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Sale was not reliable. Prior to 2034, Giolito was. They weren’t counting on Sale to start. They were counting on Giolito. Sale was a guy they had repeatedly crossed off the depth chart and started looking for a #6 before March ended. I know teams like the Dodgers will give a chance and hope on an injury-prone pitcher. But the Dodgers, like the Braves, have a slew of MLB-ready minor leaguers who can and will step in when injuries become a problem. Boston does not…

Cole hasn’t gone more than 5 IP nor put together any good starts since returning from the IL. However, that can and will change very suddenly…

I think they very likely questioned if Sale was a reliable part of their rotation depth chart, since he spent the majority of the past 4 years missing in action. Giolito had always been the much surer bet to go out and take the mound every 5 days…

I’d be much more in favor of an Anthony-Crochet swap if Garrett had ever reached even 140 IP in MLB. I’d still be excited to get him, but I just think he’s not going to solve the big issue with the 2024 rotation. But I’d be excited that the Sox finally made a solid deadline addition and added a quality healthy player for the first time since Eovaldi/Pearce/Kinsler in 2018. (Schwarber in 2021 wasn’t healthy. And we had to wait like 3 weeks for that trade to kick in.)

I still think that Atlanta’s minor league pitching depth positioned them much better to withstand another Sale injury. I not even Braves’ fan and I can go maybe 10 deep (maybe more?) naming their starter depth chart. With the team I follow, I stop counting at six…

I think their Primsry Target should be Tyler Anderson. This staff’s biggest weakness is limited IP. Crochet and Fedde (career high MLB IP - 133.0) are not good solutions to this particular problem. Fedde did throw 180 IP last year in KBO, but I’m not sure that’s the same…

Romy has 96 career innings in the OF with the White Sox. He also basically spent his time in A ball as a full time outfielder. He has some experience out there…

For Crochet, even with his injury history, I would off Anthony. I also don’t think they’d accept anything less. However, his name here also poses a question as to why he makes sense as a target. The Sox current staff are largely approaching the career highs in IP. Is Crochet, whose in the same boat, a good solution here? For Anderson and Fedde, I’m reluctant to offer any of the top four. Both are under contract for next year and both have a very limited history of success. Anderson’s performance this season appears to be debatable. His 3.5 bWAR is impressive, but his 0.9 fWAR less so. Don’t get me wrong. I’d inquire and make sure the Angels know I’d take the entirety of next year’s contract. But I’m not giving up anything better than Wikkelman. And he’s not even part of my initial offer. I have questions about Fedde, too. The career path of flunking out of MLB, reinventing yourself in Asia, and then returning as a star does not always lead to sustained success. If Fedde really another Merrill Kelly? Or is he just another Miles Mikolas? His contract is short and reasonable, so he shouldn’t be too expensive. Max price here is Teel, but I definitely start by pushing Yorke, Lugo, etc. If Breslow surrenders Bleis, it’s not the end of the farm system here…

I would do this every day if it was possible…

Scrawny little guy who did cartoon mouse voices every time Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo hit the Injured List. I will say this - DJ LeMahieu deserves a harsh and prolonged benching. I get struggling at the plate. But that man is mentally checked out…

I’m watching that game. Just a lazy baseball day. Went to Justin Steele’s CG win over the Angels. Came home and watched Sox/Yankees. Now I’m watching Dodgers/Brewers…

We beat the Yankee Home Run Machine with late home runs by two guys under 5’9”…

Not uncommon to pull the starter after a rain delay. But we saw both of them come back out…

My TV deserves better. Cora? I’ll give him a pass THIS time…

I think what you saw tonight - essentially a platoon in RF with Abreu and Refsnyder - will be Cora’s script the bulk of the time…

Houck was fine until the rain delay. The long break ruined him for tonight. Cora was right to make it a short outing…

And TWIB notes…

To be honest, I yelled at my poor, innocent television when Cora sent up Dominic Smith to pinch hit for a guy who had hit a double and a home run already…

I admit it. I had little hope when he was up…

There were a few incidents that were not. Such as when he called the official scorer mid-game to change an error he was charged with.

Sale also once broke a rib while throwing a pitch…

Sale had no leverage to make the Red Sox extend him; due to his rights as a 10/5 player, he did have leverage with any potential trading partner. It’s possible that a deal or two before Atlanta were quashed by Sale when he never received an extension…

No one called OC a loser, but reportedly he was called just about everything else. I don’t think ever heard of a player getting so much negativity from his teammates and staff…

I haven’t joked about the Curse of Kenny Lofton in years. Also you left out the 1999 Cleveland Guardians, up 2-0 in a best of 5 ALDS and lost to Boston/Pedro. Credit for discovering the Lofton Curse does go to Tom Verducci…

It’s only what I’ve been saying for multiple weeks! I believe if Sale pitched a full season last year, he’d still be in Boston. And Giolito would be on some other team’s injury list…