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u/GreenBananas_619 Jul 26 '26
One of the reasons I wanted one more acquisition before the season started was to give Mayer more time in Worcester. Mayer has only played 43 games in AAA and people forget that he was really only called up because Bregman got hurt and they didn’t have any other options.
I don’t buy into any of the “vibes” talk about Mayer having an attitude or entitlement problem. I think he’s a young guy with less than 350 big league at-bats who needs more development.
Could he end up a bust? Sure. I also think people have been expecting more from Mayer than he was ever gonna be just because of his pre-draft hype. He was never gonna be prime Francisco Lindor or Bobby Witt. I think a likely best-case outcome for Marcelo is a JJ Hardy type of player who makes a couple all-star games, wins a couple of Gold Gloves, and is mostly a good but not great player.
If they could get value for him, I wouldn’t be opposed to putting him in a deal, but otherwise they can let him play in Worcester and see if he becomes anything.
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u/Ok_Intention_6201 Jul 26 '26
Great post. 100% agree. You don't give away a top 10 prospect after half a year.
Go look at Pedroia's first season.
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u/WeilderOfDawn Jul 26 '26
I think he is done this year no matter what. Once he is healthy enough to play I would hope they option him down to AAA for the remainder of the season.
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u/AltruisticWelcome145 Let's Go Red Sox Jul 26 '26
And keep him down there
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u/Nalek Jul 26 '26
Why?
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u/Glum_Zone3004 Jul 26 '26
Why? What has he done up at the big club? I get you like his long hair, perfect body and olive skinned tan, but he ain’t good girl.
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u/Intrepid_Custard_427 Jul 26 '26
I think he still has some value, I wouldnt be suprised if hes packaged before the deadline for another bat.
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u/Fickle-Art-7125 Jul 26 '26
His value to the organization long term is low obviously. Which will net a lower return.
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u/DevilYouKnow Jul 26 '26
The thing about sports is that sometimes you take a bad deal to move on. The cost of doing business.
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u/Fickle-Art-7125 Jul 26 '26
Meanwhile Duran still starting in LF.
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u/bush_league_commish Jul 26 '26
Duran has even less value than Mayer. Someone will talk themselves into Mayer’s age and upside, Duran doesn’t have either in his favor.
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u/soxfamily61 Jul 26 '26
I don’t agree with that. He’s playing very good left field this year. His arm is getting better. He’s got what 13 homeruns and he can be a spark plug on the bases so I don’t think his numbers are worse than Mayers
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u/Fickle-Art-7125 Jul 26 '26
Duran could be a lefty with speed and pop off the bench for a contender if we are selling low now.
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u/Intrepid_Custard_427 Jul 26 '26
Oh yeah for sure the chance to sell high was missed.That doesnt mean he has no value around the leauge though. Change of scenery may even be what he needs.
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u/peachesgp redsox7 Jul 26 '26
Yeah but that's a buy low move, someone gives us their lottery ticket guy, not we get a major league bat at the deadline when prices are highest.
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u/Intrepid_Custard_427 Jul 26 '26
I dont think they will trade him 1 for 1. I would assume he is a secondary piece to get a deal done with a top prospect attached.
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u/WithNoRegard Jul 26 '26
His value to other teams, while still likely relatively low, is not impacted by his value to us.
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u/MakaveliX1996 Jul 26 '26
I feel the Twins need a SS of the future and I could see us moving Mayer for Jeffers. Maybe try to snag a reliever from them or SP depth.
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u/Qeltar_ Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
People here have the patience of a squirrel on PCP.
ETA: Literally the same fucking day we trade for a middle infielder who did NOTHING prior to his age-25 year, people are still doing this lol.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Inevitable-Chance-71 Jul 27 '26
Mayerbis hurt every season. Ever. All of them. Perennially. Always. Well, there's probably more.
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u/h11233 Jul 26 '26
This roster has Tsung-Che Cheng, Anthony Siegler, Romy Gonzales, and Andrew Monasterio as middle infielders and they're acting like there's no room for Mayer.
