Yoshida In The Spotlight

Masataka Yoshida has had a pretty damn good WBC, with a tournament record 13 RBI before tonight’s final vs. USA, fueled by a 1413 OPS. That’s around the same level as the headline-grabbing Trea Turner (1429) and Shohei Ohtani (1421). He also had an outfield assist in last night’s game, cutting a runner down at home, although that was more a byproduct of an aggressive but bad baserunning decision. I think I’m going to like this guy.

Updates

Jose’s life got crazy and he hasn’t posted a thread. My life got crazy and I haven’t posted a thread. Meanwhile Boston’s roster got crazy and there’s no thread. Let’s correct one of those, and give some updates.

Dead Line

As of this moment Boston is in last place, and not playing well. They are also, with a solidly mediocre 50-50 record, 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. They are Schrödinger’s Baseball Team. They are simultaneously dead and alive.

The trade deadline is 6 PM on Tuesday 8/2. Between now and then they need to choose which side of the line they’re on, and act accordingly.

Hey Now

All-star voting has begun, and various Red Sox players have various vote totals*. Let’s take a few minutes to consider the case for them by position.

*I was trying to come up with an evergreen statement on the vote status. This might have gone too far. I could be talking about Brayan Bello, or Walt Dropo, for all you can tell.

Quiet Production

I was thinking of posting something about JD Martinez terrorizing pitchers, or marveling at Rafael Devers, or maybe something about the excellence of the pitching staff. And then it hit me: we never seem to say anything about Xander Bogaerts.

Just How We Drew It Up

Get swept by the Orioles, then sweep the reigning AL Champions. Didn’t see that coming.

I suspect a lot of us see the first series as the kind of disappointing, 2020 all over again, mess of a team we’d expected, and the second series as a fluke. Some of us might see the second series - solid hitting, promising bullpen, capable starters when healthy - as the true expectation, and the first series as a fluke. Regardless of what your expectation of the team this year, you probably saw enough to ...

Counterpoint: Also Not OK

Jose already covered the main topic well. I just want to step back and reconsider the following statement:

It’s not official but There is no baseball case for moving Mookie.  If the Sox wanted to cut payroll they should never have offered a contract to Jackie Bradley and traded JD Martinez.  Or they could have traded David Price with quite literally no return and gotten contract relief that way.

I believe there is a solid baseball case for making this trade. That doesn’t make it OK. ...Read More...

Musings on Rule Changes and Bullpen Construction

Starting next season there are two new rules that affect most of the season:

1. Active roster size expands from 25 to 26.

2. Any pitcher who enters the game cannot be removed until the first of these three events:
- injury
- end of the half-inning (or game)
- they have faced at least 3 batters.

As the offseason begins, what do the new rules - the second one, specifically - mean for the Red Sox bullpen?

J.D. Martinez’s Qualified Decision

We’re about a week away from JDM’s big decision. Big decisions aren’t easy.

First World Problems: Ovations

Spring training is winding down, and most important decisions have been made. One more critical set remains: who should get the loudest ovations at the home opener?

Extra Special

Boston won in extra innings in each of their last two games, which continues their dominance past the 9th inning. They have an overall .702 winning percentage, and if you applied that to their 11 extra inning games you’d get an expected 7.7 wins. In reality, they’ve actually won… 8.

Hmm. That’s not as interesting as I’d hoped. Instead, let’s take a stroll through those games. There are some good memories.

Bigfoot, and Unicorns, and the Red Sox Bullpen

Reports are that “Tyler Thornburg” is joining the Red Sox bullpen today. This is the closest we’ve been to actual confirmation that “Tyler Thornburg” actually exists.

Entertaining the hypothetical, let’s consider what the implications would be for the pitching staff, were this to happen.

Are The Angels A Real Team?

The headline seems like I’m trolling Angels fans, so let me dispel with that right away: yes, the Angels are a real team. My point with the headline was that the criticism of Boston in their 13-2 start has been that they haven’t faced a real team yet.

For Future Considerations

Boston’s offer on the table to J.D. Martinez is $125 million for 5 years, according to “source”. (Yeah, thanks, Boston Herald.) But what are the penalties under the new CBA, and is Boston likely to incur them, if they make that deal? In short: hefty, and yes.

Options Are Few

Boston has two 25-man roster spots open, but several more than two to fill.

Punto Change Mucho

Today is the 5th anniversary of the Punto trade.

I’m linking the old thread, which was started the night before as rumors started swirling. Nice trip down memory lane.

The Gauntlet

This month is the gauntlet for Boston. They need to do more than just endure it.

Red Sox Retire Rich Garces’ Number

He was a large man, with a larger persona and a nickname to match. When watching him work, one couldn’t help but be amazed at his accomplishments. He wasn’t appreciated enough in his time with the Twins, but after moving to the Red Sox he found his groove and won the enduring love of the Boston faithful. He was legendary.

Tonight, Boston retires his number 34. Thanks for many years of excellence, El Guapo.

Three Questions: June 2017

1. Can Boston win the division if they continue getting so little out of 3B?

2. What additive moves should Boston make?

3. Wasn’t this supposed to be a great defensive team?

Third Aid

First aid is immediate help given for an injury that will suffice until full medical treatment can be given. I don’t think second aid is actually a term people use, but let’s say it’s the full medical treatment that was sought after first aid was administered. That should be the end of it, right? Well, yeah. Third aid shouldn’t exist because full medical treatment should solve the problem.

Musta Got Dealt

It’s ain’t supposed to be sad though you might feel it that way. It’s a song about desperation. Every now and then we do get desperate.

- Peter Wolf, Intro to “Musta Got Lost”, J. Geils Band

Should Boston have waited to trade Clay Buchholz until a team got desperate late in spring training?

Y’know, it seems on this site we often talk about this very scenario, maybe every year. Hey, maybe a team will suffer an injury in the rotation. If a team gets desperate before opening day, or before ...

Leftover Turkey

Yesterday I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, after which our turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving were gone. That meant we could restock the fridge with new foods and look forward to the next meals. Although it was not a terrible sandwich, I am glad it’s in the past.

This seems like a good time to look back on the 2016 Red Sox season, dig out all the metaphorical leftover turkey - the bad plays, the bad games, the bad attitudes, the bad performances, the bad decisions - and dispose of it so we ...

Cascading Problems: The Bullpen

Have problems in the rotation led to problems in the bullpen? If so, it’s not because a bad starter is in the bullpen.

Three Questions: June 2016

1. What will the Red Sox rotation be by the end of the month?

2. What additive moves should Boston make?

3. On what date will David Ortiz pass Ted Williams on the career HR list?

How Fun Is That?

Three Questions: May 2016

Three Questions: May 2016

1. Is it time to cut Buchholz loose?

2. Who are the 2016 All-Stars among position players on this team?

3. Which is more likely this season: the Red Sox remain in first place, or the Yankees remain in last place?