Jack Flap

Assuming there was a plan for third base other than betting the house on a Panda revival, Shaw-for-Thornburg would have been a sensible one-for-one deal given their respective roles and histories. Why it was necessary to throw in three other prospects is a little beyond me, even if I don't expect any of them to come back to haunt us too badly.

I support anyone in a Red Sox uniform and hope for them to succeed. However, in the spirit of the thread, I think I can sort people into a few tiers... -A few faves: Betts, Bogaerts, JBJ, Benintendi, Pedroia, Sale. (I fully admit I have a bias towards homegrown players, and well, how can you not love Chris Sale?) -The next tier: Kimbrel, Price, Porcello, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Moreland, Vazquez. -Meh: Leon, Pomeranz, Young, Wright, Castillo, most of the current bullpen guys. (You can add Farrell and Dombrowski here, actually ) -I don't "hate" anyone, but...could do without: Sandoval, Craig. The OP seems to suggest you have to either "support" or "hate" a particular player at all times to be consistent, but my list is continually subject to change based on performance, health, and other factors.

Thornburg will undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, ending his season... https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/06/tyler-thornburg-to-undergo-surgery-for-thoracic-outlet-syndrome.html

Some really interesting arms taken so far...I'm really intrigued by Scherff.

I'd hate to sell low on Swihart...rather park him in Pawtucket and let him work his way back. Flores will be far enough away that I doubt signing him will affect our willingness to trade any of our MLB/AAA catchers, though.

http://news.soxprospects.com/2017/06/red-sox-select-pitcher-tanner-houck.html http://news.soxprospects.com/2017/06/red-sox-select-cole-brannen-with-their.html Not a bad first day, IMO. Seems like there's a fair amount of concern that Houck could end up in the bullpen, but his upside could be that of a #3/4 starter. Have seen Brannen compared to a Brett Gardner sort a couple of times.

Yup.

Are you f***ing kidding me...

Are we talking about the jersey incident here? Because that (and the affair with LaRoche's kid) just tells me that he's hot-headed and doesn't have much patience with what he sees as the front office f***ing up, not really that he can't handle performance-related scrutiny or criticism. There's a difference, no? But you're right that we haven't really seen Sale go through any true adversity here in Boston yet, so I don't think we can reasonably say how he will react. And I'm probably guilty here of something I usually try to avoid -- namely, making unfounded assumptions about players based on the limited picture we get from their public statements and actions. But Price does come across as particularly thin-skinned and easily rattled (I don't really think he's dealing with anything different from what various other Red Sox stars have faced over the years), and after the incidents in New York, it's difficult not to think it's going to fester into a greater problem if he doesn't figure out a better way to cope with the scrutiny.

In two new mock drafts out this morning, Baseball America has the Red Sox taking Peterson at #24, while MLB.com puts them with Hiura. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/2017-mlb-mock-draft-4-0/#F65A7Mp10sFm7qY1.97 http://m.mlb.com/news/article/235304580/round-1-forecast-mlb-draft-starts-monday/?topicid=151437456

Was just about to point this out.

I noticed people were bumping the draft thread from last year, so I thought I'd go ahead and start a new one... Here's a nice draft preview from SoxProspects which identifies some likely Red Sox targets... http://news.soxprospects.com/2017/06/2017redsoxdraftpreview.html A few possible 1st round picks:

I'm a lot more optimistic about Sale's chances of success in Boston because he seems to just do his thing and not give much of a f*** what anyone says or thinks. Price, on the other hand, while he seems like a good guy, lets every bit of external noise seep under his skin and fester there. The best-case scenario for all involved would be for Price to pitch his ass off for the next 1-2/3 seasons and opt out at the end of 2018. He doesn't seem happy with the Boston media or fans, and if he sticks around into his later 30's, with the likelihood of performance declining and injuries mounting as he collects $30 million per year, it's only going to get uglier.

Does someone have some examples of whatever unfair or over-the-top media reporting has Price so upset? I expect morons on Twitter and talk radio to act like morons, but has there been something specific other than that? Evan Drellich made some tweets during the game the other night before Price went off on him, but those seemed pretty neutral and factual to me and actually defended Price's right not to speak to the media if he doesn't want to.

His recent results (Wednesday night's 5 innings and 120-whatever pitches notwithstanding) definitely look a lot better...hope that continues.

Motherf***er.

For me, Pomeranz is well on his way to becoming the new Buchholz: a guy who's capable of being crazy good when he's on, but who is a perpetual source of frustration because for one reason or another he can't ever seem to maintain that level for very long. Almost a year into his Red Sox career, he looks like what his stat line says he is: a 4+ ERA pitcher who will show occasional flashes of excellence but can't really be counted on for more than 5 innings. Yes, even if that's all he is, he might be a perfectly adequate back-end starter, but should we be satisfied with that?

Kimbrel is a f***ing animal this year. That punchout of Judge to end the game was a thing of beauty.

Woo Beni!

Needed that DP...let's hope Pom can at least get us through the 5th...

Right, I got that, obviously. There were a couple of posts about Bradley not seeing the same number of pitches, which is a pretty minor issue compared to what JBJ brings to the table defensively. (That was really my point...should have clarified.)

Napoli certainly never brought what Bradley does in terms of stellar defense at a premium position, either. A different JBJ comp I saw the other day that seems to fit: Mike Cameron.

This!

Quality trolling by Pedro, but... http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19554826/former-boston-red-sox-slugger-david-ortiz-says-staying-retired