5GoldGlovesOF,75

... not only over the winter, but all the way back to last summer, and the 2021 trade deadline. Meanwhile, the bullpens that went farther last postseason were the ones who improved more than Boston's. I also have no hope that Bloom will ever sign a reliever when the guy is actually doing well, because he tried that once, and Barnes has been unwell ever since. Could he ever make a Kimbrel or Hader trade? Also doubtful, based on the multitudes of established available relievers passed on the last two seasons. Hopefully, more high leverage arms will develop from within. Soon...

I agree, except I admit I tend to trust sources closest to the actual vibe in the dugout and clubhouse. This includes beat reporters and ex-players maybe on talk shows, but excludes anyone directly employed by the organization, like announcers. I do not, however, distrust writers for the Boston Globe, even if it is owned by John Henry, because no one consistently hammers the Red Sox more than Dan Shaughnessey. And I give Henry credit for allowing his biggest critic to always speak his mind.

No one should be shocked, since it was leaked the Sox thought they had a deal for his replacement last winter. Vaz knew he was a goner, so it was easier for him to speak out. Though it wasn't as bad as when Millar was interviewed in the winter of '03, and said he'd take ARod over Nomar -- because he thought both their trades were a done deal. It all culminated that summer when everybody in Fenway but Nomar stood up to watch Jeter run 75 yards so he could facewhomp a metal chair... then we knew, Nomar had to go.

They can start by paying fans to sit behind the poles that hold up the roof.

A demoralized clubhouse. Team leaders directly or indirectly looking at lowball offers can feel disrespect, that is not just represented by dollars, but towards the loyalty employees feel comes with service time. Players can also feel various levels of distrust, rejection and confusion as the season builds toward the trade deadline, with the impending doom of breaking up the band (which most expected this year) or the aftertaste of abandonment (when no reinforcements came in 2019). These guys are young men and brothers, so no manager -- no matter how motivational -- can break those bonds. It's really a front office problem. A player's manager like Cora or Francona may not be the best help when a GM or CBO loses the team. Then again, a hardass yelling at boys to grow up isn't always the solution, either. It may just be better to change the culture, and bring in some veteran voices with peer perspective (yep, those are the players who get hired as new managers when they retire).

I can't imagine things turning around that dramatically in one season. Even if Bogey walks and Devers is traded, will Bloom be spending to acquire an ace starter, a lights-out closer, and at least two 30-homer hitters -- all assets that define contenders and champions in modern hardball? Getting a few MLB-ready regulars to fill some holes, and promoting a few minor leaguers to man other key spots might provide hope for the future, but if the new Sox aren't much better than .500, that may not be good enough for a Nation turning its lonely eyes to Bloom...

I said it then and saw it coming. Nobody here hammered me for it.

Or just paint it freaking yellow. Green is the color of the fence. Green is in play. How hard is this?

I can't blame Bloom for doing his job, which was to trade Betts AND Price. And yet, Bloom will always represent this point in history as the guy who traded the Red Sox' best generational talent in his prime. Mookie said at the time the Sox were very open and transparent with him all during the process, and for all we know California is the place he wanted to be, as LA and SD were the only reported suitors. The return was no doubt depleted by the inclusion of Price, but LA had every intention of signing Betts. Technically, the deal was "for one year of Betts"... but that's like defending Bloom's spending by saying "Boston has the 6th highest payroll!" when we all know a bad portion of that is tied into debts from previous regimes. Maybe a CBO shouldn't be judged by his club's overall salary rankings, but on what he actually invests in with the funds available.

But this year it started at the top, before the season, when the front office dissed the team's two best players with below-market contract offers. Old fans who argue that true professionals shouldn't let such factors affect their morale and distract from winning need to remember these are mostly young, egocentric adult males.

The front office is so calculated that they literally refer to their methods are calculus. Is it possible that intentionally alienating players can be a strategy in souring a pending free agent's preference to return, thus making it easier to avoid paying a large and long contract to someone you'd rather not... despite public pressure?

All we are saying... is give Reese a chance.

This may be what is so frustrating about the deadline for Red Sox Nation. Unlike Michael Corleone, Chaim Bloom did not take care of all family business. But that's on him for recruiting too many friends of his; the organization needs too much disorganizing to do it all at once.

