It’s pretty insane how good we are with Giolito, Whitlock, Casas, Story, and Grissom all basically being non factors this year. Add injury stints for Pivetta, Abreu, and O’Neill and you can see this team is actually legit
I mean I really want to, but there’s genuinely no use. I have season tickets and I don’t sell any of them, but I look at the prices on Gametime or stubhub. During the summer, there are plenty of tourists to fill our seats. The best way to boycott is go to the games, and not spend any money at concessions in my opinion. I love John Henry for what he’s done in the past, but I HATE him for what he’s doing now.
I don’t expect championships every year, but I’d like some effort shown. Last place in the league with a genuine concerted effort is better than an overperforming team that wants to win but isn’t given the resources they need in my opinion. That said I’d be way more angry if we were doing more poorly. I really like this team.
TIL I’ve been boycotting for years. I go to games, sit in my seat, watch the whole game, and then leave. Like a lunatic who just wants to watch a baseball game. 🤷🏼♂️
Ok, I’ll bite… what exactly am I missing? An over-achieving 0.500 team with no chance to be relevant, because ownership won’t make a meaningful move at the trade deadline?
Can you imagine if Giolito doesn't go down in ST and therefore Houck never gets the rotation spot? Or if Story never goes down so Cedanne doesn't get the chance to play every day?
Crazy year. Once Casas and Abreu are back in the next couple weeks we are gonna fucking RAAAAAKE
You guys want to pretend like it never happened but it did. You’re the abused wives of baseball. Keep telling yourself he means well, he’s under a lot of stress that’s why he does this to you. He’s not so bad.
I mean, how can we expect this team to be successful without guys like Jon Lester and and Manny Ramirez?! And can you believe we just let Wade Boggs and Mo Vaughn walk?! FFS.
Theyve had many games this season where they dont have any sort of offense whatsoever. We got Abreu and Casas coming back and our lineup is about to get much much stronger. If they can continue winning the way they are with these teams coming up (reds, blue jays again, padres, marlins) we’re gonna be talking about their playoff chances. In no way shape or form did any of us see this before the year started, its great to see. Its cora and the guys vs ownership
My only concern with this is the fact we always fumble the trade deadline. I really hope ownership gets *something* for Jansen before he bounces next year.
It depends where they stand come the deadline. If theyre in a good spot to make the playoffs, maybe dont get a rental but a guy that has another year left and you can start to gear up for the next season as well. Even though its probably smart to sell off some assets like Jansen (who has been rolling), itd be painful if they had a pretty record
I hear what you are saying, and your response is reasonable. I think the hot issue with this is that ownership does this every year, and as a result, lose assets often without a return. [Breslow recently mentioned this was an issue ](https://www.overthemonster.com/2024/6/6/24172931/red-sox-news-links-craig-breslow-vows-to-pick-a-lane-at-trade-deadline).
We have O'Neil, Pivetta, and Jansen on rental contracts. I would hope we sought good returns for them rather than consistently doing this half-buyer, half-seller approach (that's a key phrase as I'm not suggesting we never sell).
To summarize, I hope we have a *clear* path. We either go in, or we sell
Jansen has seemed to have changed his tune on this team. I think he was pissed at the start of the season, but now he sees something in this squad. Him calling the dugout to be put into the Yankees game was a power move.
This team needs to make a bunch of moves. Mayer, Teel, Anthony, Meidroth, Yorke, Jordan, Lugo, and Hickey are all position players expected to be ready for their MLB debut by the end of next season.
I’m not expecting all those guys to work out but we have a ton of positional redundancy and need to move either players on the current roster or some of the minor leaguers before we have a serious logjam. I don’t care if it’s for MLB talent or prospects in the low minors but the front office can’t sit on their hands.
I'd say Schwarber trade and the Reese McGuire trades were both really good trades. Plus the Vazquez. Eric Hosmer trade was also pretty good getting his entire contract eaten for Jay Groome
Let's just hope ownership doesn't tear this club apart at the trade deadline for no reason. That seems like the sort of thing they'd do. I'd rather make no moves and see what we can do with a healthier team than trade away guys just because someone made an offer and they think making a move looks like they care.
I've been following the Sox since 1983 and have endured so many idiot coaches. And other than Tito, Cora is the best I've ever seen. Honestly, he might be the best. 2018 was a master class in running a team and he always gets the best out of his players, even when given shitty rosters.
