Nationals (Mikolas) vs Red Sox (Suarez): 6/29/26, 7:10pm

[notin]

2 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

It was never a case of Suarez OR a big bat. We needed both. BresLOW didn’t half the job. At this point Gray is exceeding my expectations but it’s only June. As with Rafaela I’ll wait until the end of the year in September to make a final assessment.

If Breslow had brought back Bregman - who is underperforming and barely outdoing Durbin after the latter had a historically bad start, would you say Breslow did his job?

He replaced Bregman and Toro/Lowe on a playoff team wuth Durbin and Contreras.  Is that or is that not an improvement over last season’s offense?

[FredLynn]

48 minutes ago, notin said:

Henry might have been cheap but the team is scoring more than they are allowing, which is normally a winning formula. Breslow might be a thoroughly intolerable human being, but his additions over the last couple seasons have actually all been very good players that have done very good jobs.   Just because he didn’t get the players you wanted doesn’t change that.  I mean, you were the most vocal critic about the acquisition of Sonny Gray, and the guy is looking like a legitimate Cy Young candidate.

By the way, if Henry was too cheap, how on Earth was he Breslow “too dumb”?  Youre openly admitting he didn’t have money to spend and then being critical of him for not spending.

The reality as Hugh has pointed out, is that Breslow added multiple legitimate All Star level contributors to a playoff team from last year that had only one real key departure (not counting Devers, whose absence was barely noticeable) but the team is struggling due to the returning players.   
 

If Breslow had spent more money to retain Alex Bregman, would he have done a good job? If only the Sox had Bregman’s OPS+ of 95 instead of suffering through Caleb Durbin and his paltry OPS+ of 91…

If I am BresLOW I’d have the integrity to tell my boss that I can’t field a winning team without additional funds to secure not only Suarez but help offensively. If he refuses I quit. 

[Old Red]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

True, the redundancy is tiresome.

Only the poster who begins half is his posts with "Like I said before..." is more redundant.

Is always somebody else with you. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

[FredLynn]

1 minute ago, notin said:

If Breslow had brought back Bregman - who is underperforming and barely outdoing Durbin after the latter had a historically bad start, would you say Breslow did his job?

I was always lukewarm on Bregman because of the way he finished the year. Either Alonso or, preferably Schwarber would have been my choice. 

[moonslav59]

11 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

It was never a case of Suarez OR a big bat. 

That's not on Brez: it's on JH.

[notin]

32 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I was always lukewarm on Bregman because of the way he finished the year. Either Alonso or, preferably Schwarber would have been my choice. 

Schwarber wasn’t leaving Philly.  Hes a legend for a team with an owner willing to overspend and a CBO that hates leaving a budget unused.  No one expected anything else.  He signed very early as the least surprising signing of the off-season.

Apparently the Sox were not happy giving Alonso 5 years.  While you were probably only concerned with 2026, Breslow has to be concerned with the whole contract.  He might be wrong, but Alonso is a one-dimensional player many teams felt the same way about, which is why he settled for a mere one year deal last year.  Plus doubtful the Sox move on Contreras if they got Alonso.  Arguments that there was room for both noted, although it definitely meant benching Anthony or Duran.  
 

And I to this season, leadoff hitter looks like the biggest need anyway.  Anthony is injured and was probably a better option to bat second.  Duran has flopped in the biggest possible way.  They’ve been using Gasper/Seigler types in the role, which isn’t working so well.  Yoshida has been tried, but he’s struggling at close to Duran levels. 
 

And of course there is Story.  Most of the weak links are the guys Breslow didn’t bring in…

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Ceddanne is a rarity. I can understand how someone could have serious doubts about his chances at improving.

That being said, his improvement was obvious and constant, despite the slumps.

He's admitted he was wrong- something some posters have never come close to doing.

It is not the player.  It is the idea that someone will make a definitive call on someone after two ST ABs.  That's just trolling.

[FredLynn]

11 minutes ago, notin said:

Schwarber wasn’t leaving Philly.  Hes a legend for a team with an owner willing to overspend and a CBO that hates leaving a budget unused.  No one expected anything else.  He signed very early as the least surprising signing of the off-season.

Apparently the Sox were not happy giving Alonso 5 years.  While you were probably only concerned with 2026, Breslow has to be concerned with the whole contract.  He might be wrong, but Alonso is a one-dimensional player many teams felt the same way about, which is why he settled for a mere one year deal last year.  Plus doubtful the Sox move on Contreras if they got Alonso.  Arguments that there was room for both noted, although it definitely meant benching Anthony or Duran.  
 

And I to this season, leadoff hitter looks like the biggest need anyway.  Anthony is injured and was probably a better option to bat second.  Duran has flopped in the biggest possible way.  They’ve been using Gasper/Seigler types in the role, which isn’t working so well.  Yoshida has been tried, but he’s struggling at close to Duran levels. 
 

And of course there is Story.  Most of the weak links are the guys Breslow didn’t bring in…

Money talks. My guess is that for the right price Schwarber would be playing the Flops this year. He and Alonso weren’t the only possibilities. Just about everyone is available by trade for the right price, whew exceptions. 
The bottom line is that everyone knew what the team needed over the winter and BresLOW failed to obtain it. The result is a last place team with good pitching and defense. 

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

That trade made too much sense for me to not happen, but obviously HOU saw the Duran wiring on the wall.

1-No one, including you, thought that we should trade Duran straight up for Paredes.  I believe that you also want King or Abreu, plus their minor league catcher.

2-And my understanding is that they wanted Abreu instead of Duran.

[FredLynn]

41 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

That's not on Brez: it's on JH.

