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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 11, 2018 21:17:47 GMT -5
No throw downs necessary here. We know the owners are making fortunes on baseball, and that they have developed methods of creeping away from fair and equitable sharing of those revenues with the players and personnel (from coaches to marketing to groundskeepers) who produce those revenues. I don't, however, believe that Boras is the leader of the opposition, throwing down the gauntlet on behalf of baseball players. This is not and historically has never been his motivation.
The main reason I am angry at Boras this time, is that his efforts on behalf of his clients (exemplified by JDM's stated willingness to hold out into March, and Hosmers toying with the seven year offers of TWO Teams) are messing with the roster construction of the very teams trying to sign his clients, and messing with the salaries and livelihoods of so many other players on those teams. DDo, for example, has been waiting on Boras/Martinez to see if he can afford to sign a Nunez or Reed or Shaw or even Santana. The off-season has been put on hold for a prima dona and egotistical agent whose sole interest is max$$$, even if not warranted. 7/210? An insult to Big Papi. Not willing to DH so move JBJ or Beni for MOI, le Roi. Too bad about the peasant players who don't deserve to get paid if they aren't as good as me.
Nope. At this point I am all in favor of keeping this diva off the team. Sign Duda. Sign Nunez. Sign Reed. The bullpen and running game will improve substantially; while a platoon of Duda and Hanley might equal or surpass JDM's HR and doubles production. The three would cost less than the Boras-proclaimed super man and savior, and on shorter deals. And the clubhouse will be a happier place.
With that said, the Players Association has much work to do, and I would support a strike for more equitable revenue sharing both with the owners and among the players, ALL of them.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 10, 2018 3:17:32 GMT -5
You mean Hanley/Moreland, right? They re-signed Mitch Moreland already. I think he wants a Hanley/Moreland platoon at first base and a Brentz/Duda platoon at DH. Sorry for being unclear. No, I am hoping for a JDM signing (though less and less as he and Boras hold our feet to the fire). Barring that, folks here were advocating pitching instead of JDM, as is Mat Collins atOTM. My question was, if the Sox were unable to sign JDM and go instead for a near ace SP, would a heathy Hanley + Duda work as a DH platoon? Might this provide adequate power in lieu of JDM, in addition to the hoped for run prevention of this new pitcher. Who's on first? Mitch Moreland of course. I named Brentz as 4th OF and backup 1B and DH, because that is also my hope.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 9, 2018 21:01:12 GMT -5
With enough good free agents still out there I would think DDo is leaving his options open with many different directions the team can go. Option A would be to sign JDM to a 5 yr deal. If he signs elsewhere, then option B should be to spend that money and sign a couple guys. Something like Cobb/Darvish and Reed/Watson. That would help the team by upgrading the rotation and bullpen if you can't upgrade the lineup w JDM With all this remarkable talk about pitching (remember that Papi was essentially replaced by the equally remarkable Chris Sale for a 93W redux), my questions are simple. Is Hanley fully healthy? If so can he be a dominant DH supported by Duda, Brentz, Nunez ... and another "near Ace" in the rotation? BTW, for what it's worth, a Hanley/Duda DH should be pretty darned good. And I hope to see the rewards of sticking with our virtually home grown Wright, Johnson, Brentz, Swihart on the 25 man to start the year.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 9, 2018 2:36:59 GMT -5
It's alright guys, he just had a typo. He obviously meant "Paul Goldschmidt." No way this deal is even close to get him. It only has a shot with Manny because he is a year away from free agency, and on a team that rarely makes big free agent signings let alone re-sign their own superstars on the open market. The Red Sox could only get Paul if they trade Devers or Benintendi. Since their farm system doesn't have the kind of premium talent neccessary for a deal like that. Very, very funny summary of all the pro Machoman posts in the Machado thread. Excellent job. Enjoyable. Thank you.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 8, 2018 2:43:11 GMT -5
