moonslav59

The thing about signing with the Sox, is that if you are good (meaning better than Owens, Johnson and Elias) you only have 2 guys ahead of you (the 5th and 6th starters). Teams like the Yanks have a lot more of 7-10 type starters to compete for the 7 slot. True, the likelihood of the Yanks using 10 starters is higher than the Sox (with equal lost time for injuries), but I really think the Sox competition for the 7 slot is maybe weaker than most teams.

We should be damn good for 3-4 maybe 5 years for sure. It's hard to debate that. The concern about what comes afterwards is justified. I'm glad we are looking to reset the luxury tax as we enter into the new era of the CBA that restricts big spenders even more than before. I'm glad the positions in need also have the best three prospects remaining (3B- Devers, 1B- Travis, P- Groome). I'm glad we lose Pablo's salary at about the time we need to extend our top young players. I'm super glad we got Sale. I'm just worried about rebuilding the farm with low draft picks and a more restrictive international signing system.

It could have been good enough to get us to the playoffs had Porcello been the 2016 one not the 2015 one, Buch stayed healthy and our our new additions on offense not tanked. I hated that rotation, and that was a major reason I gagged at the Masterson signing. We needed 2 aces and signed a 5th starter instead. I think we finished about 20th in pitching WAR in 2015, but we did have one of the worst BAbip that year against us.

There is really no hard evidence that lackey would have retired rather than play that one more year worth us. Regardless, he wasn't a long term solution like Lester of Scherzer would have been. BC went for offense for 2015, hoping his pitching would be good enough to get us to the prime pitching FA market of 2016. Had Pablo, HanRam and Masterson done better, maybe BC would still be here for the big changes that were to come before the 2016 season: 1) The ban on signing aging pitchers to long term contracts 2) The trading away of top prospects for established stars It's something to talk about when bored, so the debate goes on and on...

It would be nicer to have someone better than O'Sullivan and Kendrick, but having a very solid 6 starters is something we haven't had in a while. We still have Owens, Johnson, Elias and Kendrick to choose from for our #7. That's about the same as what we have had over the years for 7-10 starter.

Well, last year we ended up using O'Sullivan in early May for 4 starts. He was maybe our 9th or 10th starter on the depth chart as season start. Kendrick may pitch himself into the 7th or 8th slot this spring.

According to soxprospects.com, here is what Ben had to start with... 1 Will Middlebrooks 1 Will Middlebrooks 1 Xander Bogaerts 2 Anthony Ranaudo 2 Matt Barnes 2 Matt Barnes 3 Xander Bogaerts 3 Xander Bogaerts 3 Jackie Bradley 4 Jose Iglesias 4 Jackie Bradley 4 Allen Webster 5 Ryan Lavarnway 5 Jose Iglesias 5 Bryce Brentz 6 Ryan Kalish 6 Ryan Lavarnway 6 Garin Cecchini 7 Matt Barnes 7 Bryce Brentz 7 Blake Swihart 8 Bryce Brentz 8 Brandon Jacobs 8 Henry Owens 9 Brandon Jacobs 9 Ryan Kalish 9 Jose Iglesias 10 Blake Swihart 10 Blake Swihart 10 Drake Britton 11 Sean Coyle 11 Garin Cecchini 11 Brandon Workman 12 Garin Cecchini 12 Anthony Ranaudo 12 Deven Marrero 13 Felix Doubront 13 Junichi Tazawa 13 Brian Johnson 14 Alex Wilson 14 Brandon Workman 14 Alex Wilson 15 Drake Britton 15 Alex Wilson 15 Anthony Ranaudo 16 Kolbrin Vitek 16 Henry Owens 16 Keury De La Cruz 17 Stolmy Pimentel 17 Stolmy Pimentel 17 Brandon Jacobs 18 Oscar Tejeda 18Drake Britton 18Jose Vinicio 19 Jackie Bradley 19Jose Vinicio 19Stolmy Pimentel 20 Henry Owens Here's what DD had to start with... 1 Blake Swihart 1 Eduardo Rodriguez 1 Yoan Moncada 2 Yoan Moncada 2 Yoan Moncada 2 Rafael Devers 3 Henry Owens 3 Rafael Devers 3 Anderson Espinoza 4 Manuel Margot 4 Manuel Margot 4 Manuel Margot 5 Rafael Devers 5 Brian Johnson 5 Andrew Benintendi 6 Eduardo Rodriguez 6 Henry Owens 6 Javier Guerra 7 Brian Johnson 7 Andrew Benintendi 7 Michael Kopech 8 Matt Barnes 8 Michael Kopech 8 Brian Johnson 9 Michael Chavis 9 Javier Guerra 9 Sam Travis 10 Michael Kopech 10 Deven Marrero 10 Deven Marrero 11 Deven Marrero 11 Anderson Espinoza 11 Michael Chavis 12 Garin Cecchini 12 Trey Ball 12 Luis Alexander Basabe 13 Trey Ball 13 Michael Chavis 13 Logan Allen 14 Edwin Escobar 14 Pat Light 14 Trey Ball 15 Sean Coyle 15 Sam Travis 15 Wendell Rijo 16 Javier Guerra 16 Travis Shaw 16 Nick Longhi 17 Sam Travis 17 Ty Buttrey 17 Marco Hernandez 18 Wendell Rijo 18 Mauricio Dubon 18 Mauricio Dubon 19 Travis Shaw 19 Teddy Stankiewicz 19 Pat Light 20 Teddy Stankiewicz 20 Wendell Rijo 20 Teddy Stankiewicz

