A Realistic Look at the 2026 Red Sox: Part I

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Acquire one guy, start Mayer at the other position. That seems like what is going to happen. 

Duran is most likely going to be a Red Sox on Opening Day considering the reports we've heard and I'm fine with it. Either trade him for a haul of prospects or keep him around IMO.

I’m fine with keeping Duran, but you still got a log jam in the OF with Masa still on the team.

[Hugh2]

31 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I think Bregman is still plan A, but who knows after that. Mayer is the fallback at 2B-3B if nothing else comes together.

Well, if Mayer is the fall back at 2b-3b? who is the other 2B-3B if Story is at SS?

I suppose my point is if Mayer is your plan B, then the Sox need to aquire two infielders.  Unless of course we think David Hamilton is ready to be the every day 2Bman. 

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Well, if Mayer is the fall back at 2b-3b? who is the other 2B-3B if Story is at SS?

I suppose my point is if Mayer is your plan B, then the Sox need to aquire two infielders.  Unless of course we think David Hamilton is ready to be the every day 2Bman. 

I’m not even counting on Mayer as a good plan B until he can stay healthy, so you might be right about two infielders if they don’t go from within.

[mvp 78]

19 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I’m fine with keeping Duran, but you still got a log jam in the OF with Masa still on the team.

Don't trade Duran just because you have a payroll problem with Masa. Fix the payroll problem. You have big pockets. Move Masa and throw money in the deal. 

[Old Red]

15 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Don't trade Duran just because you have a payroll problem with Masa. Fix the payroll problem. You have big pockets. Move Masa and throw money in the deal. 

I don’t think Duran was floated around, because of payroll problems with Masa, but for getting some starting pitching. Ryan, at the time, and then Greene.  I don’t know if Duran was floated around for Marte, or not, but trading Duran would not be because Masa is still on the team. Don’t worry. Brez will have it all figured out.

[Hugh2]

27 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I’m not even counting on Mayer as a good plan B until he can stay healthy, so you might be right about two infielders if they don’t go from within.

Well that's just the thing, I don't see them adding two infielders and I don't see them starting Hamilton, Romy, Romero, or Sogard. 

So I think the plan is going to be Mayer at (put infield position here).  Now he very well may not stay healthy and you end up with Romy playing the field anyways. 

[Old Red]

8 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Well that's just the thing, I don't see them adding two infielders and I don't see them starting Hamilton, Romy, Romero, or Sogard. 

So I think the plan is going to be Mayer at (put infield position here).  Now he very well may not stay healthy and you end up with Romy playing the field anyways. 

Even though he made it through healthy last year there is always the worry of Story staying healthy too.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, Old Red said:

I think Bregman is still plan A, but who knows after that. Mayer is the fallback at 2B-3B if nothing else comes together.

I can't see us winning the Bregman sweepstakes, but I agree that he is our first choice. We may be waiting for his decision before moving on to the next plan.

Whether we get Bregman or not, Mayer is a big part of the plan. Yes, Breggie would force Mayer to 2B, and no Breggie might force him to 3B. I like Mayer/Romy at 2B more than 3B, but finding a 2Bman might be easier and cheaper.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Don't trade Duran just because you have a payroll problem with Masa. Fix the payroll problem. You have big pockets. Move Masa and throw money in the deal. 

Easy to say.

Trading Masa means we pay all but $4-7M of his $18M a year. That does not create the budget room for something major.

The "big pockets" argument makes a ton of sense, but if JH doesn't see it that way, it's not happening.

Trading Hicks might help us save another $2-4M on his $12M a year. Combined, that might save us $10M, We have $4-5M before tax line one. We may need to trade Duran ($7.7M) or Rafaela ($6.3M) to do something bold.

If we knew the budget was the second tax line, I think we can cobble something good enough, but that may not be the case.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

Even though he made it through healthy last year there is always the worry of Story staying healthy too.

Very true. I've wanted 3 infielders, all along. We got Contreras for one. I doubt we get two more. I'm hoping for the one to be a major impact guy.

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Easy to say.

Trading Masa means we pay all but $4-7M of his $18M a year. That does not create the budget room for something major.

The "big pockets" argument makes a ton of sense, but if JH doesn't see it that way, it's not happening.

Trading Hicks might help us save another $2-4M on his $12M a year. Combined, that might save us $10M, We have $4-5M before tax line one. We may need to trade Duran ($7.7M) or Rafaela ($6.3M) to do something bold.

