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The storm inside.

Before the storm, I see the darkness, an ominous silhouette on the horizon. I feel the wind, making the trees sway from side to side, a gusty swoop of exhilaration.  

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Since 1900, the Christian Century has published reporting, commentary, poetry, and essays on the role of faith in a pluralistic society.

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Why a denomination is investigating late devotional writer Sarah Young

Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence and author Sarah Young. (Courtesy images)

The book is currently fifth on the Evangelical Christian Publishers bestseller list .

Some of her fellow Presbyterians are unconvinced. They worry the book falsely claims to speak for Jesus and that for some readers, it has overshadowed the Bible, and that Young’s success challenges the authority of male church leaders.

Last December, Inman said he’d read a negative review of the book a few months after Young’s death and decided he needed to take action. He believes the PCA did a disservice by not spiritually correcting Young for her writing.

Young’s widower, Stephen, who is a PCA missionary living in Nashville, Tennessee, opposed the motion, saying his wife was a faithful church member who wanted to point people to the Bible.

“If you pray and ask God for something, that requires no revelation,” he said. “But if you pray and ask God to clarify something for you—that does require revelation. And it’s not that unusual.”

Kevin Twit, who leads a PCA campus ministry in Nashville, agrees. Twit voted against the motion, saying it was unnecessary. But he said that in the PCA, claiming God spoke to you is discouraged.

“It’s a big deal to say, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’” he said. “It’s one thing to say, ‘I feel like God might be leading me.’ It’s another thing to say, ‘God told me to do something.’”

The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the agency received donations from the proceeds of Jesus Calling , citing donor privacy. The agency also has no control over the books missionaries write.

Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, which gave Young a posthumous award honoring Jesus Calling and its impact in the world, said the group stands behind that decision.

“We believe both the author and the publisher made clear from the initial publication date what Jesus Calling was and was not purporting to be,” he said.

Sarah Young, who was publicity-shy, would likely have been praying for her critics, if she were still alive, her family said. And she would have trusted that God works out things for the best.

“She likely would have not given this controversy much attention, as she knew that her conscience before God was clear, and that God would continue to use her book to bring people to Christ no matter what her critics said.” —Religion News Service

Bob Smietana

Bob Smietana is a Religion News Service national reporter.

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Giants Notes: Snell, Harrison, Cobb

By Nick Deeds | June 29, 2024 at 6:58pm CDT

The Giants have suffered a tough run of injuries to their starting rotation of late, and with six starters on the injured list only Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks are currently in the San Francisco rotation as true full-time starters, although Spencer Howard and Hayden Birdsong have filled in to allow the Giants to cobble together a four-man rotation. Fortunately, it appears that could be changing in the near future as Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier today that southpaws Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison are both making progress towards returns from injuries.

Of the pair, Harrison appears to be closer to a return. The southpaw found himself shelved a little less than two weeks ago due to a right ankle sprain , although the issue proved minor enough that it appears he’ll be ready to return after something close to a minimum stay on the shelf. Per Rubin, the club’s current plan is for Harrison to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday before eyeing a start sometime during the club’s road trip against the Braves and Guardians that wraps up on July 8. That should leave the Giants to turn over the rotation just once more before Harrison rejoins the group.

After making seven starts with the club down the stretch last year, Harrison stepped into the club’s rotation on Opening Day this year alongside Webb, Hicks, Snell, and Keaton Winn . The 22-year-old has generally performed decently in what will be his first full big league season with a roughly league average 3.96 ERA and matching 3.95 FIP through 77 1/3 inning of work spread across 14 starts. While the lefty has only struck out 20.6% of batters faced this year, he’s limited walks to a strong 6.7% clip while generating grounders at a decent 42.1% rate. While the lefty’s pedigree certainly suggests that he could take a step forward at some point, even that stable back-end production would be a huge boost to a San Francisco rotation that has gotten the second-fewest innings out of its starting rotation in the majors this year.