Yes, the same draft that was a major result of letting Beltre and VMart walk- something Theo was highly criticized for doing. We got Barnes & Owens for VMart and Swihart & JBJ for Beltre. We got Betts in the 5th round. I believe Theo also got Margot in the international market that summer. Had BC traded Bogey and/or Betts for Hamel, where would we be right now? Hamel has done very well, but at a high financial cost.

The "fat budget" actually did not help as much as one might expect. Yes, Vic & Napoli worked for one year, and Moncada helped us gain Sale, but most of BC's big spending was a failure. I was against the HanRam & Pablo signings, but both did way worse than expected in 2015. It's tough for GM's since they are always judged in hindsight, but I do feel that despite the bad signings, BC left the team in way better shape than Theo did. I realize many of the best players on BC's team given to DD were Theo's players, but he avoided trading them for players like Hamel. Had he done so, maybe he'd still be around, but I things would be very different.

Here's an updated scouting report on Jason Groome... http://www.soxprospects.com/players/groome-jason.htm

I'm not upset about the signing or the results. It's winter with nothing else to talk about. It was very classy for him to retire and take us off the hook for the rest of his contract. He did fine as a number 5, but I'm just saying he didn't perform as expected. Even figuring in a regression from about a 2.5 WAR to 2.0 or even 1.5, he came up very short. I was hoping he'd become a solid #3 and take the pressure off Buch.

Yes, the Sox were in a favorable situation after 2015. That's why some of us are not as down on BC as others.

I don't understand why so many people think the very very steep decline Dempster showed in 2013 was ok. Look at the numbers; he did not give us what we expected on the mound. It is clear as day. Now, the clubhouse presence is another matter, and I have recognized him for that contribution. He did not do badly, but that's not what we paid him for. I've admitted he brought some value to the team, but the big Dempster supporters have never admitted he declined on the mound significantly. Please look at these numbers and tell me they were what we should have expected: WAR 10 2.6 11 2.5 12 2.8 13 0.5 His ERA- went from 81 to 109 from 2012 to 2013. His WHIP went from 1.20 to 1.45. At least acknowledge he declined by more than the usual age regression curve.

I guess it's all about the hear and now for some. Miggy and Verlander have earned their keep so far and damn the future.

. My point was that BC did not trade away Theo's top prospects. To say DD didn't either is really "changing the argument" as DD's comparable would be BC's prospects not Theo's who mostly had graduated.

