Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy spoke with reporters (including the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) today at the team’s Spring Training camp, while Sox chairman Tom Werner also took part in an interview with the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. The two executives covered many of the same topics, with much of the focus naturally centered around Boston’s offseason.
One of the matters discussed was Alex Bregman‘s decision to leave Fenway Park and sign with the Cubs for a five-year, $175MM contract. Reports indicated that the Sox offered Bregman a five-year, $165MM contract that (like Chicago’s offer) included a lot of deferred money, though Boston’s deferral plan covered multiple decades. The bigger issue seemed to be Bregman’s insistence on a full no-trade clause, which the Cubs were willing to give but Boston wasn’t, apparently due to an organizational policy.
Werner and Kennedy each pushed back on these reports, with Werner flatly saying that the Red Sox “don’t” have any policy against no-trade protection. Kennedy was more circumspect in saying that “we try not to talk about organizational policies and the finer points of negotiations because it just doesn’t serve you well if you do that,” but also said that “if Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.” Kennedy also essentially ducked the question of whether or not the Red Sox would’ve offered Bregman a no-trade clause if asked, saying “it’s theoretical. It’s hard to know.”
More than the no-trade clause or “the fact that he was offered a bit more money in Chicago,” Werner felt Bregman was “happy to be in Arizona [for Spring Training] where his family is. I have enormous respect for Alex, but it wasn’t meant to be and we moved on.” Likewise, Kennedy praised Bregman’s contributions over his one season in Boston, and said “he chose a different path, and we wish him well.”
These statements probably won’t do much to soothe Red Sox fans still upset that Bregman is playing elsewhere, after the third baseman’s leadership and on-field production (at least prior to a right quad strain) was so widely acknowledged as a key factor in Boston’s return to the postseason. Signing Bregman last winter to take over at third base also sparked the chain reaction of events that led to Rafael Devers being traded to the Giants last June, following a lot of hard feelings from Devers over first being pushed off the hot corner into a DH role, and then being asked to learn first base once Triston Casas went down with what ended up being a season-ending knee injury.
Kennedy expressed regrets over how the Devers situation played out, saying better communication was needed between both sides, and that “Would we have done things differently leading into it? Absolutely.” Werner’s statement (his public comments since Devers was dealt) may again spark more controversy, as while Werner said that Devers is “a wonderful person,” the chairman found it “extremely discouraging” that Devers wasn’t willing to take over at first base.
“It was a discouraging episode. Just pick up a glove,” Werner said.
While the Devers trade and Bregman’s departure may be talking points in Boston for years to come, the Red Sox are more concerned with how the team will fare in 2026. Trades (for the likes of Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Caleb Durbin) have been a big part of the team’s roster remodel, and the Sox made a big free agent strike by signing Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130MM contract.
Kennedy described the winter as “a successful offseason…long, arduous, lots of scenario planning, but excited that we improved the club in many ways.” Werner was similarly positive, pointing to the team’s improvements on defense and a pitching staff that “I think…is elite.” In regards to further upgrades at the trade deadline, Werner said the team is still open to more spending, saying “we actually have the powder to execute some more moves during the season.”
After completing the 2025 season with a roughly $208.9MM payroll and a $246.5MM luxury tax number, the Red Sox are projected (via RosterResource) for $195.5MM in payroll and a $263.7MM tax figure. The latter puts the Sox just a hair under the second luxury tax penalty threshold of $264MM, so it would seem like Boston will probably finish in the second tier of tax penalization for the first time since the 2019 season, assuming the team indeed contends and bolsters the roster throughout the year.
Don’t read to much into after the fact spin mode. Truth be told, given the team’s reluctance to spend in accordance with their revenue, I’m glad neither Bregman nor Devers are with the club although it could hurt in 26. As for continuing to spend, such only happens if/when Sandoval, Bello and/or Yoshida are traded. I don’t see them crossing the next threshold and remaining there at season’s end.
There is absolutely NO REASON to trade Bello…. his contract is a bargain for young starting pitching.
What if you bring a stud back? I would deal Bello in a package for the right guy. No doubt.
The enemy of great is good lol
Don’t step over dollars to pick up dimes.
Gary – I would definitely consider a trade of Bello too, but keep in mind Sandoval/Gray are both free agents after this season and we don’t know for sure yet how Tolle, Early, Houck or any of the other kids turn out.
Yes Fever, my fingers are crossed that Bello as a fantastic year and continues to grow.
You make a good point on trading free agents to be first.
Gary – He really dramatically improved last year in many areas, going into September with an ERA under 3 before tiring.
Also they are saying his changeup has new found life and he’s working on a curveball. Don’t much care about the uncle Charlie but if he can’t get the changeup working we could see a big year from him.
Sean – Crochet is working on a new pitch too. It’s pretty common for pitchers in ST, but most often nothing ever comes of it in the regular season.
Gary- I am not sure who is out there who could be a difference maker in return for Bello. For the right trade you need to consider most of the guys on the roster, but I am not sure who would be more valuable than Bello if he continues to develop the potential he was showing last year. I do agree that you need to keep an open mind.
If the changeup comes back it changes everything about Bello. And no I agree the new curveball is most likely not going to play.
Coop – I want Bello to stay, but he doesn’t have the size/velo that Sox management prefers, and trading him for prospects or low-paid MLB players would help them duck under the next CBT threshold which is a huge priority for the Sox.
Don’t be surprised if Bello and/or Story is traded this year. I won’t mention Yoshida because we all know they would love to trade him too.
And Cora is already hyping Sandoval, unless possible trade candidate at some point this season.
It was a great deal for them too.
Bad defenders, baserunners and teammates aren’t as hard to replace as you might think. Seemingly, the RSox got better almost immediately after trading Rafael Devers.
mlbfan: the Giants also got better with the Devers trade. I think he will have an MVP type year in 2026. I also think Kyle Harrison starts the season in the Milwaukee rotation and Jordan Hicks starts the season in the the White Sox bullpen. Who does that leave the Red Sox with from the Devers trade?
The only thing that matters going forward is how much the Red Sox win. Keeping score of trades and rehashing the past is a waste of time.
they are left without a cancer in the clubhouse, sometimes that’s enough, devers showed his true commitment to the team by being a whiny baby, you are being paid millions to do what is best for the team and acted like a child twice
Money.
And whoever they got for all the guys they traded after trading Devers. The trail is getting a bit convoluted.
The Giants went from 11 games over .500 and 2nd place the day Devers arrived to .500 and out of the playoffs at the end of the season. There is no denying the Giants got worse. Devers himself got worse going from a 151 OPS+ in Boston to a 130 OPS+ in San Francisco. He regressed even further once he was moved from DH to 1B posting a 58 OPS+ while playing that position.
The Red Sox got Durbin and Monasterio for Harrison and Durbin will be their starting 3B. They also still have Jose Bello who will start the season in Salem. Tibbs was traded for Dustin May.
A pick, Durbin, and something else. Also a few useless starts of Dustin May.
Jose bello. Might win a cy young in 5 years..
The thing lost in all this is, perhaps, Devers had a feeling he was untouchable due to his contract and being the last of the major core pieces who stayed in town.
Perhaps devers learned something from overplaying his hand? Perhaps he learned he doesnt get carte blanche to mouth off to ownership and just sluk around in the clubhouse house, practice field, dugout, and media appearances.
Sometimes its a wake up call and perhaps devers learned something.
I think it’s funny you are talking about Devers learning something. He’s in SF and not in Boston. He’s not being managed by these smucks anymore. The only people who didn’t make out are the fans…we should learn what this was. Because it feels like it is definitely going to happen in 2030s with the next batch of our favorites.
Agreed. Time to move on. Glad he’s gone.
You can’t blame Devers on the Giants getting worse. None of the players they gave up were going to improve their chances in the playoffs and Devers added 20 homers, 50+ RBIs, and 50+ walks, so he certainly provided some offense. He did strike out more than usual, but that can be the adjustments of moving to a new team. Never heard anything negative about his presence in the clubhouse in SF. How he does this year will determine if the Giants made a good move taking on that salary.
The trade for May turned out to be a major bust. Gave up a prospect for a pitcher who was worse than Buehler who they got nothing for when he was released shortly after getting May.
I think Devers just overreacted to having been deceived by management. First he was told he would stay at 3rd and Bregman would play second. Next he was told he would only be the DH. If management had been up front with him at the beginning maybe he would have handled it better. If Devers just started arguing that he was told orally when he signed the contract that he would remain at third, it would have been difficult for any of the fans to support him. When they kept saying publicly he would stay at third it is easier to defend him complaining.
In the end everyone should have handled it better, now it is old news and time to move on.
Uncle: I don’t see any excuse for Devers not moving to 1B after Casas got hurt. I think Devers knew this was a bad move too. I say this because Devers refused to come out of the clubhouse and work with Will Clark at 1B before games in SF when the Red Sox were the visiting team. He left Will Clark standing there at 1B. Looks like Devers knew how bad he would look to his former Red Sox teammates for embracing 1B in SF after refusing to do it in Boston.
We’ll see.
“Seemingly, the RSox got better almost immediately after trading Rafael Devers.”
Agreed. Addition by subtraction.
It’s a really convincing argument when there is no accountability measuring the decisions of game management quality before and after.
All- Devers should have moved to first. He did not have an excuse, but I also never heard him actually refuse to move. He was pissed off because he had been lied to and was acting childish about it. I still think Devers will do fine at 1st (not saying he is going to be great defensively, but better than 3rd), but we will have to wait and see what happens this year with the Giants. If he does terrible over the season at the position I will happily admit that I was wrong.
Uncle: We are disagreeing a lot today. Please don’t take it personally. You are a good poster and I like you a lot. This article has quotes from Raffy saying he won’t play 1B:
mlb.com/news/rafael-devers-unwilling-to-play-first…
This article talks about teammates being unhappy with Devers:
nbcsportsboston.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/rafael-deve…
We will likely never know their thoughts as they kept things behind closed doors unlike Devers.
All- I guess it was after he was traded that he was saying he never said he would play 1st. I think I am probably thinking about when he said if they had asked him at the beginning of spring training he would have switched. I should have researched it before saying he did not say he wouldn’t switch. Definitely changes my perspective.
