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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 14, 2024 14:34:01 GMT -5
Masslive had become a go to Red Sox site for me, interesting interviews with young players, news breaks, analytics. Not anymore. It’s aggressive negativity has turned me off in the way felger and Mazz and other clickbait outlets did. Depressing.
Edit: If I were allergic to public interaction, particularly with Boston sportswriters, I would rather trust the people who are paid to interact like Kennedy, Breslow, Cora. Comps to the outgoing Kraft seem wrong. On the other hand the Hudson interview was very hopeful and reminded me of the old Masslive.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 14, 2024 3:02:31 GMT -5
I am intrigued by what appears to be the new and improved pitching development system. If the systems and staff of other teams routinely get holy water from turnips, who knows what the immediate future can hold for the mound at Fenway, starting in March.
Bello, Crawford, Fitts, Houck, Mata, Murphy, Pivetta, Whitlock, Winck and others each have genuine and demonstrable upside. Worth watching and waiting?
I too want another SP or two for 2024, with our young vets part of a murderous bullpen. But if Breslow is staking his job on producing home grown SP’s and his crew can deliver, that would really be something.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 13, 2024 14:25:00 GMT -5
A well known politician said “All politics is local”. Larry was a good pol, and the Sox were marketing geniuses (genii) under him. It seems admin doesn’t understand keeping the local (or in my case diaspora, which is also local) consumer involved. Town Hall is nice. Communication and involvement is better.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 12, 2024 14:09:08 GMT -5
There’s a Mitch Keller trade that makes plenty of sense $5M in arb. Not a star but looks good. How do you think such a trade would be structured?
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 10, 2024 13:16:48 GMT -5
Yes the core for ‘24 is pretty set, and it’s a good core: Wong, Casas, Grissom, Devers, Story, Yoshida, Duran, Abreu, Rafaella. To that core add Refsnyder, McGuire, Reyes, Valdez, whomever. Add Turner or his replacement. Add maybe Teel, Mayer and more by September. Consider that Story and acclimated “sophomores” in Wong, Casas, Duran, Rafaella, Abreu plus Grissom are more likely than not to provide improvements at C, 1B, 2B, SS, LF, CF, RF. The position player component of the team will NOT repeat 2023. Halleluia.
The Bullpen looks stronger and deeper than in 2023. It should be a force … assuming the obvious, that the rotation improves and doesn’t suck the air out of the pen. Giolito, as a talented innings eater was a good step towards keeping the pen healthy.
A culture of pitching with Breslow, Bailey, et al has been established. They must know what must be done this off-season. It has been verbalized repeatedly by the FO.
The missing ingredients for contention in 2024 remain another pitcher or two. So, in order to disprove your promise of a perpetual 2023 Groundhog Day, the Red Sox MUST only sign a good pitcher or two. I am confident this will happen and that 2023 will become just another sad memory in this team’s long history.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 8, 2024 15:34:11 GMT -5
Oh no! Very senior and sans coffee moment. Just reread my post and realized I put Soler in the first line and meant T Hernandez. IMO a Teoscar/ Mass LF/DH would have been good. Now a Soler/Masa combo might fill that role. Sorry.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 8, 2024 11:31:25 GMT -5
What I really liked about Teo in this position is that he and Masa could have shared LF/DH positions. An ideal situation for both. This would allow an O’Neill/Abreu share in RF (with both capable at all OF spots), which allows Rafaella some time in AAA.
Within that framework, between Hoskins and Soler it seems the latter is better fit.
O’Neill, Abreu, Ref are actually good OF defenders. Duran’s traditional runs creation skills returned and his OF D improved markedly last year with hope for more. Rafaella’s elite D would be just weeks away. This could be a very good OF.
