oldtimer

Some thoughts on the potential 2022 40 man rostery Catchers: We pick up the club option on Vazquez. I don't see possible replacements on the market. Whether we stick with Plawecki (he is okay) or try moving R. Hernandez as a backup is okay with me. We should try and draft a young catcher, while keeping Wong in the minors but on the 40 man. Infield: We keep Devers and he plays 3rd. I agree that he needs to accept coaching regarding plate discipline and overswinging to further improve his value. Please stop chewing tobacco for your own health considerations. We also keep Bogaerts at short. Both he and Devers have had defensive shortcomings, but 2022 is not the year to move either. I see Arroyo as a very competent defensive 2nd baseman. He can hit enough to be FT but if we could find better, he would make an excellent utility infielder. The use of Schwaber at 1st should end except in an emergency, in the event we choose to sign him. Dalbec has shortcomings defensively but he is better than Schwaber. Dalbec was not trusted during the championship series due to his tendency to strike out. We could look at the FA market and try to pick up Brandon belt and trade Dalbec, or do the same but keep him as a utility player. Casas being in the wings should be a consideration. I would cut Shaw loose while keeping Arauz and Potts in the minors and on the 40 man. Outfielders: We had two very solid outfielders in Kike and Verdugo and should build on them. Renfroe is okay but his strikeout rate leaves me looking for alternatives. Signing a FA like Starling Marte for CF and moving Kike to right would significantly improve our outfield. Bringing Duran up for utility and trying to further develop Rosario would give us flexibility. I would trade Renfroe for whatever he would bring. Our DH can be an emergency outfielder BP: Starting with who I would not renew on our staff. Perez, Richards, Davis, Ottavino. That creates a pool of money for Bloom to go after iglasias, who I view as the best high leverage reliever on the market. I see Barnes (risk until proven otherwise), Brasier, D,Hern, Robles, Sawamura, Taylor, Whitlock in the pen, leaving room for one of our minor league prospects to make the grade. SP: Eovaldi is a lock. Don't overuse him. Sale showed himself to be coming on. Pivetta is a quality 3rd starter. With Houck, he needs to develop a 3rd and possibly 4th pitch to really make the grade. He also needs to cut down on non-competitive pitches (throw strikes) to last more innings. To me, starters should be left in until they show signs of fatiguing.I am ambivalent on a QO to E-Rod. We could do worse. Seabold lurks in the minors as a possible starter. If we lose E-Rod we will need to sign a FA starter or try to trade pieces for one. Gausman?

I believe it makes sense to identify the problem areas the team faces before jumping directly to trades and FA signings. The areas talked about during the second half and in the playoffs, particularly the ALCS were: 1. Lack of defense in the field. The Sox were one of the worst teams in that category. 2. Lack of production and flexibility with our utility players. The Sox went through a bunch of options, all were weak, including at the end. 3. Starting pitching depth issues. With Pivetta, Sale and D-Rod coming on in the end. 4. BP issues with fill-ins. It was improving in the end but everyone has trouble with BP arms. 5. Shocking lack of hitting in the ALCS. Preparation and adjustments were not adequate. Why? Defense: i thought Devers, Bogaerts and Arroyo played stellar defense in the infield although analytics driven positioning is not a favorite of mine and may be legislated back in future. Verdugo and Kike were mainstays in the outfield. One of our problems was trying to find a way to place both Martinez and Schwaber on the roster at the same time. Neither are good defenders. It would have been magnified had we reached the WS. Renfroe was a so-so right fielder with a great arm. Clearly, going back to a single DH candidate is a good idea, whoever that turns out to be. Consideration of improvements at 1st base and right field would be in order from a defensive perspective. Utility: We wound up with Santana, Shaw and Dalbec after a season of many changes who did not work out and are gone now. We need an outfielder, and probably two infielders with a backup catcher. I look to our minors for most of those. Possibly our utility players can come from R-Hern at catcher, Casas at first, Arroyo for middle infield and Duran (despite the negativity about him, he only got into relatively few games and those were dispersed. Imagine the criticism had he dropped the ball in center that Kike misplayed last night). Moving Arroyo back to utility suggests a strong second base addition. Starting pitching: Eovaldi had a fine year. Pivetta came on and looked like a guy who can handle a starter role. The best news is that Sale looked better and better during the ALCS. If we can get a QO to E_Rod and we get the good guy back, we probably cannot do better for reasonable money. Houck needs to develop a third and perhaps 4th pitch and Seabold is in the wings. Starting pitching did not appear to be such a glaring problem at the end but we can always use a top starter, particularly if E-Rod goes. BP: We have some deadwood on our 40 man that needs to be replaced and perhaps Matt Barnes looms as a concern going forward. Losing some high expense pitching contracts should give Bloom room to maneuver in the offseason. Hitting: Hard to believe we were unable to put up so little offense in the last 3 ALCS games. None of our hitters did well. Preparation for the games and adjustments during the games were inadequate. We had no one hitting opposite from the shift and what appeared to be a lot of strikeouts chasing and a lot of popups when we were swinging for the fences. The need is to look at our pregame preparation and changing how we go about that. It wouldn't hurt to replace our strikeout kings with contacts hitters who can get on base. The Astros had some of those. I post my ideas for roster changes separately.

