9:02 pm: There is no structural damage to Giolito’s UCL, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. He is dealing with flexor irritation as well as a bone issue, which will require rest for a while.
3:51 pm: Right-hander Lucas Giolito is likely out for the year with an elbow injury, manager Alex Cora told reporters at today’s media session (link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic). The elbow issue had already kept Giolito off the Wild Card roster. It will now seemingly cost him the rest of 2025. Cora told reporters that rookie Connelly Early will likely draw the starting nod in Game 3 against the Yankees, if needed.
The elbow injury will bring an untimely end to a resurgent season for Giolito. The 31-year-old shuffled between three different MLB organizations in 2023, posting a 4.88 ERA across 33 starts with the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians. He then missed the entirety of the 2024 season following surgery to repair his UCL. Giolito bounced back with a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts with the Red Sox this season. His 4.59 xFIP and 4.65 SIERA suggest he performed above his head, but his contributions helped solidify a staff that dealt with injuries all year.
Boston inked Giolito to a two-year deal ahead of the 2024 season, with the second season being a player option. After missing the entire year, Giolito picked up the option. By triggering that player option, he gave the club a $14MM option for 2026, though with a vesting clause that would convert it to a $19MM mutual option if Giolito reached 140 innings pitched. He exceeded that mark in his second-to-last outing of the regular season. Giolito seemed destined to decline his end of the option and return to free agency, but the elbow injury could lead Boston to reject it on their end.
If either side balks at the mutual option, Giolito would enter free agency in a peculiar position. He’d be coming off his best season in terms of run prevention since his breakout 2019. While he fell short of the above-average strikeout numbers he posted during his White Sox tenure, Giolito cleaned up the home run issues that plagued him in his wayward 2023 season. On the other hand, this is the second elbow problem in two years for Giolito. Even if this specific injury is minor, anything elbow-related is a red flag, especially for a pitcher who will be 32 years old next summer.
Early starting a playoff game would’ve seemed like a long shot heading into the season, but he’s now the clear top candidate to fill Giolito’s vacated spot. The rookie has impressed in four big-league starts, allowing two earned runs or less in every outing. He burst onto the scene with 11 strikeouts against the Athletics in his debut and has continued to rack up punchouts at an above-average clip. After posting a strikeout rate above 30% at each minor league stop, he’s at 36.7% through 19 1/3 innings with the Red Sox.
The Yankees will present a challenging task for the young lefty, especially in what would be a series-deciding game. New York led the league in OPS and wOBA against left-handed pitching in the regular season. They slugged 70 home runs off southpaws, matching the Dodgers for the league lead. The Yankees elected to roll out a lineup with just three left-handed hitters against Garrett Crochet in Game 1. That starting nine does not feature Jazz Chisholm Jr. While a strict platoon between Chisholm and righty Amed Rosario seems unlikely, New York appears willing to play matchups in this series. It’s a tiny sample, but Early has struck out an absurd 13 of the 22 lefties he’s faced this season. He’s held left-handed hitters to a meager .150/.227/.150 slash line.
Kyle Harrison and Payton Tolle are also on hand as potential options to replace Giolito. Tolle also impressed in his MLB debut, striking out eight Pirates over 5 1/3 innings. He’s posted a 7.36 ERA since that outing and has been used in a relief role in recent outings. Harrison came over from San Francisco in the Rafael Devers trade. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Worcester, but did make three appearances for Boston in September. Harrison tossed a quality start against Tampa Bay in his penultimate outing and is likely the most stretched-out member of the bullpen.
Welp…can they get Crochet to pitch 3 times in the Division Series should they advance?? This is looking a little frightful on the pitching depth side.
Let it snow! Let it snow Let it snow
Sweet Caroline on Line 1, wondering what happened to the starting pitching depth.
Man the Cubs are looking sharp though. And love me some Ben McDonald. That good ol’ boy Cajun accent cracks me up…had a boatload and crap-ton of his worthless rookie cards though.
Topical since Red Socks are in yippy ki yo mf mode
SOB – Tolle, Harrison and May all ended up sucking and Breslow gave away Newcomb and Priester. There ya go ….
