15 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

While it wouldn’t shock me, this feels awful unsourced and unproven to be presented as fact at this stage.  Some dude ran into Harper and he just threw this out there without provoking?  Seems too easy.

OTOH, there’s more reason to believe it than not.

37 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

If true, it isn't inconsequential.  We literally let one of the best players of this generation who is playing on a contract less than half of similar players today sign with someone else for some still unknown reason.  If we ghosted him to do it, that has ramifications for future player negotiations, but again that is only if it is actually true.

I meant whether the text is legit or not is inconsequential. All that is true either way. No one with any other option wants to sign with the Sox and the Sox have hit rock bottom. We already knew Harper liked the Sox and got left hanging in favor of Machado, who of course they failed to sign

Edited May 1, 2025May 1 by 46DidIt

22 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Harper once did confirm that the Sox essentially ghosted him.

Kenny/Hahn: "Hey Jerry, Harper liked the presentation we did."

JR: "How much is he asking?"

"$330 million over 13 years, but that's gonna be cheap in a few years at the rate salaries are increasing."

"No. Offer him $80 million over 5 years."

"Jerry, please."

"Ghost him."

"Ok, but what about Machado?"

"Sign his friends and family to make him take a discount."

10 minutes ago, 46DidIt said:

I meant whether the text is legit or not is inconsequential. All that is true either way. No one with any other option wants to sign with the Sox and the Sox have hit rock bottom. We already knew Harper liked the Sox and got left hanging in favor of Machado, who of course they failed to sign

Worst part is that there was plenty of room in the budget to sign both. Would have completely changed the direction of the franchise. 

25 minutes ago, 46DidIt said:

I meant whether the text is legit or not is inconsequential. All that is true either way. No one with any other option wants to sign with the Sox and the Sox have hit rock bottom. We already knew Harper liked the Sox and got left hanging in favor of Machado, who of course they failed to sign

I agree with all of this.  

34 minutes ago, Quin said:

Kenny/Hahn: "Hey Jerry, Harper liked the presentation we did."

JR: "How much is he asking?"

"$330 million over 13 years, but that's gonna be cheap in a few years at the rate salaries are increasing."

"No. Offer him $80 million over 5 years."

"Jerry, please."

"Ghost him."

"Ok, but what about Machado?"

"Sign his friends and family to make him take a discount."

Thing is .... This is pretty much accurate ....

33 minutes ago, Quin said:

Worst part is that there was plenty of room in the budget to sign both. Would have completely changed the direction of the franchise. 

True, there was unprecedented financial flexibility.

They basically had to screw with Machado so much on the last year of the deal (incentives/guarantees essentially another diminished skills clause) that it became a poison pill and that encouraged SD to jump in because things were dragging so much to sign it. 

The KW was going on and on how it was still the better offer even when Manny had embraced the Seidler/Preller overtures about competing head to head with the LAD...after having played disappointingly for LA and getting to know Tatis in Miami and witnessing firsthand his potential impact. 

The weather and idea of playing in  front of a packed park was icing on the cake. 

1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Harper once did confirm that the Sox essentially ghosted him.

So for me there is a fine line between just not advancing the negotiations any further, and setting up a meeting only to not show up.  The first one is what is it is, but the second is unacceptable professional behavior.

16 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

While it wouldn’t shock me, this feels awful unsourced and unproven to be presented as fact at this stage.  Some dude ran into Harper and he just threw this out there without provoking?  Seems too easy.

Jerry absolutely doesn't deserve your skepticism 

1 hour ago, Quin said:

"Sign his friends and family to make him take a discount."

I mean surely, the worst case is that you'd get a full year of competent play out of both of his friends/family.

6 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

The deal looks fine now the way salaries are going.

Yet the Sox still have not cracked that $100 million force field and probably won’t anytime soon.

9 hours ago, FloydBannister1983 said:

Yet the Sox still have not cracked that $100 million force field and probably won’t anytime soon.

Lol.

Not even $80 million....even the Pirates have beaten that, and A's with Rooker Severino Butler long/er term deals burying the Sox.  Not to mention Jacob Wilson and Kurtz as well would be next in line with Mason Miller.

GRate no second or third deck overhangs in the outfield.

Can walk around the entire stadium on the concourse.

Can view the field quite easily from the concourses.

 

That's just not good enough when you're constantly compared to the retro ballparks that came after...especially Camden Yards.

On 5/1/2025 at 10:59 AM, wegner said:

True, there was unprecedented financial flexibility.

“The money will be spent…”

On 5/1/2025 at 12:05 PM, Jake said:

I mean surely, the worst case is that you'd get a full year of competent play out of both of his friends/family.

