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Why To Be Optimistic About The Red Sox In The Second Half

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The Boston Red Sox are about to embark on the second half of their 2019 season. They currently sit at 49-41, two and a half games back of the Rays, and nine back of the Yankees. A lot of people, including myself, were not overly enthusiastic about the first half of the season. But the second half kicks off officially on Friday when the Red Sox host the Dodgers. Keep in mind, this is a rematch of last year’s World Series match-up. Here are some reasons to be optimistic about the second half of the season.

Rafael Devers

First things first, can we acknowledge what a season Rafael Devers has had? Now, can we all agree that he should have been in the All-Star Game? We all can agree? Okay good, moving on!

Rafael Devers had one of the best first halves on the Red Sox by far. He is currently hitting for a .324 average ,along with 16 home runs and 62 RBI’s. If that doesn’t impress you, he also has 69 runs scored, along with a .923 OPS. Devers has been a man on a mission in the first half of the season. Now he just needs to keep up his hot hitting in the second half to give the Red Sox a chance of contending.

David Price

David. Price. Is. GOOD. Let’s end any debate of that now. While other Red Sox arms such as Chris Sale and Rick Porcello struggled in the first half, Price excelled. He was the Red Sox most consistent starter, and continuously pitched deep into his starts when they needed him. The numbers don’t exactly wow you, but they make you nod your head in approval. Price is currently 7-2 with a 3.24 ERA. In 83 and 1/3 innings he has 95 strikeouts, so just above one an inning. A lot of people were skeptical of Price in his first few seasons in Boston. But last year from the All-Star break until now he has now put the past behind him. If Price can continue his consistency in the second half, and the other starters improve, the rest of the MLB needs to look out.

Christian Vazquez

Nobody has really talked about Christian Vazquez in the first half. The Red Sox catcher has swung the bat very well so far this season. He is hitting .299 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs (both career highs). We all knew Vazquez was an above average defensive catcher. But the hitting side of things was always Vazquez’s biggest question mark. He has certainly proved a lot of people wrong this season. If he keeps this pace up, maybe the demands for Sandy Leon will decrease.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox are in a better spot than we all think. They have had it all in the first half of the season. There’s been the rising star (Devers), the veteran making a statement (Price), and the surprise of the year (Vazquez), with the second half of the season yet to start. Are the Red Sox perfect? Not even close! No MLB team is perfect in all aspects of the game. But, do they have the pieces that can help them make a second half run? Definitely! 72 games remain, let’s see what this Red Sox team has in store for us.

Red Sox need to take advantage of upcoming stretch

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Christian Vazquez capped an exciting comeback with an extra inning walk off homer on Friday night. The Sox managed to erase a 5-1 deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays when Chris Sale did not have his best stuff. One would hope this exciting victory could jump start the Sox into a series win. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The Red Sox then proceeded to have a really bad weekend. They lost two out of three at home to a Blue Jays team that was 27-48 going into this series. The bullpen blew a 6-1 lead on Saturday. The offense and Rick Porcello were not effective on Sunday. The official start of Summer at Fenway was spoiled by the Jays from Toronto.

However, there is something to look forward to. Boston is now entering a rather favorable stretch of play, as five of the next seven series contain sub .500 opponents. The Chicago White Sox come into Fenway for a three game series starting Monday. The White Sox currently hold a 36-39 record. (Not to mention Boston clobbered Chicago in early May, scoring 34 runs and winning three of four.)

Following this series in The United States, Boston will travel across the Pond to London. On June 29h and 30th, Boston will take on the 49-28, American League East leading New York Yankees. Also, the Sox will be off on June 27th and 28th and July 1st. This is the last team over .500 the Red Sox will face before the All-Star Break.

The Red Sox will then leave Europe for Canada for three games with the Jays before returning back to the states. Boston will wrap up the unofficial first half of the season with 3 between the woeful Detroit Tigers, who currently sport a 26-44 record.

After the All Star Break, Boston is back for three games at Fenway with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic. Los Angeles currently has the best record in baseball with 50 wins to a mere 25 loses.

The Red Sox end that homestand with a four game series against the Blue Jays. Boston will then travel to Baltimore to face an Orioles team that currently sits last in the majors with a not-so-hot record of 21 and 53.

It is crucial the Red Sox make the most out of this part of their schedule if they want to cut into the Yankees lead. They already started this stretch on the wrong foot by losing a home series to the poultry Blue Jays. (Not to mention, making me change my article.)

After these 21 games with six days off, Boston crashes back to reality with four straight series against New York and Tampa Bay. If the Red Sox want to avoid that nerve-wracking, unpredictable Wild-Card Game, they need to take advantage of the next four weeks. Not only is the competition inferior, they have a lot of off days.

Bottom line, Boston cannot afford too many more poor series against under .500 teams.

Photo courtesy of Michael Dwyer, AP Photo

Follow Chad Jones on Twitter @ShutUpChadJones

Red Sox-Twins Series Recap

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The Boston Red Sox had quite the task these past three games. They played a Minnesota Twins team that has surprised many people this season. They are leading the American League Central by nine games. Red Sox fans were hoping that they could win this series against the Twins and turn a corner. They did just that as they took two out of three from the Twins. Let’s take a look back at the series, game by game.

Game 1: Red Sox 2 Twins 0

The Red Sox came into Target Field on Monday night looking to get off on the right foot. They did just that with a 2-0 victory. Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi started the inning with back to back hits before J.D. Martinez stepped to the plate. Martinez hit an RBI single to left field to drive home Mookie Betts for a 1-0 Sox lead.

The game would stay that way as both offenses would be shut down through the next seven innings. However, that changed in the ninth inning. With a runner on second and two outs, Xander Bogaerts hit a double to right center field. That put the Red Sox up 2-0 as that would conclude the scoring for the night.

While the offense was fairly quiet, Rick Porcello was the star of the night. He threw seven innings while giving up four hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. Porcello came out and held one of the better offenses in baseball in check. It was a great start for him and for the Red Sox in this series.

Game 2: Twins 4 Red Sox 3 (17 Innings)

This one didn’t end up as great as the first one, as the Red Sox lost in 17 innings. There were some good highlights for the Red Sox in this one however. Rafael Devers had a go ahead homerun in the top of the seventh inning to keep up his hot first half of the 2019 season. Jackie Bradley Jr. just so happened to make another phenomenal catch in the seventh inning to keep a 2-1 lead at the time. Oh yeah, and Christian Vazquez picked off a runner at third base, so that was pretty cool!

The game ended with a Max Kepler single to walk it off in the 17th inning. Kepler also hit a homerun in the bottom of the 13th inning to tie the game 3-3. Brian Johnson suffered the loss on the mound. He gave up three hits, one walk, and one run in 1/3 of an inning pitched.

Even though the Red Sox lost this one, there were a lot of good things to highlight. Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes threw scoreless innings. Benintendi, Brock Hot, and Devers each had three hits in the game as well. Plus, remember that it took the Twins 17 innings to beat the Red Sox. So, take that for what it’s worth.

Game 3: Red Sox 9 Twins 4

In game three, the Red Sox offense showed up. They scored nine runs and were able to come away with a 9-4 win. Eduardo Rodriguez had a gusty performance in this one. He pitched seven innings, gave up four runs, surrendered three walks while striking out nine batters. This wasn’t his best by any means, but it was good enough for the win. Rodriguez wasn’t the only one making contributions toward the Sox win last night. Xander Bogaerts had another milestone in his career, as he hit his 200th career double.

The Sox have won seven of their last eight. They also earned a series win, on the road, against a very good Twins team. Winning two out of three games is good in any series. For this Red Sox team, beating the Twins two out of three is a great sign for a lackluster 2019 season thus far.


This was a good sign for the Sox. They proved they can beat a good team on the road. Now, they can hopefully keep that momentum up with Toronto coming to town. There were many contributions from a lot of different players, which is the sign of a good team. Could the Red Sox have finally turned a corner? Stay tuned to find out!

Red Sox Opening Day – A Wake Up Call

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Well that was a dud. Chris Sale was bad, the bullpen was bad, the bats only managed 4 runs in a 12-4 loss. But this isn’t about injury, and it’s not about punching holes in the teams’ talent. This was a wake up call for a team coming off arguably the most historic season in it’s 117 year history.

Chris Sale

Yesterday we pointed to Chris Sale’s velocity to see if he was on board with the plan to take it easy. Thanks to Brooks Baseball we can see that his average four seam fastball traveled at 92.9 MPH. That is exactly where he needs to be in order to both last the season without breaking down, and be effective. Tony Massarotti points out that Sale averaged 94 MPH on his four seamer last April, and he went 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA then.

This is a new world for Sale. His whole life he has given 100% all the time. The Red Sox are asking him to dial it back so he’s in peak form for the playoffs. He’s being asked to be the Ace of the Boston Red Sox. He has a new contract. There is a lot on his shoulders. We know he gets it, he’s accountable, he’s passionate.

