offseason moves

[Manny Goes Boom]

i strongly disagree with you on the first base situation...i think chad tracey would be a better fit....he can play 1b and 3b and the diamondbacks are covered there....he can hit for a higher average and hit just as much homers and get enough RBIs as well

 

Tracy is a good player but Howard is a walking homer machine. Tracy played the whole year Howard didn't, thats why they had similar HR totals.

 

I would LOVE to have Howard on our team but thats unlikely and even though we're (Talksox) are probably the only people talking about a possible Tracy deal, I see that deal more likely than a Ryan Howard deal.

 

Don't forget Chad Tracy also played outfield for the Diamondbacks too. He's very versatile.

[guapo34]

. How about Sanchez, Clement (pick up his money) and David Wells. Something along those lines...then we can make a huge move in free agency for Burnett and BJ Ryan. The ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and win...thats all owners care about it...and the Phillies might be one prospect trade away from making it happen.

 

 

Interesting offer, and with us picking up all of Clements salary that might get it done, but i'm not sure if Clement is that big of an improvement over there other guys. Also, the only reason Wells wants to leave the Sox is to go to the West Coast so I don't think he fits in well here. If they'd rather have major league ready pitching than sanchez I think Arroyo fits best. Of course I'd probably do Sanchez, Arroyo, and Hanley for Howard cuz i think he's that good.

[guapo34]

i strongly disagree with you on the first base situation...i think chad tracey would be a better fit....he can play 1b and 3b and the diamondbacks are covered there....he can hit for a higher average and hit just as much homers and get enough RBIs as well

 

I have to asmit I didn't know much about Tracy until reading your post so i looked up his numbers. Same age as Howard, and his average may have been better last year, by 20 points, his OBP was only 3 points higher, not very significant. Howard's slugging was 14 points higher, again closer than i was expecting. To me they seem like similar players and I would be extremely happy to get either. Not sure about eithers defense, but Tracy appears to be the better athlete, but thats not saying much. Tracy has one more year of major league service. Which is good in that he has more experience, but bad because he'd be eligible for arbitration/free agency quicker.

 

I think the larger issue here is I don't see why the Diamondbacks would trade Tracy. Maybe if Manny goes there we could get him along with Glaus, but I'd rather see us keep Manny and I wouldn't be surprised if they wouldn't include Tracy in the trade anyway. He got 503 at bats last year so I don't think they're having trouble finding him playing time. The Phillies have a real situation with both Howard and Thome with no DH in the NL and only able to play one. If the Phillies were smart they'd eat 90% of Thome's contract if they had to and trade him. I don't think they'll do that though.

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

Lets include Ryan Shealy with the Ryan Howard vs. Chad Tracy battle. There is a chance we make a move for him cause with Todd Helton there he is CERTAINLY the odd man out. Between these three young 1B prospects I don't think we can do too wrong. Just gotta let the scouts make the call and I'm sure Theo has a good idea on what he could get.

[riverside sluggers]

sox have their options aplenty at 1st baseman, including possible trade deals with tampa bay to get aubrey huff or with the milwaukee brewers to get lyle overbay.

 

i'll be happy with any of the options listed. all would be upgrades over what millar was in 05, offense and defense

[Manny Goes Boom]

sox have their options aplenty at 1st baseman, including possible trade deals with tampa bay to get aubrey huff or with the milwaukee brewers to get lyle overbay.

 

i'll be happy with any of the options listed. all would be upgrades over what millar was in 05, offense and defense

 

Agreed. All are great hitters and bring some pop to our already VERY potent lineup.

[Cityofchampions33]

Realisticly, can any of those 3 be easyily let go? Shealy, Howard, or Tracy? What would we have to give up? Arroyo, and Alvarez doesn't seem to be enough IMO.

[riverside sluggers]

Realisticly, can any of those 3 be easyily let go? Shealy, Howard, or Tracy? What would we have to give up? Arroyo, and Alvarez doesn't seem to be enough IMO.

 

of the 3 you mentioned, Ryan Shealy of the Rockies seems the most likely since (like SchilingisNatural has said) all-star 1st baseman Todd Helton is signed thru 2011, making really not much playing time for Shealy.

 

A deal of (Bronson Arroyo, Abe Alvarez, and another prospect like kelly shoppach or even Wade Miller as he is arbitration eligible) could be dealt for Devil Rays' Aubrey Huff; the Bewers' Lyle Overbay; the Phillies' Ryan Howard; the Diamondbacks' Chad Tracy; and the Rockies' Ryan Shealy.

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

I'm not good with projecting trades because I don't know enough about the contracts, how the money works, players being able to veto a trade....blah...

 

All I know is there are few, if any, players in baseball who would not be traded. I think everyone in baseball is available and if the Sox want one of these guys...they could make it happen.

[elsrbueno]

of the 3 you mentioned, Ryan Shealy of the Rockies seems the most likely since (like SchilingisNatural has said) all-star 1st baseman Todd Helton is signed thru 2011, making really not much playing time for Shealy.

 

A deal of (Bronson Arroyo, Abe Alvarez, and another prospect like kelly shoppach or even Wade Miller as he is arbitration eligible) could be dealt for Devil Rays' Aubrey Huff; the Bewers' Lyle Overbay; the Phillies' Ryan Howard; the Diamondbacks' Chad Tracy; and the Rockies' Ryan Shealy.

 

Like you guys said, the Rockies deal makes the most sense for a couple of reasons. #1, Colorado has Shealy blocked by Helton, who I'm sure they'd love to move (like Thome), but his contract is monstrous. #2, the Rockies already expressed interest in Shoppach, so there's potential there for a deal.

[GhostofMalzone]

As crazy as they my sound..........

 

1. Let Big Papi play first base....He learned how to hit,

He can learn how to play first.

 

2. Sign Piazza as the DH.....Good hitter, Plus emergency

catcher.

 

3. Do Not Trade Manny....Him and Ortiz have a special

chemistry that should not be tinkered with.

All Manny needs is love...Love is all he needs..

Love is all he needs.

 

4. Sign Soriano AVG.268 HR 36 RBI 104

SB 30.... Papa Jack can teach the kid how to be more

patient at the plate. Sign Graffanino as a bench guy.

Make it lucrative enough for him to want to be in the

dugout. This is Baseball....Money Talks.

 

5.Offer Damon 3 years at $10 million a year with a

team option for a 4th......He loves Boston, Boston

loves him......Nice fit for both.

 

6. Give Youkilis his shot at third. With enough playing

time Youk could turn into a solid ball player.

 

7. Resign Ron (Papa Jack) Jackson, The best hitting

instructor in the AL...if not all of baseball.

 

8. Reevaluate the Offense...Stealing is not a crime

in baseball. ”Speed Kills...The Competition” It would

be nice to have a player on this team that could steal

30 or more bases a year and what would be even nicer

is to have an organization that would actually encourage

it. Power and Speed, Now wouldn’t that be a novelty

for Sox fans.

 

9. Pay Theo......and lets move on.

 

10. Get rid of “Wally The Green Monster” mascots

belong in college football stadiums not in baseball parks.

You don’t see a enormous headed oversized thing running

around Yankee stadium doing stupid things. Other then George.

 

11. Pitching....Papelbon is going to be in the starting rotation this

year no matter what, He’s got to much upside for them to keep him

in the bullpen. Wells is as good as gone and so is Arroyo. I see the

starting rotation as being, Schilling

Burnett

Clement

Wakefield

Papelbon

I also see them going after (Flash) Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth.

I also think they’ll monitor Foulke over the winter and by the beginning

of spring training pretty much know his status on the staff (If Foulke

is healthy and has his s*** somewhat together.....He’s are closer)

Personally....I don’t see Timlin coming back, Why? They lived through

the Embree meltdown this year and don’t want it to happen again.

If Mantei, W Miller and Foulke are healthy and with the addition of Burnett

and Papelbon to the rotation this could be a pretty formidable staff.

This is why the offseason is so wonderful, The possibilities are endless :thumbsup:

[Sox Fan on Cape]

If you're looking for a sig, " Born a Rambling Man " - Allman Brothers would be good.

