While adding to the front of the rotation once appeared to be a top priority for the Red Sox this winter, they’ve largely come up short in that regard as they simply swapped Chris Sale out for Lucas Giolito in their rotation mix. More recently, it appears the club has begun looking for other options in their quest to improve the club’s pitching staff. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported recently that the club has interest in right-handers Jakob Junis and Codi Heuer.
Junis, 31, defied the odds as a 29th-round pick by the Royals in the 2011 draft and managed to make the majors during the 2017 season. In the years since then, the right-hander has managed to put together a solid career while swinging between the bullpen and the rotation for both Kansas City and San Francisco. While he typically offered roughly league average production for most of his career, Junis enjoyed a career year with the Giants this past season as he pitched to a 3.87 ERA with a 3.74 FIP in 86 innings of work. In 40 appearances for San Francisco last year, Junis struck out a career-best 26.2% of batters faced while walking just 5.7%.
Impressive as Junis was last season, the right-hander is unlikely to be an impactful addition to the Red Sox rotation mix if signed as he tended to pitch most effectively in shorter bursts last year. The righty surrendered a 5.32 ERA in 31 innings of work across nine appearances where he threw 50 pitches or more last year. By contrast, Junis posted a strong 2.95 ERA across 39 2/3 innings of work in 26 appearances where he threw 40 pitches or less. Junis’s success in shorter appearances could make him an interesting relief option for the Red Sox, particularly if the club parts with closer Kenley Jansen before Opening Day.
Heuer, meanwhile, would be more of a speculative addition by the Red Sox. The right-hander last pitched in the majors back in 2021 due to Tommy John surgery and a fractured elbow, but sports a solid 3.56 ERA and 3.66 FIP across 91 innings of work in the majors between the White Sox and Cubs. The righty was nothing short of dominant for the south siders during the 2020 season in particular, as he paired a 50% groundball rate with a upper-90s heater that allowed him to strike out 27.2% of batters faced in 21 appearances. The Cubs non-tendered Heuer earlier this offseason, likely thanks to his two-year layoff from pitching while rehabbing from multiple elbow issues. Still, the 27-year-old hurler has flashed set-up caliber skills during his limited big league appearances and could be a savvy add to the Boston bullpen if healthy.
More from around the American League…
- The Twins are lacking in starting pitching depth after losing right-handers Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, and Tyler Mahle in free agency earlier this winter, and GM Thad Levine acknowledged that concern during a recent appearance on MLBNetwork Radio. During the appearance, Levine noted that the club feels comfortable with its current starting five of Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Louie Varland, but that hasn’t stopped the club from exploring both the trade and free agent markets for other rotation options. Bolstering the club’s rotation mix would not only provide the club with much-needed depth to safeguard against injury but could also give Varland competition for the fifth-starter role, allowing him to return to the multi-inning bullpen role in which he thrived late last season. Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, and Hyun Jin Ryu are among the mid-level rotation options still available this winter.
- Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom made just six starts for the reigning World Series champions before undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring, but optimism remains at the oft-injured ace will be able to contribute to the club at some point during the 2024 campaign. As noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, deGrom provided a health update to reporters during the club’s FanFest this weekend. The righty indicated that his arm is feeling good seven months removed from going under the knife and that he currently plans to begin throwing again “sometime this spring.” While deGrom did not mention a timetable for his return to the big league mound, the update tracks with previous comments from the right-hander back in October, which indicated he was targeting a return to the majors in August of 2024. Among the most talented pitchers of his generation, it’s hard to overstate the potential impact deGrom could have for the Rangers this year if he’s available for the stretch run and a potential playoff push. Over his past 108 starts dating back to the 2018 season, deGrom has posted a 2.08 ERA with a near-matching 2.11 FIP and a whopping 921 strikeouts in just 675 2/3 innings of work.
deGrom has immense talent and an arm made out of glass.
He shouldn’t be used as a starter when he comes back. He would make a lights out reliever (closer or setup) and it would probably help keep his arm healthy.
This demonstrates a child’s view of baseball. I imagine you can just shove deGrom into the bullpen in MLB The Show and have him be an amazing closer, but real life deGrom isn’t going to go for that and it wouldn’t make him any less likely to injure himself. The quick ramp ups to get ready for a high leverage situation and the increased velocity he’d no doubt throw with would be just as likely to ruin his arm as starting.
Couldn’t have said this better my self. People are clueless..
Roughly 2/3rds of pitchers that have TJ surgery are starters even though there are less starters than relievers in the majors. He’s not wrong about the impact on his arm in my opinion. Not saying it’s the right thing to do though.
Clueless and rude sometimes go together, go figure the blaspheme too.
I agree with your sentiment but why say that in a mean way. The same thought could have been said without your first line.
“Boohoo, someone on the internet was a meanie!” Maybe don’t say stupid crap then. I’ve seen this argument spouted constantly since the injury announcement. It didn’t make any sense then, and it doesn’t make any sense now. The only people who think this way are people who think baseball is like a videogame where players have a stamina bar and fragility rating.
I pitched for 5 years in the Mariners and Mets organizations in the early 1990s. I know more about pitching and keeping your arm healthy than you.
Try again kid.
Sure, and I’m actually Jacob deGrom.
35-40M for a closer? There’s an obvious flaw in your reasoning.
meckert
*35-40M for a closer? There’s an obvious flaw in your reasoning.”
Actually, the flaw is in your reasoning. It even has a name – sunk cost fallacy
Yeah at this point the cost is irrelevant, they are stuck paying it regardless. Obviously where he provides most value is what is most beneficial to the Rangers.
Cost aside, I just don’t know if pitching him out of pen would mitigate injury. Pitching on less risk could just as easily be more harmful. Ultimately they need to really delve into his mechanics while he’s recovering and try and focus on him not overly stressing any part of arm especially his elbow.
Sunk cost is BS. All costs still count against your budget. Overpaying in one area means cutting corners in another in order to operate within your budget. It’s not just a matter of creative bookkeeping.
meckert
“Sunk cost is BS.”
LOL. The finance world will be turned on its ears by your ideas. And by someone who probably quit understanding math and science in middle school.
As Tiger said, the money is spent. Now they need to figure out how to get the most value out of him
Budgets exist in the real world my friend. Stick to your baseball numbers. Real world numbers are over your head. Good night Sonny.
meckert
“Budgets exist in the real world my friend. Stick to your baseball numbers. Real world numbers are over your head. Good night Sonny.”
The concepts of budgets aren’t unique to baseball, you know. The idea of sunk cost very much exists in the “real world”. But, maybe, as a gas station clerk, or whatever, that’s not something you have to concern yourself with, so, your ignorance should be forgiven
@Meckert nobody is denying a budget exists for the Rangers. The reality is deGrom’s budget is 100% guaranteed. Here is going to miss significant time for the 2nd year 2 years into his enormous contract. So the issue is since they have to budget around this deal they have to figure out how to keep him healthy(if possible) and providing value. If that means pitching him in some RP capacity so be it. Pitching out of bullpen provides more value than him being on IL.
I personally think pitching him in relief would risk his health even further. But they ve gotta do something at this point, be it alter mechanics or whatever. Letting him get healthy and continue normal routine just seemed like inflating a tire with a nail at this point.
Explain your understanding of “sunk cost” to me. It would be most entertaining. Let’s hear it.
meckert
You’re either
1) a troll
2) not intellectually capable of discussion
Either way further interaction with you is a waste of my time
Muted
fiLihok and Mechert – Trying to force business terminology into a baseball situation is a bit tricky especially when it comes to how a baseball team actually works.
Budgets in the traditional business perspective are estimates of revenues and costs in the coming year in hopes of defining guidelines for behavior in the coming year. They are ESTIMATES and accountants track performance against them.
In the baseball world, there is a board that approves transactions. This board works with ownership to understand their parameters prior to the season but the baseball world is far more fluid so the concept of budgeting as business people know it doesn’t apply. The board hears a plan from the GM as to what he hopes to accomplish in the coming year. He will submit many requests for funding but it’s in a competitive arena so asking for it and approving it doesn’t suggest it will happen, it only allows the possibility of it happening if both parties can agree to the terms of a new contract.
Is deGrom a sunk cost? His contract establishes his current cost and future cost. Traditional, sunk costs don’t apply in baseball because a player can be traded and some, all or none of the contract could be transferred to another team.
deGrom is possibly the best pitcher in baseball but he’s hurt and in the process of rehabbing his injury. When he returns he will be given a chance to regain his old form. Betting on whether it happens or not is a topic of frequent discussions and all speculative. Nobody knows for sure.
