5GoldGlovesOF,75

We'll probably never know the answer to that question, since Jeter played in an era -- and on a team -- when many players enhanced performances through chemistry; the issue was so prevalent that all players from that time are still suspects. It was very similar to the current era -- when traditions were enhanced by technology -- and where the article that exposed the problem identified it as happening "everywhere" (thus casting suspicion on players and teams with guys like Mookie Betts, Alex Bregman, and any club that Carlos Beltran played for...

I think this list speaks to a couple of things: first, the unpredictability of stardom or even MLB promotion of prospects -- high-ranked guys like Swihart and Margot, even Marrero (once considered #5 at a time when the farm was loaded), who made The Show but fell out of favor; and second, 20 guys from one farm with at least a cup of coffee in the bigs is a credit to any organization. In a pennant race, prospect depth affords a club possible call-ups or more likely, trade options when upgrades are needed. Dombrowski deftly used these resources to do his job and build a champion... and if you read Speier's book, Homegrown, while it sometimes hurts to lose a youngster, even scouts and front office types that draft, sign and develop a kid are proud when the return helps them win.

Then he'll never break down, lose his strength, lose his speed, and lose his value. Sign Jeter for 10 years!

... if only the mother ship from Torre's office in NYC wasn't beaming an impenetrable force-field around them.

Nope. There is a chance Mookie's gambit backfires a bit: what if his stats suffer in a new league, facing a lot of new pitchers, in a lot new parks... not to mention -- depending on The Investigation -- added tension from his new teammates and new hometown fans. Things could go badly for him... but I doubt many of us think they will.

I was also thinking that, but nowadays the second baseman spends half his time standing in right field, so it's usually the shortstop. It can't be the third baseman, because that would leave the whole left side open to a bunt -- and nobody wants to see a bunt because major leaguers can't bunt anymore.

People just can't stop citing numbers. Is it reasonable for Mookie Betts to ask for a top of the market contract? Is it reasonable for him to think he's worth more than Harper and Machado? Is it reasonable for him ask for Trout money two years after Trout signed and salaries have continued to rise? Is it reasonable to ask for the same AAV as Cole -- a pitcher who only plays once a week and who's only had three great years, while Betts has had five? The Red Sox front office will never admit it, but it seems like every time they reportedly made a big offer to Mookie that it was still slightly below his market value at the time. I think fans would really like to see the actual numbers on Henry's futile "offers" -- to see just how much they were prepared to pay Mookie, and when, compared to other star salaries. All we heard was the last one they leaked to Merloni that in retrospect was a lowball offer compared to what others got, along with Mookie's highball counter offer. I would think if Boston had actually tried to negotiate and meet him in the middle, that their high bid would've been the one that was leaked.

I'm sure hitters on every single team at every single professional level -- given immunity -- would admit to doing the exact same thing as Kinsler. Analyzing video is part of the modern game. No players -- no matter what they say -- consider looking at video as cheating (I don't care if a guy was a choir boy, his dad's a reverend and his mother is named Teresa). It also doesn't matter to them that Manfred told them not to, because he also gave them access to video in the first place, allowing tech in the dugout, bullpen, clubhouse and everywhere else. Such hypocrisy is probably what led to their disrespect for the commish in the first place, before he started dissing their trophy. I think what guys are really pissed about is the disclosure that Houston's entire organization devised a devious system that the Astros players blatantly bought into, banging away and acting cocky in the process.

Like I've been saying forever: How can you not? In every video of you hitting, there's a catcher squatting behind flashing fingers. This problem is not going away because technology is here to stay. No one needs video rooms when there are ipads in every dugout. JD's is attached to him, like drivers texting at every stoplight in the nation...

Why not? Sox are already decimated, kicking them while they're down won't alter the current MLB landscape. Plus, it will be fun watching Price defend his old mates to his new mates... and listening to Mookie quote Pedey: "It's not me, it's them." Just -- whatever you do -- don't investigate the Beltran pinstripe trail from the Bronx and back to the Bronx. https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/steve-mcqueen-and-dustin-hoffman-in-a-scene-of-the-film-news-photo/141561501

The Dodgers' bitching and moaning could work in Boston's favor: do you think Manfred may go easier on the Sox to prevent further backlash from within the shiny new LA ranks? Imagine the delicious dissension if Betts and Price are branded as outlaws in the same clubhouse with their victims? Call it hype if you want, but the MLB has taken such a hit in the public eye and among other pro sports lately that the last thing it needs is further uproar from The Great Blue Hope.