I witnessed Shaw do that last summer! Maybe the only better walk-off would be an inside-the-park salami -- Roberto Clemente supposedly did that once. That would be a run-off...

lamet Laments he cannot play second base...

Going forward, the Red Sox should have a better starting line-up with Hosmer, Pham and McGuire than Franchy, JBJ and Vazquez. And a better bullpen without Diekman... Who disagrees?

It's not quite the same when you can play the AL batting champ and the AL home run champ over there before you upgrade with a better all-around first sacker at the deadline. Both DJ and Voit were legitimate big leaguers, at least.

How many corporate patches does a team have to sell before it can afford a big league first baseman? Ok, Casas wasn't quite ready to take over fulltime, before he was injured again. But the Red Sox knew Shaw wasn't the answer when they cut him after the first month for hitting .000 (zero). Can anyone imagine the Yankees or Dodgers not spending funds or prospect capital to immediately acquire half of an MLB platoon at the one of the most common positions to fill in the majors? Can anyone imagine NY or LA instead promoting a minor leaguer who already proved he couldn't play outfield in the bigs to learn an infield spot in. The. Show? And finally, after 100+ games of paralysis, Boston adds a major league first baseman to its roster only because another club paid them to take him?

Would it surprise if Henry (or one of his acolytes) votes "He's great!"? What if Bloom is doing exactly what he was hired to do, which is carry out a grand plan of cost-cutting -- while mouthpieces like Kennedy insist they're still going for it -- with a eye on ultimate contention via sustained salary "sanity" (translation: below big market market-values)? The goal is still to win, not tank, but ideally when actual young pre-arb talent gels at the big league level... and most importantly, the "sustained" aim of Bloom's sustained contenders is to keep cores together by pre-empting free agency and buying out years on big but not bank-busting contracts. Imagine Casas, Mayer and Bello all making MLB All-Star teams in a few years, and the Sox locking each of them up longterm for $100 million apiece... instead of spending all $300 mil on one Devers. What would be best for the franchise?

... not for someone working for the PR dept.

I agree there's always an adjustment period that includes new pitchers, coaches, teammates, systems, apartments, menus, time zones, groupies, etc. A few posters for some reason dispute such factors (except for maybe prevailing winds). If we accept that many big leaguers are guess-hitters -- since it's almost impossible not to guess for humans facing pitchers with 100 mph fastballs mixed with same arm-speed change-ups -- then how much difference is there really between Trevor Story and say, Dalbec-Duran-Downs-Franchy, who are also seemingly in constant 0-2 counts? And don't say: "$139,300,000 dollars."

Vazquez was maybe overrated as a receiver the past few years (though a rare catcher who could hit). However, disruptions and ambivalence in the clubhouse over trading such a valued comrade in what is supposed to be a playoff push can be underrated. It's still arguable the Red Sox are better with three new big leaguers, even if Bloom had no intention of adding an MLB first baseman until the Padres basically paid him to take one. A wild card is a longshot but not impossible... though old (and new) pitching has to get and stay healthy -- btw. Bello looked good vs. Houston yesterday. For '23, a middle infield star is not a top priority, even if X is Xed off; a glove guy like IKF is more important at SS for a contender. The big market Red Sox should be able to find a big bat or two for the outfield, to replace the lost production of Kike and JD from this summer and Schwarber/Renfroe from last winter. And while every team can use a star catcher to build around, Bloom isn't going to deal Mayer, Casas and Bello for Sean Murphy. After the Barnes' burn, he also isn't going to invest in any established relievers, so the other priority -- where it always comes back to: young, healthy, upside starting pitching. For a CBO who doesn't run a true big market club that is going for it in NY, LA or SD, finding at least one good outfielder who can hit and catch, and at least one good starting pitcher, is a worthy goal.

I've never faced 100 mph pitching, but if I did and held my bat over my shoulder with the barrel pointing at my heels like Story, I would definitely hit .000 (and maybe die). Is it possible that the thin air at Coors makes it easier for pro athletes to whip such wayward lumber into the hitting zone faster... than, say, the thick humidity of the East Coast?

For all the Coors experts: what factor there causes a batter to strike out 105 times in 307 at bats in a new park and league? Does Coors have a special sky or batter's eye background that makes it easier or better to see a pitched baseball?

In his first game at Worcester, Valdez homers to the opposite field! That's what he was thinking...