Because they weren't prospects anymore and had already become indispensable. Wasn't Margot and Shaw Theo's guys? DD has traded away these prospects in the last 8 months (by highest soxprospects ranking): 1 Moncada (Sale) 3 Espinoza (Pomeranz) 3 Margot (Kimbrel) 5 Kopech (Sale) 6 Guerra (Kimbrel) 7 Basabe (Sale) 9 Dubron (Thornburg) 12 Rijo (A Hill) 12 Shaw (Thornburg) 13 L Allen (Kimbrel) 18 Basabe (Ziegler) 20 C Asuaje (Kimbrel) 21 V Diaz (Sale) 24 Pennington (Thornburg) 40 J Almonte (Ziegler) 43 Wilkerson (A Hill) Had BC traded similar ranked guys for an immediate win now strategy, where would 1 or 2 of Betts, Bogey, JBJ and others be right now? Maybe BC would still have his job.

Whatever you want to call BC's plan, I am certain those above him signed onto it. I called it a 5 year plan, because I think he was eyeing adding pitching the next year. Maybe it was more of a 4 year plan. This didn't mean the Sox could suck for 4-5 years while his plan took effect. Clearly, with the spending continuing, we were supposed to remain competitive for those 2-3 years before his plan reached fruition- or being highly competitive as a top 3 ring contender for several years afterwards. It's my opinion- nothing more.

Very sad news. RIP

I've always disliked the idea of building a staff by adding a 5th starter. 1) They rarely work out to the extent that they often don't even pitch like a number 5. Dempster (actually signed to be a #3-4 type), Masterson, Penny, Smoltz, Aaron Cook, Padilla, and on and on... Build from the top 2 or 3 or don't build at all- use the money on the pen as you'll need it. One reason I am ecstatic over the Sale trade.

Yes, the Theo prospects BC did not trade away.

I clearly said the "five year plan" was my term. I know why BC got canned.

Bags is in the Hall, and Fangraphs reports... A Note on the Infamous Andersen-Bagwell Deal Andersen made 15 appearances with the Red Sox, allowing three runs over 22 innings. Boston finished two games ahead of Toronto to win the AL East. That winter, Andersen was one of several players declared a free agent as part of the 1990 collusion settlement. Lou Gorman, the Red Sox GM at the time, later told me that he went to the league office prior to making the deal and was told Andersen wouldn’t be affected, only to have an arbitrator subsequently decide otherwise.

If Betts, Bogey and JBJ do well, they will get a big payday. Maybe they won't get $30M, but they are not Bautista or Trumbo. I'm hopeful we can dump Pablo's salary after this year, and HanRam and his deals are done at about the right time to have to pay big to keep the stars we want. We may end up losing one, but I think we can keep the ones we need. I'm mostly worried about rebuilding the farm under the new rules. We have Swihart, Groome, Devers and Travis that can help with some low cost for a while, but eventually a weak farm is going to catch up to us. Those who think it's going to be easy to build back up are betting on rolling the dice to snake eyes.

Sox have the 24th pick as the draft order is now set. The Cubs get the 27th and 30th pick due to Fowler signing with the Cards. The Blue Jays get 22 and 28. The Rangers 26 and 29.

MLBTR... Drew Pomeranz told reporters (including Tim Britton of the Providence Journal) that he received a stem-cell injection in his left elbow after last season concluded. The southpaw said he felt some “minor elbow discomfort” last year but is now feeling healthy as he enters his pre-Spring Training preparations. Pomeranz’s health was a major source of controversy last season, as Padres GM A.J. Preller was issued a 30-day suspension for failing to disclose medical information about Pomeranz to the Red Sox before Boston acquired the lefty for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza. Speaking of Pomeranz, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham and other reporters that the two sides are getting close to a deal to avoid an arbitration hearing. Pomeranz filed for a $5.7MM salary while the Sox countered with a $3.6MM offer.