hogan873

Yeah, but who wants to relive 2025?

Busy weekend for the Sox. This trade surprised me, mainly because of the info that it had fallen through. I actually like the trade. Hicks had a rough 2025, but he's got good stuff. Maybe the Sox can get him back on track. It sounds like he'll be out of the bullpen, but you never know. Getting some money from Boston was nice, especially considering they also got Sandlin, who might be the actual centerpiece of the trade.

I suppose Quero would be major, especially considering what they could get in return (I have no idea). I think Lee being traded is more likely, but you never know. Sosa would probably not get much of a return, despite his decent power numbers.

Do the Sox even have someone they could trade that would be considered major?

If there was a list of 100 problems the Sox have, this would be about #102. A lot of teams have sponsorship patches now, and probably most, if not all, will soon.

Yeah, Meidroth is much better than Madrigal. He'll never have big power numbers, but he's shown so far to be a good hitter with good defense. Sosa will have bigger power numbers, but his defense is bad at best.

Yeah...at market value, I agree. I'm just thinking about a return in prospects if Dominguez is an effective closer and is dealt. I would think the return might be better (more interesting anyway) than Robert's.

It's hard to put a finger on what some of the remaining free agents might get, but Bader probably gets $8 million or so, and Giolito probably $10 million. Hays and Giolito at $15 million total...maybe?

If they can only spend the $20 million, one of Bader or Giolito is possible. But, if Get was given a little flexibility and could spend a little more...

Probably already does. Dominguez has pitched pretty well, consistently. He's already a late-inning asset. If the Sox can use him as an effective closer, he'll be quite valuable.

All of whom will be in the best shapes of their lives!

Taking on Acuna and the other guy, while dumping $20 million in payroll, does not have potentially disastrous results. At worst, neither pan out and they're quietly released. At best, Acuna plays great defense, is a terror on the basepaths, and the bat improves a bit; and Pauley is a semi-useful bullpen piece.

I can understand being salty about the return, but you're right. Unless the Sox chipped in money, which was unlikely, they were not going to get much in return for the oft-injured, inconsistent Robert on a one year $20 million deal. They ended up paying nothing and got a guy with plenty of question marks but some potential and a pitcher. As you said, the other option was to pay $2 million and get nothing.

A lot of folks are melting down on X, too. Some to the point that they seem to forget how much they bashed Robert over the years due to injury and overall lack of results.

No. I like him, and I think he might be okay getting consistent playing time. Defensively and on the basepaths, he'll be good. The bat is another story. Only time will tell.

That's the key. If (big if) they spend some of that $20 million on a pitcher or two, this trade looks better. I'm not concerned about not having the oft-injured Robert anymore, and Acuna could (big could) be decent. But we've seen this low budget movie before. Save money, don't spend money, cry about attendance and cost, repeat.

They'll tell us they already have with Murakami.

I don't know why anyone would have expected more in a return for Robert. He's been pretty bad and/or hurt for years. However, if none of the $20 million is spent on improving the team, it'll be a major disappointment. Yes, I know, be ready to be disappointed. I'm fine with a clean slate of Robert gone. It was tiring seeing him show the occasional glimpse of hope to either snap a hamstring or forget how to swing a bat. As far as Acuna, let him play and see what he's got. This is one of the few teams he would get a shot to play all year in a starting role. We'll see,

Yeah, expecting Robert to perform well while not blowing a hamstring for half a season is like banging your head against the wall and then wondering why you have a headache.

To me, the only bad thig about trading Robert now is he'd be dealt when his value is relatively low. The return will be less than optimum and most likely wouldn't help the Sox in 2026. However, do we really think Robert will be on this team beyond 2026? I certainly don't. If he plays well in 2026, and he isn't traded at the deadline, he'll get paid by some other team for 2027 and after. If he struggles again, or is hurt again, he'll stick around all season and not be re-signed. The best case scenario is the Sox hold onto him, he tears it up for the first half (and miraculously doesn't get hurt), and he gets traded for a nice return at the deadline. Do we really see that happening? History says it's unlikely.

And that's probably what he's driving at. I agree with what others have said that he doesn't seem to know much more than most of us and certainly much less than some of our actual trustworthy guys.

Bartolo's ColonCleanse, for what it's worth, posted the Dwight "It's True" gif with no context. He was asked if he's as confident about Imai as he was about Murakami, and he said no.

I realize he has a lot of money, and donating $20,000 isn't going to hurt his wallet. My point was he's already doing something for the community around the ballpark.

Per Chuck Garfien, Murakami is donating 100 $100 grocery gift certificates to the St. James Food Pantry as well as $10,000 to the Food Pantry. The Pantry serves people in need in the neighborhoods around the ballpark. This guy is already awesome.

It's nice to be a fan of a team that makes a move like this while seeing fans of other teams publicly say things like "That's too much for unproven talent" or "I'm glad my team didn't pay this guy". Meanwhile we know they're pissed. $17 million committed for two years is a risk you take every single day. The Sox desperately need power, and this guy could bring it in droves. The marketing rewards alone will likely pay for a lot of the contract. This guy is huge in Japan and will have a big following in the US, too.