The Official 2025 Boston Red Sox Thread

[HuskyHawk]

If they didn't want to keep him at 3B they shouldn't have promised him that. But even beyond that, I was more referring to him saying he'd play 1B but he wanted reassurance that he wouldn't get shifted around again. Which doesn't seem like a crazy ask

You play where the team needs you. And honestly, if a player doesn't immediately volunteer to do it when a teammate suffers a major injury than I have read doubts that he is interested in winning games. So yes, it's an unreasonable ask. Nobody should even need to ask you. The instant Casas goes down Devers should have picked up a 1B glove and asked coaches to work with him on it.

 

[superjohn]

All this Red Sox and Yankees talk. Neither team is doing anything. Cubs have quietly put together a real contender and PCA still isn't a household name yet despite already being arguably the best all around player in baseball.

 

[navery12]

You play where the team needs you. And honestly, if a player doesn't immediately volunteer to do it when a teammate suffers a major injury than I have read doubts that he is interested in winning games. So yes, it's an unreasonable ask. Nobody should even need to ask you. The instant Casas goes down Devers should have picked up a 1B glove and asked coaches to work with him on it.

Which he did, with the ask that the Red Sox commit to playing him at 1B for the rest of the year. Something they weren't willing to do, which is why Devers comes out looking good and the Red Sox look dumb

 

[HuskyHawk]

All this Red Sox and Yankees talk. Neither team is doing anything. Cubs have quietly put together a real contender and PCA still isn't a household name yet despite already being arguably the best all around player in baseball.

You can always start a Cubs thread. They do have a nice team. Scoring a ton of runs. Have the best run differential in MLB.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Which he did, with the ask that the Red Sox commit to playing him at 1B for the rest of the year. Something they weren't willing to do, which is why Devers comes out looking good and the Red Sox look dumb

No he didn't. He complained when there were rumors of Bregman and Arenado, when he should have called management and said hell yeah, sign Bregman, it will make us better and I'm happy to Dan Hurley or play first. Nope. Even after they signed Bregman he insisted that he was playing 3B and Bregman would need to play 2B. Then he finally accepted the Dan Hurley role and when Casas went down straight up told the media he wouldn't play 1B. They shouldn't have needed to ask him and he shouldn't have conditioned it on them keeping him there. Screw that. If they can land a better 1B at the trade deadline then he goes back to Dan Hurley.

"They had the conversation with me," Devers said through team interpreter Daveson Perez. "I don't think, for me personally, it's the best decision after they asked me to play a different position. And I only had two months playing this position to all of a sudden have me try to play another position. So, from my end, it doesn't seem like a good decision."

Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first, upset they asked him to move

BOSTON -- Rafael Devers has put his foot down and his glove away, too. He's not going to play first base.

www.mlb.com

 

[navery12]

No he didn't. He complained when there were rumors of Bregman and Arenado, when he should have called management and said hell yeah, sign Bregman, it will make us better and I'm happy to Dan Hurley or play first. Nope. Even after they signed Bregman he insisted that he was playing 3B and Bregman would need to play 2B. Then he finally accepted the Dan Hurley role and when Casas went down straight up told the media he wouldn't play 1B. They shouldn't have needed to ask him and he shouldn't have conditioned it on them keeping him there. Screw that. If they can land a better 1B at the trade deadline then he goes back to Dan Hurley.

"They had the conversation with me," Devers said through team interpreter Daveson Perez. "I don't think, for me personally, it's the best decision after they asked me to play a different position. And I only had two months playing this position to all of a sudden have me try to play another position. So, from my end, it doesn't seem like a good decision."

Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first, upset they asked him to move

BOSTON -- Rafael Devers has put his foot down and his glove away, too. He's not going to play first base.

www.mlb.com

And if you were paying attention to the new reports instead of just convincing yourself the garbage the Red Sox traded for is good you'd know you're wrong

New Report Reveals Rafael Devers Was Open to Playing First Base if Red Sox Committed to Him

A new report on the Boston Red Sox trade of Rafael Devers indicates he was willing to play first base if the team committed to him as the team's long-term solution at first.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[HuskyHawk]

And if you were paying attention to the new reports instead of just convincing yourself the garbage the Red Sox traded for is good you'd know you're wrong

New Report Reveals Rafael Devers Was Open to Playing First Base if Red Sox Committed to Him

A new report on the Boston Red Sox trade of Rafael Devers indicates he was willing to play first base if the team committed to him as the team's long-term solution at first.

sports.yahoo.com

Yes, I read that after the fact excuse making. I also read what he said in his own words at the time.

You miss the point. His request not to be moved is absurd. He shouldn't need to be asked, he should enthusiastically volunteer. Should have run out there with a glove the moment Casas went down, huddled the players and told the team not to worry that they've got this and will be stronger for it. That's what I expect from my highest paid player.

