A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[drewski6]

17 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

We know Brez likes to keep top prospects, so I'm seriously doubting we do something earth-shattering at the deadline. Brez keeps those moves for the winter.

I'm thinking he trades for ....

C: Jeffers (rental)

2B: BLowe (LHB) or Torres (RHB) both rentals

Trading for controlled players like Neto might happen, this coming winter.

Are you sure that "Breslow likes to keep top prospects" isnt a projection?

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Are you sure that "Breslow likes to keep top prospects" isnt a projection?

I kind of skipped over that.  I do seem to recall Breslow giving up several top prospects for Crochet.

[UtahSox]

18 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

BLowe kills LHPs and Jeffers does fine vs both.

They both may be "realistic" targets.

B Lowe is the guy I don’t think will be available. 

[UtahSox]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Are you sure that "Breslow likes to keep top prospects" isnt a projection?

Well he traded Harrison/ Tibbs/ Dobbins guys that were not his. And it seems very on brand for him to want the glory of saying we saw something no one else did. 
 

id love to be shocked but i dont think he will make a big move. 

 

[mvp 78]

Just now, UtahSox said:

Well he traded Harrison/ Tibbs/ Dobbins guys that were not his. And it seems very on brand for him to want the glory of saying we saw something no one else did. 
 

id love to be shocked but i dont think he will make a big move. 

I think if we're hearing about potential deals now from leaks, that they are probably not likely to happen. All the deals that Breslow has pulled off have been radio silence and surprises to us. 

[UtahSox]

9 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I think if we're hearing about potential deals now from leaks, that they are probably not likely to happen. All the deals that Breslow has pulled off have been radio silence and surprises to us. 

Agree 100%. My take is this: Brez has been in communication with these teams for these players, but his package he’s willing to give up is so underwhelming that the opposing GM’s are leaking that the Red Sox are interested,  hoping the fan base would put added pressure to give up a bigger package for said player.

Brez has a reputation as being hard to deal with.

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

Agree 100%. My take is this: Brez has been in communication with these teams for these players, but his package he’s willing to give up is so underwhelming that the opposing GM’s are leaking that the Red Sox are interested,  hoping the fan base would put added pressure to give up a bigger package for said player.

Brez has a reputation as being hard to deal with.

I think it's less about getting the fanbase geeked up and more about driving the Neto price up with other teams. 

[moonslav59]

30 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

B Lowe is the guy I don’t think will be available. 

Yes, the talk is PIT will be buyers.

[JoeBrady]

44 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

And it seems very on brand for him to want the glory of saying we saw something no one else did. 

Or maybe he saw a good young 3B with lots of control.  Durbin is basically what his balance sheet says he is.

[JoeBrady]

44 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I think if we're hearing about potential deals now from leaks, that they are probably not likely to happen. All the deals that Breslow has pulled off have been radio silence and surprises to us. 

I've been posting this since I invented the internet.  GMs are not calling writers to tell them what's going on.  I think about half the rumors are started by writers.  Half are started by fans making suggestions that get built up on the net.  The other 10% are mis-direction by GMs to their favored writers.

If Breslow was 5 minutes away from landing soto, even the FO wouldn't know it.

[notin]

1 hour ago, UtahSox said:

Well he traded Harrison/ Tibbs/ Dobbins guys that were not his. And it seems very on brand for him to want the glory of saying we saw something no one else did. 
 

id love to be shocked but i dont think he will make a big move. 

 

I know he has weak interpersonal skills, but that doesn’t mean every move he makes is guided solely by self-promotion…

[notin]

12 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I've been posting this since I invented the internet.  GMs are not calling writers to tell them what's going on.  I think about half the rumors are started by writers.  Half are started by fans making suggestions that get built up on the net.  The other 10% are mis-direction by GMs to their favored writers.

If Breslow was 5 minutes away from landing soto, even the FO wouldn't know it.

Well that cover the first 110% of rumors…

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Are you sure that "Breslow likes to keep top prospects" isnt a projection?

Well, he seemed reluctant at deadlines, but not in winters, so point well taken.

He doesnt want to overpay.

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Well, he seemed reluctant at deadlines, but not in winters, so point well taken.

He doesnt want to overpay.

That's why I don't think they are going to come back with a huge piece that we are all talking about. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, UtahSox said:

Well he traded Harrison/ Tibbs/ Dobbins guys that were not his. And it seems very on brand for him to want the glory of saying we saw something no one else did. 
id love to be shocked but i dont think he will make a big move. 

But in a sense Harrison and Tibbs were "his. " He traded for them and apparently saw their value as being worthy of having. Then he gtraded them away for value he felt was better or more important to the team.

Dobbins was drafted by Bloom.

