5GoldGlovesOF,75

Cora and Brez may like Masa in leftfield, but we all know the reason the owners won't let them play him there: they don't want to keep paying for new bulbs on the Fenway scoreboard. Lightwads.

If he's hitting homers with an .800 OPS again, I'd put Casas 3rd in the batting order... after Roman-Durbin and ahead of Contreras

John Heyman on the Sox' O: "I feel like the bottom third of the lineup is gonna be a challenge, and you're in a really tough division when you got Toronto, the Yankees and the Orioles, all of whom have way better offenses than you do." Positive Poster: "They haven't faced our two starting rotations or our bullpen led by Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Tyler Samaniego!" Way better? Rut-roh...

Judge really ripped that "single" the Stadium scorers awarded him that Duran dropped..

They were thinking they were glad my cousin Al wasn't around. According to no human on the internet, Ted was a standout pitcher in high school who won 16 of 19 games as a senior, including a 21-K game. "He was considered a better pitcher than hitter in high school..." said my monitor screen. I think I also heard he had a moderate to severe case of poison ivy, which led to the chant, "We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher." After that, Ted hated all pitchers forever.

The question we already know the answer to: the Sox are still missing a consistent longball threat in the heart of the order, but is there really any body out there worth trading Duran for, and losing his unique offensive skills? Both Duran's extra base speed and another guy's all-or-nothing power can contribute to a balanced offensive attack. Swapping one for the other doesn't upgrade what Boston chose to ignore this winter.

The only thing that changed after high school is when college started using the DH, many schools banned pitchers from batting to "protect" them. But pitchers were always the best players. When it wasn't their day to pitch, most played shortstop and hit clean-up. When Bloom drafted a thousand shortstops because they could be moved anywhere on the diamond, 995 of them were already pitchers. The other five had arms so strong, they were moved to the mound.

P: improved, because Gray and Suarez are known to be pretty good off the mound. It's always been mystifying to me over the years how consistently bad Red Sox pitchers have been throwing to any base. Anybody who's ever played baseball at any level -- especially Little League -- is used to seeing the best players on the team standing right where we want them, on the hill smack dab in the middle of the diamond. Why is it different at Fenway Park?

Not sure how the defense will shake up, but expect a lot of playing time for a dozen guys. The only thing that seems likely is that at least one pitcher -- probably a starter -- will need Tommy John and miss the rest of the season and next year. Only in Boston, that loss won't require any transaction except to maybe activate someone else or promote a major league-ready arm to join the rotation and become the next stalwart.

My mom likes his name because she's always kept an afghan folded over the top of the couch. Then again, isn't that why Old Red calls him Cro Magnum Man?

I'd hesitate to use it for a batter because it seems more apt for a pitcher hurling a projectile. I'd also hesitate to use it because I'd rather grind down on my syllables than end them with a "Shea" sound (nothing against the French, but everything against the Mets).

Poleaxe Oxford def: verb hit, kill, or knock down with or as if with a poleaxe.

-- acknowledged, but like I posted, he wasn't a need for that roster at the deadline... ... not like quality bullpen help. As much as the Astro pitchers shut down Boston at the end of '21, the main reason the Sox didn't advance was their closer -- who was no one (and why Pivetta and Eovaldi had to come out of the bullpen and burned out). Someone posted that offense would've needed more homers to win -- sure, why not: in 11 postseason games the '21 Red Sox only poleaxed 22 HRs, when Enrique Hernandez was Big Kike.

I mentioned Dalbec because he hit 25 home runs -- the same amount that Story led the team with last year -- and because Dalbec was 4th on a team that then went and added Schwarber. ps. and if fans recall, the reason Boston almost went to the World Series in '21 is because the offense went berserk in the postseason... until it suddenly went cold with two wins to go.

In 2020, no one wanted to knock over the cardboard fans in the stands. Now look at 2019. The Red Sox hit 245 home runs and were only 10th in the majors. Two clubs hit over 300 HRs. Eight Red Sox hit 18 or more homers, including Vasquez with 23 and Bradley with 21. Mookie was 4th on the club with 29. (I'm not saying the players were juiced in '19, but then the baseballs definitely were). One 2026 site predicts three Red Sox to hit 18 HRs and lead the team this year.

