Hugh2

When a guy takes lesser money, it's usually with the caveat that he was actually getting the same AAV with one less year to move closer to home, or it was a year less but higher AAV. When it's not all about the money.....the money is very very very close.

Unfortunately Crochet may be enough to save off the fan base, and while that was a very very very nice addition.....the team needs to do more.

He very well may have for $765 million

Or maybe John Henry the Fenway Grinch grows some balls and actually wins a bid for a premium player

Agreed, my inner desires are a big name pitcher to augment with Crochet at the top of the rotation.

Yes, but they are in some trouble and are effectively being forced to spend money. Maybe we can convince them to take on Yoshida or Giolito. I'd imagine they might be having trouble attracting talent.

WE GOT SOTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't believe this at all, sounds ridiculous but I'd imagine the argument is we trade for him now because we can extend him. Because somehow we wouldn't be willing to win a bid on him but yet somehow he's going to sign a lesser extension to stay here. But yeah.....wait a year and sign him.

I'd rather trade Casas for pitching (not that I want to trade him) and just sign Vladdy next offseason.

Lets say the Mets and Yankees never increased their last offers and Soto decided he wanted to play in Boston for $700 million? what do you guys think would have happened? I think he would have signed in Boston for $700 million.

Healthy disagreement alone certainly isn't a bad thing, but I'm a little troubled that this was made public.

Relievers are so up and down who knows. It's not like the bar is set high. Kenley + Martin had a 2.3 FWar vs. 1.3 from Wilson and Chapman. If Hendriks comes back healthy they beat that group or even if they tweak something in Chapman or Wilson. With all the non consistency in relievers it's really not that hard to believe that two guys can cover a 1 War gap.

I don't think it's completely irrelevant that Bregman was also originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox. I have no ideal if there are people in power today who were back then who had really liked Bregman but it would not surprise me. Reminds me of Wilyer Arbreu, whom the Sox had a deal in place to sign out of Venezuela but that deal was ripped up by MLB because of the penalties they had placed on them that year in IFA. Years later they traded for him. Sometimes you just really like a guy.

But the Red Sox do actually spend money, and he's not a pitcher so....it actually kind of makes sense.

4.) I would be thrilled if Carlos Narvaez (the Yankee Catchers) was better than McGuire and Jansen. seeing how his ceiling is that of a defense first back up catcher that would be great. In my fantasy world I'm imagining he grows into the next Varitek and this is the steal of the century. From the Yankees??? oh please baseball gods make that happen. I'm also not sold that the bullpen will be a mess next year. They effectively are adding Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Wilson. I have high hopes that we could see improvement from Justin Slaten, and rookie contributions from talent such as Luis Guerrero. Whitlock will be back, and if another starter is added and everyone is healthy someone like Crawford could get pushed to the bullpen as well. I still wouldn't mind adding another good bullpen arm. As they say, you can never have enough pitching.

The Yankees bid $760 million, the Sox final bid was reportedly around $700 million. So yes, I'd say they outbid us.

Year after year these estimates for pitching are very wrong. Heck the hitting side too. Not always but more often than not. Buehler isn’t getting a 1 year deal in this market. He’s probably getting 3-4 (lower AAV) with an opt out after a year, or something like that.nobody said Fried would get over $200, heck most people didn’t even think he could get over $160. Burnes will get well over $200 as well. Pivetta is probably looking at $60 million plus right now too. year after year we say things like “this guy is overpaid” according to whom? Not attacking you Moon but just thinking aloud here. Who determines what these guys should be paid? If you ask me, it’s the market. Something is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. and the reality is the market for pitching is just high. There’s a reason budgets are blowing up, more teams are going over the LT. the LT goes up this year and next and I speculate by the time someone like Burnes is off his next deal the first threshold could easily be as high as $300 million. the crochet deal was nice, but we can only make so many of those trades. Eventually John Henry and his loyal fans will have to get over their phobia of signing pitchers to long term contract. if you want the same chance as upside with price. Buehler is your guy.

Why not keep Duran in CF? He was really really good there in 2024. I don’t see him going back to LF

Yes but stuff is stuff. You don’t just randomly spin a ball so much at random or accidentally throw 97 mph.

In the playoffs yes, his stuff looked much better

Isn’t Buehler healthy? Sure he had surgery, but he’ll be two years removed in 2025.in todays game almost every pitcher has either had an injury or is due for one. if a guys medicals are good, and the stuff is back, I’d strongly consider them.

The thing about Buehler is he's not JUST coming off of injury, this will be his first full season back, but second overall and first full offseason. I've always been against these gambles in the context that the Sox make no big move, this year they made a big move. Buehler really looked good at the end of the year, like he was back. I'd happily pay him a 1/4 of what Burnes will get to possibly get the same level of production or close to it.

That's the price they pay for certainty. Burnes has more of a track record, and more seasons pitching over 140 innings. I'm ok with it.

Burnes > Flaherty > Buehler Burnes is the best pitcher left, and maybe overall this offseason but will cost the most. Flaherty makes too much sense at this point for the Red Sox to have interest. Buehler is a risk, but he looked better down the stretch and as the playoffs went on. He could end up being the absolute best value in this offseason class. Seeing how they already went Crochet, I'd be ok if they went Buehler, and for the same reasons wouldnt hate Flaherty. Burnes is the dream, but this board will hate the cost. But Burnes/Crochet/Houck/Bello/Giolito rotation might end up being the absolute best in baseball.

I don’t disagree, but conversely you have to take a chance on some of those guys. You don’t get a Mookie Betts, a Xander Bogaerts, a Dustin Pedroia, or a Duran unless you keep some of your youth. like I said, it’s about balance. Having young cost controlled talent means you have the capacity to go out and spend some money in free agency to fill needs, even to the penny pinchers, especially then I suppose