vegasbob

Brian Johnson must be working on a new pitch. He's showing no sign of being ready to be effective.

Today, Brandon Workman joins Thornburg in raising more questions than answers for the bullpen. Velasquez also got hit pretty good. Sox are having a combo of light hitting and little pitching as the dog days of Spring training roll on.

Tyler Thornburg is quickly making the bullpen resolution more difficult with another poor outing vs the Mets today. Matt Barnes first appearance , also knocked around, can be overlooked because we know how good he really is. You would not want the last almost 3 weeks of ST to exacerbate the mindset that the bullpen is a serious question on this team, but the ship hasn't found its course yet.

Betts has no natural affinity to give the Red Sox a hometown deal, because it's not his hometown. Remember, he is a player not a fan, and owes himself the best deal, not us. He has the 2018 ring, he has the MVP award and he will have the chance to show the world he is the #1 valued player of all time with a shot at a mega-contract exceeding Harper's ( who will eventually kill the Nationals chance at anything). He will keep that opportunity open and test the market. So enjoy the next 600 AB's of 2019 with Mookie .

Agreed, the lineup to me looks like : Beinitendi, Betts, JDM, Devers or Bogaerts, Bogaerts or Devers, Pearce/Moreland, Pedroia, Vazquez/Leon, JBJr. I place Jackie B in the 9th slot mostly because I want him on base in front of the Benny/Betts/JDM crew instead of the base clogging thick thighed catchers. Devers is set for a big year and if JBJr listens to JDM , he will be the leagues best #9 hitter. No real reson for Pedey to hit above #7, as he may only play 110 games or less in a good year so picture Holt/Nunez filling that slot 1/3 of the time without disrupting the rest of the hitters routine slot

At least Cora acknowledged that Wright was not in the "right" condition to open the season on the active roster. Think what you will, but the 34 year old specialty pitch thrower with a really bad knee had limited chances to get a MLB contract while rehabbing, so he took a chance and lost . But did he really. He know has 3 more months to work out the knee and his knuckleball and right in place come mid summer to fill a potential hole and pick up a cool $650K+ for doing so. So who is the idiot ---him or us for caring WTF happens to him ? By late June, someone will be looking for his penintent return. Just don't count on Steven for any playoff action for the second year in a row. He's already ineligible. Isn't there someone else more interesting to talk about. Oh yeah, Pedey played an inning today and is 1 for 1 this Spring.

The reason that CK is not signed to a long , high dollar contract is that 30 GM's and FO's cannot see the that value in Kimbrel right now.. If it was even close, one team would jump up, rationalize their shot at a pennant and make the move. 2 years at $30MM might get a team interested in this experienced closer, but CK might rather sit until someone breaks down among the contenders and goes deep for him, not off him.

Excellent observation. Pedey is showing no signs yet (intentional holdback ?) of being ready to play beyond some BP and fielding workouts. His DL will buy some time for DD to continue working through the crowded roster, assuming the Spring results don't clarify the catching position. Perez's injury is just the first in a line of guys who will get hurt in ST and need replacements. It may even happen to one of our guys, but hope not.

As we know, before the 162nd game is played there will be 45 to 50 players used in games by the Sox. We can guess very closely on the first 25, and the 7-9 who will play and wait in Pawtucket, but who are the other 13-16 guys ? Obviously we don't know and will have to let that unfold. In 2018 , three of those were Ian Kinsler, Nathan Eovoldi and Steve Pearce. The point being that Dombrowski's skill will come in finding those guys when needed . The current bullpen is OK for now, but I bet we'll see a modified crew come September.

Given the Career Notes comments in Harmony's post, my concern wouldn't be the past PED use but rather the numerous injuries and lost time in Chavis' development.

Opening Day 2018 made it hard to imagine the subsequent 17-1 run. On that note Joe Kelly made his first appearance as a Dodger this week. Gave up a run, hit, 2 walks and 2 wild pitches in one inning. Afterwards in the clubhouse he declared himself fully ready for the season !

Even though the FA market is not yet settled for this year I think the current tenor of negotiations and slow signings will absolutely lead to a players strike after the current agreement expires. So 3 year or longer term contracts have a big IF factor in them . Owners won't be paying them but they will continue to age day by day . I'd give a walkout about a 98% certainty at this point.

Probably the best move of all, assuming no trade discussions including any of these 3 during Feb?March. There is also the possibility of the real DL list arising from an injury to any of them, or the phantom DL list for a "pulled" hammy that could stretch out a few weeks more. Further, Sandy Leon needs to show that he can hit something with fresh legs and body this ST. If no sign of hitting, it's not out of the question that he is the DFA despite being a favored receiver by Sale. Also easy to forget that Vaz was lost for weeks with the broken finger and the team didn't miss a beat since Swihart was there. Somehow we won 108 games carrying all three of these guys with Swihart showing his positional and PH/PR flexibility on a few occasions . Of course Pedey wasn't taking up a roster slot , and his return to steady playing time is not settled yet by any means. Hold these 3 until at least late March and see what develops.

