hogan873

I agree that he's well liked by the fans in general. On this board, though, there's a lot of dislike towards him.

I don't think I've ever seen so much distaste for a player by a group of fans. Let me rephrase that: I haven't seen this much distaste for a good player. I think we can all agree that Jose is not great defensively, and he's not going to get better. But he still hits the crap out baseballs. He's averaged 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs a year. He's on pace to hit 35 HRs and drive in 110 runs. He's leading the league in RBIs. No one else on the team is on pace to provide as much offense. And then there's the value he has as a leader on and off the field. He's definitely worth keeping around for another year or two. I think we've seen enough to know that we can't count on prospects to step in and do what he does. Joes is a perfect guy to transition this team to where it could and should be over the next couple years. Obviously there's no need to overpay. But with his apparent desire to stay here, I don't see why the Sox shouldn't sign him for another 2 years, maybe $10M per.

You can be the most hyperbolic poster sometimes. Sox cannot win the division with the current team. They need at least two more decent to good starting pitchers and another bat or two. They are entertaining now, especially the young guys. They have a chance to win the division and more starting next year, but they need to make some moves. A couple smart "selling" trades at the deadline could help the future.

That baseball was obliterated. Unbelievable power.

Alonso out of the lineup again.

No, he is not being forced to play Yonder. If anything, the opposite would be more realistic. The Sox front office will not tell Renteria to play Yonder every day regardless of his performance if they do not want his option to vest. He just had a few games off for "mental respite". Read between the lines, and you'll see the Sox controlling his plate appearances. And the money isn't a concern. He was traded for, not signed, and the Sox will end up doing one of three things: Try to trade him, release him before the end of the season, or limit his plate appearances.

Cole, Martinez, Castellanos, Grandal, Rendon. Grandal may not be the target he once was due to McCann's performance. Martinez or Castellanos would add a good bat to the lineup, but wouldn't do a lot for defense. Rendon should be a target, but then a question of where he (and others) would play comes up. Good problem to have, though. Cole should be a primary target. This team needs another quality SP.

It's very frustrating to watch him pitch. He obviously has great stuff, and he's shown some flashes of brilliance. But he's very inconsistent and leaves way too many pitches up to be destroyed. He seems to pitch well for 2-3 innings and them implodes spectacularly. I think he needs to keep pitching at the ML level, but I wouldn't mind seeing a shorter leash. He's young and has potential. Let's hope he can make the necessary adjustments like Giolito did.

If Robert is with the club next year, the OF is Jimenez, Robert, and L. Garcia. Two of the three would be good to great defenders. Jimenez needs more time to get better in left, but he'll never be a great out there. I assume eventually he'll be more of a DH. There are still a couple guys in the minors who could be good in the OF, and there's always a chance of picking someone up. All said, I don't think the future of the OF looks bad. There are going to be some growing pains, though.

Of these top 3-5 hitters in the draft, how many would be ready quickly? And by quickly I mean playing at the MLB level within the next year or two? I know that shouldn't matter, but if the Sox draft a SS (Witt) or a C (Rutschman), there would be less concern about having them ready because they have MLB talent that could be here for a few years. But if they draft Vaughn, would they more interested in having him ready quicker?

I was a bit concerned in the first inning last night. Giolito didn't look sharp, and his one big mistake gave the Royals a quick 3-0 lead. After that his stuff looked nasty. The Royals couldn't hit anything. Thankfully the offense was able to give him 4 runs. McCann continues to impress. At the beginning of the season I joked with my kids and said I wanted a McCann jersey for Father's Day. Now I really do want one.

More guys are deserving, but I would think Giolito and Abreu will make it. Tim could possibly make it with the attention he's gotten this year. With the new voting format, some guys who are more deserving could make it over the fan favorites from Boston, NYY, Cubs, etc.

I wish I could have watched the game. I was checking my phone and kept seeing zeroes for Houston. I've watched some of the highlights, and now I'm really sad I didn't see the game. Giolito looked awesome. It's amazing how he has turned himself around. He's had so much confidence out there over his last 4 starts. Eloy continues to destroy baseballs. What's most impressive is how effortless his swing looks. Splitting the series in Houston was huge, especially considering how the first two games went. The Sox could take this momentum into Minnesota and take 2 of 3. Even taking one game would give them a 3-4 road trip record which many of us were considering to be the best possible outcome. This team can be exciting, especially when the young guys of the future play well.

