Is That What I Said?

I mean, they sort of listened. In my last post, I said that after the Red Sox called up Roman Anthony they had a problem. They just had too many starters. Especially with players comng back from injury, there was a logjam. Something needed to be done. They needed to trade an infielder or an outfielder, or both, preferably for pitching.

So, I suppose that's what they did.

But, I don't think I said "trade your best hitter on a pretty team-friendly $300 million contract to get back marginal pitching in basically a salary dump.

Although, I'm not exactly surprised. When I saw the alert on my phone, my reaction was "wow...it must have been worse than I thought." Obviously, the Red Sox and Devers had a rocky relationship of late. After signing him to a ten year deal, the Sox basically treated him like dirt. At the same time, he didn't exactly act like a model employee. Was some of that literally lost in translation? Possibly. But, at some point there's too much there for there not to be an issue.

The latest story is that the Sox expect certain things from a $300 million player that Devers wasn't giving them. We've heard that story since the early years of the ownership, off the field. One of the main talking points when they were trading for ARod was that he was willing to play along and suck up to partners at team events and dinners. Nomar, on the other hand, had no interest in that. At the time, they actually justified ARod's huge contract by saying he would bring in more revenue in the boardrooms than Nomar or Manny ever could. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing Devers was closer to Nomar than ARod.

Of course the biggest place that turned up was on the field. After signing Devers to a face-of-the-franchise level deal, they asked him to change positions to make room for an inferior player on a likely one-year deal. That's a terrible look from the Sox. This organization once called up a veteran player at the end of the season just to send a message to other aging vets that the team would do right by them. This is the opposite. "Come sign with us, and we'll hose you the first chance we get" isn't a great sales pitch. It's also not a great look to the fans. "Hey we signed this fan favorite for ten years. His jersey is now a safe buy. Oops, just kidding."

I obviously don't know the whole story. Were the Sox cold on Devers all along? Was his signing always an overreaction to losing Bogaerts? (Do the Sox need to stop throwing away good plans once they stick to them? Yes.) Could this make them quickly sign all their youngsters to longer term deals as a way to save face? If this wasn't a long-term issue that only popped up this season, will signing Bregman end up being one of the worst moves this team ever made?

I honestly don't know much about the players the Sox got in return. I know none of them have won a Cy Young, nor were they favored to win one this year. So, I'm guessing this is a downgrade. Some SF fans online were sad to see them go, but that was mostly based on potential. Like when Sox fans were sad to see Teel go...but were fine with it since it brought Crochet. This feels more like a depth move at best...especially this year. While those pieces are important to a championship team...you usually don't give up an all-star to get them. Teams pushing for the playoffs do the opposite.

So, speaking of the playoffs, where do the Sox go from here? 

It all depends on the kids now. Moving forward, once Bregman is back, it looks like the everyday lineup includes Bregman, Mayer, Story, Campbell, Anthony, Abreu, Rafaela, Duran, and Narváez? In some combination of field and DH? That's the best nine players though, correct? So if Anthony and Mayer perform like Devers, the Sox will be more than OK. If only one does, they'll be close. If neither does, they'll be in trouble. 

So I guess it's wait and see. there's just less margin for error than there used to be. And, the pitchers may need to help more than they have been. But the Sox are currently a half game out of the wild card after playing without Bregman and Abreu. The talent is still there.

It's just a matter of winning.

The Gang's All Here

Yesterday the Red Sox called up #1 overall prospect Roman Anthony. He joined Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell to complete the Big Three, or Golden Trio, or Stardust Triplets, or whatever we're calling them. And that's a great sign for the future of the Sox. Which really only leaves one question. 

Now What?

I was not in the camp that said Anthony needed to be called up RIGHT NOW. Sure he deserves it. But, it was the question of what the Sox would do with him. The injuries made the decision a little easier...just like with Mayer...but what's the plan? Now that the clock is running, you can't bench them or even demote them...can you? So, how does it all shake out.

Ideally, without injuries, the Sox outfield has Duran, Abreu, Rafaella, and now Anthony. The infield has Bregman, Story, Mayer, Campbell, and Casas. That's how it looks this year, and probably next year. Story likely won't opt out. And, following his injury, I'm not so sure about Bregman. And those are just "projected starters". So, in case you can't count...they have too many infielders and too many outfielders. Something has to give.

