Jack Parkman

It isn't the end all be all, but it is the only set of data publicly available that gives some sort of representation.

Just because the Sox play in Chicago, doesn't mean they aren't a small market team. All of those years they decided to go for it....they did it at the expense of amateur scouting. We have seen what position they got themselves into doing that. The Sox absolutely do not have the largest market in the AL central. When you account that the Cubs own 75% of Chicago, you can't really say they are a large market team. If that is the case, they are in one of the smallest markets in Baseball. I hate to burst everyone's bubble.

Yes. when it comes to running a baseball team, the A's have it down to a science. They have a 3 year window, trade all of their players before they reach FA, and reload for another one. You have to have a decent scouting department for that. The A's are usually only down for 3-4 years MAX if they play their cards right. They have 3-4 years of losing and then 3-4 years of winning and so on. They are the best run team in baseball. They never clamp themselves down with bad contracts, and they go for it when the opportunity arises.

In reality, signing any free agent outside the bargain bin is a poor allocation of resources. All free agent contracts are overpayments by definition. Even these mega deals where you're getting the player for age 27-30 seasons, you have to sign them for 10+ years, and they become a burden over that length. It is no different than any other FA deal, in reality.

The tone in the thread has changed from guarded optimism to people convincing themselves that they're a bad allocation of resources. This is what fans do when they realize it won't happen. It is similar to dreaming about wining a $1 Billion lottery. Not a chance in hell, but nice to dream about it for a few days.

Would not shock me one bit if Machado was a Yankee and Harper a Cub when all is said and done. It wouldn't feel like Baseball if it didn't go that way. In any event, I'm glad people are starting to realize that landing one of those two is a pipedream, and even if it wasn't it is still a poor allocation of financial resources. Hopefully they'll sign with some other team during the Winter Meetings and we can all move on to more realistic options.

Also, if Soto and Robles are as good as most think they are they won't miss him much anyway, and that money could be used to shore up their bullpen and rotation.

Their OF is full anyway with Robles and Soto having their first full seasons next year. They're both studly, so that would lessen the sting a lot for Nats fans anyway.

What's wrong with the following two statements: 1. We should assume the person accusing superiors of harassment has a valid point until proven otherwise 2. We should assume Dipoto et al. are innocent until proven guilty by an MLB investigation These things are not mutually exclusive people. If they were mutually exclusive, the entire justice system of trial by jury would fall apart.

Were there really people that thought Sale wasn't an ace? I'd like to meet those people. They must be propped on their toilets because they're high on pot.

And this is why not getting Martes in July blows. When it is known a player is getting cut if their current team can't trade them they just get cut. Why risk anything from the other 29 teams' perspective?

I think the Sox have to beat the next best by at least $75M to get them to sign. The bolded above is my clarification, depending on the dollar amount that is the next best offer. At $350, $75 more gets it done. As the offers go up from there, the dollar amount that the Sox would have to overpay by also goes up. A $75 overpayment is the minimum amount the Sox would have to go to to get them to sign, and I think that is the most conservative estimate. It might be as much as $125.

I'm only changing the goalposts because there is new information that was unknown at the time. I made an assumption, and it was wrong based on this new info. Well, Kunitz and Martinsen still being in the lineup changes a lot. Kunitz not being terminated and Manning not being waived immediately says a TON. I truly thought they were Q guys, but they're still playing and on the team. If I was right about Q being the problem, those three plugs wouldn't be on the team a game or two after Q got whacked. I was wrong about that. Not to say Q didn't have his faults. There were a bunch of things that really irritated me about Q. I think it is now obvious that both needed to go. Based on McCub's comments after Q got whacked, Stan has a month or two to get the ship righted with the current group or else he's whacked too. Stan will be gone soon enough. I believed there was a power struggle going on an Stan let Q hang himself. Now, I'm not so sure. I'm also not so sure there was much Stan could do other than keep Panarin and Danault and not sign Seabrook. I believe the roster was going to collapse about now no matter who was in charge, unless they made drastic changes immediately after their 2015 SCF win. They didn't, and that was their choice. Now they have to live with being the Red Wings part deux. I told everyone that I'd be glad to eat crow if I was wrong. I like my crow served with chicken gravy and stuffing, please. Not afraid to admit I was wrong.

No matter who was at fault, Q needed to go. It seems obvious that Stan does too. As far as I'm concerned they could take McCub with them, and leave the hockey to the hockey people.

I'm on the fence on Stan, and was when Q got whacked. I just thought Q was more to blame, and that Stan deserved some time to fix the mess. They're so bad that I don't think Stan can survive the season, and if they're going to whack him, they shouldn't let him make a damn trade and do it now.