moonslav59

That's because Florida is the model of how to handle COVID.

You left off Plawecki Wong Valdez Bazardo R Hernandez Ottavino- yes Rios Maybe Munoz

You may be overstating how good the 20-50 slots were on this team, last year. No doubt the 30-40 slots still need a big upgrade, but they are better than 2020's, nonetheless. I'm expecting a huge gain, this winter, thanks to rule 5 (not many Bloom prospects but some, like maybe Winckowski) and FA signings as well as additions by subtractions from several FAs (some of which were Blooms). To me, these are the worst players on our 40 man roster, right now- in rough order: Santana Robles Davis Perez Espinal Cordero Rios R Hernandez Potts Rosario Arauz That's about 11, and many will be gone, this winter. There's 19 guys on the two pitching lists alone that are as bad or worse than these guys. You really think the 20-40 slots have not improved significantly from 2020? That the outlook for further improvement, even with just moderate FA signings, this winter is also present?

You thought this team was just Rizzo and Kimbrel away from winning the division? If you think yes, then you must think Bloom did a better team building job than I do, before the deadline.

Most of the 2019-2020 winter signings were min wage and minor league deals. The biggest signings were: Under $20M 6 Perez 4.2 Pillar (traded) 3 Morelaand (traded) 2.9 Peraza 1.5 Lucroy 0.9 Plawecki 0.9 Osich (traded) Everyone else was under $700K

They spent $40M- almost all on 1 year deals ($33M). That's a lot, but we had like 20-25 areas of improvement needed on our 40 man roster, and you bash Bloom for not getting every move right.

Seriously? You can balme Bloom, if you want, that seems to be your thing, for how bad the 2020 team was, but come on. This team is light years better than 2020 and not just the 26 man roster. The rest of the 40man is way better and the players beyond the 40 man, as well. We've made a major step up. Why deny it? One last point to make: you think this year's pitching is bad, and no doubt, right now, it's not lookin great, take a look at the pitchers who made up 26% of our IP'd, last season: IP ranking 1. Perez 4.50 3. Weber 4.40 5. Mazza 4.80 These guys actually did pretty well for the money spent on them and what was expected from them, but now this: these guys pitched 46% of our 2021 IP'd: 6. Godley 8.16 7. Brewer 5.61 8. Brasier 3.96 10. Springs 7.08 11. Brice 5.95 13. Osich 5.74 (actually traded for something) 14. Covey 7.07 (on a pace for over 35+ IP!) 15. Kickham 7.71 (35+ IP pace, too) 16. Stock 4.73 (35 IP) 17. Walden 9.45 (35) 18. Hart 15.55 (25+) 20. Hembree 5.59 21. Hall 18.69 (20) 23. Triggs 4.50 26. Leyer 21.21 27. Tiapa 2.08 That's 239 IP from these scrubs, but you don't see improvement? Are you totally jaded by the "swings and misses" like Richards, Peres, Marwin and Andriese.

No winter spending budget.

I can only think something physical is bothering Valdez, and Rios, too.

Their innings in RF were likely on the road- in short RF stadiums.

True, but the Nats won under this system. I'm not liking our odds much at all, and that's one reason I did not think it was wise to go for broke at the deadline, but this team has a grit I compare to 2013's team. That's not to take anything away from 2013 or make anyone think I believe we will win it all, but I still see hope. A sliver, maybe.

We likely could have gotten better pitching, but at what cost, and we'd never be sure getting anyone better than Robles or Davis would have worked. The fact is, the team chose to not spend over the lux line and to try and keep every promising prospect they had- probably becuase they liked our chances next year and beyond over 2021. I can't say I fault that logic, but yes, it seems like, if they were willing to part with Ramirez for Schwarber, they could have done "just a little more." I have to say, though, in all honesty, I'm glad Bloom did not trade more prospects. It seems he knew we need more help than even Rizzo, Kimbrel and Berios would have given us combined. It sucks we started out so well, only to piss it all away, but I'm loving the team's long term outlook, and I still think we have another good run in us for 2021- maybe at just the right time.

