With Xander Bogaerts headed to San Diego, the Red Sox face questions about their lineup. Boston has added Masataka Yoshida on a five-year deal to play left field, but they’re now dealing with a vacancy in the middle of the diamond.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters this week the Red Sox are seeking someone who can play up the middle on either the infield or outfield (link via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). As Bloom noted, the team has some positional flexibility in that regard thanks to Trevor Story and Enrique Hernández. Story played second base in deference to Bogaerts this past season, but the longtime Rockies shortstop now looks penciled in to move back to the left side of the diamond. Hernández is a quality defender at both second base and center field, and his ability to cover either spot gives Boston the freedom to look for players at either position and move Hernández around depending on subsequent additions.
In any event, the Red Sox figure to bring in another player with the athleticism to cover up the middle. As things stand, the team would likely open the season with Story at shortstop, Hernández in center and some combination of Christian Arroyo and Jeter Downs at second base. Neither Arroyo nor Downs should have a firm hold on an everyday job for a hopeful contender, but the available free agent options at important defensive positions are dwindling.
The center field market was almost completely barren from the start, with Brandon Nimmo the clear top option. Players like Kevin Kiermaier and Cody Bellinger got everyday jobs coming off disappointing seasons, while the Red Sox struck early to keep Hernández out of free agency on a $10MM extension in September. He’s not coming off a great year himself, but the lackluster free agent class no doubt played a role in Boston’s decision to take a shot on a bounceback.
Free agency in the middle infield is a bit more robust. Dansby Swanson is the top player still remaining. The Red Sox are reportedly part of that market, although they’ll face competition from teams like the Cubs, Twins, Dodgers and incumbent Braves. It’d be rather surprising to see the Sox pivot to Swanson — who looks likely to top $150MM on the open market — after watching their own star shortstop (and described “top priority”) depart. There’s a notable drop after Swanson, with Elvis Andrus the next-best remaining shortstop. At second base, Jean Segura and Brandon Drury are the top options available.
All those players hit right-handed, which could make them targets for the Boston front office. Speier writes the Sox are looking for a righty bat, a sensible pursuit considering their lineup skews towards the left side. Story, Hernández and Arroyo are the only three righties who currently look like regulars, and Arroyo could be supplanted by an outside addition. Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo and Yoshida all hit from the left side, as do first base/DH options Triston Casas and Eric Hosmer. Boston has Bobby Dalbec in that mix as a righty alternative, but he’s struggled enough the past couple seasons they’ve reportedly made him available in trade.
The trade market obviously also offers a chance for the Red Sox to address some roster deficiencies. Bloom told Chad Jennings of the Athletic on Monday the club was open to consolidating minor league talent to add immediate MLB help. The front office leader downplayed the possibility of moving talented players at the MLB level (seemingly including Casas) as part of those efforts, but he expressed a willingness to move players who are further away from the majors.
There aren’t many up-the-middle players who look likely to be dealt this winter. The Guardians could part with shortstop Amed Rosario, while the Royals may field offers on center fielder Michael A. Taylor. Oakland’s Ramón Laureano has some center field experience and would add a righty bat to the outfield, but he’s coming off a dismal 2022 season and the A’s may prefer to hold him in hopes of a better year that rebuilds his trade appeal.
The rotation market offers more possibilities, both in free agency and trade. Noah Syndergaard, Johnny Cueto and old friends Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha are among the free agent options still available. Viable rotation trade candidates include Trevor Rogers and Pablo López in Miami, Chris Flexen or Marco Gonzales of the Mariners and Pittsburgh’s JT Brubaker. Both Speier and Jennings write that Boston would like to add a starter, no surprise for a team that has seen Eovaldi, Wacha and Rich Hill hit free agency without bringing in outside help.
Boston does have a few players who can step into the rotation after not assuming much of a role last season. Chris Sale barely pitched in 2022, while James Paxton didn’t throw for the Sox at all. They’ll hopefully go into Spring Training healthy but have plenty of recent injuries and workload concerns. Brayan Bello could get a full season after breaking into the majors this past July. The Red Sox already announced Garrett Whitlock would join Nick Pivetta in the starting five after mostly working in multi-inning relief the last two years.
The Sox haven’t been as committal on Tanner Houck, but he’s also a rotation option after bouncing between starting and relief for a while. As Jen McCaffrey of the Athletic writes, the Sox’s offseason to date has seen them bring in a few bullpen options — Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen and Joely Rodríguez — without doing much to fortify the rotation. That could point towards an increasing likelihood of Houck competing for a rotation spot in Spring Training, although much depends on the team’s activity over the next three months.
Houck came out of the bullpen for 28 of his 32 appearances in 2022, including some time as the team’s closer. With Jansen now set to lock down the ninth inning, skipper Alex Cora can deploy Houck either in higher-leverage relief in the middle innings or as part of the starting staff. The former first-round pick started 13 of his 18 outings in 2021, and he has 20 MLB starts on his résumé. In that time, he’s worked to a 3.22 ERA with a 28.5% strikeout rate. Houck has a 2.68 ERA and a 25.9% career strikeout percentage when coming out of the bullpen.
Here’s a full dumpster bloom!
Thanks for productively adding to the conversation.
And you as well.
Trade Devers to the Mets for Alvarez and Baty or the Dodgers for Cartaya and Vargas..then Drury and Tuner plus Eovaldi and Waca
I’m with you on trading Devers to get a little something back.
