A Realistic View at 2020: Part II

[Bellhorn04]

3 games in and you guys wanna blow it up.

 

Maybe a few of the looney tunes.

[Bellhorn04]

Some of these pitching acquisitions should at least come with a BOGO offer.

 

Yes, it's stunning that other teams aren't releasing low-cost high-quality pitchers for Bloom to snap up!

[mvp 78]

Maybe a few of the looney tunes.

 

Give Bloom another offseason with money to spend and he'll start looking like Bugs Bunny in drag to those guys.

[notin]

I don’t expect the season to have the plug pulled, beyond a major player complication like ERod, until the fall. My concern is that the playoffs won’t get off the ground

 

As I have my doubts about the Sox involvement, I will not mind if the postseason doesn’t happen..,

[Nick]

3 games in and you guys wanna blow it up. I get it, don’t get me wrong, but if the conviction going into the season was to ride it out, then it’s too early to blow it up.

 

But if you were to blow it up, you’ve lost your best trade chip. ERod was your best trade chip and now that his heart is damaged (even if it’s not permanent, crossing fingers), he’s not tradeable for 2020.

 

Workman would be a great trade chip, but you’re assuming he’s going to be a dominant force and worthy of a trade. His track record coming into 2019 was not good, so he needs to prove he’s not a flash in the pan. If he isn’t, then he should return a pretty high ransom. Relievers in this sprint season will be very valuable, so I’d expect a few good prospects or maybe even a top 100 in return to restock the farm.

 

Barnes needs to prove 2019 was a fluke. If he is crushing it at deadline time, dealing him would make tons of sense and should rebuild the farm.

 

JD is a big time trade chip, although he comes with the uncertainty that he’d opt out, so teams looking for 2 more years of control would be wary of offering a lot.

 

JBJ has a good first two games, but he’s going to need to stay relatively hot (for him) to be worth more than a flier by Aug 31.

 

 

Baseball season is a marathon. This year it's a mini. There's no reason to blow up this team unless you're willing to trade Xander and Devers.

[Bellhorn04]

As I have my doubts about the Sox involvement, I will not mind if the postseason doesn’t happen..,

 

That's not the spirit.

[mvp 78]

Baseball season is a marathon. This year it's a mini. There's no reason to blow up this team unless you're willing to trade Xander and Devers.

 

It all depends on what your definition of blowing up means. Also, with the unknown factor of how much baseball will be played, I doubt there will be any big trades.

[a700hitter]

Hypothetically, if the Red Sox go 20-40, does Bloom get fired?

[mvp 78]

Hypothetically, if the Red Sox go 20-40, does Bloom get fired?

 

No.

[mvp 78]

This team wasn’t built to compete. Next year’s will be.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

This team wasn’t built to compete. Next year’s will be.

 

Bloom confirmed your first sentence after the Betts trade. But if this sprint somehow makes it to September and a reset, do you see him splurging on free agent arms next winter for '21? As for trading for a good pitcher in his prime, the only Red Sox player that would bring back a haul might be Devers -- if he can keep his value (with Bloom, no one is untouchable).

 

Assuming Eovaldi stays healthy (a big if), we don't know if ERod will ever be the same, but we do know Sale won't be contributing much in '21, even if he makes a full recovery a year from now. Boston may need an entire new rotation -- just to compete, much less contend -- at the MLB level.

[notin]

My questions for 2020

 

1. Is this the worst Red Sox pitching staff ever assembled? Not just in Boston, but even counting Pawtucket Red Sox. It is easily the worst MLB staff I’ve ever seen, and it’s competitive with AAA staffs.

 

2. Is Roenicke overtly tanking or is he just really stupid? Or both? He actually was a good manager in Milwaukee, so I think he might want to tone done his tanking efforts. It’s getting too obvious. Am I wrong here?

[Bellhorn04]

My questions for 2020

 

1. Is this the worst Red Sox pitching staff ever assembled? Not just in Boston, but even counting Pawtucket Red Sox. It is easily the worst MLB staff I’ve ever seen, and it’s competitive with AAA staffs.

 

2. Is Roenicke overtly tanking or is he just really stupid? Or both? He actually was a good manager in Milwaukee, so I think he might want to tone done his tanking efforts. It’s getting too obvious. Am I wrong here?

 

#1 is probably a yes.

 

But if #1 is a yes, how is Roenicke tanking?

[mvp 78]

Bloom confirmed your first sentence after the Betts trade. But if this sprint somehow makes it to September and a reset, do you see him splurging on free agent arms next winter for '21? As for trading for a good pitcher in his prime, the only Red Sox player that would bring back a haul might be Devers -- if he can keep his value (with Bloom, no one is untouchable).

 

Assuming Eovaldi stays healthy (a big if), we don't know if ERod will ever be the same, but we do know Sale won't be contributing much in '21, even if he makes a full recovery a year from now. Boston may need an entire new rotation -- just to compete, much less contend -- at the MLB level.

