I agree with you that reporters need clicks, that's the way the business is--the more clicks and the more engagement you get, the more eyeballs are on the screen, the more ads people (theoretically) see which makes the organization more money. This snowballs into what you're talking about in that the more money a reporter makes for an organization the faster his/her star will rise. But at the same time, I don't see Cotillo or McAdam or Abraham being reckless in this manner ala Jason Whitlock (to pick an extreme example). I think that for the most part, these guys do--and have done--the legwork.
I think that I spoke a bit about this while answering CR67, but I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "pivot[ing] to reporting on the (demonstrable) feelings of the fan base". Are you saying that the Sox writers are only writing to what the fans want to read? Because I think that this is (mostly) unfair and inaccurate. I think that these writers are reporting what they hear and what they're being told from reliable sources. I'm more familiar with Abraham and McAdam so I can only speak to them, but they've been around for a long time in the media (each 25-30 years) you don't stay employed on a beat like the Red Sox for that long without being a good reporter with good sources.
Also there is a level of discontent in the fan base that I think that you've been ignoring, which is okay for you to do. But for McAdam or Cotillo or Abraham to ignore it, they wouldn't be doing their jobs. Especially if there are people in the industry who are validating that discontent or at least raising questions of, "FSG ownership has been acting one way for 15+ years, why are they acting like this?" Especially since FSG is not talking--except for Tom Warner who loudly proclaimed, "We're going full throtle" this offseason.
I don't think that anyone expects FSG to give us a detailed roadmap of what they plan on doing for the next five years, but it would be nice for John Henry to explain (even in generalities) the team's (and FSG's) philosophies. That would clear up a lot of specualtion.
Is the bolded true? The Sox have acquired a second baseman, a starting pitcher and a fourth outfielder. The Rays have made more moves. The Dodgers have made more moves. With the Soto deal, the Yankess made a sexier move. The Cards and Royals have improved their teams. The M's have done some stuff. And that's off the top of my head--I may be missing some. Like I said, the Sox have done some stuff but as of January 6, 2024, one could argue that their pitching staff is slightly better or worse, their second base situation has improved and their outfield is overstuffed. They appear to be poised to make more moves, but until they do the beat writers aren't in the business of predicting, they have to report.
Right now the Sox remind me of the school day before summer break, you know that something cool is going to happen; you're just waiting for the bell to ring. No one is learning anything, tests are done and you're just playing paper football with your pals anticipating summer. There's nothing to talk about except what you're going to do in July and August. And that gets boring after an hour. I can't imagine how bored the beat writers are writing about Hernandez for three weeks.
I agree with you about Snell and Montgomery, I sure hope the Sox don't blow the bank on them. But free agency is only one avenue, right? They can make a trade for a Burnes and sign him to long-term extension. They can get Lazurdo, sign him to an extension. Cease, same deal. It doesn't seem like the Sox are seriously interested in doing any of this--they could, no one saw the Sale trade--but as of right now, all signs point to them not being involved. You combine that with Yamamato and it's disapoinitng to a lot of fans because while the Sox have the Big Bat Three, their pitching cabinent is bare. Watching the four or five guys after Bello this year seems so damn depressing.
You don't have to win the winter, per se, but it would be nice to have some hope--again, I have a calendar I know what day it is, but as of right now, it sucks. And it's even worse when you consider Tom Warner finally doing a good job of getting the fan base hyped up.
I think that this is really, really unfair. They have been probing how Breslow is planning to make the team better using available clues. They're absolutely doing that. You just can't write the same "Chris Farley Show" column day after day after day. Your positivity is admirable, it really is, but the reality is that as of today, the Sox are really not markedly better than they were on October 1. I don't think that they're worse, but we were promised that they'd be a lot better in 2024. Cotillo, Abraham, McAdam know that it takes time to put a team together but in a business where news is news, the Sox have been mostly spinning their wheels. I know that you don't want to hear that, but the beat writer's job is not to make you (not you specifically) feel good*. It's to find the news, report it and then disect what it means.
* There is no such thing as unbiased news/writing. There never was and unless AI can do it, there never will be. Every single story since the beginning of time has had a slant, that's just the way humans are. I know that you didn't argue this, but I have a strong feeling that someone (probably not you) will.
