Lillian

Great point. I will actually be very surprised if the Sox do not now aggressively pursue Harper.

I'm probably one who would indeed have quickly tired of his "act". He is not a very likable, or relatable person. It's so easy to really like most of our young prospects. They all seem to be genuinely nice people. Manny never impressed me as being that kind of guy. Could our front office and ownership have had the same impression?

We'll see.

The fact that the Sox wouldn't offer Machado 10 years, $300 Million, does not preclude their willingness to offer Harper 10 years, $350 Million. They are not the same players. Perhaps they view some of the "intangibles," which Harper provides, as making him more valuable. Again, they have had interest in both, from the beginning and it was always assumed that Harper would cost more than Machado. That package they offered Manny wasn't exactly chicken feed. 10 years, $350 Million is not far off, from what their Machado offer could have amounted to.

Declaring that they don't believe in giving players opt outs could simply be a negotiating tactic. It provides a potential concession, which they can "reluctantly" grant, when their next F A target (Harper) demands it. I personally love opt outs, for the benefit of the team, as it keeps a player highly motivated.

On the field performance aside, Manny is a hard guy to like and root for. Maybe the front office never really felt like he would be worth the money, which he was seeking. They may have also worried about whether, or not, he had the discipline and character to be dedicated to the game, for 10 years, once he was guaranteed all of that money. Perhaps they view Harper differently. He is the more likable person and a better "face of the franchise". If they thought they could realistically afford both, now all they have to do is spend enough on one, to get it done. The fact that he doesn't appear to want to go to Philadelphia might provide an opportunity for this organization to redeem itself, with its now disgruntled fans. Just do it!!!

Didn't Quentin break his hand slamming the bat with it, after striking out?

So, what do the Sox play for, this season? Is this year # 3 of "tank for the Draft"? If Hahn tries to fill a bunch of holes with guys who are not part of the long term plan, this fan base will be even more livid. Unless they just accept the losing, that reversal of intentions would seem almost inevitable. They are not going to compete without adding too many pieces, and none of them meet the criteria of being part of the long term rebuild.

I agree with your assertion and for that I do fault Hahn and K. W. They should have never made any public pronouncements. Perhaps the questionable acquisitions of Jay and Alonso made that pretty much impossible to conceal.

How can you be so confident that such arguments were not presented? Maybe ownership just wouldn't agree to give Machado $300 Million. Moreover, I understood that J. R. had taken over the negotiating responsibility, in the Machado case.

They better not acquire more free agents, of the type that are available. They already have too many, with the aforementioned Jay and Alonso. There aren't any other young free agents, that make sense, as far as I can tell.

I'm only up to page 804 of this collective rant, but I'd like to interject that it seems unfair to fault Hahn or K. W. for this failure. If ownership told them that they would not go beyond a certain level, that pretty much tied their hands. It's hard to imagine that they will now turn their attention to Harper, who is seeking even more money. Although it is possible that they are prepared to spend more on him, than they were on Machado. I seriously doubt it, as I'm sure do most of you. I do not want to watch Alonso and Jay taking at bats away from youngsters, who may have a place on this team, going forward, or could develop into useful trade chips. I would much prefer to see what we have in Palka and even Engel, than watch two guys who have no future with this team. I hope that they will be able to remove those guys from the roster, even if they have to practically give them away and eat the contracts. If not, the front office will have done precisely what they vowed not to do, ie; acquire short term fixes, which do not at all fit the "long term" plan. The one thing that seems a little inconsistent to me is the first response from K. W., in which he expressed such surprise, as though he wasn't given a chance to top the Padres' bid. Then, in the next breadth, he says that they just couldn't go 10 years and $300 Million. So, which is it?

I was fortunate enough to be there, that night. Thanks for the memories.

Very aptly put. This better not ultimately be the resolution of all of these contemplated moves. By contrast, Machado at 3RD, T. A. at SS and Moncada at 2ND could become one of the best defensive infields in the game, and might also be capable of terrific offensive production. The contrast couldn't be more glaringly obvious.

All of this hysteria is over these obvious, yet questionable negotiating tactics. So, there might be some possibly unethical tactics being employed by Lozano, as the Sox pursue baseball's "bad boy" through negotiations with his sleazeball agent. Why should any of us be surprised? The bigger surprise would have been a normal, quick resolution.

Wow, Moustakas taking another one year deal. His chances for a big free agency contract are dwindling quickly. I'm surprised he has taken this route.

OK, sure, why not?: 2B Moncada 3B Machado RF Harper DH Abreu LF Eloy 1B Alonso C Castillo CF Jay SS Anderson Please note the left/right sequence: SH, RH, LH, RH, RH, LH, RH, LH, RH. POTENTIALLY, the best lineup in baseball!!!! "Just do it!" Now, about the pitching: Um......?

Is that too front loaded? What would be permitted?

Why would it be so hard to give them both the $300 M? They just need to structure the deal so that at least one of them will likely opt out after year 4 or 5. Give them both the first 5 years at $35 M each and the last five at $25 M. per year. The Sox could manage the early years and then likely lose one, or both of them, when it's time to extend our kids, after we've won a couple of World Series. LOL

It's "over kill". They need pitching.

Why in the world would they still want Joc? The outfield would be Eloy, Jay and Harper. Geez, how much more hitting do you want? They will need 1 or 2 starters, if they intend to make a run for the Division this year.

Thanks. He looks very strong. Those are the widest shoulders, I think that I have ever seen on a Sox player. Reminds me of Greg Luzinski. He might have benefited by gearing his training more toward slimming down.

Would someone please post the picture, or a link, of Jake Burger? Please don't tell me that he has gained even more weight. He wasn't exactly svelte, to begin with. Not smart and one would think not helpful for his achilles tendon.

I think that you missed my point. Yes, Manny and his agents want the most money, that they can get and ownership of the various bidding teams wants the least expensive contract, that Manny is willing to sign. Both sides will be motivated by "greed". However, so what? That's the way it works. I agree with you. Neither side is expected to be charitable. It's business.

YES, that is pretty much the definition of "greed". The issue is, is that good, or bad, or not even an issue. According to Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas); "Greed is good". And yes, the label applies to both sides. It's called self interest. Neither side should be expected to be altruistic about these negotiations. Each side will look out for its own best interests. T