Author Topic: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23  (Read 15630 times)

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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #15 on: December 16, 2022, 11:43:12 AM »

Offline BringToughnessBack

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It's not just that the Red Sox have gotten worse and aren't that active this offseason, but all these other teams around them, including within their own division are getting better.

I mean, even of all the teams in the AL who made the postseason last year, have any of them seemingly regressed? I don't think so. I mean a few teams like Seattle haven't been that active either, but those teams also have young cores locked up that'll continue to develop + improve and they're still better than the Red Sox.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of empty seats at Fenway, and another last place finish sadly. Baltimore's also going to get better as they call up their top prospects and the current young players continue to get better as well. The Red Sox might be that new "pushover team" that the rest of a division typically beats up on. It used to be Baltimore

It wont last long though. Rebuilding the farm is needed. I have a feeling our splash will come after next year and you really never know how teams will play. I agree, the others got short term stronger but that does not always translate to winning. I have little expectations for 2023 and you are right, empty seats are most likely coming.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #16 on: December 17, 2022, 07:38:59 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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J.D. Martinez signs with the Dodgers.  1 year, $10 million.


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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #17 on: December 21, 2022, 07:36:25 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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A depressing reminder of how things have gone since 2018:

https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-dismantled-2018-champions-173053694.html


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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #18 on: December 21, 2022, 09:05:10 PM »

Offline Vermont Green

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A depressing reminder of how things have gone since 2018:

https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-dismantled-2018-champions-173053694.html

This is just a rehash of the Mookie Betts trade.  Andrew Benintendi?  Really?

Betts is a fair debate.  I don't think he had any intention of signing with the Sox.  Hard to know though.  If you put this in the context of getting something for a player you were otherwise going to lose for nothing as a FA, it is a good deal.  In the context of you could have had Betts if you wanted him, not such a good deal.

And now you can add Xander to the debate.  At least with Xander, it is pretty clear that the Sox could have signed him but they chose not to.  We will know in a few years just how good that choice was.  I honestly can't blame the Sox for not signing him to that deal.

It is ironic that perhaps the worst deal for the Sox in this era is the Sale deal.  The one time they did pony up.  I think the Sox expected that Sale would miss one whole season but not two (and counting).

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2022, 11:04:02 PM »

Offline JBcat

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At the rate things are going for the Red Sox this offseason, I really wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of empty seats at Fenway this year, even during the peak summer.

I might also boycott going to games this season too.

Senga signed elsewhere last night (shocker!). They obviously aren't getting the likes of Rodon/Correa. Bogaerts already left. Yoshida and Jansen are good additions but the only few we've made, and we still have a lot of holes elsewhere on the roster. Add the Devers impending FA after this upcoming season + no extension yet, and it's really hard to feel good about the direction of the Sox.

Is Yoshida a good signing.  Rival execs are saying we paid about double his expected contract.  Senga is reportedly a better player, at a bigger position of need, who went for 25% less.

Yoshida has incredible bat to ball skills with a great eye.  He doesn’t swing and miss much and walks a lot.  He hits for a high average with a high OBP.  However, he only has average power, doesn’t have speed and is not a good outfielder.  Bloom must have a much higher opinion of his skills translating to MLB than other executives around the league because others are panning the contract.  I can’t say say I’m excited about it, but time will tell.  Bloom may look brilliant or dumb.

Bloom has been aggressively trying to build the farm system and avoiding long term contracts that can hurt a team in the long run.  By signing Japanese players they don’t lose draft picks as they would signing other teams free agents. His goal of having a strong minor league system that will feed the major league team will take a while to produce results and takes a lot of discipline. I’m not sure the fans and owners will have that patience.  It’s certainly frustrating.

Just to add to this statement. Yoshida batted .330 in a league where the league average was .240. He has a career slash line of .327/.421/.539. Any batter at this level-just below MLB quality-who walks twice as much as he Ks won’t be a strikeout machine. That should punch the ticket for future leadoff success, with the only question is how much the power will translate, but he can barrel up 98+ heat no problem.

So I have no problem with this signing in a vacuum, but as others mentioned why not just re-sign Swarber last offseason. He proved to be a great fit for our team down the stretch. I was onboard with trading Renfroe in the right situation, but not with what occurred. I think the Justin Turner signing with be an upgrade over JD. After the first month of the season JD was horrible while Turner was mostly hot after the beginning of the season. McGuire actually played better than Vasquez post trade deadline. Signing Diekman was a bust, but maybe it turned into something worthwhile with McGuire. I do like the bullpen additions, which allows Whitlock a chance in the rotation.

In general I think Blooms smaller moves are a little more good than bad.

Though, I just can’t get over the fact it seems we had a chance to extend Xander last offseason on a reasonable contract in this market as he genuinely wanted to stay. That eats at me, and it seems like the front office group just totally mismanaged the situation.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2022, 12:59:11 PM »

Offline Phantom255x

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It's already being reported out there that FSG is very likely going to make real bids for either the Commanders, or the expansion NBA team (Vegas). It's likely to be the NBA team. The Suns were just sold for 4 billion so that's the figure potential bidders are looking at.

