moonslav59

True. Our cat used to bring us unbroken bird eggs, so we had to convert her to indoors only.

But still 99.5% Brez. Got it.

We keep our secrets to ourselves! 🙃

I can't see HOU accepting this deal, but this is what BTV thinks he's worth: Slaten or Soto or Oviedo + Valera Oviedo + Bennett Phillips + Wong Campbell + Eyanson I can see why Brez might be saying no to Abreu for IP.

We didn't need him at 3B, and we didn;t need him at 1B... until we did. Things change. Key word from Cora? "Adjust" He said it not ESPN or the guys on your corner.

So that absolves him all but maybe 0.5%, which he has to share with Cora. Got it.

I'd have been okay with Donovan- just not for Tolle or Early or one of our 4 OF'ers. I still hope we can do better, and if we don't I'll count this one as "one that got away." (Along with a few others.)

Oh, I thought the 99.5% was on the Breggie talks. I see now it's your default starting point apparently based on confirmation bias.

E Suarez is not crippled: he just sucks on D. He started 152 games at 3B in 2025 at age 34, and will age so quickly he can only go about 70 in 2026? I would not be happy with his D at 3B anymore than I was on Devers, but Devers was always an overall plus. Suarez may not be with any sort of decline on offense. The short term deal and lower than expected pay makes me wonder, and not that he can't trot out to 3B 140 times this season.

Taking one year stats, no, but it's actually Duran taking Masa's DH slot. I do think Duran is better, but why switch from career OPS to 2025, only? It's .780 to .762, and for what we get for Duran, that margin should easily be eclipsed.

I don't think anyone in baseball thinks 3 years of Duran is worth 2 years of Paredes. BTV says Paredes is worth $36M/2 ($18M x 2), but minus his pay it's 12.9 Duran is $78.4/3 ($26M x 3,) but minus his pay it's 41.9. 2026 ARB projections: $9.25M Paredes $7.75M Duran This is not about adding $1.5M to our tax line budget. It's about thinking and knowing Duran is better. Also, reports say HOU wants Abreu not Duran. That comp is more costly to the tax line as Abreu is prearb, so the tax line add would be almost $9M to trade Abreu, one-0n-one, for Paredes. Abreu & BTV: $66.2/4 (16.6M x 4) minus projected pay= 32.3

I kinda see the same comp on offense between Duran and Masa at DH, and that's one major reason I think a trade makes sense.

"hasn't been completely selfless" sounds better. That's why those guys make the big bucks.

Imagine what Fred would be like if he felt emboldened with support? I'd suggest we curb our agreeing outloud. 🤪

Yes, and you choose to speculate (not me) that it's because he didn't think Devers at 1B would have improved the team, otherwise he'd have done it. My last post gives one alternate view, which I'm not sure is all factual, either. I am not sure why Cora didn't play Devers at 1B. I'd guess maybe because he was traded before he had enough practice to be given a shot in a game situation. You do realize he didn't play 1B with SFG until about 5 weeks after the trade, so he might not have been "ready." That seems like a more plausible reason on why "Cora didn't play Devers at 1B is most telling." type statements that imply he didn't think he was the better choice. The article hints at the idea that Cora did want him at 1B and they worried about Devers' fragile ego. Hmmm, what poster said that was a possibility?

Yes, as Cora mentioned in this quote. I'm sure you will understand these words differently from I do, but what do you think these Cora words mean? And obviously there's changes on the roster, situations that happened, and you have to adjust... The plan is to keep having conversations." This report seems to confirm that Cora and Breslow agreed 1B was the best spot for Devers, but the team chose Breslow to talk to Devers, so as not to "negatively impact" the relationship between Cora and Devers. I guess this goes against an "all accounts" support your position, but I'm sure this won't change your locked in view of what happened and why. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/report-red-sox-kept-alex-cora-away-from-rafael-devers-first-base-convo/ar-AA1FPPS7?ocid=UE12DHP When Boston lost Triston Casas for the season to injury, the club suddenly faced a problematic vacancy at first base. Presumably, Breslow and Cora discussed the next steps, with a Devers move to first emerging as the best option for the team. With this in mind, Boston’s management decided that Breslow should be the one to speak with Devers, and the exact thinking behind this choice was unveiled in a new report from MassLive’s Chris Cotillo on Friday. “Initially, it was Breslow — and not Cora — who approached Devers about potentially moving to first base, which led to some questions about communication within the organization,” Cotillo wrote. “But one industry source recently offered that the strategy was deliberate with the Red Sox purposefully having Breslow — and not Cora — approach Devers about trying first base.” “The idea, the source said, was that if Devers responded unfavorably to the request — as he quickly did — the long-standing, strong relationship between player and manager wouldn’t be negatively impacted and the team could still have Cora preserve an open line of communication with the club’s highest-paid and longest-tenured member.” In essence, Breslow was willing to become the “bad cop” to Devers so that Cora could remain the “good cop” if things turned sour (which they did) Another key takeaway here is that the Red Sox are clearly making steps to appease Devers, rather than double down on the notion that he’s an employee under contract. Breslow and Cora had every right to demand that Devers play first base, but they went in the other direction — they merely asked him, and they did so with the assumption that they would back off if he said no, which they highly suspected he would. It’s not the strategy every franchise would have taken, but hey, Devers is absolutely mashing right now, so he should probably just keep DH’ing. Boston hasn’t been completely fair to Devers this season, and Devers hasn’t been a completely selfless teammate...." .

