Offseason rumors
- Thread starter opes
- Start date
- Status
Will be interesting to see the terms. If it's something like 5/$80M I'm going to be disappointed.
Alex Speier on Imanaga signing with Cubs: "The Red Sox remained involved in the Imanaga bidding as recently as this morning, but had been described as “doubtful” to land him."
Translation: The Red Sox offered 2 years for $28M.
View: https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1744873652422668425
Translation: The Red Sox offered 2 years for $28M.
View: https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1744873652422668425
Speaking of Cora, is he going to quit if the starting rotation doesn't get some notable improvement by ST?
How many more times are we going to have to read a description like this for a free agent pursuit? Some scoff at the "interest kings" moniker, but that's what they are. If anyone thinks they are going to be remotely in the bidding for Snell or Montgomery, they are fools. The only angle to get a really good starting pitcher now is to trade a valuable farm piece away.
That thought occurs, but he's getting paid a hefty salary this year, so my guess is he would stick it out.
Wanted him due to the fact he'd be cheaper than Snell but honestly it may make more sense to pay more for a known quantity like Snell (not that I have any faith in the Red Sox shelling out the money to get him).
Are the Sox content to just go with the pitchers they have? So much interest, so little in terms of signing players.
More like SG...There is no Fenway anymore. Really interested to see the numbers on Imanaga.
What is going on with the Giants? No doubt they have extra motivation to demonstrate some response to the moves of their rival in LA, but Heyman said earlier today it was down to the Cubs and Red Sox for Imanaga. Plus, they couldn't land Judge last year.
Well I'll save $30/month on NESN this year. This team can't land anyone good at a position of glaring need.
I am so disappointed now, I can't even express myself other than in four-letter words not fit to print.
Why would you assume that they’ll do that as opposed to just rolling with what they have? It seems unlikely that this ownership group is going to give up the cost controlled years of Mayer/ Anthony/ Teel (and for who we’re talking about, I don’t think they should).
That's assuming that if we were the highest bidder he was interested in coming here as opposed to the other teams and cities who were courting him. YY wasn't. We don't know who offered Imanaga what.
At this point, though, why would a player choose the Red Sox? I think they are close to the stage where they need to overpay to land someone of significance, and they clearly don’t want to do that. If all players hear is that a last place team doesn’t have much money to spend- and has been known to trade long term players, manager a potential lame duck, tough division….
Plus the Cubs pointed out to him they are on the West Coast (of Lake Michigan).
So all they've done with the rotation so far for 2024 is replace a combined ~190 innings of 4.00 FIP ball from Chris Sale and James Paxton with Lucas Giolito, who, if he rebounds and doesn't miss a single start, should improve on that slightly.
1. Giolito*
2. Bello
3. Pivetta*
4. Crawford
5. Houck or Whitlock
If that looks volatile to you, just wait till you see what's under team control in 2025:
1. Bello
2. Crawford
3. Houck
4. Whitlock
5. Dick Fitts? Josh Winckowski?
*pending free agent.
Sure, they have $140M to spend in 2025 until the first threshold (lol). But what are they going to do? Sign the entire free agent class? Kidnap Jerry Dipoto until he agrees to finally listen to offers on Logan Gilbert or George Kirby?
Given ownership's reluctance to go big the past few seasons it's not surprising that they're going small again.
Cora won’t be here in 2025. I think that’s almost a certainty at this point. He’s gonna get his pick of teams and get a ton of money from someone. And he’s going to go to a place he thinks is focused on winning now. The Red Sox are none of those things right now. I’d be shocked if he’s back. Stunned.
As for Imanaga, I just can’t really believe the amount of pressure they are putting on themself to nail a trade when there have been multi arms that could have been had for reasonable money. I just don’t really understand what’s going on.
I believe the red sox reputation with players and agents is in the toilet.
