CaliSoxFanViaSWside

With visions of sugar plums dancing in his head ?

I'm thinking "unlike the Sox" means the kind of moves we would call rebuild moves or what I rather call Tampa Bay type moves, vets for youth but more like MLB ready youth ,speed,defense, LH. Exploit those new rules. MLB wants stealing bases back in the game so let's go !

It's 1 year . It's all tilted in the player side. Guys like Bellinger are praying to return to 3 WaR status just to use that team for that end. It does nothing for the Sox unless you get guys just like him already on the Sox to rebound just as much as they need Bellinger to rebound. It's a crapshoot on top of 8 crapshoots already. Id rather just find young OFers with upside and the same type of speed and defense that Bellinger provides. That's where the majority of his War is coming from anyway. It's sure not his hitting. Sox just have to keep an eye on trades and see how the OF situations around the league shake out. I already suggested DFA guys that apparently no one wanted except the Yomiuri Giants and the Nationals, but Hahn went with Payton. This is where are are. Which is why I was making those suggestions in the 1st place. Pining over losing Bellinger and paying 17.5M for him for a year seems like wasted wishes.

It's an overpay for both of them . You can get AAAA players who gave you what Engel did for MLB minimum but I'll agree that its a very large overpay for Bellinger.

6 of one half dozen of the other. Both past their glory years although Engel didn't have any glory years.

Nothing is written in stone. It's early December. I could care less if we lose a year of control for Colas. This is the last year of the perceived contention window unless the Sox can win the division. They're losing too much starting pitching in 2024. Put the best player on the field from day one. Anything less than that and it's not giving the team every chance to win. We all talk about how JR has no commitment to wining then as fans we turn around and say let's give up 15+ games without a guy who can be one of our best players and play some bum in the OF for that time. 8 of 12 playoff teams are usually fighting for a shot at the playoff in the last couple of weeks. That means you win or lose on the margins. Why deliberately not play healthy players when injuries rob you all season long ? 15 games lost 10 times a year means a lot on the margins. If we add up all the 15 game losses to injuries last year how much time in the margins did the Sox lose ? I'll just guess but I'm thinking there were at least 25 times 15 games were lost when you add up the injuries to Robert, Lynn, Anderson, Eloy and others who could have made significant contributions. 25 x 15 is 375 games lost on the margins on a team without depth is just a terrible waste.

This couldn't have worked out any better. Sox didnt pay for him and the cubs did. Crash and burn cubs.

That would depend on how he ended up playing. For example. I liked the Steele Walker for Mazara trade. Figured a minor leaguer for an established still young player with LH power was not a typical Hahn move. Took a lot of guff for supporting that trade but in the end it's been a nothing burger . Much ado about nothing. Just the typical overzealous diatribes for Sox prospects.

I did a deep dive on that on my many conversations with @ptatc when we were discussing Rodon's injury history when I wanted to resign along with many to be fair didn't want him. His new and improved mechanics were always a big part of why i wanted to keep him. Of course I understood that there is repaired damage to his arm which would always make him a risky proposition but you either use one thing or the other to draw conclusions and I went with the new Rodon rather than the old model. I never liked the idea of casually tossing a guy aside who had just demonstrated he was among the best in baseball born from his work with Katz. His past conditioning issues never really bothered me. Once you find a formula for success and the promise of big money I didn't think it would be an issue.

I've vacillated on moving Gio. Probably need to just trust he'll rebound in a contract year. A lot of players do. We're already knee deep in guys who are always injured or having trouble with consistency so what's one more? You can see how he and the rest of the underachievers do. Gio can be good but the team bad so then you can move him at the trade deadline. If both are good you play it out. I will put a lil faith in our starting pitching and some better OF defense and team speed. That's what baseball is promoting with the new rules. Take advantage of it. If the Sox save some money put it towards the bullpen. I know right. But you can reinvest half of Hendricks salary on a couple BP guys or just one. Tampa Bay contends a lot and they always are selling off pieces. It has to start somewhere. Just need to start piling up the pieces now and see if we can get some career health and career years from Eloy and Robert. Do you all realize how huge that would be and how exciting to see Eloy settle in at DH and Robert doing his thing in LF saving his legs just a bit to use them terrorizing pitchers on the bases ! Both of them destroying balls over the fences, showing Colas and Outman how it's done as they become the young left handed savages ! It would be a very exciting team born from the depths of our despair.

