moonslav59

This week saw the Sox play Campbell and Tibbs at 1B. Word is the added a cutter to Harrison's pitch mix and are having him focus on his sinker more. Yoshida begins his Woo rehab, tonight. Does anybody know why it took so long? Sox announced Judice will miss the whole season. Moran was activated from the 60 Day IL for Woo. GRE added two demoted players: Jacob Webb from Woo and Juan Montero from POR. 3 players promoted from SAL to GRE: Sprague, Medina and K diaz.. Labriola promoted from FCL to SAL. SP's players of the week: Early- 6 no hit innings Hector Ramos (DSL): BA: .556 / 1.636 OPS in 5 games (just 1 K)

I know adding one more piece to my offer may still get a big NO from PIT, but I'd do it. It's hard to know who PIT likes over others. They might love a prospect like Bleis or Cespedes, or prefer Perales or Clarke to Tolle. I'd do any of those swap outs. By addition, I could see us adding Mullins or Romy. What about Abreu, Campbell, Garcia, Perales?

Another example on why assigned pitcher wins and losses is not a good way of assigning pitcher value and skill. IP ER Team Result 2024 5.1 0 Loss 7-2 5.0 0 Loss 5-4 5.0 0 Loss 4-2 5.0 4 Loss 6-1 2025 6.0 3 Loss 3-2 6.0 3 Loss 6-2 5.0 0 Loss 3-2 3.0 0 Loss 5-1 1.0 5 Loss 7-6 (most runs allowed but only 3rd run run loss) 4.0 2 Loss 5-2 5 of 10 starts w zero ERs allowed. 8 of 10 allowing 0-2 ERs.

I read somewhere that if you looked at every mega large and long deal in the history of MLB, the vast majority would look like a plus, if the player was traded after 1.5 years. I'm not happy about losing Devers, but this part may work well for us. While the Betts trade was separate from the extension, he is one that would have worked out well.

I'm not ready to give up on Campbell at 2B, but he has a ways to go to get to just average on defense, there. Maybe 1B is the best option, since we cannot count on Casas or the Toro-Romy platoon for 2026. Filling the 4-6 big holes we have with prospects creates more money to spend on other holes and allows for the idea of one major package deal not two. I think we could roll the dice on 1B with Campbell, Casas, Toro and Romy, but it's risky. Bregman has to be our 3Bman in 2026. Mayer and Story would be fine for middle infield. We can trade an OF'er and still look great out there. Narvaez looks like a keeper. DH could be an OF'er or Yoshida or Casas platooning with Romy or Refsnyder. We could roll the dice on this, too. Doing this means no addition to the everyday roster- just bring Bregman back. That seems scary. I feel like we'd have to keep Bregman AND add Alonso (1B) or G Torres (2B) or maybe Hoskins & Torres. Maybe make a run at the Japanese stat M-something or other. Use the rest of the money and trade capital on a second ace and a top closer.

Waiting until 2027 "wastes" another Crochet season.

Even DD's pitching prospects did not look all that good, and the end results of his prospects were not as good as the expectations.

I think Campbell will make the needed adjustments to be a fine MLB hitter. His defense is the bigger question. I'm thinking OF, 1B or DH might be his spots, and if we trade Duran and or Abreu, we can find an OF slot for him. 1B is wide open, as is DH. I don't think he can improve enough to be our 2Bman, sadly. We really need a 2Bman. (Maybe Story/Mayer fix it, finally, once Bregman returns.)