The Bullpen

The bullpen went 5 innings and gave up 4 earned runs. That’s not good. They’re not world beaters, but they’re also not a wheel of gutless bums. Coming into a Chris Sale game in the fourth inning down 7-2 is not normal.

Tyler Thornburg has a long way to go to receive Red Sox fans’ confidence, but despite what Dave Dombrowski says, he’s not being depended on to be a lock down guy. Alex Cora has sung Hector Velazquez’s praises, but he’s a mop up guy. He gave up 2 or more earned runs 10 times last year.

The only guy who was looked at as dependable in any way last year that pitched last night was Heath Hembree. He threw 17 pitches and got 2 outs, with a strike out and walk thrown in there. That’s an acceptable 7th inning guy, which is what he is being asked to be in the long run.

The Lineup

These guys can fall out of bed and score four runs against the Mariners’ pitching staff. That’s exactly what they did. They tested out a double steal, neat. Mookie went 3-4 and J.D. went 2-5, fabulous.

But where were the grind out at bats? The offense was listless.

The Outfield Defense

Good execution on throwing out Haniger at home by the team. But that was more routine and execution by Vazquez at home, that anything amazing on Mookie’s part.

And then there was the Mookie – Jackie almost debacle. Mookie called for the ball, and Jackie almost knocked it out of his glove by bumping into him in the outfield.

Wake Up Calls

This was all a lack of focus.

Chris Sale is human. His location was off. That falls into execution. Last season he decided to dial it up in June and July. He’s going to need to find that 2018 April for the full season.

It’s the major leagues. Batters can’t just roll out of bed and show up to win games. They need to focus on every pitch.

We haven’t seen the real bullpen weapons yet. We’ll have to wait and see how Barnes and Brasier and Brewer do. If they perform like Thorburg and Velazquez it will be a problem.

Outfielders need to be engaged. That means in every way, including communication. What happened with Bradley and Betts should not happen, no matter what stadium they’re in.

From here it feels like they all needed a wake up call to focus on the new season and leave 2018 behind. It’s a new world. They’re defending Champs coming off a historic season. A 12-4 lashing by the Seattle Mariners hopefully did the trick. Let’s see if Alex Cora and the team can come to the park with a renewed sense of the here and now tonight.

Image via NBCSN

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Red Sox Hot Stove And Related News

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The Red Sox Hot Stove has burned out.  Dave Dombrowski recently noted that the free-agent market has slowed down significantly the past two years.  He’s in favor of a free-agency deadline of some sort to spurn action.  Dave Dombrowski is right.  With that in mind, here is some recent interesting MLB news, and how it affects the Red Sox.

Red Sox Transactions

You are forgiven if unfamiliar with recent Red Sox transactions Gorkys Hernandez and Zach Putnam.

Hernandez is a 30 year old outfielder.  He played 142 games last year with the San Francisco Giants.  That was the most games he has played in a year in his career.  He hit .234 with a .676 OPS last year.

Putnam is a 31 year old reliever.  He saved 6 games with a 1.98 ERA four years ago for the White Sox.  Last year he got into 7 games for a total of 8.2 innings.  Yes, he had a 1.04 ERA, but his injuries have limited him to 32 games in relief over the past two years.

These guys are AAA roster filler.  They’re just as likely to spend the year in AAA, or be injured, as they are to make any kind of impact on the Red Sox this year.

That being said, at least the Sox signed Eovaldi, not exactly a pillar of consistency himself.  Here are some other teams making moves.

Starting Pitchers

Matt Harvey got a one-year 11 million, with $3 million incentives, from the Angels.  Lance Lynn signed a three-year $30 Million deal with the Rangers.  Harvey, formally the Dark Knight of the Mets, went 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA for the Reds last year.  Lance Lynn went 10-10 between the Twins and Yankees, with a 4.77 ERA.

There are some making the argument the Red Sox overpaid for Eovaldi based on these deals.  Neither Harvey nor Lynn had a three week stretch like Eovaldi showed in the Postseason.  Time will tell, but Harvey has looked cooked, and Lynn in decline.  Starting pitching is expensive.

The Runnin’ Royals

Remember when Billy Hamilton was the next big thing?  Way back in 2013 he was a highly touted prospect.  He got a cup of coffee with the Reds that year, and flashed a .902 OPS in 13 games.  People thought he would hit a ton of doubles, steal 80 bags a year, and be a gold glover.  Since then he has lead the the league in one thing: caught stealing.  He’s managed 277 steals, but a lowly .631 OPS, in his career so far.  And he’s not sniffing gold glove caliber defense.

