moonslav59

Agreed. Maybe the next guy can talk him out of it.

Renfroe will get a MLB deal. Your faith in Duran, Rafaela and Abrue is unmatched. Ref & Yoshi would be the back-ups.

There is not a single poster trying to claim defense is more important than batting or pitching. I'm not sure anyone thinks it's worth even half of either. (Speak up, if you do.) I think many of want us to improve our defense without damaging the batting. Nobody is saying let's spend on defense not pitching, although improving the defense will improve the pitching. IMO, our defense may improve from dead last to somewhere in the middle (12th to 18th) without signing or trading for anyone, as long as key players do not get hurt or suck so much on offense, they get benched. 1. Replace JT with Yoshida at DH. 2. Duran-Refsnyder (Abreu) in LF is a significant improvement in LF from 2023. 3. Story staying healthy at SS is a major improvement over 2023's SS. 4. Reyes at 2B could be slightly better than what we saw in 2023. 5. Rafaela & Abreu in CF should be a major improvement over Duran/Duvall in 2023. 6. I think it is reasonable to expect continued improvement on D from our catchers Wong and McGuire. 3B, 1B and RF should be about the same (maybe C and 2B stay about the same). 3 Better 2 same or better 3 about the same 0 worse . No money needed. Now, losing JT and Duvall means losing some plus batting, so it could end up being a trade-off. If we bring back Duvall, and don't play him in CF much, then we get some offense back without hurting the defense. How do we replace JT's offense? Story improves the SS O? Reyes/Urias/EValdez adds some O at 2B? Casas improves? Yoshida at DH helps him bat better? Duran/Rafaela/Abreu improve? Wong & McGuire improve? I don't think we spend much on offense, except maybe Duvall. We may have to cross our fingers on the O. I doubt we take notin's Chapman suggestion. Teoscar might be better than Dugo or Duran on O, but who knows? It is a drop on D. Any other ideas? Trades?

Ding, ding, ding! Leaders by example! Work hard. Play well. Do well. Win, and all of a sudden you have team leadership. Work hard. Do your best. Don't do well. We have no leadership.

What point? I thought it was about us not talking about it, which we did. We apparently had "leaders," last year and had the same record. What point are you making? If winning is the only litmus test, which it seems to be for you, either we had no leaders or s***** ones, last year, and all the talk of those famous players being "leaders" was bull. (I don't believe that, because I look at context and not just Wins and Losses.) So, did the Sox have leaders, this year? Last year? 2021? 2018? (If yes, why weren't hey leaders in subsequent seasons?)

I said not close to average, and I see "adequate" as being close. Part of the reason I want Yoshida at DH is not because he's a worse defender, but because we have 3 OF'ers who best spot is LF. We don't have a 3Bman to take Devers' place. I'm not sure why you only use dWAR as the final value given on defense. B-R gives no reference to where -0.5 places among 3Bmen in MLB, anyway. Here are some other numbers: Worst in Outs Above Average (-9) and last over the last 4 years combined (-14) 2nd worst in DRS (-9) - He's in last place on DRS in the last 4 years combined. 4th worst in UZR/150 (-2.2) and 2nd worst in the last 4 years (-4.20) So, dWAR says -0.5, this year, and that makes him "adequate?" I'm not sure why you are going to the mat on this one. I'm fine with the idea that defense doesn't matter as much as batting and pitching. I agree, but let's not sugarcoat how bad some of our defenders are and have been for years.

Sorry Max, but you are dead wrong about Raffy's D being "adequate." He's not even close to being average. I fully expected the Sox to keep him at 3B, because we have greater needs and can't spend on a new 3Bman. That's not a ringing endorsement of his defense. I hope they give him a few reps at 1B, this winter and ST'ing and maybe 2024, if he looks okay there.

I did bring it up, but maybe it was when you were off in hiding. The main reason I mentioned the "leadership" last year was because so many posters were going on and on about what great leaders Bogey, JD and Nate were, and maybe they are, but what good did it do? How do you see leadership working? (Only when you win?) I didn't see many posters raving about great leadership, this year, even when we were winning, except for maybe Turner.

If we don't add a RHB in the OF, he may be worth keeping as a platoon. I think we trade Dugo and sign Duvall: without Ref... LF: Duran?Abreu (Yoshida) CF: Rafaela/Abreu RF: Duvall/Abreu

No, you called it that. The fact that others said it does not mean you aren't making the very assumptions you bash others for doing. Nobody knows what Devers was thinking. I remember the media bashing Lackey for his body language and cussing at what appeared to be his fellow players after they missed making a defensive play. Later, the players came to his defense, saying he was pissed and cursing at himself, and it only looked like he was pissed at his teammates. Much of the media blasted Lackey for that. I suppose you agreed with them, too.

Indeed! Our best wRC+ career in the last 100 years: 1500+ PAs 187 Ted 154 Manny 150 Foxx 146 Papi 142 Lynn 142 Boggs 137 Mo 135 Betts 134 Nomar 134 JD 130 Yaz 130 Youk 129 Dewey, Smith, Fisk 128 Rice

Actually, we were 11thin runs. Runs scored is influenced by Fenway. Our offense was 16th in wRC+. 11th in wOBA 9th in OPS, but not OPS+ (adjusted for park) 17th in ISO

3. Improving our RHB would take a major expenditure. Story might make up some ground, but we'd need to find 1-2 guys who do better than JT and Duvall. 4. Stop saying Devers and Casas are "adequate" at 3B and 1B. They are the worst defensive corner IF'ers in MLB. Yes, their hitting makes them more than adequate to be FT'ers, but the suck on D- no ifs ands or buts. They suck. Moving one to DH would not hurt the offense. Nobody is suggesting we replace them with an all glove-no hit player. The suggestion is moving one to DH or have them share 1B/DH. Both still are in the line-up as much as Cora will play them. I, for one, prefer moving Yoshi to DH, and having casas stay at 1B for 1 more year to see what he can do. I'd keep Devers at 3B, but I'd have him start working at 1B as the back-up. Maybe we can play Devers and Casas more games, if we let them "rest" as the DH. Their offense is their strength: let's play up to it. Their defense is their negative influence, so let's try to minimize that part without taking away from the offense. It's not a bad idea.

