5GoldGlovesOF,75

Thus completes your image on this forum; showing true colors in words and not hue.

I agree if you refer to TV blogs that intentionally use titles with the initials for the directions on a compass to mislead the masses. I disagree with the old print media that I was once associated with; all of the reporters I worked with were sincere about reporting facts. In those days it was standard to have at least two legitimate sources verify information before publishing it. Columnists were a bit different, since it was their job to give opinions... but those who sought constant incitement weren't very well-regarded by colleagues.

Chaim has shown he is a capable student. I am sure his scores can improve with more focus on academics, and less on social issues; with a recommendation of winter school, and a few sessions with Professor Dombrowski, the budget's the limit!

I tend to believe media members who aren't employed by the franchise but who are much closer to the actual vibe of the club, since it's their job to be, after all... unlike, say, fans who watch from afar and might not know or speak to any team personnel on a daily basis.

Maybe, but a true team still needs leadership from actual players. One of the media said the other day, "There's no Pedroia in that clubhouse..." Who's missing from last year's stretch run? Schwarber? Iglesias? Hunter, ERod? Sale or Kike, who both participated (which gives more creed to voices) in the games? Could it be Ottavino was more important than we thought; look how good his new team is this season... But yes, responsibility is also on Bloom for not replacing them with new difference-makers.

It's hilarious imagining if Bloom targets a Thor and has to ask Henry permission to outbid Dombro... What would ownership do? Can John, Linda and Tom combined beat Lebron in an arm wrestle?

With so many contracts coming off the books after this year, who is going on the books? I'm not a GM, but I play one online, and can't see any way the Red Sox will spend enough to fill all the glaring and/or looming holes on the roster to contend in 2023. Despite what Sam Kennedy publicly espouses, it will be a rickety, swinging, collapsing, over-a-Wil-E-Coyote-canyon bridge year. Predictions: 1). Story will not move to SS, mainly because he knows Mayer is coming soon and would rather not be dancing around the diamond year-to-year, especially to be displaced by a fresh-faced kid. Instead, the Sox will acquire a veteran glove-first placeholder for SS. Rafaela will also make the team by '24 for his versatility, taking turns at both SS and CF. 2). Pham and Verdugo will be back in LF and RF, maybe joined by Nimmo in CF (but only if the Mets sign Judge; Boston will not). 3). Valdez will get a shot at DH out of ST, but other hot minor league bats could make debuts and share time there as the season progresses. 4). A top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher will be the big investment, either via free agency or through trade... 5)... which means, either Casas... or Devers will be dealt. Hosmer is already paid-for at 1B, and Devers may not be at 3B.

Yup, that's what I totally meant... it's the reason a guy like Sandy Leon is still a big leaguer with a batting average of .191 the last six years...

Some talksox poster is running his fingers to baseball-reference right now to find some stat to prove to you how bad that team was because those three were paid too much money, and none of them could play second base in case of emergency or save the pen by pitching the 9th inning of a blow-out.

The Little League analogies to bad big league baseball are overdone... but not necessarily when comparing Red Sox pitchers throwing to any other base than fourth base. ... I've seen a lot of LL games the past three years, and the average LL pitcher makes better throws to first, second or third than the average Red Sox MLB pitcher. Maybe it's because the kids are mostly the best players on the diamond or because the distance is shorter, but it's true. But regarding Boston, it's always looked like a systemic problem...

For me, above all else, it's 1. SP, 2. Pen, 3. CF... I think they already have a plan for SS and 1B, and C isn't a club priority, because other teams have shown you don't need a star behind the plate to contend (I won't name names of teams or no-names). And they can't wait to fill DH from within, and are grooming prospect Valdez to dazzle the batter's box as one-half rookie of 2023...

Maybe some posters are too overconfident that when Bloom finally has a bigger budget, he will actually spend it -- hopefully on quality big leaguers to finally "go for it." But if your only evidence is that John Henry has a history of allowing past GMs to spend big -- "when the time is right" -- then you also have to admit that Henry hired Bloom, and hasn't fired him yet, for doing exactly what he is doing now. The only long and large signing in the Bloom Era thus far has been Trevor Story... instead of say, Schwarber, Rodon and Jansen for around the same amount of money.

