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If those ocean liners could afford to bring another spare ocean liner along with them, don’t you think they would? Yoshida’s big obstacle is his contract that pays him substantially more than a typical 4th OF.. But you have repeatedly argued that the Sox can certainly spend above and beyond their payroll. Now you’re backing down on that stance?

I’ve sort of pointed that out multiple times…

Yeah it’s like how all those paranoid ocean liners spend tons of money on lifeboats that are only there in case of a shipwreck that most likely never happens. Silly ocean liners…

Thanks for another episode of Roster Reasoning with Old Red, where we take deep dives into superficial logic and ignore basic counting principles. Why they kept him vs how they use him need not align. Are you really overtly stating the Sox management will undoubtedly employ strategy along the lines of “we can’t use him on outfielder’s days off. We only kept him because of the contract! And apparently did so twice according to some fans.”

I cannot understand that move. The Dodgers were fairly obviously contenders. Contending teams rarely (never?) shed pitching on July 31st trading deadlines to acquire minor leaguers. And this logic goes back to a time when baseball had the waiver deadline. So why didn’t Dustin May’s availability on its own raise a few red flags?

So if any of Duran, Anthony, Rafaela or Abreu get a day off - something Cora schedules for each a fair amount of time - are you saying Eaton makes more sense? Bear in mind the purpose of giving a player a day off is quite often to keep a bench player active. So the fantasy notion of rotating players through the DH role instead of giving them actual days off doesn’t change anything; the bench players are still going to see some time. If Cora thinks each bench player should get a minimum of 150 PAs per year, would you prefer Yoshida get them? Or Eaton?

Any outfielder/DH getting a day off? Cora does like to do that….

Glad you want both, because the dermatologist I was thinking of moonlights as a coroner. Well, really he’s a coroner who dabbles in back-alley dermatology since he’s not licensed to examine living humans. Or aardvarks. Want the number?

You appear to have a complexion issue. Might I recommend a good dermatologist? Or a cheap coroner?

I do miss him. As trolls go, he was predictably amusing. Yoshida really is a very good hitter. He’s only shown it for partial seasons in Boston and his shoulder injury clearly hampered a lot, but he can be a difference maker that Eaton’s can simply not be…

We have yet to see the Full Masataka!

No, I call it a no brainer because I lack brains…

Yeah! This team is already devoid of great hitters! We should unload the good ones too!

Ah well. Eaton was more useful and Monasterio redundant, but it’s the last roster spot. I suppose the good news is it appears they will discontinue platooning Abreu. Unless they plan to continue platooning him with even shittier outfield defense…

One year after watching what happens when you lack MLB-caliber starting players on the bench - a cost-prohibitive option - and folks try to unload having one. Yoshida isn’t much of an OF, but if one of the OF do get hurt, I’d rather see Masataka in the lineup every day than Eaton…

Just because he had the upward mobility clause doesn’t mean he has to invoke it..,

Because 23-24 of the decisions for most teams were easily predictable even before games started. And I bet even those last 2-3 roster spots depend are probably already 90% certain before any of us realize it. As fans, we like to think a lot more is up for grabs than really is. For example, Braiden Ward has a .904 OPS and a spring training record. Marcelo Mayer has a .710 OPS this spring and a history of health issues. Who do you think makes the team? Or Connor Wong, who posted a pathetic .238 OPS this ST, think Ward gets a roster spot over Wong? If ST stats determined roster spots, shouldn’t Ward snd his record-setting spring training have won something? In fact, all spring there was a lot of “you can’t count on Mayer” and how no one had faith in him, etc. Well, believe it or not, the Sox actually probably have plenty of faith in Mayer, and are even more aware than us of his physical limitations…

They start up on Wednesday, giving them a quicker day off than everyone else…

Monasterio has 280 plate appearances vs LHP spread out over 3 years. He has done some platooning, with the pitchers he has faced most frequently being Andrew Abbott, Justin Steele Graham Ashcroft, Jesus Luzardo and Martin Perez, and 4 of those 5 are left-handed. He might have even been acquired to face LHP, but as Eaton plays more positions, and has more uses and also bats right-handed, Monasterio isn’t a lock to make the opening day roster. IKF is, barring injury…

1. Does Newcomb make the rotation if Kutter Crawford isn’t hurt? Does he even make the team? 2. Valdez, Tapia, Anderson fall into that “last man on the bench/bullpen”, but even then injuries are usually involved. Braiden Ward was the hot topic for most of March; did he play himself on to the roster? If I asked you to nane the Sox 26 man roster on Feb 1st, how many names would you have gotten right?

Not to mention, it’s really hard to argue against the Yankees as the best of the AL, despite their extremely inactive offseason…

Spring training stats don’t matter. Most of us that have been watching baseball for a long time have seen players struggle in spring training and go on to have good seasons. And we’ve seen players with good spring training numbers struggle when it matters. Of course we have also seen players struggle in the spring and go on to struggle in the regular season as well. And therein lies the worry. Yes, it’s likely to happen to someone on the Sox, but it’s not as foreseeable as one might think. Spring training is absolutely not for “practicing as you play” and you only need to follow the increasing trail of IP to realize this. Spring training is for getting loose and (even more important) not getting hurt. Most roster decisions have already been made before anyone even dons a uniform for the first time, so trying isn’t necessarily anyone’s priority. Sure the occasion fringey player like Braiden Ward might try to get noticed. And the occasional battle for the last bench spot or the last bullpen slot might happen. But even then, how often are those decisions made by ST performances?

There’s a decent chance Whitlock is closing before the season ends…

I’m going to put out there mu long shot prediction for the opening day lineup / roster, ignoring the fact that the likely opposing pitcher is LHP Nick Lodolo. LF: Anthony 3b: Durbin DH Duran 1b Contreras RF Abreu SS Story 2b Mayer / IKF CF Rafaela C Narvaez BN: Yoshida, Kiner-Falefa, Wong, Eaton. SP: Crochet-Suarez-Gray-Bello-Early BP: Chapman, Whitlock, Weissert, Slaten, Watson, Moran, Kahnle, Kelly. I so want to put Tolle in that bullpen (over Kelly), at least until Coulombe is deemed ready…

He also has an option remaining. Why put him on the IL?