Yes, you need the guy at the top. If Sale was SALE, we'd be having a different conversation probably. It's why they overpaid for Price. It's why they unloaded in the trade for Sale. I don't believe you can wait for that guy to show up via FA.
Walter is closer to filling in than Mata or Murphy even though he doesn't show it. I think the Sox have confidence that he could come up and fill in if needed.
I don't think Murphy will ever be a consistent MLB starter.
Mata pitched will last time out, but he's really not consistent from start to start and inning to inning right now. I don't think the Sox could bring him up unless he can be very good for a few months straight.
More likely, they just put Crawford out there and hope his recent success continues.
If Kluber just pitched like 2022 Kluber, this season would look much better. Him losing 2 mph in velo and getting pounded has had a bigger impact on the staff than just his starts. It puts additional stress on the bullpen. He was signed to be a leader, but needs to spend time working on himself instead.
The wallet didn't open. It's just a shell game. They are UNDER the CBT. They signed Devers to an extension after being embarrassed at the winter meetings when Xander signed with the Padres, Chaim was left to look shell shocked at the airport and Henry was berated in public.
I don't think they realistically met the expectations of "opening their wallets" and acting as a large market franchise this offseason.
With uncertainty surrounding Whitlock and health concerns of Sale, Paxton and Kluber, it's just not a comforting ride right now. It's like when Herbie the Love Bug splits in half and you're trying to win a race.
I bet the next rankings look like:
Mayer
Casas
Bleis
Rafaela
Yorke
Mata
Romero
Perales
Walter
Drohan
Paulino
Anthony
Valdez
Lugo
Wikelman
ERC
Hickey
Jordan
Murphy
Kavadas
I mean, you could just look at the game logs...
1: 0.2 IP, 4 ER
2: 2.1 IP, 3 ER
3: 4 IP, 1 ER
4: 5 IP, 1 ER
I would say he's trending in the right direction the last two starts.