9:33pm: Grandal’s deal has a May 1 opt-out clause if he’s not added to the MLB roster and would come with a $1.35MM base salary if he earns a call-up, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports.
5:15pm: The Red Sox and catcher Yasmani Grandal have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Wasserman client will presumably need some ramp-up time after missing Spring Training but could be an option for the Sox in a few weeks.
The move is likely a reflection of the thinning catching depth in Boston. Connor Wong was the club’s primary backstop to start the year but he recently suffered a broken finger on a catcher’s interference play, putting him on the 10-day injured list. The club previously had one of the top catching prospects in the sport but traded Kyle Teel to the White Sox as part of the Garrett Crochet deal.
The Wong injury has moved Carlos Narváez from the backup spot to the top of the depth chart. He has just 14 games of major league experience. Blake Sabol has been recalled to serve in the backup role, though he’s more of a utility guy who can catch in a pinch, with fairly suspect defensive abilities. They have one experienced non-roster option, as Seby Zavala is with Triple-A Worcester on a minor league deal, but he has a career line of .205/.271/.342 and is out to a .136/.136/.182 start with the WooSox.
Given those circumstances, adding a veteran is a fairly straightforward move, especially one with Grandal’s track record. He debuted back in 2012 and emerged as one of the best catchers in the league about a decade ago.
He is a few years removed from his prime now but had a solid season with the Pirates last year. He got into 72 games for the Bucs and stepped to the plate 243 times. His 9.9% walk rate and 18.9% strikeout rate were both better than league average and he also launched nine home runs. His .228/.304/.400 line led to a 95 wRC+. That indicates he was 5% worse than league average independent of position, but catchers are usually about 10% worse than par.
He’s always been considered a strong defender and still got good marks last year, especially in terms of framing. Grandal finished eighth on both the FanGraphs and Statcast framing leaderboards last year despite playing way less than most of the guys ahead of him. Thanks to his decent offense and strong glovework, FanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.0 wins above replacement on the year, even though he only played about half of it.
Despite that strong showing, he didn’t find much interest in free agency. He reportedly turned down an offer from Atlanta at one point and remained on the market until agreeing to this deal. He’s naturally a few weeks behind everyone else and will need to get in game shape. The Sox could send him to extended Spring Training or just throw him to one of their minor league affiliates to get playing time that way.
If he’s in game shape before Wong, he might be the club’s best option to take the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate. Even if Wong gets back while Grandal is still gearing up, Narváez has options and could be sent down if the club wants to go with a Wong/Grandal pairing. There’s no real harm on a minor league deal, especially in a clearly weak area for the club. Grandal is a bit more than just a warm body since he has years of experience and just had a decent enough performance last year.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
Looks like Wong may be out longer than we thought
Splint – Doesn’t matter, they needed to try other options anyway.
Good move by the Sox, whether it works out or not.
Fever, are you watching? Cora should not have brought in a lefty with the three batter rule because Vlade was going to pinch hit. Whether it worked or not is not the issue. Then Campbell showed he needs to work on his fielding. His bat may be MLB ready but he was five feet away from the bag and should have ran to it. There was no need for Story to try to make the play.
dewey – I’m working, which means I’m watching ;O)
I can’t fault Cora on Wilson, he’s fresh and he’s pitched really well so far this year.
As I watch Campbell get thrown out on a bad stolen base attempt slide, I think he’s going through some growing pains similar to Casas and Duran and Pedroia etc all did when they first came up.
On the double play, KC was indecisive and that may have contributed to the bad throw by Story ….. hard to say.
But you are 100% correct, KC could have made the play himself.
And I am not happy with Whit coming into the game with the Sox trailing. If he’s gonna pitch only once every 4 days or so, let it be with a late inning lead.
Dewey: Campbell didn’t make the error. Story made the throwing error. Story should have told Campbell to take it himself instead of continuing to run and cover 2B.
