Rounding_Third

Anderson can't be that low.

Yeah, I get Madrigal 9th. But I do see him improving his BB rate too. I really like Anderson 3rd to take advantage of his slg. Mostly why I went with it. I get the "why mess" too. Eaton has a helluva obp when healthy. Hopefully still has some speed on the bases, too. Just to clear, my Madrigal/Eaton is not uncertainty but rather against L-R SP.

gonna throw a curve so I can be yelled at. 1. Madrigal/Eaton (R-L SP) 2. Moncada 3. Anderson (last 2 yr slg .508 & .529) 4. Abreu 5. Jimenez 6.Grandal 7. Robert 8. Vaughn 9. Madrigal/Eaton

I think the Sox believe in him but smart enough to know they can't afford to try to train him during a WS run. If he and Lucroy both have good ST, it'll be interesting to see who gets the nod for opening day, But if he struggles in ST, they just can't hand him the job. I assume they would not trade him. It's almost as if he just needs to flip a switch, maybe he did this offseason already. I mean, hitting aside, how does a fairly good defensive catcher just forget it going to the show? That's not a skills problem. I think other teams know it too. Could be a change of scenery flips him on. But the Sox do need him and need him to figure it out quickly, That's best accomplished playing as much as possible. Hopefully they both don't struggle in ST....eeesch!....hello Yermin!

All that means is that he wasn't guaranteed a roster spot. He has to earn it. He's a risk with a much higher ceiling than his competition.

Seem like a good plan based on where the Sox sit now. Maybe even schedule an occasional Crochet combo with Lopez and/or Rodon start. Concerned with relying on either to finish off Kopech's spot after he's shut down though, especially if he turns out to be highly successful. Could be as much as 4-6 weeks and possibly playoffs depending on Cease and others' performances. Trading for another high quality SP before deadline seems inevitable or at least I hope so. Unlikely that Lopez keeps his era under 5 and Rodon goes 100 innings without incident.

Lucroy hardly fits that description. His 3 recent years playing with a herniated disk blows away Sox BUC competition. i.e. could beat 'em with one hand tied behind his back.

Also the tv playoff revenue. Dodgers vs/or Yankees, advertising price goes up. Not so much for Pirates vs/or Rays, etc. Big bucks for all teams.

Either go back down and work on his holes and be ready for callup or get traded to a non competitor where he gets the same chance perhaps at MLB level. He has skills but Sox need dependable backup. He needs more significant competitive playing time somewhere.

If by that they mean its his job to lose, I like it! My point is that hopefully his body is ready to compete again. No one can predict that and say its a done deal. I was able to thumb thru the BoSox 2020 ST box scores (couldn't find 2020 ST stats) and found he hit .286 so that's great news. Pretty much had equal AB's among C's, too. Why he barely got a chance after ST (1 G, 2 inn, 0 PA's for all 2020) is a little odd although they kept him in the org for most of the year, They also had some other pretty good catchers. I've quickly become a big fan of him and his story of courage & perseverance.

As tough as he is, he's struggled post surgery but hasn't quit. They're hoping more than factual. Me too! Hopefully, the added rehab time, allows him to compete at a higher level. But I think he's in uncharted waters (have there been others?) Maybe he's already shown he's capable and some are privy but no public hint of that yet. Otherwise, Merkin and others have no clue unless he/they play Orthopedic Surgeons on tv. It will be a helluva story if he makes it!

Lucroy timeline as best I can together (with herniated disk): 1. plays about 3 seasons with it (2017-2019) 2. July 7, 2019 - home plate collision gets concussed and broken nose (on top of disk). Has nasal surgery. 3. July 31, returns to lineup in 3 weeks, get a couple of hits. 4. Aug 7th, gets traded to Cubs, numbers down a bit but finishes the season, plays in 27 games, starts 14 with 11 CG's. 5. 2019 post season surgery & rehab (date?), signs with Red Sox, goes to ST just 3-4 months after surgery (not 100% yet), plays just 2 innings in July, dfa'd July 29th (to alt train site), released Sept 15th. This guy is a freakin' bad ass! If anyone can return from this surgery, its him. If he can and makes the club, think of the leadership alone that he adds.

Bold prediction not knowing if his upper body still works at a MLB level. Hope you're right!

Really looking forward to seeing Lucroy in ST. I'm anxious to see if playing after disk surgery >= playing with the herniated disk. I would be very happy with his results during those 3 years but does the surgery permanently restrict certain physical abilities and/or risk further damage more so than the herniated disk itself. If he's slowed by it, his career could be over but if he's not restricted, he could play a major role.

Sure Rodon has decent numbers when he's healthy. But his long unreliable history with injuries is the issue. He's the org's #1 hope for defense against rotation problems and there's a lot that could go wrong. After him, who's next? Lopez? Its ridiculous!

I don't know a darn thing abut herniated neck disks or their surgery, recovery, and effect on performance. But if his doc assured him that its okay to play hard, ie swing a bat full speed, the rigors of the position including throwing hard to all bases without consequences, I think TLR gives him every chance to be the BUC on opening day. Collins isn't getting the position handed to him. He's gonna have to prove that a sea change has occurred. My goodness, Lucroy's last 3 years playing with the bad disk (2017-19) blow away Collins! Even if Lucroy just has an average ST (for him historically), Collins will have to be way better than he has. Plus, a vet is just better suited for BUC. Don't see how a struggling Collins improves sitting on the bench 75% of the time. However, I do think that if they have similar ST's, its Collins job. But keeping it would be contingent on his performance; that he can remain somewhat effective given his limited opportunities. That's been an impossible task for him so far.

Wouldn't that be fun? Hopefully he can find his game again.

True but also liking the Lucroy signing more & more! If he's fully recovered, he could have a solid impact.

Pretty tough dude! Evidently, he played with a herniated neck disk for 3 years which kind of matches up with his struggles as it got worse. He also got concussed and a broken nose in a July 2019 home plate collision. Surely that couldn't have helped it. His surgery was last off season over a year ago (not sure exact date). But its sounds like he's feeling pretty good now and ready to get back to it. He could be a heck of a pickup!

For my own sanity, I will continue to believe a smart SP move (at the very least) is still going to happen. I refuse to accept that RH, KW, and yes, even JR, can't see that black hole.

And to think we could have signed Q!

lol Beyond the stun setting, eh? Me too. There's so much in their rotation depth plans that is completely illogical without another SP (FA or trade). To boldly go this far in their 5 year mission so meticulously & smartly and then possibly allow it to implode over something so easily defended against is very frustrating. I won't go into all the "what ifs", we know them by heart.

I'm leaning towards that thinking as well. I'm holding out hope that its not true. If reports/rumors were true, the Sox did show some interest in SP trades, in FA's Richards & Kluber and offered Wainwright. So it does show they realized they needed another SP. I don't want to believe that the Rodon signing changed that. I keep thinking how could it? However, it seems that it might have. But I'm still clinging to the hope that they're just waiting for ST evaluations and/or FA demands to come down a little to complete another move/signing.

Hoping that the Sox still sign one. With JR's thinking, maybe waiting for lower cost later. Why pay $8m now if you can get same guy for $7.99m in March? Think of the interest he could earn!

The last few Sox moves & words seem to signal that they're pretty much done. With a few decent FA SP's and LH bats still available and money left in the budget, I hoping that they're just waiting to see how ST goes and try to get them cheaper, too. But, for now, their depth plan is like trying to fix all your repairs with duct tape and if it doesn't work, just add more duct tape and hope for the best.