moonslav59

There is talk of sharing broadcast revenue, but 100% is not likely. I could see them agreeing to each team shares 50%, so the big markets still get to keep more but the small markets will get a big share they currently don't get. To me, when the Rays play at the Dodgers, they should get 50% of the TV money. There would be no game without opponents.

June 18th is not when we turned on the afterburners, but it represents the date whereby we played more games after than before. (72 games after and 71 games before) MLB Numbers since June 18th W-L 49-23 BOS 44-27 TBR 42-26 CHC 43-29 MIL 40-28 PHI The teams most talked about? LAD 37-30 & NYY 36-34. Runs 421 CWS 360 BOS 337 MIL 336 WSH 333 PHI The Yanks are 28th at 263! Runs Allowed 263 DET 264 BOS (1 run from first) 267 NYY 275 ATL 280 LAD/PHI 282 TBR, 283 MIL, 284 MIA, 285 BAL ________________________ OPS .815 CHC (astounding!) .763 WSH (52 behind first) .761 BOS (1st in AL) .751 TBR ERA- 75 NYY 78 BOS 83 DET 87 MIL & TBR ____________________ wRC+ 126 CHC 111 SDP 110 BOS (1st in AL) 108 TBR, TEX & WSH FIP 3.49 BOS 3.65 NYY 3.69 BAL _______________ I've seen many a poster use smaller sample sizes than this to make points, but 72 games is pretty impressive. Move the period to the start of the historic stretch, and we look even better than we already do, here. Yes, 27 games is pretty long too and 13-14 is concerning, but that is precise cherry-picking, since we are also 13-9 in the last 22 and 4-2 in the last 6. After today's game with BAL, we play... 3 v LAA Day Off 3 v KCR Day Off (Nice to have two days off before the last road trip) 3 at TEX 3 at TBR Day Off 3 v CLE 3 v CHC (THose last 9 games are rough, but we play 12 of the last 18 at home. 19 games to go and... 7.5 GB TBR who is not stumbling 4.0 GB NYY who is struggling but took those 3 of 4 from us. +6 on TOR & CLE (tied for last WC slot) +8 on TEX +9 on BAL

I might argue Brez deserves an extension as much as Tracy. if not more.

It will likely be a win-win by both sides. The "Floor" clause could be supplemented by increased revenue spending, and the sharing of local TV money talked about would do just that, thereby allowing the lower budget teams to spend more without a whole lot of their own money. The players could get higher min salaries, shorter waits for arb and less arbs before they can become FAs. Roster expansion would be a big plus for players, too, especially the 40. If they raised the minimum salary from $780K to $1.6M and adjusted the pro-rated formula to help the little guys, that would get a large percentage of players to go for any deal- hard/soft cap or not. I doubt they end up with any sort of hard cap, even with a floor being added. I am not as certain as many here that a work stoppage that affects the season will occur.

$30M/1 with $27M option year 2 with $6M buy out. Essentially: $36M/1 or $57M/2. Maybe... $27M yr 1, $25M year 2 with $25M option year 3 with $4M buy out. Essentially $56M/2 or $77M/3

Also, he turns 37 and a lockout is pending. That being said, I'd extend him a year with a second year team option with a meaningful buyout.

Pending lockout?

The 4 major underwater contracts according to BTV: -28M Story ($6M value-$33M owed) -20M Bello ($25M-$45M) -18M Campbell ($38M-$55M) -16M Yoshida ($4M-$20M) Trading Story and Yoshida has been talked about enough. In theory, we could get someone to pay $10M of their remaining contracts. That doesn't get us much to use elsewhere, but it would free up a couple roster spots. We do seem to have enough middle infielders and DH types to not miss a beat. Bello & Campbell have a lot of value by BTV standards: it's just their pay that brings them to significant underwater players. I think we keep both. Trading Duran seems like a near sure bet, this winter. That would free up a little more money, and we have Anthony, Jones and White to fill the OF slot. Assuming no Story, Duran or Yoshida, this could be the 13 everyday players: Rutschman & Gasper (AAA: Wong/ Jo Garcia/GRod) Contreras & Romy (AAA: Casas/Brannon) Mead & Seigler (AAA: Rodgers/Godbout) Durbin (AAA: Romero/Winnay) Arias & Sogard (AAA: Monasterio/Cheng) Anthony (AAA: Ward/Gutierrez) Rafaela (AAA: Eaton/I Jackson) Abreu (AAA: Campbell/Gonzales) DH: Gasper/Jones or timeshare: Mead/Rutschman/Romy (AAA: Cespedes/M White/Ro Hernandez)

Despite claims to the contrary, Story is doing well enough to not need an Arias call-up, too.

