Maxbialystock

Agree about free agents chasing a title. The Sox are still rebuilding. I also agree Devers is a loss in the near term because his OPS, rbi's, etc were great to have. However, in the long term paying your DH $30M/year for 8 years is insane. That $30M/year would be better spent on a good starter like Crochet. However, the Giants are willing to pay Raffy $30M to DH because they don't need a third baseman or a first baseman. And allow me to add that right now the Sox also don't need a third baseman or a first baseman. They could use a really good DH, but Breslow ain't going to allow that and JH supports him. While I think Devers was not treated well by the Sox, at this point it makes sense to send him on his way. Presumably, some combination of Campbell, Anthony, and Mayer will fill the gap, but maybe not this season.

The article is total horsehockey and completely ignores the value of the Sox pitching in 2018 and of course forgets that JDM was crucial to the big improvement in hitting and scoring runs in 2018. It also completely misunderstands what happened with Betts. The 2019 season was a watershed season for JH because they had the highest payroll in MLB and didn't even make the postseason. If JH had decided to keep Dombrowski and Betts and Sale and Price and all those other guys, it would have cost him a bundle more than he was already paying with absolutely no guarantee of future success because 2019 revealed that the rotation, especially Sale and Price, was kaput. I'm not saying bringing in Chaim Bloom was smart, but am saying it was understandable. With Chaim came a progressively lower payroll and a steadfast reluctance to pay big bucks for any starter. Plus Betts had to go, not so much because he asked for too much, but because, if the Sox had matched the Dodgers offer, theDodgers would have raised their offer(s) until the Sox gave up. The Dodgers and Yankees are far wealthier than the Sox, who are simply not able to outbid either of them. Interestingly, as the payroll went down, so did the attendance which peaked in 2019, the season following the magnificent 2018 season, at 36,106 (7th highest in MLB). Then covid hit which definitely affected 2020 and 2021. In 2022 it was back up to 32,408 (10th in MLB), in 2023 32,989 (12th), last year 32,939 (11th), and this year so far 32,818 (9th). Four straight seasons of not breaking the 33K barrier. I'm guessing JH decided to get the attendance and TV ratings back up, which meant getting a new CBO and changing his policy about salaries. It's pretty obvious the new policy and new CBO, Breslow, didn't have much effect on salaries or attendance last year. This year, with the addition of pricey and talented Bregman, Crochet, and Chapman, the attendance is still under 33K. just a tad better than 2022. My guess is that JH is willing to give Breslow more time if only because the Sox are still overpaying Story and Yoshida, both acquired by CB. And maybe that's why Devers was let go--at $30M/year he is definitely and overpaid DH. Plus I have to admit he was no longer happy here and maybe his teammates weren't either. Bottom line: we are definitely in a rebuild and one which holds some hope thanks to the likes of Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Narvaez and others. As I've already said elsewhere, the Sox 8-2 run against the Yankees and Rays occurred without Bregman and with Devers going 5/25 with 2 rbi's. So give some credit to Breslow for Chapman, Bregman, Crochet and especially Narvaez, a truly great steal from the Yankees. Also to Cora for his skillful management of a team in transition. About Cora, the idiot who persuaded Devers to embrace the DH position. Anyone want to guess where the Giants will use him? Anyone? DH, of course. Yet right now the big story seems to be that the Giants stole the magnificent Devers and the Sox are just stupid.

OK, DH didn't make him better, but it sure helped that as the DH he never missed a game. I doubt that Cora promised anything, but I'm sure he told a distraught Devers to embrace the DH position, which he did. I think you have made a good case that Devers was/is better suited for 1b than 3b. But guess what? No one in Sox management said that for 8 straight seasons. You remember Dalbec? That would have been a perfect year to switch Devers, but it never came even close to happening. So all of sudden in comes Bregman, a terrific 3d baseman and hitter. But did anyone suggest 1b to Devers then? Nosiree. Casas owned that position even though he only played 63 games last season. Heck, forget last season. The Sox loved him this season with his .580 OPS. He literally owned 1b, and there was no place for Devers except DH. And I must repeat this. Not once in the previous 8 years had the Sox made any attempt to train Devers to be a firstbaseman. Now, all of sudden, when Casas is having an absolutely crap year, it is of the highest priority to move Devers in there. To me that's baloney. And, oh, by the way, with Devers at DH, the Sox played just as well as they did without their best player, Bregman, as they did with him. Bregman was not missed--well, not so you tell by the W-L record. Where I do agree is that it was time for Devers to leave, both because they were paying him too much to be a DH and because in the end he probably wasn't very happy here. In my opinion management was just as screwed up as Devers.

