A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[vjcsmoke]

Red Sox just traded for Brett Harris. He has a career OPS under .600. Our infield is officially saved.

Breslow strikes again! Man, this move is underwhelming. What's next?

[vjcsmoke]

On 6/30/2026 at 12:07 PM, moonslav59 said:

I never wanted Bichette, last winter: I want him even less, now. If the Mets paid half his salary, I'd still say no.

Bello & Campbell's money would cancel out a big chunk of his deal.

Bichette gets $42M x 2 as player options in 2027 & 2028, so we'd actually save money over the long term. I'd do that 2 for 1 trade.

Campbell deal is looking terrible because he adds ZERO to the ML roster and we're on the hook for 8 years.

I don't think we should conflate the two players because they are pretty much unrelated. Campbell if he ever makes it back to the majors will be an OF. They are not comparable.

What's done is done. Breslow did a poor job of roster construction for this season and as a result the Red Sox suffered for it.

The season is toast. We just need to be smart sellers at the deadline and see who we can get to help fill our gaping holes at the next offseason.

 

[harmony]

20 hours ago, notin said:

Another possible improvement might be Yokohama Bay Stars’ Shugo Maki, the 28yo 2b with a .854 OPS in NPB who is eligible for posting. No idea if he wants to try MLB.  He should be a step up over Siegler/Romy…

This poster witnessed a Shugo Maki home run last year in Yokohama:

https://npb.jp/bis/eng/2025/games/s2025040900135.html

Kazuma Okamoto, the current Toronto third baseman, also homered in that game.

[moonslav59]

7 hours ago, UtahSox said:

You must have missed the part about or traded back for him at terms agreeable to RS…….  I know it’s dumb/terrible idea it’s just the irony that he is the exact type of bat we are missing. 

His bat is not what you remember it to be.

The circus environment would be horrific.

[UtahSox]

10 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

His bat is not what you remember it to be.

The circus environment would be horrific.

Just a reminder Red Sox are a circus! He would comfortably be our 2nd most productive hitter. I digress……

Thoughts on Orioles? Rutschman or maybe Pete Alonso??

thoughts on Royals? Maikel Garcia I know he is having down year??

odds of Marte becoming Available? 

any other 750+ bats that could be available?
 

[Old Red]

17 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

His bat is not what you remember it to be.

The circus environment would be horrific.

You mean more than it is now?🙃

[a700hitter]

23 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

His bat is not what you remember it to be.

The circus environment would be horrific.

His career OPs is .849 and he hits 30 bombs a year and is still only 29.  We replaced him with a 34 year old head case who is not Devers hitting equal.  How many times did Devers get ejected while a Red Sox?  Contreras has his own circus that he brings.

[moonslav59]

19 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

Just a reminder Red Sox are a circus! He would comfortably be our 2nd most productive hitter. I digress……

Thoughts on Orioles? Rutschman or maybe Pete Alonso??

thoughts on Royals? Maikel Garcia I know he is having down year??

odds of Marte becoming Available? 

any other 750+ bats that could be available?
 

You assume he'd hit like he has with SFG in a place where he was very unhappy, while being openly abused (LOL) by his employers.

Of all the batters in MLB hitting .763 or better, why chose the most unwanted guy in the sport?

BTW, Connor Wong has a higher OPS, which is not saying I think he's a better hitter, but come on! Devers?!?!?

(Willson & Ceddanne are above .763, too and Abreu is almost equal.)

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, a700hitter said:

His career OPs is .849 and he hits 30 bombs a year and is still only 29.  We replaced him with a 34 year old head case who is not Devers hitting equal.  How many times did Devers get ejected while a Red Sox?  Contreras has his own circus that he brings.

It's hard to take this seriously.

[Old Red]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

It's hard to take this seriously.

Coming from you That’s not surprising at all. 700 is spot on.

[moonslav59]

26 minutes ago, UtahSox said:

Thoughts on Orioles? Rutschman or maybe Pete Alonso??

thoughts on Royals? Maikel Garcia I know he is having down year??

odds of Marte becoming Available? 

any other 750+ bats that could be available?
 

I've been flopping between buy and sell the last week or so. Right now, I'm thinking sell.

