Who Will Be the Sox Opening Day Catcher?

[riverside sluggers]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/01/18/deep_thoughts_on_players/?page=4

 

Seattle might have interest in Varitek

[diony]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/01/18/deep_thoughts_on_players/?page=4

 

Seattle might have interest in Varitek

 

Their first round pick is protected. So it makes sense.

[a700hitter]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/01/18/deep_thoughts_on_players/?page=4

 

Seattle might have interest in Varitek

Don't they still have Johjima and Clement? Where would Varitek fit in that mix, especially after they declared Clement as their starter last year.

[WhiskeyBreath]

Don't they still have Johjima and Clement? Where would Varitek fit in that mix' date=' especially after they declared Clement as their starter last year.[/quote']

 

Clement did a lot of DH'ing last year though.

[diony]

Johjima is an awful catcher for that young staff.

[riverside sluggers]

Dont tell Dojii that lol

[Redguitar985]

Varitek has roots there. He might like it.

[BSN07]

We still get supplemental pick's, so that wouldn't be that bad.

[BoSox21]

Maybe we could draft Heathcliff Slocumb's kid with the pick, irony as its best

[BSN07]

Guys take this with a grain of salt.

 

 

But here on NASN(NorthAmericanSportsNetwork, soon to be ESPN America, it just scrolled by on the bottom that Varitek is expected to re-sign with the Red Sox for a reduced rate.

 

 

LIke I said, not sure how concrete it is, but that's our big sport station here, so I thought I would post what I saw. All it says it was from an MLB source.

[BoSox21]

isnt ESPN America just....ESPN?

[Redguitar985]

Yes. Yes' date=' there is. Because performance based incentives open a can of worms if a front office finds itself in a position of needing to not hand out the incentive. Rather than having to field a whole lot of borderline cases the union just negotiated the whole concept of production-based incentives right out of the CBA.[/quote']

 

I tried looking through the CBA just now, and I think you're right. Players can get incentives that aren't based on stats (MVP votes, CY Young awards), but I couldn't find anything about stats-related incentives.

 

I'd put it back in if I were the union, when the CBA expires. Are there really a lot of borderline cases every year?

[BSN07]

isnt ESPN America just....ESPN?

 

You would think, but that's what it is called.

[Dojji]

not true. Guys have clauses based upon CY and MVP voting as well as homerun clauses.

 

Not quite. They're the result of good statistical performance bes, but they're not a hard number themselves. What you can't do is give an incentive for batting .270 or posting a .340 OBP.

[Dojji]

Are there really a lot of borderline cases every year?

 

Well since you can't actually put it in a contract I wouldn't think so, but we already have issues where players with games and AB incentives wind up having to fight their front offices for playing time so I could understand why the union would not want to go there.

[jacksonianmarch]

Not quite. They're the result of good statistical performance bes' date=' but they're not a hard number themselves. What you can't do is give an incentive for batting .270 or posting a .340 OBP.[/quote']

 

but you can for reaching a certain number of innings or plate appearances or hits.

[Dojji]

Which again, is not so much statistical performance as it is health, durability, and the ability to punch a clock. The closest you come to rebutting me with that is that you have to be doing some kind of job to be trusted with too many IP or games played.

[Redguitar985]

Well since you can't actually put it in a contract I wouldn't think so' date=' but we already have issues where players with games and AB incentives wind up having to fight their front offices for playing time so I could understand why the union would not want to go there.[/quote']

 

Maybe they could still have incentives, but create a range. You get a bonus if you hit 10-15 home runs or hit for a .290-.300 average.

[jacksonianmarch]

Which again' date=' is not so much statistical performance as it is health, durability, and the ability to punch a clock. The closest you come to rebutting me with that is that you have to be doing some kind of job to be trusted with too many IP or games played.[/quote']

 

and being durable is part of performance, right? And no team in their right mind would put incentives in play for percentages since they dont take into account ABs. You dont put a clause in play for a .300BA because that could be reached by playing 3 games and going 3 for 10

[italstallianion]

Well you could have a minimum number of at bats required, much like one won't win a batting title for going 5/10 even though he batted .500 for the season.

 

The number of AB's however, is very typically put into contracts, Baldelli's and Kotsay's for 2 specific and recent examples.

[Mr Crunchy]

Steve Avery had incentives to start 25 games i think?He was f***ing useless while in boston.

on his 25th start and with the sox out of it jimy williams started him to gain him his bonus or it may have kicked in a players option,i forget.

Oil Can Boyd on the other hand led the NL in shutouts(4 i believe),led the expos in wins i think and needed 1 start with a week left to gain his option(or bonus)...The expos sat him,f***ed him over and he never pitched again in the majors....Now that boy got f***ed badly.

[a700hitter]

Steve Avery had incentives to start 25 games i think?He was f***ing useless while in boston.

on his 25th start and with the sox out of it jimy williams started him to gain him his bonus or it may have kicked in a players option,i forget.

Oil Can Boyd on the other hand led the NL in shutouts(4 i believe),led the expos in wins i think and needed 1 start with a week left to gain his option(or bonus)...The expos sat him,f***ed him over and he never pitched again in the majors....Now that boy got f***ed badly.

With regard to Avery, the FO instructed Jimy to sit Avery, but Jimy gave him the start anyway to get the incentive payment.

[Redguitar985]

With regard to Avery' date=' the FO instructed Jimy to sit Avery, but Jimy gave him the start anyway to get the incentive payment.[/quote']

 

Haha, and the Dan Duquette-Jimy Williams relationship deteriorated some more.

[riverside sluggers]

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2009/01/more-hope.html

 

The Rangers wont mind dealing Salty for Clay straight up

[TheKilo]

Of course not.

[BSN07]

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2009/01/more-hope.html

 

The Rangers wont mind dealing Salty for Clay straight up

 

If they are willing to do that, I think its reasonable to think they could settle on bowden +1.

[Dojji]

Of course not.

 

quite honestly I'd think about it. Clay is good but he didn't impress me much last year, they monkeyed with his delivery, and Catcher is a position of need. If we can deal him to fill that need with a top-notch replacement we do have 3 other prospects who could at least potentially become staples of the rotation if needed next year -- Bowden, Masterson, and Kris Johnson. If you're going to deal prospects there's worse times to do it.

[Keeper]

So would I. The Sox need a serviceable catcher more than they need a work in progress, especially when they have other pitching prospects who could still be studs.

[italstallianion]

I just think Texas got enough the last time we traded with them. And they only got a butt load for Teixeira because they screwed the Braves as well. The Rangers owe us as far as I'm concerned.

[rician blast]

I wonder what Mark Teixeira would look like with a 98 mph fastball in between his ears....

 

ummm...Matsui?