moonslav59

I get it. I was big on signing Fried. I'd be fine with another Crochet trade and extension, instead, even if we lose a top 3 prospect and a couple more next tier guys. I'm okay with 1-2 year deals on closers, as long as we keep choosing wisely (Jansen & Chapman.) I'm not okay with Perez I, Perez II, Richards, Kluber, Wacha, Hill, Paxton, Giolito, Sandoval & Buehler. I thought the last three was an improvement, but just slightly. We need more boldness on pitching. Brez did "bold" on Crochet & Bregman, and now we need double bold on pitching and we still need bats to make up for losing Devers (and maybe Bregman.) There is a lot to get done to get us to serious contention. At minimum, we need... 1. A second ace or top #2 type SP'er. 2. Another solid SP'er, since we can't count on 3 from Bello, Sandoval, Dobbins and Crawford. 3. A closer as good as Chapman and Jansen were. 4. Bregman or an equal bat at corner infield 5. 2Bman who is good on D and O. 6. 2nd corner infielder (unless you have faith in Casas, Campbell, Toro, Romy & Eaton at 3B or 1B... see #4.) Maybes: A set up man as good as Wilson was, although maybe we just role the dice with Slaten, Whitlock, Houck, Harrison, Hicks and one of our SP'ers who doesn't make the rotation (Dobbins, Crawford, Fitts, Early, Sandlin...) A back up catcher. A DH.

True on Uberstine, Erhlicher & Futrell. I was just listing the guys that have amazing, season-long numbers. There is also Perales, Valera, Sandlin and maybe even guys like Paez, Monegro, Cason and Delzine that could jump in the ranking with a key adjustment made. I know I'm a homer. I know I am biased, but I always have been, and I've not felt like this about Sox young pitchers since the Clemens, Hurst and Ojeda days. It's more about how many we have than about 2-3 near sure bet studs.

As of now, the idea of buying now or at the deadline seems absurd.

While Gio, Buehler and Jansen we not top paid pitchers, they were not "cheap" and they did represent an uptick in expectations over the Richards, Klubers Perez's, Wachas and Hills of the 2019-2022 era of low spending. I'm not defending it. We should have spend even more, but I do think the effort increased to improve the pitching. I was going to say "reliable pitchers," but then Buehler, Sandoval, Hendriks and others came to mind. In this sense, you are right: we just went more upscale on unreliables.

Except maybe figuring on the durability factor- not the uppside factor. Weren't we all sick of pitchers on the IL, all the time? (Like now?) Gio was supposed to be an answer to that, despite rumblings that his second half decline, the year before might have been injury related. Can you honestly say, you'd have bet that Sale would pitch more innings than Gio in 2024? IP since Covid Gio: 179, 162, 184 (251 from '19-'20) Sale: 43, 6, 102 (147 from '19-'20) I think the idea was, they preferred a guy who took the ball every 5 days and saved the pen, over a better pitcher who never or hardly pitches. That does make some sense, doesn't it? It just did not work out as they expected. (Also, when you factored the money spent on Gio, you did not factor in the savings on not paying Sale most of his money.)

It was, but Sale was as questionable as Gio, and we made a serious stab at finally fixing the 2B problem that has been ongoing for 7 years, now. The deal made some sense, at the time, even on the pitching end, had Sale just continued his 5 year trend, and Gio pitched like he is now. That's not some huge leap of faith and bonehead idea. In hindsight, it is.

Unless we go on a wicked run, and even then, I'm not sure, we need to look at the general idea of trading every single FA to be, even if we might try to bring them back, next year. Extending Bregman and maybe Chapman and Refsnyder might be the exceptions. Then, decide on Duran and/or Abreu to trade for pitching and make way for Jh Garcia and Anthony as our next corner OF'ers. Try like hell to see what if we can trade Story and Yoshida to shave a little off our budget, with the idea that we spend heavily, this winter on pitching, pitching, pitching and right side infield, assuming Bregman is back. It's not a complicated blue print, but it will have to involve spending big, and more importantly, wisely and at least one more big trade that rivals the Crochet deal, but perhaps with some vets mixed in, and not all just prospects.

Jh Garcia might just be that younger RH'd bat that we already have in the system. Key word: "might." I'm not sure why you trade Romy, if the return won't be great. Are you just against platoons? Same with Abreu & Refsnyder: you say we are a AAAA team, but RF is one position we blow others away, so the solution is to blow it up, too? Duran is struggling, so I can at least understand the feeling that he may be in decline, so get what we can for him. I admit, I thought this team was better than it turned out to be, but we still have a nice core of young players that most should improve. I think we have enough of them to build around, but it's going to take more bold moves like the Crochet trade and Bregman signing, and we can't afford another Buehler signing or Sale trade.

