Wakefield's New Catcher

[Redguitar985]

So out of the four candidates, who'll be catching Wakefield this season, now that Mirabelli's gone: Varitek, Flaherty, Huckaby, or Bard? I put Tek in there, but I don't seriously think he'll be doing the job.

[stocker323]

I think it'll be Flaherty just so they will have a schedule and that they will know Varitek will get every 5th day off.

[WildThing58]

Flaherty.

[The Monster is my Mom]

Flarherty or Bard, whichever one makes the team.

[WildThing58]

I wonder if wake will miss mirabelli.

[Cityofchampions33]

Flaherty, great defense, veteran experience, good clubhouse guy, also he caught RJ.

[The Monster is my Mom]

So Flaherty looking like he will make the team over Bard? Can we send Bard to Pawtucket?

[Redguitar985]

So Flaherty looking like he will make the team over Bard? Can we send Bard to Pawtucket?

 

It says on the PawSox website that Shawn Wooten is the cather there plus some other guy. But it has Kelly Shoppach there too, so it's not that up-to-date. I would say we could send Bard to AAA if he doesn't win the job, but not in the long run. And that actually makes me think: if we had Bard as a backup catcher and regular catcher for Wake, would that be almost like an audition for Tek's replacement?

[Redguitar985]

I wonder if wake will miss mirabelli.

 

Definitely. He said in an interview on New England Sports Tonight (I only watched that horrid show because nothing else was on) that he and Mirabelli were really close friends. He also said, though, that he has confidence in all the catchers in camp now to do the job.

[The Monster is my Mom]

It says on the PawSox website that Shawn Wooten is the cather there plus some other guy. But it has Kelly Shoppach there too, so it's not that up-to-date.

 

I know the contract we gave Flaherty lets us drop him, but my question is what do we do with Bard if he doesn't make the team? It seems we payed a hefty price to get him (Shoppach, Marte, Mota for Crisp, Bard, Riske), we should try to use him, especially since he is younger than Flaherty.

 

I wonder if wake will miss mirabelli.

 

I'm sure he will miss him, but Wake had been around a long time before Mirabelli came around and managed, so I think he will be fine.

[Cityofchampions33]

Ya never know if We trade Wells to SD and somehow get Belli back into the thick of things.

[riverside sluggers]

It says on the PawSox website that Shawn Wooten is the cather there plus some other guy. But it has Kelly Shoppach there too, so it's not that up-to-date. I would say we could send Bard to AAA if he doesn't win the job, but not in the long run. And that actually makes me think: if we had Bard as a backup catcher and regular catcher for Wake, would that be almost like an audition for Tek's replacement?

 

They have space for Bard since, as noted Shoppach is now with the Guardians. And Wooten has signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. I wouldnt think about a replacement just yet, Varitek isnt close to wearing totally down. Also is entering year 2 of his $40 million contract

[KeepTheFaith1229]

Ya never know if We trade Wells to SD and somehow get Belli back into the thick of things.

 

That would be sickkkkkk

[Redguitar985]

They have space for Bard since, as noted Shoppach is now with the Guardians. And Wooten has signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.

 

Yeah, I figured Wooten wasn't there either. Talk about an out-of-date website. And it's the OFFICIAL one too.

[The Monster is my Mom]

But does Bard have minor league options left??

[riverside sluggers]

But does Bard have minor league options left??

 

If he didnt, then the Sox would have already addresed it. Since they are having the 3 catchers compete for the backup job, i can only assume he has options left.

[Cityofchampions33]

Yeah, otherwise he would almost be a lock for the backup job

[stocker323]

Anybody's guess who will catch Wakefield

 

Associated Press

Posted: 31 minutes ago

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - The only predictable thing about Tim Wakefield's knuckleball may have been that Doug Mirabelli was behind home plate to catch it.

 

Now the Boston Red Sox don't even have that.

