moonslav59

I really don't think the $21.3B v $6B is the deciding factor. The bidding would never get near $6B, so it's really about the owner's willingness to go to absurd levels to "get his guy." How will we ever know just how absurd Cohen would have gotten? Anyway, it doesn't really matter. The point that matters to me is whether JH was really prepared to pay $700M, or if he'd have gone to $725M, if he felt that had a chance of winning the bidding. If he was, then I'm encouraged, a little, that his spending might go up, soon, If it was all for show, then the sham has kicked into overdrive.

I think 85-90% is on point, assuming he shows he can hit .775 for a few weeks.

This makes the most sense, and to be honest, I think Sox management will put off promoting 2-3 of our top 3 prospects, until the extra year of control is gained, so there is not really a 26 man roster crunch. Even if we add Teoscar or Santander without an OF trade, wee can still manage the roster, until a call-up.

couple months, probably not. Pillar was 1.5, I think. I chose not to mention JBJ and the 1/4 year of Marwin.

We've done well with the one and done OF'ers: Renfroe, Duvall & O'Neill.

Got that right. Scherzer would have been cheaper than those three and kept us from signing Price to 7 years and $210M.

We could probably manage one more significant prospect trade and still have a good farm, but we'd need some luck. If we trade Mayer, we'd need Story to remain healthy until Arias/Romero are ready. Trading Anthony or Campbell would need to bring back a top pitcher with 4+ years of control to keep any idea of a long window open. I don't see that happening. I don't think we'd get much for Perales, Arias or Romero, Bleis or Jh Garcia or Cespedes. We'd probably have to give up 2-3 of them plus more to get something substantial. Including Abreu or Rafaela and or maybe DHam or Grissom might help, but that should only be done, if we add a Teoscar, Santander or Bregman. Maybe we could just hand the season to the kids and trade some current starters: Mayer at SS, 3B or 3B. Campbell and 2B or 3B. Anthony in RF/CF and have Narvaez catch as much as Wong (see Murphy suggestion.) Trade Story and $24M for Murphy. Trade Wong, Abreu and DHam for a pitcher, and just sign Teoscar to 3 years, something JH can stomach. C: Murphy & Narvaez 1B: Casas (Romy) 2B: Campbell, Grissom (Rafaela) SS: Mayer, Romy (Rafaela) 3B: Devers (Romy) LF: Duran-Refsnyder CF: Rafaela-Duran RF: Anthony (Campbell) DH: Yoshida (Refsnyder) SP: Crochet, Houck, __SP in trade__, Bello, Giolito RP: Chapman, Hendriks, Slaten, Whitlock, Crawford, Winckowski, Criswell, Wilson

I'm not sure I'd use the word "strange." It's expected, now. Even when JH was spending with big boys, it was usually one big signing. I think the biggest duo signing was HRam & Pablito.

When the list gets narrowed to 4-5 players available, and we need to hope JH essentially overpays on 2 of them, the winter looks bleak. Sure, one signing and another trade might get us just to the point of mild satisfaction, but at what cost to the extended future?

It probably has to be Burnes & Teoscar or Flaherty & Bregman, to me.

No, but you know, there are a lot of teams that think they are a player or two away from making the playoffs or going far in the playoffs. There might be less than a handful of teams that are in full rebuild mode. Even the A's are spending (due to the gun upside their noggin.) The Dodgers seem far away on Teoscar, but you never know with them. The Yanks have done a lot, already. If we add Buehler and Teoscar, we still lost ground to them. (I'd subtract Buehler from your list and maybe add Manaea, Scott and Hoffman.) The Mets might be in on one of these guys- maybe Flaherty. TOR seems to be willing to spend. Burnes to SFG was rumored, long ago. I think the best we can hope for, which is more than I expect is Flaherty and Santander. I think that would nudge us into the "got better" category, but that is based more on my hopes for Anthony, Campbell and maybe Mayer giving the team a boost than thinking Crochet, Flaherty, Chapman & Santander is a significant upgrade over Pivetta, O'Neill, J Jansen, Martin and D Jansen. The rotation would be better, but the pen worse. Maybe Santander equals O'Neill's 2024 numbers. It would be an okay winter, but I was hoping (dreaming) for more, especially after the Soto hype and reported $700M opened up.

The winter is not over, but it sure looks bleak. I'm really not thrilled with anyone, leftover, even if we get one or two at last minute bargain rates. The pen was the worst in the majors over the second half, and despite most pen arms being volatile, our pen looks worse, on paper. The Chapman, Hendriks, Wilson and Whitlock additions don't outweigh the loss of our best two RP'ers since Kimbrel in 2017-2018. I think our offense can make up for O'Neill's loss, and if Story can remain healthy and with EValdez's departure, our middle IF defense should be much improved. The fixation with keeping Devers at 3B is troublesome. Casas is no better at 1B. Maybe Narvaez can fix the awful catcher D, but we still have those three positions ranked bottom 5.