I could have sworn there were players that came out to support Devers being good in the clubhouse but I could be wrong. I knew I did not remember anyone on the club publicly saying they had a problem with him, but sounds like his stance about first turned off some. I was frustrated when he wouldn’t switch but also was not expecting him to get traded. I assumed he would come around and do what they asked.
Uncle: Casas is the only one I remember who said to the media that Devers should play 3B. Might have been one more.
Uncle- I definitely could have focused on the one or two players who vocally supported him. I had in my head that Duran had come to his defense, but I could be completely wrong.
I wouldn’t say nothing. His contract was massive. Shedding that alone counts as something .He’s a dynamic hitter who can’t field and is a selfish player. The return was disappointing though for sure
What HOFer?
pzacc – Pretty sure he’s talking about the 29-year-old who already has 235 homeruns and a career .855 OPS
What I want to know is what the hell is “TM”?
Fever, TM most probably is team management.
dewey – Thank you! I’m usually up to speed with acronyms, but that’s not one I had heard before. Makes sense though.
It’s pretty clear that the Red Sox wanted to get rid of Devers and they used the situation to create a scenario where unloading him wouldn’t have as much backlash. It was always clear how Devers was going to react, and they let it happen, there’s no chance they were taken by surprise.
So there’s nobody to ‘blame’. The Red Sox just didn’t want the player.
That’s abit of a conspiratorial take, I doubt anyone expect Devers to throw a fit when asked to play 1B
@Patriot12992
Then you clearly weren’t following Devers. He made it clear beforehand that he had zero interest playing any other position and wouldn’t even discuss it with the media when asked.
When rumors of Bregman came out, Cora was suggesting that he could play 2nd, but when he signed, he almost immediately declared him the starting 3rd baseman.
Cora and Breslow are not stupid people. They knew what would occur.
WC, a new chapter and potential beginning started the moment Casas got hurt but the book was immediately closed by Devers. No one expected a player making that kind of money not to put the team first.
Devers already got his big payday. He had nothing to lose by playing 1B.
It was always about his pride.
WS, false pride equals ego arrogance. Good riddance to a guy most of us respected.
We saw no signs of Devers being selfish with the Giants. I think he’s probably made the Giants chemistry even better. He did everything asked of him including learning 1B on the fly and being pretty good at it. Always playing with a smile, hustling and fitting in great. Must be the Pacific Ocean air.
Of course Devers is on his best behavior in SF. He doesn’t want to get dumped by another team.
mab – The Giants players love Raffy, as evidenced here:
nesn.com/2025/08/rafael-devers-praised-by-ex-teamm…
“He was the best, man,” Yastrzemski said. “Awesome teammate, willing to do whatever he had to. I think he just got thrown into a weird circumstance (in Boston) and, you know, I think sometimes as players, you have to stick up for yourself. And I think that’s what he tried to do.”’
“And I think the wording of it was delivered poorly because he’s an awesome teammate,” Yastrzemski continued. “He works his tail off, he tries to help everybody. … He’s really smart, and he cares about winning so much, so I don’t understand where all the heat came from.”
“If you’re facing a guy that he’s faced, and you haven’t faced him … (he provides a) full scouting report, where you want to look for the ball, what pitch you want to hit, how he’s gonna pitch you.”
Nice work, Fever.
The reality that Giant fans had the pleasure of watching.
fopp – Thanks, but it does get monotonous having to post the exact same articles over and over for haters who just can’t accept the fact it was Red Sox management that demonized a beloved, well respected player who gave his all every day and was truly happy to wear a Red Sox uniform.
Funny that Raffy was helping teammates every day just like Bregman was, but Raffy never got the publicity for it that Bregman got. I wonder why that is ….
He could have handled stuff better but it’s done. The reality with Raffy the Giant is that he has been great. The vibe is as plain as day if you are watching.
fopp – Agreed, but I think most players would have lashed out much worse if they were in Raffy’s shoes. You think Ortiz would have quietly accepted being lied to all offseason?
It just blows my mind the Red Sox during all those years never did what the Giants did in a few days, have him learn first base. Absolutely inexcusable.
Fever, what is said publicly is not always the same as privately. Does anyone not on this thread believe Devers and his agent believed this team was best with him playing third? They knew Bregman was always an option and ownership did what they felt was best for the team. Nothing in Dever’s written contract guaranteed him the third base job. His refusal to try to help the team after Casas got hurt then crossed the line.
FPG- two words, Scott Boras! That guy never stops. I was reading about Bregman’s” leadership with th Cubs, the camp hadn’t even started yet…. geez, give it a chance to breathe Scott
Dewey- I dont believe that Devers didnt think he could play third base. All professional athletes have an air or arrogance. Thats because they believe in themselves.
Its more that Devers was told Bregman was gonna play 2B. Even if that was said with a wink, it was repeatedly said. Devers shows up (early by the way) and they tell him to burn his glove….
Sad – Agreed on Boras. And let’s not forget, the biggest player fraud involved in the Astros scandal was Bregman. He knows how to con people.
Then you’ve got guys like Raffy doing all the teammate things that Bregman is supposedly doing. While Bregman gets all the publicity, Raffy gets very little. That’s because Raffy doesn’t seek it, while Bregman does. Bregman is as fake as his BFF Cora.
dewey – As a general rule I focus on proven facts, rather than debate what can’t be proven either way.
Raffy should have been transitioned to first base years ago. Even though you obviously dislike the guy, I would hope you’d agree.
Nobody is complaining about moving him off third. It’s the WAY it was handled that angered so many people …. not just Red Sox fans, but national baseball folks who have no bias for or against Raffy or the Red Sox.
As for first base, I think you are forgetting how it played out.
Cora, Breslow etc told Raffy to throw away his glove because they wanted him to focus 100% on being the best hitter he could be. They didn’t want him wasting time on fielding at ANY position.
And then what do they do in a panic? Tell him to screw hitting, they wanted him to learn a new position instead. It was the EXACT OPPOSITE of the BS they told him when they made him a DH. Don’t you understand they exposed themselves by saying and doing the exact opposite of what they said just a short time earlier?
So tell me, how does it make sense to mess up a guy who was hitting extremely well just so he can learn a new position on the fly?
You want proof? Last year his OPS was .915 as a DH and .590 as a fielder (nearly all 1B).
So honestly, was him trying to learn 1B on the fly worth the huge drop in offense?
And how did it work out for KC, who also tried learning 1B on the fly?
I really think you’re letting your personal dislike of Raffy cloud your judgement here.
Sad – Throughout last offseason Raffy kept asking Cora if his 3B job was in jeopardy, and Cora kept insisting he will be the fulltime 3B for the 2025 season. Cora also publicly stated that Raffy performed extremely well at 3B in 2024.
That is what made the entire situation tremendously worse than it needed to be, the fact Cora lied throughout the entire offseason. It was disgusting behavior. You don’t treat players that way, ESPECIALLY the face of the franchise.
Anyone with half a brain can cut through the horse doody the Red Sox FO fed the media to justify the Devers Trade….. and Cora… the “players manager”, the gut great with the Latin guys, “blanked” it up big time..
.
Ok, well everyone saw signs of it with the Red Sox, which is what is being talked about, so whats your point?
There are a lot of dumb comments on here every time I log in, but that one takes the cake Bing.
Devers mishandled the situation. He was solely responsible for the situation he put the team in. He arrived at spring training early and the Red Sox found out he couldn’t play in the field at all because of two hurt shoulders. He was hurt so bad that he couldn’t even take batting practice until Mid-March. Still he refused to move to DH. You play where you are told even when you are healthy. You don’t say no. Especially when your defense is hurting the team. He was a poison in the clubhouse and once they got him out of there the performance of the team as a whole improved greatly. Not only that, but they cleared payroll to spend on players that actually are team players.
The Red Sox won after he was gone and went on to make an appearance in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The only loser is you apparently.
Bak – One question: Where were you when COUNTLESS experts/analysts/media detailed how badly the Sox handled Raffy all offseason and the first few months of the regular season?
Even Breslow and Kennedy have publicly admitted they screwed up.
I mean if you are searching for a reason to justify hating Raffy, I guess that’s your prerogative. But it sure does look silly when so many well known baseball people have given detailed explanations of why the Sox totally botched the handling of Raffy.
They are going to sell the team in the next 5 years.
What – No, not until The Corners is done. That is when maximum sale value will be achieved.
Devers is now the property of the Giants. both Werner and Kennedy should keep their mouths shut. period
He is an employee not property there Massa.
WBWR: Bad mouthing other teams players in the press is never a good idea or look. The Sox have been doing that since Betts, Bogaerts, Bregman and Devers left trying to deflect deserved criticism for the Red Sox owner and front office. Cora too. It’s time to get over it.
I’m totally over it. Sounds like you’re not, What do you care what another teams owners say? It means nothing,
what’s the difference?
Thank you for taking Devers!
all in the suit: You’re very welcome. Giants fans are stoked you ran him out of town. One of the best acquisitions the Giants have made.
IDevers at that salary being one of the best acquisitions the Giants have ever made is pathetic,
giantsforever, The fans will continue to bring up his name. Heck a guy here even brought up Babe Ruth lol !!!!!!
ownership infringement. this is a business
Devers is the first baseman for the Giants, he collects his checks and provides the organization a service as an employee with a labor contract that guarantees his compensation and working conditions and has the right to walk away at any point for any reason if he so chooses.
He could sign a contract with another league without being released from his MLB contract if such a league existed that didnt have reciprocal agreements with MLB.
KBO and Nippon could sign him without any sort of release from the Giants. So I believe anyways. He could get paid in Yuan and live in China and how would MLB have any recourse? Its my belief that KBO and Nippon likely have some sort of agreement but most teams know that if a player decides to leave their money on the table and matriculate overseas that it is a lost cause in battling them in the courts unless they are paid a hefty signing bonus.
That is a big reason why players should pass on signing bonuses and deferred money.
So signing bonus and deferred money are anchors to protect against them drifting? Is there a legal aspect that solidifies this as precedent?
