A Realistic View of the 2025 Red Sox: Part I

[moonslav59]

Just now, Old Red said:

According to reports the Red Sox were trying to include Masa with Casas to Seattle.

I think he was part of the Arenado talks, too.

[mvp 78]

Just now, Old Red said:

According to reports the Red Sox were trying to include Masa with Casas to Seattle.

That's ruining the return for Casas. Why not just trade Casas and open up the 1B spot for Devers? The DH spot is there for Masa. Sign Bregman for 3B and the Sox make more sense. I don't understand this team sometimes.

[Larry Cook]

4 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Also worth noting that fWAR says he's not actually good.

This spring, I think he has been putting together good at bats and if the pitcher misses, yoshida has been getting hits!!! 
with the bat. He has impressed me this spring 

[Larry Cook]

2 hours ago, Old Red said:

According to reports the Red Sox were trying to include Masa with Casas to Seattle.

I heard we tried to send yoshida and others to both Seattle and St. Louis. 
the Atlanta sports radio guy said Colorado and San Diego called us about other players. But when we tried to include yoshida they backed out. However I have never heard anybody else report that about San Diego and Colorado 

[moonslav59]

Looking down the road, I can't see Devers going back to 3B, even if Bregman bolts afte2025. We might end up seeing Mayer or Campbell at 3B, beyond '25.

Even if we get Devers some time at 1B, Casas would DH on those days, so I just don't see how Yoshida fits into that slot. Anytime I mention Yoshida playing LF, as a possible option, there is major pushback, and rightfully so. Besides, we have Anthony banging on the OF door where we already have 4 good player with roles Rafaela, Abreu & Refsnyder.

Even if we trade Abreu, there may still not be room for Yoshida in LF, even if we wanted him there. The easiest way to get Yoshida into our line-up would be by trading Casas and playing Devers at 1B. Maybe that's why we heard so many Casas rumors, this past winter. (I am against that idea.)

I can't help but think we end up getting rid of Yoshida, one way or another- maybe this summer, maybe next winter. It's not that he can't hit, but I feel others offmore promise, and Devers should be the DH.

[dgalehouse]

Yoshida is that piece of furniture that caught your eye, so you bought it and paid more than you should have. It's not bad at all , but you really have no place to put it and now it's kind of hard to get rid of. So, you are thinking about moving the furniture around to try and find a use for it. 

[Bellhorn04]

38 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

Yoshida is that piece of furniture that caught your eye, so you bought it and paid more than you should have. It's not bad at all , but you really have no place to put it and now it's kind of hard to get rid of. So, you are thinking about moving the furniture around to try and find a use for it. 

Horrible signing by Bloom.  At first people didn't realize Yoshida was only suited to be a DH, but once they did, it was hard to figure what Bloom was thinking shelling out that much money.       

Yoshida will be 32 in July, also.

[Bellhorn04]

You have to think a team in need of an LH bat would be interested in Yoshida if the Sox pay 70% of his salary or something like that. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I'm just grateful a franchise like the Red Sox, who once refused to sign Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, gave a guy like Yoshida a chance...

... and Wong, Narvaez, Casas, Campbell, Hamilton, Mayer, Gonzalez, Devers, Duran, Refsnyder, Rafaela and Abreu. And Bregman, who made it a point to learn to speak Spanish, even though his great-grandfather immigrated from Russia.

And those are just some of the position players for Alex Cora.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

You have to think a team in need of an LH bat would be interested in Yoshida if the Sox pay 70% of his salary or something like that. 

Agreed. Some team would take him for $4-6M a year.

[moonslav59]

Houck says he wants to stay in BOS and was open for extension talks, but none came.

Talk is that Newcomb might win the 5 slot.

Fulmer said he does not have an opt out.

Chapman looks like the closer with Slaten ahead of Hendriks on the depth chart, according to MLBTR.

[Hitch]

13 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Looking down the road, I can't see Devers going back to 3B, even if Bregman bolts afte2025. We might end up seeing Mayer or Campbell at 3B, beyond '25.

Even if we get Devers some time at 1B, Casas would DH on those days, so I just don't see how Yoshida fits into that slot. Anytime I mention Yoshida playing LF, as a possible option, there is major pushback, and rightfully so. Besides, we have Anthony banging on the OF door where we already have 4 good player with roles Rafaela, Abreu & Refsnyder.

Even if we trade Abreu, there may still not be room for Yoshida in LF, even if we wanted him there. The easiest way to get Yoshida into our line-up would be by trading Casas and playing Devers at 1B. Maybe that's why we heard so many Casas rumors, this past winter. (I am against that idea.)

I can't help but think we end up getting rid of Yoshida, one way or another- maybe this summer, maybe next winter. It's not that he can't hit, but I feel others offmore promise, and Devers should be the DH.

Yup, Yoshida is homeless. As I've been saying for a while - I don't think he plays much LF at all and he isn't getting many DH starts. We'd give him away today if we could. 

One of Bloom's biggest mistakes, and not even with hindsight as the reporting at the time was one of shock at the price, and talk of us going not far over double over what would have been needed, bidding against ourselves, etc. 

Devers starting with the sore shoulders has been a blessing for us in terms of how easy it is to now slot and keep Bregman at 3rd.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Hitch said:

Yup, Yoshida is homeless. As I've been saying for a while - I don't think he plays much LF at all and he isn't getting many DH starts. We'd give him away today if we could. 

