5GoldGlovesOF,75

This is why they won't play either full time this season. If the Sox really want to wait til next year, they can't risk exposing their saviors to the dreaded Sophomore Jinx!

Opponents know how to keep Robertson out of Boston. All they have to do is offer him a contract for 13 months.

Wrecking my brain trying to think of actual FO surprises in the post-Mookie Error: Story, when we already had a shortstop? Yoshida, when nobody else in the world thought he was worth $90 million? In retrospect, it has to be Devers' extension -- though at the time most fans thought locking up your best young player is what rich and respectable franchises are supposed to do. Maybe the Crochet trade; not because the Red Sox were one of the few MLB clubs with the prospect capital to land him, but because they finally used their resources to seal the deal. What other surprises did Boston acquire this offseason? Certainly not more starting pitchers with elbow issues, old relievers, or back-up catchers. It's not even a surprise some of us believed Sam Kennedy when he said the Sox would spend to fortify the roster for a run at a division title... we're not Mets fans, so don't tell us, "You Gotta Believe!" Red Sox CBOs didn't just go to Yale for degrees in Classics and Micro-Biology. They minored in Sports Psychology and the lifelong desperation of Red Sox Nation... "We WANNA Believe!"

Once, in social studies, a student asked, "Why do we always have to study the past?" Teacher: "Because we can't study the future." I think the Red Sox front office was sitting in the back of that classroom. Man, I'm really looking backward to the past.

Billy was afraid Carlos would go Plakata on him.

Wasn't it "leaked" that was the issue with Dombrowski, when he was replaced? The company line may be he was costing them money, of course... right after he won them a championship. I'm not into MLB marketing, but there's gotta be some analyst out there who can calculate how much winning a World Series is worth to the brand of a franchise with the fan following of Red Sox Nation.

The real reason John Henry refused to pay market value for Betts happened during the 2018 World Series, when Mookie disguised himself and brought leftovers from a team party to the homeless people. The owner was apoplectic. "He gave them food for FREE..." rasped Mr. Potter from Pottersville. "We're not giving him another cent -- Mookie owes US money!!!!"

He should have been grateful Boston offered him so much money, and thankful for the opportunity to wear a Red Sox jersey his whole career. Anyway, he was too short to pay more to longterm.

Why move a fielder off a position where he was the league's Gold Glove Award winner? Presumably, that would include mastery or at least familiarity of the AL's toughest right field at Fenway Park. Break the new guy in at the easiest left field, where he can play Jai-Alai off the Green Monster, and mostly practice swinging an air bat at imaginary pitches.

Not to mention completely healthy stunning comebacks from: Devers, Story, Casas, Grissom, Yoshida... and, ah what the heck, Hendriks, Whitlock, Fullmer, Giolito, Buehler, Sandoval, and Cora's hair.

Beleaguered be ready for B League basement.

2023 AL BA: Diaz, Seager, Bichette, Ohtani, Lowe, Yoshida... ... but we also know "break out" batters do more than just hit for high average. Story's three-year OPS in Boston is .693. Yoshida's two-year OPS is .775. They both had shoulder issues last year, when Yoshida had a higher Slugging % than Story. If both can somehow stay healthy, it will be interesting to see who is the more productive hitter. The Red Sox are absolutely stuck with each, so it's best we start rooting for (instead of ragging on) the regulars.

Henry disrespects his loyal fans by not allowing his front office to acquire the talent he can easily afford that will annually compete for titles. And if he instructs his generals to lie to the public, that is beyond despicable. But it's also easy to see how he could look at recent Red Sox free agent failures and lock all his valuables in a safety deposit box. What's mystifying is why he hasn't fired the entire front office and started fresh, instead of just changing one talking head every three years. Maybe he's not hungry enough anymore...

I never said he was so good, but he is a professional hitter -- and since Breslow is stuck with Bloom's past, the Red Sox might as well let him try to earn what he's owed. Let's see if surgery helps Yoshida's production this year. Lord knows the batting order can use one of the few guys on the roster who's not a whiff king.

Something to ponder: which dormant (or is that doormat) bat is more likely to break out in 2025: A. Story's; B. Grissom's or C. Yoshida's? Before you answer, keep in mind that two choices have never hit in Boston, and one of those has struck out over 30% of his ABs in three straight years. The third choice finished 6th in the AL in batting average and has a two-year K-rate of 13.3%...

Forest -- but not Run Forest since the street is up a hill. Recycle is Cobalt (luckily, not Teel).

