oldtimer

Springer's defense didn't look that impressive but he did hit for power and was the WS MVP. Nothing to sneeze at. Bradley's hitting has been erratic and more often than not a slump waqiting to happen. Unless a new hitting coach can turn him around (I don't expect that), we are likely to see more of the same in 2018.

Any takeaways from the Astro's world series win and how they accomplished it? The Astros were in a position to draft very well over the last few years and got Bregman, Correa, Springer and Gurriel The Astros have an MVP caliber 2nd baseman in Altuve The Astros have an experienced and capable DH in Beltran The Astros spent the money and got the best SP (Verlander) available at the last minute The Astros got McCann who helped them a lot Interesting for those who claim lineup posiitioning doesn't matter. The Astros stacked their lineup with the first 5 doing the bulk of the damage. Also note they have a low strikeout rate. So, the Sox draft position will not allow them to build up the way the Astros have. We got Castillo and they got Gurriel. We on paper had better relief pitching and possibly better starting pitching top to bottom but they are the best hitting team and can make up for the pitching deficit. So we get Cora and hope that some of the hitting success of the Astros can be transferred to our young guys. Lets not get too wound up about power hitters with long uppercut swings. The Dodgers had those and they were striking out at a high rate against good pitching. Lets get contact hitters with some power, like Nunez.

This board is tough on any move or change made. LaRussa is a proven baseball man and having him to advise and support on acquisitions, both of coaches and players, can be seen as a plus. Perhaps he will have additional roles as well. Glad to see him join the team.

Generally, the new hitting coach (not Big Papi) will go along with Cora, who probably holds the view of the current Astro's. They are aggressive and may appreciate the idea of launch angle associated with home run hitting, etc. Watching the big swingers on both the Astro's and the Dodgers, they tend to loop their swings to achieve the high launch angles. Their timing has to be nearly perfect and against front line pitching the runs have been hard to come by in some of the games. It seems to be an all or nothing approach, strikeout versus power hit. I prefer Ted Williams old approach where during the swing, the bat maintained and angle that would describe the path of the ball as it naturally dropped. That way, the bat stays in the plane of the ball as it drops and the chances of making solid contact improve. I will like it if our batters get more aggressive but not if he go to these longer looping swings.

I'd keep Beni as a likely very solid player for us for years to come.

Funny, as a lot of them will probably be traded away.

Can't believe he would welcome the daily grind of the job or the travel. An advisory rule seems best for him.

This has little to do with the Sox other than how TV broadcasting is killing the goose that laid the golden egg. I decided to watch OSU and PSU match up in the college football game of the day. I am not an alum of either but I have to admit I rooted for PSU who lost in the end. The problem I had was the plethora of ads, which exceeded the broadcast both in time and intensity. Every conceivable excuse for an ad they blasted in. I muted all but couldn't help but see the flipping from one ad to another in few second bursts then on to another. After going through that, I vowed never to watch another FB game on TV unless they were one I held in great interest and the same will go for other sporting events. I have had way too much of the bad taste the TV networks subject us to. They must believe they have a totally captive audience.

I brought it up in the first place after reading a report that he was more likely to fit at 2nd then 3rd. They haven't done much to play him at 2nd yet, but it does make some sense. We have a need and he looks like an up and coming MLer. Getting a low cost player in the lineup with a good bat should be considered but the Sox would have to prepare him.

The Pablo contract is and has been very limiting to the team and the moves it could make. Still another year of that. And remember we had to move through the Craig deal and the Castillo deal which had to impact the decision making process involving JH. Hanley at least may have some remaining value but I would hope that his option does't vest. That $22 Million could help us going forward. Now we are also faced with the Price, Thornburg and Pedey uncertainties. We can hope that both will add some value for their money, but long term contracts, especially for pitchers are very risky. A reckless GM can screw up a franchise for years with just a couple of bad moves, even one as wealthy as the Sox.

