moonslav59

Going 14-2 is not easy, even in a weak league. We aren't this good, IMO, but I don't think we were as bad as our record indicated before this run. Our run differential indicated we were not "that bad" and we seem to have come back closer to the expected W-L record. Yes, we are still 2 games under .500, but Pythagorean has us at 50-44. If we had that record, would everyone agree we should be serious buyers, if not "all in buyers?" I'm not saying this in support of being buyers. I'm not in that camp, yet, but maybe this team is better than we think, and maybe we finally will get some help from players coming off the IL, like we never or rarely have in recent years. IMO, a strong Anthony return might even outweigh a strong Crochet return, but with so many of our SP'ers on limited IP outlooks, maybe they are about equal in importance. Add one or both of these two and a decent trade or two, and maybe we look like a top AL contender and top 4-6 MLB contender. Then, I woke up.

I heard on a sportstalk down here in Texas that the Sox were asking about Paredes, but Lindor is their higher choice. I don't put much stock in what others are saying.

Yes, and that was one reason I found it surprising we cut him loose. We obviously had faith in him, and his .629 OPS Against, although maybe a mirage, showed he did okay. He was at .634 in High Leverage. .000 Watson (just 4 PAs) .452 Whitlock .536 Guerrero (20 PAs) .550 Chapman (67) .634 Coulombe (32) .713 Kelly (21) .716 Slaten (40) .721 Moran (19) 1.007 Bello (33) not sure how many as RP 1.047 Weissert (39) 1.532 Samaniego (14)

A Sox team has not won 9 straight road games since 1977. I'm not sure when the last time we went 14-2 in a 16 game stretch, but I looked up these seasons: 2025: 10-4 (June) 2021: 11-3 (April) 11-3 (June-July) & 10-4 (May) not 16 game stretches. 2018: 17-1 (day after opening day) and 13-1 to start July 2013: 13-3 (April) & 12-4 (SEPT) 2007: 13-3 (May) & 12-4 (day after opening day) 2004: 16-1 (AUG-SEPT) & 13-3 (April)

Thanks. That's a pretty big jump in such a short time. It's not easy gaining that much ground in less than 3 weeks.

I'm not claiming Brez turned down offers. I'm asking what they were. At this point, any offer would likely look like a good one, and we could say "Brez dropped the ball," but I really wonder if nobody even made an actual offer. Now, maybe they never made an actual offer, because Brez started the conversation with, "I won't settle for anything less than ____." In that case, Brez is still to blame, even if there never was a real offer. I know this might be the case.

I am 100% certain Duran was being shopped. My point and question was who was offered for him? I never heard one specific name. I never even heard one specific team that was even asking about him. It's easy to say Brez overvalued him, and he probably did, especially after 2024, but if no GM wanted him or offered anything, it's hard to say Brez missed the boat after 2025. Many teams would not want Duran just because of hi $7.7M contract. That's maybe 15-18 teams off the books automatically. HOU seemed like the best fit, and I live there. All I ever heard was HOU did not want Duran: they wanted Abreu. I don't think a single poster, here wanted Duran traded more than I did, and I'm talking even before 2025. The TV site is littered with Duran trade suggestions by me. Maybe the window for trading was open only during and after 2024. There have been several instances and events that have hurt his trade value beyond on the field blunderings. Maybe teams just never wanted him. Yes, things may not be leaked, especially specific names, but did we ever even hear such and such team "is asking about Duran?" We hear that kind of thing all the time, but I don't recall hearing that once about Duran, even after 2025!

Maybe some team gives us a semi-promising single A prospect, but we might have to pitch in some money for even that. Hell, if we DFA him, we pay him anyway, so...

I doubt it, but has anyone ever fallen this far over a two year stretch and gotten an arb raise? My guess is most have been non tendered and not even offered an arb, or they accept a contract at less value.

I'm not expecting it at all, and it has less chance happening in BOS than a more laid back city, but we will get zero for him. Would you DFA him? (That's what you do when someone is a drag, and they have zero trade value.)

Beyond 2026, right?

Bello really hasn't been helping the pen during this winning stretch. is last appearance before Sunda was June 4th. That being said, I do agree our pen will need help, since several SP'ers will see their pitch count or innings limited going forward. Maybe we even need a SP'er, since we cannot count on returns from Crochet, Early, Oviedo, Crawford and Houck. If some of these guys comeback, they might be better utilized from the pen.

