A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[moonslav59]

Injury Updates:

Suarez missed his pen session and was placed on the 15 day IL. (July 21st at the earliest)

Contreras hurt his foot and will serve the 5 game suspension, so maybe that worked out okay. (Return on July 17- game 2 of Doubleheader)

Anthony's second opinion revealed nothing unexpected. He will continue rehab in Fort Myers (No earlier than August)

Sogard is rehabbing. (Mid July)

Early gets a second opinion today (After ASB at the earliest)

Mayer has no update since June 28th (After ASB at earliest)

IKF has no update since June 26th (After ASB at earliest)

Story has no update since June 28th (After ASB at earliest)

Oviedo has no update since June 14th (No earlier than August)

Crochet has no update since June 22nd (No earlier than August)

Casas has no update since July 5th (No earlier than August)

Houck has no update since June 25th (Late August at best)

Crawford has no update since June 29th. (August or September)

[JoeBrady]

15 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Yes if Story, and Duran produced along with little pinky Anthony most likely the W-L would be better

Good.  I appreciate the remark.  It's like with the Yankees losing Judge and Fried, and not being able to win.  It doesn't mean that they are a bad team, or failed to have a contingency plan.  In addition to Story, Duran, and Anthony, we also lost the #2 CY from last year.

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Good.  I appreciate the remark.  It's like with the Yankees losing Judge and Fried, and not being able to win.  It doesn't mean that they are a bad team, or failed to have a contingency plan.  In addition to Story, Duran, and Anthony, we also lost the #2 CY from last year.

But still another bat was needed before the season started, and before everything has played out. Brez thought that bat was Bregman’s.

[moonslav59]

Last deadline the Twins traded away almost their whole pen. Their returns were pretty good.

Maybe we trade Chapman, Whitlock, Slaten, Coulombe and Guerrero along with Gray.

[oldtimer]

28 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Last deadline the Twins traded away almost their whole pen. Their returns were pretty good.

Maybe we trade Chapman, Whitlock, Slaten, Coulombe and Guerrero along with Gray.

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

[moonslav59]

15 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

 

15 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

I think they are leaning towards buying, now, but I'm not.

Hard to say, where I'll be in 3 days.

[Old Red]

20 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

Only bresLOW the Shadow knows.

[notin]

2 hours ago, Old Red said:

But still another bat was needed before the season started, and before everything has played out. Brez thought that bat was Bregman’s.

And it turned out to be Durbin, which is actually working out better…

[notin]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Injury Updates:

Suarez missed his pen session and was placed on the 15 day IL. (July 21st at the earliest)

Contreras hurt his foot and will serve the 5 game suspension, so maybe that worked out okay. (Return on July 17- game 2 of Doubleheader)

Anthony's second opinion revealed nothing unexpected. He will continue rehab in Fort Myers (No earlier than August)

Sogard is rehabbing. (Mid July)

Early gets a second opinion today (After ASB at the earliest)

Mayer has no update since June 28th (After ASB at earliest)

IKF has no update since June 26th (After ASB at earliest)

Story has no update since June 28th (After ASB at earliest)

Oviedo has no update since June 14th (No earlier than August)

Crochet has no update since June 22nd (No earlier than August)

Casas has no update since July 5th (No earlier than August)

Houck has no update since June 25th (Late August at best)

Crawford has no update since June 29th. (August or September)

Until Romy and Moran this week, I was wondering if Breslow knew how to get players OFF the IL.  Well aware he knows the process for getting them on..

[notin]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

There are 25 days until the deadline.  Too much baseball to base the decision on the next 3 games…

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

Right now I’d say they’re sellers.  But I don’t think they are going to buy or sell for at least a few more weeks

there are 18 games between now and the deadline, if they play as well as they have the last few weeks they be 56-54 and likely a wildcard team in the playoffs.  
 

if that happens they are buyers

[moonslav59]

Looking at the all important loss column, we are closer for BOS than the standings indicate.

37 TBR

42 NYY

45 CWS

46 CLE & TEX

47 SEA

48 BOS & MIN

49 HOU & TOR

50 DET

51 BAL

[moonslav59]

Weekend series:

BOS at NYM

NYY at WSH (tough series)

TOR at SDP (tough series)

BAL v KCR

HOU at TEX (both ahead of us)

MIN v LAA

CLE at MIA (tough series)

CWS v ATL (tough series)

DET v PHI (tough series)

 

[moonslav59]

The big fat hole in the middle of our line-up, and one could argue in the lead-off slot, as well has been hotly debated. Rightfully so, in my mind.

This is kind of interesting though:

Run Leaders in the AL and Run Differential:

 

459 MIN -17 (#7 in AL record)

448 NYY +85 (#2)

432 HOU -48 (#8)

430 CWS +13 (#3)

428 BAL -32 (#12)

420 ATL -84 (#13)

421 LAA -52 (#15) 5 of the top 7 scoring teams are middle of pack or lower tier.

410 TBR +28 (#1 record) Exact middle of the pack.

405 KCR -75 (#14)

391 DET +23 (#11)

381 SEA +20 (#6)

383 TEX -14 (#5)

376 TOR -35 (#9)

373 CLE -9 (#4) 3 of the lowest 5 scoring teams are top 6 records.

372 BOS +18 (#10)

[a700hitter]

What is going on with Breslow sending Anthony away from the team for his rehab?  

Is it really his pinky finger as some are saying.  I thought it was his ring finger.

