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I wouldn’t mind Yoshida/Ref at DH, but bring in Grichuk or Laureano…

And track and field (and swimming) went even longer with manually-operated stopwatches. They don’t anymore. Because electronic timers are better. The act of calling balls and strikes is the single most difficult task for any official in any sport. The task requires deciding whether or not a projectile traveling 100mph touched any part of an invisible box of varying size. A home plate ump would still make the official call. He is still going to make fair/foul calls on anything that hasn’t reached first or third base yet (when the base umps get jurisdiction). He is still going to make calls or call for help on check swings. And he is still going to call strikes on swings and misses on OOZ pitches that the system will call “balls” because the system does not involve batters. Also the home plate ump is responsible for HBPs. It’s not just “once every 5 games” calls. If they eliminated umps for making calls that infrequently, would they keep the guy at 3b? How often does he make an out/safe call on a close play?

I don’t think either are good outfielders. But Cora used Refsnyder in the OF much more often than Romy last year. I also don’t think Cora will move Rafaela and Duran. Should he? I can see why he would. I just don’t think he will…

I think Romy has a role on the 26 man roster with their current allotment of players. I even said he makes sense in a platoon DH role. But he is one player very much at risk if other acquisitions or promotions happen. K Campbell might not affect him; in retrospect, they probably demote Grissom so he can play somewhere. Ditto Bregman, if they plan to use him at 2b. But an OF? And I agree adding one makes sense, I could see that pushing Romy off the roster. With Refsnyder, Hamilton and a backup catcher (Narvaez?) all locks in my mind, Romy could be an odd man out…

I think it was MLBTR that speculated if the Astros can move Pressly, they might up their offer to Bregman, and then move Paredes to 2b and Altuve to LF. While possible, that feels overly complicated. Seems like they could just get someone for LF, possibly in any Pressly trade. (Owen Caissie?)

Or Kristian Campbell, especially if he has a good spring…

Is Yoshida starting on the 60 day IL? I’ve heard he supposedly will be ready for opening day.

Two DH only players? Yoshida is unlikely to see the field much, but I think everyone else will at some point. Refsnyder is a lousy outfielder, but the Sox only have 6 outfielders on the 40 man, and to get that many, you have to count both Yoshida and Jhostnyxon Garcia. Ref not only has to play the OF, he’s the first (and only?) option to back up all three positions. I could see Romy taking at bats vs LHP as a DH, but it’s far from the only thing he’s going to do. He will take the field at some point. With Cora at the helm, there will be ample days off for other players to ensure it. I do not see who you mean by the second DH only…

Romy will make the team as long as Kristian Campbell doesn’t. Or if they the Sox sign Bregman. Doubtful they demote Hamilton, since he makes for a great ghost runner. If they add an OF like Grichuk, it hurts Romy as well. But I think that’s a long shot st this point

No. I responded to a whole thing about Romy being the backup 1b as being so vital and cited Cora’s history for playing players out of position, and he will eventually find someone to backup 1b, just like before. I cited numerous examples of players Cora has thrown around the diamond. I did add one that involved a WS game more so to show the importance of the game is a non-factor; that was the only one you chose to defend, and did so condescendingly….

Refsnyder has 37 games at 1b in his MLB career. Romy has 20, all of them last year. Before that, he hadn’t played 1b since A ball, and even then it was 14 games. If Romy got DFAd (unlikely, at least early on), Refsnyder could be the all important backup 1b, and take over the role with more experience than Romy had when he took over the role…

<Sigh> It wasn’t his first time there. Are you turning this into a “defense of Cora at all costs” thing? Because Cora does do this, and it was brought up in response to a “Romy has to make the team because he’s the only backup 1b.” Apparently fans expect MLB benches to always have experienced back up at 8 positions with their 4 players they carry. Cora does play people out of position all the time. Sometimes it works out - sometimes not. Does he overdo it? Occasionally. Brock Holt, for all his versatility, want a good defender in 6 or 7 of the positions he played in Boston. But sometimes it’s great. No one gave Kike the CF time Cora did, and it was worth it. And usually it’s a few innings here or there. He’s not like Dave Roberts, fighting mightily by carving out misplaced lineups from the pristine roster he’s been handed, determined to find a way to bring the Dodgers down from within. It’s the only thing that makes sense with Robert’s…

I added one upon edit. Of course we also saw Christian Vazquez play 1b in a World Series game, too…

It’s been going on since before Bloom got here. Did you know before Cora was his manager, Brock Holt only played 2b and SS? Never played anywhere else, not even in the minors…

Grissom is 24. He’s only making the parent club if there is a clear path to playing time. I don’t think he’s competing for a bench spot with Romy Gonzalez. If you think SS defense is an important aspect to Cora, please explain why he couldn’t remove Kike from the position with vice grips and a hand grenade…

Before coming to Boston, Romy’s entire career as a first baseman consisted of 14 games in A ball and 3 games in college. Last year when people kept insisting Dalbec had to make the team because he was the ONLY backup first baseman, I kept saying they’ll just try someone else. They did - Romy. But now his 20 games at 1b (which is NOT second behind Casas on this roster - Refsnyder has more) makes him indispensable? Not sure if anyone has noticed this, but Cora will play j just about anyone just about anywhere, especially if it’s a short term thing. Cora has played Arroyo in RF, Dalbec at all four infield positions, Vasquez all over the right side of the infield, Mickey Gaspar at 2b. And eventually, Romy at 1b. Anyone who thinks Romy is the only option to backup 1b has not been paying attention

They’re not getting rid of umps; just no longer relying on them to call ball and strikes. You still need an ump at home plate for safe/out calls (and to relay the ball/strike calls to the hitters).

