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Maybe your best post ever

You should ask the players whether they will offer non-guaranteed contracts on the table in exchange for higher share of revenue since it doesn't matter.

The problem is that he had a zero OPS when he was out for 100 games this past season because he hurt himself in LF.

I don’t even care what they’re fighting about. I don’t identify with either side. I’ll watch games when it’s over. No matter what happens, fans will be the biggest losers.

Hypothetically, if Eloy is the full tine DH, there would be little justification to have Vaughn on the roster. Much as I hate to admit it, Vaughn is the slowest player on the team and he probably still has some boxing out to do as he finishes growing into his 5'11" man body. Vaughn's upside is all about projection od his College numbers and the incessant promotion by Steve Stone and others. Dude hit .235 in 2021. Eloy is 6' 4". He is reasonably fast , has excellent reach and has some athleticism. However, like many major league LFers, he is out there based on his bat. He is a .275 combined hitter so, and he played after a serious injury last season. Eloy had a freak injury but he is no more injury prone that Engel, Luis Robert, Grandal, and many other players. Most players spend time on the injured list during the 162 game season. TLR asked Eloy to play a more conservative LF, and that should cut down on diving plays and the chance for injury. The Sox will live with less than Gold Glove D for 100 games if they get 30-35 HR from that position. Bottom line is that Eloy is going to be the WS Left fielder and Abreu will be our first basemen. Vaughn will be a platoon player unless Sheets proves he can hande RH and LH pitching. it is what it is, like it or lump it.

Don't bother discussing Andrew Vaughn with two gun pete.

I mean, each team gets $60M+ in national TV money plus at least $40M in local TV money. Yes, there are other expenses than just player salary, but throw in revenue sharing and any level of gate receipts, concessions, merchandise, etc. and every single franchise can support a $100M+ payroll no questions asked. Now that spending is constrained in the draft and international amateur free agency, there is zero reason not to have a salary floor other than to allow low revenue clubs looking to pocket boatloads of cash.

We're including Durham? Well, shit. Konerko, Contreras, Garcia, Peavy, Kopech, Moncada, Eloy, Cease, Giolito, Dunning, Lynn, Garland, Valentin, Quentin, Podsednik!

Eh. Isn't the bigger problem that the MLB has the worst marketing engine of any of the major sports? Some of that is structural, there are only 16 games in football and it's all high drama. But before we try to re-do everything, maybe the MLB could try to make Mike Trout a household name? What are they doing to promote Juan Soto? They have more exciting young talent than in recent memory don't do anything to make people want to watch. Instead manfred blamed Trout for being boring.

Sox are too big of pussies to tell Eloy he will be permanent DH. They're worried about his feelings.

Chuck's 7 game proposal is better than that IMO. Any scenario where a division winner is playing an around .500 team in a 1-3 game win or go home series is awful, IMO.

For sure - was moreso talking about adding games from the expanded teams. But yes, making the DS a 7 game series is a no brainer. I've always hated it as a 5 game series. As far as 14 team proposals go, this is by far the best I've heard.

He's right though. Eloy needs to be the primary DH. Good thing is, we don't have a primary DH and Vaughn is a comparable OF to Eloy and isn't a risk to hurt himself, Luis, Yoan and TA on every play that goes to LF. Vaughn should be the primary LF moving forward. This also assumes the Sox sign a real RF, which I fully expect them to do.

If they are intent on 14, I really think this would be the best format. I want to see the number of teams whittled down as quickly as possible as to not drastically alter the current format. A couple of extra do or die Wild Card games doesn’t dilute the regular season or post season too much IMO.

Fuck Tom Ricketts…what a tone deaf douchebag.

I would quite literally pay money to go out and drink with Hawk and listen to his not for TV stories.

Please let tomorrow be a stellar day!!!

THIS TIME WE REALLY MEAN IT! Also, please give us everything we want.

Eh, don't mess with the NFL's golden goose and expect to get off lightly, Cal.

I mean, exactly. You weren't re-signing your stars at a cbt of $210M, Oakland Athletics. It won't change if you raise the minimum CBT to 225 or 230.

If Vaughn is an "add on" in a deal, we had better be getting Ohtani or the like.

Speaking of Eloy, I watched videos of all his homers in his career. He’s not fat by any means, but he sure put on a lot of weight the last few years. I’m sure the injury impacted his conditioning.

When you get a little older you'll learn that it's faster to say "for more than half my life" ?

If it was A freak injury, we wouldn't still be talking about it. But it has been a serious of not just bad luck, or random injuries, but stupid injuries and stupid plays. I don't care how "fast" a guy is, if he has the defensive IQ of a brick, it doesn't matter. Those other guys aren't getting hurt in the same manner of Eloy's injuries.

