5GoldGlovesOF,75

There were zealots who thought that rotation was so deep and loaded -- with Cy Young arms like it was still 2017. There were others who knew from Day One that plan was a backfire waiting to happen -- just like when the actually better aging, injury-prone rotation from '22 inevitably broke down.

That's not what I said. I said a Hendricks-type will be another 1/$10M. Your numbers on Monty look about right. Dombro did ok with Walker, who's 15-5 -- that's a pretty good #3 for a legit World Series contender.

The TV show Naked and Afraid may not sum up Bloom at every trade deadline, but his favorite method of in-season player acquisition is too familiar with contestants rooting through tree bark and flipping over rocks to find edible grubs and slugs. In Red Sox Nation, ingesting the dubious has resulted in distressing gastro issues that could cause too many fans to tap out. And now ownership has no idea if they finally let Bloom stumble out of the rain forest and into a Waffle House, if he'll overstuff himself with too much rich food and have to have his stomach pumped.

With Julio Urias now Pariah Heep, the upcoming free agent pitching class for teams actually going for it comes down to overpay in the Yamamoto bidding war or risky consolations: inconsistent Snell, aging Gray, or closer-to-mediocre Nola and Giolito. Those are purportedly the best starters available. We know none of those guys will "make sense" for this current front office, because -- if they're ever honest with fans -- the Red Sox can't possibly solve all their defensive issues in one off-season to become a legitimate contender. Better be prepared for the signing of a secondary starter like Montgomery, and maybe a Kyle Hendricks as another one-year/$10 mil special. And as for the offense bludgeoning its way to contention -- hey, we're tied for third in OPS, and fifth in runs scored -- can anyone provide team stats that rank offensive proficiency (or ineptitude)... like BA or even making contact with a baserunner on third and less than two outs? 0-for-19 with 10 Ks with runners in scoring position doesn't mean our hitters actually suck -- they are non-existent.

Remember when Dombro was fired and ownership spin was that he couldn't be trusted as the guy to restructure the franchise by cutting payroll and restocking the farm? Now, is Bloom really the guy they'll trust to reinvigorate the club by finally spending big on free agent starting pitching, while also finally trading off some of the farm?

He had a good opening... and now, he - he's bulking up!

That's awesome: a serviceable left fielder who in his four Boston prime years ('96-99) averaged 20 HR, 87 RBI and .803 OPS -- and they valued him enough to keep him around.

Maybe not, but he did assemble a partial core of '04: signed Wakefield, Manny, Damon; traded for Pedro, Varitek and Lowe. All good moves for players who were Red Sox stars. Bloom hasn't even picked up anyone off waivers as good as Troy O'Leary, who had 7.8 WAR for Boston.

All along it's just been stainability. Bloom was so nervous in his first presser, he stuttered on the word.

Well, me... especially if you're sitting behind home plate. But I get better looking with every beer (until I can't see straight anymore -- which doesn't mean I'm drunk, because I'll either get full or fall asleep first, but it's probably just a night game).

He didn't snap his neck, just put him on the IL with tendonitis!

Ya, no more hoping and wishing and praying. Bello-Yamamoto-Montgomery... and probably Crawford. The rest are either in the bullpen or suspended animation. The fifth starter will be some minor leaguer currently honing his craft in another organization, but soon to join Boston when whoever is in charge actually trades other prospects for him.

The forum just knew it could count on a few posters to literally JUMP at the slightest turn of a phrase in any post, just to defend the worst man in charge of the Boston Red Sox in this century.

The lead role in one of those after-school special, made-for-TV movies about a gangly teen's awkward attempts at gaining popularity with both staff and student body(ies)... ... carrying and showing off binders of his collections to lunch ladies in the cafe: "and here's my binder of career utility players... well, Marwin didn't work out, but Kike almost won the pennant; let's put him at short; and this book has pages of relief pitchers I got off waiver wires, DFAed by other clubs -- there's a good one in every center pocket: Whitlock, Schreiber, Bernardino... just ignore all the Bear Claws surrounding them on each page." Will he ever get a seat at the cool kids' table?

