5GoldGlovesOF,75

I think -- and I have no evidence whatsoever, so this is just my opinion -- that free agents who don't come with QOs (because they accepted them a year ago or were traded midseason) will be among the most attractive -- and possibly sought after -- if Bloom is shopping this winter. That could include Graveman, Stroman, Gausman, Scherzer, Rich Hill, Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Starling Marte.

And yet, even with your statements that you're very, very confident about, I'm still wondering if the Sox will trade Duran this offseason -- which you, yourself, have proposed a few times already. I don't recall posters fantasizing about Duran as a bench player, but I do know that I've said he at least needs to be part of a regular platoon in the majors or back playing everyday at Triple A. We all agree it would be great if Duran becomes what the team's CBO has predicted: a very good MLB player. Hopefully, that's in Boston, where speed is a rarity on the roster. Adding a guy like Locastro -- who led the MLB in Statcast sprint speed in '19 and '20 -- is two steps in the right direction... if Locastro doesn't lose a step recovering from his injury and makes the 26-man next Spring.

I wonder if this acquisition may be a hint at a possible trade involving Duran? If not, Locastro fills the PR role off the pine, so that Jarren can still play everyday in Triple A. Locastro has little power potential, so he doesn't exactly make Duran redundant, but if the slow-poke Sox are determined to get faster, they may as well start by adding the fastest runner in the big leagues.

Agreed that the first four slots are priorities. If just two of them come via free agency, does that max the budget and prevent signing a DH or extending an All-Star infielder (unless Henry doesn't care about the as-yet new CBA limitations...)?

It's logical that arms get tired throwing pitches in any era, but it's not coincidental that the only .400 hitters in history roamed the Jurassic Era, when starting pitchers regularly faced lineups four or even five times a day. Ted Williams admitted as much, because relief pitchers in his day were mostly mop-up guys not good enough to start; plus, very few pitchers ever threw over 90 mph (except Bob Feller).

Should starters now get paid two-thirds of what they used to make? Do middle relievers deserve a raise, depending on how many batters they retire in comparison to closers? Maybe pitching staff budgets should be based on piece-work for some kind of 27-out ratio. Is it unreasonable to expect some analytics departments working with GMs or CBOs on such a breakdown when planning offseason strategies?

I agree, especially if a universal DH drives up the price for guys like JD, Schwarbs, Nick C, Cruz, etc. Sluggers are not a priority on a team with thin pitching. Merloni said this week he doesn't think the Sox will end with either JD or Kyle from Waltham.

He's always spent sensibly -- or at least tried to make sensible moves. Which makes more sense in building a sustained contender: four years for Stroman or Gausman, or two for Scherzer? And to those ends, do any longterm offers to a DH make sense? For example, an extension for JD or $75 for five years to Schwarber?

From everything we've seen so far of Chaim Bloom: to go further in the postseason a year from now, he'll spend payroll on more roster depth, instead of paying big bucks to one old pitcher who broke down in this postseason.

Hope so, but we might not know so until the owners and players shake hands (which is now just a metaphor for dap fists, in this day and age).

Patience may be a strategy based more on market uncertainty with the CBA. For all we know, Bloom may have been hired by Henry -- who is on the board of directors for the owners -- in part, at least, to get the Sox through these tricky times. Knowing that chief competitors have controllable young stars won't force Bloom to offer "large market contracts" (such as those projected on Bleacher Reports) to older, more established players.

Braves were also missing All-Star starter Soroka (injured himself) and NL home run and RBI champ from a year ago, Ozuna (injured another). But somehow, all four outfielders grabbed by the deadline came through. Atlanta finished first four years in a row, sometimes with arguably better teams than this season (the Braves won 97 in '19). But it finally all came together at the right time. Red Sox management knows it could spend big this winter to upgrade for '22, and trade for better reinforcements next summer, and still not repeat the magic of '21 next October. A better bet is that clubs like Tampa and Toronto will stay dangerous because they currently boast the best young players, at least in the AL East. That reality could cause continued patience from Boston's front office... and impatience with its fans.

So according to this source, small market contenders in Tampa, Oakland and Seatttle, plus zero Central Division teams cannot or choose not to spend on "Top 10" talent... How many of the "not mentioned" guys can Boston afford to add in one winter: a starter, a closer, a hitter, and a multi-position infielder?

... especially if robos use cameras from the side and call strikes in 3D... A hitter who plants his back foot on the far transverse chalk line of the batter's box (like coaches instruct players to do vs. fast pitchers and umps with high zones) can be standing 12-24 inches behind the farthest point of home plate... and then the catcher catches the pitch behind the hitter. https://groundskeeper.mlblogs.com/how-to-layout-homeplate-6477ddaa457b

And the number of bases someone left in the dirt, the next time he tries to jog to the outfield.

