moonslav59

Honestly, I don't know. He could trade for 1-2, if they don't mind giving up some good prospects. I could see him going after Snell and maybe keep Paxton. (Urias or Montgomery?) Closer: Josh Hader? SS; DeJung or Ahmed Rosario

Unlikely? Maybe, but... Houck should be back after the break. Whitlock's elbow issues is reportedly just a bone bruise, so he should be back around the same time. I'd never count on Sale to come back, but I said the same about Paxton, so who knows? We have about 4 weeks to get a better feel for how the rotation is shaping up. I'd say, if we are close and the rotation is looking healthier, I'd lean towards buying, but not by trading away top prospects for just a rental. If they look injured or slow to recover, I'd sell anyone not part of our longer term plans, including 1.5 year players that are post-prime (not Dugo & Pivetta. Assume Sale is untradeable.) We could spend big, this coming winter and have a better roster and deeper farm by selling. Assume we sell all 0.5 and 1.5 controlled players, here is the base to work with and add to: (I'll assume Story at SS, but we could add a SS and keep Story at 2B.) C Wong/McGuire (Hamilton/Hickey) 1B Casas/Dalbec (Kavadas/Jordan) 2B _____/ Arroyo/DHamilton/EValdez (Yorke) SS Story/Chang/Reyes (Mayer) 3B Devers LF _____/Refsnyder/Yoshida CF Duran (Rafaela) RF Dugo (Abreu) DH Yoshida/Refsnyder/Dalbec (EValdez/Kavadas/Meidroth) SP1 ______ SP2 Bello SP3 ______ SP4 ______ SP5 Sale/Whitlock/Houck/Pivetta/Crawford (Drohan, Mata, Walter, Murphy) RP1 Houck RP2 Whitlock RP3 ______ RP4 Schreiber RP5 Winckowski RP6 Crawford RP7 Pivetta.Bleier/Joely/Mills (Kelly/Guerrero/Denlinger/Fernandez) Instead of signing 8-11 FAs every year, let's go with 6. SP1, SP3, SP4, 2B/SS, LF, RP If we go over the line, we don't have to settle on $7-10M starters and $7M OF'ers.

I guess it's impossible for multi billionaires to have more than one high priority thing going on at the same time. They all get rich by hyper-focusing on just one thing at a time.

Look at the 2020 team and this one: the budget, the farm and the foundation going forward. You see spinning in place? The record, yes. The roster and system, no. That being said, much of the system is speculative and not proven.

What GM builds a winner with just Houck comin up from the system over a 5 year stretch? I'm not defending Bloom or saying he's done a good job, but that situation was absurd. Add to that mandated massive budget cuts that tore away a generational talent like Betts, without allowing the "money saved" to be spent until 3 years later. Add to that injuries and decline from just about every vet he inherited. None of this was his making. I just don't see how anyone can have expected a winning team with all that baggage.

We’ve used 27 pitchers before the AS break. (One was Reyes.) It’s hard to plan for depth that deep.

BAL has lost 6 of 7. Maybe they soon become the easiest target to pass. Of course, we’d have to win to do that.

We can pay all of his 2023 contract and maybe pay down some of 2024 to improve the return. I doubt Sale comes back before the deadline, so it would be a big gamble for a team to get him on August 1st. Might we think trading Crawford while his stock is high be something they consider?

Well said. Spending more on moderate deals makes more sense, but it’s not easy hitting those right, too. You get what you pay for. If pitchers making $20-40M fail more often than not, why do so many expect Bloom to hit on most of his signings at $5-10M? Blooms largest pitcher signings: $M 16 x 2 Jansen 9 x 2 Martin 10 x 1 Kluber 10 x 1 Richards 7 x 1 Wacha 6 x 1 Perez and 5 x 1 Perez II 5 x 1 Hill 4 x 2 Diekman (Barnes extension 9 x 2)

We need middle IF, and Story may DH for a while before playing SS or 2B. I think Duvall would go before Kike. The pitcher would be Paxton or Sale, depending on being in or out at the deadline.

We were 46-39, last year after 85 games- better than now. We ended July 3-12 and 4-16, and that was that. I think we may do better, this July, but who knows?

Paxton won the pitcher of the month award. Last time a Sox pitcher did it was Sale in 2018.

I'm not sure I remember a top 10 Sox prospects playing so many positions in the minors, and playing them well. GS 187 CF 47 SS 22 2B 18 3B 9 LF 1 RF He's played about 2/3 in the OF.

Drohan with another rough start at AAA 4IP, 7H, 5R, 3ER, 2BB, 5K (5.19 ERA POR won again 2-4 Mayer w BB 2-5 Yorke 2-5 Binelas w HR 1-4 Hickey w HR & BB 1-3 Kavadas w 3B & 2BB 1-4 Chang w BB Rogers got whacked as GRE lost Jordan 3-4 w 11th HR (.914 OPS) maybe ready for promotion to AA? SAL won Monegro still has a 0.00 ERA after 5 IP of shutout ball. 2-3 Mejicano w HR & BB (.809 OPS) 0-4 Ravelo w 4Ks

NYY and HOU won. BAL lost. +3.0 BAL +0.0 NYY & HOU -2.0 TOR -2.5 LAA -4.0 BOS -5.5 CLE & SEA MIN is in 1st at 42-43 CLE -0.5 ALC DET -4.0 ALC CWS -5.5 ALC Only OAK and KCR are more than 5.5 games behind a playoff slot in the AL! BOS -13.0 TBR -6.0 BAL -4.0 NYY & HOU -2.0 TOR -1.5 LAA We need to pass 3 of these teams (or TEX not HOU)

