A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[Larry Cook]

Is Mayer really on the trading block???

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Why would you move maybe the 2nd best defensive 3rd baseman in MLB? That makes zero sense.

I'm not for getting a 3Bman.

I want a SS and Catcher, but both are expensive. I think 2B or LF/DH are cheaper.

[moonslav59]

13 in a row is the most since 1948!

When's the last time the Sox went 18-2?

2018, we won 9, lost one and won 8, so it happened then.

[moonslav59]

52 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

Is Mayer really on the trading block???

I doubt it.

His upside potential is greater than his current trade value, AND we need a SS/2Bman now and next year,

[dannycater]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

13 in a row is the most since 1948!

When's the last time the Sox went 18-2?

2018, we won 9, lost one and won 8, so it happened then.

This is a streak that borderlines absurd and amazing.

[Hugh2]

I remember the Red Sox had a 12 game winning streak in 1995, I was 13 years old and my uncle who was a massive Yankees fan took me to see game 13.

the Sox lost that game.  I felt like a curse.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

19 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

i think I'd be offering Gray a 2 yr extension at this point.  He has been amazing. I have been saying for YEARS that the Sox need to acquire YOUNG TOP COST CONTROLLED SP and now they finally have it both on the current roster as well as 3 of our 5 top prospects are all promising hard throwing SP. Life is good. Say what you want about Breslow but he has done an amazing job in this area.  This team is fun to watch again.

They are only fun to watch because they are hitting bombs every night. They were not fun to watch for the first 3 months of the season.  

I'm just imagining the Sox playing like this and having Roman Anthony in the lineup and doing what we all expected him to do.  

 

 

[UtahSox]

9 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm not for getting a 3Bman.

I want a SS and Catcher, but both are expensive. I think 2B or LF/DH are cheaper.

I want a BAT….. but I do think it’d take a special bat to move Durbin off 3rd. Can’t even think of one that’s been linked to trades. Most teams that are thinking of selling, seem to have upgrades that tend to be better SS/2b….

The list of SS candidates: Neto, Adames, Pena, Lindor, Seager, Garcia.

The list of 2b candidates: Paredes, Lowe, Steer (LF/2b), Bichette. 

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

I'm not moving Durbin off of 3rd base.  

I didn't expect this season to be fun, not with this lineup. But I'm enjoying this streak so much, I can't wait to watch them tonight.  Might have to put on some Red Sox gear to wear around here in Maryland.  

 

 

[Hitch]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

I remember the Red Sox had a 12 game winning streak in 1995, I was 13 years old and my uncle who was a massive Yankees fan took me to see game 13.

the Sox lost that game.  I felt like a curse.

Stay the hell away from the team please. Don't even think about them. 

[Hitch]

3 minutes ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

I'm not moving Durbin off of 3rd base.  

I didn't expect this season to be fun, not with this lineup. But I'm enjoying this streak so much, I can't wait to watch them tonight.  Might have to put on some Red Sox gear to wear around here in Maryland.  

 

 

Durbin has to stay at 3rd. The guy is unreal defensively, and seems to have figured it out on the offence. Seems a good kid, too. 

[Hitch]

10 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

Is Mayer really on the trading block???

He should be if he has good value. The problem is, he's injury-prone, and not a great at bat. His value is hugely diminished. 

[UtahSox]

35 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Durbin has to stay at 3rd. The guy is unreal defensively, and seems to have figured it out on the offence. Seems a good kid, too. 

I have 100% whiplashed on him, Quickly becoming one of my favorite Red Sox. Hope he’s found permanent footing in batters box. Defensively I can’t remember a better 3b we’ve had since I’ve followed Red Sox. 

[notin]

1 hour ago, UtahSox said:

I want a BAT….. but I do think it’d take a special bat to move Durbin off 3rd. Can’t even think of one that’s been linked to trades. Most teams that are thinking of selling, seem to have upgrades that tend to be better SS/2b….

The list of SS candidates: Neto, Adames, Pena, Lindor, Seager, Garcia.

The list of 2b candidates: Paredes, Lowe, Steer (LF/2b), Bichette. 

From that list, who is actually available?

From what I have seen, Lindor, Steer and Bichette. 
 

And when did Texas - first place in the AL West - become a seller?

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, Hitch said:

Stay the hell away from the team please. Don't even think about them. 

How bout them Patriots bro....training camp set to being. 

[Old Red]

I don’t see the Red Sox , or bresLOW making any major moves even after the winning streak, and more like the JJ types. The only difference is I don’t see any major sell offs like Gray, and Chapman like everyone was salivating about.

[Hugh2]

7 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I don’t see the Red Sox , or bresLOW making any major moves even after the winning streak, and more like the JJ types. The only difference is I don’t see any major sell offs like Gray, and Chapman like everyone was salivating about.

The major acquisitions are the pieces we didn't sell off. 🥴

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, notin said:

From that list, who is actually available?

From what I have seen, Lindor, Steer and Bichette. 
 

And when did Texas - first place in the AL West - become a seller?

The only one that makes sense is Spencer Steer for LF. 

[mvp 78]

2 hours ago, Hitch said:

He should be if he has good value. The problem is, he's injury-prone, and not a great at bat. His value is hugely diminished. 

He's still 23. I think he has value if they want to deal him. 

[notin]

2 hours ago, UtahSox said:

I want a BAT….. but I do think it’d take a special bat to move Durbin off 3rd. Can’t even think of one that’s been linked to trades. Most teams that are thinking of selling, seem to have upgrades that tend to be better SS/2b….