Still a lot of drama in this series: Managers hoping to stay out of last place and save their jobs; GMs hoping to get the higher draft picks and save their jobs.

Six frat brothers horsing around the shortstop position, pushing and shoving each other into the outfield grass. Two of them start wrestling, someone gets caught in a headlock... now there's only five.

Kluber won two, and took the Bloom minimum!

Let's not just limit it to JD. He's one of four former Sox sluggers -- along with Betts, Bogaerts and Schwarber -- that Bloom has let leave on his watch. That quartet has combined for 126 home runs so far this season. Four players with the most HRs that Bloom has replaced them with -- Verdugo, Turner, Duvall, Yoshida -- have combined for 70 HRs.

I bet a lot of fans forget that JD started in RF the last game of the 2018 World Series in LA (Mookie started in CF); there was still no DH in NL parks. Sure enough, someone hit a fly ball over his head and he was like, "Whooooops"... I wasn't amused, since the game was only for the championship of the world. JD's production wasn't the issue most fans had with him in Boston; it was the strikeouts. On a two-strike count to JD, every Sox fan in the Nation knew what pitch was coming (no one even have to say that it was never a strike). Even when he was great and batting .330, JD whiffed more than anyone on the team, more than even Bradley, more than Papi ever did. Most Red Sox Ks in the JD Martinez Era: 2018-2022... JD Martinez. On top of that, he never opted out. His contract allowed him to sign and play elsewhere, but he kept coming back (be honest: who here secretly hoped JD would opt out after Dombrowski said, "We can't keep them all" -- so we could keep Mookie... or so we could keep Schwarber... come on, who cried when Old Yeller died?)

It's gotta be pitchers around the league just aren't afraid to throw strikes to him anymore, like when he was starting in the MLB as the leading RBI man for the WBC team that won the whole world!

I'd like for the Sox to do what the Blue Jays did: continually acquire good starting pitchers. Toronto's entire top four in this year's rotation were added from other clubs: Bassitt, Berrios, Gausman, Kikuchi. None may win a Cy Young, but all have at least 28 games started with ERAs under 4.00... and the first three are paid between $22 to $25 million per. The Blue Jays aren't a perfect team, and their quality position players aren't much better than Boston's, but Toronto's pitching staff has the best team ERA in the league, and is headed to the postseason.

Not mathematically, but when historians look back on 2023, they'll point to the trade deadline when the Sox were pretty much scientifically, social studiously, and physical educationally eliminated.

Verdugo is done. Job must be boring him, shaking his head all game. Just took an 0-2 fastball right down the middle...

Among NL shortstops, Bogaerts is third in WAR, behind Lindor and Swanson. Forget about his SD contract; if the Sox had just signed him for what they paid Story -- instead of Story, but at the same time... which most folks agree Xander would've taken at the time -- things might be a bit more positive around here these days.

Last night was the 46th Red Sox start this year of four innings or fewer, one shy of the 2019 team record. Fans are confident the rotation will shatter that mark by the end of the month. So for next year, shorten it to 6 with a combination with openers and bulk guys, including a few of your core seven bullpeners? I still have no faith in Bloom whatsoever to acquire enough talent to provide enough quality openings. A contrast of two organizations came in the middle innings of the Boston's 23-hit loss, when Baltimore brought in reliever and winning pitcher Shintaro Fujinami -- throwing 100 mph -- and Boston gave the ball to Zach Weiss (who they let wear the Bear Claw beard disguise, so fans wouldn't recognize him when he left Fenway). The O's got Fujinami from Oakland in a July swap for a Triple A reliever -- the Birds actually gave up a "prospect" -- that was a 14th-round draft pick who will turn 27 this month. Bloom swiped Weiss off waivers from the Angels, who've had pitching troubles since they let Nolan Ryan leave in free agency in 1979...