Is this 2026 Red Sox team…CONTENDERS or PRETENDERS?

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I've heard that about half our players this year.  I'll admit that Duran is a special case, but do you need a list of all the players that we needed to DFA this year?

That said, I'd have no problem with a straight platoon of Duran/JJ until the TDL.

Duran has been up and down a lot, so an upswing is certainly possible and maybe even probable. He did have one or two brief ones, this season.

I am not for DFA'ing Duran, and I think trading him when his stock is near zero is not a good idea, right now, unless we add a RHB LF type. Yoshida and Romy can handle the LHB DH better than Duran, even if Duran heats up.

[JoeBrady]

40 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That's only if he's making the same contact as in previous years, but he's not. 

xwOBA 20th percentile

xBA 16th percentile

Hard Hit 34th percentile (way down from last year) 

 

I looked at that, but his bat speed is up from last year.  My suspicion is that his lower hard hit percentile is related to swinging at too many pitches that he can't make hard contact with.  Same with Story.  You cannot make hard contact with pitches low & outside, or eye-high.

[moonslav59]

The Sox are 14th in HRs since June 19th.

Sox are 5th in runs in that period.

1st in fWAR Pitching

8th in fWAR Everyday Players.

[mvp 78]

21 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I looked at that, but his bat speed is up from last year.  My suspicion is that his lower hard hit percentile is related to swinging at too many pitches that he can't make hard contact with.  Same with Story.  You cannot make hard contact with pitches low & outside, or eye-high.

He doesn't need to be hurt to be a bad player? He can just have a terrible approach and no longer be able to hit. He's increased his pull rate, but has also increased his GB rate. Not good! 

Just park him on the bench. Maybe he comes out of it at some point. Maybe not. 

[JoeBrady]

38 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yoshida and Romy can handle the LHB DH better than Duran, even if Duran heats up.

While I do think we need another bat, a Yoshi/Romy platoon and a Duran/JJ platoon, while not elegant, has a chance of success.

[JoeBrady]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He doesn't need to be hurt to be a bad player? He can just have a terrible approach and no longer be able to hit. He's increased his pull rate, but has also increased his GB rate. Not good! 

Just park him on the bench. Maybe he comes out of it at some point. Maybe not. 

If such a wager were available, I'd make a modest wager that Duran's OPS v righties the rest of the season, would be above league average.

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes, he has trade value.

My point is his trade value is lower than his upside potential. That upside potential is what other teams would be trading for, but trading him now would be for an A ball prospect. We have enough of them.

The only real reason to trade him would be for a roster slot (Anthony or someone we trade for,) but does everyone want to keep Yoshida (although hotter) over Duran? Jones over Duran? If the answer is yes, then trade him now for the best we can get. 

I think Duran still has options, but he'd likely have a mental breakdown if we demoted him. 

Duran would have to approve an option to the minor leagues because he has at least five years of service. I don't think he would do that. 

[mvp 78]

14 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

While I do think we need another bat, a Yoshi/Romy platoon and a Duran/JJ platoon, while not elegant, has a chance of success.

Not a high chance IMO. 

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Duran would have to approve an option to the minor leagues because he has at least five years of service. I don't think he would do that. 

He doesn't have 5 years of service time. Only 3.15. 

[Michigan Adam2]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes, he has trade value.

My point is his trade value is lower than his upside potential. That upside potential is what other teams would be trading for, but trading him now would be for an A ball prospect. We have enough of them.

The only real reason to trade him would be for a roster slot (Anthony or someone we trade for,) but does everyone want to keep Yoshida (although hotter) over Duran? Jones over Duran? If the answer is yes, then trade him now for the best we can get. 

I think Duran still has options, but he'd likely have a mental breakdown if we demoted him. 

What about an out of the box thought and play wiltin at c/ dh/ 1b, and find a 1b out on the market. Much easier to find a power rh bat on a non contender there...

