5GoldGlovesOF,75

I'm not an ungrateful Red Sox fan. I can say without hesitation Pedro Martinez was certainly the greatest pitcher in Red Sox history, and that no one in baseball history has come close to his unique accomplishments... ... and not only because he dominated the biggest, baddest batters on steroids, won three Cy Youngs, and had the most extreme statistics. Pedro made pitches to bring three world championships to Boston. One was on the mound, the others were on the phone -- when he called the front office and talked them into signing DFAvid Ortiz.

Dodger fans would laugh at our misery. The Dodgers approach to building annual rosters isn't comparable to the Red Sox or any other MLB teams anymore. LA shops at Filene's Basement, and Filene's Kitchen, and Filene's Penthouse, and every floor in between in every other major and minor department store in every city in every country. The Red Sox shop in the Dominican in little fishing villages like Las Galeras (translation The Galleys), where about 7,000 people live -- and if they're lucky -- one of them plays baseball as good as Brayan Bello. Boston does pretty good spelunking in the Dominican, and once the Sox accumulate enough affordable prospects, the front office vows to use its vast capital to surround them with big league talent. That's what their CBOs and President keeps promising... year after year after year.

You're saying that. I'm saying LA was smart enough to make their own luck and sign a good player who now has multiple rings. And I was ragging on Muncy when he was worthless vs. the Yanks. But he's way better than any free agent position player signing of the Bloom/Brez Error -- and please don't throw one-and-done guys at me, guys they were too cheap to pay market value to and hang onto for any fan continuity whatsoever. I'd type more, but -- quick, the Red Sox music stopped again, and I have to go find a chair... and they're really tight.

No, the Dodgers are just so lucky in guys when they spend $300 million on signings.

I know... Muncy the two-time Dodger All-Star and three-time Dodger recipient of NL MVP votes -- the guy who the Dodgers have paid at least $48 million, are committed to paying $14 million more, with over 23 bWAR and a higher postseason OPS than his career OPS, with 13 home runs in 13 playoff series. The Bloom/Brez Sox must have signed at least nobody like Max in free agency.

The Dodgers don't know what they're doing. They sign another kid who's never thrown a big league pitch, instead of their veteran champion who just beat the Yankees in the World Series. Their loss is our gain. Boy, did the Red Sox' smart alecks fleece LA!

We all know why, and it has nothing to do with bad luck. The Dodgers upgrade steam engines every year to power their ship. The Red Sox haunt flea markets and garage sales for used tea pots.

Come on, we're not really comparing Dodgers to Red Sox. LA lost its top two pitchers in games started for the entire postseason -- Stone and Glasnow (not to mention several others pencilled into the rotation a year ago, including their Hall of Fame lefty) -- and team closer and saves leader Phillips for the entire World Series... ... and still won it all. It isn't luck that the Dodgers organization constantly, consistently provides a wealth of talent to legitimately contend for rings every single year.

He's got the pedigree. His Uncle Duke was a video game legend, and in his comic book went back in time to crush Nazis.

Mazza was better than everybody that year at giving up 890-foot homers.

Don't forget when Chris Mazza served a turkey meatball to Ronald Acuna, who hit the longest home run in the history of no living fans in the stands to spill their beers from vertigo while watching it fly over their heads.

Upon being informed the Sox had rotated stock, the few remaining cardboard fans who saw him in 2020 were nonminused.

Most here may agree that John Henry has had enough of blowing money on longterm player contracts. The Soto ruse accomplished exactly what Red Sox PR sought at the time: interest. Since then, the longest contract they've given out was to a guy who may not even pitch this season: Sandoval. So what exactly makes anyone think Boston will fork over ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS MORE than they're paying Raffy Devers, to someone who is actually a worse corner infielder?

I think of him more as someday having a career year in batting average -- something like a Cecil Cooperish .330, but with 27 HRs. His Netflix breakfast with Crawford, where Tris discusses the differences of "one more hit per week" portrays him as a thinking-man's hitter... but in a specialty where a guy can sometimes think too much.

I'll never believe a guy like Gio who was so good and then suddenly so bad was entirely healthy. I think Boston's front office blew it with their "thorough" research before signing him. Professional veteran pitchers don't forget how to pitch, but physical issues -- even the slightest -- prevent pitchers from sustaining previous years of effectiveness. The old saying is that any injury for a pitcher is a sore arm -- because any impediment can cause an altered delivery, which can cause arm injuries. Tweaked ankle from landing in a hole in front of the mound? You got a sore arm. Dizzy Dean stubbed his toe, he got a sore arm. Herb Score got hit in the head, he got a sore arm.

Don't forget $38.5 MILLION/2 for Giolito (coming off a disastrous season) -- to pitch one year... maybe... Henry may not know much about baseball, but after replacing one smart CBO with another smart CBO -- and watching another debacle of a free agent signing -- he had to be sitting there in disbelief. No wonder he withdrew all the money from his Red Sox account, stuffed it under his mattress and changed the locks on his doors.

