A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[alsoason]

I want to see Guerrero pitch a couple more times, he is a possible gem of a find, and can we please lose Wong somewhere? Guy just reminds me of the horrible Betts trade, and it looks like we have already seen Wong at his best. If we took a nap you might have missed it. Oviedo is going to drive us nuts nibbling around the plate, as big as he is, he needs to have more trust in his stuff and throw strikes, make them hit it!!!😎✌️⚾

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, alsoason said:

I want to see Guerrero pitch a couple more times, he is a possible gem of a find, and can we please lose Wong somewhere? 

Tayron Guerrero has a big arm, but really bad control. Has never had a full season ERA below 5 at AAA. He's already 35. 

[drewski6]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Tayron Guerrero has a big arm

Eddie Guerrero had a big elbow

[drewski6]

This game is def TV worthy, I agree.

[moonslav59]

Bello vs Sale, today.

Should be a fun game.

[moonslav59]

I still wish we'd have traded Mayer & Tolle for KMarte and still did the Durbin deal, too.

Best Line-up....

1. L Anthony LF

2. S KMarte 2B

3. L Duran DH (R Romy DH)

4. R Contreras 1B

5. L Abreu RF 

6. R Story SS

7. R Durbin 3B

8. R Narvaez C

9. R Rafaela CF

Very righty based 6-9.

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

I still wish we'd have traded Mayer & Tolle for KMarte and still did the Durbin deal, too.

Best Line-up....

1. L Anthony LF

2. S KMarte 2B

3. L Duran DH (R Romy 2B)

4. R Contreras 1B

5. L Abreu RF 

6. R Story SS

7. L Mayer 2B (R KC DH or L Duran DH)

8. R Narvaez C

9. R Rafaela CF

or Bello  and Mayer.

[notin]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

I still wish we'd have traded Mayer & Tolle for KMarte and still did the Durbin deal, too.

Best Line-up....

1. L Anthony LF

2. S KMarte 2B

3. L Duran DH (R Romy 2B)

4. R Contreras 1B

5. L Abreu RF 

6. R Story SS

7. L Mayer 2B (R KC DH or L Duran DH)

8. R Narvaez C

9. R Rafaela CF

If we traded Mayer for Marte, how does he bat 7th and play Marte’s position?

And it means no platooning Romy at 2b and certainly not with the missing Durbin…

[moonslav59]

45 minutes ago, notin said:

If we traded Mayer for Marte, how does he bat 7th and play Marte’s position?

And it means no platooning Romy at 2b and certainly not with the missing Durbin…

LOL. My bad. I meant Durbin.

[moonslav59]

It looks like Crawford will begin the season on the IL. MLB.com says:

Threw live batting practice, marking his first session against hitters since his surgery last summer. Likely to start season on Minors rehab assignment.

On Sandoval:

Threw two innings of live batting practice on Feb. 27. Could be close to Grapefruit League action.

On Casa (updated 2/16)

Casas is working out with the team, but is limited in some areas. Opening Day seems unlikely and his fit on the roster is unclear.

On Romy

Hasn't been able to participate in baseball activity besides playing catch, making it all but certain he won't be ready for Opening Day. Recovering from a PRP injection from early February.

On Brendan Rodgers:

Right shoulder sore a day after being injured in a Feb. 25 Grapefruit League game. MRI is scheduled.

[moonslav59]

soxprospects.com's projected opening day roster:

SP: Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello, Oviedo

RP: Chapman, Whitlock, Slaten, Weissert, Sandoval, Watson, Moran, Kelly

C: Narvaez, Wong

1B: Contreras

2B: Mayer

3B: Durbin

SS: Story

LF: Anthony

CF: Rafaela

RF: Abreu

DH: Duran

Bench: IKF, Monasterio, Yoshida

60 Day IL: Houck

IL: Crawford, Casas & Romy

Minors on the 40: Early, Tolle, Uberstine, Samaniego, Bennett, Campbell, Sogard, Eaton, Gasper, Cheng & Seigler (IL)

Notables not on the 40: Brendan Rodgers, Mikey Romero, Matt Thaiss, Jason Delay, Nathan Hickey, Braiden Ward, TJ Sikkema, Alec Gamboa, Devin Sweet, Noah Song, Tayron Guerrero, Seth Martinez, Vinny Nittoli, Kyle Keller (AA: Mullins, Holobetz & Arias)

[notin]

On 2/26/2026 at 1:28 PM, mvp 78 said:

Tayron Guerrero has a big arm, but really bad control. Has never had a full season ERA below 5 at AAA. He's already 35. 

Guerrero throws as hard as Chapman, but has chosen a slightly different career path - one that serves to prove velocity alone can get you to MLB, but it’s not going to keep you  there for long…

[moonslav59]

11 hours ago, notin said:

Guerrero throws as hard as Chapman, but has chosen a slightly different career path - one that serves to prove velocity alone can get you to MLB, but it’s not going to keep you  there for long…

I think he walks more batter than DHern used to walk.

