Free Agency$$$

[Sea Dog 23]

From Jason Mastrodonato,

Red Sox payroll currently around ~$206m for CBT purposes. The new CBT of $230m means they've got money to spend, holes to fill and no excuse not to fill them.
4:08 PM · Mar 10, 2022

ESPN says FA signings can begin tonight, IF players have signed off on the deal.  If a big name drops,  it will be suspicious as they were not able to negotiate for the last 99 days.

[Sea Dog 23]

Looks like Martin Perez will pitch this year for the Rangers.  Deal is 1 year at $4mil.

The Sox have inquired about Collin McHugh, 34 yo RH for 2022.

The Giants struck early, getting a mid rotation arm in Carlos Rodon.  2 yrs. $44mil total contract.  That's a jump for Rodon, paid $3 mil in 2021, and his high was $4.3mil in 2019 during the arb years.  But he is oft injured, which is the risk for San Fran.

[Sea Dog 23]

Sox and Dodgers are talking to Jorge Soler, possibly as a fallback plan if they miss on OF Suzuki.  They’re also kicking the tires on INF Villar (former Mets)

The Rangers, Red Sox, Astros, Marlins & Dodgers are in talks with Jorge Soler, per @hgomez27

[SeaBeachFred]

Sox and Dodgers are talking to Jorge Soler, possibly as a fallback plan if they miss on OF Suzuki.  They’re also kicking the tires on INF Villar (former Mets)

The Rangers, Red Sox, Astros, Marlins & Dodgers are in talks with Jorge Soler, per @hgomez27

Soler??????  He of the strikeout and bad attitude character?  Talk about teaming him up with Jackie Bradshitley to have almost 400 strikeouts set a new record for an traumatic duo.  That cheap bastard of an owner needs to start spending money for good players and not stopgaps.  He needs to pay what is needed to get Suzuki on our team to make up some of the power and run production lost when he traded Renfroe for Shitbradley. Henry hasn't signed a quality free agent since early 2019 when Dombrowski signed Bogaerts to one before the Prune fired him.  Signing a guy like Soler, already a disappointment for two other teams, isn't the kind of quality player we need. About time we started acting like something other than a small market team.

[Sea Dog 23]

EDIT:  THIS LOOKS LIKE A BOGUS Twitter ("baseball insider/fan").  No one else confirmed this deal.

The Yanks went after a big fish this weekend, Correa agreed to 10yrs/$300mil

https://twitter.com/mlbhawk/status/1502811718669332484?s=21

[Sea Dog 23]

The Sox get on the board with a FA for the bull pen in Matt Strahm. Although he has also pitched as an opener.

The Boston Red Sox are in agreement with reliever Matt Strahm on a one-year deal, per Robert Murray of FanSided (via Twitter).  The deal is pending a physical. The contract is worth $3MM, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter).

Strahm spent the past four seasons with the Padres after two years with the Royals, the team that drafted him out of Neosho County Community College in Kansas. The 30-year-old southpaw has mostly pitched out of the bullpen, but he does boast swingman potential, having made 25 starts over his six-year career.

Last season, however, was a bit of a lost year for Strahm. He logged just 6 1/3 innings over six appearances for the Padres, with another three appearances in Triple-A. Strahm missed most of the year after surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his knee. He returned in August, only to land back on the injured list later in the month with knee inflammation.

The contract total, while not at all exorbitant, does reflect an expectation for Strahm to hold down a place in Boston’s bullpen. Before the knee injury cut short his 2020 season, Strahm had posted a 3.66 ERA/4.14 FIP in 196 2/3 innings from 2018 to 2020, so there’s certainly reason to assume the lefty can make an impact in Boston.

[Sea Dog 23]

Looks like the Sox are concentrating n bullpen arms.

Chris Cotillo,
Red Sox have been talking to Jake Diekman and a deal could come together quickly there, sources say.
12:21 PM · Mar 13, 2022·Twitter

Started in Philly, two years Royals, last two years at Oakland He is a LH 6-4 195. 2021 67 games 3-3 3.86era, 7 saves, 60.2 IP 83 Ks, 34 BB, 1.34 WHIP
Career 3.73 era

Other names out there, Mets signed Ottavino for 1 yr, $4mil.

[longgame]

Yankees made a great move dumping Sanchez for Josh Donaldson.  Sox let Iglesias go who signed a $5M 1 year deal with someone, maybe Texas?  Even though they need middle infielders. 

But hey, they did sign two lefty relievers.

Right now it's shaping up that JBJ will play RF while Hernandez plays CF.  I'm guessing Kike doesn't have the arm for RF but JBJ is the better CF, and is also the worst hitter in the league.  Arroyo I guess is penciled in for 2B if he can make it a couple of weeks without getting hurt (in other words, no chance).  We have to address that position and seriously need a hot bat at 1B because Dalbec striking out back to back with Bradley is going to kill a lot of rallies.

