SoxBlanco

Makes sense. I’ve always been high on him, but he does need to prove it in AA this year. And we could actually have a scenario in the future where 5 of our outfield prospects are starting (LF, CF, RF, DH, 1B).

No love for Gonzalez?

I have similar thoughts. The Machado/Harper debacle was ridiculous, but I really don’t have any issue with a lack of other moves. The heart of our young core will be up in 2020/2021, and we need to convert on some free agents at that point. I think most people felt that if we didn’t convert on Machado, then we shouldn’t be making other moves yet.

Yes, it's terrible...but no way is it as bad as last year. The bullpen alone makes it better than last year, and that's assuming nobody improves (Moncada, Giolito, etc.)

We have a player named Goins? I thought he was a power forward for Michigan State.

I'm talking about the stretch from June 22 through August 30. That's over two months where he looked great. That June 22 game against Oakland stands out to me because I remember thinking, "Finally! He actually looks great tonight." The final line might not show it, but he had given up 2 runs through 7 innings and Ricky let him go back out there for the 8th. First two batters got on, and then he was pulled. The bullpen gave up both inherited runners, so his final line was 7 IP, 4 ER. Giolito was awesome that night. He then followed up that start with a stretch of 9 out of 12 quality starts. The ERA doesn't tell the whole story because he got lit up for 7 runs in two of those games, but go back and watch his games against Houston and particularly Boston during that stretch. Two of the best teams in the AL, and Giolito was great against them. He had other great games during those two months as well, but those two stand out to me because of the quality of the opponent.

He had a stretch last year where he absolutely looked like a #2 starter. So yes, it’s not impossible. If he can turn things around, I envision him as more of a 3/4, but I’m certainly not giving up on him yet.

Even though the 25-man roster will not be finalized until right before the season starts, I can tell you that 25 out of the 25 guys will have a last name that is not Harper or Machado. There probably will be a Manny, though.

And he struck out the first batter! If he just does that to every batter, he'll never give up a run! (Well, unless Narvaez is catching him...then I suppose he could)

What's more likely? We land Harper, or Yonder has a higher WAR than Machado this year?

But he could probably use another team that is willing to go long term.

I think they would have. I honestly don't think it was about being cheap. I think it was about being horrible during the negotiations and not thinking SD was serious. I posted this earlier, but think of it this way: If the front office could go back in time and offer a 10 year deal worth $310 with an opt out after 5 year, and they knew for a fact Machado would accept, would they do it? I think the answer to that question is yes.

Couldn't agree more with this.

Was Madrigal's hit to the opposite field?

Could this be something that goes down before the trade deadline this year? If the Rockies are in the hunt, could this be something both teams would want?

Grab a pitcher next offseason, and then wait until 2021 for a position player. I know Trout is a free agent after 2020 (and we won't be signing him), but who are some big name free agents after the 2021 season?

I tend to think it’s the second one as well, which is the only reason I have a sliver of hope for Harper. If they learned their lesson and truly want him, they could make it happen. But I still only give it about a 5% chance of happening.

Agreed, but the point of my post is not what it would have taken to get Manny to sign. I’m wondering why the Sox didn’t offer that magic number. Is it because they are cheap and simply refuse to go that high? Or is it because they didn’t think they needed to go that high?

Here’s the question I keep going back to... If JR, KW, and RH could go back in time and offer Manny a deal of 10 for $320, with an opt out after 5 years, and they knew this would 100% get him to sign, would they do it? If the answer is yes (and they simply got beat in negotiations because they never thought SD would go that high), then there is still some hope for Harper. But if the answer is no, then we most likely have no shot for Harper (I say “most likely” because there is the very small chance that we wouldn’t give Manny that much, but we are willing to give Harper something like 10 for $330)

Is there an EXIT sign or an ENTER sign above this metaphorical door?

What did WSD say?

The sad part is that 3 months ago, we all would have laughed at the thought of being able to land Harper at 10 for $330. It's a steal, but JR doesn't want to be the one to "ruin" the market for the rest of the owners by giving out such a big contract.

While I would agree with this line of thinking during the first couple years of the rebuild, I think it’s time to move past that. One of the most overlooked parts of a rebuild is letting the young players learn how to win. It’s also another reason I am furious with the Machado debacle. I don’t think we would have been a playoff team with Manny, but I think he would have made guys like Moncada, Eloy, and TA even better. I don’t think Jay makes a huge impact, but I’d much rather have him in the lineup than Engel.

Excited to see how Flores does this spring. One of my favorite under-the-radar prospects.

That’s more like it! Lock it up. This is a done deal. I’m 100% convinced we sign Harper by Wednesday this week.