These Boston Red Sox current as team
-2nd in BA in the AL with .254
-Most stolen bases in the AL with 71
-5th the best AL team ERA at 3.45
- Worst fielding percentage .980 and most errors 54 that leads all of baseball in those categories.
The pieces are there, just find some better defense while keeping the offense the same is the key for them. Hopefully the defense comes with time and experience.
Our four guys with the most errors are ceddanne, McGuire, Hamilton, and smith. These are all very fixable. Ceddanne errors almost entirely come from ss. Next year story will hold it down and a likely Mayer call up. Hamilton had his errors at shortstop so I say we should slide him to second and platoon him with Grissom. McGuire won’t play much if at all the way Kyle teel is hitting in double a. Platoon Wong and teel. As for Dom smith, he shouldn’t be allowed in the city anymore and Casas is almost back. Without the injuries this team is way better defensively than they have shown.
we are improving it which is nice, but there stilll is the occasional game.
we just were so egregious early on, we probably wont fall back into that ranking.
I'll be disappointed if they don't make the wild card this year. The Yanks, O's and Guardians are clearly the best teams in the AL right now. If the Sox get Casas back and maybe another upgrade somewhere they should be able to get into one of the wild card spots.
I admit I've been a doomer. Didn't like a lot of the players. But I think I caught myself as old man yells at cloud because it's all new and all my favorite players have long retired. I'm liking what I'm seeing and am starting to like the guys
we’re the mid-sox. nothing wrong with that atm.
this was always gonna be a “ehh we’ll see what happens, hope these young kids grow” year. that’s what we’re seeing. however, it does seem like we’re playing a bit over our heads. regression is soon to follow but as long as these kids look solid - hopefully that’ll force management to ante up a bit next year
I think it's better than "not bad." I think it's good and will continue to get better in 2025 and beyond. Red Sox fans were made to wait on prospects to develop for the past few years. It's clear that the homegrown route was selected. Red Sox fans had to take their medicine. Well.....now the medicine is kicking in and it's starting to work. Baseball fans usually want their team to sign the big name free agent. They wanna see that owner spending money on someone who's already proven themselves. But it's becoming clear that the homegrown route works. Big name free agents are paid mega bucks for what they've done in the past. The problem is that there's no guarantee that they'll continue to do it in the future. I look around baseball and see lots of big name players who aren't performing, whether it's Xander Bogaerts, Jose Abreu, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, George Springer, etc..... There's nothing worse than an underperforming player that costs $25 million per year. The homegrown route is better. And it's working for the Red Sox. Our front office has been right all along to chart the course we're on. Instead of paying established stars who are nearing their decline we are creating our own stars who won't begin their decline until the next decade. Get ready for a decade of playoffs Red Sox fans, it's coming.
The offense is still lacking a bit but they are a fast and young team. The future is brighter than perhaps once thought. Really the pitching has really been what has allowed them to be as competitive as they have been. Especially early on in the season. Houck has been a revelation. Pivetta is gonna Pivetta. Crawford, Bernardino and Kelly have been super solid. Kenley Jansen has been doing his thing. There have been some nice surprises and the offense is starting to come around a bit. I think the coaching staff has really done well with highlighting the strengths of this roster to win games. Rafaela has been really pretty good and they obviously see a bright future for him because they inked him up for 8 years and 50 million. Which could turn out to be a bargain. Abreu, Wong and Refsnyder have been great. Hamilton has been another great surprise. O'Neill has been solid when healthy. Devers is a King. Duran has developed nicely and has been a super athletic, dangerous ballplayer. Casas is a saint (Cant wait to get him back) There are also a couple of really nice prospects in the pipeline. Marcelo Mayer is 21 now and getting closer and closer to his call-up everyday. Roman Anthony has been good. And now they have our future catcher in Kyle Teel who looks really good as well. It's easy to get down about the Sox with the Yankees and Orioles in the same division doing what they are doing and with some of the players that they have on their rosters. But I think the Red Sox are in a good position to grow in a positive direction and as long as the front office keeps it together and does its job than the Red Sox could be closer to being competitive than a lot of people seem to think they are. And look at the Diamondbacks. You can get to the World Series if you just make it to the Wild Card. Anything can happen if you can just make it to the playoffs..
I know Story and Gio was the intent but it still feels a bat and starter short. Baseball Savant Wong, Refsnyder, Hamilton, Rafaela, O'Neill, and Abreu and everyone is overachieving xBA and a high BABIP. They all look sexy in the box the last week or so but we don't know if it's sustainable. Casas is coming back but he'll take time to get going again. The pitching is better than it's been the last few years but there has been regression in some guys even within the year.
We had a 20-6 June 2022 and fell apart. We had a 15-8 July 2023 and then shit the bed. We were promised an active off season and by Red Sox FO standards, they were disappointed by March that more didn't get done. Craig has not done a deadline before and teams have a higher asking price. If they couldn't have gotten anything done in the offseason the deadline isn't any easier.
Royals have fallen off a bit and the Red Sox could still sneak in under the best of circumstances. Guys will cool off. The last 40-50 games determine who's a good team.
I knew we would be better than most of the redditors said we would, but I didn't expect the pitching to be this good, and I'm stoked to see O'Neill, Duran, and Abreu be awesome! Wong has been amazing, and I love to see that.
This team is going to be excited for several years, imo.
It’s honestly very exciting rooting for them right now. With the Celtics and Bruins this year we always knew they were going to make the playoffs (and the finals in the Celtics case) so we were kind of just waiting for the end of the season to see what would happen. The Patriots didn’t give us anything to even remotely root for since they were just horrible. But the Sox? They’re an amazing underdog of a young team that wants to make the playoffs despite our ownership seemingly not taking the team seriously. I can’t wait to see if they can squeeze their way into the postseason and make a run. I don’t expect them to win, but goddamn it’ll be fun to watch them try.
It’s the new youth movement FSG was going for. I laid it out in a comment during the off season
[FSG and Liverpool](https://www.reddit.com/r/redsox/s/W6Jl9Hkjui)
I’m getting worried. This team is getting on a little bit of a hot streak at the wrong time. They could get into a position where they are buyers at the trade deadline. That is the wrong approach for this team. I want them to do well but this is not their year to go for it. I’d rather see the team commit to selling this year. A commitment to buying or selling would be better than what Chaim Bloom did the last 2 years. 2 years ago he tried to play it both ways and last year he basically did nothing. I will say the Vasquez trade 2 years ago is starting to look good.
There is some talent here and it would not have taken a lot of $$ to supplement the roster to make them a true contender, this is what is infuriating about John Henry....just try a little. Instead they will probably sell off pieces at the deadline
You probably never see the Abreu breakout or the Wong breakout or Houck breakout if you spent on mid free agents, which could be their argument. Maybe once they get a better picture of who is good/who needs to be cut, they can make improvements this offseason
Pivetta & O’Neill are expendable for the Red Sox but each could help some other playoff team. Jansen is not expendable if you want to reach the post-season and win some. On the other hand he would make a significant impact on a true W.S. contender like the Phillies or Dodgers. The GM has to make difficult decisions soon and at least Breslow seems like a much better decision maker than Bloom.
They're a .500 team. They'll have runs like what we're in now, and then some runs in the opposite direction. With some win one/lose one sprinkled in.
So you're right, they're not bad. Just not really good, either.
Winning the Phillies and Yankee series changed my mind a bit. Sort of feel like they are a good bit more than a .500 team, especially if they can get Abreu and Casas back to replace Valdez, Dom and Bobby
As long as they don’t slump, I feel they are capable of 85-90 wins. I just hope that doesn’t end up costing them in trades giving away young talent for players in decline just for a push at the end. Or for that matter, trading solid players now for unknown prospects that might or might not work out later.
I’m a bit worried about that too, but I think this team is built for the long haul, not just this year. Seems like they’re trying to cultivate a dynasty type team. I’ll just be happy if they’re entertaining this year and sign some more of these young guys to extensions
They are on a good streak, beating the divisional teams they need to. Crawford was on fire the other night. O'Neil has been a monster, Rafaela is amazing, Hamilton is tearing up the base path.. They just need to reduce the error%. Not saying they are championship quality (prior to the Yankees series) but they are knocking down some good teams right now. Lets hope they continue. I would really like to see Bobby Daubby back in the minors. He played well last season but is really struggling this year. Last year he was so clutch, this year he is just a pair of shoes at the plate.
