moonslav59

The defense at 2B will be better, even if Reyes starts 140 games. Gio should get 30 GS to help replace the 39 by Sale & Paxton. Pivetta should take the other 9. I think it is close to even. You mention the 3 biggest losses on O, and it is very significant, but Dugo's O was not great, and the addition of all the PAs lost by guys like Kike, Arroyo and others needs to be factored in, too. We added O'Neill, Grissom and should see more PAs from Story, Casas and Abreu. I'm fine with saying the O might get slightly worse, but to me, it looks close to the same. I'm thinking Yoshida will be better rested and may not fall off a cliff, like he did, last September. I think Grissom's O is way better than our clown carousel at 2B, last year. I think all this should come close to making up for the loss of JT and a 4 months of Duvall.

I disagree with your point, but feel free to believe what you want.

and still had over half the seats empty.

Kopech has had one decent year with 25 GS and a 4.49 FIP. Houck has a career FIP of 3.57.

On paper, it looks like we have about an equally bad rotation, and the pen is about the same. The defense should improve, significantly. The offense may be about the same, but a lot will depend on Brez's guy, Grissom, young player improvement and the health of Story. The farm looks marginally better with the additions of Fitts, Campbell, Weissert and a couple others. I think time will tell, but this looks eerily like Bloom's first year or two. The budget restrictions prevent filling all the holes, at once, unless the CBO decides to spread the finances thinly, and we likely get mediocrity at every hole we try to fix. At first glance, the $19M spent on Gio looks like a change in philosophy, but when you subtract the $10M saved on the Sale trade and the loss of Paxton's $4M deal, we've spent less on the rotation than in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

I totally agree, and the record breaking 2019 budget did not reflect the loss and no replacement of Kimbrell & Kelly. Certainly, mistakes have been made throughout our whole system. No one person is to blame, despite our societal need to do just that.

It's funny how our highest payroll ever was in the last 5 seasons (2019.) Also, our 3rd, 4th and 5th highest, ever. If you adjust for inflation, 2016 might sneak into the top 5. JH has kept spending. His CBO's did not spend wisely. Other teams raised spending my huge amounts. To me, this winter and the one before 2020 are the only two egregious underspending seasons in the last 5.

Our highest picks: 4. Mayer '21 7. Beni '15 7. Ball '13 12. Groome '16 14. Teel '23 17. David Murphy '03 Previous century (top 15 only): 3. Mike Garmen '67 4. Ken Brett '66 5. Billy C '65 7. Nixon '93 12. Nomar '94 12. Adam Everitt '98 12. Tom Fischer '88 13. Andrew Madden '77 13. Noel Jenke '69 14. Greg Murphy '86 14. John Marzano '84 15. Andy Yount '95 15. Otis Foster '75 15. Jim Rice '71

Was Kopech a "hit?"

I will say, it seems to be more peaceful, around here, lately, despite the woes that face us sinners, this season.

He's been really good for a long time. Pinpoint control is his big thing. He only walked 4% of the batters that faced him.

Sox listening to offers on Jansen, Martin and Schreiber... https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/red-sox-remain-open-to-offers-on-jansen-martin-schreiber.html If it's to free up money to sign Monty, fine, otherwise, let's just have a full firesale and rip off the bandaid.

This one is a good loss.

Baseball is a strange sport, huh?

Before Sept 4, 2023, we had these records vs AL East teams: 3-3 BAL 1-7 TBR 7-3 TOR 8-1 NYY Total: 19-14

Strangely, we did better vs the AL East in 2023 than 2022, despite playing them less often. 2023 BOS vs 6-7 BAL 2-11 TBR 7-6 TOR 9-4 NYY Take away the Rays, and we were 22-17 vs the other 3. (24-28 overall) 2022 10-9 BAL 7-12 TBR 3-16 TOR 6-13 NYY That was 26-50! YIKES!

