southsider2k5

Getz

If he's smart.

They don't have a lot to offer. Literally everyone they want to trade has major flaws and other team would rather have their first choices instead of the Sox guys. The Sox were going to be last minute kind of moves once plan A, B, and C fall through for other teams.

Yep, this right here. And I am sure teams are thinking maybe they get discount on an unproven guy, but it should be the opposite for the Sox. Unless someone is willing to overpay, keep him. You got six more years.

So it is all guys who know Tony pretty well from the sounds of it. Not unusual I am sure.

Cerda, the 17th rounder took a bit longer. Good to see they are all done.

Meaning everyone did sign? Last I knew a few days ago, there was still like a 16th or 17 rounder still out there.

Didn't Tony put in time in Anaheims front office?

Who also already is having abductor muscle problems and just as easily could be out for the year on a bad swing or awkward stride.

This is exactly why if there is to be cap, there needs to be a significant floor and revenue sharing.

It is also the step in breaking a system at which ownership has full control over a player for six seasons, which they get to manipulate for a 7th, paying them a paltry percentage of their open market wage, so yes. Even if a few guys make "more" the majority still make a lot less than they could. Remember the entire pricing structure built into arbitration is to afix a smaller than 100% percentage to what they would be making on the open market, compared to what their similar piers are making at these reduced tiers.

Here's my second level of thinking. Trade value can tend to ebb and flow over time. If you have a guy who you feel has the ability to be worth more in a year, it might be worth holding on to to see if they rebound. A guy like Dylan Cease was a more interesting bet for a rebound year because not only had he had a career year recently (say like Robert) but he had a great health history and always took the ball every 5 days as a starter (unlike like Robert's health history). I also don't recall anyone talking about Cease's work ethic and/or coachability (again, unlike Robert). I get the urge to simplify this as why would you think it for one person, and not another, but quite literally you are betting on something that has some externalities which should adjust the odds of improvement or continued decline. Is it worth $20 million to again bet on Luis Robert being relatively healthy for a second year in a row (which has literally never happened since he was 18) as well as overcoming whatever it is that has led to his decline (whether it is mental, work ethic, diminished skills, uncoachable, bad luck, or whatever) so that he improves enough to bounce back to some mythical, but undefined, level of value? I tend to be in the "Those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it" camp, but to each his own.

I see the problem right here.

That's a pretty big contract to call a value added.

Houser could easily go the route of being a 40 grade pitcher again next year.

If they were going to not give him a serious chance in the majors, yes.

Every opportunity? It was a few assorted and inconsistent starts at the MLB level.

There it is.

His value now isn't honestly much in question. The real question is why did we pass on all of the other windows when it was higher.

It is the Soxtalk way.

The excuses are even being pre-made for the deadline, even though everyone can see it coming.

Honestly, this franchise is so far away, who cares if the rosters aren't balanced. BPA, regardless of position. Sure if you can get OFs of similar value, do that first, but if not, take SPs, we need them too.

Hagen's decine scares me more than the others. We had people last year talking about him being on the major league roster THIS YEAR. He doesn't have the Schultz excuse of not having pitched deep into games before either. Dude just literally lost the ability to control the baseball.

Especially because he defense has been questioned since the day he was drafted. It's not like got her and Sax'd it up. If you intend him to play somewhere else at the major league level, let him learn it the minors along the way. Even a couple of days a week at 3B would have been something.