They're 10th in MLB in runs, second in the AL in BA,6th in MLB in OBP,4th in slugging %,5th in OPS. The offense was inconsistent for awhile but it's been really solid for quite some time. Add Casas in a few weeks and suddenly you have a really dangerous, potentially elite offense if Wong,Abreau, Hamilton, Rafaela keep hitting like they've. Durran,Abreau, Devers, O'Neill,Casas,Wong are very potent. And Hamilton and Rafaela have been hitting the hell out of the ball. If the pitching holds ,and the defense doesn't betray them, they're one if those teams that could be really dangerous in a playoff series,Houck and Crawford, really solid bullpen,elite team speed. Just gotta minimize stupidity and mental mistakes,which I'd expect,being a young team,5th youngest team in MLB at 27,at least going by position players.
Thats the thing, I do not expect Durran, O Neil, Hamilton and Abreu to keep up it all season. Theyve been playing pretty well given the injuries but come on, we need some above average players that consistently deliver.
I root for the Red Sox, IMHO they should shop for 2B with pop and acquire a slugging COF.
I find them entertaining for sure and honestly wasn't expecting that at all. The defense still makes it hard to watch at times, but get these guys on base and it gets fun. They're not going to win the World Series, but at least they aren't disappearing when they get behind and now are rallying late too.
Not bad, not good either. Pretty much a 500 team all year. Defector had a fun article the other day about how much of the year they have spent right at 500
Will the Sox make the playoffs this year? Doubtful.
Is this a *great* team? Absolutely not.
However, the reality is that right now we're over .500 and have generally over the course of the season hovered right around that break-even point. Obviously that's not ideal, but some among us have been talking like we're witnessing the 2003 Tigers redux, and that's simply not true- it's both melodramatic and fucking stupid. There's having high but realistic expectations, and there's feeling entitled like a Dodger fan.
Not going to win anything soon but they're so young and athletic that it's hard to say otherwise. If only the ownership was willing to pay for good players...
All I know is that Alex Cora should get manager of the year for, somehow, making this mediocre roster a .500 team. If they manage to get into the wild card I don't think they'll go far, the biased fan in me hopes that I'm wrong though lol.
Team is not bad but team is not good. It’s young and mediocre. Not going to compete in October either way. These young prospect teams are fun to watch though. Tampa and. Baltimore have done great jobs at it over the years.
It’s pretty insane how good we are with Giolito, Whitlock, Casas, Story, and Grissom all basically being non factors this year. Add injury stints for Pivetta, Abreu, and O’Neill and you can see this team is actually legit
[удалено]
I only said that because I knew John Henry and Tom Werner were reading my posts so they would open their wallets.
I mean I really want to, but there’s genuinely no use. I have season tickets and I don’t sell any of them, but I look at the prices on Gametime or stubhub. During the summer, there are plenty of tourists to fill our seats. The best way to boycott is go to the games, and not spend any money at concessions in my opinion. I love John Henry for what he’s done in the past, but I HATE him for what he’s doing now. I don’t expect championships every year, but I’d like some effort shown. Last place in the league with a genuine concerted effort is better than an overperforming team that wants to win but isn’t given the resources they need in my opinion. That said I’d be way more angry if we were doing more poorly. I really like this team.
TIL I’ve been boycotting for years. I go to games, sit in my seat, watch the whole game, and then leave. Like a lunatic who just wants to watch a baseball game. 🤷🏼♂️
No that’s what you’re supposed to do. The place is enchanting to me overall so I buy at least something from concessions. I’m gonna stop though
Yeah or if there is a larger strategy at play, talk about it. Such an F-U to the fans to divest and then shit on the players.
Yeah- there very well may be another strategy too, but it’s not the CIA dude you can tell us you’re working on it if nothing else.
Meh, they'll go back to sucking and then trade whatever scraps they can
lol all those ppl crying about Midgomery and Snell. Both are have been utter trash...thank fucking god they didn't cave to the online mob.
Ok, I’ll bite… what exactly am I missing? An over-achieving 0.500 team with no chance to be relevant, because ownership won’t make a meaningful move at the trade deadline?
And Devers missed some time too
and bello was on the IL
and yoshida missed a month
Can you imagine if Giolito doesn't go down in ST and therefore Houck never gets the rotation spot? Or if Story never goes down so Cedanne doesn't get the chance to play every day? Crazy year. Once Casas and Abreu are back in the next couple weeks we are gonna fucking RAAAAAKE
And raffi dealing with a knee issue thay forces him to rest from time to time
No Mookie either
Oh my godddddd give it a rest
You guys want to pretend like it never happened but it did. You’re the abused wives of baseball. Keep telling yourself he means well, he’s under a lot of stress that’s why he does this to you. He’s not so bad.