Enter the other character who hates Andrew Vaughn.

I agree with this part.

This is silly. No one is "anti Andrew Vaughn." He simply hasn't been good v RHP yet, and he isn't an OFer. There's nothing "anti" anyone about that statement.

Vaughn is yet another non-OFer that they hide by playing him inches away from the warning track. He may or may not be better than Jimenez. Also, SSS, but Vaughn's wRC+ v RHP is in the 60s; Eloy's at least league-average. But Vaughn's questionable range and questionable bat v RHP are absolutely not solutions to replace Eloy.

Yeah, Dane Dunning for Lance Lynn should give every Sox fan SERIOUS concern the Sox simply can't "win" trades.

Yeah, I don't like the idea of blowing a hole in the roster to "make a trade." Trading away Eloy, or moving him off LF without a proper replacement is bad business. (And no, neither Vaughn, nor Sheets are OFers.) They've already done this at another position, and we'll all feast our eyes on shitty/more expensive 2B play this season. Also, I hate the idea of trusting this FO to not get robbed in trade to begin with. YMMV.

Eloy is a hitter. He'll figure it out. I don't doubt that he prefers to play LF. But frankly, IMO, he's removed the ability to make that choice by continually hurting himself while playing horrible defense. He has zero redeeming qualities in LF. Its not some foreign concept that most guys who have always played the field don't enjoy DHing. But tough fucking luck. Eloy has negative value when he's on the IL. He's only valuable when he is in the lineup. DHing him gives him a far better chance to stay in the lineup.

Good point. I think Grandal as a DH has much lower wRc+ than as a C.

When David Ortiz got in the Hall and I was looking at his stats, the thought crossed my mind that it’s too bad Eloy doesn’t want to just play “bad ass hitter” until he’s 40. He’d probably hit 600 homers and be sitting on stage with him someday.

Division series' are currently a 5 game format, right? This would be adding 2 extra games potentially to the DS while adding the extra WCs. Without drastically altering the regular season schedule or playing deep into November, I don't know what else they can do.

This. There is no doubt that Rodon had an incredible year, and has incredible upside. But, again, this is a dude who is ALWAYS hurt. He's been in the majors 7 years, and in 3 of them didn't even get to 100 IP. In 7 seasons, he has qualified for the ERA crown 1 time. Once, in 7 years. If you back up the truck for the guy, you are pretty likely to get 100 innings of Carlos and 100 of whatever triple A pitchers you have to cobble together to fill the rest of his innings. Even in his best season ever, he still missed around 10 starts and only got to 130 innings.

Hey look, its Jack doomposting at 2 or 3AM! Never would have bet on that happening, amirite?

Right now I’m not sure ownership Knows what ownership’s goal is.

I've been thinking about this as far as offseason plan thread ... the Sox need to move Eloy out of LF and make a decision. Either he's DH or trade him in a blockbuster. Look, the guy is not an outfielder. He's going to get hurt out there. He just is. That leaves DH or 1B. I can't imagine Eloy even being 1/2 as good as Jose as a defender at first. If I thought he could play first effectively at this time I "might" even suggest Jose be the new DH the rest of his career. But I truly think Jose is a better option at 1B. As much as it pains me to say, Sox need to convince Eloy it's in his best interest for a long, long, lucrative career to be DH. l ask the stat lovers on here and the eye testers both ... I think we would HAVE to agree Eloy should not see the outfield again. I love having Eloy on the team but it's silly to trot him out to the OF where he will get hurt and cost the Sox a lot of runs when heathy. He's not an outfielder as much as it pains me to admit.

The energy of your post deserves a thumbs-up, VaFan. And if he's healthy, let's sign him.

The owners believing they’ve made significant concessions is hilarious.

If this continues for even just a few more weeks with no obvious path to a deal being made soon, I'll check out. I'm as die hard as any baseball fan, but if this is the kind of game they want to play, I want no part of it. There is plenty else I can spend my time and energy on. The DNR and lure making companies will get my money and I'll go fishing all summer. And the West Michigan White Caps are around if I need a baseball fix (single A club for the Tigers).

So 45 gets his defense ideas from Scooby-Doo.

Just went through all the free agents again. Couple thoughts: - I can't believe Billy McKinnie is only 27. - Man Tauchmann had a horrible, horrible year last year. Crazy after he was traded how much better we were with Brian Goodwin. - Wild how Albert Almora went from a pretty consistently high 17% k rate guy to 31% krate but didn't improve in power or anything. - What's left is like a rick hahn jubilee of powerful corner outfield types. I imagine his reaction to this market is like if someone logged on late to their fantasy draft and can't believe there are still all the defense and kickers left.

I've been on Soxtalk for longer than the time in my life before I joined Soxtalk.