5GoldGlovesOF,75

And despite your other posts about 2021, the Red Sox bullpen also stunk last postseason. It's the main reason Boston fell two wins short of the World Series. Virtually every reliever got lit up, so much so that Cora had to try using starters as closers. Both dramatic walkoff wins vs. Tampa were made possible because the pen coughed up late leads. The Sox bats were shut down at the end of the ALCS, but Boston could've won the first four straight if the bullpen didn't lose two of them. The turning point in Game Four came after they blew another late lead and Cora tried using Eovaldi at the end. He lost, they lost, and the team that made deals for actual good relievers at the trade deadline won the pennant. Then the club with the best bullpen won it all.

They have some good prospects and a need for a starting pitcher... maybe Wacha, Hill or Eovaldi would enjoy a pennant race by August.

I still don't see the difference in the full season... Turner signed a contract with LA for '22, Betts was under contract for '20 when he signed, so isn't that also an extension? I made my point about Price -- he was never Scherzer, only paid like him.

You mean the 64 combined regular season and postseason games that LA got from Trea Turner in 2021... ... compared to the 64 combined regular season and postseason games that LA got from Mookie Betts in 2020.

... a Betts-type position player (though not as good), plus a pitcher on a Price-type contract -- but one who actually earned it. LA also threw in a better catching prospect than Connor Wong. And we're still paying Price not to hang around Boston. Grrrr...

I actually had the same order as you. But I do think a mutual understanding is coming with X-man, and that he'll be open to showcasing his skills for a contender if it comes to that.

What's more realistic in the next two months: 1. Bloom will ship prospects for a closer... 2. Bloom will receive actual prospects for JD, Eovaldi and Wacha -- who may never have more peak value, this high, again... 3. Bloom will get what he can for Kike, Vazquez, Hill, and anyone else on a one-year contract... 4. Bloom will land a really good prospect for Xander Bogaerts...

All we are saying, is give Bloom a chance. By this summer's deadline, he will have traded in all his chips -- except, hopefully, not Devers. All Bloom has to do is land one Joe Ryan or one Yordan Alvarez to come out ahead. The only issue in acquiring a guy like Yordan as a teenager is that it will probably take him another three or four years to make it. Some countries change presidents every four years.

It's totally excusable if you're not good enough.

If we try stepping away from team-building from the perspective of fans -- who want to win now (especially those of us who may not have the luxury of a lot more tomorrows) -- and look at it from a front office standpoint... ... the next two months presents perhaps the greatest opportunity in Chaim Bloom's master plan to recruit, secure and supplement a legitimate core of what he hopes will soon be a sustained contender in Boston. That is, unless he decides to trade Rafael Devers with a year of control left next winter.

Starting to sense the answer to various posts and thread questions that can be paraphrased with: "Why is so-and-so still on this team?!?!" A: Showcase... In the next month, no matter how many games the inconsistent Red Sox eek over or fall short of .500, expect a lot of MLB scouts in attendance. With more playoff berths than ever before, July will be a seller's dream.

Nick, you're ok. Who's telling you Sawamura isn't a journeyman? His journey has spanned around the world, from the Far East to the East Coast; he's thirty-freaking-four years old already!

It's not just Cora -- Hill has been getting hosed since Dave Roberts yanked him with a one-hitter in the 7th inning of a World Series game after he struck out Eduardo Nunez. Even the then President of the United States of America questioned that one...

... unless someone makes a godfather offer... from which -- we'd have to assume -- the acquiring club would receive that missing link to put them over the top and secure a title. Sox probably aren't quite there, yet. Then again, what was the single biggest reason Boston fell two wins short of the pennant last year? (those who think "no offense the last three games" let earlier images of grand salamis obscure bad memories of the biggest weakness)

... unless we're waiting on Sale to step in and be the savior... subjugating all Machados down to one knee, while closing out the Ws.

So basically, the reason I encouraged the Margot-Kimbrel posts is because it's time now for Bloom to fortify the roster with an actual quality closer. We all know even some of our hottest hitters will cool off eventually, and we'll start losing more games again because of the inadequate bullpen. Trade from prospect strength -- whatever the Red Sox deem that is -- it may be a big bat, like Binelas or Jordan or Kavadas or Northcut... or it may be a starting pitcher from Portland or Woo; if not, promote one into the rotation and send someone good to the back end... or see if the rook can relieve, then slowly transition him into high lev. If Bloom doesn't make a serious move in the next month, it means the Red Sox will most likely be sellers before August -- because this roster will be exposed in July playing the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays 17 games in a row.

One of the problems is every year salaries always go up (unless there's collusion), so it's inevitable that eventually someone not as good as Mookie will sign for more than Mookie. It's not all about respect; a parent has to be able to afford the cost of baby formula... Devers at his age and his level of accomplishments already deserves a top of the market paycheck. Somebody will definitely give it to him, and if it's not Boston, a lot of Red Sox fans won't be thrilled to see the savings spent on other players with lesser abilities.

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.