A transformative offseason for the Red Sox saw the club trade its franchise player, make an unexpected managerial change, and (perhaps most importantly in ownership’s view?) duck under the luxury tax threshold.
Major League Signings
- Martin Perez, SP: One year, $6.5MM (includes $500K buyout of $6.25MM club option for 2021)
- Kevin Pillar, CF: One year, $4.25MM
- Mitch Moreland, 1B: One year, $3MM (includes $500K buyout of $3MM club option for 2021)
- Jose Peraza, IF: One year, $3MM
- Kevin Plawecki, C: One year, $900K
- Josh Osich, RP: One year, $850K (split contract)
- Marco Hernandez, RP: One year, $650K (split contract)
- Collin McHugh, SP/RP: One year, $600K
- Total spend: $19.75MM
Trades And Claims
- Acquired OF Alex Verdugo, IF prospect Jeter Downs, C/IF prospect Connor Wong from the Dodgers for OF Mookie Betts, SP David Price, and $48MM in cash considerations
- Acquired RP prospect Adenys Bautista from the Indians for C Sandy Leon
- Acquired RP Austin Brice from the Marlins for IF prospect Angeudis Santos
- Acquired RP Jeffrey Springs from the Rangers for 1B Sam Travis
- Acquired SP/RP Matt Hall from the Tigers for C prospect Jhon Nunez
- Acquired cash considerations or a player to be named later from the Cubs for SP/RP Travis Lakins
- Claimed SP/RP Chris Mazza off waivers from the Mets
- Claimed RP Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Mariners
Notable Minor League Signings
- Jonathan Lucroy, Juan Centeno, Trevor Hildenberger, Cesar Puello, Jett Bandy, Ryder Jones, John Andreoli, Mike Kickham, R.J. Alvarez, Austin Maddox
Notable Losses
- Betts, Price, Leon, Rick Porcello, Brock Holt, Eduardo Nunez, Steve Pearce (retirement), Hector Velazquez, Jhoulys Chacin, Tyler Thornburg, Chris Owings, Gorkys Hernandez, Josh A. Smith, Steven Wright, Trevor Kelley
When Alex Cora, Dave Dombrowski, Mookie Betts, and David Price were all taking turns hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy in October 2018, it would’ve seemed inconceivable that all four men would no longer be members of the Red Sox organization just 15 months later. And yet, it didn’t take long for the Sox to go from a 108-win World Series champion to a team suddenly facing a lot of questions.
Dombrowski was the first to depart, let go in early September amidst some reports suggesting Red Sox ownership considered firing him even a year prior. As surprising as Dombrowski’s ouster was, Cora’s quick fall from grace was even more of a shock. After the league’s report on the Astros’ sign-stealing exploits during the 2017 season cited Cora (then the Astros’ bench coach) as a key author of how Houston’s system of video footage and trash can-banging was constructed, the Sox fired Cora before MLB could announce even what punishment the now-former Red Sox skipper would face.
Speaking of stolen signs, the Red Sox are still currently awaiting the results of Major League Baseball’s investigation into whether or not the Sox made inappropriate use of video footage to steal signs during their own World Series campaign in 2018. While the Red Sox aren’t expected to be as punished as severely as the Astros were, it’s probably safe to assume that some type of penalty is forthcoming, perhaps in the form of a lost draft pick or two.
Needless to say, Chaim Bloom had a lot to deal with after being hired as Boston’s new chief baseball officer in late October. Bloom was already deep into offseason business before having to deal with an unforeseen managerial change, which could be one reason why the Sox chose to promote from within by naming bench coach Ron Roenicke as the interim manager. Roenicke is a safe choice but hardly a bad one, as he is a known figure to Boston’s roster and had success in his only prior big league managerial stint with the Brewers from 2011-15. If the Sox play well in 2020, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Roenicke become a longer-term answer in Boston’s dugout.
As a longtime member of the Rays front office, Bloom’s first offseason in total control of a baseball operations department resulted in something of a Tampa Bay-esque winter for the Sox. It was an offseason of mostly low-cost signings and acquisitions, while moving a pair of expensive players in a trade that was driven largely by financial motivations.
