5GoldGlovesOF,75

Whitlock, Slaten and Chapman = Kirk, Spock and McCoy in the bullpen's landing party.

Just seems like a lot of stress over maintaining control of 99% of a workforce that won't even be working for the same company six years later. The Sox should worry more about the one guy who stayed, and they're obligated to pay $30 million a year through 2033.

Durn right he has strength -- enough to pump those inflated plastic dumb bells that power his grounders all the way to second base. I actually thought his repaired shoulder would let Masa rip away this season, but if he was really letting it fly in rehab you'd think the Sox would be showcasing him somewhere (instead of hiding him like a family member with issues they don't want at the holiday table for fear of disrupting an unfiltered grandparent). "Semi-happy"... that's us. The bottom half of a circle forms a smile that is always frowned down upon.

Very few players are still with their original team six years after making the majors. On the current Red Sox, it's (insert eeegads) Rafael Devers. So, correct me if I'm wrong: all these service time worries by clubs are about having to pay arbitration prices a year earlier? First year arbitration figures aren't even usually that exorbitant -- unless the guy's a total star... which any smart team should be looking to lock up to an extension anyway. If the player is worth it, orgs would gladly pay them earlier to avoid possibly losing them to free agency. It may be good business to manipulate the time clock, but it can also expedite an early exit from subsequent bitterness. Or, as fans this century have seen more than not, the Red Sox tend to overrate or at least overhype their own prospects.

He just might. Imagine all the activities he could do in between ABs: make beaded bracelets, play the flutophone, read Zen (or Zinn), tie-dye t-shirts...

I didn't even try the math; I just googled today through the end of the season, and it said, 156 days left. If there are any loopholes, though, best to keep in mind that Theo Epstein lurks -- the GM who once wouldn't call Kris Bryant to the majors until there were exactly 171 days left, after Bryant was Minor League Player of the Year and then obliterated Spring Training.

Both Duran and Abreu are too valuable to sit, and Breslow has definite needs, so it doesn't make sense not to swing a trade. And they all have strikeout profiles: Duran, Abreu, Rafaela, Campbell, even Anthony -- but he is above the others because he's noted for more power and more patience, the combo that elevates the almighty OPS.

Ok. I read a team couldn't have more than one PPI player, in case one guy's Rookie of the Year, and another finishes 3rd in MVP -- so the Sox would only get one draft pick if say Campbell was ROY and Anthony finishes 3rd in MVP voting... ...like 1975 AL ROY/MVP Fred Lynn and 3rd in MVP Jim Rice.

Rookie of the Year loses a year and his team wins a draft pick... and the Players' Union agreed to this?

It's possible they're playing Campbell in CF to keep his bat in the line-up when they promote Mayer to play 2B. Anthony will be in LF -- Worcester's manager came right out and said that's what they're preparing him for. Anthony and Mayer have to play every day -- that factor could keep them in the minors until spots open up in Boston. Breslow doesn't have to trade one his current outfielders, but that surplus could help net reinforcements for the pitching staff, which is insufficient and inefficient beyond Crochet, Buehler and hopefully Bello. Losing Crawford and Fitts hurts, and they know they can't rely on veteran comebacks from Giolito, Hendriks or Sandoval. A true contender can't just keep sending down used-up pitchers and calling up fresh arms every other day for six months...

From https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/service-time: "A player is deemed to have reached "one year" of Major League service upon accruing 172 days in a given year." According to google math, from today's date until September 28 -- the Red Sox last scheduled game of the regular season, there are 156 days left in the 2025 campaign (the postseason does not count towards service time). Yesterday, Sox President Sam Kennedy said on WEEI, “Well, we just keep walking by Bres’ office saying, ‘Come on, man. What are we waiting for? Let’s go!’”

Boston never makes that trade. They can't risk confusing customers and fans of Fenway Park and the Polar grounds (thrown out after morning coffee). Imagine the advertising angst if Bryan becomes our new ace and FOX starts promoting a Sunday night telecast of Woo's Sox.

Of course not. Boston is sitting pretty. Plenty of time for openings to evolve. Potential trades to free up positions have been discussed by the media since last winter, and definitely on forums, but none demanded a deal this minute or in a couple of weeks or even at the deadline. Alex Mayes also posted an article on talksox the other day about possibly including Mayer as the centerpiece of another blockbuster for a top of the rotation starter. The Sox have other good shortstop prospects in the pipeline, so maybe one them can fetch some help for the pitching staff in a contending year. I just don't see an opt-out in the future of Story as suggested (or Bregman, either).

Or his culpability -- he has done nothing to prove he doesn't belong in the majors. Wait a minute; in four of the past five seasons, Mayer has a higher batting average vs. left-handed pitchers than vs. righties -- that's not down to MLB standards for a southpaw swinger. At least he spends long periods of time on the IL every year, just like big leaguers.

