I've been telling folks that I think Bogaerts and Devers get extended if only because Chaim Bloom might have reason to fear for his own safety as the guy who sent the two of them plus Mookie packing. It's an exaggeration, of course, but when you look around Fenway,, you still see more Betts-50 shirts than most current players, and it's still a raw nerve for some people. With Eck retiring so soon after Remy passed, I think (or at least hope) that Henry/Kennedy/etc. is telling Bloom that they can't take the fans' loyalty for granted.
Yeah, they're probably the people that pushed him to trade Mookie, but you don't need to be consistent at that level.
As much as I care about all these players the sad ugly truth is that they greatly underachieved this past season. I looked at Team stats yesterday and the lack of power and walks on this team is ridiculous. The pitching is awful. I thought Chaim would be good for this team but what I see now is a guy that can't handle a veteran roster.
My gut is they sign X and Raffy but what then......they need so much and as much as Henry wants the Tampa Bay way of doing business he got the wrong former Tampa GM. As a season ticket holder I'm torn. We really need to send a message to ownership. Lastly they mess with Cora and I'm out.
The biggest quandary is what choice would Sox fans make if it Bogie OR Devers? I'd like to keep both, but I suspect we're going to have to choose one or the other. For me, as much as I like Bogaerts, I'd have to prioritize Devers first.
I'm going to change the subject. I've spent the morning reading all things Red Sox in the Globe, Athletic, etc. and I'm cross-eyed. But one thing stands out to me. Nobody mentions MLB's new revenue stream. That would be embracing gambling and the extra 15 minutes of commercial time on next year's TV games. Plus, of course, farming out games to streaming services. The clubs are going to be rolling in new money. Pay the the players!
I'm convinced the Red Sox are bringing Bogaerts back. Reading the tea leaves and listening to interviews with people like Cora, Bloom, Sam Kennedy and Xander himself, it just sounds like there's a mandate from ownership to re-sign him.
You asked what's changed to make Boston reconsider its previous position. I'd say two things moved the needle. First, there's Xander himself. They asked him to work on improving his defense, and he did, even though, as a well-established star player he might have balked.
Last winter there were questions about whether he could (or should) stay at shortstop. But given his improvement this year -- demonstrated by both metrics and the eye test -- I think we can feel comfortable with Xander at short for at least as long as it takes Marcelo Mayer to arrive.
I think the second thing that's changed is ownership's sensitivity to public opinion. Everyone wants Xander to stay, and the number of people who have been willing to say that publicly has been eye-opening. Xander himself wants to stay.
People point fingers at Bloom, but this is an ownership decision. As Xander himself said, they have the money. I think they'll re-sign him, and it wouldn't surprise me if it happens before he opts out.
I've been telling folks that I think Bogaerts and Devers get extended if only because Chaim Bloom might have reason to fear for his own safety as the guy who sent the two of them plus Mookie packing. It's an exaggeration, of course, but when you look around Fenway,, you still see more Betts-50 shirts than most current players, and it's still a raw nerve for some people. With Eck retiring so soon after Remy passed, I think (or at least hope) that Henry/Kennedy/etc. is telling Bloom that they can't take the fans' loyalty for granted.
Yeah, they're probably the people that pushed him to trade Mookie, but you don't need to be consistent at that level.
As much as I care about all these players the sad ugly truth is that they greatly underachieved this past season. I looked at Team stats yesterday and the lack of power and walks on this team is ridiculous. The pitching is awful. I thought Chaim would be good for this team but what I see now is a guy that can't handle a veteran roster.
My gut is they sign X and Raffy but what then......they need so much and as much as Henry wants the Tampa Bay way of doing business he got the wrong former Tampa GM. As a season ticket holder I'm torn. We really need to send a message to ownership. Lastly they mess with Cora and I'm out.
The biggest quandary is what choice would Sox fans make if it Bogie OR Devers? I'd like to keep both, but I suspect we're going to have to choose one or the other. For me, as much as I like Bogaerts, I'd have to prioritize Devers first.
And I didnt mean you wrote in that style - just evoked those emotions in me and that is sign of good writing!
Despite the sadness and depression within the article, baseball is part of life and life always changes. Good job Matt!
I'm going to change the subject. I've spent the morning reading all things Red Sox in the Globe, Athletic, etc. and I'm cross-eyed. But one thing stands out to me. Nobody mentions MLB's new revenue stream. That would be embracing gambling and the extra 15 minutes of commercial time on next year's TV games. Plus, of course, farming out games to streaming services. The clubs are going to be rolling in new money. Pay the the players!
I’m going to root for Terry Francona’s Guardians and (of course) against the Yanks!
Thanks, Matt.
I'm convinced the Red Sox are bringing Bogaerts back. Reading the tea leaves and listening to interviews with people like Cora, Bloom, Sam Kennedy and Xander himself, it just sounds like there's a mandate from ownership to re-sign him.
You asked what's changed to make Boston reconsider its previous position. I'd say two things moved the needle. First, there's Xander himself. They asked him to work on improving his defense, and he did, even though, as a well-established star player he might have balked.
Last winter there were questions about whether he could (or should) stay at shortstop. But given his improvement this year -- demonstrated by both metrics and the eye test -- I think we can feel comfortable with Xander at short for at least as long as it takes Marcelo Mayer to arrive.
I think the second thing that's changed is ownership's sensitivity to public opinion. Everyone wants Xander to stay, and the number of people who have been willing to say that publicly has been eye-opening. Xander himself wants to stay.
People point fingers at Bloom, but this is an ownership decision. As Xander himself said, they have the money. I think they'll re-sign him, and it wouldn't surprise me if it happens before he opts out.