Let’s start with the biggest blockbuster of the entire offseason: the Betts/Price trade with the Dodgers. What began as a three-team deal involving the Twins turned into another Los Angeles/Boston blockbuster after the Sox took issue with the medical records of Minnesota prospect Brusdar Graterol, who was supposed to be the one of the young minor league centerpieces headed to Boston in the deal. In the end, the three-team arrangement was broken down in to two separate deals, with Graterol ending up going to Los Angeles as part of the trade that sent Kenta Maeda to the Twins, and the Red Sox swinging a deal with the Dodgers that saw Betts, Price, and $48MM (covering half of Price’s contract) for three interesting young talents.
Jeter Downs immediately became the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and potential second baseman of the future, while catcher/infielder Connor Wong also gives the Red Sox a future option behind the plate or even as a multi-positional backup catcher. Both of these youngsters could be on track for the big leagues as early as 2021, while outfielder Alex Verdugo is already coming off a strong performance (.294/.342/.475 in 377 PA) in 2019, his first extended stint against Major League pitching. Verdugo is expected to take over for Betts in right field, perhaps as early as the new Opening Day, as the delayed start to the season will likely give him time to recover from a stress fracture in his lower back.
It’s not at all a bad prospect haul, yet it’s also one many Boston fans and media members found inconceivable, given that one of pro sports’ wealthiest franchises was surrendering one of the game’s best players in what seemed like more or less a salary dump. Principal owner John Henry’s late-September statement that the 2020 Sox “need to be under” the Competitive Balance Tax threshold after two seasons of overages loomed large over each transaction Bloom made this winter, no matter how much Henry tried to downplay his original comments both before and after the Betts trade. Boston’s luxury tax number now stands at just under $196MM, as per Roster Resource, below the $208MM luxury tax threshold and indeed putting the Red Sox in line to reset their tax bill to zero.
A third consecutive season of CBT overage would have cost the Sox a 50 percent tax on every dollar spent over the $208MM threshold, plus an additional 12 percent surtax if their luxury tax number stood within the secondary penalty range ($228MM-$248MM). As well, the Red Sox would’ve received a 50 percent deduction in their cut of revenue-sharing rebates, as outlined by the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
As of mid-January, Boston’s luxury tax payroll stood at roughly $237.89MM, so that third-timer penalty rate wouldn’t have been an insignificant extra expenditure….yet considering the franchise’s vast resources, it’s also hard to consider it a truly significant expenditure either, considering the on-field value lost by removing Betts from the lineup.
With a bit more hindsight, the Sox could’ve given themselves more CBT breathing room had they non-tendered Jackie Bradley Jr. back in December, as their subsequent efforts to trade the center fielder ended up fruitless. Perhaps the Red Sox could have re-signed Bradley for a lower amount than his $11MM salary, or perhaps just replaced him with Kevin Pillar (a comparable player) at a much lesser price. An outfield of Betts, Pillar, and Andrew Benintendi clearly looks more imposing than Boston’s current alignment of Verdugo, Bradley, and Benintendi, with Pillar as the fourth outfielder.
From a pure baseball perspective, Boston’s argument for trading Betts was that it made more sense to deal him now rather than risk letting him leave in free agency for nothing (save a qualifying offer compensation pick) next winter, or perhaps dealing him for a lesser package closer to the trade deadline if the Red Sox were out of the playoff race. But, ownership has maintained all along that they intend the Sox to be contenders in 2020, and trading Betts and Price runs counter to that notion.
Going back to the hypothetical scenario I floated earlier, let’s pretend the Red Sox kept Price and Betts, non-tendered Bradley, and still signed Pillar and Mitch Moreland. Let’s also assume a few more dollars are spent here and there over the course of the season to bring Boston’s tax number to $245MM. That works out to a three-timer CBT bill just shy of $21MM, plus the approximately $6MM in lost revenue-sharing rebate money as calculated in Speier’s piece.
