5GoldGlovesOF,75

First, good job on the easy pass post. Toll booths in New England are going the way of rotary phones (and my stupid cell phone, I wish, which calls or facetimes random people whenever I pick it up). Second, even banged up, Trout is still an all-time talent. He hit 40 home runs in 438 at bats two years ago. To think he couldn't do that again playing half his games in friendly Fenway is illogical. Third, we all know the Red Sox need star power and right-handedly so -- who else is even remotely available, and at what position? Fourth, if Brez can improve the club and generate excitement by acquiring a Hall of Famer for a prospect who may never even make an All-Star team, the forum can finally stop the daily posts about which one-tool holdovers from the last-place losers will platoon with each other in the outfield. I'd prefer using prospect capital to trade for a Burnes or Glasnow, and sign a guy like Gurriel to shore up the outfield. But I got shot down on that idea here, as well. The only OF suggestion I've seen posted from someone else is to deal for Brian Reynolds, who Pitt recently signed to a longterm contract through his age 36 season. BTW: Reynolds' Most Similar batter on BB-Ref is Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Trout's is Ralph Kiner (whose bronze plaque hangs in Cooperstown)... but Mike is slipping; in his 20s, his most similar batters were Mantle and Frank Robinson -- but in his 30s he's only Duke Snider...

In his first interview as new Angels' skipper today, Ron Washington said they'd do whatever it takes to go forward. So... which Red Sox players would you trade for Mike Trout? BTV says his value is a whopping minus-83... the only trade with Boston the site approved is Story (-80) and Yoshida (-.6) for the big freshwater fish. BTW: if the Halos want a realistic return, I'd prefer to keep Anthony over Mayer. That Instagram BP session at the Hollidays sold me that Roman Candles could be launching in the vicinity of the Mass Pike and Charles River for the next decade.

Yo Yama hype includes the rarity of a top starter entering free agency in his mid-20s. The following were all 25-26 when they joined the majors; ...hopefully, the charts provide a reasonable range of expected performance: bWAR, MLB careers 31... Darvish 20.9 Nomo 17.3 Tanaka 9.4 Matsuzaka W-L, ERA Nomo 123-109, 4.24 Darvish 103-85, 3.59 Tanaka 78-46, 3.74 DiceK 56-43, 4.45 GS, IP (162-gm avg) Nomo 34, 210 Darvish 34, 208 Tanaka 34, 207 DiceK 31, 185 That consistency of that last grouping is reassuring. Training and throwing (US programs would say overthrowing) in Japan has conditioned these guys for durability before they come over. Note: Roki Sasaki -- three years younger than Yo Yama -- will be coming soon...

In some ways, this entire list looks as depressing as the roster of an expansion team. Think Seattle Pilots, circa 1969. Jim Bouton's infamous Ball Four was mostly written about his time on that club. It was a comedy.

Pounce, Brez! I already lit my woodstove this week.

... or two -- perhaps saplings from the acreage of Cubs and Giants (former org of Brez' best bud and impending pitching coach A. Bailey)?

Massarotti was an actual professional big league announcer, a Red Sox analyst, paid by New England Sports Network... and he thinks Chicago would even consider a 1-for-1 deal swapping a 5 WAR centerfielder who hit 38 bombs for a minor leaguer? BTW, here's how much he knows about Mayer -- Mazz said he sucked once he got to Double A (you know, where the kid tried to play with a bum shoulder that ultimately caused him to be shut down in the second half).

Brave trade talk on Felger and Mazz. Latter says trading Mayer for available big league talent makes sense. Felger, who admits he's clueless about baseball, wants Boston to keep its top three prospects. Somehow, the dispute revolved around whether it was worth swapping Mayer to the White Sox for Cease AND Robert (even though Chicago just said the CF is off limits). What, these guys don't consult BTV? Both also called him Marcelo MEYER, instead of the Mayor.

Yes, and I've already said the Sox should immediately repeat the ol Yoshida-overpay and lock up Imanaga... and then get the two former/future teammates to tag team affections to Yamamoto for a World (BC) champion reunion.

Brez is obviously waiting for the day after Thanksgiving, when volunteer firehouses open their annual Dependable Innings Eating Reliable Starters Tree sales.

Glasnow's one of the top five starters in the division. Wink is a reliever. Wikelman's an unopened wax pack.

