Red Sox Pre-Offseason Mega Thread

[notin]

1 hour ago, drewski6 said:

thats what happened to Achilles of greek lore. 

He got hit by an inside pitch, too?

[Hugh2]

35 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Durbin is a starter if you’ve got other good bats around him. Bregman definitely would have helped the Red Sox more in 2026.

I think that's an unfair way to think about it in terms of holding Durbin to the standard of being Alex Bregman. 

He's certainly a better value costing you less than 1 million, and I thought it made sense at the time if the Sox turned around and spent that money saved which they did on Ranger Suarez +. 

I think a more realistic way to look at it is they should have used the money to sign another big bat rather than another pitcher. 

[Old Red]

9 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

I think that's an unfair way to think about it in terms of holding Durbin to the standard of being Alex Bregman. 

He's certainly a better value costing you less than 1 million, and I thought it made sense at the time if the Sox turned around and spent that money saved which they did on Ranger Suarez +. 

I think a more realistic way to look at it is they should have used the money to sign another big bat rather than another pitcher. 

I’m just saying Bregman would have helped the Red Sox more with his bat than DUBin did. I agree on using the Money on getting a big bat instead of pitching.

[mvp 78]

38 minutes ago, notin said:

He got hit by an inside pitch, too?

Low and inside

[mvp 78]

57 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Durbin is definitely a starter.  Seigler and Money only got the ABs they did because of injuries, but they are fine as bench pieces.

On the rest of it, I agree.  I most definitely think OBP works, but we just didn't do a good job of it.

There's only three starters that can hit 7, 8 and 9. 

Right now: 3b, 2b, SS, C (if Wong), CF and LF all have strong cases to hit in the back third of the lineup. 

[Old Red]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

There's only three starters that can hit 7, 8 and 9. 

Right now: 3b, 2b, SS, C (if Wong), CF and LF all have strong cases to hit in the back third of the lineup. 

That’s why I said he’s fine if you’ve got good bats around him. If not bats like Raffy, and Bregman are more needed.

[Hugh2]

Durbin, after a slow start was an .800 OPS guy most of the season with elite defense at third, sure he's not Alex Bregman but he's much younger and probably is better than for the next 4 years for a fraction of the cost. 

Obviously Durbin is not the guy who puts this team over the top, but he's fine.  There's plenty of other places this team can improve moving forward. SS/2B/OF/C/DH

[Hugh2]

What I want to see is Durbin truly the guy he was the first two months? the guy he was the last 4? or is he something inbetween? maybe he's a going to be a streaky guy who has massive slumps and then long streaks where he carries a team. 

As long as his defense is solid you can live with the later if he's 7-8-9 in your lineup, but if he's closer to the player he was from mid June on he can a lot more valuable than that.  I'm not banking on it yet, but maybe he's a young guy still figuring it out. 

[mvp 78]

17 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Durbin, after a slow start was an .800 OPS guy most of the season with elite defense at third, sure he's not Alex Bregman but he's much younger and probably is better than for the next 4 years for a fraction of the cost. 

Obviously Durbin is not the guy who puts this team over the top, but he's fine.  There's plenty of other places this team can improve moving forward. SS/2B/OF/C/DH

479 OPS 3/26 - 5/24 

891 OPS 5/28 - 7/31

703 OPS 8/1 - EOY

Two unplayably bad months. Two great months. Two below average months. 

[Old Red]

16 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Durbin, after a slow start was an .800 OPS guy most of the season with elite defense at third, sure he's not Alex Bregman but he's much younger and probably is better than for the next 4 years for a fraction of the cost. 

Obviously Durbin is not the guy who puts this team over the top, but he's fine.  There's plenty of other places this team can improve moving forward. SS/2B/OF/C/DH

That’s all good, but I was just commenting on what just happened in 2026, and more pop was needed. 3B was one of those positions. The Red Sox have gone from Raffy, to Bregman, and now DuBin. Yes his bat picked up for a time as the season went on, but his bat was One of the reasons the team was 14 games under at 1 point.

[Old Red]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

479 OPS 3/26 - 5/24 

891 OPS 5/28 - 7/31

703 OPS 8/1 - EOY

Two unplayably bad months. Two great months. Two below average months. 

