oldtimer

One day the whole system will come crashing down. Until then, a few people will be paid a fortune and whine about how they need more.

Might they think of the fans and lower ticket prices?

I agree with the boring and agonizing part but can't side with the players who have been a part of the structuring of the system as it stands. Perhaps they envisioned an every spiraling salary structure, with pay way out of reason, particularly when risk is accounted for. We as fans have seen the risk part a lot of late with Price not able to meet expectations, Ramerez also below expectations based upon money paid and other ridiculous contracts. No doubt other teams feel the same way and are reconsidering the FA market and look for more value, while the player agents are still thinking contract length and salary spiral. There doesn't have to be any collusion on the part of the owners, just a consistent understanding of the dynamicss of risk and value.

There is still a question mark on Pedey. We hear he is making good progress but I have a wait and see attitude on that one. I would pick up Nunez as an insurance policy if we can get him on a shorter term contract for reasonable money. With the FA market the way it is, who knows what it will take to sign some of these guys? It just appears as though baseball GMs have soured on giving big longterm contracts to guys in their 30's. Is this the new reality and do players have to adjust? It's almost like a case of who will blink first.

I would add Devers and Vazquez to the list of core players that are not in the pitcher category.

Players return to camp on Feb 12th. Maybe then there will be something to talk about.

If we have made the highest offer and if he is dragging it out, does it mean he really doesn't want to play in Boston? If he doesn't want us, we should pull out now.

That is a big if for a 22 mil investment.

Stayed out of it this week and of course nothing has happened in that time. You are the voice of reason. Hanley is likely better in our lineup than anything we could get for him. I hope he does well for his $22 million, but I still hope he doesn't get to qualify for another year. Getting past his and Sandoval's contracts will allow us more freedom to sign our young guys and to reshape the team going forward.

Each morning I look at the Official Boston Red Sox website only to find the kind of on-news articles posted. Kind of frustrating to see so little action. Kind of gives me a feeling that the entire FA market situation is totally screwed up and needs some kind of a reset in rules and incentives. I plan to take a time out from looking at the Sox for a week as there are other more interesting things happening with college basketball and with the Super Bowl on the horizon.

I don't believe in bidding against yourself in a negotiation. If we feel $125 Mil for 5 is fair based on value to us we should stick to our offer and also set a deadline. If JD doesn't work out for us we can get a guy like Nunez (great for us last year) and a pitcher for the same price and probably not exceed 3 years commitment with either offer. I too believe that JD is our best get but not if he isn't interested at the value we have worked out for him. I would not offer any contracts over 5 years for guys entering their 30's.

I noticed that. I would expect our options will narrow significantly if we wait for JD and then are unsuccessful.

Boras probably looks at what a client is worth based upon some sort of comparative analysis based on stats and what other players are getting paid. He then puts in a factor based on how much he thiinks a team or teams needs a player to set what he thinks the player should settle for and then he puts in a multiplier to provide negotiating room. That approach results in a continuing salary spiral in which lower financial strength are priced out, limiting the breadth of the market. Boras and the client are risking teams finding someone nearly as good for significantly less money, narrowing the market to the extent the player winds up with having to take an offer that is below what someone else might have paid. Teams have to have a different perspective. They are trying to build a winning team while staying below the luxury tax limit or certainly below a situation where punishing fines are imposed. That means they need to distribute money to get good players at all positions. Teams must be doing professional risk analysis these days. Even back when I retired risk analysis was a well used corporate tool. Given that the Sox certainly have seen high risk scenarios turn out poorly in the recent past, they must want to avoid continuing into the mess they still are in. Decisions made obviously impact a team for many years. A team also does not want to overpay for the value received. If they perceive a need they will no doubt go in with a serious offer but realize the market sets the cost of the player. As some here have said, why bid against yourself. The presumption is that we have offered JD $125 mil over 5 years. That is a very strong offer and should be treated as such. I am for moving on at this point and using the money to obtain people who want to play in Boston.

How long will it be before our secondary options commit to other teams which would leave us with a selection of players that wouldn't help that much. That is the real danger, meanwhile JD may well decide to go with another team. The players union and major league baseball need to make adjustments since this season is proving to be one in which many FAs are going to be left taking contracts well below thier projected value.

Players are only worth what the market will pay. If an offer of $125 for 5 is the top offer then that sets the market. The risk factor for the team is that the player will not provide value according to the offer. The player/agent accepts the risk that offers may be withdrawn and then other teams may offer significantly less. If the Sox truly have $125 million on the table for 5 years and Martinez is holding us up for more, my patience would run out and i would withdraw the offer and move on.

Thats why I wonder why they don't look at him as a possible 2nd baseman.

I still wonder why the Sox have not considered Chavis for 2nd base. Given our needs, he might well fill in that position in the future. Perhaps the FO is reluctant to send that message to Pedroia. Of course Chavis might gravitate to 1st base next year or depending on Devers defense at 3rd he might go there in future with Devers at 1st. Two hitters with excellent power in the infield would be a step in the right direction.

Right now, all the talk is just speculation. What is clear is that JD has not accepted any offer so they (he and Boras) are holding out for more and risking the highest offer being withdrawn, assuming there is more than one. Its a game, but high time owners and GM's rethought what reasonable offers are. It should be about value and risk assessment and not about ego and wishes.

$30 million a year for multiple years so that we wouldn't have a starting pitcher. Shows how crazy things have gotten.

Another possible but unlikely candidate for the sox is out of the picture.

If you look solely at the monetary side , each of these guys cost over $100 million over the years of their contract. Those costs have to be justified in terms of ticket sales, tv revenue, ad revenue, concessions and increased value of the franchise. Since the contractual cost is only part of the total cost of runnning the club, it all needs to be brought into balance. Most clubs are still making money but a deterioration in the main sources of revenue could indeed make these salaries a thing of the past. Owners need to stop the ridiculous overspending on some of these guys.

There was real doubt about Pujols real age when he was signed. Just one more reason that signing was stupid. I am friends with a guy who has worked in the Cardinals office for many years and he said they were just as happy he left.

Williams recommended swinging in the plane of the normal drop of the ball to keep the bat in the hitting zone as long as possible. It worked well for him although he did have great hand/eye coordinattion.

Sitting ans waiting for JD takes us out of the sweepstakes for opportunities like Cole.

Pretty interesting analysis and certainly supports those of us who are suggesting 5 years as a maximum. When you think of his defense and injury history going past 5 years at $25 mil/year isn't warranted.