5GoldGlovesOF,75

I voted Cora C+, as in C for Cora, and plus for doing the best he can with what Bloom has given him -- and that includes organizational commands to make certain guys starters, instead of relievers.

It's a hard call -- in ancient times, when bullpens were usually composed of pitchers not good enough for the rotation, using starters to close postseason games wasn't that unusual. Eovaldi, the all-purpose guy in '18, also had an injury-marred 2019, but rebounded to have solid seasons in 20-21. He has also bounced back this year after Cora was forced to use him in relief in last October's ALCS.

Jose Iglesias was probably the most underrated Red Sox when the club kicked into its playoff drive down the stretch in 2021. The main reason he's already forgotten by some is he wasn't allowed to play in the postseason. We all welcomed him back, but Joe Churches knew he was still good enough to start somewhere and get paid for it. Shaw had the one big walk-off grand slam (after Barnes blew a top of the 9th lead), and a key pinch-hit in the final frame of the ALDS. But he faded fast this spring... A lefty-swinging, actual first baseman, whose hitting skills are somewhere in between Shaw and Schwarber, shouldn't be too difficult to land to fortify the roster in the next month. Waiting until the last minute of the trade deadline might be too late, because of the monster AL East schedule Boston has to play throughout July.

Jax is the one who said these Sox can't contend without major additions. I replied Bloom's moves usually don't start out major... but they do have a habit of mattering more as time progresses, don't they? All of the pitchers you named are examples of acquisitions hardly noticed or ignored initially that have eventually looked better and better. In the final minutes of last summer's trade deadline, nobody here was anointing Robles and Davis as the bullpen saviors. Weeks later, most of us were saying they were both busts. But Robles was a positive factor down the stretch, and Davis is this season. As for Schwarber, we all knew he was a primetime power hitter after his first-half surge in the NL, but few thought the longball was an area of need. Plus, he was injured when acquired. And he wasn't even a first baseman... but it all worked out, at least by October.

But still a god... https://theathletic.com/1876716/2020/06/18/kevin-youkilis-is-now-the-greek-god-of-hops-with-beer-for-these-troubled-times/

Your response to my post chronicles moves made last year or over the winter. But my response was to Jacksonian's post refers to "this Red Sox team" not being title contenders right now "without major additions." The thing about Bloom is that his additions usually aren't major, at least not in the immediate. The Sox are back in it, and the trade deadline is almost two months away, but fans are already bracing to be whelmed... like last summer, when he added two meh relievers and a power bat with no position who wasn't even available until mid-August. Then two of them contributed down the stretch. And now, the third is making his mark this season.

Appreciate the proposals, but as I said yesterday, I just can't see trading either Bello or Mata. The Red Sox PR machine has always overrated its prospects -- possibly to deceive some other org into parting with a higher return in swaps -- but the combo of velo and arsenal for these two trends towards top of the rotation potential. The Sox haven't had two arms on the rise at the same time like this since maybe Papelbon and Lester. Boston has several other decent pitching prospects on the farm that I might trade for a big league reliever. But to me, the minimum return for a top pitching prospect would have to be another young big league-ready bonafide arm or a starting position player, each with similar years of control.

Same here, but only because the Rays gave up on him and the Sox torched his one relief stint in the playoffs. But maybe Tampa suddenly is no longer the genius pitching organization they once were, after... 1) yanking Snell throwing a shutout to lose the '20 World Series; 2) starting three straight rookies vs. the top slugging team in the postseason to lose the '21 ALDS; 3) trading for a 40-year old DH to lose a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Fair assessment. Maybe Bloom plans to act fast on tying up his core of sustained contenders, once they make the bigs... if he's still here, when that happens.

Right; my take has usually been overrated D, underrated O. Sometimes lazy/aging glove, but decent rally line-mover, hitting behind runners. Clearly, management was ready to move on from Vaz last winter, with the pursuit of Stallings. We haven't seen it yet -- except for kind of with Whitlock -- but could it be Bloom and Co. prefers more longterm contracts for younger players? Not saying Houston is a blueprint to follow, since Springer and Correa left, but at least the Stros were able to ink core guys like Bregman, McCullers and now Alvarez for "reasonable" money. Meanwhile, Sox fans ask: Why do our stars like Mookie and Raffy turn down twice as much or three times as much in Boston as some stars sign for in Houston? Is it really just the weather?

Sox fans would all like to see more stability in the bullpen, but apparently the front office chooses not to invest money or prospects to improve that department... most likely since they survived a brutal April and are right back in the hunt for that extra wild card spot. Remember, Cora never lets the lack of relievers get in his way to go deep in the playoffs -- and management keeps telling us there are vets and young arms coming in the second half from within (to help with the autumn conversion of starters to rovers or closers). They also haven't replaced Schwarber's bat -- yet -- but they will. The Yankees, on the other hand, had two great months so far... but what were their major additions from last year, besides a shortstop who doesn't suck. With basically the same lineups (sans Gardner), NY and Boston are tied with most runs per game in the AL. Both offenses are middle of the pack in strikeouts, and take advantage of their home parks: Yanks lead in HRs, Sox in doubles. As usual it comes down to the pitching staffs. Boston's rebuilt rotation has been surprisingly solid. The Yanks return their same rotation, and the bullpen is missing maybe their top three injured relievers. So why are so many pinstriped pitchers having career years? Is it just because they're throwing to any other catcher not named Sanchez? Deep down inside, do Yankee fans really expect Cortes and Holmes to battle each other for the Cy Young and MVPs for the rest of this season, and their careers, and waltz into Cooperstown together, arm-in-arm, 15-20 years from now?

