TODAY: Hendriks will receive a cortisone shot on Monday and then resume throwing mid-week, he told the Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. While he admitted his chances of pitching may hinge on how the Red Sox are faring in the playoff race, “the door’s not closed” on Hendriks appearing on the mound in 2024. “It’s normal to have a hiccup. It’s normal having to have little things like that, but it’s frustrating at how late it happened in the process,” Hendriks said.
SEPT 12: It seems Liam Hendriks’ debut with the Red Sox will wait until 2025. Manager Alex Cora said before tonight’s extra-inning loss in the Bronx that the Sox are “probably … going to shut him down” from throwing (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). Boston pulled the veteran reliever off his minor league rehab assignment last week when Hendriks reported arm discomfort.
The three-time All-Star has been working back from an August 2023 Tommy John surgery that ended his time with the White Sox. Cora indicated that Hendriks’ recent discomfort is on the outside of his forearm rather than in the elbow. An MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage and the team believes the issue is normal soreness related to his build-up after a long layoff.
While there doesn’t seem to be any long-term concern, the calendar doesn’t offer Hendriks time for even a minor setback. There are 17 days left in the regular season. Boston’s loss tonight dropped them 4.5 games back of the American League’s last Wild Card spot. It’s probably too risky to ask Hendriks to push through minor forearm discomfort to aid a long shot playoff chase.
Hendriks signed a two-year, $10MM free agent deal early in Spring Training. It’s a backloaded contract that follows the typical structure for a pitcher rehabbing a major arm surgery. Hendriks made $2MM this season and is set for a $6MM base salary next year. He’s guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a mutual option for 2026. The Aussie could unlock up to $10MM more via incentives next season depending on his innings and games finished totals.
The latter category would take on particular importance if Hendriks opens next season as Cora’s closer. He’d secure $1MM apiece for every fifth game finished between 45 and 65 contests. Hendriks led the American League with 38 saves for Chicago back in 2021. He saved another 37 games the next season. Hendriks would’ve filled a middle relief or setup role had he gotten back on the mound this year. The ninth inning could be there for the taking next spring.
Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are concluding two-year deals signed when Chaim Bloom was chief baseball officer. Both pitchers have been effective, but the Sox could let them each walk in free agency. Boston reportedly tried to find a trade partner for Jansen both before Opening Day and at times in the season’s first half. It looks unlikely they’ll re-sign him. Martin seems to have a better chance of returning, but he has a lot less closing experience than Hendriks brings. Deadline acquisitions Lucas Sims and Luis García are also headed to the market.
First-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, a former reliever, has hit on a couple unheralded bullpen pickups. Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten has had an excellent rookie season and should be ticketed for high-leverage work. Greg Weissert, acquired in the Alex Verdugo deal, has been solid. There’ll surely be a few acquisitions in the offseason. Boston isn’t going to let each of Jansen, Martin, Sims and García walk without bringing in some kind of veteran help. The next few months should clarify whether Hendriks will go into 2025 as Boston’s closer.
In any case, he’ll certainly be in the late-inning mix if he stays healthy. Hendriks getting back to peak form would be a fantastic story not only for Boston but for baseball as a whole. Last year’s surgery interrupted a triumphant return to the mound after Hendriks beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The ’25 season could be his opportunity to reemerge as one of the game’s best relievers.
Keep pounding Liam
he’s one of the biggest LGBT advocates in MLB, so that can be a double entendre ^_^
And one of the best animal rights advocate.
Just an all around good dude
big – Agreed! And he will continue to put a-holes like Cora in their place, like he did today. Should be really interesting next year if Liam plays.
Speaking of Cora …. what a damn idiot! Two runners on base, nobody out, and he brings in Booser to face Soto? Seriously?
Booser pitched like crap against the Yankees last night after a monthlong absence …. but of COURSE Cora’s brain went “Duhhhh ….. Soto is a lefty, so I must bring in a lefty to face him …. duhhhhh ……”
Nevermind the fact that the greatest RHB in the game was on deck at the time.
So what was Cora’s idiotic thought process? That Soto would hit into a triple play, therefore Booser wouldn’t have to face Judge?
Or did Cora stupidly believe Booser would get Soto out and then Cora planned to intentionally walk Judge to get to the lefty Wells, and then Cora would replace Booser with a RHP after the Wells plate appearance?
Or worse yet, did Cora the Moron forget that Booser would need to record 3 outs before he could be pulled?
Either way …. dumb, dumb, DUMB! I can’t believe we have to put up with 3 more years of this mentally challenged manager.
Obviously meant to write “Booser would need to face 3 batters before he could be pulled”.
Needless to say the ridiculous number of losses because of the idiotic managing has me very concerned about the future of this formerly-great franchise.
Fever Pitch Guy
Why did Cora let Kelly, the guy has been struggling with control and screwing up for a month now???
It was logical for Guerrero and Weissert.
While I don’t like Weissert, he hasn’t miss it in the last 9 games and only has 2 walks.
Fever Pitch Guy
Speaking of Cora …. what a damn idiot! Two runners on base, nobody out, and he brings in Booser to face Soto? Seriously?
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Oh, and Soto doesn’t have left-right splits, so Booser didn’t matter, but apparently “the great” Cora didn’t know about that….
Fever Pitch Guy
I think 10 wins were definitely wasted due to Cora’s idiotic decisions in the Red Sox bullpen.
It’s unfortunate that we have to endure this crap for another 3 years.
Normal managers would’ve just put their closer in or setup man early to make sure damage can’t be done
Alex cora thinks it’s 1995 and you can only use kenley in the 9th
@bogie2X8 hours ago
Oh, and Soto doesn’t have left-right splits, so Booser didn’t matter,
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Booser had a 2.98 ERA going into the game. What’s wrong with that?
sad tormented neglected mariners fan6 hours ago
Normal managers would’ve just put their closer in
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Just for fun, I peaked at Hader’s game log. He’s had 64 appearances, and 63 were in the 9th inning, with one 4-out save.
