moonslav59

I think the choice is: SS Story and 2B Arroyo (Kike v LHPs) SS Chang and 2B Story (trade Duvall, Kike or Arroyo, because I'd still want Chang on the 26.)

When I moved to Mexico in 2004, I loaded up my Accord with my stuff, my dog and a whole loaf of bread made up with alternating PB sandwiches with PB & J sandwiches. If I had to live off just one food, it would be peanut butter. (I'd choose smooth. Kroger brand.)

The Rays started Zack Littell, today. 3.1 IP 1 ER (5H & 0 BB) Why can't Bloom find guys like him, instead of Jacques?

I agree. I'd stick with Chang at SS. Maybe they try Story at SS and Turner at 2B.

It would have had to have been Nate or Kluber + Duvall (or Martin). It was more like Wacha v Kluber or Eflin v Kluber.

He is rehabbing. Cora said they wanted him to go back to back nights, but they might call him up before doing that.

Some numbers to ponder: Turner: .290 14 58 (.831 OPS) JD M: .256 23 66 (.863 OPS) Bogey: .255 11 36 (.737) On pace for less RBIs than '22's 73. Wong .709 Sox Catchers: .692 Vazquez: .568 (.575 since trade to HOU in 323 PAS) McGuire since trade: .768 in 224 PAs (Plawecki is in the minors.) Sox OF 2023: .821 OPS M Betts: .963 OPS (.895 since trade) Renfroe: .741 (.780 after trade) Benintendi: .737 (.761 after trade) Winckowski: 3.14 ERA (4.72 career) Gambrell: showing signs of promise in the minors Eovaldi: 11-3 2.69 (leads league in IP) Wacha: 8-2 2.84 (15 GS) R Hill: 7-9 4.76 (4.40 FIP in 19 GS) Strahm: 6-3 3.75 in 9 GS and 19 relief games (58 IP) Bello 7-5 3.14 Paxton 5-2 3.51 Crawford 4-4 3.74 C Sale 5-2 4.59 (2.84 in last 8 starts) 2022 Sox Pen: 57% Save rate, 40% Inherited Runners Scored 2023 Sox Pen: 77% Save rate, 30% IRS 2022 Pen: 4.59 ERA (.298 BAbip) 2023 Pen: 3.86 ERA (.299 BAbip)

Some tend to value never finishing in last place more than rings. We see that with Sox fans, too. No losing record in umteen years is one feather- maybe the only one remaining.

He's done great, and deserves a shout out, but the sample size is small, and he's never been known for having "great stuff." I'm not sure it's sustainable, but I'm all for letting him keep pitching. I think he has passed Walter. They both have passed Faria and Scott, and maybe even Jacquez. When pitchers start coming back from the IL, we should know more, but as of now, I'd put them both in front of Bleier, too, but Bleier has no options. (Nor does Joely.)

It's a 13 man staff, and I'm not so sure Murphy is for real, just yet. The guy sucked, second half of '22 and did nothing to impress on the farm in '23. I was surprised he was even called up, but when you use 28 pitchers in a half a season, you are bound to use almost all on the original 40 man roster.

Until you guys stop adding injury prone players, every season will be a roll of the dice.

Sox OPS Leaders (60+ PAs) .883 Yoshida .872 Duran .853 Devers .843 Duvall .831 Turner .798 Verdugo .774 Casas .743 Refsnyder .709 Wong .702 Reyes .701 Tapia (Gone) .684 EValdez .665 McGuire .659 Arroyo .596 Kike .545 Chang

The Sox OPS Against leaders for the season have some surprising names, certainly from the perspective of the view before opening day: 60+ PAs .534 Martin .577 Bernardino .584 Murphy .633 Paxton .671 Jansen .679 Schreiber .689 Crawford .690 Bello .695 Houck .699 Pivetta .739 Sale (2.87 ERA last 8 games) .748 Wink .765 Walter .785 Brasier (Gone) .841 Whitlock .841 Bleier .844 Garza .904 Ort .969 Kluber

How about a shout out to Pivetta, Bernardino and Murphy? Who would have thought they'd be big keys to the Sox resurgence? OPS Against last 14 days: (PAs) .000 Joely (9) .143 Jansen (7) .391 Pivetta (40) .410 Berndarino (18) .504 Murphy (32) .517 Martin (14) .665 Crawford (41) .686 Winckowski (21) Look back even farther... Last 28 days: .422 Pivetta (70) .449 Berndarino (37) .532 Martin .619 Paxton .670 Murphy .670 Bello .729 Crawford .765 Walter .766 Jansen

Another 5 minute block? I'm terrified!

I think a guy like Castillo would have gotten more, several years ago, but yes. It still costs a lot for a rental ace. Note: Castillo had one more arb year left, so he was not a "rental."

We had 5 first rounders? Another perfect post.

We are less than 2 weeks away from the trade deadline and will be seeing players coming off the IL and rehab stints, shortly. We have several players with options, but there still might be some tough choices to make. As we head towards the part of the season where winning becomes more important than keeping roster options numbers up, we may end up needing to trade someone or DFA a helpful player to make room for everybody. Chances are "everybody" won't be healthy all at the same time, but here is how I see it. This is what I consider our best 26 and 40. Red= lock for 26 man Black= on 40 but in the minors (have options remaining) Blue= trade or DFA Underlined= bubble or near bubble players with no options remaining Paxton, Bello, Sale, Whitlock, Houck, Kluber Crawford, Pivetta, Winckowski, Walter, Murphy, Mata (to 60 IL?) Jansen, Martin, Schreiber, Bernardino, Joely, Bleier, Ort, Mills & Kelly (60 Day), Scott, Faria, Garza Wong, McGuire, Alfaro Casas, Turner, Dalbec Arroyo, Kike or Reyes, EValdez Story, Chang, Mondesi (60 IL), Hamilton Devers Yoshida, Refsnyder Duran, Duvall (trade?), Rafaela Verdugo, Abreu 25 in red plus 1 from Kike, Reyes (Duvall?)

True, but there is plenty of time and enough head to head match-ups to put making the POs in our own hands.

It may be worth it to get 2-3 starts out of one of these two. Their time might be short, as they could be DFA'd once pitchers start returning from the IL.

Fangraphs says the Braves have a 100% chance to make the playoffs. That's good enough for me. Other NL Teams: % 95 LAD 78 SFG 71 MIL & PHI 57 AZ 51 MIA 6 teams make the playoffs, and 7 have better than a 50% chance at making them. They give the Braves a 25% chance at winning the WS. The Dodgers and Rays are at 12%. In the AL, there are no locks, but the Rays come close: 97 TBR 84 TEX 79 BAL (one more loss than TBR) 77 TOR 69 MIN (2 more losses than BOS) 65 HOU (many injuries) Only 6 teams have a 50%+ chance at the playoffs. 36 NYY 33 BOS 30 CLE 15 SEA

The "playoff value" should be more for teams with better chances of making them. The seasonal value means more to teams like the Sox. BTW, the Braves are a lock. Book it.

I doubt they add value for the playoffs. You’d think the value would then be greater for the Braves than the Sox, since the Braves are a lock to make the playoffs.

Looks that way.

With the inflation rate as it is, deferred money loses more value than upfront or non deferred money. We offered a fair contract that was about the market rate. I wised we had countered with more, but I don’t think the Betts case is in the same category as Lester or Bogey.