Snell, meanwhile, appears likely to rejoin the Giants after Harrison but has a more concrete plan for his return in place. Per Rubin, the reigning NL Cy Young award winner is scheduled to make a final rehab start on Wednesday before rejoining the rotation on July 10 against the Blue Jays. After being limited to just six starts in the first half by multiple groin injuries while struggling to a 9.51 ERA and 4.63 FIP across those 23 2/3 innings of work where he was healthy enough to take the mound, both Snell and the Giants are surely hoping that the lefty can turn his season around when he returns to action.

While San Francisco was surely hoping for more when they inked Snell to a two-year, $62MM contract back in March, it’s not at all difficult to imagine the southpaw, who boasts a 2.72 ERA and 3.17 FIP with a 31.7% strikeout rate in 56 starts from 2022-23, turning things around in the second half and helping to anchor the top of the Giants rotation alongside Webb. Given his tough start to the season, it’s nearly impossible to imagine Snell opting out of the second year of his deal at this point barring a sensational second half on the level of the one he enjoyed last year, when he posted a 1.43 ERA and 3.12 FIP in his final 15 starts of the season.

Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Alex Cobb is also working his way back from injury after undergoing hip surgery last offseason that delayed his start to the 2024 campaign. He was expected to rejoin the Giants at some point in May, but ended up halting his throwing program due to discomfort in his shoulder in the middle of last month. The righty finally appears poised to get into game action, however, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted this afternoon that Cobb is set to make a rehab start with Single-A San Jose tomorrow.

That’s a key step for the 36-year-old as he looks to return to action for the Giants. The veteran righty has been a very valuable asset for the club in recent years when healthy enough to take the mound, pitching to a 3.80 ERA and a 3.41 FIP in 301 innings of work since the start of his Giants tenure back in 2022. He and veteran lefty Robbie Ray could both impact the club’s rotation at some point later this season, offering internal rotation depth as the season wears on and they get closer to returns from their respective injuries.

32 Comments

16 hours ago

15 hours ago

Snell came in, and started straight selling his paycheck

What does that mean??

It probably means that 13Morgs13 is on hallucinogenic drugs.

Gotta hang tight until the reinforcements come.

They’re wearing out the bullpen in the meantime

11 hours ago

Any updates on Ray? Haven’t seen anything lately on how close he is or where he is in his rehab. Nothing specific here.

9 hours ago

I saw in person Ray pitch last weekend in Sacramento, he looked great. He should be back right after all star break. He has only gone 3.5 innings so far, they want to get him up to 5.

8 hours ago

@Manny thnx for the info. Are you going to see Snell on Wednesday? Also a good chance to grab a signature from a two time Cy Young award winner. Bring a ball or Rookie Card if you have one lol.

Yes, still in the hunt.

Tristan beck is another starter they planned to lean on, hopefully he can come back at some point

What about whisenhunt

13 hours ago

He’s being built up as a reliever this year. The giants org said as much. Then planned to switch him back to a starter

12 hours ago

His control is not great. He’s a 2 pitch pitcher I doubt he can make it in the MLB.

2 hours ago

Wrong pickle. He’s developed another pitch

I just made the mistake of clicking on Snells BR page. WOW. Need some eye drops to view those numbers

Giants should trade Luciano, Whisenhunt, Matos for Skubal

Giants would be sour on your “dill”.

Not that it is unfair, but they have six starters in Webb, Hicks, Harrison, Ray, Snell and Cobb, and Snell is not opting out based on his performance.

The outfield next year will be Ramos, Matos and Lee with Yaz the 4th. Wisely looks great, but Luciano is needed as well.

Again, not that your trade is unfair, but it doesn’t fit for g-men.

It may not fit their long term needs, but I think the Giants would do that trade in a heartbeat. They could easily flip a starter and throw some money at a stopgap outfielder a la Conforto, but someone of Skubal’s talent is much much harder to find.

