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Bullpens nowadays cover 600-700 IP. Sox relievers threw 665 innings last year...

... and with that much available, he can sign every available free agent..

Castillo could restructure the deal, keeping the same money over more years but lowering his AAV. He could “retire” and come back later as a free agent. While I think he’d like to get back to the Show, I don’t think he has too many regrets...

My exact words were “play baseball.” While I realize Castillo has positioned himself to be denied competing in the sport at the highest level, one of the big advantages there is the drastic increase in pay. He has that already. He can work and try to get back to the highest level. But for him, worst case scenario is he plays at the second highest level while being compensated as if he was at the highest. It’s not a bad life...

At the end of the day, he will have received $72mill for playing baseball. Is that such a bad life?

Not to mention, it’s not like he’s attempted to renegotiate anything to make himself more appealing to the Sox or other teams. Really, CBA or not, he was always a risk for being nothing more than an overpaid minor leaguer, like Yasmani Tomas and Kei Igawa and probably a few others before him. He went for the most money knowing this risk, and hasn’t complained at all. I’m not so sure he’s even unhappy...

No. I already have Cole...

I’m not suspicious; they were stealing signs. The only question is were they doing it legally? (No f***ing way.) But the SP didn’t benefit from this...

When are the Sox going to add SP? The depth chart has 4 names on it. And anyone trying to name 5 uses Ryan Weber....

The weird thing is, the Red Sox might be better off that Mookie rejected this deal. Had he accepted it, sure, they would have retained him, and for an insanely reasonable price. But from what we’ve learned about Betts, had he signed this deal, absolutely no way would he be happy with his contract...

Mother knew best?

The Yankees also recently signed Chad Bettis and Nick Tropeano. Although Tropeano does present a significant injury history of his own...

Silly fool!! Only a Red Sox pitchers have lingering injuries! Do NOT underestimate the Healing Power of Pinstripes!!! Or is that the Slimming Power of Pinstripes? Well it’s one of the two. Definitely! I think..,

I think the steroid issue got so derailed. It started off as this method of killing the message that younger players need to use steroids as their only chance of making MLB, but it turned into nothing more than another criterion for excluding players from the Hall. Let them all in. I have said it before and I actually like the idea on some levels. The Hall is a historical museum and the purpose of historical museums is to preserve history, not to censor it. Let all the qualified steroid users (the ones kept out solely for steroid usage or suspected steroid usage) in the Hall and give them their own wing. Call it the Ken Caminiti Wing and place a plaque at the entrance saying "Dedicated to the Memory of Ken Caminiti. MVP at 33. Dead at 41." That way, the baseball history is preserved AND the message about the dangers steroid usage is prominently displayed. And get Rose in the Hall. His exclusion is a joke. Just don't ever let him manage or be employed by any MLB team ever in any capacity. His ban is from Major League Baseball, but the Hall of Fame is actually not affiliated with MLB. Am I the only one who thinks it's incredibly stupid he is allowed to do postseason commentary (which makes him involved with MLB) but not allowed in Cooperstown?

Ooooh. Trivia Night!! I think it was Thunder

Not so sure it was about not paying Mookie as much as it was about not paying MLB 95% of the overage on the uppermost limit, and not positioning themselves to reduce that number any time soon without a prolonged period of sucking. It’s not like Henry has a problem paying salaries; he’s probably outspent all the other owners over the past few seasons. The Sox offense is worse. But that was where they excelled anyway. Their pitching is worse and still needs help. It has gotten to the point I find myself hoping this Wil Myers deal happens.

Bonds, Clemens and Rose should be in the Hall, especially if Gaylord Perry is allowed in. Why did we develop this sudden moral high ground regarding what exhibits qualify for what is essentially a historical museum?

And then he promptly forced Dalbec to relinquish his seat at sword point...

There was also a pitcher named Pete Eshelman, who pitched for one year in the Yankee farm system before being derailed by an injury. Pete later moved to Massachusetts and took a job working with my father. When I sustained my own baseball injury (taking a ball squarely in the eye socket), my dad told Pete, who then presented me with a baseball autographed by Mike Heath (valued today at the cost of a used baseball with graffiti on it)...

The thing is, I don’t think there is as much opportunity for the Sox as some think. The Yankees won 103 games last year without Severino, who totaled like 3 games and 12 IP all year...

And Yasmani Tomas will be the highest paid player in PCL history. Such an honor for Cuba!!

Oh please. Which one of us can honestly say our mother didn’t talk us out of accepting a job that pays $200 million?

A major exception when you consider who his agent is and how close to free agency he was when he signed it...

Yes. One of my oft-repeated lines when someone expects a hometown discount or cheaper contract is Player X “hired an agent for a reason.” Sometimes I add “And that reason wasn’t to give a hometown discount.”

A fair addendum. But the logic of equating appreciation and “respect” in my example is the logic that applies here. That it still exists with these absurd sums of money is another matter...