Game Day: Saturday, June 27th

I had an entire post written and ready to publish.  I had a game all picked out and a plan in place for the evening. 

It was a rush to get the pick in.  The Blue Jays' game posted at 2:07 PM CDT and the way I play it, if I can't get the "Today's Pick" post written and published before the game starts, I can't make the bet.  It's part of my system.  

I'm rushing to write the post.  I'm taking Dylan Cease tonight and I like this pick.  Cease versus Cal Quantrill.  I'm almost done with the post, it's almost ready to publish and in my haste, I forget to first publish the "Game Day" post that I had written earlier this morning.  I publish "Today's Pick" and discard my drafts (I always clear my Drafts folder at the end of the day).  I sit back with that feeling of satisfaction that you get after completing a days' work.  I open up my blog to review my work.  

"Wait, where is my Game Day post?"  My internal voice says aloud.  

I forgot to publish it and mistakenly deleted the draft.  I thought I had published the post.  It's a goner.  A deleted draft is irrecoverable on the Blogger platform.  

It's a sinking feeling.  I've lost my work before and it's very difficult to process.  It's a deep dissappointment.  It's akin to that feeling you get when you can't find your wallet or your keys.  It is despair.  

Writing is difficult, especially when you have demanding deadlines to meet and editors to deal with.  I don't have to deal with either writing this blog.  I don't get a paycheck.  In that way, in some sense, it is less pressure.  Believe it or not, in some way, it is more pressure.  I feel like if I lose this writing job that I created for myself, that I will lose my life too.  That's how important it is to me.  That is how I feel about every post I write.  I write with that sort of understanding.  

I work for myself, sure, and there is no reason that I can't call it a day and mail it in.  I don't have a boss so to speak but I feel like I am being chased down by a death and every post that I write and publish is a gust of wind that propels me forward and keeps me just out of reach.  

Sure, I can take a pass.  I won't get fired for not handing in my article.  It's my damn blog and that was my knee-jerk reaction this afternoon.  I decided to take a pass on the day.  I was wallowing in my despair.  

The idea that I have been defeated in some way and that in my defeat I am one step closer to failure, to this death, to being resigned to the fates, it eats at the heart of me.  It eats at my spirit.  It intensifies the anguish of having lost my work.  Not only did they take my work they also made me out to look like a lazy slackard.  It eats at the heart of me.

There is only one solution.  I have to rewrite the post and this post is that effort.

The article I had written earlier was about the Yankees and the Red Sox series.  In yesterday's "Game Day" post I made a comment about the Red Sox' season being on the brink.  I had stated that if the Yankees were to sweep the Red Sox this weekend at Fenway Park that the Red Sox' season would be over and I did believe that statement to be true but there was a major error with my statement.  

The Red Sox won the game on Thursday night.  I had thought that the Yankees had won the opener.  The fact that Boston won Thursday's game nullifies my proclimation and it is my error but I still believe the Red Sox to be a team in peril heading into July.

The Red Sox have now won three in a row against the Yankees, including a 4-1 win this afternoon.  Rookie Jake Bennett picks up his second win of the season and is pitching well for Boston.  The offense has beaten three really good pitchers in this series:  Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Garrett Cole.  

I truly believe that Boston was on the brink of elimination but there should be no doubt that with three wins over the Yankees this weekend, the Red Sox have extended their season into July.  

Looking at the next two weeks, the Red Sox play a soft schedule into the All-Star break.  They have a series scheduled with the Nationals, the Angels, the White Sox and the Mets.  The White Sox are playing good but I'd rather play the White Sox than the Marlins with Alcantara, Meyer and Perez.  I'd rather play the Nationals than the Reds with Burns, Abbott and Lodolo.  They can win all four of these series.  It is possible to get to 44-50 into the All-Star break and that puts them in contention into the August trade deadline.

Garrett Crochet could return to the rotation soon and if Crochet is at his best, Boston will have a formidable pitching staff.  Crochet, Gray and Suarez at the top with Early, Tolle and Bennett working at the back is as good as any group of starters in MLB.  They have plenty of depth with Johan Oviedo and Patrick Sandoval in tow.  Both pitcher's could be available, if needed, at some point in August.  

The bullpen has been good all year. They could use a lefty arm but for the most part, what they have in place has been effective.  They haven't had many injuries to deal with and that has helped keep this bullpen from being overworked.

