A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[moonslav59]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Lift weights everyday for 2 hours? LOL, no. That's maybe an offseason workload.

The best players can make better use of that time during the season. 

I'm not sure weight lifting is something necessary for all baseball players. Certainly, it can and does help some players, but being muscle bound may not always improve all the skills needed to be a great baseball player.

I also believe that a person who has never worked out with weights in his whole life, needs to be careful not to overdo it over a short period of time and end up pulling a hammy.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but maybe it's not for everybody.

[Old Red]

5 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Ok, and if he has adjusted his work ethic, will you start to give him the benefit of the doubt? 

Not until he stops being a suspect. Seems like his work ethic up through the system wasn’t all that great either, but his natural talent got him through, but needs more than that to produce in Boston. By all reports he hasn’t been approached about a contract extension one of the few that hasn’t.

[Behindenemylines]

On 3/25/2026 at 12:07 AM, UtahSox said:

Very happy for Early, I’m excited for him definitely has earned it. Tolle has looked really good as well. I wonder what we are gonna do with Kutter and Sandoval? I can’t remember Red Sox ever having a opposite of dearth of 9 Quality SPers like this….. Truly unprecedented times. Calling my shot!

Of course UtahSox law of Chaos states clearly 

“Now that the Red Sox have fully prepared for injury chaos, there will be the healthiest 1st half of MLB season in years for SPers. Ergo thus creating internal chaos for starts/ innings by 9 really good pitchers” 

 

Because injuries will happen both Early and Tolle will be needed during the 2026 season.

[JoeBrady]

5 hours ago, drewski6 said:

is the decrease from among the best off seasons all time to strong B+ because you were that high on the Japanese third basemen coming over (unseen ny your own eyes, I assume) or were you a little exuberant when you said all time great offseason?

I think that's a perfectly legitimate question.  And, tbh, I have no idea why, but here are my theories:

• I could've been exaggerating for affect.  Was my previous assessment a response to fred?
• The difference between an A and a strong B+ is not that different.  It could all depend on what day I answered the question.
• If you don't mind, please post my original remarks.  I didn't like Murakami, so it had to be Okamoto.  And the difference between Okamoto and Durbin is not that much, imho.

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Mayer was a string bean who didnt have the muscular padding to stay healthy. 

There was an article in Men's Health on-line showing a study that said heavy lifting increases joint flexibility.  I'm thinking that, if your knees/shoulders can handle a heavy lift, it is probably better able to handle a hard slide into a base.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

The one guy it made sense for was Alex Verdugo. He'd show up late for games. Was a top prospect and seen as a guy that could potentially get an extension. He squandered whatever potential he had and is now a MiLB contract guy. 

I'd have gladly extended him after his first year with us.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

eing muscle bound may not always improve all the skills needed to be a great baseball player.

Functional weight-lifting has made a lot of advances over the years.  My gym has a baseball bat attachment for the rotational cable machines.  Just in case the boys try to get the band back together.

[drewski6]

3 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Lift weights everyday for 2 hours? LOL, no. That's maybe an offseason workload.

The best players can make better use of that time during the season. 

You aint on the team if you aint in the weight room.  If you were good enough to actually be on the team, and you were one of the 3-4 guys with better things to do, then you are just Barry Bonds but you aint one of us.

The dudes who didnt come to the weight room were weirdo loners and even if they were good, we didnt like em.  And we didnt invite em to our parties either.

[drewski6]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm not sure weight lifting is something necessary for all baseball players. Certainly, it can and does help some players, but being muscle bound may not always improve all the skills needed to be a great baseball player.

I also believe that a person who has never worked out with weights in his whole life, needs to be careful not to overdo it over a short period of time and end up pulling a hammy.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but maybe it's not for everybody.

Lifting weights is not about bulk.  We use to make fun of "beach muscles".  YOu dont think Michael Phelps is strong?  You dont think he lifted.  Bulk is max and short reps.  Lean wirey strength comes from lower weight but more reps.

[drewski6]

27 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

There was an article in Men's Health on-line showing a study that said heavy lifting increases joint flexibility.  I'm thinking that, if your knees/shoulders can handle a heavy lift, it is probably better able to handle a hard slide into a base.

We called it weight room even if it wasnt bodybuilding.  We were actually kind of ruthless about it.  You hit a deep fly to the warning track and you are getting yelled at , especially if you arent coming with us to team workouts.  It was half about the bonding.

But I do believe that its super important to be a professional athlete, to keep your body right.  I dont mean be a bodybuilder.  We really just meant come when we go for runs. When we go to the gym.  When we have sleepovers.  When we go on trips.....When we all do like some stupid eat healthy challenge.....When we do all those bonding stuff.....Be a part of it or you just arent part of the team.  I mean you are but you arent.  Like in the way Barry Bonds was not part of the team.  Maybe Devers too.