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That's why I don't think they are going to come back with a huge piece that we are all talking about. 

I agree we won't, AND I also agree we should not pay much more for a controlled player now that we normally would in the winter.

I'm almost always against overpaying for a rental, but certain cases are worthwhile, especially if we are giving up duplicated value or someone we might lose to Rule 5 or a near future roster crunch.

I think Brez will  trade Rule 5 types and secondary prospects for rentals or lower cost controlled players. I doubt we get Neto.

High cost players like Lindor or KMarte to a lesser extent may be added, due to a reduce return player cost because of the salary dump nature of the deal.

I'd put the odds of a blockbuster trade at below 10% or even 5%.

[UtahSox]

9 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That's why I don't think they are going to come back with a huge piece that we are all talking about. 

Langliers for Bennett and Eyanson makes a lot of sense… especially if RS think Roman is coming back in Sept or if Arias is getting called up in Sept. Fits what A’s need as well.

Marte for Early or Bennett and Mayer also makes a lot of sense…. In lieu of Langliers…. I personally have more faith in Romy Gonzalez/ Siegler/ Monasterio @2b than I do Narvaez/ Wong @ C. So I’d lean Langliers trade as my favorite. + cash flexibility next year. 

Then go get a Wacha, Bieber, Holmes type rental to get us to October. 
 

 

 

 

[Randy Red Sox]

On 7/19/2026 at 9:13 AM, moonslav59 said:

 

I'm not ready to say Arias should be the 2027 SS or even 2Bman, and as of now, I do have Mayer over Arias on the SS depth chart. We should really keep both, but I see Arias as having more upside, so if we had to trade one, it would be Mayer.

what is with him and Anthony not being able to stay on the field.  Anthony has been out forever and it wouldn't surprise me if he was out for the year

 

[UtahSox]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I agree we won't, AND I also agree we should not pay much more for a controlled player now that we normally would in the winter.

I'm almost always against overpaying for a rental, but certain cases are worthwhile, especially if we are giving up duplicated value or someone we might lose to Rule 5 or a near future roster crunch.

I think Brez will  trade Rule 5 types and secondary prospects for rentals or lower cost controlled players. I doubt we get Neto.

High cost players like Lindor or KMarte to a lesser extent may be added, due to a reduce return player cost because of the salary dump nature of the deal.

I'd put the odds of a blockbuster trade at below 10% or even 5%.

This is 100% exactly how I view Brez approaching trade deadline. I think K Marte I’d put at less than 1%. Lindor @ 5% but I don’t see Mets making deal, taking back another bad contract, as they’re so high over the luxury Tax, they would get a bigger benefit in relieving payroll with even lottery pick type prospects. Therefore it becomes a threshold of pain question for JH. And history is not on our side on that deal.
 

I do think Lindor deal would have to include a top 10-12 prospect or two. But maybe ones that are far away from MLB. Just for the optics in New York City.

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

Langliers for Bennett and Eyanson makes a lot of sense… especially if RS think Roman is coming back in Sept or if Arias is getting called up in Sept. Fits what A’s need as well.

Marte for Early or Bennett and Mayer also makes a lot of sense…. In lieu of Langliers…. I personally have more faith in Romy Gonzalez/ Siegler/ Monasterio @2b than I do Narvaez/ Wong @ C. So I’d lean Langliers trade as my favorite. + cash flexibility next year. 

Then go get a Wacha, Bieber, Holmes type rental to get us to October. 

Trading Bennet would certainly need the further addition of a SP'er, even just a rental.

Trading a pitcher limited by IP, this year, also makes sense if we want to advance into the playoffs.

[moonslav59]

8 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

what is with him and Anthony not being able to stay on the field.  Anthony has been out forever and it wouldn't surprise me if he was out for the year

I'm not buying into the Anthony is injury prone position, just yet. Mayer has been out for times in several years.

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

This is 100% exactly how I view Brez approaching trade deadline. I think K Marte I’d put at less than 1%. Lindor @ 5% but I don’t see Mets making deal, taking back another bad contract, as they’re so high over the luxury Tax, they would get a bigger benefit in relieving payroll with even lottery pick type prospects. Therefore it becomes a threshold of pain question for JH. And history is not on our side on that deal.

I do think Lindor deal would have to include a top 10-12 prospect or two. But maybe ones that are far away from MLB. Just for the optics in New York City.

Yes, and another factor in making a trade for someone like Lindor would be how much the Mets pay down, of if they take Story, Yoshida, Bello and/or KC as partial salary offsets.

A non top 12 prospect plus KC/Bello might get it done.

Maybe Valera or Phillips plus KC/Bello might work. 