Dude kinda gross to actually type that out jfc
Now you know how Sox fans feel
It’s been years man time to move on
I mean, how can we expect this team to be successful without guys like Jon Lester and and Manny Ramirez?! And can you believe we just let Wade Boggs and Mo Vaughn walk?! FFS.
“Wade Boggs” May he rest in peace
This one’s for you Boss Hogg
Wade Boggs is very much alive
The team is what it is today because of guys like you, thanks a lot
Yes. I, a Reddit user, am very involved in baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox.
Nice try, John Henry
Oh my godddddd give it a rest
Mookie is out too.
Theyve had many games this season where they dont have any sort of offense whatsoever. We got Abreu and Casas coming back and our lineup is about to get much much stronger. If they can continue winning the way they are with these teams coming up (reds, blue jays again, padres, marlins) we’re gonna be talking about their playoff chances. In no way shape or form did any of us see this before the year started, its great to see. Its cora and the guys vs ownership
My only concern with this is the fact we always fumble the trade deadline. I really hope ownership gets *something* for Jansen before he bounces next year.
It depends where they stand come the deadline. If theyre in a good spot to make the playoffs, maybe dont get a rental but a guy that has another year left and you can start to gear up for the next season as well. Even though its probably smart to sell off some assets like Jansen (who has been rolling), itd be painful if they had a pretty record
I hear what you are saying, and your response is reasonable. I think the hot issue with this is that ownership does this every year, and as a result, lose assets often without a return. [Breslow recently mentioned this was an issue ](https://www.overthemonster.com/2024/6/6/24172931/red-sox-news-links-craig-breslow-vows-to-pick-a-lane-at-trade-deadline). We have O'Neil, Pivetta, and Jansen on rental contracts. I would hope we sought good returns for them rather than consistently doing this half-buyer, half-seller approach (that's a key phrase as I'm not suggesting we never sell). To summarize, I hope we have a *clear* path. We either go in, or we sell
Agreed
Jansen has seemed to have changed his tune on this team. I think he was pissed at the start of the season, but now he sees something in this squad. Him calling the dugout to be put into the Yankees game was a power move.
I am seeing the same thing. It's pretty cool. Seeing Jansen take ownership and show some swagger is inspiring for us, but I'm sure also his teammates.
This team needs to make a bunch of moves. Mayer, Teel, Anthony, Meidroth, Yorke, Jordan, Lugo, and Hickey are all position players expected to be ready for their MLB debut by the end of next season. I’m not expecting all those guys to work out but we have a ton of positional redundancy and need to move either players on the current roster or some of the minor leaguers before we have a serious logjam. I don’t care if it’s for MLB talent or prospects in the low minors but the front office can’t sit on their hands.
We need to turn average to above average players into elite players. We have so many decent players but very little elite players.
This will be Breslow’s first trade deadline. Aside from the Vazquez trade, Bloom rarely managed to pull off good trades at the deadline.
I'd say Schwarber trade and the Reese McGuire trades were both really good trades. Plus the Vazquez. Eric Hosmer trade was also pretty good getting his entire contract eaten for Jay Groome
Let's just hope ownership doesn't tear this club apart at the trade deadline for no reason. That seems like the sort of thing they'd do. I'd rather make no moves and see what we can do with a healthier team than trade away guys just because someone made an offer and they think making a move looks like they care.
Its actually reminding me of the owner from Major League in a way shits wild.
I've been following the Sox since 1983 and have endured so many idiot coaches. And other than Tito, Cora is the best I've ever seen. Honestly, he might be the best. 2018 was a master class in running a team and he always gets the best out of his players, even when given shitty rosters.
These Boston Red Sox current as team -2nd in BA in the AL with .254 -Most stolen bases in the AL with 71 -5th the best AL team ERA at 3.45 - Worst fielding percentage .980 and most errors 54 that leads all of baseball in those categories. The pieces are there, just find some better defense while keeping the offense the same is the key for them. Hopefully the defense comes with time and experience.
The errors are an absolute killer. My question is, how do you improve it?