All through the mid to late 90s, and the first leg of the this Century’s Red Sox Championship teams, the Royal’s Kauffman Stadium was a house of horrors for the Sox.  But considering the arguments for the Royals moves include phrases like “…may not produce much in the way of offense…”, it’s safe to say the Royals won’t be much of the threat to the Sox, or any other opponent, in 2019.

Oh Those Mets

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, with a name right out of The Sound Of Music, is showing why there was hope he could be had in a deal for Noah Syndergaard.  The Mets just gave Wilson Ramos a 2-year $19 million deal.  The 30 year old has two All Star nods, including last year.  But after being a stalwart for the Phillies and Nationals for several years, he’s been getting nicked up a little more each year.

He missed the All Star game last year with a hamstring injury from running the bases.  Catchers, for the most part, do not get better after 30.  Maybe if Christian Vazguez was 30 and injury prone, instead of 27 and coming off a great postseason, the Mets would’ve wanted him.  $9.5 million a year for Ramos is another head-scratching move.

A Dearth Of Big Name Deals

La Stella, Torreyes and Descalso.  Now there’s some big time talent, so exciting!  Can we get a Marwin Gonzalez deal at the very least?

How About A Former Big Name?

The artist formally known as Tulo is causing a stir.  This five-time All Star is so bad, the Blue Jays paid $38 million to release him last week.  That’s Pablo ‘Panda’ Sandoval territory.  Now a third of all teams are clambering to overpay him.

Let’s a hope an AL East team grabs him, so Red Sox pitching can rack up more strikeouts.

Hope, In This Season Of Hope

The tails of Yasiel Puig and Rusney Castillo, and all the Cuban defectors, are harrowing stories of heartbreak and despair.  Three cheers for MLB, trying to make this a better process.

Can You Imagine This In The Winter Of 2004?

I’m pretty sure the excitement was at a Fever Pitch in the early winter of 2004.  This team just put down a historic run to a World Championship.  The Red Sox raised ticket prices in advance of putting them on sale.  Of course, marketing is important for any organization.  But to not be mostly sold out at this point is a part of the problem Dave Dombrowski pointed out.  There is a distinct lack of buzz out there.

How To Be A Great Friend

https://twitter.com/RockWalkLondon/status/1074914135048159233

Happy belated Birthday to Keith Richards, who recently turned 75.  He showed us all how to stand up for our friends.

May we all be there for each other in the coming year.

 

Follow on Twitter @bostonsportSAHD

Get Noah Syndergaard On The Red Sox

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The Mets are a little off their rocker, the Winter Meetings are coming up, and the Cardinals have stolen some National League thunder with the Paul Goldschmidt trade.  Nathan Eovaldi is back!  Now is the time for the Red Sox to strike.  Bring Noah Syndergaard to Boston.  A quick reminder:

The Mets

The Mets are in win-now mode with their strange reliance on 36 year old, recently PED suspended, Robinson Cano.  They also got Edwin Diaz in the deal.  He’s a young closer who’s only done it in the relative obscurity of the Pacific Northwest.  Those guys are often inconsistent.  They’re also reportedly looking into trading for Corey Kluber, which is kind of nuts.  Kluber has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last few years.  But the reason he’s available from the Indians is because he is 33 and on the verge of a big payday.  His contract escalates, from $10 million to $17.5 million and beyond, the next few years.

When news of a Syndergaard trade first surfaced, the Mets were said to be looking to upgrade their farm system with a trade.  And why wouldn’t they?  Syndergaard will be the best bargain Ace in the game the next few years.  His injuries are overblown and his September was one to remember.

But something happened on the road to a competitive team and stacked farm system.  Potential trades aren’t bearing the kind of fruit the Mets thought they would get.  Let’s take a deep dive on some rumored deals.

The Padres

The most recent rumor from the MLB Network was a package of Manny Margot, Austin Hedges, and Mackenzie Gore.

Margot, whom the Red Sox gave to the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel trade, has been a classic good defense, no-so-good offense, center fielder.  In 2017 he hit .263 with a .721 OPS.  In 2018, after the league had a look at him, he hit .245 with a .675 OPS.  Think Jackie Bradley Jr without the hot streaks and superior defense.

Austin Hedges is a catcher with slightly above average power, and little else.  In 2017 he hit .214 with a .660 OPS, 2018 it was .231/.711.

Mackenzie Gore is a highly rated young pitcher who gets a lot of strikeouts.  He also walks a lot of people.  Because of this, he had a middling 4.45 ERA in single A ball last year.

