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When was the last time you checked?

You coach softball. Borrow one from the other team…

Oh the Sox rarely do mine. But a shockingly high percentage reach the highest levels of the Rumor Mill ..

Actually number 8 - calling up Tolle - has been mentioned by multiple sources, some of whom are reliable….

So this a bad idea a week ago why? Next week you’ll be advocating for Cheng…

And no one wanted Ryan O’Hearn (.936 OPS)….

Youre so stuck in the box…

Bear in mind the suggestion was originally made before Arias did that and while Cheng’s OPS was over 1.300…

My big shake up: Yoshida DH Anthony LF Contreras 1b Abreu RF Story 2b Durbin 3b Mayer SS Rafaela CF Narvaez/Wong C I will be shocked if it happens. Also, Sox need to run more. Last year the SB was a weapon; this year it’s an afterthought..

The only reasons to call Cheng were 1. Hot start to season after a very good WBC performance 2. Already on the 40 man so no ancillary moves needed. Basically, a hit hand that the Sox kept in their pocket…

Moving Story to 2b is the most logical change and is not irreversible if it fails, unlike a trade at this point. Right now, Story, Duran, Narvaez, Anthony, Mayer and Durbin are all having career-worst seasons at the plate (using OPS). Four of them, it’s out of two seasons, so fairly limited data. The Sox don’t have the worst lineup in MLB, but they do have the most underperforming one. Bringing up Cheng was always a Hail Mary, a low percentage for success move that was probably more likely to maintain status quo than anything else. But sometimes Hail Mary’s work. It was change for the sake of change, and if you go down that route, at least make it a reversible change (which tis would have been). Anthony is most likely to come around, given his StatCast profile. Duran might be the least likely for the same reason. As for demotions, the best (re: only?) candidates might be Durbin, Narvaez and Mayer. But with Durbin slowly coming around and very limited options for the other two, it turns into throwing names at the wall. Cheng feels like an upgrade over Mayer, but it’s not hard to see that turning out even worse. Maybe Yoshida at leadoff and Anthony second? Flip Story and Mayer in the field. And DFA Watson to keep Samaniego? Those are the best changes I make in April…

Very doubtful Anaheim does that deal without the Sox adding in something more painful..,

Smallish budget? Sox are top six in payroll. Questionable stretching of the “ish” suffix…

Does Duran “deserve” to play? It’s a good question. He is supposed to be one of the best hitters on this team, but instead he is one of the worst. And playing him means benching a better hitter. I’d understand if Cora benched Duran until someone else cooled off or until injuries necessitate returning him to the lineup…

If that’s your conclusion from the eye test, time to update the glasses prescription. Or get new eyes…

Actually that’s a bad is a classic bad use of eye test. While Anthony does have 1 HR and 4 RBI, there is more to hitting than just those two numbers accompanied by 1 observed pitch. OPS is a good overall way to rate a hitter, but a questionable way to analyze one. Anthony has been hitting the ball quite well this season, but his main issue has been the strikeouts, mainly the swings and misses. As he started off similarly last year before then taking off, there is hope he can do similarly…

IKF as a utility’s player makes sense. But trading Harrison for a utility players sounds like a bad idea. I agree they should have gone for a better INF bat like Marte or Paredes or probably some other option. And I thought Paredes especially made sense given that Houston needs and surpluses aligned perfectly, although I get why the Sox balked at 4 years of Duran for 2 years of Paredes…

What the Fire Truck are you taking about? He’s been playing MLB: The Show non-stop all season…

Good, because his struggles have been painful..

And to play where? Once the Sox acquired Durbin, they had no place left for another batter to start. Bregman is in the downside of his career. Boston replaced his OPS+ of 130 with Contreras and his OPS+ of 124. That’s not the dropoff that’s killing this team. Especially since Bregman is struggling and Contreras isn’t…

Casas to the 60 day. Book it…

I agree with 5Gold that Anthony really isn’t a leadoff hitter…

Thats really the best measure. To say it’s all offense? The Reds are 15-8. The Red Sox are 9-13. Which team has scored 5 more runs than the other? (As the Reds are up 9-0 tonight, they are currently ahead of Boston. But 7 more wins from 4 more runs?)

It helps. But don’t denigrate defense. While all four of the top offenses by WAR(ignoring the tie for 4th) made the pistseason, two of the top four by DRS played in the World Series no magic formula

The New York Mets tied for fourth in offensive fWAR and missed the postseason. There is no magic formula…