Red Sox in season discussion

[amfox1]

An incredible roster-related stat:

The Red Sox have 40 players on the 40-man roster and 3 players on the 60-day IL (who are not technically on the 40-man roster).

Of those 43 players, there are only 4 uninjured players on the 40-man roster in the minors right now (D.Hernandez, Mata, Groome and R.Hernandez), two of whom are active but are still ramping up to speed from prior injuries. There are 12 players on IL and 1 player on the covid list, in addition to the 26 active rostered players.

 

[joe dokes]

Diek Walkman is the latest reliever making the case for roster crunches working themselves out.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Dalbec as well. Time to pull the plug on him.

 

[joe dokes]

Dalbec as well. Time to pull the plug on him.

Unlike with Walkman, there's no position player immediately there to take his spot.

 

[soxhop411]

Does the Trop not have an X-ray machine?
Story and Strahm are undergoing X-rays at a local hospital.
View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1547043729399226368

 

[Ferm Sheller]

This tweet says that Story got hit on the "fingers". If true, that's a good sign that he doesn't have a broken hamate bone.

View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1547013773545832449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1547013773545832449%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10016224-trevor-story-exits-red-sox-vs-rays-with-apparent-finger-injury

Tweet says: Trevor Story is hurt. Got hit right on the fingers while taking a swing. Cora and a trainer coming out to check on him.

 

[CoffeeNerdness]

Might not be a hamate but I won't be surprised if the Xrays show multiple fractures. That shit was not good.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

The team is very quickly running out of players. If Story misses any time, which seems very likely, they will need to DFA someone (Ort? Valdez?) to get someone like Yolmer Sanchez on the roster, and then they will need to DFA someone else once Plawecki is ready to come off the CoViD list. Seems like a potentially opportune time to make a trade or two to clear some spots.

 

[Humphrey]

Why would they need to do something when Plawecki is ready besides sending Wong back down? The first situation is troublesome, however.

Getting back to Wong, did Duran get injured as well? He's that terrible against lefties that one would make such an otherwise inexplicable substitution?

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Why would they need to do something when Plawecki is ready besides sending Wong back down? The first situation is troublesome, however.

Because Plawecki being on the COVID IL means he's off the 40-man roster. They used his spot to get Sale back on from the 60-day IL. So someone has to go in order to add Plawecki back.

 

[soxhop411]

Alex Speier spoke with John Henry today

“I feel good, but we’re still in a building mode here. We’re concentrating on building our organization from top to bottom,” principal owner (and Globe owner) John Henry said in a recent interview at Fenway Park. “We took a good step forward last year. We’re taking a good step forward this year. But we’re still building.”

The notion of building, while working toward a fifth title since 2004, is one that suggests change. The Red Sox have not been shy about that proposition, even if it has meant a succession of moves that Henry characterized as “painful.”

The team has traded franchise luminaries Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, Jon Lester, and Mookie Betts during the more than 20 years of the ownership group, parting with each when they were within a year of free agency. The trades of Garciaparra, Lester, and Betts followed unsuccessful negotiations on extensions in the year (or years) preceding their arrival on the open market.

The Sox have retained other franchise players in that time. Most notably, the team repeatedly re-signed David Ortiz and ensured that others retired as Red Sox after more than a decade in the organization, a group that includes Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, and Tim Wakefield.

Henry characterized the effort to build as one that improves the team’s ability to retain stars, rather than as an acknowledgment of the inevitable departures of homegrown contributors.

“It’s difficult for any team in baseball to keep their team together, especially great teams together, for a long time. It’s very difficult unless you have a really strong organization, a foundation for your organization,” said Henry. “And even then, you have to make tough decisions.”

What does that mean for Bogaerts and Devers? After the Red Sox got nowhere near deals with them in spring training, can they be retained beyond their eligibility for free agency?