I'm not sure I go Witherspoon/Gonzales/Primer plus KC/Bello for Lindor, without same added money on top of the costly KC or Bello contract.

[UtahSox]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I'm not buying into the Anthony is injury prone position, just yet. Mayer has been out for times in several years.

It is concerning the injuries happened on check swings/ swings. As opposed to Broken bone hitting foul ball off foot/ sliding into base/ hit by pitch. If it was one of those I’d be less worried…

Also the fact there are ANY questions about his commitment to rehab are concerning to me. Non surgical strains and sprains become about pain tolerance. 

[UtahSox]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes, and another factor in making a trade for someone like Lindor would be how much the Mets pay down, of if they take Story, Yoshida, Bello and/or KC as partial salary offsets.

A non top 12 prospect plus KC/Bello might get it done.

Maybe Valera or Phillips plus KC/Bello might work. 

I'm not sure I go Witherspoon/Gonzales/Primer plus KC/Bello for Lindor, without same added money on top of the costly KC or Bello contract.

Oh it’s a given Steve needs to send a check pinned to Lindors jersey or it’s a non starter for JH IMO.
 

The question is how big is the check? Does it start with a 4, 5, or 6? The bigger the # the better the prospect, but the less beneficial payroll relief becomes. 

[moonslav59]

8 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

It is concerning the injuries happened on check swings/ swings. As opposed to Broken bone hitting foul ball off foot/ sliding into base/ hit by pitch. If it was one of those I’d be less worried…

Also the fact there are ANY questions about his commitment to rehab are concerning to me. Non surgical strains and sprains become about pain tolerance. 

I'm not buying the "questions about his commitment to rehab," either, but I'm also not sure it's not an issue.

His injury is not minor, and despite the lies about his being his pinky finger to add effect to the notion he's milking the injury, pain is different for different people and "pain threshold" is not some uniform measuring stick for every injury and future possible injury.

Swing a bat with a ring finger in pain is hard to "put out of your mind" or "just get over it and play through pain."

I'm not sure if Mayer's issue is pain threshold, either or just the proclivity to get hurt doing normal baseball things that hardly anyone else gets hurt doing. I worry much more about him. 

I don't think anyone felt there was an issue with Anthony, last season, despite missing the second half, so basically, it is just this one injury that has caused people to jump to the conclusion that he might be fragile,

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

Oh it’s a given Steve needs to send a check pinned to Lindors jersey or it’s a non starter for JH IMO.
The question is how big is the check? Does it start with a 4, 5, or 6? The bigger the # the better the prospect, but the less beneficial payroll relief becomes. 

To me, it's not a "given" if...

A) Steve gets multiple offers.

B) One or more offers include taking back high salary players like Story plus Bello or KC.

Story is owed $30M for 2027 and the '28 buyout.

KC is owed $55M/6 (counting a $4M buyout in 2033)

Bello is owed $44.5/4 (counting the $1M buyout in 2030.)

Total Story plus and you get totals of $85M w KC and $75M w Bello.

I think Steve might prefer these type deals than just writing a check for $50-$80M.

[mvp 78]

21 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

It is concerning the injuries happened on check swings/ swings. As opposed to Broken bone hitting foul ball off foot/ sliding into base/ hit by pitch. If it was one of those I’d be less worried…

Also the fact there are ANY questions about his commitment to rehab are concerning to me. Non surgical strains and sprains become about pain tolerance. 

The only questions about his commitment to rehab are coming from outside the organization.

The Red Sox had him swing when they thought it was about pain tolerance. It made his injury worse.

[UtahSox]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

The only questions about his commitment to rehab are coming from outside the organization.

The Red Sox had him swing when they thought it was about pain tolerance. It made his injury worse.

I don’t buy that….. I sincerely don’t.
Why send him to old folks home Ft Myers? No more Trainer/doctors in Boston? He’s your franchise player. There’s always room in the clubhouse for him unless there’s another reason why you’re sending him there.
 

This will never become public knowledge, but there is an intentionality to every move that happens in a sophisticated business like this, with a 100m asset and siting  “fake news” because it came from outside the org is extremely naive. 

[UtahSox]

13 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

I don’t buy that….. I sincerely don’t.
Why send him to old folks home Ft Myers? No more Trainer/doctors in Boston? He’s your franchise player. There’s always room in the clubhouse for him unless there’s another reason why you’re sending him there.
 

This will never become public knowledge, but there is an intentionality to every move that happens in a sophisticated business like this, with a 100m asset and siting  “fake news” because it came from outside the org is extremely naive. 

 

21 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

The only questions about his commitment to rehab are coming from outside the organization.

The Red Sox had him swing when they thought it was about pain tolerance. It made his injury worse.