Add it all up, and meh.

[mvp 78]

8 of Durbin's 13 HR were hit over a 25 G stretch

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, Old Red said:

Add it all up, and meh.

He's ok. He's a starter somewhere. He's not a "foundational guy" which was the original point I made. You can move on from him and improve at that position. 

[Old Red]

10 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He's ok. He's a starter somewhere. He's not a "foundational guy" which was the original point I made. You can move on from him and improve at that position. 

I agree he’s not a foundational guy. He a cheap option, and ok if you’ve got good hitters around him in the lineup.

[NHNative]

58 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Durbin, after a slow start was an .800 OPS guy most of the season with elite defense at third, sure he's not Alex Bregman but he's much younger and probably is better than for the next 4 years for a fraction of the cost. 

Obviously Durbin is not the guy who puts this team over the top, but he's fine.  There's plenty of other places this team can improve moving forward. SS/2B/OF/C/DH

Solid practical thinking, IMO.

[notin]

5 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

There's only three starters that can hit 7, 8 and 9. 

Right now: 3b, 2b, SS, C (if Wong), CF and LF all have strong cases to hit in the back third of the lineup. 

If Duran is elsewhere and Mead plays 2b, I’d think Rafaela, Durbin and Story hit 7-9 in whatever order….

[Randy Red Sox]

On 10/25/2026 at 11:47 AM, UtahSox said:

I do agree that Breslow is doing a good job with the task he’s been given… to me this fall squarely on JH and the constraints he’s fictitiously put on his baseball capital. I imagine Breslow wishes he could have signed Alonso, Bregman, and Suarez last year. And given the constraints he has Breslow has shown initiative, creativity, and some balls. 
 

I just feel like Red Sox ownership is so performative nowadays. Even to the way they choose to stay in the luxury cap by a ridiculously small amount . It feels like it’s a production, to say we’re doing all we can when the reality is I don’t believe there’s a baseball team in America that makes as much net profit as the Boston Red Sox (maybe the Chicago Cubs). 

and with 2 lower payroll teams in the WS this yr don't expect JH to change his way of thinking

[Randy Red Sox]

6 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

What I want to see is Durbin truly the guy he was the first two months? the guy he was the last 4? or is he something inbetween? maybe he's a going to be a streaky guy who has massive slumps and then long streaks where he carries a team. 

As long as his defense is solid you can live with the later if he's 7-8-9 in your lineup, but if he's closer to the player he was from mid June on he can a lot more valuable than that.  I'm not banking on it yet, but maybe he's a young guy still figuring it out. 

in the end the Sox got what they paid for in Durbin

[Randy Red Sox]

10 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

I think you have a very different definition of what FLOP is than other people.  The dude got hit in the wrist by a 95 MPH fastball during his secon at bat.  It's not like he played 60 games here and batted .200

Luis Perales also put up 96 innings in AAA and he was pretty good but not great.  Still command issues and comes with a ton of reliever risk still.  I like Perales, and even if he turns into a good starting pitcher it will mean nothing if Bennett also performs well. 

It's entirely possible for a trade to turn out as a win/win for both teams.  

trust me i know it wasn't his fault he got injured. I am simply stating he provided nothing no matter the circumstances and he certainly doesn't excite me going forward although he probably be a decent but not great player based on his career to date.

[Randy Red Sox]

10 hours ago, Hugh2 said:

I think you have a very different definition of what FLOP is than other people.  The dude got hit in the wrist by a 95 MPH fastball during his secon at bat.  It's not like he played 60 games here and batted .200

Luis Perales also put up 96 innings in AAA and he was pretty good but not great.  Still command issues and comes with a ton of reliever risk still.  I like Perales, and even if he turns into a good starting pitcher it will mean nothing if Bennett also performs well. 

It's entirely possible for a trade to turn out as a win/win for both teams.  

fair enough on point 2.  i like Bennet as a 4-5 guy

[moonslav59]

8 hours ago, Old Red said:

I agree Bres tried, but I keep going back to the past offseason when Brez didn’t do enough to get the Big Bat the Red Sox needed more than anything, and would have helped more than anything else. Even with others declining Alonso would have helped offset the 23 less homers, and 97 less runs scored. I’m not using declining players as an excuse.

