Rays (Scholtens) vs Red Sox (Early): 5/8/26, 7:10pm

[notin]

38 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Suarez plays 3B. He was available for the right price. Alonso was available. He plays 1B. We have a 2B man already. With Suarez, Alonso, Contreras, and Ranger we would have been playing in October. But the signed bums because Henry is a cheapskate.

No.  

Suarez has played 3b and he knows where the position is.   But those  days should have ended long ago.  He has -14 DRS at the position across the last 4 seasons.

In fact it’s a safe bet the reason Suarez got little to no attention last offseason was most teams had him pegged as a 1b/DH type…

[notin]

26 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Fred as I told you before they just don’t get the Point. As I’ve told you if you say JH is a cheapskate 1000 times one will say is not, is not, is not, 1000 times, and then he’ll say he’s not apologizing, or defending JH when we know he is. The other one will tell you there is more to baseball than hitting when the Red Sox are 27th in the league in runs scored. That’s what you’re up against.🙈

Right.  So you’re saying the Sox needed someone capable three 1b/DH types and ignore defense?  And it’s just all offense?

The Nationals are the second highest scoring team in MLB.  Whats that gotten them?  A 19-22 record in a weak division. Yay offense only!  

Meanwhile three teams are in the top 20% for both total runs and DRS.  Their combined record is 77-42.

The Sox needed offense.  But TTO hitters only capable of 1b/DH are cheap for a reason..

[FredLynn]

24 minutes ago, notin said:

No.  

Suarez has played 3b and he knows where the position is.   But those  days should have ended long ago.  He has -14 DRS at the position across the last 4 seasons.

In fact it’s a safe bet the reason Suarez got little to no attention last offseason was most teams had him pegged as a 1b/DH type…

He played 3B for a long time and could easily have gone back there. Instead we have a first class bum there.

Correction: he is STILL a 3B man. He was available.

“

Current Position and Role (2026 Season)

• Primary Position: Third Base (3B).
• Secondary Roles: Designated Hitter (DH) and First Base (1B).”

[notin]

13 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

He played 3B for a long time and could easily have gone back there. Instead we have a first class bum there.

Correction: he is STILL a 3B man. He was available.

“

Current Position and Role (2026 Season)

 

• Primary Position: Third Base (3B).
• Secondary Roles: Designated Hitter (DH) and First Base (1B).”

Hes a lousy third baseman.  And really, not much a hitter when he’s not in AZ. There’s a reason even Cincy just gave him one a year flier.

I did want the Sox to get a better 3b.  I liked Paredes and Marte (with Mayer moving to 3b).  I liked Hoerner and Shaw as additions.  Durbin’s is unexciting, to be kind.  Hes a fielder who hits for contact and simply has very little power.  I like that he can draw a walk, but thats it.

But Suarez is getting older, cannot field, and hasn’t posted an .800 OPS outside of AZ since 2019.  I didn’t like him then, and his .663 OPS now isn’t changing my mind…

[FredLynn]

54 minutes ago, notin said:

Hes a lousy third baseman.  And really, not much a hitter when he’s not in AZ. There’s a reason even Cincy just gave him one a year flier.

I did want the Sox to get a better 3b.  I liked Paredes and Marte (with Mayer moving to 3b).  I liked Hoerner and Shaw as additions.  Durbin’s is unexciting, to be kind.  Hes a fielder who hits for contact and simply has very little power.  I like that he can draw a walk, but thats it.

But Suarez is getting older, cannot field, and hasn’t posted an .800 OPS outside of AZ since 2019.  I didn’t like him then, and his .663 OPS now isn’t changing my mind…

Sure! Marte or Paredes would have been fine too! But you are wrong about Suarez hitting. He has an OPS+ over 100 pretty consistently-in 23/24/25. We need players who can hit, preferably RHH. But Henry was too cheap to get him. We got  a cheap bum instead.

