Most successful MLB franchises of the 21st century

[moonslav59]

Appreciate your scenarios, but Bloom might not -- publicly -- as his goal of "sustained contenders" can't include any more cellar dwellers.

Schwarbs could rake, but was not a relief pitcher. What I find odd is that this forum may be the only platform in Red Sox Nation where a few posters continue to say Hansel Robles did pretty well in Boston.

Yes, he had a really good September in '21, but anyone who thinks Robles saved the season should remember it's because he almost blew it in August, when he was just brutal. And in the playoffs he was entirely unreliable: perfect inning vs. NY, blown save vs. Tampa, lost the first game to Houston. Not to mention 2022 was a total disaster.

Come on, guys. Most of us here watch most of the games, even when they're unwatchable.

Montero pitched just 6 innings for HOU in 2021.

Graveman did okay in 23 IP (3.60 FIP but 1.391 WHIP)

Maton did not help: 25 IP w 4.97 ERA and 1.618 WHIP & 4.08 FIP

Again, I'm not saying Robles and Davis did great, but they did okay, and you left out Rios, who pitched more than Davis and almost as much as Robles:

25 IP Robles 3.60 ERA/ 1.360 WHIP (3.37 FIP)
24 IP Rios 3.70 ERA/ 1.110 WHIP (4.90 FIP)
17 IP Davis 4.86 ERA/ 1.500 WHIP (3.95 FIP)

[5GoldGloves:OF,75]

Montero pitched just 6 innings for HOU in 2021.

Graveman did okay in 23 IP (3.60 FIP but 1.391 WHIP)

Maton did not help: 25 IP w 4.97 ERA and 1.618 WHIP & 4.08 FIP

Again, I'm not saying Robles and Davis did great, but they did okay, and you left out Rios, who pitched more than Davis and almost as much as Robles:

25 IP Robles 3.60 ERA/ 1.360 WHIP (3.37 FIP)
24 IP Rios 3.70 ERA/ 1.110 WHIP (4.90 FIP)
17 IP Davis 4.86 ERA/ 1.500 WHIP (3.95 FIP)

I'm not big on reliever ERAs, but I'd say Maton helped Houston in the '21 postseason: charged with one run in 12 games -- a JD Martinez homer.

Montero was one of the Stros' big three or four late inning guys in '22 -- and isn't that the definition of an actually good deadline pick-up: a player who will help down the stretch and also beyond. Houston evidently thinks so, agreeing to give him $34.5 million for the next three years... and Montero isn't even their closer or top set-up man (yet).

Graveman, meanwhile, hasn't approached his lights-out run with Seattle, and the White Sox are on the hook for a Barnes-like $16M the next two years (neither have been as good since the ban on sticky stuff).

Relievers -- the crapshoot of annual investments...

[moonslav59]

I'm not big on reliever ERAs, but I'd say Maton helped Houston in the '21 postseason: charged with one run in 12 games -- a JD Martinez homer.

Montero was one of the Stros' big three or four late inning guys in '22 -- and isn't that the definition of an actually good deadline pick-up: a player who will help down the stretch and also beyond. Houston evidently thinks so, agreeing to give him $34.5 million for the next three years... and Montero isn't even their closer or top set-up man (yet).

Graveman, meanwhile, hasn't approached his lights-out run with Seattle, and the White Sox are on the hook for a Barnes-like $16M the next two years (neither have been as good since the ban on sticky stuff).

Relievers -- the crapshoot of annual investments...

Certainly, the Astros tried harder to improve their pen than we did.

I think Bloom did just as good, at the deadline, as HOU did.