trot4mvp

I'd be comfortable losing Youk, Alvarez, and, say, Anastacio Martinez, plus whatever spare parts at the Major League level (say BK Kim with Sox paying >50% of his salary?) would be a fair deal. Keep Shoppach and save him for Tek's departure. Or, get involved in a 3-way that prevents the Yankees from making the deal.

1. I'm not that interested in Delgado...his monstrous contract scares me! 2. Interesting point...who the hell would take Garciaparra? I mentioned Kenny Williams the other day, but he's not exactly a high priority right now. 3. I've never really cared for Steve Finley; I don't see him as much of an improvement over anyone in our outfield. He's not the kind of impact player (a la Beltran) that this team needs right now. 4. Hit the nail on the head with the Big Unit...why WOULDN'T we want this guy?? 5. I can't see us being too interested in Benson. I see Theo and Co. going after a top of the line lefty SP (too bad about Odalis Perez....) Any word on Catalanatto's status? How hurt is he? He may be just what the Sox need...a consistent hitter with decent power who can play anywhere on the field. Any other rumors out there??

1. Sox 2. Pats 3. Celts Sox are #1 by far though...90% of my attention is on the Sox year-round.

I absolutely agree, YanksHater...I wouldn't mind seeing Varitek walk, we've got Shoppach ready in the wings. DLowe is expendable, and who knows what's up with Nomar. Imagine what kind of players we could bring in with the resources saved by only signing Pedro? Which leads to another question...does anyone have a list of 2005 free agents? I know some of the big names (Beltran, Garcia, O. Perez, etc.), but it'd be interesting to see what other options the Red Sox have available for 2005.

...or ask the Oakland A's, who have lost 4 straight playoff series, which could possibly be attributed to a lack of small ball (barring Ramon Hernandez's bases loaded bunt in Game 1 of the ALDS last year...which was a fluke)... derekn, I understand the thought behind the "no outs" idea as well, and theoretically it should work. Players should continue getting hits and walking and, in turn, score runs by avoiding "out inducing plays" like sac bunts, etc. Theo Epstein has built a team around this philosophy and his players have some of the highest OBPs in baseball. My issue with the "no outs" idea is that what happens when players get on base and don't score runs w/o small ball? The Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball in terms of leaving men on base in scoring position, even though the majority of their starters (Ramirez, Varitek, Damon, Bellhorn, Ortiz, Nixon, Youk) have OBPs higher than .350. This is merely speculation, but perhaps a sac bunt or a hit and run or any of the other baseball plays characterized as "small ball" could benefit this club that clearly gets on base quite frequently but cannot score runs. Last year, it wasn't a problem, but it is clearly an issue this year. By the way, can anyone recommend a good baseball stats site? I'm sick of going to espn.com...I know they're out there, but I'm just too lazy to look. Thanks.

Zenny responded before I could...there's not way the Dodgers will give up the premier set-up man in baseball for Nomar. Cross Edwin Jackson off the list too, he's not going anywhere!

The way I see it, this is a low-risk/high-reward scenario. Boston will not expect much out of Astacio, so anything he can contribute to the team will be considered a "surprise". Worst case scenario: Astacio blows a game and gets sent back to AAA or is released...fine by me!

I agree with JMD...this team needs to do whatever it takes to keep Millar out of the starting lineup. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Ortiz at 1B...anything would be an improvement right now. We might as well DH nomar because he's not helping us in the field. Also, JMD's lineup trades Millar's bat for Youkilis', which is a great exchange in my book. Of course, would Francona have the guts to make such a rearrangement? Doubt it! I can think of one GM who would be stupid enough to trade big for Nomar: Kenny Williams, Chicago White Sox. Remember last year when he took on Carl Everett and Roberto Alomar? I can see him pulling off a similar move for Nomar, possibly at the expense of Magglio Ordonez (yes, wishful thinking). BDD reported the other day that Williams was the first to mention that Nomar was on the market too...

Maybe Billy Beane and his disciples can take a cue from the Florida Marlins and Anaheim Angels and learn that "small ball" does have a place in Major League Baseball. For the most part I agreed with everything in the book, but I can't help but think how much more successful his OBP philosophy could be if his team engaged in bunting, hit and runs, stealing, etc. Sure, one of his primary doctrines is to "avoid outs," but in the long run, aren't runs more important than outs (especially in the playoffs)???