 

The guy available is Bauer. He’s a good front of the rotation guy. Doubt they go hard for Stroman or someone else. Maybe they can work trades?

 

My guess is the team will get younger and younger.

[notin]

#1 is probably a yes.

 

But if #1 is a yes, how is Roenicke tanking?

 

 

Well, giving more IP to Dylan Covey, Austin Bruce, Phillips Valdez, Josh Osich, and Colten Brewer than Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Brandon Workman, for starters...

[notin]

Hypothetically, if the Red Sox go 20-40, does Bloom get fired?

 

Not likely. He was handed a mess and told to cut salary. He did that. He was not expected to win this season..

[a700hitter]

They would give him a pass on a .333 winning percentage? If he is such a genius he should be able to figure out a way to do better than that while rebuilding. .333 would be epically bad.

[mvp 78]

They would give him a pass on a .333 winning percentage? If he is such a genius he should be able to figure out a way to do better than that while rebuilding. .333 would be epically bad.

 

There are no fans, I don't think the owners give two shits about this year. If they reset and get a better draft pick, it's more important than being a .500 team and trying to squeak into the playoffs.

 

Honestly, it's the year to try every random thought Bloom and Roenicke have in their heads. See if something new works.

[a700hitter]

There are no fans, I don't think the owners give two shits about this year. If they reset and get a better draft pick, it's more important than being a .500 team and trying to squeak into the playoffs.

 

Honestly, it's the year to try every random thought Bloom and Roenicke have in their heads. See if something new works.

A .333 winning percentage would remind me a Joe Kerrigan type futility. He was a good pitching coach, but a hapless manager. Maybe Bloom just isn’t cut out for a big job in Boston. If he goes 20-40, I think he will be on an extremely short leash.

[mvp 78]

A .333 winning percentage would remind me a Joe Kerrigan type futility. He was a good pitching coach, but a hapless manager. Maybe Bloom just isn’t cut out for a big job in Boston. If he goes 20-40, I think he will be on an extremely short leash.

 

And maybe you need to give him longer than 4 games into a weird ass pandemic season where he wasn't allowed to even spend money.

[notin]

They would give him a pass on a .333 winning percentage? If he is such a genius he should be able to figure out a way to do better than that while rebuilding. .333 would be epically bad.

 

But a 20-40 stretch is not the same as a 54-108 record. A 20-40 "season" this year is just a bad start in other years. The 2005 Astros, for example, started out 15-30 (.333) and were 25-35 after 60 games. They also went on to lose the World Series that year.

 

And bear in mind, the Sox have no Sale and no ERod. If those two pitchers are in the rotation, is this a 20-40 team?

[Bellhorn04]

And maybe you need to give him longer than 4 games into a weird ass pandemic season where he wasn't allowed to even spend money.

 

Plus no prospects to trade.

[notin]

And maybe you need to give him longer than 4 games into a weird ass pandemic season where he wasn't allowed to even spend money.

 

No kidding. Travis Shaw was too expensive for him. When the extremely mediocre Travis Shaw is out of your price range, expectations need to be tempered...

[notin]

Plus no prospects to trade.

 

And his two best SPs out...

[dgalehouse]

Folks who were enthusiastic about hiring Bloom , are going to be slow to criticize him . That's just the way it goes .

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Folks who were enthusiastic about hiring Bloom , are going to be slow to criticize him . That's just the way it goes .

 

Especially -- we may presume -- folks who enthusiastically hired Bloom... (to do their bidding).

 

All should reserve judgement of Bloom until we can properly assess his current and near-future changes, including the development of draft picks, trade acquisitions, and yes, free agent signings; the Rays, after all, inked one key free agent in 2019: Charlie Morton, who turned out to be a better value than Sale, Eovaldi, and Steve Pearce combined.

[jad]

Folks who were enthusiastic about hiring Bloom , are going to be slow to criticize him . That's just the way it goes .

 

I don't know about that. Didn't we start the "Fire Alex Cora" thread weeks before he actually began working for the RS?

[Noles_1335]

If we are looking forward to 2021-22, what does our lineup look like and what will the front end rotation look like? I’m all for moving Devers and building around XB and Downs in the middle!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

If we are looking forward to 2021-22, what does our lineup look like and what will the front end rotation look like? I’m all for moving Devers and building around XB and Downs in the middle!

 

Deal Devers for legitimate young pitching, shift X and sign Lindor -- the morbid Sox will really need a jolt, and who could change the culture more than a top-5 talent and future Hall of Famer with a bigger smile than Mookie's. Signing Lindor will also keep him out of pinstripes or LA blue.

[notin]

Deal Devers for legitimate young pitching, shift X and sign Lindor -- the morbid Sox will really need a jolt, and who could change the culture more than a top-5 talent and future Hall of Famer with a bigger smile than Mookie's. Signing Lindor will also keep him out of pinstripes or LA blue.

 

If the Yankees sign Lindor, they likely cannot afford Judge. If the Dodgers sign him, it gets that much tougher to retain Bellinger. Also, the overlooked Corey Seager becomes available...