You can't read. I give up.

I made the adjustment, and yes, unrealistic.

Want a wild & crazy plan? Trade: Abreu (pre-arb + 3 arbs,) Story ($25M x 2 w $25M option '28 and $5M buyout), Wong (3 arbs), Casas (3 arbs,) Arias & Sandlin (prospects) For: Matt Olson (1B, 31 y/o and owed $22M x 5 + $20M option '30) and Sean Murphy (C, 30 y/0 and owed $15M x 3 + $15M option '28) _______________________________ Trade: Duran ($8M then 2 arbs) & Yoshida ($18M x 2) plus $13M x 2 cash. & Fitts (prospect) For: Luis Castillo (32 y/o and owed $23M x 2 w vesting option) _______________________________ Extend Bregman $32M x 5 _______________________________ Sign: Framber Valdez (32 y/o) $32M x 4 Sign: A Chapman (37 y/o) $11M x 2 _______________________________ The 2026 Red Sox SP: Crochet, Valdez, Castillo, Bello, Sandoval (Dobbins/Crawford) RP: Chapman, Slaten, Whitlock, Dobbins, Crawford, Houck, Harrison, Hicks (Weissert, Murphy, Early, Perales, Bernardino, Kelly, Guerrero) C: Narvaez, Murphy (DH) 1B: Olson, Toro 2B: Campbell, DHam SS: Mayer, Romy (DH) 3B: Bregman (Romy) LF: Anthony (Refsnyder) CF: Rafaela (Jh Garcia) RF: Jh Garcia, Refsnyder (DH) I know, I know... not for the "Realistic" thread.

Am I getting to gah-gah over a few of our prospect pitchers? Early is now down to 1.94 after his 6 IP no hit game, today. (.573 OPS Against) Rivera is at 1.84 with a .452 OPS Against. Clarke 2.08 with an amazing .336 OPS Against. (Not sure about including Mullins, but he's at 1.97 and .534.)

Brez wanted Devers to play 1B, and he never did. We know that, for sure. Either Devers refused, or Cora was too chicken to ask/tell him too. Okay, okay, Cora loves his players and never wanted Devers at 1B, this year, so he just followed his golden heart. It must be that Brez was too chicken to tell Cora to tell Devers to play 1B. (My head is spinning.)

We aren't getting Peralta for Bleis & Cespedes, even if we add Sandlin & Mullins.

27% (23 out of 85 games) or 28% of all PAs, this season. I'm fine with the platoon of Abreu .832 v R and Refsnyder ,972 v L. BTW, we could play Abreu FT and platoon Duran, instead. vs LHPs: .606 Abreu (.219 BA, since that is what you like) .547 Duran (.213 BA)

I can't wait!

That was kinda the point I was getting at. I think Bregman is a great team leader type. I'd try hard to extend him to 2-3 years, but I'd go 4-5, if needed to keep him here. I like Rafaela, Narvaez, Mayer, Anthony, Abreu and Romy. Refsnyder might retire, but I'd bring him back for one more, if he wants to. Story and Yoshida are about as untradeable as can be. I don't think either is a cancer in the clubhouse, so we probably keep them around. I think Duran is the most likely big-named player to be traded, perhaps this deadline for prospects or longer controlled a younger player(s.). Wong, DHam and Grissom are all tradeable, but none will bring back any real value. I'm not sure what to think of KC, but I'm certainly not ready to give up on him. We do need to give up something for something good, so we may have to decide on some young players to trade. Our pitchers are either one and dones or all worth keeping in hopes a few improve. The only ones I'd trade, beyond the soon-to-be FAs are Kelly and maybe Guerrero and Fitts, but I'd hope the return would be for better pitching.

Only 5 pitchers in our whole farm system have pitched more innings with a lower ERA: 2.17 Early 1.84 Rivera 1.97 Mullins 2.27 Criswell (not a prospect) 2.44 Sansone 3.14 Holobetz

Do all our players need to go?

We have more hits and less errors in this game. BB's 0 by Sox batters 4 by Jays batters

Click edit and then just make another post.

Schreiber, too. Nick Robertson? Chase Shugart? I could go on....

Newcomb's doing better than Priester. What about him, too?

You guys think Cora is dumb. Why bring in a lefty to pitch to Romy?

You forget, we got the great pitching prospect back in that deal, too: John Holobetz.