Fever, Newcomb is hurt as well and not many complained about the Priester deal when it went down. He was not high on the Boston depth chart. Let’s notvtrybtobre-write history. Bottom line is there are only so many 26 andc40 man slots. All teams make moves during the season and in total, Bresliw did fine. it’s also too early to evaluate Tolle and Harrison who could become another Priester if given up on. As for now, depending on a rookie is not usually good but Early has looked very good. I’m actually more worried about Bello who has looked like he’s out of gas.
dewey – Sean was shut down on 09/20 for precautionary reasons because he pitches for the Athletics who had nothing to play for. Did you see his numbers since Breslow dumped him? 1.75 ERA !!!
I wouldn’t go by fan sentiment. Remember, lots of “fans” here wanted Story, Giolito, Yoshida and Devers all released early this season. That’s their mentality, that’s their lack of baseball knowledge/intelligence …. worthless opinions.
I’m not trying to rewrite history, I’m just pointing out facts that some here are not aware of.
As with every CBO/POBO, Breslow has made some good moves and made some bad ones. It’s okay to admit each. But clearly the lack of pitching depth falls on Breslow. He’s the one who decided to give over $21M to Buehler instead of acquiring a solid starting pitcher. He’s the one who decided May would be the big SP acquisition. He’s the one who decided to trade Priester for a lottery ticket and Newcomb for nothing.
As for Tolle, Harrison and May I never said they would always suck going forward …. I just said they’ve sucked thus far, which is true. Tolle has an ERA over 6, not exactly quality pitching. Velo doesn’t mean a damn thing if you give up a ton of runs, same could be said for another horrendous acquisition in Hicks.
I have faith in Early until he proves otherwise, and I agree Bello has looked gassed. I’m still confident the Sox win this series though, can’t wait for tonight!!!
Fever. I’m quite sure Breslow wanted better but wouldn’t give up the cost that was likely to have included Tolle and/or Early, neither of which I then knew much about. How many teams can lose a #2 or 3 starter for October?
dewey – Do you remember how many pitcher injuries the Dodgers had last year?
If you construct a team well with adequate depth, you don’t need to make panic moves or start pitchers who are not qualified. Remember when Breslow rushed Fitts back from rehab and he got shelled? All because he had nobody else to start that game.
Advance planning/preparation is definitely one of Breslow’s weaknesses, just like with first base and the whole Raffy fiasco. Breslow is far more reactive than proactive, which is not a good thing for a CBO.
It sounds strange but Breslow can only get using Henry’s money. Not many teams spend like LA
dewey – I agree that’s a factor in the offseason, but money isn’t a factor at the trade deadline.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Breslow can improve with experience. I just prefer to look at what’s happened, rather than try to project what will happen. The future is very, very hard to predict.
Crochet, Bello, and a day to mellow doesn’t have the same ring as Spahn, Sain, and pray for rain.
Still pretty clever. Props to you.
Sabe – How about Garrett, Brayan, and it’s time for cryin’ …..
But I have faith in Early, if it goes to Game 3 I won’t be crying.
Spahn and Burdette and hope it’s wet.
Ewww
My favorite was Clemens and Hurst and expect the worst.
Now next up it’s “Batting-Practice” Bello & “Goin’ Home” Early. Did the Red Sox play their best cards or empty out their holster for the impressive Game 1 win, or are there more surprises lying in wait for us on Wednesday?? I will be tuning in to laugh, applaud, shake my freakin head, roll my eyes backwards, stare dumbstruck & slack-jawed or all of the above….cheers everyone & good luck
Clemens and Boyd and then a big void?
Palmer, Cuellar, McNally, Dobson. Mic drop.
Wilbur Wood and twice on Sundays (Double header, double duty)
It sounds like it would be more entertaining watching you watch the Yankees than watching the Yankees.
Crochet, Bello, and some other fellow.
FPG: “Tolle, Harrison and May all ended up sucking and Breslow gave away Newcomb and Priester.”
=====================
It’s too early to say how Tolle and Harrison ended up unless you are a desperate troll. They didn’t give away Priester either.
