5GoldGlovesOF,75

How about what's to come next? How many position players from the '18 champs will still be Red Sox in '21? I'd say only Devers and Bogaerts are sure bets...

... but basically half of the next contract of Cano, who was the other top second baseman at the time. Like I said before, you're not signing a really good MLB player unless it's with a long-term offer. Do we want to become an Oakland or Tampa, with rotating lineups every other year? As much success as they've had, how many postseason series has either won this century? And as a fan, I'm not really interested in rooting for rosters with constant turnover. Big money clubs had an advantage when they could outspend others on the most and best scouts, and stockpile prospects, but rules have changed. Like oldtimer points out, perennial contenders aren't getting top draft picks like the also-rans; thus, we have more tanking. Kimmi's model of augmenting homegrown clubs with a free agent (or impending free agent) is ideal; then again, how many Astro-type teams -- where lots of last places equal lots of No. 1 picks -- have found the missing Verlander to get them over the top? Dombrowski traded the farm to build a world champ -- and some Sox fans are still mad about it. But he did what he was hired to do: keep the young star group intact, and supplement them with veteran pieces by dealing from minor league depth. Bloom has a weaker core and little depth, so don't be surprised if he swaps what's left of the former for more of the latter. And be prepared to be patient...

Agree, agree, agree -- Epstein and co. hit big on the 2014 draft (I ate up that Speier book, btw) -- but when has current ownership never built around free agent signings? Who are the true success stories? I got Papi, Millar, Foulke, uh... JD. I'm not counting homegrown talent that re-signed or trade acquisitions who were available because of impending big money (like Pedro, Schilling, Beckett/Lowell). Now, what about the flops -- and that includes guys who helped win rings, but were either vastly overpaid or hated playing for Red Sox Nation: Renteria, Lugo, Drews, DiceK, Crawford, Hanley, Sandoval, and Price. What other big names with big contracts am I missing? If Henry and Werner are suddenly going to change their ways -- ones that flew four flags over Fenway (alliterally) -- then we diehards could be in trouble.

I agree, but after last winter, this regime looks like it's prepared to take a bucket of balls rather than risk losing even average guys walking away for nothing.

Current economics as structured in the MLB basically prevent teams from signing really good players for anything but long term contracts... agents and stars demand it (understandably), and there's always some rich and/or dumb team willing to give an extra year -- or five -- if they really want a guy badly enough. Maybe Boston recruited Bloom specifically to work his low-budget magic (not that they need it), because management has inside knowledge of upcoming -- let's not call it "collusion" -- but "market adjustments"... with a new CBA war looming.

You're probably right, unless they really suck and Bloom trades every guy who's contract is up: JBJ, Pillar, Moreland, Workman, JD (opt out), etc. But no pretender/contender will be dumb enough to give up much for a postseason run that may be shut down, unless they're low level unrated prospects.

I think if they're out of it, a guy like Arauz should play every inning somewhere on the field and get every at bat possible for MLB experience and development. We're going to see teams use a lot of young guys a lot in this sprint with few off days. It will be fascinating to see new stars emerge out of nowhere (and out of necessity)... some of whom may fade into oblivion by next year. Noah Song was the closest Sox pitcher to big league ready but who knows where he'll be in another year. One thing for sure -- if there was ever a season to lose due to military obligations, it was 2020... 2021 may be another one, for all we know.

I agree with this from a fan's standpoint -- but smaht organizations don't want to lose a year on the arbitration clock on prospects, especially since we're all non-paying fans this summer (unless you watch a game on TV and then rush out to buy a Chevy). If the Red Sox start out crappy and know they're going to suck, it's just a two-month slog... then they can build up the young guys all winter -- like Duran replacing Bradley -- for ticket sales next year. If there is a next year...

Maybe our new hero will be Jonathan Arauz! We now know it won't be Colin McHugh; apparently, he didn't see any mound time available in our loaded rotation.

I understand and have understood all the counter arguments. I'm just looking at history -- and specifically Henry/Warner history -- and unless they're planning on selling soon, it's inevitable that a combo of also-ran seasons and subsequent spotty attendance will see them overpay for some inferior players. Yes, ownership hired Bloom, but there's no way old rich guys are going to suddenly change expectations and all the tried and true strategies that won them four rings. Plus, as a fan, I really enjoy watching and identifying with homegrown prospects who grow into star players with Hall of Fame potential. Perhaps the next guy will be Verdugo or Downs or Wong, but that's more a longshot than the Red Sox signing someone like Lindor or Acuna or Soto in a few years. It's more likely Boston will acquire another big name who becomes an albatross.

You're right, and for the most part -- at least in Boston -- it seems like we do more absorbing than cheering free agent contracts; Price, Pablo and Hanley immediately come to mind, and there always seems to be someone we're paying to be somewhere else. The Mookie debate -- and we've already been over this all winter -- was if he was the rare kind of talent, athlete and personality you'd want to root for playing Hall of Fame hardball to keep your team in contention for the next decade. A minority of posters still say he is, but few dispute that the Red Sox, as much as any club, could afford him if they so chose. It will be interesting to see the next free agent market through pandemic adjustments. But if anyone still commands top dollar I'll bet on Betts...

