The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve designated left-hander Rich Hill for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to right-hander Luis Guerrero, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Worcester.
Hill, 44, returned to the majors after sitting out the first two-thirds of the season. He’d said dating back to early in the offseason that he planned to wait until midway through the 2024 campaign before pursuing a return, taking the downtime to be with his family and, ideally, then being fresher for the finish to the current season. Hill began the 2023 season as a solid innings eater at the back of the Pirates’ rotation but faded considerably following a trade to the Padres.
Last month, Hill showcased for big league clubs and drew a wide array of scouts. He said at the time he felt he was ready to throw five innings and jump right onto a big league mound. The grizzled southpaw signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox — incredibly, his eighth career free-agent deal with Boston — and was indeed up in the majors after just one Triple-A appearance, wherein he tossed a pair of shutout innings.
The Sox didn’t plug Hill into the rotation, instead opting to use him in the bullpen. His first two outings could scarcely have gone better. He tossed 2 2/3 perfect innings, fanning three opponents. Over his next two appearances, Hill was tagged for a combined two runs on a homer and three walks. He fanned another two batters along the way. Overall, Hill pitched just 3 2/3 innings during his latest Red Sox run, logging a 4.91 ERA with five strikeouts and three walks.
Now that Hill has been designated, he’ll head to waivers. He’d be ineligible for a new club’s playoff roster if he’s claimed, though it’s at least somewhat feasible that a postseason contender seeking some pitching depth could still make a low-risk pickup and plug him into one of the final spots on its staff. If not, Hill can head to Worcester to continue pitching in Triple-A or again become a free agent. It’s not entirely clear whether he’ll aim to continue pitching, and with his 45th birthday coming next March, it’s fair to wonder how long he intends to keep going. At the very least, Hill fanned one-third of the batters he faced during this brief Red Sox run (five of 15), so there’s some reason to believe he could still have a bit left in the tank.
Guerrero, 24, has had a nice season in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.31 with a huge 33.1% strikeout rate but also a bloated 13.4% walk rate in 54 1/3 innings. MLB.com ranks him 28th among Sox farmhands, touting a fastball that sits 96-98 mph and reaches 100 mph at times. He complements that pitch with a splitter and slider. Guerrero throws hard and misses bats in bunches, but like so many young flamethrowers, his effectiveness is undercut at times by shaky command. This year’s 13.4% walk rate for Guerrero is an exact match for his career rate across all minor league levels combined.
This is just dumb
Agree although when they signed him they still had a shot for the playoffs. Now I understand if they want to see a guy I’ve never heard of face MLB batters.
Whether or not you have heard of a player is not a real benchmark.
Most intelligent fans know nearly all mlb ready prospects in their favourite org rather than being a shill for Boras or memorizing all the names of their favourite lawyers
I’m still trying to find out how he got to become “grizzled”.
Remember when I asked for your opinion, Backhair? Me neither.
And you have your entire life to be a jerk. Give yourself a break and take today off.
I don’t think anyone can out-rejoinder the Baron. Never seen it happen.
Avenger – Did you see the bags under his eyes?
Ignorant Son-of-a-b: So many a’holes, so little time.
I doubt it, just because you do, doesn’t mean most people do, I would say most people don’t pay attention to the minors regardless of how much of an “intelligent fan” they are
Grizzled means he has grey hair.
Calvin – Thank you, I always thought it meant simply looking old and worn but you are correct.
Backhair Bill: If your comment was directed at me, I speak to whomever I please.
If you don’t want someone to speak to you, refrain from inviting it with ignorant attacking comments.
Now behave yourself before you’re put in the timeout corner.
Wander Franco pays attention to minors.
Guerrero has been relieving at AAA all (?) year. Marginal prospect with questionable control, like so many minor league relievers, but they need to decide whether or not he is worth a 40 man roster spot over the winter. He is up here pitching for his job.
Watch some woo-sox games Dewey.. Guerrero not only sits upper 90’s with his fb (touches 100), but has a decent slider to boot and goes on rolls where he is hard to hit and has really good control.
Now, he also loses control, but to me? Is a carbon copy of LOST rule5 kid Ryan Fernandez (st louis) that they should have given a chance to last year and they seem to have figured out they just might want to look at Guerrero before they lose another high powered reliever and keep another middling IF on the 40 man over the winter.
Guerrero’s splitter is the key pitch. When he his getting ahead of hitter with his upper 90’s heat and then finishing them with that splitter he’s legit. Like others have said his control is the issue the stuff isn’t.
