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I think not wanting a backup 1b who can’t hit out field isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you want to cite Franchy Cordero as a failed 1b, at least remember Dalbec couldn’t beat him out for the starting role…

Don’t like infield defense?

Dalbec is DFA material. His only saving Grace right now is there are others (Jacques, Garza, Ort) who should be higher on the DFA Priority List. If Dalbec is still on the 40 man roster come March, the new GM/CBO has clearly ignored something…

Well that clinches it. Backup 1b is clearly the most difficult position and an obvious top priority…

Don’t blame me. Your argument is with history and reality…

None of them were there at the time…

$362million…

Too much hair gel…

Long and large contracts cause more problems when they solve. It’s not about any sort of justification for spending. Sure Henry could spend, but that didn’t mean he should spend. The biggest fallacy I keep hearing is “Sox need to act like a large market,” Which usually means wanton spending. So large market teams are stupid and don’t learn from their mistakes??!? That’s the goal?

I think a lot of people forget Refsnyder came up as an infielder. He wasn’t very good at it and might not have played infield for a while, but he could probably handle 1b for an inning or two.

That is why you avoid those pitchers. The Sox aren’t getting Yamamoto, Nola is overrated, Ohtani won’t be pitching and Snell will be super pricey. I think Sonny Gray should be on the radar, but I bet he’s on a lot of radars. One name I will throw out there (and can’t believe I’m doing so) is Alex Cobb, who does turn 36 next year but has been surprisingly good at ages 33, 34 and 35…

THAT is your bold prediction? I’d consider it bolder to say he isn’t…

Show us that he actually can hit and field? Dalbec has over 280 games in his career and nearly 1,000 career PA. What exactly is he going to do in the next 2 weeks that makes you think everything his entire career to date is no longer valid and he should be judged on these most recent 10-12 games and nothing else?

Dalbec’s future doesn’t hinge on Turner; backup 1b is hardly the most difficult role to fill. Dalbec has had his shot. Multiple shots, really. And at this point he’s a 28yo career AAAA player with no defensive skills and no ability to make contact with a baseball. The 40 man roster spot he occupies is more valuable than he is. And when you get to that point, you get DFAd…

Again - just move Devers over…

Why? Dalbec has very limited if any future in MLB. Really this would be the ideal time to try Devers at 1b. You know, to give him some experience before he clears out of 3b to make way for Matt Chapman

It’s a summary of a bunch of people. Frankly I was surprised to notice they were only 4 months apart. Verdugo has less control but is simply a much more talented ballplayer. I have seen far too much commentary calling him a cancer, likely related to his two one game suspensions. I think that’sa fast label that could (and likely is) very wrong. To me the bottom line is Duran is best limited to LF, which is the easiest OF position to fill. Extending Verdugo makes the most sense.

It has to be an option to consider if you want pitching…

… by a guy who is no longer with the organization. So it’s irrelevant.

Why are you killing then both?

Rafaela at least has a defensive floor. If the Sox keep Verdugo in RF, left field may or may not even be available, depending on what the new GM/CBO does with Yoshida…

It’s truly awful that it has come to appreciating Devers that way. But so far, you’re absolutely correct…

And trade for Juan Soto!!

And Zimmerman isn’t the bat anyone needs to reach…

I am going to make the assumption that you do not know Verdugo is only 4 months older than Duran. (It’s ok to not know that; I didn’t until I looked it up.) But keeping that in mind, why would the Sox trade the far more-talented player who will have much less trade appeal (due to salary and only having one year of control left) and hang on to the cheaper, fringey player who has never been able to hang on in MLB until this year? I think Duran has potential to be a very exciting offensive player. I have doubts about his limited defensive development and think he is a bottom tier CF (which someone has to be) and probably best left out of right field altogether. It makes no sense to me to say “the Sox need to act like a large market team”, and then dump Verdugo for the lesser, cheaper player. That’s a small market move. Extend Verdugo. Trade Duran. A small market will give up an arbitration-eligible (re: getting pricey) starting pitcher for a package built around him. Or is all this because Verdugo missed two games for coach suspension and is therefore a “clubhouse cancer”? Don’t overreact to that…