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If Kelly was a free agent right now, he would easily get double that number, and get it for 2 years. Given what the middle relief arms/set up guys are going for, Kelly is actually pretty good trade bait...

Big time. Ditto Darvish, whom I did not mention. Arrieta is aging and declining and apparently wants $200mill. Lynn appeared to be very lucky last year. But he also had TJ two seasons ago, which might be an issue given that repair seems to last for about 600IP (or 3-4 seasons). There isn't much else. It seems odd that the best remaining pitcher to sign might be Greg Holland. Although he might want Wade Davis money, too..

I think he is comparing Morrison and Martinez, not Hanley. None of them are Hanley bad. I think Martinez is probably the better OF over Morrison. He certainly has the more significant sample size. But does it matter for the Sox? If they aren't dealing Bradley, which Dave "No One is Having Surgery" Dombroski says they are not, then JD is the primary DH. Unless they demote Benintendi, which is about as likely as the Sox signing me to play 2B...

I d get that Morrison isn't the hitter Martinez is, but then he also wouldn't become the complete roster hamstring Martinez might become. And the way these negotiations appear to be going, Martinez is deadset on becoming one. You yuorself said he won't be worth it at age 37 (especially, as you pointed out, he misses tons of time), and right now he wants to sign until he is at least that age. And he probably won't get healthier is nid mid and late 30s. Morrison is certainly tough to buy into. Late in the 2016 season, he went on an offensive tear. He did manage to make it last all through 2018. But then, an offensive tear for Logan Morrison is a bad season for Martinez. And it's not like morrison is significantly younger. He's only 4 days younger than JD. Not likely Martinez got much baseball in during those 4 days. But Morrison isn't likely to command a 6 or 7 year deal. Figure he should get less than CArlos Santana (3 yrs $60mill). Probably a lot less. Like 3 years $39-45mill worst case. Maybe less. Maybe 3 yrs $27mill. However, signing Morrison could also give the Sox some flexibility to upgrade the rotation. Not sure where Arrieta (no buzz) or Cobb (turned down 3 yrs $42mill and not much in the way of other buzz) or Lance Lynn will go for, but that can be counted as part of the improvement. There are reasons to like and not like all three of those pitchers. But would you prefer Martinez at DH and Wright on the mound? Or Morrison at DH and Cobb on the mound?

There's been chatter about DFAing Hanley, which would be a far more limited role, reducing him to "cashing exorbitant paychecks" and nothing else. There is absolutely no way to bring in Martinez without limiting the role of either Hanley or Moreland, making your statement impossible. Unless the Sox either have an injury, make a trade, or demote Benintendi. There is no other way. Bottom line is - if the Sox can fit Martinez on the roster, they can fit Morrison, who, incidentally, doesn't whine about being a DH...

Whether it is Morrison or Martinez, you have the same roster issues. That Martinez can play the OF poorly really doesn't add to his versatility. He's really not a defensive wizard out there. "Defensively mediocre" would be better goal for him. Sure they might have less roster flexibility. But it's not like we are bandying about some great depth chart names for the bench. So someone gets cut or demoted from the set of Leon, Swihart, Brentz, Holt and Marrero (assuming Hernandez starts at 2B, which is not a given to begin with.) The Sox could bring in Morrison over Martinez, spend the difference in cash on a pitcher, and the 4 man bench would have to come from that same set of Leon, Swihart, Holt, Marrero, and Brentz. Only Holt and Hernandez have options left. To me, I demote one of the guys with options and cut Brentz. 25-man roster set. Not really less flexible than if we did have Martinez.

Chew on a Cliff bar instead

I don't think it is because we are suddenly developing great pitching nearly as much as those are the players who are defaulting into the top 10. If the Sox are lucky, maybe 2 of them will actually have a career longer than one month of service time....

If Bradley got $6mill, Betts could easily get the $10.5mill. At this point, it's either $10.5mill or $7.75mill...

