Ideas for Theo Epstein

[Palodios]

Hey' date=' call me a homer if you want, but i've said before: Neither the Rays' rotation nor their bullpen are sub-3.00 ERA squads. They [b']will [/b]struggle at some point. If the Sox play well, they're both catchable.

 

As much as I'd like to agree with you, the team's starting pitching is mind numbing to me right now. Between their starting rotation, the average amount of major league playing time is less than two full years, but somehow they're still cruising right along, and well under 3 era.

 

Their schedule has been incredibly easy, and it will stay easy all year, outside of the East. While we play the .625 Phillies, they play the .325 Astros. Its going to be about staying relevant on that wild card, beating out the Yankees and staying alive till the playoffs. Considering how badly the Sox have been playing, and are still only 3.5 games back from the wc, they can do it, but the Rays are completely out of reach.

[BoSox21]

but the Rays are completely out of reach.

 

You can NEVER say a team is completely out of reach 1/4 of the way through the season. Yes, they might be better but there are far too many variables to consider over the next 4 months.

[Dipre]

You can NEVER say a team is completely out of reach 1/4 of the way through the season. Yes' date=' they might be better but there are far too many variables to consider over the next 4 months.[/quote']

 

Exactly. One four game winning streak by the Sox coupled with a four-game losing streak by the Rays, and the whole complexion of the division changes.

 

Besides, remember the Mets? Yeah, they of the massive collapse. You just never know with baseball.....

[Palodios]

Its not completely impossible, but considering the discrepancy in the team's schedules, it is unrealistic.. Do you really see the Sox playing nine games better than the Rays, if the Sox have to play 30 games against New York/Philadelphia/Tampa(only 11 of which at home)? Throw in a mix of the Rangers/Tigers/Angels/Dodgers, and realize that the Sox have played 8 more home games than away games. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I have noticed the Sox hitting against lefties much better than righties, and well, the only Tampa Bay lefty starting is looking like a Cy Young candidate. So expecting a few big sweeps of Tampa probably won't happen either.

 

I like this team, I believe in the philosophy the management took at the beginning of the year, and the only thing it actually needs is a new bullpen arm, a new pitching coach and some luck. However, I do not see them getting past the Rays with this schedule, and so many players under performing. After a good start by Lackey, he's starting to look vulnerable, and Dice-k and Beckett switch back and forth between brilliant and looking like they should be playing double A. If just one of Lester/ Buchholz/ Pedroia/ Drew/Papelbon/Bard gets hurt what do you think will happen to this team?

 

The yankees are so injury-ridden right now that they can be beaten. The Rays are just too good, too young, too healthy with that big hole the team is in already.

[ORS]

Not really. The Rays have scored 225 runs when the approximate average of the run production stats place their context independent scoring at 200 runs. You can either believe that their aggressiveness on the basepaths is the genesis of this (I mean nobody in the history of baseball has ever been aggressive, right?), or you can believe that the way they are really hitting won't lead to as many runs. Similarly, they are also about +20 runs to the positive on the pitching side.

 

They aren't pitching and hitting like a .750 win team. I'm thinking there's a correction in order. Now that correction could be that they do start hitting and pitching like a .750 win team, or it could be some more losses. Time will tell. What's unlikely is that they continue to play the way they have and win at the rate they have.

[Palodios]

Even if they drop in performance and play .600 for the rest of the year, we'll have to play .680 just to catch up with them, against harder teams and more frequently away from fenway.

[alphilip77]

Hey guys, first time poster. Here's what I'd like to see happen:

 

Trades:

 

1) Trade V-Mart and maybe a prospect to the Mariners for Cliff Lee. This makes sense for both parties because (as of now anyway) the Mariners are WELL below .500 and they're looking for offensive fire power for this season and beyond. Besides, I think Cliff would relish the opportunity to play for a big name team like the Sox and have an oppurtunity to dish a little payback at the Yanks for costing him a WS ring. Also, it gives us a head start to evaluate him against our divisional opponents and possibly sign him to an extension/new deal.

 

2) As of now, Oswalt wants out of Houston. I don't know what the general concensus hear on Oswalt is, but I say anyone's better than Dice-K at this point. Swap pitchers and maybe throw in another player (bullpen pitcher, perhaps) to sweeten the deal. While he obviously wouldn't be our ace, he'd make an excellent #3/4 pitcher and further solidify our rotation. Although this would bring our rotation to six ptichers (Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Bucholz, & Lee), Oswalt could fill in should an injury occur or step in for relief work. Wakefield would be moved to the bullpen following the Lee/Oswalt trades, strengthening the BP in the process.

 

3) I don't know what it would take in regards to a package deal to land Prince Fielder, but I'll give it a shot. Send Ortiz, a couple prospects (don't know who exactly), and (if need be) Papelbon.

 

4) Sign Rafael Soriano to fill void left by Papelbon trade. If Paps is still around (don't know how payroll-wise), use Soriano as the closer every other game or as a bullpen guy.

 

Now I don't know how good or bad these scenarios are, but these were a couple of ideas I had that I just felt like sharing.

[SCM33]

1. Cliff Lee just signed a long term deal, VMart is a FA after the season. Not going to happen.

 

2. Why would Houston want Dice-K? Why would they want one of our s***** bullpen arms? We arent going to give them anything of value to "Sweeten" the deal because we are looking for bullpen arms.

 

3. Ortiz is a DH. He has zero worth to any NL team. He has little worth to any team really, other than a few that can pay his salary. He is an aging slugger. Why would MIL trade their cornerstone, esp. for Ortiz? We are already weak in the bullpen, trading Papelbon makes it weaker.

 

4. Soriano has been a lights out reliever for TB (by the way, first place in the AL East). How can they sign him?

 

Pretty much a overwhelming NO on all fronts.

[yankees228]

Cliff Lee is a free agent after this season.

[TheMino007]

If the Red Sox want to catch the Yankees and Rays they need to beat them. Right now the Sox are a combined 2-9 against the Yanks/Rays this year. You make up ground by beating teams heads up, its the quickest way to make up ground. What this team needs and can realistically get is middle relief help.