Since 2002, only Millar has a worse UZR/150 in RF and over 500 innings than Renfroe. Kike's +11.7 ranks him 1st out of 8. Yes, ahead of Crisp and JBJ. Verdugo is 2nd out of 12 at 6.4 Our OF UZR/150 Leaders since 2002: 22.0 Reddick 14.6 Vic 14.5 Castillo 14.3 Betts 11.7 Nixon 11.7 Kike 9.1 Crisp 7.2 Jake 7.0 C Ross 6.9 Drew 6.8 JBJ 2.1 Nava 2.0 Verdugo 2.0 Gomes 0.8 Renfroe & Kapler 0.5 Beni The worst: -27.1 Millar -23.3 Cameron -21.7 HRam -20.3 Manny

I guess Renfroe's arm masks the rest of his D. Fenway always dings LF'er on UZR/150, and Verdugo's career UZR/150 in LF is a very nice +9.6. (21 DRS in just 933 innings in LF!) Kike is a +9.5 in CF and +11.9 in RF. Renfroe in RF does have a +13 DRS in almost 3200 innings, but I do see how an improvement in RF could be made. I do still think that OF is a solid plus, as is, as long as Kike plays FT CF and is not pulled to 2B more than a handful of games. On Duran, it does seem like defense was one major reason they held back calling him up, but he has room to grow and learn. Despite his speed, LF it is, until he proves otherwise. To me, our highest defensive needs are (in order) SS C 1B 3B (flip 1B and C, if you wish.)

Name names. Espinal? Okay, Robles should never pitch another pitch for the Sox, and he may not, but look at the choices: 7 Days ERA- OPS Against 9.00 Sawamura 1.071 9.00 Espinal .804 6.75 Barnes 1.433 6.75 Davis .717 6.75 Perez .853 Several players are worse than Robles over 14 days. Who do you think deserves to pitch more foetn? 10.13 Barnes 1.270 9.00 Espinal .804 7.71 Perez .926 6.43 Robles .854 4.91 Sawamura .851 4.91 Taylor .764 4.05 Davis .644 I see lots and lots of losing choices. Robles and Davis had the epic breakdowns that led to memorable losses, but bringing in any of these other guys offered no better guarantees. Again, we are facing lose-lose choices almost every pitching change we make.

Face it: every GM does. We don't go from 2020 to 2021 by swinging and missing, too often. He has a lot of misses, and will have more. I, for one, wanted Kluber over Richards. Sure, there are examples of pitchers who have done better while making about what Richards makes or less. Perez looks like a big swing and miss, but he was a major reason we got off to such a great start. He had a 3.09 ERA over the first third of the season and wasn't bad at the half way point. He looks like a total swing and miss, now, but some context is needed. Marwin and Andreise made $3M or less, so it's hard to expect greatness from them. He connected on... Whitlock Kike Renfroe Schwarber Sticking with Dalbec Mehs were... Ottavino The Beni trade Sawamura Earlier connects... Pivetta Arroyo (waivers) Plawecki Seabold Yorke Jordan Mayer I wont get into Verdugo, Wong and Downs

It's 3D chess to checkers.

Call it whatever you want. I call it jumping ship. It is no slight on the team to lose to a team like the Rays. They are no fluke. The Yanks were always better than us on paper, and instead of celebrating staying so close for so long, we have turned to anger and bashing our own team. Had we simply flipped April and May for July and August, the tone would be way different, but it would still be the same team. We are not as good as the Rays. Being up on them early should be viewed as a credit, not a sign that we are chokers. The Yanks had their "dog days" early in the season, and that also led to our expectations for 2021 rising to unsustainable levels. Am I disappointed, frustrated and more? Hell, yes, but this team deserves a lot of credit, IMO. I jumped ship on 2019, because that team lost it's heart and soul. I guess, I can understand people thinking this year's version has, too, but I don't see it that way. I see a team playing way over their heads for over half a season- pulling games out of their asses left and right- by sheer grit. I see them still fighting tooth and nail, now, but coming up short more often than not, especially in crucial situations. Call it regressing to the norm or whatever, but I still think this team has spunk and grit. Moments like the Arauz and JD homers were not all that long ago. I may end up being very wrong about believing this team has another good run in them, and I'll be the first to admit it, but I still think we make the playoffs easily and will give the Yanks a big fight in the WC game. From there, unless we play the Rays, next, I will be confident. Although I'm not a believer in the playoff crapshoot philosophy, exceptions do happen, and we have a ring as a WC team to prove it can happen.

