Weakest division in the sport but hey, they actually have pulled off getting past Cleveland on paper to the point where the Tribe are considering throwing in the towel.

Now is the hard part though. Converting having the best talent into the most wins is something they have not been good at. The manager is arguably the worst in the sport. They should be able stack 95 wins against an AL Central schedule, but will they?

No they will not.

85-87 wins is a realistic ceiling for this season.

_________________

They aren't winning 95 games this year

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

In a real division? Yea you're probably right. But the Royals and Tigers are dreadful and if the Indians blow it up they wont be much better. This isn't the AL East, Minnesota last year smashed 100 wins....its actually not unrealistic for the Sox to do the same.

as others are saying, the division is so weak that they can pile up W's vs Cleveland, Detroit, and KC. 90+ wins is very achievable.

_________________
“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Yeah, the Sox have won 95 games seven times in their history. I'm gonna say 2020 will not be the eighth time. Still, never before have so many teams been trying to lose on purpose. Just the fact that the Sox are actually trying to win helps a bit. And I never thought they'd win 95 in 2000 or 2005 either.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

You’re assuming the Sox will be a good team. They probably won’t be.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I agree about Renteria other that with a heavy Latin team he may function okay if someone other than him run the pitching staff and do normal game manager functions. He is a very bad game manager.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Nonsense. They'll win around 90-92 games.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Ok.

I'll be sure to bookmark this for next September.

_________________

Hell yes they'll be good. I think that their last significant move will be bringing in two relievers, a right handed gas thrower and a gadget lefty type.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

85 wins, max....and be happy for the improvement

_________________

85 could win the division, heck 83 could.

82-85

I wish Cleveland would hurry up and trade Clevinger and Lindor. And the Twins struck out on adding pitching. That's a shame

84 + 11 = 95 my friend.

_________________

2005!

2020 will be a carbon copy with the Sox in first place from wire to wire

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I am someone very aware of the incredibly high risk that Grandal has a year not unlike the one Dunn had when he arrived, yet I still recognize that they are going to score a shit-ton of runs. Jimenez and Moncada are really special talents that have proven now they can do it at the ML level. I'd be shocked if Robert isn't the better than both of them.

Combine that with Abreu, Anderson, McCann and Mazara (I think he's a huge breakout candidate) and even if Grandal is a total offensive zero they are going to be a nightmare to get through.

The rotation feels good now. Keuchel and Gonzalez are the lefthanded workhorses they really needed. Now if they can just get one of Cease, Lopez or Kopech to take a big step that's it. That's really what this all comes down to.

I find it extremely important that the 31 year old catcher not be overused. 100 games behind the plate...tops

Twins getting career years out of half a dozen young hitters and Nelson Cruz propelled them to the 2nd best offense in MLB in 2019: 2nd to the Yankees in runs scored, 2nd to Houston in OPS. Many candidates for regression in 2020 in the Twins lineup.

You don't think there's a chance Moncada, Anderson, McCann, and Giolito can be less productive or just the young Twins players?

I'm not quite ready to count the Indians out but I think the Sox could be the best.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

McCann will likely fall back but there's nothing to really indicate Giolito's year was a fluke. He just realized his talent.

Anderson and Moncada will probably be even better and contribute more if they can both stay healthy. 2019 was not a best-case scenario for them.

Me neither.

However, they did go 30-8 against Detroit and KC last year. Sox gotta do that if those teams are complete garbage again.

Gotta agree. Think about 84-85 win team, atm.

Sox starters won 48 games last year, which was the league average. (Relievers went 24-21.) 84-85 total wins is doable. But I just have no clue how Kopech, Keuchel, and Gio are going to do.

93 wins

Yep, McCann will probably fall back, which is what makes the Grandal signing even better.

_________________
“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

If this team wins 93 games, that means Renteria is gonna be hear for a long time...

I don't know if Anderson can be better average wise unless he learns to take a walk. This to me will be important for this team. Moncada is a guy who I believe may be an MVP in the league before his career is over.

As for all of the players you name regressing, that is pretty doubtful. First of all, people need to define what regressing really is. If, for example, Anderson hits "just", .290 but his OBP goes up and his power numbers are better or his fielding gets better, is that really regressing?

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

They are going to win many ball games by simply outhitting their opposition. Keuchel and Gonzales will keep them in games and eat innings. Their ERA's will be at least equal or below the league average. Both of those guys are pros and by reputation are leaders in the locker room. Kopech really is a wild card. Could be an ace. Could also down the road be a closer?

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip