Thursday, November 19, 2009
Bay Rejects Offer
As could be expected, with the free agency market about to open, Bay rejected the first offer from the Sox. After the numbers he put up this year, how could he accept the first offer? This is his pay day.
The NY Mets, according to numerous web sites and reports, are ready to make Bay their number one off-season priority. It would be easy to say that this interest in agent driven (a la Boras) to get the Sox to up their offer. However, Bay may be the biggest bat available this off-season.
I know it sounds crazy, but I don't see the Sox getting into a bidding war with anyone over Bay. They will set a price for him and then see if he will accept. If not, then on to plan B.
In this case, I believe plan B will actually be plan A (which is getting Gonzalez from San Diego). Since missing on Texeira, and seeing his value (even at over what the Sox offered him), it would seem this is on player for whom the Sox would readily "overpay".
Either way, the free agency door opens at midnight tonight.
The NY Mets, according to numerous web sites and reports, are ready to make Bay their number one off-season priority. It would be easy to say that this interest in agent driven (a la Boras) to get the Sox to up their offer. However, Bay may be the biggest bat available this off-season.
I know it sounds crazy, but I don't see the Sox getting into a bidding war with anyone over Bay. They will set a price for him and then see if he will accept. If not, then on to plan B.
In this case, I believe plan B will actually be plan A (which is getting Gonzalez from San Diego). Since missing on Texeira, and seeing his value (even at over what the Sox offered him), it would seem this is on player for whom the Sox would readily "overpay".
Either way, the free agency door opens at midnight tonight.
Friday, November 06, 2009
What Next for the Sox?
The very rich Yankees have won the World Series. A friend of mine, a Yankees fan, wrote "I wonder what Theo Epstein is thinking?". This, in turn, got me thinking. Theo is probably thinking that if he had $75-$80MM dollars more that he could have had Sabathia and Texeira...and another rolling rally through Boston.
However, he doesn't. What he does have is a team with aged veterans and lots of questions.
Let's get the easiest area out of the way first:
Many will feel comfortable entering the season with Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, Matsuzaka and Wakefield as the 1-5. They have depth at Pawtucket. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them add John Lackey (who is available). Their inconsistent offense would be carried by a front three of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey. I don't care about an overload of pitching. The Sox should not be comfortable rounding out their rotation with Buchholz (who may or may not develop), Wakefield (who misses longer periods of time each year), and Daisuke (no one can say for sure that he is going back to 18 wins).
The pen should good enough to start the season with Bard getting a full season's shot as the eighth-inning guy and Papelbon still closing games. The Sox should pick up the option on Wagner. He was very effective as a power lefty out of the pen, and can be used in many save opportunities giving Papelbon some rest.
At the catching position you have Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek. Tek did not play at all in the playoffs which means that the Sox are looking to Martinez as the primary catcher. But Martinez is not going to catch every game next year. Will Tek be happy with this as a backup? He'll get his time behind the plate, but probably 60 games at the most. However, behind the plate appearances for Varitek would increase if Lowell continues to be hampered by his injuries. Youk slides to third, Martinez plays first, Tek catches.
Bay entered the free agent pool today. That's a problem. Damon is probably not getting re-upped by the Yankees, and Bay could be wearing pinstripes in a month or two. Bay is probably the best bat available on the free agent market. The Yankees proved beyond a doubt last year that they will throw tons of money around (amounts with which no one could compete...by the way, the Yankees spent $97MM more than the Phillies on payroll this year. In their 2008 championship season, the Phillies spent just under $98MM. To demonstrate the gap in the two WS teams this year, that would be like the Rays spending $1.5MM for their total salary last year against the Phillies).
If Damon doesn't resign with the Yankees, is there a chance he returns to Fenway in LF? A two-year contract might get it done.
Gonzales is gone. The Sox love Lowrie, but he might be damaged goods at this point. He is too injury prone to count on as the everyday guy as SS. Marco Scutaro is available, and the Sox should target him.
Youk and Pedroia are fine at first and second. Drew and Ellsbury in RF and CF, respectively, should be ok. There lineup still lacks punch and consistency with Tek, Lowell, and Lowrie.
Ellsbury
Pedroia
Martinez
Youkilis
Ortiz
Drew
Lowell
Lowrie
These are your everyday guys. Matt Holliday is available. If they aren't going after Bay, they better get Holliday. Abreu resigned today, so he is off the market.
Chone Figgins is also a free agent, and a multi-position guy. Primarily a 3b, but flexible. You start to get a NL feel to this team with Figgins and Ellsbury at the top. Is that a bad thing?
What I am hoping the Sox do NOT do is follow their current trend of retreads (see Penny, Smoltz, Baldelli). Texeira to the Yankees is a division changer for years to come. Without Bay, there isn't a difference maker on the Sox. And despite Bay's numbers, he didn't "feel" like a difference maker.
