Nick

How do I get to previous page? I can get to the first and last page but I don't see going to a specific pahe.

Moon I don't see Giolito in your budget. Surely he will exercise his player option. We paid the guy $35M for 1 year, assuming he is ready to go on 4/1.

Cora definitely sees Story as a fixture in short. That means Rafaela can play centerfield where he has crazy runs saved metrics. Injury just plays a big part in a successful season anymore. I don't remember season ending injuries as frequent back in the 70's.

According to Cot's, Sox are $106M under the salary cap for 2025. Baked in to that number are following players. Pitchers, Giolito, Bello, Whitlock and Liam Position players, Devers (3B), Story (SS), Rafaela (CF), Yoshida (DH). You have 3 Arbitration 1 players in following; Houck (1/3), Kutter (1/4) and Duran (1/4). I'm going to guess their combined salary will be less than $20M. Thus we're now down to $86M in spendable money relative to the cap, assuming that is our budget. We also have following pre-arbitration players that will cost less than $1M. Wong (C), Casas (1B), D Ham (2B) or equivalent, and Abreu (RF) for say $4M. We now have all the positions covered (will add 4 utility players). Our starting rotation (covered by payroll) has Bello, Kutter, Giolito and Whitlock. By my count, assuming all the extras, 4 positional and 9 pitchers will have a starting cost of $13M. Thus we are left with $69M to upgrade our 'existent' 26 man roster. Surely that's enough money to acquire 4 quality pitchers. And that's without making any trades. Come on JH. Open your wallet.

Only way we can trade Yoshida and get something in return is to eat $13M of $18M contract.

4 in top 26 is pretty damn amazing. Help is on the way!!! lol

Baseball America updated its Top 100 list Tuesday and it has Red Sox center field prospect Roman Anthony ranked No. 2 overall. Boston landed six players on the list. Shortstop Marcelo Mayer is ranked 11th. Center fielder/shortstop Kristian Campbell is ranked No. 25 and catcher Kyle Teel is No. 26. Outfielder Braden Montgomery, Boston’s 2024 first round pick, is ranked No. 61. Shortstop Franklin Arias is No. 94. Good news. Unfortunately no pitcher.

Moon I don't see Giolito in your budget. Surely he will exercise his player option. We paid the guy $35M for 1 year, assuming he is ready to go on 4/1. Good start Brez.

This was the year of discovery. Sox has several decisions to make regarding positional players including the big 4 in AAA. Or they may just sit on their hands and do nothing. I am not getting too excited about this winter. Their moves have been underwhelming.

"maybe Crawford can give us a spot start"? Come on Moon. Do you honestly think the penny pinchers in Sox organization think Kutter with 28 starts and 155 IP is a spot starter next year?

Great point Moon. So the real cost of not acquiring a top pitcher because he may get hurt is this. In essence you are wasting the $300M contract you gave Devers and the precious controllable years wasting away in the like of Duran, Casas, Houck, Bello, Kutter, etc. Team has to pick a lane. Hell we maybe going the wrong way on a one-way street and no one realizes it because there's been no oncoming traffic. PS. I see that Hill gave up a two run homer. We're now down 4-1. It's over man.

Obviously it's a big gamble. I know majority here wants consistent playoff caliber teams. I would love that but I also don't care to be the Atlanta Braves of 1990's. So do we stay the course? Stay the course knowing our top 4 prospects are more than likely all positional players? What's on the pitching horizon? My GUESS is that the management has not given up on Whitlock starting. So we're back to that. In THEIR mind, a rotation of Bello, Houck, Giolito, Kutter and Whitlock represents reasonable starting rotation for 2025. Obviously they would add several journey man type such as Criswell to back up the top 5. Is that enough for you? I am certainly not trying to be a jerk. Just watching yesterday's game reinforced the thought that great pitching will always win out in a short series.

Let's take another shot at the Detroit ace who has two years left on his contract. With Giolito coming back along with Houck, Bello and Kutter, and no additional money needed (the Detroit ace may command something like $10M for his arbitration 2 contract), would it be worth giving up Teel, Mayer and Anthony just for the priviledge to chase down 2 world series titles? At my age, 68, I'd say lets gamble. We'll have full year of Casas, Trvevor is coming back. Or would Detroit want someone like Kutter in place of one of three top prospects? So, Kutter, two out of three of Mayer, Teel and Anthony. Would that do it and would you do it? I'd say why in the hell not?

Great pitching trumps good hitters. Did you watch yesterday's game? Never mind, this is already his Arbitration 1 year and his agent is Scott Boras. No way in hell of signing him when he's a FA. I thought he was under team control for another 4 years or so. I may give up the prospects but not Duran.

What would it take get the Detroit starter? Duran Mayer, Teel and Anthony. It appears a bold move is needed to acquire top pitching talent. Would that do it?

We have a window of opportunity with current group of positional players for 4 years at minimum starting in 2025. We will also have reinforcements coming our way. We will have enough pieces to withstand the loss of Casas in 5, 5 years. That is a lifetime for this fan approaching 69.

MLB.com has Corbin Burnes as #2 rated Free Agent (age 30) and has Orioles, Mets and Sox as potential home. With the return of Giolito, he may be the only starter we need to get us over the hump. I like our OF of Duran, Rafaela and Abreu. I like our corner infielders, Devers and Casas. Our catching will be more than adequate with Wong and a partner. Trevor Story should fill in at short or 2B. I'm hesitant to break up what's good. We also have Campbell, Mayer, Anthony and Teel in waiting.

Right! Why take two steps back in hopes of taking two steps forward? He's under team control for 4 more years (starting in 2025). Yes, it's just crazy talk.

Rafaela ship has sailed, no? He's in his first year of 8 year deal. I think he's here to stay, good bat or otherwise. So we have #1 starter #2 starter #3 starter #4 starter, Houck #5 starter, Kutter #6 starter, Bello #7 starter, Giolito #8 starter, Whitlock that should be enough We need 'punters' I hear.

According to Cot's, we're $106M under the cap going into the winter. We'll have 3, arbitration I players in Tanner, Kutter and Duran. Our line up will look like, without any additions. CC Wong 1B Casas 2B Hamilton/Grissom SS Story 3B Devers LF Duran CF Rafaela RF Abreu DH Yoshida OF Refsnyder Need a backup catcher, a right handed bat that can play corners/OF/DH, we have plethora of infield utility players. Basically, Duran requires a 'pay raise'. Maybe a veteran right handed bat for We'd have almost $80M to REBUILD THE FREAKIN' PITCHING STAFF IF WE SPEND TO THE CAP; (And that's with Giolito, Whitlock and Liam returning, the players not on the IR right now) So I'm spending $26M for a right handed bat plus giving raises to Duran, Kutter and Houck. Our pitching staff already has in fold, Kutter, Bello, Houck, Whitlock, Criswell, Bernadino, Slaten, Winckowski, etc. I already stated earlier, this is the winter we'll find out Henry's intentions going forward. If they go on the cheap again, then it will always be a hope and a prayer. We'll never get over the hump. Oh, we'll be teased, but not get there.

Despite all the talk early in the season about improved and surprising pitching staff this is the same Red Sox from 1970's. We hit. We score runs. We added the speed component. I guess we will just have to out hit the other guys.

If you want a defensive shortstop why not bring up Mayer when he's healthy? Are you going to tell me that maybe the best player in his draft isn't very good defender?

Are the guys just missing the spots? Reason for so many HR's given up? Or did the hitters adjust and our pitching gurus failed to react quickly?

Wasn't he one of the players not vaccinated? This will be forgotten too. Unless of course he ends up sucking.

That would be in China.