Will the real Red Sox please stand up? I repeat, will the real Red Sox please stand up?

dynomite

Member
SoSH Member
Disappointing yes. But not at "disaster". Not if you're coming off two straight years where you're bad and completely out of it right from the start, and you've:

- Won 90 games (which is our hypothetical here)
- Had to deal with a massive Covid outbreak
- Added a ton of young talent via the draft and trades
- And been in the playoff mix right to the end of the season, thus you've played meaningful games all year long

That's not a disaster. It's disappointing but not a disaster. A disaster is winning 69 games and having no future.
For the record, this is exactly how I feel.

Going into the season my hope was just that we would be able to watch a relevant Red Sox team play meaningful baseball into September.The magical 2018 season is still fresh in my mind, as are the 2013, 2007, and 2004 seasons. Those seasons changed me as a fan. I don’t need the Red Sox to win the World Series every year — now I just want them to be competitive and compelling, unlike last “season,” which was unwatchable and hopeless from the start, and I want to celebrate Yankee Elimination Day as early as possible.

Going into this season I knew we were in one of the hardest Divisions in baseball led by the reigning AL Champions, and were starting at a disadvantage because of Sale’s TJ recovery. I also knew, if I’m being honest, that the Astros and White Sox probably have better top to bottom rosters this season, and that the defending World Series Champion Dodgers were likely to be even better and are trotting out an historic super team.

I love that it’s mid-September and the Red Sox are relevant, that I’m staying up late to watch important West Coast games and watching the standings. I hope they stay in the fight in these final weeks and make it into the playoffs.

If they don’t, when the snow starts to
melt and the trees start to bloom next spring I’ll happily anticipate the 2022 Red Sox season. If tickets at Fenway are cheaper, all the better.
 
Last edited:

NYCSox

chris hansen of goats
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
May 19, 2004
10,446
Some fancy town in CT
Bottom line is they literally threw away 4-5 games (and tried to do so with a few others) in the past six weeks and they were the only team that couldn't pound the shit out of Andrew fucking Heaney. Take that way and we're getting ready to host the WC game.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
The general consensus is also that while the team played better than expected in the first half, their expected performance in the second half would be buoyed by the return of Sale, Houck being inserted into the rotation, and reinforcements from the trade deadline. Instead they played much worse (and have been inept against good teams) while their top competitors have all have been better; that’s the frustrating part. So many winnable games makes it worse.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
That's pretty much the definition of playing semantics, Jones lol. Come on now.
No, because the second half isn't over yet. It's actually kind of the point, SJH. So let's define what we mean here.

1. "Second half" = games 82-162.
2. "Second half" = games post-ASB.
3. "Second half" = games since the Sox last had the lead in the AL East.

1. Games 82-146: Sox are 31-34 (.478)
2. Games 92-146: Sox are 26-29 (.481)
3. Games 106-146: Sox are 18-23 (.439)

If they finish 9-7 and end up with 90 wins (not a given, but it's been our working hypothetical), they'd have played:

1. Games 82-162 at 40-41 (.494)
2. Games 92-162 at 35-36 (.493)
3. Games 106-162 at 27-30 (.474)

So it's not that hard to envision them playing this way (9-7 against that schedule is doable) which, any way you define "second half" isn't remotely "playing the entire second half at a 71-win pace".
 

ledsox

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 14, 2005
398
This was never a team set up for glory. Mediocre D and pitching and no real depth. This was evident months ago. I had no big expectations ever, even when they were in first place.

Sure it was fun to dream on the magical 1st half but it was clear it was going to take more than a trade deadline or Cora benching the bonehead players to fix the flaws.

I don’t care what the payroll is. I don’t care how many fans show up or what Cora says to the press. The team is still fighting for a spot and though it’s frustrating at times it’s never boring. 4th place in isolation sucks but in this division it’s no shame.

Yes lots of work for the front office ahead. Need to build a more solid core of run preventers while maintaining the O. Gonna be tricky.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine
This team finishes in 4th place ONLY because they're in the AL East. In any other division, on pace for 88-90 wins, they're battling for first or second right now (or third in the NL West).

