A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[notin]

True, but the idea has existed pre-Cora.

 

It didn;t start with Hanley, either. But the frequency changed with Cora..

[notin]

who cares? he can play or he can't. time to find out.

 

Mayer has played like 5 games since last July...

[moonslav59]

It didn;t start with Hanley, either. But the frequency changed with Cora..

 

For sure.

 

Part of the reason has been because our super utility guys have been needed FT at a position, due to injury, which then forced on off position move.

 

This year, injuries to Story (SS) and Grissom (2B) would create difficulties for just about every team in MLB.

 

Last year, it was Story and Chang, plus missed time by other MI'ers. (Kike sucking at SS didn't help, and that was hard to project.)

[jad]

Isn't the problem w/ bringing up guys too early the same one w/ amateur athletes? Whether it's tennis or squash or even chess, everyone wants to play opponents who are better in the mistaken view that it will help them improve. It doesn't. Playing ONLY above your level gets you into very bad habits: in baseball, I assume, a lot of really defensive swings and tentative plays in the field.

[Larry Cook]

Mayer has played like 5 games since last July...

 

Mayer is the real deal! Dude is really putting together some great swings!

[Duran Is The Man]

Mayer has played like 5 games since last July...

 

you think he'd be worse than what we have now?

[Larry Cook]

you think he'd be worse than what we have now?

 

Mayer is not ready yet! Low and outside, he struggles to lay off it but cannot hit it

[moonslav59]

AL East

 

12-3 NYY

8-6 BAL

8-7 BOS

8-7 TBR

7-8 TOR

 

If we had just won one game v BAL, we'd be in 2nd place by ourselves.

 

It's early, but we are 1 game shy of 10% of the season.

[moonslav59]

Mayer is not ready yet! Low and outside, he struggles to lay off it but cannot hit it

 

I just don't see why we'd want to waste a year of control to force a kid to adjust on the fly on a team that is going nowhere, this year.

 

I might even feel the same in 2025 on Mayer, but probably not for Anthony and maybe Teel.

[Larry Cook]

I just don't see why we'd want to waste a year of control to force a kid to adjust on the fly on a team that is going nowhere, this year.

 

I might even feel the same in 2025 on Mayer, but probably not for Anthony and maybe Teel.

 

If all three, Mayer, Anthony, and teel are in our starting lineup in April 2025, it means we need to move McGuire and story!

 

If bres-slow has an opportunity to move O’Neil for controllable quality bullpen help in July, we should take it

[moonslav59]

If all three, Mayer, Anthony, and teel are in our starting lineup in April 2025, it means we need to move McGuire and story!

 

If bres-slow has an opportunity to move O’Neil for controllable quality bullpen help in July, we should take it

 

Mayer may not be called up until late '25, and he could play 3B (Devers to 1B/DH)

 

McGuire could be traded this deadline or next.

[Larry Cook]

Mayer may not be called up until late '25, and he could play 3B (Devers to 1B/DH)

 

McGuire could be traded this deadline or next.

 

Move Mayer to third and trade yoshida for a bag of used baseballs? Make devers a very expensive DH?

 

I like your plan!

[moonslav59]

Maybe Yoshida heats up, again, this May and June, and we can get out from under most of his contract via trade. Add McGuire and Pivetta to sweeten the deal.

 

2025

C Teel & Wong

1B Devers/Casas

DH Casas/Devers

2B Grissom, Reyes

SS Story/Mayer

3B Mayer/Devers

LF Duran

CF Rafaela/Anthony

RF Anthony/Abreu

 

(Rafaela could platoon with Abreu, as Anthony alternates between RF and CF.)

 

Now, we just need JH to okay some major investment into pitching. (Jansen, Martin and Pivetta come off the books. Gio should return. Hendriks should be back.) We should know a lot more about who we can trust as starters out of Bello, Crawford, Houck and Whitlock.

 

[moonslav59]

Move Mayer to third and trade yoshida for a bag of used baseballs? Make devers a very expensive DH?

 

I like your plan!

 

I actually think Devers would be a fine 1Bman. His issues with defense is mostly throwing. He could plays 1B in 90 games, 3B in 10 and DH in 60. Casas 1B in 70 and DH in 90. Since both DH so much, they can bat in 160 games.

 

Our defense would no longer be a minus.

[mvp 78]

you think he'd be worse than what we have now?

 

Yes, he still struggles with good offspeed pitches.

[mvp 78]

Move Mayer to third and trade yoshida for a bag of used baseballs? Make devers a very expensive DH?

 

I like your plan!

 

Mayer is SS. Devers is 3b. Story is backup and primary DH. Devers becomes DH when Story is gone.

[Nick]

Only way Abreu gets more at bat would be to move Rafaela to short or bench our $18M bat.

 

Cora promises to play Abreu more.

[notin]

Move Mayer to third and trade yoshida for a bag of used baseballs? Make devers a very expensive DH?

 

I like your plan!

 

Devers should be an expensive 1b/DH. Should the Sox leave him at 3b solely because of his paycheck?

[Bellhorn04]

Devers should be an expensive 1b/DH. Should the Sox leave him at 3b solely because of his paycheck?

 

No, but 1B and DH are already locked up. Hope Yoshida gets hot and trade him?

[notin]

No, but 1B and DH are already locked up. Hope Yoshida gets hot and trade him?

 

Or bench him if he doesn’t.

 

Not exactly blazing that trail. And Breslow doesn’t need to justify Yoshida to anyone…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

No, but 1B and DH are already locked up. Hope Yoshida gets hot and trade him?

 

No one will trade for an expensive slap-hitter who can't play defense, and the Sox won't pay someone else to give him a shot at beating them.

 

Yoshida is in his 30s, so won't grow into more power. He'll just devolve into a bench bat, when contact is needed -- those 4-3s are good with a guy on third and less than two outs.

 

He may be sitting next to Story, whose repaired shoulder may limit his batting skills at the end of his contract; particularly the longball. But at least he'd be that good glove for SS depth we've been missing... all this time we've been trying to replace the injured him.

[Bellhorn04]

Or bench him if he doesn’t.

 

Not exactly blazing that trail. And Breslow doesn’t need to justify Yoshida to anyone…

 

Brez doesn't need to justify the acquisition, but he does need to justify the disposition, of a contract with close to 70 mill left on it, methinks...

[notin]

Brez doesn't need to justify the acquisition, but he does need to justify the disposition, of a contract with close to 70 mill left on it, methinks...

 

Why?

 

Dombrowski was allowed to jettison two big contracts.

 

And playing Yoshida only adds value if he is successful. Are the Sox worth more with their best lineup or their most expensive lineup?

[moonslav59]

Devers should be an expensive 1b/DH. Should the Sox leave him at 3b solely because of his paycheck?

 

The paycheck argument rings hollow to me. He sucks on D at 3B, and it lessens his value by playing him there.

 

I feel he could be a plus 1Bman, where Casas is not. If it turns out he isn't, then Casas and Devers can split time at 1B and DH. This would allow both bats to be in the line-up without needing "rest days."

[Bellhorn04]

Why?

 

Dombrowski was allowed to jettison two big contracts.

 

Not until all hope was extinguished.

[moonslav59]

Not until all hope was extinguished.

 

Actually, he was about to trade Betts, but a short winning streak changed the plans. It was not a point where "all hope was extinguished."

 

Also, aren't we at a point now, where we have less hope than at any point in DD'd reign?

 

[Bellhorn04]

Actually, he was about to trade Betts, but a short winning streak changed the plans. It was not a point where "all hope was extinguished."

 

Also, aren't we at a point now, where we have less hope than at any point in DD'd reign?

 

 

I believe notin was referring to jettisoning Hanley and Pablo.

[notin]

I believe notin was referring to jettisoning Hanley and Pablo.

 

Never utter the name of the latter again. I fear if you say it three times, he will re-appear…

[notin]

The paycheck argument rings hollow to me. He sucks on D at 3B, and it lessens his value by playing him there.

 

I feel he could be a plus 1Bman, where Casas is not. If it turns out he isn't, then Casas and Devers can split time at 1B and DH. This would allow both bats to be in the line-up without needing "rest days."

 

I’ve been saying that since my Matt Chapman Crusade started last November.

 

It’s a bit early, but if Chapman opts out, he won’t have a QO attached this time…

[Bellhorn04]

I’ve been saying that since my Matt Chapman Crusade started last November.

 

It’s a bit early, but if Chapman opts out, he won’t have a QO attached this time…

 

The dream never dies, just the dreamer.