Quote Originally Posted by jacksonianmarch View Post This thread tickles me pink. I really want the sox to be buyers at the deadline, not sellers. Disagree with both... why would a Yankee fan want the Red Sox to improve this year? You know...Boston, the team that has eliminated New York the last three times they've faced each other in the postseason. And the point about an improved longterm outlook being tied to sellers over buyers is mere speculation. But since we're all about opinions here, mine is that there's a better chance of the Sox improving if they make moves to improve now, and maybe advance to another round or two this Fall. The excitement generated by winning in a city and throughout a fanbase (as opposed to the pain or at least mediocrity of a rebuild) certainly makes a location more attractive to prospective free agents. Now someone is going to argue that all pro athletes really care about is money.

I never said anything about scouts. I'm only basing my opinion of what I've actually seen of Duran in Red Sox or Worcester games. But I admit I'm old timey when it comes to using my eyes. Sometimes using the GPS, I'll look out the window and see the location; my wife gets really confused when I say we're already there, even when the computer voice on her phone tells her we're not. The inhumanity, the inanity...

Are you referring to going into 2021 or 2022? Let's put it this way: after the 2020 debacle, Marwin Gonzalez was the Red Sox '21 Opening Day leftfielder. And yet, there were some posters here who still predicted a 90 win club (but those being honest, was it because you thought Marwin -- not an outfielder, not a hitter -- was going to make the difference?). As for '22, Bloom even said publicly he needed a righty-swinging outfielder. He still does... though I'd keep Franchy as a 5th outfielder, PH/PR off the pine. But how hard is it to find an actual first baseman to play first base... and bullpen depth - not depth charges. Maybe they're waiting on making a move for when they go to Toronto at the end of the month -- when they'll have to, by Canadian law.

Devers wouldn't even DH yesterday; he insisted on playing third -- that's why the DH was Duran (who I still have not observed on actual plays as anything less than an average outfielder).

Agree with this post. Keep Bello and Mata because pure stuff with All-Star potential is rare. My other untouchable right now is the unstoppable Rafaela. When a guy is stampeding through an organization, just get out of the way and watch. He may not be another Mookie, but he's been proving people wrong his entire life. Don't bet against guys like that, and certainly don't give up on them too soon.

It's like falling back on trivia... Q: Which team has won the most titles? A: The one with this title -- The Only Team In Major League History To Choke A 3-Games-To-Zero Lead And Lose A Postseason Series.

Just wondering... for those who live in or near small market teams: do fans spend time speculating every year which prospects their GMs might be able to get in trades for all star players about to become eligible for free agency? Is it like an annual ritual, with posters consulting sites for Baseball Trade Values, Top 100 lists, and scouting reports? Or do they spend more time fantasizing on sites that rank amateurs in advance of the draft? Or do they just talk football or basketball or hockey or college football or basketball (but not soccer)?

... can no longer make the throw from deep in the hole? What if: Bogey -- who loves where he works and is already rich beyond his dreams -- pulls a JD (year after year after year) and decides at the last minute NOT to opt out. Boy, that would frost Bor's ass.

Fans and media react to what they see as evident and immediate. In real time, it's easier to judge a GM like Dombrowski, who constantly recruits viable big league reinforcements to help improve the current club... instead of a guy like Bloom, who is more public about the future, which compels him to cut corners (whether that's his style or an ownership edict/reason he was hired). Dombro in three years acquired guys like Kimbrel, Price, Sale, Nunez, Moreland, Pearce, Eovaldi and JD Martinez -- all of whom contributed to a title. But he also inherited heroes that were drafted or added by other GMs: Betts, Benintendi, Bradley, Bogaerts, Devers, Holt, Porcello, ERod, Kelly. Bloom was CBO when the Sox went to the ALCS. Some of his guys were key through the '21 postseason: Kike, Verdugo, Schwarber, Pivetta, Whitlock, Renfroe. But a lot of legacies also led the way (or were supposed to): Devers, Bogey, JD, Vazquez, ERod, Sale. When seasons don't work out, that's when GMs face the wrath. In 2019, Dombro brought in Andrew Cashner, Chris Owings and Gorkys Hernandez... and got fired. What will Chaim Bloom do to fortify the 2022 Sox?

Huge roadtrip, 10 games on the West coast. Three at Oakland, four at LA Angels, three in Seattle. The Red Sox begin just 2 1/2 games behind the Angels for the final wild card spot. This trip could define direction for the front office. None of these opponents are powerhouses, and it seems like Boston needs a winning record to not only make up some ground but to regain some momentum.

It's never been public record, so boards like these only reflect the usual assumptions and speculation. But giving too much blame or credit to one guy in charge, like Bloom or Dombrowski, is like saying there weren't already other significant and influential personnel in the front office or throughout the minor league developmental and scouting departments. Why not just blame and/or cheer Brian O'Halloran, the current General Manager, who's been employed by the Red Sox the entire century? Is it even feasible he has no say?

What, a bench of Arroyo and Shaw then Franchy isn't better than a bench of Marwin, Franchy and then Shaw? How about Kinsler, Pearce, Brandon Phillips (game-winning HR) and Tony Renda (game-winning run scored as a pinch-runner in his only appearance of 2018, his last MLB game)? Would you believe Pokey Reese, Dave Roberts and Doug Mientkiewicz? Uh... Bobby Kielty: one career World Series at bat -- and goes yard!

At least Bloom wasn't confused when he said his team still needed a right-handed hitting outfielder. When did he say that: March? April? I forget, but it wasn't last month.

Don't you fans ever listen? He lost it chopping peppers... with his left hand!