he gone.

ask scottie pippen

No reason to even approach any of this until his contract is up. When the time comes you assess against current backdrop + current outlook. Doing anything ahead of time is foolish. i.e. look at how the Astros handled their situation. Hell, use them for all examples. With the talent and run room of these contracts the Sox should be rebooting their minors to fill in. This "our window is the next 2-4 years" stuff is nonsense. A window shouldn't be the the end goal. The goal should be to have rolling success and younger controllable guys that can supplement current guys and then making tough decisions about signing extensions or replacing internally for cheaper.

Leury starting and vaughn in the 9 hole. inject it into my veins!

It's pretty simple. Be aware of your surroundings. Both sides are right - it's become worse and petty crime is much more prevalent. That said, it's generally also the same instances in the same locations at the same time over and over. Not justifying it, but basically avoid walking alone at like 1am and beyond. Poor guy is asking for advice about the sox game ... I think I'm pretty comfortable saying if you jump on the red line at 6pm and are on the train with a bunch of other sox fans you are pretty okay. Same on the return trip back up to the city after the game. It's worse than it used to be, but from 2009-2019 I took the red line to sox games consistently and it's never been a bed of roses. It's a $3 trip that is super convenient and drops you next to the park. In terms of hotels to stay at? we're talking a mid-week orioles series if i remember right. any hotel will be business travelers at that time. loop is going through some shit right now. its definitely not what it was just 3-5 years ago when it was booming, but it's not desolate. especially if just walking from state street or grand to your hotel or whatever. Chicago is not burning. It's not as good as it was during its top over the past decade, but this isn't the 70's and 80's downtown... Places to eat: River North and West Loop you can't go wrong. it's expensive, but you can google any Thrillist or Eater list and they'll give you every type of food you can imagine and they'll all be fantastic. Places to stay ... basically the same. I highly recommend https://www.publishinghousebnb.com/ It's a family run bed and breakfast in the west loop. super charming and great digs and breakfast. Also is probably a 10 minute drive down Halsted to get to the park. As someone else said and I said earlier -- Kimski, Marias Packaged Goods, and Fried Chicken Pizza Ice Cream are all basically connected and run the same. funky layout, but you can order a pizza and sit at Maria's or vice versa. multiple patios, has a liquor store in the middle, etc. The food is all amazing and beers are all great. Chicago still is great. It currently is getting a somewhat deserved bad wrap, but you'll be fine.

The chicago crime is really starting to stoke fear fires ... sad to see. But I somewhat get it. Don't let people get you down on here. The city isn't perfect, but isn't falling apart completely. As someone who lived in the city I'd make these adjustments: Consider uber or taxi instead of red line. red line should be okay on a game day/night, but if you want to be extra careful, it may make sense. if you schedule your uber for pickup like 2-3 hours ahead of time you should cut down on costs. You'll be okay staying in any hotel downtown. again, it's just being aware of your surroundings. it sucks, but sadly its a reality nowadays. if you see groups of people, then you may want to be on guard. food wise? I think your best bet for a patio is fried chicken pizza ice cream. it's like a half mile from the park and has some damn good food. You can guess the menu. they have a nice patio and beer selection too. best food around the park.

Tell me I'm wrong ... a computer algorithm with captains serving as player managers is better than TLR.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jose-abreu-547989?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb Check out this page. He will get his, don't you worry Sox fans. I know it hasn't been an ideal start across the board for the Sox, but offense is not this team's problem, even if 2b is a hole. Bullpen is not an issue. SP depth is a problem and will continue to be a problem as they try and keep Kopech fresh for playoff run (if needed). I think the thought process was a) let's be cheap and b) we have a 4 man rotation that can win it all in Cease/Gio/Kopech/Lynn in the playoffs. Just gonna need a lot of luck to have that come true.

dont disagree, but two months ago romy was yolbert right? we change our minds a lot as sox fans. they're all "meh' options at the end of the day. maybe one day we'll get a RF or 2B. would be nice haha.