You’re absolutely right to bring up the example of Ryan Fernandez being lost in Rule 5 and turning out to be quite serviceable (like Slaten). Guerrero and Zeferjahn were the two AAA relievers who were supposed to advance to the majors this year–both flattened out mid-season–and Zef paid for it by being lumped into a trade, his FB ultimately too hittable, even at 100. Guerrero, on the other hand, has recaptured his early-season form and has to be a serious consideration for next year’s pen–getting a look now makes sense.
(Guerrero) Is a carbon copy of LOST rule5 kid Ryan Fernandez (st louis) that they should have given a chance to last year
===============
Why would the Red Sox give a chance to Ryan Fernandez last year when his ERA in AAA was 6.16? Guerrero has pitched much better in AAA with a 3.31 ERA.
My understanding at the time of the Rule 5 last year from some online source I read was that the Sox loved Fernandez’s stuff but feared/disliked how prone to injury he was. They were willing to gamble on losing him–and have to be much surprised at his performance in STL, including how much he’s been available (60 innings, so far, with 62K and 3.15 ERA. As this year has turned out, that’s a big loss for the Sox..)
Horace: That all makes sense, but is separate from my point. My point is that I don’t think it makes sense to complain that Fernandez wasn’t given a chance with the Red Sox last year when his AAA ERA was 6.16. It sounds like thd Red Sox make reasonable decisions with Fernandez last year and it hasn’t worked out so far.
I do understand your point, and I agree that their decision was ultimately reasonable, although there was industry buzz about RF, and–as you know– people in the game generally don’t hang their assessments of pitchers on solely ERA anymore: Here’s Longenhagen on the Cards’ selection of Fernandez:
“Fernandez is a single-inning relief prospect with some of the best stuff of anyone available in this year’s Rule 5 draft. His four-seamer sits 94-96 mph and touches 97. To call his cutter a secondary would be misleading, as it surpassed his fastball usage at Triple-A, accounting for 48% of the pitches he threw at that level and inducing a 47% chase rate. His use of his gyroscopic slider dipped in 2023, but when he did throw it, it earned him a combined 63% whiffs (73% at Triple-A), and that kind of bat-missing ability is, ironically, nothing to shake a stick at. His strike-throwing ability makes him very likely to stick on St. Louis’ roster and contribute in a middle-inning capacity. This was the first relief-only pitcher to come off the board in the draft, and is the one we feel most confident will have a good 2024.”
Dewey – Earlier today I posted this could be his last weekend as a major leaguer.
I did think he would pitch this weekend.
Where’s Liam?
No idea Fever but after the lost road trip, Hendriks if he’s not truly ready is a non issue. Let him be sure he’s 100% when he pitches again the majors. The Sox invested in him mainly for 25. I still want Martin back. Build for 25 around defense and pitching. Try to rid the team of one or two lefty bats that don’t provide stellar defense and sign two righty bats, hopefully at least one of which also provides a stellar glove.
dewey – Yesterday it was reported Liam is still feeling pain. Too bad because I know facing his old team was really important to him, and of course it would have been a great way to ease back into facing ML hitters.
I know they invested in Liam mainly for 2025, just can’t help but notice the similarity to Paxton’s contract and how that turned out to be awful for Bloom.
Not sure about Martin, the contract would be a huge factor.
SHAME ON THE RED SOX! That is a piss poor way to treat a senior citizen. The elderly of this country get less and less respect as time goes on.
Don’t want to make a mountain out of a mole-hill or be a dick about this news but that was a tough hill for him to climb. He’s not rich by most MLB standards but has done quite well for himself. In the long run this won’t amount to a hill of beans though. All about peaks and valleys. One day you’re on the mountain top and then next you’re not. Sometimes though like Marty in Hill Valley you wish you could re-live the good moments.
tow, I know it was low hanging fruit but I thought you were better than that.SMH. (I kid, I kid).
Couldn’t help it haha
@tow P.S. who is Nate Colbert?
What a run by Manny! Nate Colbert RIP, a true gentleman actually hit 5 home runs in one day(doubleheader). He was the all time leader home run wise for the Pads. Kind of cool to see these records on the Padres fall, no hitters and cycles over the last few seasons.
Is it pronounced like Stephen Colbert? Yeah it’s funny I’ve been a baseball fan since the Griffey years in Seattle but I drew a blank on that Colbert name. Neat trivia! And wow that is something for Machado to be proud of, and glad he was able to achieve it at home.
Koudey – They make dumb decisions all the time. Look at the FIVE pitchers they acquired since July.
Ramirez
Paxton
Sims
Garcia
Hill
NONE are with the team right now.
They did literally NOTHING to boost the pitching, just like last offseason.
@Fever as an outsider looking in, these quixotic pitching acquisitions/immediate dis-acquisitions make Breslow look like a second-rate Bloom. Or that he surrendered all decision making to Cora and Cora’s astrologer. And the pitching guru Andrew Bailey seemed to run out of magic pixie dust halfway thru the season. It’s all very perplexing!!!
Ignorant – I agree, I expected better from the three B’s when it comes to pitching decisions.
With Bailey I have been asking all along, if he’s so great then why did the Giants let him leave for a lateral position? That never happens, unless the team they are leaving doesn’t view it as a big loss.
John Henry’s infatuation with Cora is very concerning. People were wondering why Cora accepted only a 3-year extension. I have a feeling it’s because they wanted his contract to end at the same time as Breslow’s, so that Cora could replace Breslow if he leaves. Quite the scary thought.
I don’t usually reference the NBA, but what’s going on with the Red Sox feels a lot like Dolan’s infatuation with an incompetent Isaiah Thomas.
Make a good point Fever and I can remember back decades worth of GM’s myself, some read of, some same as everyone else, saw on tv, some met and chatted with years ago and my 2c? Best the team had is probably the most maligned by many Sox fans, Dan duquette for how and what think he was allowed to do by ownership.
Dombrowski built the ’18 team (2nd fav/best) at huge cost, but got by with big approval of fan base. 1 of the worst (to me) was Lou Gorman. Out of his depth and stumbled his way as a huge teddy bear, getting a media and fan pass, despite making FA/trade mistakes, 1 after the other.
Haywood Sullivan, 1 met few times wasn’t a great 1 either. he allowed the breakup of late 70’s teams. mainly because team wasn’t well off (money), tho partly because he shouldn’t have ever had the job.
john – I was a huge supporter of Duquette back then. People didn’t like his personality, but he was a great evaluator of talent and he was THE main reason why the Sox won in 2004.
We all know he was responsible for most of the great players like Nomar, Pedro, Manny, Lowe, Varitek, Wakefield, Damon etc …. but people don’t realize the only reason Ortiz signed with the Sox is because Pedro basically demanded it.
Without Duquette, no Pedro. Without Pedro, no Ortiz.
And BTW Duquette brought analytics to the game before Beane. Look up MIke Gimbel.
Fever : Breslow is Bloom 2.0. The only difference is Breslow looks for broken antique during his dumpster diving. Bloom took whatever. Did you see the SI article with Cora after they got swept by the Mets? You just got swept and completely eliminated from a postseason chance. Cora is taking about how proud he is of Lindor . Wtf
B dog – Yeah I saw that article, although I’m not sure when it was written? Maybe Cora gave the interview before the series?
Either way, Cora is a snake and his popularity with Latin players doesn’t make up for his incompetence as a manager. The pulling of Criswell will go up on the Mt Rushmore of dumb pitching decisions, right next to Grady/Pedro.
I think it’s entirely possible there’s something that happened behind the scenes which led to Hill’s designation. Perhaps Breslow did it because he disapproved of the way Cora was using Hill? Perhaps Cora sabotaged Hill because he never wanted him on the team?
Bottom line, it’s hard to believe Hill showed enough in just 2 innings at AAA to warrant a promotion …. and then he showed enough in just 3 MLB innings to warrant getting cut. Makes ZERO sense.
That was quicker than his wife getting arrested.
Explain?
She refused to comply with ridiculous security theater and some cops were bored
She got blasted at a Pats game & broke out in handcuffs. Ahahaha!
That’s too bad, I enjoy watching Rich Hill play. I pray another team picks him up. He’s out of the playoffs now, but would be fun seeing him play for my Rangers!!!
They just wanted to make sure he couldn’t pitch for ANYBODY in the Playoffs this year. Breslow should be ashamed of himself.
Rich Hill signed a minor league deal with boston..do you really think he passed on a mlb offer from any playoff bound team to sign with boston?..i think the sox were all or the best he was offered…breslow has nothing to be ashamed of here
Pretty sure the Dodgers would have at least kept him through Sept. Not saying he would have made their Playoff Roster but he had a chance at least. Now he’s just screwed.
considering he’s a 44yo bum….he isn’t screwed, he needs to retire.
