moonslav59

Hicks will get a look. I'm not expecting anything beyond a DFA.

Posters used to bitch how we let all our top young players go. Now, we lock them up long term, but are being asked to ignore the future spending we committed to. It doesn't really count. It is obvious to anyone paying attention, the team spending philosophy has changed dramatically since the Devers extension was signed almost exactly 3 years ago. While adjusting for inflation, we have not returned to 2018-2019 levels, and we could & should be spending more, there has been some very marked changes in our spending habits. Still no large and long FA deals, but the amount of veteran and rookie extensions has sky-rocketed. Our yearly budget, tax budget and new spending has jumped noticeably since the end of 2024. Again, dumping Devers undid much of that trend upwards, and it remains to be seen where we go from here, but JH & Brez have spent more than Bloom ever dreamed of. I haven't checked, but my guess is 2 years of Brez has outspent 4 years of Bloom on new player contracts + extensions. That's not saying a lot, but it is a major uptick, so when I hear JH IS cheap, he's not been, recently. It's just not true.

I want the Sox to go to the playoffs more than the random rate suggests- way more. Of course, I do. We've spent way more than half the teams since 2019, and in many of those years more than 2/3, 3/4 and even more in 2019. We should win more by spending more. Many other teams do- some don't. Our revenue is much higher, so spending more makes sense. Winning more makes sense, too. I'm not defending JH. I'm just not going to lie and say "We aren't spending," which is in the present tense, when we are currently top 8, and only 6 teams paid more in Lux tax, in 2025. Can and should we spend more? YES! I just don't see the need to misrepresent what is going on now to make the point. I agree with the point being made that we can and should spend more.

If BTV is a guide, these guys are likely worth this much: $5M x 2 Yoshida ($10M value/ 2yrs - $36M salary= -$26M) $2M x 2 Hicks ($4M value/ 2 yrs- $22M salary= -$18M) To trade these guys for zero in return, w'ed have to include $26M for Masa and $18M for Hicks. If we got two teams to do this, we'd save $7M x 2 and $7M off the tax line.

1. Easier said than done on trading Hicks and half his salary. (Same with Yoshida.) 2. We have 4 OF'ers and playing Duran at DH is not getting full value. (He's worth more to another team as an OF'er than to us as a DH.) That's 2 big reasons why.

Not sure. 1.5 years from AUG '25 surgery is FEB '27. Knowing our luck, JUN '27 might be pushing it.

Actually, Houck was our #2. Buehler might have been our 3 or 4. I think we might have wanted: 1. Crochet, 2. Houck, 3. Buehler 4/5 Bello/Gio, 6. Crawford. Our 2-3 sucked. Our 4/5 carried us. Dobbins and a couple other depth guys helped, too.

It's likely we do a little of both, if we sign Bregman. 1. Lots of deferred money. 2. Trading away some salary- most likely Duran's $7.75M contract.

Those "special projects" are not the way I'd spend the money, for sure. We are like O for 15, now. He's not much different than Kluber, who was a Cy Young winner a few years before we signed him. He's not much different from Richards who was a fine pitcher years before. Paxton, too. The only difference, and it may not matter is this... Kluber was 37. Richards was 33-34. Paxton was 34 & 35. Sandoval was 28, last season and will be 29, this season. Again, my placement of Sandoval as our #4, and I'd be fine with Oviedo #4 and Sandoval #5, is based on a highly dubious assumption that all our pitchers are 100% healthy. He may end up our 9th starter or never start one game for us. I fully understand that. When he's healthy, he's shown he can pitch very well for long stretches, unlike many others in consideration for those 4 and 5 slots. Who else has proven they can go 24+ MLB starts and put up very nice numbers? 1. Crochet 2. Gray 3. Bello 4. Sandoval

Yes, that's why I said "Dobbins, at the time," as in when he was still part of the rotation discussion, injury and all.

My point was that we did about what a random chance study would expect. I'm not happy with that. We should have done better. We spent more than most teams over those years. We underperformed based on spending. That's on Bloom. The reduced new spending was on JH. JH has been spending more since the Devers extension, so let's see where we go from here. If this team looked like crap, I'd be more upset about spending levels and management philosophies. I think we are trending in the right direction. We are spending significantly more- just in different ways. We made the playoffs in 2025 and I'm hoping with 1 or 2 more additions, we can be a top 4-5 team on paper by opening day. I have not felt like we are one big player away for a long time.