Two freakish in 2 back to back seasons with the result that he played in 94 games out of a possible 324 games. I agree accidents can happen to anyone, but in Casas' case I'm suspicious because of his height and weight and how they happened. So we'll just have to wait and see.

But, but, but he was a thirdbaseman and loved being one. Breslow took that away from him. And Cora did his best to make it work by convincing Devers to embrace DH, which he did. He also played in every single Sox game this season. DH made him a better hitter. But my real point is that we absolutely know he was having a good year at DH even though he vastly preferred 3b. So why the heck move him to 1b when Casas stunk and was easily replaced? At 1b he would struggle to master the position, no doubt commit errors, and very possibly have his OPS go down. Mookie Betts has been terrific at SS, but this year is his lowest OPS, .766, in 12 freaking years in MLB. And Mookie is a much better athlete than Raffy.

Whoa, nellie. I agree he was a loner and not very happy and that recently it has been at its worse. But guess what? The Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 games when Devers, in addition to being a malcontent, wasn't hitting very well. And they did that without our best player and natural leader, Bregman. Also, if you watch the dugout when good things happen on the field, Devers is as enthusiastic as anyone. To me it's just silly to point to the DH and blame him for the lousy pitching we have had most of this season. Also, I believe it's true that Devers has yet to master the English language.

Injuries can happen to anyone and often do. See especially Breslow's injury last month. He was just rounding 1b and heading for 2b when he turned around and took himself out of the game because the same thing happened in 2021. Casas is 6'4"and 244 lbs and an accident waiting to happen. This one cost almost an entire season, and all he did was run to first base. Last year, as I said, he was just swinging at a pitch. That doesn't make me right and you wrong, but I'm sure Breslow ain't as sure as you are. Of course, he thought the same thing about Sale and let him go.

Would it were true, but I entirely agree with your notion.

I agree, but you're the one who started this with "chain of command." As a former soldier, I can assure we take an oath not to obey orders which are unlawful--and our primary allegiance is to the Constitution. Also, you seem to be unaware that the MLBPA pretty much guarantees a player has some say in how he is treated. Plus, guess what? There is nothing in Devers contract that says he is obligated to play any position the manager or CBO dictates. In this case, Devers had already been shorn of his favorite badge, that of a MLB thirdbaseman, where he played for 8 years. All that said, Breslow had/has the right to trade any player for any reason. In this case, it appears the Sox got the better deal by sending Raffy to the Giants. He was an awfully expensive DH. Plus Illinois points out that Devers really was unhappy with the Sox.

Do you remember how he injured himself last season? By swinging the bat, period. This season ended when he ran to 1b and didn't land well. The guy is accident/injury prone. He has been with the Sox for 4 seasons. In played in 132 games 2 years ago and played in 119 games the other 3 seasons combined. You say his average OPS is .800, and I say Toro's this year is .884 and Gonzalez's is .856. Casas no doubt has more potential than either of them, but this year I'm delighted with his absence.

Wait a second. He loved playing 3b and had done so for 8 years. But Bregman was better and Cora persuaded Devers to embrace DH, which worked. Raffy was having a career year and had missed no games. Plus the 1b thing came up a month after the season started and after Devers had already been moved once. On top of that, there was a good possibility that his OPS would go down while he was adapting to 1b. And on top of that is Illinois' point that Devers was already unhappy.

We don't know what Casas was going to do. We do know he had the worst WAR on the team. Completely agree that no one knew Toro/Gonzalez would do this well, but I also don't care because Devers was thriving as the DH and the Sox hitting this year has been a plus. Don't mess with success. II strongly agree he was overpaid and now he's the Giants' problem. Our new DH/DH's won't be as good a Raffy, but won't be terrible either. Plus Bregman's return will ameliorate the loss of Devers. The Sox are now 8-2 in their last 10 games, during which Raffy was 5 for 25 with 2 rbi's. Season to date, he has 58 rbi's in 73 games, so he has tailed off when the Sox had their best run of the season. I say that because the last 9 games were against the Yankees and Rays. I agree with the "insider" claim that this deal is a win for the Sox.

