Much like Newman, the Sox are not “Ready to deliver”– The 2025 Offseason News (& rumors?) Thread

SouthernBoSox

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This is feeling awfully familiar.

These guys don’t sign “reasonable” deal anymore. They all seems insane

edit: I’ll add, I’d be stunned if the signed Burnes at this point.
 

dynomite

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I’m not positive about that, the new catcher they acquire could stay as Teel’s backup while Wong plays a super utility role. Wong’s bat is valuable and he has looked serviceable at second, first, third, and left. I’d like to see them bring in a better defensive catcher, if the Murphy rumors are true I’d be all over it.
Personally, I think they are in need of a starting catcher. This is why I was all in on Carson Kelly (and I am seeing his signing with the Cubs isn't official yet, so I am still holding out hope). If they can sign Kelly for a 2 or 3 year deal (he's only 30, I might even go 4 years, TBH), go with a tandem of him and Wong this year, and then offload Wong once Teel is ready (hopefully by the trade deadline, but more likely next offseason), I think that would be a best case scenario.

It looks like my dreams are crushed by the Cubs, as of yesterday, but my fingers are still crossed.
Yasmani Grandal would have been my personal hope here:

- 30th on the BTV list above, remains a strong blocker/framer
- Experienced veteran who... yes... is another 2021 White Sox-er... meaning he has experience with Giolito and Hendriks
- Easy guy to timeshare at Catcher in 2025 with Wong as the offensive side of the platoon
- Should be relatively cheap and willing to take a 1-2 year deal, and therefore easy to move off of him if Teel forces the issue

The challenge is that there was a ton of smoke with Grandal in the White Sox organization:

Yasmani Grandal, who was rumored to have slapped Tim Anderson, was described in the article by one former teammate as someone who “tore people down instead of building them up.” Anderson’s off-the-field drama certainly didn’t help matters. Former White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton threw gasoline on the fire by opening up about the White Sox culture after he was traded to the Yankees. He told stories of players skipping practice, sleeping in the bullpen and nobody being held accountable. This reportedly infuriated several White Sox staffers who felt that the players bore the bulk of the blame since Grifol was an inexperienced first-year manager and the locker room culture dictated by the players. Grifol had expected some of the veterans in the clubhouse to be leaders. Instead, the opposite happened, they took advantage of him.
https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-white-sox/new-details-emerge-about-clubhouse-chaos-that-derailed-the-white-sox/
 

Hank Scorpio

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Fuck. He’s the one I wanted - and that AAV isn’t bad at all. Currently putting our shot at Burnes, who I don’t really want anyway, at about 0.1%.

Here’s hoping Fried completely falls apart.
 

Seels

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Fried is a Yankee, this offseason is going as horrible as the last few.
was never any doubt tbh

Didn't like Fried for 8 years but 27.5 aav is good money for him.

I do wonder what the point was of extending Devers if they were never going to accompany his prime years with big league talent.
 

Van Everyman

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At some point the Red Sox need to realize the market is the market and if you want to sign a free agent you need to put on your big boy spending pants.
Sure but 8 years?!? If that’s the market, I’m ok w trading for pitching instead of FA signings.

That said, I am wondering if the Sox were the 7 year team based on those Morosi tweets.
 

Bosoxman2004

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This is a horrible contract. 38 Year Old Max Fried will be getting 27 million. He has 23 career WAR. The repeated rinse and repeat failure of 4 years or longer contracts for pitchers on the wrong side of 30 has to correct itself at some point right?

I'm honestly impressed at this point with the Red Sox approach to long term pitching contracts. They clearly set a limit they are comfortable with and refuse to go longer than that based on clear data of repeated failures on long term deals for 30+ year old pitchers in the industry.

Yes at some point they will need to be comfortable with an overpay, I'm just curious who that will be at this point.
 

Harry Hooper

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How it all shakes out remains to be seen, but the noise isn't a Boras creation.
“I think we’re always in this position trying to balance the short term and the long term, but I think we have strongly signaled, and we don’t intend to change, that we’re going to be prioritizing the short term.”Breslow continued: “We’ve asked a ton of our fans in terms of patience, and tolerating finishes well below where the Boston Red Sox should be, and so it’s time to deliver, and that may mean taking a bite out of the future in order to prioritize wins in the short term.”
Yes, but he also stated in September, "The most valuable thing you can have is controllable starting pitching."

We'll see how things play out. It's hard not to believe that when the offseason dust settles, the bites out of the future in terms of trades turn out to too big for Breslow, and the price tag on frontline FA starting pitching turns out to be too high for ownership = steady on to some future window.

Breslow will end up needing a 2013-ish stretch of luck shopping in the scratch-and-dent section for the Sox to make noise in the 2025 postseason.
 
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NickEsasky

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Sure but 8 years?!? If that’s the market, I’m ok w trading for pitching instead of FA signings.

That said, I am wondering if the Sox were the 7 year team based on those Morosi tweets.
What do you think trade prices will be for starting pitching when free agents are getting 8 year deals worth $200m? There’s no award or trophy for having the most efficient spend.
 

The Filthy One

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This is why it's always seemed more likely that they'll trade for pitching. They are allergic to any long-term contracts to pitchers over 30. That said, they will pretty much have to include a few prospects no one wants to lose to land a frontline starter.
 

bsj

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The Red Sox are going to have to swallow hard and eat some bad years eventually because that is what the market is dictating.

