4/13 Kluber at Springs

[moondog80]

1/3 shot at the postseason? What?

At the trade deadline last year those were their odds at the postseason, roughly. Check fangraphs. It’s not a great shot, but it’s not nothing either.
As I keep reminding people who are addicted to the “Bloom doesn’t have a plan” narrative, Carlos Rondon and Wilson Contreras were much bigger trade chips, on teams with far bleaker playoff hopes, and they were not traded either. Which would lead one to assume that there wasn’t much of a market for free-agents-to-be. But, narrative gonna narrative.

 

[moondog80]

Since the WC playoff spot was instituted, only one team won the World Series after a regular season in which they neither won their division or won 90+ games (the 2014 Giants). The whole "just make the playoffs and anything can happen" narrative is pretty overstated. The 2022 Red Sox obviously weren't winning anything and maximizing trade returns over a shot at possibly making a WC to probably get plastered by an actually good team should have been a no brainer.

Why do you think Carlos Rodon was not traded? Or Wilson Contreras?

Also, I like you added the “won their division” qualifier so you could ignore that St Louis won the WS in 2006 after an 83 win season. Or the Braves from two years ago who had 88 wins and had lost their best player.

 

[BaseballJones]

Amen.

When Franchy's 15th HR of the first half is the game-winner against the Sox on June 18 and there is a post-game riot in Fenway, that'll do it for Chaim.

Well, I mean....the Franchy thing...... he was pretty bad for the Red Sox. It was a move that didn't work out. What did fans want...for Boston to KEEP him? In two seasons for the Sox he hit .209/.279/.350/.629, with a 71 ops+. He was bad. So you cut bait. And nobody here was upset about it when they did. They may have ripped Chaim for acquiring him in the first place, but not for cutting him.

So if suddenly he goes off for the Yankees, obviously that would SUCK big time, but you (not you particularly, but the generic "you") can't be unhappy they acquired him, happy they let him go, then rip them when the Yankees pick him up off the scrap heap and he starts crushing it for them.

 

[rodderick]

Why do you think Carlos Rodon was not traded? Or Wilson Contreras?

I just want the team to operate as if they have a consistent plan and aren't just flying out of the seat of their pants and making decisions willy nilly. Do you want Bogaerts? If you do, don't make him a ridiculous 4/72 million offer, if you don't, trade him at the deadline. That team wasn't going anywhere last year and if maximizing wins and not fielding a AAAA lineup was high in the priority list then I have no clue how to equate that with the roster they put together this year. Just utterly lost.

 

[pk1627]

Since the start of 2022, the Sox are 16-45 against the Yankees, Rays, and Jays. That’s a 42 win pace. And 3 of the wins were a meaningless sweep of the Rays to close out last year.

It may have felt meaningless to you, but the Rays were a pretty bad team at that point and were quickly swept out of the playoffs.

The main takeaway of this series is that these guys look like they’ll struggle against lhp without Duvall and we got some pitchers that are getting lit up.

 

[mauidano]

It may have felt meaningless to you, but the Rays were a pretty bad team at that point and were quickly swept out of the playoffs.

The main takeaway of this series is that these guys look like they’ll struggle against lhp without Duvall and we got some pitchers that are getting lit up.

I'm sure the players are stunned and disappointed as well. I don't think anyone expected this start. Duvall was magical but he was going to return to Earth soon. Raffy can't carry the offense, but man, some black holes are playing every day. The rest of league is watching and will just continue to throw LHP at us and play to the glaring weaknesses. Starting pitching is really not rising to the occasion either but run support or course relieves some of the pressure.

 

[nattysez]

It is deeply unhelpful that the Sox don't have a day off until April 27. Barring any rainouts, they'll play every day from April 8 to April 26.

And after that one day off on the 27th, they play 3 v. Cleveland, 4 v. Toronto and 3 @ Philly with no days off.

Cora may have to pay someone to "accidentally" leave the sprinklers on one night to get this team a respite.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

Since the WC playoff spot was instituted, only one team won the World Series after a regular season in which they neither won their division or won 90+ games (the 2014 Giants). The whole "just make the playoffs and anything can happen" narrative is pretty overstated. The 2022 Red Sox obviously weren't winning anything and maximizing trade returns over a shot at possibly making a WC to probably get plastered by an actually good team should have been a no brainer.