So I checked Clase, and he too has no appearances in the 7th inning.
So I checked Helsley and he has no appearances prior to the 9th.
So I checked Suarez, and he too has no appearances in the 7th inning.
Iglesias has one appearance in the 7th, but of the maybe 300+ appearances, that’s the only 7th inning appearance.
Are you sure that this is what normal managers do?
Dont feed the troll.
I occasionally feel the need to educate some of the kids on how baseball works. Closers coming in in the 7th inning virtually never happens. It is important that kids learn these things.
What
What what?
You said ” Normal managers would’ve just put their closer in”. That was obviously and ridiculously wrong. I felt I had a duty to inform you of that.
So that means you still think that ‘normal managers’ put their closers in in the 7th inning?
To be fair I said closers/setup men and also I replied to clay because I didn’t know if he called you or me a troll
Also I’ve seen people like Andres Munoz or jhoan Duran pitch in the 7th inning to put out a fire but you are right that it isn’t that common
JoeBrady
Booser had a 2.98 ERA going into the game. What’s wrong with that?
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I can justify my claims that Cora isn”t exactly smart by watching him kill the bullpen for the 3rd season in a row with incompetent actions.
And it’s not because of Booser’s 2.98 ERA.
Booser pitched in the first game against the Yankees with 2 walks and a hit.
What is Cora doing???
He releases Booser for the 2nd game in a row with the bases loaded in a high leverage situation against the top order of hitters Soto, Judge, Wells…what ignorance
Weissert and Guerrero were logical options in that situation, but not Booser.
Of course, we can’t know for sure how the situation would have turned out, but Cora clearly gave this victory to the Yankees.
And given the fact that Kelly has been struggling for over a month with control and command due to congestion in the second half of the season, the logical solution, in my subjective opinion, was Guerrero, Weissert, Winkowski 7-8-9.
And what kind of picture do we see as a result – Kelly and Booser are sent to Triple AAA.
Why???
Kelly is overworked, Booser hasn”t yet recovered from injury, as was the case with Weissert in August.
Peinrod and Horn come to their place.
Why couldn’t they have done this before the Yankees series???
Because Cora is an incompetent ass.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan11 hours ago
To be fair I said closers/setup men
Also I’ve seen people like Andres Munoz or jhoan Duran pitch in the 7th inning
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Munoz and Duran each have one 7th inning appearance this year. I’ve seen articles suggesting it, but not all closers like to change their routine. And you often still need someone to close out the 9th.
IRT the setup man, I agree 100%. As does Cora since he uses Martin in the 7th, as he’s done 10x this year.
The real issue was usage. As I told my friends, the Friday night game was lost on Thursday night when Cora brought Martin for the second consecutive night. There wasn’t any chance he was bringing him a 3rd game in a row.
There are almost always logical explanations for what managers do.
Brian Raposo is looking solid as the closer in AA. Hopefully he can be in Fenway soon!
We got a lot of dead weight to dump this off season!
Only to acquire more dead weight.
meh, he’s always been mid. now with his unfortunate disease you aren’t allowed to criticize him for being a loudmouth donkey
Buy it’s open season on donkey inutero
Yeah i’m getting a little weary of the Sox spending millions on guys who they know aren’t going to play for at least a season. It’s blocks the way for younger players they are developing in the minors.
Yaz – Totally agree, these high-risk gambles are foolish for a penny-pinching team. Can’t afford an inexpensive starting pitcher like Lugo, Shota, Wacha etc but they can afford to gamble on old injured guys like Paxton and Hendriks? It’s great that Liam is a fighter, but the fact remains his body has been through an awful lot and he’s gonna be 36 next year which is not a good recovery age.
I’m really starting to be concerned that rather than Breslow making much needed changes to the Red Sox front office and baseball ops, instead he is being molded to continue the same approach as the Bloom regime which of course was a massive failure. Maybe it’s Kennedy’s doing, maybe it’s John Henry micromanaging, all I know is the team with the 4th-highest revenue in MLB shouldn’t be pissing away $10M at a time on old pitchers that *might* be productive in the second year of their 2-year contract. This same “we are smarter than every other team” crap has to stop.
And the $2M mutual options is pure crap. So if Liam has a good 2025 season he becomes a free agent and collects the $2M, and if he has a bad 2025 season the Sox decline the option and Liam STILL gets the $2M. So what the hell is the point?
Not just the injury contracts that Boston and other teams dish out often Fever, but nonsense 1y, with player only 2y options. Good only if said player 100% sucks, or like in Gioloto’s case, has TJ surgery. Why any team succumbs to those demands by an agent is beyond foolish.
People who own teams didn’t get rich throwing away money. Why they allow themselves to be pulled around by the collar by low level lawyers (agents) has puzzled me for years.
? they’re not throwing away money, they get mop up scrubs like Paxton and hill instead of spending on glasnow or nola. it’s a clown show, the rotation was weak going into the season, and that’s why they miss the playoffs this year. ownership is a joke.
john – I totally agree. I’m leaning toward Kennedy, O’Halloran, Romero and Cora basically being the ones behind these decisions and Henry has way too much faith in them. When there needs to be a scapegoat, it will always be the HOBO.
I think Breslow is more likely to leave within 3 years than any of those others …. especially if Anthony and Mayer turn into Kalish and Westmoreland.
I was told lars Anderson and will middle brooks were Hof locks LOL
Some of the fanbase was foaming at the mouth regarding those 2, ditto Dalbec and I’ll throw out another 1 still given full blown hype on some sox sites.. Miguel Bleis, who has done nothing, other than have much talent and proven -0- and gotten a massive IFA bonus several years back.
I’m going to give Anthony more of a pass than Kalish, he’s shown can hit, defend, run and show patience at the plate all the way thru AAA and is only 20YO. he could still fail, but isn’t a flailing slugger, much more than guys like Dalbec and Middlebrooks ever were and some (many) Sox fans wouldn’t stop hypeing up.
Agreed. Not all prospects progress, but when you have a young prospect performing well at AAA, the future is typically bright.
