moonslav59

71 strikes in 95 pitches for Rich Hill! 11 Ks out of 21 outs! (Only 3 hits and 1 BB) His ERA is down to 4.32. Nice Game!

I think everybody agrees to not jerking him around, but using him as a traditional one inning closer would be "an experiment," too, right? It's the one thing he has never done for an extended time.

I'm not sure $27M/3 gets it done. I might go $33-35M/3, maybe $40M/4. (First impressions. I might change my mind.)

Makes me wonder where we'd be, now had Kike stayed healthy and came on strong in the second half, like last year. Improved D. Maybe more playing time for Refsnyder and not JBJ?

It's improving and has been better in recent years.

Who is your second guy over Wink? Ort, Seabold, Valdez, Downs, German or Casas? I'd take Wong and Casas, if Hosmer is done. German and Casas might really be my top choice, but I doubt they bring up German until 2023.

I think both Dugo and Pham are decent to plus defensive LF'ers, but neither should play CF or RF. I don't think either hit well enough to be a plus DH, either.

...and Pham has an option year for 2023, so again, we seem to have too many LF'ers and not enough quality OF'ers who can play solid D in CF and RF for 2023. I'm not sure I view putting Dugo at DH as a good idea. I'd rather trade a LF'er than do that.

It might depend on the health of Hosmer, Nate and Houck. If Hosmer looks far away, maybe we call up Casas, but the way Cordero & Dalbec seem to be showing signs of life, maybe not. I'd like to see Wong called up, but if he doesn't play, why? (We could make room for another player by DFA'ing Plawecki. I doubt he re-signed for 2023, anyway, but he might be a good guy to keep around to help McGuire get acclimated to "the Sox way.") I'd also like to see German called up, but it will probably be Wink, Ort or Nate, Danish or Houck activated. We could see E Valdez, but where would he play, now that Story is back and Arroyo is on fire? DH? (We aren't benching JD.) Also, Valdez has been in a mini slump. If I had to guess two, assuming nobody comes off the IL, soon, it would be Wong and Wink.

Literally writing the book on the Ray's system of doing things does not mean Bloom will end up being a success as the Sox GM, but my guess is he knows the ins and outs of a winning system. I don't think it's going out on a limb to think knowledge is usually a good thing. Click and Friedman have been unqualified successes with their new teams, but they have had time and mostly less restricted budgets over their time as GMs. It takes time to build a farm and then more time before the success is realized. I'm not saying Bloom has succeeded in building up the farm to some great level, because we won't know for a few more years, but on paper, he seems to have done a fine job in that area. So far, he has done very well with under-the-radar additions, like Whitlock, Schreiber, Refsnyder, Arroyo, Wacha and others. The area Bloom has seemed to be lacking is with some of his trades and FA signings. It's easy to explain away the results based on having very limited winter spending budgets and too many slots to fill, but the Story signing, in March, broke open the bank. To me, the judgment day began when he signed Story and the rest of his legacy will largely depend on what moves he makes, this winter. He has some big shoes to fill, but he laos has enough dead money coming off the books to create an expectation of him having enough to build a better team than we have had the last 2-4 years. He may very well prove to be "over his head" or "clueless" or whatever people want to call it. Those terms all seems pretty similar, to me. I'm optimistic he will be up to the task. I don't see the Story signing as completed, yet, and I'm encouraged by the signings like Wacha, Strahm and last year's Kike & Renfroe, but he has to have more signings like those and less like Richards and Diekman. We'll see if he's done with making the farm the highest priority, and most of his trades have involved adding prospects, so it's hard to judge them on face value, since the value is largely speculative and potential. We can say with near certainty the JBJ trade was a bust, but was that outweighed by the Pivetta deal? If German amounts to anything, we may view the Ottavino deal as brilliant. If Wink or some far away prospect makes good, maybe we view the B eni trade much differently. Maybe a prospects acquired at this deadline ends up shining. It may end up being under the next GM, but the fact is, the jury is still out and maybe way out on final judgments on most of his trades. Maybe, we'll look back and shake our heads in disgust, but I'm still optimistic we are on the right path.