Nice win, despite so many not in the line-up or available out of the pen. No Contreras No Rafaela No Durbin No AR No Mead No Chapman No Whitlock

Unlike the AR trade and Miller trades.. If there ever was a season to make deadline rental deals, this one was it- yet we didn't.

We will lose 2 pretty big contracts and 2 moderate ones in 1-2 years: Story & Yoshida and Sandoval & Duran. None need equal replacement players. Sonny's departure this winter and Chapman's next will demand attention, but that's it until after 2029.

The Sox farm went 4-0 tonight. WOO won 4-2 as KC went 3-4 w an HR. Seigler had 2 hits, including a triple. POR won 6-4 as Rosario hit his 13th. McDonough went 3-4 GRE won 5-1 as Morgan pitched 4 scoreless (1H, 2BB, 3K) Hernandez 303 (.955) and Hull 2-4 (.956.) SAL won 6-5 as Delzine pitched 4 scoreless (4H, 0BB, 6K) Primera homered (.968) and Guzman, too (.882)

Sox Graduating Prospects: 2026: Tolle, Bennett, Samaniego (Early) 2025: Anthony & Campbell 2024: Abreu, Rafaela, Slaten & Sogard 2023: Casas & Kelly 2022: Bello, Duran, Crawford & Wong 2021: Houck & Whitlock Imagine the Sox prospect list if these players did not graduate or be traded in the last 2 years; 1. Anthony 2. Tolle 3. Arias 4. Early 5. Bennett 6. Teel 7. Eyanson 8. Meidroth 9. Harrison 10. Drohan 11. Montgomery 12. Witherspoon 13. Campbell 14. Azocar 15. Gonzales 16. Primera 17. Dobbins 18. Perales 19. Clarke 20. Tibbs/Godbout

I doubt it's bothering anyone but Chad and the other coaches, but yes, some have likely thought of it. I just don't think it's lingering in the back of any player's minds.

Perhaps some meaningful fWAR comps: 4.5 Bregman v 2.4 Durbin or 5.8 Durbin + Suarez (Breg $$) 3.9 Pete Alonso v 3.9 Contreras (2.5 Schwarber & Murakami) 3.5 Paredes v 0.2 Duran 1.8 Bichette v 1.8 Sox 2B team WAR 4.0 Arraez, 3.9 B Lowe, 2.6 Hoerner, 2.3 KMarte v 1.8 Sox 2B in '26 3.2 Abrams, 2.8 Neto, 1.7 Bogey v 0.5 Sox SS team WAR 4.1 Harrison + Drohan+ DHam v 2.7 Durbin+Seigler+Monasterio 5.4 Cease (+$$$) v 3.4 Suarez 3.6 Harrison + Drohan v 3.4 Suarez 1.9 Drohan or 1.7 Harrison v 2.4 Gray or 2.4 Bennett -0.2 Perales v 2.4 Bennett 3.3 TMay+ Buehler v 3.4 Suarez 3.8 Harrison+ Drohan+ Dobbins + Preister + Perales v 8.1 Suarez+Gray+Bennet + Oviedo

Probably, but I doubt anyone has it in the back of their mind, "Man, I'm bummed out he hasn't been extended yet," or even "I wonder why they haven't extended Tracy, yet.)

We need to sic the hounds on Bassitt.

Extending him may add some energy to the team. Maybe they are waiting for the right moment. Not extending him might mean they've had someone in mind all along.

