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Well, I was asked for a range. But if they are in the post-season hunt with 87 wins, that works for me, too. And even nowadays, every team that won 90 games made the post-season except for Cleveland. Milwaukee got in with 89 wins...

Except the Red Sox, who have a two open spots currently, and also plenty of DFA-able Sam Travis/Ryan Weber/Trevor Kelley types they can easily waive, watch go unclaimed, and re-sign to minor league deals if they still want them. And the Yankees could do the same with Ben Heller...

90+

I would think what they get in return for Betts or Martinez would be a big factor in how competitive the team can be in 2020. Having big stars does't guarantee anything. The Sox put Hall of Famers in left field for a half a century straight and wound up with zero titles in that stretch...

It's possible to get under, and it's possible to field a competitive team in doing so. But it's just not as easy...

True, but they also let a free-wheeling, farm-killing, big spender go despite that he has been at the helm of seven division title teams, four league champions, and two World Series champions, and replaced him with a frugal sabermetric team builder with a very brief history of success that consists of one wild card team.

Sure. Brian Johnson for Greg Bird. Who says no?

Not to mention, it's not like they are coming here looking for input. They are already operating wit waaaay more information than us as it is and a much better knowledge of how to run a team. I mean, I've repeatedly thorwon out there a David Price-Wil Myers swap as an idea, and even joked I need to call Bloom about it. I'm pretty sure Bloom knows who Wil Myers is (despite the lack of overlap in their respective times in Tampa) and has thoughts about this kind of trade using information I would have no access to. If he read my posts on this one out of 1000 Red Sox forums on the internet, he'd probably say "Is this guy high? Wil Myers? The guy isn't a good ballplayer, plus he is a complete a-hole and has atrocious personal hygiene habits and is NOT a guy I want on my team. Not to mention, Price might be overpaid, but he's still pretty good, and if I moved him I would still need ANOTHER starting pitcher, and I'd have too much money tied up in that new slug of a RF/1B Myers. Gawd some fans are soooo stupid" (This is a purely fictional response. I have no inside knowledge about the personal hygiene habits of Wil Myers and their effectiveness, and no idea if Bloom does, either.)

It's not a question of what we want to see. It's a question of what we think will happen based on what little info the media feeds us...

I think the draft penalties are the worst part...

He’ll pitch in 2020, even if it’s for the Nippon Ham Fighters. But ultimately he’s extremely easily replaceable with an upgrade. Maybe he can be the next Merrill Kelly / Miles Mikolas / Josh Lindblom and return from Asia an an effective and sought-after pitcher...

How big of a deal is the luxury tax really? Last year, the Sox paid roughly $13.6 mill in luxury tax payments. They paid $27.5 mill to Pablo Sandoval and Rusney Castillo...

While we would probably never know unless 1). Betts actually gets traded and 2) to the Dodgers, I would think prospects like Lux and May are off the table for one season of Betts. Give his projected salary, we’re in some pretty uncharted waters, trade wise. But I have serious doubts about getting their top prospects for one year of Betts, and finding a precedent will probably prove difficult. The best I could see is maybe Keibert Ruiz, since the Dodgers appear to have settled on a different young catcher....

Out of the approximate $120mill that trade would cost San Diego...

Oh no! Whose going to gill that gaping void?

I honestly doubt the Dodgers give up any of their best prospects for the right to pay Betts $25-30mill for one season. Think more along the lines of maybe Tony Gonsolin, Jeter Downs and/or Josiah Gray...

I don't think it gets that complex for Boston this year. Depending on if they trade Betts and what they get for him, I see no reason this team cannot be competitive in 2020 outside of the health of the 3 starting pitchers....

Wins Above Jack Morris? Bah! Felipe Lopez will always be the true standard...

Big deal. He hated the Ellsbury signing. I hated the Sandoval signing from the moment it became a rumor, but I never once said the Sox should stop paying him. and unlike Ellsbury, I don't think Sandoval was rehabbing or doinganything physical at all, approved or not...

I’d say that’s the clear goal. But if it happens, it won’t be in the manner that Sox fans are used to...

It’s certainly not as fun and fast-paced as NFL free agency...

Actually no one is saying they need to save money. No one (except the resident Yankee troll) is saying they won’t be competitive for 3-5 years. And no one is saying to lose on MLB in order to build the farm. But when it comes to reducing payroll and getting under the luxury tax limits, deaf ears or not, that is real. Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy acknowledged it himself, saying it was “a goal but not a mandate.” To me, this means they will go over in certain cases, but they’re going to try like hell to get under. You can interpret it any other way you want. But to pretend it isn’t real or is just some annoying talk out here is just burying your head in the sand...

Eh. He might have paid them, but he also canceled their dental insurance once...

I actually think he’s just expiring options and there isn’t usually much trade action this early. If his hands were truly tied, he would have to move Betts NOW to free up cash. I am almost positive any free agent spending will be limited to the bargain shelf already. But I do expect some activity. I also hope the whole notion of JD not opting out wasn’t some big surprise that handicapped all their plans. I thought it was an incredibly obvious outcome. If Bloom was caught off guard by this predictable activity and was unprepared for it, I would be much less than excited about him as a GM...

I know it’s still very early, but the complete lack of even rumors is becoming a sadly accustomed feeling these offseasons...