FA outfielder

[Soxfan1]

Looking at the market right now i think we should sign a good underrated centerfielder.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=2271695

 

Looking at the List the names that stick out to me are:

 

Sammy Sosa- Call me crazy but with the recent criticism of him we could get him cheap and if he could return to sammy the season before the corked bat incedent it'd be great.
 

• Richard Hidalgo- I don't know too much about Hildago, but I know he was great in Houston and could be a great addition.
   
  
• Jeromy Burnitz- When the cubs could not get Magglio they turned to him and he put great numbers.
   
  
• Preston Wilson- He is capable of 20+ Hrs/80+ RBIs and has made just 39 errors in 928 games played. might be costly.
   
  
• Eric Byrnes- Great Defensive outfielder who could make up for Damons speed and range.
  

[riverside sluggers]

Id take Preston Wilson over those 3 any day

[Soxfan1]

I was going to put him up there but I know nothing about him.

[riverside sluggers]

here's some stats on him, hes capable of 20+ Hrs/80+ RBIs and has made just 39 errors in 928 games played.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5994

[example1]

Hidalgo would make me puke.

[a700hitter]

Wilson would come with a pricetag that will make the FO wish they kept Damon.

[jimmycarter05]

Yeah I agree with Preston Wilson.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

Give Jim Rice 5 million for a year with incentives to come out of retirement. lol

 

I wouldn't mind any of those guys. I want them to sign Eli Marrero as a backup or something, cause he can play alot of positions and he happens to have the same last name as part of my family. lol

[GabeKaplerluver19]

couldn't they just use Kapler?

[riverside sluggers]

Kapler is still questionable to return until the all star break. Also he's really just a career 4th outfielder

[GabeKaplerluver19]

Kapler is still questionable to return until the all star break. Also he's really just a career 4th outfielder

 

oh, i didn't know he was still questionable, i just read that he might return in time for opening day.

[26 to 6]

Give Jim Rice 5 million for a year with incentives to come out of retirement. lol

 

I wouldn't mind any of those guys. I want them to sign Eli Marrero as a backup or something, cause he can play alot of positions and he happens to have the same last name as part of my family. lol

haha I want the Yankees to sign Marrero (or trade for Hammock) because of his versatility as well. Pretty cool.

 

Anyways, I think Sosa is a risj worth taking. Some team should pick him up, he is definately capable of being the Sosa of old. Peopleare entitled to have an off season or two. He would be a monster with that monster out there.

[Beckett95]

id sign eric byrnes and have him platoon with nixon. There arent any good FA cf's available, so i think we have to get one in a trade, probaly Reed. Lf is occupied by manny do there isnt a need for a starting OF

[26 to 6]

Byrnes is another good one out there. Im surprised nobodus picked him up yet considering how highly sought after he was last offseason. Maybe he could play Center for you guys, not a bad idea.

[Beckett95]

if he can play like he did in 2004 with the A's, hed be a solid choice in CF. If he plays like he did last year, hes a 4th OF and maybe late inning defensive guy

[pats55sox45]

i always liked preston wilson

but hes not exactly a moneyball type player

 

AND he's mookie wilson's step-son

[riverside sluggers]

If Sox were able to acquire Wilson for 3 years/$15-21 million, Id be happy with that

[elsrbueno]

I'd be OK with Eric Byrnes as a 4th outfielder, but he strikes out twice as much as he walks and hasn't shown me enough to prove he's an everyday player.

 

Of course, if he's signed on he could be given a chance to prove he deserves playing time.

 

Preston Wilson is the best available free agent outfielder, and the Sox may be out of their league price wise if another team shows strong interest. He's a 25-30 HR guy and in the back end of Boston's lineup (batting 6 or 7 most likely) could amass 90+ RBIs. His 141 RBI season is far and away his next best season (90 last year), and his career .333 OBP is pretty bad. Also this guy K's almost as often as Mark Bellhorn without the walks, so be prepared for that.

 

He looks (stats wise) to be a slight downgrade to Damon defensively, and having never seen the man play (Florida, Colorado and Washington games don't get much press up here) I can only ASSUME his arm is better than Johnny's.

