oldtimer

For a long time this year it looked like tobacco juice he was spitting out. I did notice lately it looked more like chewing gum. People who chew tobacco often wind up with some form of mouth cancer and it was a prevalent habit among BB players in the past. By the way, Devers has looked like a different player at the plate since just after the AS game. I wonder if it is due to him overswinging. He always swung hard but seems to have even a more violent all out approach of late.

Okay, because my take is that we need to make impact changes if we expect to become more competitive. I will give Bloom one more year to do that before writing him off. Some of your depth players should be DFA'd or traded. Guys like Downs, Duran, and Cordero/Dalbec need to be replaced.

With that depth chart how many games do you predict the Sox could win?

His tendency to keep a chaw of tobacco in his mouth is more worrisome for his longer term health.

We have had two years of so-so to bad fielding 1st basemen until we lucked out in signing Hosmer. None of our 1st basemen have been reliable hitters, when 1st is usually considered a position that generates offense. It appears that Bloom has had difficulty finding a 1st baseman so I would get a look at Casas now with the hope he is the future for us at the position and at low cost at that.

You and I are on the same or similar wavelengths. You didn't mention DH and that is where we need to replace thee aging JDM. We need someone who makes contact and has power. Certainly guys like Dalbec and Cordero have power but they both have real issues making contact. I think we will have to bring in a DH, even if it is just for 2 years.

Why suggest Casas as an option when 1st base is a position of great need?

It's good to look for some of the positives in this down season. Perhaps one of the most important is to get a look at some of the prospects so we have a better idea of prioritizing the off season moves. Still I have to wonder with acquisitions such as Familia if we are stuck in the dumpster diving routine. That approach hasn't worked well to date. As far as field players we would have a decent start with Devers, Bogaerts, Story, Arroyo, Verdugo, Hernandez and perhaps McGuire. We could use help at 1st. Hosmer is a good inexpensive fielder and perhaps we should look at Casas soon. We could get by with Pham but a top quality outfielder would be a plus and we will need a high performing DH. Pitching should be a priority. We do have a lot of prospects to draw on but Paxton was a bad idea and Sale is not reliable. Our need is for at least one quality starter as Nate will probably be gone along with Hill. We are also in need of at least one setup man/closer type BP arm. The money should be there, will Bloom use it wisely?

Bloom should be judged by the results of the team and the progress toward competitiveness. So far the results have been poor and we have gotten less competitive. I would suggest 2023 will be the final year for excuses. The team will have to show real progress if Bloom is to be kept as GM.

He didn't have to give up Vaz. At best, we got a couple of mid level prospects. The impact on the team probably involved negative feelings and decreased performance by some of our key players and also debatable performance loss from our catching position. It appeared to send mixed message from Bloom to the team and it's fan base.

If you look at Story as a SS, we have a very acceptable 2nd baseman in Arroyo. We also have a 1st baseman of the future in Casas. That would leave money for bolstering the OF and perhaps Tommy Pham is a keeper for a year or two. So Catcher and DH should be fillable and we should concentrate on pitching improvements and look to our prospects in later 2023 and 2024.

Are you trying to defend the Renfroe for Bradley + prospects trade? I thought you were against it.

I don't believe JDM will be offered as he is toward the end of his career. Eovaldi is still valuable but we will probably not want to resign him as we attempt to get younger. Paxton was probably a bad idea and cost the Sox $10 mil for nothing. Will Sale ever return any value for his Ace level salary? I wouldn't count on much there. Verdugo and Arroyo are the main hitters on the team this August. They seem to have more fire than most of the others and I would keep them as building blocks. Wacha has looked good and I would try to keep him.. We need a rebuild as most of the field players have been way off. Devers is the main keeper. Hosmer is inexpensive. Bogey is probably gone and possibly Story is tradable. With the season essentially over as far as making the playoffs, we should get a look at some of our prospects What is there to lose by doing it? Certainly Casas and Duran should get long looks. We have young pitchers who could get into some games. As you say, some of our prospects may be needed as trade bait for thee 2023 season. We should get a good draft selection this year. Give Bloom the money and I recommend we go for a major rebuild and change. I know this is a bit of a Debbie owner post but the sox look like a dispirited team that needs revitalization. Go for it!

