notin

I don't think the entire team is goig to be broken down and sold off and all the coaches fired and stripped naked, painted purple, and released running wild in the streets, if that's what you mean. And there is no reason. The team is disappointing. But it's not a bad team. We're not one step above the Orioles here...

Just like the last two

Fire Notin!!

It’s easy to be labeled the greatest manager ever when the hitters are all hitting and the pitchers are all pitching well and you don’t even have to manage much....

Is it even a meltdown? This team never really got going. It’s been a season long funk

So... business as usual?

Not to mention, while this team is disappointing, that's really all it is. The Red Sox are not a 60 win team and shouldn't try to become one. Especially not if the benefit of doing so is getting a player who might help in 2023...

See Castillo, Rusney...

Oh that might be a verbatim quote. But DD certainly has some level of autonomy. Just no idea what it is if it exists....

No benefit. Tanking might get you a better draft pick, but it's not like you can guarantee your way into a top 5 pick, and the Sox have too many topflight players who, while underperforming, still aren't horrible. And why would the Sox tank and waste another year of Bogaerts, Devers, and Benintendi? To get a better player who might not see MLB for 4 years? If the Sox want to rebuild the farm and get some cheap MLB help (which is relly the goal here), the best way is to do it via trade, where you can get players closer to MLB. The Sox have to figure out who their best trade candidates are and whether or not anything beneficial can be acquired for them. My thoughts are Betts and Barnes right now, although I am not really sure how much other teams think of Barnes at this point...

It seems like a lot of those guys who make multiple appearances in the top 5 tend to be busts more frequently than you might think. Names like Corey Patterson and Jesus Montero being prime examples. (Although Joe Mauer and Jason Heyward worked out.)

I love Buxton, but he is another one who simply cannot stay healthy. As it stands now, he might not even be ready to start the 2020 season. Buxton has only played 152 games in 2018 and 2019 combined, counting his minor league appearances...

And in 2013, he only pitched in 8 games, which is why only 4 starts...

I can see your point. On the other hand, Pomeranz himself was a former highly ranked prospect just like Espinoza. He actually made a lot of starts prior to coming to Boston, but had frequent arm troubles, which usually limited him and relegated him to the occasional bullpen role. And also why so many teams gave up on him so quickly. He certainly had talent. Just trouble staying on the field. Espinoza was in the same boat. He had a ton of talent, but also was starting to experience some arm troubles of his own. And in his case, he simply never got better. There are reasons to say this deal was justified, and the results did bear it out as well...

OK so there is some public events that indicate his involvement. While we don't know when he gets involved, he does. There are certainly some owners whose involvement is nothing more than simply giving up a budget, and some even less involved. For example, I have a hard time believing Jerry Reinsdorf approves every big deal the White Sox and Bulls both make, beyond maybe judging everything by the team's results vs the budget.

OK, that;s something

Oh I wouldn't be surprised at all if even the 9 figure deals were left to DD alone. I would posit the alternative, that he didn't get to be a billionaire by not hiring people to help him run his ventures properly. He's got a lot of diversity, and paying attention to everything seems like a lot. But, like any manager, he hires people who can do the job, and then lets them, as long as it is working out. DD would have bought himself a longer leash with 3 straight division titles and WSC. And certainly, as DD had gotten Henry a title before in Florida, I can see Henry simply trusting DD to run things in a manner DD seems fit. Why is that so outrageous?

There's nothing wrong with liking his trades, especially after 2018. I liked several of them myself, including the Thornburg trade, as i didn't see any reason why it would be the absolute disaster that it was. Had Thornburg actually pitched like he did in Milwaukee, would anyone really be complaining about Dubon? Getting a pre-arbitration closer should cost a bit. Look at other teams prices for them. (Ken Giles to Houston, for example.) But I am wondering if Henry really signed off on any of this beforehand. Did he just let DD do things, as long as they worked out? After 3 straight division titles and a WSC, one has to think DD should have some autonomy. Carson Smith? Reportedly Seattle was happy to deal him due to their fear of arm troubles. DD really didn't give up much, but he also got nothing. Kimbrel was an overpay IMO based on that we gave up two top 100 prospects at the time, plus a third who eventually became one, and also took on the entire contract. Usually if you pay full fair, the trade price goes down. For Sale, Moncada was a lot and so was Kopech. But Sale was on one of the best contracts in MLB. He was supposed to cost a lot. Sort of the opposite of the Kimbrel deal where Kimbrel's contract was, at the very least, fair to high for his position. Espinoza for Pomeranz seemed stupid at the time, but given how Espinoza fell apart, one has to wonder maybe DD had some inkling of his condition? I mean, maybe he at the very least figured "High ceiling, but the arm is risky." I can see that. And Pomeranz pitched very well for the Sox for a while, and even made an All Star team. Not a bad trade, IMO. It did seem like the funds suddenly dried up this offseason. Like Henry finally said "Whoa. you're spending how much? We have limits here. high limits, but still limits." And DD thought "Wait. I need a closer. Oh well. At least I got Colten Brewer finally ." Otherwise, why bring back Pearce and Eovaldi for the whole off-season budget while letting Kimbrel and Kelly walk without replacement, unless there was a change in the plans midstream? That's why I don't think Henry was even involved until he started getting the bill. Really the only other option is that DD is an idiot...

I didn’t like the Kimbrel deal, but in retrospect, it was an odd moment in Dombrowski’s career when he actually paid attention to the bullpen. Not being sarcastic here. Part of me looks at this deal and the other two bad trades (Thornburg, Carson Smith) and notices a common thread. I think the guy just couldn’t find away to value relievers. So while I don’t like and never liked the Kimbrel trade, I do look at it differently now

Are you f***ing serious? I wanted a simple answer about John Henry’s involvement. Someone somewhere probably read an article or a book that mentions something. That’s not a crazy request. But too many get into the “Don’t you think a billionaire....” stuff. I have no idea how billionaires think, apparently unlike most people here. I have no idea how much time he bothers with on the Red Sox. Is it a hobby? Does he have a team of people? Does he just let the GM do everything as long as it works out? That last one wouldn’t surprise me. I’m not looking for legal documentation. Just someone with something like “In his book Francina said...” or “Alex Speier wrote an article about...”. I don’t think that’s an insane request...

But he’s the type of guy who can buy Manchester United. That he’s already bought Liverpool proves my point. Heck, not only can he buy Manchester United, he can put it on his Visa. Bottom line - does he really get involved in every expensive Red Sox transaction or does he trust his GM? I don’t want opinions. Does anyone actually know how involved he is? Or even heard a rumor about it?

Not really. I never said it was an either-or choice. But I prefer the healthier arm. Players get injured. It’s part of the game. I don’t expect GMs to know who and when. But with all the unforeseen injuries, why take on such an obvious injury risk and pay him like he isn’t one?

And we’ll never know. But it is irrelevant as to whether or not the Sox overpaid for Kimbrel. The only hypothetical that matters is - could they have gotten him for less? Now if that lesser package meant we keep Asuaje, big deal. But if it meant we keep Logan Allen, that actually is a big deal right now. No matter what you think Logan Allen has proven, know this: he isn’t Brian Johnson...

But who cares if they swoon this year? They’ve all but locked up third place in the AL East...

Yeah but what’s her batting average?