I'm really stoked about this Red Sox offense in 2025! Sure, we lost our home run leader and didn't replace him. But all the injured guys from last year are definitely going to be better this season: Devers, Casas, Story, Grissom, Masataka YOSHIDA! We here on talksox know these Red Sox bats are all going to rebound from nagging aches and pains and actually improve the O to make up for losing TO. The front office has really stacked the line-up this offseason. We hold these lies to be self-evident, because old people have more experience than the youth for whom we root. Muscle pulls and tears are overrated, backs and knees are indestructible, and internal scar tissue never calcifies. We know that any injury that afflicts us totally goes away over time, and never recurs or holds us back from doing what we know how to do well: rake leaves, shovel the driveway, and push the garbage cans to the street once a week. So don't worry, Sox fans. Batters don't forget how to swing the bat, and physical issues will never prevent them from succeeding. Plus, Sam Kennedy assures you they're in the business of winning championships.

It should be obvious by now that all our pitchers are blowing out their arms by pushing down too hard when signing the documents. The Red Sox front office should just wise up: hand free agents lighter pens with ample ink.

Pretty good list. I was going to suggest another subset: pitchers we signed when they were actually good. But all I could think of was Eovaldi... who, yes, broke down a bit after he signed, but was still good when he pitched. Lackey? Price? Sale when he signed an extension? The first two were decent before but only for a short time after they signed in Boston. Mostly, they were broken in body or spirit. Sale was a great Red Sock until he signed here...

That sounds about right -- to chumps like me. But what about the pro fessionals in the front office? What do you think the odds are -- that they give themselves -- when they sign free agents every freaking winter who are damaged goods? Here, Paxton, here's millions of dollars to rehab for an entire season, then finally return to the mound the next year -- pitch one great month, then not get traded at peak value at the deadline, before breaking down again for the stretch walk -- and then the season after that, when you pitch for someone else and beat us, we'll trade them a prospect to get you back in Boston, where you can instantly get re-injured and never throw again.

Red Sox fans who watched their careers always knew Rice was a Hall of Fame hitter, but Evans was a better all-around big league player. Their career batting stats are very similar, except for BA where Jim has an edge, and OBP where Dewey rocks. Baines hung around longer than either, so was honored for his longevity. He still had only 38.8 career WAR, compared to 47.7 WAR for Rice... and 67.2 WAR for Evans. Rice had eight years with MVP votes, with six Top 5 finishes: 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5. Evans had five seasons out of eight receiving MVP votes ('81-88), with rankings at 3, 4, 7, 9, 11. Baines had four straight years receiving MVP votes ('81-84), but his highest finish was 9. Of course, almost all MVP votes for the trio came because of their bats. There was never any question that Dwight Evans was the superior outfielder -- nor that he was regarded as the best at his position for the better part of a decade.

If they could do that again this year, it could mean they win the ALCS! Boston has slyly Chicagoized its forces by adding Crochet, Giolito, Hendriks and Romy. They must be better than Teel, Monty, Meidroth and Wikelman.

When Breslow hired Bailey, I thought this was going to lead to more MLB pitching acquisitions, too. The latter had supposedly worked well with a few starters, like Webb and Manaea in SF; I also expected Brez to recruit a few from Chicago, or even prospects he had his eyes on when he worked in the NL. Maybe they all proved too expensive for Boston... maybe some of the minor leaguers Brez got knew Bailey... maybe the duo work closely with the analytics dept and just target affordables they figure they can fix. The Sox can still find gems on Craig's List, as well as on eBay.

Forums are platforms to vent, and give opinions, but I don't mind being told to shut up once in awhile for ragging too much. However, I think I speak for all Red Sox fans who are just tired of being told lies by those in charge of our favorite team (btw: the sox I wear are not red nor blue, just independent old man gray). If the front office is not going to spend on top talent, that's not ok, but we live to accept it -- just don't dishonor our loyalty with empty promises from those in charge. Cohen in NY made news for "being honest" -- why does that have to be refreshing? As a diehard, I'm always looking forward to watching young, new players break in, and to see if they can make an impact. If they become stars, welcome them as faces of the franchise with extensions -- don't lowball them with offers always below their market values... that's how you lose a Mookie Betts. If the plan is to focus on Campbell and Anthony and others this Spring -- and one or two of them tears it up in the Grapefruit League, great. Just don't insult our intelligence at the end of March by saying they need more seasoning when you send them back to the minors.

Sorry to sound so bitter. I forgot Sam Kennedy told us we were all about world championships, even if we have to spend over the luxury tax threshold. For a second there, I thought all the Red Sox acquired this winter were Oldman Chapman, a bunch of starting pitchers with elbow issues, and 17 back-up catchers. In another week it will be February and they'll all be reporting to Florida! LET'S GO!!!!!!!!