Texas has a monster team that just won a ring and has the talent to repeat. They have a picture perfect combination of veterans that are expensive, arbitration eligible developing stars and outstanding pre-arb players. If you were to write a book about the balance on a roster, their roster may be the best example in the MLB as of today.
They are close to the CAP but they are loaded at almost every position with some players returning mid-season like trading deadline shots in the arm.
C = Heim is above league average – arbitration salary
1B – N Lowe is above league average – arbitration salary
2B – Semien elite and expensive
SS – Seager elite and expensive
3B – Jung is above league average – Pre-arb
LF – Carter is above league average – Pre-arb
CF – Lankford is rookie – Pre-arb also Taveras/Janikowski
RF – Garcia is above league average – arbitration salary
DH – E Duran league average – pre-arb
That is an outstanding set of batters and fielders for the price!!! That leaves lots and lots of room for expensive pitchers so Chris Young (GM) spent big to get the best of the best..
SP1 – deGrom HURT elite – expensive
SP2 – Scherzer HURT elite – expensive
SP3 – Eovaldi – above league average – mid priced
SP4 = J Gray – above league average – mid priced
SP5 – Heaney – above league average – mid-priced
SP6 – Dunning – above league average – arbitration
SP7 – Mahle – league average – mid priced
Their minors are loaded with high ceiling arms as well.
CL – LeClerc – above league average – inexpensive
Set-up Relievers (Robertson can close too)
Robertson – above league average – mid priced
Burke – above league average = arbitration
Sborz = above ;league average – arbitration
Yates – league average – inexpensive
Hernandez – league average – arbitration
This team has pitching depth, hitting depth and many all-stars on the roster. That’s the type of roster that can win it all if they can stay healthy..
The CONTRACT is not a budget as someone suggested. It’s an agreement that can be dealt to another team or kept. The contract does NOT dictate when or how deGrom will come back, the pitching coaches will bring deGrom back the way they deem best and they are some of the best in baseball. I have no doubt that the great version of deGrom will be seen in the future but based on the history of TJ recovery, his control may be off for as many as 10 starts. It won’t necessarily be off but it could be based on others who threw hard like deGrom. The late great Jose Fernandez is a fine example. Before his tragic death, he spent roughly 10 starts reclaiming his excellent pin point control like deGrom had prior to his surgery. It might happen faster for deGrom or it might not, time will tell. The Rangers will be fun to watch in 2024 and for me they will be my primary focus until Cora is fired from the Red Sox and Devers sent to DH.where he should have spent his whole career.
Yes, your time would be much better spent making plans to move out of your mother’s basement.
There is no CAP in baseball Einstein, just taxes and penalties.
Gosh, I wonder if anyone who was an effective starter ever became an effective closer?
Hmm. Eckersley? Smoltz? Righetti? Tons of guys who started at the beginning of their careers but didn’t stay starters for very long as well.
It’s not hard to imagine.
whyhayzee – Seems like an extreme move for deGrom. His stuff is better than Koufax, Gibson and so many of the greatest SPs of all time. Would you have suggested Bob Gibson become a closer? Or maybe Koufax, Verlander or Sam McDowell?
I don’t think deGrom is fragile, I think he’s simply torn a ligament twice and maybe somebody should do what they did to Jose Fernandez and use multiple ligaments to make it stronger.
Koufax whose career was over after age 30 season?? I’m sure ifDodgers could ve saw the future in 1966 they’d have changed their usage of him.
As for the rest you have listed none have close to the injury history that deGrom has had. He has had a stress fracture in shoulder, 2 Tommy John Surgeries, and nerve damage in same elbow just to name a few.
And Tommy John Surgery is bot simply one having a torn ligament. It is very invasive and complex procedure threading and connecting a new ligament throw the elbow. The rehab process is grueling, anyone who has had tendon or ligament surgery can attest to. First the soft tissue is immobilized as it strengthens and during which time it contracts. From there it has to slowly be stretched out so while doing so it does not tear. This takes months of rehab. All the while the scar tissue has to be tended to regularly to try and mitigate how much physical restriction it causes once it permanently hardens.
If attaching 2 ligaments was a viable option for deGrom I’m sure it would have been done. Not many surgeons perform Tommy John Surgery and the list is much smaller for those that MLB players see, so it’s pretty safe to assume his surgeon(s) were aware of the option. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess they are fat more educated and experienced on the matter than you.
