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. […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 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. […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Are the Red Sox prepared to spend money this winter? Maybe yes, maybe no. I vote yes. How about you?
3 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. […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 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, […]
3 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 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 | 3 reads
The MLB offseason is already off to a rapid start following a World Series for the ages. The Cubs said sayonara to Shota Imanaga. Alex Bregman opted out while Trevor Story opted in. And I’ve already checked to see if there’s a game on at night before catching myself on three occasions — all in […]
3 months ago | 8 reads
If I were the commissioner of Major League Baseball, one of the many rules that I would implement purely to entertain myself would be to require that every team carry at least one player who grew up in that team’s city. And I would be strict as hell about it, too. Sorry, Rich Hill, Milton […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
When the offseason started on the night of October 2nd, many of the true sickos in Red Sox Nation began looking ahead to 2026 to figure out how to fix a roster that mustered just six runs in a three-game series against the Yankees and struck out 13 times while being shutout in an elimination […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Honest Abe. The Bull. The lawnmower. That other Canadian Guy. In case of emergency, put at first base. These are all names Abraham Toro could have been known as in 2025. And some of them he actually was, as least from time to time. The Good When Triston Casas went down and Rafael Devers refused […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
In yesterday’s news and links piece here at Over The Monster, Dan Secatore pondered the following regarding Jarren Duran’s new $7.7 million contract where they essential paid him $7.875 million: If it seems weird that the Sox would do this merely to save $125,000 — which is the difference between the $8 million option and […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Good morning! A fun note for anyone who is convinced that either (1) baseball is dying, or (2) the Dodgers are killing interest in the sport, necessitating the implementation of a salary cap: The 2026 World Series smashed ratings expectations across the board, and Game 7 was the most-watched baseball game in 34 years. And […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
2025 In a Discarded-on-the-Dugout-Floor Nutshell Whitlock returned to the bullpen this year and morphed into one of the most trustworthy and dependable relief pitchers the team has seen in years. As the designated setup man for Aroldis Chapman, he nearly always provided clean innings and allowed Chapman, in his very dominant season, to shut games […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
Jarren Duran and the Red Sox have negotiated a new contract for the 2026 season, agreeing to a deal worth $7.7 million with an additional $75,000 that can be earned via incentives. Duran was not a free agent, of course; we’re talking about arbitration negotiations here. And, interestingly, the Sox had an $8 million option […]
3 months ago | 2 reads