Pretty interesting Tom Verducci article

[Tannerfan]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/.../?sct=uk_t11_a0

 

A very good read. I'm interested to see what Sox Talkers think.

[knightni]

It's the 80s all over again.

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

To a certain point, parity is nice.

 

The Boston Red Sox, coming off a 93-loss grease fire of a season, repaired their outfield not with Josh Hamilton, but with a choice much farther down the spectrum of money and impact, Shane Victorino. The Philadelphia Phillies, staggering off a .500 season, passed on outfielders Hamilton, B.J. Upton and Michael Bourn in order to trade for Ben Revere and sign Delmon Young.

 

If I were a Red Sox or Yankees fan, I wouldn't want my team to throw untold millions at Josh Hamilton (or Albert Pujols, or Zack Greinke, et. al.) to repair a "93-loss grease fire of a season". Boston is lucky that a Get Out of Jail Free Card like the Dodgers exists. I'd be stunned to see them test those waters again so soon. It's funny, though, that many seem to be dismissing those teams (at least partially- I'm not overlooking the age issues) because they didn't throw Ft. Knox at someone (for once). I don't think teams in that corner of the country are going to suddenly drop everything and take the Tampa (or KC!) approach, but to an extent- they may.

 

I'll be sitting with my popcorn cheering for anyone or anything that's playing the Angels for the next few years.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Swingandalongonetoleft

[witesoxfan]

To a certain point, parity is nice.

 

 

 

If I were a Red Sox or Yankees fan, I wouldn't want my team to throw untold millions at Josh Hamilton (or Albert Pujols, or Zack Greinke, et. al.) to repair a "93-loss grease fire of a season". Boston is lucky that a Get Out of Jail Free Card like the Dodgers exists. I'd be stunned to see them test those waters again so soon. It's funny, though, that many seem to be dismissing those teams (at least partially- I'm not overlooking the age issues) because they didn't throw Ft. Knox at someone (for once). I don't think teams in that corner of the country are going to suddenly drop everything and take the Tampa (or KC!) approach, but to an extent- they may.

 

I'll be sitting with my popcorn cheering for anyone or anything that's playing the Angels for the next few years.

 

The Red Sox guaranteed $151.275 million in new contracts this offseason, and that number was nearly $185.275 mill had they signed Napoli to his original contract offer. And, unlike previously, they guaranteed that money to aging and/or mediocre players or they traded too much for another reliever with control problems. They could certainly be tough at the end of games, but all indications are that the offense is going to be mediocre and likely injury prone. If they are anything more than a .500 team, I'd be greatly surprised, and that's after they've spent all this money again.

[LittleHurt05]

The Red Sox guaranteed $151.275 million in new contracts this offseason, and that number was nearly $185.275 mill had they signed Napoli to his original contract offer. And, unlike previously, they guaranteed that money to aging and/or mediocre players or they traded too much for another reliever with control problems. They could certainly be tough at the end of games, but all indications are that the offense is going to be mediocre and likely injury prone. If they are anything more than a .500 team, I'd be greatly surprised, and that's after they've spent all this money again.

 

The Victorino signing is one of the worst signings I have ever seen.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Damn. That was actually a pretty good piece. And he backs up the article with legitimate numbers. Yes, the game has indeed changed. And I love it.

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

The Red Sox guaranteed $151.275 million in new contracts this off-season, and that number was nearly $185.275 M...

 

That's true- what they didn't do is spend it all on one Carl Crawford- to be locked in until the end of time. Their signings were curious, but nowhere near as impossible to work around as another signing of that caliber.

[ptatc]

Damn. That was actually a pretty good piece. And he backs up the article with legitimate numbers. Yes, the game has indeed changed. And I love it.

Going back to pre-PED abuse era. Most players will need to choose between contact and power.

 

Could you make a case for Canseco being one of the most influential figures in MLB history? He really changed the game for a couple of decades. Vast rule changes were made because of him.

[Balta1701]

Going back to pre-PED abuse era. Most players will need to choose between contact and power.

 

Could you make a case for Canseco being one of the most influential figures in MLB history? He really changed the game for a couple of decades. Vast rule changes were made because of him.

Maybe moreso if he's really the one who started shooting needles into Big Mac's tuchus.

[caulfield12]

Put it this way: If you get four starters to make 30 starts each, you're almost guaranteed to be in the playoffs. Forget about tinkering around the margins, middle relief, bench strength, chemistry and all the rest of the architecture of teams that we love to chew on; it really is this simple: over the past five years, 15 teams have sent four starters to the mound at least 30 times each. Eleven of those 15 teams have made the playoffs, including every world champion from 2008-2012.

 

The Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays, deep in young, reliable starters and with strong defense behind them, are best positioned to profit from how the game is played today. If you're looking for a sleeper team, keep an eye on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a rotation of Ian Kennedy, 28, Trevor Cahill, 25, Wade Miley, 26, Brandon McCarthy, 29, and Randall Delgado, 23. Don't forget Daniel Hudson, eventually.

 

Which makes the White Sox lack of success despite their relative string of pitching health (minus Danks) a bit more befuddling.

 

Lots of inconsistent or erratic offensive numbers that look "okay" at the end of the season, cumulatively, but not quite enough. The clutch hitting and OBP killed this team in the 2nd half last year.