[notin]

38 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Sure! Marte or Paredes would have been fine too! But you are wrong about Suarez hitting. He has an OPS+ over 100 pretty consistently-in 23/24/25. We need players who can hit, preferably RHH. But Henry was too cheap to get him. We got  a cheap bum instead.

So now 100 is a good OPS+?  You called Rafaela an incompetent hitter for being just over a 100 OPS+.  And called for Yoshida (OPS+ of 110) to be released.

And Suarez currently has an OPS+ of 83 so Hes basically Mayer at the plate, but a 36 year old version.  Sure maybe he comes around to his last 3 year average, but why do you think Story, Duran, etc. won’t?

I guess the monster is always greener…

[FredLynn]

30 minutes ago, notin said:

So now 100 is a good OPS+?  You called Rafaela an incompetent hitter for being just over a 100 OPS+.  And called for Yoshida (OPS+ of 110) to be released.

And Suarez currently has an OPS+ of 83 so Hes basically Mayer at the plate, but a 36 year old version.  Sure maybe he comes around to his last 3 year average, but why do you think Story, Duran, etc. won’t?

I guess the monster is always greener…

Pretty funny. I wrote that Suarez OPS+ was OVER 100 the past three years. As you know, OPS+ of 100 is average. So Suarez has a good track record of being an ABOVE average with a bat. And Yoshida has excelled for 40 games. Bully for him! It doesn't have to be him who gets released. We could trade an OF (Duran) for prospects to make room for Alonso and Contreras to be on the same team. I am sure they could figure it out-if Henry wasn't so CHEAP.

[notin]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

Pretty funny. I wrote that Suarez OPS+ was OVER 100 the past three years. As you know, OPS+ of 100 is average. So Suarez has a good track record of being an ABOVE average with a bat. And Yoshida has excelled for 40 games. Bully for him! It doesn't have to be him who gets released. We could trade an OF (Duran) for prospects to make room for Alonso and Contreras to be on the same team. I am sure they could figure it out-if Henry wasn't so CHEAP.

Rafaela is currently over 100. 
 

So let me get this straight.  Eugenio Suarez  has an OPS+ of 83 but you believe he will eventually get up to the 115 he has averaged for the past 3 years.  To get him on the roster, the Six should release Duran with his OPS+ of 61 and ignore his past 3 years of a 124 OPS+ because he clearly won’t get back to that.  I mean, definitely bet on the 36yo here and not the 29yo…

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, FredLynn said:

E Suarez was available but too expensive for our cheapskate owner.

He was someone I mentioned often, despite being about as bad as Devers at 3B defense.

He's at .663.

[FredLynn]

19 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

He was someone I mentioned often, despite being about as bad as Devers at 3B defense.

He's at .663.

Like many of the FLOPS players I expect him to end the season somewhere near where he ended up the past few years.

It didn’t have to be Suarez. There were many options to obtain a couple of talented players. As far as I can see the only guys with talent we got was Contreras and Ranger. As you know we needed a more offense and help in the pen. We didn’t get them, and the train wreck that is the 2026 flops is the result.

[moonslav59]

19 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Like many of the FLOPS players I expect him to end the season somewhere near where he ended up the past few years.

It didn’t have to be Suarez. There were many options to obtain a couple of talented players. As far as I can see the only guys with talent we got was Contreras and Ranger. As you know we needed a more offense and help in the pen. We didn’t get them, and the train wreck that is the 2026 flops is the result.

Do you expect Sox players to end up where they have been in the past few years?

[FredLynn]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Do you expect Sox players to end up where they have been in the past few years?

I do. Most of them will probably gravitate towards their performance that they have had over the past few years. Some will over perform, some will underperform. But I expect they will fit under a bell curve for the most part.

[moonslav59]

45 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I do. Most of them will probably gravitate towards their performance that they have had over the past few years. Some will over perform, some will underperform. But I expect they will fit under a bell curve for the most part.

