A Realistic View of the 2025 Red Sox: Part I

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

11 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Harsh on Grissom after being injured for such large parts. This year is the one that'll show he is either good enough or isn't. I still hold up hope. 

When he played for the Red Sox in the spring, he didn't even look like an infielder. He threw with his arm straight up over his head, as if adjusting curtain rods, with nothing on his throws. Saw him live a few times later in the minors and he looked stronger. Could drive the ball in the gap and steal a bag... but still limited in the field.

[mvp 78]

45 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

When he played for the Red Sox in the spring, he didn't even look like an infielder. He threw with his arm straight up over his head, as if adjusting curtain rods, with nothing on his throws. Saw him live a few times later in the minors and he looked stronger. Could drive the ball in the gap and steal a bag... but still limited in the field.

He's not a good IFer. May need to transition to the OF. Really limited ceiling as he has poor defense and not much power. 

[oldtimer]

Arenado is still in the mix. He could play 3rd, 1st or DH. Would be a smart addition and would fit at Fenway. I have thought we might go that way if Tescovar wasn't interested in the Sox.

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, notin said:

I could see Henry authorizing the mess and still holding it against DD.  Sounds just like how Ilitch handled him in Detroit.   The “payroll mess” was acceptable as long as the team was winning.

 

Seems plausible that his “not a team player” attitude falls into the same category.  All of this is acceptable when it’s working.  But once it stops, Henry was left with a guy who built an expensive mediocre team and was difficult to work with.  That all seems plausible…

I disagree with one part. We paid big and won more than ever before in 2018, then would not pay to replace Kimbrell & Kelly. DD was told to shop Betts in 2019. The cuts in spending began before the losing began.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

Arenado is still in the mix. He could play 3rd, 1st or DH. Would be a smart addition and would fit at Fenway. I have thought we might go that way if Tescovar wasn't interested in the Sox.

Why would they bring in Arenado to play 1B? Having a 1B that hits below 725? Yuck!

[moonslav59]

Lorenzen signs for $7M/1 w KCR. No loss to us.

Gavin Lux traded to CIN for an OF prospect.

Bregman and Scott still unsigned.

Arenado still not traded.

Cartaya's time is nearly up for a trade after being DFA'd by LAD.

[Larry Cook]

22 hours ago, Tedballgame said:

They haven't had any trouble not winning 13 other times. Ownership could have made sure they lost. Buffalo tanked the game worse than the Patriots. Frustrating for fans.

Competing does not guarantee winning: 

[mvp 78]

This may be a punt year, but Lucy won't pull the football away next year.

 

[notin]

20 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

This may be a punt year, but Lucy won't pull the football away next year.

 

I wonder what it was about those 2034 A’s and Rockies rosters that lead to that conclusion…

[Bellhorn04]

39 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

This may be a punt year, but Lucy won't pull the football away next year.

 

What an utterly demented thing to do. 

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

What an utterly demented thing to do. 

One of my favorite exercises: MLB meets Dr Demento.

[moonslav59]

On 1/6/2025 at 3:10 PM, mvp 78 said:

Why would they bring in Arenado to play 1B? Having a 1B that hits below 725? Yuck!

No way should we trade for a glove-first 3Bman and then play him at 1B- leaving the god-awful defensive hole at 3B.

I feel the same about Bregman at 2B.

Also, why sign Alonso just to trade Casas? To "balance" the lineup? Casas hits LHPs pretty well, and the money differential would prevent us from adding at areas we really need fixing.

IMO, we will go with a one year deal on someone like Grichuck and maybe sign a decent RP'er, not named Scott. Maybe we trade Abreu for a catcher. (I can't think of anyone that seems like a fit.) HOU needs an OF'er, but Cartatini has just one year of control, and we'd have to add way more to get Y Diaz.

Abreu & Fitts

for

Caratini & Luis Garcia (the "other one.")

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

This may be a punt year, but Lucy won't pull the football away next year.

 

MLB.com is full of Yankee-loving scribes who predict the Spanks to win the World Series every single year... but this guy's assignment was obviously to look impartial and generate as much interest as possible in even the small markets before pitchers and catchers report.

So he could only pick pinstripes to win once (especially since they never have in his adult life).

Instead, he loved to pick the Red Sox losing the World Series twice -- to the Mets "It would perfect if that happened against a Red Sox team" and to Mookie "against his original team."

[moonslav59]

How can we ever let a team like the CWS swoop in and sign Bobby Dee out from under our noses?

🤣

[moonslav59]

STL is looking to shed payroll and has a very good young catcher named Ivan Herrera, who has not even reached his arb years, yet. How about a trade for Willson Contreras, who is owed $18M x 3 ($17.5 lux tax hit?)

He's a good RHB (.380 OBP in '24 & .355 over last 4 seasons, along with a .460 SLG.) Over the last 4 seasons, he has 28 HRs per 650 PAs.