They are a very flawed team. That they were in first place as late into the season as they were was a miracle and the regression is unsurprising. Doesn't mean it's fun to watch, but at no point in this season did I think this was a team that could hold off any combination of the Rays, Jays, or Yankees if those teams got their shit together. So I can't get all that upset about something that was entirely expected.

I think at the end of the season, we're going to find that to win the division, the Sox were going to need 98-100 wins. That was never going to happen.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine
Do they get any credit for winning any "losable" games?
Exactly. There were a lot of come from behind, "never say die" type wins in the first half of the season. Those type wins aren't happening as often any more, though they're still showing some of that same pluck. It's just coming up short (see the last two games as examples).
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,274
This team finishes in 4th place ONLY because they're in the AL East. In any other division, on pace for 88-90 wins, they're battling for first or second right now (or third in the NL West).

They are a very flawed team. That they were in first place as late into the season as they were was a miracle and the regression is unsurprising. Doesn't mean it's fun to watch, but at no point in this season did I think this was a team that could hold off any combination of the Rays, Jays, or Yankees if those teams got their shit together. So I can't get all that upset about something that was entirely expected.

I think at the end of the season, we're going to find that to win the division, the Sox were going to need 98-100 wins. That was never going to happen.
Yah... I mean the entire AL east save for Baltimore is 16 or more games above .500

AL central? 1 team, the CHW, everyone else in the AL central is under 500

NL east 2 teams above 500
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
90 wins is nice, if they get there, but remember there is a team in the division on pace for 110 losses.

It’s true that the Sox are likely a middle of the pack team, more similar to the A’s than the Astros and Rays. This is likely to remain true for the next several seasons, at least.

One can be concerned about the future, happy with the past, and disappointed about the current (even if it maybe is better than some vague predictions 8 months ago) and still be an ok fan.
 

bosockboy

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
19,862
St. Louis, MO
90 wins is nice, if they get there, but remember there is a team in the division on pace for 110 losses.

It’s true that the Sox are likely a middle of the pack team, more similar to the A’s than the Astros and Rays. This is likely to remain true for the next several seasons, at least.

One can be concerned about the future, happy with the past, and disappointed about the current (even if it maybe is better than some vague predictions 8 months ago) and still be an ok fan.
Why likely for the next several seasons?
 

EvilEmpire

paying for his sins
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2007
17,178
Washington
But if they do, it's also understandable. They have a $203 million payroll (compared to Boston's $182 million), so that extra $21 million ought to buy them a couple more wins, right SJH?
2021 40 Man CB Tax Payroll
Boston: $205.4 million
Yankees: $207.6 million
 

richgedman'sghost

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
May 13, 2006
1,870
ct
They're in 4th place as of this morning. After leading the division in July. That is a disaster by any definition.

They had 15 games left and need to win 9 of them to get to 90 wins. They have been a below .500 team for 3 months and half the team is on the COVID list and the other half has hands like feet. They're not reaching 90 wins because they are unable to fix any of their glaring deficiencies.
You don't know a disaster season. The mid 1960's Red Sox who routinely finished in last place with a pre determined number of African Americans on the roster and a racist owner, now those were the true disaster seasons. This season does not compare in any way to those teams.
How short a memory you must have. 2020 was a disaster. What do you consider 2012? A fantastic success? It's amazing and sad how hyperbolic some people are.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,723
Deep inside Muppet Labs
You don't know a disaster season. The mid 1960's Red Sox who routinely finished in last place with a pre determined number of African Americans on the roster and a racist owner, now those were the true disaster seasons. This season does not compare in any way to those teams.
How short a memory you must have. 2020 was a disaster. What do you consider 2012? A fantastic success? It's amazing and sad how hyperbolic some people are.
I am older than you think. There are disasters and there are disasters. The teams of the early 60s were of course horrible in their own ways, but that's also 60 years ago and not germane to the discussion today.

2020 was a disaster. 2012 was a disaster. 2011 was a disaster. 1978 was a disaster. 1992 and 1993 were disasters. Each one looked very different from the other, but no one is going to argue they weren't disasters.

2021 is shaping up to be another disaster, a massive disappointment on the heels of two massive disappointments. It looks different from say the 1963 team, but there's no need to gatekeep around here. I suppose compared to the teams of the 1920s and 30s they don't rate, but that would be limiting discussion wouldn't it.
 

dynomite

Member
SoSH Member
2020 was a disaster. 2012 was a disaster.

2021 is shaping up to be another disaster
SJH, I normally like reading your arguments even when I disagree with them and you always have interesting takes, but I just don’t understand how anyone could compare this season to 2012 or 2020 and call them similarly disastrous.

The April/May/June part of this season was filled with joyful games — the 9 game win streak in April, the late May JD comeback HR in the 9th against the Jays in Florida, sweeping the Yankees twice in June, and now it’s September 14 and we are still tied for one of the two Wild Cards and playing important games.

Compare to the fully unlikeable team in 2012 with a clown for a manager holding a fire sale in August? Or last year’s short season squad that was hopeless from Game 2 on and featured perhaps the worst pitching in the history of the ball club? Those teams committed the greatest sin of all to me: they ended the baseball season early.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,723
Deep inside Muppet Labs
SJH, I normally like reading your arguments even when I disagree with them and you always have interesting takes, but I just don’t understand how anyone could compare this season to 2012 or 2020 and call them similarly disastrous.

The April/May/June part of this season was filled with joyful games — the 9 game win streak in April, the late May JD comeback HR in the 9th against the Jays in Florida, sweeping the Yankees twice in June, and now it’s September 14 and we are still tied for one of the two Wild Cards and playing important games.

Compare to the fully unlikeable team in 2012 with a clown for a manager holding a fire sale in August? Or last year’s short season squad that was hopeless from Game 2 on and featured perhaps the worst pitching in the history of the ball club? Those teams committed the greatest sin of all to me: they ended the baseball season early.
I mean, at that level every season has joyful games. Even 2012. I attended a game in 2012 where Saltalamacchia hit a walkoff 2 run HR off Rodney to win a game against Tampa Bay. That was pretty cool. Saw a few other wins in person that year as well. At a granular level, sure there's some joy every year.

Big picture, though.....different story. Disasters can and do take different forms.
 

Max Power

thai good. you like shirt?
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
7,878
Boston, MA
Compare to the fully unlikeable team in 2012 with a clown for a manager holding a fire sale in August? Or last year’s short season squad that was hopeless from Game 2 on and featured perhaps the worst pitching in the history of the ball club?
His posts remind me of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon has exactly three ratings for food: delicious, dreadful, and ghastly. SJH has three ratings for baseball seasons: great, disappointing, and disaster. Great is winning the World Series, disappointing is making the playoffs and getting eliminated, and disaster is everything else.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,723
Deep inside Muppet Labs
His posts remind me of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon has exactly three ratings for food: delicious, dreadful, and ghastly. SJH has three ratings for baseball seasons: great, disappointing, and disaster. Great is winning the World Series, disappointing is making the playoffs and getting eliminated, and disaster is everything else.
You do not know the first note of the music that moves me. (A shiny nickel to anyone who gets this reference).

I most certainly do not have only 3 categories of seasons. 1991 was one of the most enjoyable baseball seasons I've watched. Similarly for 1990, 1995, etc.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
The only 90 win Sox teams to not make the playoffs, in the last 40 years, were 2011 and 2002. I’d argue (and think that most would agree) that both those seasons were pretty big disappointments (one of them got Tito fired).
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,675
Miami (oh, Miami!)
I'm generally on the SJH train.

There's a kind of primacy problem here: people look at the team through their April expectations. And yes, that team had a ton of question marks as to many of the key components.

Yet by July those questions were answered, and so any reasonable observer would have different expectations for the second half of the season. The Sox had an excellent chance to claim the division title, and a WC berth seemed to be the floor (should a division rival get insanely hot.)

From either perspective their August play was disappointing.

It was wildly inconsistent both in fundamental approach (sloppiness) and the outcomes that resulted.

So yes, the team is a disappointment. To argue the team was "playing above their heads" or the like is an exercise in pre-season confirmation bias. Sure, they enjoyed a certain amount of luck. But what's going on now isn't a flat bit because an opposing team got lucky on a fat pitch or two, or the Sox hit more than an average number of screaming line drives right at fielders.