Watch the strikeout rates, though. If a guy is striking out more than 25% of the time at AAA, then the majors are likely to be a real challenge. Also watch for weak exit velocities, as those don’t typically play well in the majors.
And remember that “success” for a prospect is merely having a meaningful ML career, it doesn’t guarantee that they become a star.
tff – I’m no expert on prospects, but I do sense that Anthony could be a star player.
Sure, he could. So could any of the top four. But let’s not enshrine them in the HOF yet! I’m big on prospects, so it bothers me when people overhype kids. They have that kind of potential for sure, but only some of them will achieve it.
Good news is that the top four are close to being ready to hold a ML job. Really just one step remaining, adjusting the siills they have already demonstrated to the ML context.
inutero
the rotation was weak going into the season, and that’s why they miss the playoffs this year. ownership is a joke.
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You probably spent the first half of 2024 sitting deep in the forest.
The Red Sox starting rotation in the first half of 2024 exceeded all expectations, but Cora burned the bullpen to the All-Star Game, so they began to have troubles in the second half and the starting rotation played poorly for a while after ASG, SP has improved the last month, but the bullpen except for Slaten, Martin, Kenley – it sucks.
Tff Roman Anthony is striking out 19% of the time in AAA and walking 15% of the time. Don’t worry about Romans exit velocities they are among the highest in the game. On Friday he hit a 111 mph screamer into the gap at Worcester and the announcers were talking about how if it was anyone else they would be ohing and aweing over that exit velocity with Anthony it’s almost a daily occurrence. I’m sure he will have some initial issues at the big league level but with a decent spring training you put him in the lineup as the everyday right fielder. Oh and Anthony hits lefties as well he doesn’t have big platoon splits.
bogie – I agree with you! Red Sox starters currently have the 7th-best ERA in MLB and that’s despite the fact they have poor defense.
It’s the defense, bullpen, managerial decisions and inability to put the ball in play that has killed this team.
Bruin – Appreciate your prospect feedback and am wondering why y’all don’t talk about Braden Montgomery or Franklin Arias? Is it because you haven’t seen them play yet?
BTW – A couple months ago you projected Rafaela to finish with a .720 OPS this season. Obviously over time all projections change, including mine, but my original .666 OPS projection for Rafaela is looking more and more like that will be where he ends up as his OPS right now is .675 and still sinking so I guess my question is have you seen anything with him that has changed your projection or do you still believe he will improve next season to get up to that .720 you projected?
FPG I have never seen Montgomery play so I don’t really like to comment on guys I haven’t seen. The two guys I really want to see next year are Montgomery and Dalvinson Reyes. I have watched and commented on Arias before and he’s a really nice looking prospect but he’s only in A ball. He seems smooth around the bag but he’s 18 and makes errors at short. He has quick wrists and really impacts the ball and makes good swing decisions. He’s kind of like Valera both very young both are in A ball and both more then holding there own.
As for Rafaela i think ultimately he becomes that .250 .720 to maybe .750 ops guy as he gets more big league experience. He’s very immature at the plate but I think he improves his swing decisions a little more next year and beyond he has sneaky pop as well. I think you plug him into center next year and don’t look back.
I also think Boston needs to sell high on Abreu and get some pitching maybe he cab fetch a legit bullpen arm. Right fields is Roman Anthony’s next year and possibly from day 1. I like Abreu but let’s be real he doesn’t block Anthony.
Fever Pitch Guy
The fact is that even when Rafaela was playing in double AA, experts recommended that he change his approach to the plate and learn to be more selective…
If Seddanne works on his discipline in the off-season, then we could very well see a 700 Ops+ player…
If he’s stubborn and doesn’t want to listen to recommendations, then he’s a sub-700 Ops player.
I don’t expect him to walk a ton, but if he increases his walk rate from 2.8% in 2024 to 5% in 2025, that will be a success.
First full season in MLB:
2024 – C.Rafaela (23 Age) 142G, 536PA, 510AB, 68R, 127H, 21 Double, 5 Triple, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 15 Walks( 2.8%), 142 SO( 26,5%), 17SB, 8CS, .249 AVG, .675 Ops, 85 Wrc+, 203 TB, 41 XBH, 2.8% HR, ISO .149, BABIP .315, +1.6 dWAR, +2.7 WAR. – as of September 14.
2014 – X.Bogaerts (21 Age) 144G, 594PA, 538AB, 60R, 129H, 28 Double, 1 Triple, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 39 Walks( 6.6%), 138 SO(23.2%), 2SB, 3CS, .240 AVG, .659 OPS, 84 Wrc+, 195 TB, 41 XBH, 2% HR, ISO .123, BABIP .296, -0.2 dWAR, +0.7 WAR.
Boogie he’s a rookie I expect he will get better as he matures offensively. We all know he’s all about the defense especially in center. I think his k % will go down as he continues to adjust to this league. I don’t see his walk % going up much he’s just to much of a free swinger. Still he has really good hand eye and if he can just lay off the sliders away and the heat up I see potential to improve that bat. He already destroys mistake pitches he just needs to hold out into seeing them a little more frequently.
@Bruin, I have no concerns about Anthony, but an earlier poster mentioned Dalbec and Middlebrooks, both with more questionable profiles. Too many look just at the minor league OPS and don’t dig into how the player is achieving that, or how those tools might translate to the majors. Age also makes a huge difference — Anthony will likely be a 21 year old rookie, with four more years to improve his craft before he reaches the age that Dalbec was in his rookie year.
Oh and in case everyone didn’t realize it Anthony’s a special special player. He is the guy I would not trade out of any Red Sox player including the bigs. I don’t think I have been more confident of any Sox prospect since Mookie as I am with Anthony.
Bruin1012
I agree with you.
Rafaela needs to play in one position where, the best defender is center field, he is elite there and I think he is a better defender than Duran at center in the future.
It is unlikely that Duran will be able to put up such defensive numbers in the future at center as he did this season.
Duran rightfully deserves a Gold Glove this season in center field, as does Abreu in right field.