Pretty clear the Red Sox at this point are an afterthought and the past few seasons have pretty much showed it. They admittedly got hot during October in 2021 to make the ALCS, but overall they've had 2 last place finishes over the past 3 years, and I think it's very likely to be 3 in 4 after this upcoming season. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox might be one of the worst teams in the AL (or among that group). A lot of the bad teams also got better this offseason

I won't be that guy who says "I'm officially done being a Sox fan". I'll still watch and follow from time to time. BUT there's absolutely no way I'm paying anything for the team, including merchandise, raffles, tickets, etc. Not a dime. I also feel bad for people interested in buying a Devers jersey. He's definitely gone too. That feels like the "worst kept secret" out there
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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2022, 01:03:18 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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It's already being reported out there that FSG is very likely going to make real bids for either the Commanders, or the expansion NBA team (Vegas). It's likely to be the NBA team. The Suns were just sold for 4 billion so that's the figure potential bidders are looking at.

Pretty clear the Red Sox at this point are an afterthought and the past few seasons have pretty much showed it. They admittedly got hot during October in 2021 to make the ALCS, but overall they've had 2 last place finishes over the past 3 years, and I think it's very likely to be 3 in 4 after this upcoming season. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox might be one of the worst teams in the AL (or among that group). A lot of the bad teams also got better this offseason

I won't be that guy who says "I'm officially done being a Sox fan". I'll still watch and follow from time to time. BUT there's absolutely no way I'm paying anything for the team, including merchandise, raffles, tickets, etc. Not a dime. I also feel bad for people interested in buying a Devers jersey. He's definitely gone too. That feels like the "worst kept secret" out there

Yeah.  It's one thing to pass on signing homegrown superstars like Mookie and Xander, if 1. cheap replacements are acquired; and 2. the money is reinvested into stars elsewhere.

Instead, we got nothing.  We don't have our homegrown stars anymore.  We've let talented additions walk away for nothing.  Now, we're seeing some generational talents available in free agency, and reportedly we're not even trying to get involved.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2022, 02:15:57 PM by Roy H. »


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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2022, 02:20:53 PM »

Offline Smartacus

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It's already being reported out there that FSG is very likely going to make real bids for either the Commanders, or the expansion NBA team (Vegas). It's likely to be the NBA team. The Suns were just sold for 4 billion so that's the figure potential bidders are looking at.

Pretty clear the Red Sox at this point are an afterthought and the past few seasons have pretty much showed it. They admittedly got hot during October in 2021 to make the ALCS, but overall they've had 2 last place finishes over the past 3 years, and I think it's very likely to be 3 in 4 after this upcoming season. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox might be one of the worst teams in the AL (or among that group). A lot of the bad teams also got better this offseason

I won't be that guy who says "I'm officially done being a Sox fan". I'll still watch and follow from time to time. BUT there's absolutely no way I'm paying anything for the team, including merchandise, raffles, tickets, etc. Not a dime. I also feel bad for people interested in buying a Devers jersey. He's definitely gone too. That feels like the "worst kept secret" out there

Saw a San Francisco reporter speculate that the Giants might consider blowing away the team with an offer for Devers now that they've lost out on Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. A sizable trade package might be the best we could hope for at this point but the reporter also mentions that the Giants could also just wait for next year to sign him as a free agent.

Either way I agree that Devers is not long for this team, FWIW hope we're all wrong though and the team decides to finally break the bank on a young homegrown talent.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #23 on: January 04, 2023, 05:15:17 PM »

Offline johnnygreen

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WEEI just reported the Red Sox signed Rafael Devers to a 11 year $332M extension. It's about time.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2023, 05:19:58 PM »

Offline rocknrollforyoursoul

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WEEI just reported the Red Sox signed Rafael Devers to a 11 year $332M extension. It's about time.

TP johnnygreen. MLB Trade Rumors website has this:

Quote
The Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers are in agreement on an 11-year extension. The deal was first reported on Instagram by former player Carlos Baerga and confirmed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Though it was initially reported as a $332MM guarantee, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports the guarantee at $331MM, while adding that the extension starts in 2024 and comes with a $20MM signing bonus. Jeff Passan of ESPN stresses that the deal is not done since the physical examination process has not yet begun, but it seems the framework of a deal is in place.

More to come.
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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #25 on: January 04, 2023, 08:29:17 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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I’m shocked he agreed to that.  He would have made more on the open market.


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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #26 on: January 04, 2023, 09:15:58 PM »

Offline MarcusSmartFanClub

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I’m shocked he agreed to that.  He would have made more on the open market.

