moonslav59

We need to have a new Prospect Ranking Poll for this site.

With so many trades involving highly significant players and prospects, plus many mid tier players, we will almost certainly regret a few. We've already seen the Sale trade pass the "TBD" label and go to the severe negative side of any grading system. The thing I find positive is that hardly any trades are for rentals or even 1.?+ to 2 year players. There have been a few, but not many. The trade for Crochet is now TBD, after starting off looking great. The extension seemed to add to the feeling it was a good trade, but health issues could put the extension in the TBD category. Many of the trades were prospects nearing Rule 5 for prospects farther down the road and 40 man roster bubble players for prospects. By building up the farm depth with seemingly minor trades, it allowed him to then trade some higher level prospects- some nearing or at Rule 5 levels for MLB players or lower farm level prospects with more upside. This site seemed overrun with criticisms about losing Sale, Harrison, Drohan & Priester. We may hear more when others start doing well- like Dobbins has been doing recently. It's understandable to get upset, when you see players we traded away doing well or very well, especially when the return package are prospects or players starting off slowly (like Durbin,) but Brez has had the longer term in mind with most trades. That seemed to shift some, last winter and this deadline. That makes sense, too, since we are now in "the window" where winning seems beyond just a hope. Just about every trade makes or made sense to me, even the ones I wasn't sure about or even disliked day one. Some, like the Sale trade, I ended up liking a few days later. I'm liking the AR trade now more than day one, but am still about 50-50. The Mayer trade still looks bad, but I think there were reasons for doing it, I'm not privy to. It seems like with Miller has major BB issues, but maybe they fix it or improve it enough. It's stunning how much the 26 and 40 man rosters have flipped, but the whole system seems to have been near totally purged and in in some areas re-purges again. The 40 man roster has just 7 players on it that were there before the 2022 season started and 3 have been on the 60 IL: Houck, Crawford & Story with Wong, Whitlock, Duran & Bello. 5 more were added before Brez took over, making 12 in total. (Some on the 40 now were in the system but not on the 40- like Anthony, Sogard & KC.) There are 47 players on the 40, including 8 on the 60 Day IL, and as far as I can tell, 32 were acquired by Brez. By the end of this coming winter, the ratio may change further. Looking at soxprospects.com's rankings list, the vast majority are Brez additions, which is not all that common, since most teams' have many top prospects that were added 3 year or longer ago. Brez: 1 to 10. 12-13, 15-16 and 19-21 11 is Wehunt. 14 is Cespedes. 17 & 18 are Bastardo & Paez who were both lost and re-added, so maybe they don't count. That makes 17 out of 21 as Brez guys, 2 were lost to Rule 5 and added back and two holdovers from Bloom. Romero is #22, Mullins 23, Monegro 28, and Brannon & Jo Garcia 34 & 35. The ratio after #35 looks pretty similar.

It's not like Brez has gotten every pitcher trade and signing right, but I trust him with pitching more than any other Sox GM/CBO we've had in a while- maybe even more than DD. I've never seen a GM add and subtract so many pitchers in less than 3 years. That includes draftees, Rule 5 picks and losses, with some coming back. Hell, he's traded for several then traded them away. Of the 34 pitchers used in 2024, only Whitlock, Bello & Slaten have been on the 26 in 2026. Houck, Weissert, Kelly and Crawford are in AAA or on the IL. Of the 35 used in 2025, only Whitlock, Bello, Slaten, Tolle and Moran are on the current 26. Crochet, Houck, Crawford, Weissert & Kelly are still in the system. He's already traded Early & Uberstin from the 2026 team and cut loose Coulombe, Kahnle & Anderson and added a few during the year. The amount of minor league pitchers he's traded- many who never played in the bigs is almost as astounding. We have yet to see Oviedo pitch, and Sandoval just started not long ago.

Fred said a month. (past Aug 31)

He keeps getting hurt, looks good, looks bad, looks great,,,, rinse and repeat.

About to start hitting from a machine. That's not AUG 31st ready,

And not go with 3 catchers? (Wong in AAA all Sept.)

Woo stole the O from the Sox: 19 hits, 11 BBs and 19 runs! Ziehl had a nice debut start in AAA: 8 Ks, 0 BB and just 2 hits in 5.2 IP (no ERs) Romero went 6-6 w HR & 2B. KC homered. Romy had 3 hits and Rut played well in his rehab. POR gave it back by losing 14-0. GRE lost 8-2, while SAL won 6-2.

It's going to be a while for Anthony to put pressure on the LF/DH slots.

The chopper hit between him and Wong seemed to piss him off. I'm not saying that distracted him, but maybe... The kids has not has many bad games.

We were bound to lose at some point. Nice to see the tying run come up for a scorcher of an out.

Jones must be hearing us talk about being the next demotion. He's got a 1.450 OPS on the Sox. Rogers is at 2.000. Thanks, Brez.

True dat for 2028. One less needed slot. So, maybe 3 needs by 2028 and 7 by 2030.

True, but recently... 1.191 last 5 games .928 last 28 games .759 since game 6 of 2026. Less homers but some decent OPS numbers.

On June 26th... Sox were 15.5 GB NYY and 12.5 GB TBR. Worst record in the AL and 29th worst in MLB. Today, 0.5 GB NYY and 5.0 GM TBR. 3rd best record in AL and 7th best in MLB.