If they make the WC it will basically mitigate the disappointing play thusfar, and a strong post-season will go a long way toward sending their recent slump into bygone memory. But I think the fundamental problems will remain with the team into 2022 unless addressed:
1) team motivation/cohesion,​
2) preparation (not being smothered by second-tier pitching),​
3) defense.​

I think the buck stops with Cora/Bloom, but Vazquez and/or the pitching coaches have seemed to run aground at times.
 

Max Power

thai good. you like shirt?
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
7,878
Boston, MA
I'm generally on the SJH train.

There's a kind of primacy problem here: people look at the team through their April expectations. And yes, that team had a ton of question marks as to many of the key components.

Yet by July those questions were answered, and so any reasonable observer would have different expectations for the second half of the season. The Sox had an excellent chance to claim the division title, and a WC berth seemed to be the floor (should a division rival get insanely hot.)

From either perspective their August play was disappointing.

It was wildly inconsistent both in fundamental approach (sloppiness) and the outcomes that resulted.

So yes, the team is a disappointment. To argue the team was "playing above their heads" or the like is an exercise in pre-season confirmation bias. Sure, they enjoyed a certain amount of luck. But what's going on now isn't a flat bit because an opposing team got lucky on a fat pitch or two, or the Sox hit more than an average number of screaming line drives right at fielders.

If they make the WC it will basically mitigate the disappointing play thusfar, and a strong post-season will go a long way toward sending their recent slump into bygone memory. But I think the fundamental problems will remain with the team into 2022 unless addressed:
1) team motivation/cohesion,​
2) preparation (not being smothered by second-tier pitching),​
3) defense.​

I think the buck stops with Cora/Bloom, but Vazquez and/or the pitching coaches have seemed to run aground at times.
Yes, the second half of the season has been a disappointment. And if they don't make the playoffs at all, it will be a disappointment overall. But I think there's a lot of distance between that and a disaster. Your semantics may vary.

Cora and Bloom need to take a good long look at what it takes to put together a winning team. I understand not valuing defense highly when we're at an all time low in balls in play, but what we've seen this year is beyond reasonable for catching the ball. And you really need some guys in the bullpen who throw strikes. There were just too many free baserunners late in games.
 

Sin Duda

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
814
(B)Austin Texas
If he opts out I assume they'll keep Raffy, fast track Meyers to the majors, and pray real hard it works out.
Haha. You're just throwing that last line out there, right? No way Mayer starts 2023 as the Red Sox starting SS. Maybe (maybe) 2nd half call up. But I do look forward to a Meyer - Yorke middle IF, probably 2024 or later.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
Boston currently ranks #29 in fielding percentage at .981. They've made the second-most errors in MLB with 100. They've allowed the second-most unearned runs score this year with 74. They've allowed the third-highest percentage of runs come in via unearned, with 10.82% of their runs allowed being unearned.

They are #8 in FIP though, meaning that their pitching hasn't been nearly as bad as it seems. Because not only are the Sox' fielders making a ton of errors, they're also just not getting to as many balls as other teams do. And they've also been bitten by some bad luck in there as well.

But yeah, the fielding has just tortured the Red Sox this year. Absolutely brutal.
 

StuckOnYouk

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2006
3,538
CT
The last 17 years of Red Sox accomplishments have caused me to be a lot more patient with this team.
Chaim Bloom was brought here to make this organization better from the ground up every year until we eventually become an east coast version of Los Angeles. Not Tampa Bay. Los Angeles.
I happen to think that when the 2021 season is over the org. Will undoubtedly will be better than it was in Oct. 2020, and without knowing what this off-season will bring, there is a good chance we will be saying the same thing next October.
Now I understand how this season has evolved has been frustrating - in particular the second-half boneheaded fielding and fundamentals - but I find peace in knowing that we are on the right track and the future of this team is not a bleak one.
That’s how I get over bad losses the next day. It helps.
 

chawson

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
4,660
This is rapidly turning into a 3rd straight disastrous season. A 65 game stretch of below .500 baseball and a total free fall in the AL standings. Absolutely terrible.

