mvp 78

Alcantara WAS the real deal. I know that guys are coming back from TJS stronger these days, it's just still a risk and it will still cost a lot in prospects to get him FOR A GUY WHO WON'T EVEN PITCH IN 2024.

Yeah, call up the DBags and offer them Houck for Pfaadt straight up. See if they'll do it.

He hit 1146 from8/18 - 8/26. Must extend Verdugo! He's like Ohtani without the pitching! Maybe see if he can pitch? Woah, that'd be a crazy contract savings if he could get 2-3 fWAR as a starting rotation guy too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If they trade for Burnes it's to extend him within the week IMO. Trading for Alcantara this season just doesn't make much sense. At least let him rehab first before you put him on payroll.

The red flags they were able to ignore for a while turned into much bigger red flags last year. Then he tanked after the ASB. Not worth it to keep around long term.

Hickey isn't a Catcher. Scott is a UTIL guy that has picked up C late. Brannon is far away and didn't impress last year. Garcia is a very interesting prospect that we should be paying attention to. He can hit the snot out of the ball and can field the position really well. Teel is far and away the best of the bunch though. He should be taking over full time duties by '26 at the latest.

Interesting how it is framed. Masataka Yoshida is entrenched in left field after a strong first stateside campaign, while the likes of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela all represent solid young outfield options that the Red Sox have previously expressed belief in.

Ohtani is the big media signing for sure. Think of all the stories they can write! He'd be terrible for the 2024 Sox. He may be good for the short term 2025-27 Sox. I think long term, that injury risk is just too great. He's not really two players for the price of one. You're paying for an injury prone pitcher who will be in his 30's the next time he pitches and has only had one truly great season. The other half of Ohtani is just a DH. That contract is just not for me. I don't believe he is a player that will age well.

You can line up all those guys in a spreadsheet based on a two year sample and say you like them or not. I looked at their pitch mix and their Statcast pages. Singer is not a #2. Keller is not as good as Bello going forward IMO. Why would you trade for Alcantara if you have no idea what he's going to look like when he pitches again? Also, you don't even know his contract status. He's not pre-ARB anymore as he's already signed an extension. I just don't think you can put every pitcher in a 150 man list and grab the 45th guy and say "well, he'll be a good #2 then!" It's just not how life works. You need to actually look at how that pitcher would work for BOS and how that pitcher projects going forward. The Sox should sign Yamamoto, trade/extend Burnes then call it a day. Get two impact arms to lead the rotation that will completely change the look of the rotation. Burnes Yamamoto Bello Sale Crawford/Pivetta/Houck/Wikelman

And I'm not trying to slight him by any means. He's a very interesting prospect and could move up quickly once he reaches stateside. He is a little on the shorter side, but he's a great all around player. He's probably the guy that pushed Raffy off of 3B and fans may not be upset by it. It is still early though. A lot can change as he just turned 18 last month.

You can win 100 games with a loaded offense and a mediocre rotation. However, once you get to the playoffs, that teams is more likely to struggle against a team with plus pitching especially if it's in the rotation.

Keller is average in every way. He'd be the instant potatoes of offseason moves. Sandoval is a pitch to contact junkball lefty. Not sure how well that would go over here. Not a high ceiling and doesn't throw a lot of innings for what he does. Zero chance Kelly is traded after this DBags WS run. Corbin Burnes is a perennial All Star and has won a CY. He's ok I guess. Only one year of control. I believe you mean AshcrAft, a pre-Arb Reds starter. He's a 5th starter maybe. To me, Cease is a little overrated. He's like a mildly better version of ERod. I don't think he's going to anchor your staff as he gives up too many walks and tends to get hit hard. If you're acquiring him to not be the #1, fine. Detmers is interesting because the Sox had lots of trouble against LHB, but most of his value is tied up solely in his age. Alcantara just got TJS this month, so why trade for him until you know what he looks like. Singer is a two pitch guy (sinker/slider) and he's probably a back end guy until he develops a third pitch (sounds familiar, huh).

The top 3 of the Diamondbacks rotation was formidable when the playoffs came around. The top 3 of the Dodgers was just crap. Without a rotation, the Dodgers weren't built for a good playoff run this year.

But there's no reason to bump him up that much over the offseason. What new info is there on him? Until additional games are played, I don't see him making a huge jump.

Punting is not the same as a bridge season.

Who talks like this?

You need to have a good front office if you want to turn a s***** team. The Orioles sucked from 2000-11, but they weren't doing it on purpose. There wasn't a quick turn around either. However, after being horrible from 17-21, they did turn it around quickly because they built a quality front office that other teams (including the Sox) now want to poach.

They really sucked those years!

You didn't mention Bregman in this post. WTH?

Thank you.

Fall for Trey Ball!

Yup.

Being a really s***** team isn't the same as tanking.

It is for some posters.

Other teams have always relied on the kindness of Mariners...