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There is a definite issue if the goal is to get Anthony into the lineup without weakening the defense. That means Rafaela has to stay in CF, which makes the goal of replacing Toro’s bat with Anthony’s next to impossible. Moving Campbell to first makes sense when Bregman returns. But how long is that? And in the meantime, the Sox don’t have a 1b to replace Toro’s bat with..

Sox are 440-426 under Cora since 2018. Not sure what luster still remains…

There are more than 2 options. It’s not just Anthony or status quo…

Toro and Sogard might strike out less than Casas, but that still doesn’t make them upgrades…

Sometimes it helps. The Cubs demoted Matt Shaw after he got off to a terrible start. After a few weeks in AAA, they brought him back and he’s been much better. Of course, it could easily be the small sample size…

Anthony is a top tier defensive outfit fielder with no infield experience. Why move him to first, especially with Casas as an unknown for the future? Why not Duran to the infield? He played their all through college, which makes him the most experienced of the four outfielders. Also,despite his speed, Hes clearly the worst defensive outfielder on the team not named Refsnyder…

Of course, but the last two Sox position players ranked this high were Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi. While neither flopped, the two have combined for 30.5 bWAR over roughly 19 seasons. It’s tough to pull the trigger, but it’s also the safer move. Especially since Abreu is panning out quite nicely and, as you said, Anthony might even be a step down…

I get what you’re trying to say about their offense relative to their pitching, but that’s a misleading representation. While they did average roughly 7 runs per game, they only scored as many as 7 in one of those games…

If they’re still floundering at the .500 mark in July, they’re technically still in it…

The problem is Cora likes what Rafaela brings. He did say he wants him in CF “as often as possible.” If he still feels that way - and Rafaela has given him no reason not to - I don’t think he’s the odd man out..,

It’s a safe bet Mayer wasn’t called up until Cora wanted him and Anthony is staying down because Cora doesn’t. To say Anthony is being held down because Breslow doesn’t know how to get him in the lineup seems silly; he’s being held down because the OF is working. Was Breslow supposed to put together a roster with glaring weaknesses at positions played by top prospects? The “everyone” that’s clamoring are the fans. Fans might pay the bills, but they have no idea how to run the team. These are people who often think the backup QB is better, every prospect is an improvement, and their old Little League coach (aka Brett’s dad) knew more than every MLB manager. Is anyone in the Sox FO pressuring Breslow to get Anthony on the roster, because that’s what you’re making it sound like is happening…

I just don’t see how bringing up Anthony fixes anything. The Sox can put an OF of Duran/Anthony/Abreu out there but they weaken the defense and still have to start one of Toro or Sogard, and the pitching doesn’t improve. And the only change is they upgrade the offense from the guy batting 8th? I suppose they could move Rafaela to 2b and Campbell to 1b. But that’s asking a lot of players to play new positions mid-season, and we saw how cranky just one can get. Not to mention having 3 rookies in the lineup is fairly unpredictable…

Would you trade Anthony and Mayer for Skenes?

That was what we all assumed the plan was all offseason. Certainly the Sox could do it and Abreu has only increased his marketability this year. And his minimal salary means any team could be interested, or at least won’t be eliminated due to money…

How is not benching Rafaela to play Anthony a “roster construction” issue?

I have a derogatory attitude about a lot of Old School stats, and certainly about Eye Test data. And I’ve exchanged insults with certain individual Old School stats folks (notably you). But overall I denigrate stufff like BA, Fldg pct, etc. and don’t go on about how my personal credentials (which, beyond watching baseball, I’ve never mentioned) make my opinion more valuable. And I embrace many baseball card stats because it’s a language all fans understand, but they tell very little about a player…

I think Breslow counts as Boston, by which I mean The Red Sox organization, not the city. Earlier in this scenario, when Devers tried to fall back on his promise that he would play third, which came from Bloom, you quickly and repeatedly pointed out that promise counted as coming from Boston. If Bloom counts as a representation, so does Breslow. With Cora, there’s a good chance he didn’t want to ask Devers to change again after it went over so poorly the first time. If so, let’s not confuse desire with acquiescing to obstinance…

