Fan_since_Boggs

No excuse for it.

I guess all Red Sox fans were rooting for the Rays in game 7. We want to keep that distinction as the only team that came back from a 0-3 deficit. Not only that, we want the Yankees to keep their distinction as the only team that blew a 3-0 series lead, making the Yankees the biggest chokers in the history of sports. The 2004 Yankees: a legendary team (for all the wrong reasons) that Brian Cashman put together. LOL. I can't figure out if I should root for the Dodgers or not. Part of me wants to root for them, they gave the Red Sox a generous offer for Mookie Betts and have a history of helping the Red Sox out in trades. But part of me doesn't want Mookie to win a World Series with another team, at least not this early in his Dodgers tenure. I also want the Rays to win a W.S. and I think they would have a better shot against the Braves.

Perhaps they should pass on Lemahieu, sign Didi instead, and move Torres to 2b. That's what I would do. Didi would also add a much needed left handed bat. I wonder what will happen to Tanaka? There is talk he could return to Japan. Hasn't Japan dealt with Covid-19 much better than the U.S.? That could be a factor in his decision-making.

The big unknown right now is the Mets ownership. Will Cohen spend big in year 1? He will be the richest owner in MLB and he may decide to distinguish himself from the cheap Wilpon family by signing the best free agent starter.

It sounds like the Yankees may decide to move Torres believing he is a major liability in the field. That is, Torres belongs at 2b or 3b--he sucks defensively at SS. Thus, the Yankees could be in the market for a starting SS and may decide to trade Torres or move him to second base (pass on Lemaheiu) or 3b (and trade Urshela).

I heard a Yankees fan on NY Sports Radio calling for Cashman to be fired. He said that Cashman has failed to add reinforcements over the last 3 trade deadlines. I didn't realize this extends to 3 trade deadlines in a row. That's pretty pathetic if true. Moreover, if this fan is correct, you do have the justification for firing Cashman and hiring a GM who will act with greater urgency.

LOL. I was thinking this too. I'm rooting for the Rays to go all the way. I like how they eliminated the Yankees. Maybe a W.S. title would get them a new stadium, which they need. The only way I root for the Dodgers: they would need to play the Yankees in the World Series. Otherwise, I kind of like seeing the Dodgers try so hard and come up short year after year.

Sad. I don't remember Joe Morgan as a player, but I knew he was great from his stats. I liked him as an announcer and really appreciated the stance he took against the steroids cheaters.

SWEET. The two top pitchers go 1 and 2 -- I envision a top position player/bat at 4.

People are criticizing Boone for the game 2 decision but I watched that game and Midget Garcia was on the verge of getting absolutely pummeled. Boone had to take him out. The Yankees lost for two simple reasons. 1. Cashman failed to add reinforcements at the trade deadline. 2. The Yankees farm system isn't producing top tier pitching talent, like a Tanner Houck, for example.

Moreover, I think MLB would like to see the Pirates succeed--too many losing seasons and they haven't won a championship since the disco era ("We are Family"). They can't take that top pick away from the Pirates.

The 4th pick is awesome. Let's say the pitchers go first and second, that would leave the Red Sox with the second best position prospect. I would take a position prospect at 4--too many things can go wrong with pitchers. The 2021 Red Sox starting staff: T.Houck E-Rod N.Eavoldi --Free agent-- ??? N.Pivetta With C.Sale coming back later in the season with Mata and Groome providing minor league depth As far as the free agent SP goes, I would keep away from Bauer, who will be very expensive, and look at the next tier down. I would pick up Perez's option and trade him for a relief arm.

Midget Garcia, 5’2” 4.98 ERA Tanner Houck, 6’5” 0.53 ERA

I like the idea of signing Bauer, and the Red Sox should definitely explore signing him, but with T.Houck looking like a future ace, maybe they don't need Bauer after all. Instead, the Red Sox could pursue a more affordable middle of the rotation starter and avoid the massive contract that Bauer will likely receive.

I don't know how anyone can watch that game and think that Midget Garcia is a better pitching prospect than Tanner Houck. Houck has amazing upside.

Oh baby, we saw just how good T.Houck can be. He has that long delivery where he whips his arm around too violently. But at this point, you just let it go and hope you can get some big seasons out of him before his arm/elbow breaks down, probably sometime in his 30s. If the Red Sox can get 6-7 quality seasons out of him, it'll be worth it. Behind Houck are two other stud pitching prospects in Mata and Groome. The Red Sox system continues to be undervalued. The Red Sox 2021 starting staff: E-Rod T.Bauer (free agent) N.Eovaldi M.Perez T.Houck With C.Sale returning and with Groome and Mata providing minor league depth. If the Red Sox can fix N.Pivetta, they might want to trade Perez for a relief arm. Assuming C.Sale returns around mid-season, and let's say he is the C.Sale of old, the Red Sox will definitely have a championship caliber starting staff next season. The bullpen is a work in progress, however.