The Winter Meetings are actually a business expo for the minor leagues. They are not actually held for the reasons that get written about, for meetings between MLB front offices and other front offices or agents/players. There's a job fair, there are other events - many things go on other than what most of us think about regarding the winter meetings. My point is they aren't moving them or canceling them, etc. This is where important connections and decisions are made on so many levels of the game. Conference calls and skype can never replicate, simulate or replace an annual meeting of the clan, including the pillars of this small universe. Baseball issues are best discussed and decided in the meeting rooms, restaurants, bars and pubs of the venue. For many it is also a wonderful break following the grind, with family and good friends.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 8, 2018 2:25:44 GMT -5
There have been plenty of offseason nuggets regarding Swihart's health, his performance in the Dominican fall/winter league, and his defensive home(s) moving forward. Gammons touches on the latter in his latest piece: How do people feel about Swihart's potential in a super utility role? There has been a lot of anger on the board regarding Swihart's handling in 2016 as a LF option. He's out of options now though, and learning to handle a couple of positions in addition to catcher might be his best bet to stay in Boston. With the news of other teams having interest in Swihart. And all the talk about Brentz as the 4th outfielder/DH. Swihart is a more diverse athlete than Brentz. Swihart has capability to play 1st 2nd 3rd catcher LF and DH. He is also a switch hitter that has hit for in the minors. Brentz could play the corner OF spots. He has played some first base. And has not hit for average. Dombrowski has spoken highly of Swihart as recently as this week. If a team offers a power lefty reliever or a depth starter then maybe. Good call re-introducing the Swihart thread, one of the more promising prospects and rookies of the past several years, even on a team with the B-Boys. After all the crap he has been through in his young life, is this kid ready to play ball, or what? He is among the best athletes on a pretty athletic team. He can hit, run, is learning to play multiple positions, already has some good MLB experience in LF and at C, is a switch hitter and is, without doubt, with a strong winter ball performance and a new wife, ready to settle in and start over. With Marco at 2nd for Pedey, this leaves four bench positions. Assuming Leon and Brentz make the team, B.S. is only blocked if both Hanley and Holt are fully healthy as reserves. If they are not, then there is room on the bench for both him and Marrero. So many good choices.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 7, 2018 10:34:17 GMT -5
A smart person looks around before settling on a dentist, accountant, doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, whatever. Having done so, that person solicits advice and usually listens to it, as the chosen professional is the expert. There is no guarantee that this advice is accurate, beneficial or even ethical; and this is too often the case.
My problem with Scott Boras, Esq. is not that he advises his clients, and usually gets them a good deal, as that is his job. It's that he:
1. does his job at the expense of every other player on every team he deals with; and the inherent wellbeing of those teams. It's not about labor vs management. It's about player vs. player, and about one player's $$ vs. the $$ of team mates and, logically, the success of the team. DDo, for example, in attempting to compete with the NYFY, has shown interest not only in JDM (whose career DDo has already rescued) but also in Santana, Abreu, Nunez, Machado, LHRP, etc., but he can't make a move before resolving the JDM deal, if it can be resolved reasonably (7/210M is not reasonable.) DDo is waiting on Boras. Nunez is waiting on Boras. The team is waiting on Boras. And JDM is absolutely waiting on his advisor, Boras, to advise him on the next move. Same as he would wait for his doctor or lawyer to advise him what to do. Players certainly make the ultimate decision (see Tek) but are not likely the principal decision makers during the process of negotiation. Players have as little expertise in such matters as they do in medicine or law. "When Boras speaks, players listen."