Trading for controlled players at the deadline is too costly. Better to sell, and then wheel and deal this winter. It's one thing Brez does a lot of, and he did pretty well, last winter, with his trades. The Suarez signing looks like the best major FA signing since JD.

Say what you want about Brez and the team record, but selling prospects for rentals seems like a really bad idea.

[a700hitter]

Contreras had the head case label long before Breslow botched the 3B situation with Devers.  And Devers is a superior hitter.  His numbers will be there at the end of the season.

[Old Red]

13 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

You assume he'd hit like he has with SFG in a place where he was very unhappy, while being openly abused (LOL) by his employers.

Of all the batters in MLB hitting .763 or better, why chose the most unwanted guy in the sport?

BTW, Connor Wong has a higher OPS, which is not saying I think he's a better hitter, but come on! Devers?!?!?

(Willson & Ceddanne are above .763, too and Abreu is almost equal.)

What a phony, and flip flopper. You yelled Devers Forevers, Devers Forevers at the top of your lungs for years time, and time again. Talk about not taking someone seriously.🤭

[a700hitter]

How unhappy was Devers in Boston?  He was OPSing over .900 at the time Breslow paid to give him away.

[moonslav59]

DFA Watson and add Sandoval to the 40 and 26. 

Add Bello to the 26 (Demote Gamboa.) One starts and the other tries to bolster the pen by eating innings in chunks. Maybe one or both can build up trade value.

DFA or trade Yoshida and add Ward to the 40 and 26.

By the deadline, trade Gray, Coulombe, Sandoval & IKF (the one and dones.) Trade Duran. Consider trading Chapman, Contreras and Bello, but don't hand them away for the bets offer, if it's not a good one.

Go into the next winter with the idea that several major trades will be needed, and hope Brez hits on his top 3-4 moves, again. (I know- fat chance, right?)

[moonslav59]

3 minutes ago, a700hitter said:

How unhappy was Devers in Boston?  He was OPSing over .900 at the time Breslow paid to give him away.

You think he was happy? 

You can't possibly be serious.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, vjcsmoke said:

Red Sox just traded for Brett Harris. He has a career OPS under .600. Our infield is officially saved.

Breslow strikes again! Man, this move is underwhelming. What's next?

Hansen is going to be the next Harrison?

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, vjcsmoke said:

Campbell deal is looking terrible because he adds ZERO to the ML roster and we're on the hook for 8 years.

I don't think we should conflate the two players because they are pretty much unrelated. Campbell if he ever makes it back to the majors will be an OF. They are not comparable.

I brought up the two contracts as a point that their wasted money is less than Bichette's or Bregman's would have been.

I'd rather have Bregman or Bichette playing on the team than KC and Bello on the farm desperately fighting to become relevant again, but not at their contractual costs. I might not want either one at half their contract costs.

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

You think he was happy? 

You can't possibly be serious.

Most importantly he had settled in at DH after a not so stellar start.

[notin]

4 hours ago, vjcsmoke said:

Red Sox just traded for Brett Harris. He has a career OPS under .600. Our infield is officially saved.

Breslow strikes again! Man, this move is underwhelming. What's next?

Brett Harris is a right-handed bat, so we can check that box.  Also worth noting he has only played in 73 MLB games but he has 70* career home runs.

 

 

 

*Total includes not only Major League, but also all minor leagues, college games and backyard whiffleball games pitched by his mom.

[notin]

14 minutes ago, a700hitter said:

How unhappy was Devers in Boston?  He was OPSing over .900 at the time Breslow paid to give him away.

Just because he’s hitting doesn’t mean he was happy.

There were lots of stories about how miserable Ellsbury was, but he had a stellar career in Boston…

[moonslav59]

We are just a few weeks away from the deadline, now. 

A while ago, I asked if adding B Lowe and Jeffers (two reasonable targets that would not cost an arm and a leg) might make us playoff worthy. After the last two games, I'm thinking we'd need a lot more than that, and it's just not worth giving up future assets to make a string stab at something special in 2026.

I guess that could change if we can win a few series in a row, but so far this year, we have won just two series in a row, once, and that was way back in early April. It appears we are more than two decent players away from serious AL contention, but in a league like this maybe taking a stab might work.

