5GoldGlovesOF,75

Petition the lord with prayer.

Instead of overpaying for one or two players who can actually pitch, the Red Sox' big offseason recruit is someone retired from the mound: Andrew Bailey, pitching psychologist, who will elevate holdovers to overcome their jeers and become good enough to soon sign market rate contracts with other clubs. This is the plan the front office expects will prod the club back into competitiveness. Longtime fans should think twice about giving up their season tickets.

At Winter Weekend, Tom Werner and others reminisced how Fenway rocked when the Sox whupped the Yankees in the 2021 Wild Card game. It was a reminder of how intense the fanbase can get again -- and it all it takes is a winner. That '21 postseason isn't even three years old now, and here's who's left on Boston's roster -- position players: Devers; pitching staff: Pivetta, Whitlock, Houck. Dalbec is still around, but not exactly a lock to break camp. In three rounds in '21, he hit .000 (oh-for-12). Duran and Wong saw some playing time in that regular season. That's it. The point is, Tom, that it's a lot easier for a fanbase to root for a club with continuity, for familiarity, for regulars. Constantly replacing players with replacement players only sustains suckitude disguised as mediocrity. Show us some plan, any plan, to keep a core. Lock up Casas and Bello longterm, so Sam Kennedy can finally be truthful about something by signing someone for big money. If you pay them soon, it won't have to be so big that you keep misreading the realities of the market... like you did with Mookie year-after-year until he was gone.

Tom the owner said with better defense, they would've won 8 or 9 more last year and made the playoffs. And look how much the D has improved since then...

He literally is. 1st MLB team: Atlanta; 2nd MLB team: Boston. Grissom has been described by coaches who like him as having the potential of becoming a big league regular. But right now he has a lot to prove -- which can or could be said for almost all of the acquisitions of the BresBloom Era... so far.

True, but for the current roster of the '24 Red Sox, things may have to break right for this team to win AT ALL.

Who is criticizing Grissom? When the Red Sox acquired him, all reports were that he could hit in the majors, but he was not the answer at shortstop in Atlanta. The Red Sox didn't acquire him to play SS, but had a hole at second base, and immediately anointed him this year's starter. His winter league manager, who played him in the outfield per orders from the Braves, said he needed to improve on defense. Hopefully, Grissom improves 2B for Boston, and is better than Arroyo, Urias, Valdez, Reyes, Kike, Turner, Dalbec, Chang, Hamilton, Rafaela and Wong -- who all played second in '23.

The best team gave him an opportunity to be their full-time shortstop. Now one of the worst teams is giving him a shot at a different position.

Taken out of context: 1. Acquire -- Breslow's department... continue scouring Bloomingdale bargain basement bins 3. Develop internally -- Bailey's department... spin gold out of mold 2. Draft -- the other 400 front office employees' dept... scout/select/sign prospects, then oversee their progress, and hope some make the majors five years from now (this isn't conscription, where boys go to boot camp for three months and are thrown on the front lines). WAIT TIL 2029!

Of all the blab we've heard and read coming from Winter Weekend, one conclusion keeps creeping: the 2024 Red Sox really aren't in a rebuild. Maybe next year or 2026... right now, Boston is in Make-Do Mode. A true rebuild involves demolition and an infusion of new materials. Sox said goodbye to Sale and Verdugo (and let other oldsters exit), but only replaced them with Giolito and O'Neill -- reuse/recycle is not a rebuild. Grissom is billed as the new addition, but even he's a second-chance man in a way, at a new position... a stone patio beyond the deck, which still needs to be enclosed to become a sunroom. The other new recruits are bullpen pieces Campbell and Slaten. The true rebuilder besides Breslow appears to be Bailey, the baseball version of the Bar Rescue guy. The '24 Red Sox -- just trying to stay in business.