The Rockies

The Rockies have a lot of young pitching.  It may be just for show, but Assistant GM Zack Rosenthal told the MLB Network on Tuesday 12/4 that the Rockies are built on that young pitching and defense.  This is a team that hits missile after missile into the glorious Rocky Mountain air.  The team is also about to spend a record amount in arbitration on MVP candidate Nolan Arenado.  Arenado is not making that kind of money for his gold glove defense at third base.  He hit .297 with 36 Home Runs last year.

So what does this mean?  The Rockies may be deluding themselves into thinking their MVP candidates don’t matter and it’s all about the pitching.  More likely, they’re negotiating in the media to reduce their arbitration cases with their hitters.  But because of the money going to their hitters, they’re likely to keep the young starters they have.  The Red Sox don’t have that kind of young pitching.

The Red Sox

Rafael Devers is better than anyone the Padres or Rockies can or will throw at the Mets.

Margot is 24, Hedges is 26.  Devers is still the tender age of 22.  This precious youngster hit .284 with 10 home runs and a .819 OPS in part time play as a 20 year old in 2017, then .240 with 21 home runs and a .731 OPS last year.  Furthermore, Devers  hit .311 in the Postseason over his first 2 years, including 3 home runs and a .884 OPS in 45 at bats.

That’s special.  But he’s no Tony Conigliaro.  The beloved Tony C hit .290 with 24 home runs and an .883 OPS as a 19 year old, then .269 with 32 home runs and an .850 OPS as a 20 year old, then .265 with 28 home runs and an .817 OPS as a 21 year old.

Devers will be worth holding on to, but not transcendent.  That is why he’s worth giving up for the rare young, cost controlled monster, like Noah Syndergaard, who becomes available.

What’s more, the Mets need a catcher.  The Red Sox have a plethora.  Putting Christian Vazquez, whose Postseason success means his value may never be higher, in a trade would be ideal.  But the Sox could throw in Blake Swihart instead.  A combo of either Swihart or Vazquez, with Sandy Leon as backup, would be more than fine for the 2019 Red Sox.

If the Mets wants minor leaguers, give them some.  The Red Sox have a weak system, but Devers is younger than most of the highly touted minor leaguers in the game.  It would take less top young talent than some other teams.

Eovaldi Frees Things Up

And now that Nathan Eovaldi is back, the Sox are freed up to include Eduardo Rodriguez in the deal if they need to.  This gives the Red Sox more options.  They don’t need to give the Mets everything, but widens the possibilities of how a trade could look.

Syndergaard Solves The Contract Crunch

At the end of 2019 the Sox will have some choices to make.  Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Xander Bogaerts become free agents at that time.  Nathan Eovaldi’s contract is reported to be in the $17 million a year range.  All three of those other guys will cost more than that.

Then there is JD Martinez’s opt out.  He’s currently being paid $23.75 Million.   With his performance he will definitely be looking for a raise starting in 2020.

Noah Syndergaard is in arbitration.  He made $2.975 Million last year and, his projected earnings in 2019 are $5.9 Million.  If he becomes a top 10 starting pitcher in 2019, watch out.  Thor has three years of control left in arbitration.  He won’t approach $20 million in salary until 2021 at the earliest.

If Syndergaard is in Boston, there’s a lot more money for the rest of the team.

Time To Act

There are reports of the Mets talking with the Marlins about JT Realmuto.  They are itching to trade.  The competition for Syndergaard is falling away.  The Red Sox can solve the Mets catching problems.  Fire up the Knights of Cydonia and let’s rock this trade Dave Dombrowski.

Should The Red Sox Go After Noah Syndergaard?

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The Baseball Hot Stove is beginning. It’s winter, so warm up.  There are reports out there that the New York Mets are open to trading Noah Syndergaard.  Could Thor be in the Red Sox future?  Cue the Led Zeppelin and put on your mittens while we take a look.

Syndergaard’s Injuries

Noah Syndergaard has had a number of injuries, but his ‘injury prone‘ label is unwarranted.  In May of 2018, he had a strained ligament in his right index finger.  It’s unknown how he did it, perhaps playing Fortnite or Red Dead Redemption 2 a little too vigorously, but it held him out six weeks.  Then in late July, he suffered from the plague that hit New York pitchers hard: Hand, Foot and Mouth disease.  The scourge of toddlers may be embarrassing, but it’s hardly a long-term problem.

The major injury for Thor was a strained right lat muscle in May of 2017.  I’m not a doctor, so the details are a bit beyond me, but the bottom line is he did not need surgery.  Furthermore, this was not a rotator cuff or elbow injury.  Yes, it wiped out most of his 2017, but there has been no recurrence of the injury.

