Red Sox 2025 Season Review/Offseason Preview Thread

[Hitch]

3 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Bregman healed so slowly last year, and looked very much "station to station" even when we were in the playoffs.  I would need a doctor to sign off on the medicals.  Bregman looked old.  If Doc says he was healing slow but its in the past now (or will be) than bregman > bo. Im not very interested in bo, the ws with another team doesnt matter much to me.

I like Bo's ability to get bat to ball and put it in play. As well as needing power in this team, we could do with some of that, also. Bregman worries me - there's a lot I love, but how he ages concerns me.

[Hitch]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Maybe just trying to get Breggie to lower his #?

Definitely can't be ruled out.

[drewski6]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You trust the crack medical staff this team employs? 

Then ill bring in my doctor friends.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I like Bo's ability to get bat to ball and put it in play. As well as needing power in this team, we could do with some of that, also. Bregman worries me - there's a lot I love, but how he ages concerns me.

Bo doesn't really add power though. 

[drewski6]

5 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I like Bo's ability to get bat to ball and put it in play. As well as needing power in this team, we could do with some of that, also. Bregman worries me - there's a lot I love, but how he ages concerns me.

Looking at bo's spray chart, its better than i thought.  High batting average is easy when you stay back and slap the ball other way.  But if you are pulling, then you are recogniziing the spin, meeting the ball out in front, bat stays through the zone a long time, and youll drive a lot more gaps.

I dont believe in things like choking up with 2 stirkes or selling out for contact (by staying back), shortening up the swing or any of that other dated stuff.  But I am impressed if hes aggressive, starting the load soon, keeping the bat in the zone, and driving the ball with his legs and hips while still making consistent contact. Thats impressive.

[Hitch]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Bo doesn't really add power though. 

Yeah we'd have to get the power from the other acquisition. Alonso and Bo wouldn't be too shabby, but lacking in power a little. 

[drewski6]

Its easy to have a high BA if you are staying back with a super short swing. Its cheating.  But if you are making contact in front of the plate (which pull hitters do), slightly longer swing, youlll get a lot more drive and loft.

Pull profile + high BA = impressive.  High BA without the pull profile = passive hitter.  And I dont like em.

Like Ive said before, every time im trying to stay back, get a good read on teh ball, go opposite field, its because im slumping and im not confident.  Im not trusting my ability to read the pitch so im sitting back longer.  AQnd the worst is when you foul off a meatball cuz you recognized its meatballness too late.  Weve all been there!  You HAVE to be confident at the plate. Have to , have to, have to.

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Yeah we'd have to get the power from the other acquisition. Alonso and Bo wouldn't be too shabby, but lacking in power a little. 

Bo is clearly a 1 for 1 replacement for Breggie. They still need that middle of the order bat no matter what they do at 3b/2b.

[drewski6]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Bo is clearly a 1 for 1 replacement for Breggie. They still need that middle of the order bat no matter what they do at 3b/2b.

I agree, but Bo has a pull profile and his slg is 20% above league average.  Its more gap / doubles than over the fence power, but 45 doubles is absolutely nothing to sneeze at, especially when it comes with 20 additional extra base hits.  Need more, but hes good as "one" of the two big bats we need, as long as the other big bat is bigger.

[drewski6]

Feels like Pedroia to me. Doubles machine.

[moonslav59]

41 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Who?

It's the big bat we both hope for!

99 HRS at AAA in 2050 PAs. Yes, that many PAs.

[mvp 78]

11 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

It's the big bat we both hope for!

99 HRS at AAA in 2050 PAs. Yes, that many PAs.

Has like 30 HR power with no split issues. Prior to '24, he was carrying Bobby Dalbec k rates in AAA. 

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Has like 30 HR power with no split issues. Prior to '24, he was carrying Bobby Dalbec k rates in AAA. 

Seems like AAAA. He turns 30 in March.

[mvp 78]

Imanaga, Torres and Woodruff accept QO

[mvp 78]

Grisham also took the QO.

[moonslav59]

More than I expected.

