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The fact that Henry had to get involved at all - despite no one actually knowing what they talked about - speaks volumes about how difficult Devers was. It was never about whether or not he COULD play 1b but rather his outright refusal. And it would be one thing if Devers or Cora said there were questions about his ability. That’s never come up. The whole issue was Devers pouting and basically saying in more words “if they’re not going to let me play where I want, I’m not going to play where they want.” I can’t condone that attitude like you can. And just because he is mashing didn’t make it acceptable. I might be more sympathetic if the request was done on a whim, but it was made necessary by an injury to another player. I’d even understand if Devers was in the midst of contract negotiations, as 1b money is less than 3b money. But he’s already signed a mammoth deal that won’t change if he changes roles. And the attitude that Breslow should just do his job and go get a 1b is just unrealistic blame shifting. And Devers knows this; he’s been in MLB long enough to know no one is selling this time of year. He’s aware the only players Breslow would be able to get are borderline MLB players like Noda who may or may not represent an upgrade, or players flat out struggling to maintain an MLB job and subsequently have hit the waiver wire. Sure, Breslow passed in Seth Brown this week. But was that really a bad move? And Cora has been reluctant all along. He didn’t want Bregman for 3b at all and wanted him at 2nd. To me, this looks like him being well aware Devers would be difficult. Well, Devers got his wish. Hopefully he can keep producing enough to cover for Abraham Toro…

Maybe tomorrow he’ll respond to my post that the Buckner error “won’t be a big deal when the Sox take game seven.”…

Then it’s a damn good thing for him his life doesn’t depend on it!

Sure, wait a full month to reply and then question my point. I think I’m getting the Coco Crisp Treatment. There must be some hotter, younger, wittier forum poster folks are trying to make room for…

Move Duran to 1b. He’s the worst defensive OF of the 4 and the only one (besides C Note) with infielder experience. Granted that was in college, but it’s still more than Abreu and Anthony have…

But the point is - everyone else is already there…

Are you positive it’s not a legitimate gripe for Cora? Are you saying Cora prefers obstinate players who put him in difficult positions? Id bet Cora would prefer Devers be willing to go to 1b, even if he never actually had to play there. You know, like how Mookie Betts practiced infield for years despite never playing there, but he wanted to be prepared just in case the team needed him to move, if only for an inning…

They’re already working out Campbell at 1b…

How many signatures to get it on the ballot so it can be voted on during the biweekly committee meeting and then ratified during the semiweekly open debates so it gets added to the approved list?

He might stay at 1b. But this only solves the (much lesser) issue of how to keep Mayer in the lineup. The Sox still have Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, and Anthony, and only 3 positions to play them in…

Whether it happens or not, why can’t people complain about it? It’s a legitimate gripe…

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…