Fan_since_Boggs

It would be a big mistake to not extend K.Schwarber. While the Red Sox lead the league in chasing pitches out of the zone, Schwarber is the opposite kind of hitter with a 24% swing rate. In contrast, JD Martinez has a 38% swing rate at pitches out of the zone, the worst of his career, even worse than his swing rate when he was a struggling offensive player during his younger days. Also, JD Martinez will be turning 34 in a couple of days; Schwarber will turn 29 in March. I would be shocked to see the Red Sox let Schwarber leave. I think he was acquired not just for this year but for the next few seasons. If the Red Sox extend Schwarber for DH, I would look for a starting 1b with one year left on his contract. J.Aguilar would be perfect with T.Casas taking over 1b in 2023. 1b: Aguilar 2b: Hernandez SS: Bogaerts 3b: Devers LF: Verdugo CF: Duran RF: Renfroe DH: Schwarber w/ Arroyo as a super utility guy.

Verdugo can't play CF permanently, not good enough defensively? If that is the case, then Duran is definitely needed. I just hope the Red Sox resign Schwarber, I want him here for next several years. The Red Sox need his plate discipline.

LIke maybe they were working on doing something like Schwarber for LF, Verdugo to CF, and trade Duran to the Twins for Berrios or something like that but then the Blue Jays increased their offer. That's very possible, maybe the Red Sox were aiming high but then the Duran deal fell apart, and they still saw the value in acquiring Schwarber.

To place it in context: (1) Schwarber has always been a no-field DH type, he can’t even play LF very well, and he has almost no experience at 1b. Why should we assume that that kind of player would make a seamless transition to 1b? (2) The Arroyo move to 1b didn’t go very well and the Red Sox could have learned something from that experience but apparently didn’t. (3) In acquiring Schwarber the Red Sox knowingly traded for an injured player and so using an injury as an excuse for not adequately addressing 1b at the trade deadline seems disingenuous to me. Injured players can always reaggravate an injury, that isn’t difficult to fathom. If Bloom couldn’t see potential trouble on the horizon with the idea of moving an injured K.Schwarber to 1b then he probably doesn’t deserve to be the GM of the Red Sox or any organization for that matter. But I don’t think it is fair to blow the Red Sox’s trade deadline debacle out of proportion. General managers make mistakes at trade deadlines—it happens and we know it happens. To evaluate a general manager, we need to evaluate the whole picture rather than isolate one moment in time when the general manager failed to bring in adequate reinforcements. I've been impressed with Bloom overall, even though I think he blew it at the 2021 trade deadline.

It was hard for Bloom to figure out that a no-field DH type like Schwarber, who has almost zero experience at 1b, might not be able to play 1b for the Red Sox? I could figure that one out, and I'm just a Red Sox fan. I liked the Schwarber trade, but I was stunned when the Red Sox didn't do more. They needed to do more and Bloom blew it.

And JD Martinez has the worst swing rate (of pitches outside the strikezone) of his career. That could be a harbinger of things to come for JD. In contrast, Schwarber doesn't expand the zone. What does this mean for next year? The Red Sox better resign Schwarber for DH and will hopefully cut ties with JD. If Martinez doesn't opt out, the Red Sox should should kick in 5-10 mil and trade him. The Red Sox desperately need to keep Schwarber, since he doesn't expand the zone. Also, I would bring in a new hitting coach next year. The players have not responded to the calls to stop expanding the zone.

If you want to get Plawecki in the lineup, you do so at catcher. Let him start at catcher, and use someone else at DH, probably JD Martinez, and then put Duran in the OF. But Cora seems fixated on never playing Duran against left handed pitching, another weird decision since Duran did OK against lefties in AAA.

A strong consensus has emerged among fans and sports writers/commentators that Bloom blew it at the trade deadline. I suppose such fans and commentators could be wrong, but they seem to be in the majority. Of course, we don't have to value majority opinion. But we also can't overlook what has happened to this team in terms of wins and losses since the trade deadline. That also matters when we try to evaluate whether a team was a trade deadline winner or a trade deadline loser. Three weeks after the trade deadline and the Red Sox still don't have a major league caliber starting 1b, thus they didn't fix the biggest black hole and obvious weakness in the lineup, and they are now playing JD Martinez in the outfield. Something went incredibly wrong with the Red Sox's evaluation/thinking at the trade deadline and that could be a big problem for this organization going forward if we see a trend of bad decision-making. On the other hand, maybe the Red Sox's poor management at the trade deadline will be anomaly and not a common occurrence.

The Red Sox have parts that don't fit together. We have two DH types (basically) and no true major league caliber starting 1b. To deal with that "weirdness" the Red Sox have decided to put JD Martinez in the OF, but that isn't going to work, the guy is a DH. The parts don't fit together and there is no solution. It is too late, they needed to get it fixed at the deadline and Bloom failed to do it. Cashman, and I've been critical of Cashman in the past, addressed the Yankees' position player weakness by adding two left-handed bats, while also improving the defense. In contrast, Bloom failed to fix the Red Sox position player weakness. And by playing JD Martinez in the OF, the Red Sox have weakened the defense. We have to give credit where credit is due. The Yankees season was on the brink and Cashman brought them back with some shrewd trades. Cashman has made mistakes in the past and specifically at trade deadlines, but this time he made excellent moves that saved the Yankees season and opened the door to the playoffs.

Another exceptional game for Dalbec: 0 for 3 with a terrible defensive play. All in a day's work for the kid, Bobby D. I'm glad the Red Sox didn't replace him at the trade deadline.

Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, wants to win, and wants a big-time established GM. He would probably pay a fortune for Theo to take over. I could see this happening. While thinking about this, I started to wonder if maybe John Henry should make a phone call to Theo after the season? After watching the 2021 Red Sox collapse and Bloom's failures at the deadline, maybe the Red Sox should at least make the phone call? Theo obviously has roots in Boston and if he wants to return to the organization the Red Sox can't possibly turn him down, right?

Interesting. I've read somewhere that Barnes has been a disaster in the last two months of the season for most of his career but I didn't look up the numbers. It is also well known that over the last few seasons Ottavino struggled toward the end of the regular season so much so that the Yankees basically lost all confidence in using him in the playoffs. When you think about it, the bullpen was a disaster just waiting to happen and the Red Sox didn't adequately address the bullpen at the trade deadline, acquiring two scrubs rather than a quality bullpen arm. That is part of the reason why Bloom failed to deliver at the deadline. Bloom's biggest challenge next season is arguably the bullpen. The Red Sox need to be prepared for Barnes' late season struggles. Ottavino will be gone, maybe they spend some money on the bullpen in free agency, but a stud reliever like Kimbrel won't be there, the White Sox will pick up his option. I don't know what the Red Sox's plans are for Whitlock. Does he profile as a starter or perhaps a future closer? I guess similar uncertainty surrounds Houck. Such questions will be answered in due time. At present, the 2021 Red Sox are a tremendous ballclub, an unstoppable baseball machine that will cruise into the playoffs and destroy all opponents. After all, the Red Sox now have Travis Shaw at first base who makes the Red Sox a "more complete team." Shaw is Alex Cora's love child, his second favorite son, only surpassed by his fondness for the great Marwin Gonzalez.

The pieces just don't fit together for the Red Sox as illustrated in the comment below (key point in bold): Also, I can't believe what Cora said about Travis Shaw; Cora stated that Shaw makes the Red Sox a "more complete unit." Travis Shaw hasn't hit since 2018. Can Cora wait for Shaw to turn into a productive player again before singing his praises? Cora has not managed this team well during this collapse, and his comment on Shaw was weird. Although, admittedly: no manager will look good during a collapse. My guess is that Bloom learned some important lessons from his failed performance at the trade deadline. Assuming the Red Sox are fighting for the division again next year, I think Bloom will do more and won't let his competitors get better while the Red Sox do nothing except trade for an injured DH who can't be thrust into the starting lineup without weakening the defense.

The 2021 Red Sox: collapse! Assuming the current trajectory continues, that's how the 2021 Red Sox will be remembered. I find it hard to believe they will turn this around, when you consider where the Red Sox were several weeks ago in comparison to where they are now--this has been a complete precipitous collapse, probably the kind of collapse that can't be reversed. Is it time to start rooting for the Rays so that the Yankees don't win the division? Collapses will happen, I just hope the Red Sox come back strong next season. If this becomes a trend and happens again next season, it'll be time to find a new manager.

I want to see Dalbec do something in this series, we aren't playing the Orioles anymore.....

Agreed that Downs will be on the 40-man roster next season. He can always be removed sometime next season if he hits .120 again with 800 strikeouts! But, yeah, his prospect status is such that he deserves another minor league season before we start drawing conclusions. I would rank a number of prospects in front of Downs including Mayer, Casas, Bello, Yorke, Blaze, Duran, Houck. I would put Downs in the next category of prospects, the prospects that need to shine next season to prove they have the goods: Groome, Mata, Jiminez, Seabold, Winckowski.

Bad news, Yankees fans: according to Baseball America, the Red Sox farm system is now top 10 (9th to be exact) and is better than the Yankees farm system (ranked 19th). https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/red-sox-farm-system-makes-huge-leap-new-baseball-america-rankings

According to Baseball America, the Red Sox farm system is now top 10 (9th to be exact) and is better than the Yankees farm system (ranked 19th). The Mariners have the top farm system followed by the Orioles. I was looking at the Orioles farm system about a month or two ago, they are totally stacked. They could be a really good team in a few years. The Orioles will add another stud in the 2022 draft. https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/red-sox-farm-system-makes-huge-leap-new-baseball-america-rankings It is hard to not like the Red Sox farm system, they have some impressive infield prospects, Casas, Yorke, Mayer, and Blaze. They have depth in their pitching prospects, with guys like Houck, Bello, Winckowski. Hopefully, Groome and Mata will take a step forward next season (maybe Song too?). I'm starting to see Bello as a guy who profiles as something more than a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Bello has ace potential.