I don't think anyone considers the JD signing a bad thing. I doubt anyone even thinks it was just okay or decent. His 2018 season was worth way more than he was paid, and he was one of the few who did his part in the 2019 debacle of a season. His 2021 season was a plus, too. H signed with the Sox coming off a 4 year run at .936, and his approach and work habits were something helpful as an example to other players, especially the younger ones. His .984 OPS from 2016-2017 got him the contract he deserved and ended up earning. The .680 OPS in 2020 should not really be held against him, as the whole cluster you-know-what season should be wiped from our memories- for our own good. He started this season off very well, despite the lower HR totals, He was still over a 1.000 OPS on May 30th! (His 40th game of the season seems like so very long ago.) Since May 30th, his OPS has been .628 with only 4 HRs and 19 2Bs in 292 PAs. It's at .544 his last 189 PAs with just 1 HR and 12 2Bs. .587 in his last 11 games (47 PAs) with 0 HRs and 2 2Bs. He still has time to turn it around, but he really seems to have slowed down. Perhaps he should bat 6th or 7th, for a while, anyway, but it's not like anyone else is earning the 3-4-5 slot.

Many prospects came from high school or college as the b est player on the team, and SS is often where the best plays. It is often not where they end up in the bigs. I don't think we should make any trades, right now, based on there being a log jam at SS/2B. We have a gaping hole there coming this winter, and when and if a log jam occurs, we can deal with it then. (Moving Betts to RF worked out well. Duran to CF, not so much.) That being said, here is what you are talking about: ML/ML Ready: Story, Arroyo, Downs AAA, Sanchez AAA AA/AAA in 2023: Rafaela (CF?), EValdez, Lugo, Koss, Yorke, Hamilton, McDonough (LF?), Ferguson, Cannon A/A+ (maybe AA at some point for some): Mayer, Bonaci, Paulino (3B?), Romero, Salazar FCL: Liendo & de Leon

Few things have gone well for the Sox, this year, but here are a few: 1. We got to see some of our ML ready prospects with mixed results and some unflattering results, as well, but knowing a little more about them may help us better plan for the future. 2. Waiver Wire and minor league FA pick-ups, Schreiber, Refsnyder, Arroyo and to some extent Danish have shown that Bloom is capable of finding a few "gems in the rough" among the few that have not done so well- in terms of low cost/limited budget acquisitions. 3. Devers has stepped up a notch from an already lofty position. His defense has improved and has been more consistent than ever. We've even seen some very nice, athletic plays from him. 4. Some of the new guys- namely Pham and McGuire- look like they may stick around. 5. Wacha is having a very good season. 6. Houck and Whitlock seemed to find their roles on the team. Let's hope Houck returns, soon. 7. The farm has seen some highly regarded prospects struggle, but for the most part, it's been an encouraging season with a lot of solid players stepping up their game and their stock value. 8. The budget seems poised for a significant infusion of new talent, and there are a lot of slots to fill and a few big shoes to fill. I'm hopeful, we choose wisely, this winter.

Well said.

Yes, it's called "The Harmony Blog." Thanks for being one of the few posters here, myself included, that doesn't get bitter or snappy.

Didn't that one game series count? I know- I know- a series means 2 or more...

Of course! I'm fine with making big trades with the farm- like the Sale trade. We just need balance, IMO.

