The Official 2010 Hot Stove Thread.

[a700hitter]

Red Sox sign Alfredo Aceves

 

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

 

A Major League source tells my Globe colleague Nick Cafardo that the Red Sox have signed righthander Alfredo Aceves to a major-league contract.

 

The split contract is worth $650,000 with $200,000 if he pitches in the minors. There are also incentive clauses based on how much he pitches.

 

Aceves worked out for the Red Sox yesterday. The 28-year-old was 14-1 with a 3.21 ERA in 59 career appearances for the Yankees, five of them starts, over three seasons. He pitched only 12 innings last season because of various injuries and was non-tendered by the Yankees. Aceves had a back injury last season then broke his left collarbone in a bicycle accident in November.

 

With Aceves in the fold, the Red Sox will have to make room on the 40-man roster for him.

 

UPDATE, 5:16 p.m.: The Mets were among the teams with interest in Aceves and were disappointed they did not get him. Given the acumen of Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta, that speaks well of his chances with the Red Sox.

 

I had a chance to watch Aceves when he pitched for the Yankees in 2008 and '09. He's a battler who's not afraid to throw strikes in a tight spot and can pitch in a variety of ways. He is effective against righthanders (.221/.275/.359) and lefthanders (.223/.276/.337) alike and can get more than three outs when needed.

 

He also has excellent splits against AL East teams.

 

Aceves has two options left, so at worst the Red Sox will get a chance to see how he pitches in Triple-A.

 

I like this move.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Career stats:

 

Vs BAL: 16 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7 K

Vs TB: 12.1 IP, 0.73 ERA, 14 K

Vs TOR: 16.1 IP, 1.10 ERA, 16 K

 

Damn. I'll take those splits every day of the week. He strugged vs BOS (4.34 ERA) but that's pretty much it. Solid pick up.

 

Looking at our bullpen right now, if Aceves can come back and throw well, we'll have Papelbon, Bard, Jenks, Wheeler, Oki, Hill, Aceves. What does that mean for Wakefield? If each player is truly "earning a spot in the bullpen" then Wake should have to earn his spot too. Especially when we have Doubront getting stretched out in AAA for any spot starts.

[jacksonianmarch]

I loved Aceves, and if the Yankees werent pissed off at him, they would have tendered him a contract. His fractured collarbone was the last straw. I highly doubt he comes back at the beginning of the yr, but if he can reclaim his stuff and more importantly, his location, he could be a valuable asset in the pen. We missed him something fierce last season

[Will617]

How does one break a collarbone bicycling? I don't mean to insult Aceves in any way, it just seems like a strange way to pick up an injury.

[Divinity]

How does one break a collarbone bicycling? I don't mean to insult Aceves in any way' date=' it just seems like a strange way to pick up an injury.[/quote']

 

To quote a cyclist “If you haven’t broken your collarbone, you haven’t ridden long enough"

 

The injury is common among riders sent hurtling off their bicycles during a crash. Often the first part of their body to hit the ground is a shoulder, elbow or wrist. The force can be transmitted up the arm to the collarbone, which is one of the body’s most vulnerable bones.

[Spudboy]

How does one break a collarbone bicycling? I don't mean to insult Aceves in any way' date=' it just seems like a strange way to pick up an injury.[/quote']

 

?

 

Easy. Other than the cranium, the clavicle and scapula are the largest and most prominent bones in the upper human body. Fall off a bike and see what happens. Who knows the details of the bike accident?

[Spudboy]

To quote a cyclist “If you haven’t broken your collarbone, you haven’t ridden long enough"

 

The injury is common among riders sent hurtling off their bicycles during a crash. Often the first part of their body to hit the ground is a shoulder, elbow or wrist. The force can be transmitted up the arm to the collarbone, which is one of the body’s most vulnerable bones.

 

Yup.

[SoxFanForsyth]

4:45pm: The Red Sox see Aceves as a starter, rather than a reliever, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Speier notes that the deal is a split contract that would pay Aceves $200K in the minors.

 

That seems interesting. Wonder why we've signed him as a SP rather than a RP where he's done well. Also - we signed him to a MLB deal, and while he still has options, having it come out that he's been signed as a SP cannot bode well for Wakefield. If Aceves can come up and throw well out of the bullpen and be our 6th starter, where does Wakefield fit?

[SoxSport]

Baseball has a built in mechanism that practically guarantees salary inflation. The Cardinals will wind up giving Pujols more money than ARod's insane contract--because that's the standard set when the Rangers and then the Yankees pushed the bar up. So they will pay him $28-30 million per. It will happen, or people will drink less Budweiser beer. 'Nuf said.

[Dojji]

What this is telling us is that Aceves, who has options, is likely to start in the minors.

