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I can agree with that. But his offense rarely makes up for the other half. And outfielders with close or equal defense are getting a lot less than Bradley. JuanLagares just signed a contract that might pay him $1.4mill. Billy Hamilton, another elite defender, just signed a minor league deal. Kevin Pillar was non-tendered over an estimated arbitration cost for less than JBJ received. I even said it before - a non-tender and re-sign was the best plan here. It does happen all the time...

But there is that one guy complaining about Verdugo's image, although mostly because he does not like the trade...

And what does that have to do with what position a left-handed hitter plays?

The big problem with moving Price as a mandate is right now, he was a safer bet to go out there and pitch over Sale or Eovaldi. That can certainly change, but Price can pitch. And pitching well can cure a lot of image problems. I didn't hear anyone ranting about Price and his run-ins with Eckersley during the 2018 post-season run...

Maybe now is the time to get one and store it for a year?

I could see that logic. I always felt a big part of the reason for free agency was the PR in telling the fanbase "See? We're not letting money be a reason we are not competitive."

Hope is a good thing. And no good thing ever dies - Andy Dufresne

Please do. Or I will tell Schilling that you said playing "Don't Wake Daddy" is just not the same without his political diatribes...

Well, I don't know if Gennett is healthy. I did give him a medical examination, but I have like zero experience doing that. So the whole thing wound up being flat out creepy and weird. And inconclusive. Russell is just an *******, and in an "above and beyond" way over how a lot professional athletes are *******s. I can condone Puig, because he is crazy so his problems that might not be his fault and are more of a faulty wiring scenario. But Russell is crossing the line for me. He needs to go play in Japan, but not for the Nippon Ham Fighters. I dislike him so much I don't even want him going to teams I don't follow but like the monikers of. I like Dozier on a one year deal, and maybe even a two year deal. But I hope having al all right-handed hitting middle infield isn't too off-putting...

No. but do you believe if it was, then it was going to continue to be a factor when Betts reached free agency? If you are among those who say "once Betts is dealt he is never coming back" - a viewpoint which does stand a good chance of becoming true - then why do you believe not dealing him meant anything more than keeping him for 2020 and losing him for a single draft pick? Especially since you clearly believe the luxury tax payments are a huge factor? If you do think the luxury tax was a factor, then you also have to realize dealing Betts was the only real chance of bringing him back in 2021. It actually is not likely to work out, but it does have a chance to, and that means it has a better chance than any other realistic option...

So you agree when moonslav proposes a 2 year $12mill contract 8 posts earlier, but when I say the same thing but without specifics, it's not smart baseball? You're playing favorites!! Or bizarrely fickle!!

I actually think the smooth-fielding, slap-hitting Lin is the best 2B in camp. But even as spring training begins, Brian Dozier, Scooter Gennett, and (ugh) Addison Russell all remain unsigned and have the potential to be impact players....

Myself and Slasher have been thinking/hoping that was the plan all along...

Counter-counterpoint If Betts is still hellbent on free agency, that is still on the table...

But if they non-tendered him and offered him a lesser (but longer) contract, they could have arrived at the same product on the baseball field...

Apparently not..

My thoughts exactly. Not to mention, would this team be better off if Jackie Bradley batted .225 from the right side?

Of all the complaints about the Red Sox, none of them seem more trivial than having three left-handed hitting outfielders. Since most pitchers do throw right-handed, having left-handed hitters is a good thing, and who cares what position they play? If the Sox had two LHH outfielders and a LHH catcher, would that be better? If they need a RHH bat in the lineup, Chavis and/or Dalbec can step in at 1B or 2B. Moreland is a nice player sometimes, but I could see him losing his starting role if one of those two gets hot. In fact, who is the best LHH in the Sox system above A ball? Jarren Duran? That all 3 outfielders bat lefty is a non-issue. The pitching is an issue. However, right now the majority of the Sox best position prospects are infielders - Casas, Downs, Dalbec - and very little in the OF, with just Duran and Wilson. And both of them are likely CF. I think the sox either know or will learn that Connor Wong is not a catcher like the Dodgers did. and he likely ends up in the OF as well. (The early returns on experiments with him playing 2B an 3B were not met with rave reviews.) With Devers and Bogerts holding down 2 of the 4 infield positions for the forseeable future, it does give the Sox some leeway to move an infield prospect for a pitcher, and Jeter Downs is probably the most likely candidate. One possibility is to Miami, a team owned by his namesake and flush with young pitching and weak infielders. (Although they do have some legitimate young talent in the pipeline at 2B and SS in Isan Diaz and Jazz Chisholm). But 3B for them is a bit of a black hole. Might they be interested in Downs or Dalbec? Maybe the Marlins sell high on Caleb Smith for one? (The BTV simulator does value Smith significantly higher than either.) A trade of Downs for Jeffrey Means of Baltimore works out nicely on the simulator, and Baltimore has fewer middle infield prospects than good neighborhoods. A trade of Downs for Jameson Taillon also works out on the simulator, but if the Red Sox balked at Brusdar Graterol's medicals, I imagine a review of Taillon's would induce a fatal apoplectic attack. The Rockies are probably not amenable to a Jon Gray/Jeter Downs trade even if the Sox also took back one of their awful contracts. Middle infield is easily the strongest position in the Rockies system. I imagine any Gray deal is for pitching and not much else. Oakland's Sean Manaea might be a possibility. The A's have 7 starting pitchers with MLB experience on their current roster and 2B for them is a place to put out-of-options shortstops who cannot beat out Semien. The A's are a post-season hopeful after last yer's brief appearance, but budget constraints have the team in a constant state of reloading. Manaea only pitched 29 IP last year, so they don't need him for a playoff run (especially if Montas is back and drug-free) and his salary of $3.75mill seems paltry to most teams but might be considered movable in Oakland. Maybe a deal with KC involving Downs and Bradley for Jacob Junis and Ian Kennedy. The Royals save a good amount of money and get a good 2B/SS prospect, something they lack. The Red Sox get a bad contract on a pitcher who has become a good closer and get an effective SP who has the added bonus of already being hated in Yankee Stadium... A few thoughts on the subject...

I consider Puig the most likely impact player left on the market, and potentially the only one left. If the Sox think they need players capable of making an impact - and they do - he is where you start. Of course, you do have to acknowledge the reason he is the only impact player left on the market...

They tried 9 games way back when. 7 is good.

Yeah, the conventional wisdom I referred to was not about bringing JBJ back. It as about offering him arbitration knowing full well there was a glut of glove-first CF's hitting free agency. A non-tender and re-signing him for less made more sense, especially in a cost-cutting year...

The cut fastball, which grades similar to that of Mariano Rivera by some scouts...

I might hav e been the first. But it's a small bandwagon, so far with just myself and mvp on it. Unless you're on that one with us, too. Thr Buchholz one was nice. That was in 2015. But it all started with the Nava prediction in 2014...

I know. I nail a prediction and you complain about the thread title

RF. Verdugo to CF. Bradley to KC for Ian Kennedy. This prediction is not likely to go as smoothly as my Cesar Puello signing prediction...