The Mets are never making that deal. Dream on….
Right because Cohen cares Sooooo much about prospects lol. Adding Devers to that lineup with the chance to lock him down and you only have to give up the #1 prospect and Baty? U make that deal every time. Devers is arguably the most productive hitter since 2019 and the most consistent.
Agree: Baty is a beast & if Devers won’t sign it is time to make the move. Cannot lose Devers the way they lost Bogey
Good article. Jeter Downs, however, is not a real option anymore..
Also, Look for the Sox to trade Hosmer (amazing team friendly contract), and I suspect Houck + a prospect to land a bat.
Cant trade Hosmer. When he got traded last time, a ‘no trade’ clause in his contract kicked in.
Coach We you’re lost. Even if there wasn’t a no trade clause. You’re getting lottery tickets for Hosmer. And I’d take Arroyo over any combination of 2B/SS left in FA. Maybe bring back a José Iglesias for some veteran depth. But you want to trade away cheap controllable talent for “a bat”. And a key pitcher at that.
‘And I’d take Arroyo over any combination of 2B/SS left in FA.’
===========================================
Swanson and Segura are much better than Arroyo. He can’t stay healthy.
I agree on your Iglesias take,good bat,glove,teammate,He`s affordable,2 mil or so and better than what is available.My only question would be his range,worth a shot I think.
If Bloomers didn’t trade Bogey, he won’t trade Devers. Bloom’s heart is still in Tampa.
You really trust Bloom to make a good trade guy doesn’t know talent if they had a sign on them he’d just get 2 single a infielders
The real reason Boston didn’t bring Bogaerts back was to make sure Jeter can wear #2.
Feel bad for Bloom, he got hired to do John Henry’s dirty work
I’m a Bloom to your dirty work, oh yeah
Fine line between having patience for the long term plan and still being expected to plunk $$ to watch a sorry product. I’m hoping T-Mobile continues with giving away the MLB package. I’m certainly not spending $129 or whatever the price will be in 23.
Just use dofu sports bro, why pay lol?
Time’s were hard, he’s afraid to pay the fee.
Josh- he signed up for it and knew exactly what was going to be asked of him
Interesting Houck has a stronger K percentage as a starter than as a reliever. Figure most of the time it’s the opposite.
I heard Carlos Rodon is available? Lost out on one Carlos already, so go sign the other one then.
It’s Jon Lester all over again – requiring a lesser replacement for the player the Sox let walk-out-the-door. Is Stephen Drew on the short list? Pokey Reese? Orlando Cabrera? Julio Lugo? Edgar Renteria? Marco Scutaro? Mark Bellhorn? I think Marty Barrett & Jody Reed should get a look, too. No, it’s Luis Rivera. Done.
You would’ve been ok with giving a 30yr old SS an 11 yr contract?
He’ll probably come back with some fantasy land comment about how the Sox could have extended Bogey last spring, even though every person you ask has a different dollar amount and contract length they “think” would have gotten it done. Which just serves to underscore how unlikely it was that any extension would have happened.
Ken – Bloom is incompetent. One would have to live in a “fantasy land” to remain in-faith with Bloom and his erratic ways.
You were incorrect kingken . . . He just ducked the question all together.
If Bloom was as you described, Henry would have fired his ass already. Obviously, he’s doing exactly what ownership wants. Be angry at them, not Bloom.
Mudy – you company men like to stick together. Strength in numbers, I suppose. “Yes.”
Dewey – I’m displeased with the lot of them and think Sam Kennedy should be in the crosshairs, too. I disagree about Henry firing Bloom, two people can be incompetent at once. Sox are a mess. Bloom is incompetent.
30 Parks just admit you hate the Red Sox overall.
You’re naming a bunch of guys in your original comment that have nothing to do with Bloom, yet somehow you’re blaming Bloom 1 ir 2 comments later. How does that work?
You hate Boston yet you’re here on every single Red Sox thread spewing the same garbage every time. Give it a rest it’s getting old.
Seriously what does Chaim Bloom have to do with Steven Drew or Mark Bellhorn? My goodness buddy, post something that makes baseball sense instead of hate for the Boston Red Sox.
30 Parks, you ‘I hate Bloom’ guys have very little content to add to the conversation, analysis etc. Just “I hate Bloom” every post. Its very low-brow.
Mudy – appreciate the insight. You’ve missed some great posts if that’s your take. Feel free to operate that “mute” button if you’re unable to hold a reasonable discussion. Have a good night, company man.
Really? Lets take a look at your posts on this article alone:
1st post, you brought up old names like Edgar Renteria
2nd post, Bloom is incompetent
3rd post, Last place is the home
There’s nothing of any value. You are unable to post without bashing Bloom, Cora or Owners. Just calling it like I see it.
Henry. Henry bro. Bloom doesn’t make any decisions unless Henry signs off.
Gary – After 3 years of watching ownership and Bloom destroy the Red Sox Bloom apologists are always redefining the message from someone like 30 Parks.
He’s fed up with the organization’s behavior like most of Red Sox Nation. After 86 years an ownership team finally puts together enough money and a front office that wins a RING. Then they continue competing with the Yankees financially and win 3 more rings in a total of 15 years to ease the pain of the 86 years.
