A Realistic View at the 2026 Red Sox Part II

[drewski6]

22 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Red Sox thought he looked great there. Why? IDK. 

homerism/optimism?

[drewski6]

22 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

With Slaten and Whitlock down, I'd feel a little better with another big arm out there to go along with Miller. If Slaten or Whitlock aren't healthy for the postseason, we may see some cracks. 

well maybe dont have the plumber come over in October.  ANd then you wont have to worry about seeing cracks during playoffs.

[drewski6]

17 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

He's a UIF.  Guys that are UIF's play wherever there is a need.  Neither the RS nor Mil necessarily likes him at any position.

As long as hes not an ULF as in Samuelsson, as in one of the dirtiest to ever play in the NHL.

[drewski6]

19 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

It seemed their actions did not match their "sayings."

IMO, he sucked at SS and was a plus at 2B. 

I dont think thats even possible.  Whether he should play SS or 2b depends on who else you got.

If hes sucking hard at SS, he wouldnt have been a plus at 2b (my opinion).  Maybe its a head thing where like he hit a slump adjusting to SS and couldnt ever get out of hte funk.  But I dont believe in positional optimization like this.

[drewski6]

I just dont believe that there are guys who go from A+ defensively at 2b to unplayable at SS.  Sure the throw is longer, but mostly I think its jsut the minimum im willing to accept is way different. 

So guys like Romy/Monasterio - these guys I think at like B-/C+ defensive 2b and cant play SS.  But its about their level and the higher % of fielded plays at SS....Not about being more suited for one than the other.

I believe that any A+ defensive 2b or 3b can play ss to at least an B+ level.  

[drewski6]

And if I have an elite defensive 2b who is less elite at ss defensively and is playing 2b and then i get a 40 hr, .300 hitting guy who can get by at 2b but no world beater, I move the former 2b(the one I had) to ss and not think twice. The juggling is worth it for a big bat.

[drewski6]

I dont believe that "shortstops" are even a thing in 2026.  Everyone is schroedingers cat. They are neither ss nor 2b nor 3b but at the same time they are all 3....And they hover in limbo until the lineup card is announced.

[mvp 78]

29 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

homerism/optimism?

They have "interesting" internal defensive metrics from the reports I've heard. They liked Hamilton at SS. They still like Story at SS. They believe Roman can play RF at Fenway.

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

I dont believe that "shortstops" are even a thing in 2026.  Everyone is schroedingers cat. They are neither ss nor 2b nor 3b but at the same time they are all 3....And they hover in limbo until the lineup card is announced.

Just because the Red Sox don't have a fulltime one, doesn't mean they no longer exist. 20 teams have had players with 80+ games at SS. Guys that missed the cut: Wilson, Lindor, Seager, Griffin. The vast majority of teams have a starting SS and would like that guy to play 80%+ of their games. 

[drewski6]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Just because the Red Sox don't have a fulltime one, doesn't mean they no longer exist. 20 teams have had players with 80+ games at SS. Guys that missed the cut: Wilson, Lindor, Seager, Griffin. The vast majority of teams have a starting SS and would like that guy to play 80%+ of their games. 

Yeah, there are a few factors going into this, and one of them may certainly be that Im ahead of myself regarding how fluid/flexible it has become.

But like when AROD switched positions cuz the yanks had jeter, that was perceived as a big deal, and it wouldnt be today.  Your best defensive infielders is probably your shortstop and those guys dont get displaced that much via trades, bumped by better

But every team is staying flexible right now.  The red sox liked durbin because he can cover multiple positions. That doesnt mean they dont have a preference of where theyd like him.  And I dont think the brewers were like we like hamilton as a SS and think hes going to be great there.  I think more likely they liked that he could play SS as well as 2b.

Versatility and flexibility is in , rigidity and pigeonholing positions is not.  And its effecting baseball, basketball, hockey, and football.

[drewski6]

Teams are staying flexible, prepared, and versaile....Decisions are being made on a case by case basis....Its not like teams have this massive depth chart at positions.  Its not granular like that. They try to have a mixture of quality ball players that they can move around to withstand the twists and turns.