I just put it back on as I needed to handle a family matter. Thus, I missed Whitlock in the top of the inning, I just didn’t want Guerrero pinch hitting against a lefty at Fenway. Hime hits a DP ball and the defense lets us down again. Leading the league in errors and strikeouts…two weeks in. I thought this was a new year…
All, no disrespect but he was five feet from the bag. No one should have told him anything. Even a rookie needs to have food instincts.
Dewey: If you are a rookie and Trevor Story is running to cover 2B, are you going to flip him the ball or ignore the veteran and take it yourself? I think it is pretty hard for a rookie to ignore a veteran. Campbell flipped Story the ball and Story made a throwing error. I blame Story in this case.
dewey – This is one crazy game, seems like the Jays are determined to hand the game to the Sox. Why don’t they have Kirk come in to catch? Well no complaints here, very happy they tied it up.
Hope your family is okay.
Vlad hasn’t been that good this series, maybe he’s tired from planning on how to spend his half billion. LOL!!
BTW – It’s really embarrassing that a fulltime PBP guy doesn’t realize “Red Sox are desperate for a win, they could care less how they get it” means they DO care.
Joe Castig never made a dumb mistake like that in all his years ….. I miss Joe.
Food instincts? good instincts.
dewey – Kirk definitely has food instincts ;O)
He makes Vaz look like Sale!!
So for the second day in a row ….. WHY BRING IN CHAPMAN FOR THE 9TH INNING IN A TIE GAME???? Dumb, dumb Cora.
dewey – There is no bigger idiot than Cora! Why on Earth did he pitch to Springer with first base open, go-ahead runner on 3B, and Wagner up next? What a moron Cora is!!!!
Yep, if they could care *less*, that means they do care, at least a little.
The ball All was so close to the bag, Story was going to the bag in case of a bubble and would have stopped had Campbell gone for the bag. I love Campbell but he hesitated for no reason
I find the radio just horrible and would prefer to listen in my car to the other team’s feed. That’s how bad it is. Joe? I miss Ned Martin and Ken Coleman on the radio…
Dewey: It makes no sense to say he hesitated for no reason. I think the reason he hesitated to take it himself is Story continued to cover 2B. Story made the throwing error. That is on Story.
I will take this win because in October no one will remember how it was secured but I crack up when all I hear is how great a managed Cora is. I find myself asking if I’d rather have John Farrell and I answer myself Bobby Valentine but not the 13 version…
The bigger mistake made by Cora today was not walking George Springer with a lefty on deck. Springer killed the Sox in this series, and Cora let him drive in the tying run.
New – Yes absolutely, I mentioned it somewhere …. not sure where as I was all over the place while multitasking. LOL
Even if Wagner was a RHB, pitching to the MLB batting leader with first base open instead of pitching to a .627 OPS hitter was absurd.
Another solid move by the Front Office. They are on a heater!
All, we will agree to disagree…
Fever – cora has an inferiority complex and constantly needs to try and be “smarter” than the rest of the league. He’s pathetic.
Ned Martin and Ken Coleman were great
dewey – Cora is liked mostly by the Latino players because he is Latino, the players said so in the Netflix doc.
And he is very good at charming players and the right people. But morally, ethically and strategically he is one of the worst. Sometimes he admits his screwups, usually he does not.
Baseball managers are just like teachers and others in positions of authority, the best aren’t always well liked and many of the worst are beloved.
Younger players who don’t care as much about winning tend to gravitate to managers like Cora. Older players who have better earning potential tend to stay away, that is one reason why the list of free agents that have spurned the Red Sox is a long one.
ghost – Agreed, insecure managers tend to make unconventional decisions because they are trying to stand out among the crowd. They think their “gut feeling” is superior to everyone and everything else.
That’s how I saw it .
Campbell saw Story and was being deferential to the veteran.
No problem whatsoever.
dark – That’s not really fair. It wasn’t Story’s fault and it wasn’t KC’s fault.
