moonslav59

I'm not against trading Ref, but we do have a clear need for a RH'd bat that can play OF. FYI. He has been the best Sox hitter vs RHPs from 2022-2023 (over 200 PAs v L.) In MLB, there are 190 batters with 200+ PAs vs LHPs: 20 Refsnyder .898 44. Turner .843 will likely be gone)) 88. Devers .782 169. Dugo .661 Ref is NOT replacement level v L. Sox players with 30+ PAs vs L in the last 2 years: 1.048 McGuire (reverse split and just 36 PAs) .898 Ref .863 Reyes (45) (Duvall .817 in 76) .797 Story (122) .782 Devers .748 Yoshida .502 Wong (also with reverse splits)

I'm not for dumping an OF'er. I'm for getting equal or better ML value back, preferably at a position of higher need, which might include a RH'd OF bat who can play plus D. I am not close to giving up on 2024, but until I see us spend big, I'm looking for ways we can improve in areas of higher need than OF: TO GET BETTER.

If trading Duran is mostly about years, why not extend Dugo and trade him? I realize keeping Duran over Dugo hurst the D and lessens the return, but Dugo does have trade value and may have more, if extended at a reasonable rate.

Other teams need OF'ers and may overpay for one of ours, for all the reasons you want to hoard them. If you look at all our positions, in terms of ML players or ML ready prospects who can play certain positions, we have 2 catchers, one 1Bman (2 if you count Dalbec), 3 middle IF'ers, 1 3Bman and 6 OF'ers: Dugo Duran Yoshi Refsnyder Rafaela Abreu (7, if you count Rosier) Some of us don't believe we will spend large and long enough on 3 SP'ers. There are doubts we will on even two. A trade remains a real option, and more and more teams want ML returns or ML ready prospects. OF is our deepest position, even if it is not ideally deep enough.

I can see an argument being made that counting on returning players and younger additions like Rafaela and Abrue to replace Turner and Duvall is a mistake, but to me, the rotation is way ahead of that need.

I know it is not easy, but we can trade for one and sign two, if we make that a top priority and spend the estimated $48M we have below the tax line. (There is also an argument to be made, 2024 would be a good year to chose to go over, as we lose a lot of salary (Sale), in 2025. No, it's not easy. Asking for 2 might be more than we get.\ It's my opinion we need 3. The 3rd one can be an innings eater #4 slot guy, but we need at least two #2's and a #4. I'm not saying we will do it. (We raely do what I would like, and it seems everyone else, too.)

Extend Dugo and then trade him.

Nobody knows what the hell this winter's plan will be, most notably the new spending budget. I think the team you suggested is a significant improvement, but adding a 3rd solid SP'er would make a surer bet. Just typing Sale's name hurts. Adding a big RH'd bat to hedge against Rafaela, Story and refsnyder's production, next year would probably help, too, but I'm fine going with rafaela and Abreu with Duran, Yoshi and Ref as OF depth. I'm also hopeful Casas can improve his defense ver the winter.

Are you arguing we have major needs at 26 slots?

Funny how you follow up your reply to the finger pointing post with a finger pointing post. Classic.

I would rather end up being angry at Bloom for not replacing JT and Duvall, or for thinking more play from Story, Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, Reyes & urias can take up the slack than to be angry again for under appreciating the needs at SP. I'm thinking 90% of all resources (money and or prospects traded) should go to the rotation. I would not be upset at 100%.

I'm not one to expect a repeat of a player's last 2-3 months for the remainder of his career. Ref is one of MLB's best batters vs LHPs since the start of 2022- a much bigger sample size than his last 2-3 months. He may not hit 1.000 again, but I fully expect him to hit significantly better than Duran vs LHPs, going forward. (Also, I'm not sure we can pencil in what Duran did in 2-3 months as the new expectation.)

Yes, I see a Duran/Refsnyder platoon in LF, especially because bot are better than our new FT DH, Yoshida, but to me, both are still better suited for DH not LF, but our team does not have that luxury- not that I would keep Ref as just a platoon DH. He's okay as the back-up LF'er and emergency RF depth.

Sounds about right. It will take an organizational commitment to jack up the rotation in major ways (note the plural.)

It's a big step in the right direction, but with injuries and unexpected declines by a SP'er or two (or three,) we'd still end up 2-3 from Houck, Pivetta, Crawford and Whitlock starting significant games in 2024. 30 Gray 30 Snell 30 Bello 25 Pivetta 22 Houck 25 from whom? Sale? LOL It's going to be Crawford or Whitlock or maybe Wikelman by the end of the year. Then, we have Murphy and Walter in the pen, instead of Crawford or Whitlock (or Houck and Pivetta.) We need to plan on zero from Sale, and as few starts as possible from 3 of those 4 guys. (I'd put Pivetta at #5, and use Houck or Crawford as the #6- not both, if possible.) I would not start Whitlock, again, unless as an opener.

