Red Sox Rumors - Just Kidding

Ganthem

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Apr 7, 2022
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How about the Astros with Altuve? The Sox with Manny? The Giants in 2010, 2012, 2014 (Cain and Zito each for two of the years)? The market moves so 8 and $20 isnt particularly relevant - its more of a how many teams are winning without elite talent outside the 6 year control window? Because if you arent: (i) willing to take risk and extend guys early; or (ii) pay market rate, youre basically banking on the player loving it so much that they're willing to take a ton less to stay or that you can develop enough good talent close enough together. Neither of those places are good places to be. Dustin Pedroia types are not common and banking on the elite talent you develop also being like him is insane; you're doing well enough to develop elite talent - that in and of itself is hard.

It doesn't necessarily need to be free agent market rates - you can extend early. Historically teams have had at least one and sometimes multiple long market rate deal or even longer deal that was signed pre-arb. What is really hard is to just hope that you can line up pre-arb and arbitration guys closely enough to win - it does happen once a decade (Royals in 2015 and Marlins in 2003) or so by teams that cant afford to spend. Here's the evidence:
  • 2022 - Astros - Altuve
  • 2021 - Braves - Pick whoever you want; Freeman was on the 8th year of an arbitration extension .
  • 2020 - Dodgers - Kershaw; Mookie was signed long term but was still in his last arbitration year
  • 2019 - Nationals - Corbin, Strasburg
  • 2018 - Red Sox - Price
  • 2017 - Astros - Justin Verlander (to be fair traded for him midseason, but they arent winning without him). Signed Altuve to a market deal in offseason before 2018.
  • 2016 - Cubs - Lester
  • 2015 - Royals - None
  • 2014 - Giants - Matt Cain
  • 2013 - Red Sox - Dustin Pedroia (I agree he signed at a significant discount, but he was no longer in the six year control; if youre lucky enough to get someone like this, great!), arguably Lester as well
  • 2012 - Giants - Matt Cain, Barry Zito
  • 2011 - Cardinals - Matt Holliday
  • 2010 - Giants - Barry Zito
  • 2009 - NYY - ARod, Jeter, CC Sabathia, Teixiera
  • 2008 - Phillies - Chase Utley
  • 2007 - Red Sox - Manny
Basically, you can use whatever strategy you like that results in locking up elite talent long term, but just letting it go away is not a winning strategy. Most of the above teams had at least one market rate and/or long term star deal; some had two. Trying to build a team where you're overlapping really good to elite talent all within the six year control window is incredibly difficult. Its why the Rays haven't won and only one team a decade or so does it. Beyond the talent point, I think it provides a level of certainty for baseball ops to build around something that is already settled. The argument you're making just doesnt really hold water - almost all World Series teams have a long term/big money guy who materially contributes to the team.

The point isn't to say to blow huge money everywhere, but to show that the likelihood of being able to win if you dont have any elite talent outside of the 6 year control window is exceedingly difficult and willingly going down the path of trying to time overlapping control windows of great talent when you have the resources to choose a different path is bizarre.

The Sox have shown minimal interest in any sort of long term deal whether its in arbitration or free agency. This is how the market is moving so if they dont change their practices and beliefs its hard to see how they acquire and, to the extent they develop, retain elite talent.
The problem with your post is that you are ignoring two of the more successful baseball teams currently. The Dodgers and Astros have manage to be successful while keeping big money contracts to a minimum. Last I checked, the Dodgers signed Betts and the Astros extended Altuve. The next biggest contract for the Dodgers is Freddie Freeman and in terms of length and amount that has more in common with Story then Betts or Altuve or Machado etc. That is the plan currently. Get a core of young homegrown players and try to sign them to reasonable contracts when they are pre arb. Supplement them by signing the mid tier guys like Freeman. Also supplment them by using surplus farm talent to acquire players who under control for a few more years. Hand out massive contracts very rarely. While this method is not fool proof, it is more likely to be sustainable then the method employed by the Padres, Phillies, Mets and possibly Yankees.
 

