Red Sox in season discussion

cantor44

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I know I'm not going to respect myself in the morning for re-engaging. But I'll just say that when you are running the Boston Red Sox, not spending in prospects and money is the exact opposite of being risk averse. The safe course is to spend, spend, spend. The risky one is to do what he's doing.
That's a valid point. It IS a risk to not spend (though who said, "spend, spend, spend"), and to change the paradigm of the Red Sox to a mid-tier spending team. Then again, money is an advantage so I hope Bloom uses it in the end (which he might, I dunno). I understand the need to dip under the tax for a reset, but to live there? Keep in mind, the Sox had the second highest payroll in baseball in 2004 and 2007, the fourth highest in 2013, and the first highest in 2018.
EDIT: They're down to sixth this year, but maybe a Story signing changes that ....And yes, if you don't spend wisely money ain't gonna buy a championship, but as we can see from the 4 21st C banners, it helps.
 
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chawson

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That's a valid point. It IS a risk to not spend (though who said, "spend, spend, spend"), and to change the paradigm of the Red Sox to a mid-tier spending team. Then again, money is an advantage so I hope Bloom uses it in the end (which he might, I dunno). I understand the need to dip under the tax for a reset, but to live there? Keep in mind, the Sox had the second highest payroll in baseball in 2004 and 2007, the fourth highest in 2013, and the first highest in 2018.
The Red Sox franchise was valued at $533 million in 2004. Today its worth $3.465 billion.
 

Jack Rabbit Slim

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Offer Story 1/25M + 25M team option with a handshake agreement to not pick it up if you can work out an extension with Bogaerts.

Offer Bogaerts 6/150M to play SS for a few more years until Mayer arrives, when he will move to 3B.

Offer 10/250M to Devers to play 3B until Bogaerts moves over, and he will move to DH.

Trade for some RHH OF that will make all of us groan but will put up surprisingly good numbers to split time with JBJ in RF.

Go win the division.
 

Salem's Lot

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Offer Story 1/25M + 25M team option with a handshake agreement to not pick it up if you can work out an extension with Bogaerts.

Offer Bogaerts 6/150M to play SS for a few more years until Mayer arrives, when he will move to 3B.

Offer 10/250M to Devers to play 3B until Bogaerts moves over, and he will move to DH.

Trade for some RHH OF that will make all of us groan but will put up surprisingly good numbers to split time with JBJ in RF.

Go win the division.
Story will get more guaranteed money than that. Why would he sign a one year deal?

If Xander was willing to take that deal, he would have signed already.

Devers guaranteed money on a long term deal is going to start with a 3, and be for about 7 or 8 years.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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Offer Story 1/25M + 25M team option with a handshake agreement to not pick it up if you can work out an extension with Bogaerts.

Offer Bogaerts 6/150M to play SS for a few more years until Mayer arrives, when he will move to 3B.

Offer 10/250M to Devers to play 3B until Bogaerts moves over, and he will move to DH.

Trade for some RHH OF that will make all of us groan but will put up surprisingly good numbers to split time with JBJ in RF.

Go win the division.
I like the sentiment, but you're a bit light on the years and/or $$$ in all three cases.

Will probably take a multi-year deal to land Story, but include an opt-out. Ideally, you might actually like him here holding down 2B for 2-3 yers until Yorke is ready.

An extension for Xander, beginning in '23, will need to be for more than 6 years (at least 7-8), and more than 25 AAV (but less than 30?)

10 years may do it for Raffy (although I suspect his agents will ask for 12 on an extension that starts next year) but it also is going to cost you more than 25 AAV.
 

Jack Rabbit Slim

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I mean part of this is trying to predict the priorities of people we only know from TV, so I guess in all cases we will have to wait and see.

For Story, I am thinking he really wants a long term deal to play SS but there does not appear to be teams out there to give it to him. So he gets paid well to play 2B for a year, show he is healthy and can hit outside of Coors and gets another shot next offseason when he would probably be the biggest name out there.

The elite SS this offseason are getting $30M ish AAV but if X wants to be paid like an elite defensive SS then he should probably start working on becoming one. Otherwise, taking into account a future shift to 3B, I don't think $25M AAV is insulting. I'll admit it is team friendly but he already accepted one very team friendly offer so perhaps staying in Boston his whole career is more important to him than getting top dollar.

My comp for Devers is the Arenado deal with a deduct for defensive value. Arenado got $30.5M AAV with the same career OPS+ as Devers and elite defense. Buying out Devers last 2 arb years and adding 8 years at $28M gets you in the $250M range.

If it takes adding another couple years to Bogaerts and Devers deals to get it done, I don't think it would bother me.
 

snowmanny

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I mean part of this is trying to predict the priorities of people we only know from TV, so I guess in all cases we will have to wait and see.

For Story, I am thinking he really wants a long term deal to play SS but there does not appear to be teams out there to give it to him. So he gets paid well to play 2B for a year, show he is healthy and can hit outside of Coors and gets another shot next offseason when he would probably be the biggest name out there.
Of course if he gets hurt or can’t hit as he expects then he goes on the market as a flawed second baseman.
I think it’s going to be hard to turn down the offer he’s likely to get.
 

