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vjcsmoke

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Everything posted by vjcsmoke

  1. vjcsmoke
    Nice 1st win of the season for Connelly Early. If he can turn into a competent top 3 pitcher, our starting rotation might not be a disaster after all.
  2. vjcsmoke
    What I want to know is how many teams in major league history have started the regular season 2-8 and made it into the playoffs? I can't think of any but maybe there are a couple of outliers?
  3. vjcsmoke
    Why not try Mayer at SS? Story right now is the worst starting SS in all of baseball. Kick Story over to 2B where he can do less harm and see if you can harness some upside from Mayer. At least he has talent that can grow in skill level and a ceiling that he hasn't reached yet.
  4. vjcsmoke
    10 games into the season and the Red Sox are 2-8. They are dead last in the AL East. A 20% win percentage is horrible. Yes this is only 1/16th of the season done. But it's enough for anyone with eyes to see that this team is not getting the job done. Budget constraints or not, Breslow has to take responsibility for putting a very poor product onto the baseball field. The offensive talent we lost whether it was Devers or Bregman was never properly replaced. Our pitching is supposed to be better on paper, considering the money spent on a #2 SP, but has it actually panned out that way?
  5. vjcsmoke
    Big difference in circumstance. Last year we STARTED with Devers on the roster and added Bregman via free agency. We anticipated going into the season with 2 big bats secured. It wasn't until the Red Sox front office destroyed the trust and relationship with Devers that they later dumped his salary for a bag of peanuts and replaced him with nothing. We all agreed after the season that Bregman was a must re-sign considering his importance to the offense but our cheap-ass front office didn't do that either. Nobody is throwing in the towel after 5 games. It's a LONG 162 game season. But the front office absolutely deserves criticism for the product they have put on the field thus far. They need to fix this because finishing last in the AL East after the team was competitive enough to make the playoffs the previous year is not acceptable.
  6. vjcsmoke
    Going into the offseason the concern is we needed to replace the bat of either Bregman or Devers. Our cheap-ass owners and front office did neither of the above. So far our offense is : 22nd in batting average .208 21st in OBP .296 21st in SLG .333 22nd in OPS .629 26th in Runs scored 13 20th in Homeruns 4 Oh and we're last place in the division at 1-4. I realize 5 games in can be considered a small sample size. But the Red Sox start to the season just continues to emphasize that we never fixed our weaknesses. This is a pathetic on field product and the owners and front office who put together this roster deserve to be roasted for it.
  7. vjcsmoke
    Duran hits 2 homeruns against the twins and you want to DFA him? Surely this is a joke. Looks like the Red Sox were right not to move Duran. Despite the logjam in the outfield, he is likely to be a mainstay of our offense. I'm thinking he is going to make the jump to 20-30 homeruns range this year. We need a breakout season from Roman Anthony as well. If he breaks into that .900+ OPS range he could be a franchise player for years to come.
  8. vjcsmoke
    Following the Durbin trade the Red Sox roster has crystalized into pretty much its final form. I believe the starters will look like this. C Narvaez 1B Contreras 2B Mayer 3B Durbin SS Story LF Duran CF Rafaela RF Anthony DH Abreu Anthony is going to need to take a step forward and claim that #3 or #4 lineup spot. I'm not sure where Durbin and Mayer will slot into the batting order but hopefully they can be productive. It looks solid from a defensive point of view but we're going to need to see offensive strides from guys like Anthony and Mayer to make it solid in terms of run scoring. Am I missing anyone from my starting roster prediction? Agree or Disagree?
  9. vjcsmoke
    Correct. I think the best part of the deal from the Red Sox front office perspective is that Durbin will be cheap and cost controlled for a long time. Neto would have cost more prospects and with his potential to become a 30/30 threat would have cost even more money to retain. Red Sox were far more inclined to take the cheaper option. That's not saying Durbin doesn't have some upside left. He's only 25 and posted a 2.8 WAR in his rookie season. If he improves his offense to major league average for the position and keeps playing at a high level on defense he will be a major league level starter for 3B at a very cheap price for quite a few years. That's not a bad get. I think before the offseason started, you'd be happy to get a guy who could average around 3.0 WAR per season to play 3B for us. Neto has a higher offensive upside and would have been a nice get but we just don't know the asking price.
