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Over the Monster

https://www.overthemonster.com/ | 355 entries published

But Can He Pitch?

Latest Entries

Meet new Red Sox pitching prospect Jake Bennett

Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Jake Bennett, the former Oklahoma Sooner and 2022 second-round draft pick who the Red Sox acquired for Luis Perales earlier in the offseason. This is curious because Perales had just returned from a 2024 UCL tear and still is just 22 years old, but the […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

With very little happening on the hot stove, let’s discuss cold weather

Few things make me more homesick than a big snowstorm “back east.” Shout out to Sterling, my hometown, which made big news for receiving the most snowfall in the whole region during the last storm. In Seattle, we just emerged from a two-week long cold snap, in what had already been a cold, dry winter. […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Is it totally insane for the Red Sox to move Jarren Duran back to the infield?

Good morning! The Red Sox released a behind-the-scenes video from Story Camp yesterday and I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to improve their form on barbell squats. But the most intriguing thing in the video may come at about the 10-minute mark, when Jarren Duran is briefly shown wearing an infielder’s glove […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Meet new Red Sox minor league catcher Nate Baez

Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Nate Baez and he comes from Oro Valley, Arizona. Oro Valley looks like this: …so I can only assume that baseball is Baez’s second career after robbing stagecoaches didn’t work out. The Red Sox just acquired him from the Twins organization in exchange for Triston […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

What is Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early’s ceiling?

Yesterday, our own Bob Osgood reviewed the pitching staff and noted this when it came to Connelly Early’s projections: “Early’s 16% K-BB, and near-3.50 ERA in both projections, is startling. Of course, thanks to the logjam of pitchers on this team, he’s projected for only 50-60 innings at the moment. That being said, there are […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Red Sox farm system still ranked in upper half

Good morning! It’s prospect ranking season, and we’ve already seen a few new top-100 lists, most of which feature the same quartet of Red Sox minor leaguers: Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Franklin Arias, and Kyson Witherspoon. Today, we’ve got a couple of rankings of the system as a whole, with Keith Law giving the Sox […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

Meet new Red Sox minor league reliever Seth Martinez

Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Seth Martinez. If you’re like me, you saw the name “Seth” in an article about Red Sox transactions and briefly celebrated because you thought that Seth Lugo was coming to Boston. Seth Martinez is not Seth Lugo. He does, however, own a World Series ring […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Is Jarren Duran the best left fielder in baseball?

Good morning! MLB Network is conducting its annual exercise in ranking the best players at each position. Yesterday, they tackled left field, and the top of the list is quite interesting: Yes, the man that many Red Sox fans have been shipping out the door in imaginary trade scenarios all offseason is, according to MLB […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Evaluating the 2026 Red Sox starting pitching with projections

In the dead of winter, when I’m not refreshing MLB Trade Rumors or yelling at Siri to ask if my Jeff Passan Twitter alerts are broken, I like to look at player projections on Fangraphs. Despite the fact that they are a complete fantasy land, they provide a good baseline for our expectations for the […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle not letting trade rumors faze him

Good morning! We fans probably downplay the effect a trade has on a baseball player. Could you imagine how disrupting it would be if your employers could force you into a different job in a different city in an instant? But Payton Tolle isn’t too fazed by the trade rumors, which is just one thing […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Red Sox News & Links: Sox still interested in Isaac Paredes; no deal imminent

Yesterday, we told you about the four Red Sox prospects who made their way into MLB Pipeline’s top-100 list: Payton Tolle, Franklin Arias, Connelly Early, and Kyson Witherspoon. Today, we have a new prospect ranking — this one from the Athletic’s Keith Law. The same four players are on it, though Law is comparatively lower […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Unearthing a lost Red Sox classic

It’s been a hard year and we’re still in January. I’ve been working on some stuff. Researching. Hitting the archives. Looking for lost media. The digital world is an interesting place. The saying was, at one point, “the internet is forever” but now we know linkrot is a plague for the internet as websites shut […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Red Sox land four prospects in MLB Pipeline top-100 list

Much like a group you may have heard about from Liverpool, the Red Sox have a quartet of young, talented lads who are breaking through a top 100 chart in the middle of the decade. Maybe that’s a stretch, I dunno, but I’m happy that we do have a Fab Four to call our own. […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

OTM Open Thread 1/26: Snow. Lots and Lots of Snow

Hello and happy Monday, folks. A very happy Monday, indeed, even after we’ve been whacked with snow—13 more days until we get a chance to see the Pats hoist another Lombardi. Perhaps Malcolm Butler can sign onto the practice squad, just for ol’ times’ sake. This is a Red Sox blog, though. Not a ton […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

Meet Red Sox trade acquisition Tyler Samaniego

Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Tyler Samaniego, and he has only a slightly easier name to pronounce than Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia, whom he was traded for along with Johan Oviedo. Samaniego has not yet cracked a Major League roster, but his status as a lefty arm with a 98 […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

How about a defense-forward infield for the Red Sox?

The recent talk about Dustin Pedroia on the Hall of Fame ballot has only further increased my desire for a capable, reliable Red Sox infield. We’ve seen it before, and we could get there again. Alex Bregman’s departure not only opened up a hole which the front office thought it had solved in 2025, but […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

Do the Red Sox have the best starting pitching in baseball?

To the extent that Craig Breslow was hired to turn around Red Sox pitching, you can’t say he that hasn’t done his job. In just two offseasons, Breslow has completely revamped the top of the Sox rotation by aggressively acquiring one of the game’s best pitchers in Garrett Crochet and two other recent all-stars in […]

about 2 months ago | 7 reads

Red Sox land 5 players on MLB Network top-100 list

Good morning! MLB Network just completed its annual exercise in ranking the top-100 players in Major League Baseball. You already know who number 1 is, and he doesn’t play for the Red Sox. But Garrett Crochet does, and he led the way for the Sox by coming in as the 12th-best player in the game. […]

about 2 months ago | 5 reads

The Yankees sign Cody Bellinger, the Mets trade for Freddy Peralta, and the Red Sox are still searching for a trade partner

Wednesday was quite a baseball day in New York. The Yankees signed Cody Bellinger back to their squad for $162 million, and the Mets acquired Freddy Peralta from the Brewers in exchange for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. This has ramifications for the Red Sox on a few fronts: First, the deal for Bellinger […]

about 2 months ago | 5 reads

The Red Sox 40-man roster is packed, but they need room for an infielder

Ranger Suárez is officially a member of the Red Sox. We found this out unofficially last week. Which started raising questions: what about the 40-man roster? Had the team flipped an outfielder or pitcher, possibly with prospects, they would have plenty of room to sign one of the remaining free agents and add that unnamed […]

about 2 months ago | 6 reads

Are the Tampa Bay Rays getting a new stadium?

After both their current home in Tropicana Field and their quest for a new stadium in St. Peterburg fell apart amidst the destruction from hurricane Milton in October of 2024, the Rays finally appear on track for a more stable future. Not only do they expect Tropicana Field to be ready to reopen by Opening […]

about 2 months ago | 5 reads

Red Sox News & Links: Sox reportedly still trying to upgrade at catcher

Earlier this offseason, we were all a little surprised to hear that the Red Sox were rumored to be interested in catcher J.T. Realmuto. He’s since resigned with the Phillies, but the Sox are reportedly still interested in upgrading at catcher. While the catching position doesn’t feel like a priority given Carlos Narvaez’s successful rookie […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads