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Rafaela adjusted to pitching at every level and was an all-around star in the minors; if those aren't the kinds of players teams should invest in longterm, then who is? The next steps may be to extend pitchers like Houck and Crawford. Then don't surprised, if one of the Big Three in Portland really rakes this summer, if the Sox even give someone the Jackson Chourio treatment (locking up a guy before he even makes the bigs). It's all part of the plan, which really isn't a new 5-year plan, since Bloom extended Whitlock after his Rule V season in 2021. Maybe Slaten will be next?

Molecular biophysics vs. the Illiad. Which one would most humans use to replace "rocket science" when blurting metaphors on difficult subjects they know nothing about? (Chaim says, "Don't sleep on Homer; 5Gs couldn't even finish The Canterbury Tales in college, because every other page was footnote translations")

The Red Sox won't admit it, but this is kind of their way to admit they've learned their lessons. Back in the day, Boston chose to use up all the minimum wage service time on its young players, while splurging big money on top free agent talent. Now it looks like the Sox will be working in reverse... except the plan might just be to lock up youth at a discount, and haha -- never spend big on anyone ever again.

I'm with Max here re. shortstop. Don't mess with the improved outfield, or weaken other positions. Find a defensive specialist for SS, but not another utility Pablo -- someone instead with a consistent, above-average glove and arm. They're out there, and not break-the-bank expensive. Shake the baseball tree, Brez...

Don't worry, Bailey is working on more strikeout pitches right now. Just push the moon in front of the sun and batters won't even make contact.

Hey - Sox are #10 in USA Today's Power Rankings... the only losers ahead of 7-3 Boston are Philly and Arizona (they're still "better" because they were last year -- yup, that makes sense). When Boss Steinbrenner was still kicking, it was ok every preseason to predict the Yankees to win it all, because you knew he'd make impactful acquisitions every summer, depending on need.

Ya, we already know that ain't happening in Leantown. If the new lights-out pitching holds up, there's a better chance of an extension for Bailey than Cora; coaches cost a lot less than managers.

Probably, but if they just vote on the most current facts -- who won, who lost this week -- that makes more sense than basing it on what happened four months ago or what might happen in the next month. If they're not going to base it on actual results, why even keep score? Just pick the teams with the biggest, strongest players -- those always look good on paper (or on screen).

The 7-3 Red Sox are 16th in today's MLB Power Rankings. The 5-4 Orioles are 5th -- even though they got walked off the last two games by 8-2 Pittsburgh, now 11th. Baltimore's OBP is 29th, ahead of only the White Sox... but their MLB "power" is somehow justified by citing Triple A stats of their shortstop prospect, still in the minors. Meanwhile, Boston already promoted its Triple A shortstop, David Hamilton -- and he homered in his first at bat. Isn't that actual power? Other teams deemed better than the .700 Red Sox have losing records, like Philly #6th (really?), Astros 8th, D-backs 13th, and Blow Jays 14th. All four losers were playoff teams last season, but isn't this list based on this year? If strength of schedule means that much, then how did the Yankees jump up to #3 by beating up last-place Toronto this weekend? Huh? The 6-3 Tigers are #7, after just losing two in a row to the mighty A's... WHAT?

Come on, man -- by now, you know they're all the best players available... They can play anywhere. We might even be able to convert a few of them to... shortstop!

Since you asked: Nick Ahmed career dWAR: 12.6... Pablo Reyes career dWAR: NEGATIVE 0.6 (does a negative -- by definition of WAR -- mean Losses Below Replacement player?) I don't know if Mayer gets a cup of coffee, but I do know many freshmen who made varsity -- based entirely on skill. Back in the day, rumor has it Jim Rice played high school varsity when he was in 8th grade...

If that's the plan, then the Sox are just trying to field a full nine so they can play the games and sell tickets. If the Sox won't even spend on a Nick Ahmed-type -- who the Giants signed for one hundred grand over MLB minimum wage -- then the least they could do is find the best internal glove to help the club's strength, which is pitching this year. The last thing to worry about is some young guy who can't hit big league pitching, because Story has always had a below-average bat since he came to Boston. There are lots of big whiffers in the Red Sox major league batting order. Age and experience matter, but there are plenty of cases every season -- with mitigating factors like injuries -- where prospects are called up out of necessity. And not just Bogie and Raffy, who were 20 and ready, but plenty of others, like Willie Mays, who made it at 20, was 0fer his first week and wanted to be sent back down. A few who didn't were Robin Yount, starting shortstop for the Brewers at age 18. And Al Kaline, who never played a single inning of minor league ball. If a guy can play, he can play.

Dever isn't moving to first base or DH as long as Cora is his manager. A new skipper who's all business and not Raffy's mentor could maybe force more consistent focus on D by issuing ultimatums, with position changes an option. Or the new boss could just announce the shift in an offseason, accompanied by the acquisition or anointment of a new third sacker... while Devers is assigned special training and a personal coach for a different role. Meanwhile, all we can hope for now is that AC can convince Raffy to stop hurting his shoulder trying to pull 500-foot HRs and go back to terrorizing left-center, like he did in Florida...

All likely -- but what if Story needs corrective surgery and is gonzo? Is Brez even allowed to dumpster dive for a good glove/bad bat 4A type? Will the FO curse the 6-2 start, because it will be bad PR not to go for it?

That's the point -- for a owner guarding a frozen budget. If he's already paying other shortstops at various levels, why shop, when bringing up any one of them will only cost MLB minimum wage... ... and sorry, one more year of control sometime in the 2030s (if Boston hasn't become part of the Atlantic Ocean by then)!

Is it even possible for anonymous typists with metaphorical handles who carp back and forth with device screens every day?

I get it, and many top prospects get called up to the majors by age 20, as well. Nolan Schanuel got drafted by the Angels less than a year ago, and he's their starting first baseman. Same age as Mayer.

No disagreement about Hamilton. Never mind for the first-place Red Sox; he wasn't even Plan A, B, C, D, SS when Boston was in last place last year. Fans always need to remember that orgs fill uniforms at every level to field a full team just so their handful of real prospects have somewhere to play as they grow...

My Yankee fan cousin still talks about that play as the turning point; not the Tony Clark long foul... but I still remember another diehard Yankee disappointed when Clark didn't walk off the Series. Yankee fans were so conditioned to always win in the end that they expected it. Yankee fans also love to blame not going to the World Series the past 15 years on Astros' garbage cans. Red Sox fans never cry about losing the playoffs to Houston in '17 -- mainly because they beat them the next year and won rings with Cora, and paid consequences for their own crimes against humanity -- of which Houston, Boston and New York, among others, were widely reported to have committed.

The first-place Red Sox already clinched a winning record on this season-opening road trip. If they can just go .500 the rest of the year, they'll finish with a winning record. If Story goes on the IL again for a long time, it's not the end of the world. His defense can be replaced, as good-fielding pro shortstops abound in baseball, and his bat was mediocre. But ownership has no desire for additional spending -- even to reinforce this spirited group of overachievers. They had no desire to acquire a real shortstop last year nor legit starting pitchers this winter, so foegedaboudit. Better prepare for Pablo Reyes and more Romy Gonzalez types. Eddie Alvarez looked pretty slick in Florida. Hamilton is not an option. Hopefully, they don't move Rafaela to the infield and lose the improvements in CF (the ball he dropped looked like he just got lazy, bringing his glove down to his throwing hand instead of the other way around). And forget about "rushing" top prospect Marcelo Mayer up to Boston... even though Henry Davis, the guy the industry thought Mayer would be drafted ahead of at #1 overall, is the starting catcher for the first-place Pirates in the NL. With so many shortstop prospects in the org, wouldn't it be great if Brez and Co. auditioned the top glovemen at all levels to help the best pitching staff in baseball: Franklin, Marvin, Nazzan, come on up, boys!

You make a good point. But these guys still had to play LF half the season in other ballparks, too. It really is uncanny how many Red Soxers over the decades have earned a negative dWAR in left. I also meant to add Yoshida and Blake Swihart (where he didn't turn into the next Posey). Speaking of Mays, in his bio some peers said he was so good at D he could've been an All-Star shortstop if he wanted. What in the name of Mookie were they thinking?

Posters shouldn't have to start every post with "In my opinion" -- but shouldn't assume theirs is gospel, either. But you're right, no one can know what you see, even sitting next to you, because you might turn your head and miss a play (busy looking in the stands, the way Mantle did in Ball Four). Thus, Ben Intendi was the best defensive Sox leftfielder since Yaz. Beni > Rice, Greenwell, O'Leary, Manny, Bay, Nava, Gomes, Crawford, Hanley, Holt and Dugie. Is that ever a grim list...

Just curious: who was the best Red Sox rightfielder you saw? I admired Dewey Evans, and his arm had such a rep that in the second half of his career, base coaches wouldn't even let runners test it. But no RF in baseball had the range of Mookie Betts in Boston. I'll go with Marcus -- and Buck Showalter, who said he was the best in his lifetime.

Lynn's best grab didn't even rob a homer, but after a long sprint into the gap he left the Earth to rob Nettles then bellyflopped to avoid being decapitated by Rice hopping over him. That catch at Shea Stadium in '75 had me yelling the loudest because it came in a tense 1-0 game vs. the hated Yankees and probably saved Bill Lee's complete game shutout over Catfish Hunter. And anyone who thinks Bradley was overrated misses the entire point of his excellence. His jumps were so elite that he often made tough catches look easy -- when JBJ went into a jog, even with a long drive still 20 or 30 feet away, he knew he had it... and so did we.