5GoldGlovesOF,75

Now you know how many holes it takes to leak the Matthew Hall...

This team needs a platoon first sacker who can flash the leather -- someone between Mientkiewicz and Pearce (who made the greatest stretch in Sox history... or was it a scoop).

I'd call that Trigonometry... but I skipped that class.

You just described the best Red Sox team in franchise history, the 2018 world champs.

You mean Gyrobat

Struckout the side! Two backwards Ks -- the Jays just couldn't pull the Triggs...

No doubt. They will have resources to at least build a respectable MLB rotation. Boston could certainly do what Toronto did this season, and get six new starters similar to Ryu, Roark, Anderson, Walker, Stripling and Ray. Another aspect I keep harping on is defense. Since there doesn't appear to be many lights-out arms available -- unless they get one in a major trade -- the D will be key. A tight defense is essential behind a so-so staff, because a team can't always count on its offense to outbash foes. But good gloves can optimize mediocre pitching and keep games close... Of the core, Verdugo is solid. Vazquez, Bogaerts and Devers provide average D, mixing spectacular plays with some below-average moments. To compensate, the Sox should really look to shore up the leather at first and second, and get a JBJ type to replace JBJ in center. Sanchez, Schoop, Hernandez, Marisnick, Taylor are names of some platoon types that may be on the block. Can anyone find a young Moreland somewhere?

Not if the Red Sox presented Mookie with a video of Kris Bryant, as reported by Michael Holley, to imply he wasn't as good or as deserving of a higher salary. Not only is such a gesture disrespectful, but it's factually false by metrics -- Bryant's career bWAR 23.7 by age 28, Mookie's career bWAR is 44.8 and he's still 27.

This may no longer be a good gauge in modern pro baseball, but I like to look at walks to strikeouts when considering a prospect. Both Dalbec and Casas walk less than half the time they K; Chavis whiffed more than three times as much as walked in the minors. In contrast, Mookie walked more than he struck out before he made the majors. So did the Greek God (Jewish Messiah), Yook. Wade Boggs was somehow left in the minors for six seasons when he walked over twice as many times as he fanned.

A few years ago I saw an informal interview with JD, who mentioned that Boston media and fan scrutiny was unlike anywhere else; Mookie was off to the side and wholeheartedly agreed. That's when I started speculating...

I'll always believe this, but lament the Red Sox approach to arbitration hearings that reportedly soured Mookie on staying... The last great Red Sox player allowed to leave in his prime now regrets not playing his entire career in Boston: Fred Lynn, .902 OPS for the Red Sox through age 28 (when he hit .350 in Fenway), .799 OPS the rest of his career through age 38. In comparison, Betts had an .893 OPS in his Sox career. People who loathe long-term contracts warn about a players' past-his-prime years, but I don't remember many -- if any -- fans bemoaning the final seasons of old warrior Carl Yastrzemski, who had a .768 OPS ages 40-43. Old Man Yaz may have slowed down past his prime, but was still productive age 33-39 with a slash of .282/.377/.446 (.823 OPS). In those years he had a 162-game average of 90 R, 21 HR, 94 RBI -- good numbers for the 1970s. Few are superstars forever, but fandom always respects -- and deserves to root for -- a face of the franchise. New title thread for the next year or so (depending on when the Sox start spending again): Who Will Be the Next Red Sox Face of the Franchise?

This AAugust... or next AAAugust?

JBJ bunts to beat the shift! What would Earl Weaver say (that would be fit for public consumption)?

He earned his bad rep with a lot of etc.

Ellis Burks went from a guy who averaged 15 home runs a year in his 20s to 37 HRs per from age 31 to 37, his last full season. Those power explosion years were 1996 to 2002 (and not all were played in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains)... In '96, Burks led the majors with 93 extra-base hits -- one more than Brady Anderson and two more than ARod.

The Sox drafted Bregman out of high school in the 29th round in 2012. Similarly, the Reds drafted Beni in the 31st round the next year. Both had enough confidence to chose college, where they became Top 10 picks by '15. People seem to forget that Andrew was the nation's top college player as a sophomore and playing in the pros the same year. He is adjusting to perhaps the first major failures in his baseball life. Developmental paths aren't always ascending arrows.

Yup, which really irks me as a fan, if we lost our best player because of one of the owner's mood swings. But back to the title of the thread, I've always been of the opinion that Mookie ultimately wanted out. Henry's words last fall -- wondering "whether Mookie wants to spend the rest of his career in Boston" -- and after the trade (his Stan Musial nostalgia) reveal, at least to me, he wanted to keep Betts and was frustrated he couldn't.

They're also responsible for the Sox getting burned on shifts seemingly every night. I swear if Boston had just played defense straight up all summer there would be less runs against. Of course, our hitters line one hoppers right up the middle whenever there's a fielder stationed right behind the bag... and can't save their lives by just bouncing a routine grounder through an empty oppo side.

Shhhhhhhhh.......

It would also help a ballplayer's popularity if he showed more respect to the franchise, the ballpark, the city, and yes, the fans -- through their conduit of information, the media -- for not having to work another day of his life after baseball. But all a true fan really wants when rooting for a pro athlete is for the guy to wear a dirtdog attitude and at least pretend he wants to play in Yankee Stadium... And Moon, good line about having to go long to land "a gem"... it's just the reality of star players and contracts these days (and will happen again and again, even post-Mookie -- and maybe while trying to replace Mookie).

You can argue that all Red Sox GMs this century have succeeded in what they were hired to do: Epstein to produce a club equal to NY that could break The Curse, Dombro to spend resources to put Boston back on top, and Bloom to cut salary in order to reset and retool. The biggest failure -- when looking at standings -- was Ben, but his first job was to continue to expand the farm, then orchestrate the first major Sox sell-off, and finally rebuild a contender (check, check, check).

Mookie is a winning player who always gives his all and expects the same out of teammates -- as he made clear his first day as a Dodger in a speech to his new club. Anyone who's ever played team sports knows that athletes up their game when they're challenged by the presence of great players. I'm not saying the 2020 Red Sox would've made the playoffs or even had a winning record with Betts, but you can bet there would have been a different atmosphere if he were still here...

No doubt. Sparky "Captain Hook" Anderson was ahead of his time using his bullpen arms.

Man, I see it as totally opposite. Even conceding that Price is still a talented pitcher, his multitude of recent age-related physical/mental issues (slash included for connection) make him an unreliable investment, even at half-price (no pun intended, but maybe it should be...).