oldtimer

One player getting 15% of the competitive balance Tax threshhold leaves thee remaining 39 players to split the 85% remaining. DD saddled us with several players getting significant percentages while underpferoming in their respective positions. Long contracts involve higher risks of that happening. Bloom has been tasked with rectifying the position DD put us in. Sure, we can exceed the CBT threshhold for a year or two, but that in the long run comes back to bite a team. I don't think we will get Mookie Betts back if the contract requirements are what has been guessed at. I would rather keep a nucleus of competitive players and not rely on a single star.

The resultss of the Sox investigation won't be out this week which means they are still digging. If Sox pllayers/ coaches viewed broadcasts to figure out signs and then players who got to second used that information, I don't see that as of the same level as the Astros camera and real time relaying of the information to the guy at bat. What raises suspicion is the excellence of the Sox hitting in 2018. Saw it a coincidence? At least JDM doesn't think we cheated.

Betts gets the door because he would push us over the competitive balance tax threshold foor 2020 when we don't have the pitching to be fully competitive. Betts also refused $30 mil for 10 years and the indications are he is looking for $35 mil for 12 or 13 years. I think that would be another albatross contract that would further limit our chances of becoming competitive next year and the many following years of that contract. It was a difficult decision but Bloom did the right thing. Letting go of JBJ is also smart if someone will trade some pitcching for him. Pillar is a place holder and his right hand bat is needed with our lefty outfield. I said it elsewhere, but we have a couple of up and coming outfield prospects, either of which may emerge in late 2020 or 2021. I believe the Pillar move takes that into consideration.

Pillar is a good pickup and adds a right handed bat and good defense to the outfield. It makes sense that JBJ will be traded as perhaps he should have been last year. Looking forward to late 2020 or 2021, we have two candidate prospects who may come in and take CF going forward. Either of Gilberto Jimenez and Jarren Duran appear to be future Sox outfielders and both have plus-plus speed. Maybe Pillar is around for a couple of years as the outfield transitions to a younger group.

I'd be unwilling to give any player a 13 year contract or even a 12 year one. The Sox offered $30 mil for 10 years. i would have gone a little higher for 8 years but still really dislike what that does to payroll flexability. Betts is gone and we are unlikely to get him back. Be interesting to see how many of these very large extended contracts work out for the teams that offer them.

He has said no players will be disciplined so now we see if there is anything else.

I just read of Alex Verdugo's presence in an alleged rape which might impact him as a person who did nothing to stop it from happening. If true, it might further taint the trade and explain why the Dodgers were willing to include him in the package. Som ething to consider.

I assume there will be acquisitions and possible changes due to the trade uncertainty. Wait a couple of weeks as we may well find another starter or reliever along the way.

Mookie is a great young player with one year and $27 price tag being traded to a team positioned to win it all this year. The Sox were not in that boat this year and took the step of resetting. Next year Mookie will be looking to maximizee his contract (can't blame him) and probably get around $35 mil for 12 years. The Dodgers will proobably be willing to make an offer of that magnitude as will other teams. I am not an advocate of giving such long term contracts as the RISK of underperformance or no performance after half of it is over is high. Price is a servicable 3rd or 4th starter and the Dodgers only are coughing up $15 to $17 million/year for him so they got a reasonable deal. The Sox get Verdago and a pitching prospect who may or may not hold down a starting spot. We also get the reset and some salary flexibility. These moves make it highly unlikely that we can compete at the WS level this year and make it seem that other moves should be made to get younger for 2021. JBJ has been a top notch defensive center fielder with an inconsistent and weak bat. Trading him and installing younger would further enhannce out flexability. JDM, if he has a good year will opt out and if he doesn't, we will have an overpriced DH. Maybe he will be traded at the deadline. I see improvements being made in the farm and the team getting stronger for 2021, with substantial cash available stemming from the reset. I prefer to be optimistic and Bloom has done what he was hired to do. We'll see where he goes from here.

It needed to be done because of the excesses of DD contracts. We will eat at least a part of the Price contract and will lose Mookie for a year, but will reset in 2020 and remain at least somewhat competitive. I will wait to see what we got in return but expect 2021 to be where we make significant moves to improve.

I am okay with trading Mookie for a couple of quality major league ready prospects. It does make us weaker in 2020 and I find it hard to see the vaalue of then resigning him in 2021 if the contract is something in the order of $35mil x 10. With a weakened team and with suspect starting pitching (health wise) we may be somewhat competitive, but I doubt strong enough to take down the Yankees and possibly not even compe3titive with the Rays or even the Blue Jays, who have good young talent. That's why I would agree to say goodbye to Price and the bloated $96 Mil left on his very questionable long term contract. Setting up for key improvements in 2021 is the most rational approach in my book. Glad to see Kimi back posting. I mostly agree with her posts but not this time.

With all the recent smoke of late, I imagine there is a really bright fire out there. Mookie is likely to be settled next week just based on the rumors of being very close to a deal. I seriously doubt that he remains in a Sox uni. Settle it and move on.

