A Realistic View at the 2026 Red Sox Part II

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

It seemed to be worth more when I was teen for those mid 70's teams, but yes, this is more fun. Then, it was often heart-breaking.

2018 wire to wire was the funnest full season. The 2004 season was the funnest ending. The 2013 season was most surprising.

perfect summary and my feelings exactly.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

my wife, who's a lot younger than me, flips through movies on the remote menu before I can even read the descriptions,

My wife does the same.  I'm pretty good at recognizing the names, but she also uses the up-down arrows instead of page-up/page-down.  I can see 7 titles at once and mostly know what I want, but not when the page is scrolling up and down.

But since I was the poster-boy for ADD, I say nothing.

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

It seemed to be worth more when I was teen for those mid 70's teams, but yes, this is more fun. Then, it was often heart-breaking.

2018 wire to wire was the funnest full season. The 2004 season was the funnest ending. The 2013 season was most surprising.

2007 showed we weren't a one-time blip.

[oldtimer]

This Red Sox team is having an unbelievable hot streak. It has recognized good players but not a superstar. Rafaella is getting there and Gray is having a season, but we have No Judge or Othani. It's all about team.

[mvp 78]

 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

For most of last night Jake Rogers stood in the dugout, gabbing and laughing, looking like he won a raffle at a stag party for a slowpitch softball teammate to hang with the Red Sox at a game in Fenway Park.

Then he strapped on the gear, lunged to stop several wild Bello pitches, finally settled the guy down, and bashed a sac fly to tie it up. He can stay.

[vegasbob]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

I'd never seen him before and never heard of him.  He laid off 2-3 tough pitches.  It was a nice showing.  And Mead and Rogers are both sporting .500 OBPs.

Activating Rutschman probably sends Rogers  to the hinterland. 

Bad vibe for Rog

[vegasbob]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

This Red Sox team is having an unbelievable hot streak. It has recognized good players but not a superstar. Rafaella is getting there and Gray is having a season, but we have No Judge or Othani. It's all about team.

Then maybe Tracy is the glue .

Cora was not

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

2007 showed we weren't a one-time blip.

That year did create a sense of entitlement we have not gotten over.

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, vegasbob said:

Activating Rutschman probably sends Rogers  to the hinterland. 

Bad vibe for Rog

IF AR waits until SEPT, we can carry 3 catcher. We could for a few days before, too, by demoting someone else.

[mvp 78]

Sox sign John Brebbia (RHP) to MiLB deal.

[Bellhorn04]

Bello's pitching role splits have to be right up there with the craziest splits in history.

Starter 35.2 IP 10.35 ERA 2.22 WHIP 1.057 OPSa

Reliever 44 IP 0.61 ERA .86 WHIP .483 OPSa

[Bellhorn04]

49 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

That year did create a sense of entitlement we have not gotten over.

I have learned to live with it. 😊

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Bello's pitching role splits have to be right up there with the craziest splits in history.

Starter 35.2 IP 10.35 ERA 2.22 WHIP 1.057 OPSa

Reliever 44 IP 0.61 ERA .86 WHIP .483 OPSa

16.20 ERA in the 1st Inning (8.1 IP)

0.00 ERA in 7th and later (24 IP)

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Bello's pitching role splits have to be right up there with the craziest splits in history.

Starter 35.2 IP 10.35 ERA 2.22 WHIP 1.057 OPSa

Reliever 44 IP 0.61 ERA .86 WHIP .483 OPSa

Notice how the gambling sponsors never give odds on what Bello will do... they'd get cleaned out, wouldn't be able to pay their sponsors, and have take out loans for wheelchairs for entire staffs of employees with caved-in kneecaps.

[drewski6]

16 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

That's actually an interesting question.  So far as I know, in the regular season, you can only carry 13 pitchers.  Does that mean you can only carry 13 hitters?

