moonslav59

It's a blown save, yes, but let's not forget that our starter went 2.1 IP allowing 3 ERs, and our pen went 7.2 IP allowing 4 runs. We had to go to Brewer in the 3rd inning. After Brewer, our RP'ers went 5 IP allowing 1 run, but that one run was the blown save. I just don't see that as the focal point of the game, but it always seems to feel like it, right?

It's been that kind of season.

We can look back and wish we signed Ottavino or Britton instead of Eovaldi. Maybe we could have afforded a cheaper RP'er had we not signed Pearce. There were a lot of names discussed on this thread. I was very high on Ottavino as one of the cheaper top tier options, but I was also high on Cody Allen as a low cost option. We could have signed several RP'ers that have turned out to be complete busts or have been on the IL. Here's a look at the RP'ers who signed for the most money last winter: Contract Pitcher ERA/ IP/WHIP $13M x 3 Britton 2.50/ 36/ 1.28 $10M x 3 Familia 7.53/29/ 1.78 $9M x 3 Ottavino 1.91/38/ 1.33 $8.3 x 3 Joe Kelly 5.76/30/ 1.65 $12.5 x 2 A Miller 3.95/27/ 1.28 $11.5 x 2 Robertson (IL) 5.40/7/ 2.10 $9M x 2 Herrera 7.89/29/ 1.75 $7.5 x 2 J Soria 4.76/40/ 1.08 (the only decent WHIP) $5M x 2 J Wilson 4.50/10/ 1.30 $8.5M x 1 Cody Allen 6.25/23/ 1.91 There's only 2 good choices on this list, in hindsight. Had we not signed Pearce ($6.25M) we'd have had just enough budget space for about $9-10M, so we could have signed Eovaldi + anyone, except Britton. Some would have left us with nothing left for summer acquisitions that added salary.

Moreland, Pearce & Nunez get us nothing in trade. We'd be lucky to trade any for a bag of balls, even if we pay 80% of their remaining contracts. ERod just turned 26 and is entering peak prime. He's the last starter I'd trade. He's cheap, and we have budget issue, especially with paying our other starting pitchers half the budget.

Fat legs may be more like it.

I'm not so sure we need to boost 1B or 2B more than our pen or rotation. Last 28 days: Holt: .821 (with some clutch hits) Chavis: .812 (with 2 big HRs vs NY that were wasted) Marco: .792 Last 14 days: Chavis .842 Marco .849 Holt .668 Nunez .605

...and Tony Armas Jr.

...over a 2 game slump?

vs a RHP makes me think he's hurt.

Me, too, but I'd still like to see better D for the SS position. His offense more than makes up for his defense, which isn't really all that bad, unless you are a DRS fan.

He could be added to the second list, but he could also be part of a quick turn-around rebuild.

I knew I was forgetting someone! In the early to mid 80's we saw... Clemens Hurst Tudor Ojeda Boyd Nipper Now, we can't even develop an Al Nipper!

Yesd, but you said "always been..." and you referenced the old slugging days, so I thought you meant way back.

That scared the hell out of me last October.

There wasx a time we did fine drafting and developing pitchers: Clemens, Hurst, Ojeda among others.

Well, Sale had his best stretch of his career with the Sox. Porcello had his best season, by far, with the Sox. Price has had to reinvent himself as a pitcher not a thrower, snd he did it well...with the Sox. I totally agree with the farm aspect of our pitcher development. I've never understood why we haven't gone out and gotten the best in the game to run that area of our farm system.

...as he should every game he is able to do it.

Putting all the parts together at the same time, or at least "just enough" of each, is the hardest part of this great game called baseball.

While the pen has deservedly gotten a lot of criticism, these numbers are frightening, to me: Sale: 7.02 ERA last 3 starts/ 3.86 last 9 starts (decent but still sub Sale of yesteryears) Porcello: 15.63 last 2 starts/ 6.03 last 7/ 5.05 last 10 ERod: 5.30 last 3/ 5.00 last 9 Price: 5.40 last 4/ 3.17 last 10 is the only good one of the 4.

Excellent post. Makin' it real. I appreciate it.

JBJ has been my favorite Sox player since his start, but I'd trade him, if we got a better player.

I'm willing to trade anyone, if the return is greater. I'd pull for the guy we get in return just as much. Once Sox players are on other teams, for the most part, I lose all the love. I don't get the pining away for ex-Sox players some seem to have.

I pull for Beni and every Sox player, but I have my faves and less faves.

That's temporary. Beni's has been a lifelong disease.

The disparity between Leon and Vaz is actually greater with Price than Porcello, but for some reason, Vaz has become Price's only catcher. It's working, this year, so I'm not complaining. Career CERA: Sale 2.53 Leon 4.61 Vaz (Vaz would have to go 3 for 4 every game to make up for 2+ runs) Price 2.75 Leon (0.00 in 2019 but only 6 IP) 4.16 Vaz (3.59 in 2019- 73 IP) 5.73 Swihart Porcello 4.06 Leon 4.70 Vaz 4.93 Swihart ERod 4.15 Leon 4.28 Vaz 4.44 Swihart Some differentials are wider than others, but all show Leon gets better results than Vaz. An ERA differential of 1-2 runs would take an enormous offensive differential to outweigh that many runs per game. Vaz is doing great on offense, but I doubt a .250-.300 OPS differential equates to 1-2 runs per game.