5GoldGlovesOF,75

I mean, can't they hire competent doctors or actors who play them on TV to check out prospective pitchers for brittle ribs or shoulder blades or elbows or even cheekbones? Where in the name of Brusdar Graterol are the damn medicals when recruiting these guys?

Ya, but today Ort symbolized what's in store for a team forced to rely on openers in their rotation while supposedly still fighting for a wild card. Three pitches, three rips, game over. And the worst part was that Bernardino looked really good when they took him out...

It all depends how many more games the Sox start Bernardino, then remove him even though his stuff is moving and basically unhittable... and bring in Ort.

It's not bad for fans, of course, to wish for the best... or even hope history repeats itself. Worst to first has happened more than once, in Boston alone. But there's no way I was falling for the unreasonable optimism going into this season that Bloom's veteran recruits on short-term contracts could parallel the 2013 Sox... if only everything goes right. Ya, and if only the '23 Sox already had a Hall of Fame DH in the middle of the order, a stolen base king (70 in the majors) leading off, a borderline Hall of Fame second baseman, and the winningest lefthander of his era at the top of the rotation... like the '13 champs did. Nope, these Sox just have Raffy.

The Red Sox aren't serious contenders to win a ring this year with a playoff rotation of Paxton, Bello, Crawford and openers, with a below-average defense behind them -- that's where they stand today. And that's assuming that Paxton will stay healthy and awesome the rest of the season -- when we know he already had a knee issue a week ago. Paxton's value will never be higher than right now -- Bloom has the best pitcher in the American League, as judged by the June Pitcher of the Month award, available to the highest bidder. We all know Bloom isn't going to resign Paxton next winter to the multi-year contract at market prices for a top-of-the-rotation starter that he'll be (maybe deservedly) seeking. Last winter Bloom let Eovaldi, Wacha and Hill walk -- other injury-prone starters in their 30s -- and had no choice but to retain Paxton, who accepted his player option to stay in Boston. And none of the decent or useful pitchers the Sox let go were asking for big money after maybe receiving a Cy Young vote or two (it's possible, if he continues to shine). The Red Sox are in a unique position with Paxton -- they might just be able to land a top pitching prospect to be part of their future core and under control through the decade... but the clock is ticking. He's still healthy today.

The thing is, with our particular injured players, nothing is guaranteed they'll be back near 100% when they do return. Look at the way Duvall has been hitting since his wrist supposedly healed. Does anyone really think Story's elbow brace will make an actual body part as good as new? Or Mondesi's knee -- if it ever allows him to play again -- will make him just as fast as he was when he was two years younger? Chang actually had a body part (a bone) removed from his hand, and has suffered pain in his rehab attempts; this is a pro athlete reliant on the use of his hands... it's not like this was a useless appendix. As for the wounded pitchers, we can only hope Houck won't be gun-shy forever when he returns. The rest have arm problems -- good luck with that.

Damn, we got Oakland coming up on the schedule...

The problem with your first statement is that Bloom himself said that signing Bogaerts was his priority. And of course we all believe Chaim -- he's the Chief! Of course, I agree with the rest of your post -- sadly... ... and, going back to Bellhorn's post about the trade deadline: Jansen's the Sox' lone All-Star, and seems like a good guy and a team leader -- but don't all those attributes make him one of the few players who could bring back an actually decent prospect in a deal? "We would be remiss as an organization," replied Bloom, "if we didn't explore all options, to improve the upside of our ballclub, for the present and the future... because those who forget the past got to change your evil ways, baby... with Jean and Joan, and a who knows who."

With another starting pitcher headed towards the IL -- or subsequent ineffectiveness -- it's more and more likely the Sox should be sellers. The only other choice is to trade top prospects for an elite arm with lights-out stuff... because we all know a pitch-to-contact guy won't make a difference with this defense. And does anyone -- Bloom, fans or media -- honestly think it's worth it this month to deal the future for a better shot at that last coveted wild card?

When I type, my footwork is immaculate.

My worry in the Bloom Era for loading the bases intentionally is that a reliever will walk in a run.

No one said he willingly destroyed or dismantled the core of the factually winningest Sox team in franchise history. But for all we know, it is possible that his hiring was contingent on following orders to do something close: tearing it down, paring payroll, and building it back up with a more moderate budget -- all have been discussed on this forum since Bloom took over. So for the robotic umpteenth time -- if Bloom has been operating according to ownership mandates, preferences, and modern trends (the Snoring Twenties) -- then he's doing a great job. And his badge as Chief Baseball Officer is not in any jeopardy of being pulled off his shirt and skipped across the Charles River.

I saw Mookie turn a DP to end a close game last week, smoother than any infielder on the current Red Sox. Unlike the Bloom Era in Boston, the Dodgers aren't trying to contrive versatility when they use the best player on the field at positions of need.

