There are a lot of questions about the Red Sox as they start a 10-game homestand with David Price scheduled to take the mound tonight against the Royals, and the Yankees now a half-game behind Boston in the AL East.
I'll be here at 1 p.m. to take your questions, so feel free to leave them in the comment section (sorry, only subscribers can leave comments). Thanks for supporting BSJ.
Editor's note
In BSJ Live Q&As, even during the free preview, only subscribers could only view the comment section where the session took place, let alone ask the questions. As part of our showcase to show what's behind the paywall, here is a chat Sean McAdam recently did with subscribers to give you a sense of the access you'll get to our staff on a daily basis.
Sean- I just heard that Price is a likely scratch for tonight’s game. Have you ever seen a week like this in Red Sox history? I have a hard time believing that his “injury” only cropped up in the last 24 hours. Could it really be that he can’t handle the home crowd and took himself out of the game…. that is some leader the Sox are rallying around. Where does the team go from here?
“Have you ever seen a week like this” is a great question. This feels like next-level over-reaction. Based on a viewer tip, yesterday F&M were talking about the trigger for Price’s ambush being Eck critiquing his pace of play, shaking off catcher, etc during that game where he didn’t cover first. Makes some sense. Does that theory have merit? Will the Sox try to trade him?
We’ll know more later today. My instinct is that the elbow thing is legitimate; it’s not like this is a new development. We know that it could be an issue as soon as he came back.
I know it will all be answered shortly, but what are you hearing about freeing up a roster spot for Nunez? Marrero or Devers being sent down because of options, DL trip for someone, or something else like designating Holt?
Just a guess, but I think Marrero will be optioned. I think the two games with Devers — his readiness defensively and his power burst Wednesday — convinced the Sox he’s worth keeping on the roster.
Sean, with Hembree’s recent struggles, Kelly on the DL, Barnes home/road splits, and lack of other reliable options from the bullpen other than Kimbrel, it’s pretty obvious the Red Sox need some help with the pen. Do you think they will end up making a move before Tuesday and if so, who do you think could be a trade candidate?
Bullpen has been the priority and I think they’ll end up getting somebody by Monday. Addison Reed with the Mets is one option. Justin Wilson with Detroit is another, but because he’s 1) lefthanded and 2)under control for a while, he’ll be pretty expensive.
Sean. So happy to have you back! Best of luck with the BSJ. What do you think about the value of Swihart? Could he be included in a deadline deal?
It’s fair to assume that Swihart’s value has dropped this season, both because of performance and concerns over his ankle. I don’t think the Sox would move him now with his value depleted. As an athletic, switch-hitting catcher, he has value; as an injured guy who moves around the infield, his value is down considerably.
Sean is the injury to Kelly similar to one he had as Card? He was out for sometime with that one. I believe 2 Months.
Not as severe. He’s set to throw another bullpen this afternoon and then could begin a brief rehab stint early next week. Could be activated by the end of next week, assuming no setbacks.
Sean, have you had any chance to look into David Price’s *caugh* elbow injury today? Is this a locker room divided right now? And in your opinion is it at all troubling that David Price seems to have the leadership role that he does in that club house… side note, I hope even if he doesn’t pitch tonight, the Fenway faithful give it to him. “Where is David?” Chant any one?
That elbow seems awfully convenient.
It’s fair to be skeptical about all of this. But it’s also possible that, behind all the unhappiness and pettiness, he is battling the elbow and we knew this could re-occur from the time he returned. Hope to find out more this afternoon.
Sean is there any chance Price could be moved? St Louis has interest before. LA is down a starter with Kershaw.
Sure, though not now, with the DL situation. But given his unhappiness, he absolutely could be moved in the off-season. The tricky part would be the opt-out. Maybe a team would have to be assured by Price and his agent that they would exercise that.
Came to the comments to ask some Price questions. You guys are already on top of it! Nice work.
Sean, do you know who didn’t clap for Price?
One last question, Rusney Castillo is crushing Lefties this year in Pawtucket, how come he isn’t being brought up? Are they that stupid to worry about Luxury Tax? DFA Young who is suppose to hit Lefties, and not doing it, or DL him for a couple of weeks.
