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I keep an open mind. It’s not like players have a long history of openness with the fans either…

So you’re saying the players are the virtuous ones and you know this to be a fact? Got it…

All bowl games since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl have been let downs….

I have to say, Reddit is a step above fourchan…

Probably be a direct quote in his profile…

Maybe they’ll do a Brad Keller one, too… https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/free-agent-profile-sean-manaea.html

While true, we figure he can at least be a step up over the (-0.9) fWAR the Sox got from the reliving door of players there in 2023…

But those savings are only enough for one year of Gray, whom you brought up. It’s not like the Sox are paying that every year for 3 or 4 years. And we have no idea if Atlanta (or anyone) would take Sale at all at this point unless money was included. There was one reported offer for him a couple injuries ago and no team has ever been associated with it. That interest might be long gone by now…

I see I made your nipples explode with delight…

But that doesn’t mean his story is accurate. What would the Sox gain by trying to refute it?

But the Betts situation is completely independent of the Lester one…

While true, those were all different GMs. And interspersed among all of those lowballs, they signed quite a few high priced players, including Price, JD Martinez, Devers, Story, and Yoshida. So clearly the team was spending for a lot of those. Which offers the next question - how many of these lowball offers were left there simply because the player’s camp stopped negotiating? So at that point, you’re just cherry-picking data points.

Betts came out and said it after the man who reportedly made it was no longer with Boston. I think people want to believe Betts, because it fosters the belief he was always easily retainable but for management greed/incompetence. But that doesn’t make the story do. In fact, most front offices rarely discuss public offers they made to players. I thought they were forbidden to do so in the CBA, but I’m not positive of this. What we do know it’s certainly rare, which was why Cashman releasing details of a seven year $230mill extension that Judge rejected became a big story. We rarely get that level of transparency from teams. Players (specifically, players’ agents) are always willing to talk, which gives them an upper hand when it comes to public perception. Plus, no one roots for ownership. Being fans of players makes them harder to disbelieve them, especially in the wake of silence. But that doesn’t make them right. Or honest. It’s also possible some/many/most players take little to no interest in the negotiating aspect of representation. And therefore don’t hear about every offer…

The Sox also didn’t have a second round pick, so they very likely took Yorke, a player they liked, at their last opportunity. Isn’t that how you’re supposed to draft?

But you can’t complain about how we never draft pitchers in the first round on one thread and then highlight those same pitchers as too risky to take in the first round on another. I mean, technically you can do that. But you’ll most likely get called on it…

Granted, Juan Soto certainly is expected to eat into a big chunk of Cashman’s allowance. But we’re also only talking about spending more than it takes to sign Trevor Gott and Chris Devenski here…

Apparently the Sox are a top ten spender in free agency this offseason so far https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/each-teams-free-agent-spending-thus-far.html So the “slow off-season” theory might hold some water. You know it’s a slow off-season when January turns the corner and the A’s and Rays are still each outspending the Yankees on free agents…

Every scouting organization that produced a mock draft had Ball going between the 13th and 18th pick. It wasn’t our scouting or drafting; the guy simply didn’t pan out. He’s not the first and won’t be the last…

Well, they certainly stay up later…

Who was the last top 100 pitching prospect the Sox have had? Has there been anyone since Trey Ball pre-2014? (BA#89,MLB.com #96)

Never draft for position. That fails far more often than it works…

He isn’t. You might have heard that from me…

The main reason they will trade him is he has nowhere to play. He isn’t much in CF and presumably the Sox want to add Teoscar Hernandez at some point. That would leave Duran with no position..,

Maybe he meant he would fully throttle the necks of all the fans?

You clearly missed the whole convo. Otherwise you’d realize you’re supporting my point. It was proposed that Mookie would not sign an extension prior to free agency and give up money. Problem with that argument is, he did. No one really knows that full story, but the one from the quote you gave also applied to Boston. There are other possibilities but the whole “focus on winning” is a complete BS press answer. Just like it is when every other free agent gives it. I personally think that Boston could have extended him if they didn’t wait 5 years…