You’re forgetting that, for just Mookie Betts & David Price, they got all of Jeter Downs, Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong.
The main return for Mookie Betts was the $48M the Dodgers took on which was half of David Price’s remaining contract. When you take on that much money, the player return is less. I have typed this so many times here, my autocorrect practically types it for me.
bing – What did they get for a pitcher who immediately won the Cy Young and Triple Crown after they dumped some of his contract?
Ohtani would like a word with you Chandler. So would the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Chandler, Ohtani is the greatest baseball player in the history of the universe.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lost that player for nothing. He walked away in free agency.
that’s actually not true, that’s just a myth
Like a unicorn.
bing, possibly about how you deal with your mental health issues?
Fever Pitch Guy
8 hours ago
bing – What did they get for a pitcher who immediately won the Cy Young and Triple Crown after they dumped some of his contract?
———————————————-
I think it was a stupid move on Breslow’s part, given the fact that the starting rotation was up in the air.
Houck, Pivetta, Bello, Crawford, Paxton, Criswell, Whitlock (a stupid decision).
The Red Sox didn’t have a rotation ace or a solid number two at that point.
Bogey, ownership probably was involved in the trade of Sale. This group seems to micromanage.
That was a salary dump, the BoSox (imho) thought Mookie would settle in at a solid but not MVP caliber player, like an Altuve, so they’d sell high, and they saw an opportunity to shed Price’s salary, and hit the reset button on their luxury tax and long term commitments.
If my memory serves correctly, the Devers extension seemed like a reaction to trading the face of the franchise in Betts for nothing of note; I believe that caused them to pivot to Devers longterm extension, almost as a mea culpa, to the fanbase. One might even think they riled up a known firecracker in Devers, they know him best, with the Bregman positioning, to get him to request a trade to further save money, with their youth movement in full swing, just my latest conspiracy theory since all the others turned out to be true.
Correlation vs causation. If I yell at the sun every afternoon, that doesnt make it the reason the sun sets beneath the horizon hiding from me for a couple hours a day.
Mookie continued to be more than a solid player. 4 silver sluggers, a pair of mvp runner ups, 3 top-5mvp seasons and a 13th place since the trade…
Still 4.9bwar as a 32 year old last season. Thats not becoming solid but not mvp caliber. Thats a high end player.
Devers was extended a few years later. If anything you could argue devers was signed because they clew things with bogey, not mookie. But devers was too far away from the mookie trade to be fairly caused by it.
Who hurt you?
Fans are upset bregman’s gone??? lmao
ghost – He served his purpose, he helped the Red Sox got out from under Raffy’s contract … which was ownership’s #1 goal.
Fever- so very true
I’m ok with not signing Bregman. I think he is likely going to be in the IL a lot like last year and declining.
Bregman is basically the Same player Xander is at this point…. overpaid and declining. The Red Sox were smart to move away from both of them.
I don’t think anyone here is upset that Bregman is gone. Massive overpay by the desperate cubs. Boston picked up a young player to put in his place and a heck of a lot cheaper.
Just responding to this quote from the piece “These statements probably won’t do much to soothe Red Sox fans still upset that Bregman is playing elsewhere”
Sam Kennedy’s corporate personality makes Breslow look like a game show host. In the words of Hawkeye Pierce, “the dullness rubs off.”
This fits in the sad world we today live in; in the words of Frank Burns: “Unless we each conform, unless we obey orders, unless we follow our leaders blindly, there is no possible way we can remain free.”
Dewey: that’s two things we share in common – a deep respect for both Dwight Evans and the ageless nature of M.A.S.H. “Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do” – Hawkeye.
I’m in on that exclusive club! Dewey will be enshrined one day, and M*A*S*H will always stand as one of the best in TV history.
Frank Burns: “I didn’t come here to be liked.”
Hawkeye: “Well you certainly came to the right place.”
… welcome to the club, Monster!
It’s nice to be nice to the nice.
You guys are really over analyzing a simple interview
Mookie didn’t want to be there and Price didn’t fit. Devers was addition by subtraction as the Sox immediately got better and the Giants got worse after the trade
Rsox – If we are gonna play that game, the Red Sox record last year without Bregman was much better than when he played.
But sure, let’s pretend the Red Sox pitching got much better because Raffy left. Let’s pretend Roman’s promotion had nothing to do with the Sox playing better either.
Sorry, I’ve never resorted to the “we are better off without them” self-medicating approach to stars leaving. I always prefer to deal with reality.
It’s just kinda sad some people buy into the same old damage control spin from Sox management, which is why they continue to trash players who have left.
Not buying the spin at all. but you could see the difference in the team chemistry once the distraction was removed. That’s not an indictment against Devers per say but against the whole situation. I’m excited to see how this team performs with (hopefully) full seasons from Roman and Mayer and the new arms
Rsox – Well I was the first here to say the Raffy situation was bad enough that a trade was needed, but the chemistry thing was fictitious. The front office had an issue with Raffy, not the players. Both publicly and privately the players insisted it wasn’t their business and didn’t effect them in any way.
I’m excited too, I believe in Roman more than any young Sox player I can recall. And Mayer is a pleasure to watch in the field, hope he can stay healthy.
The Giants got worse after the trade is ridiculous. So dumb to equate one with the other. Blows my mind that people make that statement. Such an obvious situation of making the evidence fit the narrative.
I’ll say it again. If you watched the Giants at all, you know the fade wasn’t driven by Devers. Why ? Because you watched.
Exactly foppert. Giants freefall was due to a few different issues, not Raffy. I watched all of the Giants games last year. Lamonte Wade dropped off the face of the world as the Giants 1B. Wilmer played some along with Casey Schmitt after Wade was released. Buster signed Dom Smith (real nice signing by the way). That’s what we had at 1B until Raffy showed up. His stats may have been a little down getting acclimated but his production was a huge lift at 1B. So no, it wasn’t Raffy. It was the entire teams doing. Melvin and the coaching staff ended up being fired. Without watching a team play all season it’s almost impossible to pretend to know what’s really happening day to day with other teams. A fan can stay up to speed on all teams by reading things throughout the season but actually watching the games of your team makes you knowledgible and passionate about that team. Have a nice 2026 to Boston fans but I’ll be watching the Giants every game. Doesn’t leave much time to wstch other teams.
100%. No shortage of reasons, but the Devers negative impact on the Giants is such a lazy, dumb take. Not sure how people can write the words with a straight face !
You can’t have an organizational policy that you dump GrEAT players solely to lose their contracts and get nothing back.
These talented men can’t be easily replaced, and you can’t just keep giving them away for no return and make it OK by saying youre saving money
I know there was so much drama with Devers that it was time to move on. On the other hand, if we had his bat in the playoffs we would have had a much better chance to go further. We needed a power bat and did not have it, so our offense fizzled.
Uncle – Raffy has a career .880 OPS against the Yankees, including an amazing 31 homeruns in just 445 AB’s. That comes out to a HR every 14 AB”s.
He’s the greatest Yankee Killer in my lifetime.
The Red Sox had a better record after Devers left. They did not miss him. The Red Sox offense missed Roman Anthony in the playoffs.
Fever, I haven’t looked up the stats but Papi did it in big spots as well (juiced as I believe he was).
All- You don’t think the 20 homers that Devers hit after he was traded would have helped a team struggling to find offense? I disagree with you on that. Absolutely having Anthony go down had an impact, but that does mean having Devers bat would hurt. Yes, the drama surrounding him was not helping things but you have to put some of the blame on management who handled it terribly (Breslow admitted to making mistakes on how he handled it).
We can’t go back and while I would have liked to see them either add a big bat or bring back Bregman, I do feel they are a better team than last year (more well rounded with the pitching and defense). I am optimistic about 2026.
Uncle – They are a better team than a year ago because they added Roman, Mayer, Contreras, Ranger, Durbin and Early.
They would be a MUCH better team if they didn’t treat the face of the franchise like crap and force him out of town in a salary dump.
Uncle: We will never know what would have happened if the Red Sox kept Raffy. We do know that the Red Sox had a better record after he left. Would Devers’ homers have come with a divided Red Sox clubhouse?
All- Fair enough. It may have been worse than I realized. I know it is done and time to move on, I just did not like how the whole thing played out. How hard would it have been for Breslow to be straight up with him, it seemed like Devers got the majority of the blame when it was not all his fault (granted it was all his fault he wouldn’t switch). I just don’t think people need to call him a cancer without proof. I am moving on from the whole Devers thing and looking forward to a great season.
Uncle – It is beyond absurd for any fan to call Raffy a cancer and criticize him for last year. It’s been documented countless times with great articles by Fangraphs, The Athletic, ESPN, etc. Anybody who followed the situation knows the facts.
1) Cora repeatedly insisted all offseason Raffy was the starting 3B for 2025, and he insisted Raffy was playing great defense.
2) Raffy played hurt and in pain for much of 2024 while his numbers suffered from it, only because the team needed him.
3) Management insulted him by telling him he would never again play the field, not even as a fill-in for Bregman.
4) Management told him they needed him to focus 100% on his hitting because they needed his offense, so he did.
5) Management had plenty of opportunities over the years to let him learn first base, but always refused to do so.
The thing that is really disgusting and pisses off the players, how some fans try to speak for them and try to put words in their mouths.
Fans aren’t in the clubhouse, they haven’t a damn clue what goes on in that clubhouse behind closed doors. Those fans are just trying to justify their hatred of Raffy by speaking for players which is extremely repulsive.
The real insiders like former players worked the clubhouse and asked everyone off the record how they felt about Raffy, not one single player said a bad word about him and most said very positive things about him. The others didn’t say anything because they were new and didn’t have the opportunity to get to know him.
It’s one situation where fans need to stay in their lane and let just the players in that clubhouse determine whether or not Raffy was a negative influence on anyone. Fans have no right to project their own personal opinion of Raffy onto the players.
bing – I’ve already said a few times Roman probably won’t finish his current contract with the Red Sox.
What an arrogant organization. Further proof:
“If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.”
I’m no Bregman fanboy, but for Kennedy to CONTINUE saying players who left did so because they “didn’t want to be here” is incredibly arrogant. Just the usual crapping on players after they are out the door.