Contract Status

Because he missed the bulk of 2017, Noah Syndergaard has an incredibly affordable contract for someone of his stature.  He still has three years of arbitration ahead of him, and he’s starting 2019 from the low rung of $2.975 Million.

That means that even if he performs like a Cy Young candidate in 2019 and 2020 he still won’t be breaking the bank.  In short, this man is probably the best bargain in baseball as long as he’s healthy.  And it appears that he is.

End Of 2018 Performance

Syndergaard had a rough August as his body recovered from sickness, but he poured it on in September.  He went 4-1 with two complete games, including a shutout to end the season.  His Statcast average pitch speed was over 97 MPH on his fastball, so he’s still throwing much harder than the average incredible baseball player who is on any Major League roster.

On September 14th, Noah Syndergaard came to Fenway Park and pitched a beauty against arguably the greatest Red Sox team of all time.  7 innings, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts.  After the performance he tweeted out this nugget of a tantalizing possibility:

I’m sorry, but in light of the rumors of his availability, can I freak out now?

How He Fits On The Red Sox

It’s no secret that the Red Sox have a rather large bill coming due at the end of 2019.  Chris Sale’s contract is up.  Xander Bogaerts is hitting free agency.  JD Martinez has an opt-out in his contract.  Mookie Betts even now is looking to break records in arbitration.

As stated above, Syndergaard is cost controlled.  So while he is at that $2.975 Million number and coming off a season where he missed some time and made only 25 starts, Mookie is at $10.5 Million and coming off an MVP season.  The lower you start from in arbitration, the lower you end up the next year, and vice versa.

For a Red Sox team that is paying David Price over $30 Million, with at least that much needing to go to Chris Sale if they want to keep him, Syndergaard is a dream contract.  Furthermore, there is no starting pitcher depth in the Red Sox minor league system.  Low-cost young stars are the lifeblood of successful major league teams.  Noah Syndergaard is the very essence of the solution to these problems.

For these reasons, he won’t come cheap.

What A Trade Would Look Like

Alarmingly, the Red Sox main competition in the American League are pegged as landing spots for Syndergaard.  But the possible assets from the Yankees and Astros can’t measure up to the firepower the Red Sox can offer.

I was willing to trade Rafael Devers for very few players.  Kris Bryant was one of those players.  That is because Bryant is young and an MVP winner and perennial MVP candidate.  But Bryant would cost a lot soon.  Syndergaard is almost the equivalent as a pitcher that Bryant is as a batter and third baseman, and he’s cheap.

I’m also an advocate for taking advantage of Christian Vazquez’s value at this moment in time.

The Mets are working on getting 3B David Wright’s contract off their books.  They also have a hole at catcher.

I think the framework is there for a Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez for Noah Syndergaard swap.  I do know that this is a trade that meets what the Mets may be looking for.

This would be a major shake-up of the future of the Red Sox.  Most likely this would mean the Sox would not be in on Nathan Eovaldi, the Sox number one target of this offseason, but maybe not.  It would definitely mean letting go of all the potential and promise of Rafael Devers.  Perhaps there’s a certain swiss army knife, who’s won a recent World Series with Alex Cora, the Sox could sign to play third?

The Mets GM, Brodie Van Wagenen, is an unknown entity at the moment.  There’s no telling what he may do, but he is contacting a lot of starting pitchers’ agents.  It certainly appears he’s readying to trade Thor.

Think of top of this rotation on opening day: Chris Sale, Noah Syndergaard, David Price.  Kind of makes the drool flow freely from your gaping mouth right?

Trade Christian Vazquez

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A rundown of the Red Sox catching depth shows Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, and Blake Swihart. Guess who makes well over 50% of the money?  That’s right, Christian Vazquez.

Blake Swihart Moving Up

There’s news that Blake Swihart will be brought to camp with the intention of keeping him at catcher in 2019.  This may seem innocuous.  But then there was Alex Cora saying he wasn’t fair to Blake Swihart in 2018.  These smoke signals seem to be pointing to Swihart getting a lot more time behind the plate in 2019.

Sandy Leon’s Defense

On first blush it could be that the team is looking to move on from Sandy Leon.  He was, of course, usurped as the number one catcher in the playoffs by Christian Vazquez.  But all throughout the season, there was story after story about how much the pitchers trusted Sandy Leon.  In August of 2018, The Globe did a story about Sandy having a 3.01 catchers ERA, which was the best in baseball at the time.