My assumption is that at the deadline, the Sox would figure out how to move at least one of those players. Then, they would call up the kids afterwords. Unless, of course, trading the kids is the move.

Rafaella and Campbell are on team friendly long-term contracts. Which either means they're here to stay, or are incredibly valuable trade chips. 

But something needs to be done, pretty quickly. And, I admit, I don't know what the move is. Nor do I particularly care. I just need to trade an infielder and/or outfielder and get a different position in return. There's a couple ways to do it. Go big, and try for Skenes, or smaller and safer. What would Anthony and Mayer get you back? How about Abreu? Durran? Where's the other starting pitcher market? I'll admit that I didn't know who Crochet was until suddenly he became the trendy target for the Sox. Who else do I now know about? Where are the pitchers that come with high priced vets? Is there a Beckett-Lowell deal that get a vet first baseman as well?

Anyone have a plan?

Not Quiiiiiiite What I Was Hoping For

Red Sox baseball is back!!!

And that's the best thing I can say about it at the moment.

The first week or so of the season is always wonky. Everyone's top pitchers all line up for basically the only time all season. At the same time, though, none of them are in physical condition to dominate. So you get a coin flip of which pitcher happens to get the feel of things at which time of the game.

On the other hand, all the hitters are still figuring things out. Maybe it's their timing. maybe it's a new role with the team. Maybe both. Line-ups are a bit weird as Cora tries to get everyone that "first at-bat" under their belts as soon as possible.

Schedules are also a mess with day games and night games tossed into a bowl and pulled out seemingly at random. 

Which is a way to say, whether a team starts 5-0 or 0-5, you can't read much into it. It's not an indication of who the team is. 

Although, I'd prefer to have gone 5-0. 

Thankfully they won that first one, or we'd have to hear all those annoying retellings of how often a team that starts 0-3 wins whatever. 

But, they didn't go 0-5. They started the season with that important victory. A solid pitching performance, and solid hitting. Exactly what you want from an opening game. And, despite the loss, they got more of the same in game two. If Crochet and Houck are going to be those pitchers all season, the Sox are going to win a lot of games. 

The next two games were one-run losses. Again, solid from both sides. Again, both sides of the ball you can assume will be better than that the rest of the year.

The fifth game in five days was a little more lopsided after making the cross country flight without a day off. Honestly, if you went though the schedule before the season, those are the types of games you'd probably circle as schedule losses. 

So, even at 1-4 the Sox are in a very good spot. Raffy will start crushing it soon, adding a needed element to the line-up. Looks like they have their ace for the foreseeable future. I'm definitely looking forward to October Baseball.

I can't wait.

Ready For My Fantasy?

Fantasy Baseball team, I mean. Yup. It’s time for your least favorite post of the year. The one where I discuss the fantasy team I drafted for this season! I know. The only thing worse than talking about fantasy teams is blogging about them. But, what better way to celebrate the start of the season? Plus, I apparently haven't done this in a while, so I gave you a break.

Just as a quick reminder, this is a nine team 5x5 league, with 30 roster spots. So, it's a big league. You have three keepers, and they take the place of your draft pick in whatever round you originally drafted the player. (I love that detail.) I had the seventh pick in a wraparound draft. Got that?
So, who did I get?

C - W. Contreras MIL

1B - B. Harper PHI

2B - C. Rafaela BOS

3B - R. Devers BOS

SS - O. Cruz PIT

CI - T. Casas BOS

MI - D. Swanson CHC

OF - M. Trout LAA

OF - I. Happ CHC

OF - J. Duran BOS

OF - T. Ward LAA

U - L Gurriel Je ARI

U - J. Young WSH

U - T. Story BOS

B - W. Abreu BOS
B - D. Moore SEA

SP - G. Crochet BOS

SP - L. Webb SF

SP - B. Miller SEA

RP - J. Hader HOU

RP - M. Miller ATH

P - T. Houck BOS

P - J. Steele CHC

P - W. Buehler BOS

P - M. Gore WSH

B - G. Jax MIN

B - J. Adam SD

B - G. Whitlock BOS

B - L. Erceg

B - B. Bello BOS

My three keepers were Rafael Devers (round ten), Contreras (round twelve) and Jarren Duran (round thirteen). So, nice set of reinforcements in the middle of the draft. I grabbed Harper in the first round.

