A Realistic View at the 2027 Red Sox Part I

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I like Dubon a lot.

I think we have higher needs and I recognize (not agree with) the limitations JH places on the winter spending budget.

We have higher needs, but you don't just sign two guys and call the offseason done, right? Some posters on here value versatility and maybe Breslow does as well. Guys like Romy don't have as much value now that the Sox have a fulltime RHB 1B. Jahmai Jones is very replaceable (and he kinda stunk down the stretch anyway). I just think there is a lot of junk on this roster that could be improved upon. Breslow brought in Adley and Mead to be big acquisitions for last year AND this year. There's a good chance they aren't adding anything big this offseason. 

[JoeBrady]

9 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

well we mostly had those same  AAAA players starting at the 2 middle IF spots most of the year.  I guess you don't see that as a problem ? 

I still don't get any part of this.  Dubon is an okay player, but Sogard is a better hitter/weaker glove.  I'd be okay with improving our bench defense, but it is not that important, and the $9M could towards paying someone like Sato.

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

We have higher needs, but you don't just sign two guys and call the offseason done, right? Some posters on here value versatility and maybe Breslow does as well. Guys like Romy don't have as much value now that the Sox have a fulltime RHB 1B. Jahmai Jones is very replaceable (and he kinda stunk down the stretch anyway). I just think there is a lot of junk on this roster that could be improved upon. Breslow brought in Adley and Mead to be big acquisitions for last year AND this year. There's a good chance they aren't adding anything big this offseason. 

Brez will likely add players like this, but IMO, I'd add 2 high quality players instead of 3-5 meh ones.

I think Sogard, Siegler, Romy, Gapser and Duran (Jones or White) offer us the depth and flexibility we need in teh field and at bat.

Sure, I'd prefer Dubon to Duran/Jones/White, but our IF depth is fine. There is actually a bottleneck. I'd trade Monasterio, and we still will not need Dubon in the infield... just the OF as some need for depth, especially after trading Duran and maybe Masa.

[JoeBrady]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Some posters on here value versatility

I'm one of those guys, but not for $9M.  Even money, I'd take Dubon (narrowly).  But imho, there are better uses for that type of money.

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

I still don't get any part of this.  Dubon is an okay player, but Sogard is a better hitter/weaker glove.  I'd be okay with improving our bench defense, but it is not that important, and the $9M could towards paying someone like Sato.

Agree, and what positions is Dubon better than the starter? (2B?)

[moonslav59]

Just now, JoeBrady said:

I'm one of those guys, but not for $9M.  Even money, I'd take Dubon (narrowly).  But imho, there are better uses for that type of money.

Sogard & Siegler offer versatility.

Gasper can be a 3rd C and play 1B/DH.

Romy is not good on D but can play 1B & 3B.

The OF may need depth, if we trade Duran and one from White and Jones, and Masa is best kept out of LF, but he's not a bad 5th OF'er.

[Hugh2]

9 hours ago, Randy Red Sox said:

still early but IMO we lost many of those deals

Really? I think the only deal that looks really bad right now is the one that sent Sandlin and Hicks away.  And people hated Hicks when he was here. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

I still don't get any part of this.  Dubon is an okay player, but Sogard is a better hitter/weaker glove.  I'd be okay with improving our bench defense, but it is not that important, and the $9M could towards paying someone like Sato.

Dubon acts as backup IFer and 4th OFer saving room for a real bench bat. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Brez will likely add players like this, but IMO, I'd add 2 high quality players instead of 3-5 meh ones.

I think Sogard, Siegler, Romy, Gapser and Duran (Jones or White) offer us the depth and flexibility we need in teh field and at bat.

Sure, I'd prefer Dubon to Duran/Jones/White, but our IF depth is fine. There is actually a bottleneck. I'd trade Monasterio, and we still will not need Dubon in the infield... just the OF as some need for depth, especially after trading Duran and maybe Masa.

Of the guys mentioned, I think only Sogard is a backup IFer going forward. Seigler is fine until he's out of options. Gasper is a AAAA platoon DH.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

I'm one of those guys, but not for $9M.  Even money, I'd take Dubon (narrowly).  But imho, there are better uses for that type of money.

They spent $7M on IKF last year! It's basically swapping him out for Dubon. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

Really? I think the only deal that looks really bad right now is the one that sent Sandlin and Hicks away.  And people hated Hicks when he was here. 

I'm glad Hicks is not on our 26.

[moonslav59]

39 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

They spent $7M on IKF last year! It's basically swapping him out for Dubon. 

We didn't really need IKF either.

[mvp 78]

25 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm glad Hicks is not on our 26.

Almost a 4 ERA and a 1.5 WHIP. 1st percentile BB rate. I'm not missing much. 

