5GoldGlovesOF,75

Breslow just called Bloom and offered him Yoshida in trade for Sonny Gray. Chaim thought it was an overpay, so asked to take Trevor Story, too... but for only one year... if the Sox also took Steven Matz -- as long as he could call it all off before the deadline. Brez said he was still evaluating his front office infrastructure, and would utilize every resource to make it as painful as possible for the underdogs. But he assures all he has full support of ownership to be the overdawgs.

What's more unbelievable: the Braves' ace who just pitched an entire season of Cy Young baseball suddenly couldn't pitch Game 162 with the postseason on the line... ... or: the guy the Red Sox paid for five years (including this one) to be their ace - but instead was almost always injured - finally stayed healthy enough to pitch almost an entire season of Cy Young baseball that lasted until Game 162 with the postseason on the line?

Refsnyder drove in 29 baserunners who weren't himself, with a 25% K-rate. O'Neill drove in 30 baserunners who weren't himself, with a 33.6% K-rate. Ref's team option is for $2 million... so why would I want to pay T.O. another $40 million? Campbell -- who is comfortable playing outfield -- might be a minimum-wage O'Neill replacement... that is, if Grissom wins the second-base job. Breslow has already said the Red Sox have too many lefty batters and wants to balance the batting order. If both Grissom and Campbell make the club, Brez doesn't have to spend any money to do that... ,,, then he could use the savings for more (I didn't say real) pitching....

Scott is so perfect for Boston, I'm convinced they'll pick up three other relievers I've never heard of instead -- for less money combined than what an actual big market contender will pay him. But at least one of the new guys will be a feel-good story, someone who once shined shoes for the mob, and had to work his way up to be a good earner as a member of a crew.

The key to rapid improvement is talent. The Red Sox aren't going to spend for big league talent because they have prospects not just on the verge of making the majors, but winning starting positions. Mayer may need some reps at shortstop in Triple A before Story moves back to second base, where he shined in 2022. Since then, the second basemen in Boston have been the worst in all of baseball -- and that right there is why Campbell, the best player in the minors, will get the opportunity to open next season as starter at the keystone sack. Roman Anthony will also be a starting outfielder at Fenway Park in '25, maybe even out of Spring Training -- service time be damned. No CBO under the Henry ownership really cares about that extra sixth year of prospect control -- because CBOs never last more than four years in Boston. The offseason won't be that complicated. Brez will focus on stockpiling inexpensive pitching, with the hope of transforming a few into valuable contributors. Maybe he will trade an outfielder for one of them, to open up a spot in the depth chart for Anthony.

Does every Rays' pitcher throw 98 mph? (just asking for a friend) Somehow they're blowing away the Red Sox, with nary a bleat from OB: "Sweeper, sweeper, sweeeeeeeee- purrrr"

Even OB is mailing it in this weekend. He just told viewers that Crawford's homers have been going through the roof -- doesn't he know they're playing at Fenway and not Tampa?

... John would be speaking from the experience of his zero days as a pro pitcher rehabbing from major reconstructive elbow surgery.

I forgot. His new challenge for kicks. Why can't he just go back down south, where real estate is cheaper and make a contribution to society by developing jobs in alternative energies that help reduce the increasing threats of catastrophic storms?

If Henry is set for life -- what billionaires aren't -- he can presumably do whatever he wants. So if he owns a sports team and wants to win, he can spend all he wants signing talent -- and paying luxury taxes -- and it won't make a difference in his future. Or he could chose to stop paying market value for top talent, and instead spend just enough on bodies to fill jerseys so his team can still play games and sell tickets. He'll still make a profit, but why does that even matter to him at his age? Maybe he's just a competitive business guy, and gets off more on making money than winning trophies -- because at Fenway Park, Boston, those aren't mutually connected. If not -- if you don't need the profits or aren't going to try to build a winner -- why even own a pro sports team?

I just read to the bottom of the thread and noticed Member Statistics. Total Members: 8,181. Like the team we post about, we are the epitome of mediocrity... a .500 forum.

Change of scenery for an MVP, still only 25, playing for Cora, pairing with Raffy on a left-right heart-of-the-order, taking opposing pitchers' focus away from younger but talented teammates... Could anyone imagine such a scenario propelling a club closer to the postseason? A pair who could form a Manny-Papi challenge to Judge-Soto? Two guys in the same line-up who both destroy Yankee pitching? How can Brez not go for this? oh, yeah, because of an owner no longer invested...

Plus, Youk hates Vlad for mailing it in with the Jays coming in last place and not taking pride in his D at first base the last week of the season.

Romy -- cut from the worst team in history -- gets an A for coming through in more ways than expected. Sogard gets a B because he made the majors when he wasn't supposed to, and once he got there, looked like he belonged. Maybe I expect more out of the best students, but I only give a C to both Casas and Devers. Yes, they aced a lot of pop quizzes, but their end-of-the-semester projects were incomplete (no bibliographies!) and each had excused absences during the big week of state tests. Our class was really counting on them to raise our scores... And Grissom gets an F because the decision to transfer to Fenway High this year was a complete failure.

Does letting Pivetta, Jansen, Martin and O'Neill walk -- and signing Burnes and Tanner Scott -- leapfrog the Sox over .500? Throw me up!

If you're an opposing GM looking at trading with Boston, here are some decent young guys who made around MLB minimum wage this year: Abreu, Duran, Casas, Crawford, Gonzalez, Grissom, Hamilton, Houck, Slaten, Wong. Rafaela's extension owes him $50 million dollars. Bello's owes him $55 million.

