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While last year sucked and he shouldn't be on the roster this year, Leury is still a good dude who was fun to root for for nine years.

I personally wish Leury the best. A good guy, always a smile on his face. He could still be useful as a 26th man and I expect he’ll find a new home quickly once he’s eventually released. Not his fault Tony and the FO grossly overvalued him. Good luck, Leury!

Close the books on the Alex Rios era.

Looks like this will end up being on the money. And honestly, I’m much happier with this bench arrangement than a lot of different outcomes. Burger playing 3B everyday in Charlotte makes all the sense in the world. He will be needed at some point this year.

I like Leury. I really do. I appreciate everything he gave us, and I’ll never forget his huge HR against Houston. But this was the correct decision. I wish him well, wherever he ends up.

After thinking on it, I hope they honor Leury's tenure with the team eventually. A statue is way too much, as is number retirement. But goddamn do they love naming stands after people. Give me Leury's Rainbow Cone stand or something, to really hammer home his utility and upbeat personality.

Everybody now.....

You know what would solve this problem….not spending your money on a bunch of tier2/tier3 level players and actually signing stars instead of trying to bargain shop

?

I actually felt sorry for Leury what with Tony trotting him out there every day. Probably everybody on the team including Leury knew it was fucked up, but what's he gonna do? "Naw, Skip. Better not pencil me in today. Have you noticed the guys? And the natives in the stands mighty restless."

Thank the baseball gods

That last part is a pretty big stretch.

The only way Billy should be on the team is if Colas isn't the RF and I like Billy. But they aren't going to take Benin10d or Robert for defense, and they are telling us Colas is a good enough defender to perhaps back up in CF. Billy would be yhe worlds greatest PR, especially in extra innings , but a roster spot is too valuable for that. OtOH, Tony isn't there to fall in love and start leading him off.

Garfiens podcast with Hahn that was released recently (today?) specifically touches on Billy and the bench. Talks about how Billy is valuable but that you’d also like to have a guy who can take 4 ABs a couple times a week (insinuating he can’t basically). Also touched on opt outs and keeping guys you may otherwise lose (Alberto). And that they’re going to have hard convos with guys that should be big leaguers (Burger and Sheets). And that contract status will not impact decisions (Leury). He didn’t exactly close the door on anything but I felt Seby, Sheets and Alberto are locks after listening and that last spot down to the field of Billy, Leury, Burger and Romy. Haseley was never mentioned.

I think they keep Hamilton. They seem to be emphasizing the running game and with these new dumbass rules that guy will be a weapon pinch running in the late innings for Grandal, Eloy, Vaughn, etc. If they really want to win games in the margins this is how you do it.

With regard to Haseley, Let’s see in the hitters haven in Charlotte first. He was pretty dreadful there last season.

I was very skeptical of this hire at first, but I think today proves that Grifol is going to help modernize the f*** out of this organization. It’s incredibly early, but his hire looks like it could end up being a game changer for us.

I got pissed on by my cat earlier today and then the bastard scratched me shortly thereafter, so this good news is very much needed. My 90 year half blind nan could give us more than this dude could/did.

Very pleasantly surprised by this move and it has nothing to do with Leury personally. It does however have everything to do with him as a baseball player. He brings nothing to the team to make them better. And maybe, just maybe the Sox finally have a Manager that will put winning above everything else.

Yoan musta caught it from Vaughn. These guys are passing lower back stiffness around the clubhouse.

Lol holy cherry picking there batman

I’ve been expecting as much, so hopefully this is true:

I know Leury is better than what he was last year, but I always felt he was overvalued by the front office and is a really dumb baseball player. More importantly, he’s just not a great fit for this roster. Glad we are moving on.

It does fascinate me how we all, I am including myself, are so into who are going to be the last guys on the roster every year. Always refreshing, don't want to get the news 30 seconds later than I could, then 2 weeks into the season, hope they are all DFAd or sent to Charlotte.

This would result in Eloy playing way more OF than I’d like because the only utility Burger has in this scenario is DHing against LHP and Colas (or Beni) on the bench.

I can’t see it happening, but this is a Rick Hahn designed team and the dude loves playing his 1B / DH types out of position.