Teams use to often carry 5 bench players  (12 pitchers) during the regular season.  The frequency of this has really decreased (not necessarily because the rule has, but because of what we've learned about how pitcher rest helps injury prevention and effectiveness)

Now it seems like the only times team carry a fifth bench player (before sept 1) are short term (if they do at all anymore).  Maybe during a stretch with a lot of nights off, you go to 5 bench/12 pitchers due to pen arms getting inherent rest from no game on the calendar.  Or it could be you carry five position bench guys for a spell cuz all 5 were out of options and its just a temporary thing....Like maybe a guy you would normally DFA is hot and you want to postpone a decision on him, and a pitcher with options just pitched so you send the pitcher down temporarily to delay having to make a decision.  

Then in September , your roster must be 28 and the pitcher max goes to 14.  If you were already at max pitchers (13) prior to sept1, which every team is (by choice, not by rule) - this means that you can only call up one more  pitcher and one position player (or two position players, but not 2 pitchers cuz that would put you at 15).  So you pretty much have 5 (rarely 6) bench players in sept.  

So generally teams carry 4 bench players until sept 1 and 5 bench players in sept.  But then for playoffs, rosters go back down to 26.  And you may think - well, the 2 dudes you called up for september (one pitcher , one hitter) dont make playoff roster and thats how you get back to 26 (so your aug 31 roster essentially).  But I question that.....For 4 reasons:

1. Many off days in playoffs (so 4 man rotations) and more inherent rest for pen
2. The importance of games (in the playoffs you are trying to win games primarily, less focus on managing through the grind of a long season) - so use your top guys more - so you dont really use your mop up men/pen depth/fifth starters
3. You are free to leave any member of your 40 man off the playoff roster without risking waivers  or using an option (translations: options dont matter at this point, so the whole - we have to carry player x becuse he is out of options and cant be sent down, doesnt apply in playoffs- because technically leaving off playoff roster isnt sending down because all minor leagues are wrapped by then)

4. More small ball in playoffs

So for these reasons, im a big fan of carrying 5 bench players in the playoffs even though its 26 man roster instead of 28. You use four starters (your firth starter becomes your long-relief guy) and then you use closer , primary set up guy, lefty, and next best pen arm.  So a 4 man rotation and 5 man pen (with your reg season fifth starter as one of them).  So regardless of who we carry , who we are allowed to carry, blah blah.....If the playoffs started today we would use: Gray, Tolle, Suarez, and then 2 of Bennet/Sandoval/Bello (one is 4th man in rotation, the other is pen), then Chapman, Whitlock, lefty Erik Miller from Giants (why I like the Marcello trade), slaten and guarerro.  Forget a 13 pitcher, we hardly need an eleventh!  

So thats 10 pitchers and its probably enough but maybe carry an 11th to be safe (for me, that would be Bello) , but you certainly dont need 13.  So if it were me, I would carry 10 pitchers and 16 potion players (if I could) in playoffs and it would be a platoon-a-thon.  And pinch runner, and subs and pinch hititng-a-thon.

I dont think the rules allow this, but Im not sure.  But what I hate is when mlb playoff teams carry 13 pitchers in the playoffs.  You barely need 10.  So at least carry one extra pinch runner or hitter or defensive sub and at the very least go 12 pitchers and 14 position players in playoffs, and my question is.....do teams do this?

[mvp 78]

Angels claim Ryan Watson

[moonslav59]

Talking about roster sizes and number of pitchers limits, 17 pitchers were used in last night's game. 

Figuring each team has 8 RP'ers, that's 15 out of 16 used in one game.

[JoeBrady]

50 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Angels claim Ryan Watson

First team on the list.  Too bad the TDL passed, or else we'd have gotten something for him.

[Duran Is The Man]

3 hours ago, vegasbob said:

Then maybe Tracy is the glue .

Cora was not

i'm so happy Cora is gone. same with Mayer but for different reasons.