I muted FPG a while ago..hes the biggest troll/red sox hater on this site..he was probably hoping chapman would blow it tonight so he could tell us all how he said that would happen last winter when they signed
Pool, Fever can respond himselfcshoukd he choose to but he’s actually one of the most passionate and informed Sox fans around. He just has his opinions and sometimes like all of us, has blinders on. I’ve disagreed with him from day one on Devers but am usually in agreement on most others. Here though his hatred for Breslow is IMO affecting his objectivity as it’s premature to assess the youngsters.To me, Breslow improved the clubhouse and this off season players will again want to play in Boston. In recent years, the club was mostly used to increase offers from other clubs.
FPG knows nothing about baseball. Some of the stuff he posted literally made me laugh.
Joe, I’m not looking to argue but his opinions are more point on than many. He just comes straight at you.
Nope. He’s a troll
Dewey, FPGs opinions are not on point. He’s just a well spoken troll. he fools people with subterfuge but as Joe and others have said he really knows very little about baseball.
For whom the bell Tolle
Allin – Totally agree! The Red Sox received some impressive pieces for Priester. John Holobetz impressed in a AA and A+ as a starting pitcher, Yophery is a solid outfield prospect in A and A+ Greenville, and the 33rd draft pick were about maximizing the return for Priester which the Red Sox did very well. Anyone complaining about this trade either does not know baseball or is a troll (we all know FPG is the second).
🙁
My cat agrees
Yeah that’s me. Hey, feed me by the way.
You ate like 5 minutes ago
Oh wait that was yesterday
No I’ve never been fed before, not even once.
Meow – Did you ever Google what Meow Meow is slang for?
Theo – One time we left our cats home alone with a huge feeder, when we got back they were literally twice the size as when we left. Cat’s can’t stop eating!! Or maybe they ate so much because they didn’t want the other to eat it all.?
When you’re a cat, “meow meow” is slang for everything!
I always said Bob Castellini’s Cat was upset because his owner said he couldn’t afford to feed him Meow Mix.
Have one that hardly eats. But when it gets dropped off at the cat colony with the other 3 cats, its dog eat dog. Looking forward to landing in Boston in time for elimination day
I believe in whoever they throw out there.If they win the first 2 the thid game doesn’t matter.Then Early would start the divisional series.Win the first.Then win second.If they don’t hit,the pitching won’t matter.
TB – Who would be your #4 in the ALDS? Not very many options.
Gotta give it to Harrison and pray he can keep you in it for a few innings.
I’d say use Kelly as an opener, then hope Harrison can give you two or three, then hope for a serviceable inning or two from Tolle. The leverage guys can take it away from there .
FPG
WHAT was Abreu thinking cutting off Rafaela ???
He was thinking “ball”
cdc – Where did the ball land, it was in right center ….. correct? If so then it’s the CF’s responsibility to call off the RF.
I didn’t look closely to see if Rafaela called him off, or if he did but Abreu didn’t hear it.
But you’re right, that could have been a nasty collision.
FPG
Surprised Cora didn’t go Crochet for 7 , Whitlock 8th then Chapman 9th. I understand not wanting to give there lefties a chance. But it’s a formula that has worked. Much rather have Chapman go only 1 inning. Crazy 9th inning for sure. The walk that Rafaela drew after swinging at 2 pitches 2 feet outside was the most memorable atbats of the game. The home plate ump was extremely tight. Don’t know what Abreu was thinking. Sogard with his best Duran interpretation. Wow. Crochet retiring 17 straight after the home run. What a game !!
Chapman probably not available tonight??? 24 stressful pitches yesterday.
cdc – It’s the postseason, everything is different in the postseason.
Let’s put it this way …. I’d rather Chapman do the 8th/9th yesterday and Whitlock the 8th/9th today, then each go one inning. So I approve of Cora’s decision …. how about that!!!
Rafaela has gotten really good at working the count and driving up pitch counts by fouling off pitches, I give him a lot of credit for that.
FPG
The second guessers would have been all over Cora if it hadn’t worked out. You have mentioned how pedestrian the lineup looks. Maybe we are seeing the evolution of Rafaela as a hitter. Huge atbat (walk). Down 0-2 .
Gotta give Yoshida his props for his giant pinch hit . I think we may have to score a fee more runs in todays ballgame. We need our r.handed hitting specialist ,Ref & Romy to contribute.
Must mention Bregman for his RBI knock.
