5GoldGlovesOF,75

Maybe Hugh meant they suck at getting good free agents to sign their names to contracts in Boston...

The only thing I know about pitching is that it's hard to hit... but if the Rox hired me as an insultant -- from what I've seen of Seabold's stuff, I don't think Coors would be much of a home field advantage.

It's a pictograph

Ok with Alfaro as a platoon guy with McGuire, settling for half of his 162-game averages of 16 HRs, 62 RBI, with a .246/.701. Alfaro is 29, and on bb-ref his most Similar Batter through 29 is... Christian Vazquez. Bloom just re-signed Vaz for $2 million!

What is Boras' talksox alias? From now on, anyone who cites BTV is a suspect...

I know Profar is versatile but he was the regular leftfielder last year for the Padres. He's played 21 games in centerfield in his nine-year career. The last time he played second base full-time was four years ago in Oakland. The last time he played shortstop was 2018 in Texas. At least Andrus is a shortstop. As for offense, Andrus hit 17 homers last year, while Profar hit 15, the same as Bogaerts.

But there is a pattern for a patient GM that waits out -- not the market, but the scramble in reinforcement periods like the offseason and trade deadline. That's where Harm's being choosy and your about-the-money combine... for both guys like Bloom and players he recruits. Neither necessarily guarantees assembling a contender, though I've always favored quality over quantity. As for the dilemma that is Duran: I know he's the bullseye of the '22 debacle, but a player has to have skills beyond speed in college to get drafted, and then to succeed at each pro level in the minors to make the majors. A few years back there was a feature on Duran when he was batting over .400 in A ball. A video of a BP session showed him taking a two-step into each swing; obviously, better pitchers exploited that approach -- which he no longer does. Ballplayers constantly make adjustments. The ones who figure it out stay in the bigs.

We'll take a guy who earns 35 career WAR, wins an LCS MVP, and bats .294 over 15 MLB seasons. The funny thing is that teenager Cespedes is a shortstop, and Kendrick played the following positions in the majors: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, LF, CF, DH. If he can hit, he can play somewhere...

1. NEVER A CONSIDERATION -- many of us assumed the Red Sox were never going to spend big money to replace Bogey -- not when they were focused on using it to lock up Raffy... plus, eight of their top 20 prospects are listed as shortstops, including #1. 2. check 3. NON-MOVE -- but remember, there are some posters whose data shows that signing free agent starters long and large never works out, at least in Boston (which I can't argue)... and then there are those who like to say "the time isn't right" (which I can't stand) 4. NON-MOVE -- for a big leaguer at any outfield position 5. check 6. NON-MOVE -- unless you'd start Kluber in a playoff game over Bello-Whitlock-Sale-Paxton, even Pivetta (the projected #5, who led the staff in starts in '22). Put it this way: if the Sox get to the postseason, the afore-mentioned rotation must have been healthy and successful. All we know about Kluber's last playoff outing is he was the 8th guy to take the mound for the Rays in the game they got eliminated and he gave up the run that did it. 11. Devers Forevers! This was so anti-Bloom that John Henry even flew with the braintrust to the DR to get it done... but it happened on Bloom's watch, and right now is the best signing of his Era for so many reasons...

And we didn't even sign them. GMs may be ultimately responsible, but since there were two different guys in charge with the same ghastly results, it's all blatant organizational failure.

Unlike the fable, our Boston tortoise has finished last twice and never first... but his club did pass some teams ahead of them one October. And let's give credit where it's due: one trade that made it happen was getting Pivetta, used in relief because Bloom tortoised on better back-end arms. Pivetta did give up what should've been the game-losing, ALDS-changing hit to Kiermaier, but give credit to Bloom again for signing Renfroe, who strategically kicked the ball into the bullpen. Bloom also traded Betts in time, because Mookie would never boot a ball out of the playing field, so that losing run would have counted. See, no blame here. Just kudos.

This just in on MLBtraderumors.com/boston-red-sox: Sterling Sharp is back! The Sox re-signed him! Did you know he had departed... "after a brief first trip to minor league free agency." Did you even know he arrived before that... "The 27-year-old had spent the tail end of the 2022 campaign in the Boston organization." Depth. Load up on those depth charges... Ka-bloom.

Incorrect. According to Matrix metrics, the strained flexor slowed Story's torque avoidance reflexes by 0.1 fraction of a second, and he couldn't remove his wrist from the pitch flight before impact... It's all there on baseballirrevence.com.

Friday the 13th talksox debate on the '23 Red Sox outfield: Looks like we'll be ok, as long as we have Moe and Larry as our corner outfielders. But who do we want to play center: Curly or Shemp?

Maybe it will be awesome, but just hearing Mr. Bloom address his students the other day sure sounded like a 4th grade teacher trying to contrive enthusiasm for their next Social Studies unit: the Oregon Trail! "No wifi, no headphones, no cell towers... but covered wagons! on dirt roads! for days and weeks and months!"

"I'll have what he's having..."

I've never heard Bloom mention any of these young pitchers by name in any conversation about the MLB roster for '23, but nothing would give a fan more hope for the staff than if one or two of them emerged as next-level legitimate in Florida, beginning next month. To me, that would be even more encouraging than watching one of the oldsters get their sea legs back on the mound (since we all expect them to start wobbling again soon).

Patience. You know Chaim would be remiss if he didn't explore all possible options, including those we abhor as all probable outcomes. He wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't wait and let other GMs do his job for him by signing or trading for almost any availables, thus narrowing the field and eliminating the chance for spending more money and years on stopgaps we're all clamoring for. Bloom will get us a shortstop and second baseman and MLB outfielder and catcher and under-the-hill under-control starting pitcher with control. And when he does -- remember what he promised at Raffy's presser -- "it's going to be awesome."

No shida.

This is how bad it's gotten in Red Sox Nation. We are mulling the possibilities of starting a player in centerfield who has absolutely struggled in his big league career so far. He can't hit MLB pitching, can't catch MLB fly balls, and can't even make the right choices to always accompany his club to all MLB ballparks. But there are reasons Jarren Duran got drafted, progressed through the minor leagues and made the majors. Many professional evaluators -- including none of us -- approved of his promotions. As noted by others, many ballplayers are late bloomers (yes, pun intended, because even our favorite CBO reminds that not everything is linear... unless it's a line graph depicting the ups and downs of life in the fast lane). Surely make you lose your mind...

Duran is 26. Roberto Clemente didn't hit .300 in the bigs until the season he turned 26 (his 6th as a regular in the majors). The other thing they had in common in those years is hitting at least as many triples as homers. That's all I got...

Adam Duvall is an unsigned free agent all-or-nothing right-handed power hitter that makes too much sense as a replacement for Trevor Story in the batting order. In 2021, Duvall helped a first place team win a World Series. He blasted 38 homers, led the NL with 113 RBI, and played Gold Glove defense in the outfield. Couldn't a last place team use a guy like that?

On the mlb.com prospects list, the Red Sox list 13 infielders in their top 20, including 8 shortstops. Many are the sought-after, versatile, multi-positional players valued so highly by this administration. Mayer and Rafaela have to be Boston's #1 and #2 prospects going into '23 (since Casas and Bello are now big leaguers). But there has to be one or two of the other 6 that at least one of the other 29 MLB clubs might want in a trade: Romero, Lugo, Paulino, Bonaci, Coffey, Koss. We don't need 8 future shortstops -- package one in a deal for a major leaguer to play there this year... and/or a centerfielder... and/or a second baseman. Let's go.

Quick, sell him to Baltimore, where he can join Darwinzon and further boost our chances to climb out of the basement.

If one of his pitches hits a batter...