5GoldGlovesOF,75

Kristian Campbell Eastern League Player of the Month in June, after being South Atlantic League Player of the Month in May. Wouldn't want to rush him, but sure looks like he's in a rush!

This exchange hinges on one's definition of what constitutes a "bargain." If I'm the Celtics' owner, maybe it's a bargain to pay market value to keep my stars in their primes so the fans will keep buying tickets and swag to follow annual sustained title contenders.

I hated him throwing at Nunez for swinging too hard. Arrogant pitcher -- does Nunez then get to throw his bat at you, for trying to throw too hard? Kluber's last pitch before Boston signed him was a playoff-losing gopher ball that knocked the Rays out of the '22 playoffs. Those pitching experts in Tampa were glad to see him go to the Red Sox. I also thought signing Giolito -- who sucked the last two seasons -- as the new ace, smacked of mid-market pretense. The guy I coveted actually coming off success was Montgomery. Imagine where we'd be with him right now: sixth place? Seventh?

Probably - remember reading some high school pitchers were getting it done, just to add velo... but not everyone comes back better than ever from surgery. I know at least one kid who was never the same after TJ, and his pro career ended shortly after recovery. There's also only one Doctor Re-attache out there...

I have to reply to myself cuz it would let me edit, but also: the prevailing wisdom the past half century for adolescent ballplayers was a strict avoidance of snapping off curveballs... at least, until their ligaments and tendons were full-grown -- which may have been an old coach's tale (like red meat as a healthy source of protein... or rap "singers").

I haven't seen that so much, but maybe those who need TJ are regulars throwing irregular? Ly? ... not counting Trevor Alternative-Ending Story, who gets hurt doing all kinds of shortstop things.

I'm olive in the face, but isn't there also speculation floating around that the increase in TJs could be caused by an industry increase in breaking pitches? Or maybe it's just coincidence that a career workhorse like Giolito suddenly blows out his elbow in his first month throwing for Breslow and Bailey's Offspeed Circus...

If I had to predict, I'd say Vlad will become a DH before Tris. I don't know why; maybe because Casas is portrayed as a more quirky and/or intense player, a guy more likely to get in a groove when immersed in the perpetual two-way on-and-off-the-field, offense and defense game. Vladdy looks more than happy to just get in the box and take his rips -- though he's always the first one out of the dugout whenever the boys overreact to perceived trouble. Despite the early unexpected rotation success, the Sox biggest need -- AS ALWAYS -- is still starting pitching. There is zero MLB-ready mound depth in the system. Looking at minor league stats, Wink and Criswell are the best options by far... After those two, Penrod has the top combination of WHIP and ERA, but alas: currently injured. Fitts is most likely to earn a regular turn in Boston's rotation in the second half. It doesn't matter if the young stud position players aren't quite ready yet for prime time; it's never too early to stockpile arms. Stop blowing money on free agent reclamation projects, and deal position player depth for any available pitchers under 30.

Even though Gio didn't earn a penny pitching for the Red Sox this season, he gets to opt-in and stick around for another year. Divorce sucks so much, maybe marriage contracts should include an opt-in clause. The next time someone wants to kick me out of the house, I'm going to opt-in. Maybe she'll let me earn back a starting position... after a rehab assignment, of course. Wait a minute...

Makes sense if they have zero plans to add reinforcements to the payroll this summer and go for it ... which will also confirm they have no intention to pay Cora what he's worth, after it doesn't end well in September. Breslow will then bring in a new, young, energetic manager at entry-level pay -- a guy we will be told is the right man to lead the young bucks, someone they will all relate to (at least, when waiting in line at the bank to cash their checks on payday).

There are some here convinced what Brez really liked was the price of Gio, compared to what it would cost for more coveted starting pitchers on that free agent market. Maybe what he gave Giolito was all Breslow was allowed to spend on the rotation.

It was never funny to me, because Giolito's ERA was borderline 5 runs per 9 innings the past two seasons. And fans were supposed to be ok with the newest smartest CBO paying him twice the price as Kluber and Richards combined? Obviously every free agent is a roll of the dice, but isn't that a problem with a front office regime that supposedly relies so much on the odds? Some can say we should trust the front office people who know more than we do, but fans can research stats, too. And Gio's innings-eater rep did nothing for me -- even before he blew out his elbow. Who wants to leave a guy on the mound to lead the team in innings pitched if he also leads in giving up the most runs?

It made total sense to me. The new CBO didn't need Theo's employee research firm to immediately move on from the past regime's biggest disappointment -- a guy another predecessor hitched the franchise wagon-train behind, but who couldn't take them anywhere with broken axles. No wishing or hoping or praying could repair the damage. Sale's contract was welded onto the payroll, weighing it down, before Breslow convinced his boss to pay $17 million for an alien forklift to tractor beam the pitcher out of New England and deposit him in Atlanta. (yes, these are mixed petit fours, and I recommend the lemon one with vanilla frosting)

What's your point? Nobody thought the Red Sox rotation was good or deep or worthy of a contender going into the season. Then everybody was surprised the rotation was so good the first month, and hung in there the next two. Now July is here, typical wear and tear have taken a toll, there's still no mound prospects ready for promotion, and the CBO has to pick a lane. None of that is surprising at all, and most of us spent the offseason bitter, preparing ourselves for all these inevitabilities.

