Hugh2

That's the explanation I have read that makes the most sense. The human body has limits, you can train and get faster and stronger but your body's ability to handle that load doesn't always move in lock step. Professional athletes train for functionality, not optimal health. A pro power lifter is going to deadlift more than me or you, but his chances of a back injury are significantly higher. If you went to a personal trainer and wanted an exercise program put together to build strength and improve overall health and fitness, it would be completely different than a kid who went to a trainer and wanted a program to be able to throw a baseball faster. Obviously they train with the most advanced knowledge and programs are put together to build functional strength in such a way that helps to prevent injuries but if the action of your sport is naturally un-natural human movement that training will only do so much. Kids are throwing harder. Pitching is a not a natural movement. I don't think there's a silver bullet to this, increased chance of injury is just part of this sport now.

Ah you gotta love the spring training narratives, I will say the ones this year are more fun than in years passed. It does feel that this is a better team with higher expectations.

15 seconds is plenty of time to throw a pitch. Imagine if basketball players got 15 seconds in-between every basket. Also, I'm fairly certain the trend of increasing injuries and TJ surgeries started to rise WELL before the pitch clock.

Balls change

Dude is 33 and has been in the majors for 7 years up and down. He's not magically becoming a different player. If a few guys went down and he started the year hot, sure ride that wave until it crashes. But he's looking like a really nice depth piece for AAA. It's really easy for a fringe spot on a roster to mash pitchers who are more concerned with building up their innings and arm strength than getting you out.

It's not just spring training, but it's early in spring training. I don't think it's going to be a very hard decision, things will fall into place by the end of this month.

I don't think he will because I don't think they think he's ready yet. In a perfect world Story plays so well this year he either opts out or becomes tradeable and Mayer takes over SS in 2026. I'm not saying we won't see him in 2025 but I don't think he's the starting SS unless Story goes down. OR if they want to slide Mayer/Story over to 3B if our third baseman goes down.

If healthy, Story is presumably a plus defender at SS.....why should he move? If Mayer is in a position to take over for Story it's because Story gets injured.

The Red Sox are going to start him in AAA. I think the better question is where is he going to end the year?

This will be an interesting year for Grissom, I feel like he can fall into oblivion and be 100% irrelevant. With such disappointments of trading a stud for a prospect that Jeter downs brought. Or, he can turn it around and turn it on with little expectations the same way Duran did. Wide range of outcomes, but he will have to mash to prove himself because the Sox have so many options.

I'm certainly not talking him up, but I'm certainly not talking anyone down on March 6th either.

If they decide KC isn't healthy. I can see Bregman at 2nd and Devers at 3rd. Devers has been better at the corner when playing along side Story, so with a healthy Story and Alex at 2nd that's still a much much improved infield. And it gives you a chance to see what a healthy Yoshida can do. Also, if someone like Hamilton or Grissom really shine, you could still move Bregman to 3B and DH Devers.

If games to date are an indication of things, it would appear to be that Campbell is competing for an outfield spot and not the 2nd baseman spot. Kind of weird, but it does make some sense.

You don't believe in the 2nd coming of Ben Zobrist???

I'm all for trading guys, but I'd rather start trading from depth when their is more certainty and roles locked in at the MLB level. As much young talent as we have we DON"T have that yet. Sure, I can see many permutations of the future where Campbell is locking down 2nd, Mayer is at SS and Anthony is mashing on a corner. But until we have that team, I want a balanced approach that doesn't gut the farm.

It's not that people don't want winner on this team, it's that we understand you need more than one or two of them. It's very easy for the worse teams in the league to have some of the best players. 4 for 1 deals to bring in talent can be great and have their place, but there's a time and a place for them and if you do it too much you pretty much corner yourself into a small window.

And what have the majority of his seasons looked like when you take out his very first two at the young age of 20 and 21? how many guys reach their peak at 20? and the following year was the covid year. A team is always going to weight what you did vs. what you recently did. If you're a 27 year old STUD and they say "well you weren't that good when you were 20" they're going to lose the bidding war. It only takes one team to agree with me for me to be right, and all 30 teams to agree with you for you to be right. This is why free agents are mostly overpaid every single year. Someones going pay for him to be that 6 WAR PIG. Can I say pig for hitters?

What I was trying to say, except I lack your brevity.

He's 26. Teams are going to be paying for his upside, more so if he puts up a good year this year. His FWar the last few years. 6.3 3.3 1.3 5.5 If he puts up a solid year this year, those 2 years and his 20 year old season aren't going to weigh down the evaluation the winning team bids out for him. If he replicates last year he's getting 500 million.

The thing about Vladdy is he is a 1B, and an awful one at that. If you're fitting him on the rosters, you're moving Devers back to 3B next year or keeping him at DH and trading Yoshida, and then trading Casas. Or you could move Devers to 1B and trade Yoshida and Casas and DH Vladdy if Bregman walks. If Bregman stays it makes a lot more sense to to play Devers at 1B and DH Vladdy. But unless you plan on trading your top prospects and playing a 32 year old Yoshida in LF you're trading him too. How players are valued seems to be amorphous in this sport and currently slugging 1B seem to be highly undervalued. In other words, we are probably getting very little back for Casas. So in conclusion we are essentially giving away Yoshida/Casas value combined, Moving Devers to 1B hoping he can play there (probably could) and signing a DH to 450-500 million. I know the bat fits, the bat REALLY fits. But I'll pass on all that. There's going to be a lot of roster turn over going on between Bregman, Giolito, Buehler, Hendriks, Chapman. There are going to be holes to fill and young guys needing extensions. It really feels like a horrible use of resources for the team as they're currently constructed. Unless they plan on going full on LA and have no problem have a payroll above 260 in perpetuity, in that case sign me up.

All I stated was Devers arm is stronger. It is. That's not analogous with him being a better defender, which Bregman clearly is. But if there's a weak spot in Bregmans defense it's his arm strength.

Devers arm is stronger than Bregmans

I know, sometimes I surprise myself.

This. I can see Mayer coming up for an injury at some point this year, but early on in the season I don't think they will. I think they want him to develop just a little bit more. Bake time is 24 minutes, Mayer is at like 21....just a LITTLE bit more time people.

ding ding ding we have a winner!!!! It's a nothing burger. The reason why this grinds my gears, is there's going to come a time. Maybe this time is in the summer, maybe its next. But there will be a time when Devers hits a slump, and people are going to come back to this time and use this "nothing burger" against him. And that's just bananas.