It's Finally Over!

[MongoLikeSox]

Man, what a brutal season this has been. I ducked out Labor Day weekend to concentrate on the house move, but I have still seen most of the games. Well, they've been on while messing with new and old house activities. My stress could not have taken a flawed Red Sox pennant chase.

I'll be watching the playoffs with particular interest in rooting for the great starting pitching, defense and smart hitting. Bonus for a lights out closer and 6-7-8th inning setup specialists. I've about had it with high K-rate OPS Ball. I hope Cleveland and St Louis go a long way into October. Especially if they can no-contest a big spending homer-happy, pen-happy team.

The rule changes look like a bit much. I think those monster long games were greatly reduced with the pitch-com. I don't like some of the timing rules, limited pick-off moves, etc. As a concept, sure, but it was an awfully big hammer they swung with some of those changes. We'll see. Manfred's legacy is riding on this.

I read very little, but I did read an article right after that "promise" was made to Kike. Bloom, in all his glory, was just as full of crap as he's ever been. It's been that kind of season.

[Sea Dog 23]

Mongo, I think Bloom’s last interview, he said “we’re right on track, just like we planned it.”  Those words could have also been said by Ray Charles. This team is nearing the airport in a big cloud without instruments, would be another analogy, I guess.

[longgame]

Also happy this disaster of a season is over but very concerned for the future.  Does anyone have faith they'll get a Bogey deal done?  Will they try to extend Devers?  How will they address the outfield?  Can you bring in an almost entirely new pitching staff in next year?  Is Bloom as utterly incompetent as he has appeared (like locking in a poor hitting CF with no arm?)  Since he did that and they will keep Verdugo almost certainly, what do they do for RF?  Can we get one Plus fielder out there? 

I like the rule changes a lot.  Minor league games are much shorter because guys are ready to hit and ready to throw.  I don't like awarding balls and strikes that way though and would like to see an adjustment period.  I like the fielding changes just because some of these defensive lineups are just ridiculous.  Lots of sports have rules on where people can be at certain times.  They also got rid of the extra runner in extra innings which is great because the Sox almost always lose these games because every team, other than the Red Sox, can manage to get a guy on 2B with none out home.  I may change my mind when they have a 17 inning game though!

My buddy I went hiking with a couple of weekends ago is a Guardians fan (can they still be  Tribe of Guardians?) and love that they have a bunch of guys under 23 who don't know they shouldn't be winning so much.  Of course their divisional rivals rolled over and they didn't have a tough schedule, but maybe they'll stay hot for a while.  I'd love to see the order get upended a bit and get NYY, LAD and HOU out of there as soon as possible!

[Sea Dog 23]

Sports Illustrated did an interview with Cora in the last week.  He revealed a backup plan at SS if Bogey moves on.  That is Story.  He thinks he's physically able to go (despite some saying his shoulder issues limiting his throw from SS) . 

Bloom says he's planning to make Bogey a priority, but the gurus say Sox would decideon a youthful Devers   over Bogey (30+)if they can only  get one. So what about 2B?  Combo of Arroyo/Downs/Duran, who started as a 2B.  Save the Bogey money for a starting pitcher?  Like some of you have said, the Sox likely can’t do the retool in just one year.

[longgame]

Bloom said they want to build around Bogey.

The next day he said he wants to build around Devers.

He has no alternatives other than downgrade the middle infield or spend more on an unknown.

More concerning is the report today that all of the coaching staff will remain intact.  Apparently the "strategy" of giving up the lead early, walking the first batter by every reliever, having no closer, as well as, no consistent team approach to hitting, guys like Dalbec who just stands there hoping the ball may hit his bat, no situational hitting and the total inability to understand the concept of a productive out are the way they want to go.  So I guess it really doesn't matter who plays.

[MongoLikeSox]

Longgame, I have only a little faith they will get Bogey signed. I have less faith they will extend Devers. Too bad he had an off year, but I don't see them as anywhere near the same page.

Look at the American League leader boards for Batting Average. Add non-qualifiers like Vasquez/McGuire and Arroyo. That 6 spots in the top 25. We even scored a lot of runs as a team, finishing 4th, IIRC? Nobody had a good RBI year. Lots of trying to do too much almost all year long. To me, it was simply too much pressing. You start struggling and it begins to compound. This goes for the totality of a team, too. It all started with BP failure, which started with a fragile strategy as the result of dumpster diving.

It spirals down from there, too. Cora has limited choices, so arms get burnt out. Closer by committee has NEVER, EVER worked here in Boston. This ain't Tampa or KC. It's a high pressure, specialist job. We saw it all year. That all fails, position players try to do better and hit more homers. Averages drop, scoring drops, etc. Maybe fielding gets too cute and misplays happen from forgetting fundamentals. And gawd, Verdugo on the bath-paths this year? What in the world???

And no, thank you Chaim. Franchy has never been a ball player. He can make the game look easy at times due to pure physical attributes, but he is not a ball player. Man up! While you're at it, please hire some baseball men that know the game to help you with your decisions. This is real baseball, not a computer sim.