“It takes two to make a deal. I think it’s clear both of them want to be here. We want them here,” said Henry. “We made efforts in the past to try to sign players that we weren’t able to sign. It’s not 100 percent our fault when we don’t end up signing a player. We’ve signed players where it’s really worked out. We’ve signed others that, it’s our job to try to sign the right players. Frankly, over the last 20 years, we haven’t done it [every time], so we’ve had to break teams up.

“The key thing I think with a long-term deal is to make it with the right players. For us at this point, both Raffy and Xander are two players we would love to have. In Xander’s case, it could be till the end of his career. But players have rights and you have to respect that.”

In three offseasons under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, Trevor Story (six years, $140 million with a player option that would increase it to seven years, $160 million) is the only player the Red Sox have signed to a deal of more than two guaranteed seasons and more than $20 million.

The Story deal features the eighth-largest guarantee to a player in the last three offseasons, yet still is less than half of what the Rangers guaranteed to Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million) and the Yankees guaranteed to Gerrit Cole (nine years, $324 million). Do the Red Sox envision operating at the top of the market?

“We’ve always spent to some degree on stars,” said Henry. “Do you not consider Story a big free agent signing?”

That said, Henry noted that spending is not limited to player payroll, and that the process of building the organization has involved investments in baseball operations that are critical even if more difficult to see.

“The game continues to change and evolve. Everyone focuses on salaries, which I totally understand. But there’s a lot of money being spent by clubs on baseball operations. There’s been an arms race in that regard, which nobody seems to understand,” said Henry. “It’s hugely important, because there’s so much data being injected into the game. It’s not just analytics. Everything is on the table — nutrition, sport science.

“But there’s still no substitute for a strong foundation of players. [Building the baseball operations infrastructure is] something we’re focused on. That doesn’t mean we don’t have the resources to sign the players that we want long term.

more at the link
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/13/sports/john-henry-takes-stock-red-sox-present-future/

 

[JBJ_HOF]

That quote about Bogaerts is egregious bullshit given the fact they only offered him 1 additional year at 20m year this winter.

 

[Ganthem]

That quote about Bogaerts is egregious bullshit given the fact they only offered him 1 additional year at 20m year this winter.

Once the additional 20 million was added on it was four years 96 million dollars. I don't think Xander is worth more then 5 years 150 million give or take. If the four years 96 million was an opening offer, then it wasn't bad. If it was the final offer then we are probably saying goodbye to Xander.

 

[Ganthem]

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/trevor-story-matt-strahm-hand-injury-red-sox-injured-list-mlb/

Haven't linked before, but good news on Story and Strahm. Just contusions and probably won't have to go on the IL

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Once the additional 20 million was added on it was four years 96 million dollars. I don't think Xander is worth more then 5 years 150 million give or take. If the four years 96 million was an opening offer, then it wasn't bad. If it was the final offer then we are probably saying goodbye to Xander.

Not sure where you're getting your numbers, but I believe the offer was guaranteeing what is currently an option for 2026 and then adding a new option for 2027, so it amounts to 4/80 or 5/100 if his new option is picked up. But that offer was just an incentive to agree to not opt-out. I'm not sure it's fair to view that as a full contract offer. I think Bloom and Henry approach things differently in October/November when it is clear Bogaerts is opting out.

If Bogaerts were open to talking contract right now (he said no in-season talks), I'd start with the Story contract as an opening offer: 6/140 with an option to make it 7/160. Then go from there.

 

[Ganthem]

Not sure where you're getting your numbers, but I believe the offer was guaranteeing what is currently an option for 2026 and then adding a new option for 2027, so it amounts to 4/80 or 5/100 if his new option is picked up. But that offer was just an incentive to agree to not opt-out. I'm not sure it's fair to view that as a full contract offer. I think Bloom and Henry approach things differently in October/November when it is clear Bogaerts is opting out.

If Bogaerts were open to talking contract right now (he said no in-season talks), I'd start with the Story contract as an opening offer: 6/140 with an option to make it 7/160. Then go from there.