Let’s speak this into existence already

He definitely has. I loved the pickup at the time. Has a chance to be a steal considering what was given up for him.

If JR had hired talented people instead of toadies, he might have won more. If the Sox had won more the team might be worth more. The cheapskate always loses in the end.

This has been the most boring spring training in recent memory and the fact we’re all excited to see how the bench shakes out only reinforces that point.

Just the excitement leading up to the season ans nothing else to really talk about other than meaningless ST at bats.

Why does this organization love Gavin Sheets so much? He is an archetypal example of a replacement player for AAA. What possible argument is there to force him onto the field, out of position, ahead of players that actually play those positions, just to get his 105 wRC+ bat into the lineup?

No. But it does make him a guy in a linebacker's body....with a soccer player's reaction to every tweak. Grow a pair. Get the ...k up, and at least act like a world class athlete.

Reading into the Sox announcing the lineup, but the beat reporters, especially Van Schouwen not posting a picture with the backups, I’m guessing the clubhouse is still closed and they’re telling players what’s up.

Sheets in the lineup today…he’s making the roster IMO.

Wow, I would not like this:

Billy Billy Billy Billy.

Billy vs Leury vs Romy for the last spot. I know who I’m *not* picking to make the roster.

The Rick Hahn factor. Just can’t put anything too dumb past them.

Fathom = Eloy vs the Wall confirmed

Sheets and Burger both on this roster make absolutely zero sense if Colas is on it. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Burger over Sheets would be curious. Both Burger and Sheets seems nutso and would be a misuse of limited bench spots IMO. Alberto feels like a lock to me, Sheets as well. Romy or Leury vs a real 4th OF is anyone’s guess right now.

That is a bunch of crap! Eloy has a lot of problems with pulled muscles but it's not because he is a big man. Not all big men have these issues. Playing more games is a matter of training properly in the off season and stretching properly every game. This means proper stretching not only before the game, but throughout the entire game. Eloy is is 6'4" 240 lbs and played in only 84 games in 2022. Let's compare Eloy to the other "Big Men" in baseball from the 2022 season: Matt Olson 6'5" - 225 lbs - 162 games 100% Pete Alonso 6'3" - 245 lbs - 160 games 99% Vladimir Guerrero 6'2" - 245 lbs - 160 games 99% Freddie Freeman 6'2" - 220 lbs - 159 games 98% Austin Riley 6'3" - 240 lbs - 158 games 98% Jose Abreu 6'3" - 235 lbs - 157 games 97% Aaron Judge 6'7" - 282 lbs - 157 games 97% Nathaniel Lowe 6'4" - 220 lbs - 157 games 97% Shohei Ohtani 6'4" - 210 lbs - 157 games 97% Rhys Hoskins 6'4" - 245lbs - 156 games 96% Eloy Jimenez 6'4" - 240 lbs - 84 games 52%

The best thing that ever happened to Moncada was the bouncy ball year of 2019. Thats how he got the big extension. If the Sox had been more in tune what was happening in the rest of baseball that year with so many guys putting up career type years and HR's they might not have been so quick to give him a big payday. That's just another in a long line of FO blunders. Keep tracks of those things. Any very keen observer of the game especially those in paid positions to spend money absolutely need to recognize these things. Anyone seeing all of this happening in 2019 and staying in touch with the rumors about the ball might come to the conclusion that something was going to be done about the ball and held off on offering big extensions. Anyone who actually refers to Yoans 2019 as a level of talent that he can return to has their head up there asses 4 years later. You'd have a better chance hoping for the return of the bouncy ball than Yoan ever repeating that year.

I think he’s talking about the way he acts after a minor injury. Perhaps “dramatic” is a better word than soft. Sometimes he looks like he got shot in the leg, and it turns out to be more minor than the bruise I got on my thigh when I walked into the corner of my coffee table.

Man I do not recall Gordon supporters as late as 2013.

Probably just focusing on a return helps Liam cope better with the whole treatment for cancer. Whenever he comes back or even is he doesn't, I just hope he is healthy in himself.

Hendriks said he thought he could be back in May, Lance scoffed at that in the podcast interview and threw June out there. We know Liam is super competitive, but i think it would still make sense to place him on the 60.