Offseason rumors
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Kennedy is a liar. Not a shock
Yea, Kennedy is not a honest broker. Nothing he says publicly should taken at face value. Kennedy doesn't need to legally tell fans if the team is making and has every incentive to lie about their investment into the team to try to drive fans to the stadium. FSG had a chance earlier in the offseason to properly set expectations but they as a group decided to lie to drive interest into the team. This was a business decision that Sam Kennedy has made over and over again. It is what bad ownership does.
Maybe he waits until they're on a winning streak? It could happen, you know. Even happened last year, lest we forget.
Hot stuff, @YTF! And thanks for clarifying.
I always root for them to beat NYY, Houston, and Toronto. Not sure that's enough for fan club prez.
Quick and honest question: Why is all of this ownership/PR nightmare drama being discussed ad nauseum over and over again in the Off Season Rumors thread? And why don't many of the actual baseball fans on here care to talk about, you know, baseball? Isn't that why most of us joined SOSH in the first place?
Are you nuts? Of course he goes to games. The narrative pushed by those who over-react to Kennedy’s statements does not play out at the park. We watch the game.
You are free to create new threads and discuss whatever you want. That's the SoSH way!
I mean, it is the offseason thread and there is a Spring Training thread right there if you'd like to add current baseball content.
Because directly affects the offseason rumors spoke about in the thread. If you don't care about the business of baseball don't come in the rumor thread. There are other threads just discussing baseball.
Any conversation about bottom lines and profitability will take us down a million rabbit holes. They will never open up their books to the public. There is only one MLB team that is a publicly traded company, the Atlanta Braves.
I was not thrilled with the offseason either, but it is clear that an investment was made in the pitching development program. That type of thing is a top to bottom organizational wide thing that may take years to fully come into form. To be clear - I am ok with that because it means they identified an area where they can maximize the guys that are already in the organization. I am guessing guys like Willard and Bailey weren't cheap and probably had other bidders as well.
It just seems obvious to me that expectations were not level set to players and coaches. I wouldn't go so far as to say people in the org were "lied to", but the messaging was either unclear or nonexistent.
Now, let's get back to some good old fashioned baseball rumors....
Mariners reliever Matt Brash looks like he is going to be out for a lengthy period of time - could they make a good trade partner? Brash has been absolutely filthy and that is a big loss for them. Jerry DiPoto loves to make trades like I love to breath oxygen. We shall see.
I was not thrilled with the offseason either, but it is clear that an investment was made in the pitching development program. That type of thing is a top to bottom organizational wide thing that may take years to fully come into form. To be clear - I am ok with that because it means they identified an area where they can maximize the guys that are already in the organization. I am guessing guys like Willard and Bailey weren't cheap and probably had other bidders as well.
It just seems obvious to me that expectations were not level set to players and coaches. I wouldn't go so far as to say people in the org were "lied to", but the messaging was either unclear or nonexistent.
Now, let's get back to some good old fashioned baseball rumors....
Mariners reliever Matt Brash looks like he is going to be out for a lengthy period of time - could they make a good trade partner? Brash has been absolutely filthy and that is a big loss for them. Jerry DiPoto loves to make trades like I love to breath oxygen. We shall see.
I never said that I don't care about the business of baseball, please don't put words in my mouth. In fact I have and do comment on the business side and the tone deaf messaging this off season, feel free to go back and look. I just choose to not beat a dead horse.The snark on here is sometimes unbearable. And in fact i did make a baseball comment on the Spring Training thread about Roman Anthony almost 4 hours ago that nobody has added to because they are too consumed with yet another ill advised and stupid Sam Kennedy quote.
So you are mad no one is playing with you on the soccer field so you came over to the tennis courts and asked why everyone has rackets in their hands?
Thanks for validating my comment about the snarkiness. Does anyone else think this guy is kind of a d*@k?
Quick and honest question: Why is all of this drama being discussed in the Off Season Rumors thread? And why don't many of the actual baseball fans on here care to talk about, you know, baseball? Isn't that why you joined SOSH in the first place?
If you took that as snark, I apologize. I thought prefacing it with "honest question" would've made it clear. I do sincerely wonder why so many get hung up on the owners and the pr statements and rehash what has already been said when there is a season about to get underway, thats all.
There is a combination of impatience for the season to begin and anxiety over the team's not doing more to improve the roster. That has made a lot of us cranky. Everyone take a deep breath. You do you, I'll do me, and the others will do themselves. Tolerance is an underrated virtue.
I would pretty much bet the bulk of the return on owning a sports franchise
is the profit from selling.
unless the buyer has such an ego that the bragging rights of ownership outweigh the business considerations
you need to show some return on investment in order to maximize the the sales price.
is the profit from selling.
unless the buyer has such an ego that the bragging rights of ownership outweigh the business considerations
you need to show some return on investment in order to maximize the the sales price.
Don't worry about it, I am just teasing you.
