The Red Sox have set their roster for Opening Day, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Outfielder Raimel Tapia has had his contract selected, as was reported earlier this week. In a corresponding move, infielder Adalberto Mondesí has been placed on the 60-day injured list. Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe had reported a few days ago that this was likely to be the way things played out.
Mondesí, 27, came over from the Royals in an offseason trade. The talented infielder has stolen 133 bases in 358 games while also earning strong grades for his glovework. The problem is that those 358 games have been scattered over seven different seasons due to various injuries. Last year, a torn ACL ended his season after just 15 games.
The Red Sox seemed to know that Mondesí was still on the mend from that surgery when they acquired him, as chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said in January that Mondesí “still has a ways to go” in his rehab. Now that Opening Day has rolled around, it seems they still don’t expect him to return in the next two months, as he will now be ineligible to return prior to late May.
Once he is healthy, he figures to jump into Boston’s middle infield mix. With Xander Bogaerts now on the Padres and Trevor Story potentially missing the entire season due to elbow surgery, the club moved Enrique Hernández in from the outfield to cover shortstop and Christian Arroyo will be at second. Yu Chang is slotted in as the backup infielder for now, but Mondesí could push him for playing time if healthy.
2023 figures to be an important season for Mondesí, as he is a free agent at season’s end. Despite all the missed time due to those injuries, he’s obviously quite talented and will be just 28 years old when he hits the open market. A strong and healthy finish here in 2023 could make him an intriguing option in free agency this winter.
Shocker.
Still waiting for the media idiots to ask Bloom what his obsession is with aquiring cripples.
Boxscore – Even if he was healthy, I fail to see what the “talent” in the article is based on.
Career .280 OBP and .687 OPS over 7 seasons without ever sniffing a GG.
I swear some of these articles are dictated by the player’s agent.
He’s definitely talented, but as we all know talent doesn’t always equate with success.
sycophant – I agree! I think sometimes players are called talented because they are gifted athletes, but like you said the best athletes in the world don’t necessarily perform well.
You don’t play minor league ball at 16 and debut in the majors at 20 because of your agent
nuts – It’s just semantics, but the bottom line is you are what your numbers say you are … and that doesn’t stay the same during your whole career.
A guy could be a 5-tool player who excels from his mid-teens to early 20’s and then nosedives, it happens a lot.
Some players are late bloomers (no pun intended), and other players bloom early and then fade. Nothing in life stays constant.
Stolen bases.
Or as Mondesi likes to call it, Home Sweet Home
That was quick.
It looked like a solid deal on paper; but suddenly Josh Taylor looks a lot more valuable than a month ago; when the speculation for Mondesí and the Sox INCLUDED him opening the year as the starting SS. Now that we know that’s not happening (and I’m assuming the Sox knew there was a chance this could go down); I’m not sure I give up a very decent bullpen arm for Raul….errrr Adalberto
It’s disappointing he’s on the 60 day Il but Taylor didn’t even make the Royals out of spring training. He might end up with the big league club sooner than Mondesi but it’s hard to label him a decent bullpen arm if he’s in AAA and not the bigs.
Taylor didn’t make the Royals? Wow; I’m surprised. Guys been solid
Ace – you are correct. There is a very good chance Taylor may have been DFA as he was horrible last year in AAA.
No love for the lefty, or his two full seasons in ‘19 and ‘21 with an era under 4 and more strikeouts than innings pitched….Here I thought those were good qualities. Although, it’s not like I was following him closely last season. Rooting for
him to make it back, washy looking trade
his ERA was solid but even on his best days he had trouble throwing strikes which was his biggest issue. Perhaps more time in the minors will help that this year.
but suddenly Josh Taylor looks a lot more valuable than a month ago;
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And I’d have thought his demotion to the minor leagues would’ve made him less valuable.
Joe Brady, no disagreement from me there. But it is a bit of a surprise; perhaps Aroldis sealed his fate
My guess is it just the injury hangover from last year. I think he is a legit LH RP, which always has value. But he might need more arm strength.
Joe – That’s exactly what I was thinking.
Im sure Josh Taylor’s 1.565 Whip in ST had something to do with it. 10 hits in 7 innings isn’t the stuff of MLB players.
He hasn’t pitched in 2 years cut him some slack
First off he missed 1 season. Thats 1.5 years not two. Secondly, are the haters going to cut Mondesi slack for needing to go on 60 day list?