That's the simple version. The other version is they had a tougher decision to make from 28 to 26 and have a better roster/roster composition than us. They were making decisions on Dom Smith, JD Davis types. We were making decisions on Danny Mendick. They also have Jeff McNeil who can play 2b and has produced. They have Eduardo Escobar who can play 2b/3b too. Simply put we should not be as dismissive of Cano as the board seems to be at this juncture. That's not to say there aren't a ton of strikes against Cano -- age, limited position mobility, roids, etc. But take the Harrison contract out of it, or the Leury love by TLR. There's very little doubt that Cano could easily produce at the level of our bottom part of roster. For a league minimum? That's something you consider because the risk/reward is palatable.

If i remember correctly Miami was interested in him briefly even before his first run with the Sox. I still think they line up great for a trade whether that be Pablo Lopez, Trevor Rogers or Eleiser Hernandez. Obviously can't be inside the head of Ng, but would think they will trade someone from their rotation for some bats in near future. Before someone here gets way too upset, I am not saying Mercedes as a centerpiece, nor do I think we have any centerpieces to be able to land the former two, however Brian Anderson (their 3b) is in arb 2 this year. Next year is his final. Garrett Cooper is in the same position. Aguilar is in his last year. They basically have 4 solid pitchers who could conceivably be ready in AAA and a full rotation. Something has to break and have no real bats at the ready. If I'm Miami I'm not very impressed with Sheets/Burger -- kind of seem like Anderson/Cooper part deux with more control ... but you never know. Mercedes could be a throw-in? Think it's reasonable that lands Eleiser perhaps ...

it's on brand for the sox + doesn't solve 2b again, so itll happen.

another one to consider.. willie calhoun don't think it's really necessary ... but he's had flashes and with eloy out for 6+ weeks might be an option? I'd rather have Engel/Robert/Pollock roaming the OF with Vaughn filling in at 1b/dh/lf/rf & playing 6 games a week, so not sure there's really a place for calhoun ... but if the price is free it's not that hard to take a chance.

I'm not sure I agree with that ... he has a career .302 average -- look at those stats ... better than you might think https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/robinson-cano-429664?stats=career-r-hitting-mlb Now, if you throw in the PED suspensions? Yes, not great. But does the team pay those salaries in a suspension? Really if you look at it his 2020 was still strong. He had one down season with the Mets and a poor start this year. In regards to signing him? I mean ... he's probably not much better than a Harrison at this point in his career, and probably less volatility now. You could convince me, but not sure where he fits. What I'd love to see is: Sox trade for Eleiser Hernandez - give up Sheets or Burger type. Maybe a lower end prospect tied to them. Marlins have Meyer and a few others knocking at the door and Hernandez is disposable for them. Burger would be a nice fit for that team. Though him and Sheets are kind of just repeats of the Brian Anderson, Garret Cooper, Aguilar type mold. Nonetheless think it'd be a good trade. Sox release Keuchel. I'd say slot him into long relief for mop up roll as an option as well. It's a sunk cost. He doesn't seem to fit in the clubhouse (at least on some of his comments ... that's kind of conjecture). By late May your rotation is: Giolito, Cease, Lynn, Kopech, Eleiser with Cueto/Keuchel/VV as your spot/mop up guy. In regards to Cano someone would have present to me the roster gymnastics and who'd have to get cut to make the spot ... he's taking whos spot? Sheets I guess?? He could backup Abreu alongside Vaugh and Yaz. Be the split/hot bat spot at 2b ... ? I don't love or hate it. Seems net neutral.

Yes, but it's not about that. It's about having a hand to play to get votes. It's essentially balancing do you want to play this hand now, or later? I'm not sure the calculation makes sense at this point for democrats. The pause has been ongoing for 2 years now and the economy is teetering. If you cancel, you don't get the boost now, you just get same spending patterns that have been developed/budgeted over the past 2 years by millennials. Playing the hand now won't result in extra votes nor boost in spending IMO. They'll want to hold back the total forgiveness for a time when the "economic boost" is really needed and can buy them more good graces than now. That said, the dems are in a tough spot both based on promises, the mid-terms coming up, the current outlook of how mid-terms are likely to go, etc. My personal guess is they do something like that 10k forgiveness while still having the carrot out there to discuss "more robust" forgiveness in the future. aka, you deliver on a promise, buy some votes, but keep voters on the hook go-forward. This way they can judge how forgiveness is accepted across voter base, deliver, and keep you in the palm of their hand. You have to look it at it through the lens of a politician. they don't actually care about you, they care about your vote to further their personal agenda.

