John Henry is down to his last $50 million! My stars! What will happen to the poor billionaire now!People think the bottom third of the roster is a patchwork quilt now; imagine it with $50M less to spend
John Henry is down to his last $50 million! My stars! What will happen to the poor billionaire now!People think the bottom third of the roster is a patchwork quilt now; imagine it with $50M less to spend
Yeah, that's not what that meant, and you know itJohn Henry is down to his last $50 million! My stars! What will happen to the poor billionaire now!
I was actually circling back to delete that comment. It wasn't cool.Yeah, that's not what that meant, and you know it
That's okay ... I know Lynn has you tied up in knots these daysI was actually circling back to delete that comment. It wasn't cool.
And honestly I don't know what JWH gives a shit about now. He used to appear to care that the team won and won a lot, and spent a lot to do so. With Liverpool and Roush Fenway Racing and the development around Fenway going on, I honestly don't know where his primary focus is these days. Getting some insight from him would be quite the get from our intrepid sports media.
top Payrolls in MLB this yearJohn Henry is down to his last $50 million! My stars! What will happen to the poor billionaire now!
Plus the Red Sox will likely soon jump to the number 3 payroll. They did want to dip under the tax to avoid not only fees but also the draft consequence. It might be an organizational philosophy not to give 10-12 year contracts, and probably wisely so (a player like Mookie, maybe should be the rare exception). But Henry has historically spent money and likely will spend more soon.top Payrolls in MLB this year
here is the top payrolls in MLB since 1999...
Tell me how many times you see the Sox not in the top 10 in payroll... Spare me the "red sox ownership is cheap" crap
stevetheump.com/Payrolls.htm#2020_payrolls
Also, MLB may not have a "salary cap" by name, but the current CBA sure does treat it as such... Also, notice anything with the top payroll lists? How many teams in the top 10 in payroll have had a WS win this decade?
How were the ratings in 2019 with Mookie on the team?Yes.
It means fewer eyeballs are on every team. That's not a Red Sox issue, that's an issue for every team, which appears to have very little to do with Mookie if their ratings are higher now than they were in 2019.Did you miss the tidbit in the article that noted that cable subscriptions have nosedived? A higher percentage of a much lower number means fewer eyeballs on the team.
Fewer people overall are watching the Red Sox play. Interest is down because they had two shitty years in a row and their best player is gone.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/mookie-betts-605141?stats=statcast-r-running-mlbMookie seems to be getting a bit more fragile of late. I would not be surprised if the LAD contract becomes a huge albatross with Mookie struggling to stay in the lineup.
That said, he could have been a Boston Civic treasure along the lines of Orr, Russell or Yaz or Ted, not to mention have an impact on the whole race issue. The timing was just not right and the organization was not in a good place to meet his price. IMO, they did what they had to do and rewards may well be forthcoming.
Not to belabor the point too much, but with NESN (and other regional sports networks) being dropped from YouTube TV, it was really easy to shrug and say oh well once they traded Betts. Tuning in on MLB.tv to watch an young exciting White Sox team or late night keeping an eye on the Ohtani and Trout at-bats for the Angels is how I've been mostly following baseball this year. Injuries kind of put a damper on those methods but since I'm not as emotionally invested, baseball has largely been tuned out the last couple months. It's sad but true, the MLB media landscape has driven/reinforced a wedge between me and my local team and thus my engagement with the sport as a whole. Since baseball is, now more than ever, a regional sport, I imagine this is the case for a lot of people who have lost direct access to their RSN.Did you miss the tidbit in the article that noted that cable subscriptions have nosedived? A higher percentage of a much lower number means fewer eyeballs on the team.
Fewer people overall are watching the Red Sox play. Interest is down because they had two shitty years in a row and their best player is gone.
I would love to see how those ratings break down by month. My guess is that they have nosedived in the second half due to the team's 3 month swoon out of the division lead.
Again, I don't think ownership gives a damn about any of this, to be honest. We haven't heard a thing from Henry and Werner in a long while, and they appear to be pursuing the Atlanta Braves' idea of building up a commercial empire around the baseball team's stadium so that actual baseball results won't effect their bottom line.
Peak Mookie only existed for one year. He's basically been a 130 OPS+ hitter for his career outside of 2018. I don't see any reason to expect anything more than that going forward.Mookie is a wonderful baseball player. Very good hitter, excellent defender, very good on the base paths. But he's nowhere near "peak" Mookie.