Right now, I'm in sell mode.

 

[notin]

18 minutes ago, Old Red said:

What a phony, and flip flopper. You yelled Devers Forevers, Devers Forevers at the top of your lungs for years time, and time again. Talk about not taking someone seriously.🤭

Stop.  We all liked Devers until he showed how difficult and selfish he was.

No one hated Cherington after 2013, either.  But after 2014 and 2015, many did.

Things change over time…

[notin]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

We are just a few weeks away from the deadline, now. 

A while ago, I asked if adding B Lowe and Jeffers (two reasonable targets that would not cost an arm and a leg) might make us playoff worthy. After the last two games, I'm thinking we'd need a lot more than that, and it's just not worth giving up future assets to make a string stab at something special in 2026.

I guess that could change if we can win a few series in a row, but so far this year, we have won just two series in a row, once, and that was way back in early April. It appears we are more than two decent players away from serious AL contention, but in a league like this maybe taking a stab might work.

Right now, I'm in sell mode.

 

I am resigned to sell mode.  Figure Chapman, Gray, Duran and maybe IKF have all entered their final month as members of the Red Sox…

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, notin said:

Just because he’s hitting doesn’t mean he was happy…

I've seen smaller sample sizes than this used to make a point, but there is also this:

His last 20 games in BOS: .706 OPS.

He's hit .786 with SFG since the trade. Those 35 dingers would be helpful, but the idea of him staying or returning to BOS is about as silly as can be.

No disrespect intended towards anyone, but come on. Devers in BOS is a silly idea. The same guy who claim my suggested trade offers should be viewed as predictions and I've been wrong on all of them is supporting the idea that Devers in BOS is a good idea. Can I call him/them wrong, because it will never happen? 

LMAO!

[a700hitter]

16 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

You think he was happy? 

You can't possibly be serious.

Was Manny ever happy in Boston?  Idc about their happiness.  He was OPS ing over .900 at the time of the trade.  And I never had an inkling of his unhappiness in Boston until Breslow jerked him around and replaced him as the 3B with no prior communication. 

[notin]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I've seen smaller sample sizes than this used to make a point, but there is also this:

His last 20 games in BOS: .706 OPS.

He's hit .786 with SFG since the trade. Those 35 dingers would be helpful, but the idea of him staying or returning to BOS is about as silly as can be.

No disrespect intended towards anyone, but come on. Devers in BOS is a silly idea. The same guy who claim my suggested trade offers should be viewed as predictions and I've been wrong on all of them is supporting the idea that Devers in BOS is a good idea. Can I call him/them wrong, because it will never happen? 

LMAO!

Breslow isn’t trading FOR Devers.  He didn’t unload Rafael because he was a pending free agent or some inevitable roster crunch.  He dealt him because he wanted Rafael gone…

[a700hitter]

9 minutes ago, notin said:

Just because he’s hitting doesn’t mean he was happy.

There were lots of stories about how miserable Ellsbury was, but he had a stellar career in Boston…

And did the Red Sox give him away mid-season in his prime?

[notin]

1 minute ago, a700hitter said:

Was Manny ever happy in Boston?  Idc about their happiness.  He was OPS ing over .900 at the time of the trade.  And I never had an inkling of his unhappiness in Boston until Breslow jerked him around and replaced him as the 3B with no prior communication. 

I would have been more understanding of Devers except asking him to move was due to Casas getting hurt.  Sorry, that’s just not forgiveable.  Your team has changed and you need to help out…

[a700hitter]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I've seen smaller sample sizes than this used to make a point, but there is also this:

His last 20 games in BOS: .706 OPS.

He's hit .786 with SFG since the trade. Those 35 dingers would be helpful, but the idea of him staying or returning to BOS is about as silly as can be.

No disrespect intended towards anyone, but come on. Devers in BOS is a silly idea. The same guy who claim my suggested trade offers should be viewed as predictions and I've been wrong on all of them is supporting the idea that Devers in BOS is a good idea. Can I call him/them wrong, because it will never happen? 

LMAO!

I see that you have gassed up the cherrypicker.