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Because he can play that position very well, and not everyone can. But the Sox don't need a 3b. However, a lot of other teams do, and most of them cannot afford Anthony Rendon...

The league is full of players who can handle 1B, but 3B is different. 3B is one of those positions you can justify holding down based on your defense. Brooks Robinson didn't make the Hall of Fame because of his career .267 BA. Certainly Dalbec is no Robinson defensively, but reportedly his defense at 3B is the best part of his game. (And making contact is not.) Why waste that skill at 1B, where plenty of players move to? Especially if he hit .150 in his first two months. Would he still be a contributing layer at 1b?

It’s probably an “ask high” scenario, but it’s all I can work with. Not sure if the priorities are MLB, the farm, or MLB-ready farm. Obviously getting fewer pieces might up the quality....

Per Matt Cerrone, the Red Sox want "a starting pitcher, an outfielder, and two prospects" for Betts. Presumably they mean two top 100 prospects, but that isn't likely. And no team wanting Betts is going to strip mine their roster to accomodate him. But he is a proposal that makes sense. And by "makes sense", also works out on BTV, because that website, if nothing else, is objective. but how about this: Cincy gets Betts Miami gets 3B/INF Jonathan India (BA #51 pre-2019). OF Aristedes Aquino Boston gets: LHSP Caleb Smith, CF Lewis Brinson, RHP Hunter Greene (BA #57 pre-2019), OF Monte Harrison (BA #71 pre 2018) Sox get a SP (admittedly on a sell high), defensive whiz for CF, and two top 100 prospects, although an injury kept Harrison off the 2019 list. The Reds get Betts to couple with Bauer for their 2020 title run. The Marlins get a top 100 prospect at a position of need (3B) and a sell-high outfielder.

"middle of the pack" were his exact words. If he is scared that Sox will trade Dalbec for such a modest return, then that's on Bloom. I don't mind seeing Dalbec traded in the right deal, but certainly I don't want to see a stupid deal. But I will at least have some faith that Bloom will make a good deal until he proves me wrong...

If we count former all star Kelly Gruber, then your list has an even 12 success stories in the past 39 seasons. I'm sure there are others we both forgot, but the fact is success stories are just not all that common...

And Marco is back, too. That brief cheer you all heard was moonslav...

If you think all Dalbec is worth in a trade is a middle of he pack reliever, why exactly are you arguing so strongly to keep him?

Very strong agree. If anything, keeping Dalbec "just because" he is a prospect seems like the short-sighted move. If there is no plan to use him where he fits best, then he is expendable for someone who fits better.

And how many of those possibilities go away if the Sox keep him?

There are a few who look at it that way. Very few. But then, if i bring up Pedroia, who is on the VERY SHORT list of Red Sox players with 3 World Series rings since World War I, and who has a list of accomplishments as a player for the Sox that could fill the Internet, yet how many fans have called for his retirement so he can stop making money that could be better spent elsewhere?

Recency Bias. Since 2013, Wheeler has 749 IP and Eovaldi has 763 IP...

So far he has made two acquisitions. And both of them have been Josh Osich...

He also might turn into Will Middlebroks 2.0, meaning he does nothing, marries a NESN sportscaster, and then is out of MLB in 3 years...

If he returns to Cy form, you would deal him? Then why keep Mookie if the plan to is break up the biggest question mark when the answer is looking positive?

If they won't make the best offer - certainly possible - why keep him? Think this 84 win team can return to 100+ wins? If we had one unhealthy and expensive question mark in the rotation, I might agree. But we have three, and no depth behind them. That's a lot to expect Mookie to overcome...

Mookie wants to hit free agency. That we know. What we don;t know is why. There are 3 possibilities 1) He wants out of Boston altogether. 2) He wants to try another team 3) He wants as much money as possible. If it's anything but option 3, why keep him? To take "one last shot" at a title, and then have a few seasons of potential overpriced mediocrity? I know a lot of fans say they are ok with the bleak future if they get a title, but that is only true f th future stays where it is - out of the present. Because once the team has that downturn, so few are happy with the title way back when, despite how long flags fly for. We have all seen it on this board. Who liked 2014? Or 2015? Or 2019? Would you say: a) most some or c) a very small amount? And bear in mind, this team only won 84 games last year and has bigger questions independent of Betts. Mookie was healthy, but the team was not. Another 84 win season is actually more likely than another 108 win season. Or even a 100 win season. If Betts just wants the most money, the Sox do need to make some arrangement to accommodate him. Despite Henry's immense wealth, he has a budget. If Mookie is dead set on hitting free agency just for the cash (IMO most likely reason), why not trade him for one year and re-sign him? The whole "his feelings will be hurt if he gets dealt" scenario laughable. First of all, none of us know his personality. Secondly, there are very few "insults" that cannot be cured with $300 million plus. That's one heck of an apology...

Yeah that's what Aroldis Chapman was thinking, too. If the Red Sox have the best offer once he hits free agency, think he won't sign out of spite?

It is possible to trade a prospect or two and still "rebuild the farm." Or at least get a minimum wage player on the MLB roster. Dalbec isn't "the farm." He is one very small piece of it...

The Sox farm system might not be very good, but let's be realistic here. There were several minor leaguers I thought fit that bill (Ona, Cronenworth, Fox, for example), and all of them were added to a 40 man roster. Bloom probably had a better list, and I bet saw the same thing happen.

Wheeler's career is remarkably similar to Eovaldi's, right down to the significant injury history.. And Eovaldi has only $51mill left plus represents the opportunity to dump an unproductive contract. Yet Wheeler is the Hottest New Thing while Eovaldi is completely unloved. I guess in this respect, Eovaldi is a bargain...

Yes it is. Price’s contract for the pitcher that he is now is borderline, if not full-on albatross. Teams will look elsewhere for short term options who are just as good and won’t be owed $80mill for the next 2 1/2 seasons. And as of now, finding a pitcher as good as Price for less than $80mill isn’t the most complex task. Hopefully the Sox can move him, but it isn’t likely without taking back an equally cumbersome contract...

While true, those same big name pitchers are often a hindrance to getting championships at some point during that ontract. Fans might like championships, but they also hate hindrances to championships. Have you read any positive posts about Price this off-season? I think I’ve been the closest to saying anything good about him...

GMs may not use a trade calculator, but they do have a method of evaluation beyond the typical fan, which is quite often nothing more than “I would like my team to get this superstar player, and the team that has him needs a shortstop, and we have a spare one. It works out perfectly.” Or “we have this reasonably decent bench player, he should be able to get a superstar pitcher in return.” If a Mets fan read your proposal, I can promise you he would have agreed with me. That “trade calculator “ just compare future WAR projections to future salary projections. Do you think GMs don’t do anything like that? Also, the Yankees fans appear to be the only ones high on Clint Frazier. The Yankees don’t want to play him. And no team wants to trade for him...

Change the name “Cole” to “Price” and I was having this exact same verbatim argument with Red Sox fans back in 2015. BTW, your next counterpoint is to tell me how Scherzer’s deal has worked out. Then I can counter with a list of deals that didn’t. We don’t even need to continue this argument. I can do both parts. Just consider your team lucky that Cole is going to sign with the Angels and give them a couple great years before completely dragging them down. The Yankees really just need to acknowledge they have an ace-in-waiting and then go get a mid-tier innings eater not named Porcello (where the true bargains really are, despite your claim to the contrary) and move forward. But to fans, free agency is about PR and ticket sales and big names. And fans do like big names...