is perfect. We realize there are flaws. Some of these flaws diminish its value, but that is different than saying it is meaningless or near meaningless. To me, I just about never watch any MLB game not involving the Sox. There's no way I can tell who is better than someone else or better or worse than someone on the Sox. I use OPS, OBP, UZR/150, DRS, WAR and other numbers to try and place value or ranking by value on players. WAR is one tool I use. It's not the be-all-end-all, but I respect it while knowing its limitations and flaws. BA, OPS, Fldg%, RF/9 and all the other traditional value setter have flaws, too, and trying to determine which one is worth more than the others and by how much is something personal bias commands. WAR has tried to scientifically place value on everything players do based on tons of data. I look at it this way, when I know I don't know jack or close to jack about 29 out of every 30 players in MLB, and I'm trying to determine if JBJ or anyone else is better than someone else, I'm not using my personal observations as the number one tool. WAR is a good tool, but it is not all I use, either. My observations of other team's players involves watching 162 games of whoever the Sox are playing. That's 1/32 of all games. I never see some teams play for 2 years. I see some for 3 games. Using data and other people's opinions (like the fielding bible) is the only way I can know.

True, but he was not always bad. His two seasons over .830 prove that. Plus, it's not like .720 to .750 is bad. It's not good, but it's not bad either. Most players have slumps, but they spread them out into mini slumps. It's weird how JBJ's last 3 seasons all started with massive slumps. Maybe we should have sat him more in April and the first half of May. .765 since 2015 is not awful all the time.

He'll only get what one team agrees to pay him. If someone offers him $12 years at $30M+ then I doubt we'll match it. Players often don't get what they and their agents ask for up front.

Who knows? Just because he could never do that at TB doesn't mean he never will with the Sox. He's never had a $208M budget before, and after 2020, he may be allowed to go over the tax line.

You sound so sure. We could trade JD or Price or Eovaldi or 2 of those 3. I wouldn't mind us trading Betts, if we made a strong push for him in 2021.

You have a short memory, of "always" means something different to you. The guy was over .830 two years in a row. He was at .846 over the last 109 games this year. That's a much much longer stretch than his 38 game slump. He was at .793 the last 106 games of 2018. That's better than the 38 game slump again. His .756 OPS in his last 116 games of 2017 wasn't bad after a 17 games slump. The guy was decent with the bat way more than he was slumping. WAY MORE!

Offloading JBJ gets us to even. Any combination of Betts, JD, Price or Eovaldi could, in theory, give us enough to go large on someone, but I don't think that's what Bllom would do, if he had that much budget space.

MLBTR projects Porcello getting $11M/1. I was qthinking $12M/2 is the most I'd pay, but I had a feeling he'd get more.

Better to just sign a cheal CF'er and not expose Beni to ridicule.

I doubt that happens, but I don't expect any top 25 signings.

What kids? Duran is the only ML ready OF'er in the minors with any hopes, and his high BAbip makes him highly questionable.

Plus, the risk of injury or decline is mitigated by just a 1 year deal. Maybe 700's "not much" means something else to him than me.

His contract will keep many teams from even calling, but I think we can get a nice haul for Betts. He's more than worth $28M/1.

They might as well trade JD and Price, at that point. Then, go for broke in 2021, hopefully by re-signing Betts and others.

Josh Bard had 4 passed balls in Wake's previous start (leading to 2 separate un earned runs) prior to us getting Mirabelli. In the game before that a passed ball let a runner score from 3B. Before that, 2 passed balls (2 in one inning) allowing a runner to score. There were 3 PBs in Wake's first start that year. Come on! 10 PBs in 5 starts was the major factor. Wake was actually pitching okay, but the PBs were killing him/us.

I'm still thinking he'll be traded, but it's not a slam dunk, especially with all these rumors of Price or Eovaldi deals in the works.

I love seeing people make our mistakes.

Somebody had to catch Wake. It was a horror show out there, but yes, panic.

Anything they give us would be a plus. The real gain is with the budget. At their ages, we might strike gold.

I agree, but I still think we'll try not to go over the second or final tax lines.

I have to admit, I don't know jack about other teams' prospects & young players, but if these guys are good, it looks like the type of deal that might work. I'm kind of hoping we do some 2 for 1 deals, though- not 1 for twos. We need to upgrade quality and let Bloom deal with the quality with cheap FA signins and acquisitions.

The reset will likely be a one year thing, but the second and final tax lines matter, too. Also, Mazara's AVV does go up with each arb, although we can always trade him or non tender him, if we don't think it's worth it.