5GoldGlovesOF,75

Most posters agree a move or transaction is worth it, if it produces a world championship. So was the Kimbrel trade worth it? It directly played a large role in three straight first place finishes, including the 2018 ring for the best Red Sox team of all-time. Kimbrel almost gave me a heart attack in the '18 postseason, but he was mostly a stabilizing force that solidified the Sox into a contender. He also saved over 100 games, was a Boston All-Star from '16-18, and even finished 6th in the Cy Young in '17 (Sale was 2nd). Margot, the best of the prospects swapped for Kimbrel, has been an ok big leaguer. This is nothing like the 1987 deadline deal that brought starter Doyle Alexander to the Detroit Tigers. For the last two months of that season Alexander was the best pitcher in baseball, going 9-0 with the lowest ERA and WHIP. His addition was totally worth giving up prospects at the time because it made the Tigers the winningest club in the majors, and the favorite to go all the way. Then Alexander lost two playoff starts and Detroit didn't even make the World Series. Meanwhile, one of the prospects eventually did better than just ok for his new team in Atlanta, and even became a famous TV analyst on FOX...

He's been an MLB starting position player for six years, but never an All-Star. As the centerpiece in a trade for an All-Star closer, you make that deal every day. Kimbrel, 27 at the time of the Margot trade, had led the NL in saves and received Cy Young votes four straight years, and MVP votes in three. He was exactly what the Red Sox needed to get to the next level, which was first place for the next three seasons.

Arraez is a 21st century rarity: more walks than strikeouts. Others: Jose Ramirez, Yandy Diaz, Michael Brantley, Steven Kwan. NL has one: Juan Soto... but only because no one will pitch to him. This is also why the Red Sox can never bat JD or Xander before Devers, to try to give him more RBI opportunities.

Updated MLB TOTAL BASES 124 Devers 117 the next best big leaguer (turned down a Betts' offer, wore a sour look in '21 Wild Card game, whenever FOX showed him, every other second) ... rest of top AL batters: 103 Hall of Fame Angel 102 the most underrated hitter in baseball (a Guardian) 96 Ty France 90 JD

Dombrowski may get too much notoriety here for trading the farm. Sure, he continually made swaps to supplement a contender -- but that's a key job of a good GM. But he never gave away Jeff Bagwell... Kopech looks great this year, but Moncada is already 27, never been an All-Star, and has only had one really good year. Is anyone else the one that got away? Margot and Dubon are career .256 hitters. Espinal looks like a decent utility guy. It's arguable that none of the position players dealt by Dombro will have as good a career as Jose Iglesias, whose glove has kept him around for over a decade and 1,000 games -- and whose bat has gradually improved to a near .280 lifetime average. All that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington got for him were 10 starts (4.04 ERA) and one decent playoff game in 2013 from Jake Peavy. Of course, Iglesias wasn't a future NL batting champ like Freddy Sanchez -- traded in a multi-player deal by GM Theo Epstein at the '03 deadline. At least one of the acquired guys (Brandon Lyon) was eventually flipped for Curt Schilling. And yet, it was ok for those GMs to trade from positions of strength. The Sox still had Nomar, and then Bogaerts, and then Devers... There are only so many positions on the diamond.

I have no idea if front office blueprints are pulling managerial strings, like some fans and scribes have suspected in other cities with like-minded execs, like LA and Tampa in recent World Series... For all we know, Cora keeps pitching Barnes because he used to be good, and AC keeps hoping he will be again.... or it could be that Cora is intentionally using the personnel he's stuck with to convince Bloom to make changes before it's too late.

Whether or not the Red Sox get back to or over .500 soon may not matter as much as how far away they are from that final wild card berth. For the summer to be interesting, it may come down to their ability to overtake the next team closest to them. Is it reasonable to expect Boston to become a legit contender if Bloom doesn't fortify the roster soon and fill some glaring holes with at least another average big league outfielder, first baseman and reliever? Will this club as is even be able to survive through July when they play 17 straight games vs. Tampa, New York and Toronto? (or is someone waiting for that stretch to justify a fire sale?) Even if the Sox somehow stay afloat through the upcoming west coast trip and remain close to, say, the Angels, it's important to remember LA gets to play the majority of its games vs. the AL West. Boston would almost have to be ahead of the Angels in the WC in September, when the Halos play 11 of their last 14 vs. the M's, Rangers and A's...

Cora did not assemble this roster. It was given to him by Boston's Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom. But thanks for giving me the opportunity to type this every day.

Because Arroyo is already our right-handed power bat off the bench... and right-handed hitting outfielder... on this roster....for this always all-in contender...

