This tweet came from the desk of Bill Koch, sportswriter Providence Journal, back in August.
"Ownership and the front office quit on the #RedSox before the 2020 season. We all saw the results.
They waited until 104 games into this 2021 season to do the same. It now feels eerily familiar.
Alex Cora and his players were abandoned. Any good will Boston fostered is eroding."
9:21 PM · Aug 6, 2021·Twitter Web App
It is easy to employ hindsight on October 12. Whereas ownership supposedly screwed the team trading a #18 prospect for Schwarber and getting Sale back off the IL as a new pitcher. Meanwhile the Yankees boltered their roster by trading 5 of their top 25 prospects for Gallo and Rizzo and also getting a couple other pitchers in other deals. How did all that work out? Instead of cleaning house with all the underachievers in August, Mr. Bloom may have paved the way for creating roster slots for some of these mediocre players who are now applauded nightly at Fenway. Was that all by luck, or did Chaim have all of this in mind a couple months ago?
I have to admit, I was a huge critic of the team at that time and felt exactly the same. The early returns seemed to bolster it and as late as 2 weeks ago as they were losing a series to Baltimore after being swept by the Yankees, it seemed to be holding true.
Just a very strange season in which they played very well for more than half the season and then fell completely apart for a month. I think where they "fooled" everyone was that they had that couple of weeks of half the team being out due to Covid. Even though they actually played better with the second and third string than expected, it seemed they were going nowhere. In retrospect that Covid respite may have given some players a late season rest which in the long run didn't hurt them if they weren't sick.
Now they seem like world beaters, but we also know they can go cold in a heartbeat. Also, they gave up 20 runs in 4 games against the Rays, so they'll likely need to slug their way through the next series too. I don't know where they'll go from here but I've been enjoying the ride so far!
Count me in as one of those who couldn't figure out this team and still is at a loss to wonder just what kind of team they really are. All I can do is stay on the roller coaster, enjoy some of the ride and endure the other parts because the 2021 Red Sox will test us I'm sure the next playoff series as well. But so far, so good. We sent the Yankees packing for home the critical one game do or die game, then after getting our lunches eaten in the first game, then came back to sweep the Rays three straight. At least we will have a few days to catch our breaths and get our hearts back in rhythm. For me it has been a nice smooth ride the past week for the most part.
Looks like it'll be the 'Stros on Friday. White Sox getting their butts kicked. They're all done.
I've also said it many times that I cannot figure out if this was the worst good-team or the best bad team I've seen in some time. I think I'm leaning towards the worst best team ever.
Basically, We hid behind a lot of problems that were really beginning to show themselves. That's the history of baseball. Some teams overcome bad atrributes early, but baseball catches up and balances the ledger by way of exploiting them.
We could write a book on the Red Sox Covid outbreak silver-lining this season. It worked out so well that a disgruntled Yankees' fan might call foul.
There is a reason this team had to fight on the last day of the season. This teams' foundation was became much better than a 92-win team. What Cora and his greatly handicapped players did was build a city out of that lowest level erector set us poor kids got back in the day and a whole bunch of fumes.
For all his deficiencies as a favoritism laden Manager and his arm burning and pitching misuse, he is re-writing the post-season playbook with the pitching. (fwiw - I think where pitching lands for all of baseball is worthy of a whole other topic.)
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on October 13, 2021, 07:40:49 AM
I've also said it many times that I cannot figure out if this was the worst good-team or the best bad team I've seen in some time. I think I'm leaning towards the worst best team ever.
Basically, We hid behind a lot of problems that were really beginning to show themselves. That's the history of baseball. Some teams overcome bad atrributes early, but baseball catches up and balances the ledger by way of exploiting them.
We could write a book on the Red Sox Covid outbreak silver-lining this season. It worked out so well that a disgruntled Yankees' fan might call foul.
There is a reason this team had to fight on the last day of the season. This teams' foundation was became much better than a 92-win team. What Cora and his greatly handicapped players did was build a city out of that lowest level erector set us poor kids got back in the day and a whole bunch of fumes.
