moonslav59

It's comical, and the funniest part if the obliviousness. Time to cue up "You are over analyzing what I said."

Indeed, and it seemed like AZ wanted too much for KMarte, who is not doing great, so far in 2026. I still think Paredes was reasonable "the target," but HOU did not want Duran. They wanted Abreu back. Maybe some sort of three way deal could have landed us Paredes for Duran, and maybe we'd have had to pitch in a prospect, but it sure would have helped the infield situation had we added Paredes & Durbin. I still look back at BLowe and even Donovan as big what ifs, and we know they were available- LHB and all. BLowe has power. He averaged 35 HRs per 650 from 2021-2025 and has 21 in 84 games this year. While the .316 OBP is not great, in MLB today, that is not too bad.

As of now, I see us as buyers, and you are spot on with this deadline's outlook. With so many teams in contention, the bidding wars could be extreme, and even fringe players like IKF, Coulombe, Guerrero and maybe even Sandoval could net a decent return. It remains to be seen what Duran might fetch, but someone will take a flyer on him and hope to "fix him." Gray and Chapman should be highly sought after and net very substantial returns. I'd hesitate to sell Contreras and Whitlock, who are controlled beyond 2027, but I'd listen for the right overpay. Sell this summer. Buy this winter.

We shoulda done two. Coulda is another question after the Suarez buy.

I think adding a catcher with power makes a lot of sense. Maybe sign Jeffers as a C/DH or trade for William Contreras (1 more year of control) to unite the brothers. Both are RHBs. Next, I think we have to look at counting Mayer & Story as one middle infield slot filled, and to me I'd view Story as a 2Bman and Mayer as either. We also can use a DH or OF/DH, if we do trade Duran. Even if we sign Jeffers, we can still add an OF/DH type. That's 3 slots to find two big bats. I'd be fine if one was a power RHB and the other a high OBP guy. When you look at the highest OBP guys since 2025 (400+ PAs) Anthony ranks 8th at .383, but we could still use another high OBP guy in front of Contreras, Abreu and the new power RHB. Yordan Alvarez is #2, but he is a pipe dream. Kurtz is #5 and may be one as well. Yandy Diaz is #12 and may be getting close to the payday the Rays avoid ($13M for 2027.) Hey, Jeffers is #18 (.368) and has power. Maybe he can bat 2nd. Here's an option: Gleyber Torres as a FA signing and the next 2Bman. His .366 OBP ranks him T22nd with Schwarber. Spencer Horwitz at DH? (.367) O'Hearn (.358)? Trade for Keaschall (.355?) William Contreras is .355- just below Willson at .357. KMarte is at .354 and still has power (switch hitter) Paredes .349. JP Crawford (FA) at .345 I have no idea who we might have in mind, but there are enough names here to think adding two should not be extremely difficult. Hell, if JH allows more spending, adding 3 can be accomplished. C: Jeffers + Narvaez/Wong 1B: Contreras (Horwitz/Casas) 2B: Story/Mayer/Romy (Seagler) 3B: Durbin (Mayer/Eaton) SS: JP Crawford (Mayer/Monasterio) LF: Anthony (Ward/Eaton) CF: Rafaela (Ward) RF: Abreu (Ward/Eaton) DH: Horwitz/Jeffers/Romy/Casas Crawford turns 32 in January and has hit under .700 every other year for 5 years, so maybe G Torres would be a better fit. He's also a RHB not a lefty like JP. That would help balance the LHB Mayer. So, maybe this... 1. Anthony LF 2. Torres 2B 3. Abreu RF 4. Contreras 1B 5. Jeffers C/DH 6. Horwitz/Romy DH 7. Rafaela CF 8. Durbin 3B 9. Mayer/Story SS platoon

