drewski6

theres been like 2 forfeits in the last 70 years and i dont think either were purely team choice. I think they were like fan riots. Logically , I could see forfeiting games, but im a little skeptical becuase I imagine the scenario where it makes logical sense to forfeit a couple games happens every year, and for some reasons teams just never do it.

Its different if you are a young prospect expected to be a MLB. BUt like Cam Booser, a 31 yr old never been called up. Lifelong dream of pitching in the majors is great and all. But he ended up making 600k that year instead of like 70k because he was able to stay up. Every day you are up is like 4k. I wouldnt be mad if some of those happy tears were for the money. Its gotta stink to be a AAA pitcher your whole career and see your friends who have normal jobs outearn you. I suppose you can get a summer job. But still. Another issue is like lets say im a 32 yr old career AAA player and i go out to eat with childhood friends, and one is like a union tradesman, another is a mid-level accountant (above associate, below partner), and another is a moderately successful salesman. And likely your friends are thinking pick up the tab, professional ball player and you are like i make the least at this table. Thats gotta suck.

Seems fair to me. Most guys who are on a 40 man, but not a 26 man make about 70k. The MLB minimum for being on teh 26 is like 800k. Your one month , I think is fair, which is 1/6 of a season (1 of 6 months). So if you get called up at all , you go from like 12k that month (and thats gross, not net - take home on that after fees, taxes, dues, healthcare) - so thats really like 7k take-home. But one month of mlb pay is like 133k, which becomes like 70k take home. So you take home 70k in lets say July, instead of 7k because you were called up, and that can be lifechanging. And also, you are still incentivized cuz you want to stay up and try to get another month of 10x earnings.

if we need to cut durans 9m to be able to retain gray, we do it. But I honestly dont think it works that way. I think the decisions arent married like that, becuase having these "we must stay under this exact number" is mostly a fan forum thing. Its us seeing who can build the best roster with the same amount of dollars for fun. In the real world, decisions are usually made case by case.

Its not, a 2 WAR player costs about 20m in 2026 free market. And we really dont have this gigantic shopping lst like we had last year. If Duranis squeezed or traded, it'll likely because they are worried about him not accepting a fourth OF role , or giving up on his ability to get back to 2025 numbers, or wanting to repuprose his spot on the 26 or 40 man. I think a spot on a 26man/40man roster is more valuable than 9m in 2026. That feels weird to say. 9m is the new 4m is all I can say. Inflations a b.

which i acknowledge is a personal problem

Okay but i have tickets on sunday and want to buy a tolle jersey from the pro shop.

It counts for a lot. Breslow has saved his job at this point, and bought himself like 2-3 more years with potential for even more. But Im not building his statue until one of his teams gets past the first round of the playoffs. Note: the video of him and Tracy calling people up from AAA have made it into my algo and are all must watches. Tolle crying in 2025 for his call up. And some Cam Booser (not to be confused with Cam Boozer), his video was sweet too. Had me googling what are Cam Boosers career earnings hoping hes made some money for himself. I would imagine if you get called up even once, and they have to add you to 40 man roster. Then you go from minor league dollars to major league minimum and its going from like 80k/yr to like 900k. And maybe thats prorated but still, if you are a 31 yr old minor leaguer that could be a life changing raise , just 1-2 years on a 40 man.

Its funny. Its not true, but its funny. The red sox strike out 21.4%, which is ninth best in MLB.

Well Ive heard of the Bay Sox (Orioles AA team) but never the May Sox.

Im not sure exactly what you are implying here, but it sounds fun- maybe a little conspiratorial (but not like twitter-ugly conspiratorial), and for these reasons: Im in.

What if the cubs series is rained out?

I am not the guy who decided the postseason matters more. A GM who builds teams that year 1: miss playoffs, year 2: miss playoffs, year 3: lose in first round, year 4: lose in first round AND for the same reason we lost year 3 (after the "and makes it worse). And Im still not taking all of Breslows credit away from the 2026 turnaround. I am not saying he should be fired if the above comes to pass and we noodlebat our way out of the playoffs first round. Im also not saying its for certain going to happen. All I am saying is if the above comes to pass, please forgive me for rolling my eyes when you and Joe high five over how great Breslow is, and getting annoyed when he starts his usual: RS fans are the most spoiled and anyone who isnt over the moon (no pun intended) thrilled with 0 playoff series wins in 4 years is a Fred. Just like when I rolled my eyes when you 2 high fived over all the stars we didnt get.