One of the major beefs about our opening day rosters (26 & 40) was the lack of everyday stars. Many felt Contreras might be over the hill and borderline to begin with. Many felt Duran might get back to star quality, but 2025 made him borderline, too. Abreu was at the age where a peak or career year seemed ready to happen, but since he had yet to have a season like that and was platooned until 2026, he could not be called a star. We looked to have some real good role players like Rafaela, Narvaez, and maybe Story/Mayer could come close to upside projections. We've just gone 27-3 and 35-2, but how many are clear everyday player stars? Durbin has been for 5-6 weeks, but you need a full season like that to be called a star. Contreras has clearly removed the "borderline" and "over the hill" labels and is a star. Abreu has yet to earn the term. Duran has all but lost any hope of every coming close. Rafaela looks about to earn the label, but he needs to finish 2026 better than 2025. The rest are all role players, some 3rd, 4th or 5th stringers to start 2026. Here are our fWAR leaders: 4.1 Rafaela in 111 gms (11th in MLB everyday players) 3.5 Contreras 105 (16th) 2.7 Abreu 113 (40th) 2.2 Durbin 108 (63rd) 1.1 IKF in just 47 Pitchers: 3.2 Suarez in 103 IP (11th best in MLB 2.7 Tolle (107) 25th despite low IP 2.3 Gray (120) 38th 1.7 Bennett (71) 67th despite low IP 0.5 Sandoval in 24 (projects to 2.0 in 100 IP) _________ 1.2 Whitlock (43) 8th in MLB RP'ers 1.1 Bello (44) 19th 0.8 Chapman (39) 47th If Bennett did this well over 100 IP, we'd have 4 SP'ers in the top 40. We also have 3 RP'ers in the top 50.

Once Anthony is healthy, Duran or Yoshida will sit. Duran has not earned a right to stay starting. Yoshida has, but that could change- as could Duran's outlook. I think Mead gets a starting slot more than Story gets one, but Brez & Co. likely disagrees. There is room for both to start, too. To me, Story has to earn it back, despite his ending to the 2025 season.

Futrell at #48 might be the most under-rated of them all. He pitched well in his POR debut, last night.

This is one reason why a weaker farm may not be a real bad thing. We don't really need major farm infusions over the next 2-4 years, other than Arias and maybe one or two from Gonzales, Valera, Godbout, Schaffner, Hull & Holobetz. This is what soxprospects projects with some blanks (and players) added by me, where I thing there is a gap: 2028: SP: Crochet, Suarez, Tolle, Bennett, _____, Bello, Crawford, Holobetz, Wehunt RP: ______, ______, Slaten, Miller, Moran, Weissert, Kelly, Rivera, Phillips, Mullins C: _____, Wong, Jo Garcia 1B: Contreras, Casas (Mead, Brannon) 2B: Mead, Seigler (Romy/Winnay/MWhite) SS: Arias, Monasterio (Cheng) 3B: Durbin, Romero (Romero) LF: Duran, White (Anthony, Gonzales) CF: Rafaela (Gutierrez, White, Campbell) RF: Abreu (Gonzales, White) DH: Anthony, Campbell, Gonzales, Brannon (Winnay/Cespedes) 2030: SP: Crochet, Suarez, Tolle, Bennett, _____, Valera, Delzine, LaFavor, Holobetz, Wehunt (D Brown, Monegro, Ziehl, B Morgan) RP: _____, _____, Bello, Moran, ____, ____, Phillips, Rivera, Mullins (Bastardo, Paez, Finley, Cason, Futrell) C: Primera, Jo Garcia (Ge Rodrigues/Heyman) 1B: Gonzales (Mead) 2B: Mead, Seigler (Winnay/MWhite) SS: Arias, Mataczynski (Soto/Ramos/Brito)) 3B: Durbin, Godbout, Romero LF: Anthony, Hull, YRod (Shelar) CF: Rafaela, Hull (Rivas) RF: ______, Campbell, Gutierrez (Silverio) DH: ______, Schaffner, Brannon (Cespedes) There will be more _____, but the ones I placed could be all there is needed.

I think Anthony will DH and Yoshida will platoon with Duran in LF. (I guess Anthony could play LF vs L.) Jones goes, but White is a tough call.

Whenever Story is called up, who will be better on defense at SS, Monasterio or Story?

I thought the Weissert demotion and Burgos promotion might have been for that idea, but they used him up. They could demoted him and call up ____? (Rivera or Gamboa?) I'd say yes.

It would be a C, unless Rogers leads us to a ring or Narvaez turns it around.

So, tell us your grade right now, and give leg room to come back later and defend the praise criticism or meh opinion.

I agree. I think we'll just DFA IKF, and only need to add 4. We'll go with 3 catchers and maybe even DH AR, some, if he's hitting well. My 28 Man Roster: No JJ (DFAd) or Seigler & Sogard C: AR, Wong & Rogers 1B: Contreras (Mead) 2B: Mead (Story/Monasterio) SS: Monasterio & Story 3B: Durbin (Monasterio) LF: Duran & Yoshida CF: Rafaela & White RF: Abreu (White) DH: Anthony (Yoshida/Mead) SP: Gray, Suarez, Bennett, Tolle, Crochet RP: Chapman, Whitlock, Slaten, Bello, Moran, T Guerrero, Sandoval, Miller, Weissert,