[Hitch]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Imanaga, Torres and Woodruff accept QO

Wonder if Torres takes Tigers out of the Bregman sweeps. 

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, Hitch said:

Wonder if Torres takes Tigers out of the Bregman sweeps. 

I thought Torres might fit a double Sox need: 2B and a one year deal that might allow a reset on the soon to be year 3 tax, assuming we go over this year (year 2.)

Go large and long on one guy and large and short on another.

[mvp 78]

[moonslav59]

Missed Hoppe for Luke Heyman (2025 SEA 14th round draftee, who plays 1B/C) Hoppe was added to the 40.

[Duran Is The Man]

5 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Who?

this is why the Sox signed him. they need a 1B, 2B and 3B. Henry thinks he'll save money by getting someone that can play all three. and he's probably hoping he can play all three at once.

 

[Jasonbay44]

51 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

this is why the Sox signed him. they need a 1B, 2B and 3B. Henry thinks he'll save money by getting someone that can play all three. and he's probably hoping he can play all three at once.

 

30 year old whose been released or DFA’d by White Sox, A’s, Marlins and Pirates? What a pick up! 

[harmony]

In a wide-ranging offseason plan, the Locked On Mariners podcasters proposed a trade of minor league outfielder Ricardo Cova to the Red Sox for infielder David Hamilton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcK7lWfD7G0

... at 44:50.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cova--000ric

[moonslav59]

36 minutes ago, harmony said:

In a wide-ranging offseason plan, the Locked On Mariners podcasters proposed a trade of minor league outfielder Ricardo Cova to the Red Sox for infielder David Hamilton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcK7lWfD7G0

... at 44:50.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cova--000ric

Nope.

DHam, Hicks for Castillo plus cash? LOL

[Larry Cook]

The net result is we lost a bunch of Fringy relievers and added a bunch of Fringy  utility guys and catchers. 
 

 

[Hitch]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I thought Torres might fit a double Sox need: 2B and a one year deal that might allow a reset on the soon to be year 3 tax, assuming we go over this year (year 2.)

Go large and long on one guy and large and short on another.

But again, I think I'm right in saying, with each new collective bargain, there is a reset on the tax implications for teams. So Year 3 is going to be a rest no matter what we spend this year (Year 2). And with Yoshida and Story coming off the books in two years, we should be able to reset or manage it after that, too. 

Which all adds up to them needing ti spend big this winter. Fingers crossed. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

16 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Looking at bo's spray chart, its better than i thought.  High batting average is easy when you stay back and slap the ball other way.  But if you are pulling, then you are recogniziing the spin, meeting the ball out in front, bat stays through the zone a long time, and youll drive a lot more gaps.

I dont believe in things like choking up with 2 stirkes or selling out for contact (by staying back), shortening up the swing or any of that other dated stuff.  But I am impressed if hes aggressive, starting the load soon, keeping the bat in the zone, and driving the ball with his legs and hips while still making consistent contact. Thats impressive.

Bo knows both.

I've followed Bichette's career since he was a New Hampshire Fisher Cat, and his elite hand-eye coordination gives him the unique confidence to carry dual approaches to his at bats: with his first two swings, he absolutely tries to crush the ball... but if he misses and has two strikes, he definitely adjusts and does whatever he can to make contact -- a lot of his two-strike hits go to right field; that's not selling out, but the sign of a good hitter. 

Bichette's hitting plan isn't that much different than Bregman's, except the latter's age and nagging injuries limit the damage he once did. Both are examples to younger batters in a line-up; Bo is still in his 20s and thus more dangerous...

[Hugh2]

7 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

The net result is we lost a bunch of Fringy relievers and added a bunch of Fringy  utility guys and catchers. 
 

 

I think a lot of this is just depth moves.  We are going to see guys added this offseason that will be dfa'd before the season even begins. 

[drewski6]

13 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

This type of stuff takes effort and adds value to being a member here, TY

[drewski6]

13 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

this is why the Sox signed him. they need a 1B, 2B and 3B. Henry thinks he'll save money by getting someone that can play all three. and he's probably hoping he can play all three at once.

 

underrated comment, good stuff