I'm not sure if anyone on the forum reported on this already, but the Red Sox claimed Travis Shaw and he will be with the team on Tuesday. I would expect Shaw to replace Cordero? Shaw has greater versatility than Cordero and can play 1b, 2b, and 3b (I'm not sure about the OF) whereas Cordero was just a LF/1b guy. Shaw has had a weird career, I'm not sure what happened to him, but he hasn't hit since 2018. Still, I'll take him over Cordero who has never hit at the major league level. If Shaw could rediscover his 2017/2018 stroke, the Red Sox will have a solution for 1b. I just don't know what to think of a player who hasn't hit since 2018, what are the chances he magically rediscovers it?

The Baltimore Orioles are the one team in MLB that don't know how to pitch to Bobby Dalbec, LOL.

Even if Bloom made mistakes at the trade deadline, and I think he did make mistakes, the organization seems to be headed in the right direction. I like the talent that Bloom brought in including Yorke, Blaze, and Mayer (I guess Mayer was an easy pick, though). I'm assuming the Schwarber trade was made for the long term benefit of the offense--the Red Sox will likely extend him. The Red Sox need someone to replace JD Martinez, who is showing signs of decline. The Red Sox have some young talented pitchers, including Whitlock (Bloom), Houck, Pivetta (Bloom), Seabold (Bloom) and Bello. Groom, Mata, and Song could turn into something too. The Red Sox will have Devers, Bogaerts, and Schwarber leading the offense next year, getting contributions from Duran, Verdugo, and Renfroe, and that should be a really good offense. They will have Sale and Eovaldi leading the rotation with a ton of depth behind the top two starters. I guess the bullpen is a big question mark for next year, and Bloom will need to get that figured out. We don't know the Red Sox's long term plans for Houck and Whitlock -- many are assuming they will start but do we know that for certain? If Whitlock and Houck are starters next year, the bullpen seems rather thin with Ottavino gone and of course Whitlock moving to the rotation. E-Rod is a big question mark going forward. Do the Red Sox resign him or not? Let's say the Red Sox resign E-Rod: 1.Sale 2.Eavoldi 2.E-Rod 4.Pivetta 5.Houck 6.Whitlock ---- AAA: Seabold Bello The Red Sox could alternate between a 5 man rotation and 6 man rotation. Whitlock won't be able to throw 200 innings and so they will need to build up his innings gradually. But in this scenario, the Red Sox will need to spend some money on free agent relievers.

This is true. Even if the Red Sox ownership gave the go-ahead to acquire Max S., I don't see how the Red Sox top that Dodgers offer. The Nats kicked ass in that trade, acquiring two guys who were 1 and 2 in the Dodgers farm system? If they weren't 1 & 2, they were both close to the top. The Red Sox couldn't do better than that. Once the Dodgers made that offer, there was no way for the Nats to turn them down. It was an offer that the Nats couldn't refuse. Even if the Nats wanted to trade Turner and Max S. in separate deals, they couldn't turn down the Dodgers offer.

I'm willing to give Bloom a pass on Richards. Clearly, Richards was a cheater and the Red Sox got stuck with a pitcher who couldn't pitch effectively without cheating with the sticky stuff. Maybe the same is true of Perez..... The Gonzalez signing was a total waste of 3 million, the Red Sox could have gone with Munoz and saved $$$. Cora seems to have some kind of love affair with Gonzalez, it is touching really, maybe they send each other cards on Valentine's Day. Gonzalez is a terrible hitter, watching him at the plate is enough to make you want to puke. The Red Sox should have known better.

I liked the other points: The Red Sox needed a starting 1b and instead Bloom acquired an injured DH/Outfielder. The Red Sox needed a starting pitcher and instead Bloom acquired two lousy relievers. Actually, as far as the second point goes, I'm not in full agreement. The goal should have been to acquire a quality starter and/or a quality reliever. The problem with Bloom is that he did neither, the Red Sox didn't upgrade the pitching staff at all and decided that players like Dalbec, Cordero, and Gonzalez should continue to receive playing time in the immediate post-trade deadline period even though the Red Sox's main competitors vastly improved themselves, while the Red Sox did not. Bloom blew it, and maybe Cora is responsible too. GMs make mistake, even the best ones like Theo made blunders. We just have to hope that Bloom learns from this, he is a young GM.

An excellent article, Tomase: Five Sox players we've seen enough of this season. https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/five-red-sox-players-we-dont-need-see-rest-season Also, the video is interesting too--Lou Merloni has some strong opinions on Bloom's work at the trade deadline.