5GoldGlovesOF,75

Looking at that list, the one guy (besides Bogey) I was all in for was Mitch Haniger. He would have surely supplied the right-handed power subtracted from the line-up with the loss of JD Martinez... ... at least I got the math operation right -- Haniger was only minus-3 WAR.

Nobody could get close to Spot, who lived under the staircase on 1313 Mockingbird Lane. ... maybe Eddie (mold glove winner)

Are Bogey's numbers hypothetical? Bloom and his cohorts gave Story $141M for 6 years... or $23.5M per. Then they offered X a $30M extension, which would've brought his opt-IN contract to 4 years for $90M... or $22.5M per. Not only were they insulting Bogey, they were blatantly telling him: we value the new guy more than you. Bloom's not stupid -- he studied Homer (not Whiffer)... bottom line: the Red Flops wanted Xander to refuse, opt out, and leave. Or they arrogantly thought he'd stay at their price, since he was never shy about professing his love for Boston -- just like Jon Lester. So they never even tried to negotiate, until they ultimately offered Bogey a last-minute deal equivalent to Story's (according to Alex Speier). Since WAR is an overall evaluator, comparisons seem fair, but even with similar values, they were and are different player types. But only one had proven he could excel in Boston, the AL East, and win two World Series rings.

Red Sox dWAR in the Wild Card Era (1995-2023) According to bb-ref, most of you probably guessed the best Boston fielder the past quarter century was a shortstop. Yup, John Valentin: 3.0 dWAR in 1995. Next in line was Betts in '16 and '17 at 2.7 and 2.6... followed by Nomar in '02, 2.5, then Beltre and Pedroia, tied at 2.4 in '10/11. The best '23 Red Sox defender, and top catcher in dWAR the past 28 years, is Wong, listed at #20 with 1.9 dWAR. Mookie and Pedey were in the Sox' top 33 five times each; Jackie Bradley made it three times. Bogaerts is listed #36 for his 1.4 dWAR in '22 -- the same season Story landed at #60 for his 1.0 dWAR at second base.

Lucky for Kinder the Exit Dropocity only registered a mercury level of 0.15. But what was his Fins Above Replacement Minnow?

And Maury Wills was on TV shows that were only on one of three channels -- that everybody watched every night... back when people of all ages watched TV shows.

Holy crap - I meant all NL SSs. And Bogey only hit 19 HRs and 58 RBIs, what a bust. Lucky the Sox chose another guy who has batted .227 with a .287 on base and .398 slugging the past two years instead.

Not arguing with the mighty metrics, but big league baseball can certainly use more batters who don't always swing from the heels, and instead shorten up and put the damn ball in play. Arraez led the majors with 160 singles and a .354 batting average -- and what batting order couldn't use that consistency. Bogey led all shortstops with 118 one-base hits. In 2017 I sat a few rows from home plate at a Fenway game when Bogaerts got up with the winning run on third. He literally choked up and punched the pitch into right field with just his arms for the walk-off. Nobody booed.

No one said anything about quality. Bogaerts makes better contact -- as in more contact is better -- because he strikes out 10% less than Story... over their entire careers.

I automatically mute all betting features in pregames. Nothing against the hosts all dressed up in expensive clothes hoping you'll give them more money; this is the life they've chosen... ... but the old-timers in the booth pretending gambling is good are all sell-outs. It reeks of kick-backs from other companies that value profits over the well-being of the populace.

... 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?