Then Brez should had the integrity to quit rather than field THIS kind of team 

[notin]

13 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Money talks. My guess is that for the right price Schwarber would be playing the Flops this year. He and Alonso weren’t the only possibilities. Just about everyone is available by trade for the right price, whew exceptions. 
The bottom line is that everyone knew what the team needed over the winter and BresLOW failed to obtain it. The result is a last place team with good pitching and defense. 

If your argument is money talks, thats not on Breslow, is it?  

[notin]

12 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Then Brez should had the integrity to quit rather than field THIS kind of team 

Gee that sounds like a solution.  But at least it’s nonsensical and solves nothing.

Sounds like all your gripes are based solely on the budget.

[Old Red]

Just now, notin said:

If your argument is money talks, thats not on Breslow, is it?  

Did Brez even make an offer?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 hour ago, notin said:

So if the Sox brought back Ellsbury as a coach, could the Sox have a wind talker approach to signaling?

Only the Navajo knows.

[FredLynn]

15 minutes ago, notin said:

Gee that sounds like a solution.  But at least it’s nonsensical and solves nothing.

Sounds like all your gripes are based solely on the budget.

Not on budget but on putting a competitive team on the field as opposed to a last place team. Without looking it up and assuming we stay in last place I think we will have finished last in 4 of the last 9 years, or thereabouts. When is it going to be time to blame Henry for being too cheap to field a competitive team or to blame the GM for not doing his job? 

There are those who complain that I am being repetitive here and those are the same people who keep making the same excuses for the dregs that are on the field. So who IS responsible for all the last place finishes? IMO its 60% the owner and 40% the GM.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

One thing Breslow did misjudge hugely was his expectations regarding Anthony and Mayer offensively.

Maybe he had visions of Rice and Lynn floating in his head.

[FredLynn]

10 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Did Brez even make an offer?

Exactly! If Breslow stated that he made an offer greater than Philly did (and included the details) I could live with that. In that case Schwarber didn't want to leave Philly for any money. Did that happen?

[Old Red]

3 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

One thing Breslow did misjudge hugely was his expectations regarding Anthony and Mayer offensively.

Maybe he had visions of Rice and Lynn floating in his head.

Especially on little Anthony.

[FredLynn]

1 minute ago, Old Red said:

Especially on little Anthony.

I think Anthony is going to be a very good player. Mayer....not so much.

[Old Red]

9 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Exactly! If Breslow stated that he made an offer greater than Philly did (and included the details) I could live with that. In that case Schwarber didn't want to leave Philly for any money. Did that happen?

By all reports the Red Sox did not make any offer to Schwaber. Brez was saving his money for Bregman I guess.

[notin]

2 hours ago, Old Red said:

Did Brez even make an offer?

No idea.  Schwarber certainly didn’t allow for much time to entertain offers…

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

No idea.  Schwarber certainly didn’t allow for much time to entertain offers…

No idea? All reports said no.🤔

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

It is not the player.  It is the idea that someone will make a definitive call on someone after two ST ABs.  That's just trolling.

He does seem to enjoy getting under people's skin, but he had his mind made up on Ceddanne long before those two ABs. They just confirmed there was and would not be any improvements.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, FredLynn said:

If I am BresLOW I’d have the integrity to tell my boss that I can’t field a winning team without additional funds to secure not only Suarez but help offensively. If he refuses I quit. 

He was given a ton of money to spend, not even counting the extensions to the kids.

You'd have been happy had he also signed Breg or Bichette, when both would not have helped much.

[moonslav59]

25 minutes ago, notin said:

No idea.  Schwarber certainly didn’t allow for much time to entertain offers…

I think Schwarber would have had to be blown away with an offer to leave PHI, bavoided theut I suppose one can still blame Brez for not doing so.

I'm glad he "botched" the Bregman talks, and he's the Cubs problem now.

I'm glad he avoided the Bichette bidding.

He probably should have traded JH Garcia, Travieso and another prospect for a bat and not Oviedo.

IMO, Brez did better at winter signings than any realistic plan any of us came up with, Nobody here, said Contreras, BLowe, Suarez & Gray. No body said anything better that JH would have paid for.

I suppose he could have traded Arias & Witherspoon, We still don't know what anyone offered for Duran, if anything, so it's hard for me to lay the blame on Brez, He didn't sign Story and Yoshida.

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, FredLynn said:

Then Brez should had the integrity to quit rather than field THIS kind of team 

That's the lamest counterpoint I've ever heard.

You want JH to be 100% responsible.

You want Brez to be 100% responsible.

Math doesn't work like that.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

I certainly hope no matter whether the Sox are sellers or buyers that they keep Durbin. He did have a terrible start offensively this season, but, IMHO, he's a good ballplayer and would be hard to replace at the hot corner. 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I certainly hope no matter whether the Sox are sellers or buyers that they keep Durbin. He did have a terrible start offensively this season, but, IMHO, he's a good ballplayer and would be hard to replace at the hot corner. 

He also may be one of the best bangs for the buck in MLB.

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

That's the lamest counterpoint I've ever heard.

You want JH to be 100% responsible.

You want Brez to be 100% responsible.

Math doesn't work like that.

As I wrote here I hold the cheapskate owner to be 60% accountable and the dumb GM to be 40% accountable. You need both the budget and the wisdom to spend the money wisely to succeed. We have neither. The result is a last place group of bums. 

[moonslav59]

55 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

As I wrote here I hold the cheapskate owner to be 60% accountable and the dumb GM to be 40% accountable. You need both the budget and the wisdom to spend the money wisely to succeed. We have neither. The result is a last place group of bums. 

What GM got better bang for their buch, last winter?

$21M Gray (STL paying $20M out of $41M)

$16M Contreras (STL paying $2M of $18M)

$7.6M Suarez (I know you dislike using AAV)

$6M IKF

$1M Coulombe