  10. vjcsmoke
    The main piece in this trade was Harrison so this is essentially Devers for Durbin. Durbin is a 25 year old 3rd baseman who had a 2.8 war last season and hit slightly over .700 OPS. He was graded as a top 10 defensive 3rd baseman in the NL in his rookie season. If we assume Durbin can progress his game offensively to at least .750-800 OPS we get a downgrade at offense for 3rd base but an upgrade at defense on a cost controlled contract. He's not a big bat but he does feature better speed on the basepaths and better defense. Feels like the Red Sox addressed the 3rd base position adequately. Even if we take a net loss on the offense, we gain on the defensive side.
  11. vjcsmoke
    Parades would be a solid pickup. He's at least average to above average defensively. If he puts up .800 OPS again he is a notch below Bregman as a hitter but at least he would not be a liability either defensively or offensively. I'm willing to give up one of Abreu or Duran for Parades as we have a surplus of corner outfielders. I think the wrangling will come down to money and the secondary prospects given up in the deal. We might even need a 3rd team to come in so that the desired prospects change hands. I'm optimistic if this trade gets done. Parades fills a need and his spray chart for Fenway park is very favorable.
  12. vjcsmoke
    Well Suarez looks like our #2 pitcher signing. His WHIP is a bit high for my tastes at over 1.2 and he only had 150 IP as a starter. But his FIP at 3.21 looks pretty good. Should be good enough to slot in as a solid #2. The rotation should be fine now. I'm reading rumors we are going for Paredes next to patch that last hole at 3B on the roster. Could be a decent add as long as we don't pay too much.
  13. vjcsmoke
    Looks like the Red Sox are set to miss out on Bo Bichette as the Phillies emerge as frontrunners to sign him. I expect us to sit on our hands in free agency and go bargain bin/lowball shopping once the good players are taken.
  14. vjcsmoke
    After losing out on the free agent power bats like Alonso and Bregman it feels like Ketel Marte is going to be the only viable option as a replacement. It's gonna suck to lose one of our top prospects but it feels like ownership has pushed us into this corner. Say goodbye to at least one of Tolle or Early as that will be the minimum asking price in a package for Marte now.
  15. vjcsmoke
    Translation: They are CHEAP. Makes sense from a financial point of view even if they never play another game for the Red Sox, the insurance will pick up most of it. This is peanuts salary for what they must view as back of the roster players. Casas has some upside but I don't believe he ever returns to pre-injury form. 1.6m is still cheap to have him sit on the bench collecting splinters. The Red Sox will just collect insurance money if neither player ever returns healthy. We might not like it but we need to accept the reality that the Red Sox ownership vision is still to become the AL East version of the Rays. As long as they profit from being cheap there is zero incentive to change their mandate to the front office. The fans might get salty but the seats aren't going empty at Fenway any time soon.
  16. vjcsmoke
    IF you turn back time and never sign Bregman then you never create the drama that gives Red Sox ownership the EXCUSE to get rid of Devers. If you're being honest was it really worth it when we have nothing to show for all that melodrama? We lost an in his prime power bat and got back a bag of beans. Now both Bregman and Devers are playing for different teams and we have no prospects for a replacement when ownership has clearly shown they are unwilling to spend. Is getting 70 millions off the books to line Henry's pockets a win for the Red Sox from an organizational point of view or the fans point of view? I really don't think so. It feels like the Bregman contract talks was just more posturing, hemming and hawing so that the Red Sox could pretend to be doing something when the plan from the beginning was to do as little as humanly possible while attempting to look busy.
  17. vjcsmoke
    I just KNEW this was going to happen. The Red Sox were lowballing as usual and LOSE out on Bregman. Now they have neither Devers nor Bregman to fill the void of the missing power bat. This is NOT a club serious about winning. This club is only serious about PINCHING PENNIES. Absolutely shameful offseason.
