What Can Be Done to Fix the Sox?

Not sure if that's true. Being over the luxury tax threshold this year means they won't be next year.

2016 AAV commitments:

Pitchers

Starters:
Porcello (20.63)
Buchholz (assume option picked up, 13.00)
E.Rodriguez (0.55)
Miley (6.42)
Kelly (arb1, assume 1.50)

Bullpen:
Uehara (9.00)
Tazawa (arb3, assume 3.00)
Ogando (arb3, assume 2.00)
Barnes (0.55)
Light (0.55)
Layne (0.55)
Wright (0.55)

Position players

CF – Bradley, Jr. (0.55)
2B – Pedroia (13.30)
DH – Ortiz (assume option vests, 15.00)
LF – Betts (0.55)
3B – Sandoval (19.00)
1B – H.Ramirez (22.00)
SS – Bogaerts (0.55)
RF – Castillo (10.36)
C – Hanigan (3.59)
Holt (0.55)
Vazquez/Swihart (0.55)
+2 bench players (assume 5.00 combined)

(assume no Craig/Varvaro/Ross/Nava on 25-man, assume all FAs leave (Napoli/Victorino/Breslow/Masterson/De Aza))

That is 149.3 AAV + 17.00 for 40 man/benefits, or 166.3 total.  That leaves approx $22.7mm for upgrades, based on a luxury tax threshold of $189mm (per the CBA).

I moved a couple trade-specific posts to the appropriate thread in the trade proposal subforum. Let's not get too far down the rabbit hole of specific trade ideas on this thread. Thanks.

Not sure the bolded is true either though.

John Henry came out and said that penalties for being over the luxury tax limit turned out to be much less harsh than everyone expected, thus going over it in the future for longer periods of time is certainly a possibility, but that obviously doesn't mean they are definitely going to blow past the limit again.

All along I've been saying Brock Holt shouldn't be an everyday player, but I'm starting to think I might be wrong. He just keeps getting on base, and his defense is solid, if not spectacular. He's the perfect utility player, a la Zobrist (but with less power and a higher BA)...minimal drop-off, if any, no matter who he spells. I hope they keep him around. Seems like he'd have significant trade value at the deadline (who wouldn't want a guy who plays seven positions and puts up a .400 OBP?), but I'm starting to think he's just to valuable to give up.

On the other hand, it's time to clean house of many of the vets. People here are down on Napoli, and with the BA I get why, but he has trade value...he's still on pace for 25 HR after a brutal start. Hate to see Koji go, but I've gotta think somebody out there would want a shutdown reliever. Get Hanley time at 1b, hope X, Betts, and Swihart keep improving, and put JBJ in RF and Castillo in left. Tommy Layne might have some value too, though he's another guy worth keeping if they think next year they can contend. Same with Taz. Panda's stuck at third until Devers gives him the boot.

At this point, I think they're best off trading Buchholz (only if they can get significant return) and/or Miley, and Masterson if he can return and show anything of value. Put Johnson in the rotation. Put Wright in there if more than one starter gets traded. This team is awful, and not fun to watch really at all, other than seeing how the kids do. So use the half-year to rebuild and hope they can 1) get a top-5 pick next year (ouch, all that lost IFA money) and 2) get under the lux tax/shed salary, and *possibly* sign a FA pitcher, and 3) engender a culture of hard work, personal responsibility, and teamwork. Hey, the Astros, Twins, and Cubs were pretty awful last year...

It won't fix us. But, I think we should call JBJ up. Play him every day. I feel the last line in this write-up is important. Maybe not as much as his new hitting approach. But, putting someone in a position to succeed.

Chris wrote; "The time is now for Bradley to get another chance at the big league level while he is in a rhythm and going good."

news.soxprospects.com/2015/06/the-write-up-travis-shaw-jackie-bradley.html

We have Rusney for 5 1/2 more years. He's not going anywhere. There's no sense of urgency to figure out what he's got. JBJ on the other hand is at an importan crossroads in a potential Red Sox career.

Replace Sandoval in the lineup with Sam Travis at 1b as I have trouble believing Sandoval will be the 3b throughout the entire contract, move Moncada to 3b, DH Devers, and keep Pedroia at 2b, and you have what very well may be the lineup if the Sox decided to do the homegrown thing. That could make for a very nice lineup.

Also replace Espinoza with Johnson. As promising as Espinoza is, I'd be surprised if he made the rotation that quickly. I could see Kopech and Ball (I hope) knocking on the door around that time. I'm sure there will be an unknown veteran or two taking spots until the kids are ready.

Ken Rosenthal ‏@ken_Rosenthal 2m2 minutes ago
Yes, I’m advocating that the #RedSox find takers for Hanley and Pablo. Fix the mess. Admit the mistakes. Column: www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/boston-red-sox-pablo-sandoval-hanley-ramirez-trade-ken-rosenthal-061915 …

Maybe Ken has been listening to Boston sports radio or patrolling this thread for a little too often.

Those 2019 lineups are appealing, but there is virtually no chance they are the lineups the Sox will have. Six of them are in low-A ball or lower. They may look pretty good now at those levels, but there are going to be casualties in the climb through the high minors. There always are.

Then, there will be trades, which will be necessary to field teams between now and 2019. Some of these players will go in trades.

Then there will be draft choices next year and the year after. Next year's could be really good.

I hope Sox management is devising a plan now to get this team back in order as quickly as possible, back to being respectable. Too many things have gone wrong. It isn't just bad luck. It is putting together a team that does not have enough flexibility and alternatives to get past bad luck. Teams that are well-managed do that.
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As a side note, that piece by Chaz is good reading, good analysis. I hope Shaw gets an extended tryout with the Sox and that JBJ gets recalled soon.

Wow.

I still dissent on the "Ortiz cannot play 1B" principle.
He can play 1B two days per week. Do I hear three?

I don't think not playing Ortiz at 1B is because he can't play it. When he does play it, he usually does it very acceptably - which actually is a bit impressive considering how seldom he plays it. However, the primary reason he hasn't played it regularly is to prevent him from being injured.

As I recall, early on when he did play 1B more regularly he had injury problems and it was decided to make him a full-time DH to keep his bat in the lineup. Now, at his age, I doubt he would hold up very long as even a part-time 1B. It's too bad because with Napoli not hitting and Hanley botching LF, it would make the team better if Hanley were the DH and Ortiz was the 1B.