The speculation and prognostication is interesting and fun, but the reality is that the Red Sox and Yankees will each have between 42 and 48 players on the 25 man active squad over the course of the season. Overall depth and mid season acquisition successes will outweigh all the pre-ST discussions about who wins big this year.

Is Austin Maddox a likely reclamation project returning from arm injury ? Sam Travis, a dog without a bone of his own, like Bryce Brentz, Dan Butler, etc. Swihart is likley next in line to go. How many young guys since 2004 have gone through the Red Sox minor league system, had a few cups of coffee but never matured or displaced the incumbent, and never were attractive enough to warrant a trade to another team ? On the other hand, talent and timing rule with Devers, Vazquez, Bradley, Betts, Benintendi , Bogaerts make up 67% of the typical starting lineup last year and expected to in 2019 . Pedroia is also home grown , so more like 78% if he plays consistently. I would list all the Sox system starting pitchers, now with the team, developed since 2004 but space precludes naming them.

I will venture a guess that Dombroski will hold onto all 3 catchers until at least mid ST to better see who among them is hitting anything, allow for possible injury caused reassessment both internally to Sox and externally throughout MLB to maximize the value. DFA, leading to a small trade and/or DL at end of ST may also be options. As with Moncado and Harper , at the other end of the spectrum, it may take another 6-8 weeks to solve the Sox roster questions.

BTW, glad to see Drew Pomeranz got a performance based job with the Giants so he and fat Panda can share stories of their days in Boston. Speaking of the hog, he will be finally off the checkbook after 2019. Maybe Pedey will find he needs to retire after this year also, short circuiting his final contract. Or he might be of good value again, just not so likely.

I speculated during the season that a WS win, which gladly occurred, would give the FO/Ownership a pass on spending more in 2019 . The pressure is off. DD can say that with the exception of Kimbrel , Kelly and Pomeranz (lol), you have the team that won 108 games plus 3 playoff series with few problems. The non pitchers are 100% the same, and the rotation is the same. He still has all Spring and early season to sort out initial performances, injuries, etc. I think they are principally holding back now in an attempt to ease the reload after '19 and then '20. Assuming no major injuries, who among us really doesn't think this is at least a WC team with a chance, and that may get whatever is needed on a July-Oct rental? Remember that to ownership this is a business that has survived almost 100 years of marginal success, and needs to be in position to keep the success of the 2000's happening , so I think there is more like a 3 year roster plan working and 2019 may be the squeeze year to set up the others.

Looking at bits and pieces of several recent comments, I think the Sox FO has such a large problem retaining the young core , JDM's option out, and the Porcello/Sale parts of the rotation after 2019 that DD will not go big on a serious closer, including Kimbrel, this year. He has the recency of the WS win to wave around and this team will still be very competitive in 2019. See if Pedroia can play and contribute, see if Barnes/Brasier can step up , see if Johnson/Wright can contribute , see if Erod becomes a consistent winner, see who gets injured , AND then make moves as needed towards mid July. I honestly can't see the Sox being anything less than a serious WC contender in the AL even without a big time RP add. The Sox can us the versatility of Swihart to get another arm during ST. Ottovino would have been an interesting pickup and Cashman has now loaded NYY bullpen, trying to make it easy for Boone to push buttons and get wins.

Not losing any sleep over the Sox bullpen at this stage. DD has time to make a move , including all the way to late July. This is a 100 win team with no further additions, and the possibility that Pedroia will be somewhat productive. Kelly and Kimbrel, if not returning, definitely create large openings to fill, but after Game 1 last year Kelly could have been had for a bag of balls. The reality is that winning the 108 games and the WS beating NYY, Astros, and Dodgers convincingly gave the FO/ownership some ability to slow walk into 2019 and attempt to deal with the major personnel/salary issues arising in 2020/2021. Again this team will win 100 just showing up. That will get them in the playoff mix. Before then the FO can buy what they need when the time is right.

Then they would be better described as your 3 worst hitters in the LA smog , wouldn't they ?

Everything, He is not able to pitch. He is no factor in the WS project

You are a complete self proclaimed f***ing genius , like some of your other NE centric shitheads.

Correct, same eventual result and Eovaldi ready for today or tomorrow. JBJr messed that up or was it Kinsler in the 10th and 13th ?

Kinsler's misplay was a game changer that eventually led to a loss. His baserunning gaffes were almost as bad. His AB's continue to be weak. He does well on shallow infield pop-ups, like my 111 year old grandson. But the goats of this loss rest in the noted 0-28 AB's managed by the top 4 in the lineup. Betts has become a clueless hitter with no sense of the zone. Bogaerts is a waver at pitches, Moreland cannot hit with his funky skip and pull out moves. JDM--needs to carry the load nightly. Cora's lineup sandwiching Martinez between Moreland and Holt was odd. The Sox bullpen and especially Eovaldi kept this game available to be won, and the hitters choked. They were the GOATS of Chavez Ravine. Do you want fries with that concession stand cabrito ?