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

But every team is staying flexible right now.  The red sox liked durbin because he can cover multiple positions. That doesnt mean they dont have a preference of where theyd like him.  And I dont think the brewers were like we like hamilton as a SS and think hes going to be great there.  I think more likely they liked that he could play SS as well as 2b.

The Red Sox like Durbin because he played GG caliber 3b. The Brewers like Hamilton because they thought they could turn him into the next Durbin at 3b. 

[mvp 78]

Durbin has played 0 innings at any position other than 3b for the Red Sox. 

[drewski6]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Durbin has played 0 innings at any position other than 3b for the Red Sox. 

https://www.mlb.com/video/craig-breslow-on-trading-for-caleb-durbin

We're excited about getting a good player into the organization.  He can play anywhere. We like that because we know we can fit him.  Can play 3b, 2b has played some SS. We'll figure it out.

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

https://www.mlb.com/video/craig-breslow-on-trading-for-caleb-durbin

We're excited about getting a good player into the organization.  He can play anywhere. We like that because we know we can fit him.  Can play 3b, 2b has played some SS. We'll figure it out.

And he never ended up playing any innings at 2b or SS. 🤔

[mvp 78]

I mean, YOU tell everyone how much you can't stand Breslow, but you'll trust him entirely on what he says in a post trade press conference. 

[drewski6]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

And he never ended up playing any innings at 2b or SS. 🤔

So an outcome means no  other outcome was ever possible and that outcome was always planned and destined?

Maybe you are just a J and see the world through the lens of a J.

[drewski6]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

I mean, YOU tell everyone how much you can't stand Breslow, but you'll trust him entirely on what he says in a post trade press conference. 

I dont like him because hes an I and not an E.  But hes clearly a P and not a J.

[drewski6]

So you think hes lying when he says that he likes that durbin is a pull air guy with positional versatility and they like how that means that they will be likely able to fit him and that hes played 2b, 3b and even a little ss.

[drewski6]

I like ENTP, ESTP, ENFP, ENTP

Gotta have the E to communicate and gotta have the P to think on your feet and react.

Js with their love for everything to be simple and concrete and planned and formulaic and the world doesnt work that way.  Mike Tyson taught me that.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

I like ENTP, ESTP, ENFP, ENTP

Gotta have the E to communicate and gotta have the P to think on your feet and react.

Js with their love for everything to be simple and concrete and planned and formulaic and the world doesnt work that way.  Mike Tyson taught me that.

I don't believe in astrology. Sorry. 

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

So you think hes lying when he says that he likes that durbin is a pull air guy with positional versatility and they like how that means that they will be likely able to fit him and that hes played 2b, 3b and even a little ss.

I believe they were planning on playing him at 3b at the time, but were leaving their options open depending on other trades available to them (Marte/Paredes). This doesn't mean they had any intention of moving him around willy nilly during the season. Also, it would have been a mistake to move him off of 3b.

[JoeBrady]

22 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I believe they were planning on playing him at 3b at the time, but were leaving their options open

They never veered from their plan.  Mayer played every game at 2B, Story played every game at SS, and Durbin played every game at 3B.  That doesn't mean guys don't move if someone gets hurt, or if someone gets traded.  But the plan is the plan.

[drewski6]

38 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I believe they were planning on playing him at 3b at the time, but were leaving their options open depending on other trades available to them (Marte/Paredes). This doesn't mean they had any intention of moving him around willy nilly during the season. Also, it would have been a mistake to move him off of 3b.

Sure, I can meet you here.  But trades and injuries can happen in season too.  So maybe it was at 3b unless something changes, and i agree they wont move him around just to move him around.  But like if an all-star 3b falls into our lap at the deadline, or injuries decimate.....could have adjusted. I do think that his versatility was a legit reason why they wanted him tho.  Maybe second to his pull-air hitting profile.

[drewski6]

15 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

They never veered from their plan.  Mayer played every game at 2B, Story played every game at SS, and Durbin played every game at 3B.  That doesn't mean guys don't move if someone gets hurt, or if someone gets traded.  But the plan is the plan.

Only he said the opposite.  He said we like his bat.  We like that he can play multiple positions.  We'll figure it out.  So I guess it depends on the dates.  But it certainly wasnt the case of having a plan and then trading for him.  The plan is to have coverage.  Like any good manager.