FPG- are you Jarred Carrabis? Claim to be a Sox fan but never have anything good to say about them.
Fever is a Yankees fan. He just likes it over here because this is where the action is.
We have passionate fans. Yankees not so much anymore. Crickets over there.
That would actually make sense because Jimmy Fallon was the fever pitch guy, and he is a Yankees fan.
You sign a contract.You sign where you want to play.If he wanted to be in Boston,he could say i will sign for this.No player does but it is the player and not the agent that signs the contract.
TB – If your boss says “We want you to stay but only if you accept a 30% paycut and agree to work 10 extra hours a week”, I’m guessing you would go elsewhere …. does that mean you didn’t want to stay with your current employer?
The notion that the Red Sox can offer whatever the hell contract they want, and if it’s not accepted then the player is the bad guy ….. I’m astonished some people actually believe that. Talk about sheep ….. did you think Lester didn’t want to stay with the Sox too? How about Xander, do you actually believe he disliked playing in Boston just like Mookie supposedly did? Unreal …..
““The Red Sox don’t have a money problem, they have a decisionmaking problem. They have a ‘lets wait around because we think people want to play for the Red Sox’ problem..” – Red Sox employee Alanna Rizzo
FPG,
Its not like the Cubs gave him a raise over last years earnings. They made a competitive offer. It may not have been the highest, but nothing requires him to take the highest (unless you want to admit Boras makes the decision).
Stymee, Bregman saw through history how ownership deals with long term contracts and asked for family protection to avoid them having to be disrupted by a later trade. As much as I was against resigning him at those numbers, I am happy he got what he felt he needed.
Fever I expect nothing less than for you to bash the Red Sox at every opportunity.
Your username gives you away.
Fever pitch guy? That’s the movie based on 2003 when the Yankees spanked the Red Sox out of the playoffs.
Go Yankees !!
Gary – You’re repeating the exact same nonsensical post from last year.! LOL!!
Any Red Sox fan would know it was based on the 2004 season, and the movie ended with the main characters celebrating the championship on the field in St Louis …. which I was just a few feet away from. Seriously, how did you NOT watch a very popular movie about the Red Sox???
Put the glass down, grab a cup of coffee, and go watch the movie. Sheesh! LOL
Isn’t it possible with the way they treat their players is why Bregman didn’t want to be there?
bass – Yes, absolutely that’s part of it. In fact that’s a big reason why Bregman wanted the NTC, because he knows the Red Sox history of trading star players.
Would he have accepted an offer from the Red Sox if it was identical to the Cubs? Probably not.
Would he have accepted an offer from the Red Sox if it had a NTC and was worth at least $10M NPV more? Probably, but we will never know.
FPG- dont forget that all the other players around the league watch and listen.
The Red Sox are possibly one of the only organizations that consistently trash players when they leave. All things being equal (money, etc) why would anyone want to come here. We dont hold the tiebreakers when Kennedy can’t shut up
Sox have been doing that since the 90’s; ask Roger Clemens, Wil Cordero, and Mo Vaughn to name a few
Sad – I totally agree, and I’m surprised Werner was allowed to talk today. It was clear not even Kennedy was aligned with Werner’s views, just another example of the front office chaos that has been written about many times.
if this season becomes another failure, I really hope they clean house …. and that includes Kennedy, even though he’s not that involved in the player personnel decisions.
Rsox – Wil Cordero is a name I haven’t heard in ages. All I remember is he came from the Expos and he was arrested for beating his wife. I assume the Red Sox bashed him about that? They brought him back 9 days after the arrest.
dont foSad.Sox 3 (Skenes in 2027)
8 hours
agorget that all the other players around the league watch and listen.
———————————————-
And yet, Crochet, Anthony, and Suarez signed long-term deals with the Red Sox.
Bogey – Crochet and Anthony were not free agents, they were under team control for multiple years. When you have no other option to sign with any other team, you take the food from the only one who can feed you.
Suarez contract was no different than the Raffy extension, they were forced to massively overpay immediately after receiving severe backlash for losing star players due to cheapness. If Bregman signs with the Red Sox, Suarez does not. Surely you understand that.
Fever I agree signing Suarez was a knee jerk reaction, but not for the reason you stated. Not Because of egg on their face.
The reason they signed Ranger was to bolster the starting pitching and allow them to trade from that strength and acquire a replacement third basement. That’s my read on the matter.
When Bregman left, I saw the move as genius.., not saving face in regards to the fans lol
FPG: “they were forced to massively overpay immediately after receiving severe backlash for losing star players due to cheapness”
======================
That makes no sense. How could someone be cheap and willing to overpay at the same time? It is also not true that they overpaid for Ranger Suarez. Desperate times for this troll.
GaryRedSoxxWarriors
6 minutes ago
Fever I agree signing Suarez was a knee jerk reaction, but not for the reason you stated. Not Because of egg on their face.
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Red Sox fans can speculate all they want, but the team clearly needed to strengthen its starting rotation after Crochet.
No. 2 and No. 3.
Suarez and Gray fit those roles.
If things were that bad in this organization, would Suarez have signed with the Red Sox?
Fever Pitch Guy
32 minutes ago
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Crochet still had one season left after 2025, and he could have taken his time with an extension and hit the free market.
Anthony also could have taken his time and invested in himself; everyone sees the potential of these players.
But for some reason, they signed contracts with the Red Sox.
” Because, I guess the Red Sox are a bad organization” hahaha.
The Red Sox clearly need a reliable player after Crochet for the playoffs. Suarez is a candidate who plays very well in the playoffs, and Sony is number three.
Bregman is useless; he’s not an elite hitter and hasn’t been a leader in the playoffs.
Everything else is your imagination.
Bogey – Please research Crochet, learn about his background and the chain of events. He was high risk when he was acquired by the Red Sox, he was returning from major surgery and had pitched only 219 innings in the majors for his entire career and had pitched only 146 innings the previous year. They offered him a lot more than expected and he would have been an idiot to pass up the security with his health and endurance so questionable. What if he had health issues last year or this year? Nobody in his position would be dumb enough to take that risk.
I agree with you on Bregman, but it sounds like you believe the Red Sox lied about wanting him back. So take your pick, either they failed at keeping him or they are massive liars. Which is it?
all in the suit that you wear
8 minutes ago
That makes no sense. How could someone be cheap and willing to overpay at the same time? It is also not true that they overpaid for Ranger Suarez.
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It’s like a mantra that the Red Sox are stingy and don’t spend money in the offseason.
And if the Red Sox acquire a player, it’s always an overpayment, hahaha.
Fever Pitch Guy
2 minutes ago
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I know Croshe’s biography, and even back then he was tipped to be an ace, but he’s not just an ace—he’s a unicorn, like Skubal and Skenes, you can count them on one hand.
And the Red Sox would be fools not to re-sign him.
I don’t know who deceived whom; I’m tired of this Bregman soap opera.
It’s like he’s the second coming of Mike Schmidt.
P.s.
If I’m not mistaken, you were very unhappy with the Crochet trade at the time and said the Red Sox would regret it (Teel, Montgomery, Meidroth, Wickelman)
Gary – At one point Breslow flat out said acquiring a power hitter is not the only way to improve the team, he said there are other ways to improve the team. And he’s right of course.
Shortly after, the media began reporting another pitching acquisition could be in the works. And then the Ranger signing happened.
But I’ll say it again ….. I’m glad Bregman didn’t accept the Red Sox offer, and I’m glad they signed Suarez. If the pitching performs up to expectations, it WILL make up for the lack of power.
Bogey – When Gray was acquired, ignorant fans assumed he would be the #2 SP. He is actually the #4 right now.
Bogey – Please research the financial aspect of running MLB teams.
Being stingy/cheap is not based purely on how much the player payroll is, it’s based on the revenue ranking combined with the payroll ranking.
If the 4th-highest revenue team in MLB has the 7th-highest payroll, that’s being cheap.
Bogey – I was unhappy with the package given up for him, especially including Teel.
And my unhappiness was proven justified, as the Red Sox have been desperately trying to reacquire Teel ever since.
Fever Pitch Guy
1 minute ago
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I think he’s probably a good number three, he’s tough – a bit like Lackey
Bogey – You could be right, but on this team he wouldn’t be ahead of Crochet or Suarez or Bello.
Fever Pitch Guy
4 minutes ago
Bogey – Please research the financial aspect of running MLB teams.
Being stingy/cheap is not based purely on how much the player payroll is, it’s based on the revenue ranking combined with the payroll ranking.
If the 4th-highest revenue team in MLB has the 7th-highest payroll, that’s being cheap.
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You think the Red Sox should spend money like drunken sailors and sign players past their prime to crappy contracts.
We’ve seen it countless times.
Fever Pitch Guy
2 minutes ago
And my unhappiness was proven justified, as the Red Sox have been desperately trying to reacquire Teel ever since.
________________________________
It seems like Teal’s defense is overrated at -4Drs, 501.1Inn and his hand isn’t that good at 17.9%CS.
Bogey – I agree, the Red Sox decisionmaking has been atrocious. So much money wasted on high risk players because of their cheapness. Buehler, Sandoval, Liam, Giolito, Paxton, etc ….. Kluber was the Opening Day starter, can you believe it???
If Lucky was still with the team they’d have signed Alonso or Schwarber or Bichette …… RIP Larry.
Fever Pitch Guy
2 minutes ago
And my unhappiness was proven justified, as the Red Sox have been desperately trying to reacquire Teel ever since.
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This is just another one of your fantasies.
What’s the point of bringing Teel back when the Red Sox have a starting catcher in Narvy, who has elite defense and an arm, has offensive upside, and it seems all the pitchers speak very positively of him.
Bogey – He’s young, he will improve. Good hitting catchers typically aren’t GG winners.
Bogey – This is just another example of your lack of knowledge.
The Red Sox have tried numerous times to get him back, beginning last summer. Look it up before accusing me of being wrong.
If the Red Sox like Teel, there is nothing wrong with trying to reacquire him. The White Sox may have insisted Teel be part of the return for Teel. The Red Sox needed Crochet more than Teel at the time.
