Sunday Morning Coffee Thoughts

Good morning my friends. It is another beautiful Sunday Morning here in Southern Maine and I am enjoying every moment of it. This week I have some post deadline thoughts and a collection of idle thoughts that have bounced around in my mind this past week. I also have a personal note to share.

You all know the drill by now. Head to the kitchen. Open the cabinet door. Reach into the back recesses of that cabinet and find that Tzu-Wei Lin mug in the back corner. Dust it off and then fill it to the top with the caffeinated beverage you most enjoy. Then find a comfortable seat, relax and enjoy this latest missive your favorite pundit has prepared. I apologize up front, this one is a bit long! Maybe two cups this morning?

And on a personal note…….

This coming Thursday Deb and I will mark our 49th wedding anniversary. We were two kids, fresh out of college ready to tackle whatever life placed in front of us. We now have three grown children, all successful adults. Each is carrying on a family tradition of serving their community in their own way. We’ve also been blessed with four grandchildren. Each with their own personality and gifts. We are proud of each of them and what they have accomplished in their lives.

I know that I say this frequently when I write about Deb (Mrs. POTPP), but she is my editor-in-chief, proofreader and sanity checker. This space does not exist without her love, support and keen eye for details. She likes baseball, I hope because of me. However, her number one sport is NFL football and she is a true Patriots fan. She is a voracious reader and very talented with a crochet hook. Her presence and talents make me realize every day why my life is so much better having her with me every step of the way. Love you!

Red Sox

Trade Deadline Observations

With the deadline now about a week in the rear view mirror, I have some thoughts and observations about the moves and this team. First, as I wrote in my post deadline article on Tuesday, Breslow did a very good job using the young prospect talent assets at his disposal to get something this team lacked, a catcher who is very good defensively and can hit for power, from both sides of the plate in the person of Adley Rutschman. He strengthened his bullpen with the Erik Miller for Marcelo Mayer trade. He took minor league (AAA) pitching depth (Tyler Uberstine) and turned it into a good 4-5 outfield in Eli White. Meanwhile, we wait for Curtis Mead to heal from a broken wrist. All of these moves took courage, faith that what he saw on the field was real and acknowledging in his own mind that this was a time for definitive action. Mission accomplished.

Now, I want to take a look at what each of these players bring to the Red Sox.

Adley Rutschman is a former number one pick, three time All Star and regarded as one of the better catchers in the game. A lot has been made of the fact that a wrist injury that put him on the IL while he was with the Orioles should have been a warning sign. I know the jokes that have been made about the Red Sox medical staff this season, but I would think that Breslow had a long and extremely detailed talk with his former college teammate and friend Oriole GM and Executive VP Mike Elias about Adley’s wrist. Given the after trade evaluation, I am of the opinion that it will be a non-issue.

Since joining the Red Sox Rutschman has been seen in the dugout having long and seemingly engaging discussions with Sonny Gray and Payton Tolle. Discussions with other members of the staff have also occurred, but these are the notable ones from the NESN television broadcast. It appears that Rutschman is taking this time on the IL to familiarize himself with each member of the pitching staff in a more intense and personal way. This might not have been the case had he been in the lineup from day one, he would have been flooded with game preparation input for the coaching staff. In the end, I think this will benefit the team in a number of ways as Rutschman takes over this pitching staff. It certainly can’t hurt. I suspect within about two weeks he will be in the lineup and he will be fully prepared for the task. He began his rehab assignment yesterday.

Next up, Erik Miller. He is a big man and is listed at 6-5 and 269 pounds. He has a sinker that runs about 96-97 MPH, a wipeout slider and a decent change and four-seam fastball. He gives the team a power arm from the left side and will dovetail nicely in the backend of the bullpen with Slaten, Guerrero, Whitlock and Chapman. He also has the ability to be an opener and had 10 starts in 2024 with some success. The added bonus here is that he is under team control through the 2029 season.

Jake Rogers could soon be the forgotten piece of the Rutschman trade. Rogers, who the Orioles acquired from the Tigers on July 30th after being DFA’s by Detroit, will serve as the backup catcher to Connor Wong until Adley Rutschman comes off the IL. He is more known for his slightly better than league average in throwing out base runners. He serves an important role until Rutschman comes back. He is a free agent at the end of the season.

One of the more under the radar moves on Monday was the acquisition of Eli White from the Braves for Tyler Uberstine. White is 32 years old and has played for Texas (2020-2022) and the Braves (2023-2026). He is a 6-2, 195 pound outfielder who bats and throws from the right side. He was a fan favorite in Atlanta and was considered a clutch bench player and provided timely hitting over the last two seasons with the Braves. White’s calling card is his elite level defense. He can play all three outfield positions at a high level, with the ability of making highlight reel catches. He gives the Red Sox a real defensive replacement in the outfield and the potential of a day off for Duran, Rafaela or Abreu without sacrificing defense. Something that Masataka Yoshida and Jahmai Jones are not going to give you. By the way, and he is a skilled pinch runner and can steal bases with a 99 percentile sprint speed. That plays!

White and Rogers show the need to complete a roster with complimentary players, particularly in roster spots 25 and 26. This attention to detail is critical in building not only playoff caliber level rosters but championship rosters as well in today’s game.

