5GoldGlovesOF,75

... or Vampire Dust, like Bello turned into when pitching in the daylight.

OPS is one metric. Bogaerts makes better contact, period -- a .291 career batting average for a shortstop is excellent. Story hasn't even approached his career .265 average in Boston. Xander's career K-rate of 18.1% is also superior to Trevor's 28.2%.

I'm not going to re-read old threads, but let's not pretend posters didn't question the Story signing nor surmise Bogey would've stayed for a similar deal... at the time. With all the big-name middle infielders hitting free agency at once, Xander and his agents knew he had equivalent numbers and deserved a market-correction salary if he opted out. But he certainly talked like he was open to extend if the Boston brass just gave him a little respect. To their ignominy, it was the opposite.

Of course not. While not "phenomenal" like NESN constantly insisted on air the last two months, he's a good big league infielder who can run. We'll see how the new regime views Story's future. Right now, unfortunately, he represents the second-biggest failure of the Bloom Era: the replacement for a longtime fan favorite who loved Boston, who was recruited prematurely and paid what Bogaerts most likely would've signed for (who was instead insulted with a lowball, one-year offer). Some posters who dig budget threads can gloat over the bloat of Xander's SD contract. Most of us sense the Sox would've been a lot closer to the playoffs with the shortstop all year who led the NL in OPS+... Meanwhile, Story's struggles to stay on the field and produce in the batter's box only leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Red Sox fans -- -- desperate for reform from the radical change in their team's direction the past four years.

I agree -- with the juxtaposition of "has" and "been"... Story was once a star, in the National League in a city that isn't Boston. He's not even close now. His OPS in 43 games this year was .566... the two worst qualifying batters in baseball were Tim Anderson at .582 and Javier Baez at .593. They're not stars anymore, either. Story's flaw is pointing the barrel of his bat at the ground behind his back, from where he can't whip it into position through the strike zone in time to make consistent contact with big league pitching. His deficient tool is a bum elbow, which has kept him from full-time status in each of his two Red Sox seasons, and maybe even contributes to his flaw.

Thanks; that's what I meant -- that maybe Breslow had a few more Cubs' prospects targeted to develop into the next Steele (and that maybe now, he'll try to steal...)

Bloom wore a tuxedo and still couldn't close the deal!

I tried calling Chaim, but he can't come to the phone right now...

Nothing is black and white.

I wouldn't take Houck for Crawford -- mainly because Crawford looks more reliable as a starting pitcher right now. Looking at Steele, and wondering if any deals with the Cubs may happen soon, because of Breslow's knowledge of Chicago's needs, surplus, and potential sleeper projects...

What you say about Alcantara also applies to Ohtani as a pitcher. A few media types have advocated for Breslow to recruit the latter (basically to make their jobs more interesting; we all know left-handed hitting isn't remotely a priority). But... he's Ohtani! Sure, and a lot of folks might prefer driving a red Mustang convertible to work every day... but they'll still have to sit in traffic jams during rush hour.

Gray looked really good in his relief stint in Game 1. Craig and I would like to see him get a start before the Series is over, for more evaluation...

I've made fun of Sale the past few years for the absurd chain of events that has derailed his career. But I've also said I've never seen a more dominant pitcher in my life in person than Sale in '18 (and that includes all the Sox greats in their primes: Tiant, Clemens, Martinez). When Sale returned from another IL stint on August 12, 2018, in Baltimore, he was literally unhittable. Sitting behind home plate, fans could see what helpless batters did: an extended release point that was closer to the 45-foot mound distance in Little League than the 60-foot "big" diamond -- and then a complete blur... 100 mph fastballs and 90 mph sliders, both that moved down and to the left that it made it nigh-impossible to even make contact. In five shutout innings, Chris Sale gave up one hit, one fly ball, and two grounders. He struck out all the other batters, 12 total. When Sale was on like that, the best chance a hitter had was to stick his bat out in time and hope a pitch hit the sweet spot. Unfortunately, the strain of all those deliveries took its toll on Sale's body, which has just never been the same. He only had two great seasons for Boston -- as unbelievable as it may be now, Sale led the majors in innings pitched in 2017 -- but never forget the impact a lights-out ace can have on a franchise. One guy's dominance can breed the confidence of a winning culture that can last even beyond his brilliance. An enduring image of '18 is the standing ovation teammates gave him when Sale stormed out of the bullpen to pitch the last inning of the World Series...