[mvp 78]

26 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

We didn't really need IKF either.

They need some sort of injury insurance for the IF. I don't see Mead as a 2b, so they need a backup SS and a 2B. I wouldn't just roll out last year's guys as they didn't get them over the hump last season. 

[moonslav59]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

They need some sort of injury insurance for the IF. I don't see Mead as a 2b, so they need a backup SS and a 2B. I wouldn't just roll out last year's guys as they didn't get them over the hump last season. 

`SS is only 2 deep (Story & Arias) and Story sucks on D. No way I want Monasterio for more than a game or two. No Sogard at SS either.

I'm fine with Siegler and Sogard at 2B, and if Romy plays 2B v LHPs, his bat makes up for his crappy D at 2B.

I still would not spend $6+M on Dubon, unless JH allows us to fill 2-3 other priority slots plus him.

[Hugh2]

43 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm glad Hicks is not on our 26.

Say what you want about Hicks he threw more post season innings this year than any of our guys. 

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Say what you want about Hicks he threw more post season innings this year than any of our guys. 

I don't believe we should try to get pitchers like Hicks back based on one series in the playoffs, or lament letting them go.

Do you?

I care more about Sandlin vs Ziehl.

[Hugh2]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I don't believe we should try to get pitchers like Hicks back based on one series in the playoffs, or lament letting them go.

Do you?

I care more about Sandlin vs Ziehl.

No, I do not. I just think it's funny that him and Sandlin were pitching meaningful post season innings and no one on the Sox were. 

[moonslav59]

14 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

No, I do not. I just think it's funny that him and Sandlin were pitching meaningful post season innings and no one on the Sox were. 

Okay. I though when you said the deal looks real bad, it meant you wish it was undone.

[moonslav59]

I think we should target Sato. (DH/3B or maybe 2B or LF)

Next, I'd like to get a controlled and for real SS who can hit very well (DLC or Abrams) or just get on base a lot (Otto Lopez.)

Anything after this would be nice, but no other moves should be made, if the prevent these two.

[Nick]

On 11/6/2026 at 3:13 PM, Hugh2 said:

That's fine, but you will never have a cost controlled cornerstone franchise player if that is your philosophy.  Ever. 

As I get older, World Series win means much much more, Not repeating last two years. 

[moonslav59]

20 minutes ago, Nick said:

As I get older, World Series win means much much more, Not repeating last two years. 

It's also nice to advance a couple rounds, but I agree.

Rings, baby- RINGS!

[Hugh2]

21 minutes ago, Nick said:

As I get older, World Series win means much much more, Not repeating last two years. 

Who says those things are mutually exclusive 

[JoeBrady]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

They spent $7M on IKF last year! It's basically swapping him out for Dubon. 

I'm only comparing Dubon to this year's options.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

No, I do not. I just think it's funny that him and Sandlin were pitching meaningful post season innings and no one on the Sox were. 

Sandlin had 2 postseason appearances, with an ungodly line. 

[Hugh2]

7 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Sandlin had 2 postseason appearances, with an ungodly line. 

Still went further than the Sox

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

Still went further than the Sox

Not because of anything he did at any point this season. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

A lot of ex-Red Sox pitchers this postseason bumped heads off the bump:

Booser was lights-out until he was lights-on, May nothing special, Newcombe got better, Hicks got worse, and Drohan's WS ERA was infinity...

Then there's a guy we kept, Whitlock, who is great in the regular season -- but be careful before you anoint him Chapman's replacement as closer, as far as going deep into a future October. He got beat by the same Yankee #9 hitter in the playoffs two years in a row, and in between blew the WBC for Team USA (is it really cherry-picking, if all 3 losses came in elimination rounds?).

[mvp 78]

14 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

A lot of ex-Red Sox pitchers this postseason bumped heads off the bump:

Booser was lights-out until he was lights-on, May nothing special, Newcombe got better, Hicks got worse, and Drohan's WS ERA was infinity...

Then there's a guy we kept, Whitlock, who is great in the regular season -- but be careful before you anoint him Chapman's replacement as closer, as far as going deep into a future October. He got beat by the same Yankee #9 hitter in the playoffs two years in a row, and in between blew the WBC for Team USA (is it really cherry-picking, if all 3 losses came in elimination rounds?).

At what point did Whitlock break his leg? 

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Not because of anything he did at any point this season. 

I'm sorry, did I really sell you guys hard on me loving those guys or anything? I don't think anyone is missing them but they pitched well enough and showed enough progress throughout the season to be trusted with bullpen innings in the playoffs. 

They might not be the second coming of Mo, or even really really good but that means somethign.  That's all I'm saying and it's more than the Sox can say right now.