In essence, that makes the decision to trade Betts and Price a $27MM choice in terms of immediate money, plus the Red Sox get the peace of mind of knowing that they’re under the threshold now rather than having to perhaps scramble next winter to avoid a fourth year of CBT payments. Rafael Devers and Eduardo Rodriguez are due for big arbitration raises next offseason, which would’ve counteracted some of the savings from having Moreland, Pillar, Perez, Workman, and still-with-the-Red Sox Betts all coming off the books. (Plus, J.D. Martinez also has another opt-out decision at season’s end, so he might not be part of the 2021 roster.)
Is saving $27MM worth a much more difficult path back to the postseason? Even with Betts and Price, obviously the Red Sox would’ve still faced a stiff test from their AL East rivals, plus more competition from the American League as a whole for wild card positions. But, had the Sox not been in contention by the deadline this year, they could’ve traded some contracts to duck under the luxury tax anyway — or, had until the end of the 2021 season to figure out ways to avoid paying a penalty for a fourth straight season.
The Reds, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Padres were all reported to have interest in acquiring Price over the offseason, but since the Red Sox weren’t able to trade the left-hander (and enough of his $96MM contract) alone, they ultimately had to package Price together with Betts to finally swing a deal. Figuring out a solo Price deal quite possibly could have kept Betts in a Sox uniform in 2020, though Price’s own departure has no small impact on Boston’s roster.
Martin Perez was signed prior to the Price trade, but he will essentially serve as a southpaw-for-southpaw replacement in the rotation. Perez had a fairly hot start to his 2019 season with Minnesota but saw his productivity plummet beginning in late May. As much as Bloom is optimistic about Perez’s untapped potential, the lefty has been a mid-rotation innings-eater even during the best of times during his eight MLB seasons.
While Price’s age and injury history also make him a question mark heading into 2020, his presence would’ve brought more stability to the pitching staff than the current mix. Ostensible staff ace Chris Sale is battling elbow problems and could still potentially face some type of surgery, though he’s begun a throwing program, and the Sox are hoping the extra rest in the elongated offseason allows Sale time to heal without missing any games. Rodriguez is coming off a strong year, but Nathan Eovaldi is coming off an injury-plagued season and a wide array of arms (or an opener) could end up filling that fifth rotation spot. The newly-signed Collin McHugh is a bit of a wild card as a either a rotation or bullpen candidate, assuming McHugh (who was only cleared to throw in late February) is himself healthy after dealing with elbow injuries.
McHugh could ultimately make more of an impact to the relief corps, which didn’t get much attention despite an overall middle-of-the-road performance in 2019. The Sox are hoping that a change in roles can help, as Brandon Workman’s emergence as the closer can add some clarity to the rest of the bullpen’s roles. If openers do become a part of Boston’s rotation picture, there could be more mix-and-match than usual in the Red Sox pen, perhaps taking a page from how the Rays used their relievers under Bloom over the last couple of seasons.
Besides Price, the Red Sox said goodbye to another veteran starter this offseason when Rick Porcello signed a free agent contract with the Mets. A pair of other recent roster staples also departed, as super-utilityman Brock Holt signed with the Brewers and backup catcher Sandy Leon was dealt to the Indians. New signings Kevin Plawecki and Jonathan Lucroy are competing for the backup catching job, while Jose Peraza will now somewhat replace Holt as a multi-position asset. For now, Boston plans to use Peraza mostly as a second baseman, splitting time with Michael Chavis whenever Chavis isn’t filling in for Moreland at first base against left-handed pitching. However, Peraza has experience at short and in the outfield, so he could move around in the event of injuries elsewhere on the roster.
2020 Season Outlook
We’ve gone this deep into the offseason review without really mentioning the three biggest reasons why the Red Sox could still contend for a wild card berth — Devers, Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts, who form as tough of a 1-2-3 punch as any lineup trio in baseball. That group of sluggers goes a long way towards propping up a lineup that has some uncertainty, but also a lot of potential in Christian Vazquez, Verdugo, Benintendi, Chavis, Peraza and Moreland. Even pitching-wise, despite all the injury questions, the Sox certainly have talent on hand if Sale and Eovaldi can stay healthy and Rodriguez matches his 2019 form.
