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True. I really have no idea how it affects the players. Sure some might be down, but others might not care as much. Right now this team is struggling to both hit and pitch. Losing two players to COVID and Bogaerts having a balky wrist are also not factors…

His ERA before today was also nearly two runs lower than before the ban. Barnes has gotten better since Manfred banned Spider Tack, etc…

Sure. I can see the argument. However the Sox lost their starting DH. Is a utility infielder any better off a call up? If the Sox want someone not on the 40 man, Joey Meneses might have made more sense. Or Johan Mieses. Of course I can see why neither was called up, as they have a combined 11 PA above Portland this year…

Jump on that bandwagon!! Manfred banned foreign substances on June 23. His OPSA before Stickygate was .474. His OPSA since the ban has ballooned to .484. (prior to today’s game)…

It looked to me like he was trying to play at a $100! Table e with only $50 in chips. The only way he’d even get a chance to spend them is if he switched tables. He did do that eventually, but maybe the nickel slots l shouldn’t have been his second choice…

Who were they supposed to bring up?

I’ve spent far too many off-season posts campaigning for Schoop. If some non-baseball fan was reading them, the sheer volume would give him the impression Jon Schoop was among the best players in MLB history…

Schoop is also playing first base for the first time this season. Cron is out and Rizzo went to the Yankees, in case you missed it…

What about for 2 months of the Rizzo who has a lower OPS than Jon Schoop? You know, since Bloom doesn’t have a time machine…

I think you can expect all the rental players to be available since none will get qualifying offers. Even with all his extension talk, Scherzer still might be available…

This analogy might require some explanation. Because it could mean you think Bloom should have dealt Casas for anyone. If the Yankee prospects were better or if Hoyer liked them better, the Sox were not getting Rizzo period. No matter what Bloom did. Your position seems to be Bloom didn’t even offer his best prospects. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he did. My position is it didn’t matter either way. If Bloom made mistakes at the deadline - and I agree with that - it was ignoring the second tier pitching market. (Honestly I don’t know if he ignored. All I know is he was never rumored to be involved,). I think even bringing back Jon Lester was a doable move that - while not a game changer - would have been an improvement…,

Someone give a test to Bogaerts

Wander Franco started playing 3B for the Rays this year during a pennant race after never playing the position before this season and only playing it 7 times in the minors. I bet if I wanted to dedicate the time, I could find a slew of players who moved to 1B during the season as a result of a deadline trade...

.. which he can do at home. So we're both right...

There has to be some sort of balance, especially for only 2 months of a player. Casas might be Lars Anderson 2.0, but he also might be a perennial All Star. Most likely, he falls some where in the vast grey area between. Would you or would you not have traded him for 2 months of Anthony Rizzo? For me, no. He's 21 and playing in AA and could be ready to take over 1B at some point in 2022. However, someone like Gilberto Jimenez, whose only in A ball, and whose best position is very likely going to be held by Jarren Duran for the next few seasons, and who is considered a good enough prospect to at least the Sox in the conversation, is one guy I am actually surprised the Sox held on to. Now, maybe GMs really don't like Jimenez. Or maybe he was in those talks, but everyone also wanted him along with a good pitching prospect that the Sox just do not have. There are actually other possibilities beyond "Bloom just wants to hold his prospects"...

Dan Quayle!

At home?

If the Sox promote any minor leaguer, Connor Seabold is the bigger need right now. Not sure if his 20 innings of rehab is viewed as enough just yet...

Rizzo is the one guy I was disappointed that Bloom did not get. Hard to equate what players from the Sox farm. The Fangraphs Future Value system at least gives me a way to compare, but even it has flaws. But let's use it. Alcatara (FV: 50) and Vizcaino (FV: 45)gave the Cubs a decent return on Rizzo. From the Sox system ,in oprder to give them two prospects with a FV total of 95, we would need to include a one FV: 50 prospect and one FV 45 or 45+ (really a 45+ to "top" the Yankee offer). Before the season, the Sox had two prospects with FV of 50 - Casas and Downs. Downs has not made hiself look like a good trade piece so far this year, so it looks like we would need to include Casas. For the FV 45+: Mata and Jimenez. Has to be Jimenez, as Mata is out with TJ. For the FV: 45 - Noah Song, Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran, Connor Seabold, Bobby Dalbec (it's a preseason ranking) Realisitcally Duran has probably aded value and Downs has lost value. The Cuba also took a pitcher in Vizcaino, and this is probably not a coincidence. Pitchers on this list that are not good trad include Mata and Song. So to get Rizzo, it might have taken something like one of Casas or Duran and one of Houck or Seabold. Would you have dealt Casas and Houck? Or Duran and Seabold? Or who? At least using this objective system. But the bottom line is, some sort of Potts/Groome package was not going to get anything done.,..

I'm not so sure being an actual first baseman is a hiuge advantage. Look around MLB at who plays forst base. At least half of them came up playing other positions and moved to 1B. At the MLB level for a lot of teams, 1B is where you put the "can hit/can't field" player...

It also took a significant rebuild in July to get hem on the right track. Not one of those talking heads predicting another ring took Rizzo and Gallo into account...

One thing about the whole goo ban is it seems like it's kiilling the Soxmore than other teams. Certainly other pitchers were using the stuff. Some, like Tyler Glasnow, at least had the decency to injure himself and not become a problem for the Rays. But Perez and Richards continue to stay healthy. (I'm actually not totally convinced Perez was using anything. He's been awful since the ban, but his career is loaded with stretches like this. They are probably the reason he only gets the cheap one year deals.)

A few of them were low A ballers with promise, and varying ranks. Alcantara, for example, was #10 in their system on MLB.com (I think), but #7 on Fangraphs. Prospect- ranking is all very subjective anyway...

I think that's a little too wide open. Sometimes requests are unreasonable. If the guy doesn't offend anyone, let him have at it. Maybe some people like responding to his stuff. And what was he banned for previously? If he attacked other people or made derogatory comments (not counting those to Bobby Dalbec), he should be banned, but that doesn't mean he now has a new set of rules, like "If you make a thread about a demotion that could never happen under existing rules and also shows you have no understanding of how minor leagues work" is not an acceptable reason banning for anyone IMO. What's truly sad now is that Ghost has become a bigger topic that the current team. Maybe we do need him...

Change the seventh inning song from "Sweet Caroline" to Molly Hatchet's timeless mega-hit "Flirtin' With Disaster". For many, many reasons...