Lol that is Billy Bob Thornton ?

Every year is it's own animal. Because the Sox couldn't hit they had a lot of low scoring close games. We all knew the success or failure of the rebuild was built around about 4 guys all becoming better than Abreu as he aged and not one of them has. Pray they step up and we get a way better defensive OF to help the pitchers too. Every franchise that doesn't spend has to rely on young talent. Sox don't have enough of that. Hendriks can help fix that, not that I think Hahn is capable of fixing much of anything.

Nah it doesn't require either. Even you thought Pepiot and Outman could be done. That would give the Sox a real nice defensive OF if you just lose Hendriks and 1 prospect . That gives you an OF you can play every day and 2 LHH in the lineup for a long time. I know you don't want Eloy, Sheets or Vaughn in the OF and neither do I. I'm painting a rosy picture but if you really thought they were going spend much more you need to get your head examined. JR's got in your head too. Gave you someone so bad that people are talking about Grifol like he can resurrect 8 careers. Not going to happen.

I'm not upset in the least. I've been advocating new blood all along. You know that tweet about Hahn getting input from other sources. He read my letter . Of course Hahn's execution in trades just may do as you say.

Wow you don't say ? This is a major shocker to me. I never saw it coming !

Well if you bought into the competitive window lasting 10 years then I suppose we are in the middle of it but it ended when JR hired TLR and not only did he manage poorly but him and the coaches were solely responsible for everything that went wrong. But have no fear ,I have it from an inside source that Pedro Grifol is on a mission from God.

LOL but what about the FA OFers we must have ?

What is your source to say almost every had spent their next allotment as well ?

Based on a lot more but spin it any way you want to fit your narrative. I could make 1000 posts about him telling you everything you want to know about him but if he isnt "ranked" he's a loser yet a good organization like the Dodgers has high hopes for him. If we don't get him and the Dodgers don't trade him or sign an OF would it be a terrible if the Dodgers played him and gave him 300 AB's or more ? That's what could happen. You guys act like I'm the only one who wants Outman. Plenty of other people around here rather have a shot at a good defensive OF w/ offensive upside than pay for the rejects currently available. Any plan you could come up with isn't going to happen either but if it does I suppose you'll be thrilled with Gallo.

Better than your dream of wasting money on Gallo

Yes he got more money but his intention was always to sign with the Sox. By waiting other teams could've upped their offered and signed him too but he chose the Sox. Plenty of teams wanted him.

OMG yea we might have a -.3 and -.4 like we did with Vaughn in 2021 and 202 or the .1 WAR we got out of Sheets. The horror ! Conforto or some other OF for $10M+ will propel the Sox to the playoffs ! Maybe you should start thinking about what could go right. More money for other fixes and cost controlled players for 6 years instead of expensive rejects for 1 year and then you have to fix the problem all over again.

People who want to sign those guys also want Colas to start the year at AAA. I also don't want 1 FA OF. Trade for Outman. Have 2 Rookies in the OF and get some OF defense flowing. I would have expected someone better than Payton for depth too. Same crap different year. If we put up with Vaughn in the OF for 2 years how can it be worse than he was ?

Nope but nothing else substantial to discuss. It's Foodies bashing time. Same old same old.

Yea the Sox shouldn't f*** with him. He bent over backwards so the Sox could pay him by waiting for them to have the money. He might already be starting his 2nd yr. in MLB if it wasn't for that.