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Hey I want to trade him for Marte. Top 50 or not, the Sox have 4 viable candidates to start in the OF. Given they have other needs, one of them is the most logical trade candidate….

Done!! Except you will play 2b…

Was Hazen there when Bello and/or Duran joined the Sox organization?

There are a lot of teams Duran represents an immediate and smart upgrade. Diamondbacks, Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, Royals, Guardians, Astros, Blue Jays, Yankees, Tigers, Mariners, Braves, Padres, and probably a couple others. And he’s out of so few budgets…

If I’m Hazen, I leave it. When it comes to Carroll, not sure Anthony even perks my interest…

That’s why the OF offers better trade alternatives. Duran and Bello for Marte. Sign Marte’s former teammate Eugenio Suarez for 1b. Start the season…

They do need a 1b, but unless SF offers up Bryce Eldridge, doubtful they use Marte to get someone. Triston Casas is basically a repeat of their current Pavin Smith. I looked at RR on Fangraphs, which is usually pretty accurate. Their starting OF was Blaze Alexander in LF, Alex Thomas in CF, and Corbin Carroll in RF. Carroll is an MVP candidate, and Thomas is passable due to his defense. Alexander? I’d say FG is just filling gaps wuth best available here. Duran, whose WAR values are comparable to Marte, does fill their OF. Not sure if they view Alexander as a defensive solution in the INF, but it is a possibility. So basically they could swap out Marte (10.9 fWAR and 11.6bWAR in the last two years) for Duran (10.8 fWAR, 13.4bWAR in the last two years) and gain Bello along with it. Marte does have a good contract, but Duran is still younger and cheaper. Fewer years left, but doubtful AZ considers losing Marte at 36 and 37 a deal breaker. Does it make sense? Sure on one level. But it all depends what direction Hazen wants. One point in Boston’s favor is Hazen might have favorable opinions on both players. Of course, he might also hate them both with the white hot passion of 1,000 August suns, I suppose…

Well, you said if not Mayer, they want pitching. Whether or not they want Duran - and I can see both sides there - is something neither of us can determine. But here is what we know. 1. Arizona isn’t necessarily rebuilding. They just committed $40mill to a mid-30s pitcher. 2. Not long ago, they had 3 good outfield prospects, but only one has settled in as a starter abd contributor. (Thomas can start due to his defense. McCarthy is a 4th OF.) 3. The DBacks were 80-82 last year. Certainly they could sell off and hope, but it’s not exactly impossible to improve in a very unstable NL West. 4. While Marte is their far and away WAR leader, he and Duran are fairly close in that department. But Duran is cheaper. 5. The reason they are interested in trading Marte might be because it turns out, Marte is a whiny bitch.

I said DURAN AND BELLO. Did I accidentally and without my knowledge type it in German or Chinese or Wing Dings? Or is there another reason you keep reading it incorrectly that is entirely not my fault?

I named Bello in that trade. He is a pitcher. And I am not certain of his involvement, but I believe Diamondbacks CBO Mike Hazen was the Sox GM when Bello was originally signed.

Replying to myself here. I just looked at the Reasonably Reliable Roster Resource, and that trade does make a ton of sense for AZ on one level. RR lists their starting LF as infielder Blaze Alexander. Duran gives them an actual LF and allows them to shift Alexander back to 3b where he played last year, and SS Jordan Lawlor (whom RR has starting at 3b) could shift to 2b. So they replace Marte with a similarly productive and cheaper Duran very smoothly. And since their projected roster include Mike Soroka, who is among those whose position on his Topps baseball card reads “IL”, Bello is an instantaneous rotation upgrade…

Duran and Bello works on BTV. But does it work for Hazen? (Wasn’t he involved with recruiting both for Boston?)

But that it’s not all does prove my point….

Sure he does. But then who doesn’t look more athletic than Kyle Schwarber?

Mayer has 136 career plate appearances. Even if he OPSd 1.000 in them it’s still a small sample and a tad early to say he “likely” is the next anyone. But that he has shown good defensive skills is at least something…

Suarez is less than 2 years older than Schwarber and will very likely sign a deal at least two years shorter. So if you were already ok with Schwarber.,.

I think it doesn’t happen because I do not believe KC to be that stupid. Third team? Maybe…

We do not, but we do have a surplus of outfielders and a shortage of infielders. We need a team with their surpluses and dearths reversed…

That was my point. While everyone who wants him to sell seems to think that’s the path to a higher payroll, it’s only one possibility, and possibly not even the most likely one. I assume everyone - yes, everyone as in 100%. - that wants Henry to sell believes a new owner will have looser purse strings. I don’t believe anyone wants Henry gone because they believe the new owner will be cheaper…

So why do so many want Henry to sell the team? And how do they think the new owner will be different?

Gee, they don’t want their poor-fielding corner outfielder with a .738 OPS who’s only owed $49 mill over the next two seasons. Teams will undoubtedly be lining up…

Well, don’t forget (or perhaps review) what the original statement said. It wasn’t 100% agreement that the Sox need new ownership; it was 100% agreement that the new owner would be better. Fairly safe because I doubt very many calling for Henry’s departure are doing so because they want the new owner to be worse…

Every team signs free agents that don’t work out. The Dodgers are clearly already worried about Tanner Scott, for example. And Michael Conforto was hardly a raging success for them. But they get remembered for the successes…

Do not confuse my acknowledgement with acceptance…

Sure it’s an exploitation of the passions of the fanbase. But I doubt Henry is going to call himself out for it and fire himself. And don’t kid yourself about Mayo’s hiring being anything more than a temporary appeasement to questionable NFL hiring practices regarding head coaches. “Oh gee, the guy with zero NFL head coaching experience couldn’t turn around a 4-13 team in one season? Well, thats certainly not acceptable.”