Red Sox Pre-Offseason Mega Thread

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

I didnt follow tucker closely last year, I dont follow the nl west very cloesly.

Nobody is a sure bet. Breggie did better than I expected and Ticker worse.

Suzuki has been way more consistent and steady than Breggie was as a batter, and he's like 100 days older than Breggie was last winter.

OPS+ in previous 5 years:

113>130>138>125>131 Suzuki

113>134>122>116>128 Bregman before 2026 (124)

[drewski6]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

I'd rather hit Abreu 5th and Adley 6th. Just personal preference if Contreras is hitting 4th. Abreu also has higher power potential.

I agree.  Moon was just saying he wants Abreu 6th and not because AR is above him, so just working off he said, that would put AR 7th. But then you have 3 bottom 3s for 2 spots (Cedanne, Durbin, Arias)

Then he said he would flip Arias for a top 5 and thats how he got there with Abreu 6th, AR 7th, Durbin 8th, Cedanne 9th

And it answered my q.

I dont mind Abreu fifth, AR sixth.  I just dont know who the other 2 are hitting in the top 4 besides Roman and Contreras.

[drewski6]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

Nobody is a sure bet. Breggie did better than I expected and Ticker worse.

Suzuki has been way more consistent and steady than Breggie was as a batter, and he's as young as Breggie was last winter.

Suzuki is like 100 days older than Breggie was last winter.

OPS+ in previous 5 years:

113>130>138>125>131 Suzuki

113>134>122>116>128 Bregman before 2026 (124)

Everyone , including Breslow, knows that Breslow botched it with Bregman.  I know you want to believe this fake Joe Brady propaganda narrative that we drew a line in the sand with Bregman and didnt want to go any further....But AJ P and Buster O confirmed that it was pure inability to talk to a human being , one human to another, that drove Bregman away.  It was the same stuff that Theo spoke about how Breslow needs a translator because he doesnt know how to communicate.

That aside, if you are trying to make a case for Suzuki, you are doing well.  We dont need to relitigate Bregman. Hes gone, hes not coming back.  I think that was a mistake.  If your point is that if we go get Suzuki that turns not retaining Bregman into a 1 yr mistake vs a haunting you for a few years mistake, you are doing a good job of making that point.

[Old Red]

18 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Everyone , including Breslow, knows that Breslow botched it with Bregman.  I know you want to believe this fake Joe Brady propaganda narrative that we drew a line in the sand with Bregman and didnt want to go any further....But AJ P and Buster O confirmed that it was pure inability to talk to a human being , one human to another, that drove Bregman away.  It was the same stuff that Theo spoke about how Breslow needs a translator because he doesnt know how to communicate.

That aside, if you are trying to make a case for Suzuki, you are doing well.  We dont need to relitigate Bregman. Hes gone, hes not coming back.  I think that was a mistake.  If your point is that if we go get Suzuki that turns not retaining Bregman into a 1 yr mistake vs a haunting you for a few years mistake, you are doing a good job of making that point.

Yes according the AJP bresLOW pissed Breggie off with the very first offer.

[Old Red]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Now you're just naming draft picks. Trey Ball never really ranked high anywhere. 

#1 pick though, and another reason why they couldn’t develop pitching with misses like him.

[Old Red]

41 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

How old was Breggie, and look at his previous 3-4 year history. HE WAS NOT an ELITE BAT!!!!

His OPS since 2020 is the same as Roman's career OPS you just poo-poo'd (.803.)

It was .799 before 2026 (6 yrs 2020-2025)

"Maybe" Tucker... LMAO! He was equal to Durbin!

Still hung up on OPS. It’s the numbers, or lack of numbers that make up the OPS plus throwing in some RBI while you’re at it.

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Time out. Time out.  Flag on the play.  3x all-star Freddy Sanchez absolutely does not belong grouped in with these chumps.  

You know I thought about removing him, but I was hoping to get to this exact point.  He put up a .510 OPS at the mlb level his first 3 seasons in the show (split time).  He looked bad and didn't break out until his age 27 season. Roman Anthony is 22, Kristian Campbell is 24, and Marcelo Mayer is 23.

But he probably doesn't belong on that last......so I'll take the penalty. 

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

Thats fair. Im okay with starting Story in a bench role if Arias proves ready, but Im not giving Story away for someone who will eat 6m of his deal.  I am more likely to give Story the "C" then dump him.  I think we should give him teh "C"

He can be the bench captain any day. 

[Hugh2]

47 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

They used de la Rosa to get Schilling. Casey Kelly was traded for AGon. That's the best use of a prospect, no? Why should we care what happens to a prospect once they are dealt? 

We probably shouldn't. That wasn't the point of my exercise, but perhaps it should of been???? If so then would that mean the opposite is true and we include guys who sucked her but went elsewhere and were good?

I think the later would just emphasize my point more. 

