5GoldGlovesOF,75

The Sox didn't make the playoffs with Pivetta in '22-24. One more veteran starting pitcher isn't going to win the World Series for Boston. Neither is adding a veteran first baseman or another recycled reliever. Teams in a rebuild -- like the 2025 Red Sox -- don't trade an all-around prospect, especially with right-handed power, like Garcia unless he's part of larger deal that brings back a package that includes other MLB-ready prospects.

Campbell has played half his games in Worcester so far at first base -- where he has a 1.000 fielding percentage. He could win a Pyrite Glove there!

I value Baseball America's list over MLB's, since the former's focus is predominately amateurs and minors. MLB literally has Major League represented in its anagram. Hey, MLB, where's Payton's Place? BA has Tolle better than half of your prospects!

Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey.

I just mentioned it because it was always on the radio during the '75 Series when Boston came close to pulling off a major upset. Losing in the last inning of the last game on a bloop single to probably the greatest group of eight position players ever wasn't the worst thing in the world. Early Airplane was classic. I'm still haunted by "Today" as if it were yesterday. Grace Slick even tried to help cure a nation with a plan to slip some acid into Nixon's drink. As a young fan I appreciated her efforts to enlighten an ex-catcher for the Red Sox.

I approve of that "t" you snuck into your last word.

Ah, 1975... soundtrack: Jefferson Starship's "Miracles" if only you believe... the underdog Red Sox, without an injured Jim Rice, could upset the NL All-Star team (posing as the Reds). Little-remembered trivia: Boston's Opening Day DH that year wasn't Rice, but another former star slugger who missed the last Sox World Series -- which also went seven games vs. a mighty opponent -- with a more famous injury.

True. But with the '25 Red Sox, less is more. Most of the regulars who played everyday in the first half had ample opportunities to show the world how mediocre they could be. Now, if Bregman returns and builds off his great start, and guys coming on like Narvaez, Abreu and the CeHeyddanne Kid keep it going, we may have meaningful games throughout the summer.

Not in dollars -- but apparently I'm a consumer of billions of microplastics in everything I eat, drink and breathe.

Crochet has been as good as advertised, but Chapman has been better than anyone expected. Crochet leads the AL in games started, innings pitched and strikeouts: 2.26 ERA, 1.032 WHIP, 11.2 K9. Chapman has pitched in twice as many games but in 30% of the innings: 1.13 ERA, 0.794 WHIP, 13.2 K9. Crochet: 18 games started. Chapman: 21 games finished. The question is: who has been more valuable? WAR assigns numbers for performance, but there are no stats for positive effects like conserving the bullpen, setting examples, eating innings, providing confidence and inspiring teammates in the dugout, clubhouse, hotels, planes and busses. Both are the best Red Sox players at their positions. Like WAR, I have to give a slight edge to the guy who pitched more innings and retired more batters... so far.

Agreed it was a great win. That's two in three games -- and let's hope it's a spark for more offensive balance with multiple batters contributing consistently. But average runs scored per game post-Raffy? In the past two Ws, the Sox have scored 28 times for an average of 14 runs per game. In the other 11 games, Boston has tallied 31 times. That's 2.8 runs per game.

What's irksome about the Giolito signing was that he was coming off the worst final couple months of any free agent starter. The Red Sox looked around the bar at closing time and picked the one sure thing who would go home with them. It was obvious the Sox weren't going to land Ohtani or Yamamoto, and they weren't going to pay what Nola or Snell wanted. But St Louis ended up with Sonny Gray (current NL leader in Ws) for three years at $25 mil per, while Jordan Montgomery -- who reportedly wanted to sign with Boston -- also got $25 mil from Arizona. Sean Manaea, once a Bailey pupil, signed for only $14 mil per for two years, but with an opt-out... which he exercised and then resigned for $25 mil per over the next three. So $25 million per year was established as market value for a bonafide starting pitcher. But Breslow and Co. stole Gio for appx. $19 mil per -- what a coop, what savings for Big Market Boston! New York and LA are jealous. The Yankees probably spend the $6 million dollar difference on barbers, and the Dodgers blow it on front row seats at Hollywood Awards shows.

The only thing I'm buying is a controllable pitcher who could contribute next year at least. That means no expiring contracts -- so probably an MLB-ready prospect for a decent but expendable outfielder like Duran or Abreu.

Sox have to go 8-5 to get back to .500 by the All-Star Break. Anything less and I'll light the fire, while you place the flowers in the vase.