[riverside sluggers]

4. Sign Soriano AVG.268 HR 36 RBI 104

SB 30.... Papa Jack can teach the kid how to be more

patient at the plate. Sign Graffanino as a bench guy.

Make it lucrative enough for him to want to be in the

dugout. This is Baseball....Money Talks.

 

soriano is still signed with the texas rangers thru next season. rangers have indicated on several occasions that they require top pitching prospects in return for him, plus anyways we have triple A dustin pedroia possibly getting ready to start at fenway next spring.

 

To the Texas Rangers: thanks but no thanks

 

Personally....I don’t see Timlin coming back, Why? They lived through

the Embree meltdown this year and don’t want it to happen again.

If Mantei, W Miller and Foulke are healthy and with the addition of Burnett

and Papelbon to the rotation this could be a pretty formidable staff.

 

well according to the boston globe, we should hear shortly after the world series of the resigning of Mike Timlin. Personally I dont feel and see anyway how Mike Timlin will explode into the 7+ ERA Embree had.

Wade Miller will not be resigned this coming season, his surgery this offseason will delay his pitching in the majors till june/july. a risk sox should not and will not take, considering also they wont know what they will get (wade miller we saw, or the wade miller of the astros)

[ksushi]

If you're looking for a sig, " Born a Rambling Man " - CCR would be good.

 

Ramblin man is by the allman brothers

[Sox Fan on Cape]

Ramblin man is by the allman brothers

Thanks, brain fart. Correction made.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

As crazy as they my sound..........

 

1. Let Big Papi play first base....He learned how to hit,

He can learn how to play first.

 

2. Sign Piazza as the DH.....Good hitter, Plus emergency

catcher.

 

3. Do Not Trade Manny....Him and Ortiz have a special

chemistry that should not be tinkered with.

All Manny needs is love...Love is all he needs..

Love is all he needs.

 

4. Sign Soriano AVG.268 HR 36 RBI 104

SB 30.... Papa Jack can teach the kid how to be more

patient at the plate. Sign Graffanino as a bench guy.

Make it lucrative enough for him to want to be in the

dugout. This is Baseball....Money Talks.

 

5.Offer Damon 3 years at $10 million a year with a

team option for a 4th......He loves Boston, Boston

loves him......Nice fit for both.

 

6. Give Youkilis his shot at third. With enough playing

time Youk could turn into a solid ball player.

 

7. Resign Ron (Papa Jack) Jackson, The best hitting

instructor in the AL...if not all of baseball.

 

8. Reevaluate the Offense...Stealing is not a crime

in baseball. ”Speed Kills...The Competition” It would

be nice to have a player on this team that could steal

30 or more bases a year and what would be even nicer

is to have an organization that would actually encourage

it. Power and Speed, Now wouldn’t that be a novelty

for Sox fans.

 

9. Pay Theo......and lets move on.

 

10. Get rid of “Wally The Green Monster” mascots

belong in college football stadiums not in baseball parks.

You don’t see a enormous headed oversized thing running

around Yankee stadium doing stupid things. Other then George.

 

11. Pitching....Papelbon is going to be in the starting rotation this

year no matter what, He’s got to much upside for them to keep him

in the bullpen. Wells is as good as gone and so is Arroyo. I see the

starting rotation as being, Schilling

Burnett

Clement

Wakefield

Papelbon

I also see them going after (Flash) Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth.

I also think they’ll monitor Foulke over the winter and by the beginning

of spring training pretty much know his status on the staff (If Foulke

is healthy and has his s*** somewhat together.....He’s are closer)

Personally....I don’t see Timlin coming back, Why? They lived through

the Embree meltdown this year and don’t want it to happen again.

If Mantei, W Miller and Foulke are healthy and with the addition of Burnett

and Papelbon to the rotation this could be a pretty formidable staff.

This is why the offseason is so wonderful, The possibilities are endless :thumbsup:

 

Did you give any thought to the cost in terms of money and prospects ? I seriously think not.

[GhostofMalzone]

Did you give any thought to the cost in terms of money and prospects ? I seriously think not.

 

The thought of money and prospects for what or who?

[Sox Fan on Cape]

The thought of money and prospects for what or who?

