Red Sox still need to make MORE offseason moves

Red Sox still need to make MORE offseason moves

Maz was off last week as the Red Sox traded for Sunny Gray. What are your thoughts on that transaction, Maz? He’s not I’m fine with the move. He’s not a number two starter. I mean, this idea that he is a number two starter is wrong. He’s not. Do you think that that’s all they’re going to do there? Uh I fear that. I mean, I I serious fear about that. If they if they add a guy in front of Sunny Gray, it’ll be better. But I would tell you, I have a lot of concerns about Gray. And if you if you want to stick him in the middle of your rotation, you get two or three other guys, fine, no problem. But I don’t know if he’s the kind of guy you want to rely on in a big game either. He’s not a number two and it’s all they’re doing, right? And even if he is a number two, he’s not a big game number two. So like, you know, the he’s got a history when he was in the Yankees, he kind of turtled. He was kind of sackless. So I I I’m okay with the pitcher. Like the player’s fine. I hate the nature of the deal. And even more so, Maz, is just the bull crap that I just have to sip through that to me now becomes a story. I mean, this all started two weeks ago. And you remember I read this line from Alex Spear and sort of laughed at it when Alex Spear wrote two weeks ago that at the GM meetings, chief baseball officer Craig Brezlo said, “The Socks want to add a middle-ofthe-art power hitter and a number two starter.” Those are big ticket items, right, Spear? But the Red Sox wouldn’t declare those areas as priorities if they didn’t think they could afford the spending or trade commitments needed to acquire them. And I laughed at that line when it was written. I said, “Well, you just started covering the team. You’ve never heard the Red Sox pump up a bunch of bull crap and blow a bunch of sunshine up your ass just to turn around and do nothing. That’s what all they’ve done for five years. So, how could you how could you say that, Alex?” And well, here we go. Because when they when he says that uh Brezlo indicated they’re going to add a middle of the order power hitter and a number two starter. Did anyone have Sunny Gray? No. No. As the number two starter? No. But this is what they’re doing. And they took money in return. Maz. Bingo. So that’s the other thing. They took money in return. H if he gross if Sunny Gray is so good, why did the Cardinals have to eat some of the money? Can somebody exactly right? I mean, well, if he’s that good, why did St. Louis have to eat the money to get rid of him? And if St. Louis hadn’t have eaten the money, would the Red Sox have traded for the player? No. It’s about the contract, Alex. Everybody else, it’s about the contract, not about winning at the highest level. It’s about the deal and their payroll and their finances. It’s not about adding a number two starter or a middle order power bat. It’s spending a certain amount of money. That’s what it’s about. And you know, shame on anyone who’s been around and knows it to take the cheese like that. And you boy, that didn’t take long for them to to pull the wool right over your eyes. Yank the football away. Sunny Gray plus money from the St. Louis Cardinals. Give me a break. Oh, it was a total budget move. That’s what it was. It was a complete budget move. I mean, I don’t even see where it’s even remotely debatable, frankly. Like, I look at it and say, “What what real evidence is there to suggest he’s a number two starter? What are they basing that on?” He’s not. So, here’s some more. So, again, listen to the slow trickle of where we here. We start with Alex and the Red Sox saying going big for a number two starter and a middle- of the order bat. Adding a middle of the order bat adding Okay, now you’ve got your number two starter. It’s 36-year-old Sunny Gray plus money from St. Louis. Alex wrote on Sunday, “He’s a better Lucas Golito is what he is. Keep going.” Potentially. I don’t know. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. I I don’t know if he’ll be better than That’s totally fair. Golito was good last year. He’s Yeah, that’s totally fair. You’re right. Absolutely. He’s Lucas Gilito is what he is. A replacement for Lucas Gilito. At best, he’s what Lucas Gio was last year. Yep. So, you didn’t add anything. Now, Alex wrote on Sunday, “It feels like I’m beating up on Alex. I don’t I I like him a lot like everybody. It’s It’s just I know where it’s coming from. I know I think as much as anyone, he kind of speaks for the team or they’re through him like it’s like listen to Mike Reese. You got to read these guys and listen to these guys. He’s connected because I think they reflect they reflect what’s coming from the organization.” So, it’s valuable insight. So, I’m not really yelling at Alex. It’s just the the messaging of the team and the bull crap. So, now on Sunday, Alex Spear wrote that the Socks want to add a top position player this off season, whether through a reunion with third baseman Alex Bregman or another bat such as first baseman Pete Alonzo. Let me ask you something. Is Alex Bregman signing with the Red Sox adding a top position player? No. It’s staying where you were. That’s how they’re going to message it. Of course, that’s how they’re going to greasy. So, so you don’t get to add Pete Alonzo to Alex Bregman. It’s going to be replace. It’s going to be either Bregman or Pete Alonzo, right? It’s not You’re not adding anything. You’re not adding Sunny Gray to Lucas Gilito. You’re replacing Lucas Gelo with Sunny Gray. And it turns out to be the same thing with Alex Bregman or Peter Lonzo. You’re not adding anything. No, this was like that John Marosi report when he said they’ll be in good shape if they get either or when in fact they need both. Keep going. So, uh, see, even assuming they do so, again, Bregman or Alonzo, multiple sources suggest they’re open to adding an additional complimentary positional player. One intriguing possibility, a switch- hitting infielder