 

Jeromy Burnitz and Richard Hidalgo should not be considered options IMO. Burnitz is a guy who swing as hard as he can at absolutely everything, and has huge strikeout totals and minimal power numbers by comparison. Hidalgo's had 1 great season and a series of mediocre seasons since. He's a 4th outfielder at best, but he doesn't hit lefties well (.157 last season, .245 over the last 3 years) so a platoon with Nixon makes no sense.

 

I wouldn't offer Sosa anything more than a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. His health and abilities are in steady decline and I wouldn't expect a thing from him at this point. Even still, he was just as productive last season as Richard Hidalgo-- which is saying something not about how good Sosa is, but how bad Hidalgo was.

 

A couple guys who catch my eye are:

 

Jamal Strong-- Pretty good numbers at AAA last year, (.293/.371/.393). He's got good speed (25 SBs), decent plate judgement (43 BBs to 67 K's in 382 ABs), and at 27 he's not a prospect but still has a chance to be a contributer. Very little power but I'd get this guy to spring training with a chance to win the job as a 4th outfielder and a potential centerfielder if he plays well. At 25, him seeing time in Pawtucket obviously isn't the end of the world either.

 

Charles Gipson-- Another guy with some speed (19 SBs in AAA) and decent bat. Strike zone judgement needs help, and at 32 isn't getting any better. A 4th outfielder at best.

 

Alex Escobar -- I have no good reasons other than the fact that the guy was a top prospect in the past, so he's obviously got talent that hasn't been put together. An invitation to camp presents very little risk, but anything more than a minor league deal with that invitation is too much.

 

The only outfielder on the free agent market who deserves to be an everyday player (IMO) is Preston Wilson. If he's in high demand his price could soon be out of the Red Sox' range, in which case the Red Sox may need to look into some lesser players and hope they pan out.

 

The problem with the trade market is that other teams know we're desperate. Jeremy Reed, Coco Crisp, these guys are good options, but teams aren't in this to be nice and are looking to guage the Red Sox to the tune of Andy Marte+ for some of these guys.

 

This is more a hunch than anything else-- but I wouldn't be surprised if Corey Patterson was in Boston in some capacity next season.

[a700hitter]

If Sox were able to acquire Wilson for 3 years/$15-21 million, Id be happy with that

No way Wilson comes that cheap, especially after the money Reggie Sanders got.

[Soxfan1]

I'd be OK with Eric Byrnes as a 4th outfielder, but he strikes out twice as much as he walks and hasn't shown me enough to prove he's an everyday player.

 

Of course, if he's signed on he could be given a chance to prove he deserves playing time.

 

Preston Wilson is the best available free agent outfielder, and the Sox may be out of their league price wise if another team shows strong interest. He's a 25-30 HR guy and in the back end of Boston's lineup (batting 6 or 7 most likely) could amass 90+ RBIs. His 141 RBI season is far and away his next best season (90 last year), and his career .333 OBP is pretty bad. Also this guy K's almost as often as Mark Bellhorn without the walks, so be prepared for that.

 

He looks (stats wise) to be a slight downgrade to Damon defensively, and having never seen the man play (Florida, Colorado and Washington games don't get much press up here) I can only ASSUME his arm is better than Johnny's.

 

Jeromy Burnitz and Richard Hidalgo should not be considered options IMO. Burnitz is a guy who swing as hard as he can at absolutely everything, and has huge strikeout totals and minimal power numbers by comparison. Hidalgo's had 1 great season and a series of mediocre seasons since. He's a 4th outfielder at best, but he doesn't hit lefties well (.157 last season, .245 over the last 3 years) so a platoon with Nixon makes no sense.

 

I wouldn't offer Sosa anything more than a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. His health and abilities are in steady decline and I wouldn't expect a thing from him at this point. Even still, he was just as productive last season as Richard Hidalgo-- which is saying something not about how good Sosa is, but how bad Hidalgo was.