If Bloom doesn't address the defense next year he's completely over his head as GM. This cannot stand. He's put together a team full of DHs. X has to be moved off short soon as well. It's going to be a very difficult offseason for Bloom, because he has a bunch of square pegs and round holes.
What DHs has Bloom acquired besides Schwarber? He traded for a solid defender in left, signed one of the very best center fielders in MLB for 2/$16, rescued an above average right fielder from the scrap heap and grabbed a plus defensive second baseman (Arroyo) from waivers. He also signed Marwin, who for all his uselessness at the plate was a pretty good and versatile infielder. The problem has been Bogaerts, Devers and Dalbec, who makes Bogaerts and Devers worse. It’s not a Bloom problem.

There’s a ton of hyperventilating in this thread and while I get the frustration, I don’t get the urgent need to assign blame. The two most beloved players on the team are the ones most responsible for the defensive lapses. If Bloom had done anything with them months after trading Mookie, even moved them off position, the fan base would have revolted.

One of the year’s major projects was to develop asset value for potential trades and future teams, because the Red Sox only had untradeable stars (Devers, Bogaerts, Sale), underwater contracts (Eovaldi, also Sale), and bit pieces. To do that, Cora needed to invest a lot of guys playing time into guys with modest upside. That plan worked a little too well: Renfroe, Kiké, Pivetta, Whitlock, Arroyo, Dalbec, Houck, and Taylor all have far more value than they did at the start of the season. Sale has come back healthy and Eovaldi—aka the American League’s most valuable pitcher—has completely righted the ship. He also got a potential JDM replacement for an injured Rule 5 guy who I expect we have a good shot at re-signing, It’s been an incredible season, and we’re in exponentially better shape than we were last year.

The Jays and Yankees pushed all their chips in this year while the Sox casually retooled, and yet we’re poised to knock out at least one of them. It’ll be frustrating if we don’t make it (especially because we might have used to deadline to sell off pieces), but it’s not a “disaster” in my book, and it’s nowhere near the experience of last year.
 
Last edited:

Sandy Leon Trotsky

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2007
6,346
90 wins with the way the team started and not making the WC will be a big disappointment. Not a disaster... but definitely more than just a bummer.
90 wins backing into the WC spot and getting beat by the MFY's.... will hurt even more.
90 wins backing into the WC spot and getting beat by the Jays or Mariners with the MFY's looking in from the sidelines.... I'm okay with. Still a little bummed considering their play in the first half and expected Sale, Houck reinforcements to help out.

But no matter what... this team has been absolutely brutal to watch like no other team in my memory... okay... the collapse of the Beer and Chicken team was horrifyingly worse than this because of the talent on that team.
Vazquez needs to go. He might be the Fall Guy here, but he's supposed to be the field captain, like any starting Catcher is supposed to be and he is the most absolutely checked out of them all. Devers needs to get seperated from him. And if he is and the same shit happens in '21 then Cora absolutely needs to be sent packing and the big reset button gets pushed then.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
That the Sox two best players cannot field their positions anymore is a huge problem that is just casually being dismissed, and isn’t going to resolve itself in the next few weeks or off-season. So what do we do about it?
 

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
27,957
Saskatoon Canada
But no matter what... this team has been absolutely brutal to watch like no other team in my memory... okay... the collapse of the Beer and Chicken team was horrifyingly worse than this because of the talent on that team.
I have the opposite feeling.
I get the 2011 comparisons, because as bad and horrible as it has been this team has somehow not been eliminated.
But unlike that team with mopey Carl Crawford sucking beyond suck, and whining for playing time, and players ignoring and losing focus on the best manager the franchise had ever had, this team plays hard. They suck, don't get me wrong. Cora is throwing out random guys like it's spring training, and the pitching is pretty much toast. But, they are scoring runs battling, throwing guys out at home. Aruaz and Travis Shaw have hit game winning homers, Dalbec is figuring it out. Yeah they will probably miss the playoffs, but I like these guys.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,375
That the Sox two best players cannot field their positions anymore is a huge problem that is just casually being dismissed, and isn’t going to resolve itself in the next few weeks or off-season. So what do we do about it?
What are the possible options?

