moonslav59

Not fully. It's a good idea to sign some decent FAs to one year deals, in hopes you can add top prospects at the deadline by trading them. We did half that plan, at times, so your half-ass comment was spot on..

...and then not _____ players at the _____ puts the team in the same boat, the following year(s.) Sox brass should have just called it a rebuild and done that for 2-3 years, instead of prolonging the agony for 5 years or more.

I'm thinking, at least one from Casas, Duran or Yoshida might have to be traded to improve the D by enough to make a difference. Alternating Casas and Yoshida at DH would help some, but is that enough?

We need to improve the D. We are NOT trading Devers, so the next two targets are Casas and Yoshida (or maybe Duran.) It's just speculation, but running out that same formation, next year is begging for trouble, again. Any other suggestions?

It's only the beer.

I may be totally wrong, but you seem giddy over this.

I used to not think it mattered, as long as the guy produces when he does make contact, but all these K's are disheartening.

Not Nate, but I coulda sworn I saw he hit the IL. What a difference he'd have made over Kluber (or Nate.) It used to encourage me to know, at least Bloom was on to the right ideas, but coming up short, so often actually makes me feel worse, now.

I'm not expecting much, unless we pay a chunk of his deal, but I do think other GMs would offer something we need. His LF D is not what is killing us, but I don't want Duran in CF or RF, so maybe we trade Duran, instead? He does have more trade value. Yoshida in LF v RHP/Ref v L Yoshida at DH v some L Casas at 1B v some L Casas at DH v R (Send Casas to 1B D school over the winter.) Devers at 1B v R and some L Devers at DH v some L Get a 3Bman that can play D. Roll the dice at SS/2B with Story, Urias and Reyes I guess keep Dugo in RF and go with Rafaela in CF with an additional OF'er added that can play plus CF.

All the errors and the metrics show our defense is purid. Many of the stats and even metrics don't capture all the plays and nonplays that were not called errors. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say there have been dozens and dozens. It hurts like hell, because as much as I love the game of baseball, the only thing I was good at was D and baserunning. Softball- I could hit like hell, but baseball? I sucked. Some things I just don't get. Our 1B defense has been some sort of weird hallucination or something, because these guys come up from the farm and look 10 times worse than they did in AAA. Devers keeps teasing us with signs of improvement, only to go into long funks that seem to bite us in the ass at just the wrong moments. Our SS D, over the first 2 months was atrocious and at a position of such importance, it's mind-boggling how it went on for so long. 2B has been okay, and looks better, now. Story at SS is fine. Our OF D did better than I expected, but still has some major issues. Catcher looks more than fine, but the totality of sucktitude in overwhelming. Please don't go and get the next JBJ. Just add some all around players who know the game like even some Little Leaguers know better than our mish-mash. We need to move Devers to 1B and trade Yoshida or Casas. I can't see a DH/1B/LF rotation working. They all bat lefty, and none should be platooned, anyway. Duran in LF is serviceable, so maybe Yoshida can be dealt. Although Casas could headline a trade for a top pitcher, his upside at the plate is too high to pull that trigger... (maybe?) Dugo is okay in RF, but he's trouble, so I'm not sure what to do there. Keep Story, Urias and Reyes; Wong and McGuire and look for ways to fix this s***!

Paxton did not pitch well, but no pitcher can do very well, when they need to get 4-6 outs per inning, because his defense sucks. On the defense, I thought it was going to get better with the return of Story, Reyes and Urais doing fine at 2B and Duvall in CF over Duran, but somehow, we still suck so badly, it's beyond words other than SUCK! No timely hits since the first inning. Maybe Turner gets a chance in the 9th, but this familiar pattern is getting tiresome.

Time for that 3 run jack I spoke of earlier.

This is why even simple stats like BA are not even accurate. The run is charged vs Paxton, who somehow managed to get 6 outs that inning.

3 is not going to be enough.

Red might take your bet.

Someone needs to go back and count all the "non-error" hits this team has handed the opps. I'm pretty sure, it's over 1 every 2 games at least.

Paxton needs to get 6 outs, this inning. Hopefully, not more.

He's saving his dinger for when 3 men are on base.

We have a lot of players we can say that about- all with somewhat recent white hot streaks- some rather long.

As the other Duvall said, "I love the smell of juice boxes in the morning."

I'm asking for your eye test guesstemate. About when did the decline begin?

Pedal to the metal!

There is the Duvall we should all come to respect.

Let's break the remaining 12 series into groups of 4: Next 3: BOS: 4@HOU, 3vLAD, 3vHOU -Our big test TOR: 3@BAL, 3vCLE, 3vWSH -Good chance to gain, here SEA: 3@CWS, 3vKCR, 3vOAK -About as easy as can be HOU: 4vBOS, 3@DET, 3@BOS -DET is no push-over. 2nd 3: BOS: 3@KCR, 3@TBR, 3vBAL - another test TOR: 3@COL, 3@OAK, 3vKCR -a second easy group SEA: 3@NYM, 3@CIN, 4@TBR -not easy HOU: 3vNYY, 3@TEX, 3vSDP -not all that hard 3rd 3: BOS: 3vNYY, 3@TOR, 3@TEX -another tough group TOR: 4vTEX, 3vBOS, 3@NYY -finally, a test SEA: 3vLAA, 3vLAD, 3@OAK -pretty easy HOU: 3vOAK, 3@KCR, 3vBAL -easy Last 3: BOS: 3vCWS, 2vTBR, 4@BAL -gotta sweep CWS TOR: 3@TBR, 3vNYY, 3vTBR- We may need help, here. SEA: 3@TEX, 3vHOU, 4vTEX Their hardest group. HOU: 3vKCR, 3@SEA, 3@ARI -May need help

No doubt. Even Richards gave us more, and did some good from the pen, after his demotion. Perez had a few nice stretches and was much cheaper. Had Bloom got us the numbers Wacha and Hill gave us, last year, we'd be in a playoff seat, right now. Had he signed Eflin, maybe his production before the injury might have been enough to set us up for a playoff slot and did way more than Kluber did. Like I said before, when you sign $10M/1 pitchers, you are rolling the dice and betting on snake eyes. Bloom rolled the dice and lost.