Simply running it back with Betts and Price on this roster would’ve been a perfectly respectable idea on paper, except that Red Sox ownership felt it was more prudent to take a step back to reload the farm system and take the opportunity to get what they felt was an untenable contract (Price) off the books. Ideally, the Sox wouldn’t have had to trade Betts to make that work, though perhaps reading between the tea leaves, the club felt Betts wasn’t going to re-sign with with Boston anyway next winter, making him ultimately expendable as a trade chip rather than as a long-term asset.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Fenway faithful, who have a right to be annoyed that the same Red Sox ownership group who has okayed several big-money signings and extensions over the years now feel the “need to” (to use Henry’s words from September) enact some financial prudence, even if it meant trading Betts. Time will tell if the decision ends up being wise, but the window of contention that looked so wide open after the 2018 season is now much narrower.
How would you grade the Red Sox offseason? (Link for app users.)
Incomplete.
Not even near complete.
Wheres the beginning? Ok they shed salary, Verdugo is mookies replacement.
So downgrade in the OF , downgrade in the rotation.
Peraza doesn’t change a thing. Nor do Moreland or Pillar.
I just see this season as a total mess even with some quality players still on the roster.
Agree
I’d give them a C or D. Not resigning Holt was a bad move. He wasn’t expensive and a fan favorite, why not just keep him? Its a bridge year and not sure if this delay actually hurts them either. Could have flipped some guys who performed well during the first half of the season at the deadline. Now, who knows….
Holt was injured frequently and an expensive reserve. That’s a silly move to criticize.
Hes been replaced with peraza who had a negative WAR last year.
IGet over Holt. He was a great guy, but very replaceable. He had good batting average, but little power. The Red Sox want to keep Lin who is way better at SS, 2B, and in the OF and is also left handed as is Marco Hernández. Peraza is a right handed compliment to Lin and Marco.
Their ace has balky health; Nathan Evoldi, Martin Perez, Collin McHugh and no more Tom Brady and no more Mookie. Is there any reason to believe this is a better than .500 team is a very tough division.
I come here for laughs, not for information or analysis. Tom Brady? Really? Yeah, I guess all that catching gear is a good disguise. I had no idea.
The article itself is click-bait — and I read, and laughed. People still “anal-izing” and speculating, over decisions made by people with lots more information and experience than any writer for this site or any other one, is of less value than counting eggs before they hatch. Strange and unforeseen events happen all the time in baseball — rehashing over what-ifs is worthless.
This blog should be renamed to – MLB What ifs . Com. Lol
David, I think you just gave the Red Sox an A or a B though and here’s why.
Taking an honest look at the Red Sox with Mookie and Price (given the Yankees fairly clean bill of health at the time), there was very little reason to think this team was going to keep up with the Yankees or the Astros. With the Rangers coming up as well and the Twins playing competitive ball and the Blue Jays youngsters showing some potential late last season with the always powerful Dodgers in the National League, the timing is just right for a reset. I feel like I perennially said this about the Rangers in the NHL for 20 years before they finally pulled the trigger on a rebuild. They were never as good as the Penguins, Capitals, Devils, Bruins, Lightning, etc and kept saying “we’re going to compete”. Its misleading hope. For the Red Sox to truly say even with those two, we’re going to take this disaster from last year plus an injured Chris Sale and roll it out there again and “compete” would have been a pipe dream.
Reset. Let the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers etc. run into their own financial decisions over the next year and time your strike. The league and writers hate hearing this because its the “if you’re not first, you may as well be last” mentality that has taken over the sport, but until the rules change that being the most productive path to long-term success, that’s the name of the game.
Just my 2 cents, but the alternative was being stuck with Price on the books for a few more years and Betts walking for a draft pick. It was a no-brainer decision that shouldn’t even be questioned, but no one likes to see franchises make these decisions.
Spot on. Better to get three solid young prospects and reset than let Mookie walk for a 4th round pick. The Red Sox would not have contended even with Price and Betts. The rotation is way to injury prone.
The same people who say the Red Sox should have kept Betts would have been complaining the loudest when the Red Sox fell out of contention. The Red Sox made significant changes between 04 and 07: no more Pedro, Lowe, Foulke, Damon, Millar…..even bigger change to 13. Ortiz was the only regular on the 2013 team who was on 2018 (Holt, Bogaerts, Bradley all had under 100 at bats in 2013).
