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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 14, 2023 16:01:11 GMT -5
Not to single you out specifically, but if you don't mind me asking a question - what's with the Bloom-specific fandom? I like watching the Boston Red Sox play baseball and my GM-specific fandom is more dependent on how well they make the pastime of watching the Red Sox play baseball better or worse. Despite appearances, I really don't give a crap about DD in and of himself. I just like that he made watching the Red Sox better. I'm really not any more or less of a Phillies fan because he's there now. Why/how does a guy who has generally had a bad run of mlb success draw so much individual loyalty? not to derail the thread or anything but many here would disagree that DD did not contribute to making the Red Sox worse to watch and that Bloom did not make the Red Sox better to watch I enjoyed 2016, 2017, and 2021 and loved, loved, loved 2018. The rest of the seasons between 2016 - 2023 were a drag. I think Dombrowski's tenure was far more enjoyable than Bloom's. I dont think Dombrowski destroyed thecSox anywhere near as badly as others here say he did. I think its ridiculously overblown. I dont want to rehash another DD vs Bloom Conversation yet again but frankly I enjoyed the DD era a lot more than this era of mediocrity. You can say that DD is the reason they're mediocre now but I disagree with that, but am not desiring to get into that at this time.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 14, 2023 11:54:30 GMT -5
I dont' see this as anything other than a PR move. Realistically they are promoting Brian O'Halloran or they are bringing in a new guy with the same philosophy as Chaim Bloom. Nightengale already reported they had strong interest in bringing in Stearns before he went to the Mets. I'm happy they likely won't be changing the organizational philosophy they built the past four years, but its unfortunate that ownership is using Bloom as a scapegoat. I really don't see anything he's done egregiously wrong to the point of being fired, especially this season. On a funny note, was watching a youtube video posted by the Dodgers documenting Mookie's return, and they video'd the interaction between Mookie and Chaim that we saw pictures of. The first thing Mookie said was: "Nice to finally meet you." Pretty telling that Chaim was hired with the objective to trade Mookie rather than even attempt to sign him. Yup, sign Mookie to a hometown discount and if he refuses trade him and defend it. Those were Bloom's first set of marching orders. No wonder he wasn't destined to succeed in Boston.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 14, 2023 11:40:30 GMT -5
I guess carrabis is pretty well connected. I'll make sure to listen when he speaks.
I wonder if this was done now so that it would preserve Cora from being fired by Bloom.
Too bad it ended this way, but the results are the results.
I would have given him 1 more year but I understand why they didnt give him the year.
I like Bloom's vision but I didnt always care for the judgment or execution.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 13, 2023 11:37:03 GMT -5
Cora looks worn out and miserable. It's probably killing him inside watching such a fundamentally flawed team.
I think the Verdugo stuff might provide a glimpse of other stuff that rankles him.
Cora was so energetic and seemingly full of ideas when he came aboard. He was exactly what the team needed.
Even in 2021, the enthusiasm, etc, was there. I think the last 2 seasons have drained him and aged him.
I think Bloom will fire him and Cora will resurface elsewhere, be energized, and have future success.
Then the question will be does Bloom then find himself fired?
It'll be interesting. I expect both Cora and Aaron Boone to lose their jobs. The offseason should be a lot more interesting than the past two months of the season.
The Sox were competitive yet again until the trade deadline but here we are in September where they are playing meaningless games again.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 23:08:24 GMT -5
It'll be interesting to see how good Jarred Carrabis' sources are, if they're accurate about Bloom not being around come November.
I'm on the fence about this. My inclination is to give Bloom one more year to see if he can turn the team into a playoff team and continue to improve the system in 2024.
That said, if they let Bloom go in favor of a better PoBO, then I'm quite fine with it.
Overall I'm not very impressed with Bloom's track record and I feel that ownership overreacted to the 2019 hangover where Sale gave out and the other starters showed the aftereffects of Cora riding them hard in the postseason, and they decided that they didnt want to be among the highest paying teams in baseball anymore even though it worked swimmingly in 2018.
