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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 9, 2022 9:00:49 GMT -5
1b, 2b and SS are no-brainers. Is it too much to hope for back to back to back rookie of the yr contention? How about the first winner since Dustin.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 9, 2022 7:27:26 GMT -5
94 wins feels about right
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 9, 2022 7:15:57 GMT -5
Might be useful to remember that Cordero was on the COVID list till March 30th last year, so he missed almost all of spring training. That could have something to do with how long it took him to get it into gear. Ahhh the potential....
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 8, 2022 10:29:06 GMT -5
It's an organizational failure if they don't sign Devers long-term. Full stop. Regardless of the cost? I mean there are teams out there willing to do stupid deals. Just look at Corey Seagar at 10/325, that is just ridiculous. I don't care that much about how much these guys get paid but what I don't want to see is 66 million in bad contracts between Raffy and Xander on the back end of those LT deals. Let the Yankees and Dodgers have those problems, heck it is looking like the Mookie deal could end up being a ball and chain. The Trevor Story contract was the best team friendly deal signed this past off season IMO, keep doing that Chaim. If Raffy and Xander are both looking for 33 at least then I say it is time to get some propects back in return. If they are GG candidates then that is a different story. Story is a GG candidate that rakes and look at his contract.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 8, 2022 10:15:50 GMT -5
I remember when Wynn was drafted there was talk of him maybe being a guard. Any chance the Pats kick him inside and draft a LT?
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 8, 2022 10:12:09 GMT -5
Like I have said before, the money the Pats spent last yr in free agency is going to look smarter as time goes on and the new cap space kicks in. It was rather genius and the roster needed an infusion of talent so the timing was perfect. Even if they all don't turn out to be productive it was very smart and did return a playoff spot.
After the trade for Parker I don't see the Pats going WR in the 1st, maybe 2nd or later we'll see. I would imagine BB has a plan, hopefully it works out as well as 2021 did.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 8, 2022 10:02:08 GMT -5
OK so it is looking like I am wrong again if Xander wants top dollar and is drinking the Scott Boras kool aide on his value. He has been great for us but I'm not in favor of a LT 30m contract and I don't think Chaim is either. I would hate to see him go via free agency with no prospects in return via trade but I would hate for the Sox to be out of the race at the deadline even more. So if there is a deal to be made that makes sense then pull the trigger regardless of the standings and put Story at SS. I think that is how Chaim might be looking at it as he isn't afraid to make moves and remember they traded Nomar mid season and that worked out fine.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 8, 2022 3:30:50 GMT -5
Bottom line: Sox let X AND Devers go, then *I* am a free agent for new team. And I don’t need any “I guess they wanted to leave” jive. When that is the excuse for multiple guys, the question starts to become: what is wrong with playing here? Hyperbole
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 7, 2022 18:04:39 GMT -5
And for everyone who is just thinking they know what Raffy wants and that he is gone, you really have no more than an opinion based on nothing. At this point everything is just conjecture so stop being doom and gloom, it serves no purpose. Sport is supposed to be a fun outlet so why turn it into a doom and gloom downer.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 7, 2022 17:58:36 GMT -5
I think it is important to take into consideration other players that are under team control. If Casas comes up this year and rakes and Bobby D takes a step forward and rakes then Raffy could become a valuable trade chip that could bring in a cost controlled ace. Something that the Sox do not have currently in the minors. One thing I think I can expect from Chaim is that he will do what he thinks is best for the team, both short and long term. The one thing I don't want to see is wasting an asset like Raffy, rather than just losing him to FA and the highest bidder why not pull a small market type trade that loads you up with high end prospects. That is the kind of forward thinking I want to see. Be open minded to making trades and signings that maximize both small market and large market ideals, don't just lose Raffy for nothing.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 7, 2022 12:55:57 GMT -5
Maybe Raffy realizes his D is holding him back from being considered an elite long term 3rd baseman which could cost him some money and he wants to fix that. Cora has said he looks a little better this spring.