Bruin – I have the exact same feeling, gut instinct if you will. That’s why I said I think he’ll be a star …. and I’m not usually one to talk about prospects.
I think Anthony is gonna be the real deal, provided he stays healthy of course.
Bruin – I think there’s a TEAM issue when it comes to strikeouts. Not sure if it’s Fatso specifically or an organizational belief that players should take aggressive swings at every pitch they see, but obviously something has to change.
You can’t expect to be a contender if your hitters are striking out 10-15 times every game. Third most strikeouts in MLB, behind only the lowly Mariners and Rockies.
Bruin – Lots of analysts are saying Rafaela could be the everyday 2B next year. If so, nobody would be blocking Anthony.
I also wouldn’t rule out them trading Duran.
Interesting call on Abreu, Bruin.
It is tempting to count on Story/Mayer at SS next year with Campbell/Grissom at 2B and Hamilton/Meidroth in a utility role. Play around with the names if you like… But I see two potential issues with that.
First, neither Story nor Mayer has been a paragon of health, and if both are injured (again) that brings us back to Rafaela. And if Rafaela ends up playing shortstop (again), it would clearly be best to have him work out at that position over the off-season and throughout Spring Training.
Second, I have concerns about Devers’ ability to stick at 3B. He injured his shoulder on a dive in July, which impacts his value to the team as an elite offensive player. There are dozens of worse defenders around the majors, but they tend to gravitate to 2B (for middle infielders) or LF/RF (for outfielders) or 1B/DH. Or bench roles, of course, if their bat isn’t sufficient to carry them at an easier defensive position.
Aside from the dreadful CJ Abrams, the worst regular shortstop in the majors rates -3 FRV. Aside from Devers, the worst regular 3B in the majors rates -3 FRV. So while a -5 FRV isn’t spectacularly bad, it is around the level at which teams start to explore an easier position. For Devers that would be 1B or DH. If Devers were to move off the position, then either Mayer or Campbell would end up at 3B, making it even more likely that Rafaela would be needed at SS.
Cover the OF with O”Neill, Duran, Anthony, and Refsnyder? I could see that happening, perhaps. But the Red Sox would need an additional alternative for when one of those guys gets injured.
It will be interesting to see how Breslow approaches this off-season. Even aside from questions of his budget, he is going to need to sort through which players to keep and which to offer in trade.
Fever I watch these guys almost on a daily basis just finished watching Dobbins deal on Friday earlier this morning but that’s another conversation. I’m not kidding when I say that swing reminds me of JD Drew with light tower power. The crazy thing he gets to that power easily with a gorgeous left handed swing he can run as well and is good defensively he can play center but I see him deferring to Rafaela and Duran and playing right field. The real kicker with this kid is the maturity he has as a 20 year old. When you hear him talk he’s an old soul his maturity is really well beyond his years and he’s a hard worker. He’s special and we are lucky to have him.
Fever Pitch Guy
I think it’s a big waste of talent to play Rafaelа at second base in 2025 and have him block Grissom/Campbell at that position.
If the Red Sox make a pitching deal (Abreu), I’d try Rafaela in right field – he has a cannon arm, Duran would play center, Anthony would play left field when he debuts.
If you trade Duran, who will be the leadoff hitter in 2025?
Tff let me be clear on I’m not advocating giving him away. He is really good defensively so could profile as a 4th outfielder but due to platoon splits I would shop him around see what we can get for him I’m that confident in Anthony.
I think we are really seeing the development of legit pitching depth in the upper minors. We all know that you need probably 10 pitchers as starters to get through the season at least 8. I see potentially Fitts, Priester, and Dobbins as legit depth in AAA next year. Maybe one of those guys makes the rotation out of spring training. Still it’s going to be better starting pitcher depth than we have had in a while. I’m also very curious to see what happens with Sandlin he has quite an arm and I believe with some tweaking likely to happen this off-season he could be a fast mover. I think Boston needs to add that true ace this off-season and a legit bullpen arm or two. I think the need for a right handed slugger is probably not as important especially if Anthony makes it he hits lefties and righties doesn’t matter with him.
The future is very bright for this team.
Boogie I could get behind that since Duran has showed major improvement defensively in center. Still he’s more valuable defensively in center and while right in Fenway may be on par with Centerfield remember they play half there games on the road and center is far more valuable defensively in nearly every other park. Still Duran has improved so much so assuming he’s on the roster at the start of the season I think playing Rafaela in right is a fine idea.
blaming Cora is delusional. the staff had a good first half because they OVERPERFORMED, now they went back to the mean. they all are at career high innings. the Sox would be in the playoffs if they had signed snell or traded for burnes…
Bruin – I really don’t think Rafaela got a $50M contract after just 89 PA’s of .666 OPS strictly because of his defense. That would be a huge overpay for a defense-only guy. Not even the Red Sox front office would be that dumb to give out that contract for that reason. Pretty sure they are expecting at least a .750 OPS player during the life of the contract.
If defense was that valuable, JBJ would still be in MLB.
Fever Pitch Guy
I really don’t think Rafaela got a $50M contract after just 89 PA’s of .666 OPS strictly because of his defense. That would be a huge overpay for a defense-only guy. Not even the Red Sox front office would be that dumb to give out that contract for that reason. Pretty sure they are expecting at least a .750 OPS player during the life of the contract.
If defense was that valuable, JBJ would still be in MLB.
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I think they expect Rafaela to be like Kevin Kiermaier even if his discipline doesn’t improve.
Rafaela projected himself into the minor leagues as a perennial Golden Glover with a ready defense for Major League Baseball.
It is unlikely that Bradley was projected as a permanent Gold Glover and look how many dollars Kiermaier earned.
I think this is a very good contract for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox paid $11 million for Bradley and released him in the second half of 2022.
Bogie – Rafaela was a really good hitter in the minors, since A+.
His OPS in A+ was .962
His OPS in AA was .800
His OPS in AAA was .988
So I do believe they expected him to be at least a decent hitter in the majors.
