5GoldGlovesOF,75

It's easy; there's an entire website devoted to lead Yankee stories and daily articles about the same three future superduperstars. It's called MLB.com.

I'm skeptical the return for our pending free agents will yield anything shiny, as in highly-regarded by the industry. Most of our trade bait is damaged goods: Nate and JD don't look 100%, Kike's been hurt forever, Wacha-Hill-Strahm, etc. Maybe the best we can hope for are a few hidden gems... Vazquez has more value, but should probably be re-signed since there's no catcher in the system as all-around competent. If the Sox really want to do this right, and land someone legitimate that can be part of the rebuild, they should shop Houck, who would add controllable quality depth to a contender's bullpen.

Unless they really tank, forget about a top five draft pick. Don't forget how much better last place in the AL East is, compared with all other sub-.500 teams; right now, the Sox are still better than about half the MLB teams. But there's always hope...

Related to the Beni trade and just how incompetent Franchy has been as a big leaguer, there is also today's quote: “He’s still learning the position,” Cora said. “He hasn’t played too much at first base … When you don’t play good defense, this is what happens.” For those who blame Cora for playing Cordero, it doesn't take much to read-between-the-lines in his commentary. This is the roster Bloom has given him. The major leagues are no place for on-the-job training, and no big league manager should ever have to rely on such a concept. Duran in center, Arroyo in right, Franchy anywhere, etc., etc.

We're not a big market, we're a Boston Market -- where loyal fans with pork bellies are mere orange juicers on a billionaire speculator's list of commoddities.

Maybe we should be more excited there about righty pitchers who show they can consistently keep lefty swingers in that ballpark.

It also makes the Benintendi dump look even worse, since Beni was then earning about a third of what JBJ is owed. But I guess the Franchy trade could prove worthwhile if Winckowski can actually take regular turns in an MLB rotation for a few years, and Beni the All-Star signs for a contract too-rich for Boston Market.

Contrast the free agent slugger the Red Sox let walk to the one they signed instead -- Schwarber: 30 HRs, 125 Ks, .202, .802; Story: 15 HRs, 105 Ks, .221, .713. According to WAR, Story been more valuable: 2.1 WAR to Schwarber's 1.1 WAR (obviously, because of defense). Some may argue they fill different roles, but both were immediately moved to different positions upon joining Boston. Is this partially what Papelbon means when he says the Sox always think they can "outsmaht" MLB?

The past two years have also shown us not to get too excited about stats in AAA; at least in Worcester. Is it something about the Polar Grounds? Or should fans anywhere always be suspicious of a team named Woo.

Yore write, their wasn't to many wining they're

As if any manager should be able to motivate and prepare minor league batters to hit big league pitching, and minor league pitchers to get out big league hitters.

Bounce-backs like 2013 had a core of stars in the line-up and rotation that the Sox were able to supplement with useful pieces -- many of whom were veteran professionals in personal bounce-back years. The first-place year in 2016 (and '17 and ultimately '18) had a blend of veteran core guys, young/instant stars and expensive supplements. Who here now will form the core for '23 and beyond? Devers and Bogaerts? Most agree they won't resign both, and many doubt either. Then who's left: Trevor Story? Whitlock?

I know; imagine a manager actually playing the players on the roster assembled by his bosses.

It's was obvious to all of us watching last year that Franchy was never a centerpiece in the Beni trade. Instead, he remains an athlete with potential if only a miraculous coach can somehow unleash it. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear such an instructor works for Boston. But player development doesn't seem to be exclusive of coaching staffs these days. The "future stars" of the minor leagues -- guys that succeed at virtually every level up the ladder -- don't always cut it in the bigs. What happened to the days when the likes of Greenwell, Burks, Benzinger, and Brady Anderson all came up at the same time? Maybe today's kids just don't play enough growing up to get the reps they need to catch -- or at least pursue -- fly balls hit in the twilight.

There is no stat to show the full impact of Mookie Betts except number of rings: two. But you're right, LA is paying for him to be like he was in Boston: a leader, the face of the franchise and a winner. It is rare in baseball history for a team to have the opportunity to acquire such a ballplayer in his prime; the most obvious one in our lifetimes was Frank Robinson. MVP. Hall of Famer. edit: sorry, before the semantics police raid my keyboard, I need to add: ... difference-maker who actually put his new club over the top

2023 starting lineup: 1B Casas, 2B Story, 3B Devers. Whoever is running things needs to find a new catcher and new shortstop who are glove-first professionals; guys like that shouldn't be too expensive, but should be priorities in lending stability to any rebuild. Where the Sox need to spend big in bucks or prospects is on the outfield; they need at least one, and probably two, legitimate big league borderline stars who can hit and hit with power. They have none close to being ready in the minors. The line-up has already lost the pop once provided by JD and Bogey, and their production needs to be replaced, not to mention the missing longball void still open since Schwarber and Renfroe left. The most costly addition will come on the mound, where Boston needs an ace. People can argue a non-contender should spread out its investments and build depth, but it all begins on the hill in the middle of the diamond. No one can turn around a staff or a team faster than a #1 who consistently provides quality starts every five days for six months.

I don't think you need to worry much about Bloom accumulating a haul of legitimate prospects for two months of Bogaerts or Vazquez. But you're right, the rest of the injured trade bait won't bring back any impact players. At this point, Bloom would just do the fanbase a favor by purging the roster of anyone who may just go through the motions the rest of the season.

Why would we trust Bloom to buy at the deadline when he wouldn't buy at the liveline? The team was very much alive preseason through June when he wouldn't add a closer, an outfielder who could hit, and a big league first baseman.

The front office can't condone the optics. Imagine if armed guards stormed the diamond and forced anyone wearing red to leave the premises. Who knows their next move: clear out the bargain bins of below-replacement level ballplayers? How would Henry order his Chief Baseball Officer to fill up the MLB roster then?

I predicted at the outset of the season this would be a major clubhouse distraction. Some posters disagreed, refusing to believe that professionals would ever let unsettled contracts divert their efforts towards winning a piece of jewelry.

Most would agree right now that includes spending any kind of money to watch this team.

Still trying to figure out how the pitching geniuses at Tampa thought it was a good deal to trade Joe Ryan for two months of a 40-year old DH last year. Anyway, the BTV site probably exploded.

How about JD, Vaz and Eovaldi for Alvarez and Smith? The Mets are a World Series contender, and a good-hitting catcher, an All-Star DH, plus a frontline starter to fill the deGrom void might be worth a good-hitting catcher prospect this year... (to be fair, I saw three Double A Alvarez ABs in person: HR to center, double to RC, double to LC).

It's almost like someone would need a secret fistpump with Boras first...

In the winter they traded Betts I predicted the Red Sox would do this in about three years... for someone else not as good. Soto is not a better overall player than Betts, but his Hall of Fame bat may do more damage to the baseball than any team's payroll in the next decade; how many World Series rings he wins remains to be seen (he already has one). It would seem there are very few clubs that can actually afford Soto -- and it would be hard to believe that anyone would trade their top four prospects for one guy unless they had a guarantee he'd sign with them...