AL East Thread

[steveringo]

“Pretending they are in on Bregman”, for sure. He’s not a fit unless the move Devers to 1B/DH along with Casas. They still need to trade Yoshida(and eat a bunch of that contract). Anthony is going to push for a slot in the OF by May/June(or earlier). Same with Campbell.

Grissom is interesting because he basically redshirted last year and never really got going. I have no idea what he is. David Hamilton is still a factor at 2B, as well. Don’t forget about him.

If Story is healthy, he might be the one to go to 2B if/when Mayer is ready. I doubt Meyer is a better SS than Story is, but they do figure to let him play there when he arrives. Lots of variables with this year’s team!

I suspect they'll just eat Yoshida's contract, and send him away for a bag of balls... If only to free up his roster spot...

I like Hamilton, but he's a lefty. I was trying to convince myself they don't need to go sign a FA right handed hitter.... Campbell is an IF/OF and could make a push for opening day 2B with a great spring training... Meyer or Anthony (forgot which one) just called him "Barry Bonds". That is nuts...

You hit it on he head with the term "variables". It is risky sticking with the youth movement, but they really do have a ton of options.

And all this competition will only push them harder. So, I guess I'm still convincing myself they don't need to go out and spend more money...

 

[TheGoodMan19]

I suspect they'll just eat Yoshida's contract, and send him away for a bag of balls... If only to free up his roster spot...

I like Hamilton, but he's a lefty. I was trying to convince myself they don't need to go sign a FA right handed hitter.... Campbell is an IF/OF and could make a push for opening day 2B with a great spring training... Meyer or Anthony (forgot which one) just called him "Barry Bonds". That is nuts...

You hit it on he head with the term "variables". It is risky sticking with the youth movement, but they really do have a ton of options.

And all this competition will only push them harder. So, I guess I'm still convincing myself they don't need to go out and spend more money...

I hope they don't go out and spend more money. History isn't on the Red Sox side when they chase big name FA's. Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Trevor Story

 

[steveringo]

I hope they don't go out and spend more money. History isn't on the Red Sox side when they chase big name FA's. Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Trevor Story

Rafael Devers...

 

[TheGoodMan19]

Rafael Devers...

They signed free agent Devers from what team? Refresh my memory...

 

[steveringo]

They signed free agent Devers from what team? Refresh my memory...

Just saying - he's getting $300m. He doesn't want to be a leader. He doesn't want to learn English. He doesn't want to learn defense...

The don't have luck with any huge contracts.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

Just saying - he's getting $300m. He doesn't want to be a leader. He doesn't want to learn English. He doesn't want to learn defense...

The don't have luck with any huge contracts.

No they don't. Add to the list of crappy FA signings Rusney Castillo (remember that colossal waste) and Daisuke Matsusake (never worth the money). Only real top tier FA that the Sox signed and worked was Manny. But i don't want to see the Sox become another small market stumblebum, developing players and watching them march off to LA or SD with suitcases full of cash. There might have been more to Mookie's departure but i have to think the 2004 Sox would have fixed it. And they wouldn't have let Xander go. I'd rather see them have the money to sign some of these kids to nice extensions than have a nine figure contract owed to a player who isn't worth a rats ass anymore

 

[DrewScott]

No they don't. Add to the list of crappy FA signings Rusney Castillo (remember that colossal waste) and Daisuke Matsusake (never worth the money). Only real top tier FA that the Sox signed and worked was Manny. But i don't want to see the Sox become another small market stumblebum, developing players and watching them march off to LA or SD with suitcases full of cash. There might have been more to Mookie's departure but i have to think the 2004 Sox would have fixed it. And they wouldn't have let Xander go. I'd rather see them have the money to sign some of these kids to nice extensions than have a nine figure contract owed to a player who isn't worth a rats ass anymore

Dice K, and the Gyro ball. I remember it well.

 

[steveringo]

No they don't. Add to the list of crappy FA signings Rusney Castillo (remember that colossal waste) and Daisuke Matsusake (never worth the money). Only real top tier FA that the Sox signed and worked was Manny. But i don't want to see the Sox become another small market stumblebum, developing players and watching them march off to LA or SD with suitcases full of cash. There might have been more to Mookie's departure but i have to think the 2004 Sox would have fixed it. And they wouldn't have let Xander go. I'd rather see them have the money to sign some of these kids to nice extensions than have a nine figure contract owed to a player who isn't worth a rats ass anymore

They are signaling the way of the future, by giving the good kids early extensions that pay them a bit more for their team control years, but push out their free agent years... Pay them early and during their primes, so you don't have to worry about salary dumps later. Part of the reason for the Betts trade was to get rid of David Price's contract. Remember when he was the highest paid pitcher?

Speaking of extending kids early... They tried to extend Casas last winter and he signaled that it was way too low... I wonder if they'll try to extend him again?

Or Abreu?