My point is that the Red Sox have won more World Series than anyone else this century and still have had major over hauls between each title. Why wouldn’t they need to move on from often injured Price and the $420 million demand of Betts (he was not going to resign). It was better to get Verdugo, Downs, Wong and not loose the draft picks.
Your final point is the critical one. If there was a chance Mookie would take 10/330 or 11/350 and the negotiations were going to go somewhere, the people criticizing it would be right. But the Sox offered 10/300 and got countered at 12/420. The two weren’t even in the ballpark and neither seemed inclined to move from their position.
You can’t blame Mookie for wanting to get paid. This is his life and family on the line. If the Red Sox want to give him 12/420, he’ll come back after a year with the Dodgers. I don’t see the Sox pulling a Yankees/Cubs/Chapman kind of thing, but if you’re going to pay top dollar, do it in free agency and get some free prospects.
The Sox did nothing to hurt themselves and everything to help themselves. This isn’t like where they insulted Lester.
Betts might as well have asked for 20 yrs and $1 billion !! If i were Betts and didn’t want to stay in Boston I would ask for 12 yr $420 million. It is clear he was NEVER going to sign an extension…. If Betts resigns with Boston for wherever money then they have the prospects and Betts.
The criticism of trading Betts here has been absurd from the beginning. The Sox got good return, and they were going to lose Mookie for a draft pick after the season.. How does dumping Bradley make up for losing Mookie’s big salary and Price’s? “They’re so rich it doesn’t matter” is juvenile criticism. Of course it matters. On top of aging, costing 30 million, and being a negative influence in the clubhouse, Price wasn’t dependable either.
The Sox will be much better than predicted if Sale is OK., and should exceed last year’s record..
Yeah how could anyone possibly be critical of trading the second best player in MLB. What a horrible take to want to retain a generational talent. Weird
not when he turned down 10yrs 300mill and asked fir 12yrs 420 mill…Boston did the smart thing by saying bye bye
Why? That’s approximately what he would have gotten next offseason, assuming he had a typical season (and assuming there *was* a season, which is obviously now in doubt).
Sure, it would probably have been an overpay at the end. Who cares? Mookie is *exactly* the kind of player the Red Sox should risk overpaying in order to keep. Worthwhile franchise players, hall-of-fame caliber players who stay with one team their entire careers, are rare and incredibly valuable to a franchise. A team’s history, its lore, is built around those guys. Williams, Yaz. Mookie could have been in that category. Sacrificing all that for a little short-term “surplus value” is completely shortsighted.
So yes, the Red Sox should have kept him, and should have made a genuine effort to retain him after the season. I get the economics, I get the analytics, but some things are more important. $/WAR analysis does not apply here.
“Exactly” McCutchen was in Pitt. So, Price is gone and The top gold was reached: the reset. A to me!
Goal*
I can’t blame the Red Sox for balking at 12 years/$420 mil. Too much risk on the back end.
Dan – have you ever considered Mookie just does not like the city of Boston. He NEVER gave any indication he would EVER resign. Turning down every extension offer then $300 million should give everyone that indication.
Can still bring him back next offseason.
Says a Twins fan whose team hasn’t won bubkiss in a thousand years!
Maybe you should worry about your own sorry franchise rather than worry about what the Bosox should and shouldn’t have done.
Easy. He was leaving as a free agent and rejected an extension, while Boston don’t look like contenders.
Twinsfan – Mookie is leaving after 2020, what don’t YOU get. Lol
Why couldn’t they resign him? They didn’t get much other than cash by trading him. Last time the Red Sox sold a generational player it didn’t go very well. #curseofthebambino2.0
Twins – you are hopeless.
Ok, I guess if the center piece of the deal has a fractured back and off the field issues… it’s a great deal.
Jack Marshall – I agree 100 percent.
The trade needed to be done and the Red Sox got really good prospects. The only thing that would have made it better was if they had gotten a starter which would have been too much to ask given the shortage of starting pitching in the MLB.