I drove a taxi. I worked salting Cod on the docks of Portland. I worked a smally rendering plant. I think that qualifies. I don't see why AZ wants Yoshida, or what this has to do with street kill.

I've kinda given up on the Yoshidump idea. I'm not very high on Monty, anymore, but we need pitching and he's a shot in the dark. We can fill the DH role, easily, but not rotation slots. I'm not sure AZ wants Yoshida, unless we pay 2 bags of cash.

I doubt he'd have gone that high. He could get Burnes, Fried, Bregman and Alonso for that, and then some.

So, how have the best AL teams of 2024 done, so far? NYY: Added Fried, Bellinger and D Williams BAL: Added Sugano, O'Neill and G Sanchez CLE: nothing major HOU: Added Paredes/ Lost Tucker (may lose Bregman) DET: Added Alex Cobb KCR: nothing major BOS: Added Crochet, Chapman, Narvaez (Lost O'Neill and may lose Pivetta, Jansen, Martin)

Kinda expected. Maybe they give up on Bregman. Not sure about Burnes.

Sounds like it might work. I'm ready to start the Anthony-Campbell-Mayer era. I don't think we can win without them, as things look, now.

I think alternating Devers and Casas at 1B-DH could help them stay healthier and not need days off from the line-up. That could give each of them 20+ more PAs, even if they still get hurt the same amount. If Yohida becomes a sunken cost, so be it. The Bregman gain is worth it. The improved defense is worth it. Word was he could have played LF in 2024, had he not been hurt, so maybe he could play some there. Many see Yoshida as already being a sunken cost, and one poster already wants him DFA'd. I'm biased towards defense. I admit it.

If I'm Sasaki, I'm looking at Baked Beans and Clam Chowder as my deciding factors.

IMO, the weak link is clear as day, now, but yes, it could change, and that is a plus with Bregman. His ability to play SS might be more important than 2B, actually. To me, fixing our 3B defense, and maybe improving 1B D overrides trying to keep Yoshida in the line-up. I'm also more confident in our 2B options than many seem to be. (Campbell and the platoon of DHam with Grissom/Romy) Nobody has to be etched in stone on DEC 17th, but I think signing him with the idea that he'd play 2B, with everyone healthy seems very wrong, to me. The line-up may be stronger with Yoshida over DHam-Grissom, and I can see how that is a solid point, but I actually think a DHam-Grissom/Romy platoon can hit .775, like Yoshida does, and the D upgrade would be very helpful with Breg at 2B, DHam-Campbell at 2B and devers at 1B. Just my take. (BTW, I was also for Story at SS and Bogey at 2B or 3B, when we signed Trevor, so what do I know?)

While Murphy is due $15M a year from 2025 to 2028 (4 yrs) with a team option for $15M in '29 (no buyout,) his tax hit is just $12.2M a year. That $3M may be helpful, if Jh ever decides to spend up to the line. They have a very young OF, so I'm not sure they'd need Rafaela or Abreu, but I do think they'd want a player that would help them, right away. The guy is not a salary dump, but his salary might keep the return cost from being something real bad. Would one or two from Whitlock, Rafaela and Abreu be enough? Could one plus Kelly and a non 40 man roster good prospect be enough?

But why start the plan with Devers at 3B and Breg at 2B just to keep Yoshida in the line-up? If that's the case, then trade Casas for a pitcher. Sure, Bregman can be a back-up plan for 2B or SS, but no way do I signing him to be the 2025 2B plan. The flexibility is a plus, for sure, and could come into play, but not on the projected 2025 starting line-up. Injuries can always change things.

Emphasis on "might." Romy might be okay as the third stringer. Romero & Arias are in the pipeline but too far away for 2025.

Oh, he'd play at 2B, if we kept Devers at 3B, but why not "flush it out," now? Devers has sucked at 3B for way too long. Bregman is a plus defender there. Also, about 2B, while it has been a major issue for over 6 years, except for the brief time Story played there, I feel better about what we have, now, since Pedey. I'm a big fan of Campbell, and I'd be okay with him being our starting 2Bman on opening day, or the day after he earns the extra year of control. I'm also more than fine with starting the year with DHam vs RHPs and grissom or Romy vs LHPs. I like all 3 of them better than EValdez, Westbrook, Sogard, Reyes, Gasper and Wong. These guys played more than half the innings at 2B, last year. Grissom did not look good on D.