5GoldGlovesOF,75

Not adding bullpen help at the '19 deadline was so anti-Dombro that I thought at the time that ownership shut him down. Maybe they were already preparing to ditch him and reset; sorry Dave, no more trading prospects away, no more adding high salaries... plus, we're not really good enough to make a deep run anyway. I remember Merloni at the time saying that the front office had given up. He was especially upset, he said, because it was "Mookie's last year!"

The Sox knew and many fans knew the sacrifices at the time, that I assume most happily accepted... as I would assume with most teams and fans in any city in any given year.

I think everyone is looking forward to Bloom acquiring better pitchers this offseason. How he goes about it matters a lot to him and the franchise, but not as much to fans expecting (and a few demanding) improvement...

I agree, however if Cora does return we'll probably never know for sure what kind of arrangement he agreed to last winter with the owners, Kennedy and Bloom when "mutually" stepping aside last winter...

Not just us. You can bet if/when LA finally wins a ring, that FOX will be running clips of game-saving catches by Mookie the Dodger in every Red Sox broadcast from here til eternity.

People seem to forget the magic or genius or combination of both in assembling and running the 2018 champs during the season. The first-place Red Sox actually cut their Opening Day #3 hitter, then traded for a part-time DH and inserted him into the #3 slot. He became the World Series MVP. They also traded for an oft-injured #4 starting pitcher, who became the mound star of the postseason. Every move seemed to go their way, including pinch hitters or platoon players who consistently came through in the playoffs until they won rings. You can't call it all luck, since Dombrowski and Cora were making deliberate decisions in the best interests of winning... that worked.

I doubt anyone thinks the Red Sox will be big spenders this winter or contenders next season. And if they suck again in the standings -- while youngsters mature and acquisitions adjust -- Bloom may be spared the bulk of the usual accompanying negativity as limited seating equates to limited booing. Limited ticket availability to games may also work in his favor, in the form of sell-outs, as fans with cabin fever want to just attend something by next Spring... But how long exactly will the owners extend the leash? If a safe, reliable vaccine is distributed a year from now -- and the MLB aspires to full capacity again by 2022 -- won't the Red Sox have to be considered major buyers in the next big superstar free agent class? Don't they have to add one of Lindor, Seager, Correa, Story or Baez to generate renewed passion and at least optimism? Maybe they won't need a shortstop, maybe Bogie will stay in Beantown and stay at his position, but these five guys represent the best talent available for a long time (unless we want to wait another half decade to battle the Yankees for Juan Soto). Better question: will there even be more than five big markets, including Boston, that can afford and want one of those players (... unless, the decline of the MLB is so bad that the entire market collapses and everyone can afford everybody)? Maybe one falls in their laps.

They want to make it look like they're doing diligence.

I vote for you, typing all those longass names together in the same post, maybe for the first time in seven seasons!

Frazier only played 28 games in the outfield, not even half the season. In contrast, Verdugo played 50 games in the OF for Boston. But using stats to nominate finalists brings some credibility back to Gold Glove Awards, which were much more honorable in the 1960s and 70s when peers relied on observation to choose a lot of worthies (and not all repeaters; 25 different OF GGs in the '70s).

Freddie Freeman? Covid-positive in July, voted by peers as MLB Player of the Year in October... (make that 37% of a year).

Maybe not in '21, but don't be surprised wherever Cora resurfaces that he'll eventually recruit a few guys who once played for and loved him -- whether it's ex-Astros landing here or ex-Red Sox somewhere else.

Didn't he also make a big speech his first day in the clubhouse to inform his new teammates that he was all about winning, and that it was time they were too? Two reasons I don't necessarily disbelieve the Felger quotes: Henry doubting a year ago "whether Mookie wants to play the rest of his career in Boston", and Betts' recent words reflecting on the trade. He was grateful the Red Sox kept him informed throughout the process... almost as if they were trying to accommodate his wishes (LA or SD? hmmm, both in Southern California) after a mutual understanding that he was just not going to re-sign here.

I'm in on Marisnick, a righty stick in a potentially all-lefty outfield. However, he's a worse hitter than JBJ, and at best a platoon partner for Duran or late-inning defensive replacement. Good glove off the bench. Yankee fans or players named CC can complain all they want about Altuve's HR that ended their 2019 postseason, but I still can't believe Boone didn't pitch around a three-time batting champ to get to Marisnick, who was on deck.

Have to wonder if analytics departments have devised some formula that estimates/calculates all the additional revenue from winning it all, and are then able to correlate it with investments in the championship roster, including the cost of draftees and development, trades (in exchanged for those drafted/developed) or free agent signees. I know the guys who invented WAR put a price tag on each win generated, so there must be greater values assigned to each succeeding postseason win...

Good question for the owners. They signed off on it, but also canned the GM who recruited him and hired a new guy to dump him -- while still on the hook for nearly half of their investment. It's not all about winning. Mookie is beloved, Price is belaboring. Was anyone really that surprised after the '18 Series when his buds in the media named a first baseman MVP instead of the pitcher who won two games?

Put it this way: Mookie's shirt is now the No. 1 seller in the MLB. I never once saw a Red Sox fan wearing a Price shirt.

Another good point -- and being discussed this week by national media in regards to Mookie's contract. All agree that winning multiple titles in the first half will make the back half worth it. His future struggles as he ages won't negate the additional fan enthusiasm generated now when/if rings are won.

This is good point, and batspeed looks cool as one word. Remember my Hank Aaron comps with Betts -- Henry in his 20s was an elite baserunner and outfielder (for his era), and evolved into an all-time power hitter as his body thickened...

Look what speed did to Buchholz!

Even my fingers be clunky; they type Cora-Cora-Cora so much I expect an ambush attack by Yankee fans any Sunday... or the Wicked Witch of the West trying to sell me coffee.

Big-bodied power brokers break down. Stanton and Judge are always hurt. Wiry guys juggling bowling balls every winter last longer.

New Englanders are a lot of things, but no one's ever called me graceful.

Well, he is from Nashville, a few hours from Memphis, where stands a famous museum with the amiable name of Graceland... It's probably easier playing in front of the rabid fans of LA... like, when do they have time to hammer the players on talk radio -- from their cars while trying to get to Dodger Stadium by the 3rd inning or when they leave the games by the 7th inning every night?

I'll always wonder if the climate may have been a factor. Baseball is a warm weather sport, and Boston -- in the Spring moreso than the Fall -- negates the concept, especially at night when most of the games are held. If the money is comparable, why wouldn't an athlete want to play in optimal conditions conducive to a long, productive career; Betts grew up in the South, after all. As far as whether the franchise and/or city is undesirable, I did hear Mookie comment in an interview a year ago on the pressures of the full-court press and fan attention in Beantown as opposed to other places. LA is just so more relaxed in so many ways. But all Red Sox fans should call BS on Betts' latest take on preferring the Dodgers because they're winners. Was he not on a team that finished first three straight years, including a World Series title and best record in club history?