S5Dewey

IMO Papi would be a good dugout coach. Whether or not he'd take a job (!) is another matter.

Possible. I was following the timeline.

I've always been of the opinion that although the trade happened during the time Theo was oh his hiatus the trade still had his fingerprints all over it. Theo donned the gorilla suit on Halloween 2005 and Beckett & Lowell trade was signed on Thanksgiving Day. That's about a month, and trades like this don't happen quickly. There's due diligence to be done, etc. and it all takes time. Also, I have to think that there was some upheaval in the Sox FO early in November while they decided who was going to be doing what once Theo was gone. So.. my opinion.. and just my opinion.. is that Theo laid the groundwork for the trade and had things in motion before he left. All that happened when Theo was gone was that the lame-duck FO followed up on the plan. Consequently it's my belief that Theo should get more credit for the trade than he's getting.

Post of the day.

There's a Low Bar if I ever saw one.

Ok, but if salary is the problem (and I don't think there's much doubt that it is) then big salaries have to be eliminated along with players who may not be making *big* money but are overpaid in the eyes of the FO. The low-hanging fruit there are Betts, JDM, Porcillo, Price, and Sale. The second tier would be Moreland, JBJ (although I don't agree), and Bogaerts would both bring a good return and eliminate salary. Of those eight I expect to see four or five of them gone by next season. The only regulars whom I think are safe are Devers, Benintendi, and Vazquez...and possibly Bogaerts if they're willing to hold onto that salary. Reality Check: This team has a lot of money tied up in a few players and if JD wants to reset below the LT line many of them are going to have to go. This isn't going to be pretty for the fans because the Sox don't have the farm to replace them. That means that they're going to have to go outside the organization and sign lesser talent FA's which will impact the talent on the team. That's how a team with a weak farm system resets. Personally (and hopefully) I'm still believing that whomever fills DD's shoes sees that the position players are still capable of competing with anyone and they don't start cleaning house - but I also believe that may be nothing more than blind optimism.

I wasn't saying anything as nefarious as Ortiz was there because he's being groomed for any job within the organization. My thought was that *possibly* Ortiz had been invited to the first game (and given that prime seat beside the dougout) after DD was fired as a PR move to indicate to the fans that Ortiz was still coming to games in spite of the firing. The next logical fan assumption would be that everything is OK in RSN...no need to worry... just keep coming to games. DD's firing was announced on the same day the Pats season started. Ortiz shows up at a game. - One thing I've learned in life is that in the world of business there's are almost no coincidences.

Not in a Red Sox uniform. I'd as soon have Machado next year and my thoughts about him are well documented. Ugh.

Yawn

That's an interesting point. It makes one wonder why those two guys just happened to be on hand in Fenway tonight. Doesn't it? Could it be the Red Sox PR Machine causing it?

Gardner made that look harder than it was. JBJ makes that catch standing up... and waiting for the ball.

I find trolls to be distasteful, myself. Especially those in pinstripes.

You know you're being trolled by a pro here, right?

The only bright spot in this whole thing.

If so there are going to be a lot of disappointed people in 2020.

Nope. If one believes that they also have to believe that DD would have gotten fired if the Sox won the WS this year. Their salaries and projected value per dollar going forward are what they are.

I find that approach to be nothing more than grasping at straws. I'm sure that there are a few players whom nobody wanted anyway who were reaquired by doing that but once the truly elite players hit FA you've lost whatever little leverage you ever had with them and you can kiss them goodbye. Nobody ever did anyone any more of a favor than the Red Sox did for Jon Lester when the Sox made all their resources available to him in his bout with cancer... and look how that turned out. I'm not saying that I expected Lester to return to the Sox after that... I'm just saying favors don't go far in the world of professional baseball.

...and the reason we are missing the playoffs is because our top three starters imploded. So DD got fired.

And just as an afterthought... Do you think it's a coincidence that DD's firing took place on the same day the Pats opened their season?

I have to think that JH had a short list in mind even before the firing happened. JH doesn't seem like the kind of guy to implement a plan without Plans A, B, & C already in place.

What was it someone else said about the value of an unexpressed thought? No... not a troll at all.

That's good news, and yes, welcome back. Losing power is a pain in the ass but at least it didn't happen in the winter when we have to worry about a 'little' thing like.... frozen pipes.

I think that's wishful thinking. You're talking about essentially the same team as in 2019 with essentially the same salaries. If JH had wanted to do that he'd have kept DD.

IMO an injustice has been done here. I know that the Sox have had a much worse season than anticipated so someone has to pay the price but letting DD go now is a mistake. DD did exactly what a GM is supposed to do. He assembled a team that should and would be a WSC contender had it not been for the unforseen collapse of the top of the rotation. And please.. this collapse had nothing to do with the signing of Pearce over getting a couple of BP arms. If he'd signed Kimbrel, Chapman, AND Kenley Jansen it would have had nothing to do with the fact that Sale, Price and Porcillo sucked and gave up too many runs too early in the games. The path now isn't a pretty one. Some of these big contracts have to go - if they can be unloaded, and if they are unloaded the Sox are going to have to pick up part of the salaries. Nobody - except maybe Devers - on that team is safe now. There's going to be a reset of major proportions and many of those familiar names, those names who comprised one of the best offensive and defensive teams in baseball, are going to be gone. It looks to me like if you liked 2014 & 2015 you're going to LOVE 2020.

Post DD's firing now.... I'm the immortal words of Emily Littella.... "Never mind".