moonslav59

We have a very different team than 2025. I'm not sure anyone expected this much turnover- beyond needing to replace Bregman, Gio, Wilson, Buehler, Lowe and Refsnyder. For a team that made the playoffs for the first time since 2021, it surprised me a bit. It's not like Brez wasn't wheeling and dealing the previous season, but this time he wheeled and dealed some of his previous wheels & deals. Between the opening day MLB and AAA opening day rosters of 2025 and now, I count 11 MLB players gone plus Houck to the IL and about 17 gone from the AAA roster. I'm figuring an almost 50% changeover. That makes it hard to project improvement or otherwise, and since so much of the team's focus changed, it's more complicated than just comparing 2025 numbers to projected 2026 numbers. For example, just how much does improving the rotation compensate for a possible/probable loss on offense? We also don't know which pitchers will fill out the pen, and the pen was a significant reason we won as much as we did, last year. i'm not always optimistic, this time of year, but I feel pretty good about our chances of improving and going farther into October. There are grave concerns, of course, namely the offense, but also with health, the pen and counting on so many young players to fill key rolls. Returning rookies: Anthony, Narvaez, Durbin, Mayer, Campbell, plus Tolle & Early. Second year or three partial year players: Abreu, Rafaela, Slaten, Monasterio & Sogard (Crawford pitched 2 IP in one of his 4 seasons) I'm hoping players nearing or in prime to improve. I'm hoping those in prime of just past it, do well, again, and I'm hoping the elders hold on for one more year.

Wow! That high?

While you're at it, send the Astros back to the NL.

Granted this was against a college team, but the Sox sent 18 batters to the plate, and only two failed to get on base!

With 4 FT OF'ers and K Campbell on everyone's radar, Masa should not play in the OF. He might play LF as KC DH's but even that is doubtful, and it would take 2 injuries for that question to arise. I do think, had we traded an OF'er we might have seen a few games in the OF.

I think if people looked at other teams' winter moves and underlying numbers, they might not think we did all that badly, this winter. Even if you think we got slightly worse than 2025, who got better, besides the O's, who have 14 games to make up to catch us. Is Alonso a 14 WAR players?

It's funny he's in LF, today.

I have no problems with Fred. I used to be him for a few decades. I'd be a hypocrite if he "bothered me." I don't think disagreeing is "bothersome." Posters like the Stork and the guy who thinks Duran is a better defender than Abreu are somewhat bothersome, to me, but such is life.

I don't think this site is overly negative or hypercritical, in general, but there seems to be a noticeable amount of it, IMO. I've been critical of many things the team has done, too. Maybe some feel I went too far with some things I've said, too. Of course, Fred is in a category all by himself, and the occasional trolls make appearances, now and again. Most that criticize often, at least give reasons for their statements or have insightful debates when countered with another view. I don't expect or want everyone or even most people to agree with my positions. I know I have some positions that run counter to the majority. It's funny how my wife sometimes says I'm too negative and worry about the worst case scenario, too much. I'm not always more optimistic about the Sox than others, and Ole Red never let anyone forget I was the first poster to give up on a season a few years back. Maybe someone thought I was being hypercritical and negative or thought of it in different terms. To me, hypercritical does not mean people are negative about 100% of Sox, and being overly negative doesn't mean you think we're going to go 60-102. I do feel some posters seem to be more positive about other teams that did nothing special over the winter, while focusing on us missing out on a big bat means we'll do worse. I disagree. Most posters are not "hyper" critical or "overly" negative, and most sites like this often turn into places where people vent their frustrations, and that can come across as looking hyper and overly...

Let the games begin! Wow, Masa in LF!

Good point. It would have to go to 28 (or 26) teams. 4 divisions of 7 looks nice.

It's possible the whole reasoning for keeping Masa in AAA for much of last summer to "work on his throwing" was a sham to avoid adding him to the 26, while Devers was the FT DH, but that kinda showed they wanted Masa to be able to throw a ball. I'm not sure they envision him playing any OF, this year, since they once again decided not to trade from the OF depth. They also have K Campbell in the mix. I think someone needs to get hurt for Masa to play OF- likely 2 of the top 4. Cora said this, last Januray: “Our outfield defense was great last year, but in a perfect world, if he was healthy, he was going to play the outfield,” Cora told reporters. “The throwing part of it wasn’t there so that’s the reason he actually didn’t play.”

Why do you keep assuming you know what I'm thinking, despite me constantly telling you that you get my beliefs and intentions wrong? "Bothers me?" You're the one saying "Wow" like what I said bothered you, but I won't assume I know what bothers you. I'll leave that to you to keep doing. No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone calling JH cheap. I disagree that is the word that fits and voice my opinion. Why does me voicing my opinion "bother you so much?" See how I did that? (That's what you do.) I happen to think some posters make statements that are hypercritical and overly negative. It should not bother anyone for me to say that, but if it does that's on them. Some posters are more optimistic than others, too.

Now, that is worthy of a "wow." Just one page of any game thread offers enough evidence.

Where do you get this psychobabble from?

Wow, what? Those words too big for you? They are tame for what goes on here, very often. You doubt that?

Yes, trade our best 9 bats for the best one in MLB.

That was what Fred meant when he said we "Need one big bat!"

Zero chance they contract. Baseball would be better, if they did.

We have 3 teams that suck, never spend and hardly anybody watches them play.

It's hypercriticism and negativism against the Sox. They look at the Sox under a microscope and see all the cracks and dents. What the hell did KC, HOU & TEX do to get even a tiny bit better? The Yanks winter refrain was "Run it back!" I mean, who brags and about standing pat? The O's made some legitimate moves, but there is room for 4 ALE teams making the dance. The schedules are not so lop-sided anymore. I like our chances of finishing 2nd more than 3rd, and that is more out of my dislike at what NYY and TOR did, this winter. I see 4th place as a 10% chance.

It was the one year of control vs 6, that makes me say NO! I do wonder, sometimes, if we didnt have Tolle and Early, would they have taken Witherspoon or Valera?

I do feel like playing 162 games needs to count for something more than picking the top 50% of teams, and you know the way the set up the format with 32 teams and 16 making the playoffs, a team with a losing record will make the playoffs too often. Why play 162, if a losing team makes it?

Agreed. The difference between the odds of making the playoffs from the 6th best to 7th best are... AL: 55% BAL & 38% KC (17%) NL: 43% PIT & 37% MIL (6%) The Sox, at 61% are 23% higher than KCR. That's pretty significant. I know it's basically the "field" vs BOS, but why have so much faith in... 38% KCR 36% TEX 34% HOU 27% MIN Easier schedules?

The Jays lost a pitcher (Bassitt) who gave them 170+ IP for 3 straight years. While a 3.89 ERA and 109 ERA+ are not earth-shattering, it's a significant loss. He turns 37, soon, so the choice to let him go is probably a good one, but they still needed to replace the loss. They signed Cease and Ponce, who should do better than Bassitt's numbers would have been, but will they improve on the numbers they lost? Cease had a 94 ERA+ in '25, 105 in his past 2 seasons and a 102 ERA+ over the last 3 seasons. That's not really close to Basstitt's 109. A lot of baseball people like Ponce, but he has a 75 ERA in his two seasons in MLB. Tyler Rogers was a real nice get for the pen. He's 35 but has shown no signs of decline. They basically replaced Bichette with Okamoto. Who would you think is more likely to have a real good 2026 season? Why don't posters doubt these moves like they doubt the moves made by Brez?