And the fact he was benched yet again yesterday indicates they have expectations of him performing better than he has.
Fever Pitch Guy
Bogaerts also had a non-sugar first full season in Major League Baseball…
We need to be patient and give Rafaela a chance…
Duran played unsuccessfully for 2 seasons and, I remember how many Red Sox fans branded him…and wanted to release it for free.
Look at Duran now.
As soon as I saw Duran in the minor leagues, I knew the Red Sox had Ellsbury 2.0, the best part of his career in Boston.
I hope Rafaela ends up being a poor man’s Mookie in 1-2 years when she has more experience in MLB.
I think that’s why the Red Sox offered him this contract, they clearly see that the guy has the potential to become a regular player and the core of the Red Sox with prospects in the pipeline (Anthony, Campbell, Teel, Mayer) in the near future.
And that’s why I don’t want and hope that the Red Sox don’t trade Duran, he’s the future for at least the next 4 years and a leading hitter.
Lugo and Imanaga each signed for as much as Giolito and Hendriks combined. Either of them would have helped more in 2024 (when clearly the team had no intention of contending), but it is less certain that they will outperform Giolito + Hendriks in 2025 (when the team MIGHT contend if Henry decides he is willing to support the effort),
Neither Bloom nor Breslow sets the budget. DD quit because he wants to win, not waste his time putting together a “pretty good” budget team. Doesn’t need to be “micromanaging” by Henry either — just setting a limit on what the GM can spend that precludes going big.
If Hendriks is healthy and effective in 2025, that $10M signing will work out just fine. Jansen hasn’t been anything special, and makes $16M/yr.
Not sure what the point of a mutual option is. I just count it as a $10M deal for 2025, even if the actual payments are structured differently.
tff – Exactly on the mutual option buyout, I just don’t see the point in it.
I guess unless the player has a very mediocre season and both the team and player are on the fence about whether or not to pick up the option.
It might be a way to manipulate the cap number? I’m not sure…
I think the Red Sox are likely competing, but they are not going over the luxury tax threshold and are not signing free agent pitchers to big deals. They are trying to develop their pitching. It is a different approach. I think they may spend more as their better prospects get up to the Red Sox. If they had no intention to compete this year, they would have sold at the trade deadline. I think they are competing within parameters and not going all in right now as some fans expect.
Continuing: I think the Red Sox are building through the farm system and keeping financial flexibility for when the young core is in place. They will be able to sign free agents then. If they sign them now, they may be in decline when the young core is ready to go.
tff – Nah, option buyouts are included in the luxury tax hit because it’s guaranteed until the option is decided upon.
So for Liam it’s $5M LT this year and $5M LT next year, even though he’s making $2M this year and $6M next year.
these high-risk gambles are foolish for a penny-pinching team
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The Hendriks deal is actually low risk. Hendriks made $2MM this season and is set for a $6MM base salary next year. He’s guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a mutual option for 2026. This is low risk and a good business decision.
I’m really starting to be concerned that rather than Breslow making much needed changes to the Red Sox front office and baseball ops, instead he is being molded to continue the same approach as the Bloom regime
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Breslow is working closely with Theo Epstein! They have a plan for the future. Unfortunately, most fans don’t see or care about the plan for the future.
nesn.com/2024/07/red-soxs-craig-breslow-explains-t…
Amazing how many people here dont know this signing was always about 2025 and anything in 2024 is a bonus.
“It would obviously be great news if Hendriks is back on the mound in August or September but the signing for the Red Sox is more about 2025.” (MLBTR 2/20/24)
Hate aplenty here, baseball knowledge not so much.
Mic’ed up legend. Kind of.
While it’s a wise decision, as predictable as the sun rising due to the last few weeks..
olm – The Sox have a history of trying to rush back players too soon, simply because of a lack of depth. Casas clearly was rushed back, Hill was clearly rushed back, they tried to rush back Mondesi last year, Story was rushed back last year AND this year, and they tried to rush back Liam because of their bullpen failures.
Speaking of bullpen failures, I didn’t even realize both Sims and Garcia are just 2-month rentals.
So the Sox gave up 4 prospects for a 37-year-old reliever with a 4.07 ERA and 1.391 WHIP last year and what does he do for them?
11 innings of 10.32 ERA 1.941 WHIP pitching. Great trade Breslow!!!!
Who needs good relievers when you can bring in Winck during the bottom of the 10th inning in a tie game, right?
FPG… yeah as much as I was holding out hope the hole in my ss Redsox row boat is the size of bowling ball and all I have is solo cup to bail… Did not know that about both relievers either… man I hope all these youngsters pan out, while I NEVER would change allegiance even Mr Brightside of Chicago is wearing thin on being excluded from playoffs lately.. for what it’s worth… I was batting a thousand this year!! 2-0 and one step further.. 5-0 past few years… including the only win at home vs the Rays one year!!! So Liam/ Whitlock come back next year anyone I’m missing pitching wise?? Excellent post on Houck/ Lugo comparisons and how it would be nice to see T/O signed but your spot on… lot’s of potential OF coming up but all LH and T/O will be in demand after this year…. The one thing I saw that I DON’T want is Bregman signing!! Ever since 18 he has been number one enemy of this Red Sox fan( way he dissed Nate) loved when he struck his arss out in his last AB of 18!!!!
olm – Thank you! And yeah I wouldn’t worry about Bregman, my hunch is he goes to Detroit.
The only big contract I see the Sox giving out this winter, if any, would be to a pitcher. I am perfectly fine with the current Sox lineup, minus O’Neill/DJansen and plus Anthony/Teel.
I can even tolerate a year of Story/Rafaela at middle infield until Mayer/Campbell get settled in.
“Who needs good relievers when you can bring in Winck during the bottom of the 10th inning in a tie game, right?”
In all fairness, Cora had already used their two best bullpen arms, plus three other guys. And he was facing Soto, which would be bad enough even without the L-R matchup. And Boston has been mishandling him for three years – is he a starter or a reliever? That yoyo game is no good, especially for a pitcher who is still fairly young at 26.