The only person to blame is Cora, obviously. He kept pulling KC in different directions during ST and didn’t allow time for KC and Story to work together on covering middle infield. That’s because as we all know the Red Sox never have a plan, they just wing it.
With a broken finger, Wong is probably out for 7-9 weeks. Probably 6-7 weeks to heal and 1-2 weeks to rehab.
Yeah, it definitely sounds like Boston is worried, and something is Wong
Good. We need more depth at catcher.
This stinks! The Tigers really need him right now with their top catcher going down. Why is Yasmani signing with the BoSox? Did Harris even reach out to him?
Why do quality veterans always gravitate toward the big name franchises during the twilight of their career?
If nothing else, this is a signing where maybe he can teach some game prep things to other options they throw at the wall to stick at the C position.
GaSox – Agreed!
And at least THIS catcher has had great success in the not too distant past, with a 3.7 WAR and .939 OPS just 4 years ago.
Sooooo ….. 2 more errors today so far to add to their MLB lead, how ya liking the greatly improved Red Sox defense? ;O)
Fever – you’ve got a bunch of new players, and, they’re playing in freezing cold weather.
In other words, I’m unconcerned. Just like I wasn’t worried about devers’ strikeouts with the whole he hadn’t had a ST ala 2019 SP type situation, and, I wasn’t worried about bregman’s slow start with the bat.
If the sox are leading the league in errors in September, I’ll re-address and have a different opinion.
I still identify Casas as a problem in the defense though, balls a talented 1B would move off the bag to grab or better stretch and pick and save the error he’s less likely to make a play on.
GaSox – No different than other teams such as Toronto, new players playing in cold weather. Cora actually mocked his own players that were complaining about the cold. What he did was in poor taste, but he did have a point.
Also it all goes back to what everyone was saying about the Red Sox not having a plan and managing the team very poorly. Would KC have benefited from practicing/playing strictly 2B in ST, preferably simultaneously with Story? Of course, familiarity is always important when it comes to SS/2B combos. But I’m not one to beat a dead horse.
And I totally agree with you about how idiotic it was for some people here to say Devers missed most of ST. As we talked about recently, he not only didn’t miss ANY of ST …. he was there about 3 weeks early! It’s both funny and scary how something 100% false can be spread by people who actually believe it just because they heard it from some other fan.
I think today was a microcosm of how the season could play out. Who came up big at the plate? Duran, Devers, Story. I’m not worried about Casas, I had said all offseason his return from the rib injury could impact his swing for a while.
As for Bregman, he’s on pace for 41 errors so it’s not just his hitting. But even with the hitting, all the talk from the media about how he raked throughout his career at Fenway …. did they really not know enough to look at his stats and see his OPS was about the same against the Red Sox in Houston? Did they really not know the crappy Red Sox pitching over the past six years was a big reason why his numbers at Fenway were good? FTR – 1.158 OPS at Fenway, and 1.013 OPS vs the Red Sox. Not that big a difference, and I’m guessing as the season goes on his Fenway numbers will go even lower than his career numbers vs the Red Sox.
Nobody denies Casas is weak on defense, did you see his error last week when he inexplicably dropped a perfect throw. But his unusually long legs does give him an advantage stretching to make catches.
Waiting until the end of the season to draw a conclusion on the defense is not an option. They intend to contend THIS year, which means weaknesses need to be addressed midseason if not sooner. And I think there’s zero chance the same players will be playing the same positions from now until the end of the season. I expect at least one new catcher, reduced playing time for Rafaela, and the promotions of Anthony and Mayer. I don’t think there’s any situation KC gets demoted, because of his extension. …..
Well looking at the calendar they’ve got 10 really easy games against Tampa and the ChiSox, don’t be surprised if they reel off at least 7 wins during that stretch.
Speaking of Tampa, during the offseason some people here insisted they would sell out every game and ticket prices would be doubled and tripled for all tickets. I told them it would be the opposite, because it’s a minor league stadium and the weather will suck after May.