What would it take to get him? I'm sure they'd ask for Mayer, but maybe an Abreu, Cespedes and Fitts might start the talks.

Would you give Abreu, Arias and Dobbins?

 

[moonslav59]

SFG signs Verlander

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

STL is looking to shed payroll and has a very good young catcher named Ivan Herrera, who has not even reached his arb years, yet. How about a trade for Willson Contreras, who is owed $18M x 3 ($17.5 lux tax hit?)

He's a good RHB (.380 OBP in '24 & .355 over last 4 seasons, along with a .460 SLG.) Over the last 4 seasons, he has 28 HRs per 650 PAs.

What would it take to get him? I'm sure they'd ask for Mayer, but maybe an Abreu, Cespedes and Fitts might start the talks.

Would you give Abreu, Arias and Dobbins?

 

No.

[moonslav59]

17 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

No.

What might you give?

[notin]

13 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

STL is looking to shed payroll and has a very good young catcher named Ivan Herrera, who has not even reached his arb years, yet. How about a trade for Willson Contreras, who is owed $18M x 3 ($17.5 lux tax hit?)

He's a good RHB (.380 OBP in '24 & .355 over last 4 seasons, along with a .460 SLG.) Over the last 4 seasons, he has 28 HRs per 650 PAs.

What would it take to get him? I'm sure they'd ask for Mayer, but maybe an Abreu, Cespedes and Fitts might start the talks.

Would you give Abreu, Arias and Dobbins?

 

Hard pass.

We have enough 1b/DH types already in camp.

St. Louis didn’t want Contreras behind the plate anymore.  Willson’s idea of “framing pitches” involves for some reason getting too close to the hitter.  Last year, JD Martínez broke Willson’s arm by merely swinging.

They’re not even attempting to put him back behind the plate; presumably he’s awful without moving too far forward. And they have a pair of better catchers that can frame a pitch without ending up in a cast…

[Bellhorn04]

13 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

How can we ever let a team like the CWS swoop in and sign Bobby Dee out from under our noses?

🤣

Perfect opportunity for him though.

[mvp 78]

11 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

What might you give?

I don't believe the Red Sox are in a contention window. Continuing to trade from a future core for a Catcher entering his mid 30's is a really bad idea. If this was a team that was already in the playoffs and needed a move to get them to the WS, fine. They are not there. 

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, notin said:

Hard pass.

We have enough 1b/DH types already in camp.

St. Louis didn’t want Contreras behind the plate anymore.  Willson’s idea of “framing pitches” involves for some reason getting too close to the hitter.  Last year, JD Martínez broke Willson’s arm by merely swinging.

They’re not even attempting to put him back behind the plate; presumably he’s awful without moving too far forward. And they have a pair of better catchers that can frame a pitch without ending up in a cast…

His defense is only going to get worse from here on out too. 

[notin]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

His defense is only going to get worse from here on out too. 

Nope.

Cardinals plan to move him to 1b.  He has no defense there to step down from…

[Hugh2]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I don't believe the Red Sox are in a contention window. Continuing to trade from a future core for a Catcher entering his mid 30's is a really bad idea. If this was a team that was already in the playoffs and needed a move to get them to the WS, fine. They are not there. 

If that's the case, then why trade two of your top prospects for only two years of control of a pitcher?

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

If that's the case, then why trade two of your top prospects for only two years of control of a pitcher?

Because they are going to extend him. 

[Hugh2]

Big reason why they Cardinals want to move Contreras to 1B is because they have two young catchers in Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages

[Hugh2]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

Because they are going to extend him. 

Ok, but isn't that still a move you make when you want to contend? trading away 3 very good prospects for a pitcher you're going to shell out $$$ for?

They may not be there yet, but I think the Sox think their contention window is going to start next year. 

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Ok, but isn't that still a move you make when you want to contend? trading away 3 very good prospects for a pitcher you're going to shell out $$$ for?

They may not be there yet, but I think the Sox think their contention window is going to start next year. 

Maybe if the pitcher they traded for was 30. Crochet is 25. He's 3 years younger than Houck and Crawford. Two other Sox pitchers that are 25: Bello and Fitts. Crochet is the future. 

[mvp 78]

Hunter Dobbins is 25. 

[Hugh2]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Maybe if the pitcher they traded for was 30. Crochet is 25. He's 3 years younger than Houck and Crawford. Two other Sox pitchers that are 25: Bello and Fitts. Crochet is the future. 

Ok so they think they're not in contention because they're trading for young players and not old players?

But.....they're pretty much signing all older players? Chapman/Wilson/Buehler???

FTR I don't really want them to trade for Contreras but I don't buy that they don't think they're in a contention window because they won't trade for a guy in their 30's when they're signing players older than Wilson, and the other guys they're connected too are all in their 30's as well. 

Bregman 31

Arenado 34

A.J. Minter 31