If we don't extend Bogey, he is opting out. Only a career threatening injury will prevent it. We may still re-sign him as a FA, but he's either extending or opting out. We can keep him, trade him or get a comp pick watching him sign elsewhere. Losing his bat would be a huge jolt to our team. Losing his range at a key position could turn into a significant plus, depending on who replaces him. I'm on the fence. I'd like to move him to 3B or even 2B or 1B, but he'd bolt in a flash. The money is at SS, and he knows it. I think I now know where I will be at, this winter, on Bogey. I'm not there, yet. I'm also on the fence about Devers staying at 3B. He sucked in April and seems to be again in August. Unlike Bogey, I want Devers to be extended long term- almost no matter what the cost. I also think he's an easy going enough guy to handle a switch to 1B, if that's what is best for the club. Our OF looks set on D for 2021: LF- Verdugo CF- Kike RF- Renfroe OF- Duran Arroyo is more than fine at 2B, if he can stay healthy. We get killed at SS, 3B, 1B and C. If we don't address this over the winter, no amount of added pitching or Schwarber staying is going to win us a ring.

Maybe dog days don't affect defense as much as batting and pitching.

Well, the Yanks have lost 3 straight. Am I the only guy left with hope? (I'm not bragging about being the best fan. I was the first to jump ship in 2019, but still...)

They can see something in other team's pitchers they know they can fix. Often it's just having them throw more of a certain pitch. They know just when a pitcher is about to lose it, and they trade him away. It makes me think, can't Snell just remember what they told him to do while in Tampa? He sucks, now. They aren't the master of the draft, like some think. They are good at it, but not great. Some of their best draft picks were late rounders. They seem to be very good at evaluating other teams' farm systems and when they make the big trades, which they do often, they often find gems. It's not just pitching, either. Look at their 1B position over the years. They have picked up journeymen after journeymen who go on to have career years with them, then leave and suck, again. It's hard to pinpoint how they do it, and many of the players they acquire would be ridiculed, if the Sox signed them, because their OPS is .710. This board, myself included, would be going nutty over all the "black holes" they have in their line-up, yet they win and win. They make the plays. Not just the routine ones, either, which we can't even do that. Poor D kills a pitcher's heart. They try not to show it, but you know it does. Anybody who has played the game at any sort of serious level knows it's true. Poor D kills a team's spirit more than anything else, except maybe a gaming losing HR. There is no solution to fixing the 2021 team's D. When Kike and Arroyo return, it improves a good bit, but it still sucks. We can kid ourselves that we have all these .850-.900 hitters and should be winning more, but we all know how that philosophy worked for the decades before 2004. Pitching and defense. We don't need to be the best at either or both, but being the worst at D is killing us, and it ain't helping the pen's woes, either.

Cora can't pitch Whitlock 4 innings everyday. At some point, he has to put the other RP'ers out there, and not just one or two of the others, either. He has to use just about all of them, and it seems like every pen inning pitched has been high leverage over the last month. Cora needs 20 pen IP every 5 games. He's lucky, if he can get... 4 from Whitlock 3 from Ottavino (no cake walk- note the irony of the word "walk") 3 from Barnes (a hot mess, right now) That leaves 10 IP or about 2 IP per game from the scrubs. No matter who he picks it's gasoline on the fire. He has to use the worst of the scrubs at some point, and when they fail, he's balmed for using the worst scrub instead of the second worst scrub. With a 3 or 4 run lead, he tries to "save" Whitlock and Ottavino for the 1-2 run situations. Is this wrong? Then, he ends up needing them because the scrub fails, and he's blamed again and again. Our pen is sucking and the defense is giving the opps 4 outs in many late innings. Cora has only lose-lose choices. Blame Bloom, if you want to blame anyone, but nobody can "manage" this pen to do well. It has sucked for weeks- as has the D. Blame Barnes for having the very worst stretch of his whole career, now. (Amazingly, right after his best stretch.) Blame Ottavino for walking the first batter every outing. Blame Whitlock for not being able to pitch 2-3 innings every day. Blame the commish for banning sticky stuff. Go ahead and blame Cora, too. It's everyone's fault the team has achieved way more than 99.9% of Sox fans expected. They chose the wrong time to suck. Had they sucked liek this in April and May, then did well, nobody would be blinking an eye.

It's more than that. Pitchers they trade away turn to pumpkins.

Not at all. Bloom missed. I'm not saying he should get no blame. I'm just trying to say that even some of the best RP'ers out there on the market would have cost much more and have not come through. Of course the chances Kimbrel does better than Robles are great, and he still may be a big help going forward. I'm not happy Bloom failed to get us a decent RP'er. Personally, I had hoped he'd get us a starter, so Houck could be used in the pen, but without knowing what teams wanted in return, I'm not going to bash Bloom. Overall, he's done a fantastic job getting this team competitive way faster and better than I expected. I didn't expect every single choice and move to work like a charm, and many have not. Many more have, so that's why I cut him some slack. Expecting perfection from anyone is expecting disappointment. I'm thrilled with the direction Bloom has set us on. That's good enough for me.