Has Cora said Chapman is available?? If the Sox are up 1 going to the bottom of the 9th, top of the order coming up for the empire.. gotta go with your best
cdc – For the Sox to go far, Chapman will be needed for multiple innings. Look back at every Sox championship, and the Yankee championships …. Mariano, Foulke, Papelbon, Koji …. all were used in multiple innings.
I think Chapman struggled to start the 9th because he wasn’t accustomed to pitching multiple innings. But who would you rather have to protect a lead, a slightly tired Chapman or someone like Weissert?
I think you’re getting ahead of yourself with Rafaela. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, every time Rafaela does something good it’s “He’s finally turned into a great hitter!!” ….. even though we all know Rafaela is JBJ. He will have his great moments, but that doesn’t mean he’s turning into a great hitter.
There is nobody here happier than me about Yoshida, I have defended him constantly here. If he continues to have a great season I’ll be 3-for-3 with him, Story and Giolito ;O)
I would think Chapman will be saved for Game 3 unless there’s a need to close out tonight’s game. But Whitlock has been even better than Chapman, he should be able to manage just fine.
FPG
Maybe a little nod for Breslow, the guy that brought us Crochet & Chapman , Bregman ,hell I will throw in Narvaez (3 walks). Pitch count ..
All guys Breslow brought in. Could he have done more ….. yeah… should he have done more… yeah…. but he did identify several key guys that contributed to yesterdays win. He ( Breslow )has had more hits than misses so far. IMO .
So Sox in 2 or Yankees in 3 ???
cdc – How come you don’t like the Wilson signing? Sure he’s been bad recently, but he was great for about 5 months.
What about Lowe? He got some key hits when he first arrived.
What about Toro? He plugged the hole at first base nicely for a while.
I think Sox in 2 or 3.
FPG
Who said I didn’t like those guys??? Maybe I didn’t mention but they have all played there part. What’s your confidence level in Bello tonight??? Can he step up and deliver the game of his career?? I think he can.. 6+ strong and then it’s up to the pen . Without Chapman ,I don’t have as much confidence in . Rodon has not been great in the playoffs. Let’s put them away tonight. The empire might be looking for a new manager tomorrow…
That at bat doesn’t get enough attention.
Chapmen only pitched 24 pitches which is nothing considering he pitched in the 8th and 9th and the jam he was in.
If we have a lead tonight I think we’re getting Chapman.
cdc – They are the ones you didn’t state you liked, so typically that means you don’t. LOL!!
I think Bello will do okay, maybe 3 runs in 6 innings?
Yeah Rodon can be very bad, he’s not that consistent.
Didn’t they just give Boone an extension?
Dirty – You were right!
So what do you think of Bello getting pulled so quickly?
I was fine with it. I like when Cora manages with urgency, which is why during the regular season I’m never happy when he doesn’t. LOL
I didn’t love that it had to come to that but to allow 4 hits and a walk in the short amount of time that he did, it was probably the right move. I also hated that we got too cute with the L/R matchups like NYY did in game 1. Ref and Romy are ice cold right now – I’m fine deploying them when they’re locked in but they have been so ineffective lately I would rather just let Lowe and Yoshi get in there for the whole game.
What confused me, was to have such a quick hook for Bello but then he continued to ride Whitlock for that full second inning. Once he walked Jazz with 2 outs I would’ve pulled the plug.
It’s obvious our starting pitching is too decimated right now to make it much further than this, but here is hoping Early has a great game tonight. If we can just send them packing before we get taken out I will be happy to call that a successful season.
FPG
Coming into this series I had a lot of confidence in Romy and Ref to do damage. Unfortunately that has not panned out. To many guys with .000 next to there name. Maybe expecting to much from role players.
How Duran is not charged with an error is mind boggling. Sometimes he just doesn’t look comfortable out there . IMO. Eaton not scoring. Oof. We had a chance in this game. Going to be a very tough game to win tonight. 2 good rookies going at it in the stadium. Story can’t do it alone. Duran steps up tonight, maybe a hustle double out of the box .
Dirty – Agree with you on Bello, Ref and Romy.
Cora had no choice with Whitlock, he needed to cover 3 innings and Chapman wasn’t gonna go more than one.