Injury report by Covers: Return Date: 7/4? Yoshida (leg) 7/4? Duvall (sickness) early July McGuire (oblique) Unknown: Houck (face) maybe after AS break? Whitlock (elbow) maybe miss one start? Sale (shoulder) maybe early August Schreiber (back- comes off 60 day in mid July) Joely (shoulder- comes off 15 day in mid July) Kelly (elbow- maybe early Sept) Reyes (oblique) Chang (wrist) Kluber (shoulder) Mills (elbow) Mondesi (knee)

I feel better about returning injured players this year over last year. Sale: I saw he still has it, this year. Last year, not only did I not know, if he was going to pitch, I did not know he'd be any good, if he did. True, this injury may make that question and answer the same, but I do feel slightly better. Duval is a damn good player. He had a bad injury for a hitter, but I do think he improves before the deadline. Story is a damn good player and an athlete. I do think he will be better than 2022, when he returns. I do worry about his D at SS, but if Chang can play SS and Story 2B, we might be a greatly improved team. (Add Reyes, if one does not make it. Forget about Mondesi.) Houck & Whitlock have done very well for us from 2021-2022. I'm confident both can return to a better place than they were earlier, this year. Schreiber, Bleier, Joely, Kelly, Mills offer a lot of options for pen help. Schreiber could be a difference maker. McGuire come back, soon. Will all these guys come back and do great? NO WAY! Ask yourself how many need to. I'll venture an answer: 2 from Sale, Whitlock and Houck (This may be the biggest reach.) 2 from Story, Chang, Reyes and Mondesi 2 from Schreiber, Duvall, McGuire or 1 with a 3 for 3 or 3 for 4 from above. What are the odds we get 5 back and producing, not the 6 I suggested we need? Would that be enough? Story, Houck, Whitlock, Schreiber and McGuire?

Exactly. No Kluber, Kike, Duvall and Mondesi. Add 2 solid SP'ers via FA or by trading prospects. 1. Duran CF 2. Devers 3B 3. Story SS 4. Yoshida LF 5. Turner DH 6. Dugo RF 7. Casas 1B 8. Chang/Arroyo/Valdez 2B 9. Wong/McGuire C Bench: Refsnyder, Chang/Arroyo/Valdez, Wong/McGuire SP1 ______ SP2 Bello SP3 ______ SP4 Houck SP5 Whitlock/Sale/Crawford/Pivetta CL Jansen R2 Martin R3 Schreiber R4 Winckowski R5 (see SP5) R6 (see SP5) R7 (see SP5) or Bleier/Mata/Walter/Murphy/Drohan/Kelly/Mills ML Ready on the farm: C C Hamilton, S Scott, R Hern (Hickey?) 1B Dalbec (Jordan?) 2B Yorke (Paulino?) 3B Sogard (Meidroth/Bonaci?) SS D Hamilton (Mayer?) OF Rafaela, Abreu, Rosier (Lugo?) DH Kavadas Maybe we add a 2Bman, too, but to me, 2-3 solid & durable SP'ers makes us strong contenders.

I don't think anyone thinks we can or will win, if these injuries stay like this. It's getting tiring always hoping injured players return. It's like we are becoming the Yankees with all the injuries and injury prone players on the roster.

We got the CWS to not only take Diekman and his full remaining salary for 2023 and 2024, but they gave us McGuire, too. I doubt we find any takers for Kluber or Mondesi, but we can hope. We could "sell" Duvall, and just play Duran FT in CF (with Kike as the RH'd possible platoon,) or we could trade Kike, if we know Story, Chang or Mondesi will be ready by the deadline. Pay off his whole salary, and maybe somebody wants him and will give more than a McGuire. In other words, we may buy and sell, again.

Turner will be back in 2024, IMO.

I’ve not given up, yet, but have no issues with those who have. Too many of these guys are expected back. At least Sale showed he can still bring it, when healthy. Story has been very disappointing but he’s still in his prime. I have faith in Houck and Whitlock, but they need to get back and soon. Schreiber was moved to 60 days, but I think that ends in July. Turner is a second half beast. Devers has the ability to have a career year, still. Have faith! Or not.

Many felt we should have had a fire sale in 2022. Many felt we should have been heavier buyers. Not many expected what we ended up doing. There are about 4 weeks left to go, and so many teams are still in the WC race. Do we sell? Do we buy? Do we do a little of both? Do we do next to nothing? If we do decide to sell, we have the luxury of offering to pay all or almost all remaining salaries. This should increase the amount of teams making offers, and improve the return value we get. I'd say all free agents to be would be on the table and maybe some players who will be FAs after 2024 or redundant positional players with longer control. FAs after 2023: Kike Duvall Paxton Kluber Mondesi After 2024 Sale Jansen Martin Turner Pivetta Others? Dalbec Arroyo

The day off doesn't really help much, either. How long is Paxton gone? I guess as long as he is back for one start before the break, it doesn't matter. Only tomorrow's starter can fill 2 of the 6 slots. It's weird they don't start Bello Tuesday on normal rest, then they could start hm Sunday before the break. That way, we get 2 of the 6 slots filled with one guy. Oh well. My guesses: 7/4 TEX Walter 7/5 TEX Bello (+1 day rest) 7/6 TEX Murphy 7/7 OAK Crawford (+1) 7/8 OAK Paxton (+3) 7/9 OAK Whitlock (+2) or Walter/pen game

A Zagnut bar?