drewski6

I would have been upset at the time, but I hear you. Story I thought was going to have a real good year this year. Im close to giving up on that now. Well I have given up on a real good year cuz hes already done too much damage to this year. But I mean, even being merely good this point on, Im close to giving up on. Gotta be willing to change ur opinions, otherwise, you end up like some of our posters here who got the team they wanted and still take victory laps.

And this team would also ultimately go as far as we did last season. Is that the goal? WC and playoff exit?

I agree. You know what I said when I walked into two ppl debating on if we should move our infielders around positionally? This is equiv to arguing about if the titanic needed more deck chairs!

Oh you mean now, yeah thats different. I think that after last year we could have ate a little and traded him quite easily but that ship may have sailed. But I didnt want to do that then because he led our team in homeruns last year and Im kind of over trading our hitters and just thinking we'll magically find another.

After last year, plenty. THere was opt out buzz.

I honestly dont see whats so hard to understand about this. Ding, ding ding.

Im like 78% sure this is the coolest thing youve ever said in your life, congratulations. I was talking about Notin about this, where he challenged me to name examples of this kind of thing occurring. And thats my boy, dont think it was contentious, but just like teams not buying or even selling at the deadline and remaining competitive because thats just the state of the league. Theres like 3-4 truly good teams, but 12 teams make the postseason, and its gotten to the point where you can be really bad and still stay in it. I dont think its good for the sport personally. I think Notin did eventually win the debate when he pointed out that my examples of teams back-dooring accidentally into the postseason were mostly from the AL Central and the AL Central is going to AL Central. But theres a downstream effect in there. If you know, for example, that the AL Central is a joke, well now only 2 divisions are competing for 3 wildcard spots, and third place teams can get in, and that rewards teams for not being aggressive and urgent roster builders, and again, bad for the sport.

I agree, I also believe that being scared of any inefficiency is one of our problems.

How far we've fallen 😢 From the personable upstarts of a likable group with big lovable icons like Ortiz and Pedro and others who were treated like the stars they were.....To the shut up and dribble RS of today. The white hooded judges are back to dilute the voice of anyone who dares question the unalienable right of the rich and powerful to take more for themselves and leave less for us. The bootlickers are back to explain to us why its better this way, even though they dont actually believe it, they just think if they quack like a pet, theyll get adopted. And when I see microcosms of this in my use to be beloved RS, it bothers me more than any win/loss record ever could.

Is C as important as it use to be, in a world where automated ball/strikes cut down on the value of pitch framing, and pitch selection is mostly from the dugout? I think C is still a position where D is significant, but I think its fallen below CF. But really, all OF work together. Many teams have the corners cover more ground so you can get through with a mediocre CF. I would agree that SS is the only position where defense matters nearly as much as (and maybe even more than) the bat.

I dont think that extending our own problems is the whole problem, I think its a part of the problem which is too much scared money. But what if Bregman ages further? What if Casas comes back and there is nowhere to play him? What if Cedanne/KC become so good that we have a tough decision on our hands down the line? Bloom was certainly shy and cautious. Breslow seems to have more balls, and I tried to like him, but I just cant get over how bad of a communicator he is, and I really think its gotten pretty ugly. Its like some of you (not you, MVP) need to listen to some like rage against the machine. "FU I WONT DO WHAT YOU TELL ME"

I agree. My added point is that it really doesnt matter what happens going forward when assessing whether the contract extension was wise but it does matter when determining if the contract going forward is "fine" Stats can be a tool to avoid having to think. "What do you mean they shouldnt have extended him? Look at his bwar or his OAA or his whatever." One might say. My point is there is a a difference between whether it worked out vs whether it was wise at the time....

I dont disagree, my point is that hindsight/results often do not align with what was a correct decision at the time. So to me, looking back and determining if the contract was "fine" but going back in time without the element of hindsight, was that a good decision to extend? These are different questions, IMO. Not every good decision works out and not every bad decision does not.

This is a good example of what I mean. In hindsight/going forward Cedannes contract is probably "fine" but that doesnt mean it was a "fine" decision to extend him when we did. If Im going to extend, I want massive upside. But if I take over as a GM , and a contract is par without a ton more upside, its not like that contract is killing me. But I prob still try to move it lol. I like churn.

I think I only disagree that Bello needs to be TOTR for that contract to be fine. Maybe for that contract to have ample trade value. Or maybe you mean when they signed it, then I can understand. Because to extend a guy there has to be upside. BUt to look at a contract that has already been extended and determining whether the extension was "fine" is a different bar.

If Breslow said to me what he said to Whitlock , I woulda laughed in his face and went right to the media.

I like Varitek, I like Cora, I like Bregman, I like Story, I like Whitlock, I like the guy who got fired for calling Breslow a stiff, I like Devers. I dont like seeing an authoritarian egomaniac insult, ruin relationships, treat people like interchangeable workers, narcissistic dude put out a last place team. IVe got friends that talked up Cora for years and then almost immediately were like "heres an article about why it was good he got fired" Im not going to be one of those guys who immediately dogs players/coaches the second they are no longer here. Theres so much of that. And its just carrying water for whatever the suits do. Our guys who are beloved Breslow has acquired are awesome, until the time when Breslow changes his mind, in which case they immediately revert to problems. Just not me. Some here will defend a player for years and then as soon as that player is gone , they are defending why we had to let that person go. Its ur typical sycophant, look at me mr beslow, im one of the good ones, please pick me out of obscurity bootlicking. Right now, I am disgusted with the way this organization treats people.

Thats odd. Why do you care that I show up to post here from time to time to talk to some people whose opinion I respect? But no, Im not rooting for this team at present. And my personal freinds are texting me asking me to and all pissy that they lost the life of the part at their RS viewing parties. WEll, some of them, some of them are moving on also. I dont root for teams that treat people like the RS do. Youre gonna have to get over it. Im not sure if Ill continue to come here. It wasnt that long ago since I read Breslow yell shut up and dribble, and that stabbed me right in the heart. Im sorry Im not a bootlicker.

Correct. The whole WAR/$ over the life of the contract overlooks the advantage of being able to combine producers on min wage contracts with elite producers paid market value. I would say thats a pretty succesful formula: high paid players carrying their weight + youngsters contributing for very little salary. If I was a GM and a team told me that I had 800m to spend over the next 4 years, I dont think it would be wise to make sure you spend it evenly. I would probably take advantage of yr 1 and yr 2 job security/honeymoon and throttle back knowing that it would give me excess budget room in my put up or shut up years (years 3 and 4), so I would circle them. And I would even be willing to go youth in yrs 1 and 2 , trade for some prospects. But when yrs 3 and 4 emerge , I would stop chasing value and efficiency as much. People tell me we shouldnt be cyclical because we should compete for a ship every year and there is no reason to build the team in phases (buld for future, then build for present when future arrives). But we really havent been competive for a ship in 6 years , and it doesnt appear like the rebuild is over and we're on the verge of turning a corner.

Sham?

well then wake me up in 2028

wow, the president. omgeeeee. Story is a famous professional athlete who led the team in homeruns last year. Lick Breslows boots, he need not do.

In my opinion, the suit screaming do what we pay you is the one who needs to get fired....Even if it wasnt Breslow. Thats bad. Story has every right to ask. If I was whitlock i would nver pitch for this team again. Id love a manager to scream at me like you want. Catch a middle finger and a chuckle as you watch top talent walk out the door.

Think about how much more productive he could have been, if in the at-bats where he walked - he got a hit 34.4% of the time

Def would have Torpedo'd it if it were an all girls elementary school