mikcou

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The problem with your post is that you are ignoring two of the more successful baseball teams currently. The Dodgers and Astros have manage to be successful while keeping big money contracts to a minimum. Last I checked, the Dodgers signed Betts and the Astros extended Altuve. The next biggest contract for the Dodgers is Freddie Freeman and in terms of length and amount that has more in common with Story then Betts or Altuve or Machado etc. That is the plan currently. Get a core of young homegrown players and try to sign them to reasonable contracts when they are pre arb. Supplement them by signing the mid tier guys like Freeman. Also supplment them by using surplus farm talent to acquire players who under control for a few more years. Hand out massive contracts very rarely. While this method is not fool proof, it is more likely to be sustainable then the method employed by the Padres, Phillies, Mets and possibly Yankees.
I never said that they should go have three, four or five huge deals - thats a pure strawman. That isnt my position at all, but having one or two of those deals if it isn't necessary, is pretty close to it. I am in fact no only not ignoring them; I'm making a very clear distinction that the Red Sox will diverge from them in not having any if they continue with their seemingly hard lines on length and valuations.

To be very clear, my position is: it is very hard to win without some elite player contract that is not in the pre-arb and arb stages because developing elite talent fast enough and consistently enough for it all to come together within overlapping control periods is very rare. You sign one or two and you develop another one or two and suddenly you have a nice core that you can fill in with other smaller free agent deals and quality, but perhaps not elite prospects. The Dodgers and Astros fit there quite well; they aren't examples of teams that are completely eschewing the large deal market.

I agree that Freeman isn't really an elite player deal or if its incredibly fringe. Its really more like the top of the mid market similar to Story (Freeman is a better player, but one who carried substantially more age related decline risk as he signed three years older). I dont think anyone was expecting to suddenly pop 6-7 win seasons again at 32 after being a consistent 4.5 win type for 5 years; more typical aging pattern would lead to someone to expect him to be a 3-4 win player over the first half of the deal with more drop off into the mid 30s.
 

Pozo the Clown

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These aren't technically "rumors" as they are predictions from a SI article (link below) as to the likely destinations of the players they have ranked as the top 25 remaining free agents:

18. Michael Brantley, LF/DH
Age: 36 | Former Team: Astros | Updated Prediction: Red Sox
Brantley has earned himself a reputation as one of the league’s most consistent, dependable bats. The issue now, though, is how often he’s able to keep his name in the lineup. He put up a .288/.370/.416 slash line in 277 plate appearances in 2022 and would be among the toughest outs on a contending team that can give him regular at-bats as a DH.

13. Jean Segura, 2B
Age: 33 | Former Team: Phillies | Updated Prediction: Red Sox
Segura had his $17 million club option for 2023 declined by the Phillies last month, making him the only notable second baseman on the market following Milwaukee’s decision to exercise Kolten Wong’s $12 million option and trade him to the Mariners. Segura excels at making contact and can hit 10 to 15 home runs despite a downturn in power this year. The well-traveled middle infielder is overmatched at shortstop at this point in his career, but Statcast has graded him as an elite defender at the keystone since he moved there in ’20. He has enough left in the tank to be a capable starter for the next couple of years, and should fittingly get a two-year contract, though Seattle’s preference to trade for Wong suggests Segura may not attain an eight-figure salary.

9. Noah Syndergaard, SP
Age: 30 | Former Team: Phillies | Updated Prediction: Red Sox
For a guy who’s lost five ticks off his fastball since Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard acquitted himself pretty well this year; He at least proved he isn’t as powerless without his heater as Marvel’s Thor is without his hammer. Syndergaard essentially had to relearn how to pitch as someone with the arsenal of a mere mortal—and he posted a better ERA (3.94) than he did in his final presurgery season (4.28), even while spending the second half of the year with Philadelphia’s bandbox as his home park. The lack of swing and miss in his game will keep some teams away, though: Syndergaard’s 6.35 K/9 rate ranked 96th out of 105 pitchers with at least 120 IP. Given how strong the market has been for starting pitchers, Syndergaard should garner a multi-year deal, though certainly not at the $21 million rate he earned on the one-year deal for ‘22.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/12/12/free-agent-rankings-updated-signing-predictions

Brantley is an intriguing possibility to share LF/DH with Yoshida. They might be interested in Segura if the earlier rumors that they were interested in Kolton Wong have any substance. Hard pass on Thor. I'd much rather see them bring back Eovaldi.
 

