The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays tonight, minutes after wins by the Royals and Tigers. That officially eliminated Boston from playoff contention and turns their attention completely to the offseason. Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow met with the Boston beat before the game. While he didn’t go into too many specifics, he offered a few hints about where the Sox could turn in the winter.
Breslow pointed to the rotation, bullpen and a desire to balance a lefty-heavy lineup among the areas of focus (link via Sean McAdam of MassLive). That not coincidentally overlaps with the Sox’s impending free agents. Nick Pivetta, Tyler O’Neill, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Danny Jansen and Lucas Sims are all headed to the open market. That’s a pair of right-handed bats, one of their top starters, and multiple high-leverage relievers.
Asked about O’Neill specifically, Breslow said the Sox are “definitely interested in having some of those conversations” about a new deal (relayed by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). Boston hit on a buy-low acquisition of the slugger from the Cardinals last offseason. O’Neill leads the team with 31 home runs and sports a .240/.335/.512 slash across 469 plate appearances. He had a trio of brief injured list stints but has been one of the Sox’s best hitters when healthy. O’Neill has been a particularly key piece of maintaining some amount of lineup balance. He has obliterated lefty pitching at a .313/.429/.750 clip in 156 trips to the plate. He’s tied with Aaron Judge for second in MLB (one behind Ketel Marte) with 16 home runs off southpaws.
O’Neill is eligible for a qualifying offer. There’s a good chance the 29-year-old left fielder would accept a one-year offer worth more than $21MM. That’d be a massive jump over this year’s $5.85MM arbitration salary. The Sox may prefer a three- or four-year deal that comes at a more manageable annual rate. O’Neill’s camp will probably look to top the respective $42MM guarantees secured by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jorge Soler last winter.
Even if they retain O’Neill, that’d leave the Sox with the same lefty-leaning lineup they trotted out this year. They’ll need more contributors via some combination of free agency, trade and internal improvement. Vaughn Grissom is one of the higher-upside righty bats already on the roster. Grissom’s first season in Boston was underwhelming, as he battled injuries and struggled for most of the year. (Chris Sale, for whom the young infielder was traded, pitching his way to the NL Cy Young in Atlanta only adds to the disappointment.)
The Sox have split time at second base between Grissom and lefty-hitting Enmanuel Valdez with the season winding down. Breslow was noncommittal on whether the 23-year-old will enter next season as the favorite at second base. “I think he’s absolutely got the potential to do that,” the chief baseball officer said of Grissom being an everyday player (via Speier). “But ultimately it’s going to be the play on the field that dictates who our everyday second base is.”
Ha-Seong Kim, who’ll also draw attention as a shortstop, and Gleyber Torres headline the free agent class at second base. Jonathan India will probably be the subject of trade speculation yet again. It seems unlikely that the Sox would devote a ton of resources to the position. That’d impede Grissom and speedster David Hamilton next season. With top shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer potentially on the radar for a 2025 debut, the keystone could be the long-term home for Trevor Story.
The pitching staff is a clearer area for free agent investment. Jansen and Martin have been two of Alex Cora’s top three leverage arms for the past couple seasons. Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten will be back in the late innings. Liam Hendriks should be healthy and could compete with Slaten for the closing job. The Sox will probably look for multiple additions to solidify the setup corps in front of that duo. A reunion with Martin wouldn’t be surprising.
A rotation built around Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and hopefully a healthy Lucas Giolito has promise. Richard Fitts has had decent results in his first four MLB starts. Pivetta has absorbed a lot of innings while flashing strikeout stuff over the past few years though. The Sox will need to replace that volume if he walks.
Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty headline the free agent rotation class. Sean Manaea, Nick Martinez, Luis Severino and old friend Nathan Eovaldi (assuming he declines a $20MM player option with Texas) are among the middle-tier starters who’d more closely mirror last winter’s Giolito pickup.
Joemo
The rotation still needs work. The same thing could be said about the rotation going into this season, they show promise and a healthy Giolito has promise.
Let’s get some help there. If they go into 2025 without meaningful upgrades on the player side to the rotation, were in for more of the same.
PoisonedPens
Yes, agreed. The rotation needs a MLB-quality #1 and #2 starters and the bullpen will need a stopper and a closer. Not sure how it all will pan out, but I can’t believe that Boston is as desirable a destination for FAs as it was when the team was winning consistently just a few years ago.
acell10
pitch upgrades are more likely to come via trade. That said unless there is a trade involving Rafaela, Duran or Abreu, I’d be very shocked if the sox offered O’Neil a 3/4 year contract especially with the outfield talent on the way up.
KingKen
I agree with that take on the OFers but I also think Seattle and Boston line up very well for a trade this winter. Seattle’s season long offensive struggles and Boston’s need for a solid top of the rotation arm should be the makings of a deal. I’d like to see the Sox try and target either Kirby or Gilbert and see what they can work out with Seattle to land one of them.
Canuckleball
Duran would certainly get the M’s attention. Duran/Rodriguez/Arozarena would make for a highly impactful outfield.
He’d be the key piece that would likely get you one of Seattle’s better pitchers.
KingKen
Yeah I was kinda figuring he’d have to headline a package in this scenario. It would be tough sending him in a deal but at the same time I’m of the mindset that this year probably will wind up being Duran’s “career year” and while he won’t drop off substantially he’s probably not going to repeat the level of production he had this year either. So capitalizing on it now to shore up the rotation makes sense. But I’m struggling to identify who would realistically take over the lead off spot of the Sox trade him.
Blackpink in the area
Yoshida and one of the Red Sox back end type starters for Luis Castillo that could make sense.
Bobby smac9
Salary concerns
acell10
if Duran enabled the sox to get George Kirby I’d strongly consider that. Suddenly pitching goes from being a major concern to a strength.
HatlessPete
While I see how this lines up in the abstract I very much doubt any of these three players are going to be on the market this offseason. If Seattle moves a pitcher it’s more likely to be one of woo or Miller imo. Similarly duran feels least likely to be the of piece Boston listens on rn.
tff17
The rotation depth is improved a bit, now that Fitts and Priester are major league ready, but they still need another arm at the top.
Could use two leverage relievers, preferably one from the left side. I’m hoping Whitlock will help in the pen as well.
Yoshida isn’t a terrible hitter, but he is a better fit on another roster.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Outside of adding some pitching, the biggest priority / challenge of this offseason will be balancing the lineup. Right now, Boston has 5 LHH starters: Devers, Duran, Casas, Yoshida & Abreu. David Hamilton also bats LH. Making things worse, 3 of their Top 4 prospects bat LH as well: Mayer, Anthony & Teel. Breslow should find a way to trade Yoshida this offseason but that’s not nearly enough. He’ll need to trade another 1-2 LHH and replace them with RHH to balance the lineup. Re-signing O’Neill might be a necessity for the team. Then the really tough decisions will need to be made. If they believe Roman Anthony is ready, they could trade Duran for a haul. If they want to spend big, they could trade Casas for pitching and sign Pete Alonso to a big free agent contract but Henry seems a little too tight in the wallet these days to approve this.
Both Mayer & Teel should make their debuts next year and Anthony could as well. If this happens and Breslow does not make any trades, there would be nights where 7 or even 8 of their starters all bat left-handed. That just can’t happen in today’s MLB. I don’t envy Breslow at all this offseason as he’ll need to trade some fan favorites in order to balance the lineup. Let’s just hope he can acquire equally good players in return for the talent they’ll need to send out.
deweybelongsinthehall
Dorothy, as good as TO has been, he and the current team strike out too much. Yoshida is a solid hitter but yes needs to be dealt. No one should be off limits, it just depends on the return offered. I would love for this team to be built on defense and pitching. To me, Casas and Yoshida plus perhaps Abreu or even Duran who will become more expensive should all be traded. Then depending on other moves, you hopefully find gloves at first and third and DH Raffy. The best part of the last two weeks was seeing Story return. If he becomes his old self in 25 (still a huge if), it will improve the team on both sides of the ball.