I get it can be frustrating seeing people hark on negativity and I really wish there wasn't this negativity. However I think there is a lot to say about this ownership group especially since Sam Kennedy took over for Lucchino. I would argue that at that point the Red Sox went from good ownership to a bad ownership. While I think Sam Kennedy is a large part of the team's problem, I think it is a multifaceted problem with internal make up of FSG, their business goals, and how it has changed, and some real external forces.
Like, ITP says, take a deep breath. We all are getting pissed Montgomery hasn't signed yet either.
It’s actually quite simple, you can follow my policy of the past 57 years. My favorite two teams are the Red Sox and whoever is playing the Yankees.
Well John Henry has been a mute for almost 4 years, Tom Werner is a doofus cheerleader type that rarely says anything pertinent, and now Sam Kennedy is the latest punching bag who should seriously stick to the business end of FSG. They really need someone with some credibility with an extremely educated and in tune fan base to be more transparent with what is actually going on with the Red Sox, but apparently Theo is spending his time looking for Liverpool FC's next manager. Too bad really because he would be the guy that people like us on here would trust a bit more.
How about a rumor? Heyman reported a day or two ago that Snell is now willing to consider a short term deal with opt outs. Here's hoping that happens and breaks the logjam.
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2856108
"Snell’s agent, Scott Boras, is the latest to suggest an alternate concept, which was a shorter deal with higher AAVs (salaries) plus opt-outs, much like Cody Bellinger just did with the Cubs. However, the Yankees don’t believe that works for them because the higher AAV would mean a higher tax, and opt-outs could mean surrendering draft choices for a short-time star."
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2856108
"Snell’s agent, Scott Boras, is the latest to suggest an alternate concept, which was a shorter deal with higher AAVs (salaries) plus opt-outs, much like Cody Bellinger just did with the Cubs. However, the Yankees don’t believe that works for them because the higher AAV would mean a higher tax, and opt-outs could mean surrendering draft choices for a short-time star."
John Henry is no longer the majority shareholder of FSG. He is the largest share holder but not the majority. FSG has a large partnership, with Werner being the chairman and Mike Gordon running the day to day of FSG as well as Liverpool. Sam Kennedy is FSG's appointed Governor for the Red Sox. He answers to Mike Gordon and then to the Partners as a group run by Werner but is for all accounts the guy running the Red Sox (he is also a partner but has less voting rights than LeBron James). John Henry as the principal owner of the Red Sox and earlier incarnations of the FSG had more to do with the every day administration of the team.
I'm just going to keep saying it until he signs: Snell should go to Baltimore! They're a good team with an opening in their rotation because of an injury. They have the bullpen to withstand Snell's occasional short outings. They'd lost the 62nd pick in the draft if they signed him, if I'm reading the rules correctly. If he gets the opt-out, he can always try again.
Wait, why am I trying to help the Orioles?
Wait, why am I trying to help the Orioles?
My brain forced itself to read that word like 5 times before I could process. Very well done!
Also, I’d like to take at least another couple days before Sam steps violently and pointlessly on another rake. He is a (edited later) bad person to me now. Not a profit business? Asshole, and all justifications I’ve read here are the thinnest of gruel.
I wonder if it’s somehow a JWH symptom: like they don’t let non English speaking players pick their own translators. Why? Because they don’t speak the language well enough to really judge the skill. Maybe like Henry isn’t even capable of recognizing quality communication because he’s so incapable himself.
It’s like Sam comes off the top turnbuckle to really maximize self rake damage. Just shut up…oh, and sign Monty and I’ll get off your back
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“Well, finances are not better,” Kennedy said. “But again, I'm not going to talk about specific financial parameters or our budget.
This is the quote that matters. Why aren't finances better? I mean, seriously, what the hell happened?
The national media revenue that MLB distributes to each team is growing. Despite cord-cutting, NESN is generating more revenue due to rate increases. Sponsorship revenue is growing. Despite some marginal attendance declines I suspect ticket revenue is up due to higher prices.
So what gives? Why are finances not better? Until they answer that question I'm not giving ownership any benefit of the doubt.
This is the quote that matters. Why aren't finances better? I mean, seriously, what the hell happened?
The national media revenue that MLB distributes to each team is growing. Despite cord-cutting, NESN is generating more revenue due to rate increases. Sponsorship revenue is growing. Despite some marginal attendance declines I suspect ticket revenue is up due to higher prices.
So what gives? Why are finances not better? Until they answer that question I'm not giving ownership any benefit of the doubt.
I agree - Is it possible he’s not referring to the Red Sox? Like if we can’t see RS revenue being diverted to PGA/etc right now then our eyes are closed.
Maybe one of FsGs other holdings isn’t performing as expected? Or the land development ROI isn’t coming through. In this case saying it is just dumb so I don’t think he is lying (hard to know with him now but that’s what makes sense).