And no move to keep deGrom healthy and on the mound is extreme at this point. 2024 which he’s going to miss at least a significant portion of is his age 36 season. Staying healthy and avoiding injury is not going to be getting any easier for him by any means. And all his talent is meaningless when it languishes on the IL.
Hoping the best for Jacob DeGrommyJohn
Curious to see how deGrom recovers from his second TJS. There were quite a few years between the two, so he’s similar to Nathan Eovoldi in that sense, and he was a better pitcher than Nate. I suspect he’ll still be quite good. Build up his innings in August and September and get him ready for October baseball.
Red Sox ought to hold tryouts outside Fenway at this point
They can sign one of the Wahlbergs to fill out the rotation.
Sox Nation needs to boycott until FSG spends like the big market club it is.
I’ve seen enough Fenway, so I think I’m going to follow them on the road this year.
Yeah Paul… he can be our new Brais!!!!
or an Affleck
Every team has a tryout. That is how Altuve made the club
Time to block the trolls
I don’t see any value in holding onto Jensen. The Red Sox are clearly waiting on the young talent so they should trade him and import whatever pitching prospects they can get into a system that has just 9 in their top 30. I get the disappointment of Red Sox fans but cutting payroll makes a lot of sense given the strength of the farm system.
Martin is in the same boat. No sense keeping him around for a season you’re punting on.
I don’t think it matters if they don’t have a closer, there won’t be many games to save.
Cut payroll? Then cut costs to fans. Never happen and the reason why so many are upset is because of the manipulation and spinning. Fans no longer believe ownership and if and when Fenway no longer is considered a “destination”, they better hope their real fans will still care. I know one thing, if T-Mobil doesn’t again offer the MLB package for free, I won’t be watching much in 24.
No throttle.
Red Sox fans definitely have a right to be pissed over the prices and contradictory messaging. They also a number of veterans with limited ceilings on bad contracts. I think it’s better they clear the way for the next young core and try to address the pitching deficit through trades.
Dark – It’s got to be a systematic cleansing because the fans need them to stay competitive while cleansing the roster. Breslow doesn’t support this thinking so it won’t happen but Boston should:
1 – Fire Cora – The greatest cleansing possible
2 – Move Devers to DH – cleanses the defense
3 – Trade Yoshi, Jansen, Martin for prospects
4 – Acquire a SP1, SP2 and 3B to stay competitive
Then, Breslow can go back to building infrastructure in the farm system.
Dank, I agree completely. They ought to clean house completely (or as much as possible). But they won’t because spending money gives the illusion of attempting to compete. In the end of the day it’s just a dumpster fire in the middle of a forest.
Troll, agree on just about everything. I’d add one expensive item if the price becomes reasonable since he’s still out there. Chapman solves the infield defense issue instantly.
In the middle of a destination is the way ownership sees it and as long as the people still come, nothing will change. No one goes to the middle of the forest.
Dewey – from your keyboard to god’s (or Henry’s) ears!!!
Chapman fixes the defense and is the big right handed bat we need.
Dewey – I lived in Chicago and watched the Cubs drop the ball and lose to the Mets. They never had another good team for nearly 50 years. I watched Ted in 1960 and had my heart torn out in 1967 and then Bucky 10 years later. Pain has been a big part of my fandom.
People file into Wrigley and Fenway for the experience. Both have cash cows that include exclusive network coverage of the games. It’s a travesty when their ownership doesn’t try to win because they don’t have to.
My over the top advocating for improvement is based in my fandom. Ownership apathy is unforgivable to me. Bad performances by the owners, GM, Manager, Coaches and players needs to be pointed out and improved.
I don’t hate Devers, I simply hate the way he plays defense and refuses to acknowledge he’s no good at it.
I still shake my head when I think back to when they fired DD. Why? I’ve dug as hard as I can to get that answer but we’ll never know for sure. Whoever drove the decision to fire DD and change the direction of the organization set it back a decade and maybe more.
Not many rosters carry 6 all-star level players like Boston did in 2018. To have one left 6 years later is a travesty and a very daunting challenge to replace them. I don’t see Breslow as being the guy to do that any more than I saw that Bloom wasn’t the guy either. There are not a lot of DD types around but we desperately need one. Living in Texas today I see what Chris Young has done and to me we need a guy with guts like him. What a massive turn around he did in two years. I’m looking forward to watching championship baseball for the next year or so until we move back to New England.. I hope by the time we move Cora will be gone and Breslow will have proven himself or been replaced. I want to see winning baseball back in Fenway.