Dombrowski gave Sale his extension when he shouldn't have which hurt but Bloom came in and inherited a core still in its prime, the same core minus Betts that was mostly responsible for their 2021 success.
Bloom certainly improved the farm although he did inherit some good talent in Bello, Casas, and Houck.
I would expect better drafting opportunities if you're picking mid pack rather than the back 5 of the first round and for the most part, that has happened and they did turn the 2020 debacle into Marcelo Mayer.
So the system did improve under his watch although its debatable if the future pitching is going to be much better than the present pitching
But the team on the field was at or toward the bottom of the division in 3 of 4 years. The realistic goal of the team was to win 85 and take a 3td wild card spot, basically the hunt for mediocrity.
I think Bloom is a middling GM and his won loss record reflects this sentiment. I dont have a lot of faith that he can fix the holes. He has left way too many gaping holes whether it's the RT hole he opened up on the Renfroe deal to letting the defense fester all season, or not adequately replacing Eovaldi and Wacha.
I think he hangs on too long to the Matthew Lugo level prospects, etc. I'm not sure that he can fix the core and/or have the farm provide enough help for a few more years. They cant wait until 2026 to seriously compete. They should be able to do a better job of winning games before the Mayers, Anthonys, Yorkes, and Teels are ready.
I've liked a number of his moved but the record is the record, which is the bottom line.
I wonder if both Cora and Bloom go.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 22:32:36 GMT -5
Well, now this dead season has some drama. The Red Sox can try to make history and become the greatest last place team of all time! They'd have to play winning baseball (9-8) to accomplish this spectacular feat, so while I'm optimistic the Sox can pull off another last place finish, their 3rd in 4 seasons, I'm not as optimistic that they can make it to 82 wins to top the 1991 California Angels who finished in 7th place (last place) in the AL West with a .500 record of 81-81.
Dare to dream! Why play for a hum drum 3rd place wild card spot when you can make history?!
I suspect the Sox will fail to maintain .500, as they are now 17-25 since reaching their high water mark of 56-47.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:35:50 GMT -5
NESN had us winning - check the sub-headline they posted - whoops on them! "Red Sox Wrap: Boston Rookies Set Table In Disappointing End Boston's domination over New York continued Tuesday" And Dewey defeated Truman, lol. I'm still pissed at NESN for not making a 2018 season documentary, something that covered the entire season in depth and captured all those great moments. They were too cheap to do so. NESN is terrible.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:26:34 GMT -5
There, folks, are your 2023 Red Sox. Sometimes you wonder where their heads are.... The race for last is on, big time. Yup, they're ball busters. Well that's a couple of hours I'll never get back. Your prediction of 79 wins is still doable. I'm thinking as bad as the Yankees are, the Sox might just finish behind them. And if so, there's no way both Cora and Bloom are back.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:23:43 GMT -5
Yup. Just like I thought. Genius.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:23:10 GMT -5
Watch Verdugo swing at the first pitch.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:19:48 GMT -5
Hard to walk those two guys.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 15:17:19 GMT -5
That was an impressive AB by Rafaela.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 12, 2023 14:17:57 GMT -5
Puvetta's best asset is his durability, not his performance. The guy gave an all star worthy oerformance in the first half last year and was so awful afterward that he got dumped from the rotation.
