2011-2012 Offseason Thread

[iortiz]

Rockies Acquire Marco Scutaro

By Mike Axisa [January 21 at 5:09pm CST]

The Rockies have acquired Marco Scutaro from the Red Sox in exchange for Clayton Mortensen, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (on Twitter). Troy Renck of The Denver Post first reported that the two sides were finishing up the trade.

 

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says (on Twitter) that the Red Sox will platoon Mike Aviles and Nick Punto at shortstop.

 

[iortiz]

Ok Gentlemen, Oswalt is coming... If true, Nice move by Ben.

[a700hitter]

Benny Boy never rests.

I hear from one of my sources that he was doodling contracts on bar napkins yesterday at Happy Hour.

[RedSoxNC84]

Clayton Mortensen though? I don't know how I feel about that guy.

[a700hitter]

Clayton Mortensen though? I don't know how I feel about that guy.

He's a bag of suck. It was a salary dump all the way. Hopefully, the second shoe drops very soon... like tonight.

[Elktonnick]

If this happens I'll be pleasantly surprised. I am not a big Scuturo fan, so I won't be disappointed to see him go. I thought that Youk would been the more likely infielder to go. I am anxious to see who they pick up and whether it does mean Oswalt in the end.

[RedSoxNC84]

If we do pick up Oswalt at least we fix a hole in our rotation. My money says Bard takes the 5 spot, Aceves stays in his role as Swingman, I'm guessing Mortensen is going to be a BP arm, then we're up to our eyeballs in depth.

 

 

Then again, we may not even see Mortensen on the 40 man in spring. Who knows.

[seabeachfred]

Sure, Aviles can play SS. But wait a minute. What happens if Youks can't play 3B? Is Aviles needed there?

Or is he needed in RF? And Iglesias can't hit? Aw, let's call the whole thing off and keep Scutaro another year. He's bound to hit .270 and play mediocre defense. Good enough for $6mil. We'll worry about this next year.

 

Maybe this year Sox Sport we'll have a relatively injury free season. I mean as silly as that sounds considering how we've gotten reamed with injuries the past two seasons, y ou would think though that we would finally have some luck on that score this time around. I was wrong about Darvish signing with Texas so I could be wrong again, but I have some doubts that this Scutaro thing is going through. Still, if this is the only way to get a decent starting pitcher like Floyd or Oswalt and maybe add a Cody Ross to the team, I say go for it.

[seabeachfred]

Seems like Oswalt is coming....

 

As we say here in the states iortiz---bite your tongue. Don't say anything like that until the ink is dry on the paper. It seems like we Red Soxs fans have been led to the altar only to be jilted by the bride several times this off season. Expect the worst and hope for the best seems to be the way to go, but I will certainly be elated if we coud pull this off.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Maybe this year Sox Sport we'll have a relatively injury free season. I mean as silly as that sounds considering how we've gotten reamed with injuries the past two seasons' date=' y ou would think though that we would finally have some luck on that score this time around. I was wrong about Darvish signing with Texas so I could be wrong again, but I have some doubts that this Scutaro thing is going through. Still, if this is the only way to get a decent starting pitcher like Floyd or Oswalt and maybe add a Cody Ross to the team, I say go for it.[/quote']

 

It's official in almost every regard. They're even trying to get a hold of Scutaro:

 

Michael Silverman @MikeSilvermanBB

As of a few minutes ago, the #RedSox were still trying to reach Scutaro to let him know he is going to the #Rockies

 

It's funny, isn't it, how long it's taken Oswalt to "make a decision" on where he's going to play?? For 1 year/8mm, he's an absolute steal. It's almost like he was waiting and waiting and waiting for the Sox to free up payroll so they could sign him. Writing is all over the wall.

[User Name]

All the Cherington haters can shut the f*** up and suck it.

[seabeachfred]

The 2003 team came pretty close.

 

True Bellhorn, they did come pretty damn close, didn't they? But why did you have to even mention that year to me? I still get the hives thinking about how that seventh game of the ALCS went down. Do you know that I went to bed and told my wife to smile when I got up the next morning if we somehow hung on? Yea, we were ahead 5-3 and I hit the rack after Jeter scored the third run and I knew right then we would somehow blow it.

 

The wife didn't say a word to me the next morning when I got up and that's how I first learned that tragedy struck----I didn't even have to read in the newspapers AND I DIDN'T.

[Elktonnick]

All the Cherington haters can shut the f*** up and suck it.

 

You have no right to call anyone out!

[User Name]

Blah blah blah.

[Elktonnick]

Blah blah blah.

 

You called people idiots and then less than two hours later on the same thread you deny calling anyone an idiot. You've have lost any credibility. Blah Blah Blah!!

[seabeachfred]

All the Cherington haters can shut the f*** up and suck it.

 

Don't get carried away bub. No one is sucking it until Oswalt and maybe Ross is signed and delivered. Right now we only lost our shortstop and got some shitkicking dud non-prospect back from Colorado. Wait until we get that pitcher before you go off on a rant. Then most of us will be only too happy to STFU----at least until we find something else to bitch about. The travails of being a Red Sox fan.

[User Name]

The Cher-Bear haters are hurting.:harhar:

[Elktonnick]

The Cher-Bear haters are hurting.:harhar:

 

Still waiting for explanation your idiot flip flop:. All you can do is hurl insults.

[User Name]

It's like you skipped through reading class in school. I've spent all of this time defending Cherington from the haters. Hell, even your friend pumpsie has defended him you jackass.

