5GoldGlovesOF,75

How many times do we have to repeat this: Bloom got the best return possible for 12 years of Mookie Betts!

When Bloom first made his betts, he was graterol over… then it seemed cool to get downs, but that turned out all wong. Chaim maeda bed… now the Nation has to sleep in it. Baby, baby – verdugo our love go?

Red Sox MLB reporter Ian Browne today: "Rafaela, whose wiry 5-foot-8 frame and spectacular defense are enough to remind you of a young Mookie Betts..."

It is undeniable that someone who works for the Red Sox agreed to take Connor Wong in a trade for Mookie Betts. It is yet to be proven that someone who works for the Sox also posts on talksox...

Wong again.

He has that Rougned Odor vibe. Sox would take three 30 home run seasons from him.

One rookie already stirred some aches and pains into his cup of coffee last fall. Another MLB top 100 prospect could be the best rookie from a non-American continent. The third was so highly regarded they traded a Hall of Famer for him. It's going to be like having Lynn, Rice and Fisk all make it in the same season!

February -- the best month of the winter: pitchers and catchers... and the least amount of days until the next month, when hopes spring eternal.

So, guys that succeed should be even better after a long winter's nap.

That starting line-up features one guy who has played a full MLB season at his listed position: Rafael Devers. But let's say all the guys returning from injuries have great comebacks, all the rookies transition into good big leaguers without painful adjustments, Turner becomes an instant leader, and Verdugo reaches his potential. And the old pitchers don't break down, the new bullpen does its job, and Bello dominates like at every level in his climb to the majors. In those best-case scenarios, the Red Sox are bound to improve... There's only one question about the new balanced schedule: while Boston will play less games vs. tough AL East teams... wouldn't that mean that they will, too?

Good point. One thing I remember from the backs of Red Sox baseball cards as a kid: just about every regular led some minor league level as a batting champ or in another "important" stat that led to promotion. Of course, there were only 20 MLB teams back then, instead of 30... maybe talent has been diluted just a bit?

He opted out and is looking for a whole Wacha of cash.

If we have to one that pitches, at least his name starts with a K. Kinda glad Bloom didn't sign Tijuan Walker.

Shepherd-labs are the best mutts to ever come out of Mongrelia. I've had many in my time. Now I'm surrounded by a pack of rescued cattle dog mixes, another good shepherd derivative.

Bloom waited to add Bleier until Eck retired; now there's no NESN announcers that make fun of guys who toss salad.

More sound advice, for another overrated leafy green. I prefer Swiss chard, which also grows in any condition and regenerates through the postseason... anything is better than basic lettuce, always out of contention by mid-July.

Until they start throwing and landing on ILs, the starting rotation has depth in bodies -- if not innings. There is no doubt there will be limitations of most, except for maybe Pivetta. Perhaps that is why the Sox are continually adding to the bullpen, preparing for match-ups for four or five innings every night. In the eyes of the front office, an investment in quantity may supersede the cost of market quality...

Dombrowski keeps spending like his window is wide open, arms outstretched past the shutters to Philly fans... the crowd eagerly cheering him on. Bloom is shrouded behind small but colorful stained glass, the kind at churches. It looks like he might be waving at Sox fans, but he's really just holding up one finger. If it's his index, it might mean wait...

All this angst about Ort. Ort is an odd word. "Ort" as defined by the Free Dictionary by Farlex (over 13 billion served): 1. A small scrap or leaving of food after a meal is completed. 2. A scrap; a bit. (Cookery) a leftover fragment of food. How can any of this pertain to the recipes on Bloom's Menu for force-feeding the masses? Tried fitting into a seat at Fenway Park lately? Small portions...

I've given the Red Sox grief for not signing a top starter this winter, but gotta give Bloom credit for rebuilding the bullpen. Also, have to believe Cora had some input, with what he had to throw out there in the late innings last season -- and yes, even in the '21 playoffs. It may not be coincidence that the "starter" the Sox offered the most money to -- reportedly -- was Eflin, who looked great in relief in the '22 postseason.

I don't know if Bleier is going to fit in. He walked 20 batters... in the last three years combined!

During or after 2019, Henry did say he thinks good teams shouldn't stay completely the same, but bring in some new blood, too. I agree to an extent -- youngsters with something to prove or even ringless vets still hungry (mostly for paydays) can keep incumbents from getting complacent. Front offices like to call changes upgrades; in reality they're usually business decisions... though Pena replacing Correa was an all-timer in Houston. But if keeping Bogaerts means Bloom wouldn't have signed Jansen, Turner and Duvall, let's keep it real: while they all fill valuable roles, All-Star Silver Slugger shortstops are among the most indispensable assets on a diamond, along with ace starting pitchers and the catchers who lead them. However, the Red Sox didn't "botch" their chance to keep Xander with the one-year extension offer to the industry's super agent always after the largest longest contracts. That told Bogey they didn't see him in their plans, and may have been a way to prep X for dropping his no-trade at the deadline... thus, July is where Bloom botched his best chance at salvaging something from the Bogaerts' debacle.

Ceddanne Rafaela came out of nowhere to land in the MLB top 100 list. He features Gold Glove defense in the outfield and the infield, but was also leading the minors in extra-base hits last summer... and not just because of his sprinting speed; he lined balls to the walls with hand-eye quickness. Players make major jumps every year. Gunnar Henderson went from #64 overall to #1 in one season. Mayer is already at #9 preseason... ... can a guy like Miguel Bleis have a monster year and blast past him? No prospect has a higher raw power rating in the system than Bleis, including Anthony, Jordan, Hickey, Brannon, Kavadas, Binelas, Valdez, Scott. And at 170 pounds, there is still room to grow...

My bad -- but in '21, Betts' 4.2 WAR was still better than Devers' 3.5. Granted, Raffy was swinging -- and dealing -- with one good arm down the stretch. Maybe that's the point, though -- Raffy is already banged up a lot more at a younger age. I'd still rather have either instead of Renfroe, Ottavino and Richards.

Stats say he did: 6.4 WAR, 35 HRs, led the league in runs scored, Gold Glove, 5th in MVP. Isn't that the kind of guy you build a team around? Don't get me wrong, I love Raffy and am glad he'll be here for the next decade (and hope I am, too, to watch him). I just couldn't stomach Bloom defending the Mookie trade by saying it freed up "resources to sign Kike, Renfroe, Ottavino and Richards." I realize Chaim was scrambling on stage, but it's notable the last three names, whether you like them or not, were all one-and-done in Boston. Not the kind of players diehard baseball fans look forward to rooting for...