I might have missed that. I see if he doesn't take the opt out he is guaranteed three years for a total of sixty million. If he makes 565 plates appearances in 2025 then an additional option for 2026 at 20 million vest. I found this link https://calltothepen.com/2022/05/17/boston-red-sox-still-chance-fix-xander-bogaerts-situation/
It essentially says the Sox offered Bogey four years at 90 million which would basically add one additional year at 30 million. Not sure how reliable it is.

 

[soxhop411]

Todays roster moves
View: https://twitter.com/BillKoch25/status/1547342411327852546

 

[Humphrey]

So Barnes to the 60 day DL (and certain oblivion, at least for 2022) means they don't have to DFA anyone else?

I still can't believe that Cora thought Connor Wong was a better choice to lead off an inning versus his leadoff hitter.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

So Barnes to the 60 day DL (and certain oblivion, at least for 2022) means they don't have to DFA anyone else?

For now, yes. Barnes was sent to Ft Myers to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday. He has 17 more days before he can be activated from the 60-day IL (he's been on the IL for 43 days already), so he'll be on rehab for at least that long assuming things go at all well.

They've also got Josh Taylor getting close to being activated from the 60-day IL, so he'll need a roster spot in the next week or so.

 

[amfox1]

Eovaldi and Whitlock will reportedly be activated for Friday. Valdez and ?? will go down to AAA.

Hill (15-day IL ends July 17) has a bullpen on Thursday, Wacha (July 20) has one on Friday. Taylor has been ineffective in rehab and it is possible he'll be DFA'd at the end of his rehab period (July 20), if they need to preserve the roster spot. No word on Danish (July 22). Seabold (July 24) will likely go back to AAA upon activation.

EDIT: Changed Taylor IL date

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Eovaldi and Whitlock will reportedly be activated for Friday. Valdez and ?? will go down to AAA.

Hill (15-day IL ends July 17) has a bullpen on Thursday, Wacha (July 20) has one on Friday. Taylor has been ineffective in rehab and it is possible he'll be DFA'd at the end of his rehab period (August 5), if they need to preserve the roster spot. No word on Danish (July 22). Seabold (July 24) will likely go back to AAA upon activation.

I don't think Taylor's rehab period lasts that long. His first rehab appearance was June 21 and he has not had 10 days down since so it hasn't re-started. His 30 days should expire next Wednesday (7/20).

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

I don’t see how they can fit Taylor on the roster unless they dump one of the other lefties; and if Taylor isn’t looking great in rehab…

Assume Whitlock replaces Ort; and Eovaldi replaces Winckowski or Crawford?

 

[ngruz25]

It's both Taylor's "rehab" and his spring training, right? I have a hard time seeing the Sox cut bait on a guy who was very effective last season based on some rocky minor league outings.

Ort seems destined for Worcester soon, especially at the rate at which his arm is being abused.

 

[TheYellowDart5]

Valdez and Brasier have options remaining, so one of them is likely to go when Whitlock returns — likely Valdez. (In an ideal world both disappear to Worcester and never come back.) I don't think they're going to dump Ort if they don't have to.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

JbJ is now 16–120 on the road. That’s a .133 average. 0 hr, he’s slugging .175 on the road. For the second straight year, we are getting below replacement level production out of first base, with Dalbec slugging .335.

What are we doing here?

 

[soxhop411]

Cora sounded pissed in the postgame
View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1547401891738427394

 

[Ganthem]

Cora sounded pissed in the postgame
View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1547401891738427394

I will give Cora credit. Dealing with the Boston media can't be the easiest thing in the world but he does a goos job

 

[stephen greene]

this team has no soul, no fight, no fire and frankly, no leadership. every one of them act like they'd rather be somewhere else. no focus at all. none.

 

[JBJ_HOF]

this team has no soul, no fight, no fire and frankly, no leadership. every one of them act like they'd rather be somewhere else. no focus at all. none.

They had a lot of fight 3 and 4 nights ago, and a lot of fight pulling themselves out of a grave.

 

[Apisith]

this team has no soul, no fight, no fire and frankly, no leadership. every one of them act like they'd rather be somewhere else. no focus at all. none.