Let's face it about Soto: it's almost worth it for Breslow to do what it takes to trade for and extend him -- just to keep him out of pinstripes. Soto is a perfect fit for the short porch in the Bronx, and to complement Judge. Soto will make an even bigger impact in NY than if Cashman signs another pitcher, even Yamamoto.

And the Green Monster would have another artifact named for a batter: (from scoreboard to screen) the Joe D. Ladder.

It's why drunk GMs of the Red Sox and Yankees once wanted to trade Williams for DiMaggio. Someone sobered up, but it didn't keep either player from making the Hall of Fame...

Mook ~ Moukilis (not on the diamond, but both are now TV personalities)

If it's not, that's only because the roster is too full of batters they need to keep who look good on t-shirts and baseball cards. But let's not ever think our latest Yale grad and former groundball reliever won't continually seek to transition his club to something less than the killer clowns on D who killed the TV summer for thousands of Sox fans holding remotes, while at the same time keeping opponents in more stitches than on an official MLB Rawlings... ... then again, if we go full throttle on pitching and defense, fans will be treated to a lot of two-hour 1-0 games decided by bunting ghost runners around the diamond.

His grandfather was the Joker! He's another Mike Yaz...

Verdugo is most likely to be in another uni. Yoshida may be the hardest to move because of his contract, but will also be a guy fans are glad was kept around as he continues to adjust and improve. Duran will again have bursts of stardom like last season, because speed doesn't slump... but not as a fulltime centerfielder (he's just as much a part-time DH candidate as Masa). LF/DH: Yoshida/Duran CF: Rafaela RF: new acquisition/righty bat 5th OF: Refsnyder

Two or three of them may be infusing another club after a blockbuster for MLB talent. Storylines to look forward to in '24 will be the development of Teel as a cornerstone to build around, and the comeback of Miguel Bleis.

... flosses without slicing finger, releases emergency brake without snapping UCL, and empties dishwasher without incurring concussion from bumping head on open cabinet door. (latter is always a good trick)

Re-read my hints! The forgotten 5-tool Red Sox prospect! And I didn't say he'd play in the majors next year, but will explode nationally in the minors -- and have posters and placards a-clamoring...

We're just sucky right now. And I look pretty crappy sometime. You better you bet. Need new guys. Voices of the next. Future nostalgia: which No-Flaw McGraw Red Sox superstar in the late-20s was affectionately known as Five-Tool Miggy or Fireplace Bleis (for his warm smile and incendiary skills)? You heard it here last: an overlooked prospect will take the baseball world by storm at such a rate in '24, that the new CBO will be compelled to trade other prospects at the deadline for talent that will catapult Boston back into the postseason.

And most of you are ignoring that besides starting pitching, the one position Breslow has revealed his thoughts on so far to the public is DH, where he'd rather not have a full-timer, but instead use as a revolving door to give regulars a rest from playing defense. That should actually make some posters happy, at least those who complain about Cora giving scheduled days off to certain batters, just when they seem to get hot...

2023 Second Basemen by bWAR Semien 7.4, Kim 5.8, Gimenez 5.3, Hoerner 5.1, Marte 4.9, Arraez 4.9, Albies 4.7, Stott 4.3, GLEYBAR 2.9, Altuve 2.8, DUBON 2.7 (overall value, including 79 games at 2B), ZACK GELOF 2.6, Julien 2.6, GORMAN 2.4 (75 G @ 2B), CABALLERO 2.4, McNeil 2.4, ESTRADA 2.3, Lowe 2.1, IBANEZ 2.0 (77 G @ 2B), POLANCO 2.0, DRURY 1.9, RENGIFO 1.9, Schneider 1.8, NICKY LOPEZ 1.8 (49 G @ 2B), Frazier 1.7, TURANG 1.6, INDIA 1.4, Westburg 1.2 BTV: Gelof 20.5, Gorman 38, Caballero 8.8, Estrada 21.8, Ibanez 4.3, Lopez 5.1, India 7.7... ... have at it.

Man, the whole baseball world really needs Ohtani to sign soon. Then the amateur speculators can resume speculating about speculations, instead of biding our time bickering about how professional speculators speculate... ... and then the Red Sox can acquire some new players, so we don't have to keep pretending to rearrange the existing roster of last place losers.