[FredLynn]

9 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He doesn't have 5 years of service time. Only 3.15. 

I thought he had more. Then what is keeping them from demoting him? Its overdue.

[notin]

12 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I thought he had more. Then what is keeping them from demoting him? Its overdue.

To start who instead?

[FredLynn]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

To start who instead?

I'd put Yoshida in LF. At least he can hit the baseball. Jones can also play OF.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I thought he had more. Then what is keeping them from demoting him? Its overdue.

If Anthony was here, maybe they'd consider it. Right now? Better off just using him as a defensive replacement, speed guy off the bench. 

[JoeBrady]

7 minutes ago, notin said:

To start who instead?

That's always the first question, not the second.  The reason all 30 teams look to acquire players is that they have no good choices.  If Philly, for example, had a good RH OF, they wouldn't be looking for a good RH OF.

[notin]

9 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

I'd put Yoshida in LF. At least he can hit the baseball. Jones can also play OF.

Then who at DH?  Romy? Monasterio?  Whoever gets called up replace Duran?  Eaton? Sogard? Campbell?

[notin]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

If Anthony was here, maybe they'd consider it. Right now? Better off just using him as a defensive replacement, speed guy off the bench. 

Even if they platoon Duran and Jones in LF and Yoshida and Romy at DH for now.

Its like Cora never left!

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, notin said:

Even if they platoon Duran and Jones in LF and Yoshida and Romy at DH for now.

Its like Cora never left!

Cora would have never let them bunt the way they have. 

[notin]

18 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Cora would have never let them bunt the way they have. 

Those rebels!

[Old Red]

33 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Cora would have never let them bunt the way they have. 

Yes, Cora wasn’t much for trying to manufacture runs even when they were hard to come by.

[JoeBrady]

56 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Cora would have never let them bunt the way they have. 

Rambunctious kids!

[moonslav59]

33 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Rambunctious kids!

He didn't seem to mind them running into outs left and right.

[FredLynn]

5 hours ago, notin said:

Then who at DH?  Romy? Monasterio?  Whoever gets called up replace Duran?  Eaton? Sogard? Campbell?

DH can be rotated to give the guys at least a partial day off. 
You can take your pick who gets called up. I doubt they could do much worse than Duran. 

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

DH can be rotated to give the guys at least a partial day off. 
You can take your pick who gets called up. I doubt they could do much worse than Duran. 

Exactly. Lets get the big bat and work out the positions afterwards.

[vegasbob]

5 hours ago, notin said:

Even if they platoon Duran and Jones in LF and Yoshida and Romy at DH for now.

Its like Cora never left!

Maybe the FO person or analytics committee making out the lineups for Cora and now Tracy has not left

[FredLynn]

19 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Exactly. Lets get the big bat and work out the positions afterwards.

The current need is the same as the need over the winter. Perhaps you recall me writing that this team could potentially compete for a ring if a very good RHH was added-maybe two. I what by not fulfilling that need we would essentially be wasting a year where we can compete. The need is still there. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, FredLynn said:

The current need is the same as the need over the winter. Perhaps you recall me writing that this team could potentially compete for a ring if a very good RHH was added-maybe two. I what by not fulfilling that need we would essentially be wasting a year where we can compete. The need is still there. 

I recall you saying 3 weeks ago that we were significantly more than one big bat away.

[FredLynn]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I recall you saying 3 weeks ago that we were significantly more than one big bat away.

But you don’t remember me saying over the winter that if we could fill the RHH need we would be competitive. 
A few weeks ago we sucked. We all knew it. 

[moonslav59]

23 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

But you don’t remember me saying over the winter that if we could fill the RHH need we would be competitive. 
 

You and 20 other board members.

[notin]

2 hours ago, FredLynn said:

But you don’t remember me saying over the winter that if we could fill the RHH need we would be competitive. 
A few weeks ago we sucked. We all knew it. 

A month ago half the forum called this the worst Sox team they’d ever seen…