.268/.371/.497/.867, 133 ops+ That's very very good. But not *elite*.
He's worth "only" 4.4 bWAR, which, again, is very very good but not elite.
I've loved Mookie since his minor league days. His success makes me very happy. But he's simply not worth the money he's due to receive. That's ok - he's still worth an awful lot.
He's capable of having another year that approximates that. He's still only 28. BUT...I agree - this is much more like the player Mookie really is. Looking at his ops+ numbers in descending order:Peak Mookie only existed for one year. He's basically been a 130 OPS+ hitter for his career outside of 2018. I don't see any reason to expect anything more than that going forward.
The bottom line is that there isn't one answer. It could be that Mookie Betts isn't in town any more. It could be that YouTube TV dropped NESN. It could be that everyone has Revolution fever. But, you could argue that all of those three things (plus a lot more) may have an impact on why not as many people are talking (read: caring) about the Red Sox this year.Not to belabor the point too much, but with NESN (and other regional sports networks) being dropped from YouTube TV, it was really easy to shrug and say oh well once they traded Betts. Tuning in on MLB.tv to watch an young exciting White Sox team or late night keeping an eye on the Ohtani and Trout at-bats for the Angels is how I've been mostly following baseball this year. Injuries kind of put a damper on those methods but since I'm not as emotionally invested, baseball has largely been tuned out the last couple months. It's sad but true, the MLB media landscape has driven/reinforced a wedge between me and my local team and thus my engagement with the sport as a whole. Since baseball is, now more than ever, a regional sport, I imagine this is the case for a lot of people who have lost direct access to their RSN.
Lots of sports owners are billionaires. None of them manage their payroll with zero eye toward restraint, not even the Yankees. That you are so willing to dismiss all of the money they have spent in the past (and present) over this *one* situation is mind boggling. All indications are that the Red Sox will continue to be among the league leaders in payroll, even if yes, John Henry does have additional money that he does not spend on the Red Sox. I'm choosing to be satisfied with that and not pine for some wildly unrealistic scenario that will never happen. And in five years, there's a great chance that both of us will be glad that the Red Sox are not on the hook for another 180 million for Mookie (which what this has always been about, nothing more).FTR, I'm not arguing whether John Henry and the Red Sox had the money to sign Mookie Betts. He does. He's a billionaire. FSG is like the sixth highest most profitable sports group in the world (also worth billions), he could afford to sign Mookie Betts with his pocket change. Whether you read that as me thinking he's cheap, you're probably right. ("But, but he's spent money in the past." No shit. People change. What was important a few years ago, might not be important now. Maybe Henry has his eyes on other things, again that's cool, but it would be nice if spoke to the media once in a while.)
Ratings means eyeballs, inclusive of cable subscription or no. Share is the metric describing the portion of cable subscribers.Did you miss the tidbit in the article that noted that cable subscriptions have nosedived? A higher percentage of a much lower number means fewer eyeballs on the team.
Mookie never had the heroics that Papi had in the big moments. Papi did it right away and sort of never stopped. He also started doing in a time when Boston fans were aching for a hero to take them to promised land and he was the "Yankee killer" that everyone was dreaming about.He played 6 1/3 seasons, roughly. I'd say that Brady and Papi were both gods in New England after 6 seasons (2000-2005 for Brady; 2003-2008 for Papi).
I think of the epic 13 pitch (or thereabouts) at-bat grand slam against Toronto. And throwing out Kiermeier at third. And that catch you mentioned. Other specific catches don’t come to mind, but I can picture him making incredible plays down the right field line and in the gap. Oh, and robbing who, Travis Shaw?, in that Rich Hill game.Mookie never had the heroics that Papi had in the big moments. Papi did it right away and sort of never stopped. He also started doing in a time when Boston fans were aching for a hero to take them to promised land and he was the "Yankee killer" that everyone was dreaming about.
Game 4 2003 ALDS off Foulke, Game 7 2003 ALCS off David Wells (we all thought it might be the dagger), then of course all the 2004 playoff walk-offs. Then he was off to the races. Nevermind all the regular season walkoffs and clutch moments.
I agree that Mookie suffered some from not playing in a time when baseball interest as at its peak in Boston but he also did not have the type of defining heroics that Papi had. When I think of Mookie heroics, I think of the throw from the outfield in the 2018 ALCS against Houston and maybe the game 5 leaping catch. But that's about it.
