Hardcore Baseball

Matt McCarthy was on the air when Xander Bogaerts signed with the San Diego Padres.

Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald joins Matt McCarthy to break down the Red Sox approach to the trade deadline, what trading Christian Vazquez means, and what Eric Hosmer can still bring to the table. Plus, what are the futures for Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora?

Bill Koch of the Providence Journal joins Matt McCarthy for an in-depth discussion on the state of the American League playoff race and the Red Sox excellent west coast trip. They fawn over the brilliance of Shohei Ohtani (2:20), dive in on the Red Sox playoff chances (9:10), and discuss the keys to the Red Sox turnaround (14:45), Franchy Cordero's performance (20:35), Jarren Duran's future (22:00), Chaim Bloom's approach to the upcoming trading deadline (29:40), and Chris Sale potentially returning as a reliever (38:00)

Alex Barth joins Matt McCarthy to talk about the Red Sox turnaround (3:00), if the Red Sox should buy at the trading deadline (8:50), Trevor Story's red-hot May (13:35), Alex Verdugo's 2022 (22:00), the Red Sox inability to win close games (26:00), the bullpen (31:00) and what Chris Sale's role should be if he returns (32:00).

Tyler Milliken returns to Hardcore Baseball to discuss the state of the Red Sox with Matt McCarthy and if Chaim Bloom is destined to start trading off pieces at the deadline. They discuss Bloom's missteps in 2022 (2:20), Trevor Story (11:35), the lineup (18:10), if the Sox can contend for a playoff spot (21:10), if the Sox will be sellers at the deadline (24:00), what Xander Bogaerts' trade value might be (26:30), Franchy Cordero (29:10), and comparing Andrew Benintendi and Alex Verdugo (30:50).

Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald returns to Hardcore Baseball to discuss the Red Sox turning in a disappointing April. He and Matt McCarthy discuss whether or not it’s time to be concerned about the Red Sox (2:05), Alex Cora’s importance (7:00), the Devers/Bogaerts contract situations (10:30), what 2022 means for Chaim Bloom (13:15), second guessing the Red Sox roster construction (22:50), Garrett Whitlock’s role (25:15), the first base situation and whether Triston Casas should be called up (30:10), and Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox lack of depth in the outfield (36:45).

Matt McCarthy and Bill Koch of the Providence Journal sit down for an in-depth discussion on the Xander Bogaerts contract situation (2:50) and Rafael Devers' future with the Red Sox (19:05). Plus, they also get into Garrett Whitlock's performance and what's in store for the Red Sox bullpen (33:05) and the Christian Arroyo experiment in right field (41:40)

Hardcore Baseball returns for 2022, with Jimmy Stewart joining Matt McCarthy to discuss the upcoming season. McCarthy and Stew hit on their expectations for the Red Sox (4:00), the AL East (7:00), defensive improvements for the Sox (14:00), the Bogaerts and Devers contract situations (18:40), Alex Cora's impact (33:45), and what Triston Casas could bring to the table (40:40).

Tony Massarotti joins Matt McCarthy for their annual Hall of Fame class reaction. Mazz discusses his ballot, the election of David Ortiz, and why it's bad for baseball that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have been rejected by a final time by the writers. 

Matt McCarthy and Tyler Milliken emerge from lockout to discuss the moves the Red Sox made before the shutdown, preview what the Sox could do next, and talk about the upcoming Hall of Fame election. They detail the Renfroe-Bradley trade (4:10), Kyle Schwarber and Seiya Suzuki (17:50), the Wacha/Paxton/Hill signings (30:40), the plan for Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck in 2022 (39:00), and the Hall of Fame ballot (40:10).   

Matt McCarthy and Tyler Milliken react to the Red Sox ALCS loss, take a look ahead to the offseason, and preview the World Series between the Braves and Dodgers. 

Matt McCarthy and Tyler Milliken break down the ALCS and the Red Sox chances to win the pennant. Did Alex Cora mismanage Game 1? What will Chris Sale's availability be for the rest of this series? Do the Red Sox have the pitching advantage over the Astros? Plus, McCarthy and Milliken take a look at the NLCS and examine if the Braves have a chance to upset the Dodgers.

Tyler Milliken, filling in for Matt McCarthy, breaks down the first two games of Red Sox-Rays and previews the rest of the series.

Matt McCarthy previews the American League Wild Card game in a mini-episode of Hardcore Baseball. He looks at pitching matchup and discusses what the J.D. Martinez injury means for the Red Sox.

Matt McCarthy and Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald preview the final week of the baseball season. They discuss how the schedule positions the Red Sox to make the Wild Card game, what the consequences should be if they fail to get a spot, and whether the Yankees or the Blue Jays would be a better matchup in the one-game playoff. 

Tyler Milliken returns to Hardcore Baseball to discuss the American League wild card race, the impact of Bobby Dalbec and Kyle Schwarber, and the tough decisions Alex Cora would face in a one-game playoff. 

Amid a COVID outbreak and following a tough August, the Red Sox have opened September on a winning streak. Bill Koch of the Providence Journal joins Matt McCarthy to discuss this mini-turnaround, the impact of Kyle Schwarber and Chris Sale, whether the Red Sox will hold on for one of the wild card spots, and what a wild card game in Yankee Stadium would look like.

Tim McKone returns to Hardcore Baseball to discuss the Red Sox struggles since the deadline. Are they done? Plus, examining ownership's role in the collapse, Chaim Bloom's ability to build rosters, and how Kyle Schwarber's inability to play the field is hurting the Red Sox. 

Matt McCarthy is joined by Tom McCarthy, better known as Tom in Quincy, to break down the Red Sox struggles after the trading deadline. 

The trading deadline has come and gone, and the Red Sox were nowhere near as aggressive as the other contenders in the American League. Tyler Milliken joins Matt McCarthy to explain why even he is critical of Chaim Bloom's approach (2:30). McCarthy and Milliken also discuss the role the luxury tax played in the Red Sox thought process (5:10), the Kyle Schwarber addition (15:00), Jarren Duran's struggles (18:25), how Red Sox players might feel about the front office (24:40), Aldo Ramirez (30:30), Anthony Rizzo (33:50), and takeaways from a busy deadline around the league (39:00)