100% less Rongey
50% less Hawk

off to a great start so far.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

If we can achieve 100% less Beckman and Ramirez this might be a thing!

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

sox cognoscenti tell me Alexei must return because bad shortstops are worth $10MM/year.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I had this same conversation at the game Saturday. I prefer to use a bad shortstop that is younger and cheaper.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

100% less Danks, Flowers, and LaRoche also needed.
100% less Ventura would be preferred ,but that's the least of our problems

The SP in place indicate you have something to work with, but there's a lot of work to do with this team....the dysfunctional front office does not give me a whole lot of confidence.

Until that changes, It'll likely be another sad season.

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you know that's what a normal businessman would think. but with the Sox, payroll is "use it or lose it." The $10MM you'd save would only go to dividends and would disappear from the balance sheet at the end of the year.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I have come to grips with the fact that Alexei will be back next year. This off season will be a fail if they do not address the long term catching situation.

Doesn't this go against everything you told me in our discussion about whether Alexei or Russell was the better SS this year?

You said you would go with experience.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

This year is over. If I had a playoff game tomorrow, I'd want Ramirez over Tyler Saladino. Going into next season is a different thing.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

TWTWINT

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Not a mult.

Assuming that Kenny and Buddy Bell are not going anywhere and Robin is already back. My real first move would be to remove both Kenny and Buddy with Buddy going first.

That said this would be my plan with targets noted.

1. Get an upgrade at third. Maybe Plouffe or take a shot at Todd Frazier.. see what the rebuolding Reds would want.

2. Get an upgrade at catcher. Matt Weiters or try to trade for Red Sox Christian Vazquez

3. Promote Tim Anderson right after the season starts to get the extra year (like Bryant) and trade Alexei during the off season Saladino starts the season at SS.

4.Take a look at Crush Davis ..the Sox were last in HR even with Abreu...just eat LaRoche's money.

5. Somehow work on team defense.... get a coach who can teach D.

6. OK this one is not a must but I'd shop Chris Sale and see what I could get... look what the Phillies got for Hammels or what the Royals gave up for Cueto... use that as a minimum starting offer and demand more ...a LOT more.

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If I could get a package with Seager from the Dodgers, I'd pull the trigger.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Young and cheaper.....sounds like a plan or should I say The Plan? I'm on board with that.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Starting to lean more and more this way.

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Mark Parent Fired.

Hell yea you see what you can get for Sale. Hahn/Kenny's not doing his job if he doesn't.

Yanks would probably be happy to let you take PayRod if the Sox picked up his salary. He can man 3B for the next two years and then pray that young 3B in the minors they seem to like develops. Maybe they would even take one of the bad contracts in exchange.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The hell?? Punch yourself in the face and give back GD's login.

No he can't. I think he only played the field like 8 games this year and DH'd the rest. Are you drunk already this morning?

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I didn't say it was my recommendation.

I think the Sox can have a decent record next year by concentrating on defense when filling their biggest voids.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

More Hispanic players that we have never heard of.

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Kenny move.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

maybe longoria?

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I'm sure there's a good chance the Sox will get the declining years of Longoria.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Gary Gaetti

Chris Davis at 1st/DH?

Have Babe Abreu split time at 1st/DH, as well.


That doesn't solve any defensive problems or pitching issues but that would be quite the combo if Melky can at least be consistent through most of the season.

Pie in the sky, though and probably not a great move.

Who is out there? Zobrist? AsdrubalCabrerra?

Davis would not work because I highly doubt the Sox are going to eat the LaRoche contract. All you can do is hope he doesn't have another dreadful Dunn-esque year next season.

gd, ARod does not make anybody better defensively, much less the Sox. I agree with your overall premise though. Focus on pitching and defense and hope the offense comes around a hellava lot earlier than it did this year.

KC is obviously going to be the best in the Central going in to next season, but the other 4 teams are all going to be right there in hopes of getting the Wild Card. Er....maybe not Detroit but still, Sox MUST contend and I would suggest even make the WC next season. They are already behind the eight ball with Robin steering the ship though.

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I don't know about that. I look at them and I don't really get how they're as good as they are. I guess they're just tight as hell defensively and they play a short game with that bullpen. I know Hawk took a lot of heat for saying it, but if you go position by position they're really not more impressive than the Sox. It's not like they're playing with that Astros lineup.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I already said ARod was not my recommendation.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

No more aging left handed power hitting 1b/DH. They need to release LaRoche and put Melky at DH. Play Thompson in RF and move Avi to left. Then put all available resources into acquiring a catcher and third baseman. I'm assuming they will pick up Alexei's option. Hopefully he has a good first half so they can move him and call up Tim Anderson to play SS.

I think Avi may have more arm than Thompson, but I basically agree with the concept of having a four man rotation of outfielders/DH. Maybe the standard alignment should have Thompson in center with Eaton in left and Avi in right.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don