For all his deficiencies as a favoritism laden Manager and his arm burning and pitching misuse, he is re-writing the post-season playbook with the pitching. (fwiw - I think where pitching lands for all of baseball is worthy of a whole other topic.)
Mongo, the pitching in baseball this year is something that GMs will dissect the whole off-season. You got NYYs Cole that got bombed in the WC, a steady Rays pitcher McClanahan that we destroyed in the final, the gold standard for Brewers in Hader giving the game winning dinger to Braves. It goes on and on. I'm not sure what Bloom will put on his balance sheet after Eovaldi, Sale, Houck and Whitlock.
The Sox were wild swingers at the plate, game after game. But against Tampa they seemed to have a completely different mindset.
One facet of the game stood out to Kevin Cash, however, when the Rays manager was asked Monday night after Boston’s 6-5, walk-off win over Tampa Bay whether anything about the Red Sox’s AL Division Series victory surprised him.
“Well, look, I think they had a pretty relentless approach at the plate. We just could not create that swing and miss that we’ve done so well throughout the regular season,†Cash told reporters, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. “They really had a good approach. It felt like there was constant pressure. There were no easy outs.
“For us being a team that seems to strike a lot of guys out, we did not rack up the strikeouts like we typically do.â€
(Cora) “It’s huge because at one point during the season, we were chasing 38% of the pitches, and we were swinging and missing at a horrible rate,†Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters after Monday’s win. “Even 10 days ago, when we went to Baltimore and then we went to Washington, we were striking out a lot. We were chasing a lot of pitches.
“I think playing (the Rays) 19 times, it helped. It helped. We played the Yankees. We knew them. They know us. Same thing with (the Rays). We did a good job staying humble, staying humble. I think that’s the word. Stay humble. Stay humble with your approach. Don’t try to do too much, and good things happen.â€
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on October 13, 2021, 08:07:16 AM
Mongo, the pitching in baseball this year is something that GMs will dissect the whole off-season. You got NYYs Cole that got bombed in the WC, a steady Rays pitcher McClanahan that we destroyed in the final, the gold standard for Brewers in Hader giving the game winning dinger to Braves. It goes on and on. I'm not sure what Bloom will put on his balance sheet after Eovaldi, Sale, Houck and Whitlock.
I agree. One interesting tidbit to look at this year is innings pitched leaders. Lower and lower and lower each year for a few years. For the Red Sox, we have 4-of-5 opening day rotation guys still active. Maybe even a 5th unless Richards' hammy is severe.
Innings still have to be pitched, though. I give you the Tampa Bay Rays and their 40+ pitchers used. They, and others, burned up bullpen arms like mad this year. We had our share, but far, far less.
On a side - It's also very interesting that you mention Hader. I keep hearing Craig Counsell's name often credited as being the NL version of Cash in terms of progressive managerial approaches. He broke his season long formula due to injury(?) last night by putting Hader in for the 8th and it cost them. Matchup ball does not without risks.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on October 13, 2021, 08:17:42 AM
The Sox were wild swingers at the plate, game after game. But against Tampa they seemed to have a completely different mindset.
One facet of the game stood out to Kevin Cash, however, when the Rays manager was asked Monday night after Boston’s 6-5, walk-off win over Tampa Bay whether anything about the Red Sox’s AL Division Series victory surprised him.
“Well, look, I think they had a pretty relentless approach at the plate. We just could not create that swing and miss that we’ve done so well throughout the regular season,†Cash told reporters, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. “They really had a good approach. It felt like there was constant pressure. There were no easy outs.
“For us being a team that seems to strike a lot of guys out, we did not rack up the strikeouts like we typically do.â€
(Cora) “It’s huge because at one point during the season, we were chasing 38% of the pitches, and we were swinging and missing at a horrible rate,†Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters after Monday’s win. “Even 10 days ago, when we went to Baltimore and then we went to Washington, we were striking out a lot. We were chasing a lot of pitches.
