Bullpen: Adam Ottavino
Depth Options: Nick Pivetta (Worcester)

Carry on.

Conclusion: The Boston Red Sox are better than they were a year ago.

A year ago they still had Mookie :(

Just to be clear, before Hernandez, Richards, and Ottavino were acquired the 40-man roster was already at 39. So there's another transaction or two pending. The first two are probably "pending a physical" while O is not, so I'm guessing they're at 40 now and need to clear two spots to make room for the free agents.

Having said that, *nobody* is on the 60-day DL right now, and I assume both Sale and Pedroia could be added in the short term. I'd still expect some of the aforementioned depth to be traded for off-roster players (meaning, the players to be received are not on a 40-man roster today).

Conclusion: The Boston Red Sox are better than they were a year ago.

A year ago they still had Mookie :(

####!

Just to be clear, before Hernandez, Richards, and Ottavino were acquired the 40-man roster was already at 39. So there's another transaction or two pending. The first two are probably "pending a physical" while O is not, so I'm guessing they're at 40 now and need to clear two spots to make room for the free agents.

Having said that, *nobody* is on the 60-day DL right now, and I assume both Sale and Pedroia could be added in the short term. I'd still expect some of the aforementioned depth to be traded for off-roster players (meaning, the players to be received are not on a 40-man roster today).

I thought they couldn't use the 60-day DL until spring training?

Oh man. Former Pawtucket manager and Red Sox coach Ron Johnson passed away from COVID today.

I thought they couldn't use the 60-day DL until spring training?

Yes, I think that's correct. So I guess we have some transactions coming.

...and nearly a week later we have our first of the transactions: Pedroia announced his retirement.

Thank you for the - as usual - excellent Red Sox status report, Jose.

I agree with your overall vibe - this team is a fair amount better than the 2020 squad, and the 2020 squad was a lot better at the end of the year than they looked at the beginning (as much as you say such things in a 60-game season). Bloom's job was to cut payroll, build minor-league depth and strength, improve the bottom of the major-league roster as much as possible for little to no cost of overall talent or long-term money, and see that the team's young core of talent is healthy, happy, and progressing.

He's basically done all of these things, and I think Red Sox fans are willing to take their lumps in 2021 if it allows the process to move forward in a similar vein. I could see this team winning, I dunno, 78 games, which is a great season if many of the following occur:

- Verdugo, Bogaerts, Devers, and Eduardo Rodriguez have healthy, productive seasons. They are part of the core.
- Downs, Duran, and Wong have productive minor-league seasons - with the hope they can be part of the 2022 team.
- Sale and Eovaldi end the season feeling good about their health. Sale coming back to form by the end of the year would be one of the biggest determinants to feeling like the 2022 team could actually compete for a deep playoff run.
- Between Dalbac, Casas, and Potts, at least one of them is a breakthrough prospect, and enters 2022 as a corner bat (probably 1B, right?) the team can expect to take the full-time job in 2022. Casas seems like the one most likely to break through, though I am not confident that a middle-of-the-order bat exists in that group...
- If Tanner Houck ends up being a legitimate major-league starter (back of the rotation, that, plus a healthy return of Sale, would make 2022 feel a lot better.
- Vazquez having a solid season and staying reasonably healthy...and then getting traded at the deadline for value.
- The ability to determine if Benintendi is worth keeping. I'm glad we didn't trade him - his value is low right now. I fear that he is basically a slightly-above-average hitter, as compared to the guy he looked like he would be for a while a couple years ago (stats like good Mike Greenwell or something). But at the end of 2021, we've got to fish or cut bait with him.

It's an interesting season, because there are a lot of questions to answer during the year, and the stakes just aren't that high. My dream season is that we enter 2022 with Casas at 1B, Downs ready for 2B, Bogaerts and Devers, and an outfield where Verdugo and Duran have two of the slots, and we drop down real money on an impact OF bat. The pitching enters 2022 with Sale looking strong and healthy, ERod the same, at least one of the young pitchers (Houck?) emerging as a reliable part of the rotation, and enough depth that we are only really hunting for one legit starting pitcher. Having some of the young guys ready to fill starting slots frees up money to go get a big OF bat, and a legit starting pitcher, with some minor-league depth strong enough to use some of it to trade for that kind of talent if it is available. That, and we win almost half the games in 2021? Sign me up for that. I'm pleased with what Bloom has done thus far.

Jim Callis of Baseball America was asked on Twitter today what player outside the top 25 had the best chance to move up this year. He gave one answer for 26-50, 51-75 and 76-100. Anyway...

I'll pick one from each 25-player block:

26-50: Triston Casas, @RedSox

According to Alex Speier the Sox are planning to allow 25% capacity at spring training games (about 2400 people).

You going?

Nope. I actually leave for Florida on Thursday for a visit.

