UtahSox

I’ll take it, that would create a lot of solid postseason pitching experience…. Assuming we get some bats along with it. Which bats would you trade for? I think we would have to pay Valdez 22-25 aav.

You know the hardest part about getting a Top 50 hitter? ‘there are only 50 of those SOB’s out there

I’d take it…. Although my absolute would be 1- resign AB2 2- trade Mayer/Bello/Harrison for Marte 3- trade Casas/Sandoval for Contreras 4- Early/Tolle + Duran/Abreu for SP2.

Ok I think we are closer to same page. Agree Marte without AB2 or Bichette ( I read somewhere he translated well at 3b as well but no data to back that up) isn’t worth it. But 2026 resign AB2, trade Abreu/ Duran for SP2. “window open” “full throttle” marte for MM all day.

Bring back AB2 and this shouldn’t deal killer.

We are talking about the future, so yes gut feel……… Specifically a top 25 prospects that can’t stay on the field for more than 80 games a year? Vs a guy 1 year removed from a 6.8 WAR. And only 32 years old, on a below market contract. I’ll wager a whole lot of money Marte has a higher WAR in 2026 than Mayers. Hell I’ll wager a lot of money he plays more games.

Specifically to the question do we trade Mayers for Marte ….. I play track record game, odds Marte plummets are much lower than Mayers Skyrocketing. 1- I think everyone agrees, if you have a rising star you don’t trade him. You and I see Mayers as different players and time will tell. We all agree the easiest way to get better, is grab guys like Alonso and Bregman in FA, but alas we have to adhere to this self imposed salary cap. 2- Marte finished 3rd in MVP voting in 2024 6+ WAR and is a great player, consistent, great defensively physically takes really good care of his body. Has 4 straight years with 125+ games. The best part he has the Yankees on his no trade list, along with a bunch of bad teams. “The Diamondbacks star has the Yankees among five teams on his no-trade list, along with the Athletics, Pirates, Giants and Cardinals, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday.”- NY Post 3- I just don’t see it with Mayers, I admittedly put way less value on even the 2027 season and on. I know some of you guys talk about a 5 year window, and for me too many variables change. So I put heavier value on 2026 Red Sox, IF they stretch on a guy like Marte and he falls apart. They will be forced to use their resources to fix the problem.

prime years 28-32 agree, but GREAT players generally tend to play good longer… I’d definitely put Pete Alonso Marte even Bregman in that category all of them on 5 year deals are not the end of the world. And would have given/ still could give us a shot at WS 2026-2028. Our 4 championship years MVP’s + key players over 30 ( I know there are more on each team but guys that played key parts in our WS wins) 2004- MVP Manny Ramirez (32) +Varitek (32), Damon (31), Mueller(34), Millar(33), Pokey(31), Pedro(33), Lowe(31) Schilling(37) Wakefield(37) 2007- MVP Mike Lowell (33)+ Varitek(35),Manny (35), Wakefield (41), Schilling (41), Tavarez (35), JD Drew (30), Timlin (41) Ortiz (32) 2013- MVP David Ortiz (38)+Ellsbury (30), Pedroia (30), Napoli (32), Lackey (35), Victorino (33), Drew (30) Gomes(33) 2018- MVP Steve Pearce (35)+ Price (33), JD Martinez (31), Hanley (35) 2025- Arguably our MVP Aroldis Chapman (37), Bregman (31), Story (33), Giolito (31) Buehler (31)

I think JH & Co are very disingenuous on saying his age didn’t fit. They were being cheap. That’s the end of it.

Crochet, Bello, story, Duran. Prime is always defined in retrospect so we will see who is where.

What is Red Sox payroll as it currently is constituted? Before signing Bregman or King where do we sit?

Old dudes definitely won the Dodgers World Series this year.. that’s not even debatable, but all of these teams go into the analytics, and write off the decline of these players in their mid 30s. With modern medicine, our knowledge of travel rest, soft tissue. Guys are playing longer. Yet a lot these teams (RS) walk away from deals for age and let the dodgers have them. Good discussion

To be determined on the call of “one of the greatest off-season in baseball” …. I think Okamoto stats are a little bit of a TBD, and although Japanese players have had a great track record of translating into MLB, Yoshida is fresh on the minds of most of us Red Sox fans. Even though he was probably our best hitter September 20th on…. Who knows maybe he builds on that and has a great year in 2026? But I think that’s why we are hesitant about Okamoto. So far 2026 watching the Orioles and Blue Jays spend doesn’t help. If we get Greene that deal will be awesome, but if the Reds are even remotely smart it will hurt, like really bad. So yes, you will get opinions. but I’d take that move in a heart beat, and apologize for thinking linearly (Alonso) when Breslow said he needs a big thumper bat in middle of line up.

Now do FG if we had Alonso and Bregman. Or Marte AND Bregman.

Ha ha

Interesting: According to Forbes, the Red Sox generated roughly $574 million in revenue in 2024 but only spent about $237 million on player expenses (payroll taxes are not included) but it looks like it’s factored somehow into the net profit #’s Forbes produced. Based on looking at their net profit #’s for other teams as well. In other words, Boston the most profitable franchise in MLB. One of my college roommates (1st hand account) manages a professional sports owners investment portfolio. Based on my conversations with him, I learned there’s an IRS code that allows you to put an intangible asset valuation on players and rosters they are amortized over 15 years. For a franchise like the Red Sox, taking wild ass guess at the starting tax basis, I think that still creates roughly $25–30M per year in tax shields — enough to materially offset most income taxes. But crucially, that shield is already locked in. Additional payroll spending no longer improves tax efficiency.