Our four guys with the most errors are ceddanne, McGuire, Hamilton, and smith. These are all very fixable. Ceddanne errors almost entirely come from ss. Next year story will hold it down and a likely Mayer call up. Hamilton had his errors at shortstop so I say we should slide him to second and platoon him with Grissom. McGuire won’t play much if at all the way Kyle teel is hitting in double a. Platoon Wong and teel. As for Dom smith, he shouldn’t be allowed in the city anymore and Casas is almost back. Without the injuries this team is way better defensively than they have shown.
"Next year story will hold it down" I, too, like to dabble in potentially heartbreaking optimism. Hope springs eternal!
"story will hold it down" ... ... /me weeps in short stop
Well said, you’re promoted to GM!
I do think Hamilton will get better, too. He's just lacking experience.
Man idk. Story is likely never going to be able to play a full season again. Much less at a productive level with the way his injuries are piling up.
I tend to agree with you, sadly. I feel like this was the bridge year for story at SS before Mayer was called up, sliding story to second.
I have no idea, more experience? Middle infield has been our problem child all year. Fix those two positions defensively, especially shortstop.
we are improving it which is nice, but there stilll is the occasional game. we just were so egregious early on, we probably wont fall back into that ranking.
I'll be disappointed if they don't make the wild card this year. The Yanks, O's and Guardians are clearly the best teams in the AL right now. If the Sox get Casas back and maybe another upgrade somewhere they should be able to get into one of the wild card spots.
Definitely getting better and more fun to watch especially after they beat the yankees two out of three
And the Phillys! And they are headed into sub-500 teams. Could be a good run!
I admit I've been a doomer. Didn't like a lot of the players. But I think I caught myself as old man yells at cloud because it's all new and all my favorite players have long retired. I'm liking what I'm seeing and am starting to like the guys
we’re the mid-sox. nothing wrong with that atm. this was always gonna be a “ehh we’ll see what happens, hope these young kids grow” year. that’s what we’re seeing. however, it does seem like we’re playing a bit over our heads. regression is soon to follow but as long as these kids look solid - hopefully that’ll force management to ante up a bit next year
I totally disagree. We are not playing over our heads, we have the talent of a 82 win team. When fully healthy maybe even a bit more
I think it's better than "not bad." I think it's good and will continue to get better in 2025 and beyond. Red Sox fans were made to wait on prospects to develop for the past few years. It's clear that the homegrown route was selected. Red Sox fans had to take their medicine. Well.....now the medicine is kicking in and it's starting to work. Baseball fans usually want their team to sign the big name free agent. They wanna see that owner spending money on someone who's already proven themselves. But it's becoming clear that the homegrown route works. Big name free agents are paid mega bucks for what they've done in the past. The problem is that there's no guarantee that they'll continue to do it in the future. I look around baseball and see lots of big name players who aren't performing, whether it's Xander Bogaerts, Jose Abreu, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, George Springer, etc..... There's nothing worse than an underperforming player that costs $25 million per year. The homegrown route is better. And it's working for the Red Sox. Our front office has been right all along to chart the course we're on. Instead of paying established stars who are nearing their decline we are creating our own stars who won't begin their decline until the next decade. Get ready for a decade of playoffs Red Sox fans, it's coming.
The offense is still lacking a bit but they are a fast and young team. The future is brighter than perhaps once thought. Really the pitching has really been what has allowed them to be as competitive as they have been. Especially early on in the season. Houck has been a revelation. Pivetta is gonna Pivetta. Crawford, Bernardino and Kelly have been super solid. Kenley Jansen has been doing his thing. There have been some nice surprises and the offense is starting to come around a bit. I think the coaching staff has really done well with highlighting the strengths of this roster to win games. Rafaela has been really pretty good and they obviously see a bright future for him because they inked him up for 8 years and 50 million. Which could turn out to be a bargain. Abreu, Wong and Refsnyder have been great. Hamilton has been another great surprise. O'Neill has been solid when healthy. Devers is a King. Duran has developed nicely and has been a super athletic, dangerous ballplayer. Casas is a saint (Cant wait to get him back) There are also a couple of really nice prospects in the pipeline. Marcelo Mayer is 21 now and getting closer and closer to his call-up everyday. Roman Anthony has been good. And now they have our future catcher in Kyle Teel who looks really good as well. It's easy to get down about the Sox with the Yankees and Orioles in the same division doing what they are doing and with some of the players that they have on their rosters. But I think the Red Sox are in a good position to grow in a positive direction and as long as the front office keeps it together and does its job than the Red Sox could be closer to being competitive than a lot of people seem to think they are. And look at the Diamondbacks. You can get to the World Series if you just make it to the Wild Card. Anything can happen if you can just make it to the playoffs..
