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Using bWAR, Tiant and McLain WS a close race. But that same method has Cy Young runner up Clemens clearly dominating over the winner Welch with values of 10.4 and 2.9. Clemens lead the league in multiple categories; Welch only lead in wins. Clemens was clearly the better pitcher. Welch just pitched on a better team. Bartolo Colon over Johan Santana in 2005 was another such award mishap…

What do the 2024 Red Sox have to do with Cy Young voting logic from 1968 to 1990?

I think too many fans think the MLB teams have this internal division between the Old School Baseballers and the Analytics team, you like how they portrayed it in the 2011 Moneyball, which, it turns out, fictionalized some of the internal workings of the A’s solely for the purpose of creating more Hollywood drama that is so important in making movies, particularly ones in the Drama genre. All those internal fights - fictionalized. It turns out Beane never fired head scout Grady Fuson in an argument over analytics. (Fuson embraced them but left Oakland voluntarily to pursue an opportunity with Texas.). Also, Beane also didn’t fight with Howe, especially over his contract either since 1) Howe did have an agent who would do that, and 2) that wasn’t even Howe’s option year. The Sox have more than Breslow pushing analytics. The team thought they were too heavy after the back-to-back last place finishes in 2014 and 2015. But after 2017, they interviewed Alex Cora, and he bluntly told them they weren’t doing anywhere near enough…

He might not have embraced the green text just yet…

Did they emphasize the importance of pitcher W-L record?

Reyes has a huge edge. Although maybe Sogard can get some early session at bats while Grissom is out…

It is good that some players are already clicking. It’s not like he said he was excited about their W-L record. The goals in ST are usually just 1) get loose and 2) don’t get hurt. For some of the MiLB guys, notably Sogard, they have the added goal of getting noticed…

I’m actually worried Whitlock is pitching his way into the rotation…

Has anyone mentioned Sogard as an early season replacement for Grissom? I get the major obstacle is that he’s not on the 40 man roster. But he could be, once they (finally) DFA Joe Jacques…

Not to mention all of the early conclusions based on one season. The Sox have certainly had their analytical successes. Their issues aren’t the amount of analysts they have; they revolve around the fact that they’re just have no flat out direction. The goal appears to be “cheaper and more competitive,” But what are they doing along those lines to achieve that goal? Because this “waiting for divine inspiration” strategy they’ve been deploying all off-season just might not get the job done…

Hopefully all of them. Who wants a loose cannon data analyst?

Exactly what qualitative data would you provide?

In 2022, the Dodgers had 29. The Rays had 37. The Sox had 18. How did those teams do? Also no one only had 3….

Just because they’re doing analytics doesn’t mean they’re doing them as well as possible or using the information perfectly. The only reality is the days of succeeding without analytics are done. Analytics in MLB right now are like a pitching coach. I think we can are that every pitching coach isn’t going to be equally successful, but does that mean teams with a bad one should just go without? The Sox are also not helped by being in a very analytically-driven division, assuming the Yankees embrace them. (They do. Heavily.)

So 3 people doing analytics? Why even waste time scouting at that point? This chart is two years out of date, but there seems to be a fairly strong correlation between the teams not taking analytics seriously and teams winning 70 or fewer games repeatedly…

Mata gets injured every time we type his name…

Ryu is no longer available; he signed a deal with a KBO team. Eric Lauer is borderline useful…

Well, Giolito makes $18mill next year but his AAV is $19.25. Chapman makes $20mill, but his AAV is $18.0mill. After that, both can opt out. As for Montgomery, mixed emotions on him following suit with Chapman and Bellinger. The Sox won’t have some insane 6-7 year deal, which is nice. But most likely it would then be a one year deal…

Three? Are you counting moving Yoshida from left field to left field as a position change? One change - Devers from 3b to DH - is all it would have required. I’ve seen you suggest lineups with more position changes based on lefty-righty matchups. As for Duran - not necessary, but it is something the Sox have already reportedly explored…

Given that Chapman cost about the same as Giolito, are there really? The Sox might go out and get Montgomery, which will be an option until he signs elsewhere, but that’s going to cost more than Chapman did.

Moving Yoshida back to LF undoes some of the defensive benefit. But it still looks like an overall improvement. And if they move Duran for pitching - which they have tried according to MLBTR - that at least clears a path for Rafaela…

We all get that, but we all also have certain hopes for moves. If we only discuss what they are going to do, discussions are rather boring. Hell we still have discussion about Betts’ departure four years later, when it’s beyond inevitable that they had no plans to keep him. How are those conversations reality?

It’s sort of shocking how many people repeatedly complain about the FO and club performance but also immediately leap to that same FO’s defense over anyone else’s ideas. There’s a lot more fantasy in thinking this team is going to go out and sign big names all stars than there is thinking they won’t go through a series of cost-conscious chess moves…

Go back and re-read that post and please underline or boldface the part where I talk about upside for either player…

Some of the OTM guys do get access to the Sox front office. Seth Mnookin, for example, used to actually deal with FO personnel…