I did a brain fart and thought they said Skenes lol. It’s bed time

Skubal is great and all, but that’s probably too steep price for 2.5 years

The tigers would do far better than that if they traded Skubal.

Yeah no way Cainer

10 hours ago

I think Harrison will be a much improved pitcher in a few years. I can see him being a #2 behind Webb.

5 hours ago

Imagine if some physical therapist that never pitched told Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, after they threw 150 pitches that they need to work the lactic acid and shouldn’t fully rest their arm the next 2 days. Too many people screwing up arms that never threw before. REST NEVER HURT AN ARM. F’IN with IT after a 100 plus pitches the next day has.

Imagine if someone used two of the most exceptional pitchers ever – who also haven’t pitched in the majors for 30+ years – as examples of what pitchers today should do.

The game is very different now than it was then, with velocity and spin demands creating incredible stress on arms, often causing them to break.

3 hours ago

Ryan and Seaver spun the ball better than anybody. Just because they don’t have a spin rate doesn’t mean today’s pitchers spin it more or better. They had a huge advantage over today’s pitchers. They didn’t have a pitching coach that never played pro ball. There is a huge problem called pitch design. No pitch has been designed, Anybody can trial and error a pitch, it’s been happening since the beginning of baseball. If Seaver or Ryan threw a cutter or morphed cutter we wouldn’t know their names.

There’s no evidence to support the statement that “Ryan and Seaver spun the ball better than anybody..” And given the advances in pitching development in the time since they pitched, it’s extremely likely that is a correct statement.

I’m not sure how it’s “a huge advantage” to have a pitching coach that never played pro ball. And it’s not like 100% of today’s pitching coaches fit your description.

Who f’s around the day after throwing 100 pitches? Pitchers’ throw day typically is 2-3 days after a start, not the next day.

Also, I never said resting an arm isn’t a good idea…buddy.

You obviously never pitched a day in your life. You’re an idiot.

27 mins ago

You obviously know me so well from a few comments at a website. Who’s the idiot?

Resting an arm after throwing 100 pitches isn’t going to ruin an arm buddy. F4cking around with it will.

“Velocity Demands” ? C’mon, pitchers been throwing heat since before you were born. Same with spinning up the ball. Pitching techniques is the one part of the game that has changed very little. The main change is that today’s pitchers throw less.

13 mins ago

I remember Snell when he couldn’t avg over over a K an IP? What happened?

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There is one big reason why Joe Biden refuses to step aside

Presidents and other politicians used to resign or retire for the good of the country. what's changed, by matthew rozsa.

President Joe Biden is running against a man with 34 felony convictions , two impeachments and a historically bungled attempt to manage a pandemic . Even worse, former President Donald Trump is the only president to ever refuse to accept the results of an election if he lost , a petulant and politically perilous practice  in which Trump has indulged since before he became president.

An observer might be forgiven for assuming that, as former Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Salon in 2019 , the American people would never stand for a president who behaves like Trump. Instead, prior to the first Trump-Biden debate, the current president trailed behind in  poll after poll after poll . Even the most optimistic projections gave Biden at best a 50/50 shot of winning — and that was before a debate in which he mumbled, meandered and stared slacked-jawed and vacantly into space. As an 81-year-old man who is by far America's oldest president, Biden had an obligation to dispel concerns about his age. Instead he proved that he either genuinely is too old to be president or was inexcusably incompetent in his preparation.

Given the self-evident disaster that will ensue for democracy if Trump is reelected (as well as the planet, once you factor in Trump's denial of climate change ), it still behooves Trump's opponents to do whatever it takes to make sure he loses in November. For that to occur, however, one of two things must happen: Either Biden needs to slay the pride in his soul that chooses self-glorification over patriotism, or Americans need to overcome the ageism that makes so many of them recoil at Biden's obvious advancing years. Neither appears likely to happen — and to understand what ails American politics today, it is useful to examine why.

