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But the 2nd wave of a decade long competitive window !

Even so then it's 2nd and 3rd 1 out. Maybe with a miracle you get out of it but doubtful.

Exactly. Escobar is versatile so if Moncada gets injured he can replace him along with being valuable from both sides of the plate and being the guy most likely to hit a HR in the whole Sox lineup as of today's lineup.

It was hard to watch the Astro's pound the Sox pitching yesterday without thinking about the cheating. I'm sure I was imagining it but they looked awfully comfortable taking a lot of off speed pitches and teeing off on fastballs.

You notice I hardly said a thing about Vaughn because it would be the same thing you said so using that against me isn't exactly saying anything against my argument. As I said Eloy will be playing LF whether we like it or not. Everyone may wish otherwise but if you want the best possible lineup throughout the playoff and in the World Series where we lose the DH in NL parks Eloy will have to be playing LF . You can limit his usage in LF to avoid another injury while we have the DH .Eloy hits RHP well and you didn't even mention him. Since the trade deadline is July 30th and Eloy is hopefully back by the middle of August it sounds like you are advocating Schwarber for about a 2 week period. I think this is where our difference in preference lie. Escobar against RHP in 2021 : 10 HR , .236. BA, .288 OBP, .447 slg., .736 OPS Schwarber vs. RHP in 2021: 12 HR , .234 BA . 296 Slg. 506 slg . .802. OPS So yes if you want to look at just one thing like hitting against RHP Schwarber is better . But if you want to look at how often Escobar would play vs how often Schwarber would play plus the base running defense and ability of Escobar to play 3rd and also improves the Sox against LHP . I don't understand how anyone could pick Schwarber over Escobar. Escobar vs LHP: 5 HR , .273 BA, .314 OBP, .530 SLg. , .845 OPS. Escobar is more likely to help against both LHP and RHP Schwarber /LHP: 1 HR , .218 BA., .371OBP .309 Slg., . 681 OPS. Frankly I'm tired of adding DH types who won't even help you in the World Series unless it's PH. Escobar can contribute in multiple ways hitting RH or LH , Fielding , injury replacement at 3rd, baserunning and defense. If Moncada goes down Schwarber cannot replace him. Escobar can. That alone should make him more valuable than Schwarber .

Schwarber only plays LF. Schwarber is Eloy like in LF . This year alone he has a -4 OAA which is about as bad as you are going to find in the amount of games played so far this year. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was the only one I could find worse. Escobar is a switch hitter who hits LHP better than RH it's true. But lets not forget he has hit more HR's than Schwarber this year. He can also provide defensive and base running value that Schwarber can't. Schwarber slightly better offensively because of higher OBP. Player value according to fWAR puts Schwarber at .8 and Escobar at 1.4. I'll take the better baseball player . Escobar would play almost every inning of every game due to switch hitting ,defensive and base running ability through the playoffs. If you make the World Series Sox lose the DH in NL park who would you rather have then Schwarber or Escobar ? Can you say the same for Schwarber with his terrible defense when you already have Eloy in the OF ( That's going to happen whether we like it or not) Robert, Engel , Goodwin and Leury ? Let's please just have one terrible OF and one mediocre OF with Vaughn defensively. The rest of them I'd prefer them above average defensively. Preventing runs means just as much as getting them. Edit: I forgot one other thing in Escobar's favor. If we lose Moncada at 3rd base he is a quality replacement there too.

Couldn't hurt. I think I suggested that a while ago and used that highlight catch of his playing RF in the Futures game when he was younger and lighter.

He's going to have to play LF. That's all there is to it. He will not be a full time DH no matter how much everyone wants it to happen. Wish for it all you want, hope and pray but I guess you missed the very 1st sentence in my post. Let's get real. I watch the games and observe everything. You think I want him playing LF ? Nope I don't. There was not one part of my post that suggested I want it to happen. So I don't know why you would ask me what games I was watching. Pay attention. But if you want the best hitting lineup possible he is going to be playing LF. Get used to it.

Right I 100% agree we need more LH hitting which is why I advocate for Escobar. And as you say "shoot for the stars" was also a post of mine basically when I said I don't believe there will be sustained success or believe that the pitching prospects currently in the system will ever be good enough to give the Sox a better chance in the future to win a World Series as they have now with great starting pitching and a potentially great lineup once Eloy and Robert return. That post offended a lot of people who didn't want to shoot for the stars this year because it would hurt future years. My post and focus is also on the playoffs. I thought I conveyed that pretty clearly in my post. I brought up the 5 weeks because I think what the Sox ultimately do is dependent on how certain players perform. But like you I already know they will need more LH hitting ( I say with power ) . I don't know how many AL teams have won a World Series recently while being the 2nd worse HR hitting team in the AL at or near the All Star Break. I like that Engel and Goodwin have hit 4 HR's between them in the short time they have been in the line up and the defense they provide . Ketel is a really good player and versatile which I also love but the power is lacking. Now it might not make a difference if Eloy comes back and starts raking but I think it's essential to add power in case he doesn't . If the Sox "shoot for the stars" then they will have to give up a lot of prospect capital which is likely to be some pitching prospects. Shooting for the stars would mean Ketel or Escobar or both and relief pitching. You know they have to get more relief pitching and you know the chances of the Sox hurting the promised future window is not going to happen. It should be pretty lively around here when the Sox eventually get around to doing whatever they do.