The team has lacked anybody like that for several years. Varitek, Pedroia and Ortiz carried that banner and the team followed suit. It's mostly been a leadership vacuum since other than JD and Mookie. Bregman is that guy and I think Duran is getting closer. Hopefully Anthony, Narvaez and Mayer pick up those habits. If you've seen the inside reports from people close to the Sox, that's a big part of what motivated this.

 

[navery12]

Yes, I read that after the fact excuse making. I also read what he said in his own words at the time.

You miss the point. His request not to be moved is absurd. He shouldn't need to be asked, he should enthusiastically volunteer. Should have run out there with a glove the moment Casas went down, huddled the players and told the team not to worry that they've got this and will be stronger for it. That's what I expect from my highest paid player.

The team has lacked anybody like that for several years. Varitek, Pedroia and Ortiz carried that banner and the team followed suit. It's mostly been a leadership vacuum since other than JD and Mookie. Bregman is that guy and I think Duran is getting closer. Hopefully Anthony, Narvaez and Mayer pick up those habits. If you've seen the inside reports from people close to the Sox, that's a big part of what motivated this.

Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion. I'd take Devers on my team any day over some faux leadership rah-rah nonsense from inferior players. They'll have lots of time to discuss how to improve their leadership pep talks as they watch the other teams play postseason baseball on TV

 

[Waquoit]

You miss the point. His request not to be moved is absurd. He shouldn't need to be asked, he should enthusiastically volunteer. Should have run out there with a glove the moment Casas went down, huddled the players and told the team not to worry that they've got this and will be stronger for it. That's what I expect from my highest paid player.

You miss the point. The team sacked their best player for no return. CHB nails it today. "I’m not convinced that this was anything other than a salary dump made palatable to Red Sox Nation only because Devers turned the fan base against him." Sox-paid shill Ortiz ripped Devers because that's what he gets paid to do. Meanwhile, independent Pedro said "“If you try to sell to me . . . that Raffy is a bad teammate or he is not a team player, you’re lying. You’re going to tell me he’s a bad influence in the clubhouse? He’s not".

 

[HuskyHawk]

You miss the point. The team sacked their best player for no return. CHB nails it today. "I’m not convinced that this was anything other than a salary dump made palatable to Red Sox Nation only because Devers turned the fan base against him." Sox-paid shill Ortiz ripped Devers because that's what he gets paid to do. Meanwhile, independent Pedro said "“If you try to sell to me . . . that Raffy is a bad teammate or he is not a team player, you’re lying. You’re going to tell me he’s a bad influence in the clubhouse? He’s not".

He was not their best player, just best hitter. The return is much better than you are saying. Hicks has been excellent as a reliever and Harrison will be up in two weeks in the rotation and probably slots in as a #2/3 starter. But there is also addition by subtraction, because you cannot have a guy with this attitude as your highest paid player. These are his words.

 

[Waquoit]

This from ESPN:

"When Devers showed up at spring training, the team broached the idea of him shifting to designated hitter. Their computer model said the best version of the 2025 Red Sox would feature reigning Minor League Player of the Year Kristian Campbell at second base, Bregman at third and Devers at Dan Hurley. Devers was livid. A player's position is part of his identity. He was a third baseman. Beyond that, though, was a breach in the trust implicit in a contract of Devers' magnitude."

Their computer model must be rubbish. Because of it they paid Campbell millions and he promptly tanked. Bregman will take most of his paychecks on the DL and sign somewhere else next year. More flexibility! But it goes on:

"At the very least, if the Red Sox were intent on him moving positions, he wanted to ease into the new role. Play a couple times a week at third base and take the rest of his at-bats as Dan Hurley." Sounds reasonable enough, especially coming from a bad example, a team cancer.

"No, he was told. This was what was best for the team...Cora told him to not even bother bringing a glove to the spring training fields"

Any person with an ounce of self-respect is telling these jamokes to pound sand.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I didn't say JD was traded. The Red Sox paid Sale to win CY Young for another team.

You don't think losing your best player will matter much. You guys have had a lot of placeholder rosters lately.

I'm of the opinion you would've been much better off trying to win with your best players.

I didn't mind the Sox getting rid of Sale. He had a total of 31 starts over his list three seasons with Boston, was in his mid-30's and making a boat load of money. I don't wish any ill toward Sale but it was a smart percentage play by Boston's management.

 

[Waquoit]

I didn't mind the Sox getting rid of Sale. He had a total of 31 starts over his list three seasons with Boston, was in his mid-30's and making a boat load of money. I don't wish any ill toward Sale but it was a smart percentage play by Boston's management.

It was a total failure. They didn't save any money and they gave up the Cy Young winner for nothing. How many more smart percentage plays can the Sox take? These smart guys had Campbell pegged to start and produce at 2B and he couldn't even stick. Is he the highest-paid player in the minors? One of them, I'm sure.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This from ESPN:

"When Devers showed up at spring training, the team broached the idea of him shifting to designated hitter. Their computer model said the best version of the 2025 Red Sox would feature reigning Minor League Player of the Year Kristian Campbell at second base, Bregman at third and Devers at Dan Hurley. Devers was livid. A player's position is part of his identity. He was a third baseman. Beyond that, though, was a breach in the trust implicit in a contract of Devers' magnitude."

