Red Sox 2025 Season Review/Offseason Preview Thread

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

It’s possible we could trade for a significant infield upgrade. I’d put those odds around 20%.

I might say 33%, so we are not far off on the pessimism spectrum on this one.

[moonslav59]

34 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Why downgrade the club with Alonso? 

Devers 857 OPS '23-'25

Alonso 827 OPS '23-'25

More importantly, the downgrade from .827 Alonso to .817 Willson moved us from ring contention to 4th place in the ALE.

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

More importantly, the downgrade from .827 Alonso to .817 Willson moved us from ring contention to 4th place in the ALE.

[mvp 78]

18 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I might say 33%, so we are not far off on the pessimism spectrum on this one.

You guys are way more optimistic than I am about this. 

[mvp 78]

On 1/9/2026 at 1:53 PM, mvp 78 said:

Skubal is going to hand the arbiter a PSA 10 rookie and Skubal will walk out with $33M. 

Those are the facts and the facts are undisputed. 

I told everyone multiple times that he'd win his case. Everyone here told me he wouldn't. 

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Oh yeah, where's that quote? Want to provide it? 

"Yeah, he's a great player, but at the end of the day, it's how many guys, 26? That’s just one guy, so we’ve got 25 other guys that were pulling the same line to win those series, not just one." - Jarren Duran

I dont think Duran said anything off-base here, but theres an opening here that Devers could have used to throw his team under the bus, such as:

"I was a lot more important to that team than just 1 of 26"

My only point that I was making before (and I was agreeing wiht you) that I woudlnt consider what Devers said/did to be throwing his teammates under the bus.  I think he was kind of done talking and over it once he went to SFG.  I think it was kind of old news when the trade happened.  We were starting to win and winning cures.

But grudge holding Breslows ego was bruised and theres no coming back from that.  Like when Bregman had the gall to tell Breslow that his offer wasnt the only one in town and Breslow said "youre a liar, that offer is fake, I double dog dare you to take it. Im that confident your offer is fake" (narrator voice: but the offer was not fake, and now we're stuck with Ian Kinslers Falafel)

[drewski6]

40 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

More importantly, the downgrade from .827 Alonso to .817 Willson moved us from ring contention to 4th place in the ALE.

5th place now

[drewski6]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I told everyone multiple times that he'd win his case. Everyone here told me he wouldn't. 

No f'ing way did I say that. I knew SKubal was going to win.

[drewski6]

41 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

More importantly, the downgrade from .827 Alonso to .817 Willson moved us from ring contention to 4th place in the ALE.

we were third place last year, where did alonso go again and where did they finish last year?

[mvp 78]

11 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

"Yeah, he's a great player, but at the end of the day, it's how many guys, 26? That’s just one guy, so we’ve got 25 other guys that were pulling the same line to win those series, not just one." - Jarren Duran
 

Your original "quote" of "at least now we have 26 guys pulling in the same direction" is definitely not the same thing. Duran's quote is just "he was one of 26 guys." In fact, it doesn't even say Devers wasn't pulling in the same direction as the other players like you allude to. Just a real bad misreading on your part TBH. 

[mvp 78]

On 1/9/2026 at 1:53 PM, drewski6 said:

Go Skubal!

This is as close as you got to saying he'd win his case. Wanting him to win vs saying he's going to win are two different things IMO.

[mvp 78]

17 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

5th place now

Tomorrow it'll be 6th place. 

[moonslav59]

27 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I told everyone multiple times that he'd win his case. Everyone here told me he wouldn't. 

I was one who said he shoulda asked for $24-26M. Wow,

I wonder if the Tigers wish they didnt sign Framber.

Maybe they need to dump some salary and we can trade DHam and Harrison for G Torres and $10M.

[drewski6]

25 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

This is as close as you got to saying he'd win his case. Wanting him to win vs saying he's going to win are two different things IMO.

First of all, wanting him to win and saying hes gonna are indeed 2 different things, thats not a matter of opinion, IMO

Secondly, I might not have said it, but I was confident.

[drewski6]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Your original "quote" of "at least now we have 26 guys pulling in the same direction" is definitely not the same thing. Duran's quote is just "he was one of 26 guys." In fact, it doesn't even say Devers wasn't pulling in the same direction as the other players like you allude to. Just a real bad misreading on your part TBH. 

bad job remembering but agreed

[drewski6]

i also didnt read it, i heard it on tv in the background and misremembered it

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

You guys are way more optimistic than I am about this. 

