Rays (Baz) vs Red Sox (Crochet): 7/12/25, 4:10pm

[Maxbialystock]

4 hours ago, vegasbob said:

What time does the game start today?  Crochet will show he's no ace and it will be a 12-11 slugfest , I'm sure

Neither team can play defense and other than Rafaela's blind squirrel HR last night , runs are scarce. 

Don't know what game you guys are commenting on, like it already happened.

☺️

[sk7326]

5 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

FO is actually looking pretty smart.  Dumping Devers and his salary has helped the Sox both ways.  And nobody was going to give up a front line starter for Devers and his gigantic contract.  

The Sox could have afforded to keep him - it's still a silly trade.

That said, Breslow's moves have all been hits so far - even if the Chapman signing is total found money.  (there was zero reason to believe he'd be the best reliever in the AL)

[notin]

6 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

FO is actually looking pretty smart.  Dumping Devers and his salary has helped the Sox both ways.  And nobody was going to give up a front line starter for Devers and his gigantic contract.  

Especially now that Devers is having back issues.  Although I wish him a speedy recovery…

[Soxlover]

Crochet was the best move we’ve seen in a long time! I’m not sure, yet but it might be better than the Sale trade.

fantastic win!!!!

one more, one at a time.

[dannycater]

First 1-0, CG shutout by a Sox pitcher since Pedro in 2000...25 years...unbelievable stat. Crochet is about as good as it gets as far as reliablity--and then for him to turn down pitching in All-Star Game as he was concerned about anything affecting his team performance for Sox--super impressive..this is the type of ace then be important in a postseason. He has Pedro/Rocket type domination. 

[dannycater]

9 hours ago, sk7326 said:

The Sox could have afforded to keep him - it's still a silly trade.

That said, Breslow's moves have all been hits so far - even if the Chapman signing is total found money.  (there was zero reason to believe he'd be the best reliever in the AL)

yeah, I find ripping Devers just because the team finally went on a long win streak is weak justification for the deal. He only would have made this lineup so much better--and he was when Sox were knocking of the Yankees right before trade..some guys are ripping Raffy now based on his actions or inactions--I can't and I won't. Nomar was a helluva player and came back from injury in 2004 and even if his defense was diminishing back then, the vitreol of his trade at the time was sick by some fans--he was still hitting well and he was a great Red Sox. Devers a great Red Sox. 

[Bellhorn04]

49 minutes ago, dannycater said:

yeah, I find ripping Devers just because the team finally went on a long win streak is weak justification for the deal. He only would have made this lineup so much better--and he was when Sox were knocking of the Yankees right before trade..some guys are ripping Raffy now based on his actions or inactions--I can't and I won't. Nomar was a helluva player and came back from injury in 2004 and even if his defense was diminishing back then, the vitreol of his trade at the time was sick by some fans--he was still hitting well and he was a great Red Sox. Devers a great Red Sox. 

Devers has been terrible since the trade - .691 OPS and 2 HR in 24 games.  From what I've read he is dealing with both a groin issue and a back issue and that's why they've postponed him moving to 1B.  And of course he had the shoulder problems last year.

I'm surprised anyone can still think it wasn't the right move.

[Bellhorn04]

10 hours ago, sk7326 said:

The Sox could have afforded to keep him - it's still a silly trade.

They could have afforded it, but there's a pretty good chance they can spend the $250 million better, too.

[dgalehouse]

While it is too early to evaluate the Devers trade, the results so far show that the Sox are doing better without him, while he has done little to help the Giants.  That is not meant to be piling on Rafael, just an objective appraisal. 

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Devers has been terrible since the trade - .691 OPS and 2 HR in 24 games.  From what I've read he is dealing with both a groin issue and a back issue and that's why they've postponed him moving to 1B.  And of course he had the shoulder problems last year.

I'm surprised anyone can still think it wasn't the right move.

they still should have gotten better players in the deal. horrible from that stand point.

[sk7326]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

They could have afforded it, but there's a pretty good chance they can spend the $250 million better, too.

I think the trade was silly.  But that is separate from how the team is doing now - it's not like there is some salary cap calculus.

But what the winning streak I think has shown is that really what this team needed to do was to "play better" ... there was no magic here.  There was no magic adjustment or anything - guys who the team were counting on (Giolito, Story, Rafaela) just started to play better. 

[Bellhorn04]

10 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

they still should have gotten better players in the deal. horrible from that stand point.

I don't think many teams were willing to take on the whole contract.

I doubt there were any willing to do that AND give up serious talent.

[Bellhorn04]

36 minutes ago, sk7326 said:

I think the trade was silly.  But that is separate from how the team is doing now - it's not like there is some salary cap calculus.

But what the winning streak I think has shown is that really what this team needed to do was to "play better" ... there was no magic here.  There was no magic adjustment or anything - guys who the team were counting on (Giolito, Story, Rafaela) just started to play better. 

Sure, that's the part we can see.  It's always a bit of a mystery WHY guys start playing better or worse all of a sudden.

I have been very hard on Sox ownership and their frugality the last few years but in this case I think they did something they thought had to be done for the good of the team.

Maybe I'm just basing this on how I feel personally.  The Devers drama felt like it was hanging over my head as a fan and I'm relieved it's gone.

 

[dannycater]

13 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

☺️

LOL

[dannycater]

14 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Sure, that's the part we can see.  It's always a bit of a mystery WHY guys start playing better or worse all of a sudden.

I have been very hard on Sox ownership and their frugality the last few years but in this case I think they did something they thought had to be done for the good of the team.

Maybe I'm just basing this on how I feel personally.  The Devers drama felt like it was hanging over my head as a fan and I'm relieved it's gone.

 

The team was playing better prior to Devers trade...it was a true upswing, and then it was like the team for whatever reason went straight back to most of the last few seasons--dreadful, losing ball, finding ways to lose....so it's not like the team was in a frightful state when RD was traded...But again look at who is stepping up their game--Story (terrible for how long as a Sox, injury prone, etc), Duran (slump most of season prior to recent stretch), Rafaela--playing like an All-Star in the past 30 days, then throw in Anthony call-up, Mayer, the Gonzalez-Refsnyder phenomenon RH v. LH, Narvaez sending last year's starter to the bench...just a lot of really good things going on...then Bello, Gioloto throw good starts with Crochet a Cy Young candidate, plus league's best closer in Chapman...team is playing better, but the tools were there, the players were there prior to all of the drama. 

[sk7326]

26 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Sure, that's the part we can see.  It's always a bit of a mystery WHY guys start playing better or worse all of a sudden.

I have been very hard on Sox ownership and their frugality the last few years but in this case I think they did something they thought had to be done for the good of the team.

Maybe I'm just basing this on how I feel personally.  The Devers drama felt like it was hanging over my head as a fan and I'm relieved it's gone.

 

It might be true.  The vibes are better for sure.  But - at least for now - running into a couple of ho-ho-horrendous teams helped everybody get well.