We have had worse, maybe much worse D in LF than a Masa/Soler combo. With a more acclimated, confident and rested Masa we will likely see both improved D and offense. LF and DH should be positives. I guess it’s Soler for me at this point.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 6, 2024 2:06:00 GMT -5
Interesting observation. Add Wink. And as several of that group arrived via trade I would add Pivetta based on his continuing development since he arrived here pretty much as a kid with upside. Even Imanaga, though clearly not a kid, would enter the pitching development system as an MLB rookie in ST. We may be very happy for this new “pitching coach” triumverate.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 5, 2024 15:12:20 GMT -5
Every report saying the red sox are interested but need to shed payroll first is so depressing and exhausting. If it was coming from one source i wouldn’t put that much thought into it but every single reporter from national to local is saying the same thing. I am begging them to act like a big market team again. Maybe they’ll prove them wrong and i’ll eat my words and owe FSG an apology, but this really sucks if this is the new norm. It is important to remember that media people are like anyone else. If they hear something they tend to repeat it (in this case report it), when it is likely the same rumor richocheting off multiple cell towers. Not many leaks from this FO.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 5, 2024 14:24:15 GMT -5
Part of me is screaming “make it happen”! Part of me is whispering… who is this guy. 5’10”, 30-years-old, average fastball velocity… are we *sure* about this? I’m highly skeptical here. Many were thrilled to land Yoshida a year ago, too, despite similarly underwhelming scouting reports. I’m still hoping they can figure out something with Montgomery. I’m fine with a stopgap guy in the OF for a season, as well, so they can make a hard push for Soto after 2024. Just say “no!” to Teoscar. When Craig Breslow replaces Turner’s big bat and one or two of Sale, Paxton, Kluber, his difficult first off-season will be done, and likely done successfully towards current and future contention. He has, IMO, already been proven creative and smart and a bold, savvy trader (Sale/Grissom, Verdugo (3 pitchers with future upside), O’Neill (for 2 redundant low minors arms), among a series of interesting pitching depth moves. I already trust him to figure this out. Right now a combo of Teoscar/Yoshida seems like the best bet to replace Turner while also improving both offense and defense in LF. Neither are perfect. In combo they should be a healthy, productive force. If there is a better option out there, then who? I trust Craig and crew to find it. Imanaga is also not perfect. But he has been a consistently well above average pitcher who could improve the rotation. Is Monty’s postseason really worth an extra $100M? Boston may be a tough sell. Note California’s siren song with both SFO (who was in on Yamamoto) and Anaheim among the favorites. I would be happy with an imperfect but strong rotation of Bello, Giolito, Paxton, Imanaga, Pivetta/Crawford, (and a Matsuzaka/Hernandez DH/LF/PH combo, an O’Neill/Abreu RF, Grissom 2B and what is shaping up as a monster bullpen). Remember the old “in Theo we trust” mantra? I am starting to feel those comfortable vibes again, which is an amazing turn.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 4, 2024 17:40:43 GMT -5
Fwiw I really really like some variations of this lineup:
Duran Grissom Devers Casas Hernandez. DH/LF Yoshida. LF/DH/PH Story Abreu/O’Neill McWong
With McGuire, Abreu, Refsnyder, Reyes on the bench.
Defense likely improves over 2023 @ 2B, SS, LF, hopefully 1B, 3B, CF. Offense +/- compensated for losses of Duvall, Turner, Verdugo with Hernandez, Grissom, McGuire and could look to improvements from LF, DH, CF, RF, 2B, SS.
In the wings as trade deadline approaches: Rafaella, Teel, Mayer, York.
This team can contend. I really can’t believe Breslow is done.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Jan 2, 2024 15:52:39 GMT -5
This x 1,000. Thanks for reminding us.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 28, 2023 4:52:14 GMT -5
The Shohei/Yoshi dance has finally ended. Most teams (and agents)are now scrambling thru this already frantic holiday season to build rosters. It’s crazy out there.
Both the need and the money to improve the Sox are there. So expecting the FO to sign a RH power bat, 2 above average SP’s, and a good fielding 2B with at least some offense is still a logical mindset.