2. Boras' reputation as a flimflam man is well deserved. We all know his type, possibly to our detriment. He spins fairy tales and sells them as Gospel truth. He does so to the detriment of both labor (other players) and management (DDo) as well as the industry (baseball and its fans) which supports him lavishly. Was it Haymen who originally dubbed him "superagent" or Boras himself? I once worked with a man who sold a 100 year supply of toothpaste to a struggling native Alaskan tribe. He built a lucrative career on that incredible feat. He hurt the tribe, but in sales and marketing, he was considered a legend. Still is. When it is brought up that he hurt the tribe, the retort is inevitably "he was just doing his job, and doing it well." So is Boras.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 6, 2018 3:08:18 GMT -5
We are in January and I don't think we've seen one client of Boras sign a deal. The list includes- J.D. Martinez Eric Hosmer Carlos Gomez Carlos Gonzalez Mike Moustakas Greg Holland Jake Arrieta Am I missing any players? Boras' new Moro should be "if you don't want a job until the season starts, sign with me." Love it. How about "if you don't care about teams, teammates, franchises or fans, and don't want a job until the season starts, sign with me, play my game, because I am magic and all-powerful, and have dirt on every owner and GM and Heyman."
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 2, 2018 3:22:23 GMT -5
I don't know about the fact that Xander could ever be better than Machado at the short stop position, either defensively or offensively. Machado is a massive upgrade when healthy over Xander. You can question his knees all you want going into his 30's and that's fair, but Xander is only a year younger than Manny. I'd take Machado's ceiling over Xander's any day of the week. Manny is a superstar, Xander is a good player. As to Umass's post, signing Mitch Moreland and Duda to multi-year contracts would be a massive fail to the off-season. Just no way around that. I think you may be perseverating about Machado who, despite his talent, is very unlikely to come to his least favorite city and team. You have previously talked, at various times, about chemistry and leadership and fiscal responsibility and extending the core, and rebuilding a productive farm. I get wanting a player like Machado on the Red Sox. But having him for one year is a waste of resources. And extending him to a mega long term contract will require tearing apart this amazing winning team and its young core, AND further deplete the farm, all while preventing extensions to the core and creating serious LT issues. IMO the Sox and Machado are, barring a miracle, mutually exclusive at this time. I am truly excited about seeing how this talented home grown core (kids we watched develop) get healthy and back on track as a leading offensive force. Most experts express similar views. I have more confidence in and affection for this Sox team's Rotation and Pen and Bench and the offense and defense of Beni, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Devers, Pedroia, Vasquez, etc. than most Sox teams during decades of following the Sox. I hope and pray that the Sox cling to our best prospects. If DDo can add JDM's bat to Moreland's 20+HR, 30+ doubles and above average 1B glove, great. If not, then using the money refused by Boras to ADD some combination like Duda at DH + Nunez + RP + Extension #1 to this 93W team would also be great. After such traumas as Crawford, Gonzales, Panda, Hanley, Castillo, Lackey, even Price, Kimbrel, Thornburg, I am pretty sure I would lose interest in a team willing to sacrifice our core or farm or financial flexibility or chemistry for one year or one decade of Machado machismo. In all seriousness, "losing" a dozen top farmhands over the past few years, justified or not, has been painful. Tearing up this core to create a "fantasy baseball" team would be unacceptable. I would sadly cancel the NESN subscription and trade my Red Sox hat and apparel for ones from local colleges and high schools. They could better use my support, their games are fun, and their hot dogs taste just as good at 5x less $$.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 31, 2017 13:59:23 GMT -5