Jack – agree dumping Bradley makes zero since….and accomplishes non of the goals RS had which were a return for Betts and getting under CBT, so that the RS would not loose draft picks and international money to sign more young players to rebuild the farm system.
I have NP with anything Bloom has done cept for allowing The Brockstar to leave fii I r no good reason. He is beloved by the fans, n not every player needs to be a star on the field, but he was a star off the field. You just don’t change just for the sake of changing. He was not expensive, but with most fans he was priceless, in n outta there dugout. I am so upset over this one move. Mookie drove himself outta Boston, n so didn’t Price, who I’m glad he’s gone.
Your love affair with Brock Holt is well beyond a bit weird at this point man….each and every chance you get to post your affection for him you do…….back off and let it go already!
Rocky you need to go do a push up or two since the self imposed quarantine, lol!
Pash – rocky’s right … get over Holt !! Lol
Heck I’m still not over Tito, Lester, n Pedro!!
Pash – Pedro was one of the best pitchers ever while with the Red Sox! In 2005 with the Mets he was excellent 2006 – 2008 that $39 million was not money well spent!!
I love Pedro and Lowe, but i would not have resigned either one.
Bread is great when it is fresh. You do not pay big money and eat it after it turns moldy. It is not smart money to pay top dollar for players over 33 or 34. Ortiz was an exception and RS paid him one year at a time even though he often complained about it. I want a World Series champ every year (not possible), so the best course is to let players leave and reload. There have been countless bad contracts given for a collective hundreds of millions of dollars doing nothing more than raising ticket prices. Betts can live on $300 million or get out of town. I am sick and tired of paying past their prime players through higher ticket prices, and at age 35 – 39 i very much doubt he would be worth $35 million per year!
Bloom obviously understands the importance a beefed up farm system brings to the table, which Dombrowski thoroughly depleted. Just applying his Rays blueprint.
Boston needed and still needs starting pitching. If the Sox were going to trade Betts I think they should have gotten at least 1 very good pitcher or pitching prospect.
Maybe they’ll implement a new innovative technique A la ‘the opener’
I agree, they needed to get pitching, still need it n no where to get it unless the deadline if there is one.
They tried getting starting pitching, but no one matched up. No team was willing to give up a starter and also take on $43 million salary (Betts 27 – Price 16).
2020 feels a lot like 2005 to me. Losing Betts and Porcello and Price feels a lot like loosing Pedro and Arroyo and Cabrera.
Oh yeah, and did my guys cheat in 2018? Still waiting for an answer on that one.
Bronson Arroyo was on the Red Sox in 2005. He was 14-10 with a 4.51 era.
Win it all, re-tool, win another, re-tool, win another,…
4 WS since 04 works for me !!!!
Yep. And the wild card is E-Rod. He emerged in 2019 and he looked great in Spring IMO. He becomes the ace, Sale returns as a strong #2 and with SOME money off the books after 2020, Boston can reload again in 2021.
I may be crazy, but given Sale’s history…..maybe he’d be better as a closer option going forward. He could always switch back a-la John Smoltz.
If the Red Sox have any hopes of truly competing again in the next 2-4 years, they need one of Bryan Mata, Jay Groome or Tanner Houck to really step up this season and become a legit #3 or #4 starter in 2021. They have too many holes in their rotation to fill via free agency or via trade next year. They have to get some home grown talent on the MLB staff in order to compete. Losing Noah Song to the Navy for 2 years really hurt them; the kid looked like the real deal and could have been a factor for them next season had he continued to develop at the pace he was. I just hope that MiLB plays enough games this year to help develop the rest of these kids; they have a lot riding on them. Empty stadium games in late May seems like the best case scenario right about now…ugh.
a gm that epitomizes the new gm in the mlb. a puppet with very little control.
In what world is Pillar worth $4.25MM?
I think they should trade for Andy Dalton and put him in RF….
This self imposed quarantine is tough……
Jumping jacks that Tom Brady is a Buc. The second-order effect is my fellow Red Sox fans have something else to complain about besides an increasingly expsensive/often hurt while playing with his 3 year old son utility guy (he tripped over his son, got a concussion, vertigo, etc and was garbage for 2.5 years, remember that?)
