Red Sox Pre-Offseason Mega Thread

[Old Red]

11 minutes ago, notin said:

My grandma used to say “you know you’re doing something right when the idiots disagree with you.”

Your grandma was right.. You, and MOOn prove it everyday. Thanks for admitting it.👍👍👍👏

[notin]

On 10/30/2026 at 3:16 PM, JoeBrady said:

If JH wasn't so cheap, you could've signed up a real polar bear.  Then have a contest.  The polar bear starts on 1st, and a (Yankee) fan starts on 2nd.  If he (Yankee) fan reaches the BP 1st, he gets $1M.  If he doesn't, then well, he doesn't.

And this conversation about sellout ends forever.

Rename the stadium the Polar Ursadrome?

I take it you’ve felt a bit of an entertainment gap since the collapse of the Roman Empire?

[Nick]

Although I'm a former CPA, all the analytical crap is too hard for me to comprehend or maybe I just don't want to wreck my brain at my age, 70.

Let's keep it simple.

Milwaukee Projected 2027 40 man payroll at year end = 99M, 23rd in the majors.

Boston Projected 2027 40 man payroll at year end = 213M, 7th in the majors.

I'm not sure if I would call JH 'cheap'. Perhaps he needs better personnel to evaluate and train the talent.

I only care about two statistics, runs scored and runs allowed.

Pitching (runs allowed)

Boston's 611 runs allowed, 3rd in mlb. Milwaukee, 618, 4th in mlb.

I know we lost Sonny Gray who gave up only  52 runs in 169 innings but Crochet gave up only 62 runs in 205 innings in 2025 (23 runs in 30 innings pitched in 2026). I have to assume he'll get back to his 2025 form. If he can't get back to where he was, well we're in trouble.

Offense (runs scored)

Big problem here. Sox scored 689 runs (23rd in mlb) while the Brewers came in at 832 runs (2nd in mlb). 

Apparently hitting long ball has nothing to do with it. Sox hit 21st best 163 homers while the Brewers came in 28th with 154 dingers. This surprised me.

Big disparity was in OPS. Brewers were 3rd with OPS of .744 and the Sox with OPS of 717 came in tie for 18th. Slugging percentages were similar meaning the difference was in OBP.

The Brewers drew 668 walks (#2) compared to 517 walks (#21) for the Sox.

Perhaps we don't need another slugger. Full year of Mead, healthy Anthony and Adley and a year older Durbin will maybe improve our OPS. With the Monster, we are always leading the league in two baggers. 

We should strengthen the pen and add more depth to our starting rotation without spending too much money. 

And wait out the horrendous contracts of Yoshida and Story to expire. That's $41M. 

 

 

[notin]

28 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Your grandma was right.. You, and MOOn prove it everyday. Thanks for admitting it.👍👍👍👏

Apparently some folks never outgrow “I’m rubber and you’re glue….”  (The ones who did outgrow it, did so by age 9.)

I mean, at least outgrow patting yourself on the back for using it.  

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, notin said:

So is this a case of “Old Red maked up hype and blames everyone else for it”?

That's basically it.  The hype is there no matter what.  Anthony was ranked #2 by BA & MLB, and #1 by BP.  There was probably no regular baseball fans that didn't know who who was.

[JoeBrady]

4 hours ago, notin said:

Even nowadays when teams take analytical approach to game strategies,

The only difference between 2026 and 1926 is 1) our ability to quantify our beliefs, and our ability to make measurements.  I'd guess about 100% of everything Ted Williams said 80 years ago is still valid today.  When we were 10 years old, we discussed baseball non-stop.  We'd make comparisons between good hitters, good fielders, runners, everything.

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

One guy that comes to mind in Manny Ramirez.

I think he is a perfect example.  He had his MBM moments, but he'd step out after every pitch to think through the progressions.  Same in other sports.  The better players don't rely on pure athletic skills.  They know how to play.  They know the best moves.

[JoeBrady]

4 hours ago, notin said:

Many of these analysts have both math and baseball backgrounds.

There were guys that kept notebooks on every player, ever since I invented the pencil.  Wee Willie said "hit 'em where they ain't", and he was playing in the 1800s.

[moonslav59]

25 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

That's basically it.  The hype is there no matter what.  Anthony was ranked #2 by BA & MLB, and #1 by BP.  There was probably no regular baseball fans that didn't know who who was.

Of course many of us had high hopes for our top prospects, and we rarely had so many in such a short window (Anthony, KC & Mayer, and even Tolle) but I'm pretty sure everyone of us knew there are no guarantees in baseball.

I really don't think anyone suggested any of them would be near MVP caliber in year one or two. Sure, some of us pencilled prospects into starting FT roles, but that's not equal to expectations of all star play from day one. I'm also pretty sure Brez & Co had serious contingency plans in place, in case they started out slowly (or had unexpected injuries.)

Anthony: We kept Duran, despite already having an $18M DH/LF'er.

Mayer: We spent $6M on a utility infielder (IKF) and traded 2 pitchers and DHam for 3 infielders (Durbin, Siegler & Monasterio.) Anther clue? Mayer was one of the few top prospects not extended.

KC: Last year, we had Romy, DHam, Mayer, Sogard and Rafaela as depth.

These set-up did not smell like management being so believing of the hype Ole Red seems to think they did.

Hell, I still have high expectations for Anthony & Tolle, and may be one of the few to not write of KC just yet.

Reminder: We heard the same newbie criticism about Rafaela & Bello after their extensions. Durbin was a rookie in 2025, and some wondered about expectations for him being too high. Some were okay with trading  "the suspect," Tolle, last winter. Don't hear much about him- nor an unflattering nickname from our resident red-nosed clown.

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

There were guys that kept notebooks on every player, ever since I invented the pencil.  Wee Willie said "hit 'em where they ain't", and he was playing in the 1800s.

So, our beloved VTek was a "nerd."

[moonslav59]

33 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I think he is a perfect example.  He had his MBM moments, but he'd step out after every pitch to think through the progressions.  Same in other sports.  The better players don't rely on pure athletic skills.  They know how to play.  They know the best moves.

I loved Manny's approach, and that included talking walks when a big hit was needed. He simply refuse to swing at many balls out of the zone. I'm not sure he very got real upset with an ump more than 5 times in his whole career. 

He had an inner peace.

The flip side had Youk and Nixon who would slam their bats down 10 times a week. (I liked them as batters, too, but they had opiate approaches.)

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, Nick said:

The Brewers drew 668 walks (#2) compared to 517 walks (#21) for the Sox.

That's where my headaches start.  Our OBP, in general, stinks.  But our 1-2 are the worst in baseball.  I don't mind adding a slugger, but a 35-HR hitter, batting 3rd in our current lineup, would be lucky to drive in 85.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

That's where my headaches start.  Our OBP, in general, stinks.  But our 1-2 are the worst in baseball.  I don't mind adding a slugger, but a 35-HR hitter, batting 3rd in our current lineup, would be lucky to drive in 85.

Good point, but a healthy Anthony should greatly improve the 1 slot, and if Mead can come near his 2026 numbers, the #2 slot would be fine.

OBP

Anthony .339 (2026) .371 career

Mead .353 (2026) .321 career

I'd like a better LHB than Abreu (.327/.327) up 3rd and before Willson, but he might be good enough, if he has an improved season and we find a nice 5 batter.

A good idea might be to bat Contreras 3rd v LHPs and _____ or Abreu vs RHPs. Despite Abreu's reverse splits in 2026, I think probably reverts to doing better v RHPs.

Some possibly available LHB or switch hitters that kill righties are:

OPS 2025-2026

.892 Lowe (but sucks v LHPs)

.892 Acuna

.887 Springer

.848 Pena

.846 Abrams

.841 de la Cruz

.833 Lindor

.832 Bauers

.822 Paredes

.819 Seager

.804 Happ

.795 Suzuki

.794 Arozarena

 

Long shot adds:

1.074 Kurtz

1.018 Alvarez

.937 Harper

.932 Alonso

.881 Wood

,872 Donovan

[Old Red]

14 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Of course many of us had high hopes for our top prospects, and we rarely had so many in such a short window (Anthony, KC & Mayer, and even Tolle) but I'm pretty sure everyone of us knew there are no guarantees in baseball.

I really don't think anyone suggested any of them would be near MVP caliber in year one or two. Sure, some of us pencilled prospects into starting FT roles, but that's not equal to expectations of all star play from day one. I'm also pretty sure Brez & Co had serious contingency plans in place, in case they started out slowly (or had unexpected injuries.)

Anthony: We kept Duran, despite already having an $18M DH/LF'er.

Mayer: We spent $6M on a utility infielder (IKF) and traded 2 pitchers and DHam for 3 infielders (Durbin, Siegler & Monasterio.) Anther clue? Mayer was one of the few top prospects not extended.

KC: Last year, we had Romy, DHam, Mayer, Sogard and Rafaela as depth.

These set-up did not smell like management being so believing of the hype Ole Red seems to think they did.

Hell, I still have high expectations for Anthony & Tolle, and may be one of the few to not write of KC just yet.

Reminder: We heard the same newbie criticism about Rafaela & Bello after their extensions. Durbin was a rookie in 2025, and some wondered about expectations for him being too high. Some were okay with trading  "the suspect," Tolle, last winter. Don't hear much about him- nor an unflattering nickname from our resident red-nosed clown.

Some were ok trading Tolle? Who was one all those someone’s. It was non other than the 12th pick in the HOBO draft bresLOW. Are you bashing him? The Red Sox were offering either Tolle, or Early, and Arias for Marte, but Arizona wanted Mayer included instead. That was your guy  bresLOW offering that, so your point you was trying to make will really BASHING  bresLOW, and the funny  part is you didn’t even know you were doing it. Shame on you. Toll Man has been said many times That’s how I use it just part of the name. You said almost all of my nicknames have negative connotations, which IS NOT true at all. Just like RAF Man, Ref Man, and Cro Man, Story Land, and yes even Con Man. The unflattering nicknames that you cry about like Frail Sale, Marshmallow Mayer, or the Butterfly Man were not mine. 🙈👋

[Old Red]

13 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Of course many of us had high hopes for our top prospects, and we rarely had so many in such a short window (Anthony, KC & Mayer, and even Tolle) but I'm pretty sure everyone of us knew there are no guarantees in baseball.

I really don't think anyone suggested any of them would be near MVP caliber in year one or two. Sure, some of us pencilled prospects into starting FT roles, but that's not equal to expectations of all star play from day one. I'm also pretty sure Brez & Co had serious contingency plans in place, in case they started out slowly (or had unexpected injuries.)

Anthony: We kept Duran, despite already having an $18M DH/LF'er.

Mayer: We spent $6M on a utility infielder (IKF) and traded 2 pitchers and DHam for 3 infielders (Durbin, Siegler & Monasterio.) Anther clue? Mayer was one of the few top prospects not extended.

KC: Last year, we had Romy, DHam, Mayer, Sogard and Rafaela as depth.

These set-up did not smell like management being so believing of the hype Ole Red seems to think they did.

Hell, I still have high expectations for Anthony & Tolle, and may be one of the few to not write of KC just yet.

Reminder: We heard the same newbie criticism about Rafaela & Bello after their extensions. Durbin was a rookie in 2025, and some wondered about expectations for him being too high. Some were okay with trading  "the suspect," Tolle, last winter. Don't hear much about him- nor an unflattering nickname from our resident red-nosed clown.

Lots of discussions on other venues about DFA KC to see if someone would pick up him, and his contract. Sounds like a plan to me.

[notin]

27 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Lots of discussions on other venues about DFA KC to see if someone would pick up him, and his contract. Sounds like a plan to me.

Most say it’s unlikely he gets claimed and the DFA is only to open a 40 man roster spot.  None got this Plsn from the Sox, and most likely it was speculation by one podcaster that got repeated by others…

[notin]

11 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

That's where my headaches start.  Our OBP, in general, stinks.  But our 1-2 are the worst in baseball.  I don't mind adding a slugger, but a 35-HR hitter, batting 3rd in our current lineup, would be lucky to drive in 85.

Agree.

The weird plan seems to be to add a superstar and hope the baseball works out.  De La Cruz is a good player (except at defense) that would cost most than anyone wants to pay and stands to potentially create more problems than he solves.

The Sox aren’t rebuilding a team that has won 110 games in the last two years.  They’ve won 176 games and made the postseason twice.  That level overhaul isn’t necessary….

[JoeBrady]

10 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Mead .353 (2026) .321 career

I always thought of Mead as a typical #6 hitter, but you might be correct.  He has decent minor league walk rates.  He might fit in as #2.

[jdc69]

19 hours ago, notin said:

Actually analytics have probably helped more players than they’ve hurt financially.   I don’t think there was ever a time when the players were the “brains” of a team, save maybe the early 1900’s when player-managers and player-coaches were all the rage.

Even nowadays when teams take analytical approach to game strategies, like Boston in the postseason, do people think the manager isn’t involved?  Former Sox manager and shortstop Alex Cora was probably the biggest analytics nerd in league history, which was a major factor in Boston hiring him…

Well pitches are being called from somewhere else other than the catcher now. That certainly is a good example. Also, just the fact that they dont allow starting pitchers to stay in the game. Baseball been around for more than 100 years, you think its some great new revelation that no one considered that pitchers dont do well after going through the lineup 3 times? Of course they considered it, but still left them in there anyways because it teaches the pitcher to pitch when he doesnt have his best stuff and to save the bullpen. The mentality is much more about the pitcher being a disposable machine to be used up and replaced. Pay them and use them just enough to keep them, but not enough to give them any power themselves. 

BTW, I'm not saying theres nothing good in analytics, on the contrary, its evolved the game and won some championships, including '04, I'm just saying they've gone too far. There should be rules in how theyre used, like no in-game advice giving. No pitch calling. 

[JoeBrady]

35 minutes ago, notin said:

Most say it’s unlikely he gets claimed and the DFA is only to open a 40 man roster spot.  None got this Plsn from the Sox, and most likely it was speculation by one podcaster that got repeated by others…

I wouldn't do it.  If I were TB or CL, etc., then it's a decent portion of their overall payroll.

If the RS were to do it, I'd understand it.  And there is maybe a 50/50 he doesn't get claimed.  But if the Mets are spending $300M++, I'm thinking they, and maybe LAD, etc., would snatch him.

And, FWIW, KC had 6 HRs, 4/0 SB/CS, and a 33/23 K/W in his last 116 ABs.  That's really good, and he is only 24.

[notin]

41 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I wouldn't do it.  If I were TB or CL, etc., then it's a decent portion of their overall payroll.

If the RS were to do it, I'd understand it.  And there is maybe a 50/50 he doesn't get claimed.  But if the Mets are spending $300M++, I'm thinking they, and maybe LAD, etc., would snatch him.

And, FWIW, KC had 6 HRs, 4/0 SB/CS, and a 33/23 K/W in his last 116 ABs.  That's really good, and he is only 24.

No s***.

He waltzed through the lower minors but then couldn’t sustain his immediate impact.

But in Boston, you have to be an All Star with MVP votes rookie year or youre a bust…

[moonslav59]

6 hours ago, Old Red said:

Some were ok trading Tolle? Who was one all those someone’s. It was non other than the 12th pick in the HOBO draft bresLOW. Are you bashing him? The Red Sox were offering either Tolle, or Early, and Arias for Marte, but Arizona wanted Mayer included instead. That was your guy  bresLOW offering that, so your point you was trying to make will really BASHING  bresLOW, and the funny  part is you didn’t even know you were doing it. Shame on you. Toll Man has been said many times That’s how I use it just part of the name. You said almost all of my nicknames have negative connotations, which IS NOT true at all. Just like RAF Man, Ref Man, and Cro Man, Story Land, and yes even Con Man. The unflattering nicknames that you cry about like Frail Sale, Marshmallow Mayer, or the Butterfly Man were not mine. 🙈👋

Once again your fence post IQ shines brightly.

I've often mentioned Brez trades the other teams turned down that would have been awful, including the Ryan deal, the Marte deal(s) and others. Your tunnel vision and pre-fixed ideas on what other people think and believe is clownish. (Yes, I said "clown" again, because it's accurate and a tamer word than what you really are.) I never claimed you invented all of the nicknames you use, but in your tiny pea brain, I did.

I'm not crying about you idiotic nicknames. They are juvenile and don't capture the essence of the players.

On people willing to trade Tolle a year or two ago, I recall there were a select few, but only for top notch players. Maybe I'm wrong, and will openly and easily admit it, if it's true. I'm curious why you wouldn't be for trading any "suspect," but not that he's shown he's a keeper, you'll probably claim you never thought of him that way.

Typical clown man.

[notin]

56 minutes ago, jdc69 said:

Well pitches are being called from somewhere else other than the catcher now. That certainly is a good example. Also, just the fact that they dont allow starting pitchers to stay in the game. Baseball been around for more than 100 years, you think its some great new revelation that no one considered that pitchers dont do well after going through the lineup 3 times? Of course they considered it, but still left them in there anyways because it teaches the pitcher to pitch when he doesnt have his best stuff and to save the bullpen. The mentality is much more about the pitcher being a disposable machine to be used up and replaced. Pay them and use them just enough to keep them, but not enough to give them any power themselves. 

BTW, I'm not saying theres nothing good in analytics, on the contrary, it’s evolved the game and won some championships, including '04, I'm just saying they've gone too far. There should be rules in how theyre used, like no in-game advice giving. No pitch calling. 

Catchers use the com system.  They relay the pitch call to the pitcher, second baseman, shortstop and CF.  But transmission (pitch calling) can only be done by pitcher or catcher.  Youre trying to imply pitch calling is done by stats nerds; it’s not.  PitchCom receivers are not used/allowed in the dugout.

Pitchers pitching less became a big deal when prices went up and starters went from “players” to “investments”.  In the 1970s and early 1980s, bullpens were an afterthought and more of a purgatory for pitchers not good enough to start.  The phrase “banished to the bullpen” was not complimentary.

Now bullpens are used more strategically, to not only reduce workload on the investments aka starters, but also with the used of numerous specialized roles.  Teams nowadays pitch about 1450 IP per season, wuth the starters pitching 700-900 IP.  Relying on 550-750 IP from a 4 man bullpen would be ridiculous…

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

Lots of discussions on other venues about DFA KC to see if someone would pick up him, and his contract. Sounds like a plan to me.

More likely, they trade him with some cash or take back a high salary guy that balances the money vs the hopes KC can grow into something useful.

Maybe his best position is DH and second is LLF in Fenway. Who knows?

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Most say it’s unlikely he gets claimed and the DFA is only to open a 40 man roster spot.  None got this Plsn from the Sox, and most likely it was speculation by one podcaster that got repeated by others…

I think we trade him with cash or give him one more season. I'd rather open roster slots by trading Duran or Yoshida, or Story if we add a real, proven SS.

We still have Burgos, Kelly and White/Jones (one should go.)

We have Olds, Rivera and Samaniego, who could probably be traded for a single A promise.

Moran is out of options, and the 26 man roster is a bigger concern than the 40, so maybe he's dealt for two single A promises. 

Casas or Romy could be dealt.

We could even trade Crawford or Oviedo- maybe even Houck (save some $) but I would not hand these guys away for far-away promises.

I'm not saying KC has more promise or upside than several players I just listed, but trading some of them to clear slots for FAs or trade additions might leave a slot for the promise KC still has.

I might rather keep Casas than KC, but I might be alone on that one. BTW, if nobody claims KC and he walks, we still pay him. We can trade or non tender Casas and pay nada.

[notin]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

I think we trade him with cash or give him one more season. I'd rather open roster slots by trading Duran or Yoshida, or Story if we add a real, proven SS.

We still have Burgos, Kelly and White/Jones (one should go.)

We have Olds, Rivera and Samaniego, who could probably be traded for a single A promise.

Moran is out of options, and the 26 man roster is a bigger concern than the 40, so maybe he's dealt for two single A promises. 

Casas or Romy could be dealt.

We could even trade Crawford or Oviedo- maybe even Houck (save some $) but I would not hand these guys away for far-away promises.

I'm not saying KC has more promise or upside than several players I just listed, but trading some of them to clear slots for FAs or trade additions might leave a slot for the promise KC still has.

I might rather keep Casas than KC, but I might be alone on that one. BTW, if nobody claims KC and he walks, we still pay him. We can trade or non tender Casas and pay nada.

If no one claims KC, he could also just be assigned to Worcester; Campbell cannot refuse assignment and declare free agency…

[Old Red]

40 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Once again your fence post IQ shines brightly.

I've often mentioned Brez trades the other teams turned down that would have been awful, including the Ryan deal, the Marte deal(s) and others. Your tunnel vision and pre-fixed ideas on what other people think and believe is clownish. (Yes, I said "clown" again, because it's accurate and a tamer word than what you really are.) I never claimed you invented all of the nicknames you use, but in your tiny pea brain, I did.

I'm not crying about you idiotic nicknames. They are juvenile and don't capture the essence of the players.

On people willing to trade Tolle a year or two ago, I recall there were a select few, but only for top notch players. Maybe I'm wrong, and will openly and easily admit it, if it's true. I'm curious why you wouldn't be for trading any "suspect," but not that he's shown he's a keeper, you'll probably claim you never thought of him that way.

Typical clown man.

Basher, clown, tiny pea brain, idiotic nick names, juvenile, clown man fence post IQ, and that’s just on here. This is from guy who hides behind a curtain, and yells out citizens arrest, citizens arrest, because someone on the airwaves said little A hurt his pinky doing a pinky swear with Mayer, and I repeated it on here. What a crime of the century to you.  As I’ve said before your post have been analyzed by many people some who are professionals, and the old saying of it’s better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth, and remove all doubt would pretty much some up the opinions, and diagnosis on you.🙈🤭🤮.👋

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Agree.

The weird plan seems to be to add a superstar and hope the baseball works out.  De La Cruz is a good player (except at defense) that would cost most than anyone wants to pay and stands to potentially create more problems than he solves.

The Sox aren’t rebuilding a team that has won 110 games in the last two years.  They’ve won 176 games and made the postseason twice.  That level overhaul isn’t necessary….

Except for Crochet, we really haven't gone all out for the extra shiny objects, and I doubt we do now (de la Crus, Abrams, Suzuki and even Sato, who might not get what some think he will.)

Look at guys like Gray, Contreras and Suarez- even Buehler last winter. They were better than the Kluber, Richards and Giolito types, but not all that shiny.

So, who are the players like them? Maybe...

Otto Lopez (decent OBP and maybe we kicked his tires last summer?)

Arozarena (an even  better OBP with decent speed?)

Nick Martinez (too old to get the dreaded long term deal) Gausman? Gray?

Mahle, Mize, Holmes, King or Soroka?

Griffin or Rogers? (I doubt we add another LH SP'er)

R Iglesias (Brez loves those 37 Y/O RP'ers.)

Happ? (Trade Duran & roman to DH?)

B Lowe or G Torres? (Mead to DH)

I've always liked Jeffers as a #2 Catcher and DH, but I'm not sure he's a realistic target.

Maybe we add 2-3 of these players or players traded for.

If Philly or HOU are looking to unload salary, there are a few players- some on the very shiny side (Harper & Schwarber or Yordan & Brown)

J. Pena or Paredes (but one year remaining)

 

[moonslav59]

26 minutes ago, notin said:

If no one claims KC, he could also just be assigned to Worcester; Campbell cannot refuse assignment and declare free agency…

Ahhh, good point.

[moonslav59]

18 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Basher, clown, tiny pea brain, idiotic nick names, juvenile, clown man fence post IQ, and that’s just on here. This is from guy who hides behind a curtain, and yells out citizens arrest, citizens arrest, because someone on the airwaves said little A hurt his pinky doing a pinky swear with Mayer, and I repeated it on here. What a crime of the century to you.  As I’ve said before your post have been analyzed by many people some who are professionals, and the old saying of it better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth, and remove all doubt would pretty much some up the opinions, and diagnosis on you.🙈🤭🤮.👋

Proving my point on a daily basis.