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Some Things I Think I Think: Why the Red Sox signing of Ranger Suárez was so significant
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- Some Things I Think I Think: Why the Red Sox signing of Ranger Suárez was so significant
∗ You could make the argument that the Red Sox ’ signing of lefty Ranger Suárez was a reactionary move, made out of desperation after Alex Bregman slipped through their grasp only days earlier. And maybe that’s a valid point.
But the Red Sox needed a move like this. They needed to make the point – to their fans and the rest of the industry — that they could pull the trigger on a significant deal for a free agent.
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It never hurts to have a deep starting rotation, as the team currently boasts with the addition of Suárez. But the deal was worth doing if for no other reason than the message it sent. Loosely translated, that message was: “We still care.”
It had been four years since the Red Sox last issued a nine-figure deal ( Trevor Story ). It had been three years since they signed a player for longer than three years ( Masataka Yoshida ). The signing of Suárez puts them back in the game.
Choosing to shut themselves out of contention for big-name free agents was never going to work. You can’t build a sustainable winner by shrewd trades and strong player development alone; at some point, championship-driven teams need to supplement the roster with free agents.
Sure, some caution is needed in the market and the Sox have made their share of bad long-term investments. (Spoiler alert: so have most other teams). But by not even trying, the Red Sox were leaving themselves little to no margin for error.
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Suarez changes that narrative. And for that alone, he was worth it.
∗ Like most everyone else, I’m expecting a rather low-scoring game Sunday at Gillette. Let’s call it Patriots 20, Texas 16. But what do I know?
∗ Spare me the handwringing and pearl-clutching over the Dodgers signing of Kyle Tucker . What fan wouldn’t want his team to be as committed to winning as the Dodgers?
Much of the outrage is fueled by owners in other markets, who fear that the Dodgers are exposing their dirty little secret: that teams can afford to spend far more than they do and still be profitable.
∗ The fact that almost one-third of NFL coaching slots are vacant is stunning. The turnover rate on the sidelines is mostly the result of billionaire owners lacking patience and convincing themselves that a quick fix is right around the corner.
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Maybe some of the “blame” here lies with Mike Vrabel. After his successful first year in Foxboro, owners have been duped into thinking that, with the right hire, any team can go from four wins to 15 — and counting — the next.
∗ The Bruins have become quite adept at staging big ceremonies. They did a fine job in honoring the team’s 100th anniversary two years ago, and their celebration of Zdeno Chara this past week was note-perfect.
∗ This is hard to believe, but since 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had just three coaches: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. Three coaches in 56 seasons.
∗ Celtics guard Derrick White has become quite the man about town, hasn’t he? White is a frequent visitor to Fenway during his offseason and he was spotted wearing a commemorative Chara jersey
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∗ The New York Rangers, who issued another letter to their fan base Friday in which they essentially gave up on the current season, have now waved more white flags in the last seven seasons than they’ve raised Stanley Cup banners in the last 85.
∗ It’s gone mostly under the radar, but the Red Sox remain active in their pursuit of an upgrade to their second catcher spot. The Sox were very much involved with free agent Victor Caratini , who took a two-year deal with Minnesota on Friday, hours after the Phillies re-signed J.T. Realmuto . Philadelphia had seen Caratini as a cheaper alternative to Realmuto had they succeeded in landing Bo Bichette .
The Sox’ search to land someone to pair with Carlos Narvaez has been ongoing since last summer. They contacted the White Sox to see if they would consider trading Kyle Teel back to them, and showed interest in the Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing . A month out from spring training, Connor Wong is still the No. 2 catcher, but his hold on the position is tenuous.
∗ The Rip , now available on Netflix, is far from award-winning movie-making. But it’s a fun ride, if only to see Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on screen together again.
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∗ If you knew of a quarterback who had been named to four Pro Bowls in 16 seasons, who never led the league in passing touchdowns but did lead the league in interceptions three times and was exactly .500 (117-117) in his career, would you consider that QB a Hall of Famer?
Didn’t think so, which is why Eli Manning is not getting into Canton.
∗ Barry Pederson doesn’t get enough credit for his work on NESN. Pederson’s not interested in being outrageous on camera; he simply offers cogent analysis in real time. He also does his homework to keep up on the league, something not every former player-turned-analyst can claim.
∗ You can complain about his obsession with the three-pointer and his sometimes quirky behavior during press conferences, but Joe Mazzulla is a lock for NBA Coach of the Year, right? Has to be.
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∗ If the Bruins want to give up some of their own young players (Mason Lohrei, Matt Poitras) for someone like Rasmus Andersson, I’d get behind that, especially if they could extend Andersson. They could use another dependable defenseman, especially given Hampus Lindholm’s ongoing injury concerns.
But if it means dipping into their draft pick stash, count me out.
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