Alex Cora nombra a dos jugadores destacados para negociar antes de la fecha límite de negociación.
Between now and the deadline, Cora is adamant that the front office add players, and he won’t be letting Bello’s performance be a major factor in that decision any more.
This is significant in a number of ways.
First of all, it offers a glimpse into the club’s current perception of Bello, which Cora elaborated on in today’s NESN and Boston Globe articles.
According to The Boston Globe, Cora told reporters, “A lot (can be done) with the time off.” Give him some time to relax, regardless of the cause. That, in my opinion, is the most crucial factor. We’ve realized that there are two areas we need to improve on: hitting first and maintaining an advantage.
On the one hand, they are trying to reset with a pitcher who is in need of assistance and are taking their time. The tone is well-balanced, saying both, “we’re going to take some time to invest in your approach and get you back on track,” and “there will be consequences if you pitch this poorly.”
On the other hand, Cora and his group made a very astute maneuver. One that emphasizes how important these games are to everyone in the clubhouse right now. In addition to seeing themselves as totally committed to the postseason race, they are also giving the upcoming games more importance, with July serving as their window of opportunity to persuade the front staff to add.
This seemingly insignificant adjustment is actually very significant when you take out the calendar and start running the numbers in the “we need to align ourselves as best as possible to win as many games in the next four weeks” sector.
Bello is moved back just one extra position, which allows them to achieve the following:
More time to mentally regroup and move into a position where he can hit more hits.
He will now miss the Yankees holiday weekend series.
Oakland and Miami present softer opponents for his next two starts.
They can also move his Oakland start one extra day forward, making it his final start before the All-Star break, since July 8th is an off day.
The true secret here is the last bullet, which clarifies why this is such a great chess move. Cora may primarily remove Bello from the rotation between now and the time the front office has to decide whether to purchase or sell if he performs poorly against the Marlins on July 3. And they do it without making Bello look bad by sending him to Triple-A or creating a bogus IL stint.
This is a detailed explanation of how it might fit into the forthcoming schedule. In the event that Bello pitches badly once more on July 3rd and his next start is pushed back one extra day against the A’s, the opponents and starters are shown in the table below:
Put another way, the Sox only have to start Bello twice between now and July 23rd, and those two games will be against two of the poorest teams in the league, assuming they don’t need to use anybody else on short rest.
This is the kind of work Cora excels at, which is just one of the many reasons you want a manager who is as excellent as him. Cora seemed poised to take advantage of the Sox’s next series of off days followed by the All Star break and manage it like it’s his own personal October. (If these games are tight, I have a feeling that the bullpen will be used quite aggressively.)
Put another way, the Sox only have to start Bello twice between now and July 23rd, and those two games will be against two of the poorest teams in the league, assuming they don’t need to use anybody else on short rest.
This is the kind of work Cora excels at, which is just one of the many reasons you want a manager who is as excellent as him. Cora seemed poised to take advantage of the Sox’s next series of off days followed by the All Star break and manage it like it’s his own personal October. (If these games are tight, I have a feeling that the bullpen will be used quite aggressively.)