Fever Pitch Guy
dewey – O’Neill has just 61 RBI while batting almost exclusively 3rd-5th, he is simply not a big money player. And his defense is brutal. I would be very surprised and disappointed if he returns next season … unless it’s as a reasonably paid platoon player against LHP only.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Fever/Dewey – I agree that O’Neill’s strikeout rates are concerning but his defense is much better than ‘brutal’. He’s won 2 GG for his OF defense albeit one of them coming in the shortened 2020 season, but he won it again in 2021. He made some nice plays in RF for them this year and he has an excellent arm too.
I’d be perfectly fine with them signing another RHH free agent who can play LF & RF but I don’t see anyone available that fits this bill with the power and defense that O’Neill provides. Abreu was amazing in RF this year, but he is of course a LHH and needs to sit against some of the tougher LH pitchers in the league. Michael Conforto may be available but is he better than O’Neill? The Sox need to replace his power somehow as outside of Devers and maybe a healthy Casas, they really don’t have anyone who can guarantee them 20+ HRs next year. A healthy Story would be great but not sure we can count on that. Also, aim hoping Rafaela continues to improve at the plate. He’s the closest thing they have to Mookie, but at best Rafaela becomes “Mookie-Lite”.
all in the suit that you wear
Kristian Campbell is a RH hitter and he has played in the outfield in the minors. So, I think he could play there with the Sox. I think he could handle left field.
Fever Pitch Guy
Dotty – The majority of analysts, including the great Alex Speier, strongly believe Campbell & Anthony have the best chance of being promoted first.
I agree with them, I think the injury has pushed back the ETA for Mayer and I think Teel is just a bit behind the other Big 3 prospects.
With that said, replacing Yoshida with a solid RHB and promoting Campbell should go a long way in balancing the lineup.
rememberthecoop
So what’s wrong with 3-4 lefty hitters? Counting DH, it still leaves more right-handed hitters than left. Plus, the vast majority of pitchers throw with their right hand, so having that many, or even more, lefties wouldn’t seem to be a concern, in my opinion.
Fever Pitch Guy
tff – I’m gonna reserve judgement on Priester until he proves he can actually pitch in the majors. It’s a VERY big step going from AAA to the majors, and it just feels like he’s being overhyped.
tff17
FPG, I don’t hype guys. I agree that the step up from AAA to the majors is the largest, and there is never any certainty of how a player will perform. But in analyzing a prospect you need to look at how they’ve progressed, not simply at the full-season line.
Pitching is a combination of potential and consistency. Priester is better at missing bats than Fitts, which gives him a slightly higher ceiling (maybe a #3 pitcher if all goes right), and his consistency improved over the last two months. Three of his last four starts were very strong, only one bust where his command deserted him.
The rotation depth last winter (your order may differ) included Giolito, Pivetta, Bello, Crawford, Houck, Whitlock, and Criswell. Giolito had recent performance concerns, Whitlock is always an injury concern (and showed that in 2023), and Criswell is a pretty limited talent.
This year they have a chance to go into the season with five solid veterans including Houck, Bello, Giolito, and Crawford. And hopefully a quality acquisition. Criswell, Fitts, and Priester ought to line up as depth, and are a step up from the depth we had last year. I would hope that they can avoid “bullpen games”.
Think Winckowski. Guys who are pitchable and don’t go out of their way to lose games. That has value because they are a step up from Anderson, Keller, Joely Rodriguez, and Horn. Better than what Garcia and Sims gave us as well for that matter.
william-2
I look at the Red Sox rotation and I see 4’s, 5’s, and 6’s. Not a single one of them would I consider a 1 or 2. There is 3 potential in there for a couple. The problem with filling out a rotation with back end arms is that you do so because you have nearly nothing in the system to displace them. When the injuries start, and they always do, your replacements tend to be guys with very little chance to succeed for any sustained period at the MLB level. In other words, your replacing mediocrity usually with patch work garbage.
tff17
Are you taking Fenway and the weak defense into account? Between the two, they add about half a run per game to the pitchers’ tallies.
I also wonder if you have looked around the league? There are just 125 pitchers in the majors with 100+ innings, and the median of those has a 3.80 ERA. So to a first approximation, a #1 or #2 pitcher is better than 3.80 (4.05 to 4.30 in Fenway in front of the crappy Red Sox defense) and a #3 or #4 pitchers is a little worse than that. Simply throwing 100 innings is enough to make you one of the top 125 starters in the majors.
Houck is the #19 pitcher in the majors by both ERA and IP, so I believe he is a credible #1. At least a #1B.
Crawford and Pivetta are more of a #3 or #4. Both are fly ball pitchers who would look better in a larger park.
Bello was pretty bad in the first half, but since the mental reset at the end of June, he is #7 in IP and #48 with a 3.66 ERA (would be much better with a decent defense). I understand and accept people’s skepticism, but would at least see that second half as the POTENTIAL to be a strong #2.
As you say, they have plenty of guys right now to fill the #4 to #6 roles. Hopefully Giolito can rebound to be a strong #3.
They could still use a “true ace” for sure, but the rotation is in better shape than either the bullpen, the crappy defense, or the strikeout-heavy offense.
william-2
Just to be clear, you are happy and convinced that a rotation of Houck as your ace(B), and what your claiming is 4 pitchers that are number 3’s and 4’s is the recipe to a playoff run. Interesting it hasn’t happened yet.
In all seriousness, I see what you are saying, but the reality is, even with your slightly uplifting evaluation, your conceding Houke is not really an ace, just the best we have. Your conceding we have no real number 2, which you admit is where Houck should be if rated as high as you think. Which means our collection of 3’s and 4’s, as you put it, may not actually be 3’s and 4’s, but more likely 4’s, and 5’s. That is on our team. On playoff teams this year half our guys aren’t starting, Houke is probably a 3, and Bello 4 or 5.
tff17
No, I said above that they need another top arm. What they have is an above average rotation backed by an average lineup, crappy defense, and inconsistent bullpen. That doesn’t add up to a playoff run.
How many of the playoff teams have two SP better than Houck by either ERA or innings pitched? Maybe one or two of them?
tff17
And yeah, for a playoff run you want guys like Crawford and Pivetta as your #4 and #5, with the minor leguers as depth and bullpen arms.
william-2
That makes the rotation Houck, Giolito, Bello, Crawford and Pivetta as it stands if we resign guys. That is not cutting it. If we add 1 ace pitcher, they all drop one slot, and the Red Sox will not pay Pivetta real money to pitch out of the pen. so, he wouldn’t come back.
So….Unnamed ace, Houck, Giolito, Bello, Crawford.
Maybe, just maybe, a shot at contending for wild card if Giolito shows anything, and Bello finally figures out he isn’t a sinker baller.
all in the suit that you wear
Someone needs to be willing to trade an ace to the Red Sox. An ace may or may not be available. Also, if the asking price is too ridiculous, the Sox may not see it as worthwhile.
william-2
Match ups are what matter because they happen game to game to tilt odds of success. You compare 1-5 vs 1-5. Slot against slot. If Houck is your ace, you’re already starting with (in your words) a 1b pitcher either against an ace, or fellow 1b pitcher. Using your words. We then have a 2 vs our 3, a 3 vs our 4, a 4 vs maybe a 4, or 5. a 5 vs a 5 or 6.
Other teams do not need two pitchers better then Houck. They need 1 close to, or better, and 2 others that pitch at number 2 or 3 levels. Teams that outperform that usually dominate. Ex: Maddux Atlanta years. Yankees title years, etc.