It’s not just the pitching, Sox hitting hasn’t been very good either.
Story drove in all 3 runs last night.
Yoshida drove in 2 of the 3 runs the prior night.
Narvaez and Rafaela are hitless, Duran is batting .143 and made a huge error, and Rafalea botched a bunt in a huge situation.
I think they will have a tough time against Shittler, but at least Romy and Ref should be on the bench.
cdc – I agree on Duran, he often makes plays look harder than they need to be. I hope he’s batting leadoff tonight.
It’s good to see Marlins Man back on TV, front row center each of the past two games. That’s the life I’d live if I had the means, although I would attend only Sox games …. neutral games don’t do it for me.
FPG
Agreed. Duran bats leadoff,and makes something happen right away. Get the lead early. Get out of the 1st inning unscathed ,to let Early settle in . Both starting pitchers will be gone before this one is decided. Is it possible we see Crochet in the pen ??? Can’t worry about Toronto.
Need the vets to be big in this game. Bregman gotta earn that contract.
For a brief moment ,I thought that ball Rafaela hit was going over Judges head.
cdc – Not a chance with Crochet, he threw 117 pitches Tuesday! He’s no Randy Johnson or Curt Schilling. LOL
I’d like to see Rafaela, Tolle, Password and Dobbins or Fitts for Skubal. What a great 1-2 the Sox would have then!!!
FPG — is this the real FPG?
That’s not happening;!! And Im shocked you would even bring that kind of trade up . Especially at this time . I unequivocally dismiss that.
Yeah, you are probably correct on Crochet. I’m listening to the radio and they are talking about Cruz’s over the top celebration. That was just awful to watch.
It was just so ridiculous. Okay, you got Trevor Story to fly out in the 7th after you loaded the bases. Big whoop. Guy was acting like he just threw a no-no or won the WS or something. I have no problem with guys celebrating when they make a big play but that was so over the top for what he did in that moment. Story was probably an eighth of an inch off the sweet spot or that would’ve been a grand slam, settle down dude.
And same, for a very brief second I thought that ball Rafaela hit might even get out. But for sure at least over Judge’s head. What a bummer that he was able to track it down.
cdc – Okay hear me out Kemosabe.
Next year is supposed to be “the year” when the Sox are finally supposed to be trying to win, right?
Sam Kennedy said next year is when “they will push in all their chips”, similar to how Theo/Larry went after Schilling prior to the 2004 season.
So why would a Skubal trade not happen? He’s got one year left, are you saying Detroit will pony up and pay the man?
If the Sox TRULY want to try and win next year, they need to do everything they can to acquire both Suarez and Skubal. Why would you be against that?
I didn’t pay attention to Cruz, but that sounds like sour grapes. Every team has players like that. Did you not see Rafaela’s ridiculous dropping to his knees and screaming like King Kong at the top of the Empire State Building after he made that catch a couple weeks ago?
The best way to put a stop to other teams doing that is simple – just win, baby ;O)
I’ve always thought there was a chance Detroit would pay Skubal – after all, they have had their moments before where they were not afraid of going big on payroll. But if they opt to trade him instead I agree I hope the Sox are in on him. You know the Yankees will be too and we can’t just let him go there without putting up a fight, so to speak. If Detroit chooses to send him there because they make a better offer that’s one thing, but it can’t be because we don’t make an offer at all.
Dirty – It’s the advantage that comes with being incredibly tall. LOL!
The way I look at things, it all evens out. Sox have had more than their share of lucky breaks. How many balls have they hit off the foul pole to win a game?
The only time I get upset is when the ump blows a call that costs the Sox.
Dirty – I think when the Tigers were owned by Mike there was a sense of urgency to win while he was still alive.
Ever since Chris took over I don’t believe the team has spent nearly as much.
Definitely true, but the capacity should still be there if there is ever a guy he deems worth it. Personally I don’t get why they wouldn’t deem Skubal worth it – but hey, their loss and potentially our gain.
Dirty – Quite often when teams are in Detroit’s situation where they have a superstar but don’t believe they have a strong supporting cast, they will not give the superstar a massive contract and instead allocate those funds among several other players. Because let’s face it, if Skubal goes down to injury the Tigers are a fringe playoff team at best.
