5GoldGlovesOF,75

I'd demand Maeda and one more pitching prospect, but have my doubts that Bloom's long past working for Friedman has prevented any demands on Boston's part. Why else would Bloom agree to take someone else's prospect (unless he really wanted Brusdar -- but more than May or Gray?)? It better not just end up being Caleb Ferguson... Though, after all, LA is doing us such a big favor taking Price that we already thanked them by throwing in a Hall of Famer. If the Dodgers don't budge, the Red Sox either have to accept an even worse return -- and further alienate fandom and suffer the wrath of media -- or nix the whole deal, give Mookie his $400 million and take one cent on the dollar for anyone to take Price; that guy has to stay gone for good. I vote for the latter, somehow, some way... at least most fans will like that plan, Bloom, Henry, the brand and the laundry. Right now, they don't like much about any of those...

No need to guess -- according to Purloined Prize winner Ken Rosenthal (this line wrapped up the introduction to his bombshell): "inside the game, there is a belief that is treated by players and staff as fact: That illegal sign stealing, particularly through advanced technology, is everywhere."

I read the recent reports, just have doubts on how effective or all-encompassing visitors' systems could be in road parks, especially after the Red Sox booted Astros' employees from trying to film inside their dugout in the playoffs. If Cora ever writes an autobio, it would be interesting to see how he had Boston foil Houston's schemes in '18...

Those without sin can cry all they want, but it won't change the facts on how much better the 2017 Astros were on the road compared to when they had home field "advantage" (over 100 more runs scored in away games!): Home 48-33 .593, with 395 runs scored Away 53-28 .654, with 501 runs scored

Clarification: The current video replay era, with manager challenges, began in 2014. Since then, LA has the most wins, with Houston second -- but many fans might argue the Astros were more successful because they won a World Series. The Giants won three rings in the first five years of the past decade, but those were just before or on the fringe of the era in question (that has all but ended)...

I believe every team in every era has players who do whatever is the fad to get an edge. The Yankees in the 90s were the best of their particular era, just like the Astros in the 10s were the best of their era...

I was going to add that you could asterisk all the Yankee titles during that era because Pettitte admitted taking PEDs, but he's the only ballplayer in history who gets a pass because he "felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible".

This. I've been noting it since it happened. Pedro was done after seven and that was the plan. Grady panicked, changed the plan and it backfired. And even then, the Yanks still needed a pop-up by Posada to fall in to tie it.

Amazing, isn't it, that the only Houston employees named by the current players weren't part of the Astros organization last year.

I don't care (for all I know it's partly my fault for bringing back underage drinking as a teen in high school; my teammates and I weren't into drugs). I just flinch when I read the crap I've already seen about this kid, and it's not all about how he parties. The local media and national media are on witch-hunts in every pro sport, and New England has been a target all century, and especially now in the MLB. Back to the damn trade: another pitcher please.

This deal has problems and it's not even official. At least a hundred years ago the Boston owner got to pay off the mortgage on Fenway. Now someone can craft a reply about Betts and mortgaging the Sox future...

Look, I'm on record with demanding Verdugo in any LA deal, but it wasn't my job to do due diligence background checks beforehand. I'm not saying he's guilty of anything, but you know and we all know that any little shread of controversy will be blown out of all proportions by the two-faced, backstabbing Boston media. Especially now.

Mickey Lolich, 1968 WS MVP, went 3-0, beat Bob Gibson in Game Seven. This trade is a freakin disaster and already looks worse than selling Ruth maybe did at the time (before the season actually began). Both Sox acquisitions have injury issues, and one has character concerns -- the last thing Boston needs or will even tolerate at this point. And believe me, Yankee fans are happy they have an easier path to the top seed with Betts out of the division and AL entirely... plus, they're licking their chops at a possible Price start in a NY-LA series. The only way Bloom can save face -- and he may be working on this -- is to hold out for LA pitching prospects. Even if the Dodgers can win without Mookie, they can't lose the PR momentum of him in Dodger Blue. In my opinion, this is not between the Twins and Red Sox; this is on LA, which refused to include even one prized arm from their entire system. Well, now they have to.

Bereft of bodies; Laundry hanging in the rain… Root for it to dry.

Great rebuttal, let's dig back 20 years... heck, make it 40: Oh yeah? Like Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich didn't cheat on their entire families! Oops -- they swapped their entire families. Nope, sour in this era are just individuals whose teams weren't good enough at getting edge in a time when -- I quote Ken again -- "inside the game, there is a belief that is treated by players and staff as fact: That illegal sign stealing, particularly through advanced technology, is everywhere."

