Are we good enough now?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

To answer the original question; NO.

Btw, good enough to do what? I'm guessing you are referring to winning the WS. That's why I answered NO.

[Maxbialystock]

33 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Btw, good enough to do what? I'm guessing you are referring to winning the WS. That's why I answered NO.

I still like the current Sox who have no significant weaknesses.  Hitting, pitching, defense, and baserunning are all pretty good.

We can always use another good arm or two, and right now I'd go for relievers over starters.  Our 4th starter, Buehler pitched 22.1 innings in July with an ERA of 3.59 and two quality starts.  

I'd like another lefty bat, preferably at 2b, and I know who.  Mayer.  His OPS vs righties is .739 and he's a good fielder.  

 

[moonslav59]

45 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Btw, good enough to do what? I'm guessing you are referring to winning the WS. That's why I answered NO.

What AL team is significantly better than the Sox?

Records since June 30th:

17-7 BOS

18-8 TOR

15-8 TEX (losing tonight)

14-10 SEA (losing tonight) & KCR

14-11 BAL

13-12 CLE

12-11 OAK

DET, HOU, NYY & TBR all with losing records.

[cp176]

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.  When Mayer went down, as was previously mentioned, I was surprised they didn’t bring Grissom up just to give him a shot.  I really hope the “need for a backup catcher” doesn’t pick up any steam.  given a chance to play, I think that Wong would hit.  I’m pretty happy with this team overall but they really could use a bigger bat in that lineup.  Diaz?  Everybody wants and needs pitching for sure but making a big time costly trade for anyone right now might not be such a good idea.

[cp176]

Now I’m really wondering about Grissom.  He’s having a solid year in Worcester.  Mayer goes down which sadly isn’t unusual and we bring up Hamilton?  Unless they are trading him tomorrow, what about this move makes any sense?  Sometimes the decisions made by the front office really do seem confusing.

[mvp 78]

13 hours ago, Kimmi said:

I'm surprised they didn't call up Grissom when Mayer went on the IL.  I guess they're more concerned with the defensive side of things at 2nd base.

Grissom can't hit quality pitching. Right now, he's feasting on lesser AAA arms and not hitting better AAA arms. 

[mvp 78]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Maybe if Mayer was a Ranger, you'd expect  better.

.752 last 29 PAs

.730 after his first 9 games (101 PAs)

Not "tearing the cover off," yes, but doing well enough to make 2B a plus position.

I like Mayer. I'm more concerned about the lingering issues with his wrist since he's missed significant time each season he's played. 

[cp176]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Grissom can't hit quality pitching. Right now, he's feasting on lesser AAA arms and not hitting better AAA arms. 

Do we know this for sure?  One thing we do kind of know is that Hamilton can’t .  I like Hamilton on a team that has an abundance of hitters.  We ain’t that.  Either trade Grissom to somebody for anybody or give him at least a look.  

[Bellhorn04]

They obviously don't like Grissom's defense and it appears they're also skeptical that his hitting at AAA will translate to the bigs.

[Bellhorn04]

10 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Btw, good enough to do what? I'm guessing you are referring to winning the WS. That's why I answered NO.

IMHO the real question should be can we win the pennant.  The NL is obviously the stronger league, but we only have to beat AL teams to get to the Series.

[notin]

2 hours ago, cp176 said:

Now I’m really wondering about Grissom.  He’s having a solid year in Worcester.  Mayer goes down which sadly isn’t unusual and we bring up Hamilton?  Unless they are trading him tomorrow, what about this move makes any sense?  Sometimes the decisions made by the front office really do seem confusing.

I had questions about the same thing.  Some possibilities include:

1. Hamilton hits left-handed and Cora loves platoons.  If the Sox do acquire a 1b, this leaves a spot vs LHP for Romy.

2. Putting Rafaela at 2b, while certainly not ideal, does solve the OF depth issues.

3. Showcasing Hamilton for a trade.  This seems least plausible given the year Hes having at the plate.

Those are the best I got…

[cp176]

32 minutes ago, notin said:

I had questions about the same thing.  Some possibilities include:

1. Hamilton hits left-handed and Cora loves platoons.  If the Sox do acquire a 1b, this leaves a spot vs LHP for Romy.

2. Putting Rafaela at 2b, while certainly not ideal, does solve the OF depth issues.

3. Showcasing Hamilton for a trade.  This seems least plausible given the year Hes having at the plate.

Those are the best I got…

I think that your takes on this are pretty good.  I don’t think that is as simple as simply saying he can’t do something at the ml level when he has  been given no chance.  Whether  he ever gets the chance in Boston, who knows but it just looks like another mystery to me.   

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, cp176 said:

Do we know this for sure?  One thing we do kind of know is that Hamilton can’t .  I like Hamilton on a team that has an abundance of hitters.  We ain’t that.  Either trade Grissom to somebody for anybody or give him at least a look.  

