Couldn't agree more. And like everywhere else, labor's share of total revenue has shrunk across MLB.
Yep. The system is no doubt rigged. But when players don't hit free agency until right around the time they start to dip downward on the aging curve, generally speaking, this is what happens. Are the players screwed? Some are. Others are wildly overpaid. If they got rid of all cost control and everyone was a free agent form day 1 -- no draft, just a total free for all --- but kept spending caps, I'm not sure if that would result in a net gain, net loss, or a push for the players.
I think this perspective is really interesting and, to some degree, explains part of the divide here.
Huh? My original post was in response to competing while rebuilding. Atlanta did not do this. They went into full rebuild mode for three years and sucked on the field while setting up their organization of the future. This is not particularly controversial, it’s just factual. I’m not really sure what your posts trying to attack these facts are getting at.
OK, so if we are on to something here, then for Bloom, it points to the fact that without farm support he was forced to either make a go for it trade -- which is the most salient criticism of him, that he had no record of doing this -- or buy on the market, where the choices were cheap guys coming off injury or expensive guys who might be on their way to an injury. Weirdly, past injury can sometimes be an indicator of future health -- see Paxton's arm -- although sometimes they are indicative of future injuries -- see Paxton's knee.
Indeed. I'll probably bring this up again when the Yamamoto pitch begins. When you have 20+ teams in a market for something of which there is ONE... the prices can get way beyond all reason.
Hitters can punish 93mph, but maybe where this goes is just a huge emphasis on movement. Four-seamers with some ride, cutters etc. over pure velocity. Baseball is endlessly interesting.
I think the front office understands fan reaction perfectly. That's why they fired Bloom....But they also want to get to where the Orioles are right now - the team that the vast majority of fans want the Red Sox to be right now. That's why they hired Bloom in the first place.
Are they not ploughing their profits back into the franchise? Certainly. Could the players be better compensated for the value the bring? Certainly. Should the league pay minor league ballplayers more? I think so.
This is well-put. A tanking period is absolutely when you start to see "season ticket holder since 1983"-types start to turn in their tickets because they don't want to pay exorbitant prices to watch Triple-A baseball. Once you break the contract with the fandom of "you give us your money and support, we give you something worth watching," even some of the diehards will find other things to do, and it can take time to get them to come back.
I would trade Duran this offseason. I believe that he's in a similar position that Dalbec was at the end of '21 in terms of their value. Is Duran's level of play sustainable long-term? I would bank on the fact that it isn't and try to move him. Rafaela should be the CF of the future and Duran doesn't hit enough for power to play a corner.
That’s an excellent post. I 100% agree that people should do whatever makes them happy.
I have plenty of friends who think the same way that you do and only a few who think like I do.
That's depressing as fuck. If they keep him, they really are committed to having another 2019, 2022, or 2023 unless they're going to overwhelm him with talent and take his binkies out of his hands.
Yeah this is likely a dividing line for some fans. I don't think I've watched them since early August when they lost 4 in a row and I figured that was that.
I always stick with them through the summer. I treasure summers here in New England, since it’s so damn short. And the Sox are a huge component of my summers. But once we hit fall I’m out if they’re not worth watching. Right now, for me, they’re not. I’m flipping between college football games and it’s fun.
Nahhhh. I think it’s great if people can enjoy the game for what it is.I have plenty of friends who think the same way that you do and only a few who think like I do.
Maybe I need more hobbies.
New Top 258 Prospect List is out lol
You’ve seen evidence that supports the reasons suggested why Bloom was fired. But you don’t believe said evidence?
If I’m being honest, I think that Bloom is getting a ton of credit for rebuilding the farm system that I’m not sure he totally deserves. Sure the young hitting looks decent but where’s the pitching? Because of that I think the fifth place ranking is very optimistic.
I’m a broken record, but anyone could have done what he did in 2020 and ended up with Mayer. I give him credit for the other guys in the system that he drafted.
I'm not sure Bloom (or any exec at his level) is choosing the players. Isn't it largely the scouting director, with oversight from the GM/PBO?
How quickly do you expect pitching prospects to develop? Keeping in mind there was no Minor League season in 2020.
IMO, I kind of agree with this, kind of disagree.
The 2 best pitchers in the system are 20 y/o & in A+... one who is a holdover from the very end of the DD regime. There are a few interesting guys closer. It's a process. Not everything needs to be handed to you on a platter yesterday.
Red Sox didn't have a 2nd round pick in 2020 :/
But the problem is really bigger than Bloom. The sox have had issues developing home grown pitchers since the late Theo years.(iow spanning multiple GMS)
Well, if the conversation is developing young pitchers, & not drafting young pitchers, Bello, Houck, & Crawford are the best set of young homegrown pitchers in what, over 20 years? Which is admittedly a ridiculously low bar.