“I think playing (the Rays) 19 times, it helped. It helped. We played the Yankees. We knew them. They know us. Same thing with (the Rays). We did a good job staying humble, staying humble. I think that’s the word. Stay humble. Stay humble with your approach. Don’t try to do too much, and good things happen.â€
That is awesome! I love it. Millions of baseball fans at once saying - "ya think?"
I just posted on another thread about the Sox' approach and how it worked by being aggressive with the Tampa pitchers and not sure it will work against a team like Houston with a more traditional starting rotation. They had a lot more quality starts than the Sox and that tells me that the Sox need to make them throw pitches, get into favorable counts and hopefully knock them out early and take them out of their game. They had 66 QS and 87 wins. A quality start is critical to their winning and the Sox need to take it out.
I had to laugh out loud Mongo because I was already kind of chuckling after reading Cash's comments and then saw yours and almost spit out my coffee!
We certainly showed more plate discipline in our games against the Yankees and especially the series against the Rays. In fact, if you guys noticed we were taking a lot of first strikes down the cock in many of the games and then watching the opposing pitchers try to get cute and nibble around trying to get us to chase bad pitches. Somehow we didn't bite most of the time and often got good pitches to hit.......and hit them. I wonder if we can carry that over because if we can we have a chance of upsetting the Astros the way we did the Yankees and Rays. That's right UPSETTING THEM because we were underdogs in that game against New York and certainly against the Rays. I have no doubt we will underdogs against the Astros, a very good team but it does look like we are putting things together pretty well right now. We will see how this pans out starting Friday. I think we have a decent chance of actually sending Houston home as well if we play our game. And Cora has been a totally different manager in these post season games. To me it is very noticeable.
If we should make it to the WS, all eyes will be on Cora and the 'Sox pitching to see how they recover. The 2019 rebound was horrific. 2020 was a whole different disaster. One cannot blame the pundits for picking 81-81 (+/- 1) based on the two previous seasons compounded with losing our very strong outfield and massive pitching questions. The pitching questions were massive, and is what doomed us last two years. The incomplete list before the season started:
- Chris Sale(TJ recovery)
- Richards' comeback
- ERod health issues already adding to a fragile front line
- Perez streakiness
- Can Eovaldi last a season?
- Pivetta's turnaround - was the 2020 glimpse real?
- Houck - Was the 2020 sampling real?
- Can Ottavino rebound?
- Can Barnes close?
- Can Taylor rebound?
- How long will Barnes be out?
- Will Sawamura transition to US MLB well?
- Will Whitlock even be usable and respond well?
- Is there anyone ready in AAA to make the jump for added BP help?
We've gone into seasons with far fewer questions and had horrible pitching.
Add to it the big questions of the limited position players and their desire for flexibility.
- Will JD rebound?
- Who will play CF
- Can Marwin rebound to near 2017 or even the 2018 form?
- Will Dalbec play a decent 1B?
- Michael Chavis (Where, how much) and will he transform?
- Will Renfroe somehow be any better than a whiff/HR guy?
- What on Earth is a Franchy Cordero?
- Can we last long enough for Duran to come up?
- Can we last long enough for Downs to come up?
- Will Devers reverse trends to turn his defense around - again?
- Santana - Why????
- What if we get injured a lot? There is nobody even close ready.
That's a lot of questions for the beginning of a season. That's a lot of hoping it will work. These sorts of roster builds (25 & 40) are rebuild entries. They even brought Cora back to go down with the ship. A lot of things worked well enough. Some surprises in there. Some mistakes some of use get to sit back and bark about.
I have to say that I was stunned to see how wildly this team swung all season. I was disheartened to see what they did to Houck for the sake of depth. This affects careers, lives, earnings down the road, seniority, pension, etc, etc. It was downright criminal what they did to Houck, and you can add Franchy and Chavis to that list.
Whitlock lasting most of a season? He was protected by the medical staff from Cora. They took off the restraints and sure enough, bicep strain. (Ottavino, Valdez - maybe Barnes???) I'm glad we got Whitlock back. Thanks to Devers for spotting it, as I understand it. Still, it's food for thought. Can't blame Cora. He was doing his job and I'm confident that he got more than reasonable assurances from his pitchers that they were fine for that day's game. I'm not convinced that Bloom would not have done more if he thought they had a chance in the off season.