I just looked at the Rays and StubHub websites ….. tons of seats available for next week’s Red Sox series, and scalpers are losing their shirts with lower level seats between the dugouts going for $9-$46, well below face value …… and it’s still perfect weather right now!!!
Fever- the one thing about the weather and tampa… I can tell you from personal experience, they got the same cold weather front as boston did just this past week. It dropped their Temps a good 15-20 degrees.
I’m on a worcester trip. Before I left I attended a car meet in south GA, above the FL line. It was over 90 degrees every day – Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat… there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so, I’m not sure what heat index would’ve said.
So, further south in Tampa, even with the water moderating influence, I suspect it was upper 80s to low 90s with a higher heat index anyways.
As for whether that makes for perfect weather… well, for me an idea ballpark day would be maybe 78-82, partly cloudy, with a light breeze.
*but* people underestimate how mad many locals are with Stu and the rays FO as well for the stadium games and ultimately cancelled project. I’m sure that doesn’t help their ticket sales.
As for our RS content and how the season is going… to be honest, I’m just happy to watch relevant product again and seeing players who could have value to the teams new core, not just seeing guys playing out the string on a contract a gm won’t move, watching lots of buy-low candidates whose only purpose is to be trade bait if they work out.
The bloom years really burned me out my friend. They did. And what the wife did as well as I fight the leukemia… I try to take comforts in practicing an even more expansive altruistic lifestyle than before, which says something, and I add in trying to be optimistic and extend some extra benefits of the doubt to things I’m passionate about, like our Sox.
I’ve got some issues with top brass still obviously, as well as Cora, but, I’m taking a bit of a more laid back approach this springtime and purposely putting on some rose colored glasses for the first month or two.
Personally, I’m not even worried how this year plays out especially now that crochet is extended. The window to contend is wide open, so, I’m willing to give a tad bit extra latitude and not push as harsh of a win-now mentality, this *should* be a year to contend, but, adjustments should be gradual, measured, and, make sure they don’t overreact to quickly to anything. The last 6 years were suffering enough , let make it have been worth it.
I absolutely, *100%* don’t hold anyone else’s passion and more aggressive accountability desires vis-a-vis the sox coaches and management against them mind you. I say fire way. I’m just a tad more reserved given my current realities.
GA: You are more in touch with reality. FPG can’t even grasp that Devers having only 14 ABs in spring training is missing a lot of spring training. Most players get 40-50 ABs in spring training. FPG makes an effort to criticize the Red Sox and insult other posters.
Well Suit, I hope all is well amd you’re enjoying the early season.
Going back to ST, even beyond the ABs I firmly believe Devers was on a modified drills regimen specific to his shoulders issue. I don’t think he had close to all the same exercises as the other guys, or, he would’ve been facing live pitching in games earlier.
It’s not the 30 missed ST ABs that worry me as much as the modified drills that had his timing off – which seems to be coming around.
Just my assumptions mind you, and, they’re worth what you paid for them too.
As for FPG, I do think he’s good people, just passionate and expresses his concerns and passions different than others. I don’t ascribe that to trolling the way some others do. There’s a couple posters on the board id wish would let him have a bit more leeway before jumping straight into bickering mode,
GaSox – I hope you find better weather when you reach the Woosta area.
I think the Rays and people here underestimated the importance of comfort when attending games. The Trop has it’s issues, but the seats are comfortable and being in a temperature controlled dome is important to most. Ask anyone where they’d rather attend a game this week, in Fenway or in Rogers Centre/Globe Life/T-Mobile Park ….. if the teams were the same, they’d pick one of the enclosed stadiums.
I’m sure you’re right, there are many not happy with Stu. He is an extremely greedy owner. Did you know all official parking for the Rays this year starts at $32 …. that despite the fact you’ve got a maximum 11K crowds and enough parking spaces to accommodate the Bucs football games. The price gouging is absurd. I’ll have more to say about that next week.