E5 Yaz

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I wish there was a thread that just had rumors in it.
Me, too! I guess we're in the minority. Should we start a thread named "Just Rumors, No Speculation, Please"??????
This thread needs a new title and a thread solely for actual rumors (maybe even with links) should be created. I will defer to the dopes to decide if that's a good idea.
Instead of lamenting the status of this thread, which I agree is a mess, why not do a search of the Internet and try to find an actual rumor involving the Red Sox and start the thread you want? If you're not willing to be part of the solution, you're part of the problem
In case you're wondering, I've spent the past 15 minutes doing precisely that and haven't found anything resembling a rumor (from a reputable source) linking the Red Sox to a free agent, or a trade possibility.
 

Steve Dillard

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Oct 7, 2003
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Of course, Pepen said last month the ask was $300K, so this would not be the "initial aspirations"

That said, sounds like the same issue with Xander. Chase the market, just below what it takes to meet the player, and you are screwed when the market changes. Suddenly the $300 million ask a month ago is gone.

Get Baty from the Mets, I guess.
 

EddieYost

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Instead of lamenting the status of this thread, which I agree is a mess, why not do a search of the Internet and try to find an actual rumor involving the Red Sox and start the thread you want? If you're not willing to be part of the solution, you're part of the problem
In case you're wondering, I've spent the past 15 minutes doing precisely that and haven't found anything resembling a rumor (from a reputable source) linking the Red Sox to a free agent, or a trade possibility.
Or we could just keep this thread to rumors.
 

mr_smith02

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Instead of lamenting the status of this thread, which I agree is a mess, why not do a search of the Internet and try to find an actual rumor involving the Red Sox and start the thread you want? If you're not willing to be part of the solution, you're part of the problem
In case you're wondering, I've spent the past 15 minutes doing precisely that and haven't found anything resembling a rumor (from a reputable source) linking the Red Sox to a free agent, or a trade possibility.
I made two specific suggestions about how to fix things as I was trying to fix the problem:
1.) Change the name of this thread so people can just share any random off-season thoughts (I didn't start this thread, so I cannot do that).

2.) Create a thread that is truly just for rumors with links and let that thread be for just that. I deferred to the dopes because there are so many "off-season" threads already on the main board.
 

Hee Sox Choi

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Get Baty from the Mets, I guess.
I was thinking the same thing in regards to Baty. Really like him. Just read where the D-Backs asked for Baty in a swap for Alek Thomas. Baty>Thomas IMO. I think the Mets are all in so I think getting Baty for Devers makes a lot of sense for both sides. I'm sure they don't want to get rid of him for 1 year of Devers but they could easily extend him with the way they are spending.
 

Ganthem

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I think the Padres are going to pony up something insane for Devers next off season. I do hope Bloom trades him this off season in order to reap benefits greater then a draft pick.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Devers has the Sox over a barrel, and if the Sox decide they want to move him, every team is going to know how desperate the Sox are to get a deal done. I’m guessing a guy like Baty is a long shot at this point, but if they can get a couple of teams bidding against each other, you never know. Ugh.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Does anyone have a sense of what the Sox are looking for in a starter? Seems like they’ve been all over the place, being in on Eflin, Heaney, maybe Senga…sniffing around on Kluber, Lugo. Is it simply just a starter that won’t require giving up any compensation picks?
 

Jed Zeppelin

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If the current ownership is no longer willing to eat a few bad years on the back end of a contract, they need to stop pretending they are going to be competitive for the top talent on the FA market. Where is the faith that you can fill out a roster with prospects or savvy bargains around highly paid vets, and keep refilling the coffers with great amateur scouting? Where is the confidence that you can build a winner in the early years of any given big FA deal, making the back end at least palatable if not explicitly worth it?