Maybe good but not "very good" and so far from worth the money he makes, I'm surprised you think he'd have been a good signing. His AAV is about what we pay Gray & Contreras combined. He was a real good hitter until age 25, and that is a strange age to decline noticeably. Injuries can be blamed to some extent, but why would we want yet another player hampered by injuries? OPS+ 126 from ages 21-25 (to 2023) OPS+ 103 from ages 26-28 (2024-2026) 1361 PAs is two full seasons. 15 HRs per 650 is not the power we need. Hell, Durbin gets sh*t for averaging 15 HRs per 650, and now we'd have two of 'em, one making over $40M a year. At least Bregman can field well. I never wanted Bichette, except at maybe 1/3 or 1/4th his current contract. I'd have taken Bregman at 2/3 or 3/4 of what he got, and probably regret it, already. Alonso might have been the most realistic and successful winter add, and it would have forced a Duran trade, which could not have hurt, either. I can see why they felt Duran/Anthony/Yoshida/Romy had DH under control, so this is hindsight and assuming a Duran trade. Murakami or Okamoto look good in hindsight. Trading for LHB BLowe looks good in hindsight and to me in foresight, too, but the whole need a RHB prevented that- yet we got no second RHB, anyway, so there you go. I get the argument that maybe some of these struggling players might be doing better, had they played for BOS, and Fenway can help many batters, but it's hard to expect that, especially in light of how this team has played, and the co-called "toxic environment" Brez has created. And while we're at it, how then can we assume Harrison might be gunning for a Cy Young had he remained with BOS?

Yup. No matter what happens, fault is found. We were not getting Schwarber. We all know JH was not going to let Brez outbid DD, yet Brez gets the blame, anyway. Just like Soto is right. We just heard the same thing on Alonso- "our offer was lame" or "just for show." The whole Bregman "botch," when had we landed him, Brez would be torn apart for spending so much on a .690 batter.

Indeed, and if he does well, we may just get back into the race and be buyers.

Good job. Nothing jumps out as being unfair.

For years Devers looked like a happy guy who loved the game. He often wore a wide smile, but was kinda on the quiet side. I always felt that was more of a language issue than being an introvert, but it was hard to tell. I never got a hint of selfishness or insubordination, until the talk began about moving him off 3B. Nobody handled it well, including Devers.

Top Batter Signings & OPS: $240M/4 Tucker .733 in 358 PAs $175M/5 Bregman .685 in 403 $163M/5 Bellinger ,774 in 374 $155M/5 Alonso .810 in 393 $150M/5 Schwarber .936 in 384 $126M/3 Bichette .689 in 392 $93M/5 Naylor .669 in 363 $60M/4 Okamoto .766 in 355 $45M/3 Realmuto .617 in 295 $40M/2 Polanco .532 in 61 $34M/2 Murakami .938 in 246 $29M/2 O'Hearn .807 in 314 $23M/2 Yaz .664 in 243

Top FA Pitcher Signings & Results, so far... $210M/7 Cease 2.79 in 90 IP $130M/5 Suarez 3.15 in 91 IP $115M/3 Valdez 4.29 in 101 IP $75M/3 King 3.52 in 102 IP $40M/2 M Kelly 5.71 in 87 IP $30M/3 Ponce 2 IP $22M/1 Woodruff 2.98 in 45, Imanaga 4.28 in 103 & Gallen 6.36 in 92 $22M/2 Houser 5.33 in 74 & B Keller 4.15 in 30 $18.5M/1 Bassitt 5.27 in 56 $15M/2 Matz 6.28 in 53 $13M/1 Verlander 4IP & N Martinez 2.61 in 100 $12.5M/1 D May 4.80 in 84

Not much to cheer for this year, but since June 25th... 8-2 BOS 8-3 TBR 7-3 TEX, CHC, MIA, LAD (tied in the 10th, tonight) 6-3 MIN 6-4 Many teams

That WOO team is looking pretty good, as projected by soxprospects.com... SP: Eyanson, Holobetz, Wehunt, Paez, Anderson (but they have 9 SP'ers on the 26 man roster, so...) RP: Samaniego, Uberstine, Rivera, Gamboa, Olds, Rogers, Zeihl, Mullins C: Jo Garcia, Hudson White, Nate Baez (Gasper) 1B: Casas (Hickey/Gasper) 2B: Brendan Rodgers (Ferguson) 3B: Romero (McDonough) SS: Arias (Liendo) LF: Sogard CF: Ward RF: Campbell DH: Gasper (Hickey/Brannon)

Indeed, and for many years we've needed 1B depth. To me, he's better as DH depth. The guy could hit and has power. His arb will be a minimal cost.