I'm going to repost the no-longer-cryptic paragraph from Rosenthal's Athletic article: "Early in the 2017 season, at least two uniformed Astros got together to start the process. One was a hitter who was struggling at the plate and had benefited from sign stealing with a previous team, according to club sources; another was a coach who wanted to help." The whole world now knows that the hitter was Beltran and the coach was his good friend, Cora. Now let me ask the world: does anyone NOT know who Beltran's previous team was? Anyone? Rob Manafraid? And this will never be pursued... why? (Answer: because the MLB desperately needs their signature franchise to get back to the World Series, after losing for years to all those cheaters) And I don't want to hear about how Chris Young's whistle-blowing was a year early, so it doesn't count. That's like the people who say Bonds and Clemens should be in the Hall because they were already great before they juiced... Did they cheat or not? Calling all hypocrites: Rose set the all-time hit record, then got banned from Cooperstown for betting as a manager... but there's still time to set your Draft Kings lineup -- with one the MLB's top sponsors!

Mookie appears to be as good as gone -- though I'm not quite as convinced as Ken Rosenthal, famous for breaking the big story about the Astros and Red Sox, but not investigating the Yankees (Chris Young admitted to Gammons he brought the Apple Watch espionage from NY to Bos). If Betts is traded, who do you think has the better chance of returning to the Red Sox in the future: Mookie or Alex Cora? I say AC...

If we know nothing, isn't that at least something?

As I had hoped, if this had to happen, Bloom is going to guarantee a haul. Reports are starting to include names that some people laughed at all winter "for just one year" of Mookie Betts. They're only rumors -- even coming from the media -- but if Bloom was going to just do a salary dump, Mookie would've been gone already. A bidding war has upped the ante. Good for us.

If Mookie is gone, Price has to go -- but not necessarily in the same deal. A Mookie trade is a white flag on 2020, and if they're committed to changing the culture, next on the hit list has to be Price -- the anti-Betts as far as embarrassing the Red Sox with constant, bitter PR. Wipe it clean, Chaim.

I know, I meant inconsistent with not making sure that they take care of their best player. But I still have my doubts about whether Mookie is focused entirely on getting every last cent or if there are other personal factors involved in this inevitable breakup. Maybe agents and the front office do most of the negotiating, but employees that work for a company for nearly a decade develop various relationships with co-workers of different levels, and most likely confide in others about basics like the weather, traffic, media, etc. (I'm not trying to start rumors because we've all read them). It's as good as an explanation as any to explain why he's gone -- because the brass knows they can't sign him and won't overpay to change his mind. I'm not sticking up for management, and will be listening intently for any negative spin doctors after Mookie's departure.

Did you ever see a supposedly good defensive catcher miss so many catches on pitches than last year (and I'm not counting Tek or anyone else who couldn't catch a knuckleball)? I honestly have to wonder if all the panic about constantly changing signs caused more cross-ups, wild pitches and passed balls -- because, to quote the infamous article "illegal sign stealing, particularly through advanced technology, is everywhere." ...you know, the story that got three managers fired (but none anywhere else -- case closed -- with not even an investigation of the previous team we know too well in this next quote: "One was a hitter who was struggling at the plate and had benefited from sign stealing with a previous team, according to club sources; another was a coach who wanted to help." I won't name names, either, but both of those guys are now unemployed, while "the previous team" is favored by the planet to win it all this year.

Mookie's going to blast off in California this year, isn't he? I can see a happy 10 WAR MVP season in the NL, with a special section in the bleachers tabbed "Mookiewood." While we're Will Mired in Fenway...

What's frustrating and confusing as a Red Sox fan is why Henry and Co. suddenly picked now to become inconsistent with spending compared to the last two decades and even last year. Does anyone really think Dombro alone compelled billionaires to blow money on iffy pitchers when the Red Sox have an entire department who I'm sure prints out spreadsheets to show why Mookie Betts was such a better investment than injury-prone arms? I'm also sure John Henry himself can figure out how to use baseball-ref or fangraphs. But I confess I did attend an ivy league school; it was a middle school, and after chasing down a foul ball into the woods I caught such a rash I need cortizone cream to dry out.

Well, you know how poorly those 6'2, 200 lb. big guys who rely on muscle age... They still paid him, though.