I feel like some of the GM changes were directly related to major shifts in team building philosophy. Ben to DD went with the plan to spend large and long. That makes some sense, although I do think Ben deserved another year. The DD to Bloom change went with the plan to severely cut the budget and switching to a Rays approach made sense for that, too. I'm not defending JH on these moves and radical changes in philosophy, over and over, but when you look at 2003 to 2018, there were some ups and downs in spending and self imposed rules on how to spend and when to go large and long on key deals. It worked 4 times, and nearly worked in other seasons. The major change going into 2019 and more prominently into 2020 was extreme. The slowness in getting the spending back to higher levels was unprecedented. It looked like we were back to pre-2018 times, this past winter, but then we dump Devers. It's hard to know what this winter will bring, and I have told myself to not get expectations too high, in recent years. I like Breslow's roster choices and focus on pitching from bottom to top. The Devers fiasco, Sale trade results and Buehler signing all ring loudly in my ears, but I see a lot of good moves and signs. I hope JH does not pull the Brez plus, too quickly, and he seems like the type of GM that can handle lean spending and big spending, despite the big swing and miss on Buehler. (The Gio signing is looking better, now, and Bregman looks like a nice choice, despite the injury.)

Agreed, but again, we are losing a huge chunk of budget, and that includes many of the 4-6 slots we need filled, AND we can offer better vet and prospects trade packages than most teams without opening gaping holes, elsewhere. Yes, this depends on high winter spending and the willingness to go bold on another Crochet-type trade, plus a vet OF'er trade.

Yes. My key word was "theory," because that's all it has been, until last winter. (Then, we undid the spending with the Devers trade, so back to "theory.")

Agreed. Mayer looks pretty good, too! BTW, Anthony was hitting the ball hard, earlier, but many were caught.

June Numbers: .917 Romy 3 HRs and 13 RBI .870 Rafaela 6 HRs and 13 RBI .827 Story 5 HRs and 23 RBI .788 Mayer 4 HRs and 7 RBI .780 Narvaez 2 HRs and 9 RBI .775 Abreu 3 HRs and 16 RBI .761 Toro 2 HRs and 11 RBI .742 Refsnyder .364 OBP .701 Duran (.210 BA and .301 OBP) .667 Anthony (some tough luck) .658 Campbell (demoted to AAA) .509 DHam (3 SB- 2 CS) .396 Wong (can't get much worse than this.) (.917 Sogard in 12 PAs and .633 Eaton in 12 PAs, and .835 Devers in 61 PAs.) ERA (listed in order of most IP) 2.68 Crochet .597 OPS Against 2.87 Bello .603 OPSA 3.04 Giolito .694 (That's a damn good top 3 rotation in June) 11.07 Bueler 1.074 3.60 Dobbins (on IL) .593 2.84 Weissert .678 5.25 Guerrero .538 3.09 Whitlock .385 0.00 Chapman (12 games) .167 : 2 hits and 2 BBs in 37 PAs 2.53 Kelly .825 12.38 Bernardino .943 2.45 Wilson .791 1.80 Alcala .578

We've had great success with these picks- even better than regular picks coming before them.

For 2026: 4-5 Top Priorities: SP2, Closer, 2B, 3B (Bregman?) and 1B 2-3 Secondary Priorities: Back-up Catcher, Solid Pitcher, Corner IF depth

That was a stunningly successful deadline trade haul. One could argue we don't win the ring without these deals, combined. The 2021 deadline (and post deadline) haul and cost was pretty damn good, too and nearly got us to the dance: Schwarber for #9 Aldo Ramirez Austin Davis for Michael Chavis (graduated prospect) Hansel Robles for Alex Scherff (not ranked in top 20) Travis Shaw off waivers (mid AUG) Jose Iglesias signed (early SEP) This might have been Bloom's finest moment of his tenure. (The Pivetta trade and Whitlock Rule 5 pick are other brief but nice moments.)

Devers ForDevers!

Actually, you have called ATL genius, several times. Yes, Sale was post prime when he won the Cy Young. Sale had 24 starts in 2019. Was he rusty, then? That was his longest season for the Sox, under the contract extension.

If I had to choose, in hindsight, as many are on the ATL-BOS trade, I'd have chosen not to extend Sale. He had one great season out of the 5 year deal and no other seasons that were even good. Most, he hardly pitched, at all.

Nothing to do with "fault."