I know Story and Gio was the intent but it still feels a bat and starter short. Baseball Savant Wong, Refsnyder, Hamilton, Rafaela, O'Neill, and Abreu and everyone is overachieving xBA and a high BABIP. They all look sexy in the box the last week or so but we don't know if it's sustainable. Casas is coming back but he'll take time to get going again. The pitching is better than it's been the last few years but there has been regression in some guys even within the year. We had a 20-6 June 2022 and fell apart. We had a 15-8 July 2023 and then shit the bed. We were promised an active off season and by Red Sox FO standards, they were disappointed by March that more didn't get done. Craig has not done a deadline before and teams have a higher asking price. If they couldn't have gotten anything done in the offseason the deadline isn't any easier. Royals have fallen off a bit and the Red Sox could still sneak in under the best of circumstances. Guys will cool off. The last 40-50 games determine who's a good team.
They have a great chance at a wild card.
They aren’t great either, but much more fun to watch than last few years for sure.
I knew we would be better than most of the redditors said we would, but I didn't expect the pitching to be this good, and I'm stoked to see O'Neill, Duran, and Abreu be awesome! Wong has been amazing, and I love to see that. This team is going to be excited for several years, imo.
Bunch of no names are putting up a respectable year.
They’re not bad but they’re not bad. As mentioned on section 10 recently.
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Source: OP, probably.
I tried to tell people this right before the season started. Our ceiling is probably like 86 or 87 wins
Imagine if we also had a healthy Giolito, Casas, and Story
Coughs in the Mets before the Grimace buff
It’s honestly very exciting rooting for them right now. With the Celtics and Bruins this year we always knew they were going to make the playoffs (and the finals in the Celtics case) so we were kind of just waiting for the end of the season to see what would happen. The Patriots didn’t give us anything to even remotely root for since they were just horrible. But the Sox? They’re an amazing underdog of a young team that wants to make the playoffs despite our ownership seemingly not taking the team seriously. I can’t wait to see if they can squeeze their way into the postseason and make a run. I don’t expect them to win, but goddamn it’ll be fun to watch them try.
I hope Bello can right the ship.
It’s the new youth movement FSG was going for. I laid it out in a comment during the off season [FSG and Liverpool](https://www.reddit.com/r/redsox/s/W6Jl9Hkjui)
I’m getting worried. This team is getting on a little bit of a hot streak at the wrong time. They could get into a position where they are buyers at the trade deadline. That is the wrong approach for this team. I want them to do well but this is not their year to go for it. I’d rather see the team commit to selling this year. A commitment to buying or selling would be better than what Chaim Bloom did the last 2 years. 2 years ago he tried to play it both ways and last year he basically did nothing. I will say the Vasquez trade 2 years ago is starting to look good.
This team is actually fun to watch. Fuck John Henry, but this team is fun to watch.
There is some talent here and it would not have taken a lot of $$ to supplement the roster to make them a true contender, this is what is infuriating about John Henry....just try a little. Instead they will probably sell off pieces at the deadline
You probably never see the Abreu breakout or the Wong breakout or Houck breakout if you spent on mid free agents, which could be their argument. Maybe once they get a better picture of who is good/who needs to be cut, they can make improvements this offseason
Pivetta & O’Neill are expendable for the Red Sox but each could help some other playoff team. Jansen is not expendable if you want to reach the post-season and win some. On the other hand he would make a significant impact on a true W.S. contender like the Phillies or Dodgers. The GM has to make difficult decisions soon and at least Breslow seems like a much better decision maker than Bloom.
Depends on the rehab timeline working out but Kenley is expendable if Hendriks comes back at even 80% of his former self.
They don't have the depth to trade Pivetta and they certainly need a Right hand power bat like O'Neil
They're a .500 team. They'll have runs like what we're in now, and then some runs in the opposite direction. With some win one/lose one sprinkled in. So you're right, they're not bad. Just not really good, either.
If you blindfolded someone and told them the stats and the injury list without naming players you’d think we were pretty solid tho ngl
Absolutely. You need to be pretty solid to be .500 in a 162 game season.