We don't have to... Going out on a limb here, noting that some posters have even dismissed traditional stats of evaluation like batting average, runs batted in, and wins (notice I didn't save saves for last).

Right now in the AL, the Red Sox are one of the 5 or 6 least weakest teams. And there's still time to get stronger.

Ok, but fielding is part of playing the pitcher position. I do like how you said ERA "tries" to measure... ex: reliever comes in and immediately serves up a meatball that finds a gap and scores an inherited baserunner all the way from 1st. Who gave up the run? I just have no tolerance for brutal throwing Es from a guy whose very job is to be the most accurate thrower in the ballpark. "I pitched great -- only one run scored on my own error," said the baseball player playing the pitcher position. When we were kids, it was reassuring to know the best player was always smack-dab in the middle of the diamond. And everyone on the pick-up teams had set positions: Billy Dee Williams was the pitcher, James Earl Jones the catcher, Richard Pryor the right fielder, etc.

And H in both acronyms stands for Hit... this is why so many old bucks avoid the metric system. Speaking of errors, any runs scored because of a fielding error by a pitcher should go against his ERA. He's playing the pitcher position, and should be charged for any runs he personally gives up. A run scored by a pitcher error or a bases-loaded walk are each the result of mistakes, and both are his responsibility.

It doesn't matter who Boston trades for or brings up from the minors, as long we have pitchers who can fire throws past first base down the right field line so baserunners can cross the plate. It's a Red Sox tradition: scour the diamonds of the world to hire guys who can throw accurately to 4th base, when they can't for the life of them find 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Maybe Fenway groundskeepers can insert a second perpendicular rubber in the center of the mound, to make pitchers feel more comfortable pushing off to pitch to another base on a comebacker. The double rubber would take the shape of a cross, to make it easier for coaches and fans to pray...

Posters of this forum should just feel lucky to have a self-appointed watchdog here to take the time to question all forum insanity and inanity.

.... surrounded by alien ships shooting lasers, the Defender pushes his last smartbomb and obliterates the threat.

Thank you for your honesty and having the passion to write five paragraphs about something you admit you're not entirely sure about. However, in your zeal you rant about Spring Training stats that no one on the forum has ever cited about a player that no one has ever said needs to be called up to energize the offense. My posts always refer to Marcelo Mayer's defense: "Mayer clearly outplayed Campbell in the infield in Florida, and was as good or better than Story, as well. He knows he's a big leaguer... Mayer is MLB ready, and is clearly as good as any other Red Sox infielder with his glove and arm in the majors right now." That was me talking Sox and showing enthusiasm, but of course anyone who watched the Red Sox in Florida in February and March saw the same, and also heard ex-MLB infielders Alex Cora and Lou Merloni rave about Mayer's composure. To be fair, I did include his regular season batting stats in one post to show he was also contributing at the plate (currently leading the International League in Runs Batted In). I'm just glad we agree on main points that a guy like Mayer would already be in The Show if he played for a weaker organization, and that a savvy front office like Boston's won't let statistics get in the way of promotion -- like when they moved Anthony to higher levels, or gave Campbell a starting job despite his sluggish ST. It's a great time to be a fan when the Red Sox are winning and have capable reinforcements at the ready.

Ryan also played in a different era... for half a decade into his 40s he was teammates with guys like Ivan Rodriquez, Rafael Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez, even Jose Canseco. That was a compliment then, but not so much in retrospect.

That's an interesting observation, and I'm surprised no reporter has mentioned it (wouldn't want to rock the juggernaut season we're having). Hope Cora at least spoke to a few leaders in the clubhouse, because even if he doesn't like all his guys, he knows he's gonna need them all to win (seriously: Romy at 1B will carry us through October?). If the org thinks Casas is full of it, and won't admit to them exactly how much pain he's still in, then why would they have confidence in him to still generate the same torque he once had to drive the ball? The sad part to me is if his teammates shun him just because he's a different personality. The Red Sox loved Bill "The Spaceman" Lee -- as long as he was pitching well... but when he started to age, they couldn't wait to launch him into the sun. Luckily for Lee, he was able to latch onto a gopher ball in orbit he once threw to Harmon Killebrew, and has been circling diamonds ever since. He still plays in old-timers leagues or on tournament teams at age 78 -- who's a better ambassador for a sport than that? Spaceman is more erudite with more old-timey stories than any of the ex-Red Sox players NESN keeps hiring year after year -- but they just can't trust him live... even with a 10-second audio delay. But they're idiots, because Lee would be can't-miss TV... fans would never use mute buttons again.

OPS is one tool to evaluate position players, but for catchers probably not as valuable as OPS Against. Not sure how catchers are credited with WAR on defense, but there's probably a way (without human counting) to find W-L records in specific games caught. Doubt there's a stat for number of times a catcher is requested by starting pitchers, but bet coaching staffs use the ear test...