Breslow just all but confirmed he's going to trade a lefty bat, so don't anticipate Rafaela or Campbell being dealt. Ceddanne is signed longterm and his bat is still viewed as a risk, so he's not any bargain for acquiring teams; meanwhile, Kristian Campbell is coming off a season when he was on the fastest track to stardom of any minor leaguer in the world. And baseball's #1 prospect, Anthony the Roman Candle, is going nowhere, except in the heart of the Sox' order for the next decade. Teel also has to be kept, because there's no getting around the fact that Red Sox catchers suck. Both Wong and Jansen are negative dWAR receivers, with these Defensive Runs Saved Above Average for Boston: Wong -20, Jansen -30... So, which of the following lefty swingers is a goner: Duran, Casas, Mayer or Abreu? (listed in order of bringing back the best returns; if you're an interested GM, do you prefer the youngest talent or the most durable right now?) Think Brez can get a better pitcher for Mayer and Abreu than just Duran or Casas? Maybe not... but dealing Casas will mean a major overhaul and be more costly, moving Devers to 1B and signing Bregman, or trading a ton for Vlad Jr. Then it's settled: the Red Sox' best chip is Jarren Duran.

You make your own luck. Here's how suspicious I've groan: even though moves the past half decade are on Bloom's Watch or Breslow's Watch, I just cannot overlook they may be forced to listen to the bad advice of the same Henry lifers and flunkies from an overstaffed front office... Brez on WEEI, 9/26/24: "we’re looking at monitoring workload and understanding whether or not we’re asking more of guys than they are equipped to handle and if that means we need to change offseason conditioning or in-season workloads …" 5Gs replies, same day: "Here's a change: stop conditioning fans to root for pasta you're throwing against the wall to see what sticks. Hint - it's not undercooked, it's boiled down to mush. And stop pretending to rely on broken-down leftovers like Paxton and Hill -- two old loads pushing 80 years old!"

If Campbell is the leftfielder, that means Breslow pulled off a major blockbuster and traded Duran at the height of his value for an actual good starting pitcher in his prime. But it's hard to imagine Brez swapping any proven big leaguer like Duran or Casas and keeping prospects instead. A CBO with his brain just doesn't seem likely to rationalize taking such risks. A more bold and deliberate GM -- with the professional smarts of a Dombrowski -- would have a party wheeling and dealing if still in charge of Boston this winter. Anything would be possible! But it's almost a given that three or four varsity players would be transferring to Beantown for their upperclassmen years...

Ohtani is better than everyone in everything, including signing with a club where he can bat in front of two future Hall of Famers in Betts and Freeman. Mookie missed some time with a fracture from a hit by pitch, but here is a season stat unfathomable on his ex-team: 57 Ks, 60 BBs.

Can't see a Story trade; he makes too much money for an MLB starting shortstop with a below-average bat. He's also the Red Sox' only solid player at a key spot which has been poorly handled by just about anyone else since Bogaerts left. Even if Mayer is the goods, it doesn't make sense he'll break camp as the starting SS, without yet playing a single inning of Triple A. A more feasible scenario instead is that Teel, Anthony and Campbell all make the parent club out of Florida next March -- and with Campbell as the starting second baseman, a veteran leader like Story makes too much sense as a mentor and stabilizing DP partner. If Campbell doesn't make the majors in the Spring of '25 it will be a shock. A guy deemed as the one Minor League Player of the Year -- by professionals who watch and analyze ballplayers for a living -- has to be ready... not necessarily for instant stardom, but for the big leagues.

There are also intangibles added by an established top-of-the-rotation starter, especially one with experience pitching as/for a winner: setting examples of how he comports himself in the clubhouse, in the weight room, in the bullpen, in the dugout, and particularly on the field, interacting with teammates, coaches, opponents and umpires, even reporters and fans. His game-planning, preparation and trade secrets can help coaches, fellow starters, relievers, hitters and fielders, while his positives can help revive a winning culture and even influence other outside talent to consider a transfer to Boston. But the main benefit having a guy who takes the ball and regularly supplies quality innings is the preservation of relief arms, which helps prevent bullpen burn-out -- and the annual collapse in Boston every August and September.

Lynn didn't bat leadoff. In those days, it was Burleson or Remy... with their career OBPs of .328 and .327. Btw, Duran's is also .327, but trending up the past two years: .346, .343. Ellsbury's career OBP was .342. Mookie in Boston was .374; in LA, he's down to .372. But Ohtani bats first this year, where he's at .386. Schwarber, who didn't always bat leadoff, is .367 in '24, .344 lifetime. Boggs was pretty good: .415 career, .428 in 11 Red Sox years... yet Rickey at .401 all-time is known as the greatest leadoff man in history.

Torn between Full Moon and Duran DaMan. Good: emerging starting pitchers, young guys with potential to improve; Bad: gloves with holes, heads with holes (throwing Es, runners getting picked), relievers that blow, and millions of swings and misses from a vastly overrated batting order... Ugly: missing the playoffs again, which is unacceptable -- and not because fans are entitled, but because any fans of a club that is 10 games over .500 in the summer should be offended and totally pissed off when their team's front office chokes AGAIN in providing proper support to prevent LOSING RECORDS THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF ANOTHER SEASON. This is the third year in a row that the Boston Red Sox had a losing record in August and a losing record in September. Anyone who blames it on injuries must work for John Henry, who won't pay the costs of maintaining roster depth for a legitimate contender.

Theo still owns a retainer on Bruce Chen to start one game if they make it. I think he pearl jammed with him one weekend. "Someday, and that day may never come," said Epstein, "I may ask a favor in return..."