AND, with days already getting longer, ST in 1.5 months/just weeks away, this process should accelerate like a Casas HR or Jarren Duran stealing 3rd.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 27, 2023 12:06:51 GMT -5
LOLOL
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 26, 2023 13:13:29 GMT -5
Jacoby Ellsbury was faster and better contact rates than Duran and he had a career BABIP of .315 Not sure everyone magically thinks Duran will always have a towards .400 BABIP because he is fast? No one said .400 and no one is expecting magic. I am expecting continually improved defense and continued exploitation of the new rules, making him the genuine asset we saw when drafted. He has improved to the point of making games more interesting AND winnable. You can’t trade that away for what he can return at this point.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 26, 2023 13:02:41 GMT -5
Regression to what? With so little time in MLB we don’t know a lot. We do know his defense kept improving as he learned the outfield. His earliest efforts may have been keystone cop awful, but as he actually did start to figure things out it seems more likely that trend will continue. Ellsbury’s early defensive numbers were off the charts bad. He got better and better, as could Duran.
His BABIP has always been high. It will never be low. While pitchers and catchers may figure him out to some degree, he is as likely to adapt and keep improving. Speed and baserunning have been a uniquely exceptional skill set since his jet propelled days at CSULB. IMO Duran pioneered using the several new pitch clock, shifting, etc. rules to enhance his BABIP.
In fact, the league not only wanted to shorten games but also a return to the base running excitement fans lived for prior to the HR era. Very, very few MLB players have Duran’s combination of speed and baserunning skills. As has been said here repeatedly, watching him can be a reason to watch the game. I look forward to watching, on the edge of my seat, the running games of Duran, Story, McGuire, Rafaella, Hamilton, more. What might they accomplish with several on the team at the same time? When the team is complete and the lineup balanced, come ST, we can expect this offense to again deliver 200 HR but also, hopefully, 400 doubles, triples and hustle to keep the offense moving and the games a must-watch experience.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 25, 2023 2:32:14 GMT -5
You may have nailed it. I think we will need to see how this off-season plays out, but you may have a future as a futurist.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 24, 2023 2:04:34 GMT -5
Adding to that lineup, Rosenthall and other sources say the Sox are indeed in on Teoscar. We shall see, but he mashed at Fenway and another 25-30HR couldn’t hurt despite the K/BB issues. As a righty OF/DH is he as good a fit as Justin Turner?
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 19, 2023 20:20:27 GMT -5
You had me at elite defense. I had thought that Merrifield has enough in the tank with D, Bat and speed that he could be the placeholder.
I also thought Rafaella would be perfect for 2B right now with good D, and elite D in CF as a RHB backup CF and plus PR.
But you make a good case. Someone who has elite D at 2B and a good bat at a cost which allows signing top SP; that’s 2-3 steps forward. But IMO still need a BIG bat for DH, Turner or better. Above average SP, RP, D, Lineup, speed. Contender.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 18, 2023 14:16:56 GMT -5
That’s quite a graphic. Defense is looming as being as needy as SP. ALL the pitchers who gave us heartburn suffered from poor D.
2024? ONeill will merely replace Dugie and Story is a huge upgrade. What else? What about 2B.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 16, 2023 16:51:24 GMT -5
I realize the YY, at this point, is still just a hope, but if the Sox were to add Yamamoto and bring back Turner and do nothing further this offseason, I would personally be extremely happy with the job Breslow did, and super excited about the 2024 Red Sox. Almost agree with you. Turner and Masa at DH and backing LF, DH, 1B, 2B with each of them getting 30-40G as PH and days off would take care of several roster issues and insure stamina and plenty of offense from March thru October. And Yoshi Yomamoto would add a bunch of wins himself. But to get to postseason another solid RP at or above the Giolito tier, and a consistent bat + D at 2B at least at the Merri Christmas level would finish the staffing job of The Brez. The Sox would absolutely have the horses to contend in this division. 2B, DH, 2-SP, that would be a Merri Yoshi Christmas.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 15, 2023 12:37:24 GMT -5
Or a street named Ortiz via the Ted Williams tunnel; where he can win the top pitching award named after Red Sox Cy Young; where he would play home games in the Fenway Cathedral, MLB’s oldest and most historic stadium. A city where even baseball heroes from 50-60 years ago like Yaz, Lynn, Lee are still honored; as are Japanese baseball legends like Daisuke Koji and Oki.
