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Bye-bye, Bogaerts
By adamg on Thu, 12/08/2022 - 8:56am
ESPN reports. Or as Over the Monster puts it: Darkness. There is only darkness.
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Comments
I mean
If they don't need to field a competitive or memorable team and can still fill the park with fans who will drink a couple beers, buy a new special yellow jersey, sing "Sweet Caroline" and scuttle off without remembering who won the game an hour after they get home, why go overboard?
It worked for 86 years
And in looking at the One World Series victory that the beloved Chicago Cubs have scored since 1908, I'd say that the formula works.
I came away from reading Red Sox Century with the idea that the Sox' MO was to be competitive but not championship caliber. In the 20 some odd years since it's release, they've exceeded that, but not by much.
whats next
will they panic and overpay Devers to keep him on the roster, or will they lose him too?
at this point john henry and the braintrust on Lansdowne can't be trusted to make toast without: 1) burning it; 2) burning their hand; 3) getting an electric shock; 4) somehow burning one side while the other side is unheated; 5) all of those combined.
Bogaerts wanted a long term contract
Smart teams weren't going to offer that, so he found a really stupidly run team with lots of money. The Red Sox offered him a six year contract with a greater average annual value, and he took slightly less AAV for 11 years. Anybody who thinks he is going to be a high value player in years 7-11 has a poor understanding of baseball. FSG made him a good offer, but they'd have been stupid to match the Padres' offer.
John Henry has entered the chat
Or, you know, the Red Sox could've made him a real offer before he became a free agent instead of asking him to take a major home town discount.
Bogaerts is the second home-grown future hall-of-famer in a row (including all-world Betts) that the team didn't want to pay.
Just more excuses from one of the wealthiest organizations in professional sports who is behaving like Tampa Bay North while charging New York prices. If Henry and company don't want to pay their high-value players they should sell the team and use their billions of dollars in profits to buy another soccer team.
All World Betts?
He's posted OPS ~ .860 the in 2021 and 2022. A lot of money being paid for that performance. Maybe it wasn't the worst idea letting him go.
Sure John Henry
n/t
Baseball is actually a business
Fans who don't realize that are setting themselves up for disappointment. There are dozens of examples out there of aging superstars being over paid to underperform after free agency. I'd just as soon not have the Red Sox take that route.
Someone with actual baseball knowledge has entered the chat
Boegaerts had become a defensive liability at SS. His unwillingness to switch over also factored in. Paying $25m for a 40 year old DH is a terrible idea.
What the Red Sox have shown consistently over the years is their inability to value "qualitative" metrics like leadership, loyalty, class, e.t.c. Lester also comes to mind.
Someone with actual baseball knowledge in the chat...
By that I guess you mean me? Bogaerts started out as a bit of an adventure with the glove at SS but has only gotten better. Don't take my word for it, look at the advanced stats here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bogaexa01-field.shtml
Or look at where he ranks in fangraphs in 2022 for defensive SS (8th) vs. 2018 (17th)
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=ss&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&ty...
So he's become a better than average fielder while also consistently being one of the top infield hitters in baseball throughout his career.
Yeah, eventually his fielding will drop off like everyone and he'll have to move to 3B and Devers will finally move to 1B. So what? John Henry can afford to pay 25m for a DH in 2032, when that will be much more in line with the league average anyway.
Thanks for providing the data for my point
Judging by that link you providing, here are his numbers
8th, 20th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 15th, 18th and 8th for 2015-2022. That averages out to about 15th. There are 32 teams in the MLB, so he's been an average SS in his prime, projecting to get worse.
That's what Bogaerts is, and average SS who can absolutely rake.
No, Thanks for switching your point
You said "Boegaerts had become a defensive liability at SS"
I gave you stats showing that's not the case. Now you're saying "he's an average SS who can absolutely rake."
Yes! I absolutely agree! and anyone who knows baseball knows that an average fielding SS who can absolutely rake is an enormous advantage on your team. See, for one, Cal Ripken, although he was a much better fielding SS than given credit for, or for two, Derek Jeter, who was a much WORSE fielding SS than given credit for.
I would agree his deal ended up being high, but to get back to my original point, they only have themselves to blame: if the Sox had given him a legitimate offer before or during the season instead of letting Bogaerts going to free agency they wouldn't have had to match the highest bidder. John Henry and company either cheaped out or were never serious about signing Bogaerts at anything close to what he deserved.
You said
“Above average”. He’s average, and what he is now is not what he projects to be. He was average in his prime. He is 30 and will be past his prime.
Obviously an average SS who can hit is a huge plus. Contracts are not what was, but predictions about what will be. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of the future. Anyone who knows baseball would be aware of that.
The Millionaires Tax claims it's first victim
Not the biggest factor by far, but probably one of them.
Sigh
I'm hoping this supposed to be a joke?
If not, let me google the progressive California state income tax for you: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/california-state-tax
Yes thank you
What was once difference of 7% has now been narrowed to 3%. SD might be a smaller media market but it's still California and close enough to LA.
Are you seriously claiming the Millionaires Tax won't have ANY effect on professional sports teams in Boston? We're not LA or NY.
your argument about Bogaerts' value was highly persuasive
this one on the other hand is just your run of the mill moving of the goalpo... er, center field wall.
We'll get our share still
Thanks to inter-league play
https://awmcap.com/blog/jock-tax-2020
That explains
why the Bruins have such a hard time getting players to sign contracts here rather than take advantage of the lower taxes in Arizona. I knew there must be a reason!
Hahah
A+ post. Would read again.
Surprised MA hasn’t learned anything from
CT with this new tax, which almost collapsed when one guy threatened to leave the state because of new high bracket taxation.
The Red Sox are a tourist
The Red Sox are a tourist attraction, any attendance drop will be negligible, and FSG is extremely busy at the moment, selling Liverpool, using those funds to bid for the Commanders, exploring an NBA franchise, running the Penguins(who play at Fenway on Jan. 2). I'm hoping the Bruins get Pastrnak signed.