1. Keep them and hope they get better at fielding.

2. Change their positions and hope they get better at fielding their new positions.

3. Trade them.

Trading Xander and Raffy seems insane, unless you're going to get a massive haul in return. But they're fan favorites and trading them on the heels of trading Betts seems like a recipe for organizational disaster. Plus, they're still GREAT players, even with their fielding issues. Not just good players. GREAT players. Trading them doesn't seem to be much of an option. If you suggest trading them, I would like to hear a reasonable trade idea.

Changing positions? To what? Why would we think that Xander would be better at 3b than at SS? Range? Maybe. And maybe Devers is better at 1b. But now you're taking two bad fielders and asking them to improve at fielding by playing new positions. Moreover, you're decreasing their offensive value. One reason X's bat is so valuable is because he's a SS yet he hits like a corner infielder. He'll still be a good hitter as a 3b, but it'll be less valuable.

So the first option seems like the best. Keep them there and help them improve at fielding. One way to help is to get a really good fielding 1b that will save X and Raffy from time to time. Who's out there that they can acquire? I'm not positive. The guy to get would have been Rizzo - multiple gold glove winner who also could provide power from the left side of the plate. Rizzo's ship has sailed, and even so, since his first two games with NY, he's hitting .224/.303/.374/.677 for the Yankees. Yuck.

Matt Olson would be fantastic to acquire from Oakland - another gold glover who hits for nice power (34 hr this year, 36 in 2019). But what would it cost to get him? A ton probably. Maybe Oakland is still in cheap mode and Olson is arbitration eligible the next two years. Maybe they would be willing to take on either Dalbec plus something else that's really good (more than we might want to give up) or maybe they'd be interested in Triston Casas plus something else that's really good. I don't know.

There aren't a lot of really great solutions here.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
The Jays and Yankees pushed all their chips in this year
Just a brief answer to this, I don't think it's really true, especially for NY. NY has traded I think 19 prospects in 2021, but not their very top ones, and they have also had a lot of guys blossom, so Fangraphs still has them ahead of BOS in overall farm system ranking.

It is an absolutely loaded division from top to bottom, both with young talent already up (this is why TOR is lowest below) and guys still in the minors. Current farm rankings from Fangraphs (this updates as guys graduate or their rankings are changed, so it is basically current):

BAL: 1
TB: 2
NYY: 10
BOS: 12
TOR: 21

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2021-in-season-prospect-list/farm-ranking?sort=-1,1&type=100&filter=&pos=&team=
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
I think Bryant and Semien are the guys to go after. They could both ultimately replace Devers and Bogaerts, but because of their flexibility, cover 2b and 1b (or LF) in the interim. I would look to move on from JD and Schwarber and go after these two in a bid to get more athletic and dynamic. It also allows the opportunity to potentially shop Devers if his defense doesn’t improve and the team doesn’t want to give him 10+ years at $25M or more per. Granted both these guys will be pricey and in demand and not sure what the payroll limitations will be.
 

RIrooter09

Alvin
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2008
7,254
I think Bryant and Semien are the guys to go after. They could both ultimately replace Devers and Bogaerts, but because of their flexibility, cover 2b and 1b (or LF) in the interim. I would look to move on from JD and Schwarber and go after these two in a bid to get more athletic and dynamic. It also allows the opportunity to potentially shop Devers if his defense doesn’t improve and the team doesn’t want to give him 10+ years at $25M or more per. Granted both these guys will be pricey and in demand and not sure what the payroll limitations will be.
With you on Semien. I think Bryant will get big $ and be a bust. He's been trending downward for a while with a slight bump in the 1st half of this year.
 

chawson

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
4,660
That the Sox two best players cannot field their positions anymore is a huge problem that is just casually being dismissed, and isn’t going to resolve itself in the next few weeks or off-season. So what do we do about it?
I don’t think we are going to do much but moan a requiem of gripes, but I suspect the front office will address it this offseason. Just like the Yankees will address the shortstop position they booted a guy off this week.