So some notables who you have left off include Bogaerts, Eovald, Wacha, JDM. They either will need to be resigned or replaced with expensive talent if we are to become more competitive next year then we have been in 2022. We also lost a front line catcher and replaced him with a lesser player. Not easy to see a clean path to greater competitiveness, even with $84 million to spend. I highlighted additional guys who could be DFA'd or traded and in my opinion, it would be addition with removal.

It comes down to valuing a lineup that is good top to bottom with lower risk of losing a big part of the production due to injury (or other like Tatis, Sale, Price-you name them) or putting your money into a few stars and filling in with lesser journeymen players and accepting the risk of losing a major part with a single injury. My preference is to develop a team based on a tiered pay schedule and sticking with it. Others sign their young stars to lucrative quasi-long term contracts early. Baltimore is doing that, and it comes closest to resulting in a tiered schedule. If the Yankees pay Judge $50 mil a year on a longer term contract, they are accepting a huge risk.

Just an aside but I see the Yankees have gone into a real swoon. I blocked the Yankee fan who used blue coloring on his fonts but I'll bet his troll like posts have changed in tone of late. The Rays are holding the vaunted Yankee bats down again tonight.

Lots of essentially dead money still hanging over us. Sale, Price, Paxton, Barnes, JBJ. Some of that will clear for 2023.

Give Bloom a plus for picking up Tommy Pham. He has filled the roll of lead off hitter better than any other this year, at least in the brief look we have gotten. He is okay in left field as well and he brings some spirit to the team.

I assume it's Duran to be sent down since we will have a replacement utility outfielder in Refsnyder, although if we send Dalbec down then we don't have a replacement 1st baseman. I guess it's anyone's guess. Duran has had a few well hit balls caught of late and has been unlucky. Maybe it will depend of which player (if either) they think has the best chance of making the roster in 2023

If the message Bloom was trying to leave with the team is we are still in it and trying to make a run at a wild card, it seems to me that trading our number1 catcher and fixture in the clubhouse was off message. Getting McGuire and a couple of prospects in different transactions didn't align with making a wild card effort. It may bear fruit in future, but seemed to have had a negative impact when it was done.

The decision was complicated by the fact that JDM had a player option and wanted to stay. I understand why we kept him but would not recommend any thought of resigning him. That is not to knock him, He has produced very well for the team and we got good value from his contract. We have had quite a few stinko contracts but his was not one of them.

Is there a message in the majority being Latinos? More advanced due to an emphasis on Baseball?

I agree on Correa. Good but also higher risk. Not a good match for the Sox.

The Wacha performance last night was our best pitching demonstration this year. I have not been expecting him to be in the Red Sox plans in 2023 but maybe he is a better bet than Paxton.

With Mayer probable for 2024 and Bogaerts potentially leaving, what is the smart move for the Sox to make going forward? Here are 4 possibilities. 1. Keep Bogaerts and play him at short in 2023 with and eye to using him at 2nd/DH going forward. Keep Story at 2nd in 2023 and look to trade him in 2024. 2. Switch Story to SS with Bogaerts leaving and play Arroyo at 2nd in 2023. Plan on moving Story back to 2nd when Mayer makes the jump and Arroyo to utility. 3. Go big by signing Trea Turner for short with Bogaerts leaving, Story at 2nd and Arroyo utility. Trade Story when Mayer comes up. Turner wants to return to the East coast. 4. Bring Mayer up in 2023 instead and get him on the job training assuming Bogaerts leaves. Story at 2nd AND Arroyo utility. My option #1 is workable provided Bogaerts is willing to go in that direction. It would be costly since Bogey would want a 6 year contract. My option 2 is least costly and leaves room to spend money in other areas such as SP, Closer, CF and Catcher. My option 3 is also expensive but would give us a terrific defensive capability up the middle will spend and hitting at short. It would create another problem with Mayer arriving in 2024 My option 4 is high risk as Mayer might need another year. It is low cost and leaves the freedom to spend in other areas.