mvp 78

Yeah, we'll have to see where this goes. That Cora is having Bregman take fielding at 3B, even part time, during Spring Training says a lot about where Cora's head is at. All offseason, Cora was saying that Bregman would come in as 2B and Devers was the 3B.

Though Kennedy cautioned that nothing is imminent, he said the Red Sox will consider additional moves, both during spring training and right up to the trade deadline. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has suggested the possibility of adding another relief pitcher, and the Red Sox could also sign some of their incumbent players to contract extensions. Garrett Crochet would be one obvious candidate. In either case, Kennedy called the CBT a “guidepost” that they have to pay attention to, but not a marker that dictates a club’s ultimate spending decisions.

"These things usually work themselves out" is an apt way to put it. Apatapati.

Right, the reason the Sox missed the playoffs in 19,20, 22, 23 and 24 wasn't because of Raffy's defense. If Raffy was a GG defender and nothing else changed on those teams, they still miss the playoffs.

From MLB Trade Rumors article on the matter: Cora again reiterated that the Red Sox haven’t made any decisions. “He’s going to work out as the third baseman. And we’re going to make decisions accordingly. Here, it’s not about Bregman or Devers or Cora,” the manager said. “It’s for the Boston Red Sox. Whatever decision we make is going to be for the benefit of the team.” Interestingly, Cora acknowledged that the Red Sox promised Devers that he’d be their long-term third baseman at the time the sides agreed on a 10-year extension in January 2023. That agreement came under a previous front office regime, as then-chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was fired eight months later. Craig Breslow is now running baseball operations. Cora downplayed the significance of that promise as a result, saying it was under “different leadership. That was under Chaim” (relayed by Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic). Of course, Cora was the manager at the time of the extension, so there hasn’t been a leadership change in the clubhouse. Devers was asked whether he’d seek a trade if the Red Sox forced him to move off third base. He didn’t rule that out but said it hasn’t been a focus. “That’s a tough answer to give. I haven’t given it much thought. I’ve been here my entire career,” he said (via McCaffrey). “I haven’t asked myself that question. I’m open to listening. I’m not close to those conversations.”

On why Bregman is at 3b today:

It wasn't a different scenario. My scenario was Refsnyder getting squeezed out. Why would he be squeezed out? Because someone better comes along. If he's hitting 900 vs LHP, it's hard to see someone beating him out for a bench spot. If he slides back, as happens to many players that turn 34, he could get squeezed out. Where's the goalpost movement?

The Red Sox are back baby!!!!!

What the???

He's paid 300M. Let him pout and work through his feelings this year. Or just put him out at 3b and pull him midseason when he's in a funk and really watch it take him out...

Sox just need a therapist. I know some people down here if they need someone.

🤪

What -9 DRS and -6 OAA does to a man.

Did closers blow 17 games last season??? I don't remember that. I'm specifically talking about closers blowing it at the very end.

😣

Not a death knell, but could knock down the win totals from 90 win to 85.

Glad you agree that we can squeeze out Refsnyder!

Also, 49th happy birthday to Scott Williamson! 🎂🎉🎁⚾ In typical TS fashion, we are talking about you in a Bregman thread!

I'm just saying that if there really is a squeeze for Refsnyder, it's because a better option has appeared in combination with a possible decline from Refsnyder. If Refsnyder is still mashing 900 OPS vs LHP, he's not going anywhere at his contract.

It wasn't a true "closer by committee" but I could see similar results from '25 to what we had in '23. There could be a hot potato with the closer role.

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/pipeline-inbox-is-boston-red-sox-kristian-campbell-rise-unprecedented?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage Jim Callis comps for Campbell's rise: Brandon Belt, Ryan Klesko, Jeff Bagwell. Circling back to Campbell, we didn't play it safe by jumping him up to No. 7 on the Top 100. When we were getting external feedback for the list, multiple organizations told us they thought he was the best prospect in baseball. While his rise is shocking, the reasons behind it are real. It sounds a lot simpler than it is to actually accomplish, but the Red Sox put Campbell on a program to improve his strength and bat speed while changing his bat path and approach to do more damage. Those type of changes almost never work this quickly and dramatically, but his outstanding hand-eye coordination and work ethic made him an exception. His underlying data supports his growth and improved throughout 2024, so not only do Campbell's gains seem sustainable but there may be more to come if he can cut his chase rate a bit and hit more balls in the air. On non-top 100 players he's most excited to see stateside this year: The player who has piqued my curiosity the most -- perhaps because I just wrote his upcoming Red Sox Top 30 report -- is first baseman/outfielder Justin Gonzales. Signed for just $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2024, he broke into pro ball by hitting .320/.391/.517 with 20 extra-base hits and eight steals in 47 DSL games. He already has plus raw power with more to come, posted a very promising combination of non-chase and contact rates and exit velocities, and has surprising athleticism for someone who's bigger than his listed 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds.

I'm not trying to be obtuse, I'm just wondering where the lefties would be used to shut down the lineup. Casas and Raffy don't have split issues, so unless you have a really great LHP in your pen, I think the Sox are generally good at the top of the order. The only two regulars who have split issues are Duran and Abreu. You could obviously sub in Refsnyder for Abreu in a key situation. Duran? I guess you just hold your nose and hope he gets the bat on the ball. Duran is going to have that worry regardless of who is batting around him. Yoshida had a bad split last year, but was perfectly fine in '23 when healthy. Hard to say if there is a need to worry about him vs LHP this year.

How else would LH relievers "neutralize you over the course of a 3 game series?"