SODO: “Sox INCLUDED him opening the year as the starting SS”
Why lie? Its so easy to check. This came from Bloom’s mouth when the trade was made:
“Our expectation is that he may be a little delayed to start the season, but Opening Day is still a possibility. And with an athlete like this, I wouldn’t rule it out,” said Bloom.
mlb.com/news/adalberto-mondesi-trade-red-sox
The GM doesnt have him “INCLUDED” as the starting SS. Who do you mean by “Sox”, White Sox maybe?
The surprise will be if he eventually plays and contributes. As for me, I just learned I have COVID for the first time. Glad though it happened now instead of three years ago
dewey – Very sorry to hear, I thought Covid was a thing of the past. I don’t see ANYONE distancing or wearing masks in the state I’m in.
BTW – It’s great to hear the Real Dewey has been mentoring Verdugo, hopefully Dugie was paying attention and the advice pays off.
It was a shock to both of us and yes I still wear a mask in public. As for Evans, Verdugo can learn from one of the best.
This is why the Royals gave up on him – he can’t stay healthy.
It would have been nice entering the season having a starting, plus defender, playing their natural position somewhere on the team.
3 left fielders, utility guys at short and second, a DH at third, a third baseman at first, and 2 backup catchers. And away we go.
Just add into the mix there all 35 and up
I just want to point out that Kaleb Ort is on the team. He is on an MLB team, and it is a big market team. A Major League Baseball team watched him pitch, knows how he performs and choose to place him on their team.
If I was the owner of the Red Sox and I saw this, I would fire every human being in the organization from GM down to the ushers. If we do not have two human beings capable enough to fill the spots of Ort and Brasier than we have a terrible GM, scouting department, and player development department. This roster is hot garbage.
Bloom is a bumbling fool and is meant for a small market team where they barely draw fans like Tampa not a major market team like Boston.
William – How did you like Brasier’s performance?
Even Kelly pitched much worse than the box score shows, allowing 2 inherited runners to score on a wild pitch and bases loaded walk. It was a brutal performance, just like Brasier’s.
I know what the Bloom suckups are gonna say, they are gonna compare this year’s team to the 2021 Sox that got swept at home by the O’s to start the season. Just like they’ve been comparing this year’s team to the 2013 team. We call that “grasping at straws”..
Since I posted this, the Red Sox have used both pitchers I mentioned. 3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 1 k. HOT GARBAGE.
It’s one game from a marathon season. I’m more concerned with Cora who is overrated than I am Bloom. The team is rebuilding and if their youngsters mostly click, the team will grow together in 24.
Cora doesn’t prioritize winning before June which means they could fall far behind in the standings real quick
Just look at opening day yesterday. Kluber…clobbered in only 3 and 1/3. Then Cora pours gasoline with Zach whatshisname and no control Braiser to seal it. Hate to say I told you so…
“hate to say I told you so. . .”
430 comments under “Kluber signs with Boston” and your only one is:
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Boxscore 3 months ago
‘Not trading JD and Nate looks so ridiculously stupid now.’
Um, Bloom’s in charge what did you expect?
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That comment says nothing about a prediction for Kluber.
Hate to say you didnt tell us so, but you didnt. But you are correct, in that, you still hate Bloom.
Funny you didnt say a negative word about Kluber, when we signed him. If youre gonna brag about a prediction you do it when the guy is signed/traded/waived/etc. And please dont pull up some rando post from 3 weeks ago, Im pretty sure youve bad mouthed every Bloom move some time or another.
#Haters be hatin.
Box – You were 100% right as always..
Another great Bloom Bargain Basement Pickup in Kory Kluber gave up 5 runs over 3.1. This is going to be an interesting year. This is not a great team and will luck to win 75 games this year. This team cannot finish dead last again this year without Henry firing Bloom.
I would be shocked if there isn’t a meeting after this game to discuss dropping both Brasier and Ort. The fact they made this team is either catastrophic failings in evaluation, or a team so bereft of talent that they are genuinely the best we have to offer leaving camp. In either case, how do you justify it with a large market team pushing the cap?
Scouting, development, evaluators, and all upper management should be talked to. Honestly, I would have had this meeting going into last season out of camp with that dumpster roster, but this is vital to do. People must be held accountable. We can no longer decide to overspend, and push the cap on mediocrity, and reclamations. This is an embarrassment.
William – Because Bloom gave Brasier a nearly 50% raise to $2M this year, there’s zero chance he will be released before June.
Heck Robles wasn’t released last year until July, and he was God-awful.
I understand, but they have to understand this isn’t 2018 still. He was a shock that year and has been pitching to reality rather than their expectations. They have cut dead weight plenty of times, and the spot on a staff is far more valuable.