In late 2019 the Red Sox owners chose to pivot their 15 year philosophy so they could purchase additional sports organization while they put the Red Sox on hold. They fired a highly successful GM who was seeking to renew their face of the franchise and brought in an experiment to put the Red Sox on pause for several years while they refocused their business acumen elsewhere. The side show (Bloom) was told to throw out the trash (Mookie and Price) and he did without regard to return value. People suggested the reason was the CAP but a $10MM luxury tax to owners making $330MM a year is insignificant. It was about the claims of racism and the freeing up of cash for other ventures.
30 Pakks and many, many fans hate that such a dramatic pivot happened in 2019 and want the owners to refocus on the Red Sox to return them to glory. That won’t happen with Bloom. His track record is overwhelming evidence.
Does ragging on Bloom get old for people trying to support Bloom? Sure but the bigger question is why are you supporting Bloom? The way many of us see it, you are being paid to write pro-Bloom comments. That ignites a need by long term Red Sox fans to off set those misleading comments and to use facts to show just how badly he’s done.
Taking shots at guys like 30 Parks will only get you responded to by the legions of loyal fans that hate Bloom and what he’s done to the team. If people want to pretend it’s on ownership not Bloom, that’s pure fantasy. It’s on both of them. They hired him so they are guilty. He’s made bad decisions over and over and that’s on him.
So leave 30 Parks alone and let him vent as often as he needs to. If you spent the majority of your life watching the team fail until 2004 and then got a taste of winning and had the rug pulled out from underneath you in 2019 you should be angry too.
I want all the loyal fans to bash Bloom to help offset the paid influencers that are on sites like this one spin doctoring opinions about how Bloom is doing good things. HE IS NOT!!! Facts don’t lie.
Bloom is 4 games over .500 after 3 years. Dombrowski was 104 games over .500 in almost 4 years. Fans have a right to be angry so if he wants to rant 50 times in every article, more power to him!!
Nice job 30 Parks
Muddy – Clearly another paid influencer on Bloom’s staff. Lay off 3o Parks. He has a right to his opinion. Loyal Red Sox fans agree with him.
Your value isn’t my value and I think he has lots of comments with value. See that’s how freedom of speech works.
Appreciate both the insight & support, PulledaBloom. Well said, as always.
Sorry dude…. Although the direction this franchise is heading right now is not going to win any titles the next few years the organizational philosophy has changed which comes from the top…. most of us are just tired of hearing the same bs about how this is all Bloom’s incompetence….it is not.
DD did his job at the expense of the Organizations Farm system, The Farm system has been built back up now, and they will be reaping the benefits over the next few years.
Anyone with half a brain realizes the Xander’s contract he signed is ridiculous. Facts are that a long term investment that was required to sign him was not worth it…. same goes for Betts (although not getting a Pitcher in return in that deal was just dumb). These teams such as SD, Philly, NY Mets & SF are all in (all in mode) which is not going age well. Even the Yankees and the Dodgers have pulled back a little on the spending and are exercising some constraints.
FACTS are that signing these players 10-13 years into their early 40’s is a really bad trend for Baseball and I am glad the Red Sox are not succumbing to these Market trends.
PulledaBloom, you make a lot of great points but you lost me when you called Mookie Betts and David Price trash.
Mookie was traded and not treated as “trash” because he would have left without any compensation as a free agent. David Price was included and not labeled as “trash” because after several good years his salary and injuries did not mesh well the future, which of course would never happen to any of these guys signing 10-year contracts today. No chance.
If I’m reading your post correctly and those of 30 parks, you want to grab the checkbook and start writing checks of whatever dollar it takes to fill the roster.
And if it takes adding more years to outbid other teams so be it. 7 years, 8 years, 13 years, so be it. Keep writing checks, it’ll bring championships every 6 years.
That’s exactly how the US government works and how is that looking on paper?
Chris – yes.
No way. Teams will be paying the piper in the years to come. That or the smaller clubs will be sold. How is this sustainable?
Dewey – I get your point, Dewey, but I disagree. I think the player market has fundamentally shifted. In my view, the Sox are choosing not to compete in the present market and, as a result, last place in the East is home. I do not agree that these long term contracts are automatically debilitating.
Under the present CBA, the penalties for exceeding the tax levels are financial and with respect to drafting and signings. Big money clubs will pass the money cost on to fans or just absorb it but teams like San Diego and Minnesota will not survive long term. I think of the Marlins who bought, tore down and sold. With long term commitments, you eventually draft worse, have international slot money lowered, etc so you have to buy more to fill your roster competitively. Eventually you tear it down as Boston is now doing. They’re a big market club though that should be competing. Give the Yankees credit for balancing things. Back in 18, others were saying Sox fans would pay in 20. We never expected Henry to take his profits and invest them in other areas instead of continuing to put them back into the club.
Some people forget what happened in 2019.,coming off that record season and WS. The team under performed and there was talk of trading Mookie at that time. Before the trade deadline Sox swept the Yankees and Dombrowski decided not to trade him. They went on to lose the next 8 games and missed the playoffs.
That team that was loaded with talent, only won 6 more games than the Sox won last season.
So what’s your point? Payroll guarantees one thing:. payroll obligations. Ownership needs to balance things as previously stated. Going as far as the team surprisingly did was problematic to fans who saw a window to return to competitiveness earlier than anticipated. Instead of building on that momentum, the team continued on their set path and traded Renfroe at his perceived high (just an example). Fans are frustrated. No team will win it all every year but yo-yoing between being best and worst each season is what at least I for one can’t stomach.
