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With every transaction this off-season, I keep expecting Bloom to DFA Ryan Weber. And every time, it has been someone else. Bloom just sees something in Weber I just don't see (and is more liekly to be right than me). But, really, I can't rip him for that. There have been probably dozens of players I have seen something in that no one else has, and most of the time, probably for good reason. Chad Gaudin being the prime example. Gaudin was one guy whose peripherals just seemed to be so much better than his performance, and on that other website that mvp hates, I had players I would refer to as Chad Gaudin All Stars, which basically meant I was probably (likely) mentioning them as potentially good acquisitions for the Sox a lot more often than they actually deserved to be mentioned. Some of the Chad Gaudin All Stars did actually pan out, including Cody Ross (for one year in Boston) and Miles Mikolas (but in St. Louis). Of course, the overwhelming majority were largely ignored by the baseball world for good reason. There have been others for me, going as far back as Chico Walker (who barely ever got out of Pawtucket) and Michael Coleman (ditto, for for a variety of teams). And some, like Danny Salazar, actually might have panned out to the extreme levels I predicted (potential Cy Young candidate) but instead decided to put the whole concept to bed with repeated injuries. And I probably had hopes on Juan Pena a lot longer than most rational people. Even this year, I started off with making Cesar Puello my newest addition to this list. We might even see how/if that one ever pans out. Who was your baseball man-crush for Boston or that you wanted in Boston for whatever reason that no one else ever saw?

Not a surprise, but definitely a shame...

Oh I agree.. But as we had no real history with Bloom, it felt too much like the last two offseasons where every team rebuilt themselves throughout December and January and the Sox made no moves...

Unless you consider successfully following the directive of owner Ron Fowler that Myers be dealt as a result...

He was hard to like in November, December and January. But at least he has been incredibly active lately...

Not before September. And only if the Sox are out of it and his salary won't push them over the CBT...

I do wonder if this is still active. No real updates. Has it blown over? Tough to tell. My first impression of Bloom is he let’s very little news escape from his camp. But then my impression of Preller and his crew is the only secrets they keep are the real medical reports. Any wild fire that spreads quickly as it destroys a large area is said to spread like a Padres’ trade rumor...

We all would have liked to see Betts extended, but I can’t fault Henry if the story about Betts’ initial demands are true. Unless you’re buying the island of Aruba, I can understand not committing $420 million to anything without at least shopping around a bit...

German is suspended. Stanton is Stanton...

And fans argue it's not the same thing, but the Hall admitted Gaylord Perry. Even if you overlook the "degrees of cheating" with Perry, as if such a thing exists, the fact is he openly and arrogantly defied the rules. He even titled his autobiography "The Spitter And Me." How exactly is that not thumbing his nose at the MLB rulebook? If that level of cheating and arrogance is worth immortalizing, I have no issue with Bonds or Clemens or any other steroid user who at least had the decency to lie about what they did...

I don't either. The Hall of Fame is a museum dedicated to baseball history. The purpose of a historical museum is to preserve history, not to censor it...

OK, so now we know who will be the "Best shape of his career" guy in spring training. We till need to know the Sore Arm Guy and the Jeff Bailey Award candidates. At least we rarely see the Visa Problem Guy anymore...

I think you would also have to redefine the word "badly" for this situation. Unless Betts' career is prematurely ended by an injury, he is looking at a worst case scenario of $300 million. And I think we would all be surprised if it was that low...

And if you look at the depth charts on MLB.com, most teams have 7 to 9 starting pitchers. The Sox still have just 4....

Well, we already know his stance on lettng steroid users into the Hall of Fame. (Very much for it, for those who missed it.) So beyond that, I expect the following rule changes: 1. All performance enhancing drugs are now legal. And mandatory. 2. Players are permitted to carry firearms at all times. 3. If a batted ball bounces off a player's head, the batter is out.

And he would have to come down equally hard on the second offender Yankees....

MLBTR mentioned him as a possibility in the original article, but it felt like more speculation...

I think that is the plan. I expect Myers and Quantrill, and have my doubts on the inclusion of Campusano or Arias. Although possibly the Sox might settle for Jake Cronenworth, the SS/RHP Bloom is familiar with as he came from the Tampa farm. (As Tampa and SD have made two big trades this off-season, Bloom will actually have a decent choice of his former farmhands if he goes in that direction.)

Let me put it another way. If Mookie asks for the (second?) biggest contract in US pro sports history (which he reportedly did), is it unreasonable for Henry and Bloom to not offer it and see how free agency pans out?

Is this an update? There were always rumors about his inclusion...

So at $3.8mil. Without knowing what is available for the Sox before the thresh hold (which is a massive factor here, and really, the most important if not only factor), I could see taking the $8.8mill hit for another prospect. But I don't know how amenable any of this is to SD...

I think a system can still be worked out there without them relying on signals. Maybe they can get earpieces, too...

Yeah!! A slippery slope argument!! Those are NEVER stupid... (also sarcasm)

I think they largely have the bag coverage worked out long before. It's not like there are a lot of options. I could see the 1B needing to know when the call is for a pick off attempt or pitch out, but I don't think he has a clear view unless that sign is handled outside the normal sequence....

So do you think Henry should have just had the contract drawn up for $420 million? And that Henry was just being cheap here?