If I had to guess, they've got Paxton on a strict routine at this stage of his comeback and probably told him he had the Minnesota opener after his last start. That sets his prep in motion.Bumping it up a day, even if it would be his normal day, disrupts that a little.
Agreed, but it's not a bad idea to give Paxton some extra rest when you get the chance
Yeah and then everyone gets an extra day. If you have to bring up a guy for a spot start, maybe you don't care which one it is, so you might as well let the whole rotation benefit? Or it's even more strategic -- the Yankees are scuffling offensively without Judge.
Technically yes. I think it's more of an opener and a bullpen game than a traditional start.
Ort makes some sense as an opener ahead of the left-handed Murphy and righty Pivetta.
At last, the secret master plan is revealed. Any team can convert a bad starter into a reliever, but who can go the other way? And combine Father's Day with April Fool's at the same time? Chaim has wheels within wheels within wheels...
It's worked out well enough for the Rays (here's an old article about this strategy: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2022/05/21/for-openers-rays-have-had-a-pretty-good-run/ ) because
Too small a sample size to work with, but thinking that the 'opener' strategy might work really well with Pivetta, since it requires a really good 'follower' to eat up the innings. Might be a better 'follower' than a starter.
Why? Pivetta will be making something like 2.5% of the salary cap, is a proven player (mediocre starter, but maybe better in the bullpen) on a very young team with 9 guys making less than him. Why get rid of him for money? In order to get a roster spot or for lack of performance, I get, Pivetta is not Sale in his prime. But who cares if he makes arbitration money next year?
Apart from blaming Bloom for the rainout and Houck breaking his face, do you have any follow up on this strategy?
I agree that it is too early to draw conclusions, but 6 mill is fairly easy to earn as a multi inning reliever. Paying a free agent may not be a whole lot cheaper. Mixed bags that signed this season like Andrew Chafin, Trevor Williams, Luke Jackson, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino and Chris Martin are in that range.
We’ll see, I guess. Pivetta looked sharp today but he’s the same guy that walked two, one with the bases loaded, in a tie game against the Rockies his last outing.
Id put Buccholz after Lester,but he never quite hit Lester’s continuity of greatness- injuries and inconsistency…. But the excitement was there and reasonable too
Throwing that no hitter put my dreams for Buccholz through the roof. Bello isn't there yet.
That's not a role they should be targeting in FA. It's the type of role they should be fulfilling from within.
Yeah, the Buchholz excitement was real. He had some eye-popping AA and AAA numbers…we’re talking like 12-13 K/9 type stuff with walk rates below 3 per 9 right before he was called up. He never was able to really transfer that electricity to the majors…though he did still have a decent major league career.
He had a really solid major league career. He was always really frustrating for me, as his highs were pretty high but he could never stay healthy.
Yeah I always wondered if his skinny/wiry frame was a detriment to him being a perennial ace. The nagging injuries always got him…though some of them were just flukish (like the baserunning incident in 2010). He was still obviously a successful pitcher who could take down any lineup when he had his ‘A’ game, but you always had visions of him becoming more than that.
If they add a couple of high-end starters, it will be because Houck (or others) failed to develop as a starter in the second half. But I don't see a scenario where Houck starts consistently preforming well the third time through the order, and the Sox then choose to demote him to the bullpen and hit the FA market for starters.
I guess the message "I am a stupid face dummy", or whatever it is you got for misspelling Buchholz, is turned off. Those were fun times.
He's probably a better candidate than Ort, if only because Ort needs to improve on his command whereas Murphy -- he is what he is?
Glob story on that very subject:
Murphy was the free 27th player on the roster for a double header, so he went down after game 2. Ort is the injury replacement for Houck and is still with the team.
I agree. I've been a Houck apologist. He has been pitching l better lately, & his xFIP is 3.78, but he still has a 5.05 ERA & does have elite upside as a multi-inning reliever.
He changed his pitch mix & approach a lot since moving to the pen.
There is plenty of season left to see how this plays out, but if he shows continued success in his current role that means there is one less slot for Bloom to fill during the off season. The 6-7M might seem steep to fill that slot, but depending on how many in house arms seem viable for next season the cost doesn't seem prohibitive.
I can see adding a high-end starter if they don't re-sign Paxton. Otherwise, I'd be more concerned about the pen, particularly closer, given Jansen's age.
I've been a Houck pessimist entering the season, but I think he's acquitted himself nicely and is getting better at going deeper into games.
Shure. But the 2023 off-season is pretty far down the road. The main factor for how the Sox will spend and trade will be how the younger pitchers and players do between now and the trade deadline, and now and the end of the year.
I could see them doing a Wacha type of signing, but (at this point) I don't see the need to get a high-end guy. In any case, I'm still more concerned about shoring up the pen right now.
Don't disagree, but I'd be really nervous about who that might be—at least among the notionally available free agents this winter.
Absolutely. It would have to be someone who is that guy now & not coasting on past performance... unless there are reasons to expect a bounce back & they come at a discount.
Paxton is a free agent & the rest of this comment is pretty silly. They could be #1s... but wouldn't the rotation be better if they were 3s & 4s?