These seem to me more annoying than $21M for a "healthy" Buehler. Giolito's $38.5M/2 was annoying too, but he was thought to be healthy, when we signed him, but these sucked: $10M/1 Richards '21 $10M/1 Paxton '22 $10M/1 Kluber '23 $10M/2 Hendriks '24 $18.5M/2 Sandoval '25-'26 Too many years in a row!

Jays lost. We are now within 1 game of passing or tying 3 teams. 4 GB the final WC slot. HOU lost, too, so we are 2.5 GB MIN and them.

He certainly could be a target, if he has 2-3 nice starts.

I think we know a little bit. Could we then also say no way we know what Harrison does in BOS? Bichette was never great with the bat. Breggie was in decline buf for a couple half seasons in the last 4 years.

If they sell, Gray is gone.

Missed starts by Sox starters in 2026: 11+ Crochet 1+ Early 17+ Houck 17+ Crawford 17 Sandoval 16+ Oviedo (Bello, Tolle and Bennett missed starts due to GM or manager choice or demotion.) We can argue about who the starting 5 would be, if everyone was 100% healthy, but I'd go with: 1 Crochet, 2 Suarez, 3 Gray, 4 Houck & 5 Crawfor

elbow inflammation is often a precursor for TJS, but it can also be several other things. I hope it's not TJS. If he does need it, it would help to do it ASAP.

I have been a strong voice in saying we botched the second big bat addition, last winter. Hell, I wanted two more, besides Contreras. I also valued I do think we'd be better with Schwarber or Alonso, instead of Suarez or Gray, but we would be feeling the effects of a lost SP'er. We're already on #10 and are going to give Sandoval a shot this week, even with Gray & Suarez. My point was that we would not likely be "much" better. I do think we'd be better. Unfortunately, the actual choice was between Bregman and Suarez, and we'd be worse with Bregman. After missing out on Schwarber and Alonso, Breggie and Bichette looked like the best FA options, and I think we maxed out on our major winter trades, although I was fine with trading Duran and or Mayer plus more for a big bat addition.

So, Sandoval finally joins the MLB staff and will take Early's start or two. What happens when Early returns? He is likely on an innings limit, so maybe we use him from the pen and keep Sandoval in the rotation, assuming he's doing okay. Other pending staff moves could occur when and if Crochet ever gets healthy. I'm highly skeptical on Oviedo, Houck & Crawford returning this year. Could Bello, Kelly, Samaniego, Rivera or Uberstine eventually boot Watson off the roster, or are they just injury depth? Guerrero seems like he's staying. Weissert & Slaten have struggled, but I doubt either gets demoted. MLB.com Injury Report: Suarez: Day to Day Early: Will get second opinion after MRI revealed inflammation. Crochet: last updated June 22. "Improving but not quite ready to throw yet." and "No earlier than August." Anthony: no new update. In FLA to "focus on rehab" Casas: "Shut down...due to wrist hiccup." Sogard is rehabbing, now, and may return in early July. Story: "Sometime after all star break" and "Not at full speed, yet." Mayer: "was shut down" and "after ASB." IKF: "after ASB" Oviedo: "started throwing program" and "no earlier than August." (last update June 14.) Crawford: "Throwing plyo balls in FLA." August or Sept return Houck: "started light mound work" and "aiming for late '26."

Thanks. Seems like our farm arms are high K guys.