mvp 78

Sad because Raffy played well at 3B last year. He definitely took a step back this offseason. Remember they sent him to PAW when he first came back to Summer Camp.

Maybe he shouldn't have been. He's no Rubby De La Rosa.

If they don't get any other prospects this winter (unlikely) and nobody graduates, the #7 pick would definitely be behind the Casas/Downs/Mata tier, but included somewhere with Song/Duran/Jimenez/Dalbec tier.

Beni was behind BRIAN FREAKIN JOHNSON when he was first signed. Of course the other guys were Moncada/Raffy/Margot/Owens/ERod. Moncada/Raffy/ERod are probably better than Beni. Ball was behind RENAUDO and ALLEN FREAKIN WEBSTER.

This is a conversation we used to have on here, but with all the drama bleeding from the "other" thread, I'm going to refrain. I'm going to be apolitical and just say that ownership should finally tear down Fenway and build a better stadium elsewhere in the city. Everyone can agree on that.

It's a skill that doesn't exist in the game anymore. Maybe they'll be a string of guys who play retro ball, but right now the game is just launch angle and high k numbers.

Right after they were drafted, Beni and Ball were both outside the top 5 prospects in the system. They need to grow a bit before you can all of a sudden say he's the best prospect.

If they are picking at 7 or 8, there's a chance Casas remains the better prospect at the moment.

I really hate that guy.

Last season's signing of JBJ was very curious. They should have nontendered him and then signed him for less. Maybe it was an offer of goodwill and Chaim wants to keep him around long term?

Dalbec with 6 K’s, HR, 1B in first two games is wild.

Speier: Pillar and Osich were the lone Red Sox deals today.

In a normal year, this team makes money hand over fist. Rebuilding will only help Henry's bottom line.

Strained rib cage. Those are always simple to recover from!

We've always been at war with the war on WAR.

The Mets are showing interest in Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, per reports from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network. While the Mets have gotten off to a subpar 15-19 start, they’re nonetheless in the playoff race in a wide-open National League. And catcher is one of the areas they’re looking to upgrade, as Heyman reports that they’re hoping to at least add depth behind the plate. The club was previously in on Jason Castro before the Padres acquired him from the Angels on Sunday, according to Heyman. Mets catchers have collectively logged middling offensive numbers this year, largely because starter Wilson Ramos is amid one of the worst offensive years of his career. On the other hand, the normally light-hitting Tomas Nido has posted impressive production, though his success has come over a paltry 26 trips to the plate. With Ramos likely to become a free agent after the season (New York has a $10MM option or a $1.5MM buyout decision), the Mets could be in the market for a new No. 1 backstop during the winter. In acquiring Vazquez, though, they’d seemingly remove the need to pursue catchers in the offseason. Vazquez, after all, is controllable next season for $6MM and has a $7MM option (or a $250K buyout) for 2022. As such, there may not be any urgency for Boston to move Vazquez, but the out-of-contention club is at least open to it. Vazquez, who turned 30 on Aug. 21, hasn’t hit much since his career began in 2014. He seemed to turn a corner in that regard last year with a .276/.320/.477 line and 23 home runs in 521 plate appearances, but he has slumped to a .252/.286/.411 line with four homers in 112 PA this season. At the very least, though, Vazquez is an accomplished defender – one who has thrown out a whopping 40 percent of would-be base thieves this season and during his career.

WAR on people who don't know how to start new threads.

@SoxNotes Yesterday was the 3rd time Rafael Devers had 4 hits and 2 HR in a game. The only players with 3 such games before turning 24 years old are: Mel Ott (3; 1929-32) Al Kaline (3; 1955-57) Rafael Devers (3; 2018-20) Carlos Correa (3; 2016-17)

@redsoxstats With McAdam reporting earlier this week the Sox were willing to get creative with money, and the luxury tax being reset, I wonder if there is talk about eating a bad deal to buy a prospect today. Odor due $28m over the next two years, but only $8.2m AAV. Texas trying to dump him.

Devers: -.1 fWAR JD: -.5 fWAR Beni: -.5 fWAR Osich/Godley/Walden/Barnes/Webber/Brewer/Springs all have worse fWAR than Devers.

Padres are getting swept in the first round.

No accounting for clutch, right?

It depends on if Chaim thinks he's going to compete next season. If he does, Perez stays. I think Vaz stays just because the Sox don't have someone behind him.

@alexspeier While Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata left today’s Alternate Site outing in Pawtucket due to a lower body injury and had to be helped off the field, the initial diagnosis is a hamstring cramp. He’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow. Not great!

@alexspeier Zack Godley is the first Red Sox starting pitcher this year other than Eovaldi or Perez to record an out in the 5th inning.