The umpire did a nice job last night, the problem occurs when the umpire is not doing a good job and we saw that during the ALCS.

Requiem for a not so heavy weight Eovaldi, pitching on short rest, gets unfairly tagged with the loss when Kike made what should have been called an error. By the way, Scherzer can't take a turn for the Dodgers after having been pitched too much ad developing a tired arm. Whatever the Sox told themselves in their players hitting meetings certainly didn't work against the Astro's. The very discussion leaders in those meetings went 0 for again. Maybe they should look to a different approach or participation. lots of strikeouts. Lots of popups, some groundouts. It appeared that no one tried to hit away from the shift but instead swung for the fences. Whatever they did, didn't work for the last 3 games. Some due to pitching, but two hits in 30 ABs is pretty weak. Devers, Bogaerts and Arroyo played good infield defense while as we suspected, Schwaber had his shortcomings. The outfield defense was okay despite Kike's one miss. He certainly was a rock out there for most of the season. Cora had no bench to turn to and his optimistic view didn't spur the Sox competitive nature. It's over after the Sox achieved much more than expected. The emphasis will switch to next year and how we can improve.

How many of our hitters went the other way of hit line drives when they made contact vs how many popped the ball up? Need to have some smart contact hitters on the team.

The party is over, my friend.

It will be good to revisit recommendations for Redsox offseason moves after watching the ALCS.

It's either Schwaber or JDM, not both. Neither is an effective defender. After watching the ALCS, I believe Refroe is a weakness and seeing that the team has put no trust in Dalbec, maybe he should be moved as well.

Been on the road for the past two days but watched 7 innings of game 4 and all of game 5. From what I have heard, the Sox hitters get together and decide how they will go after the pitchers they will face. I understand the discussion is led by JD Martinez, Bogaerts and Schwaber, with the others participating. Other teams may involve more from the hitting coaches. Whatever has gone on, it was frustrating to watch the Sox squander opportunities to score with a variety of their best hitters unable to doo anything during game 4. One could guess the Astros might score a run or two sooner or later. In game 5 the Sox seem to have no effective plan to score. Were they that overmatched or what was the problem. Frankly, I can't put my finger on the problem. Unfortunately, Renfroe is just not hitting and Dalbec is not trusted to hit. All the remainder of our guys have contributed to some degree. The worry we had about Devers and Bogaerts fielding have not materialized and Arroyo has been very capable at second. Schwaber should not play first but its him or Dalbec, so Schwaber gets the nod. Our outfield has played well with the exception of Renfroe who can be a defensive liability. But our other choice is Santana so the nod is going to Renfroe. I hope our hitters get together and put an aggressive plan together where they refuse to be beaten. It's do or die time.

Agreed. Just too many really bad calls. It has to be impacting the game.

Is that why they let him go?