One of Bloom's biggest mistakes, and not even with hindsight as the reporting at the time was one of shock at the price, and talk of us going not far over double over what would have been needed, bidding against ourselves, etc. 

Devers starting with the sore shoulders has been a blessing for us in terms of how easy it is to now slot and keep Bregman at 3rd.

The major talk on Yoshida, when signed was the price and probable lack of anyone else coming close to our offer. It was NOT about his lack of skills. His defense was worse than anyone expected, I think.

If he's worth $5-6M a year to some club, right now, I'd seriously make the deal. I know, paying $12-13M a year for him to play elsewhere is painful, I just don't see how he fits into any scheme. Hell, I'd rather have Refsnyder as the back-up DH and 5th OF'er, especially with so many LHBs in the OF.

Devers at DH FT makes too much sense.

Anthony putting the squeeze on the OF, even without Yoshida in the mix is already an issue (not a bad one.)

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

The major talk on Yoshida, when signed was the price and probable lack of anyone else coming close to our offer. It was NOT about his lack of skills.

The implication was that his skills were not worth $90 million plus posting fee.

[mvp 78]

Just now, Bellhorn04 said:

The implication was that his skills were not worth $90 million plus posting fee.

Easy to blame Bloom, but there are scouts still in the org today who really wanted to sign the guy. 

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Easy to blame Bloom, but there are scouts still in the org today who really wanted to sign the guy. 

Understood, but the signing was a big deal for Bloom, given the amount of money involved and the budget he was working with.  Plus he spent another chunk on Justin Turner to be primarily a DH.  While only $10 million on the rotation.  He has to wear it IMHO.

  

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Understood, but the signing was a big deal for Bloom, given the amount of money involved and the budget he was working with.  Plus he spent another chunk on Justin Turner to be primarily a DH.  While only $10 million on the rotation.  He has to wear it IMHO

He wore enough of it that he got his butt fired. 

[moonslav59]

27 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The implication was that his skills were not worth $90 million plus posting fee.

No doubt, but not that he was worth just $4-6M a year, like some of us are suggesting.

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

No doubt, but not that he was worth just $4-6M a year, like some of us are suggesting.

Yep, he's even worse than the critics of the signing suggested.  But maybe some of them were being polite.  I remember one guy being quoted as saying "I have no words", which was chilling.

[Old Red]

32 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Easy to blame Bloom, but there are scouts still in the org today who really wanted to sign the guy. 

There was a need for outfielders at the time, and that was Bloom’s big splash for losing Bogey.

[Old Red]

37 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The implication was that his skills were not worth $90 million plus posting fee.

Boras is still laughing about that one. Never shut things down that fast. He knew NO ONE was going higher than Boston.

[Bellhorn04]

2 minutes ago, Old Red said:

There was a need for outfielders at the time, and that was Bloom’s big splash for losing Bogey.

I have to figure Bloom thought he was an .850-.900 OPS guy.

God knows what they were thinking about him playing in the outfield.  

[moonslav59]

28 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I have to figure Bloom thought he was an .850-.900 OPS guy.

God knows what they were thinking about him playing in the outfield.  

Defense is supposed to be the easiest thing to scout.

He did have an .851 OPS on 8/1/23 (.831 on 8/18)

He did have an .825 OPS on 8/19/24.

For what that is worth.

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Defense is supposed to be the easiest thing to scout.

He mainly played OF until 2022 when it flipped and he was a DH 2/3's of the time. Maybe he bulked up or got slower as he aged? He's not the worst we've seen in LF, but he's not good.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

He mainly played OF until 2022 when it flipped and he was a DH 2/3's of the time. Maybe he bulked up or got slower as he aged? He's not the worst we've seen in LF, but he's not good.

His instincts and foundational skills looked pretty bad- day one.

[Larry Cook]

5 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

His instincts and foundational skills looked pretty bad- day one.

I agree! Yoshida can not track a beach ball in the outfield!!  A baseball is way beyond his ability 

[Larry Cook]

Braves sign verdugo for 1.5 million?????

Braves still looking for an upgrade at SS!!!!!

[moonslav59]

16 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

I agree! Yoshida can not track a beach ball in the outfield!!  A baseball is way beyond his ability 

That should have been something scouts knew.

Had Yoshida been signed to $7M x 5, we'd not be so critical, and he might be gone by now.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

17 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

Braves sign verdugo for 1.5 million?????

Braves still looking for an upgrade at SS!!!!!

For anyone who's been watching the ST games, the Red Sox have no big league-ready shortstops who are expendable as trade bait.

Not only has Mayer looked solid, but Story threw two more balls away yesterday: one he heaved into the Twins dugout, another he bounced 20 feet away from Casas, which he couldn't have reached if he was Mr. Fantastic (or even Mr. Mediocre). For some reason they only gave Story one E, but there were two WTFs...

[Bellhorn04]

36 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

For anyone who's been watching the ST games, the Red Sox have no big league-ready shortstops who are expendable as trade bait.

Not only has Mayer looked solid, but Story threw two more balls away yesterday: one he heaved into the Twins dugout, another he bounced 20 feet away from Casas, which he couldn't have reached if he was Mr. Fantastic (or even Mr. Mediocre). For some reason they only gave Story one E, but there were two WTFs...

Yeah, this is a tad concerning for a man with a surgically repaired elbow. 

There's always something new to worry about.