He is what he is, which is a decent/good reliever who can pitchin long or short relief and spot start and give an occasional good performance but when all is said and done hes a below average pitcher who has value because he is durable.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 10, 2023 23:28:13 GMT -5
We dont even know if Abreu will have enough of a hit tool for his plate discipline to be impactful. I honestly dont think either one should be traded. There's room and a need for both players who do different things that help a team win. I'm not convinced that this is as good as Dursn can do. He already made amazing strides. I dont think .300 hitting leadoff men with 70 stolen base potential, especially on a slow team, should be discarded. Duran won`t steal 70 bases. He turns too many singles into doubles. He could always steal 3b
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 10, 2023 22:43:23 GMT -5
I am 100% against moving Duran to make room for Abreu. First, it seems unnecessary. Second, Duran was great this year, has a better pedigree, and provides massive value with his speed. Abreu has looked good in the briefest stop, but the jury is out. It doesn’t seem necessary, again, to do anything, since they are both cheap and controlled. Abreu has the superior plate discipline, like it’s not even close. I don’t know about you but I’ll always bet on the hitters with the better strike zone awareness, they’ll get on base even when the BABIP gods don’t show them any love. Abreu is at least playable in RF because of his arm strength, Duran’s a LF only glove. Duran’s a faster and that’s the only aspect that he compares favorably to Abreu. We dont even know if Abreu will have enough of a hit tool for his plate discipline to be impactful. I honestly dont think either one should be traded. There's room and a need for both players who do different things that help a team win. I'm not convinced that this is as good as Dursn can do. He already made amazing strides. I dont think .300 hitting leadoff men with 70 stolen base potential, especially on a slow team, should be discarded.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 10, 2023 22:31:02 GMT -5
Everyone here agrees they need better defense next year, Verdugo has been their best defensive player this year, and yet he is the most popular name to throw out as trade bait. It's a little mystifying. I don't think they actually need to trade anybody, but if they do Duran seems like the best candidate, since he probably has the most trade value, is a somewhat redundant lefty, and he does not help them solve their issues on defense. The big caveat is that I really don't know how he's seen around the league - is this season regarded as a flash in the pan? Do teams believe the defense can be adequate? Would there be concern about the toe injury compromising his one elite skill? I dont think it's that mystifying. Hes already been benched twice for non performance issues. He has 1 year left and Bloom understandably has no inclination to extend him. Yes I get your point about him being a QO and I also agree that hes been good on defense for a team that needs defense. But Duvall is a good defender, misplaced in CF, but I suspect he'd do fine as a RF, and I think Abreu should be able to handle RF as well. I dont find Duran as redundant as others do. He possesses an athleticism and speed that the Sox simply dont have. Without him the Sox are pretty much station to station, among the slowest teams in the league. Duran gives them an electricity they lack. He would be better off in LF, and playing half his games at Fenway doesn't really bother me. I dont anticipate that Verdugo gets them a lot by himself although maybe there's a team with a starting pitcher one year away from free agency who needs Verdugo more, or maybe they package Vereugo with a prospect or two to get pitching help. I suspect Verdugo will be heavily shopped this winter.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 10, 2023 11:34:53 GMT -5
That contract immediately reminded me of Chris Bassitt as a comp. Last year he got 3/63 as a 33 yr old coming off a 182 IP, 3.43, 2.8 fWAR season. Gray will be a year older, but coming off a better season. Giving the usual year to year inflation I'd say that ~3/60 is probably Gray's floor. To get it done... you might need to do the same years at a higher AAV (3/72?) or the same AAV more years (4/84?). I would sign either Sonny for 4/84 in a heartbeat. Doesn't seem like the kind of guy whose stuff is going to fall off in the next few years. I'd be hesitant to sign Gray given his performance in NY. He might just be one of those guys who perform much better in a small market.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 23:17:18 GMT -5
The Yoshida bashing is insanity lol It isn’t bashing. It is math. Dude is not close to as-advertised. Maybe it is a transition issue. But that seems like it is worth considering before spending $200 mill on pitcher from Japan. I'm not following. Yoshida is as advertised. Good hitter. Good discipline. Some power. Bad fielder. Bad baserunner.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 23:15:19 GMT -5