Mookie's going bald!

You just wrote that because you knew I'd read it and punch myself in the head.

It was Bloom -- who didn't add a right-handed hitting outfielder to the roster before the season or before the mid-season trade deadline. It is Cora -- who looks at the list of 25 available players given to him each night, and writes the names of the starting line-up... whether it's Arroyo, Dalbec or JD Martinez in right field. Cora did a great job not trying Hansel Robles out there in RF; that could've hurt the team.

No one can deny what didn't happen the first half of this season, even the Sox intern using an alias to protest Gee, we thought Travis Shaw was our guy... But I'm sticking to my claim that Bloom's moves at the deadline made the line-up and roster better overall. Whether some of the players are still bitter over losing their buddy Vaz shouldn't really affect any at bats when they're all isolated hitters vying for individual glory -- which ultimately adds up to scoring more or less runs than opponents. But overall, the Sox seem to have more opportunities to score now, and better ways to prevent foes from scoring. Of course, not improving the bullpen, and leaving it to old unreliables, also shows fans -- and players -- how much a front office is invested in the now.

Seriously. The first thing I said is I'm not criticizing. Then I said I've always assumed all professionals could play any position. And of course every team values versatility. But it's been overdone here since Bloom came aboard -- and if it's a trend, then I challenge him to be crafty, and start a new one: target players of actual quality who play specific positions the team needs filled, and fill them. Since the Top-6 Payroll Sox will already be paying a luxury tax, what's stopping them from making some luxury purchases? Is that such an outlandish request from a fan tired of watching mediocrity move around the diamond and in and out of the batting order... on a last place team?

Not criticizing nor applauding, just weighing in... John Kruk once famously said, "I'm not an athlete, lady, I'm a ballplayer" -- and yet, here's one poster who always assumed a big leaguer could adjust and play just about any position (including pitcher and catcher, which the majority of the best players still all play growing up). But we can't forget the disaster that resulted when the Red Sox signed a square peg named Hanley Ramirez to fit the nook and crannies of the Green Monster. Or when Hawk Harrelson GMed the White Sox and made Carlton Fisk a left fielder for about a minute. Remember when Yaz and Johnny Bench tried to play third? There are just not a lot of Hall of Famers like Robin Yount who were stars at both shortstop and centerfield... or Ruth at lefty pitcher and bambinoer. For sure, a lot of HOFers could've been great at a lot of things, like Williams at fighter pilot or fly fisherman, DiMaggio at landing movie starlets, Mays at anything. But average guys learning a new position at the MLB level? Enough with trying to induct butter knives into the Swiss Army. Every tackle box needs a good Buck knife and an a actual fillet knife, too...

In the next year there's going to be a lot of disappointed Red Sox fans, indignant media, and Boston interns with aliases lauding new prospects on Talksox. And yet, one of the latter will soon become a borderline star and lead the Sox back to the postseason... ... where they'll then live to regret facing X in Houston and Raffy in the Bronx.

One shred of hope for fans when it comes to Bloom: last offseason he invested in one bullpen arm for two years, then halfway through the first, recognized the move was a failure... and dumped the guy at the deadline. Obviously, there are plenty of other pitchers and hitters, and even a few fielders, that we Sox watchers have already seen enough of -- but at least when it came to Diekman, Chaim agreed with us... unless, it actually pained him to lose his favorite foot-finder to pry McGuire loose from back-up backstop land.

Trade Simulator accepted this: Devers and Houck to Miami for starting pitchers Pablo Lopez 26 and Jesus Luzardo 24, centerfielder Jesus Sanchez 24, third baseman Joey Wendle 32, and World Series MVP Jorge Soler 30 (the negative contract that makes it all happen). Which group will help turn around a rebuild faster?

But Vaz was the team leader! He led them to an 8-19 record the last month before he was traded.

Something about rising stiff levels; prob confused them with the guy they got for Diekman...

Millions of fans, ballplayers, agents, and even a few GMs and team owners would say no. But ultimately, only two opinions really matter (and I wish their titles began with Mr. and Mrs., but they don't).

Traditionally, the manager plays the players on the roster provided by the front office... but as he sees fit. Lately -- the past decade anyway -- it seems more risky for a manager not to use the roster as the front office sees fit.