5GoldGlovesOF,75

What if... this is also Breslow's way of clearing out some of the more unsavory characters that defined the Bloom Era? Wiping the slate clean, blowing dead leaves into the suck truck, making room for new growth. After Verdugo's issues with Cora last summer, along with his impending free agency, it was clear he had to go. Coincidentally, Dugie was also the centerpiece in the worst trade in Red Sox history... Chaim Bloom's first big move as CBO. Sale was extended by Dombrowski, but there's also no doubt he was a polarizing figure of the entire Bloom Era -- an erstwhile ace holding up team stability month after month, season after season, by his multitude of aches and pains -- which made even every offseason an ughfest for year-round fans trying to anticipate any semblance of a starting rotation. Time to move on.

Enmanuel reportedly took some throws over at first base, before an inning once in Worcester. That's where he got the nickname: Valdez Oil Spill.

I just fell off my stationary bike and broke the big screen TV

He got new Giolito money: 2 for $38M... (... except if Gio has a good year, he'll want old Sale money).

That's why I posted this in the realistic thread. We know they have to sell tickets, but a lot of serious fans at this point could really do without the bullcrap comments from upper management -- from Werner's fool "Throttle" to Sam's "All-In, Absolutely"... even Breslow's "We'll Be Competitive" is deceptive, or at least generic. No more waiting on Bloom to "surround Devers with talent" though... Competitive how, Craig? Not for the top free agents. Not for World Series rings. Maybe to get out of fifth place... at least to field a big league-caliber club that has a chance to win some ballgames?

Alex Speier, the preeminent Red Sox beat writer, just confirmed what we all suspected: ▪ The Sox aren’t treating the 2024 season as the be-all-end-all. (boldfaced heading, just like it was presented in the Boston Globe). In comparison, he offers the Braves, who traded for Sale, and their "playoff-level floor." For Boston, he adds, "Getting to the playoffs would be a coup." Now, in deference to Stats Masterson, he must mean coup definition #2 -- "a notable or successful stroke or move" (and not def. #1, of which any public figure accused of attempting would be appealing appeals as long as possible to stay out of prison). The thing is, most of us rational older posters would be ok with the rebuild -- if Sam Kennedy and company would just. freaking. admit it. SO IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR ANY GOOD PITCHING, WHY EVEN BOTHER TRADING ANY GOOD PROSPECTS FOR IT? Hang on to all your top prospects who will give fans hope and new life (MVP's 2025 line-up actually looked ok, if all the youngsters play well enough to stick). We already know what we're getting with the big league club this year. So let's see what we got on the farm for one more season...

A regular playhorse.

That means Haniger (long coveted by 5Gs) is well-rested for what he's been saving himself for, all these years: the chance to finally show off that Fenway swing all over the AL East ballparks. IN!

Merrill? So many lefty batters... but young Bleis gets the late-season call-up for the postseason (like Bogie in '13), Teel is All-Star game MVP, Anthony Rookie of the Year, Ceddanne Gold Glove, the entire infield wins Silver Sluggers, and Raffy is voted AL MVP. My gummy was lime green.

He already got rid of Llovera once, last year in San Fran... Andrew, discussing his terms to join the Sox as pitching coach: "I don't want to see him again. Make that first thing on your list, understand?" Craig: "Understood."

Paint us a canvas of what it will take to get this Red Sox roster back in the postseason -- with a winning record, even. And while you're at it, drool a few of those Dali clocks on the horizon, to remind the Breslow pokes that time is money. I know, someone is going to say this post is a pipe dream, but that's overbudget. If this was the realistic thread, it would be a gummy dream.

Now MVP has me intrigued moving Raffy to shortstop. Does anybody remember in the days of the shift how he got to really show off his canon deep in the hole? On another note, does anyone remember in the days of the shift Devers ever diving for a ball up the middle and deflecting it away from the real shortstop, who was trying to backtrack from the second base side? Me, neither. Maybe all the assumptions about someday moving Big Puppy to first base would only reflect a waste of talent -- his, not the speculators (our fingers be blogging in with passwords that cannot be confirmed).

In '24, root for 30 games of Wobbly Starts: 6 IP, 4 earned, couple Ks, BBs, 1-2 dingers. As long as he keeps us in the games, the Sox' vaunted offense should win half of those... in their quest for a .500 record... so Sam can point to evidence of improvement... closing in on his annual goal of winning worlds championships.

