oldtimer

Depending on where the Sox are sitting in Sept., we might well see Casas up to get some experience at 1st base. If we are still in the hunt by then I doubt he would get more than a cameo appearance.

I don't see Schwaber on the 40 man roster. Can they delay putting him on until he is clears medical exams and gets off the IL?

I don' think we can remove both Houck and Whitlock from relief roles. Houck has success as a starter so I would keep him there. His problem is that he wastes too many pitches so has trouble lasting more than 5. Maybe he can improve that with coaching. We have 4 pitchers who have struggled getting past one or two innings. Of those I trust Richards and Perez the least so would have Pivetta and E-rod as the 4th and 5th starters and use Richards and Perez as long relievers in games we are significantly behind.

We needed a front line starter but didn't have the chips needed to get one who could be a big improvement. Big handicap to us for the rest of 2021. We have to hope that Sale will be in good form, Eovaldi holds his, Houck continues his upward trajectory and Pivetta gets back to his best form. There are a lot of ifs there. In the mean time, all of our competitors improved so August will be interesting and perhaps disappointing.

Maybe Schwaber will be kept on in case JDM bolts in 2022. He is mainly a DH player with some possibilities in LF at Fenway and an unknown at 1st base.

I agree with your assessment of our starting pitching. It puts a lot of pressure on Eovaldi. If we face top level pitching when he starts, we could be held down in runs. Notice that JDM is struggling now and both Arroyo and Schwaber are around two weeks away, maybe more. I really wonder if Schwaber can be effective at 1st. Maybe he can give JDM a rest. I hope there is more said about our lack of performance in the trade market. We did very little to help ourselves. What were the reasons we didn't compete?

Do you know where we are at this point against the CBT. We lost Chavis but picked up Schwaber and Robles? I am hoping we stayed below the limit.

Look at what the Dodgers did to throw money around. getting two excellent players to add to an already strong team. We got an injured slugger (not a bad pickup) and 2 so so relief pitchers.Maybe we will make a serious effort for 2022.

I too was disappointed in the efforts to fill our needs of a true 1st baseman and a SP. I don't pretend to know the issues and limitations faced by Bloom but just based on results, we have opened the door to lose our lead for a pennant this year. I'll reserve judgment until I know more, but we did have a disappointing effort.

It appears Schwaber is it at the trade deadline, while our competitors were active and got either better or much better. If no more is announced, I have to feel let down for the front running Sox. Some things were undeniable. 1. The Sox needed help at first base as none of their current options look competitive. Schwaber is not really a first baseman so it is difficult to see him as a solution when he returns from injury. 2. Our starting pitching has been weak of late with only Eovaldi and Houck looking good. We are hoping that Sale will also be effective when he returns. 3. Our BP is fairly well set but could use one more reliable arm 4. We have extra ML and prospect players who will have to be lost through DFA as we set our roster going forward. So what were the possible takeaways from the trade window? 1. Bloom was sleeping or otherwise occupied during the trade negotiations. 2. Bloom thought the team as constituted is strong enough to win the pennant so no activity was needed 3. Bloom thought the team had no chance of winning the WS so wanted to remain below the CBT and maintain all his prospects. 4. Bloom was advised by upper management that he couldn't exceed the CBT this year. 5 The Sox trade chips were too weak to gain any interest from other clubs. For whatever reason, I don't see the Sox as improved relative to our competitors and now are at a greater risk of losing our division lead' As I have been told, the time to strike is when the iron is hot. I am disappointed at this point and don't understand why we were so inactive.

Kennedy and Gibson to the Phillies?

I am guessing Schwaber could be used to rest the DH or in the outfield and also as a pinch hitter. I don't see him as a FT 1st baseman. Maybe in 2022 he becomes the primary DH.

kimbrell to the whitesox?

I wonder what it would take to get Byan Buxton. He has a fractured bone in his hand but would be a great addition to the outfield for 2022. That's consistent with Bloom's strategy.

Schwaber may not be able to handle first and is marginal defensively in the OF. I wonder if he could stretch at first without aggravating his hamstring injury. Sort of another Arroyo.

I hope so as the Sox are somewhat vulnerable going into August. We saw an example of that vulnerability last night. Down to less than 2 hours to go and Bloom doesn't have a lot of trade chips that are both attractive and that he is likely to part with.

Moon has opined that we won't do a lot in the trade market for 2021 other than a possible first base move and a starter/reliever. If Bloom is trying to stay below the CBT and doesn't want to go big until 2022, Other than the Schwaber trade and perhaps a couple of less capable additions, we may stand pat. We will have to jettison quite a number of players this year so it is sad that we can't get something in return.

The Rays, Yankees ab=nd Jays have all been aggressive and now less is available to the Sox. So far, the Sox have not done a lot to improve the team for 2021.

Berrios to Blue Jays

The Orioles have said they are not trading Means.

Schwaber is a power hitting left handed bat and an outfielder who could play some first. He fills a need for the left handed bat and at 28 years old may be a possible DH replacement for JDM if he opts out for 2022. He suffered a significant hamstring injury July 3rd so with a 6 week healing cycle, he may be back in the 2nd week of August. Not a perfect fir for us now but can give us more than our other current options going forward. a good pickup for the Sox, but we still need a first baseman and a starter. Bloom is down to 4 pm today to improve the team and possibly rid ourselves of assets we don't wish to keep in any case.

We just picked up Kyle Schwaber for a pitching prospect. He is injured but should be back soon.

It is a little disconcerting to watch trades be made by our competitors while nothing is being announced for the Sox. We need an improvement at first base for this year and most of 2022. The poor performance of E-Rod again has me changing my mind about the need for a SP instead of a RP. We are on the same wavelength on those points. I hope Bloom doesn't wait until 4pm tomorrow to make his moves.

Just a temporary roster convenience. He will return for his next start.

I didn't expect the Sox really wanted Rizzo that much. They will fill that need but may be a surprise,