My completely uneducated opinion is that JWH the hedge fund speculator, doesn’t believe one player should take up 16-18% of a 25 man payroll. That 2-3 good players are a better use of that money.
A couple of points...Is having your best offensive player locked up a bad thing? Potentially 3/5 of your rotation? The possible answer to our 1B prayers? What COULD be your starting OF? How about your bridge to 2B who might also be able to serve as a flexible option elsewhere? Years ago (depending on what "years ago actually means") were we sure about the players that were locked up and under control? Things are as you say, up in the air and are most seasons. We've been very spoiled in the past 17 seasons with a fair amount of roster stability, but it's the exception rather than the rule.I feel like I keep hammering this point, but what is the evidence that this team is on the upswing and that the organization is rebuilt? That seems completely up in the air to me and dependent on player development and what the Sox do with their own and other free agents (ahixh
The only players the Sox control for 2023 or beyond are (based on current roster)
IF: Devers, Arroyo, Arauz, Dalbec
SP: Pivetta, Houck, Whitlock
RP: Barnes, Brasier, Davis, Sawa, Taylor, Hernandez
OF: Renfroe, Cordero, Verdugo, Duran
C:
Some of these players won’t make it this long, and others (Seabold, Bello, Mata, Wong, Casas, Mayer) will be on the team, knocking on the door, traded by then…. But the core of this team, even two years from now….is largely unknown.
It’s not like years ago when Betts, Devers, Bogaerts etc were all locked up for a long time.
I know this is perpetuating the sub tangential conversation in this thread, but ....might be interesting to study roster stability, and the impacts that FA has had, and more specifically, the evolutionary utilization of FA ....A couple of points...Is having your best offensive player locked up a bad thing? Potentially 3/5 of your rotation? The possible answer to our 1B prayers? What COULD be your starting OF? How about your bridge to 2B who might also be able to serve as a flexible option elsewhere? Years ago (depending on what "years ago actually means") were we sure about the players that were locked up and under control? Things are as you say, up in the air and are most seasons. We've been very spoiled in the past 17 seasons with a fair amount of roster stability, but it's the exception rather than the rule.
It helped that they never had to deal with a significant luxury taxI know this is perpetuating the sub tangential conversation in this thread, but ....might be interesting to study roster stability, and the impacts that FA has had, and more specifically, the evolutionary utilization of FA ....
The Yankees somehow managed to keep the homegrown core of their dynasty team together - Posada, Jeter, Williams, Rivera, Pettitte (with Pettitte taking a little walkabout to the Astros for a bit). They managed that. Then again, that was a time when they spent far more than the next closest team, which is no longer the case.
To wit, from 1997 through 1999, the Yankees paid $4.4M, $600K, and $4.8M in the first three years of a luxury tax system. There was no luxury tax in 2000-2002. 2003 was the last World Series appearance for that core. Obviously Jeter, Posada, and Rivera made it to the 2009 title but that was hardly the core of that team anymore.It helped that they never had to deal with a significant luxury tax
Seek help for your inferiority complex regarding your baseball team which is the most successful one of the century.Maybe a mod could just delete it. Please
I, also, am a fan of gravyTotally. Everything else is gravy.
But...
I'd like some gravy please.
You just can't help yourself, can you?Now.
But they still need to get everyone vaccinated.
He isn’t wrongYou just can't help yourself, can you?
Totally. Everything else is gravy.
But...
I'd like some gravy please.
Nor you, apparently.You just can't help yourself, can you?
That was my role in the 5th grade class play.
So. . .a Stantonian Blast?That was my role in the 5th grade class play.
I crushed it.
In a British accent.
And thus ended my acting career.
No way. My performance was an actual home run.So. . .a Stantonian Blast?
Not completely in the Red Sox control, but can we add "The Yankees bringing back Aaron Boone" as a final element of a successful Red Sox season?
If he's back, it will be a watershed moment in Yankee history: he will be the first manager in over 100 years to make it to his fifth season at the helm without winning a championship.This is a great point. There was a chance that they'd jettison Boone if they didn't make the playoffs. Losing six straight to NY in the second half breathed life back into his tenure as manager.
If he's back, it will be a watershed moment in Yankee history: he will be the first manager in over 100 years to make it to his fifth season at the helm without winning a championship.
Mission accomplished!Yep, eek into the WC, and ideally beat the Yanks. That'd be successful. Losing the WC would be a bummer, but I'd still consider the season good (on a sliding scale).
As a resident of The South(tm) - I am a big fan of gravy. Please pass the gravy. Like 11 times.Totally. Everything else is gravy.
But...
I'd like some gravy please.
That's a weird take. Will you feel bad after the Sox win the WS this year?This was enough. But outlasting LAD as well would be pretty nice icing. The rays deserve to advance, I'll actually feel a little bad if Sox somehow manage to upset them.
I can sympathize. I suffer from serious Catholic and Jewish guilt combined into one paralyzing force... it applies to almost everything other than the Yankees. I feel bad for the other team and the Rays have really put together great underdog teams after great underdog teams. I REALLY want the Sox to win... but I'll feel bad for the Rays if we beat them. Probably more than the other remaining teams actually. I'll be hurt and disappointed if the Sox lose.... but we beat the MFY's again.That's a weird take. Will you feel bad after the Sox win the WS this year?
Agree with this 100%. I'm not sure we've seen another season where the remaining teams, in both AL and NL, are this loaded. I'd absolutely love to see this team shock everyone.Hard for me to not consider the season success (even before last night) given the preseason expectations.
That said, I really want to beat the Rays now and keep the ride going. If there is one thing missing from the championship runs over the years since 2004, it's a Red Sox team that was clearly not considered one of the top 2 or 3 best teams in the league running the table. Like a 2006 STL run or a 2014 Giants run.
2018 was pretty loaded (like this year, the Braves had the lowest win total of any qualifier). Of course, the Sox were the loaded-est team that year, but they still had to go through two 100-win teams to make the Series.Agree with this 100%. I'm not sure we've seen another season where the remaining teams, in both AL and NL, are this loaded. I'd absolutely love to see this team shock everyone.
Very true - that Houston team in particular was fearsome. It might just be recency bias, but I feel like the league is even more polarized now, and the upper quadrant or so of the league is just stacked. This is also the first year that I feel the NL has absolute megapowers awaiting the ALCS winner. 2018 LAD were a great team, but this year's squad (along with SFG) is on another level.2018 was pretty loaded (like this year, the Braves had the lowest win total of any qualifier). Of course, the Sox were the loaded-est team that year, but they still had to go through two 100-win teams to make the Series.
The 2013 team was very unexpected, they were 35-1 to win at the start of the season. The Giants were 20-1 in 2014. Even though they were slight favorites in the ALCS against Detroit, the majority of pundits predicted the Tigers to win the series.Hard for me to not consider the season success (even before last night) given the preseason expectations.
That said, I really want to beat the Rays now and keep the ride going. If there is one thing missing from the championship runs over the years since 2004, it's a Red Sox team that was clearly not considered one of the top 2 or 3 best teams in the league running the table. Like a 2006 STL run or a 2014 Giants run.
Oh I know the 2013 squad were big dogs early in the season, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, they were pretty clearly one of the best teams in baseball. Detroit was basically an even match for them with perhaps anyone being able to argue on the margins for either team. But once the playoffs were here, nobody was totally shocked that the Red Sox ran the table.The 2013 team was very unexpected, they were 35-1 to win at the start of the season. The Giants were 20-1 in 2014. Even though they were slight favorites in the ALCS against Detroit, the majority of pundits predicted the Tigers to win the series.