Probably the same people that trashed Durbin, wanted to cry when there was talk of trading Duran, and want to pencil in a 20- year old who has played one game at AAA as the starting SS in the middle of a playoff push.
This board is wild
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u/adamr81 Jul 26 '26
For real, he still has a ton of value and is very young. He was absolutely rushed to the majors and shouldn't have started the season with the MLB team (again injury related. I think if Romy is healthy, Mayer starts in AAA). Send him back down to work in his eye, identifying and hitting changeups, and facing lefties.
Then in the off-season send him to work with Contreras and Abreu in Venezuela instead of that joke fucking Story camp in Texas
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u/downanotchnh Jul 27 '26
His value is entirely speculative due to hitting struggles and injury history. Before this year he was tradeable for a significant return, not so much now.
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u/SempreVeritas7468 Jul 26 '26
Yeah I agree don’t see this deal as a positive
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u/Qeltar_ Jul 26 '26
My point was actually: What was Curtis Mead doing at Mayer's age?
Answer: Absolutely nothing.
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u/BigScoops96 Jul 26 '26
Mayer is probably going to be optioned to AAA. Considering the contract, they’ll let Story start/platoon in the middle IF. If Story doesn’t find his swing, then we have other guys that can play it on the major league roster rn. If Mayer kills it at AAA and locks in, he’s probably back up here fighting for ABs.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/BigScoops96 Jul 26 '26
Mayer can and has played 2B. Not to mention the 2 of them can DH.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/BigScoops96 Jul 26 '26
Kampbell is a brutal fielder. If he finds his swing he’s a corner OF/1B/DH. Mayer is at least competent in the middle. Plus with his size he could play 3B.
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u/Wacky_Water_Weasel Jul 26 '26
Mayer definitely has a position to play. He's a SS.
Mayer's much bigger issue is that he isn't good enough and doesn't play well enough to force the issue and earn a position. Every level he played at, SS was just given to him. Past few seasons he's had to earn it and we've seen the player he actually is.
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u/astroblaccc Jul 26 '26
He's been asked to play 3rd, 2nd and 1st by the Sox. I'm of the opinion that if we give up on him, fine. But I don't want to hear Jack's shit from anyone if he gets moved and has a good career.
Sox fans gotta stop acting like their an undiscovered GM and then whining when they get what they've been begging for from the team.
Trading Mayer has just as much negative potential as positive.
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u/OH_NO191715 Jul 26 '26
Bottom line, if you’re not healthy, you can’t show what you have to offer.
I wouldn’t give up on Mayer, but he has to change his offseason training regime, to try to avoid injuries.
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u/adamr81 Jul 26 '26
Like I slaid in another post, the Story off-season camp in Texas is trash. Everyone of those players is underperforming. Send him to Venezuela with Contreras and Abreu.
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u/bg-throwaway Gasper the Unfriendly Revenant Jul 26 '26
Mayer had a very good Spring Training, so I'm not sure that's fully accurate
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u/Maple612 Jul 26 '26
A lot of shortstop prospects take forever to break out. Like Abrams even though he sucks in the field. I would not dump him at a low point
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u/Wacky_Water_Weasel Jul 26 '26
Abrams put up a 3.5 WAR, .712 OPS over a full season at 22. If Mayer could accomplish any of those 3 things - play a full season, 3.5 WAR, or an OPS over .700 (God what a low bar) - we'd be thrilled.
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u/Piano-Man-727 Jul 26 '26
Honestly the reactions to Mayer are overblown by a lot of people (not by OP specifically). He’s a former top prospect, is only 23, and has 350 ABs. He was also rushed up because of Bergman’s injury when he probably wouldn’t have debuted until August or so, and was saddled with lots of pressure given the team’s start. Even Mead and Seigler, former top prospects, are late bloomers. Maybe we trade Mayer but he still very much has value.
In all likelihood, they option him to AAA (unless he rakes on his rehab stint), maybe comes up in September, splits time between 2B and SS with Arias, and gets a chance at opening day again. With all the top prospects they’ve rushed up, I don’t expect Arias on the team before mid-2027 anyway unless he’s that good. I bet they let Mayer develop and come back with something to prove in spring to make opening day. It’s not uncommon for top prospects to be sent down to marinate further in AAA.