The obvious get is Franco. Not Wander -- Sox are too budget-conscious to post bail... but Julio! He's only 65, and the only problem is he might be still playing under contract in Asia or Eastern Europe... ... though Julio would be an ideal reclamation project, if Brez could bring him back to the states. Be advised there will be a rehab stint, as he regains land legs running on flat ground, and stretches his arm out aiming rocks at street lamps. Should be ready to return right after the trade deadline -- by which time he'll be better than any other retiree they could deal for.

I tried to point this out, but was not as eloquent as you. Basically, if Giolito is good, he's as good as gone (unless anyone thinks Henry will pay more for him, a year later)... ... but if Giolito is bad, he won't opt out (because no one will pay him more than Boston's $19M to serve meatballs) -- but at least we'll then get to see him eat innings for two seasons.

Pivetta, at his age and as the most versatile pitcher on the staff, would be a fine addition to a good team. He has done well, at times, at starting, bulk relieving, even closing in the postseason. Pivetta should be highly valued for a team sincere about rebuilding, but he may not be worth keeping for a bad team more concerned about budgets than paying market prices for good players. However, it is hard to imagine his trade value would return anything more than a prospect in a salary dump. Unless he's part of a multi-player package, nobody is going to give up a young controllable starting pitcher or MLB-ready position player for Nick.

Six years. But what's your point? I just read Grissom chases out of the zone, but the numbers show that he made better contact at the final level on the way up than other Red Sox prospects. I'm not saying his hand-eye is as good as Devers, and he'll be hitting liners off pitches that bounce, but -- for optimistic fans trying to look beyond the bad D reports -- does that BB/K ratio look at all positive to you?

Grissom raked in Triple A (.330 BA, .921 OPS, in 468 PA), but we Worcester fans are always wary of minor mashers... ex: Dalbec hit 33 homers last year, so he must be MLB ready! Then there are these splits for batters: BB vs. Ks in AAA Dalbec 72 vs. 212 Duran 66 vs. 150 Rafaela 12 vs 48 Abreu 59 vs. 74 Casas 54 vs. 76 Grissom 56 vs. 66 If the new guy has a better eye... or makes better contact... than Wilyer or Full-Count Casas -- VG could be Very Good.

There are those in the org that still can't sleep at night since the Betts trade. They hope to someday bring Mookie back to Boston for the last few years of his career, so he can go into the Hall of Fame wearing a B on the cap of his bronze plaque, and then become a baseball ambassador at Fenway, like Pedro and Papi. I made all that up. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.

I agree with most of this post. The only issue is that Merloni is the one source I personally heard quote the supposed offer to Mookie. Merloni works for the club as occasional color man on radio or tv... but the perception is that he's not a company man. Instead, he's always giving candid opinions (kinda like Shaugnessey in the Henry-owned Globe). As an ex-MLB player, Merloni sounds more on the side of the players and coaches than the owners or front office. And as a current Sox fan, Merloni is definitely more empathetic to the fans helplessly watching and wishing their team was better. Then again, maybe he was just quoting a leak that he heard...

Red Sox fans should be happy that Breslow acquired a young hitter with star potential for second base, instead of journeymen in their 30s like Merrifield or Drury. Grissom can be part of the new core in the rebuild, and all he cost was a broken-down pitcher, whose exit closes an agonizing chapter of convalescence (at least for part of the starting rotation). Edit: just read Jax, echo-echo...

I didn't want him, either. Adding Giolito to the rotation for one good year, or one or two bad ones, stabilizes nothing -- it just puts us right back into the Bloom Era of 1-year/$10M fill-ins (only now the fair market price has nearly doubled). If he's a #4, though -- which means Brez makes a big trade for a starter, and/or signs the likes of Montgomery/Imanaga/Stroman -- then it almost makes sense. But replacing Sale with Giolito isn't much improvement. In fact, they were equal with 1.7 WAR last year, and that's after Gio threw almost twice as many innings... (his big strength, which saves the bullpen, but also offers more Bearclaw games if he's '23 ineffective).

Lots of assumptions you make using words I never posted. Do you find it unsettling at all that if Giolito is bad enough to not opt out and cash in, that he gets to return for another year in Boston -- and that the Red Sox are perfectly ok with that?

How can I not be suspicious of the Giolito signing? He used to be good, but for the past two seasons he has not been good. The only sure thing with him is durability: start 30 games, throw 175 innings. If he still leads the league in giving up bombs the next two years, at least the Red Sox will have fielded a team for paying customers to watch. That may be our worst-case scenario, but for all we know about the Committee running the front office that analyzes everything, it may be their most-confident scenario.

And the opt out means that if Gio has a good comeback season -- like the Red Sox expect -- then he'll be back in the free agent market next winter... and Boston will only have to pay half of his current contract. Hmmmm...