Yes, we will be a playoff team this year

[Bellhorn04]

Sure getting a high first rounder helps.

 

Assuming you don’t draft a bust, and work with him properly. And then in 3-5 years you have a player!!!

 

If the Sox are rebuilding, the draft is NOT the way to go. Oh they have to do it and do it right. But it’s too long of a process.

 

I’m not sure what Mookie might bring back (and I wouldn’t start by dealing him), but a year of him might be worth more than 3 months of Aroldis Chapman.

 

ERod isn’t the Sox most useful chip, FYI. Devers is. Followed by Benintendi...

 

Cleveland now has Aaron Civale in their rotation and pitching very well.

 

They took Civale in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft. And guess where he played university ball - Northeastern!

 

It really is frustrating that the Sox can't seem to make picks like that.

[oldtimer]

We are 6 games behind in the loss column to 2 teams. We finish the road trip today and then go 7 games against two division leaders. We have a depleted starting pitching corp and an overused BP. It's virtually the same picture we had in mid August. Believers believe but realists state the obvious.

 

We won it all last year and depleted our farm to strengthen that team. We also spent the most in baseball to the extent it put us in the competitive balance tax squeeze. Contracts that we signed with Sale, Price, Eovaldi and Pedroia will hang over this team for a while and it looks like none of those will return equal value in performance.

 

Probably best to go for a reset in 2020. Also it still looks like DD does not have the right style to rebuild this team as he has a history of spending big and using up farm resources.

 

Whoever comes has a strong offensive team but clearly has to rid the team of deadwood and then look to what is required to return the team to competitiveness. Any new management will be faced with difficult decisions and will probably realize it might take several years to be competitive at the highest level, given the state of the Astros and Yankees.

 

Moon has suggested that we cut ties with those who wouldn't be a help to us in 2021 and later. It makes some sense although I would like us to keep enough pieces to keep the team at least competitive enough to keep people in the seats. Clearly we have a big problem with contracts that will have over us through 2021 and later. It seems doubtful that we can trade away those contracts so we just have to let them play out.

 

So it looks like the game plan we will need to follow is adding some lower cost younger players to partially offset the large underperforming contracts that are on the books. I have advocated getting a look at several of our best prospects with a hope a couple will pan out enough to play next year. They are Chatham, Dalbec, Duran, Houck and Mata. DHern we already expect to move forward next season.

 

Replacement of Porcello, Moreland, Pearce and Leon can save us some $$ provided we find low cost alternatives. We can't control the JDM situation. If he stays for the current $ then he fills the DH role. If he opts out and we fill the DH position with a lower cost option, maybe we can find a quality starting pitcher. I wouldn't trade E-Rod as he fills a great need for the Sox. Mookie is perhaps the most difficult decision. Do we try hard ($$ contract) to keep him or do we trade one of our best young players and hope to resign him later. I want to keep him provided he will take a contract for 8 years at his true value which I believe is well under $30 mil per year.

 

JH is willing to spend but no fool. He can no doubt see where DD has taken him. Hope he is a man of action.

[dgalehouse]

The blown save losses can be very disheartening . But don't abandon ship just yet . Let's see how they they respond . Can still bounce back and make a run .

[FredLynn]

The blown save losses can be very disheartening . But don't abandon ship just yet . Let's see how they they respond . Can still bounce back and make a run .

 

They are toast. They have been toast since the end of the Yankee sweep.

[FredLynn]

Cleveland now has Aaron Civale in their rotation and pitching very well.

 

They took Civale in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft. And guess where he played university ball - Northeastern!

 

It really is frustrating that the Sox can't seem to make picks like that.

 

Maybe its not the picks. Maybe its the way the team develops and coaches those picks.

[notin]

Maybe its not the picks. Maybe its the way the team develops and coaches those picks.

 

It’s been the same story through so many regimes it’s hard to isolate the issue...

[moonslav59]

@redsoxstats

 

The A's are projected to get to 93 wins. To match that the Sox have 6 losses to play with in September. 20-6.

 

That would only get us by one team. We need to pass two.

 

Has it ever been done when down this much from 2 teams with so few games to go?

[moonslav59]

Moon has suggested that we cut ties with those who wouldn't be a help to us in 2021 and later. It makes some sense although I would like us to keep enough pieces to keep the team at least competitive enough to keep people in the seats...

 

I'd like to stay competitive throughout the retooling, and I'm not for just dumping everybody not under team control for 2+ year, if we get nothing for them, but if staying mediocre for two years involves keeping a couple vets that could have netted us something useful for 2021 and beyond, I don't see the point.

 

This is assuming we reset this winter. Maybe, Henry and DD go all out for one more year, then they reset.

 

I realize this season seemed to be the perfect storm of ineptness, but I don't see us bouncing back without some major (and costly) additions. Doing that would like further deepen and lengthen the rebuilding stretch afterwards.

 

If Henry is fine with spending more and more each year, then fine, but I don't see that happening.

 

[harmony]

That would only get us by one team. We need to pass two.

 

Has it ever been done when down this much from 2 teams with so few games to go?

