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Who does?

Sale? Yes. I think he’s a time bomb. But Betts is a special player with a level of talent you rarely see. He’s become the player Bryce Harper was supposed to be...

I’ve heard a lot of names thrown around in the NL MVP race. But I haven’t heard anyone mention Christian Yelich, who might end up actually taking the award. And for all the props Jake deGrom gets as shoe-in for Cy Young, serious recognition needs to go to Kyle Freeland. Has any Rockies pitcher ever had a sub-3.00 ERA in 200 IP?

Fortnite Fever

Every once in a while, the Baltimore Orioles try to remind people they are still an actual Major League Baseball team. And then it passes...

The Sox could try and trade one year of Bogaerts and see what it’s worth to the loser of the Manny Machado Sweepstakes. Iglesias and Freddy Galvis should both be decent FA replacements who don’t kill the budget, play excellent defense and are both on the good side of 30 (although I hope that’s less relevant and either deal is fairly short). Iglesias might be the better hitter but Galvis is typically healthier and shows up for work with more regularity...

Well, some of them are going to have to. You can't afford to keep all the highest paid players without having some dirt cheap minimum wage players to offset them...

I'm sure it is. But did that article say it was the only criterion among those who use it? There was a time when RBIs were a stat MVP voters considered (and some probably still do). But no one ever advocated just giving the MVP to the RBI leader ever year...

Apparently my "walk list" would be way mopre controversial: 1. Porcello 2. Kimbrel 3. Sale 4. Bradley 5. Martinez 6. Bogaerts 7. Betts I doubt anyone else is as willing to let Sale walk as I am. But I think he might be another Price for the Sox - cost roughly $30mill and be a shell of his former self, likely due to his potential for injuries...

With our s***** farm system? It might be Bogaerts. Whose the best CF over the age of 19 in the Sox farm system? CJ Chatham might be nothing more than a utility infielder when his day comes, but he is closer to MLB than any of our center field prospects (unless you like Rusney Castillo, which DD doesn't)...

Maybe that is because he figures JBJ to be significantly cheaper than Bogaerts? Both are Boras clients. Both will try the market and go for the best deal possible. They didn't hire Boras to get any other advice...

I think everyone would let Porcello walk, including Dombrowski. Unless somehow he commands a far lesser deal than the one he already received. JD is another player the Sox need to keep. He would be great to keep, and hopefully he makes it a non-factor by not opting out. But his agent will certainly be giving him different advice if he keeps this up. But as he is already on the books for $90mill over the next 4 years, the raise to keep him shouldn't be too substantial. I assume Dombrowski and the accoutning team figure him in for future plans. I get why you put Bradley over Bogaerts, as Bradley is likely in a different tax bracket. But I still think Bogaerts has his best years ahead of him. I would put both of them behind Sale (like you did) if I had faith in Sale staying healthy. His shoulder troubles this year, his past elbow issues (the White Sox briefly moved him to closer one season due to arm trouble), and that herky-jerky delivery that makes Dr. James Andrews eyes light up every time he sees it all make me very suspicious of his long term durability. Betts is a no-brainer at the top of the list. Bogaerts is second. And then Martinez, and if he is still affordable, Bradley. (Bogaerts, Bradley and Martinez are all Boras clients, which might influence the decision-making process for DD.) That does leave a gaping hole in the pitching staff, as I think there are reasons to let all 3 go when the time comes. DD better start getting young arms in the system and stop trading for relievers who need TJ the next day.

I look at it this way. By the end of the 2020 season, the following key players will all have reached free agency: Kimbrel Bogaerts Sale Porcello Betts Martinez (if he opts out) Bradley Given that David Price isn't going anywhere and every one of these players except maybe Bradley is likely to command over $20mill per season, some in great excess of that amount, the Sox are not likely to be able to keep them all. And while they do spend a lot of money, they are probaby not going to tie up over $100mill in 4 players (counting Price), leaving maybe another $100mill for the other 21 roster spots. If they do spend heavy and keep too many of these players, it will be difficult to impossible to keep Benintendi and/or Devers, assuming Devers shows he is worth keeping. We may not know their limit, but they absolutely do have one. Maybe they can retain 2 of those players and hope Martinez doesn't opt out. If that is the case, what two would you keep?