Thats what I half-meant. 

The other half was specific to Mayer and like MVP said, specific to the offseason.  They pushed Mayer to bulk up. They pushed Mayer to weight room.  In this case, it was literally about adding muscle.  And sometimes it is.  When we had dudes that were flying out to the warning track we would bark at them just the same. Push them.

I also wasnt being 100% literal.  Pat Riley was though.  Sometihng like if you were over x% body fat he'd trade your ass every time. And while Im not all the way there, I do respect it.  And I dont like when baseball players dont act like a professional.  ANd keeping your body in the best possible shape is part of that.

[drewski6]

47 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I think that's a perfectly legitimate question.  And, tbh, I have no idea why, but here are my theories:

• I could've been exaggerating for affect.  Was my previous assessment a response to fred?
• The difference between an A and a strong B+ is not that different.  It could all depend on what day I answered the question.
• If you don't mind, please post my original remarks.  I didn't like Murakami, so it had to be Okamoto.  And the difference between Okamoto and Durbin is not that much, imho.

Im not great at the search function.  I am confident that there was some exaggerating for affect going on and I have my answer.  TY for responding.  I gave it a half effort to find your post, but Im giving up because I want to go watch my Bentley Falcons upset one of the best hockey teams in NCAA. Cheers.

[drewski6]

33 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Functional weight-lifting has made a lot of advances over the years.  My gym has a baseball bat attachment for the rotational cable machines.  Just in case the boys try to get the band back together.

When I am in the weight room, I am usually using my rowing machine.  I have one of the expensive ones with a screen that keeps track of your score nad you race real people.  Its like a peloton but a rowing machine. I love it.

[drewski6]

I have a rowing machine, a peloton , and a kettlebell.  Im open to kettlebell exercises if you know any good ones :)

[drewski6]

I also try to do 30 pushups every other day.

[Larry Cook]

On 3/23/2026 at 12:49 PM, moonslav59 said:

The AAA rosters looks okay, but nobody jumps out as being a possible big boost, except for SP'ers.

C- Thaiss, Delay, Gasper

1B- Gasper/Hickey

2B- Romero/McDonough

3B- Sogard/Capra/Eaton

SS- Cheng

LF- Ward/Rosier

CF- Campbell

RF- Castro/Eaton

DH- Eaton/Hickey

SP: Early, Tolle, Crawford, Sandoval, Uberstine/Sikkema

RP: Samaniego, Kahnle, Guerrero, Keller, Martinez, Song, Olds, Webb, Sweet, Gamboa

I think Castro is capable of a huge season! But not sure if he has it in him this year!! 
 

I am curious if ward keeps hitting. He is pure chaos in the base pads 

Campbell is the wild card here!!    I think he still has work to do on his swing, but if he figures it out, he could be back in Boston at some point. 

[moonslav59]

I hope Castro does well, but I've lost all faith in his chances.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, drewski6 said:

I dont like when baseball players dont act like a professional. 

I'll get back to the rest of the post another time, but this was always a pet peeve of mine.  I remember a TE the NYG drafted in the 3rd round, maybe 40 years ago.  He came into camp way overweight and got cut.  Even back then, I think it was a $300k gig.  Another dude on Seton Hall (Wright?), maybe 6'10'-6'11 and had some talent.  If he had spent 6 months eating nothing but protein and veggies, and spent two hours a day in the gym, he'd likely have been a top-15 pick.  He could've hit Dunkin on the way home from the signing, but he'd still have some serious money.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, drewski6 said:

We use to make fun of "beach muscles"

But all workouts are good.  Some better, some worse, but all good.  And there are *some* advantages to high weight/low rep lifts.  One is that personal bests inspire you more.  A second, in my amateur opinion, is that a lot of weight will signal you what part of your body needs more work.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, drewski6 said:

I gave it a half effort to find your post,

No biggie.  A strong B+ becomes an A depending on my mood.  Still, if/when I make a mistake, I like to find out why.  Sometimes it's simple, sometimes a blind spot.  It's important to know which.

[moonslav59]

Let's see how Sonny Gray does, today. I'm hoping he has one good year left. He's aged pretty well, so far.

His whole career, he never went 3 years in a row with 117+ IP, until age 31. Since then, it's been 5 straight seasons.

He only had over 166 IP 3 times in his first 10 MLB seasons: he's done it all 3 of his last 3 seasons.