But all those question marks, mismanagement and poor planning became secondary. They got a group of guys who play their butts off. Their dumb decisions on base-paths and outfield throws are borne of youth, nerves and a strong desire to be the hero of the day. The 2013 team had much better defensive skill, but it was a patchwork group with a lot of heart that had some holes of their own to overcome. Add the tragedy of that year and that storm brewed and brewed.
This team? Same heart, different type of swagger. Tons of unresolved problems that they just said pffffffttttt what-ever! As such, I propose this very funny song as their theme song. ("In Spite of ourselves" by the late, great Americana/Country legend - John Prine with Iris Dement It's not always about Led Zep and the Stones here in Mongoland - LOL)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA-vD5pyuS4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA-vD5pyuS4)
QuoteThey got a group of guys who play their butts off.
That's the bottom line. We know they are talented, but it seemed like they would take days off as a team during the regular season. Part of that is just the season, it's long and you can't bring your A game every day. But when this team brings its A game they're very good.
One thing I always notice is the intensity of the guys on both teams. The Sox didn't have that locked in look a lot of the second half of the season, but in the games against the Rays, especially after the comeback and beatdown in Game 2, the Rays had that deer in the healdlights look (except for Arrozarena, that kid is something else) and the Sox had the confident look.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on October 13, 2021, 08:07:16 AM
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on October 13, 2021, 07:40:49 AM
I've also said it many times that I cannot figure out if this was the worst good-team or the best bad team I've seen in some time. I think I'm leaning towards the worst best team ever.
Basically, We hid behind a lot of problems that were really beginning to show themselves. That's the history of baseball. Some teams overcome bad atrributes early, but baseball catches up and balances the ledger by way of exploiting them.
We could write a book on the Red Sox Covid outbreak silver-lining this season. It worked out so well that a disgruntled Yankees' fan might call foul.
There is a reason this team had to fight on the last day of the season. This teams' foundation was became much better than a 92-win team. What Cora and his greatly handicapped players did was build a city out of that lowest level erector set us poor kids got back in the day and a whole bunch of fumes.
For all his deficiencies as a favoritism laden Manager and his arm burning and pitching misuse, he is re-writing the post-season playbook with the pitching. (fwiw - I think where pitching lands for all of baseball is worthy of a whole other topic.)
Mongo, the pitching in baseball this year is something that GMs will dissect the whole off-season. You got NYYs Cole that got bombed in the WC, a steady Rays pitcher McClanahan that we destroyed in the final, the gold standard for Brewers in Hader giving the game winning dinger to Braves. It goes on and on. I'm not sure what Bloom will put on his balance sheet after Eovaldi, Sale, Houck and Whitlock.
Sea Dog,you forgot about the Astros' ace McCullough. He looks our for the whole ALCS so it looks like the aces and fireman of those teams came up short so far and I wonder how the other stalwarts are going to do. I believe Alex Cora will not hesitate to use his potential starters in relief if he sees a chance to grab a win without testing a couple of our questionable throwers in the bullpen. I really believe this coming series has to be based on WIN TODAY AND WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW TOMORROW. For us I think that has to be the best way forward.
It's way early, but the Sox finished 2021 still short in OF depth. An early name to keep an eye on in free-agency is Starling Marte who just finished up with the A's after he was acquired at the trade deadling. His Marlins/A's salary was in effect around $12mil, and his market is probably north of that. Good contact hitter, in the OF not the best jump on the ball, great on the base paths. He is a Bloom type acquisition in affordable salary. Bloom would not bust the budget for Springer last year, and he will not go overboard this year IMO. Other OF names available are Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant (pricey?) and our friend Schwarber.
In 156 games, Marte batted .312/.355/.462 with 25 stolen bases for Oakland in 2021. Between Miami and Oakland, Marte stole an MLB-leading 47 bases in 2021. 33 years old.