Just because Leon’s batting stats cratered in 2018 (.117 batting average for example), all that defense doesn’t fly out the window.

Vazquez Contract

Which leads us back to Vazquez.  It would be one thing if he was making $563K like Swihart, or $1.95 Million like Leon, and on the arbitration train like the two of them.  Not only is Christian Vazquez making $2.85 Million this year, but he’s also owed an additional $10.45 Million over 2020 and 2021.  That is because the Red Sox gave him a 3-year deal that starts in 2019.

In his admittedly sparse 4-year major league career, Blake Swihart has batted .256 with a .678 OPS.  For comparison, Vazquez hit .207/.540 this year and .240/.632 in his career.  Vazquez did hit .290 last year, but it took Leon’s offense disappearing in 2018 for Vazquez to get his chance again.

So Christian Vazquez has the recent World Series success of the team and a quintessential Yankee Stadium postseason Home Run to burnish his attraction to other clubs.  And because the Red Sox have Leon and Swihart, with Swihart’s improved defense (No errors, no passed balls, threw out 5 of 14 base stealers for an excellent 36 percent rate) to boot, Vazquez is an excellent candidate to be traded.

Trade Possibilities

Vazquez won’t bring back a lot on his own.  At best the Red Sox could look to bolster their weak farm system with a starting pitcher prospect or two.  Or perhaps he could be added to a package to get a higher rated prospect or more.

Removing Vazquez’s escalating salary is almost as important as giving Blake Swihart more time or getting prospects.  The Red Sox should sign Nathan Eovaldi, but it will cost.  The end of 2019 has Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts getting to free agency, with JD Martinez likely to opt out as well.  Every payroll dollar counts.

A Vazquez trade wouldn’t be a blockbuster, but there are too many positives to trading him to not make sense this offseason.

 

 

World Series Game 3, A Heart Breaker

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It took 18 innings, but the Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in World Series Game 3.  A heart breaker for the Red Sox. This puts the Sox up 2-1 in the series and still in the cat birds seat for a World Series Championship.

Eduardo Nunez’s Wild Ride

It’s Eduardo Nunez’s world and we’re all just living in it.  It was the top of the 13th inning.  The score was 1-1.  On a bad ankle and knee he was beat up and pushed around in the batter’s box.  He had Brock Holt, who had walked after an 0-2 count, standing at first.  During the wild pitch that lead to Nunez’s adventure, Holt scampered to second.

The Red Sox Break Through

After a visit from the trainers and Alex Cora he settled in and waited for a pitch from lefty Scott Alexander.  The pitch came in and he swung, a little nubber into no man’s land in front of the mound.  The first baseman, Max Muncy, broke for the ball, but the pitcher got there first.

Even gimpy, Nunez got down the line and did what you are never supposed to do.  He slid.  Amazingly, wonderfully, Alexander’s throw went beyond the grasp of second baseman Kiki Hernandez, who was covering first.  While all that was going on Brock Holt went from second to home to take the lead 2-1.

The Dodgers Come Back

By this time the lineup Alex Cora had was make shift at best.  Christian Vazquez, catcher,  was at first and Eduardo Nunez, pulling a Willis Reed, was at third.  Nathan Eovaldi, the supposed Game 4 starter was pitching.  Max Muncy walked on a questionable check swing call ball four.

The next batter, Cody Bellinger, skied a foul ball towards the stands on the third base side.  Nunez sprinted over and caught the ball, barreling into the stands.

With 2 outs, however, Yasiel Puig hit his own ball into no man’s land.  Ian Kinsler was in the game to run for JD Martinez earlier in this game.  A bad decision by Cora, one of his very few.  Kinsler barely got to it at second base and threw wildly to first.  Vazquez didn’t have a chance.

Muncy scored to make the game 2-2.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

A brief timeout to raise up Jackie Bradley Jr.  The whole reason the Red Sox were in that position in the first place was because of him.  There were two outs in the top of the 8th and the Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen, was on the mound.

The score was 1-0 Dodgers after an outstanding outing from rookie Walker Buehler.  No matter, JBJ knew what to do.

Many questioned his spot in the lineup.  Not Boston Sports Extra.  His solo Home Run set up the extra inning theatrics.

Nathan Eovaldi

With Nathan Eovaldi doing yeoman’s work the score remained 2-2 into the 18th inning.  Yeoman’s work doesn’t cover it.

Eovaldi pitched the most pitches in relief in world series history.  He pitched 6 plus innings of 1 run ball on short rest, along with the unearned run from the Kinsler error.

Max Muncy took him deep for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.