I think it not happening has less to do with Machado/Boston than it does Baltimore trading him in general. I just don't see any way for all sides to come away happy enough to get a deal done, and I've thought that since rumors of his availability popped up. It just doesn't make sense. By all accounts, Manny wants to test the market, and he should, considering talk of the kind of contracts he and Harper could be getting. That means there's no way you would be able to use a negotiating window to pull off a trade and extension in one fell swoop. If that is the case, nobody will (read: should) give up enough for 1 year of control for the O's to feel satisfied with the return. Agree it's a trade that shouldn't happen. And shouldn't happen for the many valid reasons enumerated. Personally, I am in the camp of wanting to hang onto Xander. Eric's look at his offensive stats above, and XB's awareness of how stupid it was for him to ruin his game in order to play thru pain, are strong evidence that he is likely to pull it all together as a veteran 25 year old. The kid continues to learn and grow. (As a sidebar, how stupid was the training/coaching staff to permit him, and MM, and JBJ and Nunez and others to play poorly through injuries. We can hope that era is over.) In addition to XB and JB and AB I also want to hang on tightly to Groome and Chavis and Mata et alia as there is zero reason to trade any of them. Simply sign, at a reasonable rate, JDM as DH. If not him, then Duda or LoMo as DH. Duda and Nunez would produce a ton of runs and allow a move for more shut down pitching. Keep the door open for Brentz, Swihart and eventually Chavis. One last thing. I do not like Machado and don't want him on the Red Sox. He has a reputation as a dirty player for a reason. I believe his spiking of Pedey was deliberate, perhaps not consciously, but at least subconsciously as part of his game. After taking out Pedey, he took out Nunez with an extra and unnecessary tweak of his arm. This is not necessary in baseball. It is also more obvious and often severely punished. Referees in basketball, hockey, football, soccer spend half their game policing against dirty play at speeds which make such policing difficult. Most baseball players try to "keep it clean". Those that don't hurt your team.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 27, 2017 14:35:48 GMT -5
Given this information from James and Chris re: extreme usage of Porcello, Sale, Pom in 2017, I wonder if the "World Series hangover" dilemma might apply in 2018. Might it also apply to Velasquez who seemingly pitched thru summer, fall and winter leagues non-stop? Having this deep bullpen will be a big help if this hangover effect is real. By the same token, the minimal use, due to injury, of Price, ERod, Wright and Johnson might allow them to add innings to compensate, and be effective when the rust is gone. It is good having 8+ good SP's and BP depth. Velazquez didn't pitch in Mexico until December 15. He had two and a half months off. (Also noteworthy is that he threw all of 8 innings in September/October, 4 of those on October 1, so he basically had September off too.) They also handled him with kid gloves to start the season on account of his pitching 216 innings between the Mexican summer and winter leagues the previous season, leading to his only having pitched 126 innings in the U.S. this year. The Mexican League's regular season ends this week, with the playoffs taking the month of January. He's only made two starts, so assume he makes one more, bringing him to 10 or 11 innings in the regular season, then makes like 4 playoff starts at most - he still will fall WELL short of his innings total from 2016. I'm not concerned about him. That is good news, no "hangover" then. Thanks. His talent seems real, so he could become an important RHSP this coming season, able to also contribute innings if necessary.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 27, 2017 11:52:56 GMT -5
Yeah, I think piggybacking on both of your posts, pitcher durability and how Cora handles that will be a pretty big key in 2018. Much has been made about how hard Farrell pushed Sale, but Rick Porcello faced more batters than any other pitcher in baseball in 2017. Whether that contributed to his ineffectiveness (in my opinion it did, but I'd prefer not to get too deeply into that argument), or merely exacerbated the negative effects of it because he was pitching innings that should have been taken by the bullpen, either way it was bad managing. Then we have Price coming off of injury and needing to ramp up, Rodriguez coming back at some point, Pomeranz never having been an innings muncher, and Wright probably needing time to ramp up... I criticized Farrell a lot over the last couple years for managing in an overly reactive way that seemed to be how he'd have wanted to be managed as a player. The Red Sox are in a weird spot, because I think they have as much or more pitching talent as any team in the AL, but that talent is probably less durable. So seeing how Cora works with that, whether it's deploying someone like Johnson or Velazquez in a multi-inning role, being proactive with his bullpen, etc. is the biggest question/concern I have. Porcello was first, and Sale sixth, in