Marte's power numbers had to have suffered due to playing in the big fields of Miami and Oakland. Other than stats, I've got almost no knowledge of how he plays and such.
This is going to be one weird off-season again. MLB and the Red Sox. The big decisions and unknowns just related to our outfield are big. We had some good outfield arms and it was a strength, but the errors and other miscues that did not count as errors at us up. Not one position on the field enjoyed a beginning to end solid defensive effort.
I do fear that Cora and Bloom think they are the reasons for this team doing se well. Lets not kid ourselves about the genius accolades of our Manager and GM. They got lucky as hell because the only ones left standing did their jobs very well. This team was on fumes and still found a way. No, they got rescued by some of the ones that got screwed. The lone position player decision left was 1B, and that didn't work out so well.
Whitlock was protected by medical and Pivetta was protected by promises kept until crunch time. Houck, Chavis, Dalbec, Darwinzon(a continuation), Duran, Franchy and Bazardo all got messed with and/or otherwise got misused. While we're here, let's add Jeter Downs to the list. He hit rock bottom and stayed there all season long instead of being moved down to Portland to get things right. I can't make this up. Before this season, Downs spent 12 games at AA. So he starts at AAA, hits a brick wall and they leave him there ALL FRIGGING SEASON???? Wow! Stunning development strategy. Let's see, was Bloom afraid that sending him back to pitching levels he could possibly fix things would make him look like a bad GM?
Anyone else whincing as Arroyo ran down the base paths thinking that if he pulls a hammy again, we get a combination of Santana/Arauz for the rest of the playoffs? Yeah, nice job with the Roster. Nice job with the youth development. We go into next season hoping Houck gets the 5th spot and that Bobby Dalbec can regain some sort of ressemblance to his mid-August to mid-September form before being benched. Sound somewhat familiar? Yeah, we went zero forward and had a crap roster all at once. Nope, my bad. We do have Whitlock, ho was thankfully protected by the medical staff.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on October 23, 2021, 12:37:21 PM
Marte's power numbers had to have suffered due to playing in the big fields of Miami and Oakland. Other than stats, I've got almost no knowledge of how he plays and such.
This is going to be one weird off-season again. MLB and the Red Sox. The big decisions and unknowns just related to our outfield are big. We had some good outfield arms and it was a strength, but the errors and other miscues that did not count as errors at us up. Not one position on the field enjoyed a beginning to end solid defensive effort.
I do fear that Cora and Bloom think they are the reasons for this team doing se well. Lets not kid ourselves about the genius accolades of our Manager and GM. They got lucky as hell because the only ones left standing did their jobs very well. This team was on fumes and still found a way. No, they got rescued by some of the ones that got screwed. The lone position player decision left was 1B, and that didn't work out so well.
Whitlock was protected by medical and Pivetta was protected by promises kept until crunch time. Houck, Chavis, Dalbec, Darwinzon(a continuation), Duran, Franchy and Bazardo all got messed with and/or otherwise got misused. While we're here, let's add Jeter Downs to the list. He hit rock bottom and stayed there all season long instead of being moved down to Portland to get things right. I can't make this up. Before this season, Downs spent 12 games at AA. So he starts at AAA, hits a brick wall and they leave him there ALL FRIGGING SEASON???? Wow! Stunning development strategy. Let's see, was Bloom afraid that sending him back to pitching levels he could possibly fix things would make him look like a bad GM?
Anyone else whincing as Arroyo ran down the base paths thinking that if he pulls a hammy again, we get a combination of Santana/Arauz for the rest of the playoffs? Yeah, nice job with the Roster. Nice job with the youth development. We go into next season hoping Houck gets the 5th spot and that Bobby Dalbec can regain some sort of ressemblance to his mid-August to mid-September form before being benched. Sound somewhat familiar? Yeah, we went zero forward and had a crap roster all at once. Nope, my bad. We do have Whitlock, ho was thankfully protected by the medical staff.
Mongo, it looks like there are some pitchers who have developed nicely in AA and AAA this year. Feltman and Winchowski, and could see Boston sooner than later next year.
