mvp 78

If Pivetta could be Hassler in the pen, they should move him there.

I'm into it.

@ChrisCotillo If you've ever thought spring training games are too long, you're in for a treat. * Games between 2/27-3/13 can be played as 5- or 7-inning games, as long as the managers agree. * Games on or after 3/14 will be scheduled as 9 innings but managers can agree to shorten to 7. No more Pedro Ciriaco Springs then...

Hassler seems to have had a much better pedigree than Pivetta does.

Isn't a fastball/splitter mix what Paplebon used to use?

@tylermilliken_ Hirokazu Sawamura is entering his age-33 season. He features a fastball that can reach 97 MPH along with a low-90s splitter that serves as his primary out pitch. His arsenal also includes a slider, but it’s not as effective as his two other pitches.

If he can throw 96-99 and compete for closer duties, it would really shore up the pen. @redsoxstats Best I can tell this says the medical was done and Hirokazu Sawamura is in formal agreement with the Red Sox. There are a billion Japanese tweets wishing him good luck with the Sox right now. Sawamura throws upper 90s with a 90+ mph split that grades out very well.

It's Munoz' versatility that is going to get him to the bigs before the other guys.

So you think Rosario and Wilson are closer to BOS since they are on the 40 man and Munoz is not?

@redsoxstats Rosenthal in @TheAthletic writes that players "will have access to in-game video in a format that cannot be used to steal the catcher’s signs." Good news for JD?

Japanese papers are expecting Sawamura to sign very very soon.

EE thinks he has 2 years left. Too bad they still have JD on the roster.

Hassler had a 140 ERA+ for the Sox in 78. I can't say that's a stretch. It's not like Hassler was a scrub. He had some decent season, though most of it came out of the pen.

Do you think Jimenez is closer to BOS than Munoz? I only mentioned Munoz because he was on the roster last season and will most likely be one of the first guys called up this year.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/05/scooter-gennett-free-agent-fine-not-playing.html You have to overpay for a guy who doesn't even feel as if he wants to play. Sounds like a plan?

Munoz is faster.

They’ll be picking the oak leaves out of their gear for the rest of the month.

Another very smart poster put this up here earlier.

Fingers crossed

The new ball will be reduced in weight by under one-tenth of an ounce, and will also be slightly less bouncy (as determined by the coefficient of restitution, or COR). While the end result of these changes won’t be entirely known until we see the baseball in action during the season, the changes seem to have been made in order to “increase consistency in the ball” and also deaden it to some extent. An independent lab cited in the league memo detailed a reduction by one or two feet of distance on fly balls hit beyond 375 feet, and an analyst who spoke with Sarris and Rosenthal believes “it’ll be like adding five feet of outfield walls to every wall in the big leagues.” The analyst believes an overall five percent reduction in home runs is possible, though it isn’t yet known how the newer ball will be affected by drag. Home run totals have soared over the last few seasons, which has led to criticism in both fan and league circles that the sport is becoming too homer-heavy and strikeout-heavy at the expense of more traditional and action-oriented station-to-station baseball. If the new ball is indeed successful at reducing home runs, Sarris and Rosenthal write that there is some risk “that it will leave the game with all those swings and misses and fewer big flies,” but it should also be noted that pitchers will surely also have to make some adjustments to how they grip and throw a slightly lighter ball. Who the hell was complaining about HR totals? Wasn't it a HR chase that brought fans back after the 94 strike? Station to station baseball is little league... Get out of here with that.

Problem with a guy like Dee getting older is that his main weapon (speed) is getting worse year over year. He once was 29.6 ft/sec, but is now at 28.3 ft/sec. That's a pretty substantial drop. That's like going from top 10 fastest player in the league to top 60. He basically went from Byron Buxton speed to Wil Myers. We dumped Jose Peraza last season and no one batted an eye. Dee is closer to Jose Peraza right now.

@redsoxstats A sentence in The Athletic today: “the Rays tried hard to beat Bloom to Pivetta; ‘we think he can be another Glasnow,’ said a Rays official.”

Truck is currently enroute to Jet Blue. Honk. Honk.

According to Eno Sarris and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, MLB is making changes to the baseball for the 2021 season which will reduce offense. Big news. In addition, five unidentified teams are adding humidors for storage of baseballs, bringing the total to 10 (the Rockies, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets, and Mariners already use them) across the league. The Athletic obtained a memo which was sent to teams last Friday detailing the minor changes. The ball produced by Rawlings will be slightly less bouncy, but the overarching goal of these changes seem to be one of consistency. While this is being pitched as slight alterations, there will surely be some unintended consequences we can't possibly account for right now. Player evaluation was already going to be tough after the shortened 2020 campaign, but this makes it even more difficult. It's almost like they have no idea about GOOD changes they could make to the game!

You'd know better than any of us. I think I'm remembering too much of the 2014-17 version of Dee. He was ok in 2019, but his upside is probably 0 fWAR going forward. I also thought he played more OF than he actually has. Problem being, Dee would still be towards the top of the depth chart for the BOSOX just because of how in flux the 2B/OF positions are right now.