notin

Not according to his accountant...

Technically he didn’t start...

That can be interpreted two ways, one of which is possibly a serious accusation, depending on how it’s done. (And given Detroit’s season-long offensive struggles, it probably isn’t being done.) But the other one is on the Sox pitching staff...

He could do both...

The Sox have 9 relief pitchers. I trust 4 of them to varying levels. Barnes, Whitlock, Andriese, Sawamura. The rest? They make me squirm, and not in a good way...

What’s his Twitter handle?

The Sox just gave up 25 runs in 28 innings to the worst offense in MLB. Santana, while versatile, is not going to fix their biggest weakness...

An “ugly win” is still a win; a “moral victory” is a loss....

His eye level is still pretty low...

Also another example of a third baseman who could hit but not play third base...

Apparently 9 minutes...

He’ll have his hot streaks...

Is first really more difficult than third base? If so, it does seem odd that MLB history is full of first basemen who started out at third base but had to be moved because of their defense at the hit corner. Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Miguel Sano are recent examples...

Well, his career is only 119 games so far...

Or possibly June 2021 first base job...

The Tigers came into this series averaging less than 3 runs per game and have put up 21 runs (and counting) against Sox pitching. For all the gripes about the Sox at the plate in this series (and I am not without blame), they have scored 24 runs so far in this series. The biggest problem is beyond evident here...

Dalbec going after the first pitch after Funkhouser just walked the ever dangerous Kevin Plawecki on 5 pitches is certainly a questionable decision...

Someone named Brandon Brennan is also on the 40 man roster...

I feel you might be very liberal with your use of the word “worthy”...

That’s very likely...

Also, is Mata still on the 40 man? He’s not going to pitch this year, so moving him to the 60 day IL would free up a spot to add a waiver claim. Hey, Tanner Roark needs work. When you get released in the middle of a lucrative contract, you might not get so picky about bullpen jobs. Although MLB has too many pitchers named “Tanner” as it is. Not sure any team should have two...

DHern and Valdez seem to have fallen out of trust or are having issues physically. If that’s the case, why keep them up? Both have optic and this bullpen has no shortage of mop up guys...

If the Sox do anything to the pen, far more likely they demote one or more of Valdez, Hernandez or Taylor, although Taylor appears to be redeeming himself a little. I’d just assume call up Houck, who could have a good career as a relief pitcher, but I don’t think that’s the plan. So who would they call up? The most realistic candidates on the 40 man roster are Bazardo and Brewer. Groome isn’t likely. Not they could put Mata on the 60 day injured list, right? That would create an opening for anyone else. But there aren’t a slew of other candidates. The best options from the rest might be Walden, Gossett, McCarthy or long shot Caleb Simpson. Not necessarily much improvement...

Why DFA players with options? One of the reasons to DFA players is to send them down after they clear waivers, but players with options need not clear waivers before being sent down. If he is using the DFA process them from the 40 man roster, the options become irrelevant (except that they make a player a more attractive claim candidate for another team).. The goal is probably to maintain some control of as many players as possible, but if Bloom wants to promote someone on the 40 man roster, he needs to clear a space and in that case, he would have to DFA a player he feels is likely to clear or does not mind losing altogether. Marcus Wilson is probably the most likely candidate to clear waivers. Even Brice or Brewer would probably get claimed, as young, cheap pitchers with a couple years control and MLB experience are not likely to clear waivers. Not that I would mind losing Brice or Brewer. That said, releasing Brice and promoting Brewer is also not the worst idea. I just don't see what he sees in Brice...

I think of AA as the most important developmental step, as it’s where all the best players from each organization’s A ball teams filter into one team. Most AAA teams are loaded with players on MiLB contracts, many of whom are aging former major leaguers, or with the bulk of their 40 man roster players not on the parent club.