5GoldGlovesOF,75

I was all in on signing both Sale and Eovaldi, but also admit I wondered if less than 100% health was a reason why Sale would take a slight team "discount" (less than a Scherzer contract). I also hoped the latter was instead a show of loyalty to the franchise, like with Bogaerts. Silly Sox fan that I yam. I'm hoping for the best from ERod: his full recovery from the scourge of the planet, a great year on the mound, and a longterm offer from Bloom. Questions: which of these three scenarios is the most likely and which is most unlikely? Are they all directly related? If ERod just feels ok and has just an ok season, will the Sox try a lowball offer?

Sox play O's 6 of the first 9 that count. It would be nice if we could win 4 of the 6 (with Tampa in between).

I'm still crooked: any concerns prior to Sale's extension were about his shoulder... and then he goes and misses over a year for an operation on his elbow? I don't play a doctor on the internet, but personal concerns the past year have been atrophy and apathy from inactivity, and failing vision from staring at screens. Now I'm going to go pull a muscle in my brain.

Dynasty?

The caution on Sale was late-season burn-out -- remember Bauer predicting Sale would fade from one of the Cy Young races? So it made sense for the Sox to pace their use of Sale, or reign him in as Autumn approached. We know he was on the DL in the regular season in '18, but neither he nor the Sox were ever going to admit he wasn't 100% in the postseason. A few observations about that final euphoric inning of World Series closing vs. LA: after witnessing the return of total Sale dominance, even for one inning, it was easy to assume/hope he was all the way back... then again, maybe Cora and the Sox knew that a hurt Sale didn't have much left to give and kept him in reserve for one final frame to let it all hang out (with all winter to rest). And what was the real reason the pitching staff gave Sale a standing ovation as he exited the bullpen to finish off the Dodgers? Was he the hero of his teammates because he was a great pitcher or because they knew he may be risking his career with a shredded elbow for their championship rings? Or were they just afraid of him because he swore at all the regulars the night before?

"Had we signed Bauer... we'd be no better off than we are, now." Maybe not "now", but we'd be better going forward -- and I'm not a Bauer guy. But having an ace to lead a staff, even a rebuilding staff, is invaluable. Despite all the vaunted pitching potential on the Yankees, would any of their fans honestly think that they were going to finally win another World Series if they didn't have Cole? Sure, there are rare examples like the '15 Royals, but not on Red Sox teams that won anything in the past half-century. The Impossible Dream had Lonborg, the 70s had Tiant, the 80s had Clemens and Hurst... then came Pedro and Schilling, Beckett and Lester, Sale... I never considered Lackey or Price aces in Boston -- maybe Porcello was in his Cy Young year -- though I thought Eovaldi had the stuff to be one. We're all hoping for the best for ERod, but who knows if he's even here by the time the Sox contend again.

It would be cool if it was Whitlock. This feels like we back listening to Bangladesh: "Awaiting on You All"...

Totally agree; right field is harder to play in Fenway. Most here expected Boston to sign a cheap glove-first centerfielder this winter, as there were many available. The Sox must really like the potential of Duran and/or Cordero...

No one is pretending the Sox still wouldn't have a high payroll just with names they owe money to from pre-Bloom... just as no one is pretending that the next three-year contract inked by a new player or an extended core guy will be Bloom's first. And good point about assembling a roster of pre-arb MLBers -- it's been working for Moneyball teams for a long time.

We all know this 2021 payroll is tied up with a lot of dead money of players no longer here or currently unavailable... and that "owing" isn't quite the same as "spending". But such limitations are probably the reason the Sox opted for -- and these are just examples that don't necessarily correlate -- Richards over Odorizzi, Renfroe over Rosario, Marwin over Semien, Ottavino (really German) over Hand, etc, etc. I'm not a pessimist, but you'd have to be quite an optimist to think nothing has changed in the way this franchise is doing business going forward... not when we haven't heard one peep out of the principal owner in over a year.

Surprise contenders often seem to "discover" a young pitcher by mid-season who becomes a major contributor and infuses hope. Who will be that guy in Boston? Can we even identify a candidate on the farm -- especially, now that Mata is out? Can the Sox not draft Rocker or Leiter #4 if either is still on the board in July? We know how low the odds are for using first-round picks on pitchers, but opportunities are rare for adding mound talent with legitimate high-upside to a system. By all accounts the Vandy pitchers are exceptional; it's not like media outlets were drooling over who would get Trey Ball a decade ago. Tampa has the Number One ranked farm right now, and a lot is based on arms; it's also a caution against predicting the Sox to win more than the Rays (even without Snell).

