5GoldGlovesOF,75

Damn hippies -- flowers in their hair; try cutting it.. at least wash it. Blame it on the Grateful Dead (said the once wharf rat).

He didn't want to be called a Guy Ant.

Be nice. He may be a Cri baby, but at least he's good at something.

Heyman - ah leave me alone you know Heyman - oh Henry, get off the phone

First, you have to buy the club from Henry... but don't bet on him even extending his hand to shake on it.

Great line. They just announced more Fenway renovations -- installation of Iron Maidens in every box seat, so fans can get really locked in watching alleged big league Red Sox pitchers. And they can never leave...

Ok, owners, if you're not interested in spending on old free agents, then the plan must be to rely on cheaper young guys developed in the system. So... where are the longterm contracts to lock up your future core -- before they become stars and want fair market rate (and need to be dumped) -- you Mookie-trading MOOKS! Even freaking Milwaukee -- that bastion of domestic beer breweries, but otherwise mid to small market sports city -- just gave an eight-year contract to a minor leaguer who hasn't even made the majors! Is the total lack of any extension talk for guys like Bello and Casas further evidence that these current owners will soon be former owners???

Hugh, if you agree this current Red Sox roster is even worse than their last two seasons when they were the fifth-best team in the division, then there is nothing wrong with playing the youngsters and giving them the opportunity to develop into full-time big leaguers. This is what bad teams do in a rebuild. Ruining his confidence is overrated. If a player is good enough to excel at various minor league levels and make the majors, then he has earned his chance. Almost all the guys on the MLB-26 have one or two skills that put them above all others in the system. Overall, modern batters swing and miss more than ever before, and fans have grown used to seeing it. But fielders constantly bumbling around on the diamond, misjudging or clanking balls in play, and throwing others away, is must-miss TV. Rafaela's defense alone makes him worth watching.

If you stacked all those guys in a booth at a Sunday flea market, there's a new exec in St. Louis that may buy them off you... but only a minute before closing time at clearance prices.

Maybe one difference for the Rangers compared to In-the-Red Sox is that all seven pitchers you listed are MAJOR Leaguers.

Yes, please -- in the transactional sense. Sell it to owners dedicated to re-establishing Boston as a major market franchise competing for the top talent in baseball that produces annual contenders... ... like Henry, Werner and Co. did 20 years ago.

Probably not a ton of Red Sox fans today broken up that Teoscar chose LA over Boston. There's still a major void in the batting order for right-handed power in Fenway, but few on the forum will miss seeing another mediocre fielder with a 35% K-rate. What should be of concern are reports that THern took a one-year deal for almost as much as the Sox offered him for two years. The Dodgers are clearly the definition of "all-in" this winter; Tom and Sam take note. Playing in better weather for a winner may not matter to players as much as some posters would like, but those factors can't hurt, either.

Fans can't answer that without directly connecting what they deem as the disgraceful treatment of management to homegrown star Xander Bogaerts. Forget that Story has been an utter flop. Did the Red Sox handle negotiations poorly with Bogie or did they outsmart themselves trying to save a buck... Here's where a more concrete answer might exist: did the Mets spend smart in signing two creaky Hall of Fame starters pushing 40 for $40M apiece? Never mind that Cohen could afford to cut his losses in half a season -- taken literally, is blowing the budget on two old pitchers in any way building a core of sustained contenders? But what if you win it all that year, and the brand soars in immediate fame and fortune?

This isn't about impatience or entitlement. Henry and Werner may be able to afford the best doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers and even private chefs, but they're still both old bucks. Father Time will come knocking wearing a black hoodie for all of us soon enough. These owners at their age can't possibly approve of new five-year plans every five years going forward. Nor can any Asst. VP in the front office feel job security if the strategy is to celebrate LABs (Losses Above Bargain players). Cora, himself, recently noted that the big league club's present should always be the priority over a franchise stockpiling prospects for the future. At least he acknowledges we're all on borrowed time.

Starting pitching -- it all starts with starters. Doesn't matter if you're a contender looking for a championship boost, or a cellar-dweller beginning a rebuild. Red Sox major mound additions that eventually led to rings (pitchers specifically recruited to fortify playoff rotations): '04 Schilling, '06 Beckett, '10 Lackey, '17 Sale. But most relevant to the 2024 Sox may be the biggest and best acquisition: Pedro Martinez in '98. Boston was coming off a losing season with a 78-84 record -- identical to the '23 Red Sox -- when Dan Duquette swung a trade for the 26-year-old NL Cy Young winner. Pedro instantly catapulted the Sox to 92 wins, back into the playoffs, and changed the culture for decades. Bad teams simply cannot wait until they're somehow good again before investing in really good pitching. A top of the rotation starter changes everything: giving the D confidence, taking the pressure off his O, resting the bullpen, easing stress for management, and from the business standpoint -- exciting the fanbase, sparking a buzz through the media, and making the host city more appealing for future free agents.

They're not apples to oranges, but they are a prehistoric reptilian monster (awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation) to a body by plastic dumbbells.

Well, they already blew one sale. I just went on MLB Team Store to buy a Bearclaw jersey, and they were none on the Red Sox page. But they still have the following for sale: Hernandez #5, Rodriguez #57 and Retired Player #00... imagine a non-baseball fan buying that for someone's birthday, and having to wear it during a game (it would have to be a tv game, from the recliner).

The Sox aren't hard up for making money, they're hard on for not spending it. They have to know if they reduce payroll it will not enlarge bankroll. And it stoned Van Morrison to his soul. Stoned him just like jelly roll...

If other teams are truly inquiring about Yoshida, then keep him. The Red Sox have been so incompetent in so many ways, that it's obvious other clubs are trying to exploit their idiocy before Breslow cleans house. Metrics somewhere must predict improvement for Masa...

I'm still waiting for the Sox to sign Springer to replace Betts, for less than half the money they saved by not extending Mookie...

Except when the rest of the division gets to bat against Red Sox pitchers.

I'm kinda hoping for a Cease trade just so I can watch the forum fireworks when someone points out how .500 the WHITE Sox were, with Cease and Giolito as their #1 and #2, sometimes throwing to Reese McGuire.

Some as in many ones... unless they're waiting until they're good before they spend money on good players.

The ugly heads that have failed in pitching development the past two decades still haunt the Red Sox front office, but new faces in the new regime give us hope. CBO Breslow and pitching coach Bailey specialize in mound rebounds, and they've also brought on board a new director of pitching in Justin Willard, who served a similar role in Minnesota. This is one area where we owe these guys some time to make improvements. But it can't just be targeting and recruiting projects; fans and media have had enough of that approach -- bonafide reliable talent must be added to the MLB rotation to justify customer investment of time and money into this entertainment product.

Rosenthal speculates momentum building towards the White Sox trading Dylan Cease into the AL East... will it be New York or Baltimore? Will it even be worth it for Boston to overpay with top prospects to keep Cease from New York or Baltimore? One big move like that for Breslow would almost necessitate more; otherwise, why sell the future if you're not going for it now? 1. Trade for Cease, 2. sign Montgomery or Imanaga, 3. sign Teoscar or Duvall... ... or keep all the prospects, sign some lower level arms, and just field a full team to sell tickets for '24.