UtahSox

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….

We have been over this already… but I watched every single inning of every single game Aug-Oct. if you really want to argue we don’t need help offensively, I don’t know what else to say other than agree to disagree with a lot of us on here.

Yeah that’s enough for 8-10th in MLB……… That’s level of budget we are working with, fun fact we’ve never won WS with a payroll below 4th. Fact hardly ever anyone does. Even when the Rangers won they juiced the payroll. So when the Red Sox flip flop with Cubs for 3rd or 4th in payroll every year, yet gets out spent by teams with 100M+ less in revenue. What are we doing? I guess I’m sad because I’d convinced myself that when the time was right. “We are the Boston Red Sox, we don’t have resource issues” would kick in. This offseason is proof JH has moved on from winning World Series.

I think you can trade Bello, Mayer, and Harrison/Witherspoon for him, and I think 100% you should do it. IF you actually plan on competing in AL East in 2026. All these prospects ya’ll and Beta Breslow love so much better be damn good.

Why? What on gods green earth makes you think Mayer will sniff the level of Marte?

I think a lot of people’s frustration comes down to this: there were two really straightforward ways to make this team legitimately scary, really fast. 1. was Pete Alonso — an absolutely perfect fit for our offense and our ballpark. You couldn’t draw up a better match on paper. And to find out we lost him not because he went back to his old team, but because he signed with a division rival for $31 million a year… that’s brutal. He just had an all-time season and only just turned 31. 2. IS Ketel Marte. We have extra outfielders. We have a surplus of starting pitching — ten guys who can realistically start — and a few strong up-and-coming prospects. The pieces are there. This is a move that feels both obvious and entirely within reach. So what’s the hold up? These two upgrades felt so clear, so logical, and honestly, exactly like the type of moves JH would’ve made without hesitation ten years ago. Imagine this lineup with Marte and Alonso in it? At that point, you could even go to Bregman and say, “Look, let’s do a one-year, $40M deal,” and actually have the negotiating leverage to make that conversation work. But now? If we lose Bregman, this turns into a full-on mess. There is no chance this scared-to-spend ownership group suddenly steps up and commits 7 years, $210M to Bo Bichette. That’s just not who they are right now.And that’s the problem — we had a clear, simple path to building a contender, and now everything hinges on unlikely scenarios because we didn’t execute the obvious ones.

What’s funny is we did all this heavy lifting for years to set up THE window. We could of had Devers, Bregman lined up, Roman Anthony ascending, Crochet killing it, the whole core forming… then we traded pieces away, because we couldn’t manage egos, but with the promise that we’d “re-deploy the money.” That was crap We were “going to be active at the deadline.” Bull Crap “We’ll add a middle-of-the-order bat with real pop.” Bull Crap again. It feels like I’m watching what should’ve been the final season of Game of Thrones — years of setup, everything pointing toward a legendary finale, everything falling into place — and instead we’re out here burning the city down…….. WHY? because our analytics says we can’t go 5 years on a guy who plays 162 every year hits 35-40 HR’s and basically guarantees 100+ RBI’s every year.

Breslow also promised to be aggressive at trade deadline, he also promised to fix the pop in the middle of the lineup. Dude is a chronic cuckold.

definitely not better, We can’t expect Crochet to be THAT dominant again, bullpen most likely regresses some. And our young players get better, but our older players might regress. Oh and NOTHING HAPPENS IN A VACUUM: BlueJays: improved pitching, might get Bichette or Tucker back. Went to WS better than us. yankees: get Cole back. Probably will sign Bellinger back. TBD but they handled us last year so we are not better right now. orioles: Added 70+ HR’s probably the deepest 1-9 in league….. and have young pieces/ money to still add. sweet deal Breslow/JH.

He preferred Boston — everyone does — just not for two years and millions less. We absolutely botched this. Mets and Alonso were never reuniting. This was ours to lose… and we lost it. I’m honestly speechless. We’re running the Boston Marlins right now — an ownership group trying to moneyball an AL pennant while hoarding the third-most revenue in baseball. It’s pathetic. And if they’re really “losing money,” then open the books. Show us. They won’t — They’re posting paper losses from bonus depreciation while banking real cash, $100M+ every single year.

Dude what in the F**k? How do we get out of AL East? If BJ’s bring back Bo or get a Tucker we are looking at 4th place in AL East…….. Breslow is such a p word.

Breslow is such a bitch

Was just in car listening to MLB Network Radio. They were saying the Red Sox have serious trepidation about going more than 3 or 4 years on Alonso. I swear if we lose him, and it’s over year 5 or 6. I’m gonna lose my sh*t. He fits so perfectly.

I actually think 1B and 3B are the easiest positions to fill, and getting Marte gives you a guaranteed middle-of-the-order bat without being held hostage by Scott Boras for the next two months. That alone shifts the entire offseason dynamic in our favor. To me, this comes down to three real scenarios: 1. Marte gets traded elsewhere: This puts massive pressure on us to land both Bregman and another power bat. That market is extremely thin, and we’d be negotiating from desperation. Worst-case scenario for Breslow. 2. We get the Marte deal done: It will hurt — no doubt — but once it’s done, we can focus on one of the two remaining Boras hitters, and I think the most realistic is Bregman. Then we’d have total flexibility to decide how to address 1B and SP2 without overpaying out of fear. 3. We get Marte and somehow pull off Alonso: Even if Alonso comes (which I still think is a 98% chance he stays with the Mets), you can start Romy at 3B or make a small trade for someone like Bohm, Moncada, or even Suárez. There are plenty of short-term 3B options that would work behind that kind of lineup punch. But because Alonso is almost certainly going back to New York, the realistic path is: Sceanario 2: Marte → Bregman → piece together 1B/SP2 however you want. And honestly, without the Marte move, I’m worried for Breslow. He’s conservative by nature, and I don’t think he can outmaneuver Boras in a thin market. We could very easily end up backed into a corner and walk away with nothing meaningful. Marte gives us control of the offseason instead of reacting to everyone else’s moves.

Admittedly, I’m not as bullish on Mayer as others. Between the injury history and what we saw from him last year, I just don’t see the “future star” juice. I could absolutely be wrong — the talent is there — but I’m not convinced he becomes a true impact guy. To actually get the Marte deal done, I assume the Diamondbacks will insist on something like Mayer + Tolle or Mayer + Early. And honestly, that tells you how bullish I am on Ketel Marte. He’s a legit difference-maker and exactly the type of player who pushes the Red Sox over the top.

I read that Baltimore offered Schwarber 5 years, $150M, and honestly, now that Schwarber and Díaz are off the table for the Mets, that cuts the odds of Pete leaving the Mets in half. IMO there’s just no scenario where New York lets both Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz walk. Mets fans would lose their minds. Pete is almost certainly a Met for life. If I’m Boston, I’m getting the Marte trade done immediately, then opening negotiations with Bo, Bregman, and Pete. Going in I NOW fully believe Pete is probably headed back to the Mets no matter what. From there, take whichever deal gives you the best value proposition — but you must land one of those three. No exceptions.

My short answers is we are the F**king Boston Red Sox we should ALWAYS be in the Window….. longer answer…….. I’ll answer this question in the winter of 2029…. We could have 32 teams by then, hard salary caps etc. Injuries, Devers type meltdowns…….. let’s get through 2026-2027 before we worry about 2030. I get your point though, RS have some great pieces that could be around for a long time….

Put yourself in CB’s shoes AZ says “I want Bello, Early, and Campbell” would you pull the trigger? I’m trying to gauge how bad you want Marte cuz I think it’s gonna hurt like that.