I agree. That being said $330m is a lot for anyone, including the best athletes in the world. Devers must know that he can start eating McDonalds for every meal and be a 10 year DH like Papi (look at Papi’s body on the Twins). Devers is a made man. I don’t care if he never plays in the field again. We needed his power in the middle of the order and we got it. Fans can take a break from torturing Chaim’s voodoo doll, even if it’s just for one night.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #27 on: January 06, 2023, 03:55:19 PM »

Offline SparzWizard

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Oh my, Justin Turner to the Red Sox!


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Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #28 on: January 06, 2023, 05:02:22 PM »

Offline Vermont Green

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Oh my, Justin Turner to the Red Sox!

This was reported back in mid-Dec, must have just been finalized or something.  I guess he will be a right handed DH.  Play for Devers on his days off.

As to Devers, I really hate to see 11 year contracts but if you are going to have to sign a player for 11 years, I think Devers is the right guy to sign.  Devers is 4 years younger than Bogaerts (I think SD is going be saddled by this in a say 5 years).  Judge is over 30 also.  Devers got a little more total money than Correa (although Correa, who is 2 years older, got 12 years).

The Red Sox were 4th in OPS (in the AL) and 4th in runs scored last season.  Hitting was not the problem.  Pitching was.  So we are going into the season with Sale, Kluber, and Paxson as projected starters.  The walking wounded.  I think the bullpen will be fine, much improved, but it won't help if the starters can't get out of the 4th inning (or are injured and can't pitch at all).  So are we going to need to rely on Bello, Seabold, Winckowski, Houck, Crawford?

Our rotation will probably be:

Pivetta
Kluber
Whitlock
Winckowski
Crawford
Bello

Unless Sale and/or Paxson prove healthy.  Wacha is still out there as a FA.  I would say that if one of Sale and Paxson can pitch, and one or two of the young pitchers surprise, and we sign another vet, and all the other stars align, and we get lucky in every other possible way, we could be in the playoff hunt.

Re: Red Sox Off Season 2022/23
« Reply #29 on: January 06, 2023, 06:53:35 PM »

Offline rocknrollforyoursoul

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Oh my, Justin Turner to the Red Sox!

This was reported back in mid-Dec, must have just been finalized or something.  I guess he will be a right handed DH.  Play for Devers on his days off.

As to Devers, I really hate to see 11 year contracts but if you are going to have to sign a player for 11 years, I think Devers is the right guy to sign.  Devers is 4 years younger than Bogaerts (I think SD is going be saddled by this in a say 5 years).  Judge is over 30 also.  Devers got a little more total money than Correa (although Correa, who is 2 years older, got 12 years).

The Red Sox were 4th in OPS (in the AL) and 4th in runs scored last season.  Hitting was not the problem.  Pitching was.  So we are going into the season with Sale, Kluber, and Paxson as projected starters.  The walking wounded.  I think the bullpen will be fine, much improved, but it won't help if the starters can't get out of the 4th inning (or are injured and can't pitch at all).  So are we going to need to rely on Bello, Seabold, Winckowski, Houck, Crawford?

Our rotation will probably be:

Pivetta
Kluber
Whitlock
Winckowski
Crawford
Bello

Unless Sale and/or Paxson prove healthy.  Wacha is still out there as a FA.  I would say that if one of Sale and Paxson can pitch, and one or two of the young pitchers surprise, and we sign another vet, and all the other stars align, and we get lucky in every other possible way, we could be in the playoff hunt.

I think, though, that their offense has gotten significantly worse. They added:

• Justin Turner (.278, 13 homers, 81 RBI last season)

But lost:

• Bogaerts (.307, 15 homers, 73 RBI)
• JD Martinez (.274, 16 homers, 62 RBI)

They also exchanged Vazquez for McGuire, which is a net loss on offense:

• Vaz: .274, 9 homers, 52 RBI for the whole season; .282/8/42 w/Boston (84 games)
• McGuire: .269, 3 homers, 22 RBI for the whole season; .337/3/12 w/Boston (36 games)

As of now, the projected lineup (though not necessarily in this order) is thus:

Yoshida
Devers
Turner
Casas
Story
Verdugo
Hernandez
McGuire
Arroyo

• Yoshida is, of course, a complete unknown at the MLB level, so he could be anywhere from bad to great, but will likely be somewhere in between.
• Of the 8 others, only one hit 20+ homers last year (Devers, 27).
• There are several IFs, any of which could go Boston's way—or not: IF Story stays healthy and on track, IF Casas becomes the hitter we hope for, IF Verdugo finally shows more power, IF Yoshida is a legit major-leaguer, etc.
• The lineup is exceedingly thin on power—the 8 major-leaguers hit a combined 94 homers last season (ugh), and Yoshida isn't really a power hitter, so this could be one of the weakest lineups in MLB. And I can easily see many of those guys having crappy AVE/OB/SLG/OPS.

I have low expectations for the offense, and I also expect injuries and low output from the rotation. And probably another last-place finish.
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