I totally get where you’re coming from on the Sox my friend. There’s lots of great young talent on the team with more coming soon, hopefully. I wish I could share your lack of interest in winning, and I say that sincerely. Winning is important to me. I’ve experienced both winning and losing, and after the past 6 years I simply can’t sit back and watch golden opportunities flushed down the toilet because of mismanagement. That’s because I’m too heavily invested in the team ….. emotionally, financially and time-wise. And after 50 years, most of it living in the Boston area, I haven’t been able to care less.
It is what it is, and I greatly appreciate you explaining where you are coming from. I’ll make an effort to avoid venting when responding to your posts, as I respect your desire to focus only on the positives.
And you’ll do the same, right? If Yoshida ends up being the everyday Red Sox left fielder and Devers ends up back at third base for the Red Sox, you’ll be cool with it …. right? ;O)
GaSox – I don’t mean to jump in, especially when I can’t even see the other side of the discussion, but I do want to ask your thoughts on this:
In ST Devers took a lot of swings in simulated games against teammates such as Houck, Crochet, Chapman, etc …. wouldn’t you think there was more value and benefit facing those guys in non-game situations than there would have been with 3 AB’s a game against mostly minor leaguers and fringe MLB players on other teams? I just don’t see Devers as “missing out” on much by not playing in most of the ST games.
As for your last paragraph, I appreciate you defending me after someone likely took more cheapshots at me. I’ve been told there’s a couple bitter people I’ve muted long ago who still constantly target me by name in almost all of their posts.
I just want to point out I take your “positive only” approach with 99% of my life. One of the reasons I muted them is because I am focused here on having enjoyable, fun conversations with good people such as you.
Life is short, and I have zero desire to waste any of it by giving any of my time to people who have bad intentions. THAT is why I muted them, and THAT is why you don’t see me ever mentioning them by name. I don’t hate anyone, but if I did I certainly wouldn’t want to spend my time talking about and reading the posts of those that I did hate. I think we both know what kind of person does those things, and why.
Anyway, looking forward to a sweep of the ChiSox this weekend. It was really good seeing Houck and Walker pitch their best games of the season, if that continues then as Lloyd Christmas would say, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance” ;O)
We only point out things you say that are obviously false or your obvious bad behavior such as uncalled for insults of others. We don’t point out everything, but eventually something needs to be said.
Hahahaha… ahh, that would be a good laugh my friend. Fever, tell you what, if Yoshida winds up taking over everyday LF with Devers back at 3B I’ll assume something terrible had happened to the left side of the field, like a sinkhole swallowing up some of our starters… but no, I won’t give you grief over it ;)
As for Devers ST and simulated game time.. we don’t know, or at least *I* dont know what his regimen looked like. *but* here’s my assumption. If they did along the lines of what you say, the simulated games Houck, Crochet, Chapman tossed… I don’t think those are usually balanced ‘games.’ It’s the pitcher working on throwing a particular pitches *he* needs to work on over and over and over – not focusing on what a hitter needs to be well rounded. The pitcher works on his grip, his control, getting the break he wants, on some aspect of his game that needs a little more work.
So I think in that aspect, I’m not focused as much on the 2 or 3 dozen live ABs against opposing teams’ guys, but, I *think* devers was probably doing different strength building drills in the BP side of things than the ither hitters. It’s just a guess. But I’d question is Devers was doing everything else the ither guys did, why he didn’t take abs or go in split quad games.
GaSox – If that Yoshida/Devers scenario ever materializes (and I know it won’t) I was referring to your complaining about them, not you giving me grief. LOL!
Devers most definitely faced his teammates in ST. Were you thinking he was taking dry swings like Casas? ;O)
rotoballer.com/player-news/rafael-devers-to-take-p…
“Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that third baseman Rafael Devers will take part in a simulated game in camp on Thursday with right-hander Walker Buehler pitching. Devers’ Grapefruit League debut has already been pushed back several times — he’s now expected to play on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves — but he’s been taking part in live batting practice sessions and will take swings against Buehler on Thursday.”