The list of SS candidates: Neto, Adames, Pena, Lindor, Seager, Garcia.

The list of 2b candidates: Paredes, Lowe, Steer (LF/2b), Bichette. 

One team reportedly on the fence is the Nationals, whose awful bullpen has helped them drop down to .500, so they are likely sellers.

And no, they are not trading James Wood.  Stop thinking it will happen.  CJ Abrams? Some think so.  He will be costly.

But most pundits do think they would trade 1b/2b Luis Garcia Jr (.857 OPS, 20 HRs) and/or 2b/3b Curtis Mead (.861 OPS, 17 HRs).  Mead, as the right-handed bat, is the better fit for Boston.  

Mead is a former Rays’ top prospect finally breaking out. This year he does have a disproportionate number of plate appearances vs LHP, meaning he was apparently platooned.  But now he is playing full time and mashing RHP just as well as he has torched southpaws.  Mead has also managed an impressive StatCast profile.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/curtis-mead-678554?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

Garcia is playing 1b after spending his entire career at 2b.  Not sure if he was moved because he is a crappy defensive player or the Nats’ other options at 1b were worse than light-hitting Nasim Nunez at 2b.  

I think early in the year he was also platooned at 1b, with Mead…

 

[notin]

15 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

The only one that makes sense is Spencer Steer for LF. 

With the Orioles winning 7 in a row and their status as sellers in question, I think Taylor Ward becomes less of an option and I moved towards Steer as my new favorite.

But Curtis Mead is also on my radar…

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, notin said:

One team reportedly on the fence is the Nationals, whose awful bullpen has helped them drop down to .500, so they are likely sellers.

And no, they are not trading James Wood.  Stop thinking it will happen.  CJ Abrams? Some think so.  He will be costly.

But most pundits do think they would trade 1b/2b Luis Garcia Jr (.857 OPS, 20 HRs) and/or 2b/3b Curtis Mead (.861 OPS, 17 HRs).  Mead, as the right-handed bat, is the better fit for Boston.  

Mead is a former Rays’ top prospect finally breaking out. This year he does have a disproportionate number of plate appearances vs LHP, meaning he was apparently platooned.  But now he is playing full time and mashing RHP just as well as he has torched southpaws.  Mead has also managed an impressive StatCast profile.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/curtis-mead-678554?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

Garcia is playing 1b after spending his entire career at 2b.  Not sure if he was moved because he is a crappy defensive player or the Nats’ other options at 1b were worse than light-hitting Nasim Nunez at 2b.  

I think early in the year he was also platooned at 1b, with Mead…

Mead fits Fenway better than Garcia IMO. He'd fit the Sox better if he could play OF. 

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, notin said:

With the Orioles winning 7 in a row and their status as sellers in question, I think Taylor Ward becomes less of an option and I moved towards Steer as my new favorite.

But Curtis Mead is also on my radar…

A RHB with pull power at a position of need (LF/DH/SS) makes sense. I think finding a SS would be the toughest nut to crack. Maybe just stick with the strong defense up the middle and add boppers at DH and LF to lengthen the lineup?

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, UtahSox said:

I want a BAT….. but I do think it’d take a special bat to move Durbin off 3rd. Can’t even think of one that’s been linked to trades. Most teams that are thinking of selling, seem to have upgrades that tend to be better SS/2b….

The list of SS candidates: Neto, Adames, Pena, Lindor, Seager, Garcia.

The list of 2b candidates: Paredes, Lowe, Steer (LF/2b), Bichette. 

Not only is one of our top 2 needs a middle infielder, it looks like that slot might have the most players available. SSs are expensive. 2B not so much.

The other area is Catcher, and they don't come cheap- even rentals like Jeffers.

LF/DH has been a sore spot, but I think Brez & Co. hope Anthony can fill that need area well enough. Yoshida has been doing better, too.

I'm loving what Siegler is doing, but going gah-gah over him seems like those going gah-gah over DHam's tiny sample size of goodness. I'm not projection doom & gloom, but we need a middle infielder even if he keeps this up.

#1 SS

#2 C

#3 P

(2B or LF/DH big bat would be helpful, even if we fill another slot, too.)

I've been mentioning 2B often, because there seem to be many available that can hit.

 

[mvp 78]

10 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I've been mentioning 2B often, because there seem to be many available that can hit.

 

Who is realistically available? 

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

But I'm enjoying this streak so much, I can't wait to watch them tonight.

It is un-fracking believable.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, notin said:

From that list, who is actually available?

From what I have seen, Lindor, Steer and Bichette. 
 

And when did Texas - first place in the AL West - become a seller?

Just for fun, if we could sustain our July offensive numbers, would you trade for some of these players?

[Nick]

“We’re not going to resume hitting if there’s still discomfort in the hand,” Tracy said, per The Boston Globe. “That’s a big piece of our lineup. It would be great to get him back. The whole point is we don’t want our player, that player, to play injured, especially when it comes to swinging the bat. So, just continuing to get him to where he feels very confident in his mind that that hand feels good. That’s our goal.”

So it's just up to Anthony? No medical opinion offered? Heck horse owners spend more money taking care of their investment. 

[mvp 78]

13 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

Is Mayer really on the trading block???

Why not? He should have been on the trade block two years ago.

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Just for fun, if we could sustain our July offensive numbers, would you trade for some of these players?

Not for Lindor or Bichette.