moonslav59

Agreed. So, basically, he only reached the .492 OPS against with just fastballs, last season? (I'm not doubting that is possible, but that must be some fastball!)

I saw that but think it kind of contradicts what it says earlier about his slit finger fastball and slider, although it does say his slider only has the "potential" of being "average." (Average is not bad, though.)

Why is Chafin being black-balled?

Only if 700 is the countess.

He's going to be traded- no doubt.

Socxprospects.com says... Fastball: 95-97 mph. Tops out at 99 mph. Control has improved and now grades as average. Command is a work in progress, but is creeping towards fringe-average. Velocity has increased in pro ball. Sat in the low-to-mid-90s as a starter, but velocity jumped considerably after moving to the bullpen. Potential plus offering if command continues to improve like it did in 2022, but for now plays below that. Split-Finger Fastball: 84-86 mph. Shows solid feel for the offering and the confidence to throw it both in and out of the zone. Especially effective against left-handed hitters. Has improved since he got into pro ball and provides a nice complement to his fastball. Still needs improved consistency. Potential average offering. Slider: 83-86 mph. Will vary shape and add or subtract velocity from the pitch. Some have a more vertical shape, while others are more horizontal. Primary out-pitch against right-handed hitters, but has also shown the ability to bury it down-and-in to left-handed hitters. Will flash similar potential to his splitter, but does not have the same consistency. Potential average offering. It also says this in the summary... Lacks a plus secondary pitch right now. Has shown bat-missing ability with both splitter and slider against minor league competition, but there are questions about how they will translate against MLB competition due to a lack of consistency and command. If one of his secondaries takes a step forward along with his command, has a better chance to carve out a full-time role in a major league bullpen.

He does have some promising secondary pitches, but nothing that seems ML level, yet. Ort does have a slider, but I'm not sure it will be a secondary pitch that can get ML'er out, either.

Here is one of the best songs about a dog I have ever heard... "Old Blue" by Cisco Houston:

Kaleb was white with yellow tinges like a yellow lab and had the body type of a German Shepherd. I know everyone thinks their own dog was/is the best ever, and I've had many dogs own me, but this guy was simply amazing. My vet was shocked he lived so long. His last year was rough, but he was a trooper through it all.

I've questioned their positional priorities, this winter. Going into this winter, I felt our urgent needs were: SP1/2 type SS RF Closer Somewhat urgent: RP (solid set up) DH SP 3/4 type Lower priorities: OF & middle IF depth RP 4/5 type Our highest contracts went to: LF $90M/5 + posting Fee for Yoshida Closer $32M/2 Jansen DH/1B/3B $21.7M/2 Turner (option included) will play mostly DH SP 3/4 type Kluber (option included) RP 2/3 $17.5M/2 Martin LF/1B $7M/1 Duvall (will play CF) RP6/7 $5.75M/2 J Rodriguez (option included) Almost $120M went to players that are primarily DHs who can play LF (Yoshida/Duvall), 1B (Turner/Duval) and maybe 3B (Turner). So little on SP and not on a 1/2 type Just about nothing on SS or middle IF, except the Mondesi trade. Nothing on RF Basically, they filled 1 of my top 4 suggested priority additions- maybe **** Kluber as .5 of a 1/2 type SP'er. If you count my next category, making it my top 7 high need areas, we filled 4 out of 7 (No SP1/2, SS or RF)

$2M seemed like a perfect Bloom-type signing- not really up DD's alley.

Kaleb was the name of the best dog to ever roam this earth. He was a yellow lab-shepherd mix and lived to be 20 years old. R.I.P. my old friend.

You know how many jabronis throw fire and suck? How many jabroni's have a .492 OPS Against in 50 IP and get DFA'd? Baby, I'm amazed.

..and yet you persist.

True nuff, but when you pay $5M on Barnes and take back a $3.5M guy, it amounts to about the same thing, right?

I was pretty certain Barnes was going to be traded, and I'm more certain German will be. I think we'll get a decent A or AA prospect for him. I share in the wonderment over Ort. I'm about to give up on my DFA list, when we keep DFA'ing guys not even on my top 5 list or dishonorable mentions, either.

He did seem pretty promising. We may end up trading him for a promising prospect farther away. Let's see.

If I knew what this meant, I might reply.

Reports are now saying BOS is paying $5M or $5.5M to MIA in the Barnes for Bleier trade- seems more like it.

I think this one will be traded for a decent prospect, but not a 40 man roster prospect.

Plus, we lose a big chance at saying "Nah, nah, I told you so" to Yankee fans, if German ends up doing very well.

Guessing the next Sox DFA has been an interesting winter challenge. If we trade German for another 40 man player, who is next? Maybe we just keep rolling the snowball until opening day.

I'm pretty sure this is a prelude to a trade, but still, I agree. This kid has promise, and to me, much more than Ort.

Franklin German was just DFA'd to make room for Bleier. German had a crazy-ass OPSA, last season of .492 in 50 IP- best in the whole system. I have to think he'll end up being traded, probably for a not 40 man roster player, within a week. Maybe the Marlins take him, too.

I'm always for adding to the rotation and not to the 5 slot. either. I had hoped we'd add a better SP'er than Kluber or maybe two guys like Kluber, but I can see how they view moving Whitlock to the pen and upping Bello's ML starts can be considered as close to adding two FT SP'ers to the mix from 2022 to 2023. I like our depth, and the fact that we need just one from Sale and Paxton to reach 5 SP'er: Sale/Paxton Kluber Whitlock Bello Pivetta It kinda sucks that our most reliable SP'er and odds on IP leader will be our #5 (Pivetta,) but that just is what it is. Back to the depth: Crawford showed some signs of being a capable starter or spot starter. Winckowski showed some very brief moments of promise, but I do think he deserves another legit chance to prove he can stick. Mata is a wild card, but this kid can throw! There is an outside chance he outshines Bello. Walter and Murphy may be best suited for the pen, but one could surprise, if given a chance to start. Having 11 SP'ers with some sort of promise is not a bad thing, but I'd still prefer more quality over quantity. We might find a solid 5, but if we have to go through 6 failed pitchers, we may be out of it, before finding the golden 5.