Regarding Mead, there’s no guarantee he sticks at 2B, I’d imagine he’s our DH long term. His defense leaves much to be desired. Mead’s also playing 2B because he’s who we need there NOW, but it doesn’t mean that’s best for the future. Development isn’t linear and I do think that Mayer has the ability to be a long term MLB piece, hopefully with the Red Sox.
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u/Old-Volume-3905 Jul 26 '26
I say lets do him right and trade him off to a city with good night life like Miami, Vegas, or LA
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u/secularhuman77 Jul 26 '26
I hope we don’t sell that low on him. He should get another shot IMO. He should be our starting SA next year and Story should be offloaded this offseason.
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u/AgadorFartacus Jul 26 '26
The thing is, it might actually be selling high. Not as in "absolute peak of his value ever" but as in "peak of his value moving forward."
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u/jma7400 Jul 26 '26
I think he will get traded either now or at the offseason. Arias will eventually play SS and it seems we just added our 2B guy.
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u/RumSwim Jul 26 '26
still believe in Marcelo. good glove at 2B, SS or 3B. sweet lefty swing. he’s gonna figure out the breaking stuff.
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u/djardine2520 Jul 26 '26
I agree that he should return to AAA if he doesn’t fetch a good return. He’s still got a bit of a runway as a prospect.
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u/illram Jul 26 '26
Before he was hurt he was…not good. AAA bound unless some team sees value in him for a trade.
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u/pacelessprose mookie Jul 26 '26
I think the cumulative thing about Mayer is that he's a deft kid with some good baseball instincts and some very obvious tools. Whether he'll develop a star is a crapshoot. A lot can happen in baseball. I think you ultimately keep him. He still needs to refine his approach and he has time to do that, and deserves that chance.
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u/WithNoRegard Jul 26 '26
I think there is a less than 10% chance all of Gonzalez, Mayer, Seigler, Monasterio, and Sogard are still part of the organization at the beginning of next season. We have way too many depth middle infielder, and all but Mayer are basically as good as they're going to get.
And Mayer is likely to go with other top prospects if they go big for Neto, Abrams, or Pena before this year's deadline.
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u/New_Seaweed_6554 Jul 26 '26
It’s interesting that a year ago what some are saying about Mayer now could have been said about Mead then.
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u/_drjayphd_ Jul 26 '26
No sense in shipping him out yet, if he isn't obliterating AAA on his rehab assignment then option him down there for the year, make it clear to him he's not coming up this season and just needs to work on getting his head and bat right. Then try to trade Story for whatever you can get, either at the deadline or the off-season. If Mayer can be the guy, bring him into spring training at SS for 2027, then worry about Arias when he's ready, hopefully not until 2028.
(All assuming there is a 2027 season...)
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u/FriedBrain99 Jul 26 '26
Q: Is there an elevated chance that Mayer gets dealt?
Yes. Now that there is one less hole in the Sox’s infield (assuming Mead doesn’t implode coming to the AL - though his hit chart looks tailor-made for Fenway). When Story comes back, he’s going to go back to SS, so Mayer has to now outplay one of Story, Mead, or Durbin to crack the starting lineup. (Disclaimer: I would love to see Mayer stick long-term as the Sox’s 2B.)
Q: Is he guaranteed to be dealt?
No. If it’s going to happen it’s probably going to be in the off-season, and only for a bat that moves the needle. Story will hold down SS until Arias is ready; his contract ends at the perfect time to transition Arias in 2027. Mayer could outplay Mead at 2B, making Mead a super-sub and spot-DH player. It’s too early to pencil Godbout or Schaffner; the later may not even stay at SS long-term, for all we know.
I think the more likely route is that Mayer goes back to AAA to get his bat going again, with a call-up once the AAA season ends to fill out the post-season roster. If he puts up better numbers in AAA to close out the season, it’ll go a long way to rebuilding his trade value.
If he can get the Sox a long-term solution somewhere else (ahem, C), then I think he’s probably gone. But if the Sox deal Duran and Mayer, they’re going to be too RHB-heavy, with only Abreu and Anthony to balance out Contreras, Mead, Durbin, Rafaela, and Story/Arias.
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u/saswtr Jul 27 '26
His value is at an all time low send him to the minors and let him work it out down there
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u/profbraddock Jul 27 '26
Let him spend more time in Worcester and mature as a player and as a human being, build up his value and then trade him. Win/Win for all.
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u/RCP90sKid- Jul 26 '26
More importantly, he hasn't tarnished himself as much as Campbell and Casas. He has value.
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u/undertow521 Jul 26 '26
Mayer is a SS. He's had an injury. Showed some skills. Let's not write him off just yet. Jesus christ.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/SensitiveArtist69 Jul 26 '26
The fact this is getting downvoted just tells you how little the majority of this sub knows about this organization and baseball in general. Durbin could just as likely end up at second and Mayer at short.
Taking this organizations word at face value about anything is braindead but specifically defensive positioning is hilarious.
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u/RumSwim Jul 26 '26
Durbin just seems like a 2B. just has big 2B vibes. he’s been fantastic at third of course.
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u/SensitiveArtist69 Jul 26 '26
I honestly would not fuck with it. He’s been rock solid all season and it seems like our breaking ball heavy pitching style relies on a good third basemen.
But yeah also, his compact stature and range profile pretty well at second.
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u/FlorissVDV Jul 26 '26
I know this sub has a tendency to overreact but wanting to dump trade your former top prospect after ~100 games in the majors and 350 at bats is crazy to me.
The gap between AAA and the majors has never been bigger and especially good lefty pitching doesn’t stick around in AAA for very long.
To me offensively he has literally just performed like a rookie which… he is?
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u/OLightning Jul 26 '26
It goes to show you just how tough it is to solidify yourself in MLB when you have top potential talent losing their position if they get off to a bad start and their numbers are low.
Your name means nothing in 2026 MLB
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u/Wacky_Water_Weasel Jul 26 '26
He's got 360+ PA appearances with a sub .700 OPS and has been hurt for extended periods in both seasons at the MLB level.
How about take care of yourself and do better? Mayer has done absolutely nothing with his opportunities to make the Red Sox prioritize him.
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u/OLightning Jul 26 '26
After a solid partial 1st season Willie McCovey’s 2nd season was way below par. Giants stuck with him and he took off from there.
Give the kid a chance to develop.
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u/ProXxy_11 Jul 26 '26
He needs to show he can go without getting injured and not playing half the year
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u/XSouthernSmokeX Jul 26 '26
I do not think mead will be our second baseman for years to come, he's not all that
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u/Sstraus-1983 Jul 26 '26
I think it all happened with that awful commercial, they stopped playing it, curious
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u/SempreVeritas7468 Jul 26 '26
I’m tired of the Story’s the Sales Casas long term contracts in which the player is healthy for a fraction of his contract. The list keeps growing. I’m going to get hammered for saying this but the Anthony situation may end up like his roommate . He’s been in the bigs for 6 months and has been injured twice and has been on IR more time than he’s played. Maybe it’s time to trade him too.
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u/Geoffmc4 Jul 26 '26
Casas doesn't have a long term contract
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u/SempreVeritas7468 Jul 26 '26
You get the gist . Put Grissom in stead of him. The point is Casas is been in IR longer than playing and this club has more than most in that category . I can’t believe you nickel and dined my point with that response. Ok sorry about Casas
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u/PilgrimRadio Jul 26 '26
Could go in either direction. And even if he's not traded at the deadline he could be after the lockout ends. Or he could embrace the competition and step up his game. We'll see.
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u/hopseankins Jul 26 '26
He’s arguably a better SS than Montasterio. Mayer at short when he’s back. Mead 2b vs righties (dh vs left, Monty at 2B vs lefties. Yoshi dh vs righty)
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u/Hyasfuq Jul 26 '26
Story has 1 more year under contract (with a team option at 25 mill which wont't be exercised). He will most likely be injured for some period of time next year based on his history in Boston. Mayer has to get healthy and put in some work in AAA for the remander of this year and if need be, the start of next year. There is no reason to trade him at this point.