So that’s why the Red Sox signed him, Because he stinks. Pretty much sums up the Red Sox this year then. I guess you would know.
One problem..the dodgers didnt offer him a mlb contract..so there is that
Pool – Playing close to home was really important to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned down a better offer for that reason.
drprofsps: Why would you pray about such a trivial thing?
BB
Why would anyone pray about anything?
“Anyone pray”…75% of the world prays to some God or other. Get over it, arrogant.
mlbf
“arrogant”
What’s more arrogant than praying?
@dodgersbro Thanking god for helping “you” win a game. As if “you’re” more important than those Christians on the other team (or any religious person, for that matter)
“What’s more arrogant than praying” Believing there’s no one or no thing greater than yourself is the height of elitism, narcissism and arrogance in my honest opinion.
Insulting the practices, beliefs and traditions of others is just another elitist way of saying “I’m better than you”.
kellin: I’ve always wondered how, when players on both teams pray to win, it gets decided who wins.
I think it’s a case of praying and paying the fare getting one a ride on a bus or train.
“I’ve always wondered how..players on both teams”. You and me both, Blue. You and me both. God must have a full time job, just answering the prays of professional athletes. It’s no wonder he hasn’t had much time for the rest of us. Lol.
mlbf
“I’m better than you””
I have no such belief. That comes from your mind not mine.
I certainly think some actions are better than others.
DodgersBro: Good question.
DodgersBro
You.
mlbfan. yes, Myself, will talk to some of the dims here who are really.. well.. but modern atheists are a particularly bad lot. 100% waste of time responding to them shipmate. let them have their just rewards when the time comes. We know their will be a day and they will find out also eventually.
johnsilver: When what time comes?
“We know there will be a day” is your opinion, not objective fact.
And mlb fan isn’t narrow-minded and condescending like you.
Religion and belief in God are independent of politics.
There are liberals and even socialists who practice different denominations and attend ritual events, and there are conservatives who are also atheists.
It’s incredibly ignorant of you to tar those whose political views differ from yours as ignorant.
That’s your opinion, and my name isn’t Jack.
Given that they aren’t making the playoffs, the eval time for Guerrero is worth more than a few innings for Hill.
Tff – I am waiting for more to come out. Perhaps he didn’t like relieving. Perhaps he wanted to be on a contender. Perhaps he felt he couldn’t pitch anymore as good as he wanted.
One thing is certain, two innings in AAA was a joke.
We hardly knew ye
Urban legend has it, that Rich Hill once struck out Jesus on a curveball in the dirt.
It was Moses. Stop exaggerating.
Well, Moses was known to carry a 44 ounce “Big Stick”.
Everybody knows Moses couldn’t handle breaking stuff. LOL Ramses had a wicked Slider.
“Wicked slider”…Rich Hill reportedly had scouting reports on the Disciples, Moses, Jesus and even Kings Herrod & David. It really just shows how well connected, traveled(and old)that Rich Hill truly is. I think his pension fully vested in the year 107 A.D from what I’ve heard.
Love the talked of weight regarding bats. Do know for a fact this huge kid Boston had in their milb system back in the 70’s used a 40oz bat and it was way, way heavier than anyone else used. kid’s name? Well, will name him but 100% guarantee nobody ever heard of him: Otis Foster.. Drafted 1st round by Boston (forgot yr, 74, maybe 75) out of some small southern college all remember and played 1b.. Plus carried this massive bat.
Mike – Just because Moses Malone is a HOF center, doesn’t mean he can hit a baseball.
We saw that with Michael Jordan.
you trying to say Jesus Christ can’t hit a curveball?
“Can’t hit a curveball”..Jesus was more of a pull side, power hitter. The curveball always bedeviled him.
Wow, who could have saw that this signing was completely pointles when it happened.
? That’s it, Just ?
“Dick Mountain Gets Leveled”
This is doing right by Rich hill. Red Sox are a classy organization. They’re not making the playoffs and Rich Hill’s Goal is to do just that.
I’m Not sure if it’s too late on the calendar but I’m sure he’s hoping he can help another team reach the postseason if he’s ineligible to play in it himself.
Classy organization? He’s ineligible for the postseason.
He had no mlb offers to begin with sox were his best or only shot so whats your point?
Poolhall, I did not know that. I stand corrected. I thought the Red Sox won out because of his location preference.