He's pitched 1950 IP in his career:

First 650:  3.42 ERA/3.61 FIP ('13-'16 at ages 23-26)

Middle 650: 3.78 ERA/3.77 FIP ('17-'21 at ages 27-31)

Last 650: 3.53 ERA/ 3.16 FIP ('22-'25 at ages 32-35)

His best fWAR seasons:

5.4 in '23 (age 33)

4.5 in '19 (29)

3.9 in '15 (25)

3.8 in '24 (34)

3.6 in '25 (35)

3.5 in '14 (24)

3 of his 5 best have been in his last 3 seasons (ages 33-35!)

 

[notin]

21 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Sure, but not in this case.  You never got frustrated with teammates who didnt weight room?  If I was a coach it would be 0 tolerance.  Pat Riley.  Run a mile every day, lift weight for 2 hours every day.  Or you arent on my team. No exceptions.

That depends on the player, doesn’t it. Not to mention there are so many other fitness and conditioning programs nowadays.    And there is the argument that, as a shortstop, bulk can hinder him defensively.  

When I hear a coach or manager questioning work ethic, my first thought is LaRussa talking about JD Drew playing with a perceived lack of passion and not playing when injured.  And while those may or may not be flaws, they aren’t the same as work eithic.

[notin]

17 hours ago, drewski6 said:

When I am in the weight room, I am usually using my rowing machine.  I have one of the expensive ones with a screen that keeps track of your score nad you race real people.  It’s like a peloton but a rowing machine. I love it.

I hear you. I have an elliptical in the spare bedroom/home office,  and I try to get in there every few days and get my laundry off it….

[Duran Is The Man]

17 minutes ago, notin said:

I hear you. I have an elliptical in the spare bedroom/home office,  and I try to get in there every few days and get my laundry off it….

[moonslav59]

Sox by age:

Everyday Players

22 Anthony

23 Mayer, Campbell

25 Rafaela

26 Durbin, Casas

27 Abreu, Narvaez

29 Duran, Romy, Wong

31 IKF

32 Yoshida

33 Story

34 Contreras

________________

Pitchers

23 Early, Tolle

26 Bello

27 Crochet

28 Slaten, Oviedo, Moran, Watson

29 Crawford, Sandoval, Houck

30 Suarez, Whitlock. Kelly

31 Weissert

36 Gray & Coulombe

38 Chapman

___________________

The 30 and under team:

SP: Crochet, Suarez, Bello, Early, Crawford

RP: Whitlock, Slaten, Oviedo, Kelly, Sandoval, Tolle, Watson, Moran

C: Narvaez, Wong

1B: Casas

2B: Romy, Campbell

3B: Durbin, Monasterio

SS: Mayer, Sogard

LF: Anthony

CF: Rafaela

RF: Abreu

DH: Duran

 

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Sox by age:

Everyday Players

22 Anthony

23 Mayer, Campbell

25 Rafaela

26 Durbin, Casas

27 Abreu, Narvaez

29 Duran, Romy, Wong

31 IKF

32 Yoshida

33 Story

34 Contreras

________________

Pitchers

23 Early, Tolle

26 Bello

27 Crochet

28 Slaten, Oviedo, Moran, Watson

29 Crawford, Sandoval, Houck

30 Suarez, Whitlock. Kelly

31 Weissert

36 Gray & Coulombe

38 Chapman

___________________

The 30 and under team:

SP: Crochet, Suarez, Bello, Early, Crawford

RP: Whitlock, Slaten, Oviedo, Kelly, Sandoval, Tolle, Watson, Moran

C: Narvaez, Wong

1B: Casas

2B: Romy, Campbell

3B: Durbin, Monasterio

SS: Mayer, Sogard

LF: Anthony

CF: Rafaela

RF: Abreu

DH: Duran

 

Sox are basically middle of the pack, regarding age, compared to the rest of the league. Yankee pitchers are old, but their hitters are even older.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

Sox are basically middle of the pack, regarding age, compared to the rest of the league. Yankee pitchers are old, but their hitters are even older.

Thanks for the chart. I will add that the Sox players who are over 31 include some important ones, but not as much as some teams seem to depend on...

31 IKF (utility infielder)

32 Yoshida (back up DH)

33 Story (important)

34 Contreras (important)

 

36 Gray (important)& Coulombe (maybe 7th or 8th best RP'er)

38 Chapman (very important, but we might have the best #2 RP'er in MLB.)

Only 4 key players are over 31.

[moonslav59]

Cora on how to manage the OF/DH bottleneck:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/03/alex-cora-discusses-red-sox-outfield-plans.html

It's not easy.

[moonslav59]

Sox re-sign Brendan Rodgers to 2 year deal.

[notin]

35 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Sox re-sign Brendan Rodgers to 2 year deal.

I am not sure I’ve ever seen a player on a minor league contract get as much pub as Rodgers…

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, notin said:

I am not sure I’ve ever seen a player on a minor league contract get as much pub as Rodgers…

Has he gotten a lot?