RSox, comparing the 90s is not fair given Henry didn’t own the team then. Roger appeared done only to be brought back to life by PEDs, Vaughn they didn’t think would age well and as for Cordero, no comment is needed.
Fever Pitch Guy
2 minutes ago
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Tell this story to Realmuto or Raleigh
Fever, sometimes it costs to get and the White Sox likely insisted on Teal. Given the Sox pitching at the time, you trade anyone not named Roman to get a deal done.
dewey – Mo was a mess, I didn’t want him extended.
Bogey – Realmuto is one of the worst defensive catchers in MLB with a -2 DRS.
Raleigh is average with a +2 DRS, there are literally 15 catchers with a better DRS last year.
Besides, I said typically aren’t ….. I didn’t see never aren’t.
dewey – That’s why it’s important for CBO’s to be good at negotiating.
Breslow doesn’t have much experience, hopefully he will improve.
Fever- Didn’t they pay Suarez about what he was predicted to make. It was higher than what they usually pay for a pitcher, but I assume they felt he was the best option available. They likely figured they were going to need to make a trade to replace Bregman since they obviously did not consider the other Suarez to be the right fit for them at third.
As long as they don’t trade Bello, the pitching should be a significant improvement over last year and they still have Early and Tolle available to slip into the rotation if there is an injury.
Bogey- Teel has significant upside so it makes sense for them to see if he is available. Obviously they either wanted too much or he is not available, but good young catching is very valuable. It was still a no brainer to do the trade for Crochet.
All- I assume Teel was their top target and I agree you have to give him up to get Crochet.
Fever- I would not even consider those moves cheap, to me it seemed like they overpaid considering the risk involved. We will see how Sandoval works out, but of the others Gio was the only one who provided real value when he was finally healthy. Hate to see money wasted on such questionable pitchers, but it seems like there are plenty of teams who do it.
Uncle – They paid $15M more than what this site projected, and this site is notorious for overprojecting. The Phillies made no effort to bring him back, offering only the QO which he was sure to reject. I won’t go into details because there’s no quotes out there to my knowledge, but the complete absence of another offer being reported is somewhat telling. You have to admit, it’s highly unusual to not have ANY other dollar amounts mentioned.
BTW – You heard it here first, he will be traded before the contract expires. He doesn’t have a NTC and the contract is heavily backloaded.
Fever- I agree I had not heard any rumors about anyone going aggressively after him leading up to the Sox signing him. I thought I saw one of the sites having put about the same number as what they paid for him. He was certainly not on my radar when they signed him and I was surprised how much they gave him.
Uncle – Even if Sandoval stays with the team as a reliever, he will still be overpaid. He definitely did not sound happy when talking about going to the BP.
Uncle – He will be traded eventually, mark my words. He’s just a placeholder.
Uncle Pedro’s Dancing Kittens
31 minutes ago
Bogey- Teel has significant upside so it makes sense for them to see if he is available. Obviously they either wanted too much or he is not available, but good young catching is very valuable. It was still a no brainer to do the trade for Crochet.
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Teel certainly has potential, but let’s not pretend he’s Carlton Fisk.
The Red Sox have landed a unicorn in their starting rotation(Crochet 26 years), which is rare in the league.
I’m sure you remember Swihart very well and how the Red Sox held on to him…
You can’t overlook R. Suarez’s success in the postseason. I’m sure Breslow had that in mind.
Fever Pitch Guy
3 hours ago
Bogey – Realmuto is one of the worst defensive catchers in MLB with a -2 DRS.
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Realmuto is 35 years old now, I’m talking about prime time, what JT has accomplished, he was one of the best defensive and offensive catchers with one of the fastest hands in MLB – 31.8% CS(Career), 2 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Slaggers and on his way to 200 career home runs and 40 WAR.Realmuto has also stolen more than 100 bases in his career to date.
Raleigh is average with a +2 DRS, there are literally 15 catchers with a better DRS last year.
______________________________________________
Raleigh won a Gold and Platinum Glove in 2024, has a career DRS of +34, 153 home runs at age 29, and has been Seattle’s best player for the past two seasons.
Can Teel achieve such results?
Bogey- I completely agree that they needed to do whatever they could to get Crochet. He was the priority. Teel will likely be solid but may never be great. I do remember Swihart being a bust.
I hope he thrives in Fenway. Not every pitcher can handle the pressure, but Suarez seems like he should be able to.
Bogey – Sandy Leon batted .310 with an .845 OPS for the Red Sox in 2016.
Vazquez hit 30 homers with a .798 OPS during the 2019-2020 seasons with the Sox.
Varitek hit 65 homers with a .863 OPS during the 2003-2005 seasons with the Sox.
None of them maintained that offense, the very few catchers who do typically end up in the HOF.
Realmuto has declined quite a bit, maybe he can reverse course …. time will tell. .
Who knows about Teel, all we know is he had an amazing season for a 23-year-old rookie.
Fever Pitch Guy
38 seconds ago
Vazquez hit 30 homers with a .798 OPS during the 2019-2020 seasons with the Sox.
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You know, 2019 was a ”juicy ball” and it helped a lot of offensive players achieve career highs – Vasquez, Gardner, LeMahieu, Urshela, and many other players set career highs, but after that season they didn’t even come close to matching those offensive results.
Vasquez was never considered an offensive catcher; he was valuable for his defense.
Leon never hit more than seven home runs in a season.
In prime time, Realmuto is a 4-4.5 WAR player, even in his last unsuccessful season he was a 2.5 WAR player at 34 years old.
Career maximum of Vazquez – 2.2 WAR.
Bogey – guys are almost always going to take the most money. Whether they do it willingly or not is a different story.
Bogey- its true
boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2025/12/13/red-so…
Sad.Sox 3 (Skenes in 2027)
1 second ago
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kyle Teel had a standout season rookie season for the White Sox after getting traded by the Red Sox.
But he had some struggles behind the plate, with his minus-seven Outs Above Average ranking among the worst in baseball.
And what’s so outstanding about this? Ahaha
Sad – What that article doesn’t mention is the Red Sox tried to re-acquire Teel at the trade deadline last year too.
Few exceptions, like the Guardians third basemen.
As much as I’m glad the team is not paying Bregman for the next five years, I am happy for him with the no trade protection. He saw the writing on the wall with this ownership group and seems to have truly put his family first.
dewey – Does Kennedy think he’s fooling anyone when he said about whether they would have given Bregman a NTC “it’s theoretical. It’s hard to know.””
What a horrible, sleazy answer. There is no doubt Bregman asked for a NTC, and no doubt the request was rejected.
There is nothing “hard to know” about it. He couldn’t say “yes” because Bregman/Boras would instantly refute that. And he couldn’t say “no” because everyone has already blasted management for refusing to give one. So instead he gave a non-answer.
Not one player has been given a NTC since Dave left.
Fever- I agree that blaming Bregman was a cop out. He got more money and a no trade clause, how can you blame him. Chicago showed they wanted him more.
Tell me how that Devers contract looks in 2-3 years when his fat lazy body is falling apart.
Sean – As long as Raffy is still hitting 35+ homers and putting up a .855 OPS every year, nobody is gonna care how he looks. Just like nobody cared about how David Ortiz, David Wells, Mo Vaughn, Guapo looked. Performance is all that matters. If Raffy becomes a solid 1B his contract will be a bargain quite soon.
Sean – Devers is now the 29th highest paid player in baseball. in three years he’ll be the 40th highest paid player. If you dont think you’re getting the 40th most production out of Devers in 3 years, at age 32 your kidding yourself.
Sean- It will be interesting to see what happens. If he doesn’t work on conditioning himself that won’t help with his agility at first, but I don’t think it will take away from his power numbers.
The bat speed will slow down. I know you love the kid but it’s not gonna be pretty sooner than later. Makes no effort in the offseason on his body. The least you can do is admit that’s the truth.
sad – Great post!
As I said before, Raffy is younger and over the last few years has BETTER numbers than Alonso and Schwarber … and yet his current contract has a lower AAV than each of them. Now that he’s happy again and finally with competent and professional management surrounding him, I expect him to really blossom as an elite hitter and solid first baseman.
Sean- If you are responding to me, I would not say I love Devers. He is definitely flawed. I have no idea how much effort he puts into conditioning in the offseason, but he has looked heavier at times than I would have liked. I wish he had moved over to first and found success there for the Sox, because he has the power bat we are lacking.
Uncle – He can’t be worse than Casas, who once again sought attention by working out in Ft Myers with a full head mask and sunglasses covering his entire face/head. I feel for the guy, but I am beginning to think he may just fade away because you can’t get by with just raw talent as you get closer to 30.
Sean – Just curious, do you think the same about Vladdy Jr?
Yes bat speed slows down for many players as they age, but there’s always exceptions including players who were definitely out of shape.
No I was responding to FPG about loving him. I loved him when he was here for a time. It ended well before he was traded. I do not support the manner in which that all went down but i understood why it had to happen. Fact is if you don’t take care of your body it slows down. Thats not an arguable statement. Devers does not. It was going to get bad here. Instead it will get bad in SF. I don’t expect that to happen this year, or next, or the year after that, or possibly even the year after that necessarily… but he’s signed for several years after even that. And… when it does happen I don’t expect him to all that pleasant to be around either. Maybe that’s unfair of me to assume.
I suppose I do based on his body shape… but I know far less about how he looks coming into ST than I do from watching Raffy year after year showing up overweight and slow.
Note: I played HS ball with Prince Fielder and can tell you that he was one of the most athletic and hardest working teammates I had in the gym. Similar body shape. So I’m not just body shaming fat guys. Ultimately his body broke down too soon when he stopped conditioning. I never understood why Raffy wouldn’t prioritize his health in the offseason but it’s gonna catch up to him fast and hard.
Sean – Those are fair points.
Funny, I was going to mention Prince earlier. His decline began immediately after signing that monster contract, I think that’s why he stopped conditioning. It’s the same reason a guy stays in great shape while dating his dreamgirl, and then lets himself go after getting married. The motivation is gone.
His Dad broke down young too.
