oldtimer

I think the media pundits don't know much. If you throw enough pooh against the wall, some will and there guys will claim they were clairvoyant. Not so. I still hope the Sox get Trey Mancini although I realize it is highly unlikely, since he is in the AL East now. With Arroyo coming back and Verdugo hitting again, we only have a real need at 1st base. I also think Richards could be traded to make way for Houck and Sale in the starting rotation and to help fund picking up a quality relief arm and a first baseman.

I still think they trade for a first baseman. It would be a luxury to have Arroyo to fill in at 2nd and SS and Hernandez to take some outfield. The players will need rest and there is the injury issue to watch out for.

Duran, Bogie and Rafi all went down on strikes. At least Bogie putt up a battle.

Rios has the stuff but his command makes him very unreliable.

Why is so much hot air being expended about Porcello? We have a pennant to win and current players need to do it.

Hamstrings take quite a while to heal. Up to 6 weeks depending on the severity. When they say strained, it still mean some tearing, just less. The bad ones can leave you black and blue from the knee up. I am a big Arroyo fan and would like him back, so hope he can recover quickly.

It's the old story, you need to give up good assets to get good assets. The trick is to find players that best fit your needs going forward. I believe Bloom is a very intelligent guy and will look to strengthen us by filling our key needs without damaging our future.

If we trade Richards we presumably have no roadblocks with pitching, we lose significant salary which could be applied to get a first baseman and a relief pitcher. I assume we would add other pieces if others want them. Chavis, Cordero a prospect. Time for Bloom to make a move.

My own shoot for the moon is Trey Mancini. A first baseman, a real pro, 29 years old and control for next year. He is a right handed hitter but in Fenway he fits. I doubt if Baltimre will trade him but they need prospects. Maybe we have enough to interest them.

Moon put out a thought provoking list of pitchers that we currently have, asking the que stion who do we let go of if we pick up one or more pitchers by the trade deadline. Always a difficult question when you want to pare away some of what we currently have. He proposed 13 pitchers going through the remaining season (at least until we get to the playoffs). That suggests we hold onto a total of 13 field players. one could ask the same question about field players, if we pick up one or more of those for the remainder of the season and into 2022. One view is we try to make 1st base more productive: 1st Trade for a full time 1st baseman that can be with the team into 2022, assuming the possible addition of Casas by mid 2022 and the probable addition by lase 2022 2nd Hernandez SS Bogie 3rd Devers RF Renfroe CF Duran LF Verdugo C Vaz C2 Plaweki DH Martinez 3 bench players: 2nd Arroyo who is a good enough hitter and fielder to start and allows Hernandez to rest or spell outfielders UT Gonzalez is a SH who is the ultimate defensive flexibility guy that allows Cora freedom to rest players. I don't see him on a playoff or 2022 roster. Who is the final bench player? Dalbec Possibly, but does he really figure to be on the team in 2022 Chavis Unlikely, as he has never learned to stop chasing pitches and doesn't hit the high FB. Santana Unlikely the oft hurt and never much of a hitter makes the grade Cordero Possibly, if we give him more chances in 2021 and he doesn't perform then no to 2022 Are there other prospect who would be deemed ready for this year and into 2022? I don't see who that would be as York and Mayer are too far away. Others haven't distinguished themseelves. Do we trade for another piece and through caution to the wind? So, trading for a 1st baseman and possibly another field player assuming injuries and need for rest allows us to fit in another quality field player? Or a 1st baseman and keep Dalbec/Cordero? What do others suggest?

Bloom doesn't get into detail about what he is planning. Generally, he talks to everyone about possible deals and says he is in the buyer's column. He knows the team's needs so I trust him to make the best available trades for us. His general principles are to make moves that involve a sustainable improvement in the team. Doesn't sound much like rentals but who knows. We also don't know if he is empowered to spend beyond the CBT but there again we don't know. My hope is that with less than a week to go we don't wait for the final hour to announce ours. Too easy to lose out on what is thought to be the best.

I had the same thought but know of no way to confirm it.

The Yankees are a shell of themselves right now and were only fair to middling before the injuries and Covid. It's looking more like a 2 team race. Winning that race is very important as it avoids one game and your in/out scenarios.

Actually, Kike hit the line drive high off the wall just before Duran hit the rope to center for ground rule double. Too early to tell about Duran but he looked good in the field, on the bases and at bat. Good start for him and for the Sox. I agree that Rios has the stuff to be good but his command leaves a lot to be desired.

I agree. When we get Arroyo back we can sub Kike and Arroyo around and still be strong, except for 1st base. The Sox could trade for another 1st baseman and still keep Dalbec or let him go and forget the idea of platooning him, if someone wants him as part of a trade package. We also need a relief arm thru trade as some of ours have trouble finding the plate. Brasier will hopefully fill part of our need.

A lot of damage was done by three players tonight. Kike has really come on strongly, Jarren had his best night and Rafi is just an rbi machine. I also though Verdugo is showing signs of getting his offense going. Arroyo is another wild card if he can come back from the hamstring after 10 days. Where will he play though?

Yes, Dalbec would have more value to the Sox than Chavis, but with Casas a year away Bloom needs to consider the long term.

Is he even sane?

Houck has great stuff and could be a meaningful starter going forward. He does need to get his stuff over more to last more than 5 innings and the announcers mentioned he throws his warmup pitches every inning at full velocity, which further shortens his stay. Like a lot of less experienced pitchers, he has to pitch instead of just throw. He could be a #2 starter on the team if he makes that jump.

The Rays got him in a 4 team deal. We need to be active as well.

Duran has played in two games and was subbed into another late. One of the games was against the Yankees best and his next appearance will be against him as well. Cordero, Chavis and Dalbec have been in many more games. I think Bloom is out there beating the bushes to find a quality first baseman (not necessarily to platoon with Dalbec) and a quality relief pitcher. Those talks may involve trading either Dalbec/Chavis and prospects that don't figure in the Sox long term plans. Bloom is circumspect about plans but I believe he will make trades if he can find ones that fit the Sox long term plans. The real question is whether he has the go ahead to spend over the CBT limit

There is some truth in the idea that sellers want to give enough time to see all the offers that will be put on the table. There is also a line of thinking that says buying teams investigating options may consider several and be willing to take one of those. Once taken, the offers to the other teams must be withdrawn. Otherwise there is a risk to the seller of losing an opportunity if they drag it out too long.

We need at least to play even with the Yankees to keep them 7 games back. I think Houck has a good chance tonight but it would have been nice to have Arroyo present for this series.

He is old for basically a rookie and his defense leaves something to be desired. Couple that with his lack of production on a team that has a chance to make a splash in the playoffs and it makes me want to look for an alternative. I think we can pick up a first baseman to serve for a year or two while Casas progresses. There are a number of options available who could give us more. I no longer see Dalbec in our long term plans.

The experiment with Arroyo at 1st base was a costly one.