The Sox, like the Bruins and Celtics, are internationally respected sports teams and the Brady/Bellichek dynasty is still remembered; and don’t forget the world famous Boston Marathon. There can be no doubt that Boston, still a Titletown, remains a premiere city for athletes.
Why not live and work in a city which is an internationally acclaimed center for medicine, universities, history, as well as culturally iconic symphony/pops/esplanade/tanglewood/ballet/ library/Boston Latin/tea parties. There are so many beautiful reasons New Yorkers, Europeans and Asians love the North End, nearby Cape and Islands, the Berkshires, Newport RI, New Hampshire lakes, leaf-peeping Ben & Jerry Vermont, lobster’s Maine and more. What a wonderful city in a wonderful region.
YY is well aware that the Red Sox roster already includes Chinese and Korean players and his buddy Masa; and would appreciate that the Mayor is of Asian ancestry; and that recent Japanese players Uehara and Matsuzaka have WS rings as Red Sox players (as do the PBO, Manager and Pitching Coach?). IMO there is no reason Yamamoto or Imanaga wouldn’t be excited to join Yoshida in Boston to reestablish this historic team’s winning ways.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 14, 2023 3:45:35 GMT -5
Craig and crew are already working on a balanced approach, not just L/R but to seemingly all elements of the team.
I am predicting a roster with balanced offense/defense and lots of both; contact/power/speed; strong rotation/dominant pen; youth/experience.
The Pen is already deep and powerful. Top 5-8??? Not much more to do there. Jansen, Martin, Winck, Whitlock, Houck, Murphy, Bernardino, Schreiber, Crawford are special, without even considering another half dozen as they develop.
If the other elements of the team are thoughtfully made as good the Sox will enter the realm of legit contender.
That process, as discussed endlessly here, requires the Sox to add a virtual ace and a ~#3 to go with Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, etc. and a healthy virtual Ace in Sale. YY, Montgomery, Giolito, Others can all do the job. With maybe a top 10 rotation, and that Pen, aren’t the Sox much more likely to contend?
Offense and defense. It is established that this team can hit, but losing Turner, Dugie and Duvall could change that. Those bats MUST be replaced. O’Neill effectively replaces either Duvall or Verdugo and adds both speed and defense. Can Craig replace Turner and Duvall/Verdugo with Turner? Teoscar? Merriweather? Drury? Other? Any would do the job, each have their benefits. Would a lineup of Duran, Devers, Turner, Casas, O’Neill, Yoshida, Story, Merrifield, McWong be relentless and intimidating with contact, power and speed? Too 5-10 offense? It’s not Ohtani or Soto or Trout but no one is. This team will hit, run the bases and improve defense.
So, IMO, all The Sox need to contend, as we have been saying since October, are two good SP, a power/contact DH and a 2B with defense, speed and some power. That’s all Craig has to do to win. I remain confident he will get it done, but reserve the right to be sorely/sadly disappointed if he doesn’t and we head to another awful year. Deja Vu shakes confidence like nothing else, but Craig, what he has accomplished already, and the ringing proclamations and attestations of Warner and Kennedy have stabilized that confidence. Sign em up Craig.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 13, 2023 1:41:34 GMT -5
Nice awareness and confidence. He is no longer a rookie. Speaks like a future team leader.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Dec 10, 2023 19:48:05 GMT -5
Also. A team with a strong rotation (Sale, Yomamoto, Lugo included), strong Pen (Jansen, Martin, Houck, Whitlock included) and lineup (Devers, Story, Casas, Yoshida included) would make an attractive destination for most FA’s
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