The former problem — Biden's stubborn insistence on seeking another term despite his weaknesses as a candidate — is part of a troubling pattern. The contours of recent American history are being shaped by the egos that drive powerful leaders to refuse to retire when their time has come. Look at Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, to take a handful of the most conspicuous examples. Our courts are much more conservative, and women's reproductive rights are significantly more restricted, as a result of those politicians' unwillingness to relinquish power. While humans have always been a power-hungry species, the craving has become demonstrably more insatiable in recent years... especially when it comes to presidential politics.

"George Washington set an important precedent for the nation by retiring after two terms so that he wouldn't die in office like a king."

No incumbent president has refused to seek another term in more than half a century since Lyndon Johnson humbly stepped aside in 1968 after his poor showing in the primaries exposed his weaknesses as a candidate. Later Jimmy Carter sought a second term in 1980, despite clear indicators he would lose, and George H. W. Bush made the same choice in 1992. Prior to then, however, it was not uncommon for incumbents who were exhausted, unpopular or both to simply refrain from seeking another term. This list includes John Tyler in 1844, James Polk in 1848, James Buchanan in 1860, Andrew Johnson in 1868, Rutherford Hayes in 1880, Calvin Coolidge in 1928, Harry Truman in 1952 and Johnson in 1968. All decided for various reasons to not seek another term despite being technically eligible candidates (i.e., they were legally allowed to run again and would not have exceeded a total of eight years in office if they had won). Only three incumbents in American history have ever sought their party's renomination and been outright rebuffed: Millard Fillmore in 1852 and Franklin Pierce in 1856 (both elections shortly before the Civil War), and Chester Arthur in 1884 (who was almost renominated despite struggling with a fatal illness, Bright's disease). By contrast, eleven incumbent presidents have sought reelection and lost, more than one-third of them in the last half-century: John Adams in 1800, John Q. Adams in 1828, Martin Van Buren in 1840, Grover Cleveland in 1888, Benjamin Harrison in 1892, William Taft in 1912, Herbert Hoover in 1932, Gerald Ford in 1976, Carter in 1980, Bush in 1992 and Trump in 2020.

This pattern of presidential selfishness even extends to impeachments. Of the three presidents to be impeached in modern history (four if you count Richard Nixon, who would have been impeached had he not resigned first), only one (Nixon) resigned in order to spare America the ordeal of a prolonged trial. The next two presidents to be impeached, Bill Clinton and Trump, stayed in office regardless of the consequences for America. America even had a Supreme Court judge, Abe Fortas, resign because of a financial scandal rather than allow it to impugn the reputation of the court, a concern that does not seem to beset today's allegedly corrupt judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito .

Why? What has changed since the 1970s?

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course.

The answer is semi-psychological. While it is difficult for people who toil at miserable jobs to appreciate, individuals who sincerely enjoy their work do not want to quit for a simple reason: their specific employment is pleasurable to them. In an April article from Fortune , journalist Alicia Adamczyk profiled baby boomers who refuse to leave their jobs because they enjoy working and fear the sense of purposelessness and boredom that often accompanies retirement. A recent Pew poll found the number of Americans who choose to work past the age of 65 has quadrupled since the 1980s. While there is an important caveat to this research — it applies only to Baby Boomers even though some modern politicians (like Biden and McConnell) are actually older than Boomers — it nevertheless sheds light on one reason why Biden won't step aside from seeking a second term when so many of his predecessors did so. He likes the job of president and does not want to give it up.

"Yes, those in positions of power generally (but not always) want to stay in power," said Dr. S. Jay Olshansky, a sociologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who specializes in demographics and gerontology. "President George Washington did not follow this apparent rule – he intentionally gave up power for the good of the country. The question about power does not just apply to political power – it can apply to any position, and it's more about being important, and needed, and valued, than it is about power. As such, this is a reason many people don't want to retire."

"Ageism is real. But today’s 70 is yesterday’s 50, thanks to modern medicine."

