A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[notin]

21 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Is Masa able to play the IF and I'm just now learning about it? 

Yes if you are  among the rare folks who consider DH to be an infield position…

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, notin said:

He’s not but he’s the only one of the three that can be demoted without being DFA.  The Sox aren’t likely to make irreversible changes right now…

Why couldn't they demote Duran? He has options. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

27 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Is Masa able to play the IF and I'm just now learning about it? 

If you're just learning about it now, all I can say is bend your knees (if they still bend), start both hands on the ground in front of your body, and move your feet -- no backhanders unless it's a dive!

[mvp 78]

They are 16th in active cash payroll, which excludes any player on IL. I think that's a terrible way to look at payroll TBH. Doesn't make sense to exclude Gray, Crochet, etc.

[mvp 78]

What if they had traded for Joe Ryan instead?

 

[moonslav59]

12 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Crochet could end up this season with the same stats as last year and this team still finishes under.500.

Crochet & Suarez, too.

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Crochet & Suarez, too.

Honestly, if they dig themselves in too much of a hole, the whole team could get their stats back up and still be under .500. 

[mvp 78]

[notin]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Why couldn't they demote Duran? He has options. 

I actually thought he didn’t.  They could demote him as well, but unlike Durbin, Duran has a track record for being a 4-8 WAR player.  And at some point they need to keep a few bodies.

Also Duran doesn’t have a 60% groundball rate against a 6% line drive rate.  

Besides like I pointed out, Durbin is doing much worse than Duran if you don’t count his lone home run of Weston Wilson.  Against actual MLB pitchers, his numbers are worse than Kristian Campbell during his slump.  
 

Why not demote Durbin? They still get to keep him and can recall him later.  And they probably need to make some sort of changes.

I suppose given the alignment I proposed, they could simply bench Durbin.  But that does him no good…

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

I actually thought he didn’t.  They could demote him as well, but unlike Durbin, Duran has a track record for being a 4-8 WAR player.  And at some point they need to keep a few bodies.

Also Duran doesn’t have a 60% groundball rate against a 6% line drive rate.  

Besides like I pointed out, Durbin is doing much worse than Duran if you don’t count his lone home run of Weston Wilson.  Against actual MLB pitchers, his numbers are worse than Kristian Campbell during his slump.  
 

Why not demote Durbin? They still get to keep him and can recall him later.  And they probably need to make some sort of changes.

I suppose given the alignment I proposed, they could simply bench Durbin.  But that does him no good…

I don't know what changes Durbin would make. He's just hitting the ball on the ground more than last year. I don't know if it's a swing profile thing or pitchers are pitching him differently. Last year, he did a little better with pitches on the outer half of the plate and he's been dogwater with them so far this year. He's still swinging at everything so maybe he comes out of it. IDK. He doesn't have a huge ceiling so it's not like he's going to tear the cover off the ball once he gets going. 

I'd cut my losses on Trevor Story. Move Mayer to SS. Move Rafaela to 2B. Story isn't here long term. No point in investing anytime in him going forward. I'd send him to COL and eat 90% of the contract. 

[notin]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I don't know what changes Durbin would make. He's just hitting the ball on the ground more than last year. I don't know if it's a swing profile thing or pitchers are pitching him differently. Last year, he did a little better with pitches on the outer half of the plate and he's been dogwater with them so far this year. He's still swinging at everything so maybe he comes out of it. IDK. He doesn't have a huge ceiling so it's not like he's going to tear the cover off the ball once he gets going. 

I'd cut my losses on Trevor Story. Move Mayer to SS. Move Rafaela to 2B. Story isn't here long term. No point in investing anytime in him going forward. I'd send him to COL and eat 90% of the contract. 

I have 0 issues with moving Story, but it’s more likely a DFA/release situation, or take back an even worse deal.

The proper Avenue is DFA/release.  But doing so is a complete white flag on 2026…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

16 minutes ago, notin said:

I have 0 issues with moving Story, but it’s more likely a DFA/release situation, or take back an even worse deal.

The proper Avenue is DFA/release.  But doing so is a complete white flag on 2026…

Not so sure. If a guy at a key spot isn't doing the job, management has an obligation to replace him for the good of the company.

Theo wasn't giving up when he gave up on Nomar, who was hitting .321 with an .867 OPS. They replaced him with a better glove and it turned out alright.

Never know what could spark a turnaround. The Red Sox don't need to make major trades yet before at least trying a few in-house changes: Mayer to SS, and call Rivera back up to stay in the bullpen instead of name-your-mediocre burned-out arm. A 10-game winning streak and right back in it!