batters faced among MLB pitchers. Sale was second, and Porcello fourth, in pitches thrown. Pomeranz was 42nd in batters faced and 27th in pitches thrown. And per this questionable site I found ( www.teamrankings.com/mlb/player-stat/pitches-per-game someone tell me if this is corroborated on B-Ref, FG, or elsewhere), Sale was first, Porcello 12th, and Pomeranz 35th in pitches per start last year. Obviously, some of this is self-selecting (if you suck, you're not going to make it to 106 pitches to begin with), but either way, their workloads were their workloads. So yeah, I think monitoring the workload of those three will be near the top of the to-do list for Cora this year. Given this information from James and Chris re: extreme usage of Porcello, Sale, Pom in 2017, I wonder if the "World Series hangover" dilemma might apply in 2018. Might it also apply to Velasquez who seemingly pitched thru summer, fall and winter leagues non-stop? Having this deep bullpen will be a big help if this hangover effect is real. By the same token, the minimal use, due to injury, of Price, ERod, Wright and Johnson might allow them to add innings to compensate, and be effective when the rust is gone. It is good having 8+ good SP's and BP depth.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 26, 2017 18:17:42 GMT -5
Hello all, I've been following soxprospects and the forum for a few years, and decided to finally join. So...hello! Bravo and welcome aboard, and just in time as we approach the end of Hot Stove with not much remains to accomplish, and the start of ST virtually next month. Boy, does that feel good to say out loud.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 26, 2017 13:31:11 GMT -5
I thought jmei was right in doing so. IMO there is no reason why said poster you are referring couldn't start another thread. It gets tiring and boring when said poster you are referring keeps bashing DD on every thread while DD wasn't the subject. I disliked Farrell's managing style immensely and brought it up a few times - so I get it - but this guy nearly every post bashed DD and the bashing didn't appear to be separated in much time . Sorry-- but after a while it's not fun. It becomes monotonous - when all the guy has to do is just start a new thread and that would be fine. If every thread were a DD bashing thread or a Farrell bashing thread etc I'd move on. Wouldn't you? You wouldn't get tired of over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over? Agreed, and if it isn't done, then it will be attempted to be squashed by members through trolling, anger and bitterness, leaving the forum a battlefield. We don't need that. This place is way above the level of talk radio that a lot of the internet seems to be at. There are plenty of other places to rant like the most miserable bitter Red Sox fan that exists. Adding to that, I visit a few carefully selected sites like this to avoid the morass of strident negativity and/or stupidity found in places I no longer visit. The poster Ben referred to was not by any means stupid and seems to be a student of the game but, to be honest, his repetitive attacks were turning me off. Most everyone on this site appreciates, on many levels, the pros and cons of his points the first or second time around. Jmei's suggestion to start a new thread was a good one, if a bit surprising in tone. I always appreciate jmei's input, and would also appreciate this new poster's contributions, but under the guidelines stated.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 26, 2017 13:10:07 GMT -5
Health wise he should be good to go. Dave said that the doctors told him that if Price made it through the end of the year, he should be fine to start this season. I'm not really sure what people plan to expect from Price. At his best he is one of the best innings eaters in the game. At times he might have diminished velocity, which could lead to mixed results, but he is still very valuable at even his salary. If he comes in and just is David Price and not the injured David Price, the Sox might have the best rotations in the game when Eduardo comes back. I'm at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I'm thinking the biggest question mark is Xander. Cora and his coaching staff are going to completely revamp this lineups approach to taking pitches early in the count. Xander is the biggest example of Red Sox players who took WAY too many hittable pitches in the zone early in the counts last year. I want to see if it can help Xander by being more aggressive or if it'll hurt him in the long run. I hope Cora can close his stance a little too. I'd love to cut out a few more of these bloop singles to opposite field and focus on driving the ball to all fields. It's a lot to ask for a 24 