jacksonianmarch

I also wonder if we use Betances’ situation to bring him back on a one year deal to prove his worth. That might be enough to let Chap walk

Exactly. We have Ottavino, Green, Britton and Kahnle under contract for next year with a bevy of other high velo guys in the AAA level. Chapman is a great closer, but we can replace him internally if needed. My guess is Chapman tacks a year on with a vesting option for a fourth

Guys, you keep talking about rebuilding. You cannot rebuild. DD traded everything in the minors not nailed down. Your farm is 30th in baseball and the gap from 29 to 30 is wide. I read a recent report on the Sox minor league system that essentially said the talent pool is thin and the upper level prospects are flawed. DD has decimated your farm. When you go to Portland, the earth is salted and the land scorched to the ground with the smoke still apparent. Rebuilding entails a minor league system you plan to hand the reigns to. That doesn’t exist in Boston. DD’s drafts have been horrible. His lack of presence in the DR or IFA realm is puzzling. His penchant for dealing anyone in the minors with the pulse is still going. He sold out for this window. He got the title, so it was worth it. But the cliff is coming and no way DD pushes his team off of it. He’s gonna prop up the mountain as high as he can and the fall will be long and deep

There’s a difference between throwing 97 and overthrowing 97. When Sale threw 97 during the heat of last summer, he was dotting it to the corners or above the zone. Now it’s middle middle or way out of the zone leading to good swings and easy takes. Also, Sale has been throwing 97 in the first inning then not seeing it again until his next start. He needs to take the offseason to transition to a more backwards, command first approach. He will also need to sharpen up the change and probably add a cutter. He is still racking up K’s at the lower velocity, so it isn’t like he doesn’t have great stuff still. He just needs to avoid the challenge pitches that he used to get away with. More often than not, the batter is up to the challenge now

Porcello is absolutely worthless right now. Something is wrong with him. I know he figured out a way to gut through 6 after giving up 4, but his stuff has declined yet his location is terrible. His breaking ball is almost unusable. It’s a cement mixer right now as he is still rolling it instead of throwing it. It lacks the downward movement a good curve has. Instead, it’s a slow lateral breaking slurve and those get hammered unless you throw them at the fringes of the zone. Rick is throwing them like there is still a bottom to them and they’re staying belt high leading to great swings from the opponents. Nobody is paying for a rental who has gotten worse going into the summer. The idea that you’re getting anything for Porcello is pure fallacy. Someone will sign him on a pillow deal in the offseason and try to get his breaking ball to work again. Moreland isn’t bringing you back anything. The guy was a one trick pony before getting hurt. He comes back, lasts a game and has been out for another six weeks. Holt could be a useful piece for a title contender. He might be your best trade chip as a “rental” assuming you don’t consider JDM a rental. JD is the toughest case going. Will he opt out or in? If he’s in for next year, you roll with him. If he’s giving you an inkling that he’s gone, sell him now. He’d be worth a couple good prospects, although his skill set is hardly unique in today’s game. DH with power. They fetch something, but not what they used to There is a reason why Cashner went to Boston for two DSL guys and Bmore even sent some cash. He’s been lucky this year and teams can see through the stats. He’s a 6 inning 4.5 ERA guy. Fine as your 5. He will be worth something, just not a lot

Houston is the team that scares me, but not if we have home field. They scared me more last year because they had Verlander, Morton and McCullers. The fact that only one is left is reassuring. We don’t hit Morton or McCullers. We historically didn’t hit Keuchel either until we became this right handed hitting machine. The Twins don’t scare me at all. They’re in a s*** division and while their pitchers stats are impressive, they’re not a pitching club and we can hit with anyone. None of the WC candidates are scary. I know TB had taken three in a row from us before we s*** on their night yesterday, but context is important. We had taken the first two of the four game set in TB. The next game, CC has a lead in the 7th and Boone decides to rest his big 4 in the pen and see if CC can go 7, which he never does. Surprise surprise, CC gives up the lead in the 7th and we end up losing in a walkoff. The final game before the break, Boone decided to rest his 3 offensive all stars and surprising to no one, we score only 1 run and lose 2-1. Then the short porch garbage from two nights ago with D’Arnaud hitting three homers that are all outs in TB. So be it.