It seems to me that Farrell thinks too highly of Young to ever DFA him. I’m also not convinced he’d be any better than Young playing “every 3 or 4 days”. Tough to do for a young player. I’m encouraged that we may get SOMETHING out of Rusney in the future, instead of a total bust. He should slide into Young’s spot next year.
Rusney Castillo is not a “young player” – he is 30 years old. He is also not on the 40 man roster – this makes it harder to bring him up.
I think it really is all about the luxury tax. They know they’ll be going over it in future years, so they’ve budgeted this as the year to stay under the cap so the penalties don’t become exponential down the road.
You’re correct – Castillo is having a big year against LHP, but remember: he’s doing so against Triple A pitching. And while he could be an upgrade over Young, there’s far from a guarantee. I think if they trip the luxury tax alarm, they would more of a sure thing, i.e. a more established big leaguer.
Brian Johnson isnt the answer long term if Price is out a considerable amount of time. This team is in 1st place with the deadline looming. Any mid tier starters out there the redsox can grab?
There are. But as you might expect, those options are expensive. And I think the Sox have to ask just how much better those options would be than Johnson, especially given the fact they were already in search of bullpen help. At some point, they have to prioritize.
I know you you haven’t been back in the locker room for too long yet – but how to players feel about Price? Primarily positive, primarily negative, or mixed?
It’s fair to say that it’s somewhat split. As the “applause” on the plane during the Eckersley confrontation showed, there are some who are lineup behind him in his campaign. But I also know that at least some of the players felt it was boorish behavior. I think, in general, Price is regarded as a good teammate — as he was in Toronto, Detroit and Tampa Bay. But that doesn’t mean that everyone approved of how he handled the Eck episode.
Sean,
Opinion on John Farrell’s job security?
Yes there’s a lot of drama these days, but it’s easy to overlook the fact that the team is in first place in a competitive division.
There is *always* going to be speculation about the job security of the Red Sox manager; it goes with the territory. I agree that the surrounding noise doesn’t help perception from the outside, but the sense I get is that Farrell has the support of the front office, upper management, and, tellingly, ownership.
As much as everyone likes conspiracy theories, Price’s last start had the look of ‘something wrong’. I was expecting to get a few starts then DL/surgery. The 10 starts lured me into thinking the ‘special elbow’ might hold up. Fooled again. Do you consider Johnson or Velazquez the better solution going forward? I think there is merit to getting another RH in. Love the Brian Johnson story, but Velazquez has looked solid, or better in his long relief.
Anyone other than Fister.
I would expect that Johnson would be the choice once they need that fifth starter. He’s kept them in most of his starts. Velazquez has been better in longer stints out of the bullpen, but I’m not sure they trust him in the rotation.
Been thinking of this for long time. 1 time through the order, that’s it. You gain 2 to 3 innings, to help save your BP.
I feel that when Bogaerts and Bradley get ‘pull happy’, they get into slumps with a lot of ground outs to SS and 2B respectively. Is this something Chili Davis works with them on, trying to go up the middle or even the other way, particularly with outside pitches?
Think back to the first inning of the first game of the road trip in Anaheim. They got four runs in the first inning to give Sale a quick lead and they did it by using the whole field and hitting the ball either up the middle or the other way.
By and large, that’s what Davis has been preaching, but executing it on a consistent basis has proved problematic for some.
By and large, that’s what Davis has been preaching, but executing it on a consistent basis has proved problematic for some.
Sean, it feels like the Sox still haven’t fully clicked as a team and we’re about to enter August. Do you think this is because of a lack of leadership/voice in the clubhouse? Obviously guys like Pedroia are always there to lead but I think someone like Mookie or even Chris Sale should speak up more and light a fire under this team. This is a good baseball team, but they should be playing a bit better.
Brandan, there’s clearly a transition going on when it comes to leadership. I think some of the core position players are still relatively young and as good as Sale is and as much as he’s the guy who sets the tone for the rest of the rotation, it’s tough for a starting pitcher to have a lot of influence on the whole team when he’s only contributing once every five days.
