Red Sox Rumors - Just Kidding

Al Zarilla

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We forget that Cliff Lee turned down more money from the Yankees to sign in PHI
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/12/cliff-lee-spurns-yankees-for-phillies/343032/

Some players may not want to play in Boston for reasons not related to roster construction. (Same goes for NY teams).
They may not handle the pressure and media that comes with a large market team.
(Crawford and greinke say hello)
Cliff Lee had a son with leukemia, diagnosed at 4 months or so. The boy received effective treatment at a Philadelphia hospital, including a bone marrow transplant. He later was declared cancer free. I think Cliff's and his wife's faith in that hospital and a particular doctor was the big reason they decided to take the Phillies offer/stay in Philly.
 

jon abbey

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Cliff Lee had a son with leukemia, diagnosed at 4 months or so. The boy received effective treatment at a Philadelphia hospital, including a bone marrow transplant. He later was declared cancer free. I think Cliff's and his wife's faith in that hospital and a particular doctor was the big reason they decided to take the Phillies offer/stay in Philly.
This, and I believe the Phillies offer ended up approximately the same as NY’s in reality, and Cliff Lee’s wife was pissed at how she was treated at Yankee Stadium during the preceding postseason.
 

soxhop411

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So much for the "closer by committee" fears of...an hour ago.

Seems painfully apparent at this point that Whitlock is (rightfully) going to be a starter. Perhaps Houck too (I suspect he's on the block, though).
Which shows that nobody knows anything since this FO does not leak anything


This, and I believe the Phillies offer ended up approximately the same as NY’s in reality, and Cliff Lee’s wife was pissed at how she was treated at Yankee Stadium during the preceding postseason.
But this also shows that its more than just taking top $$$. Would Cliff lee still have signed with the yankees (if the hospital was not part of the equation) because of how his wife was treated at Nyy stadium?
 

Jinhocho

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I do not get why the Red Sox did not go for Taillon. At the money the Cubs paid him, he would have been an excellent fit.
 

jon abbey

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Which shows that nobody knows anything since this FO does not leak anything



But this also shows that its more than just taking top $$$. Would Cliff lee still have signed with the yankees (if the hospital was not part of the equation) because of how his wife was treated at Nyy stadium?
Again, I don’t feel like looking it up but I’m pretty sure the Phillies offer and the Yankees offer were basically identical in terms of actual money.
 

Jinhocho

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If you believe Chaim's earlier comments (I do) , they have their sights set higher in terms of the level of starters they can acquire.
Well, if you go by Fangraphs top 50 FA, you end up with a list of:

4) Jacob deGrom 5/185 Texas
5) Justin Verlander 2/86 Mets
7) Carlos Rodon
11) Clayton Kershaw 1/20 Dodgers
14) Chris Bassit
15) Nate Eovaldi
16) Tyler Anderson 3/39 Angels
20) Martin Perez 1/20 Rangers
21) Taillon 4/68 Cubs
22) Taijuan Walker 4/72 Phillies
26) Jose Quintana 2/26 Mets
27) Thor
28) Sean Manaea
29) Corey Kluber
 

E5 Yaz

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If they resign X, does that count as one of the 7, 8, 9 guys that they're planning to add?
 

chrisfont9

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I do not get why the Red Sox did not go for Taillon. At the money the Cubs paid him, he would have been an excellent fit.
Presumably you can't sign Taillon and Eovaldi before you start running out of slots and money. Not sure how literally similar they are but WAR-wise they aren't bad comps. Except one is young and has no postseason track record and the other is a playoff warrior and clubhouse cornerstone. Guys like Taillon, I don't think the Sox grab them until they know Nate isn't coming back. Rodon would be a move for a true #1, so that's another subject entirely.
 

ehaz

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Presumably you can't sign Taillon and Eovaldi before you start running out of slots and money. Not sure how literally similar they are but WAR-wise they aren't bad comps. Except one is young and has no postseason track record and the other is a playoff warrior and clubhouse cornerstone. Guys like Taillon, I don't think the Sox grab them until they know Nate isn't coming back. Rodon would be a move for a true #1, so that's another subject entirely.
Yeah I’d much rather have Eovaldi over Taillon on the same contract. Eovaldi wasn’t healthy this season but it’s not like Taillon isn’t a huge injury risk either. At least Eovaldi can still miss bats and has upside that Taillon has never demonstrated an ability to reach. It’s not like Eovaldi’s much older either.

I’d still rather take Rodon or Senga at a larger contract than either though.
 

AlNipper49

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So Pete is reporting when the Sox have an internal Zoom call?

