Orioles sign Burnes

[longgame]

New owner, signs a top of the rotation pitcher in one day.  Sox meanwhile dither.

[Sea Dog 23]

The Sox have been almost non-existent in signing free agents.  Besides the minor trade with the Mets, getting the catcher for cash, they picked up FA INF/OF (RH) Dalton Guthrie who has bounced around the DFA club between Philly and the Braves.  Signed to a mnor-league deal.

Guthrie has logged MLB time with the Phillies in each of the past two seasons, albeit in a quite limited role. The 28-year-old has tallied 28 plate appearances in each season while appearing in a combined total of 37 games. In that small sample, he's batted .344/.393/.333 with a hefty 16.1% walk rate against a 25% strikeout rate.

[Sea Dog 23]

FWIW Sox have signed reliever Michael Fulmer.  That might be somewhat relevant, HOWEVER Fulmer is taking 2024 off to rehab from UCL surgery.  So there you go, Boston is stockpiling for 2025, it's between the lines, in the fine print, watch-what-they- do, not what they say.  Yada Yada.

[Sea Dog 23]

Breslow has been shopping ... for quite awhile.  Some sources think Padres are listening to a deal for Jaren Duran. Boston has too many lefty bats?? They want Raphaela in CF?? The problem, Padres need pitching like we need pitching.  They might just offer a couple of minor league arms for Duran, who Boston is betting he was a one-season wonder.  Who knows what they are thinking these days.

[Sea Dog 23]

While Scott Boras stil has a stranglehold on the FA market,  the Sox picked off some low hanging fruit in reliever Lucas Luetge.  Likely a minor league deal as he was DFA'd by Atlanta and he decided FA.  Bad year in Atlanta in '23, gave up 11 runs in 9 innings, was sent down.  He did come back and looked stronger after the ASB.  Best years with the Yankees several years ago.

Bernardino is the only lefty at the top of the bullpen collection.  Luetge will have to get help from the pitching doctor Andrew Bailey.  To me, it looks like Breslow is looking for Monty or Snell to soften up their demands and fall in Boston's lap, sorta like that guy Bloom used to run things.

[SeaBeachFred]

If that is what Breslow is waiting for on those two pitchers, there are good as gone to some other team.  Seems the Bress is as screwed up as Henry and Bloom were.

[Sea Dog 23]

Y
If that is what Breslow is waiting for on those two pitchers, there are good as gone to some other team.  Seems the Bress is as screwed up as Henry and Bloom were.

Yep, the Sox are running out of time on Montgomery. Based on another countdown, they have two days to get the deal done.  The Rangers supposedly got their TV bankruptsy issue settled last week, and on Wednesday this week they can clear space on their 40 man by putting guys like Scherzer and others on the 60 day IL.
Snell wants to stay on the West Coast and will likely sign with San Fran or Seattle.  My guess Sox will go through the motions and go for another washed up arm like Clevenger or Lorenzen.  Blech!  It is what it is.

[longgame]

3 years, $42MM.  Poverty Sox I guess don't want to spend so much.  Looks like they're fighting with themselves over Duvall or Pham.  I'd take Duvall over Pham any day, who I consider a 4th OF type.  Probably will get neither.

[Sea Dog 23]

3 years, $42MM.  Poverty Sox I guess don't want to spend so much.  Looks like they're fighting with themselves over Duvall or Pham.  I'd take Duvall over Pham any day, who I consider a 4th OF type.  Probably will get neither.

If they trade Duran, they might get another RH bat.  I'll go with Pham (I really said that), as Boston will absolutely love getting him at half the price of Duvall.

I think Breslow reached a stalemate today.  To Speier, Breslow says Sox can keep looking for ways to improve in short- and long-term, but acknowledges: "we can appreciate that things haven't come together in maybe a way that I anticipated."

[Sea Dog 23]

Speier says Montgomery just about called checkmate on Boston.  Monty says if he can't get an extended years deal and has to settle for a short term-high dollar deal, he would prefer to go with a team that will have a great chance for the playoffs.

[longgame]

"we can appreciate that things haven't come together in maybe a way that I anticipated."

When I saw that statement from Breslow, I was aghast.  It's your freaking job dude!  You blew it! 

But I'm sure they'll have a pink hat day.

[Sea Dog 23]

"we can appreciate that things haven't come together in maybe a way that I anticipated."

When I saw that statement from Breslow, I was aghast.  It's your freaking job dude!  You blew it! 

But I'm sure they'll have a pink hat day.

In a way I feel sorry for Breslow.  He has really no experience as a GM or asst GM, and he spent a lot of his time in suburban Boston, far away from decision makers in chiago.  Heck he had a title of "GM in charge of Pitchers".  Yet the pitchers he signed were Giolito, on a two year slide, and the minor league guys from the Verdugo deal.  I think Fitts is the most likely to pitch AAA this year.


The first ten GM's they called on phone did not even want to come to Boston for a sit down.  Not a good search at all.  Yet here we are.

[SeaBeachFred]

"we can appreciate that things haven't come together in maybe a way that I anticipated."

When I saw that statement from Breslow, I was aghast.  It's your freaking job dude!  You blew it! 

But I'm sure they'll have a pink hat day.

It kind of took me back a little too Ted but as everyone on this board knows I was kind of suspicious of this guy when he got the job.  It was too easy for him to latch on to it and the fact that so many other better qualified candidates turned thumbs down on even coming to Boston for an interview tells us volumes as to how we got stuck with another dud for run baseball operations for that horse dung owner of ours.  Breslow looks like of a card shark that baseball operator save for the fact that if he was that he would have lost his shirt and clothes by now. THIS GUY IS A LOSER!!!!!!!

[Sea Dog 23]

Sox are negotiating to extend Brayan Bello beyond 2028.  "deep in talks" it says.

There are a couple messages at work here, I think.  Of course they want to protect a home grown talent early this time (don't wait it out, i.e. Mookie, Bogey )..  Also, with the Giolito debacle the signal in protecting Bello past 2028 this week tells me they are punting on 2024.  The big need is top of the rotation getting done this week or next. 

But the Bello news tells me there is no urgency, and that their plan D is maybe picking up a back end guy, if they can get him on a low-cost  1-2 year deal.  The sign post up ahead says budget.  The Gio guy really did blow up their budget .

[Sea Dog 23]

On ESPN, Sox and Bello agreed to an extension,  6/$55.  Expect to go public in the next two days.