Fever – nope, I know Devers was facing his teammates, not dry swings.
Where I’m coming from is, for example, Buehler wasing rotating through his whole arsenal to let devers practice against all types of pitches.
Buehler threw what Buehler needed to practice on. Then it was up to devers to get whatever practice he could out of that. Does that make sense? Like, let’s be absurd for a moment as an example.
If a pitcher had 4 pitches, a balanced drill would see 25% of the time the guy throws each pitch.
That same pitcher is having issues locating one of his offerings. In a pitcher focused drill, that guy may throw 60% or 70% the one offering he’s trying to work on, and, further skewing things by following up a bunch of those with what he’s likely to toss in a real game after setting a guy up.
In a batter focused session, if your hitter is having trouble with FB timing, he may want 60% FB, and maybe sometimes seeing what he’d expect in real-game the pitch before where they tried slowing him down and shooting a fastball by
Because these were simulated games for the pitchers’ benefits, they weren’t dictating the pitch selection towards what devers needed – the latter scenario. Instead, I expect it was more the former scenario – the SP threw tons of what he needed to work on, and, whatever benefit devers got from live balls instead of a pitching machine or tee, so be it.
Does that make sense better? I don’t always explain so well.
I do want the team to compete, I do want them to win, but, when you’re introducing a lot of youth you need to go slower and work through growing pains. I *hate* them bouncing KC around like they had ceddane before him, I wish they’d just let guys settle in a single spot and really grow there. Even some of the best stars have struggles adjusting at first, and, bounding doesn’t help that.
GaSox – Yes you explained it well and I totally get what you’re saying, but how could you possibly know which pitches were thrown to Devers in ST by his teammates? That’s getting really, really granular. LOL
And I would think it would have been more beneficial if Devers didn’t know what was coming, right?
You insist Raffy’s lack of ST PA’s against other teams was the reason for his slow regular season start.
Then let me ask you this, did Abreu have a slow start in Texas? You know the answer without looking it up ;O)
Then let me ask you this, did Abreu get the minimum 55 PA’s in ST you said were needed to prepare for the regular season?
No, he did not. In fact he had ONLY 6 more PA’s in ST than Devers!
I 100% agree with your last paragraph. The Red Sox had always said they won’t try to win until 2026, so why not trade guys like Rafaela and Story or even skip signing Bregman and let Mayer play 3B this season? Let the kids play, let’s see what they can do, let’s make this an “evaluation year” for the youngin’s ….. but unfortunately the Red Sox need to sell tickets (attendance has been horrible) so that’s why they are doing it half-assed like everything else they do. LOL
I insist Devers didn’t have a normal ST overall. I’m not saying it’s only his ST ABs at fault,*but* the logical leap I *do* make is that devers likely wasn’t doing the same normal drills as everyone else, which is why he then didn’t play in normal ST games getting those ST ABs. He was behind the other players.
The lack of ST ABs is the visible symptom that logically supports he was having a specialized ST regimen different from the other players, focused in large part on his shoulders.
I do *not* insist it was only his lack of ST ABs leading to his slow start.
I *do* insist his specialized, modified ST, left him unprepared at the start of the season. And I *do* point to his not appearing in regular ST games getting those ST ABs as supporting he wasn’t ready for that activity yet for more of the spring, regardless of his reporting date.
And, I also don’t think Devers got the benefit from standing in front of say Buehler’s simulated game the way he would if Buehler wasn’t working on a particular issue over and over, that is correct. It’s why I say facing SP who were doing their spring drills was less beneficial to Raffy.
What I’m not saying, and haven’t ever said, is that it’s a magical 55 PAs to be ready for the year. It’s about the full normal drills at normal pace all spring long that matter.
Had Devers been up to speed health wise with the shoulders, and, doing 100% of all the same drills as the other guys, there wouldn’t be a reason to hold him out of any ST games till the very end. But he was.