That may actually be more boring than an actual Zoom call.
 

chawson

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If we get X back, I wonder if Arroyo is on the move. A lot of teams need shortstops, and a smart one might see two years of a dirt-cheap Arroyo and his .330 expected wOBA last year as a legitimate option. (Trea Turner had a .335 xwOBA; Swanson .337).

I like Arroyo, but I think I’d take my chances with Hoy Park, Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton (and Rafaela if we’re really in a pinch at short).
 
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Big Papi's Mango Salsa

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I really do hope they get this done. Bogaerts has been a very consistent performer as a Red Sox with his "worst" season in the past 5 coming with a 128OPS+ / 129 wRC+ in the 2020 season.

The "intangibles" are all there across the board, but at least offensively, so is the performance as well. Defensive statistics are tough to quantify, but he's been either a TINY bit below average to significantly above average year in and year out, per FanGraphs, and there is no "can he hack it in Boston" question with Bogaerts.

Even with the mindset that he will probably have to move off short stop (hopefully in 2/3 years when Mayer is knocking down the door as the top prospect in baseball), I think this is a player you extend for, on so many reasons.
 

chrisfont9

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If we get X back, I wonder if Arroyo is on the move. A lot of teams need shortstops, and a smart one might see two years of a dirt-cheap Arroyo and his .330 expected wOBA as a legitimate option. (Trea Turner had a .335 xwOBA; Swanson .337).

I like Arroyo, but I think I’d take my chances with Hoy Park, Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton (and Rafaela if we’re really in a pinch at short).
Bloom's hint about needing to look at trades sounds like it could be related to OF, which is where a nice contract/decent redundant IF guy would be one carrot to dangle (plus others).
 

Van Everyman

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I am on full ignore with Pete. Not only do I get nothing from his perpetually angry takes, but I assume he's alienated most of his legitimate sources to the point where he probably has nothing to share.
Pete sometimes gets into it a little too much with “fans“ on Twitter. But he’s a solid, hard-working reporter. He may also have been encouraged by his editors to amp up his opinions and takes on the Red Sox now that he’s in the Cafardo columnist role. Which would explain why he sometimes seems to be siding with the shrieking masses about the potential to lose players. But I like him.
 

pk1627

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If the Sox go to an 8th year, I’ll be impressed. What’s their longest contract: 8 for Manny? (And that was pre-Henry). Didn’t the 7th year basically end it for Lester?

Pete sometimes gets into it a little too much with “fans“ on Twitter. But he’s a solid, hard-working reporter. He may also have been encouraged by his editors to amp up his opinions and takes on the Red Sox now that he’s in the Cafardo columnist role. Which would explain why he sometimes seems to be siding with the shrieking masses about the potential to lose players. But I like him.
I think Pete Abe’s worthless. It’s clear that he’s frozen out by both the front office and the players (he’s had no insight whatsoever in 3.5 off-seasons and 3 trade deadlines). Thus, He regurgitates stuff already known. Trying to go the negative route now. We have enough of that in Boston.
 

jezza1918

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Quick! Everybody prepare a narrative for how we ended up paying too much for X because we let him go to FA. It's doubly valuable bc if we end up not needing it this go around it can be dusted off for the Devers negotiations.
Im more than mentally preparing myself for Felger & Mazz to tell me that if they sign X it's because the Red Sox are actually cheap because this is a sign they don't want to extend Devers for a bigger number. They are in my head, I know. It's my own fault.
 

Ganthem

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If the Sox resign Bogey, can we put the nonsense that the ownership group and the FO is cheap? Or do we need to still cling to that?
 

NDame616

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If the Sox resign Bogey, can we put the nonsense that the ownership group and the FO is cheap? Or do we need to still cling to that?
Nope. It'll continue until we sign Devers. If we do sign Devers the narrative will change to "theu didn't want him to be a FA because they're too cheap!"

If we don't sign him, rinse and repeat
 

Rasputin

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If the Sox resign Bogey, can we put the nonsense that the ownership group and the FO is cheap? Or do we need to still cling to that?
The single dumbest argument I've seen in regards to the Red Sox in years. And that, my friends, is saying something.
 

ehaz

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Quick! Everybody prepare a narrative for how we ended up paying too much for X because we let him go to FA. It's doubly valuable bc if we end up not needing it this go around it can be dusted off for the Devers negotiations.
Okay I'm half-joking here and think this is likely more 2022 dead-ball related than a sign of regression, but since you asked for it, "$28M per for 8 years is too much for a player whose power is regressing and will need his bat to carry him at 3rd/LF/DH by year 4. We should've just tacked on 4/$100 after 2021 in exchange for opting-in!"

xSLG% since 2018:

2018: .493
2019: .474
2020: .474
2021: .468
2022: .383