Yes BigBalls, I admitted as much. But I’m sure he wants to pitch for a team and help them GET to the postseason whereas the Red Sox are floundering, flailing and dying. My mistake if that’s not the case.
Classy organization? What team have you been following?
Aren’t they letting Rich Hill walk so he can pursue another opportunity? My bad if I’m not reading the situation correctly.
Yikes..
Looks like the end of the line for Hill.
Not so fast. Rich Hill please report to Dodger Stadium STAT!!! Gavin Stone is now on the IL, and we need you to start TONIGHT
What the hell is this team doing??
Churning the back end of their roster like the other 29 teams. Hill wanted to pitch again at some point, Red Sox wanted to see if there was anything in left in the tank. There wasn’t, so they moved onto some kid who throws gas.
Then why not cut out the. Middle man and just bring the kid up in the first place? Obviously waiting until August for a 44 year old pitcher who was trending downward in the last half of last year was never going to work out
Pedro – that makes too much sense for this iteration of the Red Sox.
FSG cares more about giving off the appearance of trying than actually improving the team. Plus this makes a great story for the documentary! Ignore the fact that their reluctance to spend cost them a playoff spot this year, they signed Rich Hill who threw a pitch in 20 MLB seasons! Look at that storyline wow!
Can – Don’t you think it’s very, very strange that a 44-year-old guy who hadn’t pitched in organized baseball since last year was given just 2 minor league innings and 3 major league innings before getting cut?
As an example, a much younger Snell needed 3 months and 24 MLB innings before he was ramped up and pitching well.
I am convinced there is something more to this, maybe we will find out when the Netflix documentary comes out.
Luis looks promising, good thing they got rid of rich hill, he needs to retire…all he’s going to do is lose games for a team.
Might be a good fit for the White Sox! Their season has been over since day 1, and if Hill wants to keep blowing leads he could help them chase down the worst W-L record ever.
lmaaaooo yeah haha.
Now what happens when one or more of their pitchers go down before the end of the season? They have other opportunities to evaluate young pitchers, unless there is something we don’t know this just seems stupid.
They can call someone up from AAA? Rich Hill isn’t some amazing pitcher. He couldn’t perform in the bullpen, you think he’d be better as a SP?
Hill has not played in 6 months+, so I would have liked to see him get a bit more time. I never said he was great but given his past experience he was very capable of giving some solid innings. Not that he won’t have some bad days. We will see if it pays off when the young ones start coming up. I don’t have any illusions of playoff success, but that doesn’t mean I want them to just give up for the sake of a few young pitchers getting some experience. I will gladly admit I am wrong if it all turns out for the best, but I did think Hill was an adequate option and better than many of the pitchers who have come and gone this season.
Fitts and Priester are surely hoping for a chance. They have no shortage of available depth at this point.
Tff – Too little too late.
Last offseason was the worst in franchise history.
Too late for what? You aren’t seriously dreaming of the playoffs, are you? Fitts and Priester are at roughly the right stage to get a shot (another shot) at the majors now.
Hard to top an off-season in which Betts was traded for Verdugo and change…
tff – Of course I’m not expecting playoffs, that’s what “too late” means. If I was expecting playoffs it wouldn’t be too late. What I’m saying is Fitts should have gotten a shot earlier, rather than gambling on guys like Paxton and HIll.
2019-2020 offseason wasn’t nearly as bad. They didn’t acquire much because they were coming off a season where they had by far the highest payroll in MLB and they didn’t need much, as most of the 2018 championship team was still intact.
They didn’t know Sale would need TJS, they didn’t know ERod would miss the season because of a mysterious new virus, Workman was coming off a sensational season, etc. Was the Mookie trade a bad one? Sure, so far. But it was necessary because they refused to sign him to an extension. And who knows, maybe Wong and Fitts will turn out to be solid MLB players.
What makes last offseason the worst is that nearly EVERY move they made and EVERY decision they made to not sign much needed players at reasonable contracts ended up backfiring on them big time. Look back at my comments from the offseason, I was begging they stay away from Giolito and instead sign Shota and Lugo. Sure the bidding got crazy high for Yamamoto, but there is no excuse for all the other SP’s that could have been had with very inexpensive contracts.
As for them making the postseason now, I still maintain it’s highly unlikely but still possible. Mostly because the competition is kinda crappy. The Royals, Mariners, Twins, Tigers, Rays …. it wouldn’t surprise me if they all go no better than like 8-13 the rest of the way.