Slight counterpoint, two WC teams made the NLCS last year. The most any one playoff series is going to be weighted, due to the sample size, is 70-30. Even that might be an exaggeration, 65-35. There is absolute credibility to the strategy of just being good enough to get in.

The main point though is that those Philly & Padre teams were fairly flawed but had a lot of talent nonetheless that were capable of getting hot against the best teams. That is what the Red Sox roster hasn't had since end of 2021.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

It is deeply unhelpful that the Sox don't have a day off until April 27. Barring any rainouts, they'll play every day from April 8 to April 26.

And after that one day off on the 27th, they play 3 v. Cleveland, 4 v. Toronto and 3 @ Philly with no days off.

Cora may have to pay someone to "accidentally" leave the sprinklers on one night to get this team a respite.

It’s going to rain on Patriots Day. Getting a day off and avoiding an Ohtani start would be a gift from God.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

They have been trying to rebuild without bottoming out completely, a la Baltimore. It isn't working yet. It's odd, because it feels like bottoming out completely has much more support on this board than the current "try to thread the needle" approach.

They’ve finished last in 2 out of the last 3 years and could well make it 3 out of 4 this year. They’re bottoming out without any of the benefits of fully embracing the tank.

 

[genoasalami]

I'm still not impressed with the Rays. All they've beaten (Tigers, Nationals, A's, and now Red Sox) are last-place teams. (ducks)

they will obviously come back to earth, but they have a talented roster and get Glasnow back in May....

 

[Blizzard of 1978]

Apparently, Cora is giving Raffy the day off tomorrow as well. Turf and rest issues for the Angels Series. Not sure I get it.

We are stretched thin offensively and your young stud/star who you are paying a ton of money to play is sitting consecutive games.

Half the lineup is hitting under .200 including your second baseman who has not gotten a hit yet this season. I'm pissed.

That's a pet peave I have with Cora the last few years in that he always gives his best hitters days off early in the season. I remember him doing that last year with Xander and J.D. I can see later in the year, but don't get him giving Devers a day off after losing the first three to Tampa. That shows me Cora has no sense of urgency.

 

[jmcc5400]

At least the glimmer twins, Rafaela and Mayer, have an OPS of 1.099.

Oh wait, that's combined.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Everybody drink!

 

[Rovin Romine]

Everybody drink!

I'm afraid for many the glass is all-empty.

 

[sezwho]

At least the glimmer twins, Rafaela and Mayer, have an OPS of 1.099.

Oh wait, that's combined.

Dammit. Barely hanging on to a 14 pitch walk for joy here

I'm afraid for many the glass is all-empty.

Ha, my cup definitely runneth low at the moment…couple good starts from youngsters and I’m right back in though

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Maybe things are going better down on the farm. Let’s check…..

Bottom of 4th
Columbus - 15
Worcester - 0

Never mind.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

20.77 era for Chris Murphy, who IIRC, some had slotted ahead of Nick Pivetta. Ugh

 

[brandonchristensen]

I think Chaim had a plan that worked in Tampa Bay because there were other smarter people in the room.

Now he's trying what he thinks they would have done in TB, but it's not working at all.

 

[katnado]

At least the glimmer twins, Rafaela and Mayer, have an OPS of 1.099.

Oh wait, that's combined.

Bright side is at least Yorke has an OPS of .911 so someone is hitting. Haha

 

[Humphrey]

Instead of looking at the over/under on runs scored, strikeouts or how many hits a guy gets during a game it would be entertaining if DraftKings started laying odds for Cora getting fired by the All-Star break, Bloom gets canned by Labor Day and John Henry selling the team by New Year’s. The parlay could pay off handsomely

If both go, Bloom goes first. You don't want someone you have no confidence in hiring the next manager if it comes to that.
Plus, it's a bad look to have the manager blamed for all these stiffs.

 

[astrozombie]

They’ve finished last in 2 out of the last 3 years and could well make it 3 out of 4 this year. They’re bottoming out without any of the benefits of fully embracing the tank.

This. I have been anti-Bloom for awhile now and this is a good distillation of why.

 

[LogansDad]

Man, I really may have underestimated just how good the Rays are playing so far.

For reference (per Danny Vietti of CBS Sports), they have scored 92 runs.

They have struck out 85 times.

That is absolute insanity.

Edit: That was before yesterday's game, in which they had 9 of each, so 101 runs and 94 K's, is still absolutely bonkers.

 

[FlexFlexerson]

EDIT: whoops wrong thread