IMO, It's not an excuse: it's about placing the blame in the right place. Players nearing or in prime should get some or a lot of flack when they decline.

It's not letting Brez off the hook, as I have agreed all along he left a major hole in the team.

He made a lot of adds over the winter, and usually winter adds are cheaper than summer ones, so forcing himself into needed major summer deals was on Brez.

I will say that Suarez was not a bad add- just misdirected. The team went 17-11 in his starts.

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, Old Red said:

Add it all up, and meh.

The near GG defense kicks it up a notch, but we need a better player or an improvement from him.

We can get by with guys like Durbin, if we have some studs. We don't, right now.

[Randy Red Sox]

5 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

IMO, It's not an excuse: it's about placing the blame in the right place. Players nearing or in prime should get some or a lot of flack when they decline.

It's not letting Brez off the hook, as I have agreed all along he left a major hole in the team.

He made a lot of adds over the winter, and usually winter adds are cheaper than summer ones, so forcing himself into needed major summer deals was on Brez.

I will say that Suarez was not a bad add- just misdirected. The team went 17-11 in his starts.

as it has been pointed out many times we should have signed Alonso AND Suarez

[Old Red]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

The near GG defense kicks it up a notch, but we need a better player or an improvement from him.

We can get by with guys like Durbin, if we have some studs. We don't, right now.

I would rather have Raffy’s bat than DUBin’s glove. Yes as I said earlier DUBin is fine as long as there are more good bats around him in the order.

[Old Red]

7 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

IMO, It's not an excuse: it's about placing the blame in the right place. Players nearing or in prime should get some or a lot of flack when they decline.

It's not letting Brez off the hook, as I have agreed all along he left a major hole in the team.

He made a lot of adds over the winter, and usually winter adds are cheaper than summer ones, so forcing himself into needed major summer deals was on Brez.

I will say that Suarez was not a bad add- just misdirected. The team went 17-11 in his starts.

As I said before I wasn’t planning on much from the players who declined anyway.so that’s why I’m not holding them accountable as much. Ranger wasn’t bad when he pitched, but used up a lot of the BP when he did by not going deep in a lot of games?

[notin]

7 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

as it has been pointed out many times we should have signed Alonso AND Suarez

They talked to Alonso and he wanted more years or money than Boston was willing to give.  

[moonslav59]

49 minutes ago, Randy Red Sox said:

as it has been pointed out many times we should have signed Alonso AND Suarez

That was not Brez's option.

I suppose we coull have not traded for Gray ($21M) and Contreras ($18M) and done that.

Maybe no Gray and IKF comes close enough. (Add a Duran trade that 90% of posters were against, and we're even for the 2026 budget. Now, who do we trade to pay for 2027?)

[moonslav59]

47 minutes ago, Old Red said:

 

 

47 minutes ago, Old Red said:

As I said before I wasn’t planning on much from the players who declined anyway.so that’s why I’m not holding them accountable as much. Ranger wasn’t bad when he pitched, but used up a lot of the BP when he did by not going deep in a lot of games?

While 5.3 IP per GS beats the MLB average of 5.1, it did hurt the team. He was 5th on the team:

5.8 Gray

5.8 Bennett

5.7 Tolle

5.4 Early

5.3 Suarez

It's weird how he went 8 IP twice in April (2 of first 6 starts) then never again. He only went 7IP twice after April- both in September.

Never over 5.1 IP in May, July & August. It seemed like a strange plan, if that's what it was.

 

 

[mvp 78]

12 hours ago, notin said:

They talked to Alonso and he wanted more years or money than Boston was willing to give.  

And BOS may have been wrong about it. 

[mvp 78]

12 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

That was not Brez's option.

I suppose we coull have not traded for Gray ($21M) and Contreras ($18M) and done that.

Maybe no Gray and IKF comes close enough. (Add a Duran trade that 90% of posters were against, and we're even for the 2026 budget. Now, who do we trade to pay for 2027?)

If they traded Duran, but added Contreras and Alonso, I think posters would have been ok with it.