Not wanting to have him back through his early 30s as the highest paid closer in MLB history is not the same as not liking him. It just means the Sox have other players I would prefer they retained instead. I think Chris Sale, if he can stay healthy, is on the fast track to Cooperstown and will be far more difficult to replace than Kimbrel, but I think the Sox would be smart to let him go when his contract (and all options) finally expires, too. Of course, a big part of that is my doubts he can stay healthy...

No one said that. But if you are going to base everything on one stat, that's a good one to pick. And it might even be better than the voting process. It certainly would not have lead to a few of the more questionable MVP choices, like Justin Morneau in 2006. And yet it would not have prevented what I thought was the most questionable MVP of all, Josh Hamilton in 2010...

I can't believe they didn't coast to 100 in that crappy division. I think part of it for them is they clinched first and have been coasting and playing to not get hurt longer than any other team...

They do. And there are voters who take WAR into account, using whichever version they prefer. Maybe some even use it as their sole criterion. But the BBWAA also has some voting members who don't like advanced metrics, and have other criteria when they vote for the award...

The problem with simply deciding Hembree and Kelly have been too ineffective lately (which they have) and therefore should be dropped from the post-season roster still eaves the question - for who? and are all these sample sizes just too small to be representative? It's safe to assume Kimbrel, Barnes, Brasier and ERod are going to the post-season bullpen. Wright probably is, too. That leaves a maximum of three spots from Kelly, Hembree, Workman, Velasquez, Poyner, Johnson, Scott, Thornburg, Cuevas and Pomeranz. Four if they decide not to take ERod. Right off the bat, I would say Thornburg and Pomeranz have struggled to stay healthy and can be left off from further consideration, leaving 8 pitchers for 3 or 4 spots. Of these pitchers, only Poyner and Cuevas have thrown more than 7IP this month. Should the Sox leave Kelly and Hembree off the post-season roster because Cuevas looked better in the 11 IP he has thrown, half of which came in one outing? A mere 7IP ago, Kelly had an ungodly August with a 1.42 ERA/1.90 FIP. Is that no longer relevant because of those seven innings since? (Overall, Kelly has had better second half than Barnes has had. Is Barnes on he bubble?) I really don't think the Sox should play "hot hand" with these small sample sizes and hope it continues for another month. At some point, they are going to need to bring some of the pitchers that got them where they are in the first place...

Not only the Yankees having 100 wins and finishing a distant second, but Tampa could win more games than AL Central champion Cleveland and no one has even mentioned the Rays as a post-season contender all year, and with good reason...

Using fWAR, he is the 7th best Oakland player, behind Chapman, Lowrie, Treinen, Semien, Olson, and Piscotty...

Well we can either discuss the future or the post-season roster. There isn't much else going on right now...

For being 6 games ahead of the Pythagorean W-L?

I'm not a critic of his. He's a terrific pitcher. My thoughts on the subject are simple - extend/retain Betts, Benintendi and Bogaerts as the core to build around. (And to a lesser extent, Bradley.) Re-signing some of the players to the mega-deals they will command (like Kimbrel and Sale) will make that more difficult if not impossible. So when it comes to Kimbrel, there will be a time when we as fans can thank him for what he has done and wish him well in his next role. And enjoy that full page Boston Globe ad he will take out to say goodbye...

Former Braves closer Mark Wohlers was once asked "what's the difference between a good closer and a bad closer?" His immediate reply - "Three blown saves."

It's certainly possible the Sox limit an offer to three years, maybe even for $20mill. I'd be surprised if that was the best offer he received. And I agree, he goes for the best offer, regardless of where it's from. Dombrowski will absolutely make an attempt to sign him, and might even make the best offer. But if that best offer is in the neighborhood of all the speculation, I think the ramifications going forward could be very negative for the future of the Sox. This team has a young and deadly core, and that core should be kept intact as long as possible. And if that means letting an occasional older and pricier talented player leave via free agency, then it needs to happen. I think re-signing Sale after 2019 would be a mistake, too, especially after he started having injuriy issues this year (although they were probably not as bad as his limited playing time might make one think. There was definitely some coddling involved.) But if you think Kimbrel is going to be tough to replace, what about Sale?