All the other teams in the East have holes. Tampa couldn't hold on to Kazmir, they have to try to get a deal done with Crawford (which means they probably won't be huge players in the FA market this offseason). Toronto isn't getting better. Baltimore is a mess. But this doesn't guarantee a post-season birth for the Sox. Out west, the Rangers will be very good again this year, and the Angels are poised for another strong season. The Sox cannot expect that 95 wins gets them in. Too many other teams will be in the Wild Card running. They need to change enough where they can make a run at the division.
So, what do they do? That is the question...
However, he doesn't. What he does have is a team with aged veterans and lots of questions.
Let's get the easiest area out of the way first:
Many will feel comfortable entering the season with Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, Matsuzaka and Wakefield as the 1-5. They have depth at Pawtucket. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them add John Lackey (who is available). Their inconsistent offense would be carried by a front three of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey. I don't care about an overload of pitching. The Sox should not be comfortable rounding out their rotation with Buchholz (who may or may not develop), Wakefield (who misses longer periods of time each year), and Daisuke (no one can say for sure that he is going back to 18 wins).
The pen should good enough to start the season with Bard getting a full season's shot as the eighth-inning guy and Papelbon still closing games. The Sox should pick up the option on Wagner. He was very effective as a power lefty out of the pen, and can be used in many save opportunities giving Papelbon some rest.
At the catching position you have Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek. Tek did not play at all in the playoffs which means that the Sox are looking to Martinez as the primary catcher. But Martinez is not going to catch every game next year. Will Tek be happy with this as a backup? He'll get his time behind the plate, but probably 60 games at the most. However, behind the plate appearances for Varitek would increase if Lowell continues to be hampered by his injuries. Youk slides to third, Martinez plays first, Tek catches.
Bay entered the free agent pool today. That's a problem. Damon is probably not getting re-upped by the Yankees, and Bay could be wearing pinstripes in a month or two. Bay is probably the best bat available on the free agent market. The Yankees proved beyond a doubt last year that they will throw tons of money around (amounts with which no one could compete...by the way, the Yankees spent $97MM more than the Phillies on payroll this year. In their 2008 championship season, the Phillies spent just under $98MM. To demonstrate the gap in the two WS teams this year, that would be like the Rays spending $1.5MM for their total salary last year against the Phillies).
If Damon doesn't resign with the Yankees, is there a chance he returns to Fenway in LF? A two-year contract might get it done.
Gonzales is gone. The Sox love Lowrie, but he might be damaged goods at this point. He is too injury prone to count on as the everyday guy as SS. Marco Scutaro is available, and the Sox should target him.
Youk and Pedroia are fine at first and second. Drew and Ellsbury in RF and CF, respectively, should be ok. There lineup still lacks punch and consistency with Tek, Lowell, and Lowrie.
Ellsbury
Pedroia
Martinez
Youkilis
Ortiz
Drew
Lowell
Lowrie
These are your everyday guys. Matt Holliday is available. If they aren't going after Bay, they better get Holliday. Abreu resigned today, so he is off the market.
Chone Figgins is also a free agent, and a multi-position guy. Primarily a 3b, but flexible. You start to get a NL feel to this team with Figgins and Ellsbury at the top. Is that a bad thing?
What I am hoping the Sox do NOT do is follow their current trend of retreads (see Penny, Smoltz, Baldelli). Texeira to the Yankees is a division changer for years to come. Without Bay, there isn't a difference maker on the Sox. And despite Bay's numbers, he didn't "feel" like a difference maker.
All the other teams in the East have holes. Tampa couldn't hold on to Kazmir, they have to try to get a deal done with Crawford (which means they probably won't be huge players in the FA market this offseason). Toronto isn't getting better. Baltimore is a mess. But this doesn't guarantee a post-season birth for the Sox. Out west, the Rangers will be very good again this year, and the Angels are poised for another strong season. The Sox cannot expect that 95 wins gets them in. Too many other teams will be in the Wild Card running. They need to change enough where they can make a run at the division.
So, what do they do? That is the question...
Finally a player whose name I won't mess up
Monday, June 29, 2009
Out classed
If I may indulge a brief tangent. Ok, I don't even need to ask, who am I kidding.
So Team USA almost completed the Cinderella story. A light touch from Dempsey on a great serve from Proctor put the world cup giants on their heals. Then, about 20 minutes later a wonderful orchestrated counter-attack was deftly and coolly finished off by Landon. It appeared for a moment that Team US was about to pull off the most unbelievable comeback in international tournament play.
But that is when the Brazilian gods woke up, disgusted by the potential embarrassment of losing to the filthy Americans, asked their lovely assistant (pictured here) to step aside and put on a soccer clinic in the second half. There is a word from the 80's that describes what happened to Team USA, "SCHOOLED".
In a way, I prefer these results. Let's hope this loss smarts enough to create a real fire in the belly for Team USA. Then we might stand a chance to get to the quarter finals of 2010 world cup.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Simpsons!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
O Raul, Raul, wherefore art thou Raul?
Interesting blogpost on former GYS star Raul Ibanez. I miss his quiet production. Even in an AL-only-no-Yankees league Raul always seemed to be easy to over look. Yet, he has been incredibly consistent for the past 3 years and is currently bursting into flames. Which led to speculation he is on 'roids.