He started to decline late last season and he has carried that decline into this season. Cashman gave him 27 million over 3 years. Can we find another team that has invested more money on relievers than the Yankees? Chapman, Britton and Ottavino together are making a significant amount.

Jordan Montgomery sucks. Why he made it this far in the Yankees rotation is a mystery to everyone except Brian Cashman. Montgomery is already 27 years old, has no upside, and is the epitome of a bottom of the rotation starter. I hate accusing players without evidence, but I've wondered about several Yankees players too. Judge turns into a better hitter in the major leagues? That usually doesn't happen. Judge is hurt all the time, a sign of PED use. Sanchez has that inconsistency that makes you suspicious and he was buddy buddy with A-Rod. The third baseman comes out of nowhere and starts to hit with a long track record of not producing? That's suspicious. Speaking of A-Rod, why does ESPN employ him? He has no credibility. He has lied to the public a million times about his use of PEDs. He is a proven cheater and liar and this doesn't matter to ESPN? It is really funny when A-Rod makes a comment on the character of a player. Who cares what A-Rod thinks, he is the last person to judge & evaluate character, and yet he thinks his opinion is important for some reason.

The Red Sox did try to resign him but 300 million wasn't enough for Mookie. He was going to test free agency, the Red Sox wanted to get something for him rather than lose him for nothing but draft compensation. Mookie wouldn't have made a difference for the 2020 Red Sox, this team never had enough pitching, and so if you keep Mookie in Boston in 2020, it would have been a wasted year with a star player. And by moving Mookie, the Red Sox could dump Price and get under the luxury tax threshold. It was a sound move. Sure, Mookie is great and will be great over the next few seasons, but he isn't worth 380 million and the contract will be counter-productive over the long term. I would rather spend money on pitching. The Red Sox need pitching and they now have the payroll flexibility to go out and get pitching. Why did the Dodgers give Mookie 380 million while the Red Sox concluded that was too much? The Dodgers are more desperate than the Red Sox. The Red Sox have won 4 championships in the 20th Century; the Dodgers haven't won since the Kirk Gibson thing. I trust the Red Sox's judgment on this, but if the Dodgers get a championship out of it, no one will fault them when Betts' skills & numbers decline in the not-too-distant future.

Good post from the Yankees fan forum:

In reality, Hal is a very generous owner. I'm sure Pirates fans, Rays fans, and Mets fans would love to have an owner who spends the kind of money that Hal spends on the Yankees. Over the last ten years, you won't find an owner that has spent more money on his team than Hal Steinbrenner, and yet the Yankees haven't made one World Series appearance over the last ten years. Thus, the Yankees don't have an owner problem, they have a GM problem. How much does Hal need to spend before dummy Brian Cashman gets the Yankees into the World Series? Does Hal need to spend 400 million on payroll to make it happen? He has already given Brian Cashman big prizes including G.Cole and yet what has Cashman accomplished over the last ten years? I would love to see Brian Cashman take over a team that doesn't spend, like the Pirates, Royals, or Rays. Cashman would lose 100 games a year in that setting. The only thing that keeps Brian Cashman above water is Hal's excessive spending. The last time the Yankees won a World Series title, Hal opened up his wallet for Sabathia, Teixeria, and Burnett. The idea that Hal doesn't spend is ridiculous--he is one of the most generous owners in baseball.

Once again Cashman fails the Yankees at the trade deadline. This is turning into an annual tradition.....

It wasn't a complete sell off, apparently the Red Sox plan to compete next season. I can't say I'm surprised, this is John Henry after all and he has invested a fortune into this organization and will likely continue to do so. Sign Bauer in the off-season, E-Rod returns, so does Cora. Sale will return sometime in the middle of the 2021 season. Bloom will need to fix the bullpen, but the Rays always had a good track record in finding under the radar relievers. In the meantime, keep losing games to improve your draft positioning and go hard after some top international prospects. I liked the Pillar trade, it suggests the Red Sox plan to be active on the international front.

This trade opens the door for the Bobby Dalbec era to begin in Boston. Oh baby! Next year's infield? 1b: Dalbec 2b: Downs SS: Bogaerts 3b: Devers

Another great trade by Bloom. The Red Sox strong but underestimated farm system keeps getting better. Rosario could be a future star. The Red Sox now have amazing CF depth, with Duran and Wilson followed by Jimenez and now Rosario.