He wants the market to be what it was a few years back, but the trend is changing. Shorter terms, even if it means a slightly higher AAV. With Martinez, it looks like he might be able to get $25-30mill or 6-7 years, but not both. At this point, if the Sox bail on him, it might be interesting to see where he lands and for how much. If his years and AAV drop - which is very likely - does it impact next year's free agent class? To me, he is a good player, but not a game-changing talent. He's simply not worth the whole situtation and certainly not worth his demands. While he might certainly be the next Edwin Encarnacion (my position) as a late bloomer who remains productive into his mid to late 30's, he also might not be. And the latter is the more likely scenario. And if he isn't, he becomes another Hanley Ramirez. Only a more expensive one who is around a lot longer. And healthwise, he is more Hanley than Edwin...

I can agree with that. They kept out Gil Hodges and Luis Tiant and Carl Mays but let in Bill Mazeroski and Dave Bancroft...

Is it a rumor or an idle threat? I wouldn't be surprised if the Boras camp made that statement. In fact, I'd be surprised if they didn't. Now whether or not Martinez actually holds out remains to be seen. But as of now, that question gets answered in 5 weeks...

DH over Hanley? 1B over Moreland? Mitch Moreland essentially got the same deal as Chris Young and Jonny Gomes, so it's not like we overcommitted to him and he has to start to be worth his deal. We are paying him like we pay bench players. Logan Morrison has played LF in Miami, but he is awful at it and it should never happen again, regardless of who signs him...

Except that it will never be the case. The Sox have a reputation for spending especially among agents, and the price for him will never come down. Last week on MLB Network radio, a caller asked Steve Phillips if the Mike Moustakas signs a 3 yr / $39mill deal, does that mean the Angels overreacted and signed Zack Cozart too quickly. Phillips quickly told him that if Moustakas price fell that low, it would be because the Angels pulled out of the market, and as long as the Angels were in the market, they would not have been able to get Moustakas for that price. That's how I see it with Martinez. That the Sox haven't dropped out keeps the price up. Right now, that $30mill/season price appears to be for Boston and Boston alone. He may eventually sign for less, but not very likely here. And frankly, if he is threatening to hold out, pass on him. Right now the threat is "hold out into Spring Training." That's 4 weeks away. If he isn't signed by then, how long will he hold out? Into the season? While it was a little different with players like Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, they did show that a prolonged holdout actually does seem to turn into a lost season for a player. And a lost $30mill season for a 31yo player who wants to be signed into his late 30's is a financial sinkhole for this team. How many good seasons does JD have left? And he appears to be prepared to give one of them away because he feels a contract that will guarantee to put food on the table for his great great great grandchildren simply isn't good enough...

It doesn't look like anyone is upping their offer to JD, which is why he is threatening to hold out through spring training. I say move on to Morrison. And pass along to the King Kong of Slug best wishes in getting the deal he thinks he deserves. No one is going to give him $30mill with Harper in play next off-season...

I think WAR actually proves your point about Bradley. Easily worth it. I think the contracts that have gone to middle relief/set up guys like Juan Nicasio prove Kelly is worth the deal he got, too...

Ted Williams would be 99 years old. I would hope Devers had better wheels...

Donaldson was never an option for anyone but Toronto. Other teams were asking, and yet he stayed a Blue Jay.

The data driven executives are more proof of the point that the way the game is evaluated is rapidly changing. 15 years ago, using OBP instead of batting average was a shocking turn of events. Since then we have gone through WARP, Win Shares, WAR, and other statistical methods and dozens of new stats. Anything from xFIP to wOBA. How has the game itself changed in the past 15 years? Fewer IP from starters? More specialization players? Anythng else significant?

To be fair, Gerald Green is like 6'8". Sneaking anywhere is not his forte. I could see getting LoMo through. He doesn't stand out nearly as much as Green...

If he has, then it's even easier. ..

I take Morrison there. I hope Dombrowski makes him an offer today and if he signs, withdraw the offer to Martinez.

Moreland signed basically the same contract as Chris Young and Johnny Gomes, neither of whom were brought in to start. Moustakas is being terribly ignored. Ditto Lucroy. And also Logan Morrison, whose late 2016 makes his 2017 look more legitimate. And even when he was not much of a hitter, he always seems to have hit well at Fenway...

Belt was not a free agent and signed a deal for less than he would have had he gone through free agency, just like Pedroia did.

Really? I know you know better than that. Just admit you underestimated the guy and move on. Pedroia is very, very far from being a problem contract for a team that is still paying Pablo Sandoval, Rusney Castillo, and Allen Craig....