You want Houck to be an ace? Puff, he is the ace. That means he is the best we can muster. Those other guys that show time and again they are back-end starters will face better guys, a lot.
Red Sox are 17th in pitching. The question is this. How many other team’s playoff teams have 2, 3, 4, 5 better pitchers then the 5 we run out there in match ups of 1-5?
You can argue Seattle 1-5 may be better than each match up 1-5 we offer, but they aren’t even in the playoffs atm.
The Yankees two top names have had down years, but you would still probably want their 1-5 over our 1-5 in matchups.
Baltimore isn’t a strong rotation, but I would still rather have their 1, 2, 3 in order over our 1,2,3.
Rather than go team by team since there are far more better rotations then ours in the playoffs it is easier to list that. Cleveland is probably not as good. Baltimore 4, and 5 pitchers are probably not as good as our 4, 5. In nearly every other case the team in the play offs will have 3 to 4 starters better than our counterpart for that rotation slot.
william-2
Then they will be looking in rather than out. They need to buy, trade, or discover a number 1 and 2. I have been getting into it with someone here about the rotation and I love Houck, but I need him to be a 3. I need at least 2 arms off that rotation also to either create payroll, or be relegated to the pen to bolster there, and knock 2 names off that trash heap middle inning pen.
tff17
The Red Sox rotation was sixth in the majors by ERA *this* year, and a healthy Giolito with Pivetta resigned would extend that. (Bello is probably the better pitcher, though, so I would slot them differently.)
I definitely covet another #1/#2 pitcher, but I see that as improving on a strength rather than patching a weakness.
The weaknesses?
* 30 bullpen losses, 8th most in the majors. A 4.46 bullpen ERA, sixth worst in the majors.
* -20 FRV defensively, 7th worst in the majors
* 25.3% K, third most in the majors, vs. a very average 8.0% BB. Results in an offense that struggles for consistency.
* A 104 RC+, barely above average, #10 in the majors. The offense only looks better than this because of the boost it gets from Fenway.
So I’m not saying the rotation couldn’t be better. But it is less of a weakness than the bullpen, less of a weakness than the offense, and far less of a weakness than the team-crappy defense. It makes sense to get an ace pitcher because of the carry-on effects from taking the load off the lesser arms. But that alone won’t push them into the playoffs, let alone make them a serious contender.
Fix the damn defense for once, and the pitching looks better. Sign at least one if not two impact arms for the bullpen. Commit to some lineup depth so we don’t suffer through Dalbec, Cooper, and Smith again next year. And stop pretending that Yoshida is an asset when he blocks the one spot which you could fill with a legit RHH bat.
If the starting pitching is the only area they upgrade this winter, you can write off 2025 before the season begins.
tff17
I suspect you aren’t taking Fenway into account, let alone the crappy Red Sox defense. Adjusting for park effects, the Red Sox ERA- of 95 is 11th in the majors. I agree with you that isn’t good enough — but the bullpen needs a heck of a lot more help than the rotation. The rotation simply needs a fifth healthy arm, so we don’t see half a dozen “bullpen games” on top of limited-inning starts by Criswell.
Don’t forget about the other myriad team needs. And if the defense were doing its job, the ENTIRE TEAM would have an ERA that is a quarter run lower. They’d look a bit better then, no?
all in the suit that you wear
I think the Red Sox will balance present needs with future needs. Theo Epstein always said you need to keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future when making moves. So, if trading for an ace costs too much of the future, I doubt it will happen unless they are very close to winning a World Series. For example, the trade for Quinn Priester didn’t give up much of the future. I think the Red Sox sign may Luis Severino this offseason.
all in the suit that you wear
*may sign
KingKen
I agree Yoshida should be moved this winter. If the Sox eat half of his contract they should be able to move him somewhere in a deal. That roster spot is better used for a decent right handed hitter going forward.
rmullig2
If they pay off half of the money he’s owed then the Sox would wind up paying 63 million for two years of Yoshida.
william-2
I cannot see a single downside to the Yoshida signing. They wanted, and needed improved defense with additional power, and that is exactly what they got…………….and on the cheap side.