 

A couple guys who catch my eye are:

 

Jamal Strong-- Pretty good numbers at AAA last year, (.293/.371/.393). He's got good speed (25 SBs), decent plate judgement (43 BBs to 67 K's in 382 ABs), and at 27 he's not a prospect but still has a chance to be a contributer. Very little power but I'd get this guy to spring training with a chance to win the job as a 4th outfielder and a potential centerfielder if he plays well. At 25, him seeing time in Pawtucket obviously isn't the end of the world either.

 

Charles Gipson-- Another guy with some speed (19 SBs in AAA) and decent bat. Strike zone judgement needs help, and at 32 isn't getting any better. A 4th outfielder at best.

 

Alex Escobar -- I have no good reasons other than the fact that the guy was a top prospect in the past, so he's obviously got talent that hasn't been put together. An invitation to camp presents very little risk, but anything more than a minor league deal with that invitation is too much.

 

The only outfielder on the free agent market who deserves to be an everyday player (IMO) is Preston Wilson. If he's in high demand his price could soon be out of the Red Sox' range, in which case the Red Sox may need to look into some lesser players and hope they pan out.

 

The problem with the trade market is that other teams know we're desperate. Jeremy Reed, Coco Crisp, these guys are good options, but teams aren't in this to be nice and are looking to guage the Red Sox to the tune of Andy Marte+ for some of these guys.

 

This is more a hunch than anything else-- but I wouldn't be surprised if Corey Patterson was in Boston in some capacity next season.

I didn't even notice him on there. That guy is awesome. He is always top plays on ESPN and would help the outfield Defense.

[riverside sluggers]

No way Wilson comes that cheap, especially after the money Reggie Sanders got.

 

yeah and sanders got 2 years/$10 million... Wilson would turn down 3 years/$21 million and a chance to play for a playoff potential team? Besides, Boston is about right now the only team in need of a center fielder

[26 to 6]

AND he's mookie wilson's step-son

Is he really? I should have known that.

 

Alex Escobar -- I have no good reasons other than the fact that the guy was a top prospect in the past, so he's obviously got talent that hasn't been put together. An invitation to camp presents very little risk, but anything more than a minor league deal with that invitation is too much.

Escobar re-upped with Washington

 

Charles Gipson-- Another guy with some speed (19 SBs in AAA) and decent bat. Strike zone judgement needs help, and at 32 isn't getting any better. A 4th outfielder at best.

Gipson could be good, but unlikely. He played the entire year last year in AAA for the Astros, after being released out of Spring Training with another club I believe. his only time in the bigs last year was as a September callup. I cant see the Sox giving him a chance. But if they did he would be another guy to throw on the list in the Red Sox/yankee thread

 

 

Jeromy Burnitz and Richard Hidalgo should not be considered options IMO. Burnitz is a guy who swing as hard as he can at absolutely everything, and has huge strikeout totals and minimal power numbers by comparison. Hidalgo's had 1 great season and a series of mediocre seasons since. He's a 4th outfielder at best, but he doesn't hit lefties well (.157 last season, .245 over the last 3 years) so a platoon with Nixon makes no sense.

I would give Burnitz a chance, and I would give Hidalgo a shot on a Minor League deal with a ST invite. Burnitz had a pretty good year last year and Hidalgo was pretty productive for the Mets in 2004, last year could have just been an off-year.

[CrespoBlows]

I'd trade David Wells to the Padres for Dave Roberts (if they include Williams then the deal is off) and let him play in center, then add Eric Byrnes to platoon against lefties.

[elsrbueno]

Escobar re-upped with Washington

 

MLB still had him listed as a free agent.... oh well.

 

Gipson could be good, but unlikely. He played the entire year last year in AAA for the Astros, after being released out of Spring Training with another club I believe. his only time in the bigs last year was as a September callup. I cant see the Sox giving him a chance. But if they did he would be another guy to throw on the list in the Red Sox/yankee thread

 

Again my idea there was as a 4th outfielder. As a MLC with an invite he presents no risk

 

I would give Burnitz a chance, and I would give Hidalgo a shot on a Minor League deal with a ST invite. Burnitz had a pretty good year last year and Hidalgo was pretty productive for the Mets in 2004, last year could have just been an off-year.

