Nick

What f***ing idiot on this board wants to give Bogey $290M for 11 years? If you do, you have no credibility with me. Fans keep talking about we should have made a reasonable offer earlier. What amount would that have been? More importantly would Xander accepted it? It was always the smart move for Xander to test the free agency. Many here want a bargain. Why? This is how the free agency should work. Go find that billionaire that just can't say no.

Very good. Opening 2022 payroll.......$206M vs $83M......not sure why we are called Tampa North.

It sure looks like Hosmer's contract will cost the Red Sox additional luxury tax payroll in excess of actual cash payout to the player. Look closely at FanGraph analysis of Sox luxury tax calculation. First Cot's, now this.

All of this is moot, if we don't sign a legit Free Agent this winter. Hell we picked up Story last winter. Don't we need two of them assuming Xander is gone?

I'll take chance on 3 years of Verlander. I would gamble that he'd be healthy and good for two of the three years. Sales' deal comes off after 2024, unless he pitches well and we pick up his option. That will give time for Bello, Whitlock (as a starter), Mata maybe Cutter to develop into bona fide starters. According to Cot's, we have $81M (unless of course Cot is wrong on Hosmer, then we'll have $86M). Verlander and Senga would command say $55M. SP Verlander SP Sale SP Senga SP Pivetta SP Whitlock SP Bello CC McGuire/Wong 1B Casas 2B Story SS Arroyo 3B Devers LF Verdugo CF Kike RF Refsnyder DH Hosmer/Dalbec We'll have $55M to fill in the roster spots where its weak. I'm guessing you can stretch $36M into 5 players, or average of $7M. We currently only have 6 players making more than $5.5M. Surely we can buy/trade some players for $7M and improve our roster. Meanwhile we can reset after 2023 and then extend Devers next winter and really go for it.

I'm wondering, if we end up going for a guy like Verlander, so we don't hamper longer term budget issues. Moon I've always advocated for adding starting pitching at the top, and not the bottom. The goal not only is to make the playoffs but enhance the team's chances via strong starting pitching. Hitters are unpredictable in a short series. Look at Aaron Judge this year and Mookie couple of years ago (?) It's silly to extend Xander's contract for 6-7 years when the team wants to build the future around Devers. We have many considered to be the top pick in Mayer ready to move in as early as 2024. We can live with a 3 year deal. We do have to role the dice once again on Chris Sale. Verlander and healthy Sale for next couple of years would go long way in getting us into the playoffs. Also make a strong run at the Japanese free agent pitcher. $15M would do it. Do it Bloom.

Touching 98 is much different than having a heater. He does not have a heater. Never seen it. Him getting out of a jam is pure luck.

If we are again dumpster diving, I suggest we bring up young guys and give them experience. I am sick and tired of watching Brasier. I rather watch paint dry. Is he really going to make us much better? If he goes on a brief hot streak, how long can he sustain it? How soon will he come down to earth. My grandmother would be more fun to watch and she's been dead for several years. I want to see every minor leaguer pitch in the spot that Brasier will pitch. I rather go get my teeth pulled. Ugh.

Unfortunately we'll have to take a risk financially. Short term deal, say 3 year $105M to get Verlander? I don't want to give up any prospects. Verlander Sale Eovaldi (sounds like he's coming back our way) Pivetta Bello Whitlock Paxton Then focus on extending Devers.....let the new contract start in 2024.

I reiterate. Unless Bloom signs some mega star out of left field, I will never trust what he says. "WE WILL BE MUCH BETTER" he told Kike. Bringing back Beni is not making us much better. Dumpster diving has its place but you also need a major star power at the top. Find me an ACE. Then we can talk.

Signed with the White Sox....sorry. My text is not coming up when I go edit.

José Abreu rumors: Red Sox ‘high on the list’ with Cubs, Astros, Marlins (report) If you recall we came in second when Abreu signed with the Sox. Our response the following year? 7 year, $72.5M to Rusney Castillo. Name a worst contract. Chris Sale is one injury away from that distinction.

It sure looks to me like San Diego is picking up close to $13M and the Sox $5M. The contract was for $144M over 8 years or $18M AAV per year. SOMEONE has to pick that up. No way San Diego pick up the entire $144M in AAV on top of sending $39M to the Sox. It would have been different had San Diego simply DFA's Hosmer. Then I agree that Padres picked up the entire tab for AAV. That was not the case, however. It was a trade. Trades have AAV and cash consequences if money is exchanged. Sox can trade Hosmer and reduce the AAV liability (say the Sox suck but Hosmer is outstanding through July).

You are on......

I think you are all wrong. And I'm willing to bet on it. San Diego is done except for the monetary hit they have taken, $39M. Hosmer is off the books. San Diego benefited from AAV perspective by paying higher salary amount the first 5 years. The AAV is computed over the life of the contract, or over 8 years. Thus, their annual AAV hit during the first five years were lower than the actual payout amount. I believe the numbers shown for the Sox on cot's spreadsheet is correct. Someone is responsible for the liability and I don't think it's San Diego. Otherwise they would have been penalized twice, once for actual cash and another for the AAV liability.