As far as Downs, that is a sad story. He did hit four homers in his first two weeks in the Ariz fall league. But his future, if he ever gets to MLB seems to be 2B. But that position looks to be locked up by Yorke, who was the Sox minor league POY, batting .333. He won't arrive until 2023, so imo Arroyo is the Bloom flavor of 2022.
I've got my doubts about Bloom getting aggressive. He will not make Yankee/Toronto type acquisitions, more like Tampa like I'm afraid.
I posted in the late thread:
QuoteQuote from: SeaBeachFred on October 23, 2021, 03:19:35 PM
Quote from: markj on October 22, 2021, 09:57:29 PM
Santana is in? Really? Is Cora intentionally trying to lose this game?
I noticed that right off markj. Cora has his favorites; I think everyone knows that by now and if we want to see bums like Santana and Perez and Richards and Cordero gone next year Bloom has to step in and tell Cora these bums are gone and unless you want to keep them company just accept that. Then, again. who knows what's coming. Still markj, I always knew that it could end like this, sorry to say.
The problem was that he never had anyone else to play either. I was thinking about this a lot and it rings even truer now. At the trade deadline, even though the Sox had lost their big 1st place lead, they could have turned it around. Instead they got a guy who runs hot and cold just like the team in Schwarber, who wasn't available for several weeks. The calculation surely was not to invest too heavily. But look at both Atlanta and Houston - they went wild. Atlanta has a different outfield than when they started. Houston added to their bullpen. Sox had bullpen and mostly infield weakness and chose not address it. Again, the calculation had to be why throw good money after bad. But now we know that perhaps if Cora had some bats off the bench that could hit over .200, or some bullpen help other than Robles who was always playing with fire. And then of course because they got low innings out of starters, the guys who were good in the first half were cooked.
So there are decisions to be made. They have a great core, but they need to look at 1B, 2B, the OF in general, decide if Vazquez who can't call a game or frame pitches is the guy to go forward (hint, the Johnny Damon-armed Plawecki is not the answer). They have a great set of starter candidates but they have to organizationally commit to playing like actual major leaguers - or pay "starters" about half as much and carry 8 4 innings guys. But more realistically, they need a goal of getting into the 7th (can you believe that this is actually a measure of success?) with their starters. Then they don't have to be so dependent on guys who are in the second tier of pitchers by definition as relivers.
The good news is these things can all be addressed. The bad news is that Bloom is likely going to do more bargain shopping to fill those needs. We'll see.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on October 23, 2021, 03:44:54 PM
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on October 23, 2021, 12:37:21 PM
Marte's power numbers had to have suffered due to playing in the big fields of Miami and Oakland. Other than stats, I've got almost no knowledge of how he plays and such.
This is going to be one weird off-season again. MLB and the Red Sox. The big decisions and unknowns just related to our outfield are big. We had some good outfield arms and it was a strength, but the errors and other miscues that did not count as errors at us up. Not one position on the field enjoyed a beginning to end solid defensive effort.
I do fear that Cora and Bloom think they are the reasons for this team doing se well. Lets not kid ourselves about the genius accolades of our Manager and GM. They got lucky as hell because the only ones left standing did their jobs very well. This team was on fumes and still found a way. No, they got rescued by some of the ones that got screwed. The lone position player decision left was 1B, and that didn't work out so well.
Whitlock was protected by medical and Pivetta was protected by promises kept until crunch time. Houck, Chavis, Dalbec, Darwinzon(a continuation), Duran, Franchy and Bazardo all got messed with and/or otherwise got misused. While we're here, let's add Jeter Downs to the list. He hit rock bottom and stayed there all season long instead of being moved down to Portland to get things right. I can't make this up. Before this season, Downs spent 12 games at AA. So he starts at AAA, hits a brick wall and they leave him there ALL FRIGGING SEASON???? Wow! Stunning development strategy. Let's see, was Bloom afraid that sending him back to pitching levels he could possibly fix things would make him look like a bad GM?