Olshansky added, "As long as they can do their job and do it well, and most important of all, they enjoy what they do, they don't want to give it up. Have you ever heard of PIPs? Previously Important People – these are folks that often regret retiring because they lose their personal value post retirement, which is often defined by one's job or position. Some enjoy being a PIP."

There is more to this than psychology, however. Just as  Washington famously warned that a demagogue might refuse to relinquish power after losing an election (which did not happen until Trump lost to Biden in 2020), so too did the founding fathers in general worry about politicians choosing to act like royalty. They specifically worried that politicians would view their vocation as a long-term career and ultimately lose touch with the people they are meant to serve.

"George Washington set an important precedent for the nation by retiring after two terms so that he wouldn't die in office like a king," Dr. Jonathan W. White, a professor of American studies at Christopher Newport University, told Salon. "Other founding documents also capture a sense of hostility toward what we would today call career politicians. In the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), for example, George Mason wrote that political leaders should 'be reduced to a private station, [and] return into that body from which they were originally taken' so that they can feel 'the burthens of the people' and be 'restrained from oppression.' In other words, Founders like Mason worried that career politicians would lose touch with what it was like to be an ordinary citizen, so they wanted politicians to have to leave office at fixed times."

White added, "The Anti-Federalists feared that politicians would lose touch with the people."

It is not always a bad thing for politicians to stay in office past the point when their health would seem to make doing so advisable. Harold Holzer, the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, brought up Franklin Roosevelt's unprecedented (and to this day solitary) fourth presidential campaign in 1944. In that year, Roosevelt sought an additional term even though he knew that he had high blood pressure and came from a long line of men who died early from strokes.

"As an example of people staying perhaps too long—but all for the good: FDR ran for a fourth White House term in 1944 when he knew, or should have known, he could never survive the entire term," Holzer said. "He picked a good vice president [Harry Truman]. And he believed only he could bring the war to a successful conclusion. I think he was right, even though he was a very old 62."

By contrast to non-elderly presidents struggling with serious health maladies — another famous example is Woodrow Wilson , who clung to power for the last year-and-a-half of his second term despite having suffered an incapacitating stroke — there are also political leaders who can serve but are wrongly disparaged due to ageism.

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"Ageism is rearing its ugly head as news stories appear repeatedly with stereotypes of politicians acting in ways that the writers view as associated with decrepitude and decline," Olshansky said. "Most younger people have yet to experience the importance of wisdom that comes with the passage of time, and they may use stereotypes of older people to define everyone that reaches older ages. Many of the most valued members of our society are those that have developed the wisdom and experience that comes with the passage of time."

Olshansky also told Salon that, when he speaks to young students in their early 20s, they almost all say there is nothing desirable about growing older. These prejudices no doubt fuel the perception among many that Biden is simply too old for the job.

"The reason they give is that they associate growing older only  with loss, decline, decay, and decrepitude," Olshansky said. "They can't see the many advantages of age because they haven't experienced it yet. If you ask older individuals if they would like to go back in time to their early years, most say they wouldn't mind occupying their younger bodies, but the thought of being insecure, with little life experience, emotional insecurities, an unsettled love life, no job, little or no money, etc. etc., is very unappealing. Older individuals should be thought of as one of society's most precious resources that should be nurtured and valued, not discarded. Younger people should aspire to get there healthy rather than fearing extended survival."

While Olshansky's observations are valid, they do not cancel out the practical concerns about Biden's candidacy. Even if Americans are being prejudiced rather than rational in deeming Biden too old to serve, a strong case can be made that one does not try to force millions to abandon their prejudices — however unfair — when the consequence of them failing to do so is the rise of fascism.

Scores of Democratic pundits are making the case that Biden should drop out . In my opinion, Joe Biden should do what Woodrow Wilson should have done in 1919: Resign. His vice president, Kamala Harris, will automatically become his heir apparent (thus sparing the Democrats a potentially volatile succession scramble). If Americans react to Thursday's debate by simply breaking down the logistics of replacing Biden, however, they will miss a much more important observation.