I think you are a good poster so keep that in mind when I disagree. I don't think its as simple as where they need the upgrade more which is in itself debatable. What the Sox need is more power and if there's a choice, more power from the left side. Lack of power will bite them in the ass eventually against better teams with better lineups and better pitching. Against better pitching they won't be able to string walks and hits together like they have been against weaker teams. Now, we can assume Eloy and Robert will come back and provide that power or the Sox can hedge their bets in case either or both have setbacks and acquire more power as insurance. Right now it looks like the easiest and cheapest place to get the power is Escobar at 2nd base. Easiest and cheapest is where the Sox are likeliest to operate to preserve prospect capital especially since TLR is a big believer in a strong bullpen so it's likely the Sox also seek at least one good arm. I guess we could debate all day the merits of Eloy or Vaughn in the OF and the value of Engel and Goodwin going forward and how Mendick is fine at 2nd base . But my guess is they go after Escobar unless the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Looks like in your exuberance for Ketel Marte you forgot about Goodwin as a LH starting outfield option. Both him and Engel have done pretty well since they both got here. The Sox have 5 weeks to see if that's good enough for the OF once Eloy and Robert return. I think no matter how you slice it Eloy will be playing LF a lot of the time once he starts hitting MLB pitching again with authority. For the best results against RHP which is the majority of the time you just can't have Vaughn in the lineup. If your bat cannot play against RHP then you had better bring elite defensive skills and that's not Vaughn. Vaughn can complicate things by starting to hit RHP much better in the next 5 weeks and I hope he does. So for the next 5 weeks the Sox will keep a close eye of these players: Engel and Goodwin for a possible RF platoon . They both possess power and elite (Engel) to good (Goodwin) defense so maybe they don't need an upgrade in the OF . Mendick. I love Danny . He works hard. He has a good approach . Nice ballplayer. So it's with no disrespect that I say I would rather have more pop at the position with Escobar. I say this because even with Eloy and Robert on the comeback trail, there might be setbacks that derail them or if they do make it back they may not be quite ready to start mashing HR's yet. Robert only hit 1 before he was injured . I think the Sox could be fine at 2nd base with Mendick but only if Eloy and Robert come back and become who they are supposed to be. Escobar is insurance in case they don't. Ketel Marte is a good idea however I was just looking at his bWar and it's .4 . I love that he's versatile and he's hitting very well so I have to conclude that he's doesn't have much WAR because he's not all that defensively and/or on the bases. Plus he would be expensive to acquire given that he's signed through 2022 w/ team options for 23 and 24 and is 27 yrs old. Engel has already contributed .5 bWAR in his short time back and Goodwin .2. Those can go down as they get more AB's but it illustrates how valuable they have been in a very short time frame. On the other hand there's Starling Marte who only plays OF but most of the time it's CF and he's a FA after this year . He would cost less to acquire (? ) than Ketel and his bWar is 2.3 even though he's hitting on par with Ketel so that defense in CF gives him a significant higher value in WAR then Ketel.

Let's get real right now. Once Eloy is back in the lineup he will be playing LF often. There is just no way around it. He is a way better hitter than Vaughn against RHP. Now of course Eloy will play some DH maybe even half his games or more in the beginning while he readjusts to playing. If the Sox want the best lineup against LHP then Vaughn should play LF while Eloy DH's. The best lineup against RHP ,which is most of the time, will be Eloy in LF and Vaughn on the bench. I would also think Vaughn would play LF against select RHP with Eloy DHing but that won't happen too often once Eloy is re-acclimated. The only way this scenario plays out differently will be if Vaughn starts mashing RHP in the time left before Eloy returns. I would love for this to happen because player improvement in a top prospect can only mean good things for the Sox moving forward.

I wrote that because I was purely speculating based on the last time he pitched. His health and the fact that the last time he signed for $18M with the Braves he pitched 3 innings plus his age would justify me speculating that way. Whether he signs a minor league deal or gets a few million for a half a season isn't a big difference. Obviously you had knowledge of the showcase coming up and I did not. But I don't think what I said was way off base. I thought Rodon would get a minor league deal too. Some people thought he'd get $5M minimum. Who knows if another team would ve offered him anything less or more than the $3M the Sox gave him. He probably should have had a show case like Kluber. That seems to help when you say "hey look at me" and teams come out to see you, otherwise you become an afterthought .