They overpaid Jon Jay $4 million and Yonder Alonso was paid $9 million.  Both were negative WAR bums that year.  Alonso was cut on July 3rd.  🤣

Edited May 4, 2025May 4 by WhiteSox2023

5 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

“The money will be spent…”

The money will be spent.. on hot garbage

On 5/1/2025 at 10:30 AM, Quin said:

Worst part is that there was plenty of room in the budget to sign both. Would have completely changed the direction of the franchise. 

Signing Harper and trumping the offer for Wheeler…

A perennial MVP candidate and a legit Ace gets them out of the Wild Card round in 2020 and past Houston in 2021. 

Edited May 5, 2025May 5 by Tnetennba

On 5/1/2025 at 10:19 AM, Bob Sacamano said:

The deal looks fine now the way salaries are going.

Generally when you spend big bucks on star free agents there is a pretty good ROI. 

23 minutes ago, pcq said:

Generally when you spend big bucks on star free agents there is a pretty good ROI. 

Yes...it's the Grandal Benintendi Keuchel Shields Melky LaRoche Lynn Kelly Graveman Parrot Tier B veteran that gets you killed 7-8 times out of 10.

Profar worked out last year as he was clearly cheating...and pure bargain hunting there.

2 hours ago, pcq said:

Generally when you spend big bucks on star free agents there is a pretty good ROI. 

I think you're far more likely to get Xander Bogaerts than Bryce Harper. You still have to go for it, but the ROI for any free agent is pretty bad when you have pre-arb guys putting up 5 WAR.

2 hours ago, nrockway said:

I think you're far more likely to get Xander Bogaerts than Bryce Harper. You still have to go for it, but the ROI for any free agent is pretty bad when you have pre-arb guys putting up 5 WAR.

Bogaerts had a (previously) consistent 800-825 OPS record, but the biggest hesitation there should have been that he was no longer really an everyday SS in terms of fielding metrics, and you can't give out contracts like the Padres did for a 2B who now looks a lot closer to a 700-750 OPS hitter than in his prime with the Red Sox..

They ended up blocking the much cheaper/younger Jackson Merrill as a result, tying up tons of future money in years where he will be another version of Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera at his current rate of injuries.

 

Fault lies with Preller getting desperate to add another premium FA when it became apparent Judge was never going to leave for SF or SD.  Unforced error.

 

17 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Bogaerts had a (previously) consistent 800-825 OPS record, but the biggest hesitation there should have been that he was no longer really an everyday SS in terms of fielding metrics, and you can't give out contracts like the Padres did for a 2B who now looks a lot closer to a 700-750 OPS hitter than in his prime with the Red Sox..

They ended up blocking the much cheaper/younger Jackson Merrill as a result, tying up tons of future money in years where he will be another version of Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera at his current rate of injuries.

 

Fault lies with Preller getting desperate to add another premium FA when it became apparent Judge was never going to leave for SF or SD.  Unforced error.

 

Pujols and Miggy are other good examples...you still gotta sign guys like that if you have the opportunity. I thought there was a good chance the Judge contract would flop but he somehow got even better. This team would look completely different if Harper signed here. Someone to play right field when we were actually good and someone to play 1st now. Maybe they don't draft Vaughn and take Abrams. Not worth fixating on, but you wish the Sox were in better position to go after, like, Kyle Tucker in free agency. 

By the way, you heard it here first: the Sox will sign Steven Kwan in 2027 to a "record-setting" 5 year, $90 million contract. The Sox will reward the LHH gold glove left fielder with the largest contract in team history and he will go on to produce exactly 0 WAR over the life of the deal.

25 minutes ago, nrockway said:

Pujols and Miggy are other good examples...you still gotta sign guys like that if you have the opportunity. I thought there was a good chance the Judge contract would flop but he somehow got even better. This team would look completely different if Harper signed here. Someone to play right field when we were actually good and someone to play 1st now. Maybe they don't draft Vaughn and take Abrams. Not worth fixating on, but you wish the Sox were in better position to go after, like, Kyle Tucker in free agency. 

By the way, you heard it here first: the Sox will sign Steven Kwan in 2027 to a "record-setting" 5 year, $90 million contract. The Sox will reward the LHH gold glove left fielder with the largest contract in team history and he will go on to produce exactly 0 WAR over the life of the deal.

When Kwan becomes a FA, doubt that Getz is even still around to sign someone who reminds him of himself.

By then, someone inside the organization will have recognized that POWER is actually important...AND speed as well.  But teams don't tend to pay up for speed.

The A's might be moving to Alcatraz in which case the Sox would have clear sailing to Vegas. Problem solved. 😝