Sean- I think there was always concern that Devers contract could end very badly. I was hoping he would follow the Ortiz route, but it could have just as easily gone in the opposite direction. Ortiz clearly stayed in great shape.
Big body types don’t last as long in sports. Kevin Mitchell, Bob Hamelin, John Kruk, Pablo Sandoval, just to name a few of large bodied players who didn’t last as long as they probably could have. Cecil just stopped hitting for power after being traded to the Yankees. Prince’s neck issues started after being dealt to Texas. Who knows if he had them before or for how long.
I agree that the big money long-term contracts are motivation drainers for certain players; they know they don’t have to earn it after they get signed
Bingo… on multiple accounts
That’s all I’m saying really. Other big guys clearly worked out the in offseason to at minimum keep the weight off. Raffy comes back every spring fat and it takes until the all star break for him to get into “shape”. Wont be the end of the contract when that hits the fan. I don’t question his natural power or bat to ball skills whatsoever. It’s god given talent. Frustrating as a fan because of the what-if factor. What if he trained and played as hard as undersized guys. Imagine a pedroia mindset with a Raffy body and skills. Would be Mike Trout’esque
Sean – Yeah you’re combining two separate issues, his health and his attitude.
I think everyone has concerns about his health, we all know he’s not in the best shape and has had a bunch of injuries. He’s managed to play through much of it, but it won’t be that easy to do in his 30’s.
Personality wise, absolutely no reason to think he could turn into an Albert Belle or Rendon or ARod. Raffy has always been considered a friendly, carefree, fun-loving chill guy that everyone respected. There’s no reason that would change. He’s had enough former teammates give very solid praise about him as a teammate, I just posted one strong endorsement by Young Yaz.
Uncle – Ortiz was widely considered to be very much out of shape until he lost weight in 2010 at Age 34.
He wasn’t called Big Papi because of his modest 6’3″ height. LOL
Sean – Criticizing his playing condition is very fair. When and if it starts bringing down his production, we simply don’t know. Wells weighed 250 pounds and drank like a fish, yet he was productive until he joined the Red Sox at Age 42.
Guys – how can we admire Papi’s body type at 40, but hate Devers’ at 29?
It doesnt make any sense…..
None of you knew what either of their off season routine was, or their in season workouts.
Meanwhile, Papi in his aged 37-40yo seasons averaged over 30hrs, and over 100 rbi.
Enough with the stuff about Devers. He’s gone, and the simple fact is we’re not “recreating him in the aggregate”.
Its time for us to turn the page now (myself included).
I would’ve liked a bit more thump in the middle of the lineup, but lets get excited about this team, thats gonna pitch the crap out of the starting rotation, prevent runs in the field, make contact and pass the baton.
Thats exactly how its gonna work, right? Right?!?!?!
Lol
I said it was probably an unfair assumption. But I stand by it. When lazy people relying on god given talent and poor work ethic hit a wall and struggle, they tend to lash out and blame everyone else. Do I have documented research on this? No, but we all have seen it before. Not just in baseball.
Yeah moving on… big fan of the Contreras signing but would have preferred Alonso. Love the Durbin signing but would have preferred trading for Marte even if it cost Duran Arias and Early. Would have been on board if there was a way to have acquired Pena and Cam Smith for Duran and Mayer. I didn’t get any of my preferences and yet… I kinnnnda love the team we got. Go Sox!
Moving on… how excited are you about Greenville drive starting rotation??
RH Juan Valera
RH Kyson Witherspoon
RH Marcus Phillips
RH Anthony Eyanson
RH Brady Tygart
RH Gage Ziehl
Sad – If that doesn’t work, we can borrow full face masks from Casas to wear when attending Sox games.
Sean – If a player doesn’t perform well or can’t stay healthy because of poor conditioning, how could he possibly blame anyone else? Sorry I don’t understand what you’re getting at.
In fact we are talking about players with very long guaranteed contracts. If they are in poor condition because they simply don’t care, why would they care if they struggle? Raffy gets paid for another 8 years no matter how poor he performs or how many games he misses.
But actions speak louder than words. The fact he has played hurt and in pain for much of the past two seasons, including 163 games last year, is proof he is the exact opposite type of player you describe ….. he cares deeply about playing every day and helping his team win. Think about it ….. 163 games!!!
Sean – I’m gonna try to get to a game or two there, and I haven’t been to a minor league game since the Red Sox were in New Britain!
I had a signed Curt Shilling New Britain Red Sox baseball card growing up. Haha
Sean – Lots of stars came through Bristol and New Britain. It was a strategically good location as the teams there took away fans from the Yankees and Mets. Everyone in Maine was already a Red Sox fan, so no benefit moving the team there.
Hard pass on Marte Sean given his age, the alleged lockeroom issues, and especially given the players going back to Arizona. Also trading Duran Arias and Early would been a gross overpay to the point that a GM should get fired for making that trade.
Ahhh maybe an overpay but not to that degree. Marte is a superstar on a team friendly contract and played a position of need. Duran is a one time all star at a position of surplus coming off a down year. Two top 50 prospects and Duran would be the cost imo.
Been reading up on what a lot of experts are saying about Arias coming into this year and they are super high on him. This is why I’m not a good GM candidate lol. So yeah I’m glad they didn’t make the moves. I do think Alonso will hurt us a lot over the next few years but I really do like the team we’ve got currently. I think we will be active at the deadline if the team looks as good as it projects to be. Fingers crossed the bullpen holds up.
I wouldn’t call Marte a superstar but given his age and the age of the roster, Marte doesn’t fit the sox timeline at all. He’s also a prime candidate to regress over the life of that contract. If two top 50 prospects and one of the better CF in the game are what it takes then it explains why Marte is still on the D backs.
Really don’t care of yesterdays news.It’s like what can you do this year.
Sox improved on pitching and defence which is awesome.
Only thing they didn’t improve on was hitting the ball out of the park
Look forward to what they have and getting a full year from Anthony and Abreu with the new additions will be exciting to watch.
Agreed. I am excited about the current team and not thinking about Devers and Bregman.
Sox – They didn’t improve on catching or relief pitching either, although the bullpen could be stabilized with the addition of Tolle/Early/Sandoval/Crawford etc.
Fever Pitch Guy
10 hours ago
Sox – They didn’t improve on catching or relief pitching either, although the bullpen could be stabilized with the addition of Tolle/Early/Sandoval/Crawford etc.
_______________________________________________
Narvy is their primary catcher, who boasts elite defense, a great fast arm, 29.9% CS,was a finalist for the 2025 Golden Glove Award , and the potential to hit 20 home runs per season.
Something that hasn’t happened since Varitek.
Wong is a backup catcher who had a disappointing season last year, but he has offensive potential.
I think they’re relying on their internal reserves to strengthen their bullpen, which is why they haven’t hit the free agent.
Chapman, Whitlock, Weissert (he’s taken a step forward), Slaten (we can expect a rebound after last season’s disappointment), Bennett, Crawford, Sandoval.
Seriously F crybaby Devers and bregman opted out of 80 million people. Buhbye. Watch Durbin. Hes a ballplayer
I expect Durbin to be a spark plug like Pedroia
@RickEO –
I’m glad to see another fan excited about Durbin like I am. This kid plays the game with his heart on his sleeve and seems to have one speed which is full speed ahead. He’s going to become a fan favorite just on his effort alone. He hits the ball hard as well. If they can tweak his launch angle a little bit, he’s capable of hitting 20+ HRs, 40+ doubles to go along with 20+ stolen bases. That offensive production works at both 3rd base and 2nd base, and they control him for another 5 seasons. I’m really looking forward to what he can contribute to this team.
Compare Durbin to Bregman at the end of the season and don’t forget to include their salaries.
Dotty – I praised Durbin as soon as he was traded. He is exactly what the team needed, at a bargain price for many years.
Dorothy_Mantooth
9 hours ago
________________________________________________
I like Durbin’s approach and energy.
He’s the type of player the Red Sox needed in the playoffs last season.
The starting duo of Duran and Durbin could bring a lot of hustle to the bases.
1.J.Duran(LF/DH)
2.C.Durbin(2B/3B)
3.R.Anthony(OF/DH)
4.W.Contreras(1B)
5.W.Abreu(RF)
6.T.Story(SS)
7.M.Mayer(3B/2B)
8.C.Narvaez(C)
9.C.Rafaela(CF)
Bench: Yoshida(DH), Wong(C), Romy(INF)?, Kiner-Falefa(UTL), Eaton(OF/INF)
The main thing is that after all the rumors that circulated throughout the offseason regarding Duran, Bello, Abreu, and Rafaela, everything remained just rumors and the Red Sox retained all their key players.
I’m also optimistic when it comes to Durbin. His plate patience, work ethic, bat to ball skills and defense are all very good.
Unfortunately he doesn’t hit the ball hard. His hardhit% (26.9%) last year was 141st out of 145 qualified players while his average exit velocity was 142nd (85.2 mph) – this is definitely the weakest part of his game. Meanwhile his average launch angle was 75th (13.9 degrees), a bit higher than Rafael Devers or Wilson Contreras. So his average launch angle is quite good while he needs to improve on hitting the ball hard.
One thing relating to his launch angle that does need improvement is his IFFB%. These are usually free outs for the defense and he led the majors by a large sum last season at 17.9%. The lack of power along with his penchant for infield fly balls is likely what led to his low .265 babip last season.
chandler, $250 million is not “nothing.” Not sure where you learned your math.
I can’t even imagine how up in arms you are every season when your team loses a free agent who walks away?
Third place team
Chicks love the long ball.
Defense wins championships.
Defense and Pitching
…….but if that means you get in as a wild card, then anything can happen in a short series with really good pitching and solid defense.
Best owners, best management, best manager, best pitching, speed, defense, flexibility. 89 wins last year and a much improved roster this year.
And a big bunch of crybaby fans. Relax people, it’s going to be a good year. Just enjoy it.
hayzee – You book your flight for the Red Sox championship parade yet?
I give you credit for at least not claiming “best offense” ;O)
LMAO …… Best Manager… WOW… do you watch the games?