1. Because he's good right now, at a good salary, and could be traded for one or two guys who might be good for a lot longer... even a Trea Turner or Carlos Carrasco -- prospects acquired in trades (notice I didn't mention a Hall of Famer like Jeff Bagwell; nobody would be that dumb); 2. He took a really long time to recover from injury; 3. And now that he's older, other physical issues are already surfacing...

But just think of those poor fans in Southern California stressing right now about the last few years of Betts' contract in the 2030s. There's gotta be at least none of them...

... except Mookie Who. I seriously doubt there's one single Dodgers fan who regrets or even notices that Verdugo is hitting 30 points higher... not when Betts has 22 home runs and a .923 OPS on July 1.

Bloom inherited the core of the greatest Red Sox team in franchise history. No fans know exactly what he was told to do with it -- all we know for sure is what Bloom did do, which is strip it down in four years so the only guys left are a brittle overpaid pitcher he can't move, and a still maturing slugger he admittedly "bet on" who could become another Miggy Cabrera or another Pablo Sandoval (but most likely, someone in between). The moves Bloom has made that we can't judge yet are additions to the farm system. A lot of prospects look promising, but right now it's all speculation. The moves Bloom has made that we can judge are the additions to the parent club. His strengths are finding some decent role players, like Whitlock (whose best days so far were as a rookie set-up man). At the same time, Bloom's weakness is jamming square pegs into roster holes, relying too much on utility disguised as versatility... resulting in mediocrity. But no one can say Bloom doesn't spend or sign free agents -- it's all about who he recruits. For every Wacha, it seems like there are a Richards and a Kluber. Luckily for Bloom, when he lets Wacha walk, interns posing as posters try to pretend Kluber is better, and Wacha's a mirage (just like he still must be this season, deluding voters into awarding him NL Pitcher of the Month). Bloom's big money signings excel in one or two aspects -- Yoshida is a consistent hitter and fundamentally sound; Story is a top athlete, with impact potential of speed and power (albeit with inconsistent contributions so far). Neither can be called complete ballplayers, but both are at least elite role players. Let's hope both stay healthy long enough to help form the next core...

That trio has two things in common: each guy made the majors at a really young age (20 or 21), where high levels of stardom earned them contracts averaging about $300 million dollars. Nick Yorke, Bloom's first first-round pick in 2020, looks like he could be a good big league hitter someday. But he's already 21 and still in Double A...

DEFENSE! Duran robs Vlad, who tipped his helmet, and the infield actually looked good last night. Hamilton and Arroyo turned a sharp DP (not "nifty" OB, because that's just uncool), Casas made some professional stretches and scoops, and Devers showed quick reflexes. Then Raffy plowed into Arroyo on the 9th inning pop-up, and Christian still looked pissed at the end of the game... doubt that happens with a veteran presence like Bogaerts directing traffic from short. Sure, it may take years for Mayer to take charge -- but Sox fans need only look to Baltimore and how quickly the O's turned respectable, once Rutschman became catcher.

Justin Turns on one!

Too bad the Sox' fast guys like Duran and Hamilton couldn't just bunt their way on base and steal around the horn to score a few runs. I know: how ignorant of me, a lowly fan, to expect professional ballplayers to be proficient in a basic hardball skill...

His legacy may be identifying, drafting and signing a lot of adolescent yet toolsy position players who develop into big leaguers... ... but Bloom sucks at assembling rosters fit for competing in the majors.

"A product" where fans "don't care about the players" is a worthy statement in the criticism of the Bloom Era. Some posters have said they don't care if the Red Sox have stars, as long as the team is competitive. That may sound like a logical take, but so is rooting for familiar faces, especially some who came up through the system and matured into mainstays. For a lot of fans, continuity still matters, and we're not just rooting for the laundry. Replacing mediocrity with different versions on new one-year contracts every winter has little fan appeal...

Maybe, but Philadelphia had legitimate star players last year, with the home run king all season, and the reigning two-time MVP coming off the IL and doing MVP things. Philly also played .700 ball in June, and .600 ball in July and August -- not exactly doing the one-step forward, two-step back dance that Boston has perfected in '23.

Putting this in the Realistic thread... ... entering the second half, optimists like to point the Sox are only five games out of a wild card spot -- just get in, and anything can happen; look at the '19 Nats, the '21 Braves, the '22 Phillies, the '04 Curse Breakers, etc etc etc. Realistically, even if '23 Boston rebounds to squeak into the postseason... what does anyone envision will be a scenario where anything really good can actually happen? They don't have Cy Young/ Hall of Fame starting pitching, like '19 Washington... or four new home run hitters acquired in-season, like the '21 Braves (though they already have Duvall)... or both the league MVP and HR champs, like the '21 Phils (though they used to have Schwarber). Maybe Duran, Hamilton and Rafaela will steal first more, so they can steal more runs, and stun opponents. Go-go-go Sox!