We finished off one of the best runs in team history just 10 days ago. Chill, bro. Sale is back and he looks good, Eovaldi and Whitlock are back in a week or two. Get healthy and make the playoffs, that’s the only thing that matters. With everyone healthy, we will be competitive in the playoffs.

 

[E5 Yaz]

They had a lot of fight 3 and 4 nights ago, and a lot of fight pulling themselves out of a grave.

That was so last ... err, the earlier part of this ... week

 

[Salem's Lot]

this team has no soul, no fight, no fire and frankly, no leadership. every one of them act like they'd rather be somewhere else. no focus at all. none.

This may be the worst post that I have read on the main board in my 17 years of membership.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Two wins against the Yankees are nice but they’re 5-10 in their last 15, haven’t won a series against a divisional opponent all season and have just finished an error-filled sweep at the hands of the Rays.

Cora should be pissed. They’re playing sloppy, poor baseball of late. Looking at the bright side is nice and all but they’re playing bad baseball recently. If people are going to be excited that Sale looked good in his return then it’s at least worth noting the Sox needlessly kicked that game away.

 

[MuzzyField]

Two wins against the Yankees are nice but they’re 5-10 in their last 15, haven’t won a series against a divisional opponent all season and have just finished an error-filled sweep at the hands of the Rays.

Cora should be pissed. They’re playing sloppy, poor baseball of late. Looking at the bright side is nice and all but they’re playing bad baseball recently. If people are going to be excited that Sale looked good in his return then it’s at least worth noting the Sox needlessly kicked that game away.

Sweep?

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Sweep?

Oooh my bad, they’ve merely lost the first 3 games of a four game series. Totally ruins my point.

I mean, look at this shit:

View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1547388214377435137?s=21&t=Qp6sZpkT83beUEZ9jUmWUQ


That’s not a professional level of play and it’s unacceptable.

There’s been far too much of this nonsense lately. Verdugo should have been benched for getting picked off third the other night, it’s stupid baseball.

Cora should be pissed.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Whitlock can’t get back into the pen soon enough. They need the help very, very badly. Get him in there, dump a couple of the useless arms, and get to shutting these games down.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Oooh my bad, they’ve merely lost the first 3 games of a four game series. Totally ruins my point.

I mean, look at this shit:

View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1547388214377435137?s=21&t=Qp6sZpkT83beUEZ9jUmWUQ


That’s not a professional level of play and it’s unacceptable.

There’s been far too much of this nonsense lately. Verdugo should have been benched for getting picked off third the other night, it’s stupid baseball.

Cora should be pissed.

I’d really like to know what the hell Refsnyder was doing there. By the time he lackadaisically threw to 3rd, Lowe had already rounded 3rd and was halfway home. You always throw home there. Just an embarrassing play all around.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I’d really like to know what the hell Refsnyder was doing there. By the time he lackadaisically threw to 3rd, Lowe had already rounded 3rd and was halfway home. You always throw home there. Just an embarrassing play all around.

It’s a complete lack of attention to basics. It’s so confusing, what is he thinking? And it’s rampant throughout the team. Verdugo is the worst percentage player I’ve seen since Eric Chavez; if a decision can be wrong, he’s bound to make it.

The team is very very rough around the edges.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Whitlock can’t get back into the pen soon enough. They need the help very, very badly. Get him in there, dump a couple of the useless arms, and get to shutting these games down.

They also need a first baseman. And a jolt to their complacency. And the assets to accomplish both simultaneously

 

[BigSoxFan]

They also need a first baseman. And a jolt to their complacency. And the assets to accomplish both simultaneously

Casas injury really was a major bummer. He’d probably be here by now, which may or may not have solved the first problem. I’m usually in the “make a move” camp but I can’t justify trading any half decent prospect for marginal upgrades for this team.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Casas injury really was a major bummer. He’d probably be here by now, which may or may not have solved the first problem. I’m usually in the “make a move” camp but I can’t justify trading any half decent prospect for marginal upgrades for this team.

