Red Sox/MLB 2025 Off-Season Hot Stove II

[DKH]

I worry that Bregman would be another Elias Lindholm, an aging player with his best years behind him, but tying up a lot of money on a longterm deal, and blocking young talent. His walk rate is declining, he doesn't hit the ball all that hard, he's getting slower as a runner. The Sox should resist anything more than a one- or two-year deal, which Bregman would of course reject. Let Grissom and Campbell fight it out for second base, or move Rafaela there and introduce Anthony to left field. Rafaela would greatly improve the infield defense once he got used to the position, Duran would be fine at center. Doesn't solve the problem of having too many left-handed hitters--but does Bregman really add that much?

Sounds like Sox at 3 he wants 5 years

 

[GatorMike]

 

[Johnnyduke]

If I could make one change to the HOF voting at the moment it would be to up the percentage needed on first year of eligibility to remain on ballot going forward. Seeing guys slowly gain percentage points year after year to finally make it in after however many years doesn't seem legit to me. I don't know.

Or eliminate voting altogether and we simply use a metric/formula to determine if you make the HOF or not. Not as easy as it sounds I know.

 

[RoccoF14]

Yes Sabathia is not a first ballot

He’s a popular great guy who is a media darling and I believe works in MLB baseball

Is he better than Pettite? Although he admitted to taking something

He's marginally better than Pettite. He has way more strikeouts, and complete games, but Pettite was a better post-season pitcher.

I got no issues at all with CC being in the HoF. Even on the first ballot. Dude was an innings horse, who always wanted the ball.

250 wins/ 3,000Ks is the new standard, with the way starting pitchers have been used over the past 10 years. I don't think we'll ever see another 300 game winner, ever again. Verlander has an outside chance, but nobody else will come close.

 

[EverettMike]

If I could make one change to the HOF voting at the moment it would be to up the percentage needed on first year of eligibility to remain on ballot going forward. Seeing guys slowly gain percentage points year after year to finally make it in after however many years doesn't seem legit to me. I don't know.

Or eliminate voting altogether and we simply use a metric/formula to determine if you make the HOF or not. Not as easy as it sounds I know.

Andruw Jones going from 7% to the Hall 8 or 9 years later is absurd. It's one thing for some time to offer new perspective. It's another to obviously play follow the leader like lemmings.

 

[Smitty93]

If I could make one change to the HOF voting at the moment it would be to up the percentage needed on first year of eligibility to remain on ballot going forward. Seeing guys slowly gain percentage points year after year to finally make it in after however many years doesn't seem legit to me. I don't know.

Or eliminate voting altogether and we simply use a metric/formula to determine if you make the HOF or not. Not as easy as it sounds I know.

Here's my plan:

Step 1: Eliminate the 10 vote maximum. It's a yes or no decision. Is the person worthy, yes or no? Average inductees per year is 2.3 over the past 10 years, 2 over the past 20. Most in a single year is 4. I don't think they're going to elect too many if they remove the vote limitation, but worst case scenario you set an inductee limit.

Step 2: Cut the number of years on the ballot to 5. I'd make it one so voters give each candidate the proper review they deserve immediately, but I understand opinions can change, but there needs to be some level of pressure on them. If you need 10 years to decide whether a player is a Hall of Famer after a 5 year waiting period and at least 10 years playing, that guy's probably not qualified.

Step 3: Following your idea, a player must get at least 25% on their first year to remain on the ballot. They must get at least 50% on their third year to remain. If you think a guy's deserving, don't wait. Vote for them immediately and put pressure on others to do so as well.

 

[RoccoF14]

Great Article in The Athletic today about what a great teammate Sabathia was....Here's the opening paragraph:

New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine was buckling his shinguards in the dugout when he heard a booming voice and immediately looked up.

It was CC Sabathia. He was pissed.

“First dude,” Sabathia said.

It was Sept. 27, 2018. Sabathia was set on revenge against the Tampa Bay Rays, after reliever Andrew Kittredge aimed a 93-mph fastball at Romine’s head and narrowly missed in the top of the sixth inning with the New York Yankees ahead, 7-0, at Tropicana Field.

He decided he was going to hit catcher Jesús Sucre to lead off the bottom of the inning to send a message. He was going to do it even it meant getting ejected and finishing the season just short of a contract incentive that would have netted him $500,000.

Aware of the pending payday, Romine briefly tried talking Sabathia out of it. He knew Sabathia started the game needing to throw seven innings for the bonus, and the lefty was two innings shy.

“Nope,” Sabathia said, walking away. “First dude.”............

.........After Sabathia forfeited the half-a-million dollar bonus by plunking Sucre on the butt and getting thrown out, he pointed to Kittredge in the Rays’ dugout and TV cameras could read his lips: “That’s for you, bitch.”

I'm a lifelong Brewer fan, and I remember when we got him from Cleveland at the deadline in 2008. We were making a playoff push and needed that extra arm. He was due for a big payday over the summer and there was no way Milwaukee was going to re-sign him. He could have just gone through the motions and played out the remainder of the season. Nope. That guy went 11-2 for us, with a 1.65 ERA. 7 of his 17 starts were complete games. He won his last 3 starts for us on 3 days rest and didn't complain once about it.

We wouldn't have made the playoffs without him.