It's fine if they want to win the value Olympics. It is absolutely helpful for team building to keep finding guys like Arroyo and such who can contribute for nothing. But if that isn't merely one part of the FA picture rather than the whole thing, just be upfront about it. The unserious offers do nothing but make them look feckless and aimless, while alienating the fans. I wouldn't dare call it penny-pinching given the numbers being thrown around, but it reeks of timidity and a lack of confidence. It seems the risk of a bad team now is more palatable to ownership than the risk of a bad team in 6 years, which does not really compute.

Yes, all caveats apply w/r/t the offseason being nowhere near finished.
 

Ganthem

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Devers has the Sox over a barrel, and if the Sox decide they want to move him, every team is going to know how desperate the Sox are to get a deal done. I’m guessing a guy like Baty is a long shot at this point, but if they can get a couple of teams bidding against each other, you never know. Ugh.
If the Sox decide to trade Devers teams will have a choice of giving the Sox what they consider fair value or the Sox can just keep him and let him walk next off season. This is not the Betts/Price deal where they needed to clear salary. As for what they want in a starter, they are probably waiting the market out to see who is left out of the Evoldi, Wach, Kluber tier.
 

manny

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If the current ownership is no longer willing to eat a few bad years on the back end of a contract, they need to stop pretending they are going to be competitive for the top talent on the FA market. Where is the faith that you can fill out a roster with prospects or savvy bargains around highly paid vets, and keep refilling the coffers with great amateur scouting? Where is the confidence that you can build a winner in the early years of any given big FA deal, making the back end at least palatable if not explicitly worth it?

It's fine if they want to win the value Olympics. It is absolutely helpful for team building to keep finding guys like Arroyo and such who can contribute for nothing. But if that isn't merely one part of the FA picture rather than the whole thing, just be upfront about it. The unserious offers do nothing but make them look feckless and aimless, while alienating the fans. I wouldn't dare call it penny-pinching given the numbers being thrown around, but it reeks of timidity and a lack of confidence. It seems the risk of a bad team now is more palatable to ownership than the risk of a bad team in 6 years, which does not really compute.

Yes, all caveats apply w/r/t the offseason being nowhere near finished.
Agree with this. I've been patient and don't fully agree with the idea Chaim is going for the Rays of the North (see Story, Kenley). I also think Chaim has gotten somewhat bad luck with the departures--Mookie seemed to either want an insane extension or free agency (until post-Dodgers trade and COVID hit, casting huge doubts on where things were heading financially), Xander got a ridiculous contract from the Padres (ignoring last spring's possible screw up by the Sox), and Devers does not seem to be willing to take any sort of discount that guys on other clubs have taken. I would be excited by a Devers extension but I also get some hesitancy by Chaim to give him $30 mil for 12 years.

All that said, the FO seems to just take hard lines in the sand on guys and have no flexibility. Eovaldi as an example--reports make it seem like bidding is getting beyond where the Sox are comfortable but if you're not going to stretch a bit for him are we really going to have someone like Noah Syndegaard be his replacement? And, in spite of what I said about Mookie/Xander/Devers above--clearly they're demands seem to be above what the Sox want to pay but are you really just going to stop signing elite guys in the FA market? I do not see things coming back down with all the money coming in and even Steve Cohen himself has pushed the market a bit.

I guess the ultimate issue is that the offseason currently feels like the Sox will have gotten worse for at least the third year straight. Chaim has built the farm back to somewhere a bit above respectable but we're also not in a position like the Orioles where we have a bunch of top prospects ready to be key parts this year.

A bunch still could happen this offseason. Maybe they sign Correa or Rodon and it will feel like the Sox are back in business. But it does currently feel like the offseason is passing the Sox by with opportunities for fielding a better team in 2023 than 2022 evaporating.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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He’s versatile..but also 31, signed for one year. Career 275/348/440. Reverse splits, has been terrible against LHP.