When we do get around to the contract phase with new players or even dealing with extensions to those we have, I hope we rethink the lengths of the contracts we are willing to support. I'd rather not get a player than give them long term contracts, which often leave a team hobbled financially for years. My suggestion of length of contracts: 27 yrs old or less 7 years max. 28 to 30 yrs old 5 years max 31 to 33 yrs old 4 years max 34 to 35 yrs old 3 years max Over 35 years old 2 years max I would try to stay below the max contract lengths for players with injury histories and only take the max length for those who are above league norms for their positions. Pitchers are a special category and I would be even more reluctant to give long term contracts there due to their tendency to get injured. Let others take on contracts and get burned by them.

Clearly that was a known drawback when hiring Cora. We have to work around that issue. Maybe Cora has something lined up, I hope so.

I have been a fan of Pedroia all these year. He will have a difficult time making back into the lineup in 2018 and probably not much chance of that happening until the all star break. He will have to assess how he feels and whether or not he can contribute. From what I have heard of him, he is not a very communicative guy and may not be able to continue on in baseball as a coach or manager when his playing days are over.

You are a huge JBJ fan and are likely to be disappointed when he is traded. I think he is the most likely of the young players to be moved. He still has some value but probably can be replaced by equal or better.

His problem is an artifact of the way the Luxury Tax is set up and nothing more. The Sox are paying the money and he would no doubt get a chance to be our 4th outfielder except for the luxury tax considerations. I wonder how many other players have the same problem.

Thats fine with me. So with Carl Willis also leaving we will have major changes in the coaching. We have to wait for the World Series to end before Cora will have time to get his guys lined up.

The trouble with that is his hefty salary against the luxury tax, if he was to be a 4th outfielder.

Interesting article about a potential trade with the mariners for bp arm(s). Interesting read and may impact are overall traade plans. https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2017/10/25/16487712/mariners-red-sox-potential-trade-2018-bullpen-outfield

Pythagoras was a mystic who was born on the island of Samos and none of his writings survived. Any mathematics work attributed to him are strictly coincidental. He dealt primarily in philosophy and metaphysics as far as the oral tradition tells us. Use of a therom with his name attached may help justify some baseball anayltics to some, but I am not impresswed.

I don't follow your logic. If a guy caqn't play center field you might say he can't play 1stc base, it makes as much sense. Second base requires a different set of skills and the scouts had said that might be the right position for him> Enough for me to at least consider it a possiblity.

With Pedey undergoing surgery at the end of October, the best estimate for his return is June and that is by no means a certainty. He may well not make it back until the All Star break. We need to make a second base replacement a priority. Maybe that guy comes from within with a number of candidates including Chavis who I think could make the transition to 2nd. Also, all the more reason to keep Bogey to solidify part of the infield.

Sounds about right but there will probably be a period to become reacclimated to playing at the ML level. Makes it clear that finding a fill-in at 2nd will be a priority. I believe the front office already anticipated this happening.

Under Sox coaching Shaw was not hitting and Thornburg was a hot pitching prospect. The move was a reasonable one which didn't turn out well. It is hard to be right 100 % of the time. Give DD a break, many of his trades have worked out well and we may well see even the trade you complain about look much better next season.

Here is something I read on the subject: “It would be hard to trade him,” a rival scout said. “I would think the fan base would have to have something to hold on to. He’s really the face of the organization. It would be hard to part with that.” They also could go a different direction – a contract extension – but that likely would not come easy. Last season, Goldschmidt switched representation to Casey Close, a high-powered agent who has negotiated record-breaking deals for Clayton Kershaw and Greinke. An extension could conservatively cost the Diamondbacks in excess of $20 million per year – and perhaps much more. Not only would that sort of deal be difficult for the Diamondbacks to afford with Greinke already on board through 2021, it also would be risky to devote those kind of resources to a player who will be in his mid-to-late 30s, particularly for a team with payroll limitations. If they do face a rebuild, they’ll have to confront the same questions as they relate to center fielder A.J. Pollock, who will be eligible for free agency after next season. Capitalizing on Goldschmidt’s and Pollock’s prime was part of what compelled the club to sign Greinke and trade for Shelby Miller prior to last season. And while it hasn’t happened yet, it’s possible things turn around this year. That, at least, is what the Diamondbacks are hoping.

My hope for Bogey is that we will have a new hitting coach who will work with him and perhaps help him improve his swing mechanics and plate approach. Lurking within him is a very good hitter if it can be drawn out. With his size, he also potentially has significantly more power than we saw last year.