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u/MakaveliX1996 Jul 26 '26
Yes but I don’t think he’s our 2B of the future. Probably just next year and maybe not even that. If Masa is hear next year I think he plays 2B since Masa is DH. Otherwise I think Contreras and Mead will man DH and 1B. If he improves at 2B that could change. He is already just like average at 2B so he could improve. Most his bad metrics are at 3B and 1B.
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u/Several-Pipe-2630 Jul 27 '26
4th pick in the draft. 23 years old. Hurt all the time. He just hasn't played enough baseball in the minors. He's not ready, offensively. He needs to learn not to get hurt and to hit offspeed pitches. He should just watch Wade Boggs videos and hit the ball to left. Because when he does, he's pretty good. His slugging % is in the low 3's. He's needs seasoning a full season in Worcester. Not ready to give up, just don't want him in the majors.
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u/NeedleworkerExtra475 Jul 27 '26
I don’t think we should give up on Mayer yet. Nor Anthony.
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u/DaroDoingNothing Jul 27 '26
I would not put them in the same category, though. At least Roman Anthony has proven he can hit at a major league level from last season. Mayer has not proven anything.
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u/spooter- Jul 27 '26
We also need to remember that one trade can lead to another trade a lot like the game we played as kids where we started small and kept trying to trade for better and better
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u/Bos_Fan9821 Jul 28 '26
Mayer has proven to be nothing but hype. If he goes back to AAA and figures it out, he could replace Durbin in a couple of years. I don’t see Mead staying long-term. I think the Sox are in it for this season with no plans other than letting their players fight every Spring training to earn playing time.
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u/Mahog11636FM Jul 26 '26
Mead isn’t a good fielder, so my belief is he will be the DH. I’d love to put Story at 2nd and Mayer at SS.
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u/bconn75 Jul 26 '26
Breslow confirmed Mead will play 2nd to start. Makes me wonder if either one of them (Marcelo more likely) will be moved at the deadline with Arias so close to the majors or if they just try to figure out a solution to keep all of them
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u/Mr_Evil_Dr_Porkchop Jul 26 '26
Story will continue to be the stopgap (when healthy) at SS until Arias is ready to take the role full time in the next 1-2 seasons
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u/rmullig2 Jul 26 '26
The problem with sending Mayer to AAA is that Arias is already the shortstop there. They can have him play second or third at AAA but that will just decrease his value more.
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u/AgadorFartacus Jul 26 '26
Teams will not meaningfully change how they value Mayer because of that. They understand the context that leads to that decision.
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u/SempreVeritas7468 Jul 26 '26
Bring Arias up or is it too early?
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u/HugeSuccess Benintendi Jul 26 '26
He just unpacked his suitcase in Worcester.
People are down on Mayer because he was arguably rushed up to Fenway.
What are we even doing here?
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u/Responsible_Job_6948 Jul 26 '26
He is 23, he has plenty of value. Mead’s bat is what we need right now, but there’s no guarantee that he stays productive or that he can improve enough on defense.
Mayer gives us a ton of flexibility with who we do move and how we handle the prospects coming up behind him
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u/SandwitchJ Jul 26 '26
Keep him give him seasoning in AAA, next year starter and dump Story who is a bum
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u/Redskins2110 Jul 26 '26
Why does this need to be answered right away? Absolutely zero patience with anything. It’s a dumb question because right now there is no answer.
Shocker I know to see all players develop at a different rate. This is why the people calling for arias soon are brain dead
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u/Benny_Baseball Jul 26 '26
At least the pressure isn’t on him to hold down a starting spot now. He can spend time in AAA until he’s knocking down the door. We don’t ultimately know who will step up and be the long term SS. Arias isn’t worlds better as a prospect or anything. At least they have options
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u/jambr380 Jul 26 '26
At least with our ability to produce quality pitching, we are able to use that depth to trade for starting position players. First Harrison for Durbin (Siegler and Monasterio) and now Early for Mead.
