GreenSox

Detroit will probably pass the Sox. They perfected last 6-weeks-of-the-season-tanking last year. They are really good at it. The Sox always try to win. I wonder why the Sox keep so many older guys and low value LOOGYS who really don't have a future in this bullpen...but I suppose tanking is part of it.

Unfortunately for the Sox bullpen, they don't get to face Sox hitters.

Since 2006, the Sox have been in the top 10 in ERA once; top 15 4 times; bottom 15 9 times. It's not a matter of liking/hating. Is the job getting done or not? And how could someone with those results be some untouchable guru?

Covey needs to keep that ball at the knees or below. He was throwing it high against the Yankees last Sunday, and I presume he's doing it today as well.

If so, it's yet another poor value trade of a secondary veteran. Sox had 2 LOOGYs they couldn't get rid of in July.

Anderson, Moncada, Lopez, Giolito and Fry WILL be pieces; but if they don't improve, they will be the fillers or bullpen pieces of a contending team (presuming we have a contending team). Leury and Yolmer look like solid bench/utility players. Narvaez and Palka may be; Narvaez has to improve his defense (and consistently hit above ops .750.); Palka has to advance from bust/boom status. But none look like key pieces, at least as of now.

No question -because this thing is dependent on the returns from Eaton, Sale and Q. The Royals, for trading their Frazier alone, got interesting players. The Tigers got a starting 3b from the Cubs for 2 month spare parts. The Brewers got a top reliever and starting 3B for trading secondary players. And the list goes on. Rick Hahn brings in Gillaspie, Cordell and Tilson. And #1 draft choices aren't exactly turning into Bryant and Correa. Or more to the level of pick, Springer or even Happ. He better hit on the returns for Eaton, Sale and Q. Whining doesn't help, but excuses don't help either.

Our draft head was with the Sox for 3 years, Braves for 3 years, and with the Sox for last 11 years. That he came from the Braves is quite the spin. And he was with Laumann all of those years until Laumann's retirement.

He's got an elite educational background, not uncommon with modern GMs. He's spent his front office entire career with one team - not ideal. He's already had a chance - and he failed. People get 2nd chances, but usually with a different organization. Too many excuses. I don't see much discernible progress...sometimes there isn't any and teams just suddenly improve. Nevertheless, there should be some timetable and some accountability - and on Williams as well.

He always seemed like a waiver deal guy. Teams get more desperate in August, and he will clear waivers. And if by some miracle he doesn't, that's fine too: one more spot for a young player.

Now is the time....

Nice all the way around.

That's good to hear - the Sox have a lot of the same type of player.

Why not play him most days instead of pure platoon; he shows an exceptional skill. He has a chance to be more than a placeholder.

He sure can rip it. Just a few more walks and hits....get that OBP above .340. As hard as he swings, he should see enough bad pitches that he should be able to walk twice as often as he doe.

Ricky really is the perfect tank manager...he thinks he's making winning moves. Except when he does his high school football coach silly stuff - that doesn't help.

And that's that.

especially in this organization

Great hitters swing at only what they like; but they learn to foul off stuff they don't like.

We need a couple of those huge overpays. Instead, we get Cordell and Gillalspie. Do we have a single player in all of these trades that we could put on the field right after the trade?

Phillips looks like he can at least play. For the rent of Moustakas.

MB could paint the corner at the bottom of the knee pitch after pitch. Command out the wazzu. With today's hitters, he'd get more Ks. As it was, his WHIP was .94 in Birmingham. If the scouts say that Flores doing that and inducing weak contact, then that's great too. But I don't see scouting reports, so the only stat that lets me know about "stuff" or contact is the K rate.

For better or worse, Cards seem to trade these guys near 30: Jay, Craig, Freese. Sitting out this trading period didn't make much sense. I've wondered about build-up trades; I don't think this can succeed solely by waiting on these prospects to develop. I don't know why a rebuild should take much longer than 3 years, when numerous others haven't.

Palka has a trait/skill that is exceptional. Certainly worth hanging on to in hopes that his deficiencies can at least be minimized and turned into average skills. But OBP will always be a tough one to improve in this organization; but he does have some minor league walk pedigree.

The Red Sox won the AL East the year they traded Bagwell. Every GM makes mistakes, but this was the whopper on top of the 2013-16 era failure.