His home run that iced the World Series was stat padding. We had already won that game...it was just a matter of time.That is unreal to me. The guy was an AL MVP, only the second player to ever go 30-30 for the Red Sox, and had a huge home run that iced the World Series and you don't remember any of his heroics?
That's on you guys. My God. I'm going to stroke out here. He was the most dynamic player this team has had since Fred Lynn.
I must admit Mookie's accomplishments are probably the most ignored among any of the local sports celebrities.That is unreal to me. The guy was an AL MVP, only the second player to ever go 30-30 for the Red Sox, and had a huge home run that iced the World Series and you don't remember any of his heroics?
That's on you guys. My God. I'm going to stroke out here. He was the most dynamic player this team has had since Fred Lynn.
He was crummy in the postseason. Ortiz is going to the Hall of Fame because of what he did there. That's a huge difference.That is unreal to me. The guy was an AL MVP, only the second player to ever go 30-30 for the Red Sox, and had a huge home run that iced the World Series and you don't remember any of his heroics?
That's on you guys. My God. I'm going to stroke out here. He was the most dynamic player this team has had since Fred Lynn.
He hit .227 with a .654 OPS over 21 games with the Sox. Not a tiny sample. And on top of those lousy numbers he had very, very few memorable moments. The interference play was probably the most memorable.I must admit Mookie's accomplishments are probably the most ignored among any of the local sports celebrities.
I mean, if you wanted to create a Mount Rushmore of local sports stars, everyone would start with either Ted Williams or Tom Brady or Bill Russell, and then add in Yaz, Papi, Orr, Bird. Now, if you wanted to focus strictly on Red Sox stars, there would be near unanimity in adding Pedro and Ortiz (except for Shank). To the next lower tier would be added the likes of Jim Rice, Boggs, maybe Nomar or Fisk; someone would nominate Manny.
But Betts' departure was treated very differently by the local media here. Those accomplishments you stated just don't roll off the tongue like the 2003 ALCS or the 1999 All Star Game or 3000/400 or 0.338. I honestly cannot explain it, but it is very much a thing.
Still, the Betts trade did leave a taste in people's mouths, and I'm not sure we've seen all the ramifications yet. The younger fans (late teens, early 20's) I've anecdotally encountered do consider the trade an all time disaster. At the same time, the tax threshold penalties are real in that they do hamper teams from restocking their farm system, and that has become a bigger and bigger issue among all teams, including teams like the Yankees and Dodgers that have worked to stay under in recent years in order to get an all important reset.
21 games absolutely is a tiny sample.He hit .227 with a .654 OPS over 21 games with the Sox. Not a tiny sample. And on top of those lousy numbers he had very, very few memorable moments. The interference play was probably the most memorable.
And yet, in BOTH series he had a more memorable moment than Mookie ever had!Postseason lines are prone to SSS oddities. David Ortiz had 4 postseason series in Boston worse than Mookie's lowest postseason OPS of .566, one of which was the 2003 ALDS and another was the 2013 ALCS (2 for 22 with one XBH. Of course we remember what hit that was).
That is a fallacy and absolutely untrue. No no no no. You don't have to have a big visual splash to make a big impact on the game. Baserunning, defensive plays, OBP, runs scored....I thought we were all learned enough about baseball to know that you can have a big impact in a myriad of ways.And yet, in BOTH series he had a more memorable moment than Mookie ever had!
Bad numbers are ok. Bad numbers plus no signature moments mean he had very little postseason impact.
He also crossed the plate 13 times in the 2018 playoff march. That's not a nothing stat; just doesn't get as much play as the others.He hit .227 with a .654 OPS over 21 games with the Sox. Not a tiny sample. And on top of those lousy numbers he had very, very few memorable moments. The interference play was probably the most memorable.
Man that Ted Williams sure stunk, look at his postseason numbers!21 games absolutely is a tiny sample.
Arbitrary, agreed. Just trying to further explain why he didn’t capture the emotional attachment of the fan base like other Boston sports heroes.He also crossed the plate 13 times in the 2018 playoff march. That's not a nothing stat; just doesn't get as much play as the others.
He was very good in the 2020 playoffs for the Dodgers, further proof that playoff success in baseball is very much arbitrary.