Agree, also, that there’s some underperformance going on here, with virtually all the regulars producing somewhat less than expected.
The miracle is, I guess, that depiste all that, they sit — for now — in first place.
Agree, also, that there’s some underperformance going on here, with virtually all the regulars producing somewhat less than expected.
The miracle is, I guess, that depiste all that, they sit — for now — in first place.
Do you think the team’s reluctance to go into the Tax could be because they have their eyes set on a big deal/trade this offseason (i.e. Stanton)?
(Because they would most likely want that % of money over the luxury tax they must pay to reset.)
(Because they would most likely want that % of money over the luxury tax they must pay to reset.)
It would seem that way, though I’m not sure that Stanton, specifically, is the target here. Next off-season, the free agent market is a bonanza (with Machado, Harper, Britton and others) set to be available. I think it’s safe to say that they would like a re-set so that doesn’t preclude them from either a big free agent or taking on a big salary in trade.
Crazy the dead money they’re carrying…Castillo and Sandoval moving forward. Craig right now, Price unlikely to opt out if he gets TJ
No question, Donald. Past mistakes have caught up them.
Sean – first and foremost – the Boston sports scene is better with you on the beat – great to have the chance to read your work.
Okay to steal an old Eddie A. line, let’s look at the blame pie. Front office blunders, players not performing and manager issues. Who gets the biggest slice here?
I am leaning heavily on the front office. What’s your take?
It seems that the issues at hand are bigger than a move before the deadline can address.
Okay to steal an old Eddie A. line, let’s look at the blame pie. Front office blunders, players not performing and manager issues. Who gets the biggest slice here?
I am leaning heavily on the front office. What’s your take?
It seems that the issues at hand are bigger than a move before the deadline can address.
I agree that this isn’t going to be rectified by Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. With a healthy Price, they at least had arguably the best rotation in the league. They could add a reliever and hope that the lineup began to produce more consistently. But with Price on the shelf, it’s a far darker scenario.
As for the “blame pie” — plenty to go around. Farrell could have done a better job controlling the clubhouse chaos and Dombrowski’s deals — for Smith and Thornburgh — have backfired big-time.
Finally, thanks for the kind words. It’s great to be back.
Sean what can the Sox do now? The yanks are talking about getting Gray and Tampa keeps making their bp stronger while the Sox stand by and watch…
Good question. One thing the Red Sox had going for them was relative stability and health in the rotation, and now that’s gone with the Price injury. We’ll likely find out today how serious a setback this is. If Price is lost for the season, Dombrowski may have to enter the starting pitching market. But that’s an expensive place to be this late in the game and other needs to address.
What is your opinion on John Farrell? Is he on the hot seat or very much to blame for clubhouse problems?
Certainly, Farrell bears some responsibility for what’s going on in the clubhouse (and on the team charter). I think he would have been wise to address this issue between Price and Eck in a more forceful manner. In terms of the team’s performance, the Sox are in first place and I think Farrell has done a good job handling a bullpen that is missing a couple of key pieces.
Hi Sean,
Could you or has anyone asked Dave Dombrowski has been told he cannot go over the luxury tax?
Thanks
Could you or has anyone asked Dave Dombrowski has been told he cannot go over the luxury tax?
Thanks
Indirectly, he’s addressed this: he does not have an express order to stay under, but given the practical implications down the road, he would prefer to do so.
Thanks Sean, your the BEST!
Hey Sean….great have you read the David Ross book….it left huge impression on me to the importance of leadership on the clubhouse. Ross was back up but veteran who galvanized clubhouse…with hall fame manager giving edit to veteran players to police locker room with his rules…dos and donts on and off the field…
I haven’t read the book, but I’d like to. He was a rare player who could impact a team in the clubhouse — he knew what tone to be set, who to push, who to help. Rare. There’s plenty of speculation that part of the Cubs’ post-World Series hangover is related to his absence.
Sean. I understand Price is out but why keep throwing Fister out there? He has been ineffective and almost feels like we are waving the white flag when he starts. I know Brian Johnson is out for now but I’d even feel like better chance with another AAA starter for now and leave Fister as your long relief guy.