Nick

This is when the Rays laugh at us. Fanbase calling $220M payroll CHEAP. You and I differ only on where to spend the money, not how much. I'd prefer Schwarber and bullpen, you want to spend on starting pitching.

The Danny Santana decision also just blew my mind. I understand the logic. Kendall Gravement shuts down righties and isn’t great against lefties. Santana is a switch hitter, and Hunter Renfroe is a righty. But splits are not in a vacuum. We’re still talking about Danny Santana, who has quite literally been one of the worst major-league hitters for the better part of a decade. Even if you insist on pinch hitting a lefty, use Travis Shaw there instead of with two outs. If Santana is on the roster to run and play defense in a pinch, then sure. But if that spot is even being considered for offensive purposes, he shouldn’t be there. And even if he had a good at bat, it ended in a strikeout. Santana just cannot hit unless it’s a blow out. Full stop. Per Overthemonster....I couldn't agree more.

Why not bring in E Rod with your logic? It's wise to win this game, everything else is minor.

Is it wise to use Whitlock with 6 run lead?

I think you're spot on....he's just not the same pitcher right now. He needs spring training. Not sure he'll ever be the pitcher he was...... So this is where Rays approach would have been better for Sox. Sale did his job when he came over from White Sox. We made the mistake of extending him early in his contract year. His trade was a success. Extension has been costly for the Sox. Never, never fall in love with a player.

Thank you

What I want and what I get is different. Shortly in couple of weeks or so, we'll know the fate of JD. We'll also know the fate of E Rod soon after the completion of World Series. If I'm a betting man, I would say Sox will pick up Vaz' team option. I want Schwarber because I like to watch him hit. I used to love to watch Joe Namath throw football. Quick release. Not a Jets fan but Namath fan. Sure we can pick up a DH for 2023, but it won't be Schwarber. I have a favorite player and I'm sure you do too. I would pick Schwarber over JD becasue I'm his fan. Do I think Sox will sign him if JD does not opt out? Nope.

SP Sale, Eovaldi, Pivetta, Houck, Whitlock.....total cost $46M, should leave $$ for bullpen. Bullpen....Sawamura, Taylor, Darwinzon, Barnes, Brasier I'm pretty sure Bloom can fill up the pen. That's what the Rays and Bloom does best. Our position players are set....get Vaz back on club option, if JD bolts, sign Schwarber or another DH.... Did I miss anything?

I just don't understand Moon's insistence that Bloom WILL HAVE TO SPEND HIGH DOLLARS on relief pitching. He picked up Sawamura and Robles on the cheap. There are dozens like them. If we want to extend Devers, as an example, you fill in SP with Houck and Whitlock, not take a $10M flyer on Richards. I just don't see what he's seeing.

LONGLEY: Red Sox surge painful reminder of what could have been for Blue Jays https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/longley-red-sox-surge-painful-reminder-of-what-could-have-been-for-blue-jays Great Read

How many pitches do starters throw between their starts? Monday Start 90 pitches Tuesday off Wednesday off Thursday off Friday off Saturday Start 90 pitches I've never pitched, don't know anything about pitching. Why can't they throw 25 pitches (say 40-45 counting bullpen) between starts in a real game?

Best thing about our quick turnaround is we did not mortgage our future to do it, both financially and players wise. I think we'll begin to see some of that young talent matriculate to big league club.

John Henry says Boston Red Sox are ‘ahead of schedule,’ believes team can win World Series: ‘Let’s find out’ I wonder what he meant by 'ahead of schedule'. Does he mean we have younger players not yet ready to contribute in the majors? Does he mean we have young major leaguers that hasn't peaked? Does he mean we are adding more free agents in the future? If he knows he doesn't have the team he wants now, what is he waiting for to get there?

I think others are Losing weight Eating vegetables Less red meat Excercise Quit smoking I think there are couple more things you can do...

So it is very possible that one or both of Houck and Whitlock move to the rotation simply because it seems like is easier to rebuild a bullpen than it is a rotation... bingo.... This is an organization that will look inward first....not just go out and spend money like a drunken sailor...We got Richards and Perez last year for about $15M. Not sure why everyone thinks Houck and Whitlock can't do better than those two. Whitlock was going to be a starter at some point. That was the plan no? Moon bitches about lack of starter development but he's the first to count the two out? Come on Moon.

Names and numbers are your expertise....... I know you like the zero budget....I like year over year. Our starting point is $215M. Position Players Vaz, Dalbec, Arroyo, Xander, Devers, Verdugo, Kike, Renfroe and JD. The raise Vaz will receive is offset by Marwin's $3M contract. We're at $215M still before arbitration raises. Starting Pitching Sale, Eovaldi, Pivetta, Houck and Whitlock...you can add Seabold and others in minors as depth pieces. We'll lose E Rod $8.3M, Richards, $8.5M, Perez $5.0M, Ottavino $7.25M, offset by Barnes $5M raise, Net gain of $24M. We'll also lose $13.75M & $2.8M from Pedey's and Beni's expiring contracts. Another $16M in savings. That's $40M in savings or $45M under the old luxury tax line. Bullpen composition is fickle. Everyone pissed and moaned about Robles and Davis acquisition. Bloom can put a bullpen together on a shoestring budget. We already have in fold Barnes, Sawamura, Taylor, Darwinzon, Brasier and Davis. Robles wants to come back. He won't cost much. Unlike you, I trust Bloom to acquire capable relievers similar to Robles' of the world. There will be candidates already pitching in our farm system, Names such as Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford, Eduard Bazardo, and Durbin Feltman to name some names. He's not going to spend big money on relievers. Look what happened to Barnes. I trust Bloom. If you've been following numbers, we have $40M left for arbitrations....you still think there's not enough money on Schwarber? My numbers make sense.

Starting pitcher free agents will cost more than bullpen help.

I much rather get the starting pitching settled. Again, I don't think you see my point. Between E Rod, Richards and Perez, we are saving $25M? You telling me that's not enough to help reinforce the bullpen? We already have Barnes, Sawamura, Taylor, Darwinzon, Brasier. Robles wants to come back. We can probably have Davis. We probably have some arms in minors ready to move up. We are the new Rays. Quit talking about needing $$$$$$$$$$ to be competitive. We signed both Kike and Renfroe for about $11M. Dalbec, Whitlock and Houck made the MLB Pipeline Rookie Team. There will be more in 2022.

Moon Not sure why you think we need SP. Sale, Eovaldi, Pivetta, Houck and Whitlock would do fine....AND IT DOESN'T COST US ANYTHING. We get rid of $22-$24M in payroll. Are you telling me Houck and Whitlock can't replace Perez and Richards? Why do we need to spend money on SP? Sale is the replacement for E Rod. Put the money into bullpen. Not sure why you think we need tons of money for SP. We have every position player coming back. Just add Schwarber and make it stronger. Bloom can make the pen work. He's a genius at those of things. Your first inclination is to spend money. I no longer think that way. I rather have Schwarber in 2022 and beyond as opposed to go look for one in 2023, assuming JD stays put.

Moon keeps talking about you don't pay say $38M for 2 DH. It's just not that simple. Cora is master of managing players. There's plenty of bats for JD, Verdugo, Renfroe, Arroyo, Schwarber and Dalbec for 5 starting positions. Full timers are Kike, Xander and Devers along with 2 catchers. Why do you think Schwarber can only DH in 2022? He played 1B and LF in 2021. We don't win without him. Have you ever heard of 'hedging' your bets? His $16M can come from Pedey/Beni relief.

Also draft order only impacts round 1. I get it that you can acquire 'an elite' player picking say top 10. If you're picking 30th, you are essentially forfeiting your first round pick but you get the FIRST PICK each round starting Round 2. That's what I'd say to my scouts. Quit bitching. Go find me a diamond in the rough. Trey Balls anyone?

Two or three years ago some thought they were building a dynasty (Yankees)........similarly to Chicago Cubs when everyone agreed they won the World Series ONE YEAR EARLY. But their 'dynasty' never materialized even with genius Theo on the throne. I'm on board with Bloom. I think he's a shrewd trader. He really doesn't get hung up on 'star-power'.

3. Why aren’t they getting more homegrown difference-makers? Some of this reflects picking in the latter half of the draft or having limits on international spending. Still this is probably the best alignment the Yankees could form from 2021 players whose first pro contract was with them: catcher-Kyle Higashioka. First base-Luis Torrens. Second base-Nick Solak. Shortstop-Tyler Wade. Third base-Thairo Estrada. Left Field-Ben Gamel. Center Field-Brett Gardner. Right Field-Judge. DH-Sanchez.

2. Why does a team with a consistently large payroll have such deficiencies in areas like defense and baserunning? Having the Yankees’ money — even in years in which they have sunk just under the luxury tax — should afford variety. Instead, the Yankees kept doubling down on so many hulking, righty power hitters, for example, leaving little room on the roster or within the budget for athleticism and diversity. There was investment in dollars or significant prospects for the switch-hitting Aaron Hicks, an injury-prone player who has stayed injured since receiving his seven-year, $70 million pact, and Joey Gallo, who brought a lefty bat but also a low-average, high-strikeout style that already was bedeviling a 2021 team not adept at sustaining offense without home runs. Luke Voit is symbolic of this stretch in Yankees history. In many ways, Luke Voit defines this era for the Yankees. They have been excellent at uncovering undervalued assets elsewhere such as Hicks, Didi Gregorius, Gio Urshela, Chad Green and Clay Holmes. Voit fits into this category. But even while succeeding, Voit exacerbated Yankee issues around right-handedness, poor defense, poor athleticism and dubious ability to stay healthy with his combination of hulking body and ferocious swing. He led the AL in homers in the shortened 2020 campaign. It would have been an ideal time to try to maximize a return. But I sense the Yankees are always obsessed with the individual deal and not the makeup it will have on the overall fabric of the roster. They might have received less return than desired for Voit, but how they used his salary and roster spot would be part of the return. Instead, he becomes another player the Yankees have to decide whether they tender or not.

3 Questions Yankees Must Answer....I love New York Post 1. Why are the position players not retaining value? Bird, Judge, Sanchez, Torres, Frazier and Miguel Andujar all had promising early stints. Only Judge (when healthy) has maintained a high standard and he will be entering his walk year. In Sanchez’s early years, the consensus from within — among teammates and officials — was that he would be the best hitter on the team. Note, hitter. Not just power bat. How did he go from that to hitting .201 over the last four years? Torres was an All-Star in his age 21 and 22 seasons. In his age-23 and 24 years the past two seasons his OPS-plus is 5 percent under the league average. The plummet is so severe that the Yankees have to contemplate whether they will even tender contracts to Andujar, Frazier and Sanchez.