  18. vjcsmoke
    Okamoto is off the table now. He went to the Blue Jays for 4 years/60m. He would have been the cheaper option at 3B. If the Blue Jays flourish and again go deep into the playoffs with Okamoto playing well and the Red Sox miss out on Bregman, will this be yet another mistake by the Red Sox front office? After we missed out on Soto I said it would be wise for the Red Sox to trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before he signed an extension. Some people insisted it was better to wait for him to become a free agent. Instead the Jays re-signed him and went to the World Series thanks in part to his power hitting. I just don't feel this front office is aggressive in acquiring talent to make the team better. At this rate they will keep lowballing Bregman until the cows come home or somebody else signs him.
  19. vjcsmoke
    I would be surprised if the Red Sox really did offer 160m/5 years. That would be a 32m dollar annual salary. Unless a lot of this money is deferred. That might be the reason why he hasn't signed yet. Pete Alonso got 155m/5 years from Baltimore so this actually exceeds that deal.
  20. vjcsmoke
    I read a new rumor today involving a trade with the Mets. Potentially the Mets acquire Brayan Bello and Jarren Duran for a package that includes players such as Mark Vientos or SP Koda Sengai. Prospects might include IF Jett Williams or Brandon Sproat. Do you bite on this trade? What would make sense for both the Red Sox and the Mets if they were to make a deal? Article: Rumor opens door for NY Mets to make big trade with Red Sox for two young stars
  21. vjcsmoke
    I believe Casas trade value is next to zero right now. We could hope for a trade of another team's failed prospect but that's about it. His injury history is terrifying and his only good season was nearly 3 years ago now. His trade value isn't negative yet He has 3 years of team control left. However he enters arbitration starting in 2026. So I think his days as a Red Sox are numbered unless he shows vast improvement and soon. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start out in AAA to get his groove back against easier competition and then he could get eased back into the majors if he does well down there.
  22. vjcsmoke
    We gave up some scrubs. Dobbins and our #17th overall pitching prospect Fajardo who is 19 and only in single A. Honestly I'm pretty upbeat on this trade. Yes Contreras is 33 but he's quite good defensively at 1B and has a decent bat with a career OPS of around .800. In a pinch you could even run him out at Catcher if you have a rash of injuries. Of course the main reason that the Red Sox traded for Contreras is that the Cardinals ate 8 million of his salary. So Contreras will only cost the Red Sox 27m over the next 2 years. 2028 is a club option so they can easily opt out of his age 36 season if they want to save 20m in cash. Yes we went bargain bin shopping, but it feels like Breslow found one of the keepers out of the discount deals barrel. No Contreras is still not on par with Bregman or Devers but he fills our 1B hole for a cheap price. He's essentially a decent band-aid player on a 2 year short term deal until we find a better solution later.
  23. vjcsmoke
    At this point you can expect that the Red Sox will only sign a guy who accepts a lowball offer. That means the market interest is so low their agent will phone back the Red Sox in a couple of months after all the good free agents have already signed deals and they are now desperate for their client to get employment. I still have severe doubts that Breslow can swing any blockbuster deals. Teams will probably be leery now of trading a Crochett caliber player to the Red Sox without asking for a TON in return. And I honestly don't even know if there are any Crochett caliber players available on the trade market. If you know of any please feel free to email Breslow. He might need the help! 🤣
  24. vjcsmoke
    Losing Priester was soul crushing. The guy was the #18 overall pick from the 2019 draft and immediately crushes it his rookie season for the Brewers. You have to question the competency of a front office that gives up a frontline starter in exchange for magic beans and a bag of chips. Talk about a trade that hasn't aged well at all! Article: Red Sox's Quinn Priester trade to Brewers isn't aging well | Sporting News Canada
  25. vjcsmoke
    Sadly the revenue numbers is probably the exact reason why we'll never lose John Henry as an owner. It is very profitable for him to be cheap and pinch his pennies. He will rake in his bucks as long as he can milk the fanbase. The Red Sox don't have to be contenders, they need to win just enough for tickets and season access packages to be bought. It's easy for Henry to stomach criticism from fans when he's making that much profits from the team. As the saying goes he's laughing all the way to the bank.
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