If we knew the budget was the second tax line, I think we can cobble something good enough, but that may not be the case.

Do they want to win by having the best roster possible, or just the best roster within a set CBT limit? We all know how much revenue they bring in every year. 

[Old Red]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Do they want to win by having the best roster possible, or just the best roster within a set CBT limit? We all know how much revenue they bring in every year. 

At one time it was the best roster possible, but now I’d say it’s the latter.

[moonslav59]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Do they want to win by having the best roster possible, or just the best roster within a set CBT limit? We all know how much revenue they bring in every year. 

I have never argued against the idea that JH can and should spend more. To me, that is seperate from going on the assumption that he will not and basing suggestions on that assumption.

If Jh allows us to go up to but not over the second line- GREAT! I hope he does. I think he should. I don't think he will.

Going on an assumption is not tactic approval of the budget choices made.

I have made the point that all owners can spend more than they do, so why does our situation make it any worse or better? Yes, we have more revenue and way more revenue than most teams, but their owners are pretty damn rich and some even richer than JH. Plus, we do spend way more than 1/3 of the teams in MLB. (This is not in any way meant to support the idea that spending less is okay. It's just to provide a context I think is missed by some. JH could easily spend $30M more, but so could every other owner, and whare would that place the Sox, if all of them did?)

[mvp 78]

Replacing Masa with a healthy Casas and eating most of Masa's salary seems fine to me.

[moonslav59]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Replacing Masa with a healthy Casas and eating most of Masa's salary seems fine to me.

First, we have to know if Casas is or can be healthy. If the answer is no, I still cringe at a plan with Duran as our primary DH- not because I don't think he's good enough, but more out of the idea that his value to another team as an OF'er is so much higher, and we have great needs at a couple roster slots, that trading Duran would make more sense than DH'ing him.

If we trade Duran, and Casas is not healthy, then Masa has some value to us as a DH- probably more value that we'd get by trading him to save $4-6M a year.

[moonslav59]

Has Brez always liked the oversized pitchers, or is this something kinda new?

Is the talk of 6-1 195 Bello being traded partly due to his not being big enough?

6-6 275 Oviedo

6-6 250 Tolle

6-6 245 Crochet

6-6 234 Bennett

6-5 225 Watson

6-5 190 Delzine (may gain some weight)

6-4 245 Phillips

6-4 235 Chapman

6-4 222 Slaten

6-4 215 Sandlin

6-4 205 Samaniento

6-3 190 Sandoval & Holobetz (tall but not big)

6-2 235 Weissert

He did also acquire...

6-2 209 Hicks (not really small)

6-2 210 Eyanson (not small)

6-2 205 Witherspoon (not small)

6-1 167 Moran

5-10 190 Sonny Gray (breaks the mold)

 

[mvp 78]

Breslow didn't necessarily target Witherspoon or Eyanson, they just kind of fell in the draft and he snagged them. I don't think they were his ideal draftees, but they were great value for where they were both picked. 

[moonslav59]

32 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Breslow didn't necessarily target Witherspoon or Eyanson, they just kind of fell in the draft and he snagged them. I don't think they were his ideal draftees, but they were great value for where they were both picked. 

Agreed. Size and weight are not disqualifying, but neither are really small guys, either.

Only Moran and Gray are "smaller."

I don't think wanting to trade Bello, if they really do, is because of his size. His lower K rate might be the main reason.

17.7% ranks 81st out of 100 SP'ers with 120+ IP.. He's not really helped by his pedestrian 8.5% BB%, which ranks 68th out of 100.

He was 87th in K%-BB%.

[Larry Cook]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Breslow didn't necessarily target Witherspoon or Eyanson, they just kind of fell in the draft and he snagged them. I don't think they were his ideal draftees, but they were great value for where they were both picked. 

And he knew he could get both of them signed! The LSU kid is intriguing. His stuff does not look spectacular, but he gets hitters out and he has pitched in big games! 
not sure what we have in Witherspoon, but he has a lot of pitches in the toolbag! 

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

And he knew he could get both of them signed! The LSU kid is intriguing. His stuff does not look spectacular, but he gets hitters out and he has pitched in big games! 
not sure what we have in Witherspoon, but he has a lot of pitches in the toolbag! 