Sandoval's non return to action in 2025 is very concerning. He will not be handed a rotation slot, if he has health issues or is not doing well in ST'ing. When I slot him as our #4, I usually state that this is assuming everyone, including Crawford and Dobbins, at the time are at 100%. That's a big qualifier- I know. The Sox gave him almost $18M. They must think he's good enough for the 4/5 slot, if healthy. You don't earn a 3.7fWAR in under 150 IP by being lucky. (Sandoval in 2022.) He was top 40 in fWAR from 2021-2022 (200+ IP) at 5.4. He remained top 40 when you include 2023 (350+ IP) with a 7.7 fWAR. Int hose 3 years, only 36 pitchers pitched more IP and had a higher fWAR. His 5.7 bWAR is not as impressive, but it's still good enough to make our 5 man rotation, if he can return to that form.

Agreed, although I think Breggie might allow just enough money to be deferred so we stay under a tax line.

That talk never bothered me. I was part of those talks for many of years. Of course it was and still is justified. JH stood idle as the team tanked. That does not mean we have to misrepresent what he's done recently just to drive home a point.

I'm fine with your view, but I think differently. Among other things, I look at Lux Tax dollars and only 6 teams paid a higher 2025 Lux Tax than BOS. I look at spending trends, and we have certainly trended upwards at a sharp incline. Granted, this needs context, as we cut so much spending over the previous 4 seasons, that upward inclines are skewed. I am thrilled to see the change in philosophy on extending our best young players to long deal- years beyond their control ends. The extensions to vets like Devers, Crochet and Chapman are also good signs of change. This in no way excuses what JH & Co. did beginning in 2019 and more or less continuing until the end of 2024.

I thought I was saying the last time Beiber was any good was when Sandoval was. Of course, Cole and Rodon have shown they can be way better than Sandoval ever was- and Crawford, too. Speaking of last years these pitchers had big seasons.... Last 5 years 3.5+ fWAR seasons (BOLD=2022>) 6.2 Rodon '22, 5.0 '21 5.8 Crochet '25, 4.6 Crochet '24 5.5 Gausman '22, 5.3 '23, 4.8 '21, 4.1 '25 5.4 Gray '23. 3.8 '24, 3.6 '25 5.3 Cole '23, 5.2 '21 4.7 Bieber '22 4.5 Cease '21, 4.4 '22, 3.6 '23 3.7 Sandoval '22 How about last 3 years only 3.7 or better: 5.8 Crochet '25, 4.6 Crochet '24 5.3 Gausman '22, 4.1 '25 5.4 Gray '23. 3.8 '24, 3.6 '25 5.3 Cole '23

Sorry, My bad. I mixed you up with another poster. I happen to think Sandoval has promise. He was pretty good for 2 seasons. If he doesn't do well, maybe Crawford can pitch like 2023. If he doesn't do well, maybe the promise Harrison once had comes to fruition. If he sucks, we still have Tolle & Early. Let's hope we don't see 3-4 guys suck as we trial and error it to find the 4th or 5th guy that does well. We might be out of it by then. I think we have a solid 1-2-3 rotation. Our 4-5 are sketchy, and other teams have better 4s and 5s. I think our 6-9 SP'ers beat out almost every other team, and most teams need to go 8-9 deep or more, so maybe we gain there. fangraphs has our pitching ranked #2. I don't think I'm being a homer thinking our staff is pretty solid and deep.

Yup. 7 seasons and 2 playoffs. 7 seasons x 8 teams per playoff= 56 2/56= 1/28th. The league avg is 1/30th. The average team should have made it 2 times.

I'm not loving Sandoval. He was a really good pitcher a few years back, as was Crawford. He may come back: he may not. We've had horrible luck on pitchers returning from injury. Why all the love for Cole? Rodon starts the year on the IL, but somehow Yankess injuries are different? TOR has Bieber who was last good when Sandy was. Sandy was expected to come back and maybe be our 4/5, last year. Perhaps I mispoke.

Looks like the Cubs are bidding on Bellinger and forced the Yanks to make a counter offer.

Here's the short version: our spending level has been close to 2018 and 2019 for the 2025 and 2026 season. We maybe spend poorly, We may avoid large and long on FAs, but we are extending our best young players like never before. I have some beefs with JH & Co, but he has been spending much more, recently.

I've been highly critical of JH and team management, but I won't lie and say he doesn't spend to make my point. It's ok to hold both views.

I think there were two. I joined the site after one had left. I remember he joined forces with me on my "No Manny-No Rings" thread that went over 10,000 posts long, and I agreed with him on "Jake's" poor defense early in his career, but there was little else we were even close on. He despised Theo and anyone who defended him. The 2007 ring season blew him apart, but of course, he'd never admit it.

I can see some thinking yes. 2018 seems long ago, but there are 30 teams in MLB- maybe 10 that are really building for a strong chance, e very year. The history of 2 year lulls in sending seemed okay. Then, he went 4 years, and it's the firing squad for him.

I'd do it. I like the extra year of Wilyer, his defense, and his power more than Duran. His age, too. I'd prefer it be Duran, but I'd give RF to Anthony, in order to get Lodolo & McLain.