notin

Why would they need to DFA Ramirez? Lin is on the 40 man roster already and the injury to Pedroia creates an opening on the active roster. Not to mention, even with the addition of Ramirez and Leon, the Sox still have 2 open 40 man roster spots...

Or it’s a preparedness issue...

The really unusual thing about Porcello is the walks. In the past 2 seasons, he’s pitched 203 and 191 IP and walked 48 batters in each season. This year in 11IP, he’s already walked 12!! And the thing is, those seasons with 48 walks were bad by his standards. That he’s already walked a quarter of that total in maybe 5% of his normal IP is a definite red flag this season...

The 60 day IL isn’t necessary. Chavis is already on the 40 man roster and the Sox have 2 open spots on it still.

Never wanted Moreland, but I’d welcome him back...

J Immaterial. The question involved $230mill, which is an approximation of the upper limit where the Sox are now minus Pedroia’s AAV. If Henry is going to squeeze the budget, then it was unwise to extend Sale and Bogaerts ...

I rarely take the word of sports media when it comes to health speculation...

This 100% also depends on whether or not Pedroia thinks he’s done. I really doubt he has any “quit” in him. And really, how much of a difference should it make? If Pedroia remains, is it that much of a task for Dombrowski to build a team with $230mill? I’d hardly call it a handicap. Plenty of teams have smaller budgets and also have deadweight contracts...

Two words: guaranteed contract. The Sox are on the hook for it unless Pedroia voluntarily retires. Just like how the Rangers are still paying Prince Fielder...

And is Dombrowski thinking about him as a rotation option?

They lost two key pitchers at the back end of the bullpen and instead spent a big chunk of the remaining budget on the backup 1b. I do find those to be questionable priorities. It felt like Dombrowski was so impressed with himself for finding Brasier, that he decided he could easily find a few more Brasiers. Hard-throwing? Check. Nowhere near an MLB team last year? Check. Come on aboard, Runzler, Ellington, Schlereth, Tapia, and Putnam...

Also this whole Player X wants to play for Team Y “for the rest of his career” seems like a worn-out negotiation ploy to get an extension. And if it happens at an acceptable rate, win for the player. If the team rebuffs him, it vilifies the management...

And that he’s only 30 and could be a free agent. As he’s not “in his 30’s”, he stands a chance to pitch himself into a decent contract...

So therefore it is quantifiable, just by metrics we can’t find on Fangraphs...

When? And how dumb were they? This team started out 17-2 or something like that. Was the “2” proof of fallibility and therefore too much for some fans?

Tend to agree with Jacko here. Porcello might want to come back at a reduced cost, he can’t go too low without the union getting upset. And the Sox commitments for next season might be too prohibitive. Especially with the JD Martinez situation looming. Holt has stated he wants to come back, but hasn’t Ben extended. I don’t think this means he is definitely gone, but it certainly leaves the door wide open...

Once the financial implications became clear, I was critical of the Pearce signing. And when Wilson Ramos signed for something like $1.5mill more, I found it disappointing. In fact, the Sox could have signed Ramos, and cut Thornburg and/or Leon (assuming no one wanted Vazquez) and saved cash and maybe even had a better team. Heck, for less than the cost of Pearce, Thornburg, and Leon, the Sox could have brought in Ramos, Alex Wilson and lefty-mashing 1b Danny Valencia. But it’s too late for that now. Fixing 2b? Lin and eventually Chavis, assuming he works out. Bullpen? Domingo Tapia is off to a great start in Pawtucket. I’ve never been a fan of Workman or Johnson, and Thornburg May never be the pitcher he was in Milwaukee again. Or keep Ramirez in there. As for moving Betts, opinions seem to be divided. Some want him leading off. Some want him further down. I like the idea of keeping him 2nd. But he has to get going at some point...

It might be time to move on, at least short term. At this point in a season, trades are unlikely, since no one is really out of it yet, not even the Sox. So internal options for 2b get the first shot. Also, unlike trades, if an internal option doesn’t work out, it’s easily undone. But we might have a different case here. The Sox don’t have any 2b prospects knocking on the door, except the minimally-experienced Chavis. Lin is the only other possibility, and really, the most likely candidate if they move quickly off Nunez/Holt. I’d like to see another 2b option beyond Lin. I’d like to see the Sox offer Swihart to the Astros for 2b Jack Mayfield. No idea if Houston would want Swihart, but if they do, getting via waiver claim is unlikely. Their starting catcher is Robinson Chirinos, who, while better than Swihart, is a sketchy player. He is off to a good start however. The same cannot be said for their backup Max Stassi and his .161 OPS. And really, Swihart need not be relegated to a BUC role anyway. And they clearly don’t want Mayfield. He’s a 28yo career minor leaguer blocked by a former MVP. But he is a good defensive infielder and is sporting an insane 1.140 OPS so far, albeit in the notoriously hitter-friendly PCL. Mayfield might not solve the Sox 2b problem, but he needs a good chance he won’t get in Houston. And if the cost is a player already on DFA, why not? Neither Houston nor Boston has a full 40-man roster, so there is no ancillary damage for either team....

Bizarre 2019 Stats: Yesterday for the first time in his 6,829 plate appearance career, Joey Votto popped out to the first baseman...

No mic drop?

And here lies the issue with message boards as a method of communicating. When you say things like “practice how you play,” a phrase as a coach I love, to me it does mean practice intense, practice hard, practice tenacious, etc. Also I like “focus.” Good word to describe another aspect of what I meant. Arguably different but inarguably related...

I think it’s easy to prove Belichick’s superiority, and in a very quantifiable way. Check his fingers. But as for the intangible/faith qualities, it’s not about existence. Sure they exist. It’s about acceptance and complacency. When the team thinks “well this worked last year,” they’re ignoring that it worked in a different league. Other teams around, particularly the closer ones, will improve. And what worked when those were lesser teams might not work so well when they’re better ones. Especially since this process involves evaluating one small part of a very large machine. Sure, there is the adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” But just because it isn’t broken doesn’t mean it’s optimized...

I think he’s saying Ellsbury is paid less than his estimate of the settlement with the insurance company...

The only other option is a DFA, where he will/should go unclaimed and collect his full guaranteed salary. But the 60 day IL accomplished the same results with the addition of ensuring he retires as a member of the Red Sox...

Can you imagine the uproar around other coaches on the Sox and other teams if Pedroia got $25mill for coaching? That’s probably more than all the coaches in the AL East combined. And many would probably be better than the untried rookie. Like Bryan Bannister? What happens when his contract is due and he’s done a great job but is making $24.5 mill (for example) less than a less effective coach? And really, no one knows if Pedroia wants to coach. We do absolutely without a shadow of a doubt know he wants to play...