In my opinion, even if Raul started using Steroids in the off-season (which would help explain his current production), I really doubt that he would have had enough time to allow for such significant changes to his physicality. In other words, answering the question, how do steroids help you hit homers is vital to any speculative argument about a player using 'roids. In this case, I would argue that the only benefit that Raul might gain from 'roiding is the healing affect. It would allow him to recover more quickly than his 37 year old body would otherwise permit. Sure this would allow him to feel better and to react better to fastballs, but it's not going to mean he can hit the ball further. I think more evidence is coming to light that steroids actually don't benefit a player's performance all that much. So when does all the speculation end?
In my opinion, even if Raul started using Steroids in the off-season (which would help explain his current production), I really doubt that he would have had enough time to allow for such significant changes to his physicality. In other words, answering the question, how do steroids help you hit homers is vital to any speculative argument about a player using 'roids. In this case, I would argue that the only benefit that Raul might gain from 'roiding is the healing affect. It would allow him to recover more quickly than his 37 year old body would otherwise permit. Sure this would allow him to feel better and to react better to fastballs, but it's not going to mean he can hit the ball further. I think more evidence is coming to light that steroids actually don't benefit a player's performance all that much. So when does all the speculation end?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Manny less Dodgers slip from MLB lead
With or without Manny in the line up, I don't think anyone predicted that May 12th would mark the day that the Dodgers finally slipped from the MLB lead for best record. On top of that, no one would have predicted that the Toronto Blue Jays would be the team to take over the lead. This must be Bizzaro world.
The Sox are keeping pace with the hot team from up North, despite having both Youkalis and now Pedroia out of the line up. Captain Tek came through last night in the clutch with a big double. I admire the fact that the Sox are built to win, regardless of who is in or out. It's a thing of beauty!
Monday, May 04, 2009
That was closer than it looked
It appears that the Rays have our number. In 7 games this year the Red Sox are 2-5 against the Rays. Yesterday's game was well within reach. Penny did as well as we could ask for and yet the stars did not align. Hopefully, we can turn things around next weekend and at least take the series. That would leave us at 4-6 or 5-5 with a sweep. Regardless, the best news is that we're more than half over with the Rays and it's only the first full week of May.
This of course, is ignoring the big news on everyone's calendar: Red Sox in the new Yankee Stadium. Did you hear that Terry had to pony up the $2,000+ to get his family seats. (Ok, I am just trying to spread a nasty rumor). It should make for good Monday night tv.
Finally, a word about Jerry. Buck Martinez was a pleasure to listen to all weekend. I am sure he makes as many mistakes as other announcers, but quite frankly I enjoyed his more serious approach when compared to Remy and his air-guitar (although that was frickin' hilarious). No news on Remy's return, yet. I am wondering what his illness was that took him out in Spring Training and this past weekend. Could it be, showing up drunk to the booth?! (Ok, more nasty rumors)
This of course, is ignoring the big news on everyone's calendar: Red Sox in the new Yankee Stadium. Did you hear that Terry had to pony up the $2,000+ to get his family seats. (Ok, I am just trying to spread a nasty rumor). It should make for good Monday night tv.
Finally, a word about Jerry. Buck Martinez was a pleasure to listen to all weekend. I am sure he makes as many mistakes as other announcers, but quite frankly I enjoyed his more serious approach when compared to Remy and his air-guitar (although that was frickin' hilarious). No news on Remy's return, yet. I am wondering what his illness was that took him out in Spring Training and this past weekend. Could it be, showing up drunk to the booth?! (Ok, more nasty rumors)
Friday, May 01, 2009
Javier Lopez is not good in RF
That's right. Things got so bad for the Sox last night that after giving up 2 2-run doubles, Lopez was moved to RF so Van Every could close out the 8th.
Enough said.
Enough said.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Van Every Day!
Well, that was fun. Nice to see another prospect contribute, albeit a little randomly. I was not thrilled to see Baily and Van Every in the line up so soon. But I do understand that we got to get the boys some rest now and again. All in all, it was still a pretty good game to watch and of course it doesn't hurt that we won the rubber match. Lester's performance wasn't stellar, but he seemed to settled down after the 4th (5 of the 7 hits were in the first 2 innings). Another good sign was 4 more scoreless innings from the bullpen. Our guys might not be as dominate as before (seem to walk a lot more guys) but we're not giving up runs.
Tonight should be interesting: Beckett v. Garza in the Tropicana Dome. It's a 4 game set against Garza, Sonnanstine (v. Masterson), Niemann (v. Wake), and Shields (v. Penny). Naturally, I'd love to kick the Rays while they're down, but we just don't seem to match up against them like we used to. I'll be happy splitting the series.
Tonight should be interesting: Beckett v. Garza in the Tropicana Dome. It's a 4 game set against Garza, Sonnanstine (v. Masterson), Niemann (v. Wake), and Shields (v. Penny). Naturally, I'd love to kick the Rays while they're down, but we just don't seem to match up against them like we used to. I'll be happy splitting the series.