Maybe some maturity and focus will help his game overall and we will see a MVP type season this yr. Then we can start talking about him being a 30+m player.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 7, 2022 12:50:12 GMT -5
Theis is balling out of his absolute mind in Timelord's absence. Everyone on this thread has said this already, but what a goddamn masterful move by Stevens. I have always liked his game. He hustles, can hit a 3 and is active on both ends but the refs have never really let him play without calling him for everything. Seems like Brad liked his game also and went and got him, should be good depth come playoffs and a Timelord whose minutes will be monitored.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 6, 2022 9:54:48 GMT -5
Jose Ramirez signs for 5/124m.
That should give all of us hope that both X and Raffy can be extended for reasonable amounts. I stand by my prediction that both stay in a Sox uniform. In fact IMO all of these guys will be extended except for JD. If CV has a bounce back year at the plate he will be but if not they may look to upgrade.
Eovaldi has a reputation for being a workout warrior so I don't worry about his age and a 4yr extension.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 6, 2022 6:43:07 GMT -5
Just a reminder that we all were clamoring for Duran a year ago so lets not dismiss him a year later. He could still be what we were hoping for.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 6, 2022 1:21:01 GMT -5
Considering how fast E-Rod signed elsewhere, I would say that he was dead set on leaving! The media environment, the fans, the weather, or maybe the infield defense may have aided E-Rod’s decision to leave, but the end result was E-Rod leaving asap once he got the chance. IMO Bloom should not be graded down for E-Rod leaving, but for how Bloom replaced ERod. An objective was also to improve the defense and JBJ is an upgrade over Renfroe as well as Story at 2nd. Most fans would have liked to see more pitching added (me as well), but with the addition of Whitlock and Paxton to the rotation at some point as well as Sale, IMO the pitching will be better than last year. That is why I think a B- is appropriate. Yes, ERod was dead set on leaving, but it's also possible he had tried to get an extension with the Red Sox during the season and was either rebuffed or low balled and then during the exclusive negotiating window, he could have been lowballed again and could have said, "The hell with these guys. I'm not shooting for the moon but they won't even meet me halfway. I'm going with the first acceptable team that gives me a reasonable offer." It'll be interesting when it finally comes out what happened with ERod and negotiations. I suspect ERod will have a good year on an emerging Tigers team and I suspect that the Sox won't get much out of the money they spent in 2022 to replace ERod as they deal with severe age/performance risk with Hill, a guy who hasn't had a successful season in 5 years, and a guy who is injured and might not provide much in 2022 in Paxton. We'll see what happens. Hill hasn't had a successful season in 5 years? What are you smoking? Based on what? edit. My apologies, you were talking about Wacha. I guess I am just a bit protective of Hill as he has been an after thought for years and yet he always produces quality innings. I wish the Sox had kept him thru the years. He reminds me of Jamie Moyer, a guy that just kept going and producing.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 5, 2022 4:57:17 GMT -5
I give the offseason a B still.
Just some thoughts on ERod. I agree that based on how it all went down he wanted to leave and the IF D could have had something to do with it. And I know this will be an unpopular opinion but how can we not look at Rich Hill as an upgrade over ERod? Don't just look at FIP, look at runs and hits allowed. Based on last season Hill is an upgrade for this season as crazy as that sounds. It might not be totally true but statistically he has been a better pitcher not just last yr but the entirety of ERods career. Perception and reality don't always align and this is a good case of that. I know the injury thing is a factor but ERod has pitched over 150 innings only twice. This is me saying the rotation is going to be fine.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 3, 2022 15:51:24 GMT -5
JBJ with another HR today, this time off a big league starter (Huascar Ynoa). Jackie's gonna make a lot of us look foolish if he takes the starting job by the throat and doesn't let go. He has done it before.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 3, 2022 7:13:51 GMT -5
Am I crazy to think that maybe he should just use the 2 strike approach for every pitch? Dudes got plenty of power that it would seem even if he lost a bit he'd still hit plenty of HRs. I'd rather he hit 25-30 hrs and get on base at a better clip and lower his Ks than strikeout too much and hit 35-40 hrs. Maybe that's just me tho. Absolutely not crazy or alone, I was thinking the same thing. Or maybe that just makes me crazy also. But sure, if he feels as though he isn't losing that much power and he embraces the see ball hit ball mentality that he mentioned the other day maybe he becomes a completely different hitter and the sky is the limit. Today is the day of my fantasy league auction, the 30th season, and I am hoping to get Bobby for a reasonable price. I can see him hitting 35+ bombs this year.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 2, 2022 12:38:57 GMT -5
