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They only know how to examine right arms...

I like the simple idea 1b: Devers. Hoping for a repeat of the success Youkilis had moving 2b: Lin. I think he’s a better all around player than Marco 3b: Dalbec. If he doesn’t hit, he is at least a defensive upgrade SS: Bogaerts Chavis is the new Brock Holt. Make it happen, ummmm... errr ahhhh... new GM person...

Well, in most cases, the depletion of the farm was prospects who were well spent. No one, for example, dislikes the Sale trade. But the subsequent contracts have made maneuvering without a farm that much more difficult...

The only thing I would say is missing is also that the Sox are also left with what could be some truly awful deals that limit their ability to sidestep the issue of no upcoming prospects. And sure, any contract can go bad, but the deals given to Price, Sale and Eovaldi are all already in a position where the Sox are waiting for them to produce, not waiting or them to go bad. And really, there was something stupid about each one from the outset. Price? Seven years for a 31 year old pitcher means you’re hoping for 4 good seasons. Eovaldi’s health history made it questionable before the ink dried. And Sale was coming off an injury, and any notion the DD clearly checked him out before putting this deal together immediately came into question about 3 innings into Sale’s season when his diminished velocity lead to him getting battered about by a rebuilding team...

I just want the farm analogy to stop. It’s a bad analogy. But talking about the state of the Sox farm seems to be relevant to the purpose of the forum, right?

Please stop this analogy...

What term do you prefer to use for calling trading multiple prospects for numerous major leaguers with varying degrees of effectiveness? Do you prefer “eradicated”?

The Sox would have to kick in quite a bit for either since both spent most of the season injured and came back with questionable effectiveness...

Ok, but I have always had the viewpoint that that was just part of the equation...

But they all measure the quality of the final destruction, not the euphemisms used to describe the process...

And what was the value of the 3 quality prospects traded for him?

All the Sox needed to do to be that efficient is win a mere 260 games...

You said that about the Marlins in 2003, too, right?

In a 7 game series, starting pitching is a huge advantage for Washington over everyone. Bullpen? That's another matter...

Rays vs Nats. An all play-in World Series!!

Apparently most teams have given up on winning those 1999 division titles, which was the last time Valentine was relevant as a manager...

Catillo’s Salary next year is like $14.2mill, but he’s getting paid either way. His AAV, which is what matters, is closer to $10.5 mill. Ironically this is roughly what Bradley would get in arbitration. So does it make sense to let Rusney play while non-tendering Bradley? In a financial sense, yes. If the Sox tender Bradley an offer and he winds up making $11mill, the Sox are then paying $25.2mill for Bradley and Castillo next year. Since they can’t non-tender Castillo, his part of the salary is a lock. But if they non-tender Bradley and put Castillo in MLB, it only costs $14.2mill, plus the Sox save money towards the tax limit, albeit not much. The only savings on Castillo’s contract by keeping him off the 40-man is on the luxury tax. But if the Sox deal Betts or whoever and get well under the cap, this might be the Sox one chance to recoup some value from Castillo, and might happen at a time when they need an outfielder. And if he sucks, releasing him has no consequences beyond this season. Of course, Castillo is going to need to make one helluva impression this spring. Apparently he has already made one in the minors where former Pawtucket manager Ken Boles has called him a big leaguer and wondered why he was still in Pawtucket when he had him (although I think Ken really knew why)...

Sometimes these overpay contracts can chnge the market to the [point where they are actually values. When Andrew Miller signed his deal with the Yankees, the entire universe thought it was too much money for a set up guy. But a couple years later, it was viewed as a bargain and an extremely valuable trade chip for the Yankees...

Isn't that more evidence of my point? Kimbrel went to Boston before Chapman went to Chicago...

Ironic, because that failure should be on Klentak, not Kapler...

I'd be hesitant to think that. Dalbec is certainly older than all of them except Margot. But I think he needs to get at least one MLB plate appearance before I definitively state he will be better than even Buttrey. And I have much higher hopes for Kopech and Allen. Of course, Kopech was at least a prospect well spent, since he is not going to become Chris Sale 2.0. I am not even convinced Chavis is a regular starter in MLB. In my little world, I see him taking over Brock Holt's supersub role, while Dalbec takes over 3B and Devers moves to 1B. But in reality, I am not so convinced the Sox have any plans to move Devers, and I have no idea what they think of Chavis. In fact, it is entirely possible Chavis' lack of position leads to him being dealt, as those smaller market teams prioritize salary over defense sometimes...

And the hero was Howie Kendrick, the man who struck out to end the 2015 NLDS when he was on the Dodgers...

Excuse me. Swamp Shark. As a fellow fan of garbage television, I would think you should appreciate that about him...

Somewhere out there, Bud Black is staring at a ringing cell phone, and deciding not to answer it...

It would have been much more legal to just fire him...