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I’ll give Breslow a second chance, but going through his first season while ignoring starting pitching depth is a very bad start…

But how much of that was from before a shoulder injury? 2.1 fWAR isn’t a good season. He matched Steve Matz, a pitcher none of us would get erect nipples over if the Sox acquired him. And Sale didn’t even get that 2.1 fWAR without injuring his shoulder. Sale did go all of 40 IP at the end of the season without injury. Of course, he did that in 2021 as well and followed it up with 5 IP in 2022. I get why they moved him. They weren’t risking 2022 and the development of a relatively young staff on a pitcher who totaled 150 IP in the last 4 seasons. Sure a healthy Sale had a high ceiling, but how high should the Sox have counted on after 4 off-years and a 35th birthday? Would you be happy with today’s worn out Sox staff if it was Sale instead of Giolito who went down for the season?

Let’s go with they didn’t spend the money they saved on Sale, because it is a realistic outcome…

When their whining changes what other people have to watch…

Is Mata still under 28? The guy has pitched 130 IP total in the last 5 years. Are the Sox he magically morphs into an ace what with all that rest? DFA him instead of useful players like Smith…

“Tupacito Marciano, the Commissioner has weighed the evidence and we find you guilty of betting on baseball, and your punishment is a lifetime ban from MLB.” (Knocks gavel) “This banishment was brought to you by Fanduel.”

It’s one thing for blaming Breslow for his lack of action, but blaming him for not predicting an unlikely future gets silly. Two years ago a story broke about Bloom being offered some nobody MuLB talent for Sale and the entire contract, and fans were mad for him turning it down. Damned if you do, I guess…

How is that end result different from pitchers whose arm gets tired from throwing fastballs?

Did anyone ever sign Melancon? Anthony Bass and Boxberger are still looking for work…

He walked a guy I’d rather he not pitch to…

Larry? Ok we can trade Bagwell again…

Horn!!

Thunder’s toughest challenge yet…

Unless those photos are of Henry building a school for orphans or donating his liver or something else that might make us feel guilty for hating him, they’ve already been neutralized…

Scott Cooper? Worst player ever with multiple All Star appearances…

Maybe they made him focus on secondary and tertiary stuff…

You will until they’re done digesting those pythons…

They couldn’t DFA Dalbec and demote Gasper?

That’s because zombie horses must be stopped and stopped immediately…

Guillorme is available for everyone who wants a .500 OPS defensive SS. Granted, Luis has very little experience at SS, and might lack the range. But he has good hands and can make plays…

Wait. Does that mean you’d miss me?

I cut the Sox some slack there. Sale has been nothing but frustrating for the last 4 seasons, and his inability to stay on the field was costly enough that it probably made him difficult to replace. (Becoming cheap bastards didn’t help either.) Not sure how much potential the Braves saw in Sale. They did, after all, have the Sox take on the bulk of the financial risk, which, if they knew they were getting 2017 Sale, was definitely a way to jeopardize that deal. And as it looks like Sale wanted an extension as a condition to approve the trade, Atlanta obliged but used the opportunity to lower his AAV in the process. I think Atlanta is equally happy and surprised with how this has all panned out…

It was my first thought when he signed the extension. There might even be a post on here stating it…

So now the debate is Sale’s health at the time of the extension? Here’s the thing, and you broached it but then ignored it. Sale signed this deal at a time when his older peers like Price and Zack Greinke were signing longer deals in excess of $200mill. Sale clearly settled for a deal much less than his expected worth. Why? Possible he was aware if he pitched the 2019 season that he wouldn’t command a deal in that range any more anyway? He already spent the bulk of his early career as one of the most underpaid players in the game, why continue there? One would think his agent, whom Sale pays to advise him, would have been SCREAMING “open market!!” so loud it could have been heard at both poles simultaneously. Unless Sale wasn’t exactly his old self physically. And someone will of course counter tis with “maybe he just wanted Boston and money wasn’t important” and pretend that is a definitive counterpoint that clinches the argument. It is a possible maybe, but it doesn’t eliminate other possibilities. And the fact that Sale had a rough year (by his standards) in 2019 and then 4 years of various injuries does support him knowing he had some physical issues that could be problematic…

Economics are a little different, too. After 6 seasons in MLB, Yount still only had a .672 OPS, and in today’s game would be ready for free agency. Despite the weak offense, do you gamble on a shortstop who hasn’t been hitting but is also only 23?