Anyone else whincing as Arroyo ran down the base paths thinking that if he pulls a hammy again, we get a combination of Santana/Arauz for the rest of the playoffs? Yeah, nice job with the Roster. Nice job with the youth development. We go into next season hoping Houck gets the 5th spot and that Bobby Dalbec can regain some sort of ressemblance to his mid-August to mid-September form before being benched. Sound somewhat familiar? Yeah, we went zero forward and had a crap roster all at once. Nope, my bad. We do have Whitlock, ho was thankfully protected by the medical staff.
Mongo, it looks like there are some pitchers who have developed nicely in AA and AAA this year. Feltman and Winchowski, and could see Boston sooner than later next year.
As far as Downs, that is a sad story. He did hit four homers in his first two weeks in the Ariz fall league. But his future, if he ever gets to MLB seems to be 2B. But that position looks to be locked up by Yorke, who was the Sox minor league POY, batting .333. He won't arrive until 2023, so imo Arroyo is the Bloom flavor of 2022.
I've got my doubts about Bloom getting aggressive. He will not make Yankee/Toronto type acquisitions, more like Tampa like I'm afraid.
It does look like that on the pitching front. Looks like we'll see some next season. I've been keeping an eye on the minors all season.
I hope Bloom does NOT go for big dollar signings. We've signed some big money duds trying to keep up with the Yankees. I've cringed and whined so much in the past. I still get ruffled feathers when I remember reading of the Carl Crawford signing.
All that said, hanging the hopes of the team on project players before they load the truck for Spring Training is assinine. Three year declines are not happenstance. 2 years of OK numbers out of 7 years of horrible, ungawdly wretched numbers is not bad luck. It's a tradition of failure with 2 flashes in the pan seasons years back. I do not want to see another trending downwards dud be given key roles at the beginning of Spring Training EVER AGAIN. Getting quality ball players in the FA market does happen for OK money. Maybe he can ask his staff how they did it.
Watching quality players and bull pen arms fall off the board month after month to end up with the duds he got was frustrating as hell. No, that does not mean Marcus Semien should have been hunted down. It does mean that former batting champs who CAN play good defense should be looked at for medium money.
Same goes for bull pen arms. Yes, we will bomb 2 of 5 or something, but that happens. It's better than maybe getting one decent one for 1/3rd of the money.
Take a chance on a guy like Richards? Sure. Why not? That can't be the only card played only to be left with bringing back the guy you didn't want months ago after everyone said no thanks the past 2-4 months.
And why did we get this last off season? Because someone wanted to be over analytical and examine every path. You know what, Mr Bloom? It gets to the point where it becomes nothing more than an idiot like me not being able to make a purchasing decision because I forgot my meds. Just sayin'.
A key piece to the 2022 roster may be coming more clear. In about a week or so, JDM will be making his decision eknown on his opt out. The early feel is that he will decline the opt out and return next year. The story is the CBA has to be hammered out, if it goes badly and there is a long delay and a possible lockout by the owners, JD would have opted out and be a player without a team going into next season. JD would seem to be the tipping point for who would be the DH, or holding up the move for Schwarber/Devers to be the DH.
Of course Devers and Bogey are going into their contract years, so their negotiations would be delayed by the CBA. Will there be a reduction in QAs? Will there be a change in the luxury tax levels? Lots of variables at play.
The CBA appears it's going to be an issue and teams are already preparing for a lockout. This isn't good. Of course it always frustrates me that guys who play a game get more money than ever to play less than ever, especially starting pitchers, but also every day players who used to play every game. It also is frustrating that millionaires are fighting with billionaires and in the end it means higher ticket prices and higher subscription costs to related products.
Let's hope baseball doesn't shoot itself in the foot again.
Ted, it was announced last week the MLB owners will now be charged for the housing of all minor league players. Some of those players in the minors were complaining of mental health issues all around the time of covid.
The owners did vote unanimously for the housing. But I'm sure the owners will pass that along as higher ticket prices, bigger premium for broadcast rights, player contract skimming, etc. All that distraction coming together at the wrong time.
