hogan873

The Padres are obviously going for it now, and big. Adding Darvish and Snell is huge for them, but they did give up quite a bit of their farm in these two moves. Don't get me wrong, they did well, especially with the Darvish trade. But what would have been the mood here had the Sox made these moves and given up comparable talent? Would we be pleased, pissed, a little bit of both?

I could see a plan similar to Sale for Crochet. Pitch out of the bullpen in 2021, and become a starter in 2022. I agree that Kopech will likely start in the minors, but he could quickly make his way to the Sox is his recovery was successful, and his year off didn't harm him. Regardless, both have the potential to be huge parts of the success of the Sox moving forward.

I know there's been some hints from the Sox that they'll use in-house options for a back-up catcher, but are there any free agents out there that could be good to give a shot? I think McCann was lightning in a bottle, and the chances of signing another one like him are slim. However, are there any of interest? I might be a bit concerned about relying on Collins or *shiver* Mercedes and having Grandal get worn down catching too many games. After Realmuto and McCann, the talent drops off. Tyler Flowers Jason Castro Curt Casali Yadier Molina Wilson Ramos Robinson Chirinos Kurt Suzuki Austin Romine ...to name a few

Attitudes like this is one of the main reasons there are over 300K people dead from this virus. If everyone was in fact brave and selfless enough to follow the guidelines, social distance, and wear a damn mask, we wouldn't be in this situation.

We're getting differing information about how quickly the majority of people can be vaccinated. Dr. Fauci has said that vaccines should be getting to everyday people (low risk) by spring. Others are saying it won't be until the 3rd quarter. Last night I saw someone who actually broke it down by projected vaccine manufacturing and said that between Pfizer and Moderna, they will be able to provide enough vaccines (two shots) to about 200 million people by June. The herd immunity "magic number" is about 250 million, which is 75% of the population. Based on this, I would assume the everyday person who WANTS the vaccine could probably be vaccinated by April/May because there's a percent of the population (Trumpers mainly) who will refuse to be vaccinated. In addition, the person speaking last night said there are several more vaccines that should be available by early 2021. If that's the case, we could realistically see the majority of the population vaccinated by mid to late spring. Regardless, it's so nice to be talking about the actual light at the end of the tunnel.

Definitely sounds more positive.

Apparently, all managers were told by Manfred that they hope to start the season on time and play 162 games. That may be just him saying "plan for this" while expecting a delay anyway. Anyway, "hope" doesn't mean much. How's the saying go? Hope in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first.

The good news is that aside from the McCann signing, all of MLB is quiet right now. The Sox have made the most noise so far, and that was with a pretty big trade and a relatively minor signing. Something will have to give soon enough, and maybe it's Hendriks signing, or maybe it's Springer or Realmuto... Still, nothing may happen until after Christmas. I'm keeping my hopes up that the Sox will sign Hendriks, but no news doesn't really mean anything right now.

There will almost certainly be some way to identify whether or not a person has been vaccinated. If we're ever going to get back to games, go to concerts, or attend any large group gathering, there will need to be a way to ensure safety. TicketMaster is already talking about requiring vaccination or a negative test result.

Dr. Fauci has said that most people should be vaccinated by Spring. I'm hoping that's true, because that would allow us to get back to attending games by late spring (May or so). If the league wants to shoot for starting the season around the time fans can attend (even in limited numbers to start), they could aim for spring training to start in late March/early April. That seems logical and feasible. I think they could start the season on time, but starting spring training in February would be an issue. They could do it...basketball is starting up, and football is continuing, both without the benefit of a vaccine. All that being said, I want whatever gets fans back in the stadiums as soon as possible. If it has to be delayed and shortened to 120 games or so, fine.

Another SP and a closer for sure. And I still wouldn't mind another bat to fill/supplement the DH role.

Do the Sox pitchers have too much beard?

Not that it isn't already over, but the electors officially cast their votes today. It will be interesting to see if there are any faithless electors. I'm guessing not, but you never know. I believe there was one in 2016, but they were immediately replaced by the governor (Colorado, I think).

Happy for James, but that’s a lot of money for a back-up catcher. He’ll be a fan favorite, even with streaky offense.

In bucket we trust

What's the rule for players taken during the minor league portion of the draft? I know major leaguers have to stay on the roster for the entire season. Are there similar restrictions for minor leaguers?

Absolutely. Having a DH in both leagues will open up quite a few more spots for some hitters out there in limbo. And, the first domino does need to fall. Adam Eaton was obviously not that domino. I imagine George Springer and/or Trevor Bauer will be.

Yeah, if I remember correctly, the consensus to the signing was "meh" at best. He proved to be much more valuable than we could have anticipated.

Good for him. He deserves a longer term deal. It'll be interesting to see how he performs as the primary catcher. Remember we saw two different guys, offensively, in 2019. However, what he does behind the plate for the pitching staff easily makes up for any offensive liabilities. Regardless, the Mets are getting a great catcher and a great guy.

Hell, he could've traded for Snell with Yermin as the headliner. Needs to do a much better job.

Colome has the ability to make every safe situation a nail biter but not give up many runs. He was actually very effective for the Sox, but he made us plenty nervous.

Adding Hendriks would really shore up an already decent bullpen. It will be interesting come spring training to see who ends up making the team to fill out the pen. There are quite a few options, both RH and LH.

Trump stacked the Supreme Court...to get a one sentence denial. That's awesome.

We were worried that the winter meetings would be a non-event based on the fact they were slow last year and they are virtual last year. And, they are pretty slow this year except for the Sox. I expect/hope at least one more move this week.

We don't need no stinking birthday parties. We have the Food Accounts!