jaysfan2014

The Rays organization is mentioned in this story of a homeless program being exploited by sports teams in Tampa/St. Pete to get free labour: http://www.tampabay.com/news/specials/tampa-homeless-program-uses-unpaid-destitute-residents-as-steady-labor/2208350

Big win for both the Mariners and Blue Jays. It makes the Mariners more dangerous and more of a threat to the Angels, and helps the Jays, Yankees and Red Sox by removing a big piece from the Orioles. Wonder why the O's weren't will to resign him like they did with Hardy? Did their ownership close the checkbook? It's rumored the O's are talking with the Dodgers re: Matt Kemp.. but will the O's want to eat any of that salary, and will the Dodgers really want to part with Kemp unless they get a decent return (such as one of the O's pitchers or something.)

Cespedes isn't going anywhere according to Cherington. Say goodbye to Betts..

Perfect landing spot for him. He'll drive in a lot of HRs in that hot desert air at Chase Field, which is a hitter's park.

2013 team was a fluke from Victorino, Napoli and Drew having rebounds and Ellsbury being healthy. Those three players regressed back in 2014, and Ellsbury left for the Yanks.. don't start thinking that Ramirez and Sandoval equals a championship for Boston, especially they need more, plus are up against budget and luxury tax constraints after Sandoval and Ramirez's signings.

We have a young rotation coming up and emerging, and we have the money to find an OF and a 2B and bullpen help. I mean, if there's a team that REALLY needs a rebuild, try the Yankees! Boston's moves this offseason have increased the chances of the Yankees finishing near the bottom of the AL East (with Tampa likely to be a last place team, as I expect a fire sale.) For proof: Still, even with the moves, they're still likely behind Baltimore(decent offense, good pitching, and Gausman) and Toronto(offense, young rotation) in the AL East. And based on Cherington's talk, Betts could be AAA bound instead of Boston, because of Castillo's contract, and Cespedes.. won't matter, Betts will likely be dealt anyway along with others for a SP.. As it stands, their weakest link is their rotation. And what happens if Lester chooses Chicago (or even the Yankees?) over Boston? Then their acquisitions will look like a waste.. Also, the team is willing to go over the tax.. but only to a certain point. According to Alex Speier, Boston only has about $7-8M left before they start paying luxury tax.. http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2014/11/24/so-%25E2%2580%25A6-there-any-money-left-pitching-red-sox-ros They need two starters(more likely three if Buchholz and Kelly continue to struggle), bullpen help, and a backup for Christian Vazquez (Swihart needs more AAA time and may be part of a trade package for a SP.) I can't see the Sox going through $200M, considering revenues and market size (yes, they're a $1.5b team, but that's only if it was put up for sale. It has nothing to do with their budget.) Problem is that Victorino is near unmovable, and Cespedes' value is low due to his 1 year left before free agency and no arbitration allowed on him. Most teams want Betts and their SP prospects in ANY deal. And they aren't getting a SP for Middlebrooks, Bradley Jr, or Nava.. teams are smarter than that.

And if these deals fail for the Red Sox, they'll be stuck with them. Dodgers won't be bailing them out again, especially with Friedman there...

And if these deals fail for the Red Sox, they'll be stuck with them. Dodgers won't be bailing them out again, especially with Friedman there...

Boston only bought offense. Unless they're willing to go over the tax, their pitching and defense are still an issue, and their OF is still a quagmire.

Didn't we see this a few years ago? And it ended in disaster... I still think it's not going to end well, especially considering the risk Sandoval declines further and HanRam fails in LF.. I mean, he's terrible at SS and 3B.. how will he do in the OF?

Iwakuma isn't going anywhere. Seattle is expected to contend next year.. they're not making that deal. And Andrew Miller isn't returning to Boston.. these signings pretty much close the door, as they need SP more than relief. And Lester will likely end up with the Cubs.

That's the same way I felt. They've blown $185-190M already overnight($37-38M on the payroll for 2015) and they still haven't added any pitching. They're now up to $153M after these deals on 11 players.. these deals likely mean they're trading for a SP because Lester seems headed elsewhere.. signing Lester for the money that he's headed for, plus arb raises, will put them over the tax. And their OF, SP and bullpen aren't any clearer..

And Sandoval looks poised to sign, 5 years/about $100M.. holy overpay, Batman! http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/11/24/report-pablo-sandoval-agrees-to-terms-with-red-sox/ Something about these deals screams desperation.. Cherington must be under orders to put a decent team on the field or else, no rebuilding allowed! When they finish, likely trading for SP and maybe getting Lester back, the team will have an empty farm system and no payroll flexibility again.. the same thing the got Boston in trouble in 2011-12 and caused the Dodgers to bail them out. Not gonna happen this time.. Dodgers have payroll issues themselves.

The deal more likely means Sandoval has decided to resign with the Giants. If Boston's signing him to play LF, Cherington has no real plan.

Unfortunately, Ortiz is almost 40 and about to fall off a cliff offensively within the next year.

Still, where's he gonna play? SS is blocked with Bogaerts (barring a trade.. and neither Bogaerts or HanRam are good at SS), and there's still questions whether Sandoval signs. And LF.. don't they have enough OFs as is?

Hope Boston has fun watching him overthrow, bobble, and miss balls from SS or 3B, wherever he plays. Could be a sign Sandoval has chosen to stay with the Giants.. unless Boston plans to put HanRam in LF and Sandoval at 3B. Regardless, HanRam's defense his horrid..

An on-base monster who can be a regular DH and maybe play a little 1B on occasion to spell EE? Yes! Make the deal! Nolin's never going to amount to anything in Toronto.. he's better suited for the big park in Oakland. Just keep him away from C.. he's had a lot of concussion issues.

And they also need Ortiz and Pedroia to avoid regression.. as for HanRam, he's been increasingly fragile, missing chunks of time with the Marlins and Dodgers in recent years, along with being one of the worst SS in baseball(only Escobar was worse), and his time at 3B with the Marlins wasn't any better. I dread how he would be in LF defensively.. As for Sandoval, he's been regressing every year offensively since 2011.. and what'll happen to his D in a few years? Huge guys like him don't age well... And the Red Sox have only made the playoffs once in the 2010s..

Either this means Sandoval is resigning with the Giants or signing with the Padres, or the Red Sox are putting HanRam in the OF and getting Sandoval for 3B. It's also possible that Middlebrooks and/or Cecchini may be on the block along with others to get an ace SP.

Of course, this may be just a smoke screen to get Sandoval to sign.. Boston has many other needs, especially pitching. Wasting $40-45M on Sandoval and Ramirez is not a good use of money, especially when they need 2-3 pitchers in that rotation, along with bullpen help.

And he's terrible. Good thing the Pirates get out of that deal in 2016... what a waste of funds! And he is 26, BTW.

WAY too much money for a guy who has weight issues, hasn't hit 20 HR since 2011, has peripherals moving the wrong way (career-worst .739 OPS last season), and is better suited for the NL than the AL East. Not to mention that the Red Sox aren't close to contention, and would be repeating the same mistakes trying to do a quick fix like they made in 2011.. and this time, the Dodgers aren't bailing them out, as they no longer have the payroll flexibility to take Boston's bad contracts like in 2012.

Well, V-Dub needs to find work.. his 8-year contract finally expired after this past season. No more free money from the Angels and Yankees, who were paying the remainder of that AWFUL deal.

Rays narrowing search down to three.. Dave Martinez not included, two former Jays on the list: