5GoldGlovesOF,75

Eovaldi was an ace in the 2018 postseason: of all hurlers appearing in 6 games and a minimum of 22 innings in a postseason, only two in the first 50 years of the Divisional Era (1969-2018) had a lower ERA, Opponent BA and WHIP – Schilling and Johnson in ’01.

No one here is confused. But it's sunny and warm today in New England and hope springs eternal. The bullpen has to be better, and the defense won't have Franchy at first, Arroyo in RF or Duran in CF. The names have changed on an offense that finished dead last, so it can't get much worse. New leaders could help Casas and Yoshida emerge as solid big leaguers, and it could be fun watching Alfaro blast a few walk-offs. Everybody also knows if the old unreliables in the starting rotation break down early, it could be a disastrous summer. If that happens, there's also a chance the Sox' lone All-Star is Bello. The masses will take that in a rebuild.

Why did they agree to give Morton $15M AAV at the same age as Kluber, who had to settle for $10M with their lowly rivals?

Kluber toiled all year for the Rays, a playoff team, with results that the pitching gurus in Tampa decided didn't warrant bringing him back. That has to be at least curious for Sox fans -- especially for a division rival who has been spending more lately... If Boston's front office is smart enough not to re-sign Wacha, then what does that say about Tampa and Kluber?

My thinking on Kluber: old guy who was hurt for three years until 2022, when he labored through 164 innings... the recent mileage on his arm may make him more due to break down than Sale or Paxton, whose wings are spicy from marinating before their big comebacks.

PA posted video on the Globe of Masa launching bombs off soft toss...

It wasn't a bad take, because Kelly looked brutal in the month before the '18 postseason. But he never had trouble spitting at big moments (just ask Ty Austin)... unlike others. edit: not a metaphor, as dry mouth is a symptom of anxiety disorder during fight or flight situations

I was in rough shape watching Kimbrel in the 2018 postseason. But you provided all the other reasons the bullpen survived... Cora found himself in a worse predicament in 2021, when more relievers struggled and his rovers had mixed success (Pivetta was ok and luckier than Eovaldi, who got burned, and burned out in the end). At least depth-wise, it seems like the Sox will have finally have more options on the 40 and in the farm soon... for a lot of three-batter minimums, anyway.

Not having a complete roster was the main reason -- most fans here at least agreed with that last year: not having a good pen... or a right-handed hitting outfielder who could hit and catch all season... or any first baseman who could do either for the first five months... or a starting rotation young enough to stay healthy enough to provide 128 innings pitched (besides Pivetta). But if this year's bullpen does well, the only way we'll improve is if the new old starting pitchers, the overhauled offense, and the makeshift no-shift D give them as many leads as the boys of Eovaldi, Wacha and Hill did.

But if the regulars the Red Sox plan to field in support of the projected starting rotation fail to reach the '23 postseason... the shock will give you a heart attack? Most of us are prepared for plenty of acid reflux, even some nausea, but there shouldn't be any organs rended this time around.

I agree with all of this except the bold-face -- at least for regular posters on talksox... especially on the Realistic thread. Does anyone really have their hopes up with this cast, and will be crushed if they don't make it? Heartrending? Regulars on talksox are more stout-hearted. Think I'll go pour a stout for my heart right now...

There's never been more certainty about uncertainty.

I'm not criticizing your point. Mine is that the projected starting rotation is counting on a lot of brittle veterans again, along with two young guys coming off surgery, and another who'll be on a limit. It's all about the pitching. If Sale-Kluber-Paxton-Whitlock do make 25 starts each, that means they stayed mostly healthy -- and presumably effective... Add in Pivetta's usual 30, and say they allow Bello Martinez to start 20, and we're looking at more wins than losses -- with a shot a wild card. How's that for optimism? Houston had five guys make 25+ starts last year; four with at least 28. Shouldn't that standard be fans' expectations for the Red Sox?

But is it hard to imagine less injuries? The only projected starting pitcher the Red Sox don't have "to take care of" is Pivetta. What are the odds the projected starting rotation 1. leaves Florida intact? 2. remains intact through April? 3. Sale, Paxton, Kluber and Whitlock make 25 starts apiece this year (average number of starts for '22 AL playoff team rotations). 1. 33%; 2. 25%; 3. 1%

Fernando, Doc and Rocket were all legendary pitchers of substance. LA is retiring #34 this year...

It's hard to assess pitching down on the farms, after everyone lost a year of in-game development in the summer of '20. But according to mlb.com, the Orioles, Jays, Guardians, Phils, Marlins and Dodgers all have two Top-10 righty or lefty starting prospects. Boston has zero. The Red Sox feel they need to limit Bello's innings -- he's going to be 24 in May. So will Mata. Just for perspective: Clemens was 24 the year he won AL MVP. Valenzuela and Gooden threw 8 shutouts apiece in the bigs when they were 20.