That tells me he likely wasn’t working the same routines.
That led to him not getting the ST PAs. A visible result of having been on a different ramp up schedule.
So in a round about way, you can tell he wasn’t getting the batting practice the same ways to work on the same timing as other hitters.
Thus, he wasn’t ready.
GaSox – Absolutely Devers didn’t have a normal ST. There was just about *nothing* this ST that was normal for him.
Think about it.
1) He reported to camp very early, something which I don’t believe he ever did before.
2) He was blindsided by the media because Cora never told him he was going to lose his 3B position
3) He spent 100% of his time in ST on hitting and conditioning because he’s no longer a position player
4) He was closely monitoring his shoulders to ensure everything was physically 100% okay
I had thought your stance was that he left ST unprepared because he didn’t play in many ST games. If that was not your stance then my bad, I trust you therefore I won’t look back at all the prior posts.
Simulated games aren’t considered to be the same as pitcher drills, but it’s not something worth debating. Overall we are on the same page now and that’s all that matters :O)
GaSox – No worries on the 55. Somebody definitely said it here, but if you say it wasn’t you then I trust you. I could have mixed that up with someone else.
Most believe his shock and unhappiness with losing his 3B job was the real reason he wasn’t in many ST games. It’s nothing that can be proven either way so definitely not worth debating.
I thought we had moved on from the Devers ST discussion, plenty of other things to discuss now ;O)
I think it’s because my position almost straddles the multiple arguments about devers.
I always pointed to the lack of ST ABs as a visible indicator of not having a normal ST, even from hitting practice perspective. Others were focused on some sacred number.
One thing I recall, but, my memory *does* play tricks on me. I could *swear* I saw a picture and/or video clip of bregman and Devers doing a fielding drill standing 3 feet apart, with bregman showing something or another to devers as they alternated taking grounders…..
Was I making that up? I could’ve sworn I saw it, but, mightve been part of those meds hallucinations I’ve had at times…
GaSox – How are things going in Woosta? Hopefully the weather has improved. I hafta admit, if I had known OD was gonna be so beautiful I would have gone.
For today I have a feeling Romy will come up big against his former team, he eats up LHP.
BTW – I do totally believe you saw that video. They both had reason to try and bond with each other, and of course publicize it.
Had a spring snowstorm today LOL… nice break from the 90 something degree weather we had been having. I went from sunburn to chapped/windburn in 48 hours, just like out hot and cold offense!
I booked my flight to Atlanta, two days I’ll be there… July 15th-16th. Usually it’s May, never been there in July. At least it’s a dry heat, right?
Ehh…. not always so much!
Expect temps between upper 80s and mid 90s, with a humidity of 80% or so for July.
Anything is possible cold or heatwave related, but, that was the normal in my years of living there anyways
Surprised he had to settle for just a minor league deal this late. He hit really well in the second half of last year; slashed .296/.410/.571 from after July 4th onward. There are definitley worse platoon/second string catchers currently on rosters.
Hardly. His CS% was under 9% last year. He’s not really a viable defensive Catcher any longer.
He’s definitley far from what he once was behind the plate, but he’s definitley better than some platoon/second string catchers. I’m not arguing he deserves to be some team’s starting catcher anymore, just that he’d make some teams as a bench backstop.
Sox are terrible right now. Complete roller coaster of a season. Win a series, get swept the next. Getting swept by the Blue Jays is just terrible. They’re in first place because of us. And now the Whote Sox are bound to win after losing eight straight. Cora making lackluster decisions.
Wow. The Red Sox are losing by 1 run in the 8th inning and you have quit.
They could come back but the offense is all or nothing. They have no clutch and it’s been in this lethargic state for the last three seasons.
And it’s called reverse psychology. Don’t ruin it
It doesn’t count if you announce it.
Seemed to work… he made me mention it
And i had to defend myself
Allin – correct. The Red Sox won 4-3 in 11 innings.
They didn’t get swept.
