notin

At what point do we make it sound like we built the roster around a Rule 5 pick? They very likely wanted more pitching depth because no one threw much last year and they figured a rash of injuries or fatigue were likely. The biggest problem I have with carrying 14 pitchers is two of them are Taylor and Brice...

If first names count, let’s not forget Turkey Tyson. And his memorable career consisting of a single plate appearance in 1944. Also, his name consists of two poultry references - an MLB record...

Ty France

If we can use first names, there is a slew of players named Chad...

Dave England

Why? It’s not 9 innings. Pitchers like Matt Young and Andy Hawkins have thrown 8 inning no hitters in road games their teams lost (through no fault of Young or Hawkins). Both pitchers were credited with complete games. Neither with no hitters. So now a 7 inning CG no hitter counts but an 8 inning CG no hitter doesn’t?

Read it somewhere or heard it on MLB radio. When he got to 30 Ks there were numerous articles about him being the first pitcher with 30 strikeouts and no walks since 1906. No idea who did that in 1906, despite my researching the subject...

I get that viewpoint. but also at some point, when you do acquire a player at the deadline, you do have to tell someone on your team "you're not good enough," which can be interpreted as "you're the one holding us back." Even Verlander replaced somebody...

I can attest that the stories about him in Chicago later in his career were far from stellar as well. He was reportedly a notorious complainer. He played better D than Nomar, but anything else appears to be up for debate...

Also worth noting is the 2004 deadline trade did not look equal on paper. The Sox traded away one of the best shortstops in team history and acquired a talented but lesser shortstop and a defensive replacement at 1b. Maybe getting rid of Nomar made the clubhouse better? But then we all know acquiring Mientkiewicz didn’t sit well with Millar...

And Bobby Kielty, with his WS Game 4 home run that was the difference. Hey sometimes it’s the lesser acquisitions that make the greater difference...

And the way he has been working those types of deals, he might take a salary dump and get a prospect as well...

Glad you were there to take his call. I have him blocked. He knows why...

I’ve wondered about that scenario in the past. We as fans like the deadline acquisitions when the message to us is “We’re trying to win right now!” But do the actual players hear that same message? Obviously trading away MLB roster players sends a clear message to both fans and players. But what about inactivity at the deadline? Do players view that as a quiet white flag? Or do they hear a message saying “you guys are good enough to win it all as is”? I have absolutely no idea...

Even a lot of those cheap outfielders appeared to cost more than the Sox were willing to spend. Sure, say, Eddie Rosario only cost what, $8mill for one year. But who was the last free agent the Sox signed for with an AAV that high? Right now the only one Bloom has signed is Enrique Hernandez. And while Hernandez is not exactly crushing it (99 OPS+), neither is Rosario (74 OPS+). This year, putting together a quick fix team did not appear to be the priority, because spending heavily with no cheap fill-in players is a death trap for a team. The Sox took some chances with scouting report guys with weak stats, like Cordero and Pivetta. The down side is, they could easily continue to flounder or get injured. But even if that happens, there is no real commitment. They're not stuck paying them for the next 4 to 6 seasons to continue to flop. But the goal was clearly to get players behind them in the minors. Players who might not becaome stars, but at the very least, can make the roster while being paid league minimum, which frees up the budget to either bring in better players or extend some of the current players like Devers and Verdugo, or both. Obviously the Sox hope Cordero and Pivetta and probably a few others can play well enough to join that list. But while that decision is being made, they did not want to be stuck with any other long term commitments, at least not now. The actual real problem with that plan was the Sox started winning. And now fans can't tolerate the gambles they took because they are not all paying off right away. But this team was never expected to be in this position. It''s only been what, a little over two weeks since they got swept at Fenway by lowly Baltimore and John Tomase wrote one of the most scathing articles about this team most of us have ever seen. After reading that article, was the thought really "Well, if we did not have Renfroe and Cordero, we could contend"? THere is going to have to be some patience. This team had a payroll well over $240 million two years ago and finished up in early October, and THAT was when all the really scathing articles about the long term view of the Sox and their commitments to Sale, Price and Eovaldi were gong to drag this team down further, especially given the state of the minimum wage guys aka the "Cliff". And they might have even been correct assessments, but Bloom tried to clean that mess up. Right now, the biggest complaint against him is maybe he cleaned it up too quickly and the team is trying to contend with too many players with unforeseeable futures...

Maybe that's why it's not on top?

I never said don't try an alternative. I said don't try one just because of 46 plate appearances. After 58 PA, Chavis had a 1.236 OPS. After 57 PA, Dustin Pedroia had a .450 OPS. Those small sample sizes lead to any meaningful conclusions? Here's the thing - it's not exactly a secret you wanted Duran here since opening day. But the problem is, Duran has very little time in the outfield and had his learning to play the position interrupted by a pandemic that cost him an entire season. And the 37 games of Arizona Fall League and Foreign Leagues he has played over the past 2 years don't really make up for losing that entire season, especially since he didn't have any Sox coaching. You're probably going to have to wait a bit on him...

We could have hD Benintendi’s .608 OPS instead of Cordero’s .545? It’s an improvement, but a slight one at best...

Cordero missed most of spring training and has 46 plate appearances. Should the Sox demote him and give Jarren Duran 46 plate appearances to impress? What happens if he isn’t impressive in those 46 plate appearances? DFA him and try Gettys for 46 plate appearances?

Yes. 40 (and counting) in 2021 by Corbin Burnes. He already has the record...

Fun baseball stats. After 4 starts, Corbin Burnes has an ERA of 0.34 and an ERA+ of 1101 and doesn’t lead the National League in either category. Jake deGrom has a WHIP of 0.553 and is a distant second in the NL...

And if they switch Houck to the pen, it’s not the worst idea...

Who cares what arm a guy throws with if everyone crushes the few strike he throws? Ineffectivity need not be justified by left-handedness. And the whole “needing a lefty in the pen” got a lot less important with the (highly questionable) three batter minimum rule...

At least while Arroyo is hitting...

The Yankees should just replace him with me. Red Sox fans would love that move...