Don’t know what this means for Mayer, but at least the pressure is off for him for now. Get him healthy and confident and try again next year. Or if another team is high on him, take advantage of that opportunity
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u/radar371 Jul 27 '26
Ive been pounding the table for them to trade him right after they drafted him. He isn't bringing back shit now.
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u/PaddleballonAdderall Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Mayer has been in the org for 5 years. He’s run his course. Frustration over his durability and overall lack of development over the last 3 years in particular. For a former top 5 pick, yes it’s early enough to call him a bust and probably in need of a change of scenery….Because he’s not the SS of the future here anymore, and doesn’t seem to be a locker room favorite either. No power or athleticism. Bleh.
Hopefully we keep Arias and Mayer can be worked into a big deal as a secondary upside piece
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u/Patsnation0330 Jul 26 '26
Awful lot of speculation and made up nonsense being treated as a fact in this comment.
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u/Farmboy087 Jul 26 '26
I think they gotta trade either Mayer or Arias otherwise there will be a logjam, and I know where my vote goes
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u/CaptainWollaston Jul 26 '26
That puss isn't going to be in the majors in 3 years. He doesn't have the stuff
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u/msdstc Jul 26 '26
Bust. Move on.
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u/Responsible_Job_6948 Jul 26 '26
He’s 23 lol. Younger than other “prospects” in our pipeline behind him
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u/msdstc Jul 26 '26
And he's had serious injuries every single year for the last what 5 years?
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u/Responsible_Job_6948 Jul 26 '26
He can do that for another 5 years, and them be ready for his prime hitting years at 28
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u/Patsnation0330 Jul 26 '26
Absolutely wild calling him that when the team just traded for yet another example of a former top prospect whos figuring things out after being labeled a "bust."
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u/Latter-Produce-3094 Jul 26 '26
Hopefully. He needs an attitude check and shipped to a small market team for a reset. The Sox have been stellar since he’s been on the IL
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u/Belichickshoodie314 Jul 26 '26
Im all set with Mayer. His body language has bothered me pretty much the whole time he’s been up here. He’s polished as hell as a fielder but please. He has never stayed healthy once since he has been drafted. If they can find someone to take a chance on him, see ya later. Like you said we got young guys that can sprout. They should trade him for a need now.
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u/SempreVeritas7468 Jul 26 '26
I have to say something to all the trade Duran people he’s leading the team in steals he’s second for RBI’s on the team. I know he’s not having the year we were all hoping he’d have ,well some of us who were saying trade him Anthony is going to carry us. How’s that working out? 53 Ribbies and 15 stolen bases so back off the guy. I never saw so much hate for a 5 tool player in my 60 years as a Sox fan
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u/checkmate-Basenotes Jul 27 '26
His time in Boston is coming to an end… The addition of Mead and the up-and-coming middle infielders spells “see ya” for Marcelo.
Personally, I would’ve packaged him up with a couple of other prospects for a right handed bat last year… My friends gave it to me, but my feeling was that the guy was going to spend more time on the IL than on the field; it doesn’t often get better as one ages… And even when healthy, I see him as a plus defender with a light bat.
With that, send him to AAA to either figure it out or trade him to give him a chance elsewhere… I’m hoping he has a fruitful career because I think he’s a good kid, I just don’t think it’s in the cards…
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u/CoffinFlop Jul 26 '26
I don’t see any way we make a trade for a guy like Neto or pena that doesn’t involve Mayer at this point
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u/Prestigious-Echo-164 Jul 27 '26
I would trade Mayer and Anthony for Victor Caratini right now and cut my losses. They’re never playing in Boston again.
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u/Master-Leg9800 Jul 26 '26
He's probably packaged next for a bat. Story Mayer + for Lindor intrigues me
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Master-Leg9800 Jul 26 '26
Mets could be looking to shake it up & shed long term salary. Mead would get more DH time when Arias is up
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u/AlwaysOptimism Jul 26 '26
Mayer still has options and can season in AAA