PitchatRisktoZisk

The trade that brought Kimbrel here in July continues to f up our team. Gave away Madrigal and Heuer, saw Kimbrel implode as most of us knew he would. Now we pick up the option to trade or salvage some face thinking he can be productive. We can't give him away and teams know we're screwed. Eventually, we'll either have $16 million tied up in a bad reliever or trade him for a bucket of balls...... and likely still pay the majority of his contract. The albatross kept us from being more aggressive before the lockout as JR tells RH to go shop in the bargain basement aisle. Get ready for Romy at 2nd and Vaughn in RF. These guys are f'ing up the entire championship window.

I'll give them Lynn despite the fact that the media and people on this board talked about getting Lynn for 18 months before we did it. Rodon was resigning your own guy for nothing in today's market with no other options beyond Lopez. Not exactly like rebuilding your entire outfield at midseason and being a game away from the WS.

You can remove "this season" and be correct every time. Atlanta was dead in the water when they essentially lost their entire outfield. Look what a competent FO can do. I'm beyond jealous.

If that's the crap we might get back in a deal (while still retaining some salary) just shoot me now. I know it's just one guy's opinion and all it takes is one GM/Manager combination to think they can turn him around to strike a good deal. However if this is the garbage we'd get back now, keep him. Hope with an off-season and Spring Training to get his head screwed on right, he could be productive. Otherwise just don't pick up the option and deal with basically giving away Madrigal and Heuer for the next 7-10 years.

No argument, but Tony's not going anywhere. Jerry won't fire him and Tony is enjoying his retirement gig. First class air travel, 5 star hotels, great seats to MLB games. Why would he leave that? He'll never catch Connie Mack, but he's going to make damn sure nobody ever catches him. We're stuck with him until the contention window closes and he stops having fun. There's alot of work to be done but I fear it will all be moot unless we play 21st century ball (shifting, launch angle, managing a pitching staff). Maybe I'll feel better after the ache of watching my boyhood team spit the bit in 3 of 4 games eases.

My fear is that I suspect Tepera, Bummer and Kopech are unavailable tomorrow. Based on that, my guess is we'll see Rodon for 2 or 3 at absolute most. ReyLo follows him for 2 or 3. Crochet for 1, then Kimbrel and Hendriks. We need to score a bunch tomorrow.

If Rodon could pitch at all he'd already have taken the mound. If we win tomorrow, he might start and get the Ricky R/Dane Dunning treatment and get lifted in the 1st or 2nd. He gave us all he had which was more than we could have expected.

I agree with you. We did pay an unfair price at the deadline...... we gave away Madrigal and Heuer for Karosine Kimbrel. How did that one work out? I'm all for overpaying to get a much needed piece for the championship. Going after Kimbrel was an idiotic move by a bad GM. Coming into the season without a legit RF, enough bullpen depth to allow Crochet (and even Kopech) to stretch out in the minors, and a backup catcher is inexcusable. Since Tony is here for life, I think Hahn must go.

They will cancel due to COVID "for your safety" so he does not have to be accountable for this mess. They already have written the narrative for the offseason. "We overcame injuries that would have crippled most teams. We won our division by 13 games. We just ran into a hot team in the ALDS. Tony's a HOF genius and will be back until we win the WS". We are doomed.

Exactly the same as it looked to virtually all of us at the time....it stunk. First, you take an aging career closer who had a dominant 3+ months in the last 3 years and make him a set up guy. Then you overpay with Madrigal AND Heuer. Sprinkle in TLR's love for a "stacked" bullpen and this is what we get. We could have taken Madrigal and Heuer and gotten the RF we have needed forever. That's OK, Leury will be fine in RF, right Tony?!?!?

What did Kaat say about Moncada that he apologize for this inning?

MLB is in the stone ages. I know nobody will feel sorry for me in Hawaii, but we are blacked out for 5 teams.... not one of which is within 2,500 miles of us! Add to that, 3 of their RSN's aren't even available in Hawaii. Just idiotic. And before we heap praise on football, unless you subscribe to DirecTv satellite service (not new streaming service) you're back in the 70's watching your local game on CBS or Fox. Being a Bears fan in Hawaii means we MIGHT see 4 games a year. I know, maybe that's a blessing these days but I'd like the choice.

I feel for him, but he has no place on this roster for the ALDS. He won't start if Rodon can suit up and he ABSOLUTELY cannot pitch out of the pen. He doesn't have "swing and miss" stuff so you can't put him in to stifle a rally..... lefties crush him so he isn't a situational reliever...... he is only a mop up guy. That's a roster spot that can be used more effectively. Let him sit in the dugout and support his team and maybe lend some insight on the Houston hitters.

Totally agree. That said, how much sweeter would it be to split in Houston and win the next 2 at home to win the series?

Failure to get a RF and dramatically overpaying for Kimbrel are huge negatives. Missing on Escobar is still mystifying to me. It will take HUGE contributions from Kimbrel and Cesar in the postseason to raise the grade. Since the Sox FO saw Cleveland waive the white flag before the deadline, any deals had to be to strengthen us in the postseason. I think we gave up way too much equity to not get a RF.

I was old in 2008. I am older in 2021.

So who gets sent down or optioned tomorrow?

Definitely concerned about Rodon. Many people stated (and were shouted down) that the Sox should have shut Rodon down a couple of times earlier in the season because we ALL knew he wouldn't hold up all year. We're paying for that decision right now and more importantly come October. I guess we were afraid of angering the mighty Scott Boras in the handling of his client.

King has accomplished 2 things tonight. He's given Sheets a pretty good nickname. Also, he's made us long for the next 5 games of Gordo. Talk about lowering the bar.

Thanks

He is not in the lineup again today. That's 3 straight games since his huge game vs. Tampa on Friday. Anyone know what's going on?

This season is going to end one of two ways. If the Sox flame out early in the playoffs people will say that our division sucked, we weren't big game tested all year, and Larussa screwed up with lineups/matchups/in game decisions and cost us the series. If we make it to the WS, people will say Larussa was an f'ing genius for resting players along the way, managing his roster to keep the team afloat despite all the key injuries, and he is still ahead of his time as a manager. The narrative is already written. It is only a matter of which scenario plays out.

Nah, Yankee fans couldn't care less about the Mets. They wouldn't waste their time.

Thrilled we won and TA really was the man tonight. That said, the entire 8th was bizarre. Kimbrel got totally squeezed on the leadoff walk. That got into his head. He then was in position to get out of it. TLR made the decision he would prefer Bummer vs. Arrozarena instead of Kimbrel vs. Lowe. Really?!?! And all the righties after him? Real head scratcher to take out the guy you traded for to use in that situation.

Liam is a 1 pitch pitcher right now. He can't consistently throw the slider for a strike (or close enough for a swing and miss). His fastball has always been straight as a string. Hitters are just sitting dead red right now and crushing him. I think he'll figure it out. Personally I'd use him in a lower leverage spot to regain confidence, but it might feel like a demotion and TLR is loathe to do that to a veteran. Tonight, the minute Collins couldn't block the 2 strike slider in the dirt and allowed Gardner to reach 3rd we were in deep trouble. Liam scrapped the slider and went straight fastball (no pun intended). After the broken bat hit, Liam was toast mentally. The result was the mammoth shot by Gallo.