It's not a blueprint for success, because nothing is in the crapshootingist postseason tourney in team sports. If the Red Sox had the Braves' bullpen, they may have won four games in the ALCS before Houston did. But then they'd still have to face Atlanta's hot starters, who just shut down the best offense in baseball. Another aspect that hasn't really been discussed this week is the Braves' mediocre defense, which really didn't look any better than Boston's. But Atlanta feasted off multiple bad starts from both Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia, each of whom threw games of their lives to win the pennant. The questions that need to be answered are 1) Did their clutch starts in the ALCS tax their arms to the point of ineffectiveness in the WS?... or 2) Were Red Sox' hitters really worse than the Braves'? I'm leaning towards Yes on #1 and No on #2.

Atlanta lost its ace starter and top player for the season, but hit the jackpot mid-season by adding four outfielders who hit enough home runs to win rings. The Braves scored 72% of their runs vs. the Astros on dingers; the Red Sox scored 82% of their runs in the ALCS on HRs. The difference between who beat Houston and who lost to Houston was pitching. Atlanta has two very good young starters who threw shutouts and a very good bullpen; Boston's relievers blew two games.

The way the Astros won the other night -- scoring 9 runs on 0 homers -- is good for baseball. The Braves might still win it all on just two strengths: home run hitters and a killer bullpen. The all-or-nothing Red Sox were two wins away from the World Series with just one of those assets... in the ALCS, Boston scored 82% of its total runs on 11 HRs (23 of 28 runs). Situational hitting with runners in scoring position -- putting the ball in play beyond weak pop-ups on pitches sluggers just miss -- is a Red Sox' weakness. Adding a few inexpensive guys to the roster who consistently make contact is a start at improving. Moon's non-tender list includes some cheap bench options who are among the best contact hitters in the sport. Willians Astudillo had the best AB/SO in the bigs at 17.3, while Pirate shortstop Kevin Newman's 12.6 led the MLB for qualified full-timers. Hanser Alberto 9.2 was also tough to strike out. Newman (career K-rate 10.9%) is an NL Gold Glove finalist this year, while Alberto (11.7%) has a positive DWAR in parts of six seasons. Astudillo plays infield corners and can be a third catcher; in 533 career Plate Appearances he has 25 Ks (4.7%)! Both Astudillo and Newman were paid around major league minimum, while Alberto earned $1.65 million. I like Jose Iglesias, but he makes more than all three of these guys combined. And as we know, every million saved is more we can spend on pitching...

I'm still impressed with how far his pitch went that hit the bat of Ronald Acuna.

This just in from RemDawg Heaven… … Jerry reports they show a continuous replay of the ’78 Playoff Game: Piniella is still blinded by the sun on Remy’s liner off Gossage, but instead of a lucky bounce into the glove, the ball skips all the way to the fence. It’s a game-tying triple, and the RemDawg does a pop-up slide, fist-pumping with the frenzied crowd. The Yanks intentionally walk Rice and Yaz to load the bases, but Fisk pops out. Then an exhausted Goose leaves one low that Lynn lofts into the Boston bullpen for a walk-off grand slam. Of course, the ’78 Sox go on to win it all, with Remy’s DP partner, Burleson, MVP of the playoffs, and fellow New Englander Fisk as MVP of the World Series. Beantown rewards all these curse-breaking heroes with long-term contracts, and the Red Sox win a couple more titles in the next half decade. But every time they play the Yankees for the next 40 years, the networks always show clips of Clueless Lou waving his arms and Jerry Freaking Remy’s slide (a certain NY shortstop becomes nothing but a historical footnote, like poor Dave Henderson from 1986). To be fair, Jerry also notes that in the 2021 ALDS, Kiermaier’s double doesn’t bounce off Renfroe, and the Rays win Game 3. But the Red Sox still win that series in five…

When I read the news on the net, I turned on NESN for some kind of confirmation. The station was black. I nodded, Red Sox Nation at half-mast.

Signing a big money shortstop or extending Bogaerts would be equally surprising for me. Both are realistic, in the sense that the Red Sox are capable of making either decision. But the first would necessitate a move to another position by Bogie or a trade of Bogie, while the second would signify a longterm financial commitment to Xander -- which would be the first in the Bloom era. It would also be intriguing to see whether terms include an open door to a future position move by X...

Remdog bought me a beer once in the Monster seats. I didn't even have a seat (but bribed an usher to get up there). He lived with cancer for 13 years... and showed at least this viewer how to carry on with dignity.

I can appreciate that. How do you feel about DWAR? According to bb-ref, Verdugo -0.2 and Renfroe -0.5 were below average, but Kike 2.1 was the second-highest rated outfielder in the bigs to Michael Taylor 2.3. Kike also played 55 games in the infield, so I'm not sure how that affected his total. In comparison, these former Sox were at least slightly above average: JBJ 1.3, Beni 0.3 and Mookie 0.2 (including seven games at 2nd base).

Well... in terms of inheriting chromosomes, then it's not the ump's fault if he has bad eyesight. Of course, unless he's old... and then diminished vision is a normal part of aging. But we can't even suggest eye tests once they hit a certain age, because if society did that for drivers, most of us would be taking the bus! How does this correlate to robots? When one breaks down, it just gets replaced. End of Halloween post.