All of baseball suffered The Strike of 1981, but when they played, the Sox were still fun to watch, with plenty of star power: Yaz still kicking, Rice and Evans in their primes, Tony Perez had joined, Remy hit .307, and Carney Lansford won the batting crown at .336. Gedman hit .288 and finished second in Rookie of the Year as Fisk's replacement. The next year they won 89 games. Boggs came up and hit .349. Three guys in the bullpen won 33 games, and a lot of young starters began taking turns in the rotation. Clemens arrived in '84. Because of this next wave of hardball heroes, going to Fenway -- that old classic piece of artwork -- was more than just squeezing into uncomfortable seats, peering around a pole to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa for three hours. Plus, I'm guessing a lot of the old-timers ready to tune-out in 2024 were a lot more supple, 40 years ago...

I've always been about spending for top end talent -- instead of trading prospect capital. But historically, the Red Sox have done better more often dealing for star pitchers that were about to become too expensive for other clubs: Pedro, Schilling, Beckett, Sale were all top-of-the-rotation starters on teams that won rings. They were all better acquisitions than contemporary big-money free agents like Price and Lackey. For some reason, this Boston tradition goes back to the advent of free agency: Eckersly was a good trade, Mike Torrez a not-so-good signing (except for Bucky Dent). For decades, trading for a Corbin Burnes seemed like the logical move for the Red Sox... before the monster of Scott Boras was created.

Sam said on TV it's all on Brez whether Cora comes back after this season. Cora said on TV that "We sucked the past two years, two last places." Good for him for not paying attention to posters that insisted the Sox were fifth-best in the best division in baseball history, even with some of the worst starting pitching and defense in Red Sox history.

Brez from Winter Weekend, when TC asked if there's still a chance for a trade: "It's my responsibility to force that opportunity..."

NESN rerun of last night interviews... Sam: "We're committed to stay disciplined... it might be painful... but come see how we're doing in 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months from now..." ... Wait til 2026!!!

Saaz -- grown in a part of the world where medical doctors prescribe pilsner for the kind of acid reflex that keeps repeating on Red Sox fans since the departure of Markus Bestie.

Think about it: unless a GM is getting a can't-miss top prospect -- which basically only exist on the farms of Baltimore or San Diego -- no one is giving up young pitching. Otherwise, in the current market, that can be a fireable offense. Breslow keeps saying he just wants to trade for someone who has six years of control. I just want a warm pretzel and a draft that doesn't have Citra hops.

"I have been to the monster seats... and will keep making promises to land a starting pitcher!"

Headline on MLB.com: "Red Sox Prioritizing Patience..." Spelling Incorrect -- they meant "Red Sox Prioritizing PATIENTS" ... because this whole offseason has been giving fans headaches and agita. Yes, I've become a homophone... but I'm not homophonic (though I did go back to a dumb flip phone, because the smart phone was haunted, ghosting random contacts any time it detected body heat).

When Sam says he needs to do a better job, I'm confused. Is he involved in any way in player procurement? Or does he just participate in front office hirings and firings? Can he be a better liar? Fans still pay lots of money to fill Fenway... Can he be more honest? Last night's candor may have actually lost the team a few bucks... (finally admitting what we've all known for years is more offensive than just leveling with us when the rebuild began).

You obviously stopped paying attention after reading my first sentence. Do you really think not spending as much or relying on call-ups will yield better starting pitchers? How's that been working out the past four years? Let's see, we've got Bello from the Dombro days, and Wacha was good for a year (but not good enough to pay to stay)... maybe Pivetta, a good #5 who was better as a bulk reliever... for Bernardino! Our top opener for a few weeks last summer! As a fan, I'm declaring I'm on board with Sam Kennedy, who said last night the Sox' payroll is going to be less this year, and “We’re going to let this build of our team sort of dictate what we do as we move forward." So if the Red Sox are going to wait until they get good again before investing as much into the team -- then I will, too.

What th- haven't you been paying attention?!?! When they're finally good enough to make the playoffs again, that's when they'll start spending on better pitchers!

Yikes -- depending on court rulings, only Sam Kennedy may have immunity by then.

Apparently, we can close the book on Betts in the pasture. He's already made the Hall as an outfielder, with 64.5 WAR through age 30 (compare to Jim Rice's career 47.7). Now Mookie is MLB channel's #1 ranked second baseman. He's Robin Yount in reverse!

... like, Duvall may be nicer guy than Renfroe. What's his PEACE?