year old who has been in the league for over 4 years. That is why he is the biggest question mark for me. At least with so many of our guys, there seems to be nowhere to go but up. Your response is the biggest reason most fans are confident this is, for the third year in a row, a postseason team. So many injuries, illnesses, distractions for so many players who would love to have a "normal" season. Specifically, a succesful year from several of Beni, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Brentz, Pedroia, Hanley, Moreland, Leon, Swihart, Hernandez, Lin as well as Price, Porcello, Wright, ERod, Johnson, Smith, Thornburg, Workman, Taylor should propel this team past 93W. Add in most effective use of such players as Sale, Pom, Kimbrel, Kelly, Barnes, Devers, Holt, Marrero, Velasquez, Quiroz; and add a big bat ... I am not worried a bit about this Red Sox team's place in the MLB 2018!Pantheon.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 25, 2017 17:16:25 GMT -5
He was a LFer before being moved to right. Figure he could play occasionally in LF in Fenway against LHP or when Beni/Bradley are hurt. As we know, a good arm in LF at home is very useful. LF requires a good arm less than any other position than 1B. The reason you need a good arm in RF as opposed to LF is to make the throw to third base, because there's no equivalent throw for the left fielder. As for making the throw to home, again, because of Fenway's short LF dimensions, a good arm is probably less necessary there than in any other park in baseball. Obviously you'd like a guy in the outfield to have a good arm, but if you're going to try to convince me that Martinez can play the outfield well for the Boston Red Sox, his arm is probably the thing I'm least worried about unless he's noodle-armed or something. Agree a strong arm in LF isn't a tool of primary importance, but it has importance in, for example, preventing a hitter from legging out a double, or a runner at 2nd or 3rd from tagging up for a close play. Papi played a decent 1B but this became increasingly difficult and potentially harmful as he aged. Regardless, I hope that if JDM comes aboard, he comes as the DH, aware of his 125G health tendencies, dedicated to offensive production, and understanding the defensive downgrade he could be with this incredible outfield. He will be getting paid to hit, with potential to fill in once in awhile as the FIFTH OF. IMO Brentz would be a better 4th OF. Hopefully, the combined power of JDM at DH and Brentz as 4th OF in a given game would be a plus; especially with 1B manned by MM or Hanley. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year to all here.
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Post by gerry on Dec 21, 2017 17:04:32 GMT -5
Why even bring that up? Are you saying that every toe injury is the same exact injury? Are we now onto guessing just how much Moreland was hurt and how much pain he was in? And how much your performance playing professional baseball wouldn't suffer from a broken toe compared to Moreland? The Red Sox aren't expecting more from Moreland. He's insurance for Hanley. Between the two of them, there won't be a disaster that there could have been with Hanley as the full time 1B. www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/2017/06/red_sox_notebook_mitch_moreland_to_play_through_broken_toeSimple Moreland didn't even fully break his toe. It was a small fracture. It wasn't an injury that lingered for months and months. Even Eric did a study were he concluded the toe injury was only a problem for a few weeks. Which makes sense if you have ever dealt with a toe issue. It would be different if it involved ligaments, but it didn't. What's funny is everyone brings up the toe, but he had surgery on his knee recently for a tear. Actually, fractures can be more problematic than breaks, and can take much longer to heal. And full recovery (on the field) from any break or fracture can take a while after the bones are technically healed. Just like the lingering effects of the April flu epidemic lasted for weeks after the patients were declared fit to return to action. As long as you are personalizing this, I once spent two MONTHS in the hospital, much of it in traction, followed by rehab learning to walk again, recovering from a fractured (not broken, which would have been faster) femur. Most docs will predict only within a wide range, the weeks or months needed to recover from anything. See TJ surgery, or Dustin Pedroia, ERod, Hanley, Marco Hernandez, Bryce Brentz, Blake, Blake Swihart, Tyler Thornburg, etc. Contrary to Mazz, these things DO take their own time. Remember when some idiots complained that JFK, and later John Kerry weren't wounded enough to be president? Really? LoL!!!
