SoCalChiSox

I thought I saw somewhere we only had 15m left and were offering SPers 8m (presumably so as to leave 7m for La Stella) but the targets out there wanted 10m (I think the foodies said this latter part). Maybe that explains why they were trying to move ReyLo cause opening up that extra 2m would make a difference.

The price is probably really high still. Cherington has to aim high because the only way they will eventually win is with good prospects since they cannot spend with that owner. He may hold on to him till the deadline if he doesn't get his price.

JR is saying "thats a great idea about the 10m and incentives guys, but what's the plan if he hits the incentives? Where's the money coming from cause it ain't coming from my pocket"

Now that the number is fixed, does this mean he can be traded now? Open up that 2m to help pay for something else.

Good point....how quickly he can get back to past performance is the wildcard with TJS. Theres no way for the systems to know that. If they are going all in for a WS I would think they would prefer more of a sure thing. On the other hand, at least this option won't force us to gut half the farm like a trade prolly would.

The point is the budget. Any fat you can cut will help open up money for additional players, i.e. La Stella, SP etc.

Yep, the article says he feels Jose is a very deserving MVP.

La Stella would probably fill that role against RHP assuming he isnt starting at 2B if Madrigal is moved.

Plus we could also get Brantley that way too.

Its almost certainly just a ploy. Isn't TOR undesirable for FA due to tax issues? The agent just needs to create leverage in order to squeeze a little more money.

Because it has been suggested by rabbit among others that Hendriks will tap them out financially which will necessitate them cleaning out the farm to trade for cost controlled answers for other needs rather than simply paying for them with just money.

I'm well aware of that but I'm also aware one of the few things this team does reasonably well is develop pitching. We also know that since ownership puts arbitrary budget limits on the FO, apparently even in the middle of a World Series window, that having a stable of young promising pitching is very important in ensuring the window is as long as possible given those budget issues and given that ownership already has a deep aversion to giving long-term deals to pitchers.

Lol @ they are lottery tickets. Their signing bonuses suggest otherwise, bro. So the Sox spend like 3m each for a lottery ticket? Thats a pretty expensive lottery ticket. Last I checked you can get a lottery ticket from the liquor store for like a couple bucks not a few million, but maybe there's runaway inflation now that I'm just not aware of.

Hopefully LH signs with TOR. I dont want to blow up the second part of the window because they are cheap. Add Rosenthal or whatever for a year or two. Bummer can be the closer and Heuer can be the setup. Im perfectly fine with that. If JR isnt going to pay for pitching with money now, they sure as he'll won't in 2023 either, so we need Dahlquist, Kelley, Thompson etc then to replace Keuchel, etc and maybe even Giolito if he wants to test FA. We NEED that second stream of talent.

I think his main objection, which most and maybe all of us share is we are sacrificing the future for the present, when we could and should be able to have both.

I'm really spooked by rabbits twitter post. I dont like this idea of draining the farm just cause they don't want to spend so if thats the plan to compensate for blowing our wad all on Hendriks then I'd rather pass on Hendriks if that is gonna be what they will do to "buy" a SP and a LH bat. Sounds like there's gonna be no second part of this window. They will clean out the young pitching for 2021-2023. JR and TLR won't be around after that so they don't give a damn about anything after 2023. This is so stupid.

It sounds like they caved on the 4th year as others have suggested. On the one hand that doesn't seem too smart, on the other hand, we know they have to overpay to get anything done and we are all tired of JR pinching pennies. I hope they can still get that LH bat (actually two of them, La Stella PLUS Schwarber) and 4th SP. I wonder if they can ship off ReyLo to save a little coin in order to help offset Schwarber's 5m. La Stella should be around 7m or so.

Unless they miss on Hendriks i don't see where the budget money is for something other than a super cheap bridge or a trade for a cost controlled guy. I really want a savage LH bat. They need to address this issue pronto

Is Jimmy suggesting Q? I thought we couldn't afford him?

I think the bidding for Musgrove is going to get out of our range pretty quick. Everyone wants a high upside cost controlled young SP for a couple years, especially with the financial uncertainty of the pandemic. I think if the Angels offer Marsh + it would take something very unwise to win that bidding war. I dont want to deplete the Kelley, Dahlquist, Thompson (I'm assuming Crochet is untouchable as is Kopech) future wave of possible SPs, esp if Giolito doesn't want to extend up front. We need a steady stream of young controllable SPs after Part I of the window (i.e. JR and TLR's last stand). If JR isnt gonna pay expensive long term deals for SP i doubt his son will either.

Why would we extend a RH first baseman now when we have 7 years of control already?

I didn't know Katz made those comments. Thanks for letting me know. Perhaps that's why they seem to be looking into Musgrove closely as it seems Q is priced out of our range financially, if they want to still afford Hendriks.

I dont think TLR would mind since he likes guys with "edge" and TA seems to get along real well with Bauer too on social media. The real issue is there is no way JR will pay for him, not even on a short term deal. If they are pinching pennies in the OF just to afford a 13m closer, there is no way they are gonna pay 30+m for a pitcher even if for only 1-2 years.

Both are affordable. LaStella will be needed since Madrigal might not be healthy to start the year and I get a feeling TLR might like LA Stella better anyway. He provides Moncada long hauler COVID insurance at 3b, too. Give him 1/8m. We can get Schwarber for 1/5-6m. Play musical chairs with him and Eloy at LF/DH. Honestly, if we can get Hendriks plus those two, I'd be fine not adding another SP if we are maxed out. I think Kopech and Cease can hold down 4/5.

I think Q is gonna cost more than 10m so it seems they are moving on to other options at SP4.