He’d help, for sure, but wouldn’t want to give up a ton for him. Hopefully it would be for some of the Duran, Seabold, Winckowski fodder.
 

Ganthem

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He’s versatile..but also 31, signed for one year. Career 275/348/440. Reverse splits, has been terrible against LHP.

He’d help, for sure, but wouldn’t want to give up a ton for him. Hopefully it would be for some of the Duran, Seabold, Winckowski fodder.
He’s versatile..but also 31, signed for one year. Career 275/348/440. Reverse splits, has been terrible against LHP.

He’d help, for sure, but wouldn’t want to give up a ton for him. Hopefully it would be for some of the Duran, Seabold, Winckowski fodder.
As an answer to the DH spot he might make sense. Given that Casas might have struggles against lefties and Cooper can't hit lefties it might be a good idea for Dalbec to have a spot on the bench if this comes to fruition.
 

DeadlySplitter

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Bassitt at 3 years 21M per (to Blue Jays) strikes me as a deal the Sox could have made. Braves gave up a super high upside catcher to secure Murphy, we weren't getting there.

Tick tick...
 

Ganthem

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Bassitt at 3 years 21M per (to Blue Jays) strikes me as a deal the Sox could have made. Braves gave up a super high upside catcher to secure Murphy, we weren't getting there.

Tick tick...
The draft pick compensation made Bassit a poor choice for the Sox and what Bloom is trying to achieve.
 

manny

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Bassitt at 3 years 21M per (to Blue Jays) strikes me as a deal the Sox could have made. Braves gave up a super high upside catcher to secure Murphy, we weren't getting there.

Tick tick...
Twitter seems to be ripping the A's return. Can any prospect gurus put together what a similar Sox package may have looked like (assuming A's weren't looking for specific positions)?
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Does anyone have a sense of what the Sox are looking for in a starter? Seems like they’ve been all over the place, being in on Eflin, Heaney, maybe Senga…sniffing around on Kluber, Lugo. Is it simply just a starter that won’t require giving up any compensation picks?
Personally I don't think they're really in that big of a search for a starter. More if the right one at the right price is there... but as is they have a high ceiling rotation with some depth. Yes... injuries..... but I think they're sort of stuck with it as it is or overpay for a potential long term oft injured starter.

Edit- Seriously.... Sale, Paxton, Pivetta, Bello and Whitlock with Houck (and likely Hill) as backup and then Crawford, Winckowski and Mata as depth, I see it pretty optimistically
 

CoffeeNerdness

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As an answer to the DH spot he might make sense. Given that Casas might have struggles against lefties and Cooper can't hit lefties it might be a good idea for Dalbec to have a spot on the bench if this comes to fruition.
If the best that Chaim Bloom can do to fill the DH spot on the Boston Red Sox who play in the American League East is a 31 yo guy that hit 9 HR last year then I'm completely at a loss. Further, if this leads to Bobby Dalbec being the DH/1B versus lefties I'll have a stroke.
 

DeadlySplitter

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Twitter seems to be ripping the A's return. Can any prospect gurus put together what a similar Sox package may have looked like (assuming A's weren't looking for specific positions)?
Using Baseball Trade Values...

McGuire, Duran, Houck, Mata, one more arm? When you put it that way.. the A's must really like the prospect from the Brewers...
 

nvalvo

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FWIW: Cooper actually has no platoon split for his career. He's also posted some pretty appealing OBPs.

Cooper's fine as an OF4/1B/DH puzzle piece, but I agree with those who feel he'd be underwhelming in a major role. He might make sense as part of an outfield picture, especially if Verdugo is heading out the door and a better RF defender is on the way in.

Yoshida Hernández RHH RF TBD Refnsyder Cooper isn't bad.

A 31 year old with 4.3 bWAR? That's promising? Jesus.
He's missed a ton of time. It's like 2.2 WAR/650 PA, which is entirely respectable. So maybe a role where he's not expected to be a starter in the field could help him stay healthy and contribute. He's posted partial seasons with an ~.850 OPS playing in a pitchers park.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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FWIW: Cooper actually has no platoon split for his career. He's also posted some pretty appealing OBPs.

