Some questions rattling around my head as we enter the week before the All-Star break…
1. How can the Red Sox not be buyers at the trade deadline?
After winning their second of two series against the New York Yankees this season, the Red Sox are 49-40, the ninth-best record in the Majors entering their off-day Monday. They’re 6-1-4 in their last 11 series. Not only do they continue to hold the American League’s third Wild Card spot, they’re also just 4 ½ games out of the first one.
To paraphrase *NSYNC, “Buy, Buy, Buy.” How can the Red Sox justify doing anything else at the upcoming trade deadline? The homegrown core they’ve been speaking about for the last several years is here, as evidenced by Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, and Tanner Houck being their All-Star Game representatives. (And they were selected by their peers, rather than fan voting, making it more significant.)
The Red Sox aren’t just positioned to make a run, they’re already running. (Quite literally, as they entered Sunday second in the AL in stolen bases.) They’ve earned a boost to help them go the distance.
2. Is Rafael Devers underpaid?
It’s hyperbolic, of course, for anyone making over $300 million to be underpaid. Yet over the weekend, as the slugger collected his 1,000th career regular-season hit and homered off Gerrit Cole on Saturday and then solo-homered twice in Sunday’s 3-0 shutout, more than one person expressed that exact sentiment on X (formerly Twitter).
But in the context of baseball superstars, Devers might actually be underpaid. Remember when David Ortiz retired and it felt as though no one would ever replace him? Devers owns the Evil Empire in a way that is eerily similar to Ortiz; through each of their first 220 career at-bats at Yankee Stadium, both sluggers hit exactly 16 home runs. Ortiz drove in 37 RBI, Devers 35.
Devers has 28 homers in his career against the Yankees, his most against any opponent. Since the start of the 2017 season, no visiting player has more home runs at Yankee Stadium than “Carita,” the baby-faced killer who’s blasted 16 in 57 games. (And remember, he didn’t make his big-league debut until July 25, 2017.) Guess what he was doing exactly two years ago Sunday? Taking Cole deep twice, in the Bronx.
It’s not just that Devers homers, it’s that the pitches he turns into homers defy logic. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, his second Sunday homer was 1.50 feet from the center of the plate, making it the fourth-farthest pitch outside the zone turned into a home run in the Statcast era (since 2015), in the regular-season or postseason; it’s the second-farthest by a left-handed hitter.
Then there’s his vastly-improved defense, which, as manager Alex Cora has said more than once in recent weeks, isn’t fairly represented on a stat line. In addition to the pair of bombs on Sunday, Devers made a superb play, barehanding a two-out slow-roller by DJ LeMahieu to strand a runner in the eighth.
3. Why won’t John Henry talk about the Red Sox?
In case you missed it, John Henry was recently interviewed about one of his biggest sports ventures. Not the Red Sox, though, that would be crazy.
Henry spoke to the Boston Globe – which he owns – about Fenway Sports Group’s involvement with the PGA Tour. Over the last year, he and several other North American sports owners formed Strategic Sports Group, which is putting $3 billion towards stabilizing the historic golf organization, which was upended when the Saudi-funded LIV launched in 2022.
But when the Globe tried to speak about his baseball team, he declined. Asked why, Henry responded, “The reason being, how many people speak almost every day about the Red Sox? You don’t need me.” He elaborated no further.
Many people speak about the Red Sox on a daily basis. Just not… their principal owner.
4. Why isn’t Cooper Criswell in the Majors?
Cooper Criswell just earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors for July 1-7. (On Saturday, he tossed six shutout innings for Triple-A Worcester, allowing one hit, zero walks, and striking out eight.) In 12 games (11 starts) for the big-league club, he’s allowed no more than three earned runs 11 times, and two or fewer in nine of them. Save for a shelling by the Baltimore Orioles – which happens to pretty much every opposing pitcher these days – he’s ranged from solid to lights-out.
So when the Sox optioned him back to Triple-A, Alex Cora made it sound like a very temporary roster shuffle. That was following the right-hander’s June 15 start.
5. Why isn’t Kenley Jansen an All-Star?
Last year, Kenley Jansen was Boston’s lone All-Star. Arguably more deserving of the nod this year, he’s instead landed on several lists of snubs. The veteran closer entered the 2023 All-Star break with a 3.23 ERA over 32 games, with 26 games finished and 19 saves in 22 opportunities. He’d struck out 36 batters and issued 13 walks over 20 ⅔ innings.
Over 31 games this year, Jansen owns a 2.01 ERA and 1.053 WHIP. He’s finished 24 games and converted 18 saves in 19 opportunities, with 12 walks and 35 strikeouts across 31 ⅓ innings. The Commissioner’s Office chose Yankees closer Clay Holmes – who owns a 3.00 ERA and 1.306 WHIP over 37 appearances with 19 saves in 24 opportunities – instead.
6. Who will be the next Red Sox player to enter the Home Run Derby?
On July 15, 1985, Jim Rice participated in the first-ever Home Run Derby at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home of the 1982-2009 Minnesota Twins. Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Carl Everett, David Ortiz, and Adrian Gonzalez are the only other Red Sox entries.
Ortiz entered three years in a row between ‘04-’06, then won the whole thing in 2010 by out-slugging then-Florida Marlin Hanley Ramirez. There hasn’t been a Red Sox entry since Ortiz and Gonzalez swung for the fences in ’11; the latter made it to the finals, losing to Robinson Cano by one.
Tyler O’Neill recently said he’d be interested, but it’s unclear if he’ll take the plunge. Devers would certainly be a treat, but he and the club would probably prefer he save his big swings for when it counts. Like against the Yankees.
7. Why does Wyc Grousbeck want to sell the Celtics?
Two weeks after the Celtics (again) became the winningest franchise in NBA history with their record 18th championship, Wyc Grousbeck shocked the world when he announced he’s putting the team up for sale. The full sale isn’t expected to be completed until 2028, and Grousbeck says he’ll remain as governor until then, but it’s worrisome, nonetheless. He’s been deeply committed to winning; Boston fans know that’s not always the case.