Kleyver Salazar is the younger brother of ex-Sox prospect Johnfrank. He's been on fire since mid-June. Beyond the 33 BB v 34 Ks in those 47 ames, he's hit .347. (1.024 OPS) KS jumped into soxprospects newly updated top 60 prospect list at #50. Speaking of those rankings, Arias, Gonzales, Primera, Valera & odbout remain the top 5. Some movement below: 6 Delzine, 7 Hull, 8 Schaffner, 9 Holobetz, 10 Cespedes (#9 and 10 are signs the farm depth has fallen off.) 11 Mataczynski & 12 Shelar mark 4 draftees in the top 12- another sign of farm depth decline. 13 Wehunt, 15 Phillips, 16 Paez, 18 Bastardo & 20 Brown are the farm's 4-5-6-7-8 highest ranked pitchers--- EEEK! I'm kinda high on 14 Carlos Gutierrez (recent trade add) and 19 Winnay, but #17 Soto is just 18. 22 Romero is falling like Castro & Bleis before him did. 21 Ziehl may jump the pitcher rankings by season's end. 23 Mullins, 24 Monegro & 25 Rivera have little hope of significant impact careers. I'm probably higher than most on some catcher prospects: 26 GRod, 28 Heyman, 37 Jo Garcia, 52 A Guzman & 54 JRod, but maybe Salazar passes them all. Mason White at #27 deserves some mention, but he still has a lot to prove at age 22 w POR. I Jackson (from Grissom trade) could surprise and LaFavor round out the top 30 soxprospects.com show little love for Jo Garcia and Brooks Brannon, and I understand why, but I'm a freak for stats, and they look like they have more hope than these rankings suggest. Johanfran Garcia is just 21 and missed time with injury. He probably will not stick at Catcher, and that's a shame, but if he can improve enough on defense to be a capable #2 Catcher/DH or 1B type, maybe he gets a look-see, someday. He K's too much (94 in 75 games this year and 68 in 58 games in 2025. Like Brannon, he as power. 30 HRs in the past 2 years, but unlike Brannon, he as only 17 2B in that same 511 AB period. Brooks Brannon is 22 and also will not likely see time as a Catcher in MLB. He too is the dreaded DH/1B type like a million other wanna-bees. He K's a lot. 108 Ks in 87 games, this year. (117/93 last year) He does have 21 HRs and 49 XBHs in just 325 ABs, so there in lies his best hope- POWER. That's an XBH every 6.5 AB! Maybe I spent too much time on these two, but both are still young enough to improve on their weak areas. (Defense & Ks.) Beyond the 30th rankings are some longshots- most hardly worth mentioning, but here are a few I see as having promise: B Moram 44>35 Ramos 17>31 Andujar NR>36 Futrell NR>45 J Ramirez NR>46 Berny Ortiz NR>48, Wm Montero NR>49 & Jakson Gamboa NR>55 YRod remains in the top 60 at #59. (Priester trade with Holobetz)

Sox OPS since trade deadline: (In order of most PAs) .814 Sogard (yes, leads the team in PAs since 8/4) .968 Abreu (taking over) .606 Rafaela (don't let Fred know this) .694 Durbin (might be a career .700 batter) .553 Monasterio (it was fun while it lasted) .758 Contreras (maybe the IL can give him a boost) .598 Rutschman (67 PAs is more than Wong's 56) 1.525 Gasper (59 PAs is moving from tiny sample to small) .572 Wong (back to earth with a thud) .629 White (decent bench player) .853 Yoshida (Gasper helped take up his slack) 1.218 Anthony (I shudder to think of a full season) 1.487 Jones (strict platoon, but who cares?) 1.000 Story (just 20 PAs, but eh did end 2025 well) 1.389 Rogers (earned im a DFA) .333 IKF (welcome back Mr. K.)

The shore line could end up being... gasp at this word.... a CLIFF.

2022-2026 (260+ PAs vs LHPs) OPS 9. Willson Contreras .892 10. Jahmai Jones .888 31. Refsnyder .848 (2026 is killing his numbers) 41. Romy .840 80. Meidroth .799

We should remember that Gasper hit .426 (that's OPS) vs RHPs, before this year. That's #543 out of 547 batters with 90+ PAs from 2024-2025. This looks freakish. If he hit just .800 we could view it as be a fluke.

If you are a great platoon batter, doing it vs RHPs is preferable, as about 70% of all staretrs faced are RHPs. It looks like Jones has taken Refsyder's slot and actually improved on his amazing numbers with the Sox. A Gasper-Jones DH platoon could be a very inexpensive juggernaut.