Cooper's fine as an OF4/1B/DH puzzle piece, but I agree with those who feel he'd be underwhelming in a major role. He might make sense as part of an outfield picture, especially if Verdugo is heading out the door and a better RF defender is on the way in.

Yoshida Hernández RHH RF TBD Refnsyder Cooper isn't bad.

He's missed a ton of time. It's like 2.2 WAR/650 PA, which is entirely respectable. So maybe a role where he's not expected to be a starter in the field could help him stay healthy and contribute. He's posted partial seasons with an ~.850 OPS playing in a pitchers park.
You are right about the platoon split; I was looking at 22 when he had a 634 ops vs LH and 788 vs RH. Career wise he’s got a 788 ops vs both, with 30 more points of obp vs RH and 30 more slg vs LH.

He seems like an upgrade on Hosmer, at least .
 

ehaz

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Twitter seems to be ripping the A's return. Can any prospect gurus put together what a similar Sox package may have looked like (assuming A's weren't looking for specific positions)?
The prospect industrial complex will never rate any A's returns because their evaluations diverge the most from traditional ranking sites. Oakland places a much higher value on player performance in the upper minors. But they still got ATL's #1 and #6 prospects + MIL's #8 prospect. Looking at the three main guys the A's got back:
  • Kyle Muller (just turned 25): BP #56 overall. Career 214 IP, 3.40 ERA, 10.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 in AAA.
  • Esteury Ruiz (23 years old): .323/.428/467 in 65 AAA games last season.
  • Freddy Tarnok (just turned 24): 4.05 ERA, 10.5K/9, 3.7 BB/9 in 106 innings across AA/AAA last season.
For Muller, I suppose Bello or Houck are the most comparable in terms of success in upper minors/MLB + strikeout stuff. You'd think Bello is more valuable than Muller, but maybe they'd view Muller as more of a starter than Houck.

Tarnok = Mata. Except Mata is coming off TJS and has fewer innings at the high minors.

Esteury Ruiz, I have no idea. MLB ranks him as MIL's #8 prospect. More valuable than Duran because he's 23 and doesn't have the same swing and miss issues. Lots of production at upper minors and insane steal numbers but little power. We don't have highly ranked upper minors position players besides Casas and Rafaela.

Oh and I forgot Salinas. I don't see him in MLB's pre-2022 rankings but I assume he'll be higher up. He's the lower minors lottery ticket arm with gaudy K numbers. We have some of those (Perales, Wikelman).
 

RedOctober3829

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Chaim Bloom did an interview with Chad Jennings of the Athletic on the state of the offseason moving forward. Here are some snippets.
https://theathletic.com/3995441/2022/12/12/chaim-bloom-shifting-focus-trades/?source=emp_shared_article

--He thinks the trade market could be heating up.

"After losing out on their top free agent target, the Red Sox have shifted their offseason focus to the trade front.

“I actually think the trade market could be a really good route to adding impact to our club,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told The Athletic on Monday. “We are looking (into) a lot of significant moves there as long as we can do it in a way that isn’t just robbing Peter to pay Paul, that’s actually moving us forward in 2023 and giving us a chance to make a significant step forward from where we sit today.”

--Free agency is still a viable option.

"Bloom said free agency is still in play — the Red Sox, it seems, have quite a bit of money to spend — but the organization is ready to make a trade if and when that market becomes more reasonable."

--Sounds like they are taking the biggest prospects i.e. Casas/Bello/Mayer off the table, but everyone else is in play for the right move.

“I think there are deals we could make — especially if they involve young major league players — that might capture a headline but might not necessarily make you better,” Bloom said. “They might just add in one place and subtract in another. As I’ve said all along since getting here, we value being a consistent contender, and so guys that are in the pipeline are going to be a part of that in the years ahead, but what happens now matters. And for the right impact, absolutely we would be willing to, and really look to, use that stockpile of prospects." One interpretation: Just don’t ask for Triston Casas or Brayan Bello.

