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At some point this thread needs to mention Tim Spooneybarger

RJ Swindle

I think the idea is that with Sale on board the Sox won't need to score as many runs. ..

On paper, Toronto is right there. Their quiet off-season and loss of key personnel shouldn't overshadow how good they were to begin with, and the potential for growth in some key players, notably Stroman and Sanchez...

But one way of looking at"change the culture of the clubhouse" is that it means "bring in new players. " Is it about culture or baseball ability? Getting rid of Beckett and company might have involved guys who didn't want to be in Boston, but the underlying truth is also that Beckett and especially Crawford sucked. It's not like the Sox even got much for them. The long view of that deal is the Sox got Carson Smith and his 2IP. But losing them also allowed for a really good down payment for Uehara, Victorino, Napoli, Drew, and Dempster. Better players? New culture? Which was more important? And Dempster's off field contributions get much more praise than his oft-ignored on-field performance. While not great, he was a step up over what was left of Beckett, and was probably one of the better back of the rotation starters in the AL. I doubt any team ever assembled had 25 guys who all liked each other. There are plenty of stories about the Oakland A's and their ubiquitous loathing of each other. It didn't stop them from winning three straight titles. I just doubt how much all of our perception of camaraderie matters, especially among teams with enough talent and few weaknesses. Health is a much bigger deal to me....

His "bad chemistry" remarkably coincided with his deteriorating ability to pitch. What a coincidence. The notorious "chicken and beer" scandal was promoted as proof of his sudden change in attitude and priority, and his impact on team chemistry. But, at least according to AJ Pierzynski, that type of behavior was practically universal in MLB...

I think the importance of both team chemistry and team identity are overblown in a 24 hour sports media desperate to find new topics of discussion. ...

Brandon Workman also pitched in the 2013 World Series. ..

Am I the only one who never understood that whole "needs to figure out an identity" thing? I don't mean to single out Dojii here; I hear that line all the time every year in the media about one team or another. What is a "team identity"? Why is it essential? In a game that us largely composed of cumulative individual efforts as opposed to synchronized team play, I find it confusing. Will players on a team that hasn't figured out their identity hit worse or pitch worse? Is a team identity like "team chemistry", in that you can argue that teams that play better establish their identity as opposed to teams need an identity to play better?

Ross will disappoint unless Texas suddenly decides to play their home games in Petco. Tyson Ross is overrated and the less desirable pitcher of the two brothers. ..

True, but sooner or later reality will kick in and any job will look better. And really, anyone who signs with Boston is potentially one Spring Training injury away from a spot on the opening day roster. ..

Reportedly Dombrowski said he wanted a left-handed option. But it is possible price was his only concern..

I'm not so big on Moreland, and I think the defensive upgrade will have a minimal impact. But outside of a blockbuster signing like Encarnacion or (I can't believe I'm about to include this guy) Trumbo, it is really hard to make the case for any of the other second tier options like Moss or Lind or Morrison as definitive and obvious superior choices. I do think limiting the choices to a left-handed bat was being way too simple and unnecessarily eliminated some other decent choices like Napoli, and even to a lesser extent, Chris Carter..

It's also possible Hembree makes the roster and Barnes starts the season in AAA. Hembree was the more effective reliever of the two last season. ...

Didn't the team that won the World Series that year have an opening day rotation of Edinson Volquez, Chris Young, Yordano Ventura, Danny Duffy, and Jeremy Guthrie? Is that really so much better? It's not all about the rotation.

Is it if the team has to shop JD Martinez and Ian Kinsley just to stay afloat? And Cabrera still has 7 years and $212mill REMAINING!!!! Coupled with the $84mill still owed to Verlander over the next three seasons, and that is an INSANE $300 million to two aging players who are most definitely NOT going to repeat their 2016 seasons until their respective free agencies. Is this really how a team builds a window to win in your eyes?

Me too. Cherington's "rebuilding" strategy involved the Great Reset Button trade, which then only took slightly over 13 months to lead to a title. He also didn't deal Lester and Lackey for prospects and instead focused on Major Leaguers. That's not building a sustainable farm. He did sign a lot of free agents, including Uehara, Napoli, Drew, Victorino, Dempster, Sandoval, Hanley, etc. Dombrowski's method of garnering stability was to sign Verlander and Cabrera to such cumbersome deals, the Tigers are actually trying to work in a rebuilding period right now...

He did have a poor year, but if you're going to be wrong, better off being writing a one year deal as opposed to a seven year one...

Once a player is willing to take a minor league deal, the Sox should start looking like one of the better options, given their pitching depth in the upper minors and outfielder contract nightmares at that same level...

Kids aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners...

...died today in a car accident. Former Sox prospect Andy Marte also died today in a seperate car accident. ..

I can't fault Cherington for the Masters in deal. The guy was one year removed from being the best pitcher on the Cleveland staff and was willing to sign a one year deal...

Kendrick is garbage, but he is smart and necessary garbage. ..

Maybe you need to stop going on the carpet. ..

His UZR is above average, but entering last year he was one DRS above league average for his career. ..