[moonslav59]

52 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

Everyone , including Breslow, knows that Breslow botched it with Bregman.  I know you want to believe this fake Joe Brady propaganda narrative that we drew a line in the sand with Bregman and didnt want to go any further....But AJ P and Buster O confirmed that it was pure inability to talk to a human being , one human to another, that drove Bregman away.  It was the same stuff that Theo spoke about how Breslow needs a translator because he doesnt know how to communicate.

That aside, if you are trying to make a case for Suzuki, you are doing well.  We dont need to relitigate Bregman. Hes gone, hes not coming back.  I think that was a mistake.  If your point is that if we go get Suzuki that turns not retaining Bregman into a 1 yr mistake vs a haunting you for a few years mistake, you are doing a good job of making that point.

I've never denied they botched the Breggie signing. He was clearly their #1 plan.

My point is I'm glad they did. I didn't want him signed at even the contract they offered. Bregman will not be an elite hitter going forward, IMO. I'm surprised he had a season that good in 2026.

That's not a ringing endorsement of Brez for both botching a negotiation and choosing the wrong top priority. It's also not saying Bregiie would not have helped us bigly in 2027.

I'd rather we have Suzuki than Bregman. I'm glad we have Suarez. I'd rather have Suarez and Suzuki (and Durbin) than Bregman, Harrison, Drohan and now have to sign a pitcher at less money than Suarez cost us.

 

[Old Red]

14 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I've never denied they botched the Breggie signing. He was clearly their #1 plan.

My point is I'm glad they did. I didn't want him signed at even the contract they offered. Bregman will not be an elite hitter going forward, IMO. I'm surprised he had a season that good in 2026.

That's not a ringing endorsement of Brez for both botching a negotiation and choosing the wrong top priority. It's also not saying Bregiie would not have helped us bigly in 2027.

I'd rather we have Suzuki than Bregman. I'm glad we have Suarez. I'd rather have Suarez and Suzuki (and Durbin) than Bregman, Harrison, Drohan and now have to sign a pitcher at less money than Suarez cost us.

 

Wow! You went on, and on before when the word BOTCHED came up regarding Brez, and the Breggie contract negotiations. Now that’s an Artie Johnson, and funny besides.🤔

[Randy Red Sox]

On 10/18/2026 at 8:51 AM, Behindenemylines said:

I don't think the Red Sox problem in the Wild Card was the starting pitching. The bullpen blowing up (due to the injuries) and NOT being able to hit good pitching. A healthy Crochet, Tolle, and Suarez are playoff ready pitchers. If Gray walks I would feel better with the Sox replacing him with a playoff type starter. I do not think Bello is that pitcher. He would be all right during the season in the bottom of the rotation, but don't trust him starting a big playoff starter. I still feel a big right-handed power bat is number 1 priority.

you got to pay for a #1 type RH power hitter and JH has proven he won't do so

[Randy Red Sox]

4 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I've never denied they botched the Breggie signing. He was clearly their #1 plan.

My point is I'm glad they did. I didn't want him signed at even the contract they offered. Bregman will not be an elite hitter going forward, IMO. I'm surprised he had a season that good in 2026.

That's not a ringing endorsement of Brez for both botching a negotiation and choosing the wrong top priority. It's also not saying Bregiie would not have helped us bigly in 2027.

I'd rather we have Suzuki than Bregman. I'm glad we have Suarez. I'd rather have Suarez and Suzuki (and Durbin) than Bregman, Harrison, Drohan and now have to sign a pitcher at less money than Suarez cost us.

 

Suzuki is an upgrade but not a big enough one IMO but it is probably a moot point anyway

[moonslav59]

57 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

Suzuki is an upgrade but not a big enough one IMO but it is probably a moot point anyway

He's a better bat than Bregman, but that's not saying much.

Suzuki and Gray/NMartinez/Morejon or Suzuki & Sato, yes.

[notin]

6 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Now you're just naming draft picks. Trey Ball never really ranked high anywhere. 

Trey Ball was #89 on BA’s Top 100 in 2014, 14 places behind Mookie Betts…

[notin]

4 hours ago, Old Red said:

Wow! You went on, and on before when the word BOTCHED came up regarding Brez, and the Breggie contract negotiations. Now that’s an Artie Johnson, and funny besides.🤔

I was going to say - did you just refer to Artie Johnson as your go-to for a funny man?  But upon second glance, I see it was a dig at the stand-up tragedian.  Well-played…

[notin]

50 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

Suzuki is an upgrade but not a big enough one IMO but it is probably a moot point anyway

Suzuki really is a terrific player. In any other free agent market, he’d be a good underrated, undervalued target.  But as he has a bat and a pulse, he tends to shine this year…

[notin]

54 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

you got to pay for a #1 type RH power hitter and JH has proven he won't do so

Are you saying he stole Bregman?!!

[notin]

6 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Everyone , including Breslow, knows that Breslow botched it with Bregman.  I know you want to believe this fake Joe Brady propaganda narrative that we drew a line in the sand with Bregman and didnt want to go any further....But AJ P and Buster O confirmed that it was pure inability to talk to a human being , one human to another, that drove Bregman away.  It was the same stuff that Theo spoke about how Breslow needs a translator because he doesnt know how to communicate.

