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I would normally be on board with Puello (or Michael Gettys) as a 4th outfielder, but I have my doubts that Bloom (or anyone in the organization) thinks Hunter Renfroe is a full time player. And it's not like they paid him as if they expected him to be one. They have been connected with numerous other outfielders so far, including Bradley, Puig, Ozuna and Marwin Gonzalez (if you think of him as on OF). So I am not so sure they are done here. And big no to Ockimey. Why when a LHH bench bat can be had cheaply, and the Sox have been connected to Moreland and Gonzalez and probably been in touch with others. And it is a safe bet anyone the Sox sign will be better than Ockimey...

Are you saying it happened or just predicting? I cannot find this actually happening anywhere...

With about 100 players or so still looking for jobs, it is hard to say as no one really knows what any final roster will look like. I have serious doubts about the Sox signing Odorizzi after bringing on Garrett Richards, but I still think they will bring in at least one outfielder and a bench bat. And if they take advantage of some bargain relievers like Romo and Workman on top of that, they will not be a bad team. Maybe not a title team, but a team we can all watch and get some enjoyment from for 6 months...

There is a significant amount of irony in hearing about the durability of smaller players from the fan of a team with two behemoths in Stanton and Judge that have both proven to be incapable of staying on the field in recent years...

Let's not go too far down this road for obvious reasons...

St. Louis was might have been better off waiting and dumping him for a quarter on the dollar. Getting Vaz would have been good for them, but they have sufficient OF depth with Bader, O'Neill and Lane Thomas already..

Unless they use that month to vaccinate 10 million people...

They did. But once you bring up Harper and Trout, is that really in the ballpark anymore? If he wanted to be paid among the best in the game, was 4th best good enough?

And only for one year while they figure out who gets to take over RF between Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh. No doubt Fowler's former manager Joe Maddon made this recommendation...

Not sure if they would have committed that much to him, but the Sox do have precedent in the Henry Era of paying players to be the among highest paid in the game. But with so many other commitments, not sure if Betts was possible on top of all that. At the very least, it is nice that Bogaerts was...

The one thing baseball does have going for it is by it's own nature, the game is very socially distanced. Only the catcher and batter are near each other. (Or runner and 1B if someone gets on.) All defensive players are far apart. And every time a ball is put in play, a new ball is brought in to replace it for the next hitter. The NFL and NBA cannot compete with baseball for in-game protections from viruses...

Yep. Freddie Patek only played a scant 14 years...

On the field he was great. To the tune of 37.2 fWAR. For some perspective, Betts achieved that total in 5 years. It took Hall of Famer Jim Rice 10 years to achieve that to total..

Yeah DAve really ruined those 1968-2000 drafts for the Sox

That first round wound up being one of the worst ever. The number one overall pick never pitched an inning in the majors. And four of the pitchers taken in the top 10 combined for less than 40 IP, all but one of those IP from Kohl Stewart...

So.... Eovaldi? Assuming he is not on the IL?

Exactly!!

Also there is this. "Hernández, who won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2020, will help fill the void the Red Sox have at second base. The Red Sox told Hernández that he will get the bulk of his reps at second base, but he could also see time in center field -- where Boston appears likely to lose Jackie Bradley Jr. in free agency -- and in the corner outfield spots while also spelling Xander Bogaerts here and there at shortstop." Enrique Hernández agrees to deal with Red Sox WWW.MLB.COM The Red Sox got their next Brock Holt in the form of Kiké Hernández, a super-utility player who plays every position but catcher. The Red Sox on Tuesday announced the signing, which was first reported on Jan. 22. A source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the deal is for two So while he will play some centerfield, he appears to be slated for 2B, probably with Arroyo taking over 2B when he plays CF...

A complete lack of buzz about it anywhere but this forum...

I think Schoop is unlikely, because I think EHern in CF is unlikely. But I also think it is a good idea. If I had to think of players the Sox most likely add, the list includes Moreland, Workman, Romo, Pillar, Miller, and Almora, and the next tier is players like Brian Goodwin, Tyler Naquin, Jake Lamb and maybe Ben Gamel. Obviously I do not expect all of them. 3 at most. But 4 would be ideal if two of them were Workman and Romo.

Oh I think Ozuna is unlikely, but he shouldn't be. Sure the defense will suffer, but so will opposing pitching. Schoop is an unexciting addition that makes sense, but only if the Sox do plan on moving Kike to CF. Now Puig is an exciting addition that makes sense and may cost about the same. But then, not all excitement is good excitement, as Yasiel has proven repeatedly. I've thrown Josh Reddick';s name out there, largele because 1) he does not suck and 2) no one seems to want him. I can't find a single rumor about him. Odd because he is a league average (maybe a tad below) hitter who plays above average defense in RF. and hits left-handed. Maybe the last two years of his reverse platoon splits have turned off anyone looking to platoon him. But then another guy who is younger, better in the OF, and hits LH, can play CF and is a slightly ABOVE league average hitter is Brian Goodwin. Goodwin hits LHP and RHP about the same, but still could make for a decent platoon with Renfroe in RF. As could Nick Markakis, who is clearly no longer a full time OF, but unfortunately is also more likely to retire than join Boston.

It makes me miss Ben Cherington. You didn't see him warm bodies after a last place finish. And he managed to improve the farm system at the same time. Not everyone BC signed worked out, but at least he did not only look in the basement...

If MLB wants to make their game more exciting, the universal DH is a no-brainer. There is absolutely nothing less exciting in baseball than watching a pitcher try to hit. In fact, it might be the least exciting routine activity in any sport. In other sports, players doing something outside of their normal activity can be exciting, like watching a kicker or punter attempt a pass. Or better yet, a tackle... the MLBPA wants it. The owners should want it. Not sure what the obstacle is here, other than one side or the other refusing to accept it as part of some negotiation ploy...

Go over it now. Sign Odorizzi and Ozuna and call it an off-season, barring any minor tweaks. Otherwise next year, we will be in the same position...

If the Sox signed Sergio Romo (4.34 ERA in 2020, but like Ottavino, the bulk of the runs came in 2 appearances) and, say Brian Goodwin for RF, that could possibly keep them under the tax limit with a little room to spare and increase the watch-ability of this team. My big problem is it puts this team in basically the same position after 2021...