Red Sox/MLB 2020 Hot Stove VII - The Mookie dilemma: Red Sox face franchise-changing decision

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

Cheating is cool and good.

 

[DKH]

Have to think a pitcher tatted out Cora

Alex not looking good

I’m all for giving the Yankees the 2017 & 18 WS since they don’t cheat

 

[Elvis P]

Cheating is cool and good.

I'm not saying that. Here's what I read in the baseball forum all the time: Because a few players older than Canseco admitted using diet pills, all baseball players in history have used PEDs, therefore Bonds and Clemens are HoFers. I'm not kidding. Although Bonds only played 7 years and never hit more than 34 dingers before he cheated, he was already a HoFer. I'm not kidding. I've read less than 10 posts today about the instant replay and I already saw a post that Cora should get a lifetime ban. I'm not kidding. Of course the Pats and Red Sox should be crucified. Bruin fans who read here and not there are obviously more intelligent than I am.

 

[LouJersey]

Sheesh what's in the water up there? Next I will find out my beloved 2011 Bruins cheated too.

 

[CDJ]

To be honest I would be more concerned if they weren’t trying to steal signs

Who do we think it was? Carson Smith? He looks like a narc and I don’t trust that first name. Very frat bro

it’s my boys Carson and Payton and Chandler

 

[Chevalier du Clavier]

To be honest I would be more concerned if they weren’t trying to steal signs

Who do we think it was? Carson Smith? He looks like a narc and I don’t trust that first name. Very frat bro

it’s my boys Carson and Payton and Chandler

He would be my best guess since he was the one Red Sox player who spoke out about the Astros trying to video record the Sox bullpen.

 

[DKH]

To be honest I would be more concerned if they weren’t trying to steal signs

Who do we think it was? Carson Smith? He looks like a narc and I don’t trust that first name. Very frat bro

it’s my boys Carson and Payton and Chandler

Going Steven Wright

Domestic violence
PEDs
Tattoos
eyes close together

Sox dumped him - had access to room

he’s my pick

 

[LSCII]

Sheesh what's in the water up there? Next I will find out my beloved 2011 Bruins cheated too.

Victory?

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Agreed. The Pats never did anything that actually helped them win. Bill admitted to Kraft that watching practices doesn't really help, watching film does, which is what made Kraft even madder.

Stealing signs is part of the game. The pitcher with the highest ERA+ ever, Mariano, used one pitch. Just because you know it's coming doesn't mean you can hit it. People get their "facts" from movies and not from playing and coaching. When I see thread titles in the sports forums that the Red Sox cheated their way to World Series (in 2018) I just laugh. As if their success is based solely on that.

Doesn't matter after we had a witch hunt over the PSI in footballs.

Idiots gonna idiot.

This was always coming to take the heat of Houston because they are going to be the dominant team in the MLB for the next decade.

Sox/Yanks are over spending more than everyone, Central will be closely contested every year, NL has the Buffalo Dodgers and noone else that is loaded.

 

[McGarnagle]

To be honest I would be more concerned if they weren’t trying to steal signs

Who do we think it was? Carson Smith? He looks like a narc and I don’t trust that first name. Very frat bro

it’s my boys Carson and Payton and Chandler

I'm going to say Ian Kinsler, because he was everything wrong with the world wrapped up into one baseball player.

 

[CDJ]

I was a dick in high school and my vision sucks so sometimes I couldn’t see the signs the catcher was putting down for me if the lighting was poor or I had sun in my eyes. In these moments I would yell at the catcher when I was throwing a curveball and I would throw a curveball.

the hitter would be like “ok there’s no way he’s actually throwing a curveball now right?”

I think major leaguers are a little more talented than me and the rest of the scrubs but the point remains- if you execute the pitch it really doesn’t matter if they know it’s coming. There’s just way less margin for error in the pros (obviously). So if they know what’s coming and it’s lacking pinpoint command it’s usually going to be tattooed (vintage E-Rod). Conversely they can know what is coming but if the pitch is good enough it doesn’t matter (Mariano)


Stealing signs is useful...there is a reason why teams do it. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter much if you don’t execute. Hell I’ve heard of some players preferring to not be tipped off on what’s coming. They prefer reacting instinctively

 

[LouJersey]

Victory?

Agreed and we are starting to see why

 

[smithformeragent]

I was a dick in high school and my vision sucks so sometimes I couldn’t see the signs the catcher was putting down for me if the lighting was poor or I had sun in my eyes. In these moments I would yell at the catcher when I was throwing a curveball and I would throw a curveball.

the hitter would be like “ok there’s no way he’s actually throwing a curveball now right?”

I think major leaguers are a little more talented than me and the rest of the scrubs but the point remains- if you execute the pitch it really doesn’t matter if they know it’s coming. There’s just way less margin for error in the pros (obviously). So if they know what’s coming and it’s lacking pinpoint command it’s usually going to be tattooed (vintage E-Rod). Conversely they can know what is coming but if the pitch is good enough it doesn’t matter (Mariano)


Stealing signs is useful...there is a reason why teams do it. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter much if you don’t execute. Hell I’ve heard of some players preferring to not be tipped off on what’s coming. They prefer reacting instinctively

Haha reminds me of my Babe Ruth Coach.

“If I want you to bunt, I’ll say ‘Bunt.’.”

