example1

Just another example of you overstating something. Bard isn't "flaming out". Absurd. He could be converted back to reliever and have a really good MLB career, or even turn it around as a starter. Hansen is done. You are ready to write off a 27 year old guy like Bard who many other teams would gladly take. And you do this not so much because it is factually warranted, but because you thrive on sensationalism and making grandiose claims whenever you can. We all know the schtick.

At least the s***** performance rests only on one person, not the entire team. The bullpen has looked really sharp, the defense was good, and the offense has been really impressive.

Another Craig Hanson? Craig Hanson never sniffed the success that Bard has had. Not even close. If Bard were to never throw another pitch he would still be categorically never discussed in the same breath as Hanson, ever. Except by you, perhaps.

Yeah, they will undoubtedly look back and call this a lost season thanks to the $1.5m they are giving a guy who is happy to be a backup utility infielder who can play 3 IF positions. Complaining about a total of 3m over two years for a guy like Punto seems like bottom of the barrel analysis. His signing is essentially a non-issue.

It is hard to argue with the above logic. I have been shocked by Bard's complete lack of velocity. I figured he could sit consistently around 95, but as you noted he's throwing considerably less than that. It's disappointing. He has flashes of effectiveness, so I'm not entirely ready to give up on the project--particularly since I don't think DiceK or Cook are better options. Oswalt could be though. Also, Bard seems to have particularly bad innings with walks, which tells me that the command issue is intermittent rather than constant. Lester had similar problems earlier in his career, though they weren't as bad. All in all, if his velocity doesn't pick up he doesn't have the ace potential I thought he might. If his velocity exists only when he's in the pen, and the velocity is his standout attribute as a pitcher, then he should be in the pen.

Hopefully he's ready to pitch for a reasonable salary too. Oswalt could be a decent addition. I would say that Felix Doubront's success this season reiterates that all an MLB pitcher needs to do is command a variety of pitches to be successful. Lester, Beckett and Buchholz have better stuff, but if they can't command they are useless. I can't imagine the Sox would be the only one interested in Oswalt's services.

This is about the time last year when the Sox started winning many more than they lost and all seemed right with the world.

Famine, meet feast. Why can't they all be like this?

Only 4 games under .500 with the way they have played is pretty remarkable, honestly. Also, doesn't Will Middlebrooks seem like the exact type of player the Sox needed to add? He makes good hard contact all the time and doesn't seem phased in the slightest by being with the Sox. Pretty nice addition.

The issue may be that Tejeda, Linares and Brentz are ahead of him in AA and all three are good enough to warrant AA time. This way, Bradley gets playing time at least.

While pitching is the main problem, I don't see how getting Ellsbury (most valuable offensive player in the AL in 2011) and Crawford couldn't make the team better. They still have to score more runs than their opponents to win games, whether that is 2-1 or 10-9. They need pitching to win it all, but right now they are simply losing so much that it is driving all of us nuts. Just winning more games would be a good start from my point of view. I still think Crawford has a chance to return to form. He was just out of sorts last year, but I would be surprised if that meant his productive days are entirely behind him.

Thanks for staying fair, baseball.

I like your write up. I am not sure what you provided was really a remedy for their current struggles as much as it was a reminder to just slow things down and wait it out. That seems the only reasonable approach, except that at some point they are going to need to make some pretty significant moves to get the next generation of stars to build around. Whereas 2-3 years ago we could look at the list and predict that teams would be waiting for Fielder, Pujols or Adrian Gonzalez, I'm not sure who that next group (or individual) player might be. And as much s*** as the FO gets for signing Crawford, I don't see that as a terrible move as far as the thinking behind it goes. Crawford was consistently productive in Tampa. His complete collapse was unpredictable, as was his injury. It was an absolute worst case scenario. If I were them I wouldn't shy away from going after the guys they think would be best for the team, I just wouldn't do ANY moves based on the fanbases' desire for a splashy move. I think that's what they started to do over the past few years and it bit them in the ass.

Fortunately the Sox FO is more patient than most of us. I don't think Buchholz throws for his life tonight. A) because they have seen him at his best and likely think he can reachieve that given his age and B ) They don't have a lot of choice. Between Beckett's issues and their complete lack of other options, Buchholz would (at worst) get demoted for a tune up.

Wouldn't that lineup look a lot better if it were: Ellsbury CF Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Gonzalez 1B Middlebrooks 3B Crawford LF Sweeney RF (or Ross) Lavarnway C Aviles SS

Pretty much this. If the Nationals follow the model of the Reds and treat Harper and Strasburg like the Reds did Votto, they should be able to keep them around.

I agree a700, and was really trying to say the same thing. It kills me that Darnell had to finish a baseball game for the team. They just lost series to Oakland, Baltimore, and KC. It would be hard to do worse than that.