They better have an electric blanket in the dugout to wrap around his legs. Pollock/hamstrings + cold weather isn't a great recipe. Half joking btw ... wouldn't be a bad idea to treat him like a pitcher who puts on a coat on the bench to keep arm warm. The scheduling was ridiculous this year. shame on mlb. detroit, chicago, chicago, cleveland, minny, chicago, chicago ... i believe we have a kc in there too. How they didn't mix in any west coast or southern games is amazing.

this is true. i actually typed up a whole extra paragraph on labor costs, but then thought it was getting too far into the weeds for its purpose and deleted. refrigeration costs, shipping costs, labor costs, garbage cost, extra security costs, etc. then does it lead to more food consumption drunk? clothing purchases? etc. how does that affect staffing? End of day they've likely done more research than any of us on this topic. a $10 beer is expensive to most and the ones that are cutting consumption due to price probably aren't buying at $9, $11, or $13. Likewise those who are creatures of habit and want to go to a game and be nostalgic and have a cold one on a hot (hopefully soon) summer day will likely buy regardless of those few dollars. There does seem to be plenty of demand for the patio parties and those RF seats that are all-inclusive though ... same with bleachers and brews deal. Economically for Sox probably could be a good idea to figure out some sort of upper deck v. lower deck pricing models. Aka, cheaper beer prices up there, cheaper food prices up there. Generally speaking those buying the UD seating are going to be more price sensitive. Not sure you can pull that off PR wise ... kind of have/have-not vibes. But think they could probably introduce more incentives on 300 level whether that be different pricing or more "all inclusive" seating options in the UD and would likely be successful.

Served at those craft beer stands. They believe they're doing Margaritas and Mai Tai's at those stands. Both of those are like 13% ABV. Great for a round of golf btw. The section i get them in is 128 at top. Just FYI i believe the Palomas and mules are like 7%. Just a disclaimer depending on what your goal is ... aka get loose for a cheaper price or just buying for flavor. FWIW i actually think it's the best canned margarita out there - they put two shots of tequila in there... not some sort of malt liquor masquerading as liquor. https://www.cutwaterspirits.com/canned-cocktails/tequila-lime-margarita/

As people have said already it just comes down to profit. Where in the supply/demand chart do prices land? For some beer prices and ballpark food is elastic, for some it's inelastic. $1 beer for Sox, Sell 100 beers at $12 = $1,100 profit or $1 beer for Sox, Sell 200 beers at $7 = $1,200 profit The Sox couldn't care less about the price, they care about optimizing the profit that comes along with selling said beers. That said, the problem is they never run an experiment to the downside, just to the upside. I haven't followed it much, but wonder did the Twins bring back their lower prices on items this year? FWIW, the best deal in the park remains the Cutwater margaritas. $10.25 for a 12oz can and 13% alcohol. They put it over ice. Breaks out to basically $3-5 drinks against a beer depending on AVB you're having. Perfect for a warm, sunny ballgame.

I'm not sure how much is determined by Levy and how much by the Sox. I'd have to assume the costs for labor and goods is up considerably as well. I'd be curious to see what their margins are last year v this year. Most companies I've seen are passing along the costs pretty well to the consumer and as you mentioned becomes how elastic or inelastic are prices? So far it's TBD and climbing. I always grab a bite at Kimski/Fried Chicken Pizza before the game. The food is better, the wait is minimal and the beer selection is solid. No need to grab food inside when you're already full. That said, I'm always going to have a few beers.

I wish I had an insider to tell me what the Sox are thinking ... these are my favorite type of games to buy tickets to. Grab yourself half-price tickets and possibly get a beautiful 8/29 game. Unfortunately i think the DH is probably the most realistic.

Quick takes. VV is barely a warm body. Might be a room temperature body. Many meatballs being thrown. Brash has scary potential.