Let's try to sign Iglesias who is an unrestricted FA. He is 30 and may pull down $12 per for 3 years. Getting rid of Perez and Richards would cover it.

I'm an old guy now but my dad was born in the 19th century and told stories of seeing the Braves play when he was a kid. He referred to it as being part of a knothole gang so I presume it was at the Old South Park where they played before moving to what is now Nickerson Field at BU. Dad went to fight in the 1st WW and returned to work for a Boston Newspaper and became an avid Red Sox fan. I was old enough to go to a Braves game then but we went to see the Sox instead.

One area where the Sox could improve is team speed and with it perhaps team defense with it. Going back to 1 DH does some of that by definition. Improving at 2nd base could involve a speedier player. Is Siemien that guy? He would be costly and in demand, but what a hitter.

The only significant difference between the American and National leagues is the use of the DH. That should mean teams more run scoring in the American league and greater valuing of each run in the National. It appears both the Braves and Dodgers have superior pitching staffs when compared to the Astros and Sox. In addition, both teams have more speed than the Sox and steal given any opportunity. If we get that far, then be prepared for their base running. We are a relatively slow team that needs to string together hits or crush the ball. One difference between the teams in park configuration. Fenway is the weirdest of the 4 and is the only one likely to see colder weather during the series.

My feeling is that we currently have a competitive team and our prospect list has increased to middle of the pack. Any improvement we make should make us even more competitive, so it isn't critical to try to become a juggernaut in a one year jump. Setting priorities makes sense based on our willingness to spend money. Getting a #2 quality starter is my top priority. Replacement BP help is priority number 2 although some of that may come from our prospect list. Defining a FT second baseman is my first non-pitching priority Settling the JDM/Schwaber situation is my second. Both are good, but I prefer Schwaber based on age, flexibility to fill in at LF or 1st but primarily as a DH. Helps to keep important hitters off the IL. This regular season was a tough one for our utility players. Let's start 2022 with a higher quality backup option. Possibly that could come from existing players on our 40 man roster at low cost. I see the only major cost of making these moves coming from the acquisition of a #2 starter and possibly a FT 2nd baseman with other costs balanced by removal of existing player contracts

Even if we give E-Rod a QO, some team is likely to offer him a 3 year deal and be willing to sacrifice a draft pick to us based on my understanding. While E-Rod is still a potential winning pitcher, I wouldG be against offering him a long term deal. Like you, I would prefer to be open minded about picking up a quality starter, but not an ace.

Every organization has strengths and weaknesses. The Sox are no different and the hope is the current management recognizes the weakness and will make smart moves that represent real improvements going forward. We are blessed with an ownership who have been willing to spend to make improvements and I expect they would do the same in the future, although one hopes no as foolishly as some of the moves of the past. We are over Pedey and will be past Price after next year. The other big risk is the Sale extension. Will he return to the Ace quality or will we take another major hit through the end of 2024? So Bloom has done an excellent job to date of strengthening our prospect list and building a competitive team while staying below the CBT. is 1. I expect Bloom to continue to strengthen our prospect list while trading away assets not expected to make the Sox club. 2. Starting pitching is expensive yet we have only Eovaldi, Sale? and Pivetta who are clear starters in 2022. E-Rod may be gone and one of Houck, Whitlock or Seabold is expected to make a 4th. So a starting pitcher is an expensive addition but is needed for the club to improve. 3. I don't expect Davis, Ottavino or Richards to return. Same with Perez in long relief. Bloom needs to bolster the pen from within if possible or by trade or FA if necessary. 4. 2nd base is still an open question. Arroyo is good but we also need our utility players to be good so he could have a place even if we trade for a FT 2nd baseman. 5. We currently have two DH players for one spot. JDM and Schwaber are both good but we don't need two. bloom needs to decide how to move forward. 6. At catcher we have Vaz and better quality replacements would be in demand and expensive. Possibly keep him and look to the prospect Hernandez as backup? 7. FB is still a question mark. Is Dalbeck the guy or does Casas come to bolster or replace him? I think Shaw goes after this year. 8. One would hope our utility players can be more competitive next year. Could we go with Duran, Arroyo and Casas? Could be worse.