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Post by gerry on Dec 21, 2017 16:34:56 GMT -5
So is Moreland consistent, or did the better hitting conditions in 2017 mask a significant decline by a 31-year-old mediocrity who showed other signs of decline as well and produced almost all of his offensive value during a six-week early-season surge? I have no way of knowing, but when in doubt I always bet on OBP, and Alonso has had higher OBPs. I agree, I think people are going to be disappointed if they think his early hot streak is the Moreland we get in 2018. At best the toe injury cut his hot streak short by a little bit. I've broken my toe and it was completely healed in two weeks and felt really good after a week. No more feeling the two bones moving against each other. In 2017 Moreland had the second best offensive season of his career. Expecting more than that sounds like a recipe for disaster. I had hoped for a reasonable (MLBTR version) contract for Santana. Hosmer at $20M was too much. Abreu, at the cost of JBJ and our few remaining top prospects was too much. Duda, Alonzo and Lomo have power, but perhaps too recently, and have significant issues of their own, from defense to inconsistency to personality. Meanwhile, MM will likely again hit 22-23HR, 30-35 doubles vs RHP, pairing with Brentz or Travis or Hanley; and once again play GG level D, benefiting the young left side and whomever subs for Pedey. His offense and above average D would NOT be a fluke, as this has been his MO for several years in the Majors. It's a 2 year, low cost deal allowing DDo to sign the power bat he is still talking about, which could be JDM. We can not expect MM to hit like Santana or Abreu, any more than we should have expected him to replace Papi. So what. Those are not fair expectations. 1B was by NO means a black hole in 2017. GG defense, 22HR and 34 doubles power, and a lengthy streak of carrying the team are really good. I see no reason to expect him to suddenly fall off the proverbial cliff. He is too young and too consistent for that.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 19, 2017 17:42:36 GMT -5
You guys are ridiculous. Hosmer being a target has not been debunked at all. It is easily plausible that what the Red Sox thought he was worth was nowhere close to what Boras was asking for and Moreland almost undoubtedly got an offer that the Red Sox matched because there was a danger in waiting around forever. That does not mean that Hosmer was not their #1 target. I think some people have some pretty thin skin when Eric starts talking. Just shut up and listen is my advice and get what you can from it. [br Eric, following your knowledge-based, well-considered thought processes through "The Great Moreland, Hanley, Hosmer, Duda, Santana, Abreu, Bour, LoMo, Belt, Adams, JDM Debate & Discussion" has been nothing short of a compelling graduate course in applied baseball science. Thank you, and such masterful contributors as UMass, Telson, Jimed, Chris to name just a few. This public discourse has been by far the best part of the Red Sox post season. You have jump started these happy, hopeful holidays. May your days be merry and bright, and the 2018 season at least as exciting, interesting and successful.
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Post by gerry on Dec 18, 2017 19:13:46 GMT -5
Respectfully, I think it gives Boras more leverage as it appears to now be JD or bust. Or Abreu as DH. Others?
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 18, 2017 18:29:02 GMT -5
I bet Boras was asking for 7/175 for Hosmer or something similarly absurd. It's what he does. He has, if I remember, hurt some of his clients with absurd demands and foot dragging. He certainly hurts teams trying to put their rosters together. With memories of Ella and others running thru my brain, it's too bad he is also the agent for JBJ and XB, who could/maybe should be Red Sox for life, but likely won't. And yes it is his job, but every business has a responsibility to stakeholders, the community involved, as well as to shareholders. I know, LOL these days say the FCC, EPA, Consumer Protection Agency, Boras, etc. Young players actively listen to advice from the agent they have hired to represent their interests; often without question. Forceful, well reasoned advice (no matter how self serving) is hard to ignore when you don't know the ropes. Which rings truer to you: a 22 year old client will listen to the advice of his expert agent, Boras, or that agent Boras will acquiesce to the wants of his youthful, naive, inexperienced client even against his own financial interest.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 18, 2017 17:45:01 GMT -5
Remember how Mitchie 2-Bags carried the team for weeks, winding up with 34 doubles and 22 HR and, as JimEd pointed out, an 850 Slg until he fractured his toe!?!? He likes Fenway, uses the Monster masterfully, and should do at least as well in 2018. Also important that Marco, Lin, Marrero, Holt, Devers, Xander, CV, Leon, Mookie, JBJ, and the pitchers are all used to him and respect his GG caliber glove, accurate arm and baseball smarts. He offers us this for a $1M raise; and saves $13-15M over Hosmer (who might not have been worth that extra $14M.) Hanley and Brentz (and Travis?) will make excellent platoon partners.