[drewski6]

On 8/6/2026 at 10:40 AM, UtahSox said:

Story K rate, swing and miss, and lack of walks drive me nuts. Mona is not good defensively, but neither is Story. I’d rather have Mona’s bat in the lineup. 
 

to me I’d tell story, clearly we have been better without you. “don’t tell us you’re ready until you’re pain free” do a full minor league rehab….. and tell him “we can’t have a black hole in lineup.. he should watch Taylor Wards approach at plate, learn from it.. and get really good at sac bunting.”

 

Our best player in 2025 who has played hurt all year in 2026 gets told you dont have a place on this team until you can sac bunt?

Dunno if Im with that.  Story hopefully can be the position player we add on sept 1 .... story vs monasterio vs meade vs sogard vs yoshia vs duran for 4 spots (2b, SS, LF, DH).... may the hottest players (not the best) win the spots for playoff roster/playing time

[drewski6]

siegler prob out, right?

[mvp 78]

6 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Our best player in 2025 who has played hurt all year in 2026 gets told you dont have a place on this team until you can sac bunt?

Who are you referencing? Duran? Rafaela? Bregman? Roman? Abreu? Devers? Narvaez? On an fWAR/G basis, Story was not the best player on the team last year. Far from it. 

[drewski6]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Who are you referencing? Duran? Rafaela? Bregman? Roman? Abreu? Devers? Narvaez? On an fWAR/G basis, Story was not the best player on the team last year. Far from it. 

First in hits, first in homeruns, first in RBIs, first in runs scored, first in steals, first in leadership, first in professionalism, first in chemistry, first in line for supper, 

Thats reg season, in the playoffs:
First in hits, first in homeruns, first in RBIs, first in runs scored (tied unlike reg season where he was first alone), first in steals, first in leadership

Captain Trevor Story

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

First in hits, first in homeruns, first in RBIs, first in runs scored, first in steals, first in leadership, first in professionalism, first in chemistry, first in line for supper, 

Thats reg season, in the playoffs:
First in hits, first in homeruns, first in RBIs, first in runs scored (tied unlike reg season where he was first alone), first in steals, first in leadership

Captain Trevor Story

He was first in all those categories, but still that low in fWAR? His defense must have been atrocious!!! Get him outta here!

[drewski6]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He was first in all those categories, but still that low in fWAR? His defense must have been atrocious!!! Get him outta here!

He was third in WAR (positional players) behind Duran #1 (who is his best friend, who you also hate) and Cedanne at #1 (who you have said is a prime example of when WAR gets silly).

My point is that he is the leader of the team.  And if you ask Duran, he would agree with me.  You want to make an argument that its Cedanne, okay, Ill hear you out.  But its Story who represents the guys.  ANd he leads with his professionalism. Story arrives at the ballpark at the same time every day, doesnt drink night before game days, is a family man, is loyal to his teammates.....Theres something to be said about that.

Ur boy, Willson Contreras, will fist fight 3 teammates before his red sox tenure is over....and i heard that we traded mayer cuz him and willson were about to 'tro hands

[drewski6]

2 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

He was third in WAR (positional players) behind Duran #1 (who is his best friend, who you also hate) and Cedanne at #1 (who you have said is a prime example of when WAR gets silly).

My point is that he is the leader of the team.  And if you ask Duran, he would agree with me.  You want to make an argument that its Cedanne, okay, Ill hear you out.  But its Story who represents the guys.  ANd he leads with his professionalism. Story arrives at the ballpark at the same time every day, doesnt drink night before game days, is a family man, is loyal to his teammates.....Theres something to be said about that.

Ur boy, Willson Contreras, will fist fight 3 teammates before his red sox tenure is over....and i heard that we traded mayer cuz him and willson were about to 'tro hands

Not to imply I dont also love Willson Contreras. I like the fire.

[drewski6]

Contreras is like Fatu and Story is like Tama Tonga.  One is a wild man, the other is measured and controlled and probably the better leader.

[drewski6]

me, im prob more like fatu.  fire-sign

[moonslav59]

A while ago we DFA'd our RP'er IP leader in Watson (56 IP) and now we just demoted current RP'er IP leader in Weissert (45 IP.)

Moran & Bello are at 44 and Whitlock 43.