Fried was not my top target, so in a vacuum, this is not a tragic loss for me. But I really want Burnes. We aren't getting him a team friendly contract, and I hope they are willing to stretch.
 

DJnVa

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JFC. I don’t mind not going 8 years, but maybe keep our mouth shut on how big we’re gonna go.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Private equity handcuffs make it hard to sign long-term deals. The cashflow is just too good without them. Just get people into the Fens for the Experience and it will all work out.
 

mcpickl

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I mean, would anyone really be happy signing Fried to an 8 year contract when he’s already 31?
No.

But if you want premier free agents, you have to take bad years at the end.

If you don’t, you’ll never get the guy.
 

johnlos

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Just buy low on Buehler. Sure he's over 30 but he's already had TJ and MLBTR had him as a pillow 1/$15m
 

Rich Garces Belly

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Well, that's frustrating. Was hoping "Aggressive" and "Ready to Deliver" were words with meaning this off-season.
I purchased NESN 360 and a ten game plan this offseason and am regretting it already.

Plenty of time to make it right, but I feel like I fell for the same BS hook-line-sinker.
 

Bosoxman2004

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Well if 7 is the magic number, they could deal for Cease and give it to him instead of Fried. Cease is 29 next year.
Cease at 7 years at 29 is MUCH more palatable IMO. The questions are many though:

1) Will the cost to acquire him AND the cost of the contract be something ownership feels comfortable with?
2) Do they risk a trade without requiring an extension (ala Soto/Burnes with their respective teams) and if not...
3) Can the Red Sox convince a Boras client to sign an extension?
 

NickEsasky

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Well if we want pitching I hope the prospect-philes are ready for some serious pain.
 

chrisfont9

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Cease at 7 years at 29 is MUCH more palatable IMO. The questions are many though:

1) Will the cost to acquire him AND the cost of the contract be something ownership feels comfortable with?
2) Do they risk a trade without requiring an extension (ala Soto/Burnes with their respective teams) and if not...
3) Can the Red Sox convince a Boras client to sign an extension?
If Cease wants an extension, he can get one, but it will have to look like the contract the Yankees just gave Fried.
 

johnlos

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No.

But if you want premier free agents, you have to take bad years at the end.

If you don’t, you’ll never get the guy.
I 90% agree with you and want them to spend money (knowing you'll eat some bad years at the end) but this contract is particularly egregious. MLBTR had it at 6/$156m. Throw a 1/$20m at Buehler there's basically no such thing as a bad one year deal.
 

JohntheBaptist

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This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Yeah this is all teetering on being a bit of a mess. They need a win really bad, and Alex Bregman is not that win. Breslow losing a power struggle--there being one at all--oof.

That was the thing for me with the "wait it feels different this offseason" stuff out of the gate. Maybe, but what if they meant it this time but still faceplanted?

Plenty of time, but to me Burnes is the one that's scarier long-term than Fried and you have to be willing to feel some pain to sign someone. This was an offseason to just scoop up multiple big pieces, and they're just hemming and hawing their way to some bad moves.
 

sean1562

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Why would Cease sign for 7 when he just saw Fried get 8? Burnes is gonna be asking for 8/250. Buehler and flaherty I guess?
 

Bosoxman2004

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No.

But if you want premier free agents, you have to take bad years at the end.

If you don’t, you’ll never get the guy.
Taking bad years at the end is partly responsible to why we don't have Mookie anymore too to an extent (trading Price)

I feel like those bad years at the end is what stifles long term success.

I kind of like the Tigers approach. Sign 1 or 2 year SPs like Flaherty/Maeda/etc and hope for more hits than misses.
 

EvilEmpire

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Cease at 7 years at 29 is MUCH more palatable IMO. The questions are many though:

1) Will the cost to acquire him AND the cost of the contract be something ownership feels comfortable with?
2) Do they risk a trade without requiring an extension (ala Soto/Burnes with their respective teams) and if not...
3) Can the Red Sox convince a Boras client to sign an extension?
If Cease has another solid year with the Padres, do you think Boras will only get him 7 years?
 

NickEsasky

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I purchased NESN 360 and a ten game plan this offseason and am regretting it already.

Plenty of time to make it right, but I feel like I fell for the same BS hook-line-sinker.
The front office thanks you for your service. Here’s a bobble head while they miss the playoffs again.
 

Hank Scorpio

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I’d rather ride it out with Houck, Bello, Giolito, Crawford, Priester than give up major prospects for one year of Cease. I’m only interested in trading for these 1-2 year guys if we can have the trade be contingent on an extension - which I think they did with Pedro and Adrian Gonzalez - and maybe Schilling.
 

bsj

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I’d rather ride it out with Houck, Bello, Giolito, Crawford, Priester than give up major prospects for one year of Cease. I’m only interested in trading for these 1-2 year guys if we can have the trade be contingent on an extension - which I think they did with Pedro and Adrian Gonzalez - and maybe Schilling.
That's a last place rotation.
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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No.

But if you want premier free agents, you have to take bad years at the end.

If you don’t, you’ll never get the guy.
Sure but I’d rather that guy be Burnes who misses bats vs Fried. Although at this rate it seems all the Sox do is come up with buzz words.