The pen was one of the many weak parts in 2020, but mainly weakened by the weakest part: the starting notation. If the starters can improve to mediocre, the pen could be above-average. Starting pitchers have to be either the biggest questions or weakest links, depending on the answers. The winter's lone acquisition for the rotation was good for a few seasons, six years ago. Three others have career losing records. ERod is such a key, if he's fully healthy and back to '19 form...

Are you basing this confidence on the pre-Bloom days or second-hand quotes you've read or heard the past year (from maybe Werner, Kennedy or Lebron)? Because Henry has been absolutely MIA for over a year since telling us how sad he was that his modern-day Stan Musial had to be traded to LA...

This is a good take. Barnes turns 31 in June and is gone by July unless the Sox are in contention... and maybe even if they are. Bloom passed on many better free agent relievers this winter, so there is little chance he'll keep Barnes and Ottavino, who may be his best trade chips this summer. This assumes Bloom won't take any Yankee fans' advice and deal ERod, the workhorse ace in his prime and most immediate candidate for a decent longterm extension. However, the next longterm extension Bloom offers anyone will be his first in Boston. As much as some fans have the utmost confidence in such a sudden change in Bloom's approach as Chief Officer, seeing will be believing...

An abundance of flexibility isn't a negative, but a dearth of daily regulars working together can be; for example on defense -- being in synch, knowing each other's proclivities, like with double play partners or outfield mates.

I applaud your applause of those of us who choose to drink beer and sit around. If we got up and moved around, we might bump into somebody else. Football players, on the other hand, want to run into somebody else -- at full speed -- with themselves...

I just think too many IFs have to be DIDs at once. Pitchers staying healthy is a requirement for any contender, but the Sox are also counting on a lot of versatility to mesh with platoons -- and having most of them make positive contributions while staying happy with part-time PT. Maybe this is why Munoz isn't likely to be part of the early roster... Having one or two guys like Holt or Ben Zobrist can boost a contender, providing competence at multi-positions, resting regulars, L-R match-ups... Marwin in Houston, Kike (and Taylor) in LA. But when the continuity is mix-and-match, it may be a lot to ask for it all to work out. Could be they're just hoping for minor leaguers to take over a few spots in the next year. I do think Cora will settle into some steady line-ups, like maybe one set outfield for Fenway, with maybe a different one on the road.

8th, sorry; that's when Gordon blew it, facing batters Lowe didn't even get to pitch to yet. Gordon was great all year, in 73 games, 79.1 IP... but that's not too many multiple-frame outings.

If Jimy let Lowe get three outs in the 9th, it would've been 2 2/3 IP. Derek was 6'5, 230 and may just have had enough energy and adrenaline to finish. It could've changed history, but it's all hindsight. It's what we do.

I did, while it was happening. On that particular night, Lowe was the one who was literally unhittable, retiring Manny, Fryman, Thome, Sexton and SAlomar in that order. After those guys, I would have taken my chances and let him finish off Joey Cora, Lofton and Vizquel. Pedro was waiting to win Game Five; it was his first year in Boston and he had won 20 games, including Game One. In '98, the Sox still hadn't won a World Series in my lifetime (or for 70 years), and he was our best chance. The Yankees were great, but who knows in a short series; Cleveland had a 2-1 lead in the LCS after three games... My issue with the way relief pitchers have been used for about 40 years is that certain guys who are lights-out -- like Lowe that night in '98 -- get replaced before even going one time through the order. If he rips through the toughest four or five hitters in a line-up, why not let him blow away the weaker links?

Is this a rhetorical question? Of course we do. That's we, as in -- those who post on a baseball forum year-round. There's no other outlet for fan addicts -- if you lived in New England, where the Red Sox supposedly reign over a "nation", you'd realize how outnumbered we are... at least, based on the sports talk shows on TV and radio that are really all about the Patriots 365 days of the year.

The next time you talk to them, do me a favor: ask Grady why a fan like me noticed Pedro tapping his heart and pointing to the heavens after the 7th in Game Seven of the '03 LCS, and ask Jimy why a fan like me wanted Derek Lowe to finish off Cleveland in Game Four of the '98 LDS... with Pedro waiting to win Game Five.

Maybe the only problem is people who have a problem with anything other posters say that they don't agree with. It's one thing to have discussions and debates, and another to constantly mock others who actually try to look at both sides of issues. None of us are professional ballplayers as far as I know, and most probably haven't even played at any level for quite awhile. But anyone who cares enough about the game -- in all its forms -- to type about it regularly here deserves respect for offering their thoughts.

Or if the Red Sox didn't get burned like at least once every game when they shift their D (at least it seems that way).

I still love it. But my favorite has to be Leon Russell's medley of "Jumpin' Jack Flash/Young Blood".