From there, I was able to grab plenty of Red Sox players. I'm always actually surprised with how many I end up with. Obviously, Devers is a legit pick that you don't need to be a Sox fan to grab. Same with Duran. Especially in the double digit rounds. Crochet was my second round pick. Which might seem high, but remember most of the best players weren't available to draft. Casas I got in the eighth round. Maybe too high, but not that bad. Houck, for a reigning all star, was a steal in the 16th round. Rafaella I felt was a good grab in the 18th. Epecially since he can play infield and outfield. Story, Abreu, and Buehler were taken much to late in the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd rounds. Whitlock was a steal at 27 if he's the bullpen stud he can be. And, Bello at 28 was almost criminal. So, eleven Red Sox, but none of them seem crazy to me.

So, while I know you probably need to see the rest of my league to decide how my team will do, I welcome any comments on any of my selections. 

Think I got any good ones?

Revised List of 36: Best Players I’ve Seen Play In Person

OK. Before the season starts, it's time to take care of some housekeeping. I didn't update this list after the latest Hall of Fame class was announced.  

As I’ve said, I make this list based mostly on awards. After all, my grandkids are more likely to ask me if I’ve seen a former MVP than some player who played well for a while. I also assume a Hall of Fame probably automatically makes the list.

And, at this point, it's basically all Hall of Famers. Which is why I don't update it after the MVP awards are announced anymore.

Which of the 2025 class makes the cut? I'm glad you asked. Dick Allen and Dave parker were before my time, so they don't make it. Billy Wagner, I am amazed to say, I never saw play. Even thought he was with the Sox for a year, I guess he never pitched in a game I attended. CC Sabathia I saw play twice. I even recapped those games when I asked if he was any good. Ichiro I saw play live three times. I also recounted thos games in a previous post.

Thankfully, Ichiro was already on the list because of course he was. Sabathia, though, is a new addition. So, he has to bump someone off. Looking at the list, there are five slots held by people not in the HOF (now that Ichiro is in). Bonds, Clemens, Pujols, A-Rod, and Trout. I'll let Pujols and Trout keep their slots because they'll both make it back on the list eventually anyway. Bonds and Clemens probably won't make it, but they have too many awards to take off quite yet. A-Rod has fewer accomplishments and is, well, A-Rod. So, he gets the boot this time.

So, here’s the new list.

1. Roberto Alomar (HOF)

2. Adrian Beltre (HOF)

3. Wade Boggs (HOF)

4. Barry Bonds (MVP)

5. Roger Clemens (MVP, CYA)

6. Dennis Eckersley (HOF)

7. Tom Glavine (HOF)

8. Ken Griffey Jr (HOF, All-Century Team)

9. Vladimir Guerrero (HOF) 

10. Todd Helton (HOF)

11. Rickey Henderson (HOF)

12. Derek Jeter (HOF)

13. Randy Johnson (HOF)

14. Chipper Jones (HOF)

15. Greg Maddux (HOF)

16. Edgar Martinez (HOF)

17. Pedro Martinez (HOF)

18. Joe Mauer (HOF)

19. Fred McGriff (HOF)

20. Mike Mussina (HOF)

21. David Ortiz (HOF)

22. Mike Piazza (HOF)

23. Kirby Puckett (HOF)

24. Albert Pujols (MVP)

25. Jim Rice (HOF)

26. Cal Ripken (HOF)

27. Mariano Rivera (HOF)

28. Ivan Rodriguez (HOF)

29. Scott Rolen (ROY, HOF)

30. CC Sabathia (HOF)

31. John Smoltz (HOF)

32. Ichiro Suzuki (HOF)

33. Frank Thomas (HOF)

34. Jim Thome (HOF)

35. Mike Trout (MVP)

36. Larry Walker (HOF)

Who’s on your list?