harmony

Seattle righthander Chris Flexen, who turns 29 in July before entering free agency at the season's end, has outperformed Jack Flaherty and Brad Keller over the past two seasons: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/flexech01.shtml

It's risky to count on Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck to break out this year to be anything more than a No. 5 starter. FWIW Roster Resource currently has Nick Pivetta as the No. 3 Red Sox starter ahead of James Paxton and Garrett Whitlock. https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/depth-charts/red-sox Nothing wrong with optimism but expectations should be tempered.

Indeed the Red Sox can hope for a statistical aberration such as Justin Verlander.

Much hinges on the health of Chris Sale and James Paxton, who enter their age 34 seasons after combining for only 70 MLB innings* over the past three seasons. It would be risky for a team to rely on a starter whose injuries limited the pitcher to only 70 innings the previous season. The combined risk with Sale and Paxton might be sixfold. Or not. * 79 innings including Sale's nine postseason innings in 2021

Earlier this week ESPN released its early 2023 MLB power rankings: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35466344/mlb-power-rankings-preseason-2023-braves-padres Earlier this month MLB.com released its early MLB power rankings: MLB New Year's Power Rankings 2023 WWW.MLB.COM While it’s still the offseason, the New Year provides a perfect mile-marker for baseball fans. It’s almost the halfway point between the World Series ending, and Spring Training games beginning. At MLB.com, we produce two way-too-early Power Rankings during the offseason. The first one lands before the confetti has even

This year could be the problem. Or not.

No one suggested the glass is empty. The headline of a Peter Gammons piece Friday at The Athletic: Ten years later, the 2013 Red Sox remind us that anything is possible: https://theathletic.com/4073575/2023/01/20/gammons-2013-red-sox-retrospective/ Subscription required.

The glass is half full.

The Red Sox placed five on the Top 100 prospect list released Wednesday at Baseball America: https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2023/01/18/mayer-yoshida-headline-red-sox-prospect-baseball-america-list/

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-ceddanne-rafaela-might-be-bostons-answer-in-center-or-short/

Would Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar prefer a contender? Or is it too late in the offseason to be choosy?

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/red-sox-interested-in-jurickson-profar-elvis-andrus.html

MLB International Prospects Signing Day 2023 WWW.MLB.COM It’s been called international signing day. Others have referred to it as the international day of joy. Jan. 15 is officially known as the first day of the international signing period and it means everything to the prospects from across the globe who sign during the 11-month span. For these

Perhaps the Red Sox can reprise the Texas middle infield from this 2013 game between the Rangers and the Sox: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS201306050.shtml Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar are remaining free agents but Profar's defensive metrics at second base are not encouraging: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jurickson-profar/10815/stats?position=2B/OF#inside-edge-fielding

FWIW the New York Yankees are the least likely team to repeat as division champions, according to MLB.com columnist Will Leitch: MLB division champions likely to repeat in 2023 WWW.MLB.COM For all the talk about how division races supposedly don’t matter as much as they used to -- and I can think of a couple No. 1 and No. 2 seeds who would very much disagree with you -- it still means something to be able to call yourself a

moonslav59 brings many qualities to this forum but objectivity is not one of them. Who remembers when this forum had meaningful baseball discussions relatively free of personal attacks? OK, maybe never.

From Wednesday's chat with MLB Trade Rumors columnist Anthony Franco: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-chat-1-11-23-14767.html

Locked On Red Sox on Pablo Lopez:

From Sunday's FanGraphs chat with Mark Polishuk: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-live-chat-14744.html

The criminal justice system is an imprecise institution that occasionally convicts the innocent or acquits the guilty. The former is more concerning than the latter.

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Trevor Bauer for assignment and have seven days to trade Bauer before the righthander is released on waivers: Transactions | Los Angeles Dodgers WWW.MLB.COM The Official Site of Major League Baseball Designate for Assignment (DFA) | Glossary | MLB.com WWW.MLB.COM The Official Site of Major League Baseball The Dodgers will likely trade Trevor Bauer for the best offer. Three teams might be willing to pay Bauer $5 million this year if the Dodgers pay the balance. The bidding could go up from there. If more than one team would be willing to claim Bauer off waivers, at least one team should be likely to pay part of Bauer's 2023 salary to prevent the competition if the righthander goes to waivers. And the Dodgers should be open to recouping a portion of their sunken cost.

The 2023 Red Sox should have the benefit of low expectations.

Wishing our favorite teams and their fans a Happy New Year!

The Red Sox should be all over this proposed Rafael Devers trade to the Mets: https://fansided.com/2022/12/29/mets-trade-package-rafael-devers/

That was certainly true for the 2022 Seattle Mariners, who suffered no injuries in their starting rotation. The Mariners went with an opener in three games but Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and Marco Gonzales each made 32 starts. Matt Brash and George Kirby combined for 30 starts while Chris Flexen and Luis Castillo combined for 33 starts. Injuries were not the reason that Kirby and Castillo replaced Brash and Flexen in the Seattle rotation. Absent a trade, Seattle will return those seven starters with prospects Emerson Hancock, Taylor Dollard, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo providing starter depth. Although the Mariners are rumored to be willing to trade a pitcher, odds are that the M's are unlikely to field an injury-free rotation in 2023.