 

Mirabelli was traded to San Diego and now three offseason additions are competing for the job - or the burden - of trying to keep Wakefield's sinking, rising and frustratingly fluttering pitch from skipping to the backstop.

 

"It will be a huge challenge," manager Terry Francona said.

 

Jason Varitek caught most of Boston's games the last three years, but got a break every fifth game when Wakefield pitched. Mirabelli caught 92 of Wakefield's 96 starts in that stretch and the knuckleballer was 0-4 in the other four.

 

But the Red Sox traded Mirabelli on Dec. 7 for Mark Loretta, who will start at second base, and began adding catchers - free agents Ken Huckaby from Toronto and John Flaherty from the New York Yankees, then Josh Bard in a trade that also brought starting center fielder Coco Crisp from Cleveland.

 

With Varitek part of the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic, scheduled from March 3 to 20, all three should get extra chances to compete for one roster spot.

 

The ability to catch the knuckleball "does play a role," Bard said, "but I don't think it strictly depends on that. But if you can't catch it, that might eliminate you from the competition."

 

All three have had very limited experience catching the knuckler, especially one of Wakefield's quality, since few pitchers throw it anymore. The best knuckleball baffles hitters with its movement but also is the toughest to catch.

 

Wakefield, entering his 12th season with Boston, has confidence in all three, and his pitching isn't really affected by who is on the receiving end.

 

"They're very good defensively," Wakefield said. "It's no adjustment for me. I've just got to throw the ball over the plate. I can't worry about who's back there."

 

Sometimes, his pitch moves so much that it's virtually uncatchable. In the fifth game of the 2004 AL championship series, Varitek had two passed balls on his pitches in the 13th inning, but Boston beat the New York Yankees 5-4 in the 14th and went on to win the World Series.

 

"Anybody would have had a problem that day," Wakefield said. "Dougie would have looked the same way."

 

Huckaby was the first of the three to sign, agreeing to a minor league deal last Dec. 14. A few weeks later, he traveled from his home in Arizona to Wakefield's hometown of Melbourne, Fla., where Huckaby's mother-in-law lives.

 

He spent about 18 days there as a head start in working with Wakefield.

 

"It's tough," Huckaby said, "but the movement gets pretty consistent. If you can see it early enough, you can tell which way the rotation's going to take the ball and you can anticipate which way it's going to break, but there's that one out of 10 or 15 that kind of goes it's own direction and that's the one that chews you up."

 

The 35-year-old Huckaby has been with eight major league organizations, starting with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he caught Tom Candiotti, who threw a knuckler, in the bullpen.

 

Flaherty, 38, returns to the team he began his career with before moving to Detroit, San Diego, Tampa Bay and the Yankees. Last season, he was the personal catcher for a much different pitcher, fireballer Randy Johnson.

 

"With Randy, it's pretty straightforward. What he throws is just harder and sharper than anybody else," Flaherty said.

 

With the Devil Rays in 1998, he caught Dennis Springer, who threw a knuckler.

 

"He didn't have a knuckleball like Wake has. This is the best that we've seen in this era and it's one of those things that you really can't prepare for," Flaherty said.

 

He said Varitek and former Red Sox catcher and current first base coach Bill Haselman have talked with him about Wakefield, but "you have to experiment and find out what works for you."

 

Bard worked out in the offseason with left-hander Mike Myers, who played the last two seasons with Boston before moving to the Yankees. He also got tips from Chris Bando, his former catching coach who caught Candiotti.

 

Even Wakefield can't help much because he often doesn't know where the pitch will end up.

 

"I can't explain to them how to catch it," he said.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5360430

[The Monster is my Mom]

It will be interesting. I wish we could have Mirabelli back, especially now that the Padres got Piazza to start. I was happy for Doug before, because I thought he would get to start out there, but now I want him back.

[ORS]

He spent his first three years in the minors, the next three shuttling between Cleveland and AAA, so that means he's out of options.

