caulfield12

Rays have had over 50 interview requests of Eric Neander for different front office personnel the last year. Last "youngest team in baseball" to make the postseason was the 1986 NY Mets.

Bold call to go against Scherzer at home. Doubling down against deGrom, too? Goes to Game 3, Chris Bassitt once again reprises his playoff role from 2020.

Have harped on Point 3 for ages. Was given Theo Epstein as a counter. And it makes sense Ivy types just don’t mesh well with baseball lifers who earned their stripes the hard way in the trenches/scouting circuit, etc. Hahn is the quintessential anti-Adam Sandler from “Hustle.” Except he’s not even Ben Foster’s character.

Tatis’ fall from grace. NY Times feature.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/sports/baseball/fernando-tatis-padres.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhlSFUbBSbORd89sgbBj_HUzbY1gnu5IiWPTz9Ew-NQH4Gc-lyIfaNvfdYomTSHQdsLeJkeeMtP9M4NdUp8V1vv5ZKehJUOJyhy8d7iUmhu0Z6IBLtkrnq3PzW3bbYkz7D64kPWajLsXqDY2HN3Nx8l9cU-DSyi33QPxqnFGuVniJIpjbp6WMcMFXpXbzKKvvLoFx18JNyCCxrf4QU3UOhTMirByZ_es_lTNVUPVi-VCS938m0-69hDONoIP6-ZLBYofMD2gLR5GXUJbaTE8xJwWiXy5NZIU1T9&referringSource=articleShare

Or without the Ozzie/Freddy Garcia connection. Without Gaffe-anino. Without Clutch Crede. Without Blum. Without Uribe pulling plays out of his ass that eclipsed Jeter were he an overhyped Yankee. Used three closers in one year...starting with Gong Takatsu and the Frisbee. Got crazy good numbers from Cotts and Politte. The only loss was Byrd vs. Contreras when The Count/El Gran Titan de Bronze was the best pitcher on the planet.

This is not unlike the Hahn argument he had executive of the year votes LAST season and the year before...

So then KW gets credit for the 2012 season, too? So just two winning seasons in a decade.

The Detroit Tigers might be in that business, though. They have traded or let go five Cy Young winners now in the last decade plus. Verlander, Scherzer, David Price, Rick Porcello… Robbie Ray was by far the toughest one to remember. (2014) Traded from Tigers to Diamondbacks in 3-team trade involving Didi Gregorius, Shane Greene and Domingo Leyba

Every time you trade or let go of the core 20-something players like Rodon and Madrigal, you’re taking a step in the wrong direction. Many now want to do the same with Vaughn or Jimenez out of sentimentality for Abreu. But you have to stick with Vaughn at his actual designated position, unless you no longer believe in your ability to evaluate talent properly. If that’s the case, by all means, just give Burger and Sheets full time spots and announce you’re in a transition year to rebuilding. Which means Giolito, Lynn and Anderson trades trades aren’t far behind.

Then who’s the closer if you do dump Hendriks, Graveman or Lopez? Pretty clear Vaughn has to play first, and Eloy should DH. And that’s where everything gets stuck in LF with Pollock on the roster and the lack of willingness to spend any more on that position, with Colas coming fast for RF, presumably. That $13-14 million or whatever that Pollock’s soaking up ACTUALLY could have gone to a Conforto or Nimmo, but not with all the money currently allocated to AJ, Kelly and Leury at the bottom of the roster…not to mention Grandal as well. Of course, the obvious problem is you still need a legit 2B, catcher and rotation depth…(assuming they’re not willing to meet Cueto’s new price and they don’t give Andrus 2/$18-20 or something crazy like that.)

Tim Anderson’s up there behind Cease because he’s such a known commodity…and there’s a huge logjam getting ready to form at the back end of those first tier of FA SS’s. Those who get left out of the $200+ million contract guys but want something more of a known quantity than a Trevor Story type. Not sure how much that helps the Sox in 2023, though…assuming AA/AAA prospects back in return. If you want to make a seismic shift in club leadership, TA7 and Abreu both out is the way to go.

Did you say the same thing about Konerko at the end?

And Crochet...

Otoh they might see Hahn as a pushover they can muscle out and quickly assume a quasi GM type of role within the first year as he shrinks away from assuming responsibility. That said, you can only blame managers so many times before YOU are the one common element in all the under performance becomes the answer.

If that's the case, why keep Hahn around? Will just continue to dig a bigger hole for the next GM.

Gurriel was terrible this year. Also aging.

There's always a Harold Ramirez type out there for nothing...Burger and Sheets aren't enticing enough. Heck, if you do your homework well, anyone could have had Oscar Gonzalez, who possesses more physical tools than Vaughn and Sheets combined.

Conversely, we will all be saying 2-3 years from now they had one last shot to turn the momentum around this offseason if they had embraced a bold outsider's perspective on a possible fix or retool on the fly. Hahn is likely to play it super conservatively so that his neck isn't sticking out very far...like a turtle.

Signalling a philosophy shift starting in 2024 with Anderson Cease Kopech so close to their expiration dates...and the lack of depth in the farm system, a rebuild seems all but inevitable. They ALSO really need to pinpoint a young catcher to build around, that's one position that is consistently overlooked.

Not with so many question marks surrounding Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada.

And the payroll will have to suffer since fans are no longer willing to trust this front office and buy into the product...unless they hit a home run with their managerial hire and new coaching staff. No more Boston, for example. So they have maybe 10-15% odds of pulling it off.

Surprised his own isn't there taking credit for 2008 Game 163 victory/coin flip call with Thome/Griffey at his side to protect him from criticism.

Would you sign Pollock for $8 million at age 34-35?

Wisconsin and Nebraska are more responsive than the Sox. Five P5 teams have already shown coaches the door less than halfway through the season. NW (or Indiana) might be next, and they're building an $800 million smaller, more intimate Ryan Field with 12000 fewer seats.