This team has a pair of Gold Glove outfielders in Wiyler Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela.  Willson Contreras is having one of the best seasons of his career.  Caleb Durbin has started to hit the ball.  Jarren Duran is a capable defender and an experienced veteran who can hit and run the bases. Masataka Yoshida is a professional hitter and a solid option at the DH.  Narvaez and Wong are a serviceable duo behind the plate. A pair of holes to plug at shortstop and at second base.

Marcelo Mayer was in the plans this season.  He hasn't hit the ball well and was recently placed on the IR.  Trevor Story has been out of the lineup with an injury and he isn't necessarily a good option for this team when he returns.  I think Boston should move on from both Mayer and Story.

Could Boston unload Trevor Story on the Giants in return for Willy Adames and Luis Arraez?

That would be one heck of a deal.  Include Marcelo Mayer in that deal?  That would be one heck of a trade and Buster might bite on it if Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon were included.  

Here is my hypothetical trade proposal:

Boston Red Sox:

-- (SS) Trevor Story (1yr, 25M)

-- (3B) Marcelo Mayer (PRE-ARB)

-- (SP) Kutter Crawford (ARB3/ARB4)

-- (CI/RF) Jack Winnay (AA)

-- (SP) Anthony Eyanson (AA)

-- (SP) Kyson Witherspoon (A)

-- (OF) Harold Rivas (A)

--for--

Giants:

--  (SS) Willy Adames (5 yrs,155M)

--  (2B) Luis Arraez (FA)

--  (RP) Sam Hentges (ARB4)

The Red Sox' outfield would lineup with Rafaela, Abreu and Duran.  It would be Durbin, Adames, Arraez and Contreras around the infield with a catching duo of Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong.  Yoshida is the primary DH. The bench would be solid with Romy Gonzalez, Isiah Kiner Falafa and Roman Anthony, assuming all three will be available after the All-Star break.  Triston Casas is another potential option on the bench and Casas has good power when healthy.

Hentges is the lefty Boston needs to replace Jovani Moran in the bullpen.  With this trade, Boston's team would be set for the stretch run and they would be formidable.  

The Giants cash in on Arraez and get out of the long-term money on Adames.  They add Crawford to potentially fill a spot in their rotation in '27 and a pair of excellent starting pitching prospects in Eyanson and Witherspoon.  Winnay and Rivas are the B-Side but Winnay is a nice player out of Wake Forest and Harold Rivas is a young outfielder from Venezuela with a good glove and some developing power in his bat.  He is Boston's #13 prospect at Fangraphs.  

This trade isn't light.  That is a stack for Arraez and Adames.  That is what is needed to unload Trevor Story's 25M in '27 and it is time to part with Trevor Story.  

Taking on Story isn't all that bad for the Giants.  He will be motivated in a contract year in '27 and it could work out well for Story playing between Chapman and Schmitt.  He might be a good fit in San Francisco.  A reunion with Rafael Devers might be an issue but there is a trade for Devers too.  I contend that Devers is a good fit with the Mets and that they would entertain taking on Devers' contract were he to be made available.  

If Boston is in contention at the end of July, a trade for Adames and Arraez would be awesome and the package of players I have put together should get the deal done.  Story is exhausting this Red Sox' team.  Adames would bring excitement to the locker room and the fan base.  He got hot late last season if you remember.  He landed the big deal because he posted some big numbers with the Brewers.  Fenway could be a good fit for Adames.  I think he would get along well with Rafaela and Contreras and the rest of the latin players on this Red Sox team.  

Here is a potential Red Sox lineup after the trade:

1 -- (2B) Arraez

2 -- (CF) Rafaela

3 -- (SS) Adames

4 -- (1B) Contreras

5 -- (RF) Abreu

6 -- (DH) Yoshida

7 -- (LF) Duran

8 -- (3B) Durbin

9 -- (C) Narvaez

I think the Red Sox can win the World Series this season with this trade.  That lineup has some balls.

I'm no Red Sox fan.  I was rooting for the Yankees to sweep them and end their season this weekend but it is just as exciting to see this Boston team extend their season with a solid series win over New York.

Sonny Gray (9-1) versus Carlos Rodon (4-2) on Sunday Night Baseball.  Red Sox play for a four-game sweep.  With a sweep on the line, this is going to be a big game tomorrow night.  

That's it for Game Day on Saturday.  No pick tonight.  We enter Sunday with 2.26 units in play.  Stay tuned.