The only people that questioned this signing and its value was nearly everyone else in the league when the deal was signed. Boy, are they eating crow now. We are getting second basemen production out of our DH and people want to trade him already? SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!
Yoshida for a thousand years!!!!!!
tff17
Yes, Yoshida is a huge part of the problem. By blocking the DH slot he pushes weak defensive players into the field. And with Devers and Casas as two of our better hitters, there aren’t THAT many places to slot a RHH power threat.
Biggest issue with this team — as you allude to with the rotation — is that they have too many guys who are average, too few real stars. The two easiest star-tier upgrades are a SP (an ace rather than simply resigning Pivetta) and a thumping RHH DH (in place of Yoshida). There are cheaper options to fill those needs, but cheaper options aren’t going to upgrade the roster to the degree necessary to make this team competitive.
'Tang It
They fail to mention the biggest potential option at 2b. Campbell is close and could be the starter before the year is out. Grissom/Hamilton will probably be the solution until then.
FatChance65
The off-season plan? Simple: Full throttle Part 2.
deweybelongsinthehall
It makes me think the full throttle quote was done to try to sell a few more Boston Gloves…
Claydagoat
the fixation on one off the cuff comment that so many of you have is totally bizarre.
solaris602
Like CLE, the Sox got away with having a relatively quiet offseason last winter. But I wouldn’t tempt fate again this winter. BOS has some very clear needs that should be addressed for them to take the next step, and while the rotation has been surprisingly good, it’s time to bring in an ace.
Ltsz2904
JOHN H and Sam K are content with mediocrity because our beloved Fenway generates enough $$ for them.
deweybelongsinthehall
How could ownership go from being so loved to being so despised? This has nothing to do with championships and everything with the continued desire to compete. Winning championships? Nah. Only thing that matters is printing money…It used to be you spent to make but obviously John Henry found an easier way thanks to the suckers a/k/a Sox fans,
Fever Pitch Guy
dewey – Let’s wait and see what this year’s revenue looks like when it comes out in April, I think Sox fans have definitely caught on.
rememberthecoop
Dewey, I feel the same way about my fellow Cubs fans, who seem to go to Wrigley more for the beer, women & ambiance than to watch winning baseball. That fills the coffers so that Ricketts doesn’t need to be concerned about winning.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
If the Red Sox had the payroll capacity like 5 years ago, I think they would resign O’Neill and Danny, sign fried to balance the rotation and maybe resign kenley for one more year
But this is 2024 so the Red Sox have to keep their profits just like every company
Argh if 2019 was now I’d be richhhh
Fever Pitch Guy
sad – What could you possibly see in Danny Jansen that warrants bringing him back? He’s basically a thinner taller version of Vazquez.
Canuckleball
@ Fever
Jansen has had a down year, especially since getting to Boston. Prior to that, he was one of the best power hitting catchers in the league (by rate stats). Last year he had 17 HR in only 268 ab’s. His biggest issue was staying healthy. If he can get back to his normal form, he’d be highly valuable.
william-2
They need 2 high end starters. They have to upgrade, and it has to be clear upgrades. For some unfathomable reason some people are talking about Giolito like he is an answer returning. He may be (long shot). But if he is, I would rather him win comeback player of the year as our number 3 and not the best of the mid tier pitcher pile. Get the 1 and 2. Hope Giolito is solid and healthy. Fill out the last two spots, and either fill the bullpen with upgrades or jettison the contracts to clear money for those upgrades.