One thing I realized like 50 years ago, teams are usually not as bad as they look when they are on a losing streak and they are not as good as they look when they are on a winning streak. So it’s best to not get too high when they are winning (and many people here did 2 months ago) and not get too low when they are losing (which is happening with a lot of people now).
Anything is possible, crazier things have happened.
Story returns today, Rafaela to 2B, those two things should definitely help.
I disagree, it was good that they gave Fitts a chance to settle down and find some consistency rather than throwing him to the wolves before he was ready. I may have been hoping he would be ready earlier, but the proof is in the game scores. He was *not* ready until August, and ideally you want to give a pitcher 5+ starts of success before pushing him up a level.
Do you really believe that rushing Fitts to the majors on August 1 would have saved the season? Seriously?!?
EVERY move they made was bad? Clearing room in the rotation for Houck worked out well. The Fitts and Sandlin acquisitions are showing definite promise. Criswell and Slaten were real finds. Signing Rafaela and Bello to cheap long-term deals is looking better and better. And while the Hendriks signing wasn’t a “win now” move, it appears to be working out.
So chill a little? They made the decision before the season started that they didn’t intend to compete this year, and the moves they made are a lot more sensible if viewed in that light. You might not like that call, wishing Henry would have been willing to spend a little money, but he wasn’t. Imanaga and Lugo would have been nice signings – but those two alone cost $100M. The Red Sox spent less than $50M on free agents. They could have signed *one* of them instead of Giolito (which might have been smart), but this is a .500 team. Seth Lugo isn’t enough for them to win the division or compete in the playoffs. (He might have been enough for them to win a wild card spot, but you can’t seriously tell me that this team has the guns to win series in the post-season.)
They’re a .500 team, more or less, exactly what their record says they are. They’ve tracked almost identically to last year.
The good news is that they will be breaking in as much talent in 2025 as they graduated from the system from 2018-2024 combined. And even if they were to sign nobody, saving Henry’s pennies, how much will we really miss Jansen, O’Neill, Pivetta, and Martin?
It gets better from here, just not this year.
tff – I believe bringing up Fitts last month could have helped the team, even if he contributed as just a reliever. You do realize the Red Sox have the worst bullpen ERA in MLB since the ASB, right?
I seriously can’t believe you mentioned Houck as a “good decision”. They had no choice because of injuries.
The ONLY reason Houck made the starting rotation is because the Sox decided to replace Sale with Giolito, who promptly got hurt.
It’s well documented Houck was the very last guy to be named to the starting rotation, only after the Gio injury. If you’re trying to forget the past 7 months, I totally understand ;O)
Same thing with Duran, he was NOT in the team’s plans until the injuries to Grissom and Refsnyder. It was *supposed* to be O’Neill in LF, Rafaela in CF, Abreu/Ref in RF, Story at SS and Grissom at 2B.
So bottom line, the two players who had the biggest breakout seasons this year and carried the team the most this year – Duran & Houck – never would have gotten that opportunity if the Red Sox plan had stayed in place with no injuries to Grissom, Ref and Gio. It was 100% dumb luck that Duran & Houck got the opportunity, and they are the difference between a winning team right now as opposed to a losing last place team that every analyst expected.
I did say “nearly” every move. LOL!!!
I’m not going to argue about Bello, Rafaela and Liam longterm because obviously anything can happen in the future. But the two extensions had ZERO impact on THIS season, which is what we are discussing.
And to say Bello is working out? DUDE! HE HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ERA OF ALL QUALIFIED PITCHERS IN THE LEAGUE!!! Only Griffin Canning has a higher ERA than Bello!!
And to say Liam is “working out”? DUDE! HE HAS YET TO THROW A PITCH FOR THE RED SOX!!!!
So just to reiterate, when I say worst offseason ever I meant as of right now. How else can I mean it? Nobody knows what the future holds, for all we know Grissom could turn into the next Jeff Bagwell (unlikely, but still possible). If you want to continue making assumptions on the future, that’s your prerogative …. but I’ve always felt it’s meaningless to try and predict contracts and careers far into the future. But if you want to already believe the Bello, Rafaela and Liam contracts are already great ones because it gives you hope and makes you happy, I respect that …. but that’s just not me. I’m a wait and see, time will tell type of guy. I judge results, not projected performance.
Haven’t you ever heard the term “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched”? LOL!!
