5GoldGlovesOF,75

It's too bad no one in the front office could read the schedule before then and realize how important it would be to add a MAJOR LEAGUE reliever to the bullpen.

You don't think the players on the field are just a little irked, as well, that their CBO abandoned ship in July? They're professionals, so maybe winning isn't life and death, but any business or company can go down the tubes if the owners let it go to hell and crush morale.

When criminals in this world appear, And break the laws that they should fear, And frighten all who see or hear, The cry goes up both far and near for Underdog, Underdog, Underdog, Underdog.

You mean a big fly -- but watch what you call our pitching staff...

But... we're the Underdogs! It just didn't make sense to Bloom or Kennedy to trade ANY prospects for a legitimate bullpen piece that only measly fans and Jansen and Devers asked for before the deadline. Don't worry, by tomorrow, some poster will complain how Alex Cora just can't seem to manage to squeeze blood out of stone.

One guy isn't a system. Bello improved recently: in '21 he dominated A ball -- 5-0, ERA 2.27, WHIP 1.01; in '22 he dominated AA -- 4-2, 1.69, 0.80, and then AAA -- 6-2, 2.76, 1.19. Tomorrow, the world...

Regarding prospects, and dealing some before they become big league regulars or busts -- no one wants to give up a Bagwell (Gammons, driving when he found out, pulled over to the side of the road and broke down in tears) -- but the purpose of a deep farm is to constantly replenish the parent club, via promotion or trade capital, and save the owners from themselves from overpaying for free agent busts. Nowadays, entire departments track and analyze every aspect of a players' development and project potential. However, there's still no stat that measures heart or determination that can predict Dustin Pedroia becomes a borderline Hall of Famer. In six years in the minors, Pedroia had 21 homers; then he hit 21 in one season in the bigs. Ceddanne Rafaela already has 20 this year. But will he even be a better major leaguer than Jarren Duran, who had a slightly better slash line in his five years in the minors? By some assessments, Blake Swihart's ceiling was Buster Posey...then he wrecked his ankle playing LF. Oakland's Billy Beane made Scott Hatteberg famous by moving him to first base -- where he averaged 1.4 WAR in four years. Nothing ventured, nothing gained... Boston's pitching staff isn't going to improve on its own (unless Braiser returns to teach everybody his new grip). Some fans are convinced Henry will resume paying for legitimate starting pitchers in their primes. No one is convinced Chaim Bloom will trade prospects. Something -- or someone -- has to give.

Anyone compelled to say we have to move on from Mookie really hasn't. But let's try: flashforward, some years from now (when posters are no longer feigning excitement about platoons of Duran/Refsnyder and Wong/McGuire) -- Teel at C, an OF of Anthony-Rafaela-Bleis, 1B Casas-3B Devers-SS Mayer, and which ever of the remaining 75 middle infield prospects emerges at 2B... all backing a rotation of Bello, a Japanese import, and three other primetimers that Henry actually invested in, because "he always spent big in the past." Such a collection of maturing young talent should be legitimately contending for wild cards every season. Meanwhile, Mookie will still be short, still feeding the homeless, always smiling, never showing up late, and still rocking the majors, playing multiple positions with a higher WAR than any player in baseball -- just like he has since his first full MLB season, nine years ago.

This makes total sense, unless the kajillionaire is an egotist used to getting his way -- right or wrong -- because he says so. And nothing personal, RBM, but if you read the forum threads the past three days, you must know that Mookie just said the Red Sox never offered him $300M...

Didn't you ever listen to Tommy Lasorda? It's the Dodger BLUE. As soon as JD, Kike and Ryan put on the blue-and-white, they're great again. Mainly, it's because they don't have to wear YELLOW again. That's for cowards.

Especially for Bloom! He may have been fired on the spot... (if George Steinbrenner RIP owned the Sox). Now, nobody can retort -- "not if George hired him to trade Mookie" -- because we all know the Boss would pay his star.

Love Mookie, but was really rooting for him to make the last out last night, and relieved and glad when he did... (what percent of Red Sox felt the same way: 99%?)

I see your point, but sometimes teams have to ride the roller coaster growing pains of youngsters adapting to the bigs. It's in chapter 4 of Theo Epstein's manual that was on the Chicago Tribune's best-seller list for five years: "Rebuilding a Bridge Too Czar"

No wiser words were ever posted about speculation... ... unless you're actually Bloom posting under a pseudomoon (for example: Duvalls hot again, and a big reason the Sox are hanging in there... but does Bloom really need any praise for signing a guy who recently led the NL in RBI? The CBO of large-market Boston had better replace his 3-4 batters who depart to free agency).

No he's not. Bloom signed Kluber, but not All-Star Eovaldi. And fans don't care that both spent time on the IL, since most pitchers do, and those that don't are only injuries waiting to happen. Nate's 3.9 WAR would at minimum equate to three more Wins Above Wild Card Competitors. WAWCC!!!!

Of course the first three were traded for first -- but all were available because they wanted to get paid. Upon reflection, even at the time, Pedro and Schilling didn't cost a haul, just some young pitchers with potential. The Beckett trade cost the Sox their top prospect, Hanley Ramirez, who was an instant star in the NL. But Boston won the World Series... Some also may argue Lackey was a top mound prize at the time of his signing. Sale, another mega-trade, definitely was... especially -- ironically now -- his contract was such a steal when he was acquired.

Bogie's, too. He was so disappointed that the Sox only offered him one more year... when he was still in his 20s.

Few Red Sox fans will ever believe that, especially after what Mookie has been saying in Boston this weekend. It wasn't too late to keep negotiating and ultimately just pay the man -- like LA did in the summer of '20. As for Price, forget the numbers and just ask: was he really worth the top of the market salary for pitchers? It's arguable: he was coming off a season where he was second in Cy Young voting (his second second, along with one Cy of his own). I never liked him nor wanted him -- he led the AL in ERA and IP, but also whining at Red Sox batters who took him deep, and longest delivery times in MLB history tracked by a sun dial.

Yessssssssss

Sox lost the DH when Story went to short, so Martin was pinch-hit for... This game is going to come down to Mookie batting, isn't it?

Ah Wong and haadball... one day a running fool, the next day a track star

Ah, here he is...

Three innings in a game they have to win... no Kenley -- it's gotta be Whitlock for two, Martin to close

So their heads can swell; remember the first time they reset and bragged about it on social media?

This one is for any poster (like me) who have ever used the phrase "all-or-nothing" in conjunction with our hot cornerman... Runs Produced (R + RBI - HR) 2019-2023 1. Freddie 825 2. Raffy 729 3. Semien 713 4. Mookie 710 5. the Ramirez who decked Anderson 688