I was interviewed yesterday by Michael Silverman of the Globe. Not sure any of my quotes will get in (don't think I was especially interesting) but he is working on a piece about people who usually go to spring training but aren't going this year. I explained that frankly I didn't expect fans to be allowed and even if they were I don't think I'd feel comfortable, even with a vaccine, just yet.

The other transactional shoe finally dropped. Joel Payamps has been DFA. That plus the Pedroia retirement cleared enough space on the roster to allow Richards and Hernandez to be added, which has apparently happened.

Payamps was picked up from Arizona in November on a waiver claim. AFAICT he has never been outrighted, so if he clears waivers I assume he'll be sent outright to Worcester. He appeared in 4 games for Arizona in the last 2 years, all in relief. Can't miss him if you didn't know we had him, eh?

Benintendi looks headed to KC. Sox are supposedly getting Franchy Cordero (some slugger who swings and misses a lot) and also someone from the Mets. Heyman says it’s minor league RHP Josh Wincowski who looks interesting enough but...ick. Don’t love selling low.

Beats selling lower.

Not that that's necessarily what's happening here. But I remember all those times when people were holding out hope that some player was finally going to put it all together and fulfill the early promise he showed, and lots of times it just doesn't happen. I mean, to some degree we just went through that with JBJ.

So does that make the outfield Renfroe, Cordero, Verdugo?

Presumably though I can’t help but think JBJ is back in play. I would expect some other outfielder at least is on the cards whether it’s Bradley or someone else. And Kike can play some outfield too.

The Mets just traded for this Winckowski guy like a week ago.

I don't think JBJ is back in play. I get the sense that Cordero = JBJ - $ - health.

I do wonder where JBJ will land, though.

So does that make the outfield Renfroe, Cordero, Verdugo?

If that's the outfield then I want to know who #4, 5, & 6 are.

Renfroe is the iron horse out there with 432 games over his 5 year career.
Verdugo is at 211 over 4 years.
Cordero has only managed 95 over his 4 years.

100 games out of that trio would be pretty amazing.

Hernandez can play the OF, but he's probably going to miss 20 games himself. Considering he's their best option at 2B, what does that leave him for outfield time? 20 games?

Either Duran gets called up at some point or the Sox are signing another OF.

If that's the outfield then I want to know who #4, 5, & 6 are.

Renfroe is the iron horse out there with 432 games over his 5 year career.
Verdugo is at 211 over 4 years.
Cordero has only managed 95 over his 4 years.

100 games out of that trio would be pretty amazing.

Hernandez can play the OF, but he's probably going to miss 20 games himself. Considering he's their best option at 2B, what does that leave him for outfield time? 20 games?

Either Duran gets called up at some point or the Sox are signing another OF.

Whichever of Brett Gardner, Kevin Pillar, or Josh Reddick will work for cheap?

I don't think you want Franchy in center for more than a few games each year. He's a large man and unlikely to get slimmer and faster. Would think a RF/DH role is better suited.

I don't think you want Franchy in center for more than a few games each year. He's a large man and unlikely to get slimmer and faster. Would think a RF/DH role is better suited.

That describes Renfroe as well. So whichever one is better in RF and Verdugo in CF?

Oh boy, I hope Duran is ready if that is our outfield defense.

Oh boy, I hope Duran is ready if that is our outfield defense.

He's 24 so they wouldn't be rushing him too badly by promoting him. Here's a clip of him from the Caribbean series last week: -from twitter-

I honestly don’t think I can keep following this team, and I’m not even sure I can keep following this sport.

I’m ok with what Bloom is doing but ownership’s mandate to trade Mookie — I’m still numb about it.

Bringing back a cheater as manager — same.

And the changes that the commissioner is pushing just sicken me.

My investment in any of this has really trailed off over the past few years.

Marlin Gonzalez apparently is being signed.

Whether anyone gives up on the team, or the sport, or society in general, I can't say that's the right or wrong decision. Despite my activity here I've been somewhat detached from this team for 15 years this July because of priorities away from baseball. That detachment is what has me not living or dying with what the team does. That's how I have the luxury of looking at the Betts trade with some measure of curiosity rather than never-ending rage and the urge to burn it all down. If that's where people are, or wherever people are regarding this team, well, do what's best for you.

Having said all that, Toby, you're missed when you're not around. I hope you follow the team enough that you keep coming around here.

Marlin Gonzalez apparently is being signed.

I guess this is where I bring up my usual roster concern. They were at a full 40-man before, and after, the Benintendi trade. Somebody will need to be let go before Gonzalez is added. Likewise, there are reports Boston is close to signing Hirokazu Sawamura out of Japan. Same issue applies there.

Setting all that aside for a moment, picking up both Kike Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez gives them a lot of positional flexibility, in theory. In practice, one of them will likely be playing 2B regularly, leaving the other to be the Brock Holt of the team.

Given the infield depth at this point I have to say I'm more open to a trade of Chavis than I would have thought a couple of months ago. Maybe that's the other shoe to drop.

Thanks vi, and thanks Jose, I’m truly grateful for all the discussion you provide. I’m sure I’ll be back around, sooner or later.

The weird thing to me is that I don't have never-ending rage. It's mostly just emptiness - the attachment that was so strong for 35 or so years is just gone. Last year I didn't watch a single game, and while some of that may have been the pandemic weirdness I think I also could have used some silly sports attachment and it wasn't there. Some of this may just be age, and some detachment was probably healthy. But I have 3 kids, I ran the bases at Fenway with one of them, but I'm not sure the Red Sox are going to mean anything to them at this point.

The thing is I still love baseball as a sport, even though MLB and the Red Sox don't have the same place for me. If I had a chance to join an adult-league team this spring I'd jump at it, and hopefully I'll be back to coaching Little League in April. I probably spend almost as much time here as I did two years ago, even though the only actual baseball I watch is Mets games when DeGrom pitches, courtesy my wife's interest. And because of her I realize I'm spoiled - the Mets are such a crapshow that I feel weird complaining about what Sox ownership has done, after winning multiple World Series.

The end result of this is that you all may be annoyed that there are people like me who don't care anymore, but still want to hang out. Not exactly the life of the party.

The end result of this is that you all may be annoyed that there are people like me who don't care anymore, but still want to hang out. Not exactly the life of the party.

That's me. I didn't watch anything all season until the postseason. And if and when any other kind of baseball returns, I'll take that in (independent league ball, college, high school, etc.). The thing that sucks is my loss of interest in MLB coincides with my youngest son, a pretty serious ballplayer since he was six, lost his senior year of high school ball to the pandemic and now I no longer have his games to watch.

And my pattern is similar to Toby's. I've been losing interest in MLB due to a combination of Manfred's awful stewardship, the unwillingness to do anything about the snail's pace and the continued descent into TTO ball. Then the Mookie deal stripped my passion for the Sox.

I'll still be around here all the time, because I love talking baseball. But I just can't see myself ever following MLB or the Sox again like I did for 52 years.

I mean, y'all are now pretty much where I've been since 2006. And I kept going to Fenway, and watching games on TV, and listening on the radio, because it's baseball. And I keep writing stuff on this site because this is a great community. It's liberating not to obsess over it, and to follow along while keeping a healthy distance. Keep finding something to enjoy in baseball, but do it on your terms.

Me? I'm going to enjoy Xander Bogaerts being excellent day in and day out, even if I don't watch him every day. I'm going to enjoy watching Devers and Verdugo continue to develop. I'm going to enjoy Cordero taking aim for The Red Seat. I'm going to enjoy the days that Rodriguez and Eovaldi and Sale are all healthy, even if it's just for a week in mid-August. But I'm going to spend a lot of time with mrsidiom, and with the scout troop I lead, and with family and friends as we get past the pandemic. None of that will be about baseball, and that's OK.

If I had a chance to join an adult-league team this spring I'd jump at it

If we ever do Primer Softball again you damn well better be there. Same goes for the rest of y'all. A few years ago we had people traveling to NYC from Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, and London to play. It is a great time.

I guess this is where I bring up my usual roster concern. They were at a full 40-man before, and after, the Benintendi trade. Somebody will need to be let go before Gonzalez is added. Likewise, there are reports Boston is close to signing Hirokazu Sawamura out of Japan. Same issue applies there.

Maybe they can delay the Sawamura signing from being official for a week when they can put Sale on the 60-day IL and open the spot for him.

The other transactional shoe finally dropped. Joel Payamps has been DFA. That plus the Pedroia retirement cleared enough space on the roster to allow Richards and Hernandez to be added, which has apparently happened.

Payamps was picked up from Arizona in November on a waiver claim. AFAICT he has never been outrighted, so if he clears waivers I assume he'll be sent outright to Worcester. He appeared in 4 games for Arizona in the last 2 years, all in relief. Can't miss him if you didn't know we had him, eh?

He was claimed by Toronto.

If we ever do Primer Softball again you damn well better be there. Same goes for the rest of y'all. A few years ago we had people traveling to NYC from Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, and London to play. It is a great time.

Yeah I live in New Haven now (though moving to Boston shortly) and I've gotten pretty close to going (working out the weekend plans with the wife and kids, even) but have never made it.

I think if I just had better things to do than watch the Red Sox, that would be one thing. That's where I am with the NFL/Patriots - I just don't have time to sit in front of the TV all Sunday. Except now my oldest is really getting into the NFL, and so I am back to watching more games because we do it together.

I'm about the same as VI. More of an interesting thing to talk about than a live and die situation.