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Apparently. But it’s also very soon after the draft. I get why DD didn’t bring him back, but on that contract, I don’t agree with the decision...

I missed that. I’m surprised he settled for that amount...

2.7, not 2.3. That would give him an AAV of $16.7mill. Less than Wade Davis. My guess is he refuses it and sees what else is out there. He’s not still unsigned due to a lack of 3yr $45mill offers. Now that the draft pick is off the table, he’s probably still looking for some sort of record-setting deal for a closer...

Shaw’s first half season in Boston (.842 OPS 13 HRs in 250 ABs) was essentially the same as he has been doing in Milwaukee. But as I said, this whole Boston media pressure excise gets thrown around really quickly and far, far too often. I’m surprised no one has made that comment about Chavis yet...

Even players with high OBP are still kept off base around 60% of the time...

Of at best that’s just a suspicion. And certainly not one about Shaw, since he stepped in to replace possibly the worst free agent in team history, so all he had to do was keep his weight under 3 bills...

Oh please. Shaw (remember this was about Shaw) hasn’t been there since 2002. And regardless of park capacity - which doesn’t help Tampa - what you’re missing is two fold. First, that you think athletes outside of Boston can walk unrecognized among the general populace like Bob Smith-Jones from Accounting. But that you think media attention scares them? And it’s universal? Please. Maybe a handful of players at best. And THAT is the scariest pressure? Know what I think scares more players like Shaw? The players behind them. Being buried in a quarter billion dollar lineup of superstars? All Shaw had to do was field and make no money. Or sitting on a small budget team knowing if you don’t produce, Keston Hiura is coming on strong. And the fans love him more. Only because he’s younger. In Boston, maybe Shaw doesn’t win. Think he cares? He made the last out in the ALDS once and appeared unfazed. In Milwaukee, he can hit or get benched. Or worse - DFA or non-tendered like Avisail Garcia, who hit worse than Sox mgmt thought Eloy Jimenez could. Heck even succeeding in a low payroll can get you run out of town on a budget train. So - Boston and oh no-criticism?? Or Milwaukee and your career? Which one is more pressure?

You do realize Milwaukee has been right behind Boston in attendance the last two seasons? Last year, the Brewers drew 45,000 less than the Red Sox. That’s piddling. As much as Sox fans like to think they’re equal in size and intensity to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and the rest of the league is a bunch of small towns, that’s not reality. Wisconsin fans are also crazy. They put an NFL team in Green Bay and it sells out. Green Bay! Ever been to Green Bay? It’s 2 hours from Milwaukee and about 100 years in the past! Geographically it would be like putting the Patriots in Springfield MA (but with 33% fewer people) and hoping people come from Boston for games. Boston isn’t the only city where fans recognize their players. It might be the only one where a player took public transportation to get to games, however...

I was SCREAMING when they were getting shut down by Glenn Sparkman, whose name is more reminiscent of an orthodontist than a Major League pitcher...

I was only looking at AAV and how it relates to 2019. The Sox recoup the rest of the money by avoiding the temptation to extend Sandoval...

Your point?

I think it’s more rare than people realize and gets used too often and too quickly any time a player doesn’t make an immediate and meaningful impact. Sometimes players just have slumps and bad seasons unrelated to the media. Heck the league is loaded with Dominican players, many of whom don’t speak English or only speak it minimally and can’t understand the media anyway. Yet somehow the “pressure of Boston” gets to them?

So Pedro’s starting his career in Montreal should have been a huge red flag? And Ramiro Mendoza should have been a rousing success? In fact, Ortiz came from Minnesota, which was as small as it got back then. I think the broad brush you’re painting with here might not be the best guideline...

So the Sox should replace him in the rotation with who?

Hanley was already off the books. And Pedroia wasn’t “dead money” yet. It’s not like the Sox went out and spent for another 2b. But if the Sox didn’t sign Pearce and non-tendered Thornburg, that would have accounted for nearly $7mill of the necessary $9mill....

One thing some analyticists like John Dewan concluded is using the third spot for your best or one of your best hitters is fine, but have some speed there. Basically what he was getting at was - someone who won’t GIDP. If this is accomplished via speed or extreme flyball tendencies, I don’t think it should matter. I like Dewan’s thoughts better, since dropping the one of the best hitters down 2 spots can cost about 36 plate appearances. On the Sox, I like Devers for the third spot...

But have you ever seen a worse stat to a season from a player who received MVP votes the year before than Jose Ramirez in 2019? His numbers are very Bradley-esque...

Still more than my liking...

You’re right. I don’t buy that. Shaw wasn’t a flop in Boston. The biggest change (besides the home runs from the shorter distance to right-center) was Shaw suddenly started taking more walks. His individual BAs in Boston are almost identical to the ones in Milwaukee. I think it’s more a matter of a player gaining experience, making adjustments, and reaching his peak years. Unless the media was pressuring him to walk less...

Based on the studies/data/analytics, my lineup would be: Bogaerts Betts Devers Martinez Benintendi Chavis Moreland Vazquez Bradley But I don’t think Cora’s lineup is anything stupid...

Well, OPS+ does take ballpark into account. Shaw’s OPS is .812 in that stretch. Andrew Benintendi has an OPS+ of 111 and an OPS of .798 in that same timeframe, if you need a point of reference...

The promotion makes sense. But his BABIP in A-ball is a reason for cautious optimism...

Yes and no. Bottom line is this off-season, DD might be forced to use trades to fill gaps. He certainly has a rep for dealing prospects (and I’m starting to question how much of an illusion Jarran Duran is), and that type of move will certainly come into play. But if the Sox do decide they want to keep Porcello and maybe like Shawaryn, ERod does become a trade candidate, and maybe even a good one. A lot has to fall into place for this to play out, of course...

Crappy teams still win 40% of the time....

I hate that they keep including Jay Groome on these lists. The guy hasn’t thrown a pitch in 2 years and won’t for several more months. Right now, his high ranking seems to be largely based on his performance in high school 3 years ago. To me, it’s very discouraging that only 4 players in the Sox entire farm are deemed more impressive than one who isn’t even playing...