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Or Leon/Swihart. Although if some other team overvalues Swihart, he might be a decent trading chip. I think you will (dis)agree that a Swihart/Devers swap for deGrom makes sense...

Teams also use their bullpen with more regularity in the post-season. Last season, teams used their starters for 5.5 IP/ start. This season , starters have gone an average of 5.4 IP/start. This means in a full game, teams are using their bullpens for 3.6 IP/game, a slight increase over last season. By the same token that Moreland or Pearce might be better than Leon, would't you rather see Poyner (.125) over Velasquez (.279) or Thornburg (.270) or Eovladi (.301) or Wright (.239) or Brasier (.220) or Johnson (.225) or Pomeranz (.240) in a key situation against a dangerous LHP? You're just valuing the one potentially key pinch-hit appearance over one potentially key opposing at-bat. If you really believe the biggest team weakness is bullpen, then why should the Sox use that final roster spot to shore up the lineup, which is the biggest strength of the team this year?

Not necessarily relevant (and difficult to look up). I might also ask how many times this year have the Sox used 3 catchers in one game. But in the post-season, teams typically go to their bullpen earlier. At that point in the season, a lot of pitchers have thrown their share of innings and might not be as effective as they were in April and May. Certainly starters are more worn out. And if there is anything to Sale's injury, it might not be so easy to pencil him in for 6 or 7 innings. If the Sox have a reliever or two who is not 100% or simply not having a good week, the more options to replace him the better. Don't overvalue the pinch hitting. The benefit of pinch hitting for, say, Leon, really only gives you a slightly better chance at getting a necessary hit. And really, how many times per game will they be doing so? If it comes down to keeping Christian Vazquez (clearly not a good pinch hitting option) over, say, Bobby Poyner, I'll take the situational lefty in that case and take my chances of stopping the opposition... Really, the only advantage to keeping 3 catchers would be if the Sox have an injury at the position that necessitates removing the catcher from the game. While that has happened

I'd rather have 12 pitchers and not need them than need 12 pitchers and not have them...

It definitely won't happen. Castillo would have had to be added to the 40-man by August 31, and his contract would be on it for the remainder of it's duration...

Buy him a 1b mitt and say tell him this is as close as you get...

It’s not often you see a player banished from the rotation, only to return for the ALCS

No doubt he should be extended. And thought given to extending Betts and Bogaerts, too. All the Sox need is for Scott “No Extensions” Boras to retire....

You are probably going to have to repeat that “I don’t dislike like WAR” mantra until at some point in time you can mention it in sentence that also doesn’t contain the words “is flawed.” Not following up with a question about why people use it will also help. Also, your reply really didn’t point out any inherent defects in WAR. Really what you pointed out was your predictions for Bradley’s future, which is alternative method that has nothing to do with WAR. And certainly did not point out any incorrect conclusions drawn from WAR, just conclusions that didn’t agree with your personal opinions. That’s not the same as pointing out inherent flaws. Your (and my) opinions and observations are probably more flawed than WAR...

And while it’s certainly not going to be a provable fatal flaw, it still begs the question of why no bullpen moves were made...

You did start off with an entire paragraph about how we were using WAR all over again even after we all agreed it was as flawed. We get it. You don’t like the stat. That’s fine. No one is forcing you to like it. But you may have to consider actually accepting the fact that many people do like it and, despite its inherent flaws, is still enormously useful, and it’s very likely to continue to make appearances in discussions on this board in the future...

Which leads to a bigger question - why?

We've all seen similar things happen before.

I'd actually say no way does donaldson take the QO. He's 32 and probably not excited about the prospect of hitting the market again without at least exploring it first. He would defintely prefr a multiyear deal, and his chances are not as good of getting more years at age 33 next season anyway...

I guess Dombrowski likes the Sox bullpen after all. Cedeno is having a very good year in his limited role (33 games 25.1IP, 149ERA+, 2.15 K/BB), but he would have had to clear waivers from Boston in order to be claimed by or dealt to Milwaukee. No action? Ryan Madsen was also dealt to the Dodgers, but it looks like Dombrowski had no chance to get him, as he was claimed by LA, who would have the priority claim anyway.

Seriously, it was a jumping off point for starting the discussion. Was another anti- WAR diatribe really necessary? Also, why do you operate on the assumptions that 1) Bradley has fixed all his problems and 2) none of those other players have? Javier Baez, for example, is mentioned in MVP discussions this year. And really, I’m open to another method of finding reasonable comps for Bradley for this discussion, especially without getting into pipe dream scenarios. This isn’t about trading Bradley as much as it is about what the expectations should be if Bradley were to be dealt by Dombrowski. Personally I’d rather see Bradley extended. But neither is my call...

Glad THATwas resolved...

The way Swihart has been of late, he might not need to be pinch hit for. I do doubt the Sox take 3 catchers - especially since Vazquez has been inactive for a huge chunk of the season - into the postseason...

Which tells me sometimes the folks at Fangraphs might struggle a bit with the concept of significant digits...

To cover for short outings from starters as needed and to do so without leaving a dead bullpen for the next game. It’s not like we have a lot of hitters that need to be pinch hit for. Also I wouldn’t even take Johnson or Velasquez...

Or he is ranked tied for fourth with Osuna and Miller, if you look at the values....

I think Pomeranz and Johnson are probably best left off. While I hate the LOOGY strategy over the course of a season, I could see it happening in the playoffs. If that is the case, Bobby Poyner makes some sense. And I think I'd rather see Workman than either Johnson (whose numbers as a reliever are not so enticing) or Pomeranz as well. So - out with Pomeranz and Johnson and in with Workman and Poyner...

Or maybe there were some health concerns...

And the Red Sox will have to go (-7) and 34 in the final 27 games to reach his pre-season maximum of 86 wins...