Yep. key pieces for current team are Monte and Chapman.
Breslow is doing what he was asked to do. So far I have not seen any individuality other than he did get pitchers back for AV. Fenway was never sold out like now but I still say it starts with creating excitement and if the team sucks, the fans will stop coming.
How does Walcott for Martin and all salary down to league min sound?
Makes sense to me
Red Sox should do that in a heartbeat. Seems like a high price for the Rangers, regardless of how good Martin was last year.
That deal won’t fly. Check the Ranger roster, they have LeClec, Robertson, both are better than Martin. Burke and Sborz are comparable to Martin and less money.
Texas doesn’t need that trade. They are fully loaded. I don’t think they need Jansen either. Boston needs to wait and see which contenders have reliever injuries and move those two when need and compensation is greatest.
It almost feels as if the turn towards cutting was Henry expressing his displeasure with the Giolito. Yes, they could have patched up the rotation to return to playoff. Bloom and now Breslow have also spent limit funds on starting pitchers poorly.
I agree that ownership should cut prices for fans but the farm system is seriously pitching starved. The easiest way to restock is to trade overpriced assets like Jansen for pitching prospects. For whatever he can fetch.
Don’t say it’s horrible until we see him pitch. It’s short term too, so he’s gone if he doesn’t do well. It was the only way we could sign a contract under the parameters set.
Swapping Sale for Giolito was a sidegrade of upside to availability. He’s really nothing more than an innings eater in my mind. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
Every team needs innings eaters to get into October but this team also needs some star pitching power too.
He might be half decent. His numbers are all over the place and in some years he’s been good.
Like I said, I think the abrupt turn was Henry’s expression of displeasure with the Giolito signing. Personally, I expect him to provide #2 starter production.
Dark – The easiest way to restock what? The farm system has many players graduating and many right behind them. The major league team is the one that needs stocking and you can’t do that if every deal has to be for a reclamation project like Giolito or O’Neill. Even the Grissom deal which fills a hole at 2B was an over pay but it has less risk than the other two.
Breslow isn’t trying to fix the roster. He’s proving he’s a genius and finding guys who have potential in hopes of making them stars and taking credit. That’s not going to get us out of last place any time soon.
The future got brighter for a moment based on credentials but it turned as dark as it was with Bloom now that we know how inept Breslow is at his job.
Boston has just 9 pitchers in their top 30 prospects. In theory, they could deal guys like Rafaela for immediate rotation help. However, it would make more sense over the long run to deal guys on expiring contracts for whatever minor league arms they can get.
Dank – Sorry the n looked like a r on my first response.
NEVER trade Rafaela. He has dimensions to his game the others don’t have.
Let me ask you, how many of the top 30 prospects do you expect to be all-stars in the majors? 1? 2? 5?
Now how many of the ones that don’t make it to the MLB all-star level do you think will be above league average MLB Players? 1? 5? 10?
Now how many of the 30 won’t make a MLB roster? 10? 20? 25?
Nobody cares that the prospect list doesn’t have pitchers on it because most of those guys won’t make the major leagues as anything more than a back-up.
Elite prospects show up immediately most of the time. That’s why right now Anthony is considered the best prospect based on his numbers. Politics places guys like Mayer, Yorke and other first round picks or early round picks higher than they should be. Swihart was ranked higher than Mookie!!! That’s how bad the prospect rankings are.
Instead, you build infrastructure of great pitching coaches so no matter which pitchers you take in the draft, you give them the best possible chance of making the MLB.
Minor league arms are NOT the arms you want to get in salary dumps, you want rostered pitchers who have a track record against MLB hitters. Guys like Brock Porter of Texas, or Reese Olsen out of Detroit. Guys who aren’t a crap shoot but have some video against MLB hitters.
There is no right number of arms to be in your top 30 prospects because the top 30 prospects ARE NOT the top 30 most talented players in your farm system.
If you can get a return, Duran is the one to trade and move Rafaela to center where he can compensate for Yoshida who I believe will be the team’s best for average hitter in 24.
Brandon Buxton: Billy Hamilton speed combined with Willy Mayes defense.