The Sox spread their offense more and build up a solid lead for Nate. We didn't do much later in the game against the better arms but we got a split at their park which is a good start. Back to Fenway where fan support will be tremendous. Make no mistake, the Astros lineup is tough and capable of exploiting any weak pitching performances. We will need to get contributions up and down the lineup to take this series. it's probably Pivetta coming up for game 3.

Sale was a train wreck again. His command was more the issue for him and going 2 2/3 was less than we needed. Our relief was so so with guys leaving pitches over the middle of the plate. I was surprised that Swamamura was so wild and nervous.The guy is 33 years old and experienced but seemed overcome to be in the game. Kike had a very great game. The rest of the team, not so much. We need a more aggressive, you can't beat me approach. If Kike can do it, can't they at least do a little more? Oh, and pinch hitting a lefty against a righty makes sense only if the guy can hit.

If he had no chance, why not just call him out and end the game early? Flores is a big league hitter and by all rights has a chance, however slim, of getting a hit. Bad calls like the one that ended the game leave the impression that the umpire is incompetent if not something worse.

We may need to do that with our own Devers. As far as pitches are concerned, they are known to be fragile. Signing one to a long term high value contract is risky. How many long term contracts have worked out? I am for signing a couple of good but not (considered)great pitchers. That way, we get good results with less risk for a shorter period.

Does Dalbec have a role to play against lefties who throw breaking balls?

The status of pitching usage in the ML seems to have evolved over the years and more recently. A good start is now 5 or 6 innings with the BP doing 4 innings nightly. Add to that the case where the opener is used for once through the lineup max. Seems to me the BP is getting more stressed these days. There is also a tendency to bring high leverage BP resources into games earlier, should a critical situation develop. Still, it seems desirable to have 5 defined starters and backup available in the minors to come in when the inevitable injuries and sicknesses occur. In the BP, you still want a mix of righties and lefties, although the pitch to three batter rule seems to require decent effectiveness against each. With 8 or 9 in the BP and the need to throw at least 4 innings most nights it seems to be a best practice to use the real firemen in competitive games. How many of the 8 or 9 fit into that category? Probably 4 so they need to be used judiciously. Are 70 innings a year reasonable? If we can win 100 games in a year, one would assume we were competitive in 120. Four innings a night means 480 innings, not counting extra inning. So if we get 280 innings out of our best, there are 200 innings of competitive innings to be covered by our remaining BP. One would hope that there would be a significant contribution from our prospects being cycled through. Just a mind game but I would bet similar thinking would be applied by our coaches and front office.

I haven't seen an official roster for the Sox ALCS as yet and assume it has not been released. My interest is in the BP and whether the Sox will make any changes from the ALDS. Clearly I don't have specifics about the health and current feel the coaching staff has regarding the players I'll mention. My comments are based on my observations only. 1. Barnes vs Swamamura. Matt had a poor second half and his only useage in the ALDS was when we had an 8 run lead, which indicates a lack of trust. When he came in he had command problems and struggled to get through an inning. Swamamura has equal velocity with movement and has an effective splitter. He is an experienced pitcher and in my view would be able to give the team an effective inning here and there. I would choose him over Barnes and reevaluate for the WS, should we make it that far. 2. Perez and/or Davis vs D-Hern Here I think that Perez is on the roster to pitch in games where we have a low probability of winning. Hard to say how many runs behind and in what inning that decision would be made. The use would be to save our high leverage relievers from over use and exposure. I think he is kept on for that reason as his effectiveness is questionable. Davis is a guy who is there to be inserted to get lefties out. he is fairly effective in that role but struggles against righties. He has more experience than D-Hern but probably less whiff capability. D-Hern is a harder thrower and has a lot of movement on his pitches. His command and experience in a big role might be called into question. I think it is too close to call between Davis and D-Hern so I would be satisfied with either. Don't know of any other BP changes being considered.