Im open to suggestions and workshopping the 2026 Red Sox band name. Id like to submit: For Whom the Bell Tolles? Metallica cover band. Tolle looks like hes our age and therefore feels like a guy who could be in a Metallica cover band.

If the 2025 Red Sox were a band, they would be called: Captain Story and the noodlebats.

Theres always some crap shoot element to short samples, but I dont think its a crapshoot that the noodlebats that were the 2025 Red Sox playoff hitters (which was the 2025 Red Sox hitters , minus story who was our best hitter in the playoffs) performed like a bunch of noodlebats. You had like Yoshida hitting cleanup with like Nate eaton and nate lowe and sogard who wasnt 2026 sogard....The team (minus Story) didnt hit and everyone saw it coming. Not a crapshoot And if we noodlebat again, it will just be more evidence that Breslow didnt do enough to fix the offense in the offseason. Because in 2026, most neutral sources were like that offense looks very meh, so if you lose in a series 2-0, 3-1....You can try to run around screaming bad luck or crapshoot, but I just read: yummy yummy breslows boots. Dont worry Ill shield you from that doggone accountability. But I think we are going to beat the yankees in a 3 game series. And I believe that Trevor Story will go 5-17 with 3 homeruns and 9 RBIs. And people will complain about his Ks and want to run him out of town for Arias. Rumors of Storys demise have been greatly exaggerated.

I just want fair accountability. Not bootlicking and not Freds look for an excuse to be negative.

Breslows 2026 grade is so far so good....But if we go out in first round same way as last year in the same noodlebat fashion, then all the people who said Breslow didnt do enough to build the offense look right.

I agree. But Joes playoffs are a crapshoot and lets celebrate making a playoffs in a league where half the teams are hardly trying and 6 freaking teams make it, sounds like a recipe to not hold anyone accountable. I dont think Im being unreasonable. 3 months ago I was vocal that Breslow needed to go. Im off that. No matter what happens here until the end of the season, I do not think Breslow should get fired after this year. Worst case scenario would be losing 2 in a row to NYY and showing very little with the bats. Even if that does happen, if I was owner, I wouldnt fire him. He did enough to keep his job already. But if worst case scenario that I outlined above comes to fruition, then Breslow will be 4 years with 0 playoff series wins (fact). And it would have been second year in a row where our runs / game was way below playoff average (fact). And it will feel like the writing was on the wall (opinion) and a lot of the rah-rah that Breslow got (and Im currently feeling) will go away if this year ends on a whimper the same as last year (opinion). So win one series , Im joining the high five over Breslow club Lose to the Yankees but score more than 4.0 runs/game, Im joining the high five over Breslow club Be an easy out and score not enough runs against the yankees? Then its 4 years with no playoff series wins, and he suddenly looks like a guy who didnt learn enough from the 2025 noodlebat driven defeat. And I still wont fire him (Breslow). But I will roll my eyes at Joe Brady when he will inevitably say Breslow did a great job. At some point, you gotta get past the first round.

Its a results oriented business. ANd being a first round easy out is not results.

Im not saying its going to happen. We can beat the yankees, or maybe the offense will be fine. But we dont throw parades for teams that are first round exits. And we dont celebrate GMs that have 0 playoff series wins in 4 years.

Then win. Im not being unreasonable. Im saying win one series, or score 4 or more runs /game in a losing effort. Otherwise, its 4 years into Breslows career with 0 playoff wins to show for it. And he took an offense that wasnt good enough to beat top pitching last year, and didnt improve it. But you said how you cant see anyone not being happy with 2026 results. I dont see how the bar is so low where we can be pumping our chests and screaming from joy at 0 playoff series wins in 4 years with 2 straight years ending with a limpstick.

If Gray stays healthy here until end and gives you quality playoff start(s), I dont see how retaining him isnt priority #1.

Yup, the dodgers won 3 years in a row by luck.

Tolle replaced Crochet. Story was our leader in 2025 in runs scored, rbis, homeruns, runs and was our best hitter in the 2025 playoffs. Story not being a difference maker and crochet being impossible to replace is soooo true, if it were opposite day.