Jorge Palano, who slashed his blah blah blah blah, and then all the numbers. Your thoughts on Palanco? Okay. Uh, what did it say? Can you keep I before I even say read the next line on Blanco. The 32-year-old played second base and third for the Mariners and is open to adding first base to add to his versatility. Okay. He played second base and third base for the Mariners. He played five games at third base. He played 38 at second. You know where he played the rest of the time? I don’t even know. DH. I was gonna say DH. Another DH. So now they’re gonna sell a DH to me as a second baseman when he’s been one of the worst sec. This is another thing that I hate. I hate it. I hate this move. I can’t stand it. So they’re going to, you know, he could play second and third. He doesn’t play either one of them well. President also suggests mass that the Socks will keep exploring rotation upgrades even after their trade for Sunny Gray. Last off seasonason after the socks traded for Garrick Crochet, for example, they explored other high-end trade options before adding Walker Beer, who sucked socks and paid him 21 million. So, this is what they’re doing. They’re just they are going after the contracts. They’re taking some swings with some older players on one-year commitments and if they flame out like Walker Buer or uh Paxton uh Crawford uh oh James Paxton James Paxton excuse me James Richards the whole lot of those guys well it’s it’s one year and okay we wasted some money but we’re not Meanwhile who did the Blues just uh Dylan Seven years 210 million so that’s what you’re doing if you’re really looking you upgrade, correct? Is you’re going out and you’re spending real money on a real starting pitcher. And it’s laughable. I don’t know. Laughable to uh I don’t know. Well, I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to say. I never took the cheese. Never took the cheese. Laughable to say, “Well, the Red Sox, you know, they wouldn’t imply that they’d be willing to do this unless they were really willing to do it.” That’s what’s laughable. They’re just once again trying to prime the pump, tease you a little bit. They have no intention of spending real money and playing with the big boys financially. Again, that’s not what they want to do. They’re in on contracts. They’re not in on players. And I guess it frustrates me. I find it laughable that the coverage doesn’t reflect it. It frustrates me. Well, it should frustrate you because it’s exactly what they’re doing. And the the Toronto thing is the the best example of the whole thing. The Blue Jays were just in the World Series. They smell it. They want to win and they say, “We’re going to go out and get another starting pitcher because we basically ran out of arms in the playoffs. So, we’re going to go get another legit guy. That’s what we’re going to do.” They’re more worried about the contracts than the players. Get it through your heads. It’s been that way for, you know, half a long time now. Half a decade, and it’s not changing anytime soon. Uh Spear wrote on November 26, uh Brezlo declined to say if Gray would serve as a number two starter, but identified traits in the pitcher that fulfill the job description. He’s a guy that has pitched in the front of the rotation. Those things that pitchers carry from year to year are strikeout rates and walk rates and the ability to stay off barrels. He excels there. Brezo declined to say if Greg would serve as the number two. Why did you think he decline? Cuz he knows he’s not good enough. He doesn’t want to deal with blowback either because he knows how this looks. Yes. He knows it’s uh second city, you know, second city TV kind of stuff. It’s second tier. It’s a second tier move. He knows how this plays with the fan base that, you know, that’s what you come home with as your number two starter. 36-year-old Sunny Gray plus money from an NL Central team. That’s your number two starter. He knows how that plays. So, he can’t admit that he’s our number two. So, he leaves that unanswered. He’s smart enough to know how this plays. And um well, just again, get it through your skull. They’re just worried about the contracts. I’m telling you, Sunny Gray is ballless. Never mind the fact that he’s testicularly challenged. Uh John McAdam tweeted this over the uh this another thing that bothers me. Again, the coverage. According to industry sources familiar with the organization’s thinking, the Red Sox are okay going over the first uh CBT, first tax threshold set at 244 million for the upcoming season, which would translate to them absorbing a modest financial loss. But with anything beyond that, there’s a reluctance to incur bigger deficits. So, they’re not going to sign anyone seriously. You you might get Breman or Alonzo. You’re not getting both. They’re not adding anything. They’re not adding a number two starter. They’ve just replaced Golito. And they’re not adding a middle- of the order bat. They’re either bringing back Bregman or replacing him with Alonzo or someone like that. That’s what they’re doing. They’re not adding. And it’s because they don’t want to add payroll. That’s what they care about, their payroll. But I don’t like it when Sean, who we’ve known forever, I also like, but he writes that if the socks go well beyond that first CBT threshold, that would translate to them absorbing a modest financial loss. According to who? Like is he saying they’d be in the red like on a cash in cash out basis? Is that what he’s implying for the season? I think that’s what he means. He’s saying so that would mean that they would be not they that if they go much farther into the CBT, they would cease to be profitable as a franchise, as an organization in 2026 is what I think he means. Is that what he’s saying? Probably. Or he’d be under or they’d be underwater on that specific transaction. No, he’s saying bigger than the transaction. So, the Socks are okay going over the first CBT threshold set at 244 million for 2026, which would translate to them absorbing a modest