 

[McGarnagle]

I was a dick in high school and my vision sucks so sometimes I couldn’t see the signs the catcher was putting down for me if the lighting was poor or I had sun in my eyes. In these moments I would yell at the catcher when I was throwing a curveball and I would throw a curveball.

the hitter would be like “ok there’s no way he’s actually throwing a curveball now right?”

I think major leaguers are a little more talented than me and the rest of the scrubs but the point remains- if you execute the pitch it really doesn’t matter if they know it’s coming. There’s just way less margin for error in the pros (obviously). So if they know what’s coming and it’s lacking pinpoint command it’s usually going to be tattooed (vintage E-Rod). Conversely they can know what is coming but if the pitch is good enough it doesn’t matter (Mariano)


Stealing signs is useful...there is a reason why teams do it. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter much if you don’t execute. Hell I’ve heard of some players preferring to not be tipped off on what’s coming. They prefer reacting instinctively

Like vintage Troy Percival, who refused to wear glasses and just squinted in and chucked it at 99. Half his success was probably in scaring the shit out of opposing batters.

 

[CDJ]

Like vintage Troy Percival, who refused to wear glasses and just squinted in and chucked it at 99. Half his success was probably in scaring the **** out of opposing batters.

catcher is so lucky I never picked up a 3rd pitch, we got crossed up enough (and by “we” I mean I guessed wrong on what he put down lol)

 

[Fenway]

Lowell is getting squeezed for no good reason

 

[HockeyMomx2]

To be honest I would be more concerned if they weren’t trying to steal signs

Who do we think it was? Carson Smith? He looks like a narc and I don’t trust that first name. Very frat bro

it’s my boys Carson and Payton and Chandler

Stealing signs itself isn't the problem. Never has been throughout this entire thing. It's about HOW he/they did it - by electronic means already prohibited by rule by the MLB. That's not sign stealing, that's taking it to the level of actual cheating and likely changing the outcome of the game itself.

 

[Fenway]

The Lowell Spinners are likely to remain an MLB-affiliated team, but which club remains to be seen - The Boston Globe

An industry source said Tuesday that the current thinking from Major League Baseball is that it would retain Lowell as a full-season Single A affiliate, but that it is too early in negotiations between MLB and Minor League Baseball to declare if the Red Sox or another big-league club will be that affiliate.

 

[Fenway]

Chaim Bloom expects to keep Mookie in Boston for 2020 season

In an exclusive interview with SportsCenter 5's Duke Castiglione, Bloom -- who admired Betts as a rival as an executive with the Tampa Bay Rays -- said he expects to keep the star player in Boston throughout the course of the upcoming season.

"This guy is one of the best players in the game," Bloom said. "I got to appreciate him way too much as an opponent. It's never a comfortable feeling (as an opponent) whenever he's in the action and what makes him so great is just how multifaceted his skills are. Not only is he one of the best hitters in the game, he's one of the best outfielders in the game. Great guy, as well.

"He's everything you'd want in a player. I know this organization has felt for a long time and I came in here feeling the same way: we want him here as long as possible."

Betts, 27, is in his final year of arbitration and received a $20 million deal last year, which means he could command a salary between $25 million and $30 million for the 2020 season.

 

[BMC]

Well am I glad to see this ^.

There is zero excuse not to keep Betts for this season and in the future if he wants to be here. He's that good.

 

[Smitty93]

Chaim Bloom expects to keep Mookie in Boston for 2020 season

In an exclusive interview with SportsCenter 5's Duke Castiglione, Bloom -- who admired Betts as a rival as an executive with the Tampa Bay Rays -- said he expects to keep the star player in Boston throughout the course of the upcoming season.

"This guy is one of the best players in the game," Bloom said. "I got to appreciate him way too much as an opponent. It's never a comfortable feeling (as an opponent) whenever he's in the action and what makes him so great is just how multifaceted his skills are. Not only is he one of the best hitters in the game, he's one of the best outfielders in the game. Great guy, as well.

"He's everything you'd want in a player. I know this organization has felt for a long time and I came in here feeling the same way: we want him here as long as possible."

Betts, 27, is in his final year of arbitration and received a $20 million deal last year, which means he could command a salary between $25 million and $30 million for the 2020 season.

I guess the question is whether this is just a public negotiation tactic, either trying to get other teams to pay more or trying to pull the old "hey, we wanted to sign him, but he was unreasonable" as fan propaganda. I'm cynical of anything Red Sox management/ownership publicly says.

 

[Elvis P]

... I'm cynical ...

Agreed. What I meant to post before JD resigned is that no other AL team could both afford and needed him so he had to come back. Regarding Betts, letting your best player go is always a mistake.

 

[Gator Mike]

Well am I glad to see this ^.

There is zero excuse not to keep Betts for this season and in the future if he wants to be here. He's that good.

Sure, there is.

I love Mookie. But the Red Sox aren't likely to compete in 2020, and Mookie has shown no indication that he's interested in staying in Boston beyond this year.

The only thing worse than losing Mookie would be losing him and getting nothing in return.

 

[Merrrlin]

Sure, there is.

I love Mookie. But the Red Sox aren't likely to compete in 2020, and Mookie has shown no indication that he's interested in staying in Boston beyond this year.

The only thing worse than losing Mookie would be losing him and getting nothing in return.

Mets radio thinks he will walk to free agency, no trade. That would be catastrophic IMO.

Then they said the Yankees would be in the mix and I almost drove off the turnpike.

 

[Chevalier du Clavier]