notin

They could also extend ERod, assuming he is ever healthy enough to pitch again...

While their values are equal on baseballtradevalues.com, I think it would be smarter to deal Dalbec over Chavis. Chavis is etablishing himself nicely into the weak side platoon at 1B, and is probably not an everyday player. Dalbec, on the other hand, probably has some more appeal around the league as a potential starting 3B, and, unlike Chavis, has yet to disprove he can handle the role. Why hand that role over to Dalbec when Chavis is actually handling it nicely and has somehow come close to being an actual bright spot on this abysmal team? Maybe he can get a decent arm for Dalbec, even if it is a pen arm. Or a CF. (Dalbec to St. Louis for Harrison Bader? Dalbec to Tampa for Randy Arozarena?) The wildest of wild cards might be to move Dalbec to the OF, but I don't consider that to be all that likely...

The clearcut strength of the 2021 Red Sox will be the utility infielder position. With Peraza, Lin, Arroyo, Yairo Munoz, Arausz, and CJ Chatham all in the mix for that one spot. It might be nice if one of them can step up and take over 2B...

It’s very possible the Sox had no chance of extending Betts. But if that’s the case, then trading him was absolutely the right move, and hindsight only drills this point in even deeper, as the Sox have since lost Sale and ERod. Dombrowski did a great job acquiring Cabrera, but his extension of him already ranks among the worst contracts in MLB history, and it’s far from over. His contract with Verlander looked that way, too, but Verlander somehow jumped back atop his game after a couple years where it looked like he was declining into mediocrity and is back among the best starters in MLB. Maybe the mistake there was unloading him, but I can totally understand why he did it. He did have a weird knack for not only ignoring closers in Detroit, but the bullpen in general. He appeared to switch this philosophy in Boston not only with Kimbrel but also in his early deals to acquire Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith, both of whom flopped for reasons unrelated to Dombrowski (unless he ignored medicals?). The Sale extension was the most perplexing. I think everyone in the Milky Way figures Sale to be in line for a much bigger deal, and it was such a bargain, one could only wonder - were the medicals being ignored? Or did Dombrowski figure even if Sale missed some time, the overall contract would still be worth it. The Eovaldi contract was f***ing stupid. If the rest of MLB was that hot for him, DD should have let him walk. World Series hero or not...

The team was 84-78 when he took over, a drop of 24 wins from the previous season. They were at their budget limit, and had no prospects in the BA Top 100 prior to the season with their best one being a first baseman in A ball. WHat did people expect this year to be like, given they had absolutely zero methods of improving that thy could use? No money to sign. No prospects to trade. And all Bloom could do was cruise the waiver wire hoping to find some gold in the garbage dump...

Not really. They had their scandal, and the sheer volume of hitters who struggled with other teams only to turn into flat out offensive monsters with the Yankees is well beyond suspicious...

I believe the hitting coach you are referring to was the one with access to the replay room...

Strong disagree. Ilitchwas spending like mad to get a title and Dombrowski had an open checkbook. Did you realize 37yo Miguel Cabrera is still owed $92 million over the next 3 years?!?! Who the f*** pays a 40yo DH $30mill per?!?!? Betts will have a tremendous career, but Henry has spending limits. Some fans just don’t want to acknowledge this and think he “prints money.” Others, whose names rhyme with Flea Peach Dead, think he should stop spending on his soccer team and trophy wife and spend those dollars on the Red Sox. But the fact remains, no matter what he spends on anything else, only so much is earmarked for the Red Sox. He cut spending Cherington’s first year, too. Trading a superstar rarely yields equal return, and the only time I can think of it happening was when the Guardians traded Bartolo Colon. (The Mariners trade of Mark Langston would rank if anyone ever thought Langston was a superstar.). But since Dombrowski spent his allowance, it always looked like retaining Betts was going to be difficult if not impossible. And Verdugo will never be Betts, but he certainly could be an All Star someday. (And I think the same about Graterol, which is why it bugs me.)

And that was exactly the point the Dombrowski Bashers predicted. I was right off the bat angry about the Kimbrel trade and the Price contract for this exact reason. And the Eovaldi contract, too...

Right. Let’s dump Alex Verdugo so we can pave the way for Cole Sturgeon!!

Since going 0 for the first 3 games, Chavis has hit .351 and slugged .649. No walks, however...

They definitely had sustained contention. They also had should-be-Hall-of-Famer Andruw Jones in CF....

And Gio Urshela is Lou Gehrig against the Sox. (And Lou Merloni against the rest of MLB.)

Agreed. It was certainly mishandled up front...

Be fair. Pillar is facing actual MLB pitchers! Put him up against this Sox staff, and he might turn into Willie Mays Jr...

The only reason to bench Moreland is to showcase Chavis. Moreland has a $3mill team option, so is very likely to be manning first in Boston in 2021, assuming there is a season...

Hopefully we get Sale and ERod back. That would bolster the rotation big time...

Remember a few years ago when the Red Sox sent a lineup of patient hitters up to the plate and took lots of pitches and every wanted them to be more aggressive?

I would have trade him. TRying to sign him was a failure, and inking him to the Dodger contract would have had massive implications down the road that I could ignore as a fan (for now, anyway), but not as a GM/owner. But I would not have rejected the Graterol deal, as we need the arms...

I don't think the players mind that part so much. They still get paid. The fans and the General Managers might have issue with it...

Weber is looking like a potential long man/mop up guy. So we do have THAT role filled going forward...

Not a chance, as there will be no ticket sales...

I think if they take back a bad (but not so bad) contract, like Kingery, the bullpen-deficient Phillies might be willing to listen on a Major League arm that has untapped potential but is simply not working out, like Nick Pivetta or Vince Velasquez. FWIW, a trade of Workman for Kingery and Pivetta on the infamous baseballtradevalues.com simulator is acceptable, and a trade of Workman for Kingery and Velasquez is a minor overpay. A trade of Barnes and Workman for Kingery, Pivetta, and Velasquez is acceptable...

So what should the Sox focus on at the trade deadline? Starting pitching is good. Although of Sale and ERod are back next year (a big if), it might not be their weakness. And it’s not like anyone will surrender an elite pitching prospect this year. Bullpen looks pathetic going forward. 2b is a mess of utility players. CF should be open, too. And Duran is unlikely to step in and fill that gap in 2021. Thoughts?

I’ve heard multiple times that players view free agency as something they have “worked for their entire lives.”