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You miss him already. Admit it. It’s ok…

I wouldn’t say “all year” with Whitlock. The Sox have multiple starters very capable of creating rotation vacancies with their own fragility. Including Whitlock. But as much as we want bullpen help, there will be none coming from outside the organization for the next 4 weeks. With Sale due back, they should gain one arm with the trickle-down effect. Ditto Eovaldi. And Taylor is apparently mending nicely. Certainly none of this guarantees a better bullpen, but I do guarantee they will all get something of a chance…

We’re clearly selling. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/06/braves-acquire-silvino-bracho-from-red-sox.html

Watching the Cubs tonight, I saw Cubs SS Nico Hoerner possibly make the worst defensive play I have ever seen in MLB game me. With the shift on and a ball batted to the right side he 1) collided with David Bote 2) held the ball for several seconds while the runner headed to third and then 3) threw the ball to an unmanned third base. Watch for it on MLB tonight…

This is the first season he’s hit under .300 in the minors. As for his odds, they work against most prospects…

I believe the official term for them was “advisers”…

It probably won’t be JBJ. He was brought in to improve outfield defense, and he has done that. They probably didn’t expect him to hit all that much, and he’s done that too. Duran should stay. But unlike Bradley and Hernandez, he has options. And demoting him allows the Sox to keep everyone. My choice would be Kike to 1b, Duran in CF, Bradley/Refsnyder in RF and Dalbec (who also has options) to Worcester. If the Sox release JBJ, and an OF gets hurt, who starts then?

Any bullpen can carry an underperforming reliever that they hope can bounce back and at least contribute. The problem with the Sox is they have four such relievers…

Anyone left you care to see in there? Really?

… for Toronto..

And we’ve seen this show before…

Yes, he definitely makes Robles look like he’s been dead for 60 years. But just about any hitter does that as well…

This is the Sox best chance. They need to score at least one here, as Zimmer, Tapia and Chapman are due up and the rest of this Sox bullpen can’t handle anything else in the Toronto lineup, assuming they can even get those three…

I know the pen is light this week, but is there a reason the Sox are hoping on Silvino “Who?” Bracho to help out Tyler Danish and Hansel Robles in the bullpen?

On post 756 of the JBJ trade thread, the WAPM did project a .713 OPS…

Batting him ninth does…

They could, but I doubt using Hill out of the pen was ever part of the plan, as he hasn’t thrown a pitch in relief since 2014. And maybe I’m wrong,but I always figured the plan for Hill was to last in the rotation until Paxton was ready…

Which of his 8 IP was the one that impressed you most?

Assuming everyone gets healthy, the Sox roytation becomes Sale-Eovaldi-Pivetta-Wacha-Hill!(and maybe eventually Paxton) That might leave a potential bullpen of Houck, Whitlock, Taylor, Diekman, Strahm, Davis, Schreiber, Brasier, and one of Barnes/Robles/Sawamura/Danish. The Sox could strength in further with an acquisition (Michael Fulmer?) or hminor league help (Frank German) or both…

No. Baneulos has 8 IP this year and 85 over the past 8 seasons. Some injuries, yes, but even a healthy Banuelos is more likely to be a problem than a solution…

The problem with negative test results is they only prove you didn’t have COVID, not that you don’t have COVID..

It does look like Bloom did both given her signed Strahm, Diekman and Robles this off-season…

“Trade Arroyo” might not meet the requirement for giving up something. Utility infielders don’t always make the best trade chips. Why would any team give up a useful player for Arroyo when Jonathan Villar can be had for a waiver claim? If the Sox are going to give up something, it’s most likely a minor leaguer. Not saying Bloom will operate this way, but it’s not exactly uncommon for GMs to deal from the pool they didn’t draft. I expect Groome, for example, to be on the table. (BTV likes a Groome/Josh Bell swap as realistic.) Last year, Bloom dealt fairly mediocre prospects Aldo Ramirez and oft-injured Alex Scherff for Schwarber and Robles. He did deal former first rounder-turned-UIF Chavis for Austin Davis, which is the best parallel for Arroyo. But Chavis still had pre-arb years left, more control, and was dealt to the same GM that drafted him. I don’t think Arroyo is going to fit into that same scenario, especially since he is leaving his minimum wage years this year and has done more to establish himself as an Injured List Regular than a starting major leaguer…

Before the season back when the Sox thought Sale was healthy, the plan appeared to me to be Sale-Eovaldi-Pivetta-Wacha-Hill in the rotation and both Houck and Whitlock in the pen. If that was the plan 3 months ago, why wouldn’t it be now?