Jack Parkman

Probably.

I had the same thought.

Can't the worst that can happen be that they think you're so delusional that they fire you?

Acquiring Bryan Reynolds would make my day. I'd trade Vaughn as the centerpiece in about 2 seconds.

If Bruce said it, I think it's probably accurate. Bruce is the other guy the Sox FO goes to when they want to make info public.

Conforto is a realistic get. Semien is pushing it.

Absolutely.

I have no problems cashing in on Vaughn this winter. If they want to grab a controllable SP or RF for him I'm fine with it. Players come and go, championship flags fly forever. It's time to not gaf about the future. You have 2-3 years to win. Go maximize it.

Nailed it. They're not serious because their offers are never something that has a snowball's chance in hell of getting accepted.

I was just on MLBTR the other day and thought it said he was 29......I must have been looking at the wrong line. My bad. I still think he's going to get $150M+ though.

Wait, Semien isn't 29? I thought he was, that's why I thought he'd get $200M

His 2019 and 2021 are totally $200M on the open market level. 7.6 and 6.6 fWAR? You're kidding yourself if you think he's not getting $200M.

Like I said, I think Semien is getting a 200M contract which is out of the Sox price range and Scherzer and Kershaw are probably going back to LA anyway, with at least a 35M AAV over 3 years. Of the big ticket MI the only one I think the Sox have a chance to get is Story, and that is if they're willing to approach $150M and I don't want Story or Baez anyway. I estimate a limit of $150M on a position player and 80-95M on a pitcher. As per usual, the Sox will probably acquire either a RF or 2B via trade, and fill the other in FA. I think they're going to at least attempt for a bounce back from Keuchel, unless they can dump him in a money for money deal to fill a hole elsewhere.

Nobody did, but Semien, Scherzer and Kershaw are in the same category of unrealistic and that's where I have issues.

I don't think I'm being all that pessimistic. The Sox don't participate in the top of the free agent market. I think any of the tier B and lower FA are attainable. I don't understand what is so controversial about suggesting that the Sox won't be signing players like Seager, Correa and Scherzer.

I never said that he was a dumpster diving acquisition. I did say he was the minimum to not be dumpster diving in RF.

Option B because Semien is getting around $200M, and Jerry wouldn't spend that much in dollars or years on Scherzer I also think you're light on the Conforto deal. Not only is option B the best one, it's also the only option that has a chance of actually happening.

Balta nails it yet again. Just remember that Balta and I agree on most things Sox related. Maybe Balta just says his opinion in a more indirect, more acceptable way.

They're buying tickets because they think the Sox will spend in the future. They didn't have to worry about that, because there was always a better offer on the table. I think that Lozano and Machado knew that the Sox offer was fake and to help with their negotiations.

The Sox got tons of publicity that winter on Twitter, MLBN, ESPN, Sportsblab radio and elsewhere. You don't think that has value? As a matter of fact, I think that they actually help the agent drive up the price of their client to other teams that are actually interested in the player. In that case, they're doing the agent and player a favor. It's literally free publicity, and quite possibly gaining brownie points with an agent for players in which they're actually interested. I actually don't think they wasted much time on it at all, because they were never serious to begin with. They were literally doing Machado and his agent a favor.

Sports isn't a normal business. But yeah, You guys know I'm disabled and do gig work so it's fine. I admit ignorance on the corporate world front.

They got the fans and the national media to talk about them all winter, Free publicity, and trying to change the narrative around being cheap with FA while still being cheap with FA. Jerry does spend, he just spreads it around among a bunch of players rather than concentrating it on one guy, and he doesn't like long-term commitments.

We all accept that, that's why we're still fans of the team. Even if Conforto costs 5/125 I still think that's realistic for the Sox.

Yep, I agree that they're going to get into 9 figures sooner than later, but I don't think anything more than $150M is reasonable to expect at this time. Guys like Semien, Seager, and Correa are well out of the Sox price range. I think Semien will get a deal around $200M and the other two, well above, if not reaching $300M.

None of this discussion would even be happening if a certain section would just accept that mega contracts aren't happening until they actually sign one. I'm willing to indulge in players that cost under $150M but not more than that. I'm tired of having this argument every winter.