Pats getting Davante Parker for a late rd pick. Scratch that 23 3rd rd. Pats also getting a 5th back from Miami in 22 I like it, seems like a normal BB offseason. Patient and just slowly adding to the roster. Cutting Agholar means 5 m dead but a savings of 5, wonder if that is the play or create some competition and depth. If they add a wr early in the draft I can see him being gone.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 2, 2022 9:50:43 GMT -5
Did a quick calculation and Dalbec's K rate this spring is right around 16% so far. Some of that has to be attributed to the level of pitching teams throw out there for training. But it probably reflects the new approach also. Very small sample size - 31 PAs - but that may be the lowest rate he's had for any extended period in the majors. Dalbec with a 20% k rate would be one of the best hitters in baseball. We can dream.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 2, 2022 2:50:41 GMT -5
Jim Rice had a .298 career batting average and a 15.7% career K rate. I don't get why his name would even be mentioned in a Dalbec thread. He carried the team just like any other hitter that was anywhere near as good as he was. Me neither. By time Rice was 26 he was completing his 3rd straight 200 hit season and whacking 39 HRs for the second time in 3 years, a year after winning the MVP with 46 HRs and 406 total bases, and of course having hit over .300 for the 3rd straight year. Other than being righthanded and being able to hit the ball a mile when they really get a hold of a pitch, what in the world does Jim Rice have to do with Bobby Dalbec? No reason to get your panties in a bunch guys, all I was saying is I remember him carrying the team.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 1, 2022 14:26:21 GMT -5
Stephen Drew probably wants to give Conforto a hug right now Conforto, Kumar Rocker, Carlos Correa*... Is any agent remotely as likely as Scott Boras to screw over his own clients?
*I still cannot get over the Correa contract. Consider that Max Scherzer also signed a 3-year deal (albeit with one opt out instead of two). His AAV is $43 million - $8 million more than Correa's. That is despite the fact that:
a) Scherzer is ten years older than Correa, and b) Correa has a substantially higher WAR projection, both for this season and even more so over the next 3 seasons.
All that is against the backdrop of Boras having a personal financial incentive for Correa to opt out after this season; in other words, it was in his own interest to negotiate a short-term deal on poor terms for his client.
I really feel like this should be treated as a total scandal.
Lawyers... what can I say. Sorry Chris, truly. Boras just looking out for his own best interests!!
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 1, 2022 14:22:21 GMT -5
Couldn't attach it here but Trent Brown just posted a statement about how he feels about playing here, it is really.
It is also why I knew he was going to return as he has made many comments about how much he loves playing here. Good for us!!
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 1, 2022 12:12:36 GMT -5
I'm not trying to make the comparison at all, but when Bobby went on a tear last year I had memories of Mike Napoli. That dude would just disappear for a month or two and then single handily carry an entire team for a month. It would be nice if Dalbec could show more consistency, but I'll happily live with peaks and valleys if his defense can take a step forward. Going back a bit further I remember Jim Ed Rice doing the carrying for a month or so also. Pretty sure he never really disappeared for long stretches but he certainly did some carrying when he was hot. If Bobby D can be an 875 guy and Verdugo takes a leap forward this lineup is a murderers row. They are both entering their primes and have shown flashes so it is certainly not out of the question, I think people forget how good Duggy was in 2020.
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Post by voiceofreason on Apr 1, 2022 11:43:11 GMT -5
We're not making past Toronto without Brown, would suck if it came to that. I don't know about that considering the game played the other night in Toronto without 4 of the starters and Marcus having a terrible game. Boston with the home court and having Tatum on the court taking those shots should be enough along with Al to win that series w.o. Brown in Toronto. Plus all those 2nd team players will be injected with some confidence after a game like that. Still I would be disappointed in Brown if he is actually a holdout. If the C's did lose that series with Brown sitting out games across the border it would not help his standing in Boston with the fans and media. Boston fans are not the most forgiving.
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