chitownsportsfan

Very strange article indeed. If Luis Robert breaks his neck tmr and is confined to a wheel chair the rest of his life he's SET. His offspring are set. His wife, his cousins, and so forth. From the players' perspective they have to work within the framework of the CBA. It's not like his agent wanted to take LESS of his cut by saving the Sox money. No, his agent did the best he could given the current CBA.

you're not sending a single prospect with a pulse. You're basically just adding about 8 fWAR between the two of them for 40 million lump sum. @almagest I believe that Betts has indicated he intends to fully test the FA waters. Boston is in a tough spot. He's already turned down their extension offers.

As I said, it would basically make the Sox a HEAVY favorite to win the central. I'd hazard a guess it would take their odds from about 20% to somewhere around 60%. Would take expected wins from about 85 to 90+. If I'm Hahn I'm spending a lot of time trying to convince JR that this is a great use of his money with no long term commitment and the potential to have the inside track on resigning Betts after a successful season and he sees what they are building.

Boston would be shipping about 30 million. So roughly a one time fee of 30 million to become the clear favorite in the central. The Sox aren't going to spend that money on a FA this year. They might as well use it to get Betts. Of course Jerry being Jerry would never see it as a creative use of money imo. they wouldn't be tied to him @Moan4Yoan they would just cut his ass if he becomes a problem and can't give them 120 innings and around 2 WAR.

who cares about Price? He'd basically just be another 5th starter. The prize is getting Mookie's 6 WAR for essentially a one time fee of about 20 million. I remain convinced that Boston is looking to dump both of them in a package deal. https://www.overthemonster.com/2020/1/4/21049368/boston-red-sox-trade-rumors-mookie-betts-david-price-dodgers-adrian-gonzalez-carl-crawford-beckett

I hope it's taking on most of Price's contract to get Mookie Betts for a bag of balls and an A ball reliever.

Yep. Really don't see the need to spend money right now on the pen outside maybe a couple NRI that can be cut loose with no commitment in April. If in July the Sox are contending then you can add to the pen.

interesting, had no idea. based on their fan graphs depth charts projections they need a lot more position player help.

Are they trying to contend? Trading Mazara just to sign Nick doesn't make a lot of sense unless they are. Maybe they feel they are.

I wouldn't be so quick to praise Hahn or discredit Theo. Theo won a title, and seemingly is operating under similar restrictions to Hahn, despite an annual revenue roughly 20-40% larger. Theo would probably like the Chapman trade back. But flags fly forever and when dealing with ownership that has profit somewhere around the same as winning it's not that easy.

Sure, but this is a) a workplace and b) a workplace only comparable to other MLB workplaces. Like Puig coming in in a bad mood really doesn't have anything to do with the other 25 guys like it would in a office or blue collar environment. Now, Puig dogging it in RF would, and that's why unlike most assholes (Chris Sale, AJ, Youk, Wells, Gardner and so on) Puis is a real threat, because in baseball you can be a fucking asshole to your team mates as long as you play the game the "right way" and most of the assholes do that, which some would say makes them "red asses", not assholes, if you want to get pedantic. Christ it's January isn't it? tl:dr don't bring in Puig.

again I was basing that on a hypothetical mid career break out as a starter this year. I've always liked Yolmer probably just wishful thinking he'd get a deal like that even after a 3 WAR season.

Should have clarified: he has one last chance to prove he's a starting caliber talent this year and get a long term contract. It's fairly unlikely even with playing time, but there's a small chance he hits something like 275/330/425, puts up about 3 fWAR, and gets a long term deal. But if he is a backup on a stacked team (like Chicago, lol, what is life) he won't ever get that small chance. Honestly don't think he has that in him, but with enough of the right vitamins this offseason he might. One of my theories (and it's a theory only) is that he was off the juice last year.

If he wants to come back for 3-4 million and accepts a bench role where he's looking at playing once a week fine. He's a useful bench utility IF but I have a feeling he wants a shot at more playing time. He's kinda at a crossroads for his career. He can hang on in MLB as a bench bat probably for a few more years but he won't make much money and will probably have to go to Japan in his 30s. So he might be thinking this is is one final chance to try and secure a starting gig and a long term deal. He's made like 9 million before taxes already so he's not destitute by any means but a 3 year 40 million dollar deal would ensure generational wealth for his family and most big leaguers from means such as his are seeking that security and status and I don't begrudge them one bit.

Yea I don't really see any way that happens. If they wanted to bring him back they probably already would have agreed on a deal outside arb, maybe something like 1 year 4 million with a team option or small buyout (1 mm). Chances are Yolmer thought he could do better playing time wise and so decided to try his luck as a FA or camp invite at worst case. I think that signals the Sox and Yolmer have moved on from each other. MAYBE he comes back on a minor league invite but imo he's too good not to sign a small MLB contract sometime in February or early March on a team that is looking for a potential flip candidate or just needs some IF depth after the inevitable injuries of the first week of ST.

So what his solipsistic posts about the 1975 team are a thing of the past? He can't grace us with his words for free here? Bummer!

This place is an amazing fount of knowledge. Not just about the Sox but about MLB in general. Great back and forth thanks for all that info on how clubs operate in LA.

Signing guys to guaranteed money in the midst of a career year that are arb eligible and have never shown the tools to be anymore than a backup catcher in over 1000 MLB PA doesn't seem like smart business to me. How in the hell did James McCann get in this thread?

This. He is a guy that you wait on. There's no rush to sign him until he's established that he's got a MLB floor as a 2 WAR player. You can argue given his incredible tools in CF Robert already has that floor. Not sure about Madrigal yet.

yea pretty sure the penalties are two years. and it's been two years. time to find another robert. if they aren't going to invest in the 13-16 year olds and their academies they sure as shit better be using that money signing the best Cuban guys given their historic advantage.

and produced one of the greatest SI covers of all time.

It's one of the better ones I've seen for a PED user as well he didn't skip core day one fucking time to train biceps! I personally DGAF about that shit and think most pro athletes (well over 50% ) are on them. Just don't get caught.

thanks, I'll take it.

Nice. This means we are through winter meetings and holiday period and onto that last tough stretch in January and the first couple weeks of February before we get the "best shape of his life" fluff and some velocity reports from Glendale. A guy like Kong gets a friends and family vote but a guy like Lou Whitaker is still out. Stupid.

Jeff Bagwell? Ha, not even close. I guess I had the year sorta right tho, or something. Never, ever would have guessed who it actually is.