I thought so. How about Piazza, Soriano, Graffanio, Damon, Burnett, Gordan, and Fansworth ?

[riverside sluggers]

Soriano alone would be a trade, with rangers demanding a top pitching prospect. they would balk at abe alvarez, and insist on anibel sanchez or even jon lester

[pats55sox45]

how bout this

 

1b huff or overbay

2b graff, pedroia

ss renteria

3b youk

c tek

dh papi

lf manny

cf roberts? milton bradley?

rf trot, kapler

 

1 schilling

2 burnett

3 wakefield

4 clement

5 papelbon

 

rp delcarmen

rp hansen

rp timlin

rp farnsworth, urbina, dotel ?

rp foulke

[jimmycarter05]

As crazy as they my sound..........

 

1. Let Big Papi play first base....He learned how to hit,

He can learn how to play first.

 

2. Sign Piazza as the DH.....Good hitter, Plus emergency

catcher.

 

3. Do Not Trade Manny....Him and Ortiz have a special

chemistry that should not be tinkered with.

All Manny needs is love...Love is all he needs..

Love is all he needs.

 

4. Sign Soriano AVG.268 HR 36 RBI 104

SB 30.... Papa Jack can teach the kid how to be more

patient at the plate. Sign Graffanino as a bench guy.

Make it lucrative enough for him to want to be in the

dugout. This is Baseball....Money Talks.

 

5.Offer Damon 3 years at $10 million a year with a

team option for a 4th......He loves Boston, Boston

loves him......Nice fit for both.

 

6. Give Youkilis his shot at third. With enough playing

time Youk could turn into a solid ball player.

 

7. Resign Ron (Papa Jack) Jackson, The best hitting

instructor in the AL...if not all of baseball.

 

8. Reevaluate the Offense...Stealing is not a crime

in baseball. ”Speed Kills...The Competition” It would

be nice to have a player on this team that could steal

30 or more bases a year and what would be even nicer

is to have an organization that would actually encourage

it. Power and Speed, Now wouldn’t that be a novelty

for Sox fans.

 

9. Pay Theo......and lets move on.

 

10. Get rid of “Wally The Green Monster” mascots

belong in college football stadiums not in baseball parks.

You don’t see a enormous headed oversized thing running

around Yankee stadium doing stupid things. Other then George.

 

11. Pitching....Papelbon is going to be in the starting rotation this

year no matter what, He’s got to much upside for them to keep him

in the bullpen. Wells is as good as gone and so is Arroyo. I see the

starting rotation as being, Schilling

Burnett

Clement

Wakefield

Papelbon

I also see them going after (Flash) Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth.

I also think they’ll monitor Foulke over the winter and by the beginning

of spring training pretty much know his status on the staff (If Foulke

is healthy and has his s*** somewhat together.....He’s are closer)

Personally....I don’t see Timlin coming back, Why? They lived through

the Embree meltdown this year and don’t want it to happen again.

If Mantei, W Miller and Foulke are healthy and with the addition of Burnett

and Papelbon to the rotation this could be a pretty formidable staff.

This is why the offseason is so wonderful, The possibilities are endless :thumbsup:

 

 

thank god someone else likes soriano!!!but i want him as a FA, not for trading...i don't think dustin perodia can be a 30/30 guy

[jimmycarter05]

how bout this

 

1b huff or overbay

2b graff, pedroia

ss renteria

3b youk

c tek

dh papi

lf manny

cf roberts? milton bradley?

rf trot, kapler

 

1 schilling

2 burnett

3 wakefield

4 clement

5 papelbon

 

rp delcarmen

rp hansen

rp timlin

rp farnsworth, urbina, dotel ?

rp foulke

 

 

 

i like farnsworth because i think he'll be the cheapest....plus he can body slam a guy in a moments notice

[GhostofMalzone]

I thought so. How about Piazza, Soriano, Graffanio, Damon, Burnett, Gordan, and Fansworth ?

