Bellhorn04

That was just an old-fashioned butt-kicking. Philly's defense was monstrous.

Frighteningly plausible. 9.5.

One thing I would ask Craig is, if he really does have plenty of financial resources available, why is he having so much trouble getting these deals across the finish line, as he puts it?

I've been saying all along, the only thing that can save this offense is the kids.

It is a little amusing to keep hearing that O'Neill is 'no big loss' when he was one of our best hitters last year. Doesn't say much for our other hitters.

There aren't many sure bets in baseball.

OK, let's set the L-R thing aside for a moment. O'Neill was #2 on the team in OPS and #3 in Offensive WAR. And he hasn't been replaced. It's just not a good thing.

After a while, telling us you failed, even in a well-articulated and accountable way, just ain't good enough.

I can understand thinking that Alonso was not a great target. He's a very expensive !B/DH. We'd have to move Casas or Yoshida to make it happen. Unlike Arenado or Bregman, he would do nothing for the problem of our infield defense.

Neither one is ideal. What looks much more likely is that we do nothing. No RH bat and no upgrade to the defense. Just cross your fingers, and if it goes sideways, no biggie, just a 4th straight year out of the playoffs, we're all getting used to it.

To me it is something new. The last few years have seen a huge disconnect between the messaging and the execution. It's been a long long time since the Red Sox stayed in the mid range of team payrolls for 3 years running, and we know it has nothing to do with declining revenues. So it's gotta be the dividend payments to FSG shareholders that are the big concern. I think Red Sox spokesmen are now being tasked to spin their way around that ugly truth any which way they can.

I get it. Grichuk and Laureano were short money low risk guys who are capable of doing the job. If the Sox end up doing nothing, why did they pass on Grichuk and Laureano is a very legit question.

I like Breslow, but some of this stuff strikes me as nothing more than artful BS. Whereas with Kennedy you get the clumsy BS. In my opinion, if we don't get that RH bat and we don't get another back end reliever, the only plausible explanation is - you guessed it, money. FSG likes having it more than spending it. Because a number of RH bats and back end relievers have been readily available in return for one thing - money.

Unfortunately those non-aging veterans are so darn hard to find! 😉

"If the opportunity exists" (to sign a back end reliever)"we're definitely gonna be open to that pursuit" is just plain annoying. Unless players really are refusing to come to Boston, the opportunity has existed plenty. Of course if you tried to pin Brez down on that one, he would pivot to the "we were actively engaged with several targets but ultimately didn't line up" line.

Just check out some of this gibberish from Brez. It really looks AI-generated. “We’re still very much engaged in trying to bring in a right-handed hitter, obviously one that we think can be a difference-maker. We haven’t been able to line up yet, but the offseason is still underway. I think it’s fair to say that in some respects, maybe the roster is a bit incomplete. But we’re going to continue to work really hard to try to round it out. “The focus has continued to be on building a roster that can compete for the division and for the postseason in 2025, and make sure that we’re balancing that with a look toward the longer term. I think the difference (in January) is that we obviously haven’t been able to get transactions across the line. But in terms of the day-to day-work and engagement and conversations, it hasn’t really been a whole lot different outside of that most important last step.” “We’re open minded. We’ve talked about versatility, we’ve talked about opportunities to improve infield defense. We do feel like we have a very strong outfield defense but I think we’ll be open-minded. Ultimately, some of this — or a significant portion of this — is going to be driven by balancing the lineup and the damage that can be done in the right side of the batter’s box.” “I understand the criticism. But at the same time, my job is to put the most competitive team on the field that I possibly can. I think that we are taking the meaningful steps toward doing that. Some come at the cost of dollars. Some come at the cost of really talented young players that we needed to trade away. Ultimately, I think the barometer for our success is going to be where we finish in the standings. That is absolutely the way that it should be. “Whether or not there’s an appetite or the resources are available for the right player, the answer is yes. I have to balance the kind of urgency and immediacy that Sam spoke about with the responsibility to build a competitive team that’s capable of accomplishing what we’d like to accomplish in 2025, but also beyond.” “There’s probably a little bit of both in reality in that we were able to make some significant transactions and bring in guys. We don’t have control over the timing of the offseason and if that Crochet trade had come together two weeks ago, then there could be a different feeling right now. But I would absolutely balance that with frustration for there being players that we’ve pursued or conversations in trades that we felt like were getting some momentum, but ultimately didn’t work out. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of an offseason. “We’re still actively engaged in conversations around enhancing the bullpen. I think we have a number of guys who have accomplished quite a bit in relief roles ... Our hope is that over time, we can field the bullpen from homegrown pitchers. But right now, we’re not quite there yet. If the opportunity exists to to bring in someone who enhances that back end, particularly someone who can provide leverage innings, we’re definitely gonna be open to that pursuit.”

This is a bit of a generalization. I try to look at each situation on its own merits. It's true that, for example, I'd rather have Kirby Yates than Liam Hendriks because of last year.

I don't really disagree. It's just something to talk about. Not happening anyway.

Arenado killed lefties until the last 2 seasons. No clue what could have happened there or if it's something that could rebound. I guess the BAbips of .220 and .232 didn't help.

Arenado had a 3.1 fWAR in 2024, which worked out to a dollar value of $25.1 million.

I will admit to only looking at the broad strokes here. The truth is I'll be surprised if the Sox do much of anything at this point. I do have the feeling they're going to do something for a RH bat and another reliever, but I don't expect anything exciting.

You might say Yoshida is a victim of analytics. He's a better than average hitter and yet the analytics say he's a worse than average player.

But they sure played the Red Sox tough last year! I'd say even a 5-34 mark reflects a certain amount of randomness, and it's extremely likely they better that mark next year.

If they could keep Yoshida around as an insurance policy that would probably be fine.

Sure, but if he comes away empty-handed in the RH bat department, it's not a job well done. It's just more of the same fiddling around and not doing enough to upgrade the team.