 

[chappee11]

I hope they don't go out and spend more money. History isn't on the Red Sox side when they chase big name FA's. Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Trevor Story

Who says they are even chasing big names, though? They have seemed to be on the periphery doing their best Toronto Blue Jays impersonation all Winter. Never really in on Soto or Fried. Never tried on Burnes. Won’t try on Bregman or Alonso. You wouldn’t have put a 3yr deal for Teoscar in that category, would you? They still need a RH power bat to replace O’Neill. I have zero confidence that they have an in-house solution that can produce similar results. They seem content to be a middling team for a loooooong stretch and that is surprising/disappointing given the way this ownership used to operate.

 

[chappee11]

I suspect they'll just eat Yoshida's contract, and send him away for a bag of balls... If only to free up his roster spot...

I like Hamilton, but he's a lefty. I was trying to convince myself they don't need to go sign a FA right handed hitter.... Campbell is an IF/OF and could make a push for opening day 2B with a great spring training... Meyer or Anthony (forgot which one) just called him "Barry Bonds". That is nuts...

You hit it on he head with the term "variables". It is risky sticking with the youth movement, but they really do have a ton of options.

And all this competition will only push them harder. So, I guess I'm still convincing myself they don't need to go out and spend more money...

They DO need to go out and spend more, though. They are way below the luxury tax level and haven’t been willing to even approach it recently. It’s naive to think that all the young guys will come up and make an instant impact. It really never works that way. They won 81 games last year, 78 games in 2023 and 78 games in 2022. If they want to be at least a Wild Card team in 2025, they have a lot of work to do.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

Who says they are even chasing big names, though? They have seemed to be on the periphery doing their best Toronto Blue Jays impersonation all Winter. Never really in on Soto or Fried. Never tried on Burnes. Won’t try on Bregman or Alonso. You wouldn’t have put a 3yr deal for Teoscar in that category, would you? They still need a RH power bat to replace O’Neill. I have zero confidence that they have an in-house solution that can produce similar results. They seem content to be a middling team for a loooooong stretch and that is surprising/disappointing given the way this ownership used to operate.

I've seen Bregman rumors, lukewarm but still rumors. i don't know if most of it comes from he friendship between Cora and Bregman. Or crapola coming from some Sox fans who want to spend like the Dodgers. Not sure how deep they were in on the Juan Soto shopping spree but they were there

 

[chappee11]

I've seen Bregman rumors, lukewarm but still rumors. i don't know if most of it comes from he friendship between Cora and Bregman. Or crapola coming from some Sox fans who want to spend like the Dodgers. Not sure how deep they were in on the Juan Soto shopping spree but they were there

It sounds like they were at least $200m off from Soto. And I’m ok with that because he’s way out of their price range and the bidding got ridiculous. But were they really ever in the mix for him??? Not really.

I agree that most of their high-end free agent deals have stunk. Manny was a gem. Lackey worked out Ok. Johnny Damon was a great one. Even David Price was a big factor in the 2018 team. They haven’t all been bad. You can certainly add Story and Yoshida to the “bust” list, though. But those are sunk costs now and they have plenty of room to spend and they are simply choosing not to. I figured they would try for a guy like Flaherty and Teoscar/santander. Those would have been good fits. I guess Santander is still out there, but I don’t imagine they will spend for him, either. I just can’t figure out what the hell they are doing. They’ve basically chosen to take 5+ years off from competing.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

It sounds like they were at least $200m off from Soto. And I’m ok with that because he’s way out of their price range and the bidding got ridiculous. But were they really ever in the mix for him??? Not really.

I agree that most of their high-end free agent deals have stunk. Manny was a gem. Lackey worked out Ok. Johnny Damon was a great one. Even David Price was a big factor in the 2018 team. They haven’t all been bad. You can certainly add Story and Yoshida to the “bust” list, though. But those are sunk costs now and they have plenty of room to spend and they are simply choosing not to. I figured they would try for a guy like Flaherty and Teoscar/santander. Those would have been good fits. I guess Santander is still out there, but I don’t imagine they will spend for him, either. I just can’t figure out what the hell they are doing. They’ve basically chosen to take 5+ years off from competing.

A lot of bad things happened. There was a general malaise after 2018. The salary cap crippled the team. The farm system, which had been a production line for 25 years, dried up a bit. The sign stealing mess cost them Alex Cora. John Henry decided that he wasn't going to give out the nine figure contracts. And it seems that John Henry cares more about Liverpool than the Red Sox. Losing Xander and the awakening of Baltimore seems to have rekindled the desire. But Henry will never spend like the Dodgers or Mets

 

[chappee11]

A lot of bad things happened. There was a general malaise after 2018. The salary cap crippled the team. The farm system, which had been a production line for 25 years, dried up a bit. The sign stealing mess cost them Alex Cora. John Henry decided that he wasn't going to give out the nine figure contracts. And it seems that John Henry cares more about Liverpool than the Red Sox. Losing Xander and the awakening of Baltimore seems to have rekindled the desire. But Henry will never spend like the Dodgers or Mets

This is just about on the money. But Xander is hardly the one that got away. He might have one of the worst contracts in the entire sport. It was so utterly absurd that I’m glad they didn’t match it(or even come close). Of course, it didn’t help that they signed a corpse in Trevor Story to fill that void, but he’ll be off the books soon enough.

