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I'm not so sure, and I agree the drop off from Bon Scott was rather precipitous. ..

I'm looking to replace David Price, not Bon Scott..

87mph. I only offer this correction to compare it to his past. He has never been a hard thrower. He had a terrific season in 2014 and his fastball only averaged 87.9 mph. Of course he might have a physical issue or two now, which could be why no one has signed him. ..

Owens has been uninspiring since he was in AA. Maybe Roenis Elias can surpass him on the depth chart. Not that Roenis Elias gets my belly button puckering and unpuckering...

Paging Doug Fister's agent. We have a Mr. Dombrowski on line one...

The shift was around long before Boudreaux "created" it. It was first used in the 1920's against lefty slugger Fred "Cy" Williams (making the name Williams Shift still accurate.) The idea was not really to get the extra defender on the pull side so much as it was to create a psychological effect on the hitter, even when Boudreau revived it. Which is why hitters like Ted and Cy Williams didn't bunt to defeat it. Some hitters, notably Robinson Cano, have successfully beaten the shift with bunts. And even managed to bunt for a double on occasion. But this is really falling into the exact situation the opposition wants - taking the bat out of the hands of thr better hitters. I like the way Mookie Betts handled the shift. When is on, steal second and keep running until you get to third. ...

Maybe he won't, but his options are dwindling. I figured him to be a Cardinal when Reyes went down but do far - nothing. The league wide lack of interest in Fister is somewhat perplexing. ..

... is still available. It might not be such a bad idea to get one more level of depth in front of Henry Owens. Heck, Fister might be able to make the opening day rotation in Boston if he can get ready in time...

I don't want to see any player injured and hurt the Sox chances. And it can be tough on pitchers, although, unlike spring training and MLB games, the WBC does have rules in place for pitch counts, and in the past they have been surprisingly low. 65 pitches in the first round. The limit does increase as the tournament goes on, but has never reached 100 pitches....

1. Selsky is on a minor league deal so he doesn't need to be on the 40 man roster any time soon. He might be added at some point if he is needed in Boston. To add him, the Sox would have to DFA someone or put a player on the 60 day DL. Brentz is always a DFA candidate, especially if he has fallen behind Selsky on the depth chart. Or if Swihart takes over as starting catcher due to struggles from Leon and Vazquez, one of the latter two could also be DFAd. 2. Rutledge was selected in the Rule 5 draft this past off-season , despite previous tenure here.. Hehas to spend a full season in Boston on the active roster. If he spends time on the DL,it doesn't count and extends his Rule 5 status for a corresponding length. However, at any point the Sox can work out a trade and negate the entire Rule 5 thing. As Rutledge isn't some unprotected prospect the Rockies dying to get back, the deal would likely be very minor. Possibly just cash...

Do I need to break out the WAPM?

I might disagree that Pomeranz' history gives plenty of reasons for optimism...

I made my own HDTV. It doesn't work very well, but I made it...

He actually might end up being better than Schwarber. First of all, Kyle Schwarber might be the most overrated young player ever. He's basically Mark Reynolds, but with the disadvantage of always hitting into the shift. Barring massive adjustments (like learning to try to hit the ball the other way, or not trying to rip every potential third strike for extra bases), Schwarber is basically an .830-.850OPS, which makes him Jackie Bradley but without the defense. Can Swihart be an .830-.850OPS guy? I think so...

The WBC was proposed to the IBAF by Major League Baseball and the MLBPA ( among other professional leagues around the world.) While participating is optional for players, MLB absolutely wants this to happen, which means it is a job someone has to do. It's not the same as, say, Olympic basketball, which has nothing to do with the NBA. The WBC does create injury risk, but has also lead to the discovery of a few unheard of players (or forgotten) such as reliever Pete Moylan..

I think Rutledge does have the edge because 1) if he doesn't make the team, he goes backto yhe Angels and 2) if Sandoval struggles, Rutledge, unlike Hernandez and Holt, bats right-handed and might be part of a (ugh) platoon at 3b. Now if Sandoval REALLY struggles and needs to be benched, Hernandez and Holt are both better options than Rutledge. But that decision is unlikely before opening day, unless Sandoval gets injured. Swihart's chances of making the opening day roster rest solely on the health of Vazquez and Leon. The Sox aren't going to release a catcher for no reason, and Swihart will NOT be a reserve outfielder when he could be starting and playing and potentially improving in AAA. I actually doubt he is in anyone's doghouse, because he is something the White Sox could absolutely have used, yet the Red Sox clearly chose to keep him instead of putting him in the Sale deal. (He'd be way more valuable to the White Sox than , say, Basabe. I do think 23 spots are locks and even the pitching staff will be resolved by health. The last spot of Rutledge vs Hernandez probably does give Rutledge the edge for reasons above. And because keeping him on the 25 man gives the Sox control of both players. However they cpuld also work out a trade for Rutledge with the Angels and remive his Rule 5 status. In which case, the last bench spot might not be so obvious. ..

There have been plenty of LF and 3B thst have had worse bats. If Sandoval flops, I like the idea of moving Swihart to 3b...

Exactly. They're playing baseball. It's not like these players are asking for time off to appear in an international rodeo or something. ..

Agreed. I have no problem with players choosing to represent the country that have them the opportunity to become professional players in the first place. While they certainly is an injury risk, that can happen in any game including spring training.

While I agree with your assessment, starting the season in Pawtucket wouldn't change that. He'd probably only spend a couple weeks in Pawtucket before being recalled due to an injury to someone in the bullpen.

Probably not. By the time Smith is healthy, multiple injuries will have sweet in across the staff. The Sox will probably wind up demoting someone like Kyle Martin or Robby Scott to make room for him in Boston. ..

Yes but the whole idea of keeping just the best players is for Little League. Even if Hembree or Abad totally bomb in ST doesn't necessarily mean they get cut. Teams want to control as many players as possible because they know, as we have all seen at some point, that a bad March doesn't always mean that player will have a bad August. ...

Not likely. Im no fan of Abad, but the Sox didn't go to arbitration to keep him as an insurance policy so they could pay him to pitch elsewhere..

1. The sixth infielder will be Rutledge, who seemed like ab odd choice for a Rule 5 pick and was probably chosen fir a reason. Both Marrero and Hernandez have an option. 2. Holt and Young fill the outfield spots. Swihart will go to the minors. Sneaky will either go to Pawtucket or the waiver wire. (Or both at some point.) 3. Abad will make the team if he if healthy. If he was even on the border, he could have been non-tendered. But as the Sox opted to go to arbitration to determine his salary, and because he has no options left, he is absolutely safe for now...

I think so too and I like him as a reliever. But this isn't about hopes; it's about depth. And Barnes is on a very short list of Sox MLB pitchers with an option remaining. And players in his position do get sent to the minors all the time...