[notin]

4 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I think he walks more batter than DHern used to walk.

Not even close. 
 

In his career, Tayron Guerrero has walked 5.7 BB/9, which is pretty bad.

But Darwinzon Hernandez had a career 7.8 BB/9, which has to be among the worst of all time…

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, notin said:

Not even close. 
 

In his career, Tayron Guerrero has walked 5.7 BB/9, which is pretty bad.

But Darwinzon Hernandez had a career 7.8 BB/9, which has to be among the worst of all time…

But DHern has one of MLB history's highest K/9 rate.

MLB History (80+ IP) K/9

14.58 Chapman

14.56 Hader

14.54 E Diaz

14.45 Betances

14.06 D Williams

14.04 Kimbrell

14,03 DHern

 

[mvp 78]

On 2/28/2026 at 1:15 PM, moonslav59 said:

It looks like Crawford will begin the season on the IL. MLB.com says:

Threw live batting practice, marking his first session against hitters since his surgery last summer. Likely to start season on Minors rehab assignment.

On Sandoval:

Threw two innings of live batting practice on Feb. 27. Could be close to Grapefruit League action.

On Casa (updated 2/16)

Casas is working out with the team, but is limited in some areas. Opening Day seems unlikely and his fit on the roster is unclear.

On Romy

Hasn't been able to participate in baseball activity besides playing catch, making it all but certain he won't be ready for Opening Day. Recovering from a PRP injection from early February.

On Brendan Rodgers:

Right shoulder sore a day after being injured in a Feb. 25 Grapefruit League game. MRI is scheduled.

 

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, notin said:

Not even close. 
 

In his career, Tayron Guerrero has walked 5.7 BB/9, which is pretty bad.

But Darwinzon Hernandez had a career 7.8 BB/9, which has to be among the worst of all time…

Only 7 relievers had worse BB/9 than that last season > 30 IP. The last time Guerrero was in MLB was 2019. Not sure there is much there TBH. 

[moonslav59]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Only 7 relievers had worse BB/9 than that last season > 30 IP. The last time Guerrero was in MLB was 2019. Not sure there is much there TBH. 

Looks that way.

Pitchers rarely just suddenly gain control at his age.

[notin]

6 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Only 7 relievers had worse BB/9 than that last season > 30 IP. The last time Guerrero was in MLB was 2019. Not sure there is much there TBH. 

Guerrero is Worcester material at best.  Hes not some undiscovered gem but rather a guy a few teams have tried and failed to straighten out…

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

Guerrero is Worcester material at best.  Hes not some undiscovered gem but rather a guy a few teams have tried and failed to straighten out…

There might be 10 other guys not on the 40 with more hope and promise of making the 40 than Guerrero.

Maybe more.

Also, he won't make the 40, unless they plan on him making the 26, so the odds are about zero.

[mvp 78]

23 minutes ago, notin said:

Guerrero is Worcester material at best.  Hes not some undiscovered gem but rather a guy a few teams have tried and failed to straighten out…

He's only coming up because another poster puffed him up a few times. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

What the-- 

This isn't April Fool's; it's still Maaaaaaacchh!!!

 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

What the-- 

This isn't April Fool's; it's still Maaaaaaacchh!!!

Maybe we can trade him to a Japanese team.

 

[mvp 78]

13 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

What the-- 

This isn't April Fool's; it's still Maaaaaaacchh!!!

 

Playing an NPB team and using NPB balls. If only he was still doing that for a living. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Playing an NPB team and using NPB balls. If only he was still doing that for a living. 

These international showdowns are all part of a hoax to distract from the thousand times his name shows up in plate appearances on documented box scores for Theo Epstein's organization.

[notin]

13 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

What the-- 

This isn't April Fool's; it's still Maaaaaaacchh!!!

 

While I’ve never credited him with prodigious power, I have ALWAYS insisted the man can hit.

Hold on to him, Craig.  Hes a better option than Eaton… 

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

These international showdowns are all part of a hoax to distract from the thousand times his name shows up in plate appearances on documented box scores for Theo Epstein's organization.

Beautiful swing though! Can't wait to see all those grounders to the right side of the IF this summer. 🥰

[notin]

17 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

He's only coming up because another poster puffed him up a few times. 

I think Guerrero is more likely to pitch for the KBO Doosan Bears than the Boston Red Sox,,,

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, notin said:

While I’ve never credited him with prodigious power, I have ALWAYS insisted the man can hit.

Hold on to him, Craig.  Hes a better option than Eaton… 

Better option for what? Eaton is a bench player that fills in for late inning purposes or when a player needs a breather. Masa can't do that. 

[notin]

20 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Better option for what? Eaton is a bench player that fills in for late inning purposes or when a player needs a breather. Masa can't do that. 

Thats only one part of a bench player’s job, and IKF can do that.

Yoshida is a better option than Eaton’s for giving outfielders a day off and a better long term replace than Eaton should someone get hurt…