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If they’ve spent near their limit, then there is no money to be found. The only alternative is to free up some cash. Would you trade Porcello or Bradley or Bogaerts to free up some cash (and potentially acquire a closer)?

It really helps if you completely forget that the Sox and Yankees played 6 times in the final 12 games of the season in games that meant more to the Yankees than the Sox (as Oakland was still within a theoretical striking distance for home field). The Yankees went 4-2 in those games....

The different schedules account for some of the run differential as well. The Sox won 108 regular season games while playing 38 games against 2 teams that combined for over 190 wins....

So if the Sox used Matt Barnes as closer, why would that be so bad? Sure, you can say he was inconsistent last year. But so was Kimbrel, especially in the second half. And the “you get what you pay for” argument might fall on deaf ears to a team still carrying Pablo Sandoval. In fact, at some point nearly all free agents defy that logic. Not to mention the argument against Edwards (yes he’s in arb years, but so are several Sox pitchers) and Chavez (yes he threw 39IP, but fWAR is a cumulative stat) aren’t really good arguments. If Chavez hit 30 HRs in 100 ABs, would you argue “but it’s only 100 ABs!!!”

Apparently Dombrowski is among them....

Dan Duquette went 9 years in between GM gigs...

Actually an argument against spending for relievers...

Exactly. Unlike most GMs, he has a World Series title in the role (plus a couple others). I’ve seen plenty of GMs of last place teams get hired in the same capacity somewhere else again and again...

Why would you suppose Moreland - the strong side of the platoon who is younger and been a full time starter- be available? I really don’t think you want to see Pearce as a full time player for the first time in his career at age 35/36...

Is it a question about the Sox targeting specific closers or is it a question about who is the best closer available for a package headlined by Michael Chavis? Givens would be great. But will Chavis (plus?) be enough to land him?

Exactly. Dombrowski isn’t looking to go cheap in the bullpen for any reason except that he has to. He’ll, the man LOVES spending heavily and has a long history of doing so. It seems like the only way he spends heavily on the bullpen now is if he pares some salary elsewhere. Which does make that story about Porcello, Bogaerts, Bradley, etc. make more sense...

There has reportedly been interest in him for his services, but we don’t even know if he wants to be a GM...

No one has said spending in the bullpen is bad. What some are saying is it isn’t the only way. Epstein was able to spend in the bullpen because the team around it was largely pre or arb-level homegrown talent, one reason his payroll was less than the Sox currently is. But as those salaries escalate, he seems hesitant to spend as well. That doesn’t mean the team is perfect. Or rebuilding. Just spending isn’t always an option. Dombrowski is in a similar position with regards to spending....

There is a certain value in the opt out that shouldn’t be ignored. Of course, is there any reason Chicago and Philadelphia would be adverse to putting in an opt out? This feature is talked about on this board like it’s exclusive to the Yankees. Really it’s a good idea for any team to use one in most high profile mega-contracts...

Also, it’s December...

Exactly my point. If the Yankees are not the highest bidder, they will not be the winning bidder. Cashman has made grat moves and bad moves, which is par for the course for any GM who actually makes moves. That he has lasted do long in NY through multiple Stenbrenners is proof of how well he does his job. But I was never commenting about him, despite the hyperbole...

The cap room requirement depends on what the closer makes. If the Sox look into AJ Minter or Josh Heder, the money is not so much. The cost in prospects, however, might be. A buy-low opportunity like Corey Knebel seems more like a better fit in terms of low salary, lesser (but not non-existent) prospect cost. But the trade-off there is he was not so good in 2018 (after a stellar 2017)...

The fact that Theo signed Ortiz really does show he wasn’t all that content with Giambi. Pedro May have recommended Ortiz - the type of recommendation that happens everyday in the MLB off-season- but Theo still listened and did his due diligence and then signed Ortiz. The way people like to retell the story, one would think Pedro kidnapped Theo and hid him in the basement while Pedro personally negotiated with Ortiz’ agent....

I think he will go in with the best option he can this season. But unlike fans, the GM can’t always and shouldn’t always just go for it . As a fan we can think “ the window is closing soon!! Let’s not pinch pennies.” But the GM really can’t always do that, and sometimes he has to do things like pinch pennies today in order to keep that window open for another year or two. If signing Kimbrel today, for example, means losing Bogaerts at the end of the season, is it worth it? And will you be thinking that if the 2020 season really misses Bogaerts? If you complained at all at any point in 2014, you’re lying if you say “Kimbrel is worth it if we win it all.”...

And you can tell Kimmi that until you’re blue in the face. But she isn’t the one looking into the discount closer market. We also shouldn’t play the game that “most expensive” or “most experienced” means “best.” Jim Johnson is an experienced closer. Shawn Kelley is an experienced closer. Matt Barnes is not. Does this mean Johnson and Kelley are better options than Barnes?

Ok one last time. Jackpot said again “Machado wants to be a Yankee and will take less money to become one.” I made a comment that it really is amazing how many players Yankee fans seem to think will take discounts to wear pinstripes yet they still seem to pay a lot. This isn’t about Red Sox spending. This comment also wasn’t about Yankee spending or Cashman or Cherington. It was a comment about Yankee fans and their perception of all the discounts they’ll be getting from free agents...

Exactly. Those are negotiating plots on both sides. The Yankees are among a few teams capable and willing to pay ungodly amounts to players. So while the White Sox and Phillies give a max offer that might actually be a max offer, Machado says “I want to be a Yankee” often enough to get the Yankees to increase their offer. Cashman then stalls because he doesn’t want to have to. If Machado was so publicly overt about a desire to play in NY and take less money to do so, why would Philadelphia and Chicago bother bidding on him at all? What do you think his agent is saying in those meetings?

But my point - is Machado saying he wants to be a Yankee because he wants to be a Yankee? Or because he wants the Yankees to increase their offer, knowing they’re normally very heavy spenders? That he hasn’t signed with the Yankees yet does support my point that when he says he wants to be a Yankee, what he really means is he wants to be paid like one....

I love the threat at the end. Whether or not the Sox spend (which I didn’t deny), the Yankees do and have at or near the top for roughly 30 years. Really my comment was more about how Yankee fans always seem to think every MLB free agent is dying to come play for the Yankees and willing to do so for less money than they want from everyone else. Not one of you ever seems to think that the reason free agents openly embrace the Yankees in the media is that the club has a reputation for paying extremely well, something that aligns with most free agent’s goals. Maybe one or two really want to be Yankees, but most just say it publicly to entice the Yankees to stay in the bidding. These guys do hire agents for a reason and that reason is actually NOT to make less money playing in New York, shocking as that sounds. This is also the reason the Yankees (along with fellow big spenders the Red Sox and Dodgers) are on most no-trade clauses. When a player comes to New York or Boston, he wants to be paid accordingly and not be paid in Padres dollars or Marlins dollars. The NTC allows them to ask for the differential to waive it. Didn’t you ever wonder why so many players who were willing to take less to play for the Yankees would sign elsewhere and then also add the Yankees to their NTC lists? I know this conflicts with your prediction that Machado is going to ignore larger offers from two teams who have pledged to outbid the Yankees...

I have my doubts about Brasier. The guy is 31 and has been bouncing around the minors for more than a full decade. And that he suddenly has figured out what it takes to not only make the majors, but to excel there? That he is a flash in the pan is a serious possibility....