Moon, kudos for this breakdown. A lot of research, much appreciated, showing virtually any contending Red Sox team the past half-century plus had at least two solid starting pitchers. I'd add that a bonafide 1-2 punch in pennant stretch-runs can also evolve, and supersede season totals for games started. For example, the '67 Impossible Dream team's #2 man became Jose Santiago, who went unbeaten in his last six decisions and wound up leading the majors with a .750 winning percentage. Santiago was good enough to start World Series Games 1 and 4 vs. Bob Gibson, then made the All-Star team the next season before elbow injuries basically ended his career. The other instance was obviously 1972, when Tiant's comeback not only made him Boston's main man, but also the majors ERA king. His last days in a Sox uniform were at the end of '78, when any fan who lived through it would still pick Looie and Eck as their 1-2 starters... We also know Eovaldi and Price evolved into the top two guys in Cora's multi-role staff plan in the '18 postseason, as both starters and relievers. Remember, Price carried the stigma as a playoff failure, and had been surpassed as staff ace, first by Porcello (in his Cy season), then by Sale. But Price found a new pitch/delivery in a Houston bullpen, warming up late in a close ALCS game... then won two World Series starts vs. LA. But what a mound mess in '05, after the Sox let Pedro and Lowe go. They won 95 because their offense scored 5.62 runs per game, but good pitching wiped out crapshooting in the postseason. That October the White Sox went 11-1 with a rock solid starting four. Intuitive Red Sox fans sensed it was already over when Game 1 starter Matt Clement hit his first batter (by the end, it was confirmed: Chicago 14, Boston 2).

Ace quality starters don't have to be future Hall of Famers. But any good team needs a healthy #1 and #2 to maximize a long run in the postseason. There are extremes, like the '15 Royals -- or the '70 Orioles, but this isn't rocket science or Classic science at Yale. Gallen started the All-Star Game this summer, got Cy Young votes twice in the past, and will again this year. That's good enough for me... just like when Eovaldi was an All-Star and got Cy votes as top man on the '21 Red Sox (or '23 Rangers). And yet, no one has answered the question from today's first post at sunrise: if the Red Sox somehow made this postseason, who the hell was going to start Game 1 and Game 2 in the Wild Card, LDS, ALCS and World Series?

For those watching the postseason or just about any postseason, it's obvious that teams that go deep into October have at least a one-two punch at the top of the rotation. Two starting pitchers of near-ace quality, taking the ball around twice each in every series, isn't rare for good teams. Stat people somehow comparing staffs of the NL champs to the last-place Red Sox should stop right at the top: in Gallen and Kelly, Arizona boasts two men who made at least 30 starts and 177 IP. Boston had zero. The D-back duo has made an additional nine starts in the postseason so far... Which two current Red Sox pitchers would be Game 1 and Game 2 starters in any playoff series? The only guys not hurt all the time are Bello and Pivetta... but, you know, young Bello's workload... and Pivetta is better as a bulkster, after an opener. So for now, the greatest last-place club in the history of an overrated division will start Kutter Crawford and Brennan Bernardino. Ya, we're just two pitchers away...

Lucky or smart? In the Rule V draft, did someone in the front office really think Whitlock, required to be carried on the 26 all year, would pitch like a first-half All-Star set-up man? Did they think Kike would power up into an early version of postseason Adolis (without the nauseating pimping on his HRs)? We certainly don't think Cora knew Kike would become a star centerfielder, based on AC's comments that Hernandez was the best second baseman in the NL...

When pulling ivy roots, Craig advises to always wear work gloves -- with no Velcro. Chris just warns, "Leaves of three, let it be."

What are baseball-reference's W-L over-under on Breslow's BRI ("brilliance, integrity, and relentlessness")? 90/78... 90 = Boy Wonder, 78 = Yale kinda sucks... Btw: 84 = the harmonic mean of a team that can skimp and save and still make the World Series; JH: "If you can only build a roster that wins one more game per month than we did in each of the past two years, we can have 84 wins, like Arizona did this season..." Craig, swiping right-handed at family cat that tip-toed across his keyboard during the Zoom call: "It's cool; he's curious..."

Right -- his teams are now only 10-1 in his postseason starts.

My bad -- with the extension, LA actually traded for 13 years of Mookie. He'll be playing into the 2030s. Don't know if I'll still be around by then, but as long as I am, this fan will never forgive the Red Sox.

Ok, time to go forward. Breslow wasn't hired to take this team backwards. MLB.com predicted landing zones for the top 25 free agents. They have Yamamoto going to Boston. If he does, then we'll know for sure ownership isn't just putting a new face on an old and tired fiasco.

Point One: technically. Bloom's starting LF on Opening Day 2021 was Marwin Gonzalez. Renfroe was the RF. Dugie, the RF in '20, was in CF. So maybe Renfroe replaced JBJ (the irony). Kike started at 2B... but once he took over CF, Verdugo moved to LF. Point Two: sign me up.

I take the whole Bloom Era personally. The moves and non-moves he made -- even if at the behest of superiors -- led to the Red Sox finishing behind every division rival in three of four years. Now there is not one single ballplayer in Boston's entire system I would refuse to include in a trade, if it made the big league club appreciably better. I welcome major upheavals on the roster by the new CBO, asap.

The Yankees I knew all my life would never trade for a superstar in his prime and not sign him. If Soto goes to the Bronx, it would be like the Dodgers dealing three prospects for 12 years of Mookie.