Now if they manage to go deep this postseason, that may motivate Detroit management to say “Let’s hold onto Skubal one more year and give the team one final chance for a championship”.
FPG 1st thing ,I would not be against that.. I think Detroit gives Skubal a massive deal..and if they were to trade him they would demand ‘cant miss’ prospects. IMO. Anyways..
The defense really let Early down and the offense could not layoff the high heat Schlittler was dealing. You mentioned it in an earlier post, the names in our lineup were not up to the challenge. This series was kind of like a microcosm of the season. Good pitching,( Crochet & bullpen) ,bad defense and a sputtering offense.
cdc – Wouldn’t you think Detroit would have already done that if they were intent on keeping him? It’s very difficult, and obviously more expensive, when you wait until there’s only a year remaining of team control. Not to mention the prospect haul would be lower with only one year remaining. Don’t forget Boras is his agent.
Yeah in the end, really only Story-Crochet-Whitlock-Chapman could be relied upon. My optimism was based on Gio and Bello continuing to pitch like they had, but obviously that didn’t happen.
Let’s hope for a strong offseason. You know what’s really frustrating? Shitler pitched in college right down the street from Fenway, and the Red Sox (Bloom) decided to draft Caleb Bolden right before him. Yet another strike against Bloom.
As painful as that was, hopefully it will motivate the front office to stop putting such a de-emphasis on defense. And to get some pitchers whose arms haven’t fallen off 3 times already.
They broke Houck and Kutter, their big additions were all guys coming off major surgeries (Gio, Sandoval, May), and they wonder why their arms fall off again. At least Dobbins will be back and wasn’t an arm issue.
Next year I’d like to rotation to look like:
Crochet
(new addition)
Dobbins
Bello
Early
Fitts and Sandoval can be depth guys, and perhaps Tolle continues to advance and force the issue.
And hopefully an improved approach at the plate with a new hitting coach, because watching these guys flail around and only be able to muster strike outs or weak ground balls 90% of the time is hard to watch and not going to cut it.
FPG
C’mon, Schlittler (?) was a 7th round pick. Tough to hold the draft against Bloom
Big personnel changes are inevitable. Story, Bregman,I will be surprised if either one opts out. A solid # 2 starter (Ryan )is a must to along with a home run,power guy (Alonso). Can this selection of bullpen talent do it again? Can Bello take it to another level? It will be super exciting to watch Roman Anthony for a full season,how about Mayer,is he a solid contribter? ( at what position)- 2ndbase…. What exactly is Giolitos status??? Does Duran get traded? Abreu?? Is the date for declaring opt outs right after the W.S. ? When are the winter meetings? So many questions . Lol. Sucks that it’s over.
DW4
The strikeouts were the worst, and the defense was bad. We need a Frontline #2 pitcher and a power hitter. One home run in 3 games in the postseason at that stadium. Breslow and the front office has a lot of work to do. I do like the foundation of this team and going forward.
Absolutely, at least we have a great foundation to start with which hasn’t been the case the last few offseasons which have been a lot of scrambling to manage/try to replace major departures.
First time in a while we have a good core in place with an opportunity to build. It will need to be a lot better next year but between advancement from the kids and the FO hopefully willing to open the money spigot a bit more, no reason it can’t be a lot better.
I think Bello really did grow and improve a lot as a pitcher this year – that’s real. I feel fine about him as a solid #3 or 4 starter. I think he just tailed off toward the end due to workload and they need to make sure his conditioning program has him ready for a larger one in 2026.
Should be a fun offseason!
DW4
Definitely need improvement from Bello, if he is going to be a Frontline playoff , pitcher. The front office needs to step up also. This team should be contending for a WS. for the foreseeable future.
cdc – It’s tough whenever the Red Sox lose out to the Yankees, but it’s especially tough when the Yankees pluck a major talent right from the backyard of the Red Sox. The Red Sox be right on top of every pitching star from Northeastern.
We will see with Story and Bregman, I think it’s hard to call for either one.
I’d rather have Skubal than Ryan.
Alonso would be fine, but if Bregman leaves they need to sign Suarez.
Other than Wilson, yeah I think the pen can be strong next year too. I wouldn’t expect too much regression from Whitlock and Chapman, it’s all about staying healthy.