We're already there ... we're two years ahead of Seattle give or take. We have every single piece minus we did not address pitching depth. It will end up burning us in the ALDS or ALCS when we lose. Or, in a perfect world it will affect us in the long run when we trade away our already thin minors to supplement in the rotation. Either way, our inability to spend has cost us a 10-25% chance of winning the world series. still could happen (see braves) but not the smartest away to attack.

I'd disagree. Kirby, Brash and Hancock will all get innings this year and learn at the MLB level as Gilbert did last year. Ray and Gilbert will continue to anchor go forward. Marco Gonzalez is a serviceable 4/5. Flexen as well. You already have 4 serviceable guys ... and three extremely talented prospects. That rotation will be very, very good. It will show flashes this year but just like Gio, Cease, and many other young pitchers they will take a 1-2 years to learn. That rotation alone is enough to keep them in any conversation of division winner + playoff competitors. Much easier to slot in with signings like Robbie Grossman or Cahna types in FA than it is to go out and pay for guys like Robbie Ray. The offense has a very good future too and based on the names they were in on (Bryant, Suzuki, etc.) + how aggressive their GM is I don't see them sitting on the sidelines. You have a combo of JP Crawford, Marte, Toro (UTIL), France (UTIL), Frazier (2b/OF) Lewis, Kelenic, Winker, JRod, Evan White, Raleigh, Murphy, etc. etc. Who knows what they do with Haniger, but this team has a whole host of solid guys. Right now they have a bunch of very serviceable guys kind of out of the SF Giant mode. Or the Rays. None blow you away individually but as a whole and multiple position eligibility. I don't think they'll hit the 90 wins they did last year ... it's possible ... but don't see that happening. That said starting as soon as next year I think they're a real ALCS contender and probably in 2024+ they are a real WS contender.

My guess is that Hahn or an agent close with Sox leaked this. Basically - hey guys, get off my back. i checked in, this is what they wanted. it's not happening. I wonder what the Reds were asking for Gray. Sox should (And probably have) explore with the Marlins. That team has so much pitching depth its scary... Alcantara, Lopez, Rogers, Eleiser Hernandez, Luzardo, Meyer, Sixto Sanchez, Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera ... THATS NINE! DEEP! I'm not sure how you navigate the Cuban pipeline and Colas/Cespedes or their perceived value ... nor do I know what we could/would trade them ... but I'd quite literally take any single one of those guys. Based on what we need right of way + cost my wish list would be in this order: Eleiser Hernandez - probably one of the cheapest options to acquire and like his stuff. They can just slot in no issue internally Pablo Lopez - they were known to have him on the table in offseason. He's legit and would slot in right away on par with Cease or so Sixto Sanchez - roll of dice. maybe buy low candidate. his shoulder is really troubling, but if healthy he can slot in as an immediate impact arm. You just can't have any expectations of innings from him which is kinda what we need right now. Rogers - he's expensive. he's good. Alcantara - probably untouchable, that's why he's so low. I'd trade Vaugh for him .... and I wouldn't trade Vaughn for many. Eury Perez - he's Grayson Rodriguez ... he's 19? 20? He will be Jose Fernandez type household name soon. Hell, If the price was right I'd slot him right after Pablo Lopez ... he could probably be with the Sox by year end working in a Kopech type role last year Luzardo/Cabrera - i put them together. both have a wild streak. not the type of arm i want to rely on with where we are as a team. Meyer - he's great too, just costs a lot.

sounds like im in the minority - but i appreciate mlb trying to expand their product offering. Now, do i think someone with appletv who signs in to watch some drama or comedy is going to see a random mlb game and become a fan? nope. they have to bring more to the table than that ... an alternate broadcast ala the manning bros on MNF or something would be a start. MLB is a long game with lots of downtime. someone needs to capitalize on that ... The sunday morning thing makes sense IMO. it's like the premier league with soccer. its a quiet, background sport. there are many times Ill jjust have soccer on in the background just because it's good ambience. im barely watching. if mlb can convert on that feeling/ambience for baseball? good on them.