Bring this up all the time. Dombrowski should’ve traded Betts right then and there at the deadline.
Renfroe has put up good numbers for a while now, yet he has been traded 4 times in 4 years. There’s more to the story than we know.
Defense inconsistency, salary rising into serious money territory and perhaps feelings to “trade high”. Bottom line to me was his problems in right were offset by his amazing arm and on the spot decisions to back up center. Bloom thought his power was likely to decline while his salary was increasing. He was wrong on that but we still need to wait to see if the prospects will hit. Getting JBJ back was a fan high but the salary and his inability to hit on the road soured the immediate return of the deal If the Sox trade Verdugo, I can even see the team bringing back JBJ on a cheap deal to be the fourth outfielder assuming they trade for a righty bopper for a replacement corner slot.
Yewed – That 2019 team was riddled with injuries and Dombrowski didn’t trade Mookie because he thought he could sign him.
$330MM in profits and the $10MM luxury tax was a burden? That’s less than what they wasted on JBJ in 2020!!!
104 games over .500 during Dombrowski’s years and 4 over .500 during Bloom’s years. You really don’t see a problem?
Next time you want to rewrite history do it with an audience that doesn’t know a lot more about baseball than you so they can’t call BS when you write stuff like you did!!
If you think the current roster, the 2021 roster or even the 2020 roster was even close to the 2019 roster you need your head examined. The talent level falls off each year Bloom is around and after 3 years the following players have exited: Mookie, Price, Bogaerts, Benny, JD, Eovaldi and Devers is on the way out the door. The adds have been Story and Renfroe/Schwarber but with great insight Bloom nixed both of them within a year!!
This is a biblical disaster. $130MM of available payroll thanks to Dombrowski retooling plan for 2023 and Bloom is throwing it away on more bad players just like when exceeded the $20MM higher CAP in 2022.
No Bloom influencer is going to be able to spin those facts into a positive for Bloom. I always laugh at the influencers who spin the old we were 2 games away from the World Series. What a joke. The fact that Boston got lucky and upset the Yankees and caught TB on a cold streak should be celebrated but to suggest they had a chance against HOU is a joke. They were lucky to win ONE game. Take it as a moral victory, but that team was barely better than a AAA club. You batted a lifetime .241 hitter at lead off that year and he hit .250 for the year. Not quite comparable to the 2019 Mookie Betts.
Wait until 2023 when Dombrowski’s crew is gone. 80 wins will be a pipe dream. 1st pick in the 2024 draft is far more likely than a playoff birth or even a 4th place finish in the AL East.
Andolinia – Dombrowski was trying to convince ownership to resign Mookie at fair market value to maintain the talent on the team. It was the reason he was fired. He wanted the team to stay competitive but the owners had a new direction.
PulledaBloom, Ok then why are you piling on Bloom? This is what the owners are deciding to do. Doesn’t make sense.
You’re encouraging a poster above who claims Bloom is incompetent and not fit for this job whereas it’s the ownership dictating the path.
I’m saying Bloom is doing a fantastic job with what he has been dealt. Why champion a poster who tars and feathers a president of operations with handcuffs on?
I’m gonna predict Dalbec will be included in a deal with MIA for one of their SPs. Bobby needs a change of scenery.
Somehow getting Lopez, Rogers, or Luzardo would help them tremendously.
I would love if that were possible but I just can’t see MIA being willing to part with one of their starting pitchers for a player hoping a change of scenery unlocks a potential that hasn’t materialized yet. I think they’d be looking for much more of a proven offensive player.
Dalbec alone isn’t nearly enough to get one of Miami’s SP’s.
Maybe, you missed the words “Dalbec will be included in a deal” by the poster. No one is exaggerating anyones value.
The problem is Miami is looking for players who can help their offense right now and ideally aren’t too expensive. The only guys the Sox have on their current roster who fit that description are Casas and possibly Verdugo. The Sox aren’t trading Casas, and Verdugo plus some prospects likely isn’t going to draw much interest on their part. As much as I’d like the Sox to be able to swing a trade for Pablo Lopez I just don’t see them having the trade pieces to get it done.
Miami isn’t dealing their pitchers. Too many question marks surrounding most of them whether it be inconsistency or injury. They need the depth.
Look for Max Fried to be on the radar as it’s believed the Braves won’t extend
Dalbec, Duran and a minor leaguer could probably get Luzardo
RSox is clearly a troll.
Not at all, i just suggested that as Luzardo is the lesser of the three Miami Pitchers named
You would be lucky to get a bag of balls for Dalbac and maybe an old catchers glove. He has a major hole in his swing and cannot hit. I still cannot figure how he hit 26 homeruns in 2021. He was one of the reason this team tanked this year at the beginning of the season along with Story.
Some team should really try to manipulate the system and give Dansby $200m for 13 years. $15m/year isn’t bad.. and they league can’t complain – they are doing it for others.
One of the big boys will overpay and ruin it for most of the market like they have all offseason so far.
Danby Swanson career 95 ops+.
In his defense, he improves in multiple facets of his game basically every year. That’s a good trajectory to be on.
It makes more sense to us his last three years (108+) than his first 3+ seasons (84+). To do otherwise is to assume a players’ best years are his early years.