Damn didn’t realize how bad the Red Sox wanted him, high five Cubs got him
Yup, he’s a big loss but not at that price.
Gary – Fangraphs has projected a .761 OPS for Bregman this season, certainly not worthy of the contract he received.
I’m not sure they really wanted Bregman. They could have easily given him the no trade clause if they really wanted him.
“While the Devers trade and Bregman’s departure may be talking points in Boston for years to come…”
God, I hope not. The Nomar trade faded quickly into the background of the 2004 championship. Let’s hope a deep playoff run in 2026 allows us to stop hearing the caterwauling about Betts, Devers and Bregman.
Lol !!!!! With this crowd? Good luck with that.
What sucks is I get it from both ends.
“Red Sox mishandled Betts, Devers, and Bregman.”
“Warriors didn’t develop Jonathan Kuminga or James Wiseman.”
Devers is already aging like milk and Bregman is not only overrated, but hurt all the time. This team is going to score a ton of runs with singles and doubles and productive outs. I’ll be shocked if they don’t lead the league in stolen bases………………by a lot.
10 👍
wino – Raffy put up an .851 OPS last year while learning a new position, and he played 163 games despite being injured for much of the season. You call that aging like milk? Your handle fits ;O)
xpensivewinos
9 hours ago
This team is going to score a ton of runs with singles and doubles and productive outs. I’ll be shocked if they don’t lead the league in stolen bases………………by a lot.
__________________________________
The Red Sox have four key players on their roster: Duran, Story, Rafaela, and Durbin, who have the potential to steal 20 or more bases per season; all of them have the potential to steal 30 bases per season.
They also have Anthony, Kiner-Falefa, Eaton, Romy, and Mayer, who could steal double-digit numbers.
It looks like this team could improve its own single-season stolen base record.
Red Sox stolen bases last three seasons;
2023 – 112 SB / 138 Attempt
2024 – 144 SB / 188 Attempt
2025 – 139 SB / 177 Attempt
@Bogey
I hope you’re right, but 215 is a long way to go. That 1909 team took the champagne to their graves.
Whenever Kennedy speaks it’s a waste of time. The same goes for ‘full throttle’ Werner. Put a fork in Boston. They’re cooked before the season even starts.
10 👎
It’s sad to say but Boston’s biggest hole in its lineup is at the DH position. Think of the DH’s Boston has carried over the last couple of decades: JD Martinez, Big Papi, Manny Ramirez towards the end of his career and even Devers for a short time. All feared hitters with the ability to hit 40 doubles and 40 HRs each year. While I like Yoshida as a person and teammate, he has really been a detriment to this Red Sox team. Even after a decent first season, there were signs that the pop he showed in Japan would not carry over to MLB and that had been amplified over the last two seasons, injuries aside.
If I were at all tech savvy, I’d go back 4 years when I stated that the Red Sox made a big mistake by not signing Seiya Suzuki. Imagine if they had done that and he was our everyday DH over Yoshida, or if they buried the hatchet with Devers and kept him as DH? The outlook would be so much brighter than Masa “Arraez” Yoshida. They have to find a way to move on from him and get a real, feared hitter back into the DH slot. It would change the entire outlook for this team drastically.
Except for the rare occasion, Manny never DH’d in Boston. Papi was always there.
But your point is good. The current DH situation isn’t great.
I think you guys are forgetting that Yoshida isn’t the DH – he’s our LHH off the bench, which is a need the club has (for Narvaez, Rafaela and possibly Durbin).
Duran/Anthony are currently set to split DH duties. If the team had a full-time DH, then one of those two would be on the bench. They have Casas in AAA, Romy vs LHPs once he’s healthy and Campbell if he can figure out MLB pitching.
The Red Sox have one of the best DH setups in baseball
(I really wanted Seiya Suzuki when he was a free agent, but he wouldn’t have much of a role on this team)
bcjd – You beat me to it! Manny DH’d in only 49 games during the second half of his 8-year contract.
I’m not concerned about the DH because if Yoshida bombs they can always rotate Duran, Abreu and Roman in there. Not to mention Contreras/Casas when Casas returns.
It’s the overall lack of power that is a concern, as they are the only team in MLB to project as not having any player hit at least 20 homeruns.
Fever Pitch Guy
5 hours ago
It’s the overall lack of power that is a concern, as they are the only team in MLB to project as not having any player hit at least 20 homeruns.
———————————————-
W.Abreu (RF) – potential 30 HR in the full season and elite defense (2025 – 417PA – 22HR)
T.Story(SS) – potential 20+ HR, 20+SB and average defense ( 2025 – 25HR, 31SB(record of career)
R.Anthony (OF/DH) – potential 20+ HR in the full season and above average defense
J.Duran(LF/DH) – potential 20 HR, 30SB+ and above average defense ( 2024 – 21HR, 34SB)
W.Contreras (1B) – potential 20+ HR and average defense ( hit at least 20 home runs in four of his last five MLB seasons, Fenway helps many bettors)
C.Rafaela(CF) – potential 20+ HR, 20+ SB, elite defense (hit at least 20 home runs in the minor leagues in 2022-23, playing one position for a full season 2026 should help)
T.Casas(DH/1B) – potential 20+HR, (2023 – 502PA, 24HR)
C.Narvaez(C) – potential 20HR, elite defense ( 2025 – 446PA, 15HR)
Fever Pitch Guy
The problem isn’t that the Red Sox don’t have elite depth, the problem is getting all of the aforementioned players with potential to stay healthy and play a full season.
Bogey – The projection is by ZiPS/Fangraphs:
While I didn’t see specific reasons, here is how they likely arrived at their projection:
Abreu – Often on the IL and benched against LHP
Story – Age and injury history
Roman – Hasn’t shown power yet with just 8 HR in 71 G
Duran – 50 point decline in SLG last season
Contreras – Age and injury history
Rafaela – 2nd-worst hitter in MLB since the All-Star break
Casas – Could spend long time on IL or in AAA
Narvaez – Not expected to play more than 120 games
I’ve already posted I disagree with their projections, as I believe Story/Abreu/Roman could hit more than 20. But I understand why they are bullish on any Red Sox player hitting 20.
Bogey – It’s not depth if you can’t rely on the players to stay healthy.
Health is extremely important. A player cannot perform well if they can’t physically play.
FPG- I would say this about 2026 projections for the Sox, they almost all assume offensive progression for Anthony, Abreu, Narvaez and Mayer, while assuming holds for Story and Contreras (in some places, improved stats).
Believe what you want, but that seems like a lot of moving parts.
I think its probably somewhere in the middle. The Sox starters will pitch the hell out of the season though
Woops …. meant to say I understand why ZiPS is BEARISH, not bullish.
Sad – I’m sure you’d agree, players are humans …. not robots.
Every season there will ALWAYS be players who overperform and who underperform.
If I had to guess, I’d say Crochet/Chapman/Whitlock/Story/Narvaez will have some regression.
And I’d guess Mayer, Roman, Casas, Yoshida, Abreu and Duran will have some progression.
The only SP I’m bearish on is Gray, I expect Ranger/Crochet/Bello/Oviedo to pitch well.
Im not seeing obvious regressions from many. Chapman, Story, and Navarez I think is fair. But not severe. Otherwise progressions across the board baby! 😃 jk (kinda)
I think the added defense could really have an impact on the SP. Going ground ball heavy with the defense to take advantage of it doesn’t show up in the projections like I believe it will in the stats and standings. Albeit I’m an eternal optimist around this time of the year…. Well since 2004 at least
Sean – To be clear, I’m talking minimal regressions.
Crochet’s ERA going up to 2.80
Whitlock’s K% dropping down to 29%
Chapman’s ERA jumping to 1.50
I agree with you on the improved defense, it’s a big reason why I think Bello could have a Cy Votes season despite the 50% ground ball rate.
I don’t think any of those guys will be bad, just not as incredibly great.
Best move the Red Sox could make was dumping Devers, his attitude, and his salary. Even if all they got was salary relief, it was a win for the Red Sox and it showed in the standings the rest of the way and in the spending they have been able to make this offseason. They are a better team because he is gone.
In the trade they got Harrison who was just traded for Durbin, who will be the starting 3B, Monasterio, and others,. They also got Hicks who was recently traded, plus two prospects. That is more than nothing.
Red Sox management is so out of touch with reality. I was hoping for Bichette rather than Bregman, but to make him out to be greedy and sound like the Red Sox weren’t playing games with him is insane.
mike – It’s possible for both.
Bregman was absolutely greedy a year ago, and the Red Sox are known to be arrogant when negotiating with players.
James Tibbs II-Wasted in unless trade
Kyle Harrison-Lost all hype
Jordan Hicks-Negative boat
Jose Bello-Some rando in the minors
Astros – Exactly!
And Drohan/Hamilton were integral parts of the Durbin trade.
And even Red Sox employees have publicly admitted the Hicks to Chicago trade was a salary dump of a salary dump. LOL
I think if you kept Tibbs II, the trade wouldn’t be that bad. Or if Harrison was able to pitch in the rotation right away.
I’m not high on Tibbs. I think he strikes out too much.
Astros – The Red Sox proved they were incapable of “fixing” Harrison, so he was basically worthless to the Red Sox but with teams like the Braves, Rays, Padres and Brewers there’s a chance he can blossom like Priester did.
Watched Harrison after the trade. He’s basically a one pitch pitcher and he doesn’t really throw that hard. He lives on a fastball up in the zone and mostly utilizes a slurve as his secondary pitch. His fastball is an up shoot fastball that plays well up in the zone but will get hammered down in the zone. Perhaps the Brewers will have success in teaching him a better secondary than that slurve. He also has a hard time throwing strikes. He walked nearly 5 per 9 in Worcester with the abs system. He’s probably a reliever long term but maybe the brewers can help him develop his secondaries and throw more strikes seems like a lot of ifs to me.
Quinn Priester had a nice year last year but he went to arguably the best defensive team in the league and benefited especially from that infield defense. He’s a nice ground ball pitcher but he doesn’t get a lot of swing and miss and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him struggle next year as teams get a book on him. He seems like a back end starter to me.