Should I say "Freaking major?" That does seem closer to the truth. My point was: we have had less and less major needs, every winter since 2019-2020. (Every winter, we needed 3 SP'er or more.) Sorry, I can never count on Sale for even 1 IP, anymore. He can be "depth," of if he is healthy and doing well, than it would help the pen to move my 5th starter (Pivetta or Crawford) to the pen. I'd love to see us have one of the best and deepest pens in MLB, with several 2-3 or even 4 IP guys> 8 Man Pen: Houck, Whitlock & Pivetta or Crawford (which ever is not our #5.) Wink, Bernardino & Schreiber (7th & 8th) Martin & Jansen (8th & 9th)

Tell me what other major needs we have besides... SP 1 SP 2 SP 3 Moderate needs: LH RP RH power bat Sure, we could use some more depth at MI, and improve on RF or CF beyond the RH'd bat I mentioned, but I see 3 major and 2 moderate, and we can be serious contenders. Without Sale Without certain pitchers in the rotation but in the pen, instead. Without more than the expected amount of injuries. The 2023 looked to be close, until those 3 major slots took its toll on the team. Yes, we also need improved timely hitting. Yes, our D needs to improve, but it should, anyway, even without any major additions. SS: Story 2B: Urias & Reyes C & 1B: young players improving OF: Rafaela (Abreu> Refsnyder/Duran/Yoshi)/ Yoshi to SH Same: 3B, RF How many "major needs" do you see? (I can go along with 5, which is still less than the past 3 winters.)

No. It's a fact. I have admitted I lash out and apologized, often, when needed. It's your misconception I claim or think I don't. I suppose you feel you have alternative facts. I say... Yes, of you and the whole naysayer posse. The sky is falling! Blame _____! Blame ____! Blame _____! Rinse and repeat. LOL! You assume this... But you aren’t sick of finishing last. That’s weird. You still pretend to know what I think and claim my thoughts are just "perceptions." It's your MO. I am sick of finishing last. You can pretend I'm not, but that's your perception, not mine.

We also needed 3 SP'ers or more SP'ers prior to 2020, 2021 and 2023 plus 3-4 other major needs last winter, 5-7 more in '21 and 8-10 more in 2020.

I'm thinking there can and should be a happy medium: 4-6 days off for younger players and 6-9 off for aging or frail players, unless you can DH them, here and there.

Agreed, and we saw it for a little while in 2021. In some ways, I think 2021 raised the fan expectations by getting us to believe the rebuild was done, and we'd only improve on that season. We then added Wacha, Hill and Strahm while dumping Richards and Perez, yet the staff did worse. We added Story, and his injury and lack of consistent production, when healthy did not help the O. Follow that up with losing big name guys like Bogey, JD and Vaz, despite their recent declines or sporadic production, and the death spiral continued.

I don’t claim I never lash out. Not sure why you ask. I’m not making continued false assumptions about your position or thoughts. My point was about a seemingly endless blame cycle that often goes off track in a frenzied bash fest.

...and add a few: Turner Duvall Renfroe

I've agreed the farm value is speculative. I'm not sure why you keep feeling the need to repeat it to me over and over. We agree. That's a rare things, so let it be. I've never said you have to finish in last to build up the farm or the future. I expected better in 2022 and better in 2023. It did not happen. The budget was part of the issue for a while, but to me, not really since the Story signing, although some claim our fall in the budget rankings is a sign of a change in priority from now to the future (or to JH's wallet.) I'm not just talking about the farm, here. I'm talking about tangible changes to the MLB foundation. The W-L records important, and it bugs me, too, we haven't seen dramatic improvemnt, there, but I'll repost this .... Judge for yourself: this was the roster at the end of 2019: (Remember: a team that did not make the playoffs and had already shed Kimbrell & Kelly without replacing them the winter before 2019.) Not brought back from 2019: Porcello- played some with NYM in 2020, then never pitched again. Betts & Price- famously traded for Dugo, Wong and Downs. Holt- played sparingly on 2 teams in 2 years then gone from MLB. Brought back: ERod- out for all 2020 with COVID Sale- out for so long, I forgot who he was. Nate- missed a lot of time and had one somewhat off season when he did pitch. Brian Johnson Workman & Hembree (traded by Bloom for Pivetta- they both sucked afterwards) Josh Taylor- out hurt for a long time DHern- lol Cashner, Lakins, Velazquez, Weber, Shawaryn, Brewer, Poyner, T Kelley, Chacin (You guys act like Bloom took over the 2018 team in full health.) Vaz and Leon Moreland and Sam Travis Marco Hernandez and Chris Owings Bogey Devers Beni (later traded for Wink & Gambrell plus Franchy and others) JBJ (left via FA after 2020 only to return in a blunder trade) Gorkys Hernandez JD That was THE FOUNDATION! Be honest. Look closely at that roster above. Now, look at the foundation for 2024's team. Yup, the rotation is in shambles, but what about the rest? Sure, we don't know how good Casas, Wong and many others will be, but we thought we knew how good Bogey, JD, Nate, Sale, ERod and others would be after 2019, and that turned out to be not as expected.

His sample size is rather small, but the rumblings about his bad D appear to be spot on. The .709 OPS in 127 PAs needs a lot of improvement to offset that bad D, but I'm not sure we can write him off, just yet.