They're spending more, but still on one-year guys like Buehler (failure) and Chapman (success). The best thing they've done all decade isn't the Crochet trade, but the Crochet extension. Now at least they have a guy atop the rotation they can build around with youth and hopefully, add to with quality. This is why I'm against any deadline deals that include top pitching prospects like Payton Tolle or Brandon Clarke. I don't mind giving up prospects who play positions where we have depth, but that's never on the mound... Good young arms -- making minor league wages -- have to be the most valuable keepers in the system; especially so it won't waste more money on older, broken down arms with a lot of mileage on them.

Glad you asked. I prefer the Red Sox haven't gone all-in on the illusion of competing since the Dombrowski Daze. The entire Bloomslow Show has revolved around signing cheap Wait-And-See pitchers -- and the front office business plan is to keep doing it every single year this decade. That's basically what the Giolito signing was: hoping and wishing and praying a guy who suddenly became affordable because of bad performance would regain his past glory. He's looked good lately and I'm glad for him because I have nothing against him -- just what he represented in Boston's business model. True contenders never bank their offseasons on just adding Wait-and-See guys to get them into the playoffs and World Series. Btw, I never wanted Price, especially at his price, but what really irks me is I believe these 2020s Sox are intentionally playing musical chairs with the Wait-and-Sees and have no intention of ever resigning any at market value -- in case someone is good... ... like Wacha (already 2.1 WAR in half of '25; Boston is lucky to have starters reach 2.1 for entire seasons now).

It was a preemptive line because no matter how much we all agree that all pitchers are now just ILs waiting to happen, some poster would inevitably defend Brez for signing Giolito. The guy led the league in home runs allowed and was coming off a brutal second half in '23 with a Houckian 2-10 record off a 7.13 ERA. And Breslow not only signed Gio, he gave him the most ridiculous contract with an opt out after Year 1 or a guaranteed Year 2 salary -- which we immediately knew meant that Lucas would leave if he had a good year and stay if he sucked. That was not the way to add any sustained quality to a rotation on a club starved for starting pitchers.

If the Sox don't miraculously catch fire in the second half and win more than they lose -- while making the playoffs -- then the Devers saga will always be known as the time a CBO traded a team's best hitter after a five-game winning streak and a span that included beating the Yankees 5 out of 6... the last of which the slugger belted his 31st career home run vs. NY in his final official at bat as Red Sox. It remains to be seen if Raffy will someday be inducted into the Hall of Fame, like Mookie Betts -- who is a lock. And maybe one of the players Boston received from San Francisco, like Harrison or Tibbs, will have a moment or two to surpass the mediocre paths of Wong and Verdugo. But right now, John Henry is assured that his last two choices for CBO from Yale will always be remembered first and foremost as the stiffs who traded away Red Sox stars in their primes and weakened the franchise.

Ruth was also the name of one Harry's Lady Friends who kept telling him No, No -- so he made sure the Babe was the first to Go, Go to New York.

He must have also hated Bloom, who graduated from Yale with a Classics degree, which we all know requires proficiency in Latin.

Manny was actually traded, along with minor league pitcher Jon Lester, for ARod in December '03, but the deal was blocked by the Players' Association when Alex tried to take a paycut, presumably so the Sox could invest the savings on other upgrades. We're all glad that one fell through.

His Lady Friends kept telling him No No (especially Nan, with her double negative nickname). They must've all lived and worked in NYC, where they were controlled by other men in power... ... that would explain why Harry constantly gave his best players to the Yankees for a decade: trying to trade Sox stars for one YES. Years later, in a mock to Frazee, the Yanks named their TV Network after his Big Apple benevolence.

Not unless you think Giolito is worth $38.5 million for half a season of inconsistent starts. The Red Sox have been paying him that for a year and a half, and he's finally healthy enough to put together some quality starts. The latter is what was expected, but even if he's more consistent through the second half of '25, was it worth paying him more than Crochet this year? No one can fault a guy for getting injured, but imagine if Gio was instead good the first year and then opted out: would the Sox be on the hook for another $50-75 million dollar extension? Or would he be a Dodger by now, leaving Boston searching for yet another member of their fluctuating starting rotation?

Those other games were anomalies

I'd even be willing to let Dalton take his time, as long as he's wearing Boston's green and gold (the hell) in time to spell the Carnivore in the next day game after a night game.