Gomez – I was referring more to the front office’s failure to sign a solid LHR last offseason and failure to trade for solid bullpen help at the deadline.
Regarding last night, Kenley’s usage has been so light he should have been used for 2 innings:
Sept 5 – Did not pitch
Sept 6 – Did not pitch
Sept 7 – Just 7 pitches
Sept 8 – Did not pitch
Sept 9 – Did not pitch
Sept 10 – Did not pitch
Sept 11 – Just 11 pitches
And last night only 9 pitches.
Last night was a huge game for a team claiming to be fighting for a playoff spot. I know Cora wanted to save him for today, but it’s crunch time and your best pitchers should be available for extra innings.
Agree with you on the mishandling of Winck. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, it’s crucial to have strikeout pitchers in extra innings because of the ghost runner.
Jansen is fighting through an injury, dating back to the Toronto (?) series. If you look for it, am sure you’ll find reporting. It tweaks him on his finish.
Regardless of what anybody says publicly, I don’t believe they are or ever have been serious about competing this year. The MO seems similar to last year, putting together an average team and talking up their chances even as the team fades into oblivion.
tff – Thanks, I didn’t catch that about Jansen. So the obvious question, why bring him into the bottom of the 9th inning in a tie game facing the bottom of the lineup? He should have pitched the 10th, not the 9th.
In my opinion when Jansen is not available the extra inning guys should be Bernie (when healthy of course), followed by Kelly and then Slaten …. taking into consideration matchups of course.. They are all striking out more than one per inning which is what you need in extra innings.
Winck gets very few strikeouts, putting him into extra innings is insane ESPECIALLY facing Soto & Judge.
Yeah, playing on the road they could have held him for a save. But likely that the pen loses the game before he pitches if you try that.
You can’t manage a .500 team to the playoffs, no matter what levers you pull. And the talent on the team isn’t any better than .500.
That’s why I say they haven’t been serious about contending. If you enter Spring Training with a roster that projects to a .500 record, then you have every expectation that you will finish with a .500 record (and miss the playoffs). Teams that are serious about competing work to come in with a lot more talent than that.
Wishful thinking that a single pitcher or different managerial decisions would vault them into the 90 win range.
tff – Of course I totally agree about ownership punting on this season since last winter, but that doesn’t mean Cora should be allowed to punt too. He has a responsibility to the fans and his players to continue trying to win until at least the Twins series next weekend is over.
And if the prospects do turn this team into a legit contender in 2026 or whenever, Cora needs to stop with these pregame-planned pitching decisions. The flow of the game should at least partially dictate his moves.
I guess I’ve just stopped bothering with any of that. I’m watching the games for the players, the pitches, the ABs, not so much for the score. Just as happy if they lose out the season – improves their draft position and possibly inspires Henry to take next year more seriously.
It would be embarrassing at one level if this team were to slip into the playoffs. A thin roster, with too many key players hurting. Other teams are better prepared to make a run in October than the Red Sox would be.
tff – Right now the Sox have the 13th overall pick in next year’s draft. If they can finish worse than Tampa and Frisco, they can leapfrog the ChiSox and Athletics for the 9th overall pick. Losing all of their remaining games won’t get them that much of a better pick.
With MLB’s postseason expansion, whomever slips into the final two ALWC slots will be an embarrassment..
Did you know EVERY team in the league has no better than a 6-4 record in their last 10 games. It’s ridiculous.
I’m not a fan of the expanded playoffs. Maybe some cases where a deserving young team catches fire in the second half and legitimately deserves a berth (KCR?) but that isn’t our situation.
9th is good.
Fever Pitch guy should change to Fever did not pitch guy
Looks like Houck might be done for the season? If eight days rest isn’t enough, best to let him get started on his off-season.
tff17: Agreed. Houck’s has gone from 106 IP last year to 169.2 IP this year. That’s a big jump.
tff – It’s impossible to tell with the games the front office plays. They leave Houck as the scheduled starter until less than an hour prior to gametime? Sounds like they did it intentionally to force the Yankees to scramble with their game preparation, which is jerky and unprofessional. For all we know Houck could be pitching tomorrow or Sunday because if he had pitched tonight he would have missed the all-crucial Twins series.
And did you hear about Liam? Apparently he’s pissed that Cora said he’s probably getting shut down for the year, and nobody even told Liam about that plan.
“That was news to me” said Hendriks upon hearing it for the first time from a group of reporters. He’s scheduled for a cortisone shot on Monday and most definitely plans to pitch this season unless the Sox are eliminated before he can return.
What an ass Cora is. I tell you one thing, Liam Hendriks is not the type of guy that will tolerate being jerked around or disrespected by Cora & Company.
Fever, you are reading an awful lot into that one comment.
Can’t pitch immediately after a cortisone shot, so I’d expect the season to be over (at least for practical purposes) before he makes it back. The Fangraphs playoff odds are already down to 3.2%.
tff – Sorry but Liam had every right to go off on Cora. If you had an injury and your boss announced to the world that you’d be going on medical leave for the rest of the year without even talking to you about it, you’d be pissed too.
Cora embarrassed the entire organization, again.
Maybe or maybe not… If that is how it happened, I’m not going to blame Hendriks. I’m just not certain from the comments that is how it happened.
Those crucial .2 broke him
tff – Well we have contradictory direct quotes from both Cora and Liam, and we know Cora has a notorious reputation for lying while Liam has a reputation for being quite candid and honest … and what motive would he have to lie about it? Sorry but I don’t believe Liam was lying about not knowing, and the subsequent report from Jen is proof of that.
BTW don’t give up on the team just yet! Houck is expected to pitch again, and the Twins have really sucked over the past few weeks. I think it’s 100% possible the Sox sweep the Twins next weekend.
And do you really think the Tigers or Mariners or Rays are better than the Sox? I sure don’t!
You are reading an awful lot into a single line.
I see lots of good posts from the Nation… After 18 did I miss something.. They took their model of success and thru it out to become like a team that was successful on reaching the postseason but has as many WS trophies on their mantle as I do…. Insanity… doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result…
olm – I agree, really enjoying everyone’s posts here!!!
