5GoldGlovesOF,75

I remember being in the bleachers at a game during that era. This was before all the food courts in the back, and I was dying for a sausage, onions and peppers... but they were only on sale on the street at the time. I talked an usher into letting me leave if I came right back. He waited at the turnstiles and when I returned I noticed a large mound under a tarp... The usher looked at me and said, "That's where they buried Matt Young."

JBJ is waiting for his best offers that will come after Springer signs. The Rays are undoubtedly waiting for the same before trading KK, only their best return will be in bodies instead of bucks. Odorizzi is probably waiting for Bauer to establish the top end of the pitching market (to help define the next level down), while all the decent available second basemen are doing the same awaiting the landing spot for DJ. Free agent relievers are most likely waiting for the best one, Liam Hendriks, to sign. And all the owners and GMs are waiting on vaccines to change the trajectory of Covid line graphs to give them an idea of when it will be ok to stop waiting...

When I was young and even dumber than I am now, my step-father -- the ex-pro player and longtime amateur coach -- used to postulate, "The reason you play is to not get down when you fail." I couldn't for the life of me relate to that. I played for the fun of competition, constantly striving for addictive moments of celebration, dreaming of ultimate victory. Along the way we drowned a lot of sorrows. Baseball is hard.

We interrupt this hot stove league with a TV commercial: watch "Unauthorized Living" on Netflix; it's kind of like a Spanish version of The Sopranos, but without the heavy hitters. I know this because the lead character's name is literally... Mario Mendoza. And the name of the actor who plays him is literally... Alex Gonzalez. Somebody's playing a joke on me.

Sugano is supposedly in the U.S. and will soon sign. Finalists reportedly include the Red Sox, Jays, Mets, Giants and Padres. If we eliminate SD, who just acquired two established big league starters -- and if, as again speculated by the media, Toronto and NY are hot for Bauer -- might the Sugano sweepstakes come down to Boston or San Fran? An anxious Nation looms aggressively...

Obviously, one of the hold-ups on this sloth of a snail of a pandemic-year hangover of an offseason is waiting around for the Big 4 Qualifying Offer Mercenaries to finally settle somewhere for something south of pre-Covid contract expectations. I read somewhere that if the Sox are trading Vazquez, they have to wait for possible best return deals with the Realmuto runners-up... That makes sense for Rebuilding Bloom, but then who will be the starting catcher on the aspiring contenders from Beantown?

I know, but try telling any Yankee fan that on their all-time best team in 1998 that Ramiro Mendoza was more valuable than Mo Rivera, the only unanimous Hall of Famer in history.

From what little I know about WAR (besides that both B and F admit their stats are "estimates"): values for pitchers increase with the number of batters retired. Thus, usually, starters who "go long" > once-through-the-order guys > openers, closers, and set-up types.

I bet those posters never worked in education or are familiar with "those who can't, teach". Not sure what you mean by 'played the game' -- if it is the pro game, then that could give a coach credibility... but it is not a requirement; how many good K-12 science teachers were ever actual scientists? In the same sense that not everyone can play pro sports, not everyone can teach -- from those once drafted or signed that didn't learn how to develop natural abilities to those HOF superstars who could never teach their own god-given talents to less fortunates. The best coaches maybe have some experience honing their own various skills, but are always good observers, communicators and students of the game.

Makes about as much sense as replacing the 8th inning guy who just mowed through the 4-5-6 hitters and you know is on and has lights-out stuff that day...

I'm only in favor of adding bullpen men if the Sox are going to actually use them as relievers. Get those openers off my lawn! Of course, that means they'll need actual major league starters, so my priority is strike throwers who eat innings. Ready for my resolution of realism? I don't care if the starters are very good -- because we all know the Red Sox aren't going to trade their best prospects or spend a lot of money on big ticket items. So if Sugano can throw strikes with a rubber arm at the MLB level, I'll take him. Strike throwers and innings eaters mean Bosox fans at least get to watch real big league baseball games this year.

My only true wisdom is in knowing I know nothing about him.

He's aggressively looming on our radar.

I'm not saying Bartolo deserved it, but since it's now (finally) January of next year -- warning: the following content may only be suitable for fans who value quantitative and qualitative data... some better teams wouldn't be better without better pitchers.

Thanks for the chart, Moon. Maybe the big extensions in 18/19 that kept Sale and Bogaerts from becoming free agents should be included, since the earlier Ortiz extensions were listed. I guess then other biggies like Pedroia's, AGon, and Pedro's first, too. One thing for sure: the top numbers on the red contracts for the most part were massive overpays or abject failures. Price at 217 is the real sore thumb (despite three good starts in Oct '18), then in order come Crawford 142, JD 100, Pablo 95, Hanley 88, Eovaldi 68... though JD -- two great seasons, one bad -- and Incomplete Nate could still be good earners. Nevertheless, I agree with posters who state that signing top talent will always require longer contracts. We're not going to have a shot at a guy like Juan Soto in five years if we offer half as many years as New York or LA (but maybe the glut of star free agent shortstops next winter will change parameters). I also fully expect Mookie will be worth his market value as a fan favorite and productive Dodger for the next six seasons, whether LA ever wins another ring.

He just showed up with an entire binder of data that shows why baseball is better with him active, and how all fans should chip in to prevent him from retiring.

Odorizzi, Kluber, Sugano, Hand. Sox should sign them all, and may need them all to get back over .500.

Disagree; that's a certainty. But if we show too much patience then we won't have much of a talksox forum during the offseason (posters maybe aren't into nostalgia like on other boards)... A few folks like to check the trade simulator, while others seek to combine old school and analytics; we use data, logic, experiences as baseball historians and baseball players, and bad ole human emotions to form opinions. Nobody's totally right or wrong, it's nothing personal, no harm no foul pole. It's all just the internet without inflection, and the end we're only typists with fake names and often faceless avatars. I may be the only one here suspicious of Bloom and the reasons Henry hired him, but I'll bet I'm not the only one in Red Sox Nation. I want to be proven wrong, and wait to be pleasantly surprised. All I can do is keep wondering publicly, figuring the front office will eventually see my pleas as a desperate fan. We all know how much influence I had on them in keeping Mookie...

No one here is underestimating the effects Covid has had. And those ongoing effects are all the more reason not to expect very much change across the industry. Red Sox fans know it can't get any worse than 2020, and eternal optimists provide inspirational boosts for us all. But for so many exhausted by a year of hearing and reading deceptive leaders spouting disinformation, it's hard not to be skeptical when Boston's front office insists it's building a contender for 2021. Many here -- you and I included -- have said that the Red Sox need to make a splash for many reasons. Maybe we'll just have to be content with the splash that brought back Alex Cora to manage.

I want you to hack headquarter computers and orchestrate a mega-deal for Luis Castillo, then replace the traded talent with free agent signings, then hit "Send". Stat!

I'm not mocking anyone who has confidence in Henry because of his spending habits that have made the Red Sox championship contenders many times the past two decades. He has proven himself to be the best owner Boston baseball has ever had. But can anyone else at least acknowledge that those spending habits have radically changed since he hired Chaim Bloom? I understand the need to reset, but we have not seen Henry in public since the Sox traded Mookie. Maybe he's just laying low, staying away from crowds and staying healthy until he gets a vaccine. Hopefully, he's not losing interest...

Any day now 2020 will only be a harsh memory. As far as 2021, for those hoping the Red Sox return to contention, here's one underrated factor: Boston currently boasts zero elite defense at any position on the field. Remember in 2018 in the launch angle era, the Sox had the best outfield in baseball -- two Gold Glovers, and another finalist. They also had Gold Glove winners at second and first in Kinsler and Moreland (Pearce wasn't bad, either, making the greatest stretch in Sox history to end the ALDS). Behind the plate, the platoon of Leon and Vaz was a positive. Bogaerts seemed more consistent. Now? Without JBJ and Mookie, the outfield is average at best. I like Verdugo in right, but according to MLB rankings he's not even as good as Clint Frazier, that pinstriped Gold Glove finalist. The current infield was easily one of the worst in baseball in 2020. Vaz has seen better days, too. Hopefully, Cora's influence will improve the D...

$$$$$hhhhhhh... I hate to an$wer thi$, $ince it will $ertainly irk tho$e with blind faith in guy$ like Henry and Bloom... ... love, $am Kennedy p$: $arca$m alert

$$$$$hhhhhhh... I hate to an$wer thi$, $ince it will $ertainly irk tho$e with blind faith in guy$ like Henry and Bloom... ... love, $am Kennedy

I'm in on all these guys. The problem (with the pitchers especially) now is that Bauer is shooting for the pre-pandemic moon, and a lot of players and agents -- and GMs -- are probably content to wait and see how his actual ceiling affects market rates for the next tier down.