5GoldGlovesOF,75

I answered your question but never said I approved of the deal. I found Jose Ramirez for Bogaerts and Houck on the trade simulator, and feel it's not worth it for Boston to trade a promising young pitcher at this time. I have never approved of trading Mookie, even if he breaks down eventually because he's too short, and Downs becomes an All-Star. As a selfish fan, I really enjoyed watching the best homegrown player in franchise history during my lifetime play for the Red Sox, and loathe the thought of him starring in another uni in another league 3,000 miles away, and someday wearing an LA cap into the Hall of Fame.

How about Starling Marte? OBP .381...plus 47 stolen bases (a walk or single is as good as a double).

Yes, reasonable for both clubs: for Bloom, who'd rather trade a star he's losing, instead of giving up coveted controllables; and for the Guardians, who'd receive their trade partner's best young arm. But wait -- that's not a Mookie-like deal, since the Sox got zero pitchers for the best player they ever traded who was about to enter his prime.

That was my point, about the Sox not having anyone like Arozarena, who scores from first on a liner over shortstop. I even mentioned it before the ALDS, when comparing the contestants. To Dojii's point, none of the top four fastest Red Sox on this list were regulars in the postseason (the top three weren't even on the roster). As for Bogaerts' trade market, I'd like think a team willing to deal value for a starting All-Star in his prime would do so with the intention of trying to keep him (somewhere on the diamond)... like LA did, I'm sure, when the concept of acquiring Betts originated. A swap of Bogie and Houck for Ramirez replaces the offense we'd lose but further hammers the club weakness: the arms' race. It would be like treating a strained achilles with a Buck knife. At this point, I'd rather keep Houck, take a draft pick when X leaves, and watch a cheap glove man keep shortstop warm for a couple years until the Mayer Era begins.

He used to; one of the years he was third in MVP he split playing 2nd and 3rd. Infielders move around, according to team need, like Semien did (when will Bogie?).

Ya, I looked at hard at Ramirez last night when posters suggested signing Baez. Jose is no Gold Glover, but also plays second base and is a 30-100 infielder who struck out almost 100 less times than Baez this year. He just turned 29 and has already had three seasons of WAR higher than any in Baez' career (when he finished 2nd, 3rd and 3rd in AL MVP voting); that's Mookie-like. I stopped looking when the trade simulator said Ramirez' value is about equal to Bogaerts plus Houck... The Guards will ask for the Moon -- and rightfully so (but all Bloom can offer is maybe 2 or 3GGs; not even 5GGs)

Cliche is such a cliche.

This is so underrated. Anyone who saw the rookie Siri flying around the bases last night or remembers how helpless it felt watching pre-popcorn Arozarena abuse the Sox knows that speed is non-existent on Boston's current roster. And I'm not just talking about stolen bases -- but it's notable that the great 2018 champs were third in SBs with 125. They dropped off to 68 the next year... and had 21 this season. Mookie doesn't make the difference in a hundred extra bags, but right now the Sox don't even have one guy who can score from first on a liner over shortstop like Arozarena did in the ALDS.

Can they also give robos the power to shock batters who step out of the box after every single pitch? It doesn't have to be a taser beam, just a little zap like the electrified barb wire on farm fences that keep cows in line. Batters can even be allotted one or two step-outs per at bat, in case a nat gets in the eye or a shoelace needs tying... but any time Velcro opens gets an automatic full jolt.

People in the industry are already saying there will be no hot stove season. There may be some innovative GMs or CBOs that still want to wheel and deal in the meantime, but owners may freeze rosters, along with everything else, until billionaires settle with multi-millionaires (and half-a-millionaires).

Tampa your expectations.

It's upsetting because anyone who has watched Twilight Zone knows it's inevitable what will happen next. Give robots control of the strike zone, and before long they'll control the scoreboards. In about a year they'll be eating our livers, with a vintage bottle of WD-40.

Then we'll have nothing to blab about... except nostalgia. Meanwhile, we've got about a month before the current pact runs out and they officially declare war. Regarding Baez: I'm just not keen on adding yet another swing-from-the-heels K-man to a lineup we'd all like to see make more contact. Baez led the MLB in strikeouts this year with 184. He whiffed every 2.7 at bats. For the '21 Sox regulars, Dalbec was the worst, fanning every 2.67 ABs. Next was Schwarbs 3.4, Arroyo 3.7, JD 3.8, Hunter 4.0, Devers 4.1, Kike 4.61, X 4.68, Vaz 5.4, and Boston's top contact man: Verdugo 5.6. Houston had five guys (or over half their batting order) as good or better than Beantown's best: Brantley 8.8, Gurriel 7.7, Altuve 6.6, Bregman 6.5, Tucker 5.6; Brantley, Gurriel and Bregman were also the toughest to punch out at their positions in the bigs. Other shortstops' K/AB: Tatis 3.12, Adames 3.18, Story 3.7, BCrawford 4.6, Bichette 4.67, (Bogie 4.68), Lindor 4.70, Correa 4.78, Seager 5.3, Turner 5.4, Simmons 6.6, Kiner=Falefa 7.0, Wander Franco 7.59 (probably not available at this time). The best by far was Kevin Newman from Pittsburgh: 12.6. Newman!

