Hugh2

Well as of right now, either Mayer or Story is playing SS, and the other one may very well be playing 3B depending on how things shake up. Right now we only have Mayer/Story for 3 positions and even those two guys (as high as I am on them) have not been glowing examples of health. It feels an infielder, at least one, is a must. And I certianly want a guy of starting caliber. We should expect that as a fan base too.

I understand Bichette may be a long shot, or Boston won't shell out the money needed to sign him. But why do people keep assuming he's playing SS? If I'm signing Bo, it's to play 2nd or 3rd.

I suppose it's all a matter of perspective, many teams value lowering the term of a contract and are willing to pay more per to do so.

I think it should assumed anytime someone says something like "sign player XYZ to 8 years 200 million" that the years and money can fluctuate from that number. Unless something thinks it's insanely off, it just seems like noise to go "NO he won't get that exact number" I don't really care. My AAV is probably too high for him, but he's probably getting around $220 million.

I don't claim to know it all, but one thing I see time and time and time again and every year, repeat, without fail, is all of us severaly underestimating how much guys get paid. The reality is, you either want to pay the price of admission......or you do not. I have no idea what the price of Bichette would be, I'm speculating, so it's a bit interesting the price tag is centerpiece of this conversation but I do know two things to be true. - Bichette is going to get paid, likely more than what anyone in here is going to predict. - Bichette, like any free agent, would have to be paid more per annum to entice them to sign for less years.

I mean, do you have a better ideal for improving the lineup?

agree, but isn't just as lazy to say you just assume he'll be a bad 2nd? his defense has actually gone up/down over the last few years at SS with some years grading out average to better. Via statcast, he was in the 51% for fielding run value (average) in 2024, he was literally average a year earlier. Why shouldn't we assume he will be better at 2nd? that's a pretty decent assumption people make because it's typically what we see. If he's a bad defender then playing below average D at SS isn't inflating his value much if at all.

We do this EVERY YEAR, and you guys always undersell what these free agents are going to make. Bichette WILL be paid over 200 million. I'm overpaying to get him off the books at 33 and not paying for him into his late 30's. If I'm paying him an extra 5-7 million a year to do that....great.

Yeah, he will be fighting for 8 I think and he might get it. I wouldn't mind overpaying to have him for 6. I'd at least offer 225/6

Post all star break they were 11th, still in the top half. They also lost a lot of guys that will be back this year like Mayer, Anthony, and Abreu for a while. Also, this isn't a zero sum game. You can go out and get a hitter and a pitcher.

I thought he would be offered it and I was very certain he would decline. I'm not as optimistic about Giolito rejecting it. Which honestly, if he is as good as he was in 2025 (with maybe the chance to be marginally better) 22 million isn't a huge overpay, and it's only one year. And it's starting pitching where you need 5 (you could say you need 9 from a perspective). Honestly, I'd be ok offering it to him hoping he rejects it, but being ok if he accepts.

Well we can wish right? As the great Willie (Billy Bob Thorton in Bad Santa) once said "s*** in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up first). I'm going to dream a little this offseason and hope the ghost of john henrys spending past comes back this holiday season. But I can't help but think we are getting Arenado instead this offseason.

I know this is a lazy way to look at things, but I assume a s***** short stop can play at least average defense everywhere else minus catcher. If I'm signing Bichette it's to play 2nd.

Bichette is a good 4 years younger than Bregman, he might be a lot better over the next 6 years.

There's a very good chance Giolito takes the Q.O. I'd imagine a lot of teams don't want to give up the pick for Lucas, but if they've already forfeited one perhaps so. Still that makes his pool of suitors smaller.

Nick Kurtz is going to win ROY and it shouldn't be close. Skubal should win CY, but that race is a little closer.

It's not my intention to debate this, if anything you're right, compared to a percentage of revenue baseball players do worse than some of the other major sports. But I'm just talking about what I'm hearing. Maybe something changes, maybe something is being overblown, but I keep reading on how everyone is very far apart and a work stoppage is coming. I still think a hard floor is a reasonable concept.

Anything we suggest either owners, players, rich teams, or poor teams don’t want. Either something gives or there’s a lockout in 2027. a hard floor is a reasonable concept

Red Sox were 7th in MLB in runs scored, and 10th in fewest runs allowed. Saying hitting is a priority over pitching may not be 100% accurate. Bregman leaving aside, there should be a ton of potential to get better offensively by the youngsters improving and guys getting healthy.

Nah....when the best pitcher in baseball becomes available you at least have to take a swing. Sox have Rafaela/Anthony/Mayer looked up for the forseeable future and other names too. The offense needs a tweak or two. Also, in my original proposal, I said the Sox should go big by aquiring pithching and also signing Bichette. Sox went over the cap last year, they're at the beginning of their window, it's time to spend.

more established BUT literally 1/2 the amount of team control. That makes a big difference as well.

That is more than what BTV suggests. FWIW, at the time of the trade, we did not pay more than what BTV suggests for Crochet

I didn't even realize you're a moderator now hahaha. I'll repost it shortly, it's a highlight reel of Rafaela....and it's glorious.

I think there is going to be push back, but many of these teams did what they did under the old rules and now have guys locked up. I think if they come in with harsher penalties it would have a higher starting point to allow the league to adjust. E.G. They instititute a hard cap, but they make it 300 million. I agree, evil empires are good for the game. Everyone lose seeing an empire crumble.

Yeah, like I said, two ain't happening. One of those would be amazing, personally I say go big with Skubal. Crochet/SKubal at the front of that rotation make a 1-2 punch that can stand against any team all the way up to the world series. If I'm signing Bichette it's to play 2nd base where I suspect his defense would be average to better. Also, we pretty much should be in on infielders as every single position has a massive question mark at it. 3B - Bregman opts out we don't have one SS - Story/Mayer both have serious health concerns, Story played a full season for the first time in 4 years and will be 33, Mayer has never finished a season 2B - non extistent 1B - Casas? If you assume health, and figure you got to roll the dice with Casas and improve the lineup everywhere else then you still at a bare minimum need at least one infielder. Bichette is the best one of the market, I think you find a way to make it work and again....I think he'd be fine at 2nd. Id' be open to a trade to improve the infield as well. And they might not start the year above the 2nd threshold. But I was saying last year they would go above the 1st threshold. I even started a thread about it and not many agreed. Which I did on purpose because I felt pretty confident they would AND THEY DID. To be honest, I don't feel that confident they'd go above the 2nd threshold this year as I was they'd go above the first one last year. But all the next threshold is, is marginal money. The penalty for the second threshold hold is 12% so if the signed both SKubal and took on Greene (again not saying both would happen but this is purely hypothetical now) that's what.....$11 million over the second threshold? That's an extra $1.32 million. That's the penalty in the second bracket. If they thought they would win a world series with that group, I doubt 1.32 is going to stop them.