Sox Players vs RHPs in 2025 (200+ PAs, unless noted): .903 Anthony .852 Duran .808 Abreu .797 Eaton (41) .676 Contreras (w STL) .743 Story .739 Mayer (109) .732 Yoshida (173) .723 Narvaez .720 Rafaela .718 Romy (198) .658 Campbell (189) .618 DHam (174) .552 Sogard (69) .503 Wong (142) .447 Casas (100) _________________________ Sox Players vs LHPs in 2025 (100+ PAs): 1.409 Casas (12) .978 Romy .863 Contreras (w STL) .857 Sogard (35) .770 Anthony (98) ,734 Story .731 Narvaez .679 Rafaela ,676 Abreu (68) .675 Campbell (74) .673 Eaton (49) .600 Duran .508 Mayer (27) .488 Wong (46) .358 DHam (20)

So, Paredes, Hoerner, Shaw, Baty & Seager? Donovan E Tovar???

Although Donovan was pretty close to the .780 success line cutoff, he's not good vs LHPs. I'm fine with not getting a RHB, but whoever we get needs to be okay vs lefties. We can't platoon Mayer, our 2Bman, Masa, Duran & Abreu. There are only 4 bench slots and one is a catcher.

This looks like a direct quote from Cora prsented by ESPN, one of the "all accounts" sources you claim know more than I do: "He expressed his feelings. John did the same thing," Cora said. "I think the most important thing here is we're trying to accomplish something big here. And obviously there's changes on the roster, situations that happened, and you have to adjust."

Why not go by the results and the fact that the team gave up on Toro? Okay, Toro peaked at about the 30 game mark, which was when we traded Devers, but for someone who calls every prospect a "suspect," you sure seem to have thought Toro was someone we didn't need to replace. All based on what Cora said- I guy you respect more than anyone in MLB! (LOL) Devers > Toro. There is no debate on that. As for DH, yes Masa was on some sort of Twilight Zone AAA rehab assignment and wasn't called up until almost a month after the Devers trade, we still had Romy, Refsnyder and others that could have DH'd It was clear Cora did not want to even politely ask Devers to play 1B, and let's assume you are right, Cora did not think he was a better option at 1B, and it wasn't a fear of a Devers pout or tantrum, we do know Brez wanted Devers at 1B. So, "Going by what Brez actually said..." should mean something, too, right?

But on offense, Masa>Rafaela. Talking just offense... The offense would be better with Suarez at 3B, Masa at DH and Rafaela on the bench.

Last year, we faced 45 LH'd SP'ers. Since Romy is not playing OF, I don't see that platoon there for Romy- maybe 15-20 for Mayer and 20-25 for Masa at DH and 5-10 at 1B. That leaves none for 2B, assuming we add someone who does not need a platoon vs LHPs. (Donovan might.) I know people will hate hearing this, and I don't love the idea, but if Duran is traded, I think Masa plays LF when an OF'er needs a rest. I doubt we add KC to the 26 to rise the bench.

I'm not sure Rafaela is better on offense than Romy, but I think he is better than DHam, even if DHam only faces RHPs. (Rafaela has career reverse splits.) Romy may be used to platoon with Mayer, but my guess is he'll platoon with DHam at 2B more, and maybe even Masa at DH. I think Mayer gets a long look as our FT 3Bman I have to think we are adding a 2Bman (or 3Bman,) soon. Let's see who it is, and maybe everything seems clearer, then.

Teams may place players on the 60 Day IL once ST'ing begins. We will certainly be adding Houck and maybe Casas, too. That means we could have 2 more slots opening up. The two openings we have now are generating some speculation.