 

Burnitz is too one-dimensional for me to really get excited about. His offensive attack consists of swinging as hard as he can at just about everything-- sure he gets SOME, but 24 HRs last year isn't enough to justify his lack of other talents (defense, average, speed, eye, etc).

 

Hidalgo has a chance to rebound, but he's more of a corner outfielder so would be more suitable as a potential left fielder if Manny's gone or a RH bat to platoon with Nixon-- but, his splits don't really indicate that facing lefties is a strength. He hit 21 homers and drove in 54 runs with the Mets in 2004, but that .228/.296/.463 line stands out to me and it just doesn't look good.

 

On a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite I'd take Hidalgo, and if he could return to his 2003 performance he'd be a bargain.... but he was in a hitters' park last year surrounded by some pretty good hitters and he was even worse than 2004 at:

.221/.289/.416 ......

 

Long story short I'd be interested in Preston Wilson contingent upon his demands, but the options beyond him on the free agent market are bleak.

 

I'd extend an invitation to Jamal Strong on a minor league contract and try to bring in Eric Byrnes as a 4th outfielder regardless.

[Beckett95]

Former Oregon State star Jacoby Ellsbury, with one season of pro baseball under his belt, probably will play for either Class A Wilmington (N.C.) or Double-A Portland (Maine) next season.

But with Johnny Damon now a New York Yankee, OSU coach Pat Casey suggests a radical move.

“If I were the Red Sox, I’d take Jacoby to (major league) training camp in February,” Casey says. “If he’d get 50 at-bats during spring training, they’d find he is a lot closer to being big-league ready than they thought. He’d probably hit .250 and steal some bases and play well defensively and they’d go, ‘Wow.’ ”

Ellsbury, 21, hit .317 with a .418 on-base percentage in 35 games for the Lowell (Mass.) Spinners this year, after leading OSU to the Pac-10 title and the College World Series. The center fielder from Madras missed 14 games with a hamstring injury but led the New York-Penn short-season A League team in stolen bases with 23. He was second on the team in hitting and on-base percentage, behind ex-Stanford infielder Jed Lowrie.

“You always feel like you can play better, but I was pleased with how it went,” says Ellsbury, who was drafted by Boston with the 23rd pick in the first round. “I was pretty solid defensively. There wasn’t much of a transition to make from the college game.”

portland tribune

 

i wouldnt mind giving him a shot in spring training. If we can find a SS who can lead off, id be fine with ellsbury batting 9th.

[a700hitter]

i wouldnt mind giving him a shot in spring training. If we can find a SS who can lead off, id be fine with ellsbury batting 9th.

That would be lunacy. The only thing that could come from that would be to ruin the kids confidence and expose any weaknesses to other major league teams ruining his trade value. Let him come to camp for the first week, and send him down on the 15th after I leave Fla. lol!!

[26 to 6]

That would be pretty interesting, I would definately commend the Sox if they did that.

[CrespoBlows]

Gipson could be good, but unlikely. He played the entire year last year in AAA for the Astros, after being released out of Spring Training with another club I believe. his only time in the bigs last year was as a September callup. I cant see the Sox giving him a chance. But if they did he would be another guy to throw on the list in the Red Sox/yankee thread

 

No way, no way in hell does Gipson ever do anything of value for any big league club. There's a better chance of seeing Soxfan without a dick in his mouth, then Gibson playing center for the Red Sox.

[26 to 6]

No way, no way in hell does Gipson ever do anything of value for any big league club. There's a better chance of seeing Soxfan without a dick in his mouth, then Gibson playing center for the Red Sox.

Oh I definately agree with you man, I just said "could" because I didnt want to insult elsrbueno, so it was my sublt way of disagreeing with him, but respectfully.

 

..if that one makes any sense

[BigPapiEnFuego]

No way, no way in hell does Gipson ever do anything of value for any big league club. There's a better chance of seeing Soxfan without a dick in his mouth, then Gibson playing center for the Red Sox.

 

 

Holy crap. That is the funniest thing i've ever read.

 

Sorry SoxFan.