I think you may be confusing media speculation with team decisions? The Giolito injury was in early March. NO official decisions were made on the rotation until the second half of the month. Whitlock and Houck were named together, from what I recall.
Same comment on Duran. He has played every game, outside that suspension, he did NOT begin the season in a bench role. I realize you have a somewhat different narrative in mind, supported by some of the silly media comments, but I don’t think that reflects reality.
I’ll stand by my Bello comment. First, there are vanishingly few pitchers with “qualifying innings” these days. Just 43 last year, just 56 this year. Making that list defines you as a #1 to #3 starter, regardless of the ERA. Fourth highest in the majors, not second highest. But more to the point, ERA is just *one* measure of pitching success, and arguably not the most important when looking ahead. xFIP is a better predictor of future ERA than current ERA is – and his xFIP ranks #26 in all of MLB. Numbers are just numbers, don’t let them distract you from the progress he has made, especially in the second half. He is tied for #61 in the majors with 10 QS. Tied for #12 in wins as a starter. And yeah, making that qualifying innings list ALSO puts him in the top 60. He’s not an ace, but he is without question one of the 60 best starting pitchers in the game today, and there are hints from the second half that he has already taken it up another notch.
Hendriks has made it through his rehab without a setback. That’s a positive sign, and the best possible outcome that we might have hoped for when he signed. How is that not a success?
I’m perfectly happy letting the on-field performance speak, but in that case you need to let deals play all the way out before you call them. When you trade one year of a veteran for six years of a prospect, you clearly cannot judge the deal fairly after one year. Check back in six years and we’ll know how it worked out? But you can’t reasonably call the deal today without some expectation of what will happen in the future.
tff – I appreciate your response, hafta run for the day but will be back.
For now I do want to provide at least one legit report that Houck was the last guy named to the rotation, only because of the Gio injury.
mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/the-red-sox-surprising-…
“Houck wasn’t even a lock for the Opening Day starting five until Giolito’s injury.”
I agree with that quote. Before the injury, it was (realistically) going to be Giolito, Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, and ******. The three pitchers pushing for that slot were Houck, Whitlock, and Winckowski.
Winckowski was always a distant third there, and the choice was seen as being Houck or Whitlock. The injury to Giolito meant that both ended up starting.
If Giolito hadn’t been injured, or if the Red Sox had signed a healthy starter, they might have kept Houck in the rotation and Whitlock in the pen, where he might have stayed healthier. Or they might have gone the other direction. I know which I would have preferred, but then I’m not the one making the decision.
I don’t think you can read that quote as meaning Whitlock had the edge over Houck. Both were fantastic in ST, but Whitlock has a long injury history (which is why I prefer a structured relief role for him). the Red Sox never had to make that call, since both were needed.
tff – Just so I’m clear, are you denying Duran was being shopped around …. with the Padres having the most interest? And are you saying if Grissom, Story and Ref were all healthy that Rafaela would have been a bench player so that Duran could start every day in CF?
You know I love Duran, but fact is he had only a few good months last year before sucking and then getting injured. Combine that with his off the field issues, absolutely NOBODY expected him to have the kind of season he’s having. Until this year he was the Yorke of Red Sox outfielders, not in their longterm plans.
On Bello you know I wrote “league”, not “MLB” … not that 4th in MLB is any better than 2nd in the AL. LOL!
Next May Bello will be 26 with over 70 games under his belt. His progress hasn’t been as good as it should be, unless you picture him as a #4 or #5 starter. That would be disappointing because he’s got great stuff.
Bello one of the 60 best SP? So because Patrick Corbin has pitched 153 innings you automatically think he’s better than Skenes???? Well alrighty then ….
With Liam, again I am only referring to as of right now. If he pitches well all of next year without missing significant time, I will chalk it up as a win for the front office. But so far he’s Paxton 2.0
Same thing with Grissom, I have repeatedly left open the possibility he could become the next Bagwell.
I think the difference between our viewpoints is that I wanted the team to be competitive this year and next, whereas you are fine with punting on both seasons.
I’m looking at it as the Sox made a LOT of bad decisions over the past year which ultimately cost them a playoff spot. That’s because I have expectations for the team with the 4th-highest revenue in MLB. Not saying my viewpoint is right or wrong, it’s a matter of personal choice.
tff – Whitlock was always in the lead over Houck and Winck, the Sox gave him that contract with the expectation he’d develop into a solid SP. They want to get some value from the contract, I can’t blame them for that. I think he still would have gotten injured if he was pitching out of the pen, but obviously no way to prove it.