I remember Ronnie Lott biting off his injured pinky to return to play.  Does Anthony need this digit to play?

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, a700hitter said:

What is going on with Breslow sending Anthony away from the team for his rehab?  

Is it really his pinky finger as some are saying.  I thought it was his ring finger.

I remember Ronnie Lott biting off his injured pinky to return to play.  Does Anthony need this digit to play?

The second opinion confirmed the ligament tear ate the base of his right ring finger.

Found this about the reasoning for the Fort Myers move...

“We’re constantly trying to balance what is best for Roman with what is best for the 26 guys who are trying to get ready for a game,” Breslow said of the decision. “And unfortunately, the number of players on the IL has grown, but the size of the training room at Fenway Park has not. And we just kind of decided that, No. 1, it made sense for Roman to see another hand specialist in Atlanta and then from there, continue with the rehab from Fort Myers, where we’ve got all of the resources and everything that we need.”

[moonslav59]

Not only have we lost over 5 of our top 10 or 11 SP'ers, Cheng is our 5th string SS.

Story

Mayer

IKF

Monasterio

Cheng

[notin]

5 hours ago, a700hitter said:

.

I remember Ronnie Lott biting off his injured pinky to return to play.  Does Anthony need this digit to play?

Lott was crazy, so I see how that urban legend started.  But obviously, biting off an injured pinky would create an even graver hand injury and probably significant blood loss.

Lott did once have an injured pinky amputated (by a doctor) rather than have reconstructive surgery that carried a longer recovery time…

[cp176]

Confusing time for sure.  With this latest upsurge, I actually am enjoying watching baseball again.  I am one of those guys who just wants a competitive team to stand behind.  Obviously we have some holes here but our young starting pitching along with Gray and Suarez has been incredible.  Once again, I think that trading any of our young pitchers at all in addition to Arias would be ridiculous.   

[Old Red]

6 hours ago, a700hitter said:

What is going on with Breslow sending Anthony away from the team for his rehab?  

Is it really his pinky finger as some are saying.  I thought it was his ring finger.

I remember Ronnie Lott biting off his injured pinky to return to play.  Does Anthony need this digit to play?

The word on the street is that the Red Sox sent little pinky Anthony down to Florida to get him away from his pinky swear buddy Marshmallow Mayer, and the Boston nightlife.🤫

[Old Red]

A discussion on the airwaves the other day was how the Red Sox have played so much better since Marshmallow Mayer went out of the lineup, and the Red SOX got more hungry players in there who really want to play. 

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, oldtimer said:

 

If the Sox win the Mets series, will they be sellers or buyers?

Beating up on bad teams doesn't do much for me. I want to see what they do between the ASG and the trade deadline. 

[mvp 78]

8 hours ago, a700hitter said:

Does Anthony need this digit to play?

Are you kidding me? 

[Hugh2]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Beating up on bad teams doesn't do much for me. I want to see what they do between the ASG and the trade deadline. 

The Yankees and the White Sox didn't do it for you?

[Hugh2]

Sox are still below .500 

but with last nights win they did reach .500 vs. teams above .500

[mvp 78]

12 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

The Yankees and the White Sox didn't do it for you?

Yankees without Judge (below .500 team without him IMO).

White Sox didn't have Murakami and I think their pitching isn't very good. That team probably fades. I think the Red Sox match up pretty favorably with the White Sox (LHB heavy, mediocre pitching). 

Again, I think the BAL/TOR/LAD/TBR/ATH stretch is more important. You can make up more ground in the East and have 10 straight at Fenway to show the early season struggles there are put to bed. 

Recently, they've had big runs prior to the ASG and flopped right after. We'll see what they do this year. 

[mvp 78]

18 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Sox are still below .500 

but with last nights win they did reach .500 vs. teams above .500

This stat seems less meaningful this year with how the AL looks TBH. 

[Hugh2]

I mean there's always something going on somewhere....if beating those teams without those players is less impressive then doesn't not having our players negate that?  Or is it just cup half empty all the time?

This team isnt' worth investing in yet, but they're playing really good......and at some point you're going to have to jump on the hype train.  Eventually you're just going to be a debbie downer, unless of course the Sox start sucking again and we all jump off the hype train.....I suppose then you can tell us all "see I told you so Mwahahahahaha" 

honestly, I'm not convinced this recent upswing is sustainable, but at some point we have to come around. 

I'm not yet convinced...I'm just hopeful. 

[mvp 78]

21 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

honestly, I'm not convinced this recent upswing is sustainable, but at some point we have to come around. 

I'm not yet convinced...I'm just hopeful. 

They are still well under .500 on 7/10. Their best pitcher has no timetable to come back. Roman Anthony is in Fort Myers and probably needs surgery. Ranger just went on the IL. They might be on a good run, but it just seems like there is enough weirdness this year that it most likely won't all come together for them.

Whether they stay the course, buy or sell, just don't make any stupid moves. That's all I ask. 

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

The big fat hole in the middle of our line-up, and one could argue in the lead-off slot, as well has been hotly debated. Rightfully so, in my mind.

Undoubtedly so, imo.  This is our sOPS+ by batting order position.

Split	sOPS+
Batting 1st	70
Batting 2nd	74
Batting 3rd	91
Batting 4th	115
Batting 5th	97
Batting 6th	108
Batting 7th	100
Batting 8th	99
Batting 9th	106

The lead-off and the 2-slot are by far our biggest weaknesses.  We are 29th in OPS at the 1-hole and 27th in OPS in the 2-hole.