moonslav59

I'm okay with Yoshida at DH- more okay than most, but I want to make room for Casas/Campbell/Romy. (If Duran is not traded, his slot is FT DH.)

I think, until maybe now, it's been lowballing on numbers and years and not the no-trade clause that has kept us from signing big-splash FAs. These are our largest FA signings from 2025 working backwards: All one year deals, unless noted. (extensions only listed to FAs) 2025: $40M Bregman ($120M/3 w opt-outs) $21M Buehler $10.8M Chapman (extended mid season to 1 year + option) $2.3M J Wilson 2024: $38.5M/2 Giolito $10M/2 Hendriks 2023: $32M/2 Jansen $21.7/2 Turner (turned down player option- was $11M/1) $10M Kluber $7M Duvall $2M Joely R 2022: $17.5M/2 Chris Martin $10M Paxton w option $8M/2 Diekman (traded mid season year 1) $7M Wacha $5M Rich Hill 2021: $14M/2 Kike (later extended for 3rd year at $10M) $10M Richards $5M Martin Perez $3M Marwin G (traded mid season) 2020: $6M Martin Perez $3M Moreland (traded at deadline) Largest deals from 2015-2019: $10M+++ only (not all that many and none between $18M and $68M! $217M/7 Price 2016 (traded after 2019) $110M/5 JD 2018 $95M/5 Pablito 2015 (DFAd) $88M/4 HRam 2015 (DFA'd) $68M/4 Nate 2019 (more like an extension) $18M/1 Uehara 2015 $13M/2 Moreland 2018 and Chris Young 2016

I'd mention Contreras and cout him and Gray as more than "bit parts," but certainly not big splashes.

Looks that way. I'm not sure just the refusal of the no-trade clause was the deal-breaker.

I think $165M/5 was an overpay, and guessing what JH's future budgets might be, I think we'd see much less additions had we outbid the Cubs, so I'm not torn up over this. It's still a major loss from the 2025 team that needs to be addressed. I'm still waiting for the Devers loss to be addressed, too, but I guess one could argue Contreras & Hicks come close to covering it for 2 more years, anyway. Gray's $21M = Buehler's loss, financially and Gio's loss in production, but we need a big bat. We need a 3Bman or possibly a 2Bman. One player might fit both needs. I still would like a #2SP'er, but I think that's a pipedream. Maybe we add a 3Bman (Paredes or Viento?) and a RP'er. That might get us close to a slight improvement over 2025. That would be very sad.

The winter is not over. It's hard to be encouraged knowing we offered a major overpay on a 5 year deal, just as we saw the money offered to Soto not spent elsewhere. I do NOT think we are done making additions- yes plural. As of now, I agree we do not look "improved" from 2025, unless we start speculation on several young players busting out or most of them improving, all at once. That seems more like a hope than a fact-based projection. I'm not happy with the "end product," if this is it.

If we do nothing more, it's a close call, but I'd probably say I agree. The hope it that returning players improve and stay healthier than 2025. With a mostly young team, that's not a stretch, but it's hard to project improvement from the same players.

I remember hearing that Ben preferred to try and show he could win without spending. (I never believed it.)

It sure looks that way. Is this the first time it's been stated by the media or anyone that it is a team policy?

We lost very few batters who stunk at hitting: 284 PAs Toro 83 OPS+ 18 PAs Sabol -1 OPS+ 9 PAs Jh Garcia 76 OPS+ That might be a record for least amount of bad hitters lost over an off season. (311 PAs at about an 80 OPS+) We also lost about 1150 PAs of good to very good batters from the 2025 team: 495 Bregman 128 OPS+ 334 Devers 151 OPS+ 209 Refsnyder 131 OPS+ 119 N Lowe 121 OPS+ That's a combined OPS+ of over 130, which is better than any returning player did, last year, except Anthony at 140 in 303 PAs. These are the 2025 OPS for Sox players: 140 Anthony 303 PAs 128 Romy 341 *** 123 Contreras 563 w STL *** 116 Abreu 417 114 Duran 696 105 Eaton 90 104 Story 654 100 Narvaez 446 95 Rafaela 587 93 Yoshida 205 86 Campbell 263 85 Sogard 104 85 Mayer 136 63 DHam 194 62 Casas 112 42 Wong 188 Certainly some reason for serious concern.

More years, yes.

Are the 2025 and 2026 roster and system better than 2022-2024? If you agree, then isn't saying "improvements have been made" also correct? I agree, mistakes have been made. Coming up short on just about every FA "of interest" sucks, bigtime. Keeping an overly tight budget when it's clear as day we have a great opportunity to get to glory is ludicrous. One reason we feel like there is a great opportunity, right now, is because we have IMPROVED! As for "improvement" from 2025 to 2026, that remains to be seen. I think we are close to being the same, right now.

I thought Cora wanted Bregman to play 2B and not move Devers to DH (or 1B.)

I do think GMs might have some pull, at times, even if slight, but it's hard to prove they make a substantial difference in setting budget limits.

I was like 3 years old and living out of New England. When I said "worst I've ever seen," I didn't need to include unseen players.

I wonder of "organizational philosophy" is JH or the whole group or just Brez.

The "I agree with you" part, silly!

Agreed.

I'd prefer 1 year, but options are low. We have budget space, apparently, so not losing player to trade for someone makes more sense.

Id trade Duran for Lodlo straight up. Finding a way to dump half of Yoshida has been my 2 year quest. I want Casas/Campbell/Romy to DH. Take the Masa choice away from Cora, and it might happen. (BTW, I think Cincy says no, even if we pay $24M.)

How the hell do I know? My guess is no, if we offered Breggie $165M/5 and Suarez might get $50M/2 or $70M/3. I think dumping a salary might help get JH to spend more, later. Emphasis on might. We do have some other needs, too, and might need to add salary at the deadline. One never knows with JH. I'm not pretending to know.

I didn't see Stuart, but you might have got me on Franchy. Good pull.

Just because Cora chose to not even ask Devers to play 1B does not mean my position has no merit or basis for being valid. Giving my suggestion was not meant as a prediction, and I fully understand Cora sees things differently than I do- and you too, at times, but so what? I'm not denying what Cora said and did. He did what he thought was best, and it wasn't what I would have done. That is not proof my opinion has no merit.

Exactly, and even if the Yanks have a slight edge in their #3 SP'er, it's not the end of the hypothetical series. I see Bello as better than 15 or maybe 20 other team's #3 SP. He's not a weak area on the team. Big RHB is. 3B is. Maybe another solid SP'er is (but not to replace Bello) The pen could use help.

Duran, Yoshida + $18M for Lodolo The AAV saves us about $12M (Lodolo has 1 arb left after '26) Maybe that's enough money saved to afford Suarez.