 

OK...So what your saying is The Red Sox Don’t need to sign a

1st Basemen ( If Millar and Olarud are let go?) or a Center Fielder

(If Damon moves on?) and we don’t need anymore (Quality) starting pitching or

(Quality) bullpen help? Or maybe your saying we can get more bargain basement

players just to fill in. Baseball is like the real world if you want Quality you have

to pay for it. If you want to Win you have to pay for that also. The Red Sox aren’t

broke, Not by a long shot....So why is everyone trying to save them money?

People talk like the players salaries are coming out of their own pockets. If they

drop one players salarie are The Sox going to pass the savings along to the fans?

I Think Not.

[riverside sluggers]

So what your saying is The Red Sox Don’t need to sign a

1st Basemen ( If Millar and Olarud are let go?)

 

well obviously he knows a new 1st baseman will be acquired, and the options (Ryan Shealy, Chad Tracy, Ryan Howard, Aubrey Huff, Lyle Overbay) for the Sox will be acquired through trades not FA's). trades id take over soriano trade any day, he has and always will have a mediocre OBP and RISP avgs.

 

and what do you mean if Millar is let go? its a definite they will have him walk on to another team. Olerud will of course be back, but as the 1st base backup for 2006.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

OK...So what your saying is The Red Sox Don’t need to sign a

1st Basemen ( If Millar and Olarud are let go?) or a Center Fielder

(If Damon moves on?) and we don’t need anymore (Quality) starting pitching or

(Quality) bullpen help? Or maybe your saying we can get more bargain basement

players just to fill in. Baseball is like the real world if you want Quality you have

to pay for it. If you want to Win you have to pay for that also. The Red Sox aren’t

broke, Not by a long shot....So why is everyone trying to save them money?

People talk like the players salaries are coming out of their own pockets. If they

drop one players salarie are The Sox going to pass the savings along to the fans?

I Think Not.

Ramble on, ramble on. You didn't get a 1st baseman. You proposed to take the best DH in baseball and put him in the field. Where he will most definately suffer with his bad knee. You didn't "get" a center fielder. You proposed signing our own free agent for terms he has stated are below his requirements. You want Soriano, who are you going to give up, since he's not a free agent. Not to mention we don't need a second baseman. Fine, gaet "quality pitching ", once again how are you going to pay for it with all these other acquisitions. I quess your style , or lack thereof, is whenever questioned, just change the subject. There are such things as budgets and financial responsibilty, and yes indirectly it does come out of our own pockets. Its called higher ticket prices. Go back to your bottle. Come back back when you're some what lucid.

[Cityofchampions33]

It will be interesting to see what Theo (if he's ever f***in signed) will do this season with so many promising spects coming up in a matter of a few years. I will be suprised if he signs anyone to a long term deal, unless it's at 1st base, and the bullpen.

[GhostofMalzone]

Ramble on, ramble on. You didn't get a 1st baseman. You proposed to take the best DH in baseball and put him in the field. Where he will most definately suffer with his bad knee. You didn't "get" a center fielder. You proposed signing our own free agent for terms he has stated are below his requirements. You want Soriano, who are you going to give up, since he's not a free agent. Not to mention we don't need a second baseman. Fine, gaet "quality pitching ", once again how are you going to pay for it with all these other acquisitions. I quess your style , or lack thereof, is whenever questioned, just change the subject. There are such things as budgets and financial responsibilty, and yes indirectly it does come out of our own pockets. Its called higher ticket prices. Go back to your bottle. Come back back when you're some what lucid.

 

My, Aren’t we huffy......

1. Has Ortiz never played firstbase? I believe he has and if he was playing first

the baseball community would not have a debate over who is the MVP.

(Show me a player that’s not playing without some type of physical problem.

and if you remember at the beginning of the year he asked Tito for more playing time

at first)

 

2. Yes I did say make Damon an “OFFER” if he takes it FINE if not find another

center fielder, either way the Red Sox are going to have to pay and The Sox aren’t

going to find his equal for peanuts. What he lacks in the field he makes up for at

the plate.

 

3. I would love to see Soriano at second base, I would love to see any Sox player

steal 30 bases and hit 30 HR. Do you think no other team in baseball isn’t going

to inquire into his availability. If the price is right get him, If not, PASS. ( I like

Tony G but a Soriano he’s not)

 

Am I being LUCID Enough for you so far?

