5GoldGlovesOF,75

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).

I'm not sure he can ever bat lefty again -- at least, swing with youthful impunity for the fences... unless, preventative measures against recurrence force Casas to became an inside-out Green Monster hunter, and he becomes a modern-day Boggsian master of oppo doubles and big-guy pop-fly dingers.

Fenway has the highest wall. Most likely to clear it -- born in Tennessee, like Mookie, schooled at Georgia Tech, like Tek and Nomar, nicknamed Barry Bonds by his more-hyped teammates: Earl Kristian Campbell!

Who was the reliever we drafted who was hyped to step right out the college world series and into the big leagues by mid-summer? Felton something? Not the 99 chick from Get Smart -- she didn't even work at 99 (definitely not Hooters)...

"Wink and Criz will be better than any pitchers we can trade for," said Mister President Sam Kandidly.

DS also said Cora is out of here at the end of the year, because there's no way Henry pays someone $40 million to manage the Red Sox (which is what the Cubs gave Counsell, without the resume of AC).

The talking heads of Felger, Tomase, Shaughnessey and ALEX SPEIER that cover the Red Sox just gave their consensus on the upcoming trade deadline: despite Boston's upstart playoff aspirations, there's absolutely no way Henry lets the front office veer from THE PLAN -- which is NO PLAN to do anything to actually improve this year's roster. No matter what posters think about certain professionals who cover the Sox for a living, the most chilling comments may have come from the well-respected Speier, who said Breslow is all about the odds -- and those will determine which lane he chooses to follow. Has Brez been out of uniform that long? Here's a guy who was traded, himself, on the last day of July, 2012, to a franchise that nobody predicted would win it all the next season -- but had the heart and the guts and the cojones to beat the odds...

Again, if we're talking about the average avid Sox fan -- and that would exclude most of this entire board or any forum where fanatics post 365 days per year -- then I'd say: ... at the time, one hundred percent. ... at this time, one kajillion percent.

The average avid baseball fan -- follows a team regularly, knows most names on the roster, and best players on most opposing clubs -- may not care about budgets and luxury taxes, or even signing big name free agents (unless division rivals keep signing them all). But when it comes to spending, loyal fans are adamant that their franchise pays market value to keep their favorites in the laundry they root for. Continuity matters to fans. Most would probably say they'd prefer their team has a winning record, even if it means entire roster turnover with line-ups rife with no-name players every couple years. To others it may be more fun - though more difficult to admit - cheering for familiar favorites throughout their primes, if they only win some and lose some...

Even if the Sox drop a few games out of a wild card spot in July, it may be hard for Breslow to define his first year as CBO by selling off legitimate big leaguers. Breslow knows exactly what picking this particular lane will mean to the team, coaching staff, fandom and media: surrender. When Chaim Bloom dumped Cristian Vazquez a few summers ago, he got a couple decent prospects for a veteran catcher in decline. But it disrupted the parent team's clubhouse and seemingly cued the survivors to go through the motions down the stretch. Breslow can't risk that happening in Boston for the third straight year -- not when actual Red Sox fans are buying tickets again. Trades will be made, but look for minor leaguers to be moved -- especially guys who may be vulnerable to the next Rule V draft.

The old Camden Yards was like that -- and then they moved back the LF fence... (because fans would rather watch pitchers' duels instead of slugfests?) Since we're talking baseball, any conversation reverts back to Willie Mays: MVP noting how the dumb additions to Fenway made it a worse home run park... reminds me of when the Giants moved to San Francisco. Not only did Mays have to leave the Polo Grounds, where the left field fence was only 279 feet down the line, but his new home field was on an oil rig in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The prevailing sea breeze at Candlestick Park (there was a reason it wasn't named CandleLIT Park) blew hard from left to right. According to teammate Orlando Cepeda, such conditions cost Mays hundreds of homers. However, Willie -- who won the NL HR crown as a NY Giant in 1955 with 51 longballs -- was great enough to adjust his swing accordingly, and won three more HR crowns as a SF Giant, including a career-high 52 in 1965.

Let's not forget an astute businessman like Henry was talked into going against his better judgement more than once and signing Over-30 pitchers who were humungous busts in Boston. Now that he's not falling for it -- except for Giolito (the lastest phantom signing) -- maybe he just should overpay Cora to stay and keep winning with rosters full of bargain guys.

Unless you're a righty who pulls a lot of high fly balls. Tony C, Boomer (at least in '77), Esasky and Jason Bay for one year, Fisk... Rico was listed at 175 pounds, Pedroia 170 (both supposedly less than Mookie -- 180 pounds of body by bowling ball!). Alonso is listed at 245 lbs. Wonder what his career spray chart looks like, super-imposed on Fenway dimensions...

For a team bereft of right-handed power in a park tailor-made for right-handed power, acquiring a guy who averages 45 home runs per year shouldn't be looked at as just a two-month rental. This is also a club where all it's most-hyped position player prospects closest to the majors bat left-handed. Even if they all make it and steal 30 bases apiece, a RHH HR DH (once they eat Yoshida's contract) will at least be necessary for a little balance. How rare is a Red Sox righty who even hit 40 homers in a season? In the past half century: JD and Manny, Rice and Tony Armas Senior... and Rico Petrocelli.