Seem to be a lot of issues at play. I had heard that about the minor leaguers but to me the problem is simple - the players want more of the revenue that the owners are earning. What's ridiculous of course is that they're earning that much off the people in the first place and arguing over how to split the pie. At the same time the players want more, they want to play less. The problem is that they are paying too much money to the wrong people - I just can't make the case for a guy who plays for 5 innings in 25 games in a good year is worth more than $10M. But the going rate is $30M. It is utterly absurd to give someone a 12 year contract worth a half a billion dollars to a guy who won't be able to play effectively for the last 4 years of that deal. It gets more money to the aging player, far less to the guys who contribute and that needs to change.
Either way though, millionaires and billionaires fighting over the money we fans give to them is never a winning move.
Good article here - https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-cba-negotiations-seven-important-questions-as-baseball-work-stoppage-appears-likely-this-winter/
In an ESPN article, predominantly focusing on the post-2022 status of Devers and Bogaerts, says the Sox will work hard to extend Devers. Bogaerts said he plans to opt out of his 6 year $20mil deal after next season, but would like to finish his career in Boston. (( In other words, "sign me to something closer to $30mil".))
Boston will face a decision on Kyle Schwarber, who expressed interest in coming back to Boston. Bloom said the feeling was mutual and that the team is not worried about his ability to adapt to a potentially bigger role at first base.
"We played some of our best baseball with Kyle learning that position on the fly," Bloom said. "I think we saw him get better a time went on."
Bloom and company will also need to decide the future of Christian Vazquez, whom the team holds a club option.
Boston also let go of first base coach Tom Goodwin, who was in charge of outfield defense and baserunning. Goodwin did not finish the season with the team due to his unvaccinated status and MLB guidelines, but Bloom said that did not factor into the team's decision to let go of the coach, who's worked in Boston since the 2018 season.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32473690/boston-red-sox-evaluate-futures-cornerstone-players-rafael-devers-xander-bogaerts
Some more reported news ahead of the "work stoppage" on Dec 1. There may be a rush to sign free-agents at present contract values instead of waiting for the new economics to hit after a lockout/walkout.
Justin Leger from NBCSports tabbed Marcus Semien as Boston's "top free agent fit", then listed these pitchers in order:Robbie Ray, Stroman, Graveman, Hand, R. Iglesias (former LAA), Gausman.
Shaughnessey also said the Sox won't be willing to pay ERod and Schwarber enough to keep them. (If true, that foreshadows signing any top pitchers or position players this winter -- if there even is a free agent market pending a strike/lockout.)
Sea Dog, thanks for the link to the article.
MLB is in the worst shape I've ever seen it. It's worse than it was in that last strike year. I'm ashamed to be a fan at times. I'm not naive. This isn't a non-profit organization. That "proposal" is pure Rob Manfred. He broke the Umpires, broke the minor league franchisees and he's about to break Tony Clark again. Remember last time when Tony Clark looked beat to a pulp and Manfred was brimming ear to ear? He broke down Tony Clark like a Shotgun and left him laying open like a boot-top. It was brutal, and the only way it's going to get better is for the players to say no and get ready for a long rest.
That said, the players association will never allow for a system that makes sense. Seinfeld was right. We're rooting for laundry. A system is what it's going to take. The non-tender system is a crock. The Free Agent system is a crock 10 ways to Sunday, starting with seniority control on up to stupid long term big money deals. I can't say that restricting player movement is a bad thing. BUT, that can't COST players. They will never agree to a structured wage system. Can't blame them. Imagine the stat padding? Every year would be like a pending FA walk year, and forget any chance of these boy scout owners not wringing every drip of blood into their banks.
Did you guys know that a MLB player is not fully tenured until their 10th anniversary? Who the hell does that anymore? Not many. A team decides they don't want to pay some midling, but productive player a few million they earned - poof. Just non tender. Thanks for playing, get out. It's brutal enough just to be an OK player. To get it taken out from you for accounting reasons? That's a bad system hard at work.