The same Ed Hand from X? Great Red Sox follow… Either way welcome good to have you on here. I don’t believe Henry would sell under any condition, especially with a new CBA and a likely post-lockout valuation bump coming. But it’s fair to question whether the Red Sox are now being managed less as a singular competitive priority and more as a portfolio asset—the cash cow within a global sports empire. When decisions around Yawkey Way feel constrained by broader fiduciary pressures tied to soccer, hockey, and capital allocation elsewhere, the on-field results inevitably reflect that. I’ll always be grateful to John Henry for ending the curse and modernizing the franchise when the club needed it. At that time, ownership incentives and competitive ambition were aligned, and the results followed. Today, while top-tier revenue continues to be extracted from one of the most iconic brands in sports, competitive reinvestment has clearly tapered. That shift signals a breakdown in alignment—not entitlement from fans, but a rational response to a fundamentally different operating philosophy. Long way of saying….. I F***ing agree RSN deserves better.

I kinda agree. Once I got over the shock of us not putting a competitive bid in front of Pete. I sure hope we don’t get FA pitcher, and then try to upgrade bats via trade, or even worse via “farm system”. I’d alter/ add to your options though, based on my reading there are more buyers out there. Signing options for Tucker? Maybe the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Bluejays signing options for bellinger? Maybe the Yankees, Mets, Bluejays, Dodgers signing options for Bichette? Maybe the Red Sox, Detroit, Mets, Yankees, Mariners, Cubs? signing options for Bregman? I believe AB2 waits to see what Bichette does now and takes a look at same teams + Phillies (they could sign and trade Bohm?)

Your entitlement argument verse the Yankees has way too many variables. Not acknowledging these variables is essentially acknowledging bias. 1. Yankees still are a top 2-3 spender in baseball and haven’t changed or deviated from that. Sox have since 2018. 2. Yankees went to the World Series 14 months ago, and played in the ALDS this year. Sox it’s been a lot longer. 3. Bellinger hasn’t signed anywhere, and neither has Tucker so the two main objective for their team are still in play. There are probably many other variables, but those are the main three I could think of immediately. If you can all acknowledge those, and want to still argue by all means have at it. But I am under no illusions that the expectations of Yankees fans are any different than those of Boston Red Sox fans. And speaking for myself I’m proud to be in the same conversation with them. As our incredible brand, town, and history deserve.

Working under the assumption that we whiff on AB2…… would Brendon Donavan, Contreras and like a 2/50 for Geno Suarez work? Are we better offensively than 2025? What other moves would you prefer if AB2 is off the table?

Ok Tyler Millikan floated the idea if we get Contreras and AB2 back will we be happy? What do we think a trade package for Contreras would have to look like? Is there any universe they take Yoshida back even on a subsidized package?

I agree that would give us a really nice offensive baseline for years to come. Anthony and Bichette can be built around.

iMO I’d argue this is not entitlement; taking it back to my org Econ class its the definition of aligned incentive theory. Elevated expectations are the consequence of elevated returns, not merely a byproduct of past success. Fans, sponsors, and media partners generate incremental revenue because of ongoing competitive and historical relevance, while ownership captures that upside through brand expansion and monetization. Competitive investment is the mechanism that sustains this cycle. When ownership shifts into “asset preservation mode” while continuing to extract top-tier revenue, incentives become misaligned between ownership and fans — and that divergence, not entitlement, is where frustration emerges.

The sad part is that I genuinely think, in a true tie, the Red Sox still win out — far more so than a team like the Rays/ Orioles (Pete Alonso). Even with the higher taxes and added scrutiny, you’re talking about the Red Sox legacy, a massive passionate national fanbase, and Fenway Park. That still matters A LOT. But the real issue is we aren’t even getting close enough for those advantages to matter. We’re consistently not competitive with the top offers. And it’s telling that nearly every player with a no-trade clause had the Red Sox on their short list of acceptable destinations — players want to be here — yet we’re failing to convert that interest. I agree that John Henry has been a major net positive for the franchise. Breaking the curse and winning four World Series is an incredible legacy. But every owner — every executive, really every business owner— eventually shifts from “asset/ Legacy acquisition mode” to “asset preservation mode.” That transition feels very real now. Henry built something special, but over time it’s clear his priorities have changed. My concern is that he’s brought in so many outside investors through FSG that his fiduciary responsibilities to protect and preserve value/ cash flow now outweigh the desire to aggressively invest to further cement his legacy in Boston. And that shift to “asset preservation” is showing on the field since 2019.

Against the sage advice of about 90% of you, the optimist in me came back, I don’t know why or how, I just thought when everything lined up JH would spend and go all in on winning another World Series. when I found out about us missing Alonso and the way we did. I just absolutely snapped, Yesterday was a rough day……. I’m sorry if my swear words offended anybody. Breslow and JH are who we thought they were….