Would you consider Josh Bell a marginal upgrade? I dunno, honestly.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Would you consider Josh Bell a marginal upgrade? I dunno, honestly.

He’d be a big upgrade for this team (and is my most preferred target) but there are so many teams in the hunt that the price tag would almost certainly be cost prohibitive.

 

[Humphrey]

It’s a complete lack of attention to basics. It’s so confusing, what is he thinking? And it’s rampant throughout the team. Verdugo is the worst percentage player I’ve seen since Eric Chavez; if a decision can be wrong, he’s bound to make it.

The team is very very rough around the edges.

Don't stand there with it, don't run it in from the god damn outfield...the runner has a chance to keep going (which is what he did). And both yesterday and today you have a major league outfielder (yesterday, the outfielder was impersonating a first baseman) who can't throw a baseball on the fly less than 120 feet.

 

[scottyno]

Would you consider Josh Bell a marginal upgrade? I dunno, honestly.

Almost any player for 2 months is a marginal upgrade really. The realistic difference between Bell and Dalbec/Cordero is what, maybe 2 WAR? Probably not even that. Various fangraphs projections have the sox platoon at about .5 war the rest of the year and Bell at 1-1.5.

Of course, it's easily possible that the Sox either make or miss the playoffs by 1-2 games, so that marginal upgrade could end up being massive if it's the difference between a playoff spot and not.

 

[Sox Puppet]

Whitlock can’t get back into the pen soon enough. They need the help very, very badly. Get him in there, dump a couple of the useless arms, and get to shutting these games down.

Well, yes, but that assumes we're even protecting a lead in the first place. Lately, it seems like we're almost always playing from behind, down by at least a couple runs in the first three innings.

 

[Daniel_Son]

Losing sucks. Losing because we've played sloppy baseball the past few games sucks even more. But Eovaldi and Whitlock should be back by the end of the week. Sale pitched as well (hell, better) than a lot of us expected in his first start of the year. They've got a few obvious moves they can make at corner OF and 1B to make the team better. And most importantly, there's still a lot of baseball left to be played.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Losing sucks. Losing because we've played sloppy baseball the past few games sucks even more. But Eovaldi and Whitlock should be back by the end of the week. Sale pitched as well (hell, better) than a lot of us expected in his first start of the year. They've got a few obvious moves they can make at corner OF and 1B to make the team better. And most importantly, there's still a lot of baseball left to be played.

Which moves are these?

 

[BravesField]

This may be the worst post that I have read on the main board in my 17 years of membership.
[/QU

The worst? Ouch!!!

I often wonder who(m) are the team leaders? Where are the Dirt Dawgs? Where is the 2022 version of TeK, Papi, Youk, Pedro.

I do think there is a lack of leadership. On the field? In the dugout?

With a number of veterans playing out the last year of the current contract, it's possible that some are more focused on their next contract than they should be.

 

[ngruz25]

Don't stand there with it, don't run it in from the god damn outfield...the runner has a chance to keep going (which is what he did). And both yesterday and today you have a major league outfielder (yesterday, the outfielder was impersonating a first baseman) who can't throw a baseball on the fly less than 120 feet.

This play was on the infielders, with Refsnyder as the secondary culprit. When Refsnyder picks up the ball, you see him look towards home plate, double clutch, and then look in the direction of third base, in line with Bogaerts. He then threw to Bogaerts.

Downs had dove to get the ground ball so he wasn't available to receive the throw in from the outfield. I think with the runner on first off with the pitch, Dalbec and Bogaerts got confused as to whose responsibility it was to cut off the throw home and nobody was there. You can see the middle of the infield is vacant when the throw eventually comes in.

When Refsnyder realized there was nowhere to go with the ball, he should have just run it in or thrown to Dalbec instead of lackadaisically throwing to Bogaerts, who was nowhere near where the throw needed to go.

 

[stephen greene]

This may be the worst post that I have read on the main board in my 17 years of membership.

LOLOL....wish i had your rose-colored glasses. or whatever it is you're smokin'.