cgallant
I want to trade Yoshida for a reliever and have Mayer spend the winter and spring training learning 3B and move Raffy to a full time DH role. I’m also open to moving Duran for a young controllable starter with ace potential. Roman Anthony will be up by June next year.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
I think Red Sox would prefer dumping abreu instead of duran since abreu can’t hit against lefty’s and Duran is their lead off hitter (unless Rafaela lives up to the hype but he looks like a defense first guy so far)
Red Sox and mariners could line up a trade… that would be interesting…
william-2
I have seen absolutely nothing to make me think Rafaela is going to be a long term solution as a starting player long term. There are just so many flaws in his hitting approach, and he just doesn’t have enough of the offensive power or OBP to justify him playing every day. If I were evaluating him, I would already be grooming him as a super utility player and looking to see how I can upgrade at his spot with a pure hitter with power to stretch the lineup and add protection for Devers.
Claydagoat
I like Yoshida, but he has a bad contract. The only way he’s being traded is for another bad contract unless Boston pays at least half of his salary.
william-2
I would take the other bad contract in a second if it means Devers being a full time DH and being forced to replace him at third with a legitimate MLB fielder with some hit tools.
Ideally, with lots of luck, it would be best to have some combo of Mayers, Story and Grissom working.
Claydagoat
I’d much rather pay part of Yoshida’s salary and move him then take on another bad contract
Pedro Martinez’s Mango Tree
The only promise that rotation holds is the promise to miss the playoffs yet again. There’s no way Ebeneezer Henry allows Breslow to spend what it’ll take to actually make the rotation a strength
Claydagoat
Ebeneezer Henry! Oh how droll!
BloodySox
They have needed pitching for years. I’ve never seen such an obvious fix being ignored for so long.
ray win
Any trade that involves Duran is a loser. He was one of the 10 best players in baseball this year. You can’t replace that, especially when you won’t spend money.
letitbelowenstein
Duran doesn’t fit Henry’s “image” and I always got the feeling Cora has never been a big fan of Jarren, in spite of what he may publicly say.
Claydagoat
He played him every single game, and talks him up all the time, but he isn’t a “big fan”.
What do you base your “feelings;” on.? Nothing?
kyredsox17
Lol you couldn’t be more off about how Cora and the organization view Duran. Cora has 1,000 quotes about how he wished everyone worked as hard as he did.
rmullig2
If they want a #1 starter that doesn’t cost 30M a year then they have to give up either Duran or Casas. They seem to have better replacements available in the outfield than at first base.
Old York
Times sure have changed, and not for the better if you ask me. We didn’t need a ‘Chief Baseball Officer’ to tell us who could play second base. You just threw a guy out there and told him to figure it out, or he’d be ridin’ the rails by sundown.
olmtiant
FPG.. saw you post on home grown pitchers… nice to see the possibility of some developed talent on the mound… saw hurst/ Clemens/ nipper/ but what about my guy oil can?? I could swear he had a couple of 200 innings years/ 30 starts.. was he with that trio?? 86?? I’ll hang up and listen as usual…
Fever Pitch Guy
olm – That’s a great question! Can was injured that year (1987) and therefore had only 7 starts.
He did have 30+ starts in 1985-1986 though ;O)
Claydagoat
Stop feeding the troll.
lesterdnightfly
“The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays tonight, minutes after wins by the Royals and Tigers. That officially eliminated Boston from playoff contention…”
Gosh, so close–just minutes after! Imagine if they had lost BEFORE the Royals and Tigers games, or a full hour or two afterwards!
What a difference that would have made in the future of the Red Sox!
Fever Pitch Guy
lester – And the Red Sox lost 20-7 to the lowly Rockies just minutes after Cora signed his contract extension. LOLOL!!
letitbelowenstein
They were too busy feeling the “joy”.
Fever Pitch Guy
let – Yeah and Cora didn’t care because he got paid.
Just a coincidence the team collapsed immediately after the extension was being finalized? Having watched Cora’s interviews closely during the first half and second half, there’s a noticeable difference. He’s as arrogant and cocky as ever now.