Someone wake up the front office please.

[Sea Dog 23]

So the Sox have addressed their pitching.  Three additions in December with Waccha, Paxton, and Hill.  Losing ERod means a net gain of two.  The weekend gave us two bullpen arms.  Yesterday Bloom addressed the need for a big hitting RH outfielder, I guess to replace Renfro.  Bloom said they could still go after Schwarber, a LH bat, because they have the flexibility in the lineup to take another lefty hitter.  In that regard JBJ sounds more like a situational player, bats against righties, and serves a key defensive player later in games.

News today, the Japanese press says Suzuki has signed with the Padres.  That is a piece that the Sox had wanted for awhile.  They may have to trade a prospect to some club to get the outfielder they really need.

[SeaBeachFred]

So the Sox have addressed their pitching.  Three additions in December with Waccha, Paxton, and Hill.  Losing ERod means a net gain of two.  The weekend gave us two bullpen arms.  Yesterday Bloom addressed the need for a big hitting RH outfielder, I guess to replace Renfro.  Bloom said they could still go after Schwarber, a LH bat, because they have the flexibility in the lineup to take another lefty hitter.  In that regard JBJ sounds more like a situational player, bats against righties, and serves a key defensive player later in games.

News today, the Japanese press says Suzuki has signed with the Padres.  That is a piece that the Sox had wanted for awhile.  They may have to trade a prospect to some club to get the outfielder they really need.

The fix is in.  Bradshitley, the worst hitter in baseball last season, will be in the starting lineup come hell or high water.  He is a personal favorite of both Prune Face Henry and Alex Cora.  Can you imagine trying to put a lineup together when you have the worst hitter in baseball playing a position that is tailor made for a power hitter?  If they have to move Hernandez to second  to have a spot open for Bradshitley, they will do it.  If Christian Arroyo wasn't such a flimsy and injury prone snow flake he could hit and field well enough to give us a good second sacker because he can hit and he can field.....if he could only stay healthy.  In the meantime that cheap bastard of an owner sits on his yacht picking his nose and ass and smiling all the way to the bank while he runs a proud franchise into the pits.

[Sea Dog 23]

From the Boston Herald yesterday  ...

Said Bloom: “I don’t think we should start chasing moves based on the size of the move in the abstract."

There you have it.  A Harvard answer to what a big market team in Boston thinks about competing with stacked teams in baseballs toughest division.  Really?  From the looks of it, the Sox may be saving their CBT dollars just to sweeten the contracts of Bogey and Devers, as they enter an opt out/ free agent year. 

For the two holes they need to fill, the best solution I've seen is an idea to trade a combo of Downs/Duran/Dalbec with the Mariners for RF Mitch Haniger, .253, 39HR, 100 RBI (2021).  2B, possibly Jonathan Villar.  If this is another reset year, the "new" outfielder could be Schwarber or Dalbec awaiting Casas to takeover 1B.  I'm really sorry, that's all I got!!

[longgame]

Rumors abound this morning that the Sox are hot on Freeman.  I'd love to see him in a Sox uni but they have to be careful to not give him a contract that outlives his productive years.  A five year deal would be perfect.  He plays 1B this year, JDM moves on next year, Freeman becomes DH and Casas takes over at 1B.   

[SeaBeachFred]

Rumors abound this morning that the Sox are hot on Freeman.  I'd love to see him in a Sox uni but they have to be careful to not give him a contract that outlives his productive years.  A five year deal would be perfect.  He plays 1B this year, JDM moves on next year, Freeman becomes DH and Casas takes over at 1B.

That's the most ridiculous rumor I have ever heard with respect to our team Ted.  Prune Face is holding onto his wallet with every fiber of his being and to even surmise that this rumor has any legs is the epitome of brainless thinking and that is why I know you don't believe a word of it.  Henry is just fine going into the season with what we have since his pet BradSHITley is back on the team.

[longgame]

Rizzo re-ups with the Yankees.  Chapman to the Jays.  Sox diddle while Bloom looks for bargain basement irregulars. 

[Sea Dog 23]

Also Suzuki signed with the Cubs this week, an OF we wanted for a long while.  I really don't know what Bloom's plan is.  Unless we are transferring to the AL Central, I see no results Sox are planning to compete with the East, where three clubs have improved greatly over two years.  Meanwhile Bloom has himself signed only two players to multi year deals (Kike' and Diekman).  The rest were one year wonders in 2021 and now gone.

Could Chaim be way over his head with the Sox.  Meanwhile the two cornerstones of the franchise, Bogey and Devers are nearing the end of their contracts in Boston.  And as Fred suggests, Bloom's hands could well be tied by Henry, whose ownerships are spread all over the world in sports franchises.  I'm just clueless about Boston this year.  Maybe he sees the Sox future in collecting prospects.