Long after the 2024 election is part of the history books, America will still face leaders who refuse to retire even when doing so is in the best interest of their nation. If we want to avoid more scenarios like the Trump-Biden debate, we must acknowledge the toxic aspects of our collective psyche that got us there in the first place.

about this topic

• Trump's love letters to MAGA: Campaign emails forge a cult bond
• Trump is conditioning MAGA for the next stage
• Trump's pre-debate bluster is a bluff

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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‘My Lady Jane’ Cast, Writers on Bringing to Life the ‘Fascinating, Dramatic, Sexy’ Tudors and Turning History on Its Head

By K.J. Yossman

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“ My Lady Jane ” may be chock full of corsets but this is not your average bodice ripper. A feminist retelling of the life of Lady Jane Grey – famous for being on the throne for a mere nine days before she got the chop (literally) – the series stars Emily Bader as a kickass Jane who dreams of running away from her overbearing mother and forced marriage to write a compendium about medicinal herbs.

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On the historically accurate side are the costumes, courtesy of designer Stephanie Collie (“Peaky Blinders”), who rustled up sumptuous ballgowns, breeches and, of course, plenty of corsets. For Bader, who describes herself as “more of a flip flop, giant t-shirt” kind of woman, the clothes were a challenge in and of themselves, requiring the best part of an hour to get on each morning. They also helped her get into the mindset of a future Queen of England. “You can’t be slouchy [in a corset],” she points out. “You can’t have bad posture, which for me, was a blessing. Because I can just hear my mom being like, ‘Emily! Shoulders back!’

Elsewhere, like “Bridgerton” and “Catherine the Great,” the show has no apologies about turning history on its head, including in both the dialogue (the first 30 seconds of the show include this exchange: “If his member looks pustular — ” … “Don’t shag him!”) and the music, which veers from “Tainted Love” to Alice Merton. And of course there’s the story itself. “Jane could have been the leader England needed,” the narrator says in the opening montage. “But instead history remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress. Fuck that. What if history were different?”

Burgess and Glynn both admit to being “obsessed” with the real Jane Grey, with Burgess attributing her fascination to Paul Delaroche’s nineteenth-century painting, which depicts Jane, blindfolded, as she’s led to the executioner’s block. “She’s so beautiful and it’s slightly sexually titillating in this weird way,” Burgess says. “And she’s so vulnerable and doomed. When you’re very young you think that’s very romantic and then you get older, and you realise she was an absolute pawn, she was murdered. It’s pretty terrible. Let’s change that story.”

Deliberately eschewing history can be “freeing,” Glynn agrees. “To be able to use that time period to tell modern stories, especially the modern stories about being a young woman — about love, about sex, about friendship — that was really important to us.”

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Boston, MA - Boston Red Sox third base Rafael Devers throws to first in an attempt to throw out Detroit Tigers' Mark Canha during the 10th inning of the game at Fenway Park. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck throws against the New York Yankees in the first inning during a 5-0 victory at Fenway Park. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Gabrielle Starr : I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the 2024 Red Sox season, can you, Mac? Even though the All-Star Game and break divide what we call the ‘first half’ and ‘second half,’ 50% of the schedule is already behind us. But before we get to the current state of affairs, let’s revisit our preseason predictions . I’ve been wrong about the Yankees, but pretty spot-on about the rest of the American League East. You said the Red Sox would stay in the playoff hunt but wouldn’t “have enough to snag the third Wild Card spot,” and they entered Thursday in a tie for it with the Kansas City Royals.

Mac Cerullo : I also said the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays could slip, which they both have, but what I didn’t expect was that the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros would fall off, too. That’s collectively made a huge impact on the American League playoff picture and it’s certainly helping Boston’s odds. Listen, the Red Sox have been about what I thought they’d be, which is a somewhat improved club that still has a little ways to go, but the road they’ve taken to reach that point has obviously been quite unexpected. They have a real chance, but it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep their recent hot streak going long enough to force the front office’s hand at the trade deadline. How about on the individual award front? It turns out the Red Sox will probably have a young starter earn Cy Young votes, just not the one we expected.