That’s not the point. None of it is. I don’t care how many players you can name. That just tells me you probably don’t soend as much time watching random baseball games as I do. In many (most?) circles, thats a good thing. I’m just pointing out your derogatory attitude towards those who view the game differently than you do, whether it’s calling out stat geeks, or using your fictional bookie, or the boys at Flaherty’s. While not the worst offender in terms of insults, you’ve been doing it the longest and I’m not the first to call you out on it. Sure I like debating. Earlier this week I debated TedYazMookiePapi on fielding percentage. I didn’t insult him during the debate. I presented my views. He presented his. Neither of us agreed with the other, but no insults and no derogatory comments about the other person were exchanged. (Although I think others joined in and cut him down somewhat; I can’t control that.) We still don’t agree but it was civil. Why is that so wrong? And why is it necessary to label anyone who disagrees with you as “thinking they’re some kind of authority?”

Is learning a new position in the middle of a season really a big deal? Not like we want him to learn nuclear physics. We’ve all seen players like Kyle Schwarber and Adrian Gonzalez change midseason. Jaz Chisholm did last year to help the Yankees get to the World Series. And these players all went from infield to outfield or vice versa. Boston just wanted Devers to go from third base to first base, a very common change. Heck Casas first replacement Romy Gonzalez never played first before doing so for the Sox last year. Can people stop pretending this kind of think never happens?

Didn’t you repeatedly tell us the Sox signed Devers to play third base? Not to mention, as the injuries pile up, his stance should look selfish to anyone. And one would think he’d embrace the chance just to show up the Sox for removing him from the field. But I guess he’ll just let his teammates pick up the slack, while he plays DH and fans dream up reasons to blame management, usually containing fictional BS terms like “roster construction.”

You can stop the whole immature “you’re such the expert” act. For years you’ve repeatedly called anyone who embraced metrics as geeks and created all kinds of skits to denigrate them. And then sat back and cried victim when called on it. No one cares if you personally embrace any metrics. But you do have to acknowledge that some people do. It’s why I still use batting average, despite finding it meaningless. It doesn’t say much, but it’s relatable and understood by everyone. And why I don’t call Old School stats folks some reference to antediluvian thinking, like, say, Flat Earthers (although I think I did use that exact moniker at one point many years back). That said, on some level I’m impressed you were chose to read about metrics analysts…

No one said to trade Anthony. I don’t see the rush here. The Sox OF is fine. The problems are in the infield, where every day either Nick Sogard or Abraham Toro starts. How is promoting Anthony going to change that? Romy Gonzalez gets to be part of the solution when he returns, Not exciting, but reality sometimes isn’t…

I have no idea why you think WAR is calculated that way. It’s not done at pitch level at all. But your consistent referral to any mention of WAR has to involve geeks shows a complete lack of open-mindedness. On topic, keep Rafaela in CF. The Sox OF is working. This past off-season, many fans (myself included) wanted to move Abreu to accommodate Anthony. Not looking like a smart move considering Abreu has been a star. And Rafaela has improved immensely as well. The Sox need corner infielders. Every game they start Abraham Toro or Nick Sogard. Is that going to change if you bench Rafaela? Or move him to the infield? I suppose if the 5’9” (yeah right) Rafaela gets moved to first base. Anyone up for that? The Sox do have one All Star corner infielder on the roster, but he’s both pouting and hitting. So apparently it’s easiest to humor and accommodate him. Because if Devers took over 1st or 3rd, getting Anthony into the lineup gets that much easier…

The Sox outfield is 4th in MLB in fWAR, 7th in OAA, 1st in DRS. Are you saying this needs to be broken up to accommodate a minor leaguer?

If Tim Wakefield was a first time free agent this off-season, he’d easily be worth a $25mill AAV. Radar gun readings lead to scholarships and signing bonuses. But any kid learning to throw a knuckleball could be poised for a long and lucrative career….