This game pushed well into October 27th.  If that date is familiar to you as a Red Sox fan, it should be.  That was the date in 2004 The Curse was destroyed.  So today isn’t all bad.

David Price, Red Sox Win, Game 2 Recap

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The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series.  David Price was locked in, the relentless 2 out offense was in bloom, and now the Sox have a 2-0 lead.

We’re not in the peak Eck ‘Time To Party‘ zone yet, but man oh man are we getting close!

David Price

Live it up David.  Any man who goes six innings with three hits allowed and two earned runs in the World Series gets to have his kid up there bring some levity.

While Price was busy rewriting his post season narrative, the offense continued to do things we have never seen.  The mantra for offense in baseball is batting with runners in scoring position.  For premium offense it’s all that plus doing it with two outs.

There is David Ortiz clutch, in which a singular individual gets hit after hit to win games in the post season.  Then there is this team’s version.

In the top of the 5th inning, Hyun-Jin Ryu was steamrolling the Red Sox lineup.  He got Ian Kinsler to ground out and JBJ to hit a weak infield fly.  He got Christian Vazquez to an 0-2 count.  Then it began.

Vasqy keeps his swing short and hits a single.  Betts singled.  The anticipation and trust and faith in this team begins to ripple through Fenway.  Benny walks and the bases are loaded.

The Turning Point

Dave Roberts is getting killed for over managing his Dodgers, but what would you do?  Let Ryu face lefty killer Steve Pearce with the bases loaded, or bring in a normally trustworthy strikeout reliever?  Roberts goes with door number 2 and brings in Ryan Madson.

The moment proved too big for Madson.  He walks Pearce.  Almost every pitch looked like Mariano Rivera’s last pitch to Kevin Millar in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS to set up Roberts famous steal.  The score is now 2-2.  All of this with two outs.

So Madson, who had blown away JD Martinez in Game 1 with the bases loaded, gets to face him in the same situation.  You can’t stop JD Martinez, you can only hope to contain him.  Because JD is so obsessed about hitting, he look locked in, laser focused.  Staying inside the ball, he rockets the second pitch to right and two more runs score.  It’s 4-2 and the Dodgers are shook.

The Dodgers were one strike away from getting out of that inning.  Who knows how long Ryu could’ve pitched.  But The Red Sox relentlessness is a wonder to behold.  Putting the ball in play.  The Red Sox are making this look easy.  Despite what we are witnessing it is not.

Historical Perspective

With runners in scoring position in the postseason the Red Sox are hitting 17-40.  That’s a .425 average.  .425 is beyond comprehension. They’ve turned into peak Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, at the most critical times of the game.

The only other team in the same stratosphere is another old timey Titan.  That’s the 1910 Philadelphia A’s.  You remember them.  Lead by a young Eddy Collins, they hit .394 in those situations.

The Bullpen

Tip of the cap.  High Five.  Way to go!  The Red Sox bullpen, so maligned and beleaguered during the year, continued to dominate.  Of note, Nathan Eovaldi, building an MVP case, pitched a clean 8th inning for the second game in a row.  Along with Price, they set down the final 16 Dodgers hitters in a row.

Outfield Defense

Another day, another outstanding outfield catch.  This was in the top of the 5th with the Dodgers trying to to increase their 2-1 lead.  Brian Dozier thought he had a lead-off hit, but yet again there was Andrew Benintendi.  Consequently, it was just another out.

Viewing Note

Commissioner Rob Manfred did an interview with Felger and Mazz on 98.5 The Sports Hub yesterday.  You can find it here in the second half of the run-time.  The interview starts off contentious.  No surprise there.  Up for debate: pace of play.

The incorrigible Felger hammers Manfred on pace of play in the postseason and Manfred takes exception.  More or less Manfred downplays it and says pace of play is not as big of a deal as Felger is saying it is.

When it’s the 9th inning of Game 2 of the World Series, the score is 4-2, and the closer is on the mound?  That is what drama and tension and watch-ability is all about.  Most importantly Legends are made and Goats are birthed in these situations.

What do I see on my screen between batters coming to the plate?  A split screen ad.  Because Fox knows there’s all kinds of time between batters coming up and between pitches.  They used it in Game 2 to throw ads at us, not between innings, but between pitches.

If that’s not a mic drop argument that there is way too much time wasted in the game of baseball, I don’t know what is.  Commissioner Manfred, it is appalling you are allowing this to happen.

On To LA

The 2018 Sox are making themselves into an all time juggernaut.  They’re up 2-0 in the World Series and headed to LA, the land of swimming pools and movie stars.  Get ready for your glamour shot boys!