Totally agree -- and Bellinger isn't doing himself any favors to remain top dawg by constantly whining about the Astros, either. Correa and his mates should take the heat at this point, but I agree with him that Bellinger should stfu about the '17 WS (when Cody hit .143 with 17 Ks in 7 games).

This has always been my feeling about Mookie insisting on going to free agency: some place closer to home, some place warmer, some place not Boston... Maybe I've been myopic, but to me, Betts was one of the rare baseball stars beloved by a fanatical fanbase of a large market franchise dedicated to winning who never publicly expressed a goal to remain with his original club forever. Unlike Lester, Bogaerts, Sale... even Lindor has been saying lately he wants to stay in Cleveland. Didn't Lowell take less to re-sign than go to Philly? These guys aren't all just mercenaries. Competitive athletes want to win, and once they're set for life monetarily they start craving intrinsic rewards like Manfred's piece of metal. If Mookie sees like-minded compadres like JBJ and JD jettisoned in favor of a rebuild, that may be another factor in his decision. Look at Arenado now; a year after hitting the jackpot he's hungry and having second thoughts about staying in Colorado. As far as signing with a team for one dollar more -- if a guy prefers one place or another, I'd think the runner-up would have to exceed the best offer by enough to make him change his mind. In other words, if he likes LA better and it offers 420, Boston may have to go to 450... but these are all hypotheticals (hypatheticals) since we already know the Sox don't deem Mookie at the very top of industry market value. Yet.

Right on -- and if he's really good, an ace can throw a demoralized order into a funk for days, even inducing the start of some batting slumps.

That was a long-ass reply which should've just read, "I'm fairly certain that in a year from now, Mookie's asking price will be higher than ever..." (which should be all we need to know about the chances of Boston re-signing him... except that it's fickle, mercurial Boston)

We really don't know the actual numbers in the Sox' offers to Mookie or even if there were negotiations; most reports suggest there weren't any -- the only number ever attributed to Betts' camp was $420M, their price required to buy out his free agency. All we can do is speculate... but let's even say Boston caved in the past year and agreed to meet his asking AAV of $35M or even exceed it to $36M (say, 10 for $360) -- Whatever it was (if it was), Mookie still didn't sign. Instead they traded his butt out of Boston. Now envision the Sox tank and trade all his buds like JBJ and JD and look like a non-contender for the next few rebuilding years. Meanwhile, Betts has another MVP-type year and goes far in the postseason on a team that has already finished first the last seven seasons without him. Both of these scenarios are certainly possibilities. If the latter occurs, Mookie's asking price a year from now very well could be around half a billion dollars. It will definitely be higher than it was the last time the Sox talked to him. He may not get his asking price, but some team may deem his value -- at the then-current top of the market price -- at a higher number than what he once wanted from Henry to stay in Boston. And if the Red Sox really want him back, they may have no choice but to pay a premium above say, one single dollar more than his highest other offer.

The advantage of having an ace that may be underrated in fandom is how it's perceived by his teammates. Having a stud strut to the mound every five days -- a guy you know is going to overmatch opponents -- sets the tone of the season and gives a club confidence that can't be measured. He doesn't have to win 20 games or K 300 batters, but his influence can infuse simultaneous energy and ease on the defense and offense, not to mention take the pressure off the rotation and provide rest for the bullpen. The right horse can be a huge factor -- and that exactly what the Yankees are hoping from Cole this year.