The noisemakers are gone for the most part, as they usually are in September.
FSG will eventually learn that Red Sox Nation will not pay a premium to follow an underfunded inferior product. There is no monopoly here, hard-earned money can be spent on Bruins/Celtics/Huskies and everything else the city of Boston has to offer.
I had completely forgotten that Hendriks was on the team. Please tell me he isn’t being counted on to be their closer next year.
He’s gonna be counted on to be the closer next year…( cue Maxwell Smart agent 86)
The old He’s-The-Closer trick.
Gomez – Pretty sure he is, if healthy.
No chance they re-sign Jansen, and Martin is questionable.
I can’t see them spending big on a free agent closer.
Love Hendricks as a person and wish him nothing but the best but man I’m getting quite tired of these types of signings by the Sox.
Third year in a row with this team missing the playoffs. Getting tired of them picking up and giving contracts to “high upside” players. They will loose some players this year like Jensen, O’Neil and some others. Grissom struggled, not sure about that pickup. We get the least production out of 2nd base in the league. Whitlock is constantly hurt. They need starting pitching that can go deeper into games so that your bullpen is not asked to get 9-12 outs a night. Henry is in “Cheap Mode” and Breslow is in way over his head. I have no confidence in another “Full Throttle” this year after watching last years promise BS. No confidence in Breslow either to fix it either.
The starting pitching is right around the league average in IP/GS, so while they could be doing better, it isn’t a glaring weakness.
Simplest way to improve on that is to stop using “openers”. Develop a stable of pitchers sufficient to put a true starter out there 162 times a year.
tff
“The starting pitching is right around the league average in IP/GS, so while they could be doing better, it isn’t a glaring weakness.
Simplest way to improve on that is to stop using “openers”. ”
One of the reasons for using openers is so the bulk pitcher can face more hitters. Those hitters being the bottom of the order, not the top.
Hi Bro, while some teams may use “openers” like that, the Red Sox haven’t done so as far as I can tell.
There are only seven relief appearances of 4+ innings this year. One of them was the continuation of a suspended game. Three were mop-up work after a normal rotation starter blew up. The last three were “bullpen games” in which one guy threw 3-4 innings and then Keller came in for a four inning relief stint.
All seven of those games were losses, so while the strategy may have helped save workload on the better bullpen arms, it definitely wasn’t effective at winning games.
Six games started by Kelly or Bernardino, clearly with no expectation that the “opener” go more than three innings. Six more from Winckowski, averaging less than 4 IP/GS, as well as one by Chase Anderson. In only one of those seven did the pitcher go five innings.
Criswell’s starts have been more a mixed bag. In 9 of his 18 GS he has been pulled before the end of the 5th inning, including six games in which he gave up two or fewer runs. In some of those it seemed that Cora intended a “bullpen game” with Criswell slated for just 3-4 innings followed by a series of relievers. In others he may have been in a more normal (if short) starting role.
They won five of Criswell’s nine short starts, two of Kelly’s three starts, three of Winckowski’s six starts, and one of Bernardino’s three starts. So putting that all together, they won 11 of the 22 “bullpen games”. Just none of those included a four-inning relief stint.
If you think they’re gonna make the playoffs every year the problem is you.
I don’t. But we knew that this was not a playoff team at the beginning of the year. So for three years now in a row of not putting a good product out there is not a good way to win.
Big tears.
Well said Claydagoat. Team was absolutely gutted to win last WS, but too many Red Sox fans dont get it.
Who was there to call on in 2020, 22, 23? Excluding the overachieving fluke 2021 season, there was nobody in the pipeline. Were they suppose to buy entire teams with Free Agents? I guess they couldve made the playoffs in those years if they ran the payroll to $500M.
You not being able to write a coherent sentence is also perhaps a problem when it comes to posting on a baseball site.
Will the Red Sox go into 2025 with Hendriks as the assumed closer? Very high risk.
They could use another leverage reliever (along with Hendriks, Whitlock, and Slaten), but I doubt they will sign a “closer”.
Another blown bullpen game tonight with Kelly and Booser giving them nothing against the Yankees. I do not see them making big trades or signing free agents. I am just tired of the low budget signings of Bloom and Breslow. The Red Sox are a high market team in cheap mode. I just don’t think they are going to improve this team much. Next they will tell you that we are waiting for the rookies. You need a combination of established players, rookies and good free agents. I guess Henry feels that they won 4 World Series Titles under his ownership and that is good enough. You could not even get a good GM because no one wanted to come to this team after what they did to Dombroski.
For Gods sake can you get a second baseman who can hit! You have not had a productive 2nd baseman since Pedroia left 5 years ago.
They might be more effective if they weren’t pitching so frequently. The Red Sox since the ASB are #2 in relief appearances. A pretty normal number of relief innings, but they are getting guys up constantly, and that wears them out.
Probably not their only bullpen issue, but it is a big part. Count the number of relievers who have gone on the DL with elbow soreness since the start of July? They wear down under the overuse, which puts more work on the guys who aren’t yet injured.
tff – Totally agree with you that the constant warming up of relief pitchers, quite often without ever even appearing in the game, takes a toll.
However as for actual game appearances, no current Sox player is among the MLB leaders in appearances.
Bernardino leads the Red Sox with 57 appearances, tying him for 65th in MLB.
Sims & Weissert are next with 54 appearances, tying them for 94th in MLB.
So it’s probably safe to say Sox pitchers are getting worn out by Cora, but not necessarily just from the number of games they are participating in.
Cora was managing the bullpen very differently in the first half, but (in his words) switched to being “aggressive” with the bullpen after the All-Star Break. It only takes about two weeks of overuse to ruin a reliever. Following that it can take 2-4 weeks of rest to recover.
Bernardino appeared in 9 games in April, 11 in May, 9 in June, and 9 in July. He faced 43, 43, 35, and 35 batters. Nice and easy, on pace for 54 games and 234 TBF. an unremarkable workload.