Breslow needs to be fired. He did only half the job this winter and a grade of “F” is awarded to him for scoring just 50%. We will likely be last in runs scored in the ALE. Another LOOOOONG season approaches.

[Old Red]

31 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Breslow needs to be fired. He did only half the job this winter and a grade of “F” is awarded to him for scoring just 50%. We will likely be last in runs scored in the ALE. Another LOOOOONG season approaches.

Wow 50% rates an F? Kind of tough grading.

[FredLynn]

40 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Wow 50% rates an F? Kind of tough grading.

If you got 50% of the questions right on your final exam what would your grade be?

[JoeBrady]

11 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

If you got 50% of the questions right on your final exam what would your grade be?

It's not an exam.  It is an endeavor where, in totality, half of every decision will be correct, and half will be incorrect.  50% makes him perfectly average.

[Old Red]

41 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

If you got 50% of the questions right on your final exam what would your grade be?

Quote

 

The final grade will come out in OCT.

[Old Red]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I was one who said he shoulda asked for $24-26M. Wow,

I wonder if the Tigers wish they didnt sign Framber.

Maybe they need to dump some salary and we can trade DHam and Harrison for G Torres and $10M.

I think Detroit knew there was a pretty good chance they would lose the arbitration. NO on Torres.

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

It's not an exam.  It is an endeavor where, in totality, half of every decision will be correct, and half will be incorrect.  50% makes him perfectly average.

Not in my book. Had he signed Ranger AND a talented IF he would get an A.  Had he signed someone who is a significant upgrade with the bat based on career numbers and they underperformed he would get credit for trying. He couldn’t even do that. Incompetent. As it stands now the Flops are a 4th place team.

[FredLynn]

36 minutes ago, Old Red said:

The final grade will come out in OCT.

It’s already out. If some players greatly over perform he gets no credit for that. F=get fired

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

If you got 50% of the questions right on your final exam what would your grade be?

It was a 3 question test:

1. Get a #2 SP'er. Yes 34 points

2. Get a big middle order bat. Maybe a little more than half credit (Contreras) 20 points

3. Get a solid 3B/2B man. No (got a solid defender) 6 pts.

That's a 60 and an F at my school.

Extra credit for Gray might get me to bump you up to a 65, but no pass.

[moonslav59]

36 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I think Detroit knew there was a pretty good chance they would lose the arbitration. NO on Torres.

They musta known that when they signed Framber, but they might have decided, if we lose the Skubal arb, we'll trade Torres. Maybe that's what Brez has been waiting for... LOL!

NOT!

[FredLynn]

2 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

It was a 3 question test:

1. Get a #2 SP'er. Yes 34 points

2. Get a big middle order bat. Maybe a little more than half credit (Contreras) 20 points

3. Get a solid 3B/2B man. No (got a solid defender) 6 pts.

That's a 60 and an F at my school.

Extra credit for Gray might get me to bump you up to a 65, but no pass.

I won’t argue about 10 points-it’s still an F. Now I don’t want to tell everyone that this is EXACTLY what I predicted would  happen after Suarez was signed-but getting bums like IKF and what’s-his-name is exactly what happened. Dumpster diving. Breslow needs to go.

[moonslav59]

Ranger A

S Gray B+

Contreras B+

I K F B as utility, but D- as a starter.

Final grade: Incomplete

No more moves made, it's a C- to  D, in my book.

Add Paredes: A-/B+

Add Hoerner B+

Add Shaw B+

[FredLynn]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Ranger A

S Gray B+

Contreras B+

I K F B as utility, but D- as a starter.

Final grade: Incomplete

No more moves made, it's a C- to  D, in my book.

Add Paredes: A-/B+

Add Hoerner B+

Add Shaw B+

I’d give Gray a B- and Contreras a B. NOT getting more talent reduces his grade. So does wasting a window to compete for a ring. We aren’t getting the three you mentioned or the deal would already have happened. Breslow might be ok with mediocrity (compared to the other ALE teams) this year but none of us are.

[Duran Is The Man]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/boston-red-sox

 

Sox really need another outfielder.