It's a mediocre team with a farm system that is decent, not great, assuming that you average together all the rankings systems and not discard the ones you don't like, as some on here want to do. I recall how clear it was in the second half of 2015 that a great, young core was developing, even though the team was going to finish last. I've heard older fans say the same thing about the second half of 1966. I'm not feeling anything like that now. "Decent farm system" is underselling their minor league affiliates. We're all entitled to our opinions etc., but having at minimum 4 players on every end of season Top 100 list is better than 'average, adequate, passable, tolerable, okay' - and the myriad of other terms for 'decent'. Sorry to nitpick, but I guess I'm easily offended tonight! LOL I'd say it's a good system with offensive talent but light on the pitching side. Perales and Wiki are the big hopes but I'm hesitant on Gonzalez because of control issues. Its thin on the pitching side which is problematic when the big club obviously lacks pitching, to be kind and without anything drastically changing I can still see pitching plaguing them down the road. I use the term decent which undersells it because of the lack of quality pitching in the system. I didnt want to say they have a good system but the pitching will still stink.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 22:20:03 GMT -5
The next GM, if Bloom were fired today, would inherit a bad pitching situation with little pitching help from the farm on the horizon. And as we can see when the team's pitching is lousy it's hard to win. It's a mediocre team with a farm system that is decent, not great, assuming that you average together all the rankings systems and not discard the ones you don't like, as some on here want to do. I recall how clear it was in the second half of 2015 that a great, young core was developing, even though the team was going to finish last. I've heard older fans say the same thing about the second half of 1966. I'm not feeling anything like that now. That's where I am. I like what they have coming up through the system from an offensive standpoint. I like Roman Anthony a good deal (who doesn't?) And in their search for top tier pitching I'm sure he'll be a demand. I think Mayer's issues are completely injury related. Teel is an exciting prospect. Yorke, Rafaela and Bleis, are less certain for me, but Yorke could be a guy who could out an end to the merrygoround at 2b, Rafaela certainly raked this year despite his plate discipline issues and Bleis had an injury wasted year. I can see a good lineup by 2026 that has an infield of Casas/Yorke/Mayer/Devers, an outfield or Duran/Rafaela/Anthony, with Teel catching, and I assume Yoshida Would DH. I like the lineup but it could RH thump to balance it out as it's too left handed. But unless the Sox spend a lot of money on front line pitching I dont see how the Sox of the future will have enough pitching. Bello, if he stays healthy, should be a solid #2 starter, with a chance for more. But that's it. You can't rely on hybrids to fill out the rotation and that's what they have between Whitlock, Houck, and Crawford. I think a good team has to have 3 horses guiding the rotation and a solid 4th option. I think the Sox have to spend big to fill their pitching holes. I would think to get the young stud starter they'd want it would require dealing Casas or Mayer or Anthony or even maybe Teel, but I dont think second tier prospects pries loose a top young pitcher. I think the Sox will need to sign 2 top tier pitchers this year and add anither at some point next year. If not it'll be tough to keep up in the AL East.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 20:24:52 GMT -5
Story probably would have been a dead duck.
Entertaining game, but the Sox managed to lose a game in which they got 12 runs and 23 hits and even made less errors than their opponent.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 20:15:23 GMT -5
Last question: you are assuming they sign multiple FAs? Yes I think they will Anybody in particular?
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 20:07:49 GMT -5
The Red Sox extended Devers and Bogaerts and generally have a budget $100m+ north of the Orioles. Plus part of the beauty of the Red Sox GM situation would be not inheriting a 1st place team. The Dodgers are well set up too but a new GM has no where to go but down there. Well, if one of the reasons it is a good job is there isn’t much down, I grant that. But the next guy would still be asking for years of grace — or about 1/2 billion dollars for FAs. The next GM, if Bloom were fired today, would inherit a bad pitching situation with little pitching help from the farm on the horizon. And as we can see when the team's pitching is lousy it's hard to win.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 20:03:47 GMT -5
The team has just felt like it has been paddling upstream with only one paddle all season. Three relievers are are AAAA at best all got nicked in this one. Another short start. Left a boatload of baserunners. Just lots of ugliness in this game yet again So..what else is new
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Sept 9, 2023 20:01:34 GMT -5
Brian Cashman and his scouting team were in attendance last night. Scouts from LAA, PHI, CHC, ARI, TOR, PIT were there too. His stock has only risen after Ohtani's injury. I think bidding will high enough that Bloom will be out. Bloom will be in on it, but yeah, the bidding will exceed 200 million and could reach as high as 250 given his relatively young age. A lot of teams will be in on him, including the free spending Mets. I expect the standard "we put our best foot forward" talk and I suspect theyll have to pivot to the Japanese lefty. They'll have to sign some pitcher approaching 30 or older than 30. They cant keep on bringing in Kluber and Richards types.
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