[SoxFanForsyth]

*huge image removed because it was breaking the page....sorry

 

:thumbsup:

[BSN07]

*huge image removed by yeszir because it was breaking the page*

:thumbsup:

 

Glad to see Lowell and Beltre in camp

[Cocos Disciples]

Glad to see Lowell and Beltre in camp

And 2010 Dolphins season tickets are on sale! I think they'll go far this year.

[bsox0407]

Orlando Cabrera is now an Indian and will tryout for 2B

[yankees228]

Awesome. Let there be baseball.

[SoxFanForsyth]

For the record, I realize this was a 2010 spring training picture. I just thought it was an awesome picture under the sun of a spring training field.

 

Plus it was used on boston.com, so I thought i'd share it. Geez nitpicky around here.

[Dojji]

You're only just now realizing that?

[SoxFanForsyth]

"You know what I love about high school girls? I keep gettin older and they stay the same age. Yes they do, yes they do."

[bsox0407]

You know what I love about high school girls? I keep gettin older and they stay the same age. Yes they do' date=' yes they do.[/quote']

 

:lol:

[alphilip77]

Red Sox close to a contract with a Ham Fighter:

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/02/red-sox-sign-itsuki-shoda.html

[Dojji]

THat's "Fighter," not "Ham Fighter." Nippon Ham is the sponsor of the team.

[alphilip77]

THat's "Fighter' date='" not "Ham Fighter." Nippon Ham is the sponsor of the team.[/quote']

 

But ham fighter sounds cooler!

[BSN07]

Yes, Ham Fighter is way better. Even if it isn't correct lol

[Dojji]

That's why no one will ever get that right lol.

[The Celtbot]

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a Nikkan Sports report which says the Red Sox are expected to sign Japanese left-hander Itsuki Shoda to a minor league contract.

 

Alex Speier of WEEI.com translates the report, where Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is quoted as saying a deal is near completion and that Shoda will report to minor league camp.

 

Shoda, 29, won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2002 after going 9-11 with a 3.45 ERA as a member of the Nippon Ham Fighters, but has had a difficult time replicating his early success. He was eventually traded to the Hanshin Tigers following the 2006 season, where he spent two seasons in the minor leagues. The southpaw has spent the past two seasons in Taiwan as a member of the Sinon Bulls. He went 11-5 with a 2.81 ERA last season, striking out 116 batters over 166 1/3 innings. As Speier notes, he is regarded as a curveball specialist.

 

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/12/red-sox-near-deal-with-japanese-left-hander-itsuki-shoda/

[alphilip77]

Everybody cross your fingers and hope this guy beats out Oki in Spring training!

[SoxFanForsyth]

A source told FoxSports.com that the Red Sox "are set to sign" Adrian Gonzalez to a seven-year, $164 million contract extension, but will wait until after Opening Day in order to help save on the luxury tax. Gonzalez is slated to make $6.2 million in 2011, the final year of a five-year extension the first baseman signed in 2007.

 

 

 

For a further explanation of why it would benefit the Red Sox not to announce an Adrian Gonzalez extension, click here to read Alex Speier's explanation.

 

 

 

For more coverage from spring training, see the Red Sox team page at weei.com/redsox.

 

Obviously this was already known by all, but it's officially being reported now.

[Palodios]

Fun fact: A-gon is 2.5 years younger than Pujols, and his contract is going to be about 3 years shorter. 5.5 year differences in their ages at the end of their contracts.

[SoxSport]

Some talk in the media about the Red Sox going after Pujols? Maybe a better chance of oil mixing with water. The Red Sox do not give long term contracts to players over 30--certainly for no longer than age 35. So Pujols at 31 would never get 10 years in Boston. Nor would he get ARod money. And besides, they have a first baseman--AdGon--who they will extend shortly for less money.

 

I also read that some NY reporter suggests the Yankees might not pick up Sabathia's option, and instead sign Pujols--and make Teixiera the most expensive DH in history. Moneywise, anything is possible in NY, but more likely the Yankees would sign both Sabathia and Pujols. I still think, however, Pujols will wind up staying in St Louis --for close to whatever AdGon signs for after April 5th. Maybe a bit more. You have to wonder about the timing of all of this--and whether the Red Sox and the Cardinals are communicating.

 

There is also a misconception out there that the Red Sox suddenly spent through the roof this year--Yankee style. Not quite. Epstein signed one star free agent, Crawford, for $20+ mil. The other star, AdGon, was obtained via trade, and comes cheap this year at $6 mil. He gets extended after April 5th so he doesn't become a big ticket until next year, when $55 mil comes off the books. Mighty fine shopper, that Epstein is. He gets two stars this year for the price of one.

[Divinity]

No.... Pujols won't be going to NY or Boston. Whichever reporter suggested the Yanks drop CC for Pujols is retarded. Yankees would never move Tex to DH, its already reserved for A Rod down the road. Not to mention Tex is one of the best defensive 1B's in MLB.