5GoldGlovesOF,75

“I really philosophically believe that you win with star players,” said Dombrowski, who declined to discuss specifics until Turner passes his physical. “Now, you can’t win with star players alone, but you can build around star players. I’ve really always had that belief. As I’ve observed, it’s been successful for the clubs that win."

Dare we attempt to translate Bloomspeak... "leadership" can only mean old, as in veteran experience... "consistency" better mean durability, because someone who's hurt every other year or month is inconsistent... ... but doesn't "upside" mean having promise and potential? Like, someone who can improve... which means maybe not so good yet... or more likely, not so expensive yet -- though not necessarily with a current address in a bin, metal receptacle, on a plantation or flea market.

How do you envision the latter? Franchy is an Oriole, so at least that boosts Boston closer to Baltimore in overall team defense. Maybe Kike stays healthy and in center... though anyone is better than Duran. Yesterday, Bloom finally mentioned Story at short -- so who will he get to replace Trevor's Gold Glove at second? It's also going to be difficult to find any outfielder better than Bradley. Are the Sox willing to pay for a new catcher who is an actual better receiver than McGuire? One underrated area is a full season with Casas at first, which will help tighten up the entire infield. In his debut month it was clear Casas is a legitimate first baseman -- and not someone trying to learn the position in the big leagues. To me, he already looks as polished as any Sox sacker since Youk. But what Bloom really meant when he said he wants pitchers with upside and leadership is that they can throw accurately to every base, including home base. I heard scouts are holding PFP auditions right now in always sunny San Diego...

Bloom says he's still engaged to Xander, but Chaim won't give him a ring.

1. extend Devers; 2. sign Andrus and Senga; 3. instead of Judge and his albatross contract for the next 10 years, I'd substitute Eovaldi/Haniger/Taylor Rogers for the next three...

I sure hope the Rangers and Phils can reset by next year so they can celebrate it on social media with their fans, who I'm sure will be ecstatic.

And part of that plan was to immediately shift focus into locking up Devers longterm, so the same Betts-Bogaerts fiasco wouldn't transpire for a third time. Fool me thrice... oh, wait -- raise ticket prices!

I don't see it happening with any of the other top SS options. If you pay big bucks to anyone besides Bogaerts, it means calling him the priority was disingenuous. Otherwise, pony up and make him stay.

I'm agreeing with this, too. Dombro was moving on when he noted, "Hey -- we can't sign them all."

I'm not denying Schilling (or Tiant), but a couple points no one makes about McGriff: He was 7 shy of what used to be an automatic HOF benchmark (pre-steroid era) -- 500 home runs -- but people forget he lost 48 games in 1994 due to the work stoppage; McGriff hit 34 homers through August 11, and if he just continued at his seasonal rate -- one every 3.35 games -- he would've easily socked at least seven more. Even if he didn't bat in every remaining game (if '94 played out), his monthly average was 6.8 HRs... and Crime Dog was hot, with 7 dingers in his last 10 games before the strike. Maybe most important, McGriff starred during the PED Era... and stayed lithe and lanky throughout.

And the most lopsided comment in the Boston Globe yesterday got 135 likes and 6 dislikes: "Bloom continues to work hard to make the Red Sox a small market team no one cares about." Rebuttal with the highest responses at 109 likes, 4 dislikes: "Correct but he's doing exactly what he was hired to do. The anger should be with ownership" The most almost unanimous comment with 37-1 likes: "Sox management think their fans are stupid." One that made me laugh, 20-3: "Sam never tells the truth."

We have to assume his leg will heal and his bat will produce more like the first half. The legs of JD and Bogey, however, were made for walking... and I don't mean to first base.

No one said it was, but a heart of the order that averages 14 HRs from JD, X and Dugo was no Murderers Row... or even Hurterers Row. All facets of failure need improving.

I have to agree. Mookie was the star of that Dombrowski run, and Dave was smart enough to make extending him through his prime the priority.

This makes sense considering Kike's one-year deal... unless he has to play shortstop in '23 -- which may really be 50-50 right now. Then maybe a Kiermaeir placeholder for Rafaela is the bridge. They'd still need Conforto or Haniger and probably both to replace the bats of Bogey and JD. And that basically gives them the same offense as last year's cellar dwellers.

Reynolds' career dWAR is a below-replacement level. Someone will overpay for him, but as I've said elsewhere, as a Sox fan I'd rather trade the farm for a Gold Glove catcher who can hit, rather than for a home run hitter who can't catch.

A's on the verge of trading Murphy. The best I could do on BTV is Houck, Murphy, Rafaela and Romero. The site called it a minor overpay, but did not specify from which side. Rafaela and Romero may be Bloom's best chips this winter because their stock is up -- and they're redundant, since the Sox two best position prospects are Bleis and Mayer. The latter two have to be untouchable, unless someone wants to deal a controllable ace pitcher... and why would anyone want to do that?

MLB.com reports Marlins shopping Lopez, need offense. BTV accepts Yorke and Murphy for Lopez and Garcia. How hard was that?

If describing Boston in 2022, needlessly is a needless word. The M's are in go-for-now mode, and not just because they're the only team never to play in a World Series. They have a deep pitching rotation in place, with some controllable studs, and more importantly, coinciding with young stars at positions. The time was ripe for a Castillo trade. Boston finished last, and has holes all over the roster. The Sox may have a ways to go before they're ready to deal their own #1, 3 and 5 prospects for one pitcher. Remember, when they traded for Chris Sale, they were already a first-place team.

Looks like deGrom agreed to an incentive-based contract that pays less if he's injured. Ask the Red Sox how that turned out with Lackey...

Would the Red Sox and their fans want Reynolds... or Casas at first and Bello on the mound for the next six years, along with Mayer at short and Rafaela in center for at least half of those?

If that's what we keep saying, imagine the ivy leaguers in the front office.

I like him -- career: .281 LH, .281 RH -- but I have to trade from depth. I'm keeping Casas, who looks like a good two-way player, and substitute a middle infielder like Romero, Lugo or Paulino. I don't care what BTV says; two top-10ish prospects plus a pitcher is a pretty good haul for a below-average outfielder with pop. Cruz may end up in centerfield or rightfield for Pitt, but no way I'm parting with Mayer for Reynolds either.

If you really want to have fun on BTV, go to Colorado and take Bryant's salary. I did that on a deal to get Marquez and there was no way it would validate, even giving the Rox the negative contracts of Sale and Barnes, and taking back their #1 prospect, outfielder Zac Veen (who I highly recommend).

History in Boston alone shows us it's usually a guy who a team thinks is washed up or overrated. Tiant was an ace briefly in the 1960s, then released by two clubs the same year before the Sox gave him a shot... and even they almost cut him before he re-emerged. Wakefield was unhittable as a NL rookie, demoted to the minors a few years later, then released before Boston picked him up and he found it again. Pedro was thought to have infinitesimal fortitude or something by Lasorda, dumped by LA, and then luckily turned too expensive for Montreal to keep. Bloom and his ilk aren't wrong trying to use analytics to make their luck -- Wacha was a good one and Richards wasn't -- as long as nobody tries to get too clever and turn an old Hanley into a leftfielder...