Hopefully with Bello it’s just a matter of building up his stamina, improving his endurance.
I agree with you, next year a full season of Roman and hopefully Marcelo will be fantastic …. I’m high on both of them. Mayer’s position will of course depend on what happens with Story and Bregman.
Gio’s status is unknown.
I think either Duran or Abreu gets traded, Rafaela won’t because of the albatross contract. Unfortunately Abreu getting hurt again and finishing the season in a slump again might be reason enough for management to move him.
Let’s try to digest the season before thinking about Winter Meetings. LOL
cdc – Did you see how Stanton was celebrating a homerun before realizing it wasn’t a homerun. LOL
Why is it the biggest players tend to be the least intelligent? LOL!!
Dirty – Bello absolutely improved a lot! Hopefully he will put on a few more pounds of muscle and build up his endurance.
Here’s another reason WAR is highly flawed …… this year he had a 2.4 WAR, but in 2023 he had a 3.1 WAR (35% higher).
But yet in 2023 he had a 4.24 ERA in 157 innings while this year he had 3.35 ERA in 166 innings. It makes no sense why his WAR this year is so much lower.
FPG
Yeah, Stanton , talk about an albatross contract..( playoffs he’s been good)) got to mention McMahon s play , that was fantastic… Could not take advantage of Rices dropped foulball in the 1st was tough.
Never to early to talk next year .., Overall I do think it was a positive year for the team.
cdc – Of all the question marks, the biggest will be KC.
Can he return to early season form? Or will he be the next Rusney?
If they trade Rafaela (I know, doubtful) I’d like to see what KC can do there … supposedly it’s his best position.
I’m not worried about Campbell yet, he did show some real flashes early on before he got overwhelmed. And then did eventually respond and show signs of life with the WooSox. I appreciate them not wanting to make the same mistake twice in one season by rushing him back up again. Let his progression come naturally and I bet he will play his way into a starting role next year.
FPG
I don’t think that’s the biggest question but it certainly is a question.. he was so good early and then not so much.. I don’t think the Sox can count on him being a major contributer, I hope I’m wrong. How many young guys can pan out??
Dirty – The only thing is they can’t leave a position open to start the season. It would take an injury for him to work his way into a starting role.
I really hope he can make a comeback, he’s such a good kid. Cora really did a number on him.
cdc – If KC makes the OD lineup, and where he would play, has a huge impact on the rest of the roster. Right now the biggest need is first base, but we don’t know if he can play it well.
Maybe they’ll stick him at 2B if Story or Bregman leaves? But he’d have to show a LOT of improvement to put him back there.
I hear you and I think their version of doing that is probably going to be to have Romy penciled in at 2B (or maybe 1B if they non-tender Lowe). He played well enough this year they can talk themselves into him holding it down for a little bit but he also doesn’t pose an insurmountable barrier to Campbell ascending to the job, or to looking for a short term rental or something if he is butchering it and Campbell can’t cut it.
FPG
Suarez will be 35 next season, batted .189 , .255 obp , .682 ops in 53 games with Seattle. His numbers were better with Arizona. He strikes out a ton and doesn’t walk much. He scares me. Id rather they sign Alonso to provide the thump they surely lack and that fills 1stbase.
cdc – Well we all know Seattle is the worst hitters park in MLB, but yeah I agree Alonso would be the better choice. Lots of MLB executives feel the Sox will go hard after him. So if Bregman and/or Story leaves, who plays 3B?
Suarez is basically 2023 Schwarber without the walks. LOL
FPG
I would think Mayer will get a shot to fill an infield position. Certainly lots of questions to be answered. I think they both stay and Mayer gets 2ndbase. Can he stay healthy is the real question. An outfielder will be dealt , who has the most trade value? Duran ??
cdc – Well yeah! LOL! The question is, which position? Mayer can play third, short and second all very well.
I’ve been seeing a lot of articles insisting Bregman will opt out. Whether he re-signs with the Sox is another Story (see what I just did there? LOL)
Duran has the most current trade value, but Abreu has more longterm value because he’s a lot younger and he’s better defensively. They both struggle vs lefties, but Duran is 76 points worse than Abreu.