The other day the NESN guys asked him why he changed his approach from 2018 and 2019, going from way too much resting of players to letting them play a lot more ….. he said it’s because the 2018-2019 teams were expected to win, but this year’s team he didn’t expect to contend for the postseason. Talk about arrogance …. leopards never change their spots.
letitbelowenstein
Fever, if a manager “doesn’t expect” his team to contend, the manager needs to be replaced.
Chebert
* Sox’
AL34
I’ll believe it when I see it with Breslow after the “Full Throttle” BS last year. They need a solid starter at the top of the pitching staff. Whitlock should be in the bullpen with a closer competition between him and Martin. I think Jensen is gone. O’Neill is good but he must have hit a lot of solo homers last year attributed to the low RBI total. Not sure if he comes back. Can you imagine if they had signed Aaron Judge last year and his homerun total at Boston. This year depends if the are going to spend money on starting pitching, good relievers and hitting. Please get a second baseman who can hit. Anyway I’ll believe it when I see it. Wake me up if the Red Sox do anything major in the offseason and not the buy low and high potential guys we usually pick up with Bloom and Breslow philosophies.
william-2
The Sox need two high end starters. A clear 1 and 2. It is important for this team to upgrade their rotation, but it is just as vital for them to kick two starters out of the rotation into the bullpen so they can jettison 2 of the least productive pitchers off the roster. Getting 2 high end pitchers will have a cascading effect that helps everywhere with their pitching staff (except the elite lefty reliever they have been lacking for more then a decade).
Darthyen
Boston please resign Danny Jansen so the Blue Jays don’t do something stupid like try bringing him back to Toronto.
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
Anthony Franco is my favorite writer on this website by far. Love his style detail and opinions. I think this is the first time in years that I’ve had a disagreement come to mind.
“”There’s a good chance the 29-year-old left fielder would accept a one-year offer worth more than $21MM””
There’s not a single chance in the entire universe known and unknown that Tyler O’Neill comes back to the red sox. Not on a one-year deal not on a four year deal not on a 10-year deal and not on a spring training invite. He is 100% gone.
Joemo
Why?
Here’s a quote from him around the deadline: “I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’d love to stay here the rest of the season, possibly beyond if that’s what they want. But we’ll see. Again, it’s a business, so time will tell on that.”
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
The only position player the Red Sox would consider adding is a Masher for the Outfield. Yes Tyler O’Neill filled the Gap this year but he can’t stay healthy. I’m talking about someone reliable who will stay in the lineup. It won’t be a free agent signing either. Red Sox have way too many outfielders ready to go for 2025.
I’m of the opinion though it’s not popular, that you trade Jaren Duran right now while he’s at the top. You get a young starting pitcher and maybe a Masher for the Outfield by throwing in six or seven of those extra second baseman. Tongue in cheek of course.
Red Sox need pitching and more pitching. That’s where the concentration in the offseason should be.
tff17
Rooker? He’s more of a DH, of course.
George22
I think the lineup imbalances and starting pitching can be solved at least for 2025 with a couple of moves.
Sign Alex Bregman
Re-sign Tyler O’Neill
Trade Triston Casas for George Kirby
Trade Masataka Yoshida for bullpen arm
The hitters and starting pitching would look like this.
C Connor Wong (R)
1B Rafael Devers (L)
2B Vaughn Grissom (R)
SS Trevor Story (R)
3B Alex Bregman (R) (free agent signing)
RF Wilyer Abreu (L)
CF Ceddanne Rafaela (R)
LF Juran Duran (L)
DH Tyler O’Neil (R)
SP Lucas Giolito
SP George Kirby (trade w/ Seattle for Casas)
SP Bryan Bello
SP Tanner Houck
SP Cutter Krawford
Casas trade allows Devers to move to 1B. That would remove a left handed bat in Casas, improve the defense by moving Devers out of 3B. Having Bregman at 3B will improve the defense. Re-signing O’Neill and making him the primary DH and 4th outfielder would be better than Yoshida. Kirby as a starter would be good with Giolito coming back. Reassess at the trade deadline.