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GS : It’s wild how many teams are at or below .500 at this point in the season, including four-fifths of the AL West. No National League division has more than two teams over .500! On the home front, the Red Sox have certainly been going through some serious growing pains this season, but there’s something exciting about watching homegrown talent begin to figure it out and flourish right in front of your eyes. Seeing how far Tanner Houck has come has been truly something. His rotation spot was never promised, not once; the Red Sox have used him in every possible pitching role since his debut, and he hasn’t shied away from the fact that it was hard at times, trying to develop and build consistency. But first things first: he should be an All-Star. And he’s not the only one…

MC : Jarren Duran should be an All-Star and the fact that he’s only polling 19th among AL outfielders in the fan vote is ridiculous. Connor Wong should be getting more consideration too, and Rafael Devers obviously deserves to go to Globe Life Field; he's leading MLB third basemen in slugging and OPS. None of them are going to be starters, but all should get a good look from the players and Commissioner’s Office. As far as other awards go, not all of our picks have aged well. Aaron Judge is looking good for AL MVP, but George Kirby hasn’t quite been Cy Young good, Jackson Holliday’s rookie year hasn’t gone as expected, and Devers and Triston Casas aren’t going to sniff the MVP debate. Ceddanne Rafaela won’t be Rookie of the Year either, but he might win a Gold Glove!

GS : Or as Zack Kelly put it to me earlier this week, “It’s ridiculous that Duran is 19th in AL outfielders and he has a top-10 WAR in all of baseball. That’s (expletive).” Entering Thursday, Duran is tied with Juan Soto for fourth in all of MLB in bWAR for position players, and eighth in offensive bWAR. The only players who’ve been more valuable are Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. And even though Devers may not be having an MVP-caliber year, he’s certainly diversified his value to the Red Sox: he’s been drawing more walks and his defense has improved significantly, even if, as Alex Cora often says, the numbers don't back that up. I’m so sick of the fan voting, because it’s all favoritism. Bare minimum, MLB should require players to have played a certain amount of games to qualify for the ballots. What do you think?

MC : I’m fine with the fan vote but it’s just strange how much Duran has flown under the radar. Though if he keeps playing like this, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before that changes. Let’s shift gears a bit though.

Surprise contenders emerge

MC : Obviously it’s still too early to talk about our playoff and World Series picks, but there are plenty of teams nobody thought much of that have emerged as early playoff contenders. Are you impressed by anyone in particular?

GS : In our preseason predictions, I said I wanted to see the Mariners make “a legit playoff run,” and they’re currently running away with their division! I also named the Royals as a team to watch, and they’ve certainly been that; it’s hard to believe this is the same AL Central the Twins won basically by default last year. And not to sound like too much of a homer, but I’m impressed with the Red Sox. They’ve shown a lot of fight and fortitude, and look where they are despite all the injuries; they were 14 games out of first in the division 12 days ago, and they entered Thursday's off-day only eight back! We can get to the NL in a moment, but what are you seeing for the AL?

MC : The AL Central has been a lot better than anyone expected, and the AL West a lot worse. The Guardians have been awesome, ranking near the top of the sport in both runs scored and runs allowed per game. The Twins have been solid, roughly maintaining their level from last year, but the real shock has been the Royals. I agree that Kansas City had reason for optimism coming in, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted they’d go from 106 losses to real playoff contenders in just one offseason. Even Baltimore, with their treasure trove of young talent, had one in-between year before rising from doormats to dominance.

GS : I think it’s been a weird season around the league in general. The volume and frequency of injuries – especially pitching – has been astounding, and have really turned some teams on their heads. Not to make everything about the Red Sox, but that’s a big reason why their success has been so impressive; they found out they'd be without Lucas Giolito for the year early in spring training, Trevor Story's and Garrett Whitlock's seasons each ended within the first 18 games, and they've been without Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom for most of the campaign, yet they’re more than keeping their heads above water. What are you seeing with the NL? Do you think this is the year the Phillies finally topple the Braves?