Tom Brady? Reality is tough in sports. All good things come to an end. Father Time always wins. Back to reality Sox did the right thing. Love Mookie but let someone else give him $400M. Long term contracts are an albatross. We have great young players and I’m sure we can use free agency to supplement our team once we reset. John Henry has never been cheap. Going over threshold would have crippled the future of this organization
For all the Red Sox fans. Do you think you got enough for Betts and Price? My thoughts you could of gotten so much more. Did they even call anyone else like the Mets Betts for Thor?
nyyfan – Betts only has one year of team control, so that would dampen any return. As a Red Sox fan I would be upset if the RS gave up good prospects for one year of Aaron Judge or Mike Trout for that matter. Seven years of teams control is not worth one year unless you are the Dodgers needing one last big player to put you over the top (and they have a very deep farm system). I do not think any other team would have come remotely close to what the Dodgers traded. The SanDiego offer was garbage!
as it turns out, Mookie may only have half-a season as a Dodger, at best.
It certainly has been an off season for the records for the RSox.
Adding the Cvirus only adds to the odyssey.
Wondering if the players get paid if they don’t play?
Suspect they do. Just knowing how the players union works.
The owners certainly don’t get anything.
We may have several team bankruptcies in 2020.
Adding to the drama.
Slightly OT but here’s the thing w/ Sox & these moves. The Sox are the most scrutinized/criticized around here to a ridiculous level, There’s many reasons for this, ie. combo of complex of losing WS in game 7’s, younger generation mindset, media’s negative obsession, distrust of ownership, etc. Basically, the C’s/B’s/Pats will get more leeway in their moves.
My main issue now is ownership’s inconsistent strategy & condescending attitude. Obviously, it’s a tough balance & I understand the need for the reset w/ their payroll. They hired DD, knowing his history but just typical of them that they approved of Price/Sale/Eovaldi deals but leak to media how they wanted to get rid of him a long term ago…so fake. Look at what they did to Tito on way out.
With that said, Betts had to be traded now, he’s my & my son’s favorite player so that still stings. From my GM armchair, surprised they didn’t get a strong pitching prospect or Maeda given their holes. I thought they would have been better served trading Price at deadline but w/out knowing exactly what other interest was w/ Cards, Pads, etc, it’s impossible to know.. Also, keeping Holt at that price was a no-brainer for me, even w/ injuries. Decent utility/good teammate at that salary that’s also fan favorite, who does a lot in community is better sometimes rather than metrics.
Bloom seems smart so hopefully he has good plan on reset but also hoping he can keep Henry/Werner from intervening somehow….probably a pipe dream,
I think the Red Sox were looking for pitching, but no team wanted to give up pitching and take on $43 million (Betts and Price). It came down to the Padres and Dodgers, and taking on Myers contract made absolutely no sense along with the Margot and Quantrill package. Margot is not a good hitter and does not come with enough team control. Maeda, again does not come with enough team control. Bloom was not looking to compete in 2020 as he was looking for good upside prospects with team control and LA was the best (Only) package that accomplished CBT and good prospects.
As far as ownership, DD won them a World Series, but they were looking for a GM to build a long term competitive team like a Ben Cherington with more free agent skill. Had the Red Sox not finished last in 2012, 2014, and 2015 they never would have hired DD as a short term fix, and I believe that is always what he was. Ownership does not want to admit 2020 was going to be a “bridge” year to the next championship team with a partially new set of players. The core of Devers, Bogaerts, Benintendi, Eduardo Rodriguez, and which ever prospects succeed would be the same, given a couple years and a few free agents the Red Sox will be looking for their 5th World Series in recent times.
The Red Sox are realistically looking at being competitive in 2021 or 2022, so resigning Holt made no sense as Tzu-wi Linn and Marco Hernández are both left handed batters, so they went with Peraza who is a complimentary right handed batter who is better defensively.
As time goes on with no MLB the Betts Trade looks better and better and more fan see what the net result is. If there is no season it will end up being 2 years of Price for 17 combined years of Verdugo, Downs, and Wong and a savings of $32 million….not bad in my opinion.