7/01 SOX @ Cubs 2:20PM ET

[Old Red]

Barnes & Robles should open a bookstore.

 

And Bloom should work for them.

[Thunder]

I keep forgetting that tonight's game is at 6:15 instead of 7:15

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Barnes & Robles should open a bookstore.

 

Probably the only thing they could close.

[moonslav59]

Spare me the automatic payroll reply. We're way past that here, because we all know part of the "cost" of improving the roster is to trade prospects to make necessary upgrades.

 

The Red Sox supposedly have a wealth of pitching prospects on the fringe of being MLB-ready. If they're not going to promote some of them now -- before 17 straight games vs. Tampa, New York and Toronto -- then Bloom has to think about parting with a few to recruit a few legitimate relief arms.

 

He's probably been on the phone, a lot. Maybe most teams are waiting until closer to the deadline. Maybe they are asking for too much. Maybe Bloom's higher priority is the longer term, and with so many roster spots opening up, this winter, he's looking to keep as many of our best prospects as possible. Likely, it's a little of all of this.

 

I'm not against trading prospects, even good ones, and neither is Bloom. The "now" part of your point is valid. We can't afford to lose games vs top opponents, but with Whitlock, Sale, Eovaldi & Taylor due back, soon, I'm not sure they are going to add to the roster crunch by trading prospects, now. I have no problem DFA'ing Robles and demoting Danish. I'd be okay trading or DFA'ing Diekman, Davis and/or even Sawamura, but I'm not on board with doing this to Barnes & Brasier, right now. Of course, I'm not arguing we don't have room for a solid RP'er, right now, because we do or can make room, easy enough, but most GMs have more patience than we do.

[moonslav59]

And Bloom should work for them.

 

...and Cora & Kike, too?

[a700hitter]

Why is Robles still on this team? That’s on Bloom, and Cora.

6 blown saves in 8;opportunities and close to a 20 ERA in his last 7 appearances with opponents hitting around .450. It’s time to give him and his trainer a one way ticket out of town.

[Maxbialystock]

6 blown saves in 8;opportunities and close to a 20 ERA in his last 7 appearances with opponents hitting around .450. It’s time to give him and his trainer a one way ticket out of town.

 

Perhaps. He has pitched well enough in the past to merit a salary of $2.5M. In his first 9 games this season, he went 9.2 innings (vs. NYY twice, vs. Jays 3 times, vs. Rays twice) and gave up 1 run. His velocity is still there, but his breaking stuff right now isn't sharp.

[Maxbialystock]

He's probably been on the phone, a lot. Maybe most teams are waiting until closer to the deadline. Maybe they are asking for too much. Maybe Bloom's higher priority is the longer term, and with so many roster spots opening up, this winter, he's looking to keep as many of our best prospects as possible. Likely, it's a little of all of this.

 

I'm not against trading prospects, even good ones, and neither is Bloom. The "now" part of your point is valid. We can't afford to lose games vs top opponents, but with Whitlock, Sale, Eovaldi & Taylor due back, soon, I'm not sure they are going to add to the roster crunch by trading prospects, now. I have no problem DFA'ing Robles and demoting Danish. I'd be okay trading or DFA'ing Diekman, Davis and/or even Sawamura, but I'm not on board with doing this to Barnes & Brasier, right now. Of course, I'm not arguing we don't have room for a solid RP'er, right now, because we do or can make room, easy enough, but most GMs have more patience than we do.

 

Just about everyone on talksox keeps ignoring one stunning reality. Right now Sale, Eovaldi, Whitlock, Wacha, and Hill are on the IL and only Sale seems close to returning. That's a lot of pitching/starter talent currently unavailable to an excellent manager.

 

So my assertion on July 4 is Bloom would be stupid to rush to judgment on this team. Let's get some of those guys back, and sooner is better.

 

Unfortunately, none are due back soon and the need is now with the Sox playing the Rays and Yankees for the next 13 games.

 

Sale could conceivably start this weekend vs. the Yankees. Whitlock could be back soon after that, and I think that will solidify the bullpen who already have Schreiber, Houck, Sawamura, Davis, Diekman, and even Brasier and Danish.

 

Meanwhile, Cora has a rotation of Pivetta, rookie Winckowski, rookie Seabold, and players to be named later. We need both Sale and Eovaldi back in the rotation before the ASG, not after.

 

Meanwhile, the lineup has been helped by some unlikely guys like Duran, Cordero, Refsnyder, Arroyo (but only, it seems, when he starts at SS), and Vazquez (hitting again but not running).