 

Nice spin job,as usual.

[Dublin Red]

Have people forgot about Punto? Between him and Aviles, and whatever Iglesias can do, this moves looks sweet to me as long as a SP is indeed the motivation behind it, as is suggested

 

Jon Morosi

Source: #RedSox, after trading Marco Scutaro, have intensified pursuit of free agent Roy Oswalt.

- that could just be easy speculation (most of the posters here have said similar of course)

[iortiz]

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Daniel Bard

By Mike Axisa [January 21 at 6:32pm CST]

The Red Sox and Daniel Bard have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract, the team announced. Earlier this week the SFX client filed for $1.825MM while the team countered with $1.4MM, as our Arbitration Tracker shows. Our system projected a $1.6MM salary for the right-hander.

 

Bard, 26, was arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason. As a Super Two, he'll go through the process four times rather than the usual three. He's pitched to a 2.88 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 197 career innings, all of which were spent setting up the now departed Jonathan Papelbon. Bard will come to Spring Training with a chance to win a job as a starting pitcher this year.

 

The Sox have three unsigned arbitration-eligible players remaining: Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey, and David Ortiz.

 

[Elktonnick]

It's like you skipped through reading class in school. I've spent all of this time defending Cherington from the haters. Hell, even your friend pumpsie has defended him you jackass.

 

Nice spin job,as usual.

 

That has absolutely nothing to do with your lying when you said that you hadn't called anyone an idiot. when you had called most analysts idiots in the same thread two hours before. Like I said all you do is spout insults and call people names. You certainly act like a hater to me.

 

As for the Scutoro trade, we'll wait and see just like Fred said. Regarding the trade for now I am pleasantly surprised.

 

But you just keep on insulting people and denying you do it. It seems that is what you are best at.

[SoxFanForsyth]

It's like you skipped through reading class in school. I've spent all of this time defending Cherington from the haters. Hell, even your friend pumpsie has defended him you jackass.

 

Nice spin job,as usual.

 

He's already gotten interview requests from The Globe.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Pretty obvious, but here's the story.

 

Red Sox Intensifying Pursuit Of Roy Oswalt

By Mike Axisa [January 21, 2012 at 6:53pm CST]

With the Marco Scutaro trade providing $6MM of salary relief, the Red Sox have now intensified their pursuit of Roy Oswalt according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). They are not the only team in on the right-hander, though the Tigers are only on the fringe of the sweepstakes. Morosi calls the situation "fluid."

 

Oswalt, 34, is reportedly looking for a one-year deal worth $8MM. Earlier this week we heard that Boston would have to move some money to be able to afford him, which is exactly what the Scutaro trade did. Oswalt pitched to a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 139 IP for the Phillies last season, missing time with back problems. Prior to that, the long-time Astro made at least 30 starts and threw at least 180 IP in seven straight seasons.

 

Again, the writing is all over the wall on this signing. It makes entirely too much sense not to happen. I would be shocked if a deal wasn't done by the end of the weekend. Hell, I'd be surprised if it wasn't done by the end of the night.

[jung]

Now I am interested to see how quickly the other shoe drops. Much of the action on these guys does not seem to get going until it becomes common knowledge among the professional baseball people that a guy is close to a deal. I am hoping that the Sox have done their math since they appear insistent on staying below the cap. Want them to be able to just make this deal for Oswalt and be done with it.

[Elktonnick]

Pretty obvious, but here's the story.

 

 

 

Again, the writing is all over the wall on this signing. It makes entirely too much sense not to happen. I would be shocked if a deal wasn't done by the end of the weekend. Hell, I'd be surprised if it wasn't done by the end of the night.

 

I would hope that they would have had the Oswalt deal pretty close to done before they would have finalized the Scutoro deal.

[User Name]

Pretty obvious, but here's the story.

 

 

 

Again, the writing is all over the wall on this signing. It makes entirely too much sense not to happen. I would be shocked if a deal wasn't done by the end of the weekend. Hell, I'd be surprised if it wasn't done by the end of the night.

 

Surprising, since according to some of the FO members here at Talksox, Ben Cherington was home sitting on his thumbs.

[a700hitter]

Don't get carried away bub. No one is sucking it until Oswalt and maybe Ross is signed and delivered. Right now we only lost our shortstop and got some shitkicking dud non-prospect back from Colorado. Wait until we get that pitcher before you go off on a rant. Then most of us will be only too happy to STFU----at least until we find something else to bitch about. The travails of being a Red Sox fan.

There is always the possibility that this salary dump was meant to free up money for Ortiz's arbitration award. If that is the case, I will be pissed.

[a700hitter]

Still waiting for explanation your idiot flip flop:. All you can do is hurl insults.

The guy makes no sense at all. Who here didn't want to get a starting pitcher. If we get one, why would anyone be hurting other than Yankee fans?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Surprising' date=' since according to some of the FO members here at Talksox, Ben Cherington was home sitting on his thumbs. [/quote']

 

To be fair, Cherrington has been put in a s***** situation. A 1 year/8mm deal for Oswalt puts the Red Sox back atop the AL East this year IMO.

 

If Bard can come out and post a 3.3-3.5 ERA for 160-170 IP (like most projections have him), this could potentially be the best rotation in the AL East as well.

 

I'll take Lester/Beckett/Buchholz/Oswalt/Bard over CC/Pineda/Kuroda/Nova/Garcia any day of the week.