NO! If a bubble pops, he'll perforate his eardrums.

It was all planned. Let three old starters walk, replace them with only one new old-timer, and invest in many more relievers. Better get ready for openers and nightly match-ups. Considering how much last year blew -- pen intended -- it's at least a different approach (what have we got to lose: fourth place?) Hopefully, AC learned his lesson burning out Barnsey on high leverage every night, and will now delegate many go-to's. Moe: "Spread out!"

What are the chances Mayer ends up playing short in Boston by the end of '23? The current big league shortstops include Kike and Mondesi, the projected starter coming off a hip injury and a speed guy who blew out his knee. It's possible either or both experience setbacks. It's also doubtful Story returns to the line-up and plays shortstop, with his Tom Jon brace (modified Tommy John option). If Mayer progresses to Portland and crushes Double A -- and the Red Sox are in a wild card race and need a spark -- it could happen. If Boston is out of it, look for stop-gaps to fill in and finish out the year: Arroyo, Goodrum, Cora, etc.

Don't know much about Seattle's bullpen, but it's mind-boggling that any reputable site would chose the Sox' old and rehabbing question-mark rotation over the young supple muscle tissues of the M's' starters.

Remember when Al Kaline refused a $10K raise because he only hit .278 with 16 HRs and 71 RBI? He insisted on playing the 1971 season for $90,000. Hey, look -- JD Martinez batted .274 with 16 HRs and 62 RBI... no wonder he accepted a paycut of $10 MILLION. He'll be DHing for LA for only $10 MILLION. Btw: Kaline hit .294 the next year, felt he earned his raise, and finally accepted the extra $10K.

This is one of my main criticisms of Bloom; every GM misses on some acquisitions, but Chaim seldom keeps the good ones he finds. The rotating roster makes for a cruddy fan experience, too -- just when you get used to liking a player, you have to start rooting for a new one who might not be as good. I realize there are some x-factors beyond injuries or retirement that fans will never know about that lead to player turnover. But usually teams are always looking to upgrade positions when making changes. The Bloom Era is the first I can remember in Boston where it doesn't always feel that way.

Maybe fans are more protective of their homegrown heroes than replacements brought in from the outside. However, Verdugo -- a decent player, but not a star -- maybe gets a pass from the saner fans who realize nobody can replace a Hall of Famer. Story, though he may be better than Verdugo, gets more grief because 1. most suspect he was recruited specifically to "force" Bogaerts out; 2. Story's first year at the plate for the most part looked like a righty Carl Crawford (that's all the name-calling I got today).

Bloom vs Dombrowski debates are futile. Even if their situations were reversed -- and their hirings were switched in time -- there's no reason to believe they wouldn't act and operate like themselves. Alternative universe, offseason 2018: Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom passes on paying $20 million per year for DH JD Martinez and another $7.5M for 1B Keith Moreland, and instead signs the following on one-year deals: Lucas Duda, 37, $3.5M, Curtis Granderson, 41, $5M, and Mark Reynolds, 39, $750,000. Bloom was also able to use the savings to land starting pitcher Trevor Cahill, 34, for $1.26M, and reliever Jesse Chavez, 39, for $1.6M. After the season, when Boston finished two wins from the World Series, Bloom was ordered by his bosses to lock-up Mookie Betts for life with a $366 million pact. He then traded shortstop Xander Bogaerts to LA for Verdugo, Wong, and pitchers Mitch White and Yadier Alvarez. Alt. U, offseason 2023: GM Dombrowski celebrated another Red Sox title by signing World Series hero Mike Wacha to a three-year, $60 million dollar contract. Dombro also extended Raffy Devers for 12 years at $376M, and landed free agent Zach Eflin for $50M, after the latter threatened to sign with Tampa. Dave hopes the addition of new shortstop Trea Turner will offset any ankle worries about Red Sox infielder Carlos Correa, who may take it easy this year by platooning at second base with either Turner or Javey Baez.

Maybe with better depth in the minors, we'll finally get to see Bloom start to swing a few more trades, which is supposedly one of his strengths we have not seem much of -- as far as bringing in high quality contributors that become core roster members. It sure doesn't look like he wants to give up young talent for any talent... yet. But looking at how recent blockbusters have worked out for others, can we blame the boss of a bad team for hanging on to the future (even if that means he's gone before it becomes the present)? Look at what San Diego gave up for Soto, or what Seattle gave for Castillo, or LA for Scherzer and Turner -- and none of them made the World Series. At least the M's extended Castillo, so there's hope for their future...