financial loss. Okay. According to who? You know, I I would like for Sean or anyone who reports like this, and it never gets done because the folks at cover just take the team’s word for it. But don’t take these teams word for it. They claim they would be they claim exactly the Socks are okay going over the first CBT threshold which would according to the team translate to them absorbing a modest financial loss or comma they claim right we’re going to take them at their word that if they spend 260 now we’re in the red we’re going to take them at their word for that well let’s open up the books then let’s Hey, let’s see those numbers. We’re just going to take it on face value that now all of a sudden they’re losing money, which I categorically don’t believe. But if they’re not going to show you their books, which they never will because then we’re going to find out just what they’re paying themselves in their role. Like if the Patriots, if the Dallas Cowboys ever open up their books, what do you think Jerry Jones pays himself? Oh god. As general manager, 20 million. Yeah. What do you think he includes as operating expenses? His two helicopters, three yacht, like those are operating expenses. You know what I mean? Like if they opened up the books, you know what they pay themselves, what they write off as business expenses. So like until they open up their books, you just can’t say that signing player X would put them in the red unless they show. They claim, they say, they maintain. Right. That’s how you’ve got to report that. Absolutely right. Oh my god. Do not take the words the words make all the difference there. Do not take them at their word. And Sean knows it. Like I don’t mean to beat them up, but it’s like that just so that little thing crawls up my ass. Don’t give these teams the benefit of the doubt. And the Red Sox can absorb a little bit more than a modest loss. They should be willing at least to go up to the 285 range, which I think is where the next threshold is. There’s a threshold, and I can’t remember exactly where it is, Mike, where you then start to suffer some draft penalties. And even then, the draft penalties aren’t that bad, that you drop 10 spots for crying out loud, which isn’t, you know, isn’t that bad. It’s not like you lose the pick entirely. You drop 10 spots. But that aside, they should be able to go $40 million over that number up to them. You know, it’s uh I won’t get too far into it, but you know, Hal Steinbrrener is doing the same. At least Steinbrer saying it in his own words as opposed to Henry who’s afraid to say it. Uh at least Hal Steinbrer puts his name to it. Hal Stein Brener said that he said quote okay so if first of all the Yankees payroll finished at 319 last year uh 319 million again you were around the 240 range. Steinbrunner said, “Would it be ideal if I went down in payroll?” Of course. At least he owns it. But does that mean it’s going to happen? Of course not. Do you know what Hal Steinbrunner also did, which Henry’s done? Blame how much it cost to staff his operations, his analytics department, his, you know, his off-field department. He says um he he says we can talk before Cashman goes into the winter meetings about a payroll range, but because it’s a fluid situation, that range can go bye-bye in two seconds if there’s a deal that arises that I feel would be very beneficial to some area of need that we have. A reporter then said he had seen it suggested that the Yankees revenues were over 700 million. Uh the reporter then asked if it was fair to assume the Yankees made a profit this year. Quote, “No, Stein Brener said, “It’s not fair, actually.” “But do the Yankees lose money?” he was asked. “I don’t want to get into it,” said Stein Brener. “But that’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. At least he’s answering the questions himself, but he’s trying to weasel out of the money, too.” Crazy. He said it all, all the off-field stuff, it all starts to add up in a hurry. He said, “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, or performance science.” Performance science. Yeah. the biomechanists. These are all these all start to add up, said Stein Brener. If you want to go look at all the revenues, you got to somehow try to figure out the expense side as well. You might be surprised. He’s bitching about how much they have to spend on their front office. He is. And the nerds and that’s why we can’t spend on the players because of all of the performance science that they’ve invested in the biomechanism. They’re doing the same crap the Yank, but they at least are spending over 300 million and they are going deep into the tax. You’re still stuck right around the tax line. Yeah. Like look, I don’t expect the Red Sox to spend with the Dodgers spend. But if the whole idea is when we get to the point where we’re ready to win, that we will spend, well then when you get to the point we have to where you’re ready to win, you have to spend. And I think the Red Sox are pretty much there. They brought up all these young guys. They’re ready to go. It’s time to win. That’s what it is. And all of a sudden it’s well yeah but so they fed your bull crap the last time and now they’re feeding you more bull crap. They’re just concerned about the payroll. Get it through your head. They’re concerned about the total payroll. They’re concerned about the cash in cash out. They’re concerned about the CBT. H that’s what they’re concerned with. That’s how they’re building their roster. And any reporting the otherwise is either just not getting it or disingenuous. That’s it. And when they tell you if we sign player X will be in the red, don’t take them at their word. They’re probably lying because that’s usually what happens and we all know it by now.

Felger and Mazz revisit the Red Sox trading for Sonny Gray, who Mazz described as a fine pitcher but not a bona fide No. 2 option.

Thumbnail photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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