notin

But at least it gives the team a chance to make some extra cash by selling "Guilty" and "Not Guilty" pennants to wave during the proceedings...

This seems to be true every time we have a GM with the initials DD...

No trial?

And if you have two birds in the bush, is that when you're supposed to kill them with one stone?

1. Were the last place finishes his fault or due to player's underperforming? The team came in last in 2014 after winning a title in 2013 with largely the same team. Is that really the fault of the GM? And how is that team's underperformance the fault of the GM, but this year's the fault of the rotation? 2. I didn't like the Sandoval signing, but Hanley was actually not a bad contract. He signed for far below what he was predicted to get, and for fewer years. That he didn't pan out is not the fault of the GM, is it? And Castillo was actually petty good when he was not hurting himself. 3. The big issue many had with the 2015 Sox staff was the lack of an "ace" type pitcher, but the rotation actually held it's own for an average finish of 13th in MLB in fWAR. The real problem with that team was the bullpen, which was 30th in fWAR in MLB. In fact, the rotation ranked higher against it's counterparts than the offense did, as it came in 15th in MLB. And the 2015 Sox did come in last, but it was a surprising 78-84 record, which is pretty good for a last place team. They sort of fell into the back end of a lot of parity, since only 2 teams in the AL won more than 88 games that year...

Didn't I already dispel this myth without needing to look beyond this season for data?

Now what if Bellhorn's recollection about the Sox stating they would not be able to retain all 3 of Bogaerts, Sale and Betts? As Bogaerts and Sale are already on board, what does that mean for Betts in 2019? Keep? Trade? And does trading him impact decisions about Bradley?

I can agree with 2018, and the results bear it out. But I questioned his 2019 approach going back to December, and it only got worse when I realized what his budget really was. Now, I am allowed to do so because I didn't know and didn't need to know what he had left to spend. But I assume he did know...

DD will always have 2018. That's a big accomplishment for him. I find it odd that some write off Dombrowski's questionable moves as "Hey, every GM does it" but then chastise Cherington for exactly the same type of thing...

Baseball Reference doesn't contract my analysis. They contradict Fangraphs' analysis. And saying one is definitively right over the other is usually only done with a sense of bias. What should be learned from it is that there are multiple ways of evaluating a pitcher, and Cueto doesn't clearly fare batter than Porcello using all of them, which means it's probably closer than you think. To me, the biggest drawback to Cueto has been the injuries. He might have been more talented, but that talent did little use to anyone when it was stashed on the DL...

Which would make it virtually identical to the contract Jeff Samardzija got that same off-season. In that respect, it looks like a good deal...

I have forgotten that. If that's true, should they have signed Sale? If they don't think they can keep Betts, they should probably trade him this off-season. That will be tough, because trading a superstar rarely brings back even remotely equal talent...

So.. Bogaerts and Sale are dummies? Mookie might wait, but if he gets a good offer he thinks is worth it, he'll sign. Now whether or not the Sox make that offer is another matter. I have no idea if he thinks he should get more than Harper or Trout or Machado. But Harper's contract is really just crazy long, and his $27.5mill AAV is actually less than Arenado's ($32.5mill). And so is Machado's ($30mill AAV). With Betts being about 2 years older when he hits FA, getting an Arenado contract would certainly be similar to those deals, possibly slightly better...

I’ve said since Arenado signed that Mookie’s next contract would look similar (8 years / $32mill AAV). Arenado was in a similar position, entering his final contract year...

The Sox do keep trying to extend him. Maybe they will, but not announce it until after the season for luxury tax reasons. (Can they still do that?) I didn’t think Bogaerts would take the extension before his final season, but here we are...

I think/hope Feltman can do something and turn it on to make his MLB debut next year. Mata is really one step away already by being in AA, but as he’s only 20, no reason to rush him. Make him force the promotion. I don’t care if Velasquez and Johnson get DFAd. At least Velasquez has options. Johnson has better show something relatively soon. Houck and Reyes could be depth at some point, possibly Hart, too. The free agent doesn’t have much for closer types. Maybe Hector Rondon fits the budget? Sergio Romo? He won’t command as much at age 38. Under normal circumstances I’d recommend a low cost flier on oft-injured Arodys Vizcaino, but if the budget is that tight, it better be a really low cost. And there is always Dellin Betances, who strikes me as Ramiro Mendoza 2.0 if the Sox sign him. Of course the rotation is the issue. And the Sox are going to struggle to do anything with Price, Sale or Eovaldi. And they can only add one MLB body right now, and not an expensive one...

It’s outdated now. My point. We need new cliches. And I want someone to explain to me “kill two birds with one stone.” When was this ever necessary? In what time period did we have an abundance of problem birds and a shortage of stones? I think this one needs replacing too.

Here’s how I see it. The Sox are very likely keeping Sale, Price and Eovaldi. None of them did anything this season to interest another team. Bradley is likely gonna if they try to reset (which isn’t a given right now). But even if they don’t reset, JBJ has also done very little to garner much trade value. (I predict he is non-tendered.) If they reset, all the potential free agents are likely gone. Maybe not Holt. But everyone else. Also I would think Hembree and Wright (especially Wright) get non-tendered. So they would have 4 starting pitchers. And the bullpen could bring back Barnes, Workman, Walden, Brewer, Hernandez, Taylor, and Johnson. If they add a reliever, one of these pitchers is expendable. Infield could be solved internally. Bogaerts and Devers are locks. 1b and 2b have numerous internal and unexciting candidates, including Chavis, Dalbec, Travis, Lin, Ockimey and Hernandez. And a couple more could take the bench. Leon goes. Oscar Hernandez replaces him? Or Juan Centeno? Outfield needs someone to go with Benintenfi and Betts. Sportrac says the Sox have $56mill to spend and stay under the limit. Arbitration cases for Betts, Rodriguez, Benintendi, Barnes and Workman could run $40-45mill. If the Sox don’t want the internal solutions everywhere and maybe want another outfielder or two, there’s not a lot of cash in the budget...

What’s with this nail in the coffin analogy? Coffins have lids with hinges...

Oh no! Whose going to handle both of his innings?!?!

Actually nobody has to do it...

If the Sox do a cheap reset using internal parts for the infield, I think the best lineup might be Lin at 2B and Chavis at 1b...

So now you're correcting other people's corrections?

By that argument, ERod is nothing but a fourth starter in Boston...

If you use Fangraphs fWAR, you would know that Porcello has averaged more fWAR per season than Keuchel, Arrieta, and Zimmermann, and is barely behind Cueto. You're actually convincing me it was a good contract...