There's probably no hurry, but I would be willing to bet that there have been internal discussions already. As it's been mentioned before, he will probably regress offensively, but his defense and baseball IQ make him a huge asset. I'd be more than happy with McCann being around for a few more years.

What a fun game to watch. The defense was great and helped get Nova out of some jams. The double plays in the first two inning were nice, but the triple play was awesome. Stone and Benetti were talking afterwards about how offense is something fans want to see but to see these guys play stellar defense is an added bonus. A triple play is one of the most exciting plays in baseball. Speaking of offense, two solo jacks from Eloy and a grand slam from Tilson. Eloy's swing looks so effortless. He's going to hit a ton of home runs. The Tilson granny was such a surprise. After the Sox loaded the bases with no outs and then quickly had two outs, I was starting to get pissed. Then Tilson saved the day with that mammoth blast. This could be a guy who sticks around for the future. Overall a nice win against a great team and really good starting pitcher. Added to that, the young guys did well.

Finally got around to watching the episode yesterday. Needless to say, it was difficult staying away from this thread and trying not to read articles and spoilers that pepper the internet. Loved the episode. I think each episode this season has been better than the previous one. I wasn't completely surprised by Dany deciding to torch King's Landing. And it wasn't just Missandei's death that drove her over the edge. We could see her becoming more and more ruthless and uncaring this season. Add to that the fact that she is the Mad King's daughter... I could tell when Tyrion was begging her not to attack if the city surrendered that she had no intention of not attacking. Her taking out the defenses and the iron fleet was great, but the barbequing of the citizens was a bit surprising. She did it, starting at the far end of the city so that Cersei could see it happening. Clegane Bowl was great. I laughed out loud when the Mountain so quickly dispatched Qyburn. The Hound and The Mountain dying together was really the only way to end it, and it was perfect. Really looking forward to the last episode. I honestly don't have an idea who will end up on the throne. I don't think it'll be Dany, but you never know. Maybe the show ends with the Mad Queen sitting on the throne.

There's no reason to trade Abreu unless they can get a player that will be a MLB starter in the future. They don't need to clear payroll, and he's not blocking anyone. He's more valuable to the Sox than any realistic return for him would be.

I honestly don't see why the Sox wouldn't give him a 2-3 year extension. He's made it clear he wants to play for the Sox for his career. I would imagine a 2-3 year deal at $12MM to $15MM per would get it done. Maybe it means the same thing as underrated, but I view him as one of the most under-appreciated Sox players in years.

The scene with Bev is right out of the book. Looks pretty terrifying.

I think both guys deserve a chance to play most days going forward. Tilson is a better defensive outfielder than just about anyone else on the roster, and his bat has been a pleasant surprise so far. Cordell is decent in the OF, and although he's cooled down at the plate, he's still a better option than Palka. The only way we'll know what we have with these guys is to let them play.

Watched the first episode of HBO's Chernobyl. Excellent but one of the most horrifying hours of TV. I don't know a lot about the disaster, so it's interesting to get some background. It's also very frustrating to see the cover-up developing from the government being stubborn and uninformed.

Yes. She is amazing. The show really is unlike anything else on TV.

All around great catchers (defensively and offensively) are very rare. McCann will regress offensively for sure, although we keep saying this and he comes out and says fuck you and continues to hit the ball. His defense is excellent, and I don't think we'll see that change much. The three stops he made in the 8th inning were things of beauty. Most importantly, he seems to handle the pitchers very well. With a young staff that is just going to get younger, that could be paramount.

This team is so Jekyl and Hyde. Yesterday's win was easily the best overall game they've played all season. Not much offense, but Giolito looked like an ace, the defense was solid (more Tilson in the OF, please), and Colome continues to look like a real closer.

Giolito looked great tonight. McCann needs to be the primary catcher. Just a really fun game to watch.