I think the Red Sox agree with you. How about five years at $80M for an AAV of $16M -- below market value for an ace -- but remember, he already signed with Boston this year for $3.8M. '26: $7M (basically doubles '25) '27: $15M (doubles '26, and is more AAV than every 2024 AL All-Star starting pitcher will make this year, except Burnes.) '28: $18M -- at age 28,,, what Boston paid Giolito at age 29 '29: $19M... what Boston will pay Giolito to finally throw a pitch this season '30: $21M -- at age 30... what Boston will pay Buehler at 30 to beat the Yankees again this year

This isn't Wayne Garland, who Cleveland gave the first 10-year contract in the history of free agency. Details: 10 years for $2.3 million -- not bad, considering he turned down Baltimore's offer of $40 thousand... ... but then Garland blew out his rotator cuff -- before arthroscopic surgery existed. Wayne never made a big league All-Star team, but earned his fame at age 12, when he reportedly struck out the first 56 batters he faced in Nashville Little League.

Crochet was an All-Star last year. He agreed to a salary of $3.8 million for this year. But what's the price for an All-Star starter? His AL teammates: Corin Burnes $32M, Seth Lugo $15M, Tyler Anderson $13M, Skubal $10.15M... Houck $3.95M... and Cole Ragans $800,000. Of course, Buehler will make $21.5M, Giolito another $19M, and Bello $52.8M through 2030 -- when he will top out at $21M (which could increase to $33M if he achieves incentives). For a staff ace in his prime, an AAV at around $25M or $125M for five years seems fair. So expect the Red Sox to offer Crochet around five for $78M... "Look," they'll tell him, "that's 50 percent more than we gave Bello!"

It's easy to predict the Sox will offer something less than market value. A contract worth guaranteed millions is still hard to turn down for young athletes, especially for pitchers, who are always a tendon or ligament away from Uber driving with one hand. But there are definitely guys who will bet on themselves. A decade ago Scherzer turned down an extension for like $160 million -- which seemed like a huge risk... Then he wound up signing for $210 million, which now doesn't look like that much more, but is still a 30% increase.

How can you say that when we said good-bye to two weak players -- our home run leader who struck out 33% of the time, and our back-up replacement catcher, with the 0.1 WAR, -0.1 dWAR, .188 BA and .623 OPS. We already replaced them both with one Double A catcher. As for the two prospects you want to watch and root for, the Red Sox can't promote them yet because they'll lose control of an extra year, half a decade from now when maybe only one guy on the entire roster is still playing for Boston (like Devers in 2024, the lone holdover from 2019). Plus, do you really think two of the top-rated baseball prospects in the world can contribute more than two Red Sox from last Opening Day -- Valdez and Reyes? You know, the pair whose WBR was -0.6 each last season...

Assuming we don't pay top dollar for Scott (or anyone, anywhere)... Also assuming all the other good closers -- those most recently good at this fickle position -- are waiting for Scott to sign, so they can make more unreasonable demands as the next best things. But the Sox' top priority should be to land either Estevez or Yates.

The Red Sox are rightly mocked as the Kings of Interest, but they've been Jesters of Market Value a lot longer. Their lowball offers that cause homegrown stars to leave and free agents to shun them disgust me. For too long the Red Sox front office has acted like MLBers owe them for getting the chance to play pro ball in Boston. Maybe it started with Varitek or Lowell taking less than other offers to remain with the club, or Lester sabotaging his own upcoming free agency with a stated goal... or even Pedroia taking a team-friendly discount (posters rued that contract at the end, but Pedey signed for less than his contemporary Cano, who maybe had more talent but wasn't nearly a teammate or baseball player of Dustin's caliber). The Sox could've kept Mookie for his Hall of Fame career if they just gave him market value -- not 10% or 20% less, which they seemed to insult him with every time an extension was discussed. Since then, other good players have left, and now we're on the verge of welcoming some of the top-rated prospects in franchise history. Don't screw this up, Boston. It's not just a privilege to play at Fenway Park -- it's a privilege to have so many devoted, paying fans still want to root for the new stars about to call it home.

I left the end of your quote because I think Looie G and the last three are most likely to contribute key roles over any rehabbers. But I'm surprised I'm the only one who doesn't envision Crawford in the pen. Every other member of the projected five-man rotation has had injury issues -- sure, it can be solid if we just look at names and pedigree, but does anyone really think all five or even four of Crochet-Beuhler-Houck-Bello-Giolito will pitch the whole season healthy without IL stints? Cutter Crawford led the majors in games started -- that makes him the most reliable starter on the team. Cora may go with a six-man rotation the first few months, anyway. The most improved part of the bullpen may be Whitlock, if he can regain his rookie form before hip issues.

Hopefully, by then, we won't have posters insisting that we can trade him for prospects -- and then, still sign him the following winter. The only signing this ownership will be doing is waving bu-bye.