Cont... 32. Walter: Potential depth starter. Ceiling of a back-end starter or bulk reliever. Unlikely to hold down a consistent rotation spot, but could be effective following an opener or for stretches if he is commanding his pitches and mixing them well. Does not have the delivery and velocity of a starter. Sinker leaves little margin for error as it primarily is in the 90-91 mph range. Has to be commanding it or he gets hit hard. Secondary pitches flash potential, but can be inconsistent. Changeup and sweeper both show at least average potential, and the addition of a cutter gives him a new look in a different velocity band. Has had success against left-handed hitters, which gives him a floor at least of an up-and-down lefty specialist. 33. Troye: Potential up-and-down reliever. Ceiling of a middle reliever. Has intriguing raw stuff, but has a long way to go, especially with his command and control and finding consistency with his mechanics. Has missed considerable time with injuries and struggled with control throughout his career. Has the size, arm strength, and the type of fastball teams look for. Key for development now is focusing on how to harness his stuff. 34. Rogers: Potential left-handed reliever. Ceiling of a multi-inning bridge arm. Fastball and changeup are intriguing, but improving his command and control and developing consistency with his secondary pitches are keys for him to reach his potential. Not overpowering so will have to locate. Stuff and command tend to degrade as the game goes on. Stuff grades out well analytically and is appealing for model-driven teams. 36. Gambrell: Potential up-and-down swingman. Wider range of outcomes for a college player due to his pitch changes after the pandemic. Got into better shape and velocity has increased in 2021. Reasonably high floor as a reliever due to fastball/breaking ball combination if injury issues crop back up or command does not take a step forward. 38. Penrod: Potential high-minors organizational depth arm. Ceiling of an up-and-down depth starter. Better than your typical indy ball signing, especially given how little time he has in affiliated ball. Will show feel for all five of his pitches and solid velocity from the left side. Stuff will be tested against more advanced hitters, but has shown already that he is too good for the lower minors. Still pretty early in the developmental process even though he is already 26, so there is a chance further work with player development could unlock even more. 39. Paez: Potential emergency up-and-down starter. Ceiling of a back-end starter. One of the more interesting pitching prospects in the Red Sox low minors, but has a wide gap between what he currently is and what he could be. Already shows an intriguing three-pitch mix with advanced feel and command for his age. Stuff at present is on the light side, but has already started to tick up. If stuff continues to tick up, projection could change. 45. I Coffey Potential organizational depth arm. Throws strikes with a three-pitch mix and comes from a deceptive arm slot. The type of player who may have success in the low minors due to combination of pitch mix, command-and-control profile, and unique look/arm slot, but will face a much tougher test in the high minors against more mature hitters. 47. Cepeda, 48. Sena, 49. Riemer, 50. Olivares, 53. Zeferjahn, 55. Liu, 56. Soto, 57. Early, 58. Judice, 60. Mullins I call this quantity vs quality. I see about 15 pitchers with enough promise to have some hopes, not counting those not in the stateside leagues. You'd think we might get 3-5 of these 15 to do something decent, but I'm not si sure.