Like they matter more, anyway. I watch Lou Merloni on the "internet" and he seems pretty knowledgeable.

On the offense component of fWAR we rank 23rd (-30.6.) On defense, our everyday players rank 3rd (+10.4) Overall, we rank 17th at 10.7 (just 0.1 from a tie for 15th) We were ranked 19th on June 24th, so moving up is a slow process. We were 24th on offense at -28.7, so we have actually seem our O number go down but ranking go up. On June 24th, our pitching ranked 8th at 9.0. (SP 9th/ RP 10th) Our pitching ranks 6th, now at 12.4 (SP 8th/ RP 6th). We are 0.1 behind the NYY and 1.0 behind SEA.

It just feels too much like we'd be buying into the next Story or Yoshida x 2. I'd need the NYM to pay a big chunk (like $15-20M a year) to be persuaded. I doubt they'd do that. Pay $10M a year and take Story (owed $30M counting the 2028 buy out) and it comes to about the same, but with more upfront savings on the budget. We'd still be paying Lindor $25M a year way past Story's 2027 age. I know it's next to impossible to trade for a controlled younger player at the deadline. Those deals cost way less in the winter, so to me, if we buy, we should not trade top prospects and just get the best help we can get at RHB and RP. Maybe two bats and hope the pen holds up with Bello there and Sandoval about to join him once Suarez returns.

Love the Greatest Hits list, here.

No matter how many times you say a suggestion is not a prediction, he can't grasp the concept. I've even said, "I know Brez would never do this, but maybe this might work..." and he thinks because it didn't happen, I was wrong, even if the guy I wanted did grat afterwards.

I'm shocked by his numbers. He wants to stay at 2B. He's 9th worst in hard hit% but top 30 in BAbip. I think I'd pass, unless Seagler unravels in the next 3 weeks.

Where were we 3 weeks ago?

Makes me want to rethink the "we can't be a top contender with just 0ne or two key adds at the deadline" mantra.

What's up with Reynolds?

It had to the potential to be way more than $75K, but I can understand why they chose DC to cut loose. While I think Bello can fit Watson's "eat innings" role more than DC's more mid to high leverage lefty specialist role, I'm not so miffed by the choice, after reading these replies. DC would have gone after Early or Suarez is added back, anyway.

While arbs often give declining players raises, I'm not so sure Duran will get arb raises. 1. He's never made it to an arb: he's always signed before it gets to one. 2. He had declined significantly for 2 years in a row, and this last one is a doozy. 3. His 2026 numbers don't even support the amount he makes this year. I think he has next to zero trade value, right now, and even if a team thinks they can "fix him" or "a change of scenery might give a spark," they will not give anything of true value to try and find out. At this point, keeping him as depth and a PR in hopes he gets his mind straightened out might be the best idea. Taking up a 26 man slot is the big drag, but if we find a way to dump Yoshida or Story, maybe we can keep him around. (I can't believe I'm saying this, but DFA'ing him seems like a mistake, too.)

Hearing some talk about Lindor to the Sox, all the way down here in Texas. He makes $32M for 5 more years. He will be 37 and turn 38 in his final season. He was deferred money, too. You gotta believe he will bounce back from this 2026 slump to take a shot at him, and you have to expect NYM to pay down some of his deal or take back one of the players or more: $25M x 1 (+$5M buyout) Story $18M x 1 Yoshida $44.5M/3 Bello $57M/6 Campbell All of these 4 combined don't equal Lindor's total, and no way they take all of them, but I could see them taking Story and Bello or Story and KC as a salary offset mechanism. They may want a prospect, too, but they would save about half the money with either deal, as is.

Top fWAR players on teams out of it or close to it: 4.8 Witt KCR (Not going to be traded) 4.4 Yordan Alvarez & 2.2 Paredes HOU 4.0 McGonigle, 3.9 Dingler & 2.6 Greene DET 3.7 Arraez SFG 3.1 de la Cruz CIN (Not going to be traded) 3.0 Kurtz & 2.2 Langeliers A's 2.9 Reynolds & 2.6 B Lowe PIT 2.3 Alonso & 2.1 Rutschman BAL 2.3 Okamoto TOR 2.1 Goodman COL 2.0 Neto LAA