Hey did you hear the radio broadcast yesterday? Bradford said one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever heard. He said Friday’s win is “more and more impressive”. I nearly ran off the road as I was listening to him say it!
One awful pitch in the 7th inning was the ONLY reason the Red Sox beat the worst team in MLB history, and he calls that “impressive”? I love Joe Castig, but the NESN guys are much much more reasonable in their coverage. The radio guys are basically John Sterling wannabe’s.
Nah, I was watching with the sound turned off… I don’t take the broadcast comments as seriously as you do.
Possible that Whitlock would have gotten injured regardless, but last year was solid evidence that he can’t say healthy as a starter. Less disruptive when a reliever goes on the DL (in theory).
I would have stuck with Houck, kept Whitlock in a stretched relief role to lighten the workload and ease him into the season. But whichever one wasn’t starting on April 1 would have gotten the call in May when injuries started to pile up, so I’m not going to sweat that one. As it happened, they needed Criswell very early on.
tff – I just can’t deal with the ultra-homerism from some of the broadcast guys. That goes for all teams, it’s obviously not just a Red Sox thing.
Was nice to hear Orsillo call the game, seemed strange without Remy though.
Til next time…
what is more insulting to the fans- the Sox signing Hill to begin with, or dropping him like a bad habit? both are awful. The team is at best a .500 squad, not playoff bound, and the organization wasted the money on him, so let Hill play it out in relief.
Call up some kids to pitch the rest of the way. and ,let Hill be a mentor. God knows he’s been around long enough to impart some wisdom.
who wants to bet the Sox will lose the series against the White Sox?
I’ll take “Things that we knew would go wrong from the get-go” for $1,000 please Alex.
Time for Rich to be hitting the ol’ dusty trail…
or go to tossing BP for his kid’s LL team
RIP Dick Mountain
Spencer Torkleson batted against Rich Hill who once pitched against Tino Martinez who once batted against Charlie Hough…you could get to Cap Anson vs. John Clarkson or something like that in a few more matchups.
Non Roster Invitee;
Are you from the north side of Chicago?
Just askin’.
How did you know?
435 N. Michigan.
non roster- forget the Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. we now have the six degrees of Rich Hill!
Maybe Hill wanted out? He saw what a stinking ship this team is and gave up.
He could have signed with any team, only the Sox were dumb enough to offer him a deal.
let – With the Sox clubhouse being described as a “funeral” it is entirely possible it brought Hill down emotionally, and impacted his pitching.
The end of a long, storied chapter in Red Sox history … oh wait, was it only a week?
Kelly – Promoting him after just 2 innings in AAA, that was the most insulting aspect.
His sweeper was fooling MLB hitters it’s sad there’s a good chance he’s gone now
The most entertaining thing about the Sox is the comments on this site .
Even after this failed attempt the Sox will probably sign him again next year after his kid’s Little League season ends.
Randy – I already penciled both Hill and Paxton into next year’s Sox plans.
Infatuations can last a long, long time.
Yeah the writing is definitely on the wall for next season. A rotation of:
Houck
Bello
Paxton (will sign short term and cheap)
Giolito
Whitlock (because let’s face it, this team never learns!)
Holy crap that will be brutal!
Love that he got a 20th season – quite the amazing thing given he only has 90 wins (so never a dominate starter), 0 saves (never a closer), 4 seasons he had sub 10 IP, Quite the trick for him to have lasted this long. 18 seasons in the minors (many in both majors and minors including this year), one year in a winter league, one partial year in an indy league (at age 35, 2015). 13 ML teams, 10 for only 1 season each.
I’m really hoping someone else signs him – someone he never has been with like the White Sox (they need anyone who is breathing to play at this stage).
Phillies need a 5.
What kind of awful sentence is this?
“He’d said dating back to early in the offseason that he planned to wait until midway through the 2024 campaign before pursuing a return, taking the downtime to be with his family and, ideally, then being fresher for the finish to the current season.“
Completely unnecessary use of passive voice, then incorrect use of “ideally” that destroys the syntax of the sentence and makes it unreadable.
“He said dating back to early in the offseason that he planned to wait until midway through the 2024 campaign before pursuing a return, ideally to be fresher for the finish to the current season, taking the downtime to be with his family.”
Way more clear than Adams’ monstrosity.
Please either fire Adams or make him submit all his work to a good editor. He is brutal.