The Red Sox will carefully, deliberately "stretch him out" and "ramp up" his bullpens -- flat ground, long toss, simulated innings, rehab starts -- and probably throw in one more set-back... just to make absolutely sure he joins the club after the series a month from now in Toronto, Canada that he personally chooses not to attend.

Shhhhh... Bloom cautions there's a need for patience. But since it was an audible quote, maybe he meant patients... as in, a recruitment drive for more fans to be fitted with straight jackets, forced to watch an entire season at Chaim's inane asylum.

Mookie was obviously too short. It doesn't matter if he had the fastest hand-eye in the land, there was just no way such skills were going to translate in the pros. It's not like he was going to lead the National League in home runs or something by age 29... ... that's why Epstein gave Betts every cent he asked for, about a minute before the signing deadline for draftees (source: Homegrown by A.Speier).

There's no should in baseball. The only annual guarantee is the Sox will struggle for survival on the Oregon Trail.

... it says to me the organization and Cora's boss won't let him. Do you honestly think any manager is concerned about stretching out young pitchers so they can be part of a future core the manager might never be around for?

I've always thought there should be a dress code for team uniforms, at least in how you wear your socks. The Red Sox, for example, should always wear their pants so their red socks are showing... and never wear navy socks, either (I wasn't into Manny wearing his pants covering his shoe tops, while Pokey or someone else folds them up to the knees). The White Sox are even worse: not only don't they wear white, but their official choice of black pays homage to the squad that committed the biggest scandal in baseball history... If I cared about Chicago, I'd be ashamed.

... who wore down in the playoffs last year for LA, and who is hurt again for NY. In between, he's been great, but $40M can buy a lot of Wachas. There are no sure things in the workhorse mound trade, but the best bets are always guys in their primes... ... or if you're in charge of a budget, younger arms you can lock up and control. And like with Whitlock's signing, that may be the plan for who Bloom considers his core of sustained contenders.

Boston gave Sale the going rate for an ace pitcher at the time, after being named an All-Star and voted in the top six for the Cy Young Award seven straight years. The Red Sox were probably paying for what they hoped were three or four more seasons of greatness -- and saving themselves another $5 million a year (if they waited and risked a bidding war for Sale if he reached free agency). Those who immediately cautioned he was damaged goods were right. When he jumped at the offer, I was worried that he knew they were correct...

After the clueless arrogant old men in charge bungled the Red Sox in the early 80s -- and New England lost star players like Fisk, Lynn and Burleson -- the rebound for Boston was led by good, young starting pitchers. It was the first time in my life as a fan that homegrown pitching was a strength for the Sox. Maybe we're on the verge of developing our best mound depth since Papelbon and Lester made it in the 00s...

Many posters point this out. Others also contend that a big part of following and rooting for a team as a fan involves continuity. Like what if the '19 Red Sox traded for or signed the entire Washington Nationals roster, then two years later swapped uniforms with the '21 Braves? We could still jump up and down and cheer, "Yeah, Boston won again!" Would it feel the same? (I always wondered about that with Yankee fans, when free agency began in the 70s, and NY kept signing big name superstars with rings every single year).

OPS just isn't the end-all, be-all magic stat for me when comparing ballplayers. How about five of six years of at least 4.5 WAR for Rendon? Devers has had one. Granted, Rafey will be younger when he signs his big free agent contract. But one could also argue that Rendon was more established by actual accomplishments.

Lindor and Devers aren't good comparisons at all. Lindor plays the more important position, and was the best all-around shortstop in baseball; not even any of last winter's Big Five SSs could match his three straight Top-10 MVP finishes, especially at ages 22-24. He also won two Gold Gloves. A better comp is hot cornerman Anthony Rendon. But Devers still has a ways to go before he even matches Rendon's three Top-6 MVP finishes; Rafey has yet to break a Top-10...

Other than promoting a spot starter to open in a double header game, the most likely guy to join Boston by summer if he stays consistent is probably German. A reliever can always get work in a bullpen that needs help, and the Sox will want to keep their starting prospects on regular turns in the minors -- unless someone is so good he can bump a big leaguer to the pen (or if a vet is traded).

Ownership hired Bloom to trade Betts (and Price). Losing a Hall of Famer about to enter his prime is momentous and franchise-altering, and they entrusted Bloom with the ensuing alterations...

Need to see how much Bradley contributes on O before we can fully evaluate the Renfroe for Binelas (and Hamilton) trade.

Everybody also forgets Whitlock blew the save in the pivotal Game 4 of the ALCS, giving up a leadoff homer to Altuve in the top of the 8th, after pitching a scoreless 7th. Was he slated to finish the game for a three-inning save? Maybe... but suddenly, Cora was compelled to use Eovaldi -- and then Perez -- in the disastrous 9th, and the Sox never sniffed another lead in the series.