MC : It sure is trending that way, and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. The Braves are a great team, but the Phillies are the ones who have stood tall in October each of the past two seasons. Granted both of those clubs have been hit hard by injuries, but we should also acknowledge that Atlanta lost a preseason Cy Young favorite in Spencer Strider and the reigning NL MVP in Ronald Acuña Jr. The thing that’s striking about the NL is how close the Wild Card race is. As of this writing the second- and third-place Wild Card teams (the Cardinals and Padres) and the team with NL’s third-worst record (the Cubs) are separated in the standings by only five games. There are nine teams vying for the last two playoff spots! That’s crazy!

GS : Absolutely. Losing Acuña to another ACL tear was utterly heartbreaking. But I have to say – the many unfortunate, even tragic injuries impacting these NL teams’ various situations aside, because you never want to see that – I love the unexpectedness of a baseball season. Baseball is at its best when it’s chaotic and full of impossibilities becoming possible. I know that’s a very "20th anniversary of 2004" thing for me to say!

GS : So, let’s talk trade deadline. Do we think the Red Sox are buyers this year?

MC : If they keep winning it’s going to be hard to justify selling, even if that’s the direction they’d probably lean, all things being equal. The Red Sox probably aren’t going to go out on a limb, but if they’re still in playoff position and trending upwards by this time next month, they owe it to the players to add, ideally a starting pitcher or a veteran middle infielder. As irritating as this would be, one approach I could see them taking is something similar to the route they took in 2022, when they tried to buy a little while also selling a little. Would anyone be surprised if they traded Kenley Jansen for prospects, activated Liam Hendriks from the IL and installed him as the new closer, and then also went out and traded for someone like Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty?

GS : I could definitely see them going the 2022 hokey-pokey route, being one foot in, one foot out, but if they keep playing even 75% as well as they’ve been this month, it will be inexcusable for them not to try and add, especially if Casas is back soon and the current roster manages to stay healthy. Not to pull the "This is Boston" card, but this is Boston! You’re THE Red Sox! You can’t have players publicly begging the front office for help before the trade deadline for a third year in a row and not answer the call if their play merits adding. At some point, the Red Sox need to take some real risks. They’ve been saying they’re building towards something ever since they traded Mookie Betts, so build! Adding at the deadline wouldn’t even have to mortgage their future; the farm system is loaded with more infield talent than they know what to do with, so there are definitely some trade chips. There’s also plenty of space under the luxury tax, so taking on another contract or two is very doable. They could even do a sign-and-extend, à la Taylor Glasnow or Nathan Eovaldi, which would be a way of building towards the elusive goal of sustainability and consistent contention. It's shaping up to be a very interesting summer for the Sox. I’ll close with this: fans are really starting to come around. The energy at Fenway has been incredible, but this is far from solid ground. If the Sox stay in the Wild Card hunt over the next month only to have the front office cut them off at the knees at the deadline, it could get really ugly.

MC : I think the point the Red Sox shouldn’t lose sight of is, they’re in a different spot now than they’ve been the past few years. The young core they’ve been talking about isn’t some far off hypothetical, it’s here. Devers, Duran, Houck, Wong, Casas, Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, David Hamilton, eventually Grissom, and with Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and many others just beyond the horizon. The club’s glut of mid-tier prospects is crucial too, because there are probably a dozen guys who will be Rule 5 eligible this winter and Boston won’t be able to keep them all. So be selective! Choose who will be a part of the future, then utilize the farm system’s depth to fortify the big-league roster now. If the whole point of the past few years has been to build towards sustainable success, then the club shouldn’t shy away from that success once it's finally arriving. And if there’s an opportunity to accelerate that timetable? The Red Sox owe it to themselves, and their fans, to take advantage.

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