I have been an advocate of using a sliding scale to establish the length of contract offer for players based upon age. Younger field players get up to 8 years while players 30 to 31 get 5 years and over 32 3 years or less. Pitchers are a different category because the wear and tear of innings pitched seem to take a toll. We have seen this with Price with a 7 year contract. It is a rare pitcher who still is very effective at 35 years old. I would limit pitchers to 5 year contracts. Clearly, other teams will not and outbid the teams using a more conservative approach. As far as salary offers, I would make a budget with star up the middle and first and 2nd tier starters at the top of the pyramid while other players would be paid according to value as a percentage of the total available payroll. I would make exceptions if there was a solid likelihood of playing for all the marbles but would normally try to stay at or below the competitive balance tax 1st tier ceiling. ' In the end, I believe this approach would field the most consistently competitive team. Teams that go out on a limb with long term and large contracts are bound to have a lot of off years as the realities of risk set in. Some of the advocates for going out on a limb will say, Yes, but we may win a world series by doing it and accept the crash that will follow. I just don't agree with that approach. Mookie at $35 Mil for 10 or more Coles big contract fall into the verly optimistic category in my book. Now, if the competitive balance tax is trashed, the money is there to pay the players more, but then the lower budget teams would have reduce competitiveness so some leveling means is likely to remain.

If you pay Mookie $35 Mil, whose salary do you cut? Mookie will get injured during his career and miss periods. It would be like another Price with injuries and aging issues weighing down the payroll. Give me a couple of $17 Mil players for 5 years. Much better bet.

I prefer to think of technology assisted umps. Tired of strikes called on balls 2 inches outside and balls call on pitches in or touching the zone. The techology is here to help the ump get the call correct real time, so use it.

Totally agree and since no choice other than long contracts at high dollars were allowed, I didn't vote. Perhaps it will take that much wrapped up into a very long term contract, but I too would rather let players go than participate in the insanity of 10 year contracts.

We don't know whether the competitive balance ceiling with penalties will continue in its present form or be replaced. Assuming something very like it stays, then the entire 40 man roster needs to be considered with a plan and budget that allows staying under the ceiling or at least being able to reset at regular intervals. One star doesn't make a team. Paying your star $35 Mil for a year or two is one thing, but stretching it out to 10 years or even 12 raises the risk of nonperformance for many years. In the Sox case, they will be paying the Ace and perhaps the second starter close to $30 mil with others getting progressively less while we have a big contract out for DH and SS. Other younger players will also get theirs. To have a competitive team, we need quality at every position. It will be interesting to see teams with these big long term contracts perform over the years. I guessing they won't work out in the long term interests of the team.

I thik the Sox are holding back to see if Roenicke is somehow tainted by the ongoing Sox sign stealing investigation. Personally, I think the Sox will be vindicated as JDM has said, no cheating was going on as far as real time sign stealing electronically and relaying to the batters.

we may then have to consider Meyers salary or any part thereof that the Padres won't cover. With this in mind, we might have to trade JBJ as well to make the Luxury Tax reset.

It appears the Betts trade will go through soon but no longer mentioned with Price. We would need to shed more to make the reset.

Hi tech sign stealing is available which would make the Astros trash can approach seem archaic. Improvements in cameras, artificial intelligence run on a Watson like computer capability, direct electronic real time relaying to the batter. A great deal is at stake in winning the WS so clearly the incentive is there. Harsh punishments can cause most to think twice about implementing such devices and approaches but perhaps the consciences of managers and players are such that any nefarious approaches will be found out eventually. The human element is probably the weakest in keeping things secret. Makes one wonder what other areas are subject to cheating. Certainly base stealing, hit and run, bunt and other signs might be decoded electronically as well as ball and strike calls were. We've seen steroids and HGH drugs over the recent past, bat corking was once practiced as was substances and marking of the baseball by the pitcher. In a way,Going way back to the Blacksox scandal, players were even paid to throw games. MLBB was cheating on the super live ball put into use. Never heard any admission of that by the commissioner even though it was obvious to the fans. Be good to rid the game of the cheating spectre.

I have been on the side of reset in 2020. Even keeping Mookie and essentially pat except for replacing Porcello, I don't think we can compete at the highest level due to our pitching staff. It makes sense to me that Bloom has been trying to trade pieces that will get us below $208 Million. Bloom is limited as to what other clubs want and will trade for so it appears that Mookie coupled with either Price or Eovaldi is one possibility and JBJ by himself is another and JDM by himself still another.. Once below $208 million I see no advantage in stripping off additional players as we can make those moves next year if required. Why try to go to the cellar this year unless you want to pursue an approach that looks for top draft choices? I like to believe that the Red Sox did not cheat as JDM has told us and that in the end Cora will be our only casualty and it will be related only to his time with the Astros. I know that is a big if but it could well be true.

Really the only meaningful contracts that can be shed are JBJ and Mookie/Price or Mookie/Eovaldi. Our asking price is too high for other clubs to bite but it doesn't make sense to let go of players and not get a sold return. Bloom is trying to do that with other teams knowing that the Sox would like to reset and that further erodes his bargaining position. I am not going to criticize Bloom for tryiing to put the Sox in the best position. There is still time to make moves.

We will soon know what he plans to do. In any case, most of us never expected that he would come back to the Sox as a player. He was a great player and had a nice career, but the knee injury is just too much to overcome.

So what are the specific legal uses of the replay room? Are they only to assess calls so they can be challenged or can the hitters look to see how the pitcher got them out or whether the umpire incorrectly called a pitch? How would a player looking over replays not see what signs were called?