That aside, if you are trying to make a case for Suzuki, you are doing well.  We dont need to relitigate Bregman. Hes gone, hes not coming back.  I think that was a mistake.  If your point is that if we go get Suzuki that turns not retaining Bregman into a 1 yr mistake vs a haunting you for a few years mistake, you are doing a good job of making that point.

I know I’m alone here.  But f*** Bregman.  I’m glad he’s gone.  Bad enough he was a cheater - and not even the steroid kind - but he was a cheater that he publicly whined about being booed for cheating.  That was just intolerable.  I mean, Ryan Braun cheated, got caught, and personally called every Brewers season ticket holder to apologize.  Pribably not as many calls as you think, but classy nonetheless.  Bregman gets all “why do they have to boo us??Waaaah!”

I died a little but inside every day “cheering” for him, while my Cubs fan daughter derided me all year for cheering for a cheater.  You read that right. Thank God for karma…

[notin]

5 hours ago, Old Red said:

#1 pick though, and another reason why they couldn’t develop pitching with misses like him.

#1 pick fourteen years ago and he was a BA Top 100 prospect.

The Sox did develop more MLB pitchers than most recall around that time, but many of them were traded away.

[JoeBrady]

On 10/20/2026 at 12:59 PM, drewski6 said:

Do you walk into your bosses office and read a poster that says : "strive for excellence" and ask your boss whom it is talking to?

I remember the HR director sending out an E-mail telling the employees to "Work Smarter, Not Harder".  Every single person in the office left exactly at 5:00 that day.  It was organized or anything, so it was really funny to see the entire company waiting for elevators at the same time.

We never again saw any pithy recommendations from HR again.

[JoeBrady]

On 10/20/2026 at 1:10 PM, Nick said:

Since Breslow took over as POBO in October of 2023, the Red Sox have featured 33 players at designated hitter.

Yeah, not sure what the numbers mean.  The Yankees used 13 guys at DH in 2026 alone.  So is 33 too high or too low?

[JoeBrady]

On 10/20/2026 at 2:56 PM, mvp 78 said:

Until they get rid of the 18M already paid to play DH, they are probably not going to get another FA DH. They should though! 

I don't think so.  If Yordie was available, you'd have my attention.  But we ranked 11th in DH OPS.  I wouldn't hand out a lot of money just to move up to 8th or so.

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Yeah, not sure what the numbers mean.  The Yankees used 13 guys at DH in 2026 alone.  So is 33 too high or too low?

I'm more upset about 12 2Bmen with 100+ innings since Brez took over. (18 with 1+)

(It wasnt any better under Bloom. 12 and 25.)

[moonslav59]

3 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I don't think so.  If Yordie was available, you'd have my attention.  But we ranked 11th in DH OPS.  I wouldn't hand out a lot of money just to move up to 8th or so.

The best place to upgrade on offense for the Sox is SS, and we happen to have a blue chip SS prospect to trade.

DLC won't extend with CIN, so maybe they move him.

I saw someone say Schwarber is on the market. I doubt it.

I'd prefer DLC or Abrams. I think both are 26.

 

[JoeBrady]

11 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Am I the only guy okay with his launch angle and against messing with successful batter's approaches?

Maybe.  LAs can be raised.  Paredes has increased his four years n a row.  Tatis has decreased 4 years in a row.  Soto has increased his by a lot.  When you can hit a ball as hard as Anthony does, you have to get the ball in the air more often.

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, drewski6 said:

The hype train on Reddick really took off.  But fine , sub in Kalish.

But red sox fans screaming to make room for the kids is nothing new is my point.

Every fan base does that.

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Joe Brady said that it was of paramount importance to make sure we keep a spot open for Casas just last offseason.  ANd he was saying we need to play the kids sometimes and thats KC, Mayer, and Roman in key roles the year before that.

I'll bite.  Show me the quote where I said that about Casas.  I said I expected us to sign Alonso, and that I was happy with Contreras.  I mean, you do know that Casas missed the entire season, right?

In the previous season, I was fine playing KC at 2nd because, you know, we had no 2B.  That stuff (having someone play 2nd) is important.  And if I was keen on KC, how could I possible also want Mayer to start?  KC, Story, and Devers.  Where was Mayer going to play?

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, drewski6 said:

Arias is getting a lot of hopes pinned on him, though. 

That kind of goes with being the #2 prospect in baseball.  I always thought that Arias would be 'okay'.  Good glove, not great, and 15-HR power.  But people much smarter than me are saying he is, again, to repeat myself, the #2 prospect in BB.  Add to that the fact that we were horrible at SS last year.  So of course fans are pinning a lot of hopes on him.

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

"Role fillers" is one thing. Nobody wanted Casas slotted as the FT 1Bman to start 2026,

I'm not sure anyone was even expecting Casas before about July.