Who is he and where did he come from? He’s Tristan Gray, and he comes from Missouri City, Texas. He went to Elkins High School, which also produced longtime big leaguers in Matt Carpenter and James Loney. While MLB talent has gone through Elkins, the indoor drumline might have been more of a draw. They […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Welcome to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we take a look at potential free agent and trade targets and determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and, if so, what it would take to land them. Today we start our series by searching for the elusive “number 2” to pair […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Today is one of the more significant days of the offseason, regardless of whether the Sox make any trades or significant free agent signings. That’s because it’s the final day to finalize the 40-man roster. While there has been speculation that Tanner Houck, who may miss all of 2026 and is a free agent after […]
2 months ago | 1 read
The wait is finally over, Red Sox Nation. That’s right, on Monday night, the Watertown Wombats completed their undefeated rec league slow pitch softball season, winning the championship by a final score of 19-9. Congratulations to me and my teammates. In other news, it was roughly this time last year when the Red Sox made […]
2 months ago | 1 read
How would you grade Craig Breslow’s trade deadline? Wait! Don’t answer that. Partially because it’s November and partially because we only care about one name right now: Steven Matz. A product of the New York Mets, Matz has had a rather unspectacular career. He finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting back in 2016 […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
With all due respect to Kyle Tucker, this year’s free agent class lacks the starpower of the recent offseasons that were headlined by names like Juan Soto, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani. But, as a result, things may move much quicker this year. Case in point, we already have our first major free agent signing, […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Back in the summer of 2020, I wrote about Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox’s response to protests across sports in reaction to the BLM movement, spurred by multiple instances of police brutality against Black people across the country. I never ended up publishing this article, but I needed to put my thoughts on […]
2 months ago | 1 read
The question of whether Ceddanne Rafaela or Pete Crowe-Armstrong is the best outfielder in baseball could turn into one of the most fun debates of the next decade (and save some room for Denzel Clarke in that discussion). But PCA thinks the answer is clear. “I love watching him play center field. I think he’s […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
2025 In A Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell Roman Anthony spent two-plus months unnecessarily stuck in the minor leagues, two-plus months as one of the best hitters on the planet, and the most important month on the shelf with an oblique injury. The Good Anthony was a bit slow out of the gate in his first 15 games. […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
2025 In A Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell A complete redemption year for the 37-year-old. One of the most dominant closers in the Majors from start to finish. The Good What can’t you say about Aroldis Chapman’s 2025 season? He was the absolute epitome of dominance on the bump. For how long he’s been in the league, he […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
The Red Sox, as expected, were shut-out of all the major award winners in 2025, with Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony coming the closes to bringing home the hardware in the AL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races, respectively. But some have garnered recognition, including Aroldis Chapman, was just named the best reliever […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Good morning! Ten years from now, will you even remember that Dustin May was ever on the Red Sox? Given the way he came to the team as the headliner of a flaccid trade deadline effort by Craig Breslow, you might. But I’m willing to bet his time in Boston will be almost totally forgotten. […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
After filling in for about 100 innings in 2024, the Red Sox quietly resigned Cooper Criswell as pitching depth in 2025. There’s no doubt that Criswell was useful with an ERA/FIP of 4.08/4.15. That’s solid production for the back of a rotation, to say nothing of a minor league depth guy. But depth is what […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
By the end of the summer, Kristian Campbell was largely a forgotten man, which is both a testament to how fast things can change in baseball and how crazy the roster turnover was with the 2025 Red Sox. But now is probably a good time to remember that the Red Sox believed in him enough […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Among all of the other offseason discourse, a question looms large: “What’s the best thing to do about Jarren Duran?” The Sox just came to an agreement on a new salary number with him, but there’s still a definite chance he gets traded away. Would keeping him make more sense, or would trading him be […]
2 months ago | 1 read
Are the Red Sox prepared to spend money this winter? Maybe yes, maybe no. I vote yes. How about you?
2 months ago | 2 reads
Yesterday, the most reliable baseball reporter in the business dropped a broad but noteworthy article. In it, using his knowledge of the industry, Jeff Passan ran a compelling exercise seeking to align a major offseason transaction to 21 of MLB’s top clubs, with the major caveat being that he wouldn’t use the same player twice. […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Craig Breslow addressed the media on the first day of the annual GM meetings and laid out the Red Sox’ offseason wish list. What does he want? A middle-of-the-order bat and a top-of-the-rotation starter, stating that “I don’t think we’re going to spend a ton of time trying to add a No. 4, No. 5 […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
2025 In a Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell After missing all of 2024 and the start of 2025, Lucas Giolito quietly put up an All-Star worthy season this year, posting the 20th-best ERA+ in baseball. But he probably won’t be back in 2026, and that’s probably just fine. The Good On June 2, 2025, Lucas Giolito lasted just […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Happy Tuesday, Red Sox Nation! It’s November 11, so don’t forget to ask Santa, the Easter Bunny, or whatever gift-giving deity you support to ask for your favorite middle-of-the-order bat today. I can’t tell you what I’m wishing for, because it won’t come true if I do, but it’s a lefty who played for the […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Major League Baseball’s annual GM Meetings kick off today and run through Thursday in Las Vegas. Note that this is not the same thing as the winter meetings, which don’t happen until December. There tends to be a lot less player movement at the November GM meetings (because we’re still so early in the offseason, […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
So it’s definitely past time to rethink this whole legalized sports gambling thing. I do not bet on sports, but I was and am in favor of legalization. I admit, though, that I didn’t foresee just how corrosive the combination of legalized sports gambling and smart phones would be. As dangerous as alcohol or drug […]
2 months ago | 0 reads
Brayan Bello entered 2025 looking to take a step forward. The Red Sox were rolling out Garret Crochet and Tanner Houck as a 1-2 punch, with Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Walker Buehler set to figure out the 3, 4, and 5 spots in the starting rotation. But, of course, the rotation suffered a lot over […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
2025 In A Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell Nick Sogard had his second consecutive season as a product of a depleted roster with limited platoon options, but he made the absolute most of the opportunities he was given on the Major League roster with his versatility and defensive dependability. The Good If anyone has been reading my Minor […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
2025 In A Discarded-On-The-Dugout-Floor Nutshell Tanner Houck didn’t look like the ace he was in 2024, struggling tremendously in every start he made in 2025 before eventually finding the root of his mechanical issues: a flexor tear that required Tommy John surgery. The Good I want to be diplomatic in that I cannot imagine the […]
3 months ago | 2 reads