harmony

Perhaps the Red Sox can hang a loss on the Blue Jays come Sunday.

Baseball Trade Values accepts a trade of four years of Chris Flexen (+$1 million) for two years of Yankee second baseman Gleyber Torres (-$1 million): https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-103610/ This offseason the Yankees may enter the free agent market for shortstops despite their top infield prospects. New York Post columnist Joel Sherman suggests Torres may be expendable: https://nypost.com/2022/09/30/inside-the-demise-of-a-young-yankees-core-around-aaron-judge/

Any interest in 28-year-old Seattle righthander Chris Flexen, who in two seasons with the Mariners has posted an ERA of 3.62 in 63 appearances, including 52 starts? https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/flexech01.shtml In December 2020 the Mariners signed the former New York Met who had spent the previous season in the Korean Baseball Organization. According to Spotrac, Flexen comes with four years of team control but will earn $8 million in 2023 under a vested option. https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/chris-flexen-21243/ Flexen and Matt Brash entered the 2022 season in the Seattle starting rotation but were replaced by deadline acquisition Luis Castillo and emerging rookie George Kirby. The Mariners control Flexen, Brash and their current five starters through at least the 2025 season (all but Marco Gonzales through 2026). A Seattle farm system depleted by graduations still has promising starters Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller and Taylor Dollard, who concluded the 2022 season at Double A, often the last stop for Mariner pitching prospects before the MLB callup. Just a thought.

Red Sox wins this weekend will be welcome (by someone who has tickets to the unlikely Game 3 of the Wild Card Series in Seattle).

The Seattle Mariners currently rank eighth in bullpen WHIP at 1.195: https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2022.shtml The Red Sox rank 25th.

James Paxton is on the clock:

At my fantasy auction in March I took Triston Casas for the league minimum thinking Casas would be an early-season callup. I am now pleased that Casas did not burn a year of team control under our fantasy rules.

Good point.

Thank you, Red Sox.

Mitch Haniger is unlikely to land a $15 million AAV.

The Providence Journal piece was likely directed at a relatively uninformed mass audience, not the highly focused fans of this forum.

Last week behind a paywall, columnist Jim Bowden at The Athletic examined the Red Sox offseason needs: https://theathletic.com/3616152/2022/09/23/red-sox-offseason-trades-signings/

Each fan sets the standards that bring the most joy. Enjoy the four World Series titles and forget the last-place finishes. Nothing wrong with that. Despite the lack of World Series titles the Seattle Mariners have brought occasional joy ... and sorrow. Nothing wrong with that.

Since the Red Sox claimed their last World Series title in 2018 the Sox have won only four more regular-season games than the Mariners despite Seattle's 94-loss season in 2019. Over the past three seasons the Red Sox have a regular-season record of 188-186 (despite falling two games shy of the World Series in 2021) while the Mariners have been 200-174. Baseball has often gone in cycles.

Of course it depends on the circumstances. In the past month the Seattle Mariners have signed long-term extensions with Julio Rodriguez and Luis Castillo, each with risks and rewards.

jacksonianmarch raises valid concerns but the resilient Red Sox may again bounce back from what promises to be their fifth last-place finish in the past 11 seasons. Or not.

That's why the league-adjusted wRC+ is a more meaningful measure of minor league hitting statistics. At Triple A this year Jo Adell posted a wRC+ of 117 in 180 plate appearances while Jeter Downs posted a wRC+ of 95 in 335 plate appearances.

I support the restrictions even though this month I went to Canada fully vaccinated and boosted but returned with a nasty bout of COVID.

In the June 28 trade for Carlos Santana, the Seattle Mariners gave up 27-year-old righthander Wyatt Mills and 23-year-old righthander William Fleming: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/millswy01.shtml https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=flemin004wil The low cost for three-plus months of Santana was reasonable (although Santana's clubhouse contributions reportedly have outweighed his on-field performance).

FWIW over the past 10 months the Seattle Mariners have handed out three nine-figure contracts (and likely have approached Cal Raleigh, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby about early-career extensions).

We can check back in March 2023 to determine how realistic this plan was.

FWIW I attended the minor league game when Dansby Swanson hit his first professional home run: https://www.milb.com/gameday/hawks-vs-hops/2015/08/20/420760#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=420760 ... and an MLB game earlier this month when Swanson hit his 18th homer of the season: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK202209070.shtml

Would the Red Sox want Daniel Bard's two-year, $19 million contract through 2024? That's a smidgen more than the two-year contract for Matt Barnes through 2023.

The Red Sox roster is filled with red flags. However, the historically resilient Red Sox have overcome red flags in the past. A fascinating franchise over the past 11 seasons with two World Series championships, four division titles and heading to a fifth last-place finish.

Is Edwin Diaz out of the Red Sox reasonable reach? https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/can-edwin-diaz-get-a-record-breaking-contract.html