moonslav59

True, but on last final very generous extension offer would speak for its self. (The anti-Lester maneuver.)

Agreed. Cots is all I ever use, being a "budgie" and all.

It's not really "small market" anymore. The Dodgers did it with Joc. That Yanks do it. Put the best team on the field as much as possible.

That's how I see it. First, I make him one final very generous extension offer, and let him know we value him and want him. Before trading him, I'd tell him we appreciate him and will be better in 2021 because of this trade. By 2021, we should have plenty of budget space to re-sign him. (By waiting until the season starts, however, we won't get a penalty for signing him in 2021.)

He only has started less than 10% of his games vs lefties, so you may be right (476 to 49 GS'd). He's basically played 5 seasons and only has 377 total PAs vs LHPs. Besides, I'm fine with platoons, and it's easier to find a matching player who hits lefties well and can defend the OF for real cheap.

I get that, but at the time, Webster & DLR were projected to be decent ML pitcher. It just didn't work out that way.

If we end up having a big sell-off and get way below the tax line, once option could be to give Rusney his chance.

I said the same about CC when we signed him. You are right, .572 means you should not play vs LHPs, but he's still worth getting.

Well, Webster and DLR were supposed to be decent players, and we actually dumped 2 players (CC & Beckett) with AGon. In that year, those were a lot of dollars and years left on those deals.

OK, Betts & Eovaldi. We'll keep Castillo. It's not like Eovaldi will surely be hurt.

The want a ring badly. I'm flashing back to them taking CC to get pretty highly paid AGon & Beckett. But, hell no, they won't do it. Maybe if we threw in $10M x 3 years.

I respect you a lot, jacko, but your team just had the most injuries in the history of the world, yet somehow our players are all fragile.

Only if your name is Jacoby.

Could we get Pederson for Price & Betts with no $$$ going to LA? No? How about Betts, Castillo & Eovaldi?

I vote Lindblom.

Just do it. Pay the guy.

Or, 3 or less players! LOL! (I actually thought my offer was light, but it is just for one year of JM- projected last arb year cost $3M.)

There might have been better comps to show how skinnier players age poorly, and I didn't mean to imply you were a lunatic or something. If it's just about money, I'm pretty sure, when all is said and done, Betts will have made may more money for Henry than he made for himself.

He may need to anyway with the injury history of these two guys. I'm thinking with the money saved, we let Bloom do his thing and find some gems in the rough.

I think this is the first time you haven't ripped one my trade ideas.

MLBTRs breaks down the Sox (their budget numbers seem off): https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/offseason-outlook-boston-red-sox-10.html

Should we sign Betts to over $300M/10 years? History will be against us, but... Here are the highest contracts of all time (some were not FA signings): (Not Longterm) 7+ Years $35.5 x 12 Trout (to 2030- renogotiated) $33.0 x 2 Verlander (to 2021) $32.5 x 6 Greinke (to 2021) Renegotiated $32.5 x 8 Arenado (to 2026) $31.0 x 8 Miggy (to 2023) $31.0 x 7 Price (to 2022) $31.0 x 3 Kershaw (to 2021- renegotiate) $30.7 x 7 Kershaw (to 2020) $30.0 x 7 Scherzer ('21) $30.0 x 10 Machado ('28) $28.0 x 1 Clemens '07 $27.5 x 10 ARod '17 (renegotiated) $27.5 x 4 Cespedes '20 $27.5 x 4 deGrom '20 $26.0 x 5 Goldschmidt '24 $25.8 x 6 Lester '20 $25.7 x 7 Verlander '19 $25.6 x 5 Chris Sale '24 $25.4 x 13 Harper'31 $25.2M x 10 ARod '10 $25.0 x 5 Howard '16 $25.0 x 13 Stanton '27 $25.0 x 3 Cespedes '18 $25.0 x 7 Strasburg '23 $25.0 x 3 Arrieta '20 $24.5 x 6 Greinke '18 $24.4 x 5 Sabathia '16 (renegotiated) $24.1 x 6 Trout '20 $24.0 x 5 Cliff Lee '15 $24.0 x 10 Pujols '21 $24.0 x 6 Hamels '18 $24.0 x 10 R Cano '23 $23.8 x 9 Fielder '20 $23.4 x 7 Altuve '24 $23.3 x 6 Corbin '24 $23.0 x 7 Sabathia '15 $23.0 x 8 Mauer '18 $23.0 x 7 Chris Davis '22 (Only 4+ yr deals listed below) $22.9 x 6 J Santana '13 $22.5 x 8 Teixeira '16 $22.5 x 10 Votto '23 $22.1 x 7 Tanaka '20 $22.1 x 6 J Upton '21 $22.0 x 7 A Gon '18 $22.0 x 4 H Ram '18 $22.0 x 5 J Zimmerman '20 $22.0 x 5 JD Martinez '22 (opt outs) $21.9 x 7 Ellsbury '20 $21.7 x 6 Cueto '21 $21.3 x 6 M Cain '17 $21.2 x 5 J Upton '22 (renogiated) $21.0 x 5 R Braun '20 $21.0 x 6 Darvish '23 $20.6 x 4 Porcello '19 $20.3 x 7 C Crawford '17 $20.0 x 8 M Ramirez '08 $20.0 x 8 M Kemp '19 $20.0 x 5 Bregman '24 $20.0 x 6 Bogaerts '25

I did a complete study a while back, and a clear majorty ended up being bad deals for the team- many were horrible, some like Manny worked great but still ended badly. I realize the risk. I just think Betts has so many skills, and his unique "twitch skills" makes him very special. There's no "history" to compare him to, I mean someone was comparing him to Tim Raines and Pudge Rodriguez, just because he's kind of small. Come on! Betts is not Raines or Pudge. Maybe his defense will decline due to slowly losing his speed, but he has tremendous instincts and a strong arm. In Fenway Park, that is and always will be a huge plus. His value will not be greatly diminished by reduced SBs. One can imagine his power increasing as many players do, once they reach the 29-34 years. He also brings fans to the park and TV. He sells jerseys. He may not be worth $30M his last 2-4 years of a 10-12 year deal, but he may very well be worth over $50M for the next 2-5 years. I realize I may eat my words, and things could go horrible wrong, but to me, Mookie is who makes the Sox the Sox.

I meant Price and or Eovaldi-- addition by subtraction.

He has improved while JBJ had declined (on offense): .Jake: .607 2013-2016 (1038 PAs) .728 2017-2019 (812 PAs) Jackie .548 2013-2014 (530 PAs) .834 2015-2016 (891 PAs) .728 2013-2016 .727 2017-2019 (1643)