FPG
Besides Skubal ,who I think is not attainable,who is the pitcher do you like? You know I like Ryan is there someone else you like to be the #2?
cdc – I’ve given so many reasons why Skubal could be traded, you’re a tough customer! But I like that about you ;O)
I liked Ryan too ….. but a second half ERA near 5 kinda made me rethink him. Didn’t it put any doubts in you about him?
The answer to your question is incredibly easy.
The guy who pitched today and absolutely dominated the Cubbies.
Look at his numbers.
ERA under 4 every year since 2020.
3.33 ERA since 2020.
Averaging 170 IP each of the past 3 regular seasons.
2.70 ERA and 5.5 WAR this season.
YES please!!!!!
FPG
The Twins selling off big time at the deadline may have taken the go gettum out of Ryan. He has a good track record.
Freddie Peralta would be fantastic . I think he has a team option for this season at $8. Million.if I am reading it correctly. What a steal…
Mawahahah
Not helpful now but if Boston can stock the farm with talent again, the White Sox will have Noah Schultz primed and ready for them in a couple of years.
Was thinking Hagen Smith, but the point is same after lefty “aces” Sale and Crochet.
The Red Sox farm is loaded with pitching a ton of big arms. The quality of the position players is down on the farm with a few exceptions but the pitching never been deeper.
That mutual option now looks like a blessing in disguise
If they get past the Yankees, I would like their chances to beat the Jays with Crochet pitching twice in a five-game series.
Good to see Kyle Harrison is back in the Majors. Longtime Giants fan. We could have used Harrison later in the season. Hope he gets an appearance at some point. He’s a very good pitcher if he has his control. More often than not, he has his control. We didn’t want to lose him in the trade because we knew how much talent he has and he’s still young. I think Boston fans will be happy to have him, even if it’s probably going to be 2026.
This is a good article about the changes Harrison made to his pitching repertoire after being traded to Boston:
blogs.fangraphs.com/kyle-harrison-is-a-different-p…
Old habits, die hard. Too many walks
Harrison is another lefty he has a good fastball with nice characteristics his secondaries have always been an issue. He needs to find the strike zone up with his fastball when it’s down it gets hit hard. I see Tolle and Early being better than Harrison next year. I expect that Tolle is going to camp next year with much improved secondaries he’s going to be a monster. Early just has a very mature pitch mix and knows how to use his pitches he’s got the highest floor of those three. Perhaps we will see Harrison in the pen next season. Going to be real tough to break into that Red Sox rotation next season.
Giolito is going to be a free agent, but not for the reasons we thought. He may want to pick up the option, but the team will decline most likely. He could be back on a cheaper 1 year deal if no one signs him though.
A solid comeback season for Giolito for sure. With all the injuries going around in general, and even more specifically for pitchers (as an O’s fan I certainly feel it) you really just hope the guy comes back healthy. He contributed to a playoff team and you hate to see him not be able to continue to contribute.
Ticketmaster is trying to keep Red Sox fans out of Yankee Stadium for the Wild Card series:
“In a message posted on Ticketmaster’s event page for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series, the agency warned, “Yankee Stadium is located in the Bronx, New York…Orders by residents outside New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”
StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats did not do this.
boston25news.com/news/local/yankees-ban-most-new-e…
Next up: “Baserunners wearing uniforms outside New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania will be declared out without notice and no fs given”
I forgot the wild card was a best of three series and still thought it was one game winner advances to next series while watching the games today.
Sox could probably throw a pen game up tonight with positive results. I was at that game last night and Sox fans let you know they were there. They were good and loud as they had a great night. Not so much for Yankees fans.
Stinks for him. Yes he’s made some good money, but he was on the brink of possibly doubling his career earnings or at a minimum secure another multi year deal. Ultimately he took Boston to the bank on this deal and wasn’t worth that contract, but that’s the risk you take with pitchers and player options.
As I said the Sox did throw a pen game and it was not bad as they held the Yankees to 4 runs unfortunately for them the Yankees only needed 4 runs. Not so much for the Yankees tho. That was another raucous fan exuberant crowd. Fun to be them. Sox will probably go to the pen again early and the Yankees will most likely bring in Gil and Warren if Schittler gets in the least of problems.