If he plays enough, yes. It's easier to outrun bad jumps or routes if you have elite speed, and more reps equals more confidence in taking the proper first step, reading the flight of the ball, and sprinting to location with back to the plate. Duran isn't hapless out there to begin with from what I've seen (and not just read second-hand). If you're fast, at least it's easier to chase down a ball in the gap than it is to hit 90 mph sliders or change-ups.

Some were saying they call it a swing if they see the end cap (or cup) of the bat pointing at first base; in other words, a horizontal bat just crossing over the plate isn't really swinging. Yep, insanity.

If Bogaerts' future profile indeed trends to a move off shortstop -- to 2nd or 3rd or LF -- I don't see an opt out resulting in any GM giving him a giant Tatis or Lindor-type contract. Tatis, who at age 22 already moved for a spell to right field, isn't maybe a good Xander comp anyway... leading the league in home runs at age 22. It could be X opts out just to get a decent raise and extension to stay where he really wants to, in Boston. The total dollars and years will certainly be affected by what happens in the upcoming agreements, between owners, unions, and ultimately, free agent shortstops.

Before they can review it they have to define it first. Umpires admit there are no rules stating exactly what constitutes a swing or check. MLB TV tried, but the first baseman and ump interviewed said 20 different guys will give you 20 different opinions. At least the rulebook delineates the strike zone... to give everybody parameters they can then disregard.

I'm for Robos as long as baseball bans check-the-check-swings. The Giants got eliminated from the playoffs on a bad call by a base ump who was 90 feet away from the action in question... on a concept that no rule books have ever even defined. No more of that, please.

Flips were so much easier for old guys to text, because they had raised letter buttons. Plus, you could pick it up by any part and not have to worry about accidentally touching a screen that instantly transports to unwanted sites impossible to get back from. Flip phones also never facetimed random contacts from your pocket, either. No voices from your pants...

I tend to agree with you, Red. The upcoming CBA conflict may postpone any big money signings... but if budget structures change dramatically somehow (salary "caps", tax penalty dynamics, etc), then I could also see the Sox front office maybe manipulating the new market. But it won't be soon.

He never cites sources unless he's typing quotes, but he's been a beat reporter, columnist, and now sports talkshow guest since the mid-70s. Some fans disrespect his tone and perceived agenda, but he knows and talks to plenty of people in the franchise and the industry. My conjecture -- based soley on my subjective reality -- is that his conjectures are often influenced by off-the-record contacts we'll never know about.

Bogaerts news: ESPN's Joon Lee reports, "According to sources close to Bogaerts, the shortstop currently plans on opting out... also open to moving to second or third base down the road." Lee also said X still wants to stay in Beantown (just at market rate). ... that notion, plus Downs re-establishing his potential and Yorke being named Sox Minor League Player of the Year, may preclude a Semien signing (to play second base). Justin Leger from NBCSports just tabbed Semien as Boston's "top free agent fit", then listed these pitchers in order: Ray, Stroman, Graveman, Hand, Iglesias, Gausman. Shaughnessey also said the Sox won't be willing to pay ERod and Schwarber enough to keep them. If true, that just about eliminates signing any top pitchers or position players this winter -- if there even is a free agent market pending a strike/lockout.

But once it did, it looked like it was made for TV. A big part of the early draw had to be the Dallas Cowboys (who I always viewed as the Yankees of the NFL) -- right around the time every household finally had a color set -- when fans could marvel at their uniforms, and the ones not worn by their cheerleaders... Now the Super Bowl is a national holiday (though the Monday after should be a day off for hungover America, like New Year's Day). The MLB will never take back the popularity it had before TV and football collaborated, but at least the Red Sox helped reignite some Nielsen respectability for a generation for their part in the 1975 World Series.

I played with a pitcher who dislocated the index finger on his pitching hand. He had to wear a metal splint and doctors told him to give it three weeks to heal. He couldn't wait that long... but man, did that splint make his pitches move. After he removed it, his stuff was never as good.

My post noted that people once cared more about winning pennants, in a time before they had televisions. TV changed how Americans viewed sports and concepts like "winners" and "champions".