Yes, this is what they've said over and over on the SoxProspects podcast and they have access to metrics and pitching/hitting data that we don't. If they could trade Grissom, they would. Most likely, he's moved before the Rule 5 date. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

They obviously don't like Grissom's defense and it appears they're also skeptical that his hitting at AAA will translate to the bigs.

Unless there is an influx of fastballs under 92 mph coming to MLB that we don't know about...

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, notin said:

I had questions about the same thing.  Some possibilities include:

1. Hamilton hits left-handed and Cora loves platoons.  If the Sox do acquire a 1b, this leaves a spot vs LHP for Romy.

2. Putting Rafaela at 2b, while certainly not ideal, does solve the OF depth issues.

3. Showcasing Hamilton for a trade.  This seems least plausible given the year Hes having at the plate.

Those are the best I got…

If it's confusing, it's because the front office isn't just scouting the box scores and actually sees the player day in day out. If they liked Grissom at all, we would have seen him in BOS by now (and not just the 465 OPS he provided last year). They've tried him out at 3b, 1b to see if there's any value there. It's his third season at AAA. There is no meat left on that bone. 

[Bellhorn04]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Yes, this is what they've said over and over on the SoxProspects podcast and they have access to metrics and pitching/hitting data that we don't. If they could trade Grissom, they would. Most likely, he's moved before the Rule 5 date. 

Thank you for bringing some actual insight to the matter. 

[mvp 78]

47 minutes ago, cp176 said:

I think that your takes on this are pretty good.  I don’t think that is as simple as simply saying he can’t do something at the ml level when he has  been given no chance.  Whether  he ever gets the chance in Boston, who knows but it just looks like another mystery to me.   

What about Vaughn Grissom screams MLBer to you? His defense? His power profile? His athletic ability? 

[FredLynn]

On 7/21/2025 at 2:37 PM, Sox 42 said:

If Yes we stay pat and win it all.  If not, do we buy or sell?  If buy who and what must we give up?  If sell who and what do we get?  I am new at this Forum content so let me know where I strayed.  I am Sox 42 which tells my age.

We MIGHT be good enough to make the playoffs for a change. I'd set those odds at 50/50. Winning a ring? Not even close. To compete for a ring we need a #2 SP, another good RP, a 1B man, and a backup catcher. Too many holes to fill all at once.

[notin]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

What about Vaughn Grissom screams MLBer to you? His defense? His power profile? His athletic ability? 

Great MLB name…

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

Great MLB name…

Looks good in a uniform? Scouts used to like that kind of thing!

[Maxbialystock]

3 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

I like Mayer. I'm more concerned about the lingering issues with his wrist since he's missed significant time each season he's played. 

I think we all like Mayer, but he does seem injury prone.  And on this one, which sounds minor, they can't tell him how long he'll be out.  

[mvp 78]

Just now, Maxbialystock said:

I think we all like Mayer, but he does seem injury prone.  And on this one, which sounds minor, they can't tell him how long he'll be out.  

At this point, he firmly has the injury prone tag, more so than a guy like Trevor Story.  I just think it's more important for them to take it slowly with him for the long term health of the franchise. 

[cp176]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Looks good in a uniform? Scouts used to like that kind of thing!

Wow  - Let’s give it up to the metric and analytical minds doing their thing I guess.  I haven’t seen him play,  Have any of you?  I guess that I was thinking that maybe he provided an option that might have been an improvement over Hamilton.   Whatever - it was just a thought.  I think that it helps to get as much information as you can about any player.  

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, cp176 said:

Wow  - Let’s give it up to the metric and analytical minds doing their thing I guess.  I haven’t seen him play,  Have any of you?  I guess that I was thinking that maybe he provided an option that might have been an improvement over Hamilton.   Whatever - it was just a thought.  I think that it helps to get as much information as you can about any player.  

Analytics are good. Jokes are good too! 

[cp176]

5 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

I think we all like Mayer, but he does seem injury prone.  And on this one, which sounds minor, they can't tell him how long he'll be out.  

He has been injury prone.  I hope that it is just a case of the kid’s bad luck.  A healthy everyday Mayer could some day be very good.

[cp176]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Analytics are good. Jokes are good too! 

Oh for sure jokes are great.  How about the one I heard this spring about the guy Telling Jim Rice that his suggestions when asked by a young player were not what was taught these days.  I thought that that was a great one.  

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, cp176 said:

Oh for sure jokes are great.  How about the one I heard this spring about the guy Telling Jim Rice that his suggestions when asked by a young player were not what was taught these days.  I thought that that was a great one.  

I personally don't believe in torture or the death penalty, but... 

[Hitch]

20 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

I think we all like Mayer, but he does seem injury prone.  And on this one, which sounds minor, they can't tell him how long he'll be out.  

I'd move Mayer in the right trade and not lose a wink of sleep over it. And I really like the kid.

[cp176]

13 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I personally don't believe in torture or the death penalty, but... 

Your level of thinking is far to advanced for me.

[cp176]

7 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I'd move Mayer in the right trade and not lose a wink of sleep over it. And I really like the kid.

I think that I agree with you.