 

4. Budgets in baseball is an oxymoron and who do The Red Sox have a financial responsibilty to? Themselves? They Owen (A small part is owend by a paper in New York that John Henry has shares in) the team and the park. So the only one John Henry has to answer to financially is John Henry.

Your right in saying that all fans pay indirectly tickets, caps, t-shirts, coffee-mugs, anything

and everything that has the Red Sox logo on it royalties filter back to the origination and we’re talking millions and millions of dollars here in revenue just from the sales of merchandise alone.

If the Red Sox were to field a team like the D Rays the fans in Red Sox Naiton would be up in arms. So is it so unjustified to expect The Red Sox to field the best team in baseball? If you were going to a restaurant for dinner would you not expect every facet of your dinning experience to be of the highest quality? You should, Your paying for it. Just as we pay for the Red Sox, Nothing less then the best should be tolerated. And what if they spend $200 million on a team and that team wins the

series in 06 and 07 and 08 are you going to bitch? are you going to say, They could have done it cheaper. So before you start questioning other peoples rationale, Maybe you should ask yourself,

Who the hell am I to belittle someone’s opinion

[pats55sox45]

i dont see us getting soriano, not at all

 

i think the biggest question mark is at cf

[riverside sluggers]

GhostOfMalzone3. I would love to see Soriano at second base, I would love to see any Sox player

steal 30 bases and hit 30 HR. Do you think no other team in baseball isn’t going

to inquire into his availability. If the price is right get him, If not, PASS. ( I like

Tony G but a Soriano he’s not)

 

you dont understand, do you? Is soriano a good OBP guy that Sox front office loves? no the hell he is not with average of 30-35 walks a season, .309 OBP in 2005 yuck. by now he's been in the bigs awhile, and i dont see anything papa jack can help him with his plate presence, nothing against papa jack. also soriano hits .250 or lower with RISP. hence why a big portion of his HRs each season is just solo shots.

 

"he's no tony g", compare that to tony's higher .366 OBP and batting .323 with RISP, and batting .323 with RISP/2 outs. How about fielding errors as well?? Soriano from 2001-05 has made over 100 errors, avering 20 or more a season. Tony G from 1997-05 has made 68 errors, or an average of 7/8 errors a season.

 

plus as i said before, there is no reason for the sox to deal for the 29 year old Soriano---(1) a trade with the rangers would demand a top pitching prospect like anibel sanchez (2) triple A dustin pedroia is expected to get the starting nod this spring or platoon with either alex cora or tony g for 2006. mark my words soriano will only play at fenway park as an opposing player.

[Gambit]

As crazy as they my sound..........

 

1. Let Big Papi play first base....He learned how to hit,

He can learn how to play first.

 

2. Sign Piazza as the DH.....Good hitter, Plus emergency

catcher.

 

3. Do Not Trade Manny....Him and Ortiz have a special

chemistry that should not be tinkered with.

All Manny needs is love...Love is all he needs..

Love is all he needs.

 

4. Sign Soriano AVG.268 HR 36 RBI 104

SB 30.... Papa Jack can teach the kid how to be more

patient at the plate. Sign Graffanino as a bench guy.

Make it lucrative enough for him to want to be in the

dugout. This is Baseball....Money Talks.

 

5.Offer Damon 3 years at $10 million a year with a

team option for a 4th......He loves Boston, Boston

loves him......Nice fit for both.

 

6. Give Youkilis his shot at third. With enough playing

time Youk could turn into a solid ball player.

 

7. Resign Ron (Papa Jack) Jackson, The best hitting

instructor in the AL...if not all of baseball.

 

8. Reevaluate the Offense...Stealing is not a crime

in baseball. ”Speed Kills...The Competition” It would

be nice to have a player on this team that could steal

30 or more bases a year and what would be even nicer

is to have an organization that would actually encourage

it. Power and Speed, Now wouldn’t that be a novelty

for Sox fans.

 

9. Pay Theo......and lets move on.

 

10. Get rid of “Wally The Green Monster” mascots

belong in college football stadiums not in baseball parks.

You don’t see a enormous headed oversized thing running

around Yankee stadium doing stupid things. Other then George.