Anything over 5 years is laughable for Swanson.
The 2023 Red Sox are on course for a very forgettable season
You forgot it already and it hasn’t even started yet!
It’s not even Christmas yet, gang. Spring training is two months away.
If the ownership keeps playing the penny wise pound foolish game, I’d say it won’t end with 2023.
Segura makes sense for these budget conscious Sox… as to the rotation, Dalbec for Marco seems to logical (if not underwhelming)
I don’t understand how Dalbec has any value. He’s terrible. Marco is a solid starter.
Yeah, I like Segura on a 1 or 2 year deal for second base.
How is Segura any better than Arroyo? Why bring in an average player when Arroyo has already proven he can play in Boston. If they aren’t going to sign Swanson, then go with Arroyo.
Segura can stay healthy, Arroyo can not.
Ray: You may be right. Their numbers from last year are pretty similar. I have my doubts about Arroyo staying off the IL. Segura has been durable until last year and he will be 33 next year. So, may not be able to count on him staying healthy. It does look like they need to sign another middle infielder unless they plan to use Dalbec, Downs or a prospect there which I doubt they will. I’m assuming K. Hernandez stays in center field.
1-Arroyo is not proven. He has only 722 career ABs. Segura’s record is much more reliable.
2-We still need a UIF. Arroyo should be good in that role.
Joe, where is the righty power coming from?
The bottom is about their contracts. Arroyo will play 2B almost as good as Segura for fAR less $$$
Except you need to add a full major salary to step in when Story or Arroyo are hurt
“Arroyo will play 2B almost as good as Segura for fAR less $$$”
And what do the Red Sox do for the 80 games he’s on the DL?
Actually Elvis Andrus makes more sense as it allows Story to stay at 2B and Keke to stay in CF and doesn’t block Mayer long term
Or Drury.
I’ve always wanted to see what Christian Arroyo could do in a full, healthy season. Whenever he’s healthy he seems like he’s on the verge of breaking out. Maybe it’s time to give him a shot.
I’d roll with Story at SS and Arroyo at 2B myself. That’s not a bad middle infield, especially since Story is likely to bounce back just by staying healthy. I think Drury is the best fit at this point. He can play all over the field and brings what looks to be a solid right-handed bat.
Youre going to assume Arroyo will stay healthy for a full season?
My response:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfR3ZbU-oYM
Technically you can’t assume anyone will stay healthy for a whole season. Hopes and dreams for all I guess.
You can make an educated guess of future events based on past. Here’s Arroyo’s injury report for past 2 years.
7/9/22 Groin
6/14/22 COVID-19
8/27/21 Health Protocols
7/19/21 Hamstring
6/20/21 Knee
5/5/21 Left hand
That’s a lot of different moving parts that could have a reoccurring injury.
Mudy: What was Segura on the IL for last year? I’m not sure where to find that.
I found it at FoxSports:
https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/christian-arroyo-player-injuries
But, Segura’s page is empty on same site.
Everything I find though points to a finger injury for Segura. Maybe Phillies fan can clarify how often he gets banged up.
The problem is the team didn’t hit homers last year and replacements for JDM and Bogie aren’t yet known. Let’s see what trades are made but without a blockbuster, last place is likely the end result again. Hopefully I’m wrong.
Got it. Thanks.
Dewey – realistically, Yoshi replaces JDM. Then youve got a OF hole, SS hole, and C hole along with top 2 slots in your rotation empty.
Anyone you shuffle around you just make a hole were you take them from.
if he doesn’t Bloom will just call up one of AAA BBB’s
JDM & Bogaerts only combined for 31 HRs. Those HRs should not be hard to replace.
Yoshi is a lefty and has a far different skill set. The team lost three of their four righty bats. McGuir is unlikely to perform like last year and is a loss most likely or at best equal to Vasquez. Replacements for Bogie and yes JDM are unlikely to = their production so where are the improvements coming from? Yoshida over Franchy is the obvious one along with at 1b. The
Joe, results weren’t there which in part explains last place. At the start though we expected 50 or more combined and both would likely have rebounded in 23 playing 50% at Fenway. I’m still a JDM believer who doesn’t think he’s through. Basically a two + months slump that could have hidden a back or other injury. He made the All-star team and then won the last POTW award.
Unfortunately we’ve all wanted to see what Arroyo could do in a full season, problem is its never happened and banking on it happening by guaranteeing him a starting job would be very irresponsible on the Sox part
I think Bloom and the Cubs Jed Hoyer sat down and watched MoneyBall at the winter meetings and thought it was a new release and a novel idea.
Except bloom missed the ‘hits for extremely high average with low strikeouts’ portion of the theory
If Boston gets Swanson then I don’t mind this off-season. San Diego overpaid for Bogey, Swanson is a nice replacement. That will put KeKe in CF. Move Duran to RF…. You’d be strong defensively but ya won’t hit worth a damn…
Duran will never play right in Boston. He can’t play center or left and has a weaker arm than my wife who turned 62 today!
Sadly, Dwight Evans at his current age probably has a better arm than Duran. If Duran is going to play every day it will probably have to be in LF where they can hide his defensive shortcomings. However if Duran is in LF than Yoshida has to DH and that means Hosmer at 1B (or released). I would rather have Hosmer as a DH/mentor to Casas than worry about if Duran is going to hit anything to stay in the lineup
Agreed. Duran has shown nothing and is lucky to be invited to spring training based on his MLB to date performance. While many Bloom late, he’s looked more like an amateur than a professional with only his speed being MLB ready.
