The problem is, I think there are something like 3 teams in the entire league who legitimately have zero shot at the playoffs. And the reason in all of those cases is that they don't have any starting pitcher we would want pitching for the Red Sox.
My response is I just don't believe in Houck or Whitlock as starters, we have seen this act before. Houck can't maintain his stuff as a starter and Whitlock gets hurt. I am willing to be open-minded about Winckowski. So they are essentially going into the season with Pivetta, Crawford, and Bello. If someone gets hurt who is next Walter, Criswell, or Fitts? They need someone with major league experience. After Giolito went down, my son said just watch Sale will throw 160 innings for Atlanta in 2024.
Is there reason to think they aren't trying to trade low-level prospects for a borderline MLB starting pitcher? There are still some that fit that category available as free agents too. One of the hallmarks of Breslow's tenure so far is that his office doesn't leak or hint or speculate publicly. We aren't finding out about moves and plans until they've happened. So to me, silence on any given front is not evidence that they're not making efforts.
We did that last year. Houck simply does not have the stuff to get through the order the third time. We gave Whitlock a shot as well. I actually think Whitlock's stuff is better than Houck's, but neither is anything better than a 4/5 starter who will not chew up enough innings to save the pen.
Isn't it also possible that New Tricks can also be hard for Young Dogs to learn? There is at least the possibility that Giolito's trying the new grip Bailey taught him led to his elbow injury. I am concerned that that effect might be replicated in some of our younger pitchers. I certainly hope not, and I have no idea of the odds of that happening, but it seems as likely as a miraculous "unlocking" of potential. Yes, I'm gloomy. I'll escort myself out now.
If he's trying to make the Red Sox nervous, it makes a certain amount of sense.
On the reassuring side, Bailey did get good results with the Giants in his tenure with them, and if Giants pitchers were getting hurt more than the norm I expect we'd know about it.
Houck's performance drops off a cliff the third time through the order, but his stuff is pretty much the same. Like with almost all pitchers, it's in-game familiarity that causes the performance drop. He needs another pitch to keep in his back pocket for later in the games if he's going to be a starter. But they're going to try to let him figure it out.
I agree with this. Whitlock, especially, has a growing sample size, and he's much better in relief. Houck's troubles third time through persist. They'd both be excellent quills out of the pen. Incredibly the biggest need to address going into the off season has somehow gotten worse!! Especially if they don't go ahead and sign Montgomery (or Snell).
Bailey just might be the bromide for all that ills the Sox. Scott Neville 's article (Fan Nation) today is pushing Andrew as a very possible replacement for Cora in 2025. And again, the writers are as bored as the fans.
Here are some pitching coaches who had long time tenures for their teams: Dave Righetti, Rick Honeycutt, Mike Maddux and Dave Duncan. Did they teach any of their pitchers new pitches, or show them how to get more torque or rotational speed on the ball or anything else, or were they just good coaches who managed their pitching staffs well and interfaced well with their managers? I have no idea.
This thread has some good tangents (the Gibson/Pedro discussion eg).
But I thought players only want to play for teams that are contending!!!!! What?????
That's what they were joking about! Steve Phillips said they are a 4th place team with or without Snell in that division, what's the point of spending another 25-30m to only finish ahead of the A's?
I mean... it's really very possible that some players really will turn down millions to play in regions where they'd prefer to live. What the hell is the difference between 100 million and 120million when it comes to money? After taxes and agent's cuts and other expenses figured in.... you're still getting generational wealth- and from what I understand, the health plan isn't exactly something they're individually buying on the Healthcare Marketplace.....
For a pillow deal maybe, although it would get outrageously expensive after taxes. Spotrac has their current obligations at approximately $292m.
Getting a better game planner than Wong (or having Wong make a huge step to improve) can also help greatly. Teel is supposedly incredible at this part of the game as a prospect.
I'd imagine a lot of the calculus is whether the player has a family. Professional athletes spend a relatively small amount of their time in the city they play in between all the travel and off season, so if it were me it I'd follow the money and live in a mansion in ND for a smaller percentage of a few years. Endorsements seem less and less affected by primary market as well. But with a spouse and kids who are more tethered to the area that is more of an issue.
Is he? Teel didn't do it in college and there isn't much track record in the minors to go on.
I have read it in scouting reports multiple times but I haven't seen it hence "supposedly"
Maybe. If they liked Monty enough to give him a longer deal, I suppose they could spread the money out toward the back end. But lots of guys can throw innings, and I think the Yankees know better than to take on big risks, given that they have enough of those already. Also out of respect to Jon Abbey and the Yankees contingent here, we should ackonwledge that the news could turn out to not be as bad as feared.
FWIW, I believe that former catcher/current coach Jason Varitek's official duties include that of game planning coordinator.
Tim Wakefield took a reasonable salary to raise his children near their extended families and I'm guessing set them up well financially. One of the many reasons I have a lot of respect for that man.
There's no "tab" for him, just what he can negotiate with his new team. Since it was arbitrated, his salary wasn't guaranteed until Opening Day. So the Giants are on the hook for a small percentage and the rest goes away. It isn't like other players who are released and can be signed for the league minimum because his old team is paying his full original salary.
Gotcha. I didn't realize there was this difference with arbitrated players. The timing of this makes much more sense as I was wondering why they would just release a guy if they were on the hook for nearly $7M
Cleveland? Naylor is better suited to be a DH and Fangraphs has their #1 prospect penciled in as the starter at 1B (he's not yet on the 40-man). Davis might be a fit there there backing up/platooning with the LHH rookie.