A big argument here all winter was which of the performances (and luck, good and bad) of 2018 or 2019 were most reasonable to repeat -- or more likely approximate -- in 2020. In order to find out, the Red Sox had to keep Betts and Price... 2020 didn't have to be a bridge because a bounce-back to postseason contender was a possibility. Now here we are. In my opinion, it would've been worth it -- and a hell of a lot more fun -- to watch Mookie in his salary drive season leading the Sox back to contention. And that includes if he still left next winter, because 2021 would have always been up in the air, with probable losses of Betts, JD and Bradley. To those who were so pessimistic about this year even with Betts, but are optimistic about '21 because of our new salary flexibility, I ask this: who exactly is Bloom going to acquire in the next 12 months that will make that much difference? The best free agent starting pitchers are Stroman and Bauer -- inconsistent and/or unstable. As for trades, who is going to give up even a mid-rotation arm for JD or JBJ? Certainly, we aren't about to start swapping actual prospects, not now when Bloom is just beginning to hoard them? I'm not saying deals in the next year won't set the Red Sox in the right direction... but I think that '21 was going to suck no matter what. Now we're staring at 2020 and 2021...

Thanks for the lists, Moon. Rick Burleson was a top shortstop in a time before all-around studs spotlighted the position. He was a three-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove, and received MVP votes four times. His first year in California he won the Silver Slugger with a .729 OPS (it was about a decade before the steroid era). Burleson was arguably Boston's best defensive shortstop in the 30 years before Alex Gonzalez played there in '06. Reggie Smith might be the closest comp to Betts. Smith was 28 when the Red Sox traded him, after seven full seasons of .829 OPS, and 34.5 b-WAR (4.9 average) in an era when pitching dominated. He had been a two-time AS, GG outfielder, and received MVP votes in four straight seasons. Smith went to the NL, where he played nine more years with an .889 OPS and produced another 30.4 WAR. Two differences in the Smith trade (besides the fact it was just before free agency): 1). the Sox had some really good young outfielders, like Evans, with Rice and Lynn almost ready; 2). Boston made sure it got an All-Star pitcher back in Rick Wise (who would lead the '75 AL pennant winners in victories).

Sometimes. Javy Lopez and AJ Piersynski were one-time All-Stars with rings who were just brutal in Boston. But going back half a century, Elston Howard -- another negative WAR veteran backstop in Beantown -- was never viewed that way. I was too young then, but do remember watching Lopez and thinking him the worst Red Sox catcher I ever saw (and uncharacteristic of Epstein, a GM who placed great emphasis on defense, getting backups like Pokey Reese and Mientkiewicz). But Lopez caught three Hall of Famers and won many titles in Atlanta; catchers just break down over the years, up and down, foul tips, guarding the plate, wearing the gear etc.

If Mookie has a great year and the Sox have a crap year -- and the latter is reflected in fan support at the gate and on the tube -- Boston would have to pay more than Betts' camp ever asked before to bring him back. It may actually even be worth it to the brand, but they'd never admit that... so he's gone for good. Now, what pitchers will be available by July for our (hallelujah) flexible payroll to invest in? I think guys from teams having disappointing years might be better bargains than young break-out arms from predicted non-contenders. Possible sellers: Cleveland, Cincinnati... Houston.

You need an ace to compete and contend. Trading Sale would further diminish the Sox chances at either. Prospects are just prospects. Players on Hall of Fame paths like Betts and Sale are the cornerstones contenders are built around. If the Red Sox trade their ace, they'll just be searching, and if history shows -- overspending -- trying to replace him with someone else. Just like they're probably going to with Mookie...

Maybe someone dropped some names or contradicted another witness. Either way, it's not good; there are players who've been released, not re-signed or (gulp) traded, plus ex-employees who fled Dombro's autocracy -- unless Manfred is hopefully just dragging it out to make it look like he's devoting as much time digging into the Sox as he did on the Astros. But I doubt it.

That's easy -- his "attention to details"! A better question may be: why isn't Manfred asking those questions? I'd repeat my thoughts, but I'm just a high comedian on this forum (even though I don't even eat gummies)...

I never wanted Price, but I was all in on Eovaldi and still expect him to be an All-Star someday. I know, he'd have to pitch an entire half-season without injury -- this year would be a really good time for that... I'm still optimistic -- it's Spring Training, when every team has dreams. But if the Sox tank, can we trust Bloom to at least rush a few prospects up to the show in the second-half -- to give them and us exposure to the future? That's the fun of a fan of an also-ran...