[longgame]

Mongo, Bloom's bargain hunting mentality makes no sense.  A few million bucks is chump change these days and it's the difference between a guy who makes some sort of mistake every game (Franchy) or a guy who can play a position professionally (Kike). I'll take the few million dollars more for the professional.  The problem is Bloom plays the gutter and the middle, not realizing that you need a core of stars to carry the ball and a supporting cast who won't drop it, every time.

I was a partner in a consulting firm and I always had the mentality that we should hire only those people we could see as a partner some day.  If we aimed high we'd get good quality people who were good at something and could build on it.  If we aimed lower, we'd be starting lower and going lower in terms of skills and talent and end up with someone who was more work to manage and to bill out.  The Sox need that mentality.  Kike is the measuring stick.  He should be the worst player on this team (not a stretch).  Verdugo needs to be better and they need a star for the other OF.  They have every chance to have a damned good infield.  They need to start looking for top of the rotation starters because they don't have a single one.  The bullpen is a whole problem in and of itself as there is pretty much nothing worth salvaging.  At least with Bogey and Devers he has easy answers because he needs to build an entire pitching staff.

[Sea Dog 23]

Some way early signing tea leaves, Christopher Knox on the Bleacher Report predicts Bogey returns to Sox for 6 year deal $185mil.  Also Rodon to the Cubs 4/$127m and Judge returns to NYY  8/$290.  Probaly believable, except Rodon has too much of an injury history to be in the $30 mil club.

[longgame]

The Panthers fired Matt Ruhle because unlike Chaim Bloom, it took him 4 years rather than 1 to ruin a franchise. 

[Schloicka]

I'm just curious as to why people here want the Sox to re-sign Xman? All I've heard for a few years now is how he isn't clutch. He isn't this or that! Myself I'd think the Sox could do much worse than having Xman at shortstop. He's a .292 career hitter. His last 4 full seasons he's averaged  23 hr's a year with an average of 93 rbi per season his last 4 full season. Now is he worth 25-30 million a year? Good question.

[elktonnick]

Despite having a down year, I believe Bogey had the 1st or 2nd best war of all.MLB shortstops.  I am a big believer in team cohesion. Bogey may have his limitations as a player but he has proven he can play very well in Boston.  All of which are important factors. I certainly would favor a 6 or 7 year deal with a 30m aav.  I certainly think Devers should be paid about the same if that is what it takes.

[MongoLikeSox]

The big thing was that I always thought him a better top of the order guy - 1 or 2 spot kind of thing. He got way too geared up this year late inning RISP. Did great a few years ago and maybe even another season. If for anything else, he is a massively great base runner.

He'd even drive in a ton of runs if his approach was not so jumpy when with runners on base. 

[SeaBeachFred]

Mongo, I think Bloom’s last interview, he said “we’re right on track, just like we planned it.”  Those words could have also been said by Ray Charles. This team is nearing the airport in a big cloud without instruments, would be another analogy, I guess.

Right on track?  Right on track for what?  Heading for the tunnel opening going the wrong way and headed for a freight  train?  Bloom has pretty much become a sad joke with just about all of us around here and with another last place finish, his second in three years,  "just as we planned it."  Is this guy for real? Right now I am following my wife's Padres who have made her very happy with their WC victory over the Mets, and Linda allowed me to wear her Padres tee shirt for luck feeling it might jinx her if she wore it.  Glad to see the Jays, Cardinals and Mets out of it but feel a little sad for the Rays with their low payroll trying to make like the big boys.  Plus it seems like they play better against the Yanks than the Guardians do.  But it should be some good baseball ahead of us as Mongo said and if I had a wish fulfilled it would be to see my wife's team upset the Dodgers and drive their billion dollar team back to the drawing board---though tough it might be to do that.

[SeaBeachFred]

Bloom said they want to build around Bogey.

The next day he said he wants to build around Devers.

He has no alternatives other than downgrade the middle infield or spend more on an unknown.

More concerning is the report today that all of the coaching staff will remain intact.  Apparently the "strategy" of giving up the lead early, walking the first batter by every reliever, having no closer, as well as, no consistent team approach to hitting, guys like Dalbec who just stands there hoping the ball may hit his bat, no situational hitting and the total inability to understand the concept of a productive out are the way they want to go.  So I guess it really doesn't matter who plays.

To change coaches, Baseball Ops director, and GM would cost money to replace them with higher salaries coaches and they would have to pay off what remains on the contracts of those being shown the door.  Right now I am convinced that Henry is still adamantly determined to hold onto his wallet and hope the pink hats and enough naive fans storm Fenway Park so he can have his cake and eat it too------make money and and save it as well.  Maybe he will surprise us, or better still, maybe he will shock us and actually start spending money on talent, hired good coaches who can teach pitching and batting techniques as other teams have been successful doing. Cleveland and Tampa Bay are pitching kingdoms while we are in skid row with the Darwizons, Brasiers, Barneses and the rest of that pathetic band of losers.  And right now Bello doesn't look too swift either..  Glad to be back with my buddies after having my computer fixed but I'm already both sad and angry knowing we may still be a long way from respectability.  As I've said before the first order of business is to tank Bloomer Boy and pay off the cheater and get him out of town.

[longgame]

Article about how everyone save Bloom and Henry seem adamant about signing Bogey.

https://bosoxinjection.com/2022/10/11/red-sox-legends-pedro-martinez-david-ortiz-warning-xander-bogaerts-negotiations/