Average equals terrible if you’re a Red Sox fan.
Generalization are never accurate
(if you do not see the humor in that statement than you are beyond help)
Cora should’ve left Buehler in….
Either that or at least give the reliever a clean inning. Not this one out walk then switch deal. He’s way too far into matchups.
I’m growing impatient with Cora. His strength before was interpersonal skills with the players and never the X’s and O’s. The new Imperious Cora looks down at everyone but his BFF, Bregman.
His pitching and bullpen mismanagement, as well as his inability to get the team to do the basic fundamentals fielding and baserunning is costing this team games.
The Sox needed to get off to a quick start, this is not it.
Sad – Excellent post! The Sox were very close to getting swept today, that’s absolutely inexcusable especially when you consider they are basically at full health with their position players and relievers. If guys like Duran, Chapman, Casas, Devers or Abreu suffer longterm injury the team is totally screwed unless they call up Mayer and Anthony.
Cora’s managing is horrendous, Red Sox Nation has been pointing out the many mistakes he made during this series.
He’s been like this for a while. It’s just super duper obvious now since he got the extension. He is letting it hang out and doesn’t care who sees it.
Cleveland – You made a fantastic point by mentioning the contract. It’s true, Cora now feels empowered and isn’t even afraid to admit his screwups anymore.
If this team mostly avoids the injury bug and still misses the postseason, would Cora still be safe? Hopefully we won’t find out.
Fever Pitch Guy — The amount of bending over backward for Cora is unusual for a ownership and management to do. Just looking at how it all unfolded wouldn’t stand at any other team. Cora is king and regardless of performance, there won’t be any change. It’s like when Trump boasted “‘I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?'”
Cleveland – Excellent post, I totally agree!
But I do believe to replace Cora as manager the Red Sox would kick him upstairs, which is where he will end up anyway. He wants to be in the front office, and John Henry wanted him there yesterday.
Throw in the towel Red Sox fans, the season is over. Oh wait, they won.
Yeesh.
7 and 7 with and they play 7 of the next 10 against the White Sox.
Oh no, what will we ever do.
Ghost – Red Sox Nation knows exactly what will happen.
The Red Sox will win at least 5 against Chicago and at least 2 against Tampa, then the casuals will go around saying “we” are the best team and “we” will go to the World Series.
Happens every year ;O)
FPG: “The Red Sox will win at least 5 against Chicago and at least 2 against Tampa, then the casuals will go around saying “we” are the best team and “we” will go to the World Series.”
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Absolute garbage written just to insult people.
Suit, if the experiment doesn’t work out well with the moves being made at ‘C’ what do you think the odds are we see an OF moved for a C… maybe even with the Comp A pick tossed in, if they can get someone young and promising
GA: Good question. It depends on what catcher is available and what they cost. I am not sure what teams have excess catching at this point.
I’m shocked!
Grandal’s proven value at a minor-league max of $1M could save the Red Sox $3M+ in production, adding 2-3 extra runs in just 18 games (while Wong ramps up). This understated move could quietly raise Boston’s floor while giving them a veteran option at a thin position.
They should see what Varitek is up to.
I know that’s a facetious comment, but, Tek is in a coaching/advisory role with the team currently. They know exactly where and what he is up to.
You should ve typed career avgs into AI not taken Grandal’s 2024 compared to a handful of games from Wong in 2025. Even then you are comparing a 36 yr old to a 29 yr old. And that 36 yr old missed all of Spring Training.
Wait 36?? Isn’t this the guy Bill Veeck pinch hit back in the early 50’s???
Thought the Red Sox would have swung a deal with the Pirates for Henry Davis.
Can we talk about the red sox leading mlb in errors with devers as the dh? This might be the most collective bad defensive team since the bad news bears
Good. I wanted the RS to draft this guy, but he rose a little too quickly in the draft. Of course, that was 15 years ago, but he might still have some skills left.
Interesting pickup if Grandal has anything left in the tank