I'm not sure there is a single pitcher in our system that can be "fixed" to the point where they can even be a solid #3 SP'er. Maybe a #4. Maybe a decent RP'er. Maybe even a decent top set-up man, but I would not be shocked, if we got close to zilch from what we have, right now. That does not mean I have lost all hope. We do have a a pitcher or two that could possibly make it to the 2 slot or maybe closer, and maybe it's not even one we talk about much or at all. We have a lot of pitchers with some promise. Some might take a bold step forward, this year, especially if we can invoke some changes in our developmental system that creates tangible results, quickly. There are almost too many to name, so the sheer number of pitchers with promise, should at some point, produce something decent- you'd think, right? I sure hope so. Here are the summaries given by soxprospects.com on our ranked pitchers: 7. Perales: Potential back-end starter or multi-inning bridge arm. Ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Wide variance arm with a high ceiling and low, but rising, floor. Size, delivery, and inconsistent command and control profile might push him into the bullpen, but has shown among the best raw stuff of any arm in the system and was identified by scouts as the top pitching prospect in the Florida Complex League in 2022. Will flash two plus pitches, with his changeup and cutter showing potential as well. All have shown bat-missing ability, and he shows comfort throwing all of them in most counts. Athletic and moves well on and off the mound. Next step in his development is finding consistency with his delivery and showing he can handle a full season’s workload. By staying healthy for the 2023 season, has gone a long way towards addressing the latter concern. 9. Wikelman: Potential high-quality, multi-inning relief arm. Ceiling of a quality mid-rotation starter. Still has a wide variance of outcomes; will show four pitches, including a fastball and curveball that stand out, but delivery and command are more like that of a reliever. Potential for three above-average-to-better pitches, but still a long way to go in development and must significantly improve command and control to reach his ceiling. Needs to throw more strikes and be more efficient with his pitches to last deeper into games. Does not have the typical size you look for in a starter. Has simplified his delivery over the course of his career, which should make it easier for him to keep his arm in sync with the rest of his body, but still has considerable effort in his delivery. If command does not improve, that, along with his size and delivery, could push him to a short relief bullpen role, but with his stuff, he could thrive in such a role. 11. Fitts: Potential multi-inning depth reliever. Ceiling of a back-end starter. Has some traits you look for in a starting pitching prospect, but effort in delivery and lack of a third pitch hint at the bullpen being the most likely outcome. Stuff improved as the 2023 season went on and could be a candidate to take a step forward with new development staff, as he was tweaking his secondary pitches throughout 2023. Needs to find a consistent third pitch and continue to refine his slider to have a chance to stick in the rotation. Has a starter's fastball with the command and control to work deep into games. 20. Monegro: Potential up-and-down, multi-inning relief arm. Ceiling of a back-end starter. High variance arm who is still learning to pitch. Still very projectable and has already added velocity, even within the season. Could gain even more velocity given how loose his arm is and the remaining projection in his frame. Stuff took a significant step forward in 2023, making him a much more interesting prospect. Needs to show more consistency and improve command and control as he moves up the ladder. Fastball quality could stand to improve, as could creating separation between his two breaking balls. Has dabbled with a changeup in the past and adding something like that or a splitter could give him a better chance to stick in the starting rotation. Pitches with emotion and swagger. 23. Dobbins: Potential up-and-down depth starter or multi-inning reliever. Ceiling of a back-end starter. At his best, will show plus velocity and three secondary pitches that can all get hitters out. Has pitches that move in all directions and confidence that he can throw any of them for strikes. Effortful delivery brings injury and consistency concerns, and needs to improve his fastball command. Fastball can get hittable later in games, and he needs to show he can consistently get left-handed hitters out to profile as a starter, but has developed into one of the more intriguing arms in the system. 24. Slaten: Potential middle reliever. Fastball, slider and cutter give him three usable pitches. Has taken the necessary steps forward with his command and control to project as a major league bullpen piece. Has the stuff and demeanor you look for in a bullpen arm. 25. E R-C Potential emergency depth starter. Ceiling of a back-end starting pitcher. . Has a four-pitch mix, with three showing average potential, but stuff is on the pedestrian side overall and there are questions about how many bats it will miss against more advanced hitters. Solid pitchability. Arsenal does not look like it would translate to a bullpen role, so most likely will have to show he can stick in the rotation. 26. Guerrero: Potential 5th/6th inning reliever. Ceiling of a setup arm. Has some of the best raw stuff of any relief arm in the system, but needs to improve command and control and consistency. Walks too many hitters and has not missed as many bats in the high minors as he did in the low minors. Splitter is a potential separator pitch with the ability to miss bats at the highest level, but needs to regain his 2022 form with the pitch. Fastball has good velocity, but is hittable and he will have to show the ability to command it to succeed. Plus makeup and regarded as one of the hardest workers in the system. Very popular with teammates. 27. Bastardo: Potential multi-inning relief arm. Ceiling of a back-end starter. Right now, lacks the fastball quality and command to stick as a starting pitcher. Secondary pitches are ahead of fastball with changeup and breaking ball both showing bat-missing potential. Needs to further refine his two breaking balls, which can run into each other at times. 28. Mata: Potential multi-inning relief arm. Ceiling of a late-inning relief arm. Trending heavily to the bullpen because he still struggles with command and consistency between outings and as he works deeper into games, has struggled to stay healthy, and will be out of options after 2023. Type of arm that would be more effective in shorter bursts out of the bullpen. At his best, will show the potential for a true four-pitch mix with two potential above-average offerings. Injury risk is also a major concern, as he has not made it through a full season healthy, which also points towards a future bullpen role. 29. Hoppe Potential up-and-down middle reliever. Ceiling of a seventh-inning reliever. Pure relief type with intriguing pitch characteristics. Threw in a long-relief role in college, but is being used in a traditional short relief role in pro ball. Secondary pitches need work and has to improve his command and control in order to reach his potential.

I mean, really... how good can DD really be, if he just claimed Ort?

Why?

You crack me up! (When you are not riding my ass... lol.)

Wasn't he reinstated? Also, it was 3 times, and he knew the 3 strike rule after #2.

That's a hard one. I think the integrity of the game, itself is put on the line, when people think games may be compromised by gambling influences. I can see both sides of the Pete Rose issue, and his issue is more about the HOF and post career relationships with MLB. I do think the Astros cheating was a major issue that also affected the integrity of the game. I hate to use the "everyone is doing it to some degree" argument, because I dislike it, but everybody is not gambling on their own games. The Astros went to an extreme I doubt any other team went to. All teams were pre-warned about using technology to cheat. They cheated, and Cora was right in the middle of it. I don't think it was fair to not suspend any players, and maybe a 1 year ban was too little, but a lifetime ban seems extreme. How do you equate this to spitball pitchers?

I really don't mean to sound like playing in a tough division is an excuse for our losing season, but it does make a difference. It would not get us to 90 wins, normally, but I do think we are better than some teams projected to win 1-3 or 4 more games than us, for what that is worth. I understand people thinking 78 and 82 wins both suck, and they do, but winning 78-82 games with this schedule is harder than winning 82-86 in some other divisions. It's not complaining. It's not whining. It's not excuse- making. It just is what it is: context.

You jumped from steroids to another issue. I'm fine with saying cheating the way Cora did is not as bad or equally as bad as possession of Cocaine.