Ort is a total mystery. Not his pitching. That we all know is bad and will always be bad. I would rather that spot go to Wally, but since that won’t happen, how about an actual pitcher with control.
William – I totally agree with you on both. I think when either of Whitlock, Rodriguez, Paxton or Bello return then Ort will be gone. When another returns from the IL in June or July, then Brasier will be gone.
The thing that’s really irritating, prior to the game Cora obviously penciled in Martin for the 8th. He was easily the best reliever who pitched today, he should have been the first or second guy out of the pen. If he was, Sox could have likely held on for a win.
Al – I totally agree. I know the pitching staff will get better when/if pitchers return from the IL, but right now every relief pitcher they have brought out today has no business being on a ML mound. Kelly, Brasier, Ort and Winckowski … awful, just awful.
I’m giving Kluber a pass because of his age and the cold weather.
Kluber is toast. He never topped 88 with his fastball and there is no movement on his breaking ball. Another great signing by Bloom. How long before he hits the IL, disabled by embarrassment?
Nobby – Considering Kluber was quite effective last year, I wouldn’t write him off after just one cold weather game.
And under Cora Red Sox pitchers have a tendency to perform poorly in March/April because they aren’t properly trained in ST.
FPG – Great point. The better the pitcher the worse the impact of having Cora as the manager. Price was great until Cora managed him. Sale was great until Cora managed him. Maybe Kluber who once was great will experience the same issues with second guessing everything he wants to do on the mound. Today we’ll see Sale and hopefully he will be allowed to pitch his game. If not, don’t expect much more than what Kluber did.
Bloom isn’t the only guy that needs to go for the team to rebound.
Sale was off the chart bad yesterday. His days as an effective starter are over and the big contract is going to drag the roster down unless they can find a taker for it. Maybe the Dodgers are interested
I wouldn’t put a ton of stock into that Sale outing. It will hurt his season stats, but you could clearly see the issues, and luckily they aren’t things that are based on past history, or normal for him.
That outing looked like purely control issues. This is a guy that generally has had above average control in most of his outings over many years. He was not only missing locations over and over, but he was missing very badly. That just isn’t Sale. Typically, when he is off, he is missing by inches, not the entire quadrant. His pitch count was gassing him also. He looked drained in those long innings which I would actually expect for him in that outing if it happened. Those innings were marathons, and many of his hitters were in good hitters counts. With that being said, 6 k’s.
His velocity was ok, and he got his strike outs. It would not surprise me if by his third outing he throws a gem.
You’re dreaming.
KD – Cora’s decision to start Sale in Game 2 really had a positive impact, right? Haha!
I’m still trying to remain positive, but like you said winning 2 out of 3 at home against the O’s should be a given – and one of those wins was a huge gift obviously because of the dropped ball.
I will start forming an opinion of the team after they have finished playing the Pirates and Tigers. The 4 games in Tampa will be a bellwether.
William – I totally agree, let’s see how Sale and Kluber do in Tampa.
I don’t expect Sale to be sharp in outing two either, but by the third outing his control should be expectable, he will have a better feel how his pitches move, and what is most effective for him.
I have had two major layoffs in my pitching career due to injury and each time you come back you aren’t identical to what you were. There is an in-game adjustment period to how your mechanics work, how your pitches move, changes in velocity and spin that make certain locations work worse or better depending on the pitch, etc.
Sale is going through that. The hitters are the best gauge as to what is happening and how they react. Bullpens after long injuries are helpful, but games are the optimal way to learn your new pitching make up. You have to be observant enough to take notice and make adjustments. Example, none of the hitters were fooled by his tailing fastball upstairs and away. You usually see hitter flinch or swing on those thinking they are strikes, usually whether close or not. That should tell Sale his ride on his fastball right to left isn’t there like he expects. It would account for some pitches being more middle at the start and staying there rather than riding off the outside upper corner to righties. His slider was completely inconsistent as well. Some were sharp, some were flat side to side, others he spiked trying to adjust. Kinda of a mess, but one I actually expected. Sox pitchers, injured or not, typically do not get a ton of outings in spring game situations to iron out, figure out, fix problems.
Went to b dubs to watch game with Mrs ( trust me would have rather been at Buffs) I don’t know how to put this but I wasn’t drunk but my buddy Brais pitched liked he was slamming PBR”S with me from 1st pitch.. it’s bad when my Mrs says is that Baltimores Brais ( Baker) walk after walk after walk… SB after SB after SB.. I know it’s one game but Brais you have got to get it together or the only way you will be associated with the Redsox is selling peanuts out front… thank you for your time…
PED player.