 

11. Pitching....Papelbon is going to be in the starting rotation this

year no matter what, He’s got to much upside for them to keep him

in the bullpen. Wells is as good as gone and so is Arroyo. I see the

starting rotation as being, Schilling

Burnett

Clement

Wakefield

Papelbon

I also see them going after (Flash) Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth.

I also think they’ll monitor Foulke over the winter and by the beginning

of spring training pretty much know his status on the staff (If Foulke

is healthy and has his s*** somewhat together.....He’s are closer)

Personally....I don’t see Timlin coming back, Why? They lived through

the Embree meltdown this year and don’t want it to happen again.

If Mantei, W Miller and Foulke are healthy and with the addition of Burnett

and Papelbon to the rotation this could be a pretty formidable staff.

This is why the offseason is so wonderful, The possibilities are endless :thumbsup:

 

What the f*** is all this nonsense? I think you've been playing WAY too much MVP Baseball with fair trades and budgets off or something - looks like you're just trying to assemble an all star team of NAMES. f*** NAMES and AGE (yeah, Piazza would be awesome - sarcasm).

 

Look dude, the Red Sox have been pushing for several years now toward a moneyball philosophy - in other words effective use of money rather than bloated spending on guys you've heard of.

 

I don't mean to make fun of you man but Sorioano? Piazza? Please! There are only 3 places the Red Sox might make a real effort to sign a big guy at - CF (Damon), SP (Burnett) and 1B (Konerko). I can realistically see all three of those not happening - but in all likelihood one will.

 

They sure as hell are not going to try to get Soriano, and they would be stupid to try anyway - they'd have to mortage their future by giving up prospects in a trade, and they already have a fantastic 2B prospect in the system. I don't give two shits if Pedroia is a 30/30 guy or not... dude's got intangables, excellent defense, OBP and would fit perfect in the 2 hole eventually. I can basically guarantee you Pedroia and Cora platoon this year.

 

First base has a couple options. Maybe they can get Konerko, but I doubt it. Its very possible they move Youkilis over there and resign Mueller... or just attempt to get another guy to play 1B... could possibly even get one in a deal for Manny - who knows.

 

Basically what I'm getting at is you are making the YANKEE mistake. You are evaluating baseball, what is out there, who you've seen on sportscenter, and you are trying to assemble some kind of veteran all star team because you know who they are. That is what Steinbrenner has done to the Yankees - when NY won all those championships in the 90s, it was built on their farm system, and solid role players. Once George got his hands on the team again, they started trading away their prospects for guys that they thought were the best at their position - ie assembling an all star team.

 

Epstein's approach is moneyball - only with some cash to spend. He looks for role players, hard nosed guys who want to get on base and drive in runs. He does this to assemble the best club while maximizing the "bang for the buck". That's why we have guys like Bill Mueller in stead of say Scott Rolen or Eric Chavez. That's worked out pretty well now hasn't it?

 

He wants to build the team through the farm, and through smart moves - not huge bloated contracts to over the hill veterans like Piazza, and he sure has hell has no interest in Soriano, nor should you. Strikes out way too much and is growing old VERY fast.

 

I can tell you what I think this team will look like, and what it should look like. And I bet you my team would beat yours. Here's what I think they should do:

 

1b - Youkilis

2b - Pedroia (possibly platooning with Cora)

ss - Reneria (but I'd love to trade him in 2007 to get a young outfielder and put Hanley in after that)

3b - Mueller

C - Varitek

Lf - Manny

Cf - Damon (give him the contract, but draft a young outfielder this year to come up and replace him in case the Bernie Williams effect happens in a couple years)

Rf - Trot

DH - Ortiz

 

SP - Schilling

SP - Burnett/Wells/somebody

SP - Clement

SP - Papelbon

SP - Wakefield/Arroyo depending

LRP - Arroyo/Wake

MRP - Bradford/whoever

MRP - Random lefty specialist

MRP - Delcarman

MRP - Hansen

SU - Timlin

CP - Foulke

 

Bet you a million dollars a team that looked anything like that would KILL the team you just said you wanted to put together.

 

Matt