How will this all play out? We can only hope that what we have witnessed over the last 5-6 weeks continues. It appears that the Red Sox have retooled and are prepared for the stretch run. I like what I’ve seen over the last week and am glad I burned that white flag I was waving in June. I guess Breslow and I have both learned our lessons.

This week on the field

After another charter plan delay at LAX, the Sox finally made it back to Boston Monday. This was their last day off until August 20th. The team hosted the surprising, Central Division Chicago White Sox and the Athletics.

After sweeping the White Sox in Chicago back about a month ago in the early stages of the 15 game win streak, the visitors were more than likely looking for revenge when they entered Fenway Park. That desire was quickly and decisively put to rest in Game One when the Red Sox destroyed the White Sox 14-2 after a nice outing by Patrick Sandoval. Game Two saw Sonny Gray hike his record to 14-2 with a beautiful six inning effort that led the Boston to a 4-0 victory. At the time it extended their current win streak to seven and they had secured another series win. As great as that was, what we saw in the finale of the series was something special.

This game was almost like watching heavyweight boxing match. The White Sox would jump out in front, the Red Sox cut the lead in half. The visitors would add on a couple more runs and the Red Sox would answer with two and then three more of their own and yet never were able to get the lead. The Red Sox finally tied the game in the bottom of the ninth at 7-7. Then came extra innings.

Bringing in your All Star closer Aroldis Chapman is almost an automatic hold or win, but not Thursday night. Newcomer Jake Rogers first assignment with the Sox? Catch the flame throwing veteran lefty! Chapman gave up a two run shot to former Red Sox prospect Chase Meidroth in the top of the 10th and things looked very bleak at 9-7. No worries the Sox came back to tie it thanks to a Seigler sac fly after Andruw “Doubles” Monasterio cut the lead to one.

Then came the 11th and 12th innings when Chicago would plate a run to go ahead and then the Sox would come back to tie it. Chicago was determined to leave Boston with a win, only to be smacked down as the game progressed. At this point the game was tied 11-11.

Then came the 13th inning. Brayan Bello who was the last man standing in the pen and had a rough 12th inning, came in for his second inning of work. Bello self corrected himself and proceeded to finally ice the White Sox by getting Benintendi, Montgomery and Romo to pop out, strike out and ground out respectively. This meant the score was tied heading into the bottom of the 13th. Nick Sogard manned second as the ghost runner. After Rafaela popped out and Abreu was intentionally walked, Caleb “The Dirt Dog Durbinator” Durbin roped a single to center to score Sogard and end this marathon 12-11. It was another series sweep and eighth victory in a row. It was a shining example of the “new” Red Sox where you ignore or discount them at your own peril. Baseball is truly fun again in Boston.

You’d think there would be a letdown after a game like that. Nope! The Athletics were the next team in town and they too would be treated harshly. Payton Tolle pitched six strong innings. He struck out 14 and the only run was a solo home run. Meanwhile, the offense kept rolling and smacked Athletics pitching for 13 runs and this was hardly a contest after the 4th inning when it got to 9-0. The final was 13-1 and the streak was now nine games in a row and the Red Sox were finally .500 at home!

Jake Bennett started off great yesterday, but eventually gave up four of the seven runs the A’s scored and the Sox win streak ended at nine losing 7-3. The good news of the day came from Worcester where Adley Rutschman, starting his rehab assignment, caught the first half of the game and went 1-2, scored two runs, walked two times and drove in two runs to help the WooSox destroy the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs 19-0.

First pitch of the rubber game against the A’s is 1:35.

THE “OG’S” IDLE THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK

• Thank you Craig Breslow for not trading Franklin Arias at the deadline. I know it might have been tempting, but in my opinion you did the right thing.

• Marcelo Mayer is a California guy. He may catch fire playing for a west coast team like the Giants. I wish him well.

• On Thursday a report came out that Tristan Casas was undergoing arthroscopic wrist surgery. Another tough break for a young player with potential who has been sidelined with injury. He’s really been the forgotten man this year. (Except by Mass Mutual). At least the Sox did not sign him to that long term extension.

• Anyone else think that the Red Sox front office ought to have Bob Kraft on speed dial for access to the Pats private team plane? With all the issues with Delta and the charter they provide for the Sox this season, it might not be a bad idea.

• The fact that Crochet is throwing again gives me hope we see him maybe in September. Imagine a bullpen that included Crochet, Whitlock, Guerrero, Miller and Slaten for the playoffs!

• Roman Anthony is taking overhand BP in the cage now. The team is watching each step of his rehab to ensure that there is no regression. I’m hopeful that he returns in September, but I am willing to toss this year in the trash if it means we get to have a healthy player next season.

• Surprised that the Brewers didn’t do more. A pitcher like Casey Mize might have worked out well for them (despite his first post deadline outing), instead he went to the Padres.

• Arte Moreno must have truly listened to his interim GM John Mozeliak. The Angels actually made moves at the deadline and acquired some decent prospect talent. Don’t scare me like that Arte!

• The Yankees are limping along. They may have solved some of their offensive woes with trading for Garcia and Ramos as well as calling up Lombard, but they have more issues like an overworked bullpen and anemic performance at the catching position. They could have had Rutschman, but the Orioles reportedly wanted Will Warren in return.

• Interesting but important safety tip about the Yankees. Brian Cashman’s contract runs out at the end of this season. Aaron Boone’s contract runs through next season.