To be fair, the Red Sox might be able to get away with it half the time. Fenway has the shallowest left field in baseball.
He’s looked lost in the field. Am I the only one to see it?
I don’t see them signing Swanson. They’d give up 2 draft picks and pool money.
One of those picks would be the pick they got for losing Bogaerts.
Twins offered Correa 285 million. so they’re willing to spend.some money. I’d be surprised if Swanson doesn’t make more than what Boston offered Bogaerts.
I’d much rather play Refsnyder than Duran if that were the only options. .
Agree yewed. I’d like the signing, but for better or worse, I don’t think Red Sox do it. They are looking to stockpile the farm system, to a fault.
At this point they need to commit to one side or the other. If you’re rebuilding or restructuring or whatever you want to call it, then be honest about it and do it.
Playing this middle of the road game is what doesn’t make sense to me.
Yewed: I guess the middle of the road approach is kind of a compromise. There is a chance to compete with some excitement, but they should still end up with a good draft pick. Middle of the road is a good way to describe it. Even their trade deadline this year was middle of the road. They traded a couple of people and held onto a couple. I would prefer a full tear down for a rebuild as that should build up the farm system faster than the middle of the road approach.
This is Bloom’s fourth offseason, and his fourth ST is coming up. In his first offseason he traded a known future HOFer and a mlb rotation arm, and.never looked back at cutting guys loose, not extending them, and trading them.
This year he is expected to bear fruit in a WS win.
His last 3 predecessors at GM took 2, 2, and 3 offseasons respectively to get there. All had injuries, declining players, and underwater contracts.
Anything less and Bloom is a proven failure.
I agree. The right time to do it would have been a couple years ago. Fans would have been angry but any angrier than now?
The trade deadline still makes no sense to me. With all the injuries there was nothing there suggesting that they would all of a sudden make a push.
Even if they didn’t trade X and thought they could still sign him they should have at least gotten under the CBT and kept their higher draft picks.
Middle of the road is fine until it isn’t. Last year at the deadline, it wasn’t.
No prior GM dealt with COVID, ownership spending mandates and a player’s strike. Bloom has to win by 24 in my book. He sold himself when seeking the position on building the farm as a long term answer so how can he be evaluated before we see if there is fruit to pick on the farm?
The market changed. How many expected an 11 year deal for Bogie? The Soc likely had an agreement with him to remain and then play the market and thought they would get him for 6 or 7 years at $25m -$27m per max
Dewey, that’s a load of BS.
Covid didn’t effect the offseason and moves. It’s not like there was no offseason, and, every other ball club dealt with that.
If anything, covid made it EASIER to be in the postseason because the field expanded so much.
And every GM has spending mandates. Boston was STILL a top spending club in the league, so, that argument again doesn’t hold water. Just because bloom wasted payroll on signing fringe aaaa players hoping them to be something other than they’ve been for years isn’t ownership spending problem, it’s a GM funds management problem.
And, remind me, when did the players strike? Oh yes, that was a team lockout, not a player one. And again, 29 other gms dealt with it too. There was time in the offseason to strike deals early, and get who you wanted when the lockout lifted.
Stop making excuses for bloom. They just show he wasn’t up to the task and is inferior to the competition.
Tired of hearing they should have traded Bogey…. if they did you all would be complaining that they didn’t get value for him and then would have said they just should have resigned him.
All I can say is thank God for the Bruins and the Celtics.
I remember when the Phils were in the 2008 World Series, and we were almost all willing to trade off yet another decade of bottom-feeding if only we could win our second WFC. Well, apparently the Baseball Gods were listening, as they granted both wishes. Only now are we seeing a resurgence since we hit the skids with such blinding force after 2011.
I was so happy for Red Sox fans when they finally broke the curse and won in 2004 (same with Cubbies fans). We shared the same pain for so long. However, after winning 4 titles in the past two decades, Sox fans seem to be mirroring some of the entitlement that we have seen for so long with Yankees fans…and I say that respectfully. It is awesome to want and expect your team to win, and to spend and do whatever it takes. Right now I want my Phils to follow up with the same approach…do whatever it takes to win, and Middleton is making us happy. And yet, as a longtime fan, we always expect bad things to happen even when things are going well. Two titles over 140 years will do that to anyone.
I usually have this discussion with my Yankees friends…whenever they whine about Cashman and Steinbrenner the Younger.
You’re right to a degree but Sox fans support the team and prices for everything are insane. The team had financial commitments but has stopped spending new money while expecting fans to continue to empty their wallets
Lots of large market teams are in the same predicament….prices are insane. But there is an alternate reality – there are 30 teams, and one WFC per season. What I want from my team is to figure out how to use the leverage of the marketplace (which, in Philly, the revenue stream cannot compete with NY or LA or Boston) to keep the window open as long as possible, and avoid those ten year slumbers. Get in the playoffs and have a chance, such as this year for us, when we were certainly not one of the top 5 teams in baseball…or even top ten.
Then figure out some of the magic of the best of the small market teams…develop young pitching a la Cleveland, and be creative a la the Rays, etc..In order to do that, there will be times that one retrenches, but the full teardown for a large market team is an embarrassment of incompetence in my eyes.
Dealing with the realities of the marketplace is not easy, and projecting and developing talent is even harder. I get why y’all are somewhat out of sorts with Bloom up there…after all, heading into the winter the only healthy starter that you had was Pivetta and that is a scary thought. But…ya’ know…4 titles in the past 18 seasons…I am not exactly crying for you guys. Envious, of course.but not feeling sorry for you. ; )
I actually think Christian Arroyo deserves the nod at second base. He is very underrated and has been a solid hitter for us.
Nothing about his health? If he could avoid the multitude of injuries, everyone would want him starting.
pwndroia;
I never muted you.
I think you and JC are the 2 most rational Red Sox posters. And I think both of you are some of the best posters in this chartroom board. Enjoy reading you both.
As for this comment of yours – agree. Red Sox have to begin to develop from their own. Arroyo may wash out, but he needs to be given a chance to see if he can become a solid major league middle infielder.
Thank you, appreciate it. His health is a concern but I don’t think we can just assume he will get injured. Besides, maybe staying at one position, one routine will help him stay on the field consistently.
If he doesn’t pan our, we could always trade midseason.
The problem with Arroyo is he has been given chances but he can’t stay on the field. The more he plays, the more he contributes … but the more he plays, the more he seems to get hurt.
And the more he plays, he plays in a bunch of different positions. If they gave the guy consistency, I think he would contribute more and be healthier.
And if you are using injuries as an issue, why are we starting Trevor Story? Guy has a history of injuries. Should we replace him too?
The sheer number of question marks for a Top 3 Market team at this point in the offseason is staggering and unacceptable. Bloom will continue to gaslight until May when we’re already out of the playoff race and sitting in our still-warm seat at the bottom of the AL East. I HOPE I’m wrong, but I’d be shocked if this team is playing for anything but trade value and future contracts with other teams before the temps are over 70 degrees in Boston…
“Top 3 Market team” What does that mean? Didn’t the LA Angels have a much worse record, and have a lot of questions coming up and they’re a “Top 2 Market team”. Give us your view of the Angels GM now.
Such BS, to somehow isolate the Red Sox, and make it sound like they are doing terrible.
You’re right. You win. You run the team now. Congratulations. I love you.
I’d love to know how you became such a Mudy Chicken. More chickens should probably run baseball teams.
I used to send a bat boy out for Popeyes and beer. Code Name—-Mudy Chicken. Shhhhhh!
Devers to SD for Kim and Cronenworth. Sox get a complete IF SD gets another star to add to lineup even if its a horrible fit ( would be a crazy lineup to pitch to though)
As a RS fan, I’d make that trade. Our hitting would suffer, but it would be the first time since the ’70s that we had a real defense.
Wow riffraff….. really… If trading Devers to SD you ask for Tatis and about 100 Million Cash to pay part of his contract…. mock that fool Prellar and make the moron pay for parts of two of the Red Sox players contracts.
Scott Borass approves this message.
Chaim has been underwhelming. Would say the same with Friedman but they did win a bubble trophy.
There’s still a lot of work to be done to the roster, but also a lot of time to do it.
I think in 2 years time most fans will be glad the Sox did not pony up like other teams did this off-season.
To be clear, we want great players, but the only player that signed one of those ridiculous contracts that could also carry a team was Judge. A team doesn’t need to pay that ridiculous price to get good production at that position. Case in point, Correa left the Astros and Jeremy Pena stepped right in there and did the job. Was Pena as good as Correa? No. But having Pena instead of Correa at $30+/year gives the team flexibility to make moves elsewhere. Also not too shabby to get a World Series MVP out of it too instead of paying up to Correa.
Who knows… maybe saving money this year will put the Sox in a better position to be competitive next year after teams like the Padres, Mets, Yankees over spend now on a thin market.
Potential FAs next year:
Ohtani, Machado, Aaron Nola, Urias, Giolito, Tim Anderson, Amed Rosario, Severino and others.
I would much rather be involved in that class than this class.
Honest question: what makes you think they’re going to jump to shell out $450 million over 15 years for Ohtani or $200+ million over 8 years to Machado when they haven’t done anything close to that the past 3/4 seasons? It’s not the Luxury Tax–FSG is like a major nation government at this point; it’s all play money.
With money needed to be divided and shared amongst different branches. Some branches can finance themselves but some can’t and with FSG money from baseball seems to be used elsewhere.
Jeter Downs even in the conversation? Really?
Red Sox jumped on the fiscal responsibility bandwagon and are going to ride that pony until the farm can produce major league ready talent. I doubt the Story acquisition translates to being in on Swanson.
No way it does because they have a replacement in the minors for 24. Story was signed as insurance which they’re now cashing in on. Only way the team considers Swanson is similar (if they believe he can move to third to replace Devers assuming they don’t sign him to an extension).
I’d imagine keeping Story @2b would be the better defense.
I’ll trade you a Paul dejong for a bobby dalbec! Maybe cards pay down some of his salary? Make it line up alittke better
I think trading Verdugo to Houston for Pedro Leon may benefit both teams.
The Astros need LH bat preferably an OF.
Verdugo has leveled out as a slightly above average hitter and has 2 years if control left. I don’t think anyone expects him to be an all star anymore.
