moonslav59

That's exactly how I see it and felt the same way at the time. I seriously doubt DD would have wanted to be here after being forced to trade Betts and watch big contract after contract come off the ledger with no to little money going back into the winter spending budgets.

Agreed, and it's also nice to have an emergency Catcher on the 26 man roster, too. Our D still needs addressing, especially at 3B.

I thought Max wrote an excellent post. I'm not asking anyone to give Brez a pat on the back. Max mentioned how the pitching carried us in many ways, and I fully agree. I felt it should be pointed out that Brez and maybe Bailey are one reason the staff did much better. If there is one area Brez can be "patted on the back," I would say it would be how quickly and how well he has rebuild the pitching system from nearly top to bottom. He's only been here 2+ years. He's made mistakes, for sure, with pitchers, including his two biggest moves: trading Sale and signing Buehler to the highest AAV for a SP'er since the Sale extension and the Price FA signing. The Priester deal looks bad in the short term, as well, but otherwise, we've seen some major gains on the staff as well is down on the farm. The Crochet trade and extensions top all pitching moves made since maybe the Sale trade and Price signing. The Gio signing from 2024 ended up paying off to a significant extent in 2025. I felt we needed much more than Chapman and Wilson added to the pen, last winter, but Brez proved me and many others wrong on that front, too. The Chapman extension looks like a good idea, for now. Dugo for Fitts & Weissert looks like a steal. The Slaten trade, too. Smaller moves like Criswell, Matz & Booser maybe cancel out the DMays and I Campbells. On the farm, 8 of our top 11 prospects are pitchers, and in two short years, Brez is accountable for adding 6 of those 8! I know they are just "suspects" to you, but all great players were once prospects. Having more highly regarded pitching prospects is a good thing- not a bad thing. 1. Tolle (drafted 2nd rd.) 4. Witherspoon (drafted 1st rd.) 6. Bennett (traded for Perales) 9. Sandlin (traded for Schreiber) 10. Phillips (CB draft pick) 11. Eyanson (drafted 3rd rd.) I'm also very high on #16 Holobetz (part of Priester trade) Brandon Clarke was a Brez draftee and was a big piece in the Sonny Gray trade. Fajardo was acquired in a trade for Booser and was needed in the trade for Contreras. Travieso was a Brez INT'L signing and helped get us Oviedo. None of those three are "suspects." Brez might deserve some kicks in the butt, but he also deserves a few back pats from time-to-time, despite being our "12th pick" for GM. 😜

To me, the mindset changed before 2019. They clearly chose to extend Sale & Nate, but were looking to trade Betts mid season '19. Not only did they let Kimbrel & Kelly walk, they did nothing to replace them, even with cheap arms. (They did bring back Pearce, too.) It all started before DD left, and IMO, that was a part of why he left. This may not fit the narrative that DD was able to convince JH to spend, and that he alone could have kept the ball rolling, but there is ample evidence the change began after we won in 2018, not after 2019.

It was a QO, right? Hey, the team was thinking of trading Skubal, so I doubt it's about keeping 1 year players.

Contreras looked okay at 1B. He's way better than Casas, on D. 2025 DRS at 1B: -2 Contreras -9 Red Sox We got better at 1B and likely WAY WORSE at 3B. If Mayer/Romy play 2B they should be better than the -9 DRS the Sox had at 2B in 2025 (mostly due to Campbell's awful D.)

Bichette also does not give us the power we need, but he's close to Bregman in that area. To me, the best option is a 3Bman, and Paredes jumps out as a player about to bust out while stuck on a team with 5 infielders and a guy they want to DH FT (Alvarez.) After watching Altuve in the OF, he is not being slotted there, this season. Paredes is worth more than the $12M BTV gives him, but he won't cost us a top 3 or 4 prospect. (No Tolle- No Early- probably no Weatherspoon.) Get it done, Brez! I won't be happy with Vientos, but he won't cost much in return and offers some hope at filling the power void. 2B is an option, too, but 3B works better, as Mayer and Romy can platoon 2B better than 3B.

I will say to Max: while saying the pitching was a big part of our nice season, who put the staff together, including the depth to handle Houck sucking plus about 5 SP'ers going on the IL for all or most of the season?

Yep. Max is not alone.

Now, the day we signed Pablito and HRam, that had a different feel, but I still had the thought that we spent a ton and got a couple nice bats.

I'm thrilled! Seriously. I am!

Indeed. It almost seemed unfair.

Exactly- typical and no different than many others.

I've been talking Polanco and Suarez all winter long.

When we signed Price, I thought "DAMN! That's a huge overpay, but wow, we got one of the best pitchers in MLB. Okay with me." A few years later we called him "half-Priced."

Ryan Weathers to NYY for 4 prospects.

BTV accepts this. Do you? Harrison, Wong & DHam for G Torres (1yr) Jake Rogers (1 yr catcher) and Comp BAL pick Rd B

Bichette just does not seem like "THE GUY" to go mega long and mega large on. Glad he's going to the NL. Looks like Tucker is close to going to the Mets at $50M AAV

I'm so glad someone else got Arenado. I'd prefer him to DHam, but only if STL pais $40M out of $42M, or took Masa and his $36M owed.

All we know for sure is that our offer wasn't good enough for some reason or reasons. It looks like it was less money, but still a big overpay. It looks like it was for the same amount of years- one to two too many. It's looks like it had more or longer deferred money, that may have been a factor. It looks like we would not include a no trade clause, which may have been a factor. We made an offer, and I doubt any further discussion would have caused Brez, JH & Co to give $10M more, or shorter or less deferred money or give in on the no trade clause. The history is we just don't ever come back with anything substantially more than the last or second to last offer given. I thought $165M/5 was way more than fair, both in terms of money and years. That was already too much and too long, but had he said yes, I'd have been fine with it and accepted that you have to overpay to get what you need. That doesn't mean there is no stopping point, and since I feel $165M was already past the stopping point, I'm not pissed off he's a Cub, now. That's not saying I feel the same about every FA negotiation we've had and will have. Of the one's I've seen signed so far, I think I'd have give slightly more for Alonso, but that was close to Breggie overpay limits, IMO. I'd have given more to Polanco, for sure, but with fingers and toes crossed and contorted. I'm not sure about $65M/4 for Okamoto, but if we end up with nothing, I'd look back and wonder more. I kinda liked the idea of Merrill Kelly on a 2 year deal, but I think he wanted back to AZ ($20M x 2.) I see Suarez as an option- not Bichette. I see trades as an option and really like Paredes. BTV says he's worth 12, but I think he's more like 30. They say Duran is worth 46, but I'm thinking maybe 40. I'd trade Duran (46) for Paredes (12) plus Brian King (7) but BTV rejects it. They called Duran for Paredes, King and Janek (9 a catcher prospect) a "major overpay" but accepted it.

Some felt that wasn't really Bloom's doing, anyway.

I'd offer Duran for Paredes, King & Janek. (Maybe sub Sousa for King. Maybe drop Janek.)

I'm so glad someone else got Arenado. I'd prefer him to DHam, but only if STL pais $40M out of $42M, or took Masa and his $36M owed.

Agreed, but unlike the other top 3 RP'ers in the Sox pen, SD does not have good splits, career: .555 v RHB .751 v LHB I think we can just have Crawford, Harrison and or Sandoval move to the pen and fill this need, especially if it means we have more resources to spend on a big bat and 3Bman, or even a SP2.

Well said. Now, "Opts out" are bad words.