In August he appeared in *14* games with *58* TBF, a 50% increase in his workload. Then three more appearances in the first week of September. Then a pair of weaker appearances on back-to-back nights and a trip to the DL with “elbow soreness”.
Not saying you need to connect those dots, and I can’t prove anything, but you can see how they line up. The damage was done in August, though of course he wasn’t given a chance to recover from that.
Sims wasn’t worked all that hard, but neither is he an especially good pitcher. Eleven appearances with 45 TBF over a 26 day span is on the high side but not unreasonable.
Weissert had been in a multiple inning relief role, so pitching four times in five days coming out of the ASB was new for him — he failed to recover in his following outing and then was sent to the minors for some R&R. You remember how I wrote at that time that all he needed was a bit of rest? Since his return, he hasn’t given up a single earned run (and just one unearned run). He’s not a great pitcher, but he’s a guy who can give you steady innings in the right role. He is NOT somebody you want to go to four times in five days.
If bullpen management were easy, everybody would be good at it. A workload that is manageable for one guy is wrong for another. Much of it comes down to establishing roles and patterns. One inning guys should be used every 2-4 days for one inning each. No extended outings, no extended rests, and limited back-to-back outings. Middle relievers should be used for multiple innings every 3-5 days, for 1+ to 2 innings each. Steady as she goes…
I know it is a slog, but walk your way through the bullpen one reliever at a time, and look at the number of roles that were altered at the ASB when Cora decided to be “aggressive”. No surprise when you take guys who have been built up for one role and they struggle in a different role.
Or look at Criswell, and what happened to him when he was bumped to the bullpen? He has been very effective (if innings-limited) as a starter. Look up his bullpen ERA this year.
I am just tired of the low budget signings of Bloom and Breslow.
===========================
1-They don’t create the budget. Henry does. I agree 100% that we should spend more, but they can only spend what they have.
2-Even if they had a larger budget, there is a decent chance it wouldn’t been spent on guys like Monty & Snell.
That Sound???? The tapping of the last nail… BRUTAL!!!
olm – That tapping is the sound of Sox players trapped in the coffin that Sox management has put them in ….. and the players want out!
FPG… I began to really lose hope the last game against W Sox… that to me was beginning of end…
Olm – I still haven’t officially given up, as I’m always openminded about the unexpected possibly happening, but yeah the game last Sunday was brutal. The Orioles series gave some people hope, but let’s face it …. the O’s have sucked for a while now and even THEY just got blown out by the ChiSox last week.
Okay time to lighten up the atmosphere with some FUN FACTS!!!
Which team leads MLB in most Grand Slams allowed?
The same team that is tied for the fewest Grand Slams hit in MLB …. our Boston Red Sox!!
The Red Sox have allowed an MLB-high 9 Grand Slams but haven’t hit one this season.
And here’s a Bonus Fact that ties in perfectly …. who is the last player to hit a Grand Slam with the Red Sox?
You will NEVER EVER EVER guess!!
Give up?
Luis Arias in August 2023!!!!!
How about that ;O)
Nicely done!! I could have been given a list of 1000 Red Sox players and I wouldn’t have picked him… tell me ol great one( in my Ed McMahon voice) didn’t the Red Sox have some kind of streak pertaining to grand slams not long ago?? Like zero year before than led the next year?? 2018 ish???
Fever Pitch Guy
2018 – The Red Sox hit 10 regular season Grand Slams
(Bogey -3, Mookie -2, Devers -2, Moreland -1, JD -1, Pearce -1) and one GS in ALCS vs Houston (JBJ), and also 3 times Red Sox players hit three home runs in one game ( Mookie -2, Pearce -1 vs MFY) – Juggernaut!!!
Olm – How far back you going? I confirmed my memory just now, 2013 and 2005 are the only years they led MLB in Grand Salamis.
In 2004 they had 6, in 2005 they had 11.
In 2012 they had 3, in 2013 they had 9.
Can’t find a year where they led MLB after having zero?
But like Bogie said, they did have 10 in 2018 after not having any in 2017 …. maybe that’s what you’re thinking of?
Bogie – Great memory! Yes that 2018 team was amazing, a monkey could have managed them to a championship!!
Fever Pitch Guy
To be honest, that year I bet on the Red Sox to win the World Series before the start of the regular season – the odds were 50 to 1, although it was in hryvnias (Ukraine)
Yes that would be it …
I also get concerned with the political views of athletes.
“yeah eff those kids!”
– the frogs
Well, we can only hope for individual Red Sox awards this season – a Gold Glove (Duran in center field, Abreu in right field, AL Rookie of the Year – Abreu, Duran finishing in the top five in the AL, Duran’s achievement of 50 doubles and 15 triples -14 games left – need to make 5 doubles and 2 triples )
Duran doesn’t qualify, but Rafaela and Hamilton have WARs of 2.7, Hamilton in only 98 starts.
JoeBrady
Kirmaier results 2016 in CF:
104G, 102GS, 94CG, 872.1 Inn – Gold Glove
Duran results 2024 in CF:
99G, 84GS, 68CG, 765.1 Inn – 13 games left 2024
theoretically it could be for Duran 2024 in CF:
112G, 97GS, 81CG, 883.1 Inn
How does Duran have no chance of qualifying?
It’s not the talent, it is the ABs. He had 643 ABs prior to this season. You can’t exceed 130.
JoeBrady
Ahaha
Are you talking about rookie of the year…
I hope Duran wins the Golden Glove, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t be eligible.
baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2024-rookies…
I find that a pretty convenient spot to see who qualifies, and some of their stats.
If it just the GG, then it is possible. He’s improved a lot, but I don’t think he is elite with the glove.
Probably one of the very few good things the White Sox did in not bringing him back. Caught a break with Giolito too.
Cry more
I thought his name was Liam Hendricks when he was on the White Sox. Is this one of those Mandela effect things or has his name always been Hendriks?
Nyy – You’re thinking of the great guitarist Jimi Hendricks.