Can not really compete for top FAs
Rep is cheap, dysfunctional and a distracted ownership
Nothing will change until team is sold
Can not really compete for top FAs
Rep is cheap, dysfunctional and a distracted ownership
Nothing will change until team is sold
This is not just for ITP, but why with this particular announcement? I was not sold on Imanaga at all from the get go and I haven't even seen the terms yet. How an unproven commodity choosing to sign elsewhere causes this kind of uproar is beyond me. It's January 9.
As I see it nothing they've passed on is anything too special. People just seem to want to see a big splash as a show of faith. It's January 9.
They're not going to work on our timetable. We don't know their real targets or if those targets are even on SoSH's radar.
We don't know nothing.
It's January 9.
Seconded. Lance Brozdowski did a YT video on him and concluded that his stuff is fairly middling. No Yamamoto or anything remotely close.
This is all true. I continue to say that we need to wait to see final painting. It’s undeniable though, that the color palette is a lot more limited than it was 6 weeks ago, and there’s a lot of empty spots on the canvas.
100% agree. Throwing a bunch of money at the wrong pitchers just for the sake of getting one or two of them isn't the answer (see Kluber, Corey). I was never sold on Imanaga although I would have signed him for a Senga-like contract (5 years $75 M). I'm not in favor of either Montgomery or Snell for the money or years they're likely to get. I wouldn't have given YY what he got from the Dodgers although I would have had less of a problem with that happening than with any of the aforementioned. Yes, the Sox need pitching but I'd rather see them explore the trade market or pay less money on a shorter term contract than handcuff themselves with a bad, long term contract as they did with Sale.
Last edited:
All true as well, and if in another 6 weeks it doesn't look a lot different, hand me a pitchfork. Imanaga doesn't move the needle for me, that's all.
You're right, of course. And while I'm usually pretty even-keeled about this stuff, I'm also still the board's resident Dice-K fan. I'm intrigued by pitchers who come from the NPB with interesting stats. I know the home run rate might mean he's a disaster here, but the swing and miss stuff seems intriguing to me. He's likely one of those guys--sort of like Dice--that most here would end up hating but I'd still make appointment viewing.
The possibilities are shrinking with each day. Does anyone have any confidence that they are going to sign a good pitcher at this point? They won’t spend the money.
Imanaga by himself doesn’t move it for me either. No one move does. But collectively? Another story. Tough to not detect a pattern.
That’s the second time you’ve arbitrarily stated as fact that they are too cheap, and it’s absurd.. Maybe they thought his skill set didn’t warrant the dollars he was seeking. Maybe they had some data indicating he’d be a disaster in Fenway. Maybe Chicago has a much more vibrant Japanese community where he would be welcome. If you have inside info to support your conclusion, share it with us.
This site isn’t a dumping ground for unsupported venting. There’s been a long dialogue in this thread about not spending dollars for mediocre talent just to say you’ve spent it, most of it supported by in depth analysis from observers, who are much more knowledgeable than I am.. There’s also been a clear admonition from the Dopes not to throw out conclusory statements without data to support your argument.
Well, we can't know for sure who their real targets were, whether they thought of Imanaga as an upside #3 or just an end of the rotation type. But there's at least some smoke that they thought highly of him. They were reported to have heavily scouted Imanaga at least as far back as September. They've been described as one of the more involved teams since he was posted. Alex Speier said they showed consistent interest in Imanaga throughout the offseason. A couple weeks before that report, Speier said on MLBTV that Imanaga "was of considerable interest" to the Red Sox and that his "pitch characteristics from Japan were quite fascinating to the team." And we know that they were in the bidding up to at least this morning. Doesn't seem like someone they thought was nothing special but who knows. Opinions were pretty divided with BA calling him a #5 starter and Eno Sarris saying he'd rather have Imanaga at $100M than Montgomery at Nola money.
Anyways the pattern isn't great and this lends credence to the hard budget and only 1-2 year signings rumors.
- Status