If the plan is Rafaela in CF “as much as possible”, I doubt they re-arrange the OF around Refsnyder that much. There is the possibility another OF is added. The current 40 man is shallow on position player deoth, with only Sabol, Sogard and Jhostnyxon expected beyond the opening day roster. Someone like Grichuk or Laureano could join and push Grissom or Romy to Worcester. Grissom vs Romy as the RHH option at 2b is possible, but I think Grissom gets first shot. All of this could be moot if they move all three of Sandoval, Murphy and Perales to the 60 day IL and use one of those three roster spots to add Campbell. With Romy slugging we’ll vs LHP, he could platoon at DH iI listed SP depth in the order I could think of them and not in the order I expect them called up. I expect Crawford would move out of the bullpen before anyone I listed.

My unofficial/uninformed 2025 opening day roster preview, assuming everyone is healthy, and probably tells you nothing you didn’t already know C - Wong, most likely backed up by Narvaez. Sabol is the only other catcher on the 40 man. Their best backup, Seby Zavala, has not been added to the roster. 1b - Casas 2b - Opportunities here for a few options, notably Hamilton, Grissom, and eventually Campbell. I’m keeping Campbell off the roster solely because he hasn’t been added to the 40 man, yet. Hamilton surprised last year and some in the Sox FO do or did like Grissom. A platoon of those two wouldn’t surprise me. Until Campbell gets the call. 3b - Devers SS - Story, Until he goes down. LF: Duran CF:Rafaela will reportedly start in CF and play “as much as possible.” That might change if he cannot hit and the Sox think Roman Anthony can. I would expect if this is the case, Anthony goes to LF and Duran takes over CF. RF: Abreu/Refsnyder platoon. DH: Yoshida, possibly in a platoon with Romy Gonzalez SP: Crochet, Buehler, Houck, Bello, Giolito. Depth includes Criswell, Dobbins, Priester, Fitts, and eventually Perales and Sandoval. Is Perales starting the year on the 60 day IL? RP: I think 7 spots are locks, going to Hendriks, Chapman, Slaten, Whitlock, Winckowski, Crawford, and Justin Wilson. The last spot is up for grabs from Bernardino, the Zacks (Kelly and Penrod), Murphy, Weissert, and Guerrero. Fitts might belong on this list instead as well. And if Adams or Fulmer gets added once Sandoval goes to the 60 day IL, they are both candidates as well.

No. They still have Judge…

I still think Bregman is in play, not that I like him much. I prefer Laureano to Grichuk, but I could absolutely see Grichuk as a useful addition. For all of this talk of Yoshida playing LF, why? Isn’t that only an issue if the Sox get a 3b that creates a logjam at 1b and DH? Right now, there is no such logjam…

I wouldn’t hold my breath on the closer thing. They already brought in Hendriks and Chapman to replace Jansen and Martin. They may not be ideal replacements, but they are already here. And this is a metrics-run team. Metrics do not value closers anywhere near as highly as fans do. I think just hoping for another bullpen arm is probably too much. The Sox 40 man roster currently has 12 pitchers on the 40 man roster for the bullpen, and that number doesn’t count pitchers like Fitts, Priester, and Criswell whose role is unknown (by me) and didn’t count pitchers on MiLB deals like Fulmer and Austin Adams. Im not sure any more arms are hopping on board besides some minor league deals or organizational depth. At least not until they have move some bodies to the 60 day IL…

i wouldn't trade Mayer for Miller. The Sox current starting shortstop usually ends his season before May Day ; Mayer might be needed. I won't be devasted if Breslow actually makes that trade, however. But I doubt its on anyone's radar besides this board. I could see the need of getting another good RP through the trade market, however.

And his poor 2024 means nothing pertaining to Butler, whose career could either flatline or take off. But right now the A’s are averaging 60 wins over the last 3 years, which probably makes it the wrong time to have a closer as your best player. It’s like buying the top of the line camping trailer when you have no car. There is a chance might not like Mayer or they do like one of their internal potential solutions shortstop (having take 3 shortstops in the first round of the last 5 drafts); they might prefer pitchers. Or outfielders. But if they want to deal Miller - and they probably should consider it strongly - a con census top ten prospect that plays shortstop is a pretty damn good return. They might initially ask for Anthony, but if the counteroffer is Mayer, I think they accept. And I also don’t think thats a bad deal for them…

I doubt either of them is ever a plus at first base. But the goal was to upgrade the infield defense, even if that upgrade only takes place at 3b. It wouldn’t surprise me if Devers was a better defensive first baseman than Casas. What would surprise me is if he morphed into Youkilis at that position…