Going hard for Semien, Story or Correa is probably the move. Don’t like Bryant much, and his 3B defense isn’t much better than Devers’. I trust Bloom. Fixing first base is the priority. A modest deal for Josh Bell makes sense, or just signing C.J. Cron.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
Why don’t people like Bryant? He’s a much better player than Schwarber. Hell, he may be better than Bogaerts. He had one bad year but has otherwise been a monster and can play multiple positions (albeit, he’s not great defensively but he’s better than Devers).

How does the team go hard after Story or Correa? Would the plan be to move Bogaerts to another position (which he surely isn’t going to want to do next year) or to get him to waive his no trade?
 

chawson

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
4,660
Just a brief answer to this, I don't think it's really true, especially for NY. NY has traded I think 19 prospects in 2021, but not their very top ones, and they have also had a lot of guys blossom, so Fangraphs still has them ahead of BOS in overall farm system ranking.

It is an absolutely loaded division from top to bottom, both with young talent already up (this is why TOR is lowest below) and guys still in the minors. Current farm rankings from Fangraphs (this updates as guys graduate or their rankings are changed, so it is basically current):

BAL: 1
TB: 2
NYY: 10
BOS: 12
TOR: 21

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2021-in-season-prospect-list/farm-ranking?sort=-1,1&type=100&filter=&pos=&team=
Sure, that makes sense. What I mean is that 2021 seems squarely in the contention window for this cycle of Yankees, with Judge, Sanchez, Green and Chapman nearing free agency and Stanton becoming more of a liability. I read Bloom’s preseason comments about the next great Sox team to blossom after all those guys hit FA for you and before the next wave of prospects have settled in.
Why don’t people like Bryant? He’s a much better player than Schwarber. Hell, he may be better than Bogaerts. He had one bad year but has otherwise been a monster and can play multiple positions (albeit, he’s not great defensively but he’s better than Devers).

How does the team go hard after Story or Correa? Would the plan be to move Bogaerts to another position (which he surely isn’t going to want to do next year) or to get him to waive his no trade?
I like him fine, but his post-deadline comments make me think he’s very likely to stay in San Francisco. Plus he may not be an improvement over Devers. Bryant is -3 defensive runs saved in 361 innings at 3B this year; Devers is -8 in 1158 innings. Doesn’t make sense to me to pay him a premium to play left.
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,675
Miami (oh, Miami!)
What DHs has Bloom acquired besides Schwarber? He traded for a solid defender in left, signed one of the very best center fielders in the MLB for 2/$16, rescued an above average right fielder from the scrap heap and grabbed a plus defensive second baseman (Arroyo) from waivers. He also signed Marwin, who for all his uselessness at the plate was a pretty good and versatile infielder. The problem has been Bogaerts, Devers and Dalbec, who makes Bogaerts and Devers worse. It’s not a Bloom problem.
If Bloom has had the authority to make trades for two years now, then yes, this is his team.

Also who is this "very best center fielders" you speak of?
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
If Bloom has had the authority to make trades for two years now, then yes, this is his team.

Also who is this "very best center fielders" you speak of?
Probably the guy with a DRS of 11 in center field in only 600 innings while also having a solid offensive season, just a guess though, maybe he signed another guy that's been a top 5 center fielder this year despite missing time twice
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2007
6,346
I'm 100% certain that Dalbec will be back at 1B next season. I think Bloom will only expect improvement defensively and a better general approach at the plate. If he can hit somewhere between his first half and his post AS Break... .that's a very good valuable player.
In fact, I'm about 99% certain that we'll also see Devers at 3B and Xander at SS again. I could see them making a run at Semien (Yankees going after Correa) and bumping Kiké and Arroyo as utility CF/2B/1B/3B utility men.
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
23,675
Miami (oh, Miami!)
Probably the guy with a DRS of 11 in center field in only 600 innings while also having a solid offensive season, just a guess though, maybe he signed another guy that's been a top 5 center fielder this year despite missing time twice
Ah yes, better than Mookie Betts, better than JBJ. Sure. With his .974 fielding percentage. Seems legit.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
Ah yes, better than Mookie Betts, better than JBJ. Sure. With his .974 fielding percentage. Seems legit.
Who said he was better than JBJ defensively? Overall they aren't even in the same stratosphere though. And Mookie has hardly played CF this year, so yes Kike has been a better CF than him this year.