The old younger Henry would splurge on an ace, but if they stick to the new business plan, the only significant acquisitions will come from a trade. He's got to be especially resentful about Giolito, the most expensive free agent signing of the new regime -- who convinced Henry he was worth it, despite the past two years of suckitude, and who never even threw a pitch in his first regular season in Boston. The Sox have to pay him ace money next year, too, no matter how or if he comes back. Intriguing questions: can Breslow pull off a blockbuster, and who will he part with that he promised would be "painful?"

My favorite complaint by a pitcher is when he throws a ball away, an unearned run scores, and he says he lost on a day when he had a good ERA... ... as if fielding your position isn't part of playing "pitcher" (if a run scores because of the pitcher, it should count as earned -- if the opposition makes him so nervous that he gags, didn't they earn that run against him?).

Cora made some other comments, too, regarding the future -- he said it was all about his family. Fans might perceive that to mean he will take the most money offered to manage somewhere next year, and that won't be in Boston. Not that the front office or ownership really cares, but what will look worse, just before he leaves: acquiring significant reinforcements next month to help boost Cora into the postseason, or selling impending free agents and letting him finish in last place again?

I haven't forgotten anything -- the first 15 years of Henry's ownership nor the Bloom Era. The latter made me sick from the beginning, and I love Raffy -- but loved Mookie more. Case in point: Schwarber -- one of Bloom's good moves -- and he's just a two-month rental. A big-market Boston club financed by an owner who wants to win would always find a way to keep a home run king in his prime. Now I read where Breslow is driven by the odds -- so fans should expect the Sox to be sellers in the next few weeks. At least we'll have that to look forward to...

Spot-on description of the two-steps sideways, two steps back moves of a big-market franchise at a mid-market dance. 1. A new CBO completed his predecessor's dismantling of the 2018 statues -- and a half decade of relying on an unreliable ace -- with a big-market move, paying 63% of Sale's salary to play elsewhere. However, points #2 and 3 reek of mid-market hoping... 2. Replacing one presumably past-prime pitcher with another -- a guy who'd gobble innings like a glutton at a hot dog-eating contest, acid reflex be damned! (does any reasonable fan really think a "contender" would leave a starter on the mound for 150-180 innings if he gave up five runs a game, like Giolito averaged the past two seasons?). 3. Handing a starting position to a new guy who's never even been a regular on a big league roster for an entire season, nor even proven himself as a regular position player for any stretch of time for a Red Sox affiliate... If it was a longshot that Sale would instantly transform back into Cy Young the minute he put on a different uniform, wasn't it the same for Giolito? And Grissom was a total unknown, despite gaudy minor league stats and the Braves' GM praises. Even if the worst possible outcomes didn't occur with all three -- which they basically have -- there are still tons of alternate routes that could've been taken, especially for a hypocritical club that can always afford larger investments, and supposedly bases team-building strategies so much on the odds.

If they trade bad Vlad at age 25 -- like some in the media are speculating -- it's gotta be a full rebuild. Even if he looks like he'll morph into Prince (not a good) Fielder before he turns 30...

A team serious about the '24 postseason could do a lot worse than taking Bichette and Bassitt off the payroll of last-place Toronto. Bichette has been nagged by injuries this year, but is only 26, and one of the best RHH available. He's only due $17.5 mil next year -- in comparison, Trevor Story, already 31, is owed over $100 mil by Boston. Bassitt, who the Sox should've signed last year before he led the AL in games started and wins, is old but reliable, and a lot cheaper than Berrios and Gausman (who the Jays would probably love to dump, as well).

"Bloated contract" just conjures a morning jogger on the beach, running over a sand dune and abruptly hitting the brakes... revolted by the discovery of a stapled pack of papers, saturated and puffed from salt water, wrapped in seaweed, with little crabs crawling out of the margins -- dead money. A statement by spokesman Sam Kanofpeas cited the coroner's report, edited by John Henry: "Cause of death: acute fan expectations."

Pablo might have been locked up, but he busted out in Spring Training. It was on the beltway around Fort Myers -- gut instinct...

I swear it wasn't. To me, this type of injury could be critical to a guy who makes a living swinging the bat -- especially a large human trying to consistently hit the ball hard and far to entice his employer to offer untold riches that would set him up for the rest of his life (plus, familial generations to come). How can Casas prevent it from recurring? Is there a medical procedure that can fuse the core together (similar to wrist or ankle re-enforcement) or an internal brace (like the new TJ for elbows) -- maybe a hernia mesh patch the size of a flak jacket? Unlikely... For Casas to come back as good as new would be like a pitcher breaking a rib throwing a pitch, and then recovering to become a 20-game winner... for the Braves... while the Red Sox pay most of his salary.

We know they can, but it's really a question of IF they will add a MAJOR LEAGUE starter better than Bello to the rotation. Can an infield prospect destined to be exposed to next year's Rule V Draft land a starting pitcher whose ERA is better than 5.55, with a WHIP better than 1.472? We're not talking picking up a 1984 Rick Sutcliffe here... (for those too young to remember, he went 16-1 and won the NL Cy Young after the Cubs traded for him just before the then-JUNE 15th deadline).