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1. He really shouldn’t play favorites anyway 2. He probably likes giving them days off, something he hasn’t had a chance to do since Spring Training. 3. Which one should honestly feel slighted?

Which tendon?

A difference so slight it can be more than made up by including Tyler Naquin.

While dumping salary of a player about to be released doesn't save much, the Sox would need a LF. I don't like Sam Travis much in that role.

He’s pre-arb. Would you trade Benintendi for him?

And in case anyone cares or somehow didysee it coming, Tyler Thornburg rejected his minor league assignment. The next step is he will now get dumped faster and harder than me by that Providence College cheerleader all those years ago, thrusting him into a virtual tornado of despair and alcoholism-fueled loneliness. Ok maybe that last part was just me...

Or go all Princess Bride in the second half and yell out “I am not left-handed!!” and unleash the 125mph blazing thunder with his well-rested right arm...

I have health concerns, but then I’ve had them about Eovaldi for, oh, I don’t know. Just over 11 months now, I guess...

And he probably prefers to start. But I don’t think he ever “flat out” said he doesn’t want to close, which would contradict exactly what you said. Now MLBTR did say he told the Phillies he prefers to start, so those negotiations went nowhere. Now what he did flat out say is he wanted either Boston or Houston (his hometown). As neither asked him about closing at the time, we don’t really know what he would have said. (In fact, Houston didn’t talk to him at all, much to his disappointment.)

To be honest, I think Chavis becomes the less excusable of the two. If it helped Chavis get to the majors faster, that’s exactly the wrong message to send to young players today dreaming of a big chance. A-Rod? He was already a big leaguer (as far as we know) when he started. Yes he cheated at baseball. But at the end of the day, if that’s the worst thing he ever did, is it really so bad? He’s not exactly conning seniors or killing puppies...

Well if he doesn’t want to do it, he isn’t putting up nearly the same fight you are. And did he ever “flat out” say he doesn’t want to close? Best I can find is an article saying (not quoting) his preference during free agency was to start, which isn’t really the same thing. I have to think the Sox discussed this option with him and aren’t simply forcing him into the role...

Using that page, the Sox could trade Dustin Pedroia for all three of Mark Melancon, Jeff Samardzija, and Joe Panik. But they probably shouldn’t...

With the entire NL except Miami within 7 games of a wild card, there may not be as many sellers as you anticipate. Especially since 11 NL teams are within 2.5 games right now...

Closing track records are overrated. The Mets loaded up this off-season on pitchers with track records as “proven closers” and their bullpen is worse than ours. With Eovaldi, it will come down to his health. If he’s not healthy enough to start but deemed healthy enough to close, it might actually work out. But that does feel like a narrow window of health...

Gimmicks never work. Have those NFL games in Europe done anything for the league? Manfred has been the “pace of play” guy who missed the two biggest opportunities to speed the game up. Enforce EXISTING pitch time rules. And stop the asinine roster expansion that gives managers 14 man bullpens for a full month. Quit fretting shifts; hitters will figure that out on their own. Quit trying to limit pitching changes by suddenly forcing pitchers to face 3 hitters. Just don’t give them 14 man bullpens for a full sixth of the season. I’d also like to see the return of Sunday double headers, but that will be tougher to push past the MLBPA. Although it will go a long way to reducing the chances of snowed out World Series games in northern cities...

Former Sox farmhand Frankie Montas wasn’t one step ahead...

And his age, being just 28 at the time. He doesn’t get that deal at 31...

Actually Eovaldi’s career strike out rates and groundball percentage make him comparable to Roberto Hernandez, who did have over 300 career saves. His career K/9 is better than about 9 or so of the top 30 save pitchers since 1990 and his groundball rates are better than about 2/3 of them. I’d rather he start and the Sox get bullpen help, but people with access to his medical records and knowledge of his recovery progress seem to feel differently about his ability to do so...

Or from an influence perspective. I don’t like sending the message to younger players “Juice or Fail!!” But so far the repercussions of juicing are “No Cooperstown!!” Really not the message I want to be sent...

I think they’re asking Nate to close because they don’t think he can handle a starter workload this season. His desire not to close was possibly a negotiation ploy. While he’s paid well as a starter, his salary is currently among the highest for closers. Any team negotiating to use him in that role probably doesn’t go so high. In fact, given the experienced closers on the market, it’s possible some of his appeal as a closer was to pay him less. Otherwise why pursue Eovaldi as a closer when Ottavino, Britton, Robertson, etc. we’re all still available?

+ 1

With the Yankee bullpen, a “5IP Pitcher” like Ray wouldn’t be a big detriment. But AZ is still in the thick of the WC hunt, so you have to give up enough to make them walk away. Or take Greinke or Tomas from them to make it worth their while...

K So... you’re saying the Sox should acquire Addison Russell? (Hey if you’re stirring up crap...)

The most practical solution is to use the two internal pitchers coming off injury in the bullpen in Eovaldi and Wright, to get more IP from the starters, and to stop using the back end of the bullpen in the rotation. It doesn’t look like either Wright or Eovaldi are going to be capable of handling starter duty this year anyway, so the bullpen is the best and really only option for them. Both can certainly be very effective pitchers picking up about maybe 60-80 IP combined in relief. This would mitigate th need for using the largely questionable Brasier in high leverage situations and mitigate using Barnes in innings only started by the better hitters in each lineup as well as in consecutive games. But the onus of improvement needs to rest with the rotation. If this rotation doesn’t do their job, then the entire bullpen would need an overhaul top to bottoms for multiple reasons. If Eovaldi closes, I’m not worried. Closers largely come in for clean ninth inning work nowadays. Eovaldi is an established veteran MLB pitcher with some excellent pitches who should be able to give the Sox 1 IP without issue. The biggest fear with flame-throwing closers is always overthrowing themselves into injury, which Eovaldi has done a few times in his career, but always as a starter. Wright has some issues, but also has a better track record for success than the entire Sox pen already and at the very least represents a solid change of pace. But getting a fifth starter is paramount here as opposed to using the bullpen to handle all 9 IP every fifth day after 4 straight games of pitching 3-4 IP. That is just begging for issues in August...

Braves, Brewers and Yankees are also interested. If it comes down to a bidding war, the Sox ain’t winning it.