And when he’s injured, Alexander Hamilton’s speed mixed with Billy Mays’ defense.
speaking of degrom, why does his BR page not show him as a WS winner? He got a ring and yeah he just made 6 starts and 30 innings but with a 169 ERA+. I think they should give it to him. He was on the team.
If I read correctly, Jansen’s salary for 2024 is $16 million. Not sure what type of quality prospects you would get for him.
Sox would have to eat 8-10 mil of that contract. They’d end up saving maybe 2-4 million. Big deal.
IM = Sox don’t have to eat anything for a HOF closer being traded to a team in need. That’s ridiculous. It’s January. Why trade him now unless you are a complete moron like Bloom?
Closers get hurt and Kenley is an all-star level closer. There will always be a market for him. Let’s hope it’s a farm rich team that loses their closer while leading their division.
He’s also aging and yes he did convert but it wasn’t easy. if a deal for prospects and cash or lesser prospects with little or no cash allows you to either get someone you think can be special (doubtful) or creates financial space so you feel ok signing Montgomery, you trade him now. An injury is more likely than a 2.00 ERA with top of the league stats (in which case you get back bubkis).
Dewey – I agree he should be dealt but at maximum value only. There is no desperation right now. Injuries will dictate opportunities to move Jansen. The same is true for Martin. Hopefully, the same will be true for O’Neill, Giolito, Yoshida and even Story.
I though Kenley was washed up when Bloom got him but he did better than expected. He didn’t tail off like I thought he would so he has real value given the right situation..
They’ll probably be a couple of lottery tickets. The alternative is to let him walk for nothing next off-season. Jansen already declined a Qualifying Offer with the Dodgers in 2016
Dank – 2016? How is that relevant? Nobody is going to offer him a QO when he currently makes $16MM.
Incredible to think the Rangers won without one of, if not the, best SP in the game last postseason. If he can return to anywhere near what he was when healthy that will be an incredible benefit to the Rangers in ‘24’s postseason.
Hopefully he recovers well and is able to return to form.
Yankee – No reason to think deGrom won’t be going back to being deGrom. It’s a question of control. Most TJ surgery pitchers get their velocity back first and it takes close to two months to get their pinpoint accurate control back. Texas has to be the odds on favorite in the AL. Nobody has a roster with their depth at both pitching and hitting.
Red Sox- much ado about nothing
It appears the Red Sox will be attending the 2024 season.
What you mean is the 2024 red sox will be attending the ‘fenway experience.’
Wish the twins would sign a starter, or better yet trade for one of Miami’s young starters like Luzardo or Cabrera. We have no depth this year. Varland should be in the BP. What if Lopez goes down with an injury, we’re gonna roll with Joe Ryan as our ace? That’s scary…
Boston will trade its entire starting staff for Minnesota’s right now. They’ll even throw in a 6th pitcher for depth!
Dorothy – The Twins staff? Seriously?
Lopez, Ryan and Ober are nice pitchers just like Bello, Houck and Crawford but they cost more. Paddock and Varland are nothing to write home about. I’ll take Giolito and Whitlock or Pivetta over those two.
Sox ownership meant full throttled fans. They have literally removed any hope for a decent season from their fans. Maybe they can bring back Roenicke as manager although Cora sucks to. It’s a rudderless ship.
The starting pitching is a farce. Defense is awful. Team runs bases like lost dog. Ticket prices to sit in a toilet are most expensive in league.
They expect fans to schill out top dollar for a dollar general product.
Red Sox were “in on” Yammamoto. Now they’re “in on” the big Junis. Reminds me of a friend who thought that every girl in the bar wanted to date him. He went home alone a lot, consoling himself with how close he’d come. Sometimes, he’d even spoken to a girl.
Aard – Great analogy. Breslow doesn’t talk to the girls, he finds the damaged one in the corner and hits on her in hopes of fixing her!!
All you Breslow apologists – Tell me how a guy who needs a SP1 and possibly a SP2 or two lefty relievers is looking at these two crap relievers?
Breslow is an ego maniac who wants guys he can fix to show how smart he is. He’s not interested in winning. He’s not interested in keeping the fan base happy. He’s interested in being called the smartest man in baseball by FIXING everyone he acquires.
I say fire him now before things get worse just like I did with Bloom in February of 2020.