Sox dev may help Eyanson's stuff pop this year too. He may have not looked spectacular in college, but neither did Early.

[JoeBrady]

7 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

Well, if Mayer is the fall back at 2b-3b? who is the other 2B-3B if Story is at SS?

I suppose my point is if Mayer is your plan B, then the Sox need to aquire two infielders.  Unless of course we think David Hamilton is ready to be the every day 2Bman. 

Unless we know that Mayer is hurt, then we only need one more IF.  A combo of Romy, DHam and Mayer should be fine.

[JoeBrady]

7 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Don't trade Duran just because you have a payroll problem with Masa. Fix the payroll problem. You have big pockets. Move Masa and throw money in the deal. 

There is no reason to move Masa.  He should be an above-average hitter.

[Hugh2]

7 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Unless we know that Mayer is hurt, then we only need one more IF.  A combo of Romy, DHam and Mayer should be fine.

Wait, IF Mayer is hurt? if Mayer is hurt don't we need two infielders now? If not our infield is actually going to be Romy/Story/Dham/Contreras. 

That........could end very badly.  If that happens, and especially if someone like Story goes down and your infield is literally an AAA infield.  Breslow should be fired on the spot. 

[Larry Cook]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox dev may help Eyanson's stuff pop this year too. He may have not looked spectacular in college, but neither did Early.

Early was a different circumstance. West Point goes to school 6 days a week and I think his arm was tired from military pt. 
 

but I am amazed what the Sox did with him in the pitching program. If we can do half as much with the 2025 draftees. It will have been a good draft for us! 

[moonslav59]

13 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Unless we know that Mayer is hurt, then we only need one more IF.  A combo of Romy, DHam and Mayer should be fine.

Pretty sure this is how Brez sees it, too.

[JoeBrady]

5 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Wait, IF Mayer is hurt? if Mayer is hurt don't we need two infielders now? If not our infield is actually going to be Romy/Story/Dham/Contreras. 

That........could end very badly.  If that happens, and especially if someone like Story goes down and your infield is literally an AAA infield.  Breslow should be fired on the spot. 

I'm not sure what the question is.  If Mayer is healthy, then Mayer, Romy, and DHam will be on the team.  That only leaves you one roster spot.

[Hugh2]

47 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm not sure what the question is.  If Mayer is healthy, then Mayer, Romy, and DHam will be on the team.  That only leaves you one roster spot.

There is no question.

i misread your last post. We are on the same page here.

[Tedballgame]

6 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Easy to say.

Trading Masa means we pay all but $4-7M of his $18M a year. That does not create the budget room for something major.

The "big pockets" argument makes a ton of sense, but if JH doesn't see it that way, it's not happening.

Trading Hicks might help us save another $2-4M on his $12M a year. Combined, that might save us $10M, We have $4-5M before tax line one. We may need to trade Duran ($7.7M) or Rafaela ($6.3M) to do something bold.

If we knew the budget was the second tax line, I think we can cobble something good enough, but that may not be the case.

Absolutely do not trade Rafaela. He just won a gold glove at a premium position, he can play multiple positions, is young and is improving each year as a hitter. He has not yet begun to hit his ceiling as a hitter. DO NOT TRADE.

[moonslav59]

31 minutes ago, Tedballgame said:

Absolutely do not trade Rafaela. He just won a gold glove at a premium position, he can play multiple positions, is young and is improving each year as a hitter. He has not yet begun to hit his ceiling as a hitter. DO NOT TRADE.

I'd like to keep Rafaela and prefer trading your guy, Duran.

I'm pretty certain other GMs see Rafaela like we do and not like Drewski. They value him highly and would give up a lot to get him, plus, you might get your way and see Duran in CF.

I know you prefer we trade Abreu, but you stand alone in your belief he's not a great defensive RF'er, and I might add that Duran IS a great defensive CF'er.

The context for my suggesting we might trade Rafaela over Duran or Abreu is if we DO NOT add a big bat at 3B/2B. If that happens, we need the offense from the 3 OF'ers not named Rafaela.

[Randy Red Sox]

10 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Acquire one guy, start Mayer at the other position. That seems like what is going to happen. 

Duran is most likely going to be a Red Sox on Opening Day considering the reports we've heard and I'm fine with it. Either trade him for a haul of prospects or keep him around IMO.

a number of issues on Duran but i clearly think he is more valuable to keep than he would be to trade.