notin

I think he will, but does it need to be today? Tomorrow? By opening day at the latest? Believe it or not, the overall defense might be BETTER with Devers at 3b. Bregman is a terrific all around fielder who’s probably equal or better defensively at 2b than any of the Romy/Hammy/Grissom triumvirate. Which set of players contributes to an overall better defense? 1b: Casas 2b; Hamilton/Grissom/Romy 3b: Bregman Lf: Yoshida CF: Duran DH: Devers or 1b: Casas 2b: Bregman 3b: Devers Lf: Duran Cf: Rafaela DH:: Yoshida

There’s a big difference between “not accepting” and going on strike…

You can’t sell something to someone who refuses to buy…

Well, worse defense leads you away from them, yes or no?

I meant games not runs. In reference to topping the 2004 comeback and it’s Netflix docuseries…

Not really. The chacnes they blow a 4-0 postseason lead is pretty unlikely with the current playoff structure.

Probably a little more likely...

I have my doubts Campbell steps in and hits MLB pitching better than Yoshida right away. But I like having him in my back pocket. I could see Anthony starting over Campbell, because the path is cleaner now that Duran is not a disaster in CF…

There is a very strong possibility that Campbell is not blocked by Grissom, Hamilton or Romy, but rather by Bregman. If that’s the case, are you benching/cutting/trading/demoting Yoshida?

So who are you benching, trading, or cutting to start them?

“I’m just here so I don’t get fined.”

Not always. That’s how we got Chris Sale in the first place…

And then the Yankees collapsed so badly in the playoffs, that over 20 years later, we can still watch a new docuseries on it. Maybe the 2025 Red Sox will be the first team ever to blow a 4-0 lead in the postseason

No, he was the editor of WWN back when it was at its most creative. I can’t remember the other 3 people there with him…

And only one man has the answer. Why are they asking others who don’t?

That article is horrible. It’s not even factually accurate. “Jose Altuve changed positions.” Past tense? Are they referring to his two career games at SS? And Alvarez switching to DH? So selfless, the way he handled it when they asked “do you want to DH in Houston or play outfield in AAA?” Even if they’re referring to Altuve potentially going to LF, it hasn’t exactly happened yet, and probably won’t since that move was proposed to accommodate Bregman. Roster Resource (granted, unofficial) still lists him as their starting 2b, probably because their only INF on the bench is Mauricio Dubón. Doubtful the Astros move Altuve to LF to accommodate Dubon…

Weak criticism. You’re always better off reading the highly imaginative Weekly World News, especially back in the old Dick Donovan days…

It just makes me think of that scene from “61*” with Mickey Mantle (played by Thomas Jayne) and Roger Maris (played by Barry Pepper) sitting on the couch together watching a news story about some rift the two were having, and Mantle turns to Maris and asks “are we fighting?” Maris just replies “we must be. Says so on the news.”

I think they will. Just because a player wins a Gild Glive at one position didn’t mean they’re incapable of playing elsewhere. A couple weeks ago, the talk was Devers’ shoulders and Casas’ injury and how any recurrence could derail the season, which struck me as a legitimate concern. Now the Sox have addressed that issue and the media keeps telling us about all these petty bickerings and how it’s so much worse now. What’s the over/under date for the Devers and Casas trade demand stories?

It’s not even just the Boston sports media. It’s media in general. But ant sports media finds creating these situations to be easy and low risk. If the Patriots draft a QB in the first few rounds and he’s pretty good, these same media will start taking about a Quarterback CONTROVERSY. Huh? By definition a controversy is a “prolonged and heated disagreement.” How does having two QBs apply? It’s not a controversy; it’s depth. But they’ll tell us “the Patriots don’t know who they’re starting quarterback is!!” They probably do, but at worst they’ve narrowed it down to two candidates; quit pretending there’s a void. Or my favorite “if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” No. You have two. One of them will be the backup, but the rest of the team has to get used to playing with him regardless. Injuries happen. Depth is good. Stop trying to incite a panic over it…

The only reasons former LSU SS Bregman was the Astros third baseman was he came up with a team that had Carlos Correa entrenched at SS and future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve at 2b…

No mess. Devers in April. Did anyone not expect this to blow up disproportionately in the media? This is from the same folks who once screamed “OMG!! The pitchers who aren’t pitching are EATING CHICKEN!!” Of course Devers’ initial reaction isnt going to be favorable. The Sox signed another 3b who has been openly stating all along that HE will change positions, and the first thing he hears upon the signing is “how do you feel about 1b?” Especially since his own manager initially backed up moving Bregman. But now that it’s reality, it’s all on Raffy to make the sacrifice and fix the infield. The subject has been broached before, when Devers’ initial contract extension paralleled Matt Olson’s. It’s not something that’s never been discussed and Devers is aware. But until players suit up and bats start striking balls, there isn’t much else for the media to talk about. Come late March, Devers will open the season at 3b, Bregman (who gets the advantage of relative sainthood in this) will be at 2b. Whether it’s injuries or Campbell forcing his way to Boston, Bregman will find his way over to 3b. And Devers will do what Cora tells him. Let the initial shock wear off. This new alignment was always possible - did anyone think Arenado was going to walk quietly across the diamond to 1b with an open mind? The man’s track to Cooperstown is carried by his glove. Devers might play a kid’s game, but he is no kid. If he doesn’t come around sooner, things will work out later. But I’m the meantime, there’s the same level of confusion (aka “controversy”) in the outfield that could be further complicated by Roman Anthony, and no one is giving it the same level of attention. The Sox are in a position where they have too many good players for a lineup. This is not a bad thing, and a much better one than the opposite scenario…

I’m not fully onboard with this being some insane blowup Cora can’t handle. I’ve seen how the media likes to take charge in driving stories before. Ive said all along, Bregman will start at second and eventually make his way over to third. This is a Cora team - positions are fluid. The reason I trade Casas for O’Hoppe is simply because good catchers are harder to find than good first basemen…

I would trade Casas for O’Hoppe in a minute, and it has nothing to do with this silly, overblown, media-fueled controversy that will bring itself to a satisfactory conclusion long before the first meaningful game is played…

If 27yo Devers was a free agent right now, what do you think his contract looks like?