You missed out on a fun season? Where was it? I must have missed it too.My interest in watching the Red Sox took a huge hit with the departure of Mookie. He was my favorite position player to ever watch. I acknowledge that my emotions are getting the better of me, and I've missed out on most of a fun season.
But I know I'm not alone with this feeling. I have a brother and two uncles who feel the same way.
Well.... you actually said it right here. Nobody really does remember those heroics. If those happened on the '03 or '04 teams... then they'd be seared into our brains forever. The '18 was fantastic. One of the greatest start to finish teams ever... but they'll never be the magical Sox '03, '04 teams. The '01 Patriots. We'll need reminders from the die-hards of great heroic deeds. It's not collective memory like The Steal, the Walkoff hits, the Ankle, Foulke.... Damon's lead off HR.That is unreal to me. The guy was an AL MVP, only the second player to ever go 30-30 for the Red Sox, and had a huge home run that iced the World Series and you don't remember any of his heroics?
That's on you guys. My God. I'm going to stroke out here. He was the most dynamic player this team has had since Fred Lynn.
That's the problem with nostalgia....it ruins the present times.Well.... you actually said it right here. Nobody really does remember those heroics. If those happened on the '03 or '04 teams... then they'd be seared into our brains forever. The '18 was fantastic. One of the greatest start to finish teams ever... but they'll never be the magical Sox '03, '04 teams. The '01 Patriots. We'll need reminders from the die-hards of great heroic deeds. It's not collective memory like The Steal, the Walkoff hits, the Ankle, Foulke.... Damon's lead off HR.
1 postseason series in his career, with 30 plate appearances.Man that Ted Williams sure stunk, look at his postseason numbers!
I already responded to this. He was here over 6 years. Papi's first 6 years were 2003-2008. Brady's were 2000-2005. Both were heroes after 6 years.If Betts is somehow different, it's because he wasn't here that long, relative to the other people being named.
Take a look at his 2020 postseason. It's not like he's prone to coming up short in big games.1 postseason series in his career, with 30 plate appearances.
Mookie played in 5 series with the Red Sox, with 99 plate appearances. In only one of those series did he crack a .700 OPS, and he never cracked an .800 OPS.
But they didn't leave and stuck around a lot longer. You get punished for leaving unless you are PP, KG and Ray Bourque. There is only one other example who compares to Mookie and it's Kevin Garnett. That's not perfect either.I already responded to this. He was here over 6 years. Papi's first 6 years were 2003-2008. Brady's were 2000-2005. Both were heroes after 6 years.
That’s not the point being made by posters discussing his poor postseason numbers. It’s a tiny sample size and not predictive of anything. No ones saying something is wrong with Mookie that makes him suck in the postseason, they’re saying his lack of production in the postseason has lead to a lack of iconic moments. Just in the 2018 postseason, several other Sox players had more memorable moments. That’s part of why Mookie never achieved the emotional stardom of an OrtizTake a look at his 2020 postseason. It's not like he's prone to coming up short in big games.
The most concerning thing to me about the bone spur is that they are unsure how it came to be. To me, his body frame doesn’t suggest that he will be able to perform at an elite level for a long period of time and I just have a feeling he will turn into another Andre Ethier. To me giving a twelve year contract to any player other than Mike Trout never made much sense so I was content with the decision to trade him.I'm a big Mookie fan and was sad to see him go.
I will admit this hip "bone spur" would spook me being on the hook for that contract. Clearly it was pretty debilitating as he couldn't even play for chunks of time until his steroid shot (which will wear off).
It may get addressed in the offseason, who knows. But those thing's are often associated with progressive impingement and arthritis. I saw somewhere his sprint speed and defensive numbers also have taken a bit of a hit.
Clearly he is a great hitter but a lot of his "elite" value is tied up in him being a great defender and baserunner as well. If that falls off quicker and harder than expected, that's trouble (though of course the Dodgers can weather the storm better than anyone if it happens).
Kiké had a higher fWAR than Mookie this year. Trading him before a rebuilding year for young talent is looking like the correct move.The most concerning thing to me about the bone spur is that they are unsure how it came to be. To me, his body frame doesn’t suggest that he will be able to perform at an elite level for a long period of time and I just have a feeling he will turn into another Andre Ethier. To me giving a twelve year contract to any player other than Mike Trout never made much sense so I was content with the decision to trade him.