He just got replaced in LF
Leon K’s a bit much but also walks quite a bit. He has the best arm in the minors (by ratings) and is a CF who has also played SS and 2B. Likely low average but higher OB% and 30/30 potential.
Spent all 2022 in AAA so is ready for a chance in MLB.
Interesting trade but I don’t think Boston does it. They already have probably the best defensive center fielder in the minors in Rafaela. I don’t see the fit. Rafaela probably has just as high upside probably higher offensively as well he doesn’t walk much but he puts the bat on the ball he is kind of like a poor man’s Mookie. Interesting thought though.
I was mostly thinking of his CF-SS-2B versatility along with his RH bat and being MLB ready ( or very close) in answer to what this article is saying the Red Sox are looking for.
But I clearly have no issue with the Red Sox just not valuing his upside or fit as much as others might.
Dusty (and Jeff Bagwell) loves him so he may end up getting the most starts in CF for Astros this season.
I’m not familiar with Pedro Leon. I am familiar with Rafaela and Rafaela can play any position but his centerfield defense is gold glove caliber. Since I’m not very familiar with Leon but it sounds like Leon and Rafaela are very similar since Rafaela is more then adequate at short and second defensively as well.
Bruin1012 – Rafaela will be 22 next year and has played slightly less than 162 games in CF in the minors. He’s done well but the sample size is small. He’s played a small fraction of a season at SS and 2B so definitely it’s too early to suggest he’s excellent at both positions.
I think it’s fair that you point out that he’s a potential asset for the Red Sox in the future but the minor leagues and the major leagues are very different both offensively and defensively. He hasn’t played above AA.
Hitting well in 2022 after not hitting so well prior to that makes him a long shot to be successful. Usually the super prospects do well at every level. He needs at least ONE more excellent year at AA and another at AAA before he can be considered a lock to make the MLB roster.
I like the kid but your enthusiasm has your statements a bit over stated. Seeing a young player play multiple positions and do well while you are watching is great. Statistically, he needs more data to show that greatness is real.
I hope you are right about him.
Rafael will start in AAA he isn’t going back to AA.
The defense he displayed in centerfield was major league gold glove level his floor is very high at a minimum he can be a defensive outfielder. I would suggest getting the Milb package to see his three times a week highlight defensive plays. Before they tried him in Center he was a third baseman/shortstop/2nd baseman in the minors and was considered above average defensively at those positions.
His offense is a bigger question he doesn’t walk and it is very possible that his bat doesn’t translate in the bigs in which case he will be at minimum an excellent defensive player that can play any position. If his bat translates in the bigs he is a star. Most likely somewhere in between but due to outstanding defense he will be a big leaguer.
The Astros can just sign Bennintendi and get the same results that Verdugo would provide…. without giving anything up
That is true to an extent.
Benintendi would likely cost 4+ years commitment and higher salary. I am worried about the hammate bone surgery. That frequently zaps all power for a year or so he doesn’t have much.
I am no buying Chaim’s cheapskate Rays-North plan (sans the pitching development of course) This organization is an absolute mess with no end in sight.
I know Chaim loves Kiki and loves “his guy” Story. I actually do too but he LOVES them
because they are relatively cheap. A no brainer this offseason on the Kiki extension.
I wonder aloud if The Red Sox are the worst all-time organization in devoting pitchers.
Flap – Not exactly an extension for Kike. He got nearly 50% more money and played in barely 100 games a year over the past two years. His average and OBP are JBJ=like and Cora bats him lead-off to make matters worse.
Kike is a perfect example of a mistake by Bloom. Low money yes but the money is still far more than the value provided. How hard is it to find someone who hits above .240 and can play centerfield for less than $10MM? The fact that Cora was his baby sitter as a child is the only reason he’s on the roster and gets to play.
Bloom is so afraid to make a mistake that nothing gets done. He’s got the s-l-o-w-s. And this year things are moving rapidly. Pretty hard to improve a team when you have a net loss of quality players. Apparently John Henry is more of a fool than I would have previously thought. Others around him are as much to blame including Sam Kennedy. When they see that the RedSox are not a money making enterprise, which is about to happen, it won’t take long for Fenway and the RedSox to go on the market.
Sox fans need to send a message, put a decent team on the field and stop screwing around!
CHRISTIAN ARROYO IS A #1ST ROUND DRAFT PICK FOR A REASON! HE IS ERRORLESS IN BASICALLY A FULL SEASON OF GAMES A 2ND BASE! WHEN HE GETS CONSISTENT AT BATS & STARTS HE BEGINS TO CLIMB TO WHAT HIS CEILING IS! WHICH IS ALL-STAR CALIBER OFFENSE & GOLD GLOVE 2B! PLAY THE MAN! HEADING INTO HIS PRIME AT 27! PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CORA/BLOOME/HENRY OPEN YOUR EYES GET HIM 500-625 AT BATS! GRRRR
Baseball Guru, I agree Arroyo is a very good defender at second I believe he did finally make an error at 2nd last year but still 1 error in a full years worth of defensive numbers is excellent. The advanced defensive metrics say the same thing he’s excellent at 2nd. The real question is can he stay healthy? He hasn’t to this point. The other question can Story still play short will his arm allow it? I’m not sure Story’s arm allows him to play short anymore but if it does then it’s time to let Arroyo play 2nd full time.
JETER DOWNS IS A HARD NO!
STOP YELLING