Jack Rabbit Slim

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Of course if he gets hurt or can’t hit as he expects then he goes on the market as a flawed second baseman.
I think it’s going to be hard to turn down the offer he’s likely to get.
Sure, if he gets a 5-6 year deal to play SS some where he will certainly take it. It just doesn't seem like that is being offered by anyone. Maybe I'm misreading the reporting though
 

YTF

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I'm assuming he means that Bloom has been putting a lot of money in the bank (prospects) but hasn't spent it (trades).
Sure I get that, but just how much does he think Bloom has in the bank? How much of that capital is considered expendable at this point and of what sort of worth might that expendable capital have to another team. You can't rebuild the farm while trading from it, not when the best chips that you have are projected to fill positions of need in the next couple of seasons. Sure if you've got young players that are blocked or multiple players of worth at one position, but IMO the Sox aren't in that position.
 

mr_smith02

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jon abbey

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If players are doing this, why don't teams come out and say they are not pursuing that player any longer. Why allow themselves to be used by the player unless, of course, it is driving up the cost for a rival.
I am pretty sure teams are not allowed to do this even if they wanted as it falls under collusion, which they were already convicted of once.
 

jon abbey

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Is there a reason the players are allowed to do it? I truly don't know how these behind-the-scene maneuvers go down.
It's not the players, it's their agents but also sometimes it's the front offices, and they're all doing it through reporters anyway. I'm not really sure what the issue is, it's just rumors, nothing is final until it is and sometimes not even then. It's stressful but it's fun, as long as your team's not run by an idiot and yours isn't.
 

mr_smith02

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It's not the players, it's their agents but also sometimes it's the front offices, and they're all doing it through reporters anyway. I'm not really sure what the issue is, it's just rumors, nothing is final until it is and sometimes not even then. It's stressful but it's fun, as long as your team's not run by an idiot and yours isn't.
It is really just a curiosity about the machinations of free agency and how/why some stories gain the traction that they do. I am not at all an expert in this field and do find the entire process intense.
 

SoxAgent25

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You do realize how player-friendly those opt-outs are, right?
If people believe Mayer is the long term answer, then this type of contract would have been perfect. 2 years of Correa roles into your top prospect. If he’s still not ready and Correa is crushing, seal another deal or shop elsewhere. It would have been great to get a stud player on a non-crippling contract.
 

DeadlySplitter

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The only way he stays past 2022 is if he's hurt (he has a troubling injury history, if I recall) or declining, then you're saddled with 35M albatross (albeit for not as long as other horrible contracts, but still).

He's hoping the QO is gone (international draft gets agreed upon), another chance at a monster year in his prime, then cash in.
 

Apisith

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High AAV but short year contracts are perfect for our window. We have the payroll space, we just dipped under the CBT level last year. The years are short so we’re not locked in long term.
 

SoxAgent25

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The only way he stays past 2022 is if he's hurt (he has a troubling injury history, if I recall) or declining, then you're saddled with 35M albatross (albeit for not as long as other horrible contracts, but still).

He's hoping the QO is gone (international draft gets agreed upon), another chance at a monster year in his prime, then cash in.
Its late. I read it as an opt-out after 2 years, not after each of the first two years. ‍Face meet palm.
 

nvalvo

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The Twins have a top SS prospect in Royce Lewis much closer than Mayer. They are probably not expecting Correa to stick around for year two.
 

SoxinSeattle

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Some are going to kill Bloom for this but where does he play? Neither he nor Xander are going to move to 2nd. Is Correa's bat worth $15M more for one season? What can you get on the market for one year of Xander? Would the clubhouse be pissed off that you traded Xander for just one year of Correa? I may be in the minority but with the way that contract is structured I'm glad we didn't sign him.
 

BigSoxFan

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Didn’t see that coming. Story probably signs somewhere before the end of the weekend now.
 

grimshaw

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Come on guys, he's speculating. There is no reporting going on in that statement. He knows as much as the national guys do, which is pretty much nothing or we'd hear specifics.
 

grimshaw

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Sure, but to expect Story to move positions when there is a SS opening on a team from his home state no less, is a tall order.
I agree. I'm referring to extrapolating anything from that tweet.

I haven't bought anything linking the Sox to free agents without at least leaked offers, of which there haven't been any.

If there is a pattern to Bloom's sampling of transactions, is that it's radio silence and then they swoop in and snag someone no one saw coming.
 

bosockboy

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An interesting wrinkle to this is now Correa likely re-enters the market next winter with Xander. Do we hold off now and try and sign Correa next winter?
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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An interesting wrinkle to this is now Correa likely re-enters the market next winter with Xander. Do we hold off now and try and sign Correa next winter?
Hold off on trying to sign Bogaerts to a new extension? Hell no.

If anything, having Correa out there as an option gives the Sox a bit of leverage with Bogaerts and a possible fall back if he leaves, but I think the priority should still be to keep Bogaerts.
 

bosockboy

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Hold off on trying to sign Bogaerts to a new extension? Hell no.

If anything, having Correa out there as an option gives the Sox a bit of leverage with Bogaerts and a possible fall back if he leaves, but I think the priority should still be to keep Bogaerts.
I agree, I meant hold off on Story.