Unfortunately, it's the way of the world, these days. Fracture. Divide. Personal attacks. Repeating lies upon lies, and then saying, "I didn't say it: I was just saying what others are saying." (Sounds like a certain person previously holding a very high position in our great country.)) The worse part is, they make obvert or veiled attacks, then run and hide behind statements like "why cant they just agree to disagree' or they "can't accept any differing opinions," when it's obvious it is they who can't let go of opinions held by others they disagree with. It sucks the board has fallen to such low depths, and I'm not saying I have not been a part of this downward spiral. I have certainly not helped. I went years never putting anyone on ignore- not even the infamous softlaw from the distant past, but I have recently, in an attempt to lessen the vitriol. I admit, I have snuck in some attacks after reading responses to those I have on ignore, and that has not helped- reverse the trend on this board, but I'm going to try and recommit myself to staying optimistic and reducing the amount of comments of certain posters proclivities. I'm not saying I can do it, but I'll try- starting now.

I'm not expecting a comeback. I started the 2023 thread on July 22nd and caught some grief for doing so. All I want to see is fun and exciting baseball, these last 5 weeks. Getting to watch some kids show their stuff might be enough, by itself, assuming some do well, but last night was a fun game to watch. The two before that were, too, but we lost, so that took some of the joy away, but baseball is a great game. I hate the way losing has brought the worst out of many of us, including myself, but I'm optimistic about 2023 and beyond, and I've not totally given up on 2023, although the mountain is steep and high. The fact that we play TOR & TBR so many games keeps the hope alive, but we need to run off on a 10-2 streak or something to have a realistic shot at anything magical, this season. Maybe last night was game 1 of such a run. Let the fun begin! (Again)

Well, at least he has exposed himself for what he is, after trying so hard to - obfuscate and deflect. It seems fitting seeing him try to form a "symbiotic relationship" with Old Red. Let's see if Old Red holds him accountable for name-calling, personal attacks and his favorite "acting like he knows more than everyone else"... NOT! lmao!

Indeed. I think he was at a negative WAR at some points of the season. Being a major part of the Betts deal has put an pretty big strain on fan expectations for him. bWAR (Total: 4.8) 2.1 in 60 game 2020 season 2.2 in 2021 0.5 so far, in 2022 fWAR (Total 5.1) 1.8 2.0 1.3 I know it's not fair comparing him to Betts, and I'm not trying to say a 1 War for 8 seasons equals one 8 WAR season from guy like Betts, but one should factor in 5 years of team control vs one as having some added value, especially if the 5 year guy is putting up seasons over 1 WAR. FYI Betts 3.6 bWAR & 2.9 fWAR in 2020

Even if he just got back to pre start of 2021 form, he'd be a big plus in 2023 and beyond. Somewhere in between 2018-2020 Barnes and first half 2021 Barnes, and we'd have ourselves a closer or top set-up man. The whole DFA Barnes thing got out of hand, and not just because of his contract.

I don't think any Sox players have "quit," but it seems some do feel that way. I think Bogey deserves and will get more than Story got, even though their numbers are very similar. Story got $140M/6. I'd offer Bogey $150M/6, maybe with a $20M option year 7 with a $6M buyout- making it essentially a $156M/6 year deal ($26M x 6.) I suspect he will get more, elsewhere, but maybe this down season will keep the offers lower than I expect. I also don't see him as being a SS for the full 6 years, so that might lower the price tag, if the GM making the offer feels the same. He's been one hell of a player, and I'll miss him, but if it comes down to keeping him vs Devers, I'm on the Devers wagon.

I think he'd be a fine starter, and that has enormous value to a team, but it is harder to find a multi-inning, high leverage guru like Whitlock. I'd keep him where he has shown he is most successful, which is not as a one inning closer or a SP'er. Most of all, DON"T JERK HIM AROUND, next season! PLEASE!!!!!

Maybe I was caught up in the moment, but I really do think the 2021 season by Kike was the best defense I have ever seen. He seemed to have the instincts and jumps that JBJ had but with more speed. The UZR/150 and DRS do not show it was the best season, but it was very near the top, so I don't think my "eye test" or opinion was NOT even a minor distortion. JBJ was great. He was my favorite players for a long time. His defensive career was clearly number one, in my book, and I guess, if I could do it over again, I probably should have said "one of the best seasons," but I guess stat nerds are not allowed to give any opinions based on eye tests.