On September 1, 2007, the Colorado Rockies were three games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the single Wild Card slot but needed to pass the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs as well to advance to the postseason:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?date=2007-09-01

 

The Rockies went 20-7 the remainder of the regular season to grab the Wild Card slot and sweep through the NL Divisional and Championship series before being swept by the Red Sox in the World Series.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Maybe its not the picks. Maybe its the way the team develops and coaches those picks.

 

Based on the sparsity of successful pitchers coming thru the system for years, your point is well taken.

[FredLynn]

It’s been the same story through so many regimes it’s hard to isolate the issue...

 

I suspect that its a combination of factors including choosing poor coaches as well as not being able to recognize amateur pitchers with good potential. That and finishing with low draft picks....its astonishing that we haven't developed a good SP since Lester.

[moonslav59]

On September 1, 2007, the Colorado Rockies were three games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the single Wild Card slot but needed to pass the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs as well to advance to the postseason:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?date=2007-09-01

 

The Rockies went 20-7 the remainder of the regular season to grab the Wild Card slot and sweep through the NL Divisional and Championship series before being swept by the Red Sox in the World Series.

 

So, nothing like what we have to do.

[dgalehouse]

So, nothing like what we have to do.

 

Moon , You say you are usually the last one to abandon ship. But this year , you beat the women and children to the lifeboats .

[notin]

I suspect that its a combination of factors including choosing poor coaches as well as not being able to recognize amateur pitchers with good potential. That and finishing with low draft picks....its astonishing that we haven't developed a good SP since Buchholz.

 

Fixed that for you.

[moonslav59]

Moon , You say you are usually the last one to abandon ship. But this year , you beat the women and children to the lifeboats .

 

Yup.

 

Those two sweeps when we needed wins more than ever told the whole story.

[bosoxmal]

As of Sunday AM

1 September

 

MINN-----83-52

 

CLEVE----79-57

 

TBAY-----79-58

 

OAK------78-57

 

SOX------73-63

 

Let’s look agead. To-day we have aright fielder playing right fiels, a fiest baseman playing first base, and our number one catcher behind the plate. Add that to our one dependable starter, and we can kiss that one crazy loss behind, and playing with a full deck.

[bosoxmal]

Whoops; mahe that our 2nd most dependable starter!

[jung]

A's look like a much tougher team now with Manaea back on the mound and Matt Olson back at 1st base.

[fxkatt]

A's have 4 with Houston on the road. All other games are winnable.

 

TB (thought they might fold) now has 6 home games vs Us and Yanks... all other games are winnable.

 

Guardians should be odd team out since they have 6 with Minny and 6 with Philly-Wash.

 

Look for an A's-TB play-in game---------unless we go on a tear like right now.

[harmony]

So, nothing like what we have to do.

The 2007 Colorado Rockies were three games back needing to pass three teams with 27 games to play; the 2019 Red Sox are five games back needing to pass two teams with 25 games to play.

 

The 2007 Colorado Rockies had three more teams that were within 1.5 games of their record; the 2019 Red Sox are 7.5 games up on their closest challenger.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?date=2007-09-01

[dgalehouse]

The Rays won again today , but the A's and Guardians both lost . We are now five behind both in the all important loss column. Definitely enough time to make that up . The Guardians have lost Ramirez and Naquin for the year . The A' s have ridden their closer , Hendricks , way too hard . He is wearing down . This is very doable. By the way , all the Yankee fans that I know ( and I know quite a few ) fear the Red Sox far more than they do the other three contenders .

[TylerD]

We won’t mkae playoffs but we are finishing strong.

[FredLynn]

We won’t mkae playoffs but we are finishing strong.

 

If we had only started strong too.

 

Thanks Cora. For nothing.

[fxkatt]

Well, the Yanks just beat Oakland at home 2-3, but Oakland could easily have swept them... zero clutch hitting.

 

If the Yanks don't get the best record, they will have to play Minny, not Boston or Oakland, in that first series.

[kenmeister]

Yup.

 

Those two sweeps when we needed wins more than ever told the whole story.

 

We have other threads called “Realistic View” so that we can be honest about their chances. This team hasn’t felt like a champion all year.

[Bellhorn04]

We have other threads called “Realistic View” so that we can be honest about their chances. This team hasn’t felt like a champion all year.

 

But honestly, teams don't really feel like champions until they are champions.

 

Even late last season and into the playoffs, if you go through the threads here you'll find that a lot of people were very worried about our rotation coming through, because none of them had any postseason success. (Plus Sale's health was iffy.) A lot of people thought Houston would take us if we got that far.

[Bellhorn04]

Did the 2004 Sox feel like a championship team when they were down 3-0 to the Yanks?

 

Did the 2007 Sox feel like a championship team when they were down 3-1 to the Tribe?

 

Not exactly...

[Slasher9]

So its going to be a home game?

 

Sox fans travel pretty well...

[Bellhorn04]

If we had only started strong too.

 

Thanks Cora. For nothing.

 

Aren't you the same guy who's been blaming everything on our starting pitching sucking?

 

You've even said it didn't matter if we had a better bullpen because the starting pitching would have sunk us anyway.

[notin]

Sox fans travel pretty well...

 

I'm staying here. Not traveling to Oakland or Tampa. I think those each might be the least exciting city on each coast...