Most of our players are pre-prime and prime. I'd think the odds would be more in favor of them mostly improving on the recent histories, but that certainly hasn't been the case, so far.

One of our oldest players, Contreras, is one of the few meeting or exceeding expectations.

I'm not sure even getting back to the norm from everybody will be enough, unless Crochet is part of that idea.

[FredLynn]

12 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Most of our players are pre-prime and prime. I'd think the odds would be more in favor of them mostly improving on the recent histories, but that certainly hasn't been the case, so far.

One of our oldest players, Contreras, is one of the few meeting or exceeding expectations.

I'm not sure even getting back to the norm from everybody will be enough, unless Crochet is part of that idea.

Enough to play in October? No. That isn’t in our future. I believe that the reasons are 

1. Lack of talent offensively 

2. A demoralized roster who know exactly what the team needed to be good, resulting in a general apathy and underperformance.

In that order.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, FredLynn said:

Enough to play in October? No. That isn’t in our future. I believe that the reasons are 

1. Lack of talent offensively 

2. A demoralized roster who know exactly what the team needed to be good, resulting in a general apathy and underperformance.

In that order.

The thing is the AL sucks.

If all our players play like last year or the last 2-3 years, we'd be doing better than now, which is like 2-3 GB the 5 slot.

My hopes do not spring from any sense that this team is loaded or has shown signs of life. The hope I have left is because I know the AL is bad, and 3 of the top 6 teams look the same or worse on paper than many teams below them, including the Sox.

I'm not expecting some mid season or deadline trade to save us, either, nor the return of Crawford or Sandoval to health, let alone their top form. We'd need Crochet, for sure. We'd need Chapman, Whitlock & Slaten to be healthy and pitch like they have recently. Suarez like the last 2-3 years. Early and Tolle to replace Bello.

Maybe 1-2 guys can play worse, but just about everyone else has to do like their last 2-3 years or better.

[FredLynn]

18 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

The thing is the AL sucks.

If all our players play like last year or the last 2-3 years, we'd be doing better than now, which is like 2-3 GB the 5 slot.

My hopes do not spring from any sense that this team is loaded or has shown signs of life. The hope I have left is because I know the AL is bad, and 3 of the top 6 teams look the same or worse on paper than many teams below them, including the Sox.

I'm not expecting some mid season or deadline trade to save us, either, nor the return of Crawford or Sandoval to health, let alone their top form. We'd need Crochet, for sure. We'd need Chapman, Whitlock & Slaten to be healthy and pitch like they have recently. Suarez like the last 2-3 years. Early and Tolle to replace Bello.

Maybe 1-2 guys can play worse, but just about everyone else has to do like their last 2-3 years or better.

I don’t really follow the rosters of the other teams. I look at the standings and I see that once again we are in last place. 
It’s unacceptable 

[Old Red]

7 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

The thing is the AL sucks.

If all our players play like last year or the last 2-3 years, we'd be doing better than now, which is like 2-3 GB the 5 slot.

My hopes do not spring from any sense that this team is loaded or has shown signs of life. The hope I have left is because I know the AL is bad, and 3 of the top 6 teams look the same or worse on paper than many teams below them, including the Sox.

I'm not expecting some mid season or deadline trade to save us, either, nor the return of Crawford or Sandoval to health, let alone their top form. We'd need Crochet, for sure. We'd need Chapman, Whitlock & Slaten to be healthy and pitch like they have recently. Suarez like the last 2-3 years. Early and Tolle to replace Bello.

Maybe 1-2 guys can play worse, but just about everyone else has to do like their last 2-3 years or better.

Yes the AL sucks, which makes the Red Sox sitting at 17-23 even look worse than if it had happened in other years. If all our players played better?🤭Well they haven’t, and every team in the league could make the same statement. The AL is bad, and the Red Sox are even worse. 17-23, and 7-12 at home. 28th in HR, and 27th in runs scored pretty much says it all, and done in a league that sucks, and is bad.