We'll never know exactly what happened with Betts. He says now he would have signed an equivalent deal to stay with the Red Sox but one was not offered.
From Gasper this morning:
As Gasper wrote, the Sox FO might disagree with that account, and maybe even fairly disagree.
But here we are again. Bogaerts is not signed, he reports that there have been no recent talks with the team, the Sox have apparently not made any progress with Devers, who many view as a generational talent, and trading Bogaerts at the deadline is likely on the table right now given the need to extract value for a possibly departing player and the fact that the Sox are flailing.
On a related note, the Sox allowed Kyle Schwarber to depart, even though he seemed like a perfect, albeit defensively challenged, fit for the team..
So here's my question:
Would the sum total of losing these two cornerstone, "face of the franchise" type players, after having lost Betts a few years ago, affect in any way your "Sox fandom"? Would your interest diminish? Would you go so far as to drop them?
My gut, immediate reaction to my own question, and the related ones, is "of course not, I'm a Red Sox fan, and have always been one."
On the other hand, it seems truly crazy to me that the Red Sox would be unwilling or unable to retain home grown players of this stature. And of course, nothing exists in a vacuum. The question is being asked in the midst of a roller coaster season in which the team seems unable to beat quality opponents or even win a single AL East series. And in which the titular head of the team, Chaim Bloom, has put together a squad that is woefully deficient in so many areas.
The irony is that even if Bloom, with Henry's blessing, did the "minimum" and brought back Xander and Rafael, or the "sub minimum," and brought back one of them, the team that he assembled is in danger of not making the playoffs, even with the expanded wild card format, and would likely be hard pressed to compete seriously, even if it did.
Still, even acknowledging that the anger with those calling the shots runs deeper than my main question, I wonder if actually losing those guys would change minds and hearts about this team. As my wife would say, it would be "a lot."
From Gasper this morning:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/18/sports/la-mookie-betts-looms-cautionary-tale-what-future-holds-red-sox-their-unsigned-homegrown-stars/I asked Mookie if he would’ve taken that contract to stay with the Sox. Anger management class sign-ups might be about to skyrocket in Massachusetts.
“Absolutely, I just didn’t get it,” said Betts without hesitation. “That’s the argument. I didn’t get it, so that’s why I am where I am.”
Yikes. The Sox would probably beg to differ with that damning characterization. The crucible of baseball in Boston never seemed an ideal fit for Mookie’s Jayson Tatum-like mien. He’s savvy enough not to demean or offend the dart-throwing Sox fanbase by saying the environment wasn’t for him.
As Gasper wrote, the Sox FO might disagree with that account, and maybe even fairly disagree.
But here we are again. Bogaerts is not signed, he reports that there have been no recent talks with the team, the Sox have apparently not made any progress with Devers, who many view as a generational talent, and trading Bogaerts at the deadline is likely on the table right now given the need to extract value for a possibly departing player and the fact that the Sox are flailing.
On a related note, the Sox allowed Kyle Schwarber to depart, even though he seemed like a perfect, albeit defensively challenged, fit for the team..
So here's my question:
Would the sum total of losing these two cornerstone, "face of the franchise" type players, after having lost Betts a few years ago, affect in any way your "Sox fandom"? Would your interest diminish? Would you go so far as to drop them?
My gut, immediate reaction to my own question, and the related ones, is "of course not, I'm a Red Sox fan, and have always been one."
On the other hand, it seems truly crazy to me that the Red Sox would be unwilling or unable to retain home grown players of this stature. And of course, nothing exists in a vacuum. The question is being asked in the midst of a roller coaster season in which the team seems unable to beat quality opponents or even win a single AL East series. And in which the titular head of the team, Chaim Bloom, has put together a squad that is woefully deficient in so many areas.
The irony is that even if Bloom, with Henry's blessing, did the "minimum" and brought back Xander and Rafael, or the "sub minimum," and brought back one of them, the team that he assembled is in danger of not making the playoffs, even with the expanded wild card format, and would likely be hard pressed to compete seriously, even if it did.
Still, even acknowledging that the anger with those calling the shots runs deeper than my main question, I wonder if actually losing those guys would change minds and hearts about this team. As my wife would say, it would be "a lot."
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