I’ve discussed it with the Board of Directors and we’re prepared to offer you the role of Vice President.
Yeah, drop the Red Sox because they have cheap owners and start cheering for the Devil Rays! Makes so much sense.
I didn't miss your sarcasm, but the Rays seem to know how to run a low-budget team. I expect the FSG thought they might be getting that knowledge by hiring Bloom. But that didn't work, exactly, did it?
Yeah someday maybe we can dream of winning as many championships as the Devil Rays have. Unlike the dumb Red Sox, they are too smart to have a stadium that anyone wants to go to. No wonder they have so many fans.
Back in the day I always did have a soft spot for the Montreal Expos. After all New England does touch Quebec. Sigh.
I'd like to subject some folks here to the current Marlins ownership. It'd straighten 'em right out.
Or the Oakland A's.
I get the frustrations with FSG as things stand. But whenever I hear calls for Henry et al to sell the team, all I can think is "be careful what you wish for".
Not me. Give me a deeper wallet owner with a massive ego and a burning desire not to lose. It may not translate into wins but we would likely get to see some of the best players in the league playing for Boston.
That's much better than what we are likely to get now.
Also, the type of folks who own all the sad sack franchises aren't going to buy the Sox. The Sox are Boardwalk and Park Place. The As and Marlins are Jail.
"Koudelka puzzled over this attempted readjustment of his point-of-view, then let it bounce harmlessly off his impermeable habits of thought."
In the early 2010s when I was mad at Red Sox ownership, I started following the Pirates. I visited Pittsburgh often as a kid and always had a soft spot for the Pirates. I can tell you that any time you're mad about Henry and FSG, it could absolutely be worse. There is nobody worse than Bob Nutting.
Point is that saying we fans could do worse with ownership by citing John Fisher et al is silly.
Fisher or anyone who operates like him is unlikely to shell out $5-7B just to strip down the asset and clip coupons. It feels like there are much cheaper ways to do that sort of transaction.
That other there’re examples of others behaving worse doesn’t excuse the merely bad. That other owners are cheaper doesn’t mean that FSG isn’t being cheap.
I agree with this. Others being cheap doesn't mean FSG isn't being cheap, but if people think they can start rooting for some other team as a form of protest, they're going to find that these owners are all just varying degrees of cheap.
I think some of it is the absence of baseball to talk about. I think some of it is that Kennedy and Co. can't seem to take a step out of doors without planting their feet firmly in their mouths. From a messaging standpoint, they've been a disaster that keeps feeding grist to the mill.
I sincerely hope a lot of this dies down once some combination of the following happens:
-Grissom shows promise at 2B and flashes that bat.
-Duran shows last year wasn't a mirage.
-C-Note shows an ability to hit major league pitching.
-Yoshida shows last season's first half to be his true talent level.
-Houck and/or Whitlock show they can stick in a rotation.
-Crawford and Bello show advancement in their burgeoning development.
-Devers shows an ability not to throw the ball into the stands.
-Story shows a return to form in the batter's box and continuing excellent in the field.
-O'Neill shows the ability to stay healthy.
-Giolito shows a little of that ol' Bailey/Breslow magic.
-Casas keeps being the dude.
-They sign Montgomery (I know, I know, I know)
I sincerely hope a lot of this dies down once some combination of the following happens:
-Grissom shows promise at 2B and flashes that bat. I THINK IT'LL HAPPEN
-Duran shows last year wasn't a mirage. YEP
-C-Note shows an ability to hit major league pitching. COULD BE
-Yoshida shows last season's first half to be his true talent level. COULD BE
-Houck and/or Whitlock show they can stick in a rotation. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN (at least for Whitlock, but probably neither)
-Crawford and Bello show advancement in their burgeoning development. YEP
-Devers shows an ability not to throw the ball into the stands. DUNNO, UNLIKELY
-Story shows a return to form in the batter's box and continuing excellent in the field. THE LATTER AT LEAST
-O'Neill shows the ability to stay healthy. NOPE
-Giolito shows a little of that ol' Bailey/Breslow magic. COULD BE
-Casas keeps being the dude. CERTAINLY WILL HAPPEN
-They sign Montgomery (I know, I know, I know) LET'S HOPE ... I KINDA THINK THEY WILL!
The owner you describe is only slightly less mythical than the unicorn.
If John Henry gets tired of being a local punching bag and decides in the next year or two 'I'm out', the likely next majority owner will be Redbird Capital. Bonus points to anyone who can tell me who Redbird's managing partner is without Googling him. When doing my own two-minute Internet search on Redbird, I came across this nugget in their Wikipedia entry:
Is this what you want for the future of the Red Sox? Do people think that a faceless VC firm or an Arab oil sheik is going to be more responsive and transparent than FSG? But, hey, maybe using the Red Sox brand to sportswash a regime's questionable human rights record is a worthwhile trade if we can go after those big-time free agents, amirite?
Be careful what you wish for, indeed.
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