Breslow has a bigger head than Sam Fuld that is all
Steve(shs22) = Bonds too!!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Red Sox are only good for the first two decades of a century.
The 20th century drought began after the 1918 championship, powered by Babe Ruth. The 21st century drought began after the 2018 championship, powered by Mookie Betts.
Look on the bright side: only 80 years to go until 2104!
KingTiger – OUTSTANDING!!
Sox get picks of Edward Cabrera, Eruy Perez, Luzardo, Max Meyer, Brian De La Cruz, and rehabbing Sandy. Sox give up combo of Marcelo, Duran, Abreu, Dalbec, Blies and Teel.
Forget 2024. Sox stacked with multiple potential Aces in 2025. Marlins have MLB quality hitting and plenty of pitching prospects left to make a run.
Let’s be honest we aren’t developing a championship team. We will need to make trades and sign free agents. Getting stud pitching from Miami accomplishes half of that. And the 2025 free agency class is full of old guys.
Sean – I agree that Miami has some interesting arms but look at where we are today.
SP1 – NOBODY
SP2 – NOBODY
SP3 – Bello
SP4 – Giolito if Breslow and his coaches can fix him
SP5 – Houck/Crawford/Whitlock/Pivetta
Trading for young inexperienced pitchers doesn’t exactly fit our current needs. I agree we suck right now so trading for an Alcantara and Eury Perez would significantly improve the rotations going forward. To get those guys we need to give up ranked big name prospects, not our good prospects. Trade Mayer, Yorke, B. Jordan and Abreu. Four for two. Nobody is expensive other than Alcantara so we are helping them drop $11.2MM in payroll in 2024 when Alcantara is on the IL from TJ. That’s a far better investment than paying $17MM for Grissom!!!
Miami hasn’t dealt much with Boston compared to the Yankees so I fully expect NYY to do a deal for their young pitchers as well. Maybe Breslow can finally earn his pay and beat them to the punch.
The prospects we give up are not likely to become all-stars, they might someday be above league average MLB players but more than likely they will be league average players or career minor league players. The two players we would get could both be SP1 and SP2 in a year or two. That would give Bello, Houck and Crawford time to develop into middle to top of the staff starters as well.
Sean – Nice out of the box thinking!!
SMH…. you don’t trade Meyer or Teel…. If Meyer does not get hurt last year he would be easily in the top 10 of all MLB prospect maybe even top 5. Teel is the 2nd ranked Catching prospect and he has barely even played a half season in the minors. There are Big league spots for both of these guys in the next year or so and they will cornerstones of this team for the next 10 years….. There are plenty of other Prospects that are blocked that can be used to acquire SP’s.
Breslow was hired on October 25th he’s had the job for just over 3 months. He’s imo dealing with budgetary restraints. Ownership has already said that the team is probably going to have a lower payroll than last year. Breslow has said they need to move salary to add to the current roster. If the Breslow can move Jansen’s 16 million that should free up enough payroll room to add Monty. I’m sure Breslow is watching the Monty market closely if the Rangers ultimately can’t sign Monty, whom I believe is where he wants to go, then the Red Sox become a viable choice for Monty.if they can move some salary. I wouldn’t be surprised if Breslow has a trade to move Jansen in place if Monty agrees to sign with Boston. If Monty signs with Texas then my guess Jansen isn’t moved and what you see is what you get besides maybe a Duvall or similar type player addition.
The idea that Breslow was empowered with the ability to Fire Cora is imo incorrect. Ownership, after the firing of Bloom, released a statement that Cora was going to manage the Red Sox in the 2024 season. Breslow was added as the POBO only after numerous more experienced candidates turned down the Red Sox ownership to even interview the job. Once again my opinion is because they couldn’t fire Cora and put in their own manager in place they didn’t want to come to Boston. This idea that Breslow has the power to fire Cora is a fantasy. Cora seems to have ownerships blessings at least to start this year and if Cora is the manager Devers is the third baseman it’s fantasy to think otherwise.
Breslow is just working with what he is being allowed to work with. Perhaps if there is another disappointing season ownership will allow Breslow to fire Cora and hire the manager he really wants. Breslow is a smart guy he’s going to control what he can control and what he can control and,what he was very successful doing with the Cubs, is change the pitching infrastructure which he has done.
How many times do you need to be told, Deeds: “Meanwhile” has to START the sentence—it can’t come in the middle, set off by commas. Check CMOS.