I only see a handful of posters ready to pencil in Rafaela, Abreu and EValdez into just 2 FT positions. I don't see anyone pencilling in 3. I think only 1-2 guys might give 2 slots to the 3. (Counting Duran, maybe there are more.) "Excited" does not equate to knowing or thinking they are locks. I'm about as optimistic about our prospects as almost anyone, and I do not trust Duran, Abreu, Rafaela or EValdez for much of anything. I'd leave one OF slot open for the best to win it. I would not be saying bring Duvall back, if I was sure these guys can do well in 2024.

I agree. Counting on Sale in the rotation is asking for the same trouble we've had for over 3 years. He will get hurt, and we'll force an effective RP'er into the rotation, where he may do okay for a while, but end up near 4.50 to 5.50. It's a broken record, and the name of the record is "Freakin' Cris Sale!" I'm fine with keeping him. He could do great for us. We just can't plan on it. IMO, I like Pivetta as the #65, but if it's Crawford or Houck, that's okay, too, but whoever it is, should share the last slot of the rotation with Sale. SP1 (Yamamoto) SP2 (Montgomery/Gray) SP3 Bello SP4 (Morton 1 yr/Lynn 1 yr or Wacha) SP5 Sale/____ (Pivetta/Crawford/Houck- choose one and keep the others in the pen as much as possible)

Same with Bogey, Nate, JD and others last year, but you would never say that.

Indeed. I think Fenway helps lefties more than righties, except for "MAYBE" HRs. Pitchers can pitch to RHBs with a certain strategy that does not work for LHBs.

Since we sucked, this year, none of it counts as "highlights," because it was all "garbage time." Plus, it's a "watered down league," so nothing should count.

QS% 2023: 54 Bello 42 Paxton (Gone) (League AVG 34%) 31% Pivetta 30% Sale (can't be counted on) 24% Houck 17% Crawford (the guy you want over Pivetta, because Pivetta can't get enough QSs.) 2022: 40% Nate 39% Wacha 36% Pivetta (36% MLB AVG) 33% Crawford 23% Hill 2021: 41% Nate (31% league avg) 29% ERod 27% Pivetta 18% Perez 18% Richards 0% Houck Nice try.

First of all, needing to go down to 200 IP over the last 3 years combined, just to get a sample size of 150 SP'ers (5 teams x 5 in the rotation,) should tell you something about the state of innings eaters in MLB. Let's see where Pivetta places out of the top 150 SP'ers by IP: 42 GS at 49 (more than most #2 SP'ers) 45 IP at 421 (middle of road 2nd starter amount) 77th fWAR at 4.7 (about like a middle of the road 3rd starter) 90 xFIP at 4.17 (worst 3rd SP'er in MLB- better than all 4th and 5th SP'ers.) 120 in ERA at 4.58 (worst 4th SP) 105 in ERA- at 105 (middle of the road 4th SP) 73 in SIERA at 4.08 (middle 3rd SP) 107 WHIP at 1.32 (middle 4th SP) 67 K-BB% at 16% (near top 3rd SP) I'm not seeing a SP'er not worthy of a rotation slot, until we add 4 SP'ers with Bello. Sure, if Sale is healthy... Sure, if Houck can learn to go more than 4-5 IP.... Sure, if Crawford can prove 2023 was not a fluke and improve on his 4.51 ERA as a SP, including 5.40 over his last 6 starts.... Look, I hate building rotations from the 5 slot, but right now, I think he looks more likely to give us 28 GS, 160+ IP and an ERA around .425 or better than anyone else on the team, other than Bello. He's really our #2, right now. I'd like to make him share the number 5 slot with Sale, and I get grief.

As a SP'er, Pivetta has proven he can go longer than Houck, Whitlock and Crawford. He also has had some very long stretches of doing well as a SP'er, unlike most of those other 3 listed. Would I rather have a better SP'er as our #5 than Pivetta, yes! But, I'm already getting "that will never happen," when I say we need 3 SP'ers. With no Pivetta, we'd need 4! (BTW, I technically want Sale/Pivetta as the #5, and Bello as the #3, with 3 added SP'ers.)

But many LHB's thrive in Fenway due to the huge RF and RF/CF areas that allow for more base hits, and when they go the other way, they get more 2Bs due to the wall. We have a long history of LHBs doing very well in Fenway. Just not many with HRs, unless they go to LF, a lot or hit around the pesky pole.

Red slams us for trying to psychoanalyze players.

Yes, a total bloop his by Posada to bring in the 4th and 5th runs to tie the game. Scroll to 9:30 of this video, then get back to me...

He has played some 1B, and could be that RHB we may need. With Duvall, I would think we would have to trade a LHB OF'er (Duran or Verdugo.) We DFA (or trade) Dalbec and let JT walk. If Rafaela makes the opening day roster, I could see us trading Refsnyder, despite his nice splits and our need for hitting vs LHPs. With Yoshida at DH and back-up LF, we can't have too many OF'er on the 26.