Their computer model must be rubbish. Because of it they paid Campbell millions and he promptly tanked. Bregman will take most of his paychecks on the DL and sign somewhere else next year. More flexibility! But it goes on:

"At the very least, if the Red Sox were intent on him moving positions, he wanted to ease into the new role. Play a couple times a week at third base and take the rest of his at-bats as Dan Hurley." Sounds reasonable enough, especially coming from a bad example, a team cancer.

"No, he was told. This was what was best for the team...Cora told him to not even bother bringing a glove to the spring training fields"

Any person with an ounce of self-respect is telling these jamokes to pound sand.

You must be joking. Any player behaving like Devers is a player I don’t want on my team. Imagine Karaban saying I’m a forward, I’m not playing center even though Donovan got hurt and Johnson fouled out. It’s part of my identity. What utter nonsense.

Devers is and has long been a below average defender. If he had any interest in being on a winning team he would been thrilled that the team could upgrade at 3B and move him to Dan Hurley. Then, when Casas was hurt he should have been excited to move to first to help the team. Good riddance.

Campbell will be fine. His contract is cheap.

 

[Deepster]

It was a total failure. They didn't save any money and they gave up the Cy Young winner for nothing. How many more smart percentage plays can the Sox take? These smart guys had Campbell pegged to start and produce at 2B and he couldn't even stick. Is he the highest-paid player in the minors? One of them, I'm sure.

The guy went out and won a Cy Young and it’s a smart percentage play? For what? If you want 100% chance of not winning your division?

 

[Waquoit]

You must be joking. Any player behaving like Devers is a player I don’t want on my team.

The only way for the brain trust to justify this move is for their smear campaign to take hold. It's clearly working on you. They lit the fire and now they want credit for putting it out. The Sox better make the watered-down playoffs or Breslow and crew will be sacked.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The only way for the brain trust to justify this move is for their smear campaign to take hold. It's clearly working on you. They lit the fire and now they want credit for putting it out. The Sox better make the watered-down playoffs or Breslow and crew will be sacked.

These are his own words. He’s the one saying this stuff. He’s a one man smear campaign because he’s a freaking moron and a diva.

 

[Waquoit]

I’m stuck listening to Dave O’Brien lamenting about the Sox lack of run scoring on the road trip. Gee, what happened just before the trip?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I’m stuck listening to Dave O’Brien lamenting about the Sox lack of run scoring on the road trip. Gee, what happened just before the trip?

Traded a guy who is hitting .217 for his new team, slugging .391. He's been pretty bad in SF.

Sox offense is a mess. They can bust out but don't score consistently. Really desperately need Bregman back. Getting Abreu back helped. Yoshida should help, because he's so consistent and they really need that. There's still time, it's a long season. Kids have to start hitting consistently.

 

[Waquoit]

Yoshida is the answer now? I assume you typed that with a straight face.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yoshida is the answer now? I assume you typed that with a straight face.

"The Answer". No one player is the answer. He's a very consistent, high average productive hitter. So yes, he'd be beneficial to the team. As would Bregman, best hitter on the team. As would getting the young guys to improve. As would trading for an upgrade at 1B (Toro has been good, but how long can that last?).

 

[Waquoit]

You can't support Breslow and be a Red Sox fan. I mean you can, it's not illegal but he is killing this team. But forget giving away great players for nothing. He gives away good players for nothing as well. He dumps salary but has spent 10's of millions on analysts. Analysts who determined that Quinn Priester couldn't help this club. So they trade him for nothing and now he is 6-2 starting for the Brewers. They keep Tanner Houck.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You can't support Breslow and be a Red Sox fan. I mean you can, it's not illegal but he is killing this team. But forget giving away great players for nothing. He gives away good players for nothing as well. He dumps salary but has spent 10's of millions on analysts. Analysts who determined that Quinn Priester couldn't help this club. So they trade him for nothing and now he is 6-2 starting for the Brewers. They keep Tanner Houck.

Houck was very good last year. I think the minor league pitching is just vastly, vastly better than it has been in decades. So I give Breslow some credit for that. That's what they brought him in to do. He's made mistakes as well. But he stole a very good catcher in the offseason. I can't worry about that stuff as a fan. I just root for the guys on the team to play well and win games.

The kids are up. More on the way once Harrison arrives. Maybe even Password. That's the direction team wanted to go in. Most fans wanted that too. Now those young players either need to be the solution or the team will struggle. Rafaella is playing really well.

 

[HuskyHawk]

By way of example, it's been a long time since they had anybody like Conner Early and Luis Perales in the pipeline.

 

[Waquoit]

It’s official. The Red Sox are garbage.