SKUBAL‼️
“It was a discouraging episode. Just pick up a glove,”
Maybe don’t have people on your staff telling him to hang up his glove then?
God this whole thing doesn’t paint the Red Sox FO in a good light. It doesn’t accomplish what they’re trying to do.
They always pretend to view things through a fans lens when they go back and talk it out. But their true feelings are always the opposite. It was premeditated for sure.
-On the Devers trade: No matter how you look at it from Boston’s perspective, it’s a salary dump. But also on that basis, a good one for Boston. Devers got a massive overpaid extension more out of the fallout of losing Bogaerts than anything else. Salary dumps can change a franchise. Boston for instance. The 2012 trade of Beckett, Gonzalez, and Crawford got pretty much nothing in return…. and the Sox won the WS in 2013. I honestly wish Devers well in SF and for Giants fans I sincerely hope he adapts better with a full year in SF and less drama. But still after the drama of last year, i think it’s better for the Red Sox that he plays elsewhere. And this is coming from someone who was outspokenly against the trade to begin with.
-On Bregman: This was a huge screw up. Werner and Kennedy can spin it how they want but it’s spin and frankly I want them to just shut up. That said:
-On the Offseason: The Sox actually had a pretty good offseason. Most people who aren’t starting from a point of negativity see Boston as having one of the best rotations on paper in the majors (Before anyone responds to the point of it being “on paper) I’ll simply remind everyone everything right now is only “on paper”). While no major bat outside Contreras was added we still also have a full season of Anthony that will compensate. Furthermore, as long as no one is expecting Durbin to pick up he slack left by Bregman, he makes for an acceptable replacement when you consider they’re aiming for more of a run prevention strategy. Furthermore, most people are acknowledging that Boston looks a hell of a lot better overall at the beginning of this year than last.
Can Boston will the AL East? I think anyone counting them out is kidding themselves. But they upgraded, the Jays who were already the AL defending champs upgraded, the Os who underachieved last year upgraded, the yankees are always the yankees, and the Rays always seem to pull something out of thin air. This division could be a dogfight to the end and could very well be the last division where all teams will have a potential shot at the playoffs in mid September.
Saber: Very well could be a competitive division right down to the wire. NL West was similar in 2025. Giants were still in it in Sept. Had to play the Dodgers, Padres and Arizona a bunch of times though. Tough to gain ground too.
passing on bregman was far from a screw up. A screw would have been giving Bregman the contract he got from the cubs and a no trade clause.
It’s not that Bregman didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to be thrown out like a half eaten Fenway frank in year 3 and dumped away.
Listen, Bregman served his purpose which was to get Boston out of the Devers deal. While it was handled poorly on both sides I don’t think it was going to go well anyway it went. I truly believe that ownership knew he’d opt out and by offering the type of deal they did in the offseason to Bregman this year they knew he wouldn’t resign. It is not that Alex didn’t want to be here, they really should watch what they say. Alex and his agent told them exactly what they were looking for and the Sox didn’t listen. I truly believe they knew he wouldn’t resign and just had to make it look like the tried.
As for the offseason as a Sox fan I am pleased. We got a hell of a lot better at defense which was needed, added legitimate starting pitching and will get a full season of our young core. While we didn’t add a power hitter I believe it’s in the cards for the deadline. They will have absolutely no choice then.
Remember defense and pitching win championships, the runs will come. Overall I am excited for this group
Quinnap89: Legitimate question here. You say “We got a lot better at defense”. What makes you conclude that? I don’t know Boston’s roster very well so that’s why I’m asking. Thanks and good luck this year. I’d love to see the Sox finish better than the Yankees. We play the Yankees in the season opener in SF. We’ll try to help you by winning that series.
Haha thanks! Well durbin is a very good defender who will play third (had a great year in MIL), Mayer is a very good defender who will play everyday this season, Contreras has been very good at first base which we have struggled at the last few years with defense and offensive production. Picking up durbin allows Rafaela to remain locking down CF in his elite way, not forced into playing second base. Abreu is a gold glover and so will Anthony. They have a chance to sweep the GG this season in the outfield. Upgrading the pitching for run prevention also will help the defense.
mab – I’ll bet you Gilroy Garlic Fries that Raffy hits at least one homerun in that Yankee series. He is the biggest Yankee killer in MLB.
“Werner flatly saying that the Red Sox “don’t” have any policy against no-trade protection. Kennedy was more circumspect in saying that “we try not to talk about organizational policies and the finer points of negotiations because it just doesn’t serve you well if you do that,” but also said that “if Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.””
>> Funny how they deny and lie and then blame Bregman. That’s the island visitors play book…deny and shift the blame.
“Devers situation played out, saying better communication was needed between both sides, and that “Would we have done things differently leading into it? Absolutely.””
>> You forgot to say the quiet part aloud, let me fix that for you, “Absolutely [not]”. You guys were thrilled Devers took the bait.
What scum. The balls to peddle this shows how insulated from real consequences they are
I understand your point here, but what is management supposed to say in any situation similar to the one with Bregman?
“We didn’t want to sign the guy because five years is risky, considering his potential for injury and his bat slipping. He’s a good guy in the clubhouse, but we just don’t think he’s worth that contract.”
I really don’t think any management team of any MLB franchise is going to say something like that about anyone.
So you make something up I guess. I’m not condoning lying but what do you want them to say? These guys are like politicians they talk out of their rear end 3/4 of the time.
GaryRedSoxxWarriors — I don’t know the full context and nature of the interviews but I presume they were fairly friendly with the Globe and MassLive. The notion they needed to blame Bregman for not signing is troubling. As there is plenty overt suspicion it’s become a joke, the Sox constantly feign ‘interest’ in signing players they are reported to be pursuing. The Bregman case is no different. It just contrasts too much with the general opinion of the situation, when a simple “we had differing interests” would suffice. It’s best to put this stuff to bed instead of trying to ‘brainwash’ fans with a seed of doubt to previous reports.
@Cleveland
The context of the interview was that they were sitting out on the fields at the Red Sox spring training complex taking questions from the media – you can watch them on YouTube.
I don’t think anyone was ‘blaming’ and what they said was correct. Bregman made a choice likely due to more money and an additional 6 weeks a year with his family, although the no-trade clause may have been the cherry on top to seal the deal. I don’t blame him or the Red Sox in not offering him that deal – it was a better deal than he was offered a year earlier when he was a year younger.
That said, each year these two clowns answer questions they shouldn’t be addressing. The less they talk the better.
WCSoxFan — You and I know it’s not on those merits. But we can’t be considered the typical Red Sox fans. Werner is speaking to capture those with less attention devoted to nuance but otherwise fully devoted in heart with his authority. His words shape their views and how they emote. Hence why I’m keenly annoyed when Werner or Kennedy says duplicitous things which only serve to obfuscate their responsibility.
And your point with Devers, I think they kicked the can down the road.
They had an immature player making demands so they caved to it and said,
“fine… You are our third base forever will never switch you off the position.” Instead of addressing reality.
The reality is “OK you’re our third baseman right now but things change all the time. Be ready.”
You’d figure people in general avoid confrontation, but the higher up the chain you go you think they wouldn’t address these things head on?
Men managing men in a billions of dollars industry can’t face a man and explain to him reality?
Might be a situation of too many cooks in the kitchen? So you kick the can down the road because you’re too bothered to come up with a consensus and firm stand.
GaryRedSoxxWarriors — Whatever reality it was, kicking it down the road only counted for ’23 and ’24 because they were pretty decisive that Devers was gone before the All-Star break.
This whole thing was about face. Henry can’t ask Devers to be the scapegoat to him saving money because it isn’t Devers’ interest, so they can’t be man to man until it’s all happened and they have move forward apart.
I imagine this is exactly what was discussed when Henry flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers.
This situation isn’t about too many cooks, this situation is about plausible deniability. All that premeditation and effort is obscured pretty well when it shrouded in incompetence and confusion. A solid layer of coincidences to mask a 6 month effort to trade away a fan favorite to repurpose $180m future dollars is a lot easier to sell than ‘trust me I’m gonna rejigger this team aggressively to restart the cycle that has brought us success a couple times now by getting rid of our best hitter’.
Cleveland – Remember the John Henry scene in Moneyball?
The organization-wide arrogance starts at the very top.
Devers is gone. Bregman is gone. Let it go. The Red Sox are on the cusp of what should be their best season since 2018 and are built to be in contention for deep runs in the playoffs for the next half decade or so. Opening Day is right around the corner. Can we just get excited about all of this?
In the words of Hawkeye Pierce: “Come on in, take off your skin and rattle around in your bones!”
Play ball!
I can get cranky at times with what the Red Sox FO does and by no means am I a fan of the Manager, but with that said I am looking forward to this season and think that they had a decent Off Season.
I still think they are 1 bat Short (a righty hitting DH), but that doesn’t mean they can’t acquire one in season.
I am also fully on board with playing the young guys and I am glad they didn’t sign aging free agents to plug holes. As i have stated numerous times…. there is a reason why these guys that get to free agency are not a priority of the team they were with. Fans that want to sign the Free Agents that are over 30, are basing their wants and needs on what the players performance was and should be considering what the future player looks like…. and for almost all cases once over 30 it’s not what it looked like in their prime playing days. So to me, the only free agent I thought fit the Sox was Bichette. They chose to go with Pitching depth and Suarez….I hope it works, I guess we will see.
According to who? Were you in the clubhouse? I never heard players or coaches say Devers was a cancer. He did not handle being moved well, but it didn’t help that management lied to him about staying at 3rd. I get why people were unhappy with his complaining about changing positions, but him being a cancer is not anything I ever saw reported. If you have a link to an article with his teammates saying he was, please share it.
Uncle – They will provide proof right after they provide proof of Mookie disliking Boston ;O)
Sacrifice- his nickname was Carita because he was always smiling.
For the 11years prior to him leaving all you ever heard about him was how much everyone loved him.
Enough already
What a bunch of bull chips! The FO avoids the hard questions and gives non-answers for the others. Bregman would be here if they weren’t doing their stingy diatribe. Werner has some nerve showing his mug in public, “Mr. Full Throttle” needs to be throttled. The lying b@stard.