Right, but what's the value of a Hall of Fame, face-of-the-franchise, on and off the field winner, for a brand in an entertainment industry? Even if we look at the bottom line that ostensibly generates the most revenue -- contributing to a winning product in the standings -- it's even debatable that three other good players are worth as much a rare talent like Betts. For example, in sheer analytics terms, Betts' 2019 WAR was worth 6.9 (and that was an average Mookie year). Three others who will be in high demand from his coming free agent class -- Starling Marte, Trevor Bauer and Kirby Yates -- combined for a 7.1 WAR. Would anyone pay 300 million combined for those three for the next decade?

What has always bothered me about Betts and "future spending" is that I guarantee the reset Red Sox will blow all kinds of money in a few years on free agent talent to fill voids in the lineup, in the standings and at the gate... and there's a 99.9% chance that none of those players will be as good as Mookie, on and off the field.

I'd be more interested in Johnson pitching to the Red Sox than for the Red Sox...

R2&2 Slider, swung on and missed by See:3KO. Sorry, bad pop culture reference... but going back half a century, there was a decent Twilight Zone episode of a robot player. But he/it couldn't have been as good as Herman Munster, who was once recruited by Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Y7MYhgkrA

Sssshhhhh... ignore the elephantiasis in the room. Has four months without baseball -- leaving us to argue about other life-or-death issues -- taught you nothin, notin?

You know the Red Sox will try to tell fans to have some patience with the Baby Bloomers...

I didn't look at the splits, but we do know he was hurting then. We don't know if Peraza will bounce back from a down year, either... but we do know that last year's lineup featured the most prolific whiffers in Red Sox history. If most of the swing-and-miss guys don't or can't change their modern approach, then it would behoove the team to insert more contact in between. At least for the poor viewers...

Verdugo has to hit higher in the lineup; according to last year's stats -- when eight Red Sox batters whiffed over 100 times -- he's the best contact hitter on the team. Peraza is second: 2019 Strikeout % per Plate Appearance Verdugo 13% Peraza 14% Mookie 14% Bogie 17% Devers 17% Vazquez 19% JD 21% Mitch 22% Beni 23% JBJ 27% Chavis 33% Yikes.

Yes to Speier, no to Puig! Back when Gammons wrote the first weekly notes column, a regular feature at the end always cited some interesting numbers from a crazed statistician named Chuck Something (I think). As for personality, that's the ex-jocks department. If they have it, they stick: Remdog, Eck, Pedro si... Monty, Salty, Walker, Timlin I dunno. Wake, Gomes, maybe. Rice never liked the media, and for longest time after he joined it he never contributed any insight, but they like touting his HOF status. He has lightened up more in his old age, sharing barbs with colleagues. Speier seems like a nice guy but it's obvious the reason they have him on is just to present the facts, ma'am. The White House would love him... or not (what happened to that poster?).

Then how will we know if there's a nerd... as we constantly type to strangers about how smart we are about constantly typing to strangers. I like Alex Speier. The data Stat Masterson provides on-air complements the booth banter, and modernizes the broadcast with new perspective on veteran analysis and Ecknology.

I think Beni has to hit leadoff. I know he struggled there last year (and his predecessor was MVP), but he's used to leadoff since at least college. Plus, long-haired Beni is faster on the bases! Then I'd go X, Rafie, JD and Verdugo; Alex may turn out to be a top of the order guy, but we gotta slot Bogie in there so there won't be three straight lefty sticks in order to take advantage of the new three-batter pitcher minimum. Or we could flip X and Rafie -- either way, Devers has to get up in the first... I don't think many fans realize just how destructive he was in '19, leading the MLB in extra-base hits with 90. Since the Integration Era began in 1947, only 12 others cracked more XBHs in the AL (Big Papi holds the Sox team record with 91 in '04).

While watching the 1970 World Series on MLB, I noticed the Reds put a shift on O's lefty Boog Powell (the original) -- three guys on the right side of the infield. They pitched him outside hoping he'd roll over and pull a grounder or worst-case, just take a single to the opposite field instead of crank one. Instead, Powell homered down the leftfield line. This is why we didn't see many shifts 50 years ago, because batters could bat. It seemed like Benintendi lost a hit a week last year ripping a one-hopper up the middle right at an infielder standing behind second base; there has to be a good reason defenders didn't play there for an entire century. Athletes today may be bigger/stronger/faster but in some ways they're not as good at being baseball players. What -- Beni and everyone else can't practice going oppo until it's part of their approach? Or at least push a few bunts down the line for gift doubles? When some manager finally orders his hitters to practice beating shifts, will he be called an innovator or a throwback? Edit: when we coach young players to hit, we always stress hitting the other way in practice -- mainly because it keeps their heads down (when kids try to pull, they invariably pull their heads and miss the ball... just like many modern pros).

This is a Red Sox baseball forum, but politics drove Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros to conveniently make Alex Cora the scapegoat in a massively sensationalized scandal last winter. Cora admits he was involved, but subsequent interviews and testimony with front office employees confirm that the sign-stealing system was devised by the organization before he was hired, and implemented by and through every level after. And yet, Boston and Red Sox fans were adversely affected. As one poster said, politics pervade and are unavoidable.

Isn't it obvious by now this is all just a hoax by the lefty players to hurt their conservative-walleted owners (who think they're always right)? So many local left-handed pitchers missing time with the virus: ERod, Darwinzon, Josh Taylor... and now Chapman. Watch, as soon the new CBA is settled, all this will go away.