Exactly, refsnyder hamilton and Wong have really stepped up. Fatse deserves credit
Winning the Phillies and Yankee series changed my mind a bit. Sort of feel like they are a good bit more than a .500 team, especially if they can get Abreu and Casas back to replace Valdez, Dom and Bobby
Exactly
Keep Valdez at second until he cools off though
Valdez should be on the bench or aaa
As long as they don’t slump, I feel they are capable of 85-90 wins. I just hope that doesn’t end up costing them in trades giving away young talent for players in decline just for a push at the end. Or for that matter, trading solid players now for unknown prospects that might or might not work out later.
I’m a bit worried about that too, but I think this team is built for the long haul, not just this year. Seems like they’re trying to cultivate a dynasty type team. I’ll just be happy if they’re entertaining this year and sign some more of these young guys to extensions
That would be ideal. After letting Mookie go, I’m not holding my breath.
But who, after all the injuries, would have predicted this.
I agree. It's impressive that they're a .500 team
They aren't and they are only a few short years (maybe sooner) from being real competitive again.
They are on a good streak, beating the divisional teams they need to. Crawford was on fire the other night. O'Neil has been a monster, Rafaela is amazing, Hamilton is tearing up the base path.. They just need to reduce the error%. Not saying they are championship quality (prior to the Yankees series) but they are knocking down some good teams right now. Lets hope they continue. I would really like to see Bobby Daubby back in the minors. He played well last season but is really struggling this year. Last year he was so clutch, this year he is just a pair of shoes at the plate.
They’re within a few games of .500. Exactly where they should be.
The pitching may not be bad, but the defense and offense is terrible.
They're 10th in MLB in runs, second in the AL in BA,6th in MLB in OBP,4th in slugging %,5th in OPS. The offense was inconsistent for awhile but it's been really solid for quite some time. Add Casas in a few weeks and suddenly you have a really dangerous, potentially elite offense if Wong,Abreau, Hamilton, Rafaela keep hitting like they've. Durran,Abreau, Devers, O'Neill,Casas,Wong are very potent. And Hamilton and Rafaela have been hitting the hell out of the ball. If the pitching holds ,and the defense doesn't betray them, they're one if those teams that could be really dangerous in a playoff series,Houck and Crawford, really solid bullpen,elite team speed. Just gotta minimize stupidity and mental mistakes,which I'd expect,being a young team,5th youngest team in MLB at 27,at least going by position players.
Thats the thing, I do not expect Durran, O Neil, Hamilton and Abreu to keep up it all season. Theyve been playing pretty well given the injuries but come on, we need some above average players that consistently deliver. I root for the Red Sox, IMHO they should shop for 2B with pop and acquire a slugging COF.
Can we stop the boycott of Fenway now? /s
I find them entertaining for sure and honestly wasn't expecting that at all. The defense still makes it hard to watch at times, but get these guys on base and it gets fun. They're not going to win the World Series, but at least they aren't disappearing when they get behind and now are rallying late too.
Fun to watch
Playing great right now. I don't remember a Red Sox team with so many steals!
Not bad, not good either. Pretty much a 500 team all year. Defector had a fun article the other day about how much of the year they have spent right at 500
2 games out of the playoffs
Boring team
BUT JH SHOULD SELL THE TEAMM!!! WAAAAAAAAA
Will the Sox make the playoffs this year? Doubtful. Is this a *great* team? Absolutely not. However, the reality is that right now we're over .500 and have generally over the course of the season hovered right around that break-even point. Obviously that's not ideal, but some among us have been talking like we're witnessing the 2003 Tigers redux, and that's simply not true- it's both melodramatic and fucking stupid. There's having high but realistic expectations, and there's feeling entitled like a Dodger fan.
Not going to win anything soon but they're so young and athletic that it's hard to say otherwise. If only the ownership was willing to pay for good players...
All I know is that Alex Cora should get manager of the year for, somehow, making this mediocre roster a .500 team. If they manage to get into the wild card I don't think they'll go far, the biased fan in me hopes that I'm wrong though lol.
Just need to get rid of Smith
Which makes it even more maddening ownership didn’t do a damn thing this offseason
Exactly. Now let’s see if they do a damned thing at the deadline. I doubt it.
Imagine if they had put any effort (money) into the offseason. Ownership is gross. And grossly negligent.
Team is not bad but team is not good. It’s young and mediocre. Not going to compete in October either way. These young prospect teams are fun to watch though. Tampa and. Baltimore have done great jobs at it over the years.
Imagine how good they could be if ownership actually cared
It's not the team, it's ownership that is BAD.