I thought the Nomar issues were about money.

Thanks from me too. I was thinking exactly that because moonslav pointed out that Devers is in fact overpaid as a DH. We're going to miss his bat, but our weakness is pitching. Whoever DH's now won't be as good as Devers, but could be just good enough. Plus Bregman is due back in July.

Well said. I'd forgotten that. I've defended Devers til the cows come home, but I am not distraught at this move even though timing is painful. The Sox seemed to be really jelling, whether or no Devers was happy or talking it up with his teammates.

I was afraid you were going to say that.

Agree it's water under the Tobin Bridge. Maybe 1b was a better position for Devers, but what I'm seeing right now is that firstbasemen need to develop a good sense for when to go after a grounder and when to cover 1b. Plus grabbing 95% of those short hop throws to 1b. Plus tossing the ball to a running pitcher. Christian tried it, but is back at 2b. We'll just have to see how the Giants use Devers. Mookie Betts is a much better all around athlete than Devers, plus most of his development was as an infielder. He moved to RF because that's what the Sox needed. Now the Dodgers need him at SS, where he is doing well (but not hitting well).

Breslow was dead wrong and Cora knew it. Devers, after losing his beloved (for 8 years) 3b position, did what Cora told him and embraced the DH position, where he has thrived. Meanwhile, replacing Casas was the easiest thing in the world because he was having a bad year. Toro and Gonzalez have both been much better. The chain of command is not as inflexible as you make it sound. Cora had good reasons for wanting Devers to stay as the DH--he was having a career year as DH and replacing Casas was the easiest thing in the world. And he was proved right because, even with the loss on May 23d of the Sox best player, Bregman, the Sox have persevered and are back to 1 above .500 without him. Meanwhile, Breslow had the option of trading Devers, and he did. We will certainly miss his bat, but, as moonslav has said, his salary can now be put to better use.

I would agree if in fact it was best for the team. But it absolutely was not. Toro and Gonzalez have been excellent at 1band way better than Casas was. His injury was a blessing for the team. Meanwhil, Devers was having a career year at the plate as DH. That's why Breslow couldn't convince Cora to tell Devers he should play 1b. You guys are falling for this "best for the team" crap because Breslow went public with it and even got JH involved.

I'm not sure about superstar, but agree his was our 2d best bat after Bregman, who will be out until July. I agree with how the team has been playing recently--this is very bad timing. On the other hand, that big salary could be applied to a bigger need--better pitching.

Before the season started Devers had to accept losing 3b, which he loved playing and had played for 8 seasons. Bregman was simply better. So Cora convinced Devers to embrace DH, which he in fact did and became the 2d best bat on the team and at one point at the most rbi's in MLB. It was after all that happened that Breslow got the idea that, with Casas out, the team's second best bat had to be moved yet again, this time to a position he had never played. To me that was just dumb because what we have in fact seen is that Toro and Gonzalez are way better then Casas was when he was hurt. To make matters worse, Breslow went public with Devers refusal and even got the owner involved. Now it was a huge deal that garnered headlines everywhere. Devers was a bum, a quitter, a problem. I disagree with that characterization, but Breslow made it a big deal, so of course Devers had to go. Now that the deal is done, I think the Sox will hurt with their two best bats out, but agree Devers' salary can now be applied to other needs.

To what end? Devers didn't like being displaced from a position he had played for 8 years, but Cora got him to embrace DH, where he did pretty well. Meanwhile, the loss of Casas was a net positive because Toro and Gonzalez are both better. There was absolutely no need to move Devers to 1b. Did I forget to mention that Devers would probably have committed more errors, both mental and physical, than he ever did at 3b?

Exactly the way I see it. Not a trade but a dumping of Devers salary and disgruntlement. I have backed Devers relentlessly this season, but have also agreed he's being paid an awful lot to be the DH. Season to date, by far the two best Sox bats have been Bregman and Devers. Coming at a time when the Sox have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and climbed back above .500, the message here seems to be: forget this season and keep cheering for our three rookies. They are the future. In addition, Devers salary/contract will be put to use in acquiring more pitching or whatever.

Yeah. I spoke/wrote too soon. And I definitely ignored poor Raffy. He's still 3d in rbi's in MLB. If the Sox can go 5-4 or even 4-5 on this road trip, we got ourselves a season.

Could not agree more.