Jennings notes that the Red Sox were in play for Sean Murphy, but Bloom did not reportedly want to give up young major league players.
"Murphy was among the most notable names generating trade speculation this offseason, and his trade on Monday might have nudged open the floodgates. The Red Sox had been linked to Murphy in recent weeks, but the A’s asking price was believed to include some of the major league players Bloom is hesitant to deal."

Bloom says he is open to doing shorter term deals for high AAV. Maybe that puts them in play for Correa, Rodon, or Swanson.
"The Red Sox’s unwillingness to commit 11 years to Bogaerts suggests they’re unlikely to meet the asking price for remaining shortstops Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson either, but Bloom said he would be open to shorter-term deal at a higher annual value like the one Correa signed last winter.

“I certainly would not take that off the table,” he said. “I don’t want to and shouldn’t get too specific on what we would or wouldn’t consider with any free agent. I don’t think it’s appropriate, but I definitely would not take that scenario off the table.”

--Bloom says they are still committed to signing Rafael Devers to an extension.

"Meanwhile, in the wake of Bogaerts’ departure, Bloom said the Red Sox remain committed to signing Rafael Devers to a long-term extension, and the loss of Bogaerts “only intensified” the organization’s desire to reach a deal.

“We have been and will continue to go to great lengths to make that happen,” he said.

Is there concern that losing Bogaerts makes it more difficult to extend Devers?

“I am certain that he was not happy to see Xander Bogaerts leave his team,” Bloom said. “But, I also know that he likes playing here, and at the end of the day, I don’t think any player is blind to the nature of this business. … When it comes to guys’ contractual situations, I think they have this hard-fought, hard-earned right to think about themselves and their families. I don’t know that there’s a player out there who doesn’t take that seriously when that time comes.”
 

GB5

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I know we are all sick of watching Bobby Dalbec with his swing and miss and then take a straight fastball down the middle, but if Cora can limit him to his specific role, that being against LHP only and once every two weeks at third to give Devers a day off then the Sox could do a lot worse with his roster spot.
I would really like to see him used the way he should be. The problem seems to be that the Sox haven’t been able to locate an everyday 1B which leads to Bobby getting too many at bats against righties where he can’t hit a fastball over 95 and can’t lay off sweeping sliders. He struggles, then gets in his own head. He has power which the Sox desperately need, a touch of positional flexibility which Chaim seems to crave and he isn’t making any money. I want one more roll of the dice..
 

BaseballJones

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Oct 1, 2015
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Interesting. I wonder if Correa, at his age, would be open to a three-year deal at like $40m per year. It would mean he plays in Boston for his age 28, 29, and 30 seasons, and then hits the open market again, where he probably could land an even much bigger payday than guys like Bogaerts are getting now. That would really solve the SS and RH hitting issue for the lineup, and it would serve as a great bridge to Mayer without putting the Red Sox on the hook for a massive, 10+ year deal.
 

Sad Sam Jones

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2017
2,494
Bassitt at 3 years 21M per (to Blue Jays) strikes me as a deal the Sox could have made. Braves gave up a super high upside catcher to secure Murphy, we weren't getting there.

Tick tick...
The super high upside catcher today went to the Brewers. The Braves already gave up one of those to Oakland last year, so on a 2-team trade the catcher probably wasn't necessary, but Murphy is replacing Contreras, so that made him much more expendable. The A's only required a replacement-level veteran in today's trade as a failsafe to Langeliers.
 

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2012
38,144
Interesting. I wonder if Correa, at his age, would be open to a three-year deal at like $40m per year. It would mean he plays in Boston for his age 28, 29, and 30 seasons, and then hits the open market again, where he probably could land an even much bigger payday than guys like Bogaerts are getting now. That would really solve the SS and RH hitting issue for the lineup, and it would serve as a great bridge to Mayer without putting the Red Sox on the hook for a massive, 10+ year deal.
Probably pretty risky, too risk maybe considering he just did that.

But if he gets a massive 10+ deal now he's guaranteed all of those dollars, if he takes a shorter term deal, he might get injured - who knows!