 

"Options"

After three years as a pro, a player must be protected on a team's 40-man roster, or he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft (more on that later). Once he's served those three years, and assuming he is added to the 40-man roster, his club then has what are called "options" on him.

 

When a player is on the 40-man roster but not on the 25-man Major League roster, he is on "optional assignment." One common misconception about the rules is that a player may only be "optioned out" three times. Actually, each player has three option years, and he can be sent up and down as many times as the club chooses within those three seasons.

 

When you hear that a player is "out of options," that means he's been on the 40-man roster during three different seasons, beginning with his fourth as a pro, and to be sent down again he'll have to clear waivers.

 

espn.com

 

That means he can refuse an assignment and go through the waiver process. I doubt he makes it through waivers.

[The Monster is my Mom]

He spent his first three years in the minors, the next three shuttling between Cleveland and AAA, so that means he's out of options.

 

 

 

espn.com

 

That means he can refuse an assignment and go through the waiver process. I doubt he makes it through waivers.

 

Thanks Red! If that is the case, he should be the backup no questions asked. Unless he really stinks up the joint this spring.

[Redguitar985]

Thanks Red! If that is the case, he should be the backup no questions asked. Unless he really stinks up the joint this spring.

 

If he stinks up the joint this spring, maybe we could put him in that Wells trade Cityofchampions mentioned to get Mirabelli back.

[The Monster is my Mom]

If he stinks up the joint this spring, maybe we could put him in that Wells trade Cityofchampions mentioned to get Mirabelli back.

 

If he stinks, how can we trade him? Who wants a crappy backup catcher? I don't think even the Royals (or Rockies) are that desperate. I don't think he will stink it up though.

[Redguitar985]

If he stinks, how can we trade him? Who wants a crappy backup catcher? I don't think even the Royals (or Rockies) are that desperate. I don't think he will stink it up though.

 

If you were getting Wells, it might be worth it.

[The Monster is my Mom]

Is the reason Wells hasn't been traded because no one want him, or because we haven't got an offer we liked??

[yankeessuck013]

Is the reason Wells hasn't been traded because no one want him, or because we haven't got an offer we liked??

 

the latter

[jsinger121]

now is the time to get rid of wells and since he has a no trade clause we can deal him anywhere. the nationals brian lawrence just tore his labrum and is out until after the allstar break.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2344706

[guapo34]

Just because Wells does not have a no trade clause doesn't mean we can trade him to the Nationals. He's requested a trade to a west coast team. Why would the Nationals offer us anything for a player that doesn't want to go there? I think they've learned their lesson from Soriano.

 

I think Clement would be a better option to trade to the Nationals.

[jsinger121]

he requested a trade to the west coast but it doesn't mean he is going to get one there. the red sox best interest is getting the most in return for our team not to make david wells happy. now if the nationals want clement i would be more than willing to dump him on them.

[ksushi]

Who could we get back for Clement though? At least with wells you know what your getting, you'll get a 4.30-4.50 ERA or in the national league around a 3.90-4.10 with some big wins. Clement is all over the place, you might get nothing you might get an ace. That is intruiging for another team but I don't think that bodes well for his value on the trade market. I like Clement a little bit, my patience was a little tried after his terrible post season start, but I still see upside. He does have that filthy slider and a pretty nasty cutter that breaks downward and if he ever commanded the ball for a few starts in a row now and then during the season, for the rest of his starts he could get by on stuff alone and win around 15-18 games. The guy is good and he is someone who i would love to have at the back of my staff if I were a GM... and he is at the back of our staff.

 

His trade value will not be as high as the value of keeping him. On the flipside he could have a five ERA and get run off the mound in the 4th inning of every good offense he faces. He would probably bring back less than wells who is 40 but is dependable still and can give a team one relatively cheap year of decent/good production out of their rotation and there will be teams at least at the deadline looking for a guy like him, probably there are teams now looking for a guy like him.