It's hard to look back on that 2021 team five years ago and see an offense that already had three legitimate All-Star Silver Sluggers -- Devers, Bogaerts and JD -- plus Renfroe 31 HRs, Dalbec 25 HRs and Verdugo 20 HRs (all borderline .800 OPS guys)... and then they added Kyle Schwarber. Looking at this year's powerhouse, maybe it's more understandable why adding Schwarber now wouldn't make that much difference...

This decade -- the 2020s. I think you know how I felt about Dave Dombrowski compared to Boston CBOs this decade. Dombro publicly acknowledged needs for the Red Sox, then went out and got guys to fill them. Some were great and some flopped, but at least fans knew they could trust him.

Werner said yesterday, "We actually have the powder to execute some more moves during the season." Coming from a rich and powerful man, those should be ominous words to both rivals and subordinates. What's in the powder that makes it so lethal it can be used for executions? Has to be stronger than baking soda...

The key to the season is going to be Tyler Samaniego. He's the lefty throw-in from the Password trade: 6'4 but who comes from a low slot -- the different-look southpaw this pitching staff needs in the bullpen. Sure, he's had elbow issues and hasn't made it to Triple A yet, but just wait until they teach him to aim sweepers into the dirt of the righty batter's box.

The only reason that might be dubious is because this entire decade, the Red Sox NEVER upgrade needs at the trade deadline. It happens every summer: the media gossips about all the names on all the teams out of contention, and all the players on expiring contracts -- or guys those poor clubs are desperate to dump -- and then Sox fans get their hopes up... and even entertain the possibilities by mulling all the BTV trade proposals on talksox. Then in the last seconds before the deadline, a CBO from Yale lands a past-his-prime middle reliever that nobody else wanted. And before you can say Kyle Schwarber, remember he was one position player who really couldn't play any positions -- or even hit at the time because of an injury -- that Bloom added with nothing to lose to an offense that already had a good DH... (though not one like Schwarbs who'd average 47 home runs every year since being allowed to sign elsewhere, a pace that will easily put him over 500 career HRs by the time he's 36).

Or even a good manager. Well, he just has to be good enough to let Papi hit and Koji close.

Or -- since most can't reach the fences very often anyway -- just cut down on those swings and stop pulling your heads so you can see the bat actually touch the ball.

"Working" a starter to drive up his pitch count for an earlier exit is not so ideal nowadays. There are just too many fresh arms pushing 100 mph coming out of bullpens to make for pleasurable at bats. The Billy Beane days of On Base won't disappear, but the best approach is to go up there looking to pulverize a tired starter leaking pitches into happy zones. A walk just isn't as good as a hit that advances a runner more than one base.

"It should be a privilege every day to put on a Red Sox jersey which I have never worn in my life. This year's City Connect shirts are going to be see-through, to honor our transparent front office."

Looking forward to the WBC to see Red Sox in early action vs. opponents trying to win. Our four outfielders (five counting Yoshida) will all be playing for separate teams, so they can contribute without trying to beat each other out for PT. Really glad Anthony chosen for the USA experience, reunited with Bregman and the influence of other mentor types like Judge, Harper, Schwarber etc -- plus, hitting coach Matt Holliday, a guy Roman has already taken offseason BP with (along with his sons). Instead of the pressure of being The Guy in Fort Myers, Anthony can just be himself among a roster full of guys reminding him to do just that. Same holds true for Abreu on Venezuela, who'll be able to bond with new teammate and veteran Contreras, as well as hitting coach Miggie Cabrera... and Rafaela on the Netherlands, who'll play with Bogaerts for Manager/Ceddanne idol Andruw Jones... and even Duran for Mexico, who'll play with Rowdy Tellez, a dude actually bigger than him. Yoshida will also get the opportunity to school Ohtani on not whiffing and just making contact. Mainly, Yoshida -- the last WBC's RBI leader -- will actually get to play!