Yes and No. I think it goes beyond "hope" when expecting younger players to improve as they gain experience. I think it's an expectation for most to improve, and plan on a few not to improve. I don't think we are a half a team away from being serious contenders, even if you look at just the 26 man roster (13 players needed?) or the starting lineup + 5 SP'ers and 4 RP'ers (9 out of 18?) It all starts with Bregman's return or not, but if he bolts, and we spend $40M elsewhere, the theory is we should be able to fill his line-up slot or two with that money. Of course, players like Rafaela, Narvaez, Abreu and the 3 kids could regress, next year, but many could improve my major amounts to offset those declines, and then some. Plus, we could see Casas back, Duran peak again, Story hit .750 and the Ref, Romy, Toro brigade continue as is. We lose a lot of pitchers, but we also lose their money off the budget, too, including wasted money like Hendriks, and money we spent this year with next year in mind, like Sandoval. There are some positive ways at looking at this, if you choose to do so. Yes, it's not about just spending more: it's also about spending wisely, and that may be a bigger ask than asking JH to spend even equal to 2025's over the tax line amount. If we keep the budget the same, we will have an insane winter spending budget, especially if we go by AAV/Tax dollars and do some creative financing with contracts, like the Dodgers have mastered. We have some major pieces we can afford to trade away, due to near equal depth at like positions. Not many teams have the packages we can offer in trade, without opening a new gaping hole at another position. This doesn't mean we have to trade Duran and Abreu and pin all our hopes on 3-4 kids in the OF (Anthony, Rafaela, Garcia & Campbell,) but I would not view that as needing wildly unrealistic hopes in our youth, especially if Refsnyder returns and maybe Yoshida plays some LF at Fenway, only. We have a pretty deep foundation, even though many are young, too young or looking too close to mediocre to get excited about, but it's more than half a team. IMO, if we go big, we could be serious contenders with 4 additions assuming Bregman returns (SP2, Closer, 1B and 2B) or 5 without Bregman. I think the rest of the team can be good enough support of these added 4 to 5.

We could likely seriously compete by hitting on 4 out of 5, IMO with normal expected age-related growth and low side key injuries. I do not think these are unrealistic expectations, except maybe the injury part. It would mean breaking some molds, like signing a long term pitcher, unless we fill that need via trade. We could trade Abreu and Duran and then sign Tucker, but that might be hard to do, if we bring back Bregman. A Bregman and Alonso pair might be more doable, or Tucker & Alonso, but then we'd have Mayer at 3B and we'd have to sign Torres or trade for a 2Bman. The closer will likely come from free agency, but who knows if Brez sees someone out there we can trade for. It might be someone we raise an eyebrow to, as many of us did with the Chapman signing. It would be a tightrope walk, for sure. We could improve our odds by adding 6 or even 7 significantly plus players and squeeze 1-2 more of our current players into depth roles, but I'm not sure we'd spend that amount of money plus trade capital to make it happen. Adding just 4-5 might be pushing JH beyond his limits.

I do think it would cost 2 of out big 3 to get Skenes. If I had to keep one, I'd keep Mayer, despite thinking Anthony will be better. We need a middle infielder, badly, and I don't see Campbell as that guy. I'm curious how much value BTV gives JH Garcia. The idea of adding quantity over quality appeals to me, but likely not to PIT. I'm thinking adding 2 prospects from the 4-6 range (Garcia, Arias and Perales) might equal Anthony. I don't see Garcia or Arias in any of these offers. Would Campbell, 2 from Perales, Garcia, Arias and Abreu get it done, per BTV? Would all 3 do it? (We might have to sub Tolle for Perales.) I'd prefer subbing Duran for Abreu, but he's more expensive to PIT.

2025 Run Differential 112 NYY 99 DET 69 TBR 46 HOU 17 BOS & SEA 12 TEX -3 TOR -14 MIN -37 KCR -49 LAA

MVP: Crochet Rookie of the Year: Narvaez Comeback of the Year: Rafaela (Giolito closing in) Offensive Player of the Year: Bregman (Abreu closing in) Best Pen Arm: Chapman (nobody closing in)