I think it's a smart move. $7M + $22-25M for JDM keeps the Sox under the $237 draconian cap, even without a trade or DFA. DDo knows what he is doing, and says what he is doing.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 17, 2017 14:40:55 GMT -5
Assuming DDo is after the best bat (JDM at DH and 5th OF) let's take him at his word for a moment, when he says that one bat is enough and that he (and Cora) think a healthy Hanley also counts as a big bat. Is a healthy Hanley a better bat and glove than Duda? Yes. And a better bat than MM? Yes. Hosmer? Probably. If he stays healthy. And his 22M for 2019 is off the books. The alternative is to trade him for $7-10M payroll relief, which could be a huge waste.
Hanley at 1B would also give a chance to see just how good our "out of options" prospects can do: Brentz and his 30HR potential backing 1B and DH (with Hanley) as well as PH, LF and even some RF with that excellent arm. LHB Marco at 2B during Pedey's recovery keeps Marrero, the best IF defender on the team, as backup SS, 2B, 3B, 1B vs LHP, against whom he does very well; and as late inning defensive replacement. This leaves room for Swihart to resurrect his once promising career, as a switch hitting C, 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, PR with some power and speed.
Playing to their their strengths, Marco, Marrero and Swihart's versatility adds some speed to the small ball side of the Sox ability to create runs, with Beni, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley and even Devers and CV; while Brentz, maybe Swihart, adds to the anticipated power game of JDM, Devers, Hanley, Betts, Beni, Bradley, Bogaerts; maybe Chavis mid-season.
With JDM, even without the costly addition of Hosmer or Abreu, by trusting the new coaches, a healthy Hanley, and maximizing the unique talents of this wave of older kids, the Sox' offense should be full of power and speed, with a strong defense. And saving $25-30M on Hosmer and Nunez, while perhaps costing a win or two, will allow DDo to acquire pitching help and deadline pickups which would replace that win or two; while protecting the farm, draft picks, draft slot money, international money, and money to start extending the core. Sounds like a very good team and the road back to sanity.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 15, 2017 0:45:56 GMT -5
Felger and Maz were hinting at PED use late afternoon. J.D.'s gap in power years 22,38,22,46 the question, nothing else. sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/9002/Playing less than 120g last two seasons? Hosmer,Moustakas,Cozart --just to name 3-- had primo FA years with career highs in Hr's /OPS like JD. Well if they hinted at it - it must be so.Looks like Vulgar and Miss are ever closer to crossing the line. Or is this just more acceptable in the current ethical climate?
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Post by gerry on Dec 14, 2017 18:47:38 GMT -5
For what it's worth, I think people are considering the $237M number to be far too hard of a cap. The club's first-round pick moves back 10 spots if they pass that number. If you assume a team that finishes in the top third of the league, and therefore is picking after #20, that isn't a particularly awful thing, necessarily. Of course, the 2012 and 2014 clubs also both thought they were going to finish near the top of the league, so that assumption can be dangerous. You could argue that the penalty for signing one of the QO free agents - losing the second-round pick entirely (and with it, its slot value) and $500k of international bonus money - is worse than the $237M penalty by a pretty significant amount. If they got those two players they would probably be among the top 5 teams or better in the league record-wise. The farm system all I read is about is awful. So you are getting about the 35-40 pick. And then if they sign Hosmer along with JDM they also lose the 2nd round pick and the pool money? Along with an additional $8m? Wouldn't the team, in terms of both production in 2018 and the ability to draft well in 2018, be far better if the Sox passed on any QO? That would eliminate both Hosmer or Santana, as desirable as they may be. Wouldn't that leave a Plan B as JDM at DH, Duda + Hanley at 1B & DH? Losing a first and second round pick plus bonus pool money plus International money by signing a QO and going over the Cap would really sting. But I guess having JDM and Hosmer long term, plus the core already set at C, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, SP, RP, IF EXTENDED, would give DDo more worry-free time to rebuild the Farm and keep the Sox in contention for a while.
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