We handed a 2 run lead to one of the best closers in baseball and he blew it. It happens. What I’m questioning is the placement of the pitches to that little s***. He’s hit 4 homers in his last three games against us, all on pitches away, all hit to RF. He hasn’t proven he can pull anything. Why are we hen going away with balls he can drive 320 feet. None of his homers were well hit last night. All of them were ours in most every other ballpark. Tip the cap to him for having a good approach and playing to the park, but detriment to the Yanks for not learning your lesson. Sabathia shouldn’t leave anything away to this little prick. Everything in and force him to drive the ball to the big part of the park. I loved the fight. They drove out the reigning CY winner in 5 when they couldn’t hit him. They battled back with 2 homers and took the lead and kept them at bay for 26 outs. That final one was the killer. It happens, chalk it up and move on

What is Alex to do? His binky is gone

Cashner is what he is. A good velo contact pitcher who has been really lucky this year per his FIP. He’s gonna give you innings which is why you got him. Your offense should support him.

This team does it again. Urshela with a two run single then some fancy footwork on his slide to steal the GW run. Tanaka threw well. Really only one bad pitch. The second HR was a 89mph exit velo HR over the short porch in RF on a ball that was designed to be out of the zone. Tip the cap and move on.

Sale’s issue isn’t finding a new pitch. It’s locating what he has. The balls they were hitting were center cut mostly fastballs. It’s a strange thing. He gets ahead of guys well, but when he should be dotting a corner or elevating out of the zone, he’s leaving the ball in the happy zone and he’s getting creamed. He is still pitching like he’s got 98 when he wants it. The problem is, he still has 98 sometime, but when he reaches back, he sometimes also has 91 and he is getting lit. He needs to adjust

This was a smart move from DD. Stay under the threshold and get a guy who reliably takes the mound every fifth day. He’s getting lucky this season as his peripherals show he’s more a 4.5-4.7ERA guy, but you take it. If he goes 6 and gives up 3-4 runs per game, you take it every time. His acquisition cost was nothing really.

German comes back from the IL looking like the guy fro April and May. His stuff is sick. 2 seamer, circle change and slider was deadly yesterday. 1 run in 12 innings in his last 2 outings. If he can continue, he, Tanaka and Paxton would form a pretty tough top 3 come PO time. We need a 4th guy. Maybe that’s Sevy? Maybe it’s someone else. But German has been nails

A circle change isn't thrown with a thumb and forefinger behind the ball. The circle change it thrown with the thumb leading. The ball rests on the middle and ring fingers and is held there with the sides of the index and pinky

German walked the tightrope that inning but leaves unscathed. Time to pull him and give him a pat on the back

EE breaks out. 3 run double breaks it wide open. 4-0!!

That make me laugh out loud. Awesome

Anyone watching the Yanks game and really any game knows that Joe West and Angel Hernandez need to go. Wow, they are bad

39 pitches two into the 3rd inning. BP is gonna be active today

It seems like even the pen guys who you bring up to Boston go back to AAA and can’t get ours. There’s some pathogen in the Fenway pen that is infectious

You’d have to eat 2/3 of Sale’s contract and you wouldn’t even get a great player back. JD would return you something, but that team would need to be willing to eat the 3 years left on his deal. Betts is the guy who can restock the farm.

But why trade for him if they are going to give him a brand new contract at top dollar? It makes zero sense.

You cannot trade Sale. Nobody wants 5 yrs and $145 mil of a guy who's best years are behind him. This is the issue. The sox cannot just dump and run. Their big contracts are just starting or are multiple years from ending.

All the draft grades I have seen have panned both team's drafts and I agree with them. I think the Yankees draft might bear fruit in some of the later relief pitcher arms, just because that is what we do. But I don't like the Volpe pick. The Sikkema pick was confusing based on what we do best (develop power rather than finesse). 2-10 wasn't bad, but when you have two picks between 30 and 38, you have to come away with a big tool player and we didn't get one. The sox didn't have a pick til 43. Cannon seems like a reach type pick. Lugo seems like a total package player, but he is more of the Volpe type with intangibles over bat. Song is the best pick the sox made. The rest is meh. I think the Yanks had an opportunity and whiffed. I think the sox didn't really make any surprise additions and didn't help their farm out of the gate. Could guys develop and surprise, of course, but this seems like a wasted year for both teams

You're fishing here. When they signed Machado they basically came out and said they plan to contend in his second year and beyond. They have an ace recovering from TJS under contract for next year in Richards. They will graduate a few more prospects or use them for guys controllable to next year. They're a .500 team with an immensely bright future. Why deal for Poorcello who has sucked beyond belief this year when you could actually get someone good who is under contract for another season