Yep . If he can't hit in AAA maybe he would realize something is off because he destroyed AAA pitching as well as Robert did. Even a little bit better. Maybe Mercedes was good buddies with Robert . He hasn't done well since Robert got injured May 3rd.

And of course there's that little thing about our 2 best starting pitchers at the moment becoming Free Agents next year.

Sure you can because, well, he has sucked. However he was huge in April. So huge in fact he became a figure that fans and media around baseball soaked up. And he should be given opportunities to not suck like every Sox player have been given opportunities. He was so huge that if you looked at his numbers now you would think he's had a pretty good year instead of slumping for 6 weeks . Vaughn has sucked too the only difference is Vaughn can still currently hit LHP but he has sucked all year against RHP and he too will get opportunities to not suck against RHP. Hamilton has sucked for years but because he does fielding and base running at elite levels he has managed to survive and his non sucking moments are exciting. Many think Leury sucks but he too has contributed to many wins with hitting, running and fielding.

No shame at all. I love it.

Yes I do. I believe you take your best shot when that shot is available. If you don't, I have a problem with it. If you do and you fail anyway I'm good. Hahn was quoted as saying "Chances to win are sacred, and we're going to treat this one accordingly." We shall see if the juice is worth the squeeze.

There are those here who think trading prospects should never happen or our guys most of us have given up on because talent cost will be low and other GM's will be taken in by Hahns announcement that we don't know what we are going to do. As of now in my not so humble opinion , the Sox will try to preserve the status quo. That means wait and assess the situation until the last possible moment and see where the team is at and where the weaknesses are. Then they will make the minimum least costly move(s) available for more relief pitching which probably would be in accordance with LaRussa's wishes. Let's hold onto those Gold pitching prospects we have who are going to be the 2nd wave in the decade long window of contention of sustained success that Hahn has been selling us . After all if we have to trade someone ,guys like Sheets,Adolfo, Rutherford and Burger will surely entice teams way more than anything else other teams have to offer. When we don't win the World Series in the next 10 years feel free to look me up after Hypnotist Hahn and Jerry have lead their followers into the Valley of Sustained Success. But hey we will always have Danny Mendick ,our saviour, to console us. No need to go all in this year just because we have the best Starting pitching staff in baseball and probably the best it will ever be in the next decade . Keep dangling that carrot Jerry you sure have Sox fans pegged right. Keep them longing for a better future while delaying the present. Fill the hole at 2nd base with needed LH power get more pitching . That's where I stand. Give up what is necessary and if it isn't our best low minors position players or our top pitching prospects even better . Win Win.

Lambert may get his turn if he's not traded. They may need some starts in the 2nd half.

He's not even pitching this year. No one wanted him. "Only money" would have to be a minor league deal and who knows if he even thinks that worth it. Probably not since he wasn't signed by anyone. He hasn't announced his retirement but he might as well unless an overture to him and a willingness to pitch in the minors is acceptable.

Burdi has sucked at AAA this year and they brought him up before . I was hoping if they brought up a pitcher it would be someone different. If Hahn wants to wait and see if they can avoid making trades and giving up too many prospects then what's the harm in actually trying a RP who is doing well in Charlotte like Ofreidy Gomez or Nik Turley both of them can at least throw strikes and get people out in the minors. Both have under a 1 WHIP. Burdi is 1.55

I was watching a Mic'd up segment with Frazier mic'd up during a game with the Dodgers .He was pretty funny. The whole time he was talking to Justin Turner about brokering a bet between himself and AJ Pollock regarding Miss. St and Notre Dame. The he made a bonehead running play and he wanders off the field telling himself I must be one of the dumbest base runners in the history of baseball or something along those lines.

The Sox traded Dunning for a rental . How is that working out so far ? Were you against the Dunning trade too ? Trading a backup 2nd baseman for a big power bat would be a lot better than trading prospects. Danny has done well and it's appreciated but if he is anything more than a utility guy for the rest of his career I can live with whatever he becomes in the future for a shot at winning the World Series. It's not like he's some some 18 yr old super athletic guy barely starting his pro career the Sox traded for a bum pitcher when they weren't even legit contenders.

The Sox needs are LH power and pitch BP. TLR will probably like more pitching above all else . Take all the time you want Rick but we know where the needs are right now. That won't change unless it changes for the worse in the next 5 weeks . Do what you feel is necessary and what Jerry allows when he pulls your strings and controls the pocketbook. Experiment with some arms . See if Ofreidy Gomez and the 2 31 yr olds Nik Turley and Mike Wright can contribute . All 3 are doing well in Charlotte. Pitch Burr more w/e it takes but in order to get answers you have to try solutions.