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Trevor Bauer brought back a nice haul for the Guardians with the same promise of testing free agency

The Yankees won the title in 2009 by sheer spending. I'd rather root for a lucky team...

Really the title of this thread should be: Mookie Betts - trade or don't trade. There appears to be no option of extending. Unless we use another alternate title: Brock Holt - trade or extend

Or his comments for the last 3 seasons. Mookie is not getting extended. He might re-sign with the Sox, but not until he has tested free agency...

Let’s see what 2020 looks like first...

I was annoyed when he avoided all those Braves’ prospects who were released back into the wild...

1) Betts is younger and uninjured. 2) Sale isn’t getting traded. No one trades for injured pitchers who are still owed $100mill+

Trading Betts on the second day is the same as trading him at the deadline. The loss of the draft pick does affect what you get back. (And if you want to sign him back, why would you do Mookie a “favor” that makes him more appealing to more teams?) And the Sox have made Mookie a very wealthy man already, which is the only favor he has expressed interest in. If the Sox want him back, highest bidder is the only way. Mookie didn’t hire an agent so he could return favors with his career.

No that’s not what you would do if you were John Henry. That’s what you would do if you were Jeff Loria...

Bunted home runs

Chris Sale has an ERA well over 4.00 this year. He's not an elite pitcher?

I left ERod out of my arbitration players.

Or plan 3. Trade Betts this offseason and reset. Bring Mookie back after 2020 and continue like before, but without the exploding pitching staff..

He also wasn't making $20mill in 2015. His contract ran from 2016-2019...

Actually no one said that. I said if the Sox want to reset, they would have to non-tender JBJ and the best course of action would be to get a good defensive CF. And I prefer that to moving Benintendi to CF. and taking a shot at some Nick Williams minimum wage offensive crapshoot in LF. Like it or not, or understand the arbitration process or not, JBJ i going to get paid this offseason. He makes $8.8mill and is absolutel;y 100% goingto get more. I think in the $10-12mill range, but that is just an educated guess. Now, per sportrac, the Sox have about $56mill to spend before hitting the tax limits. Out of that $56mill, they have to pay all their arbitration cases (Betts, Benintendi, Barnes, Bradley, Workman, Wright, Hembree, Leon, etc.) plus fill the roster with whatever else they need. If they just keep Betts, Benintendi, Barnes and Workman, that could easily be $40mill +. That leaves $16mill for Bradley, Wright (definite non-tender), Leon (ditto), Hembree (probably). So they could maybe sign Bradley if my estimates are right, but that leaves maybe $4mill for another starter, any needed bullpen help, probably a 1b or 2b, etc. And anyone they want to get mid-season. I don't think any GM wants to be THAT hamstrung. And THAT is if the $40mill figure is right. It's possible Betts and Benintendi alone take that much. It's simply too tight of a budget, assuming they reset. So good, and much cheaper CF like Lagares, or Broxton, or Hamilton does make sense. I do find it odd you think none of them are any good. But whatever. They will meet what could be more important criteria - being significantly cheaper. Of course, if the Sox actually do deal Betts, the budget is much, much more flexible...

I wuld count AGon as one of those big contracts we shed. The Sox really don't have an Edwin Diaz style piece to pair up with David Price in a deal...

Why don't we just cite those old Miller Lite "tastes Great, Less Filling" ads with Luis Tiant while we're at it? That chicks did the long ball ad featured 3 now-retired major leaguers, two of whom have already been enshrined in Cooperstown and a third who has failed on multiple attempts due to his steroid usage. (In hindsight, was it saying "Chicks dig stanislozol?")

And Esteban Quiroz, who got us Colten Brewer...

But can the Reds squeeze a $25mill salary? They would certainly like to move India, as they are loaded at 3B. If they Sox do move Betts, the Dodgers are another prime option, especially if they lose their 3rd straight WS this year, or don't make it that far at all. That would make them an organization with a sense of urgency and desperation...

They tried to deal Macado before the season, but apparently did not get any offers they liked It is possible they wanted the moon plus. Reportedly, Dombrowski was trying to acquire him, no idea with what. They didn't do so bad at the deadline, and while they got 4 players all ranked in their top 26 by Fangraphs, only one had a FV above 45, and that was Yusniel Diaz (their #2) at 50...

1) is unlikely, but we can't deny it exists. 3) means less in return, as it is just straight up Mookie for a half season. Dealing him this off-season means the Sox can get more back, as they are dealing Mookie and a draft pick when he rejects to QO. If you're going to deal Betts, do it right.

Well then maybe dgalehouse is right. Chris Russo certainly thinks so...

Maybe true, but we really don't know if Dombrowski is like that, especially around Henry, who has known him since their days together with the Marlins...

Has that ever worked out for the team unloading the bad deal? That's one of those trades you always want to be on the other side of...

It's too early to tell. There are pros and cons to both scenarios, and i think i will have a slightly clearer picture when some front office dust settles. If the Sox bring in some farm-building type, he is probably gone. But until we know who is running the team. The Sox do still have a strong lineup core in Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez, and Benintendi, and are not likely to find taked for Price, Sale and Eovaldi. They might keep Betts, hope 2020 works out better, and then re-sign him. But it also depends on what one year of an MVP is worth to other teams, as well..