Timmy U

Eh, the ups and downs are part of life. There’s a reason why people identify with Charlie Brown and why the Fat Elvis stamp beat the Skinny Elvis. Being a front runner is not all it’s cracked up to be. During the Bulls 6 Championships, people started to get bored. Plus, I can always turn off the TV and go for a walk.

$10 mil?! Hendricks is a bargain.

I think we may be seeing a valuation change due to the elimination of the shift. Teoscar Hernandez, Gurriel, and Moreno all hit RH. The two OF are not great out there. Varsho hits LH and gives you plus D. I understand ex as calypso what the Jays are thinking.

Thar’s gold in them thar hills.

Maybe. I think Moreno is overrated due to positional scarcity. I may think that, in part, because of the way Kirk murders us. Of those 3, Moreno is the one I would have dealt too.

Are you Sosa > Popeye? I have a hard time deciding that one myself. Popeye's second half surge caught my attention, and I like the aggression with which he plays. I think both end up at 2b (although Sosa could also play 3b). Discounting the fact that Ramos could end up at 2b, if you had to keep one and trade the other, who would you pick?

Remember Ramos was 1 on this last year ahead of Colas and Montgomery. Always a contrarian. Saying Colas is a platoon player is just lazy.

I would believe someone would take a shot at him until I imagine the press conference. What GM is gonna sit at a table a tell the world “This is our guy”? Also, I imagine there are players who simply won’t play with him.

Wow. $36 mil guarantee to a guy who hasn’t played in a year and wasn’t all that good when he last played. I can see why the Sox went longer term for lower AAV. But it is debatable.

I feel ya. I just think that Ecsobar is overpaid, average on offense, below average D at 2b. If they're going to spend money, I hope it's not on him.

McClure needed the change of scenery. Hopefully a good trade for both teams.

Why is Escobar in all these rumors? Sox could have gotten him from the Brewers, but they didn't like the medicals. I doubt 18 months later, he's suddenly been healed.

Ray Schalk?

Sox roster now at 39, no one has to be on the way out. They won't have to add any of the NRI's, including Colas, until after ST. This is essentially a free look.

I think the Yankees are all-in on their young infielders, especially Volpe.

Leury can play shortstop.

I look at teams like the Astros and Cleveland who hit their catchers 9th, prioritize defense, and spend their money elsewhere as pretty good models. Personally, if I was looking at the number one issue facing the Sox in 2023-2024, it’s starting pitching depth. They have like one guy behind their top 5, and then 3 of those guys are FA at the end of ‘23. Any asset we can use to get a cromulent catcher would probably be better spent on potential starters.

To be fair, McGuire directly credited Boston's better coaching for his improvement in the second half. Apparently, the Red Sox use analytics, which have been banned south of Madison by city ordinance.

Wow. Explains why Grandal looked as bad as he did. Shouldn't this get its own thread?

I think Haseley opted for FA as well. Their AAA outfield is Cespedes, Payton, and ???. Maybe they resign Neslony?

They need a back up outfielder, but Colas does not need to be platooned. Check out his splits, he destroys lefties.

Franconia was done with Bauer when he chucked the ball into centerfield. If I had to guess one organization that weighs talent waaaay higher than off field behavior, I’d say Tampa or maybe Tampa diaspora like Boston. But even then Byrnes is from Tampa. So maybe no one takes a flyer.

I was Conforto or Benintendi. I have seen Colas play enough in person and on tape to be confident in him. He ain’t gonna be a 5 WAR guy, but neither is Conforto. You RH hitting back up us probably Romy. They need to develop younger position guys cuz next year they are going to have to spend a lot on pitching.

I would be shocked. Basically, you’d be looking at a DP combo of Sosa and Romy while hoping either Popeye or Montgomery is ready mid season. That is not a contender move. I mean I guess you could grab someone like Andrus off the scrap pile, but TA is waaaay better than that, which is why you’d be getting a haul.

I’d say Cubs are in the new market. 7 @ 25 mil per is a pretty hefty deal. If he’s last year’s model for the next 3-4 years, it’s probably worth it. Funny thing is, Swanson may not be better than Hoerner defensively. With this outlay, they must be buying into their second half pitching performance. It will be interesting to see what effect the balanced schedule has on that. They had a lot of games against the Reds and Pirates last year.