Also, Henry used to pay up and have one of the highest payrolls in the sport. You might be right about his other interests taking precedence over the Sox now, however. He has shiny new toys to play with. I don’t expect him to blow out the budget, but I think he should at least look to spend below the tax level. It’s weird that they keep staying below it like a mid-market team.

 

[Pure Steel]

This is just about on the money. But Xander is hardly the one that got away. He might have one of the worst contracts in the entire sport. It was so utterly absurd that I’m glad they didn’t match it(or even come close). Of course, it didn’t help that they signed a corpse in Trevor Story to fill that void, but he’ll be off the books soon enough.

Also, Henry used to pay up and have one of the highest payrolls in the sport. You might be right about his other interests taking precedence over the Sox now, however. He has shiny new toys to play with. I don’t expect him to blow out the budget, but I think he should at least look to spend below the tax level. It’s weird that they keep staying below it like a mid-market team.

I think they started looking at it as more of a business, almost at the same time the Yankees slowed down the spending……King George would have never sat back and watched Harper and Freeman go by……they obviously still spend money, but their philosophy has changed, winning used to be the #1 priority…….

 

[chappee11]

I think they started looking at it as more of a business, almost at the same time the Yankees slowed down the spending……King George would have never sat back and watched Harper and Freeman go by……they obviously still spend money, but their philosophy has changed, winning used to be the #1 priority…….

Harper is an all-timer as a head scratcher for the Yankees/Cashman. They supposedly didn’t even make him an offer when he essentially wanted to play for the Yankees. That one was hard to believe. Where did that decision come from?

I think it was a similar situation with Machado, too, right? I think he wanted to go there and the Yankees maybe pivoted to LeMahieu instead? Something like that. LeMahieu was great for a few years, too, but Machado is a HOF-type. I guess you can’t have all those guys on the books at once, but it’s crazy to pass on talent like that when they want to play for the Yanks.

I really wanted the Red Sox to make a play for Freeman, but they were never close in the bidding(imagine that!). He might have gone to LA regardless, I think, but the Sox didn’t get close with their offer.

 

[Pure Steel]

Harper is an all-timer as a head scratcher for the Yankees/Cashman. They supposedly didn’t even make him an offer when he essentially wanted to play for the Yankees. That one was hard to believe. Where did that decision come from?

I think it was a similar situation with Machado, too, right? I think he wanted to go there and the Yankees maybe pivoted to LeMahieu instead? Something like that. LeMahieu was great for a few years, too, but Machado is a HOF-type. I guess you can’t have all those guys on the books at once, but it’s crazy to pass on talent like that when they want to play for the Yanks.

I really wanted the Red Sox to make a play for Freeman, but they were never close in the bidding(imagine that!). He might have gone to LA regardless, I think, but the Sox didn’t get close with their offer.

Yup Machado was there for the taking and they went in another direction......probably wanted to dodge another long term crippling contract as well.....below is a quote about the Freeman situation, I'm leaning towards Freeman's version......


“I had a conversation with [GM Brian Cashman]. They never made an offer,” Freeman told The Post.

Cashman remembered a Zoom meeting he and manager Aaron Boone had with Freeman, noting that they ultimately couldn’t come to an agreement. After negotiations with the Braves fell through, Freeman signed a deferred deal with the Dodgers worth $162 million over six years, valued between $140 million and $145 million.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

This is just about on the money. But Xander is hardly the one that got away. He might have one of the worst contracts in the entire sport. It was so utterly absurd that I’m glad they didn’t match it(or even come close). Of course, it didn’t help that they signed a corpse in Trevor Story to fill that void, but he’ll be off the books soon enough.

Also, Henry used to pay up and have one of the highest payrolls in the sport. You might be right about his other interests taking precedence over the Sox now, however. He has shiny new toys to play with. I don’t expect him to blow out the budget, but I think he should at least look to spend below the tax level. It’s weird that they keep staying below it like a mid-market team.

Spending is one thing. But these silly 15 year, nine figure deals are another. I don't think Henry wants a contract like Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols selling out beaucoup bucks to a player long past his prime. None of these deals will make sense in the long run. And I guess I can't fault a guy for running his team like a business. It does hurt to see teams like Minnesota and Texas outspend the Sox

 

[TheGoodMan19]

Looks like Rafaela is the full time CF. Duran, Rafaela, and Abreu could be one of the best defensive OF in the game. And Roman Anthony waiting in the wings

Red Sox To Keep Ceddanne Rafaela In Center Field "As Much As Possible"

 

[chappee11]

Looks like Rafaela is the full time CF. Duran, Rafaela, and Abreu could be one of the best defensive OF in the game. And Roman Anthony waiting in the wings

Red Sox To Keep Ceddanne Rafaela In Center Field "As Much As Possible"

This makes sense. Rafaela was elite in CF, but only decent at SS. The outfield mix is tricky with Duran, Abreu, Anthony(and Yoshida, sort of) all LH. Abreu will probably platoon with Refsnyder, but they really need another RH outfielder to round out the group. This is a really good defensive alignment, as well, which is a welcome treat after years of watching terrible defense from this team.