Just a fyi on Hosmer contract. He is a Boras client. When he signed his 8 year $144M deal, his first 5 year payout was $21M per annum and the last 3 years are $13M per annum. Many here flippantly say Sox is only liable for the league minimum. That is TRUE. The reason San Diego was willing to trade him and pay his entire salary was to DUPM his remaining luxury tax payroll amount, approximately $5M per year for next three years. Sox are obligated to assume that paper liability. San Diego didn't care about the 'money'. They cared to get rid of his residual luxury tax payroll off their books. That looks Bostonisque. Nicely done. Much better than Bloom getting us into a possible severe tax situation by going over by thin margin. Everyone here knows to go BIG the first time.

As always good stuff. Every poster is valued here. I hope some of you can play nicer. Someone has to be the bigger man. We can always ignore some posters. I'm sure I'm on someone's ignore list. As a former CPA, I can't help but to keep track of budget AND the team control that a team has on a player. The company I worked for always had a rolling 5 year budget in addition to the annual budget. It's about bringing the core group together, whoever is in that core group. Devers is NOT in that core group until he signs his extension. Story is, good or bad due to his contract status. Management has shed some light on some things such as naming Whitlock as a starter and maybe Houck as well. Bello is under team control for next six years along with Whitlock if all the options are exercised. Houck is under team control for 5 more years. I'm little more ambivalent about Pivetta as this is his second year of arbitration and I'm not sure if he'll ever be more than a #4 starter. Yes he does gives us innings. But we can't have .500 pitchers 1 through 5. Someone has to step up. I see that Verlander is a free agent. He is someone I'd consider for a two year deal. He's a winner. He recently had his Tommy John so he should be ready to go. Unlike Chris Sale, he looks to be fit and strong. If we can get him for a two year deal (say at $30M), that contract would coincide nicely with Sale. We would shed close to $60M after the 2024 season. Why not reset in 2025? With Verlander, we can ignore Eovaldi and Wacha. Maybe sign Hill to supplement Paxton as emergency starters. (Verlander, Sale, Whitlock, Pivetta, Bello, Houck (?), Paxton, Hill, Crawford, Winchowski, etc). Get couple of more bullpen arms and we'd be set pitching wise. If we have no intention of going after a big money guy, then I'm not sure what Bloom meant be saying we'll be much better. Sigining Verlander to a two year contract would make us competitive, especially in the playoffs. At my age, I'm looking for #5. Everything else is the Yankees.

I am not going to live and die by 2023 season. It's all about making 'progress' towards next championship team. We can't make the finances work if every player we need comes out of free agency. That includes both Xander and Devers who will be free agents. Bottom line is we came in dead last with both Xander and Devers this year. Not their fault obviously. But we wasted two productive seasons out of our top two players. That's on the management. We didn't do enough to augment their productive season. Make all the excuses with injuries. But injuries are part of the equation. Chris Sale is no longer viewed as a sure thing based on last three years. The trade was excellent, his extension not so much. We need to be very careful about giving out say 8 year deal as an example to Xander, who is 30. How confident are we with Mayer at shortstop position? I'm just opposed to a pay raise of $10M to Xander and extension on years. We have competent shortstops in Story/Kike tandem.. Their salaries are baked in. Are we not better off using $30M on a short term deal say on a starting pitcher? I'm all for paying a little more for 2-3 year deals. Except of course for Devers. He's young enough for the Sox to build the next World Series title contender around him. I'm more concerned about extending him this winter than paying exuberant price for Xander. We will regret it.

Good point....

It will be interesting 2 months..... Fact is we DON'T know what Bloom is thinking. "Team will be MUCH better"....I hope he doesn't use the logic of having Sale back alone will make the "Team will be MUCH better".

I am 100% behind Bloom until he does NOT deliver on his promise to Kike that the team will be 'much better'. And I'm not even talking about actual results. All he can do his put a team together on 'paper'. But I will see what's on HIS paper and judge.

Watched Moneyball for 75th time. Loved the trade made with David D. of Detroit. Say what you will. He did get the Phillies to the World Series. Brilliant move to sign Schwarber. That would have been a no brainer for me. Hey, Bloom went OVER the magic line anyway without signing Schwarber.

I will repeat myself.....assuming we're building a World Series contender, based on years of control SP 1 Bello RP Houck RP Whitlock Possibly, Schreiber, Crawford 1B Casas 2B Story That's it.... we don't need an All-Star at each position but we need more 'high ceiling' guys. Devers is next up.

He did sign Schwarber and I still think we made a mistake on him. Just one year of overlap. We went over the luxury tax limit as is.

1B Casas 2B Story SS Mayer CF Rafaela SP Bello SP Matta RP Whitlock RP Houck I would focus on Devers this winter. If no agreement on extension, then trade him.