I don't see what the big fuss is all about. Every team in baseball has or will hit the skids this season...I'd rather hit 'em now before the all star break than in august or september...this team will be fine. theo will make any moves he deems necessary and this team will either take the East or settle for the wild card. call me naive, but i'm frankly not that worried about this team.

I think elsrbueno brought up the most important issue of this thread...a healthy Billy Mueller = no more Crespo!!! That's a reason to celebrate in my book.

JMD, first, I don't think I was slamming Youk. We all can agree that he's been a godsend as a replacement for Billy Meuller. He will be a great member of the Boston Red Sox for a long time (I hope). I was simply arguing against his outright trade, which from a business perspective doesn't make sense at all (I won't go into details on this one). I suppose you're right about the defense at 3B...I should have looked at the stats first (call me lazy). However, my comment about taking too many pitches dealt more with his slow adjustment to major league umpires. In AA and AAA, Youk got away with close calls around the plate. Those same pitches in the minors that went for balls are often called for strikes in the bigs, and being a rookie has not helped his cause. It's a simple adjustment that he will make over time. He's not called 'the greek god of walks' for nothing, but 22 k's to 15 bb's shouldn't warrant this nickname yet. Think about how high his OBP could be if he swung at some of those close strikes? Also, when mentioning your OBP's, you forgot to mention that Youkilis has a small sample size as well. I couldn't confidently predict future success on 103 major league at-bats, so citing his .372 OBP does not tell me much, and you can't really compare him to guys like Manny and Varitek, who have been playing all season and have seen upwards of 250 AB's. The main reason I'm questioning his OBP and, indeed, all of his stats is because rookies tend to fare well against major league pitching their first time around because pitcher's don't have accurate scouting reports on them. Once in awhile a freak like Miguel Cabrera will come along and continue pounding the pitchers he faces, but more often than not, rookies struggle when they face the same pitchers the 2nd and 3rd time around. I'm not saying Youk can't be successful in this phase, but this is a commonly-cited cycle that players go through. I can break out the stats if necessary, but I'm at work right now. I want to make it clear that I don't think Youk is a bad ball player; I just know that he's not ready to take over for Mueller at third yet (unless, of course, Mueller stays hurt). yawkeyway made a good point, but the wrong argument. Our AAA guy, Youk, was outperforming our regular 3B because "something is probably not going well." Could an arthritic knee fit the bill? Thought so...hope Billy is well-recovered, look forward to seeing him come back...Anyone know the status of his injury? I heard he was going to start taking BP soon ... Any word?

Wow...Youk over Mueller?! Never thought I'd hear that coming ... Noondog, what's your problem with Mueller? Guys don't just win batting titles and fall off the face of the earth. Mueller's problem throughout his career has been injuries, and no one can blame him for that ... he's had great years (or at least great starts) for the Cubs, Giants, etc. He also won the batting title over teammates like Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra ... we don't leave them out for an inexperienced rookie, do we? Youk is also a defensive liability at third (moreso than Mueller, anyway). Fact of the matter is that Mueller will be starting when he gets back and Youk will be playing off the bench, end of story. Right now, Youk is a spare part who has served his role fairly well. However, he needs some time back in AAA so that he stops taking so many goddamned pitches and to work on his glove. I can't believe people on this board have given up on Mueller already. Arguably one of the most potent bottom-of-the-order hitters in baseball. Also, FYI...the only reason DiNardo remains on the Red Sox roster is because he needs to stay on the roster all year or somebody like the Mets can reclaim him because he was a rule 5 draft pick. Otherwise, based on his pitching performance, he would have been long gone. Malaska is as good as gone when Leskanic comes up (and possibly BK). And bringing up Andy Dominique again? Let me ask you, where are we going to put Andy Dominique? ... lets see: can't play outfield; 1B is occupied by Millar (who is under contract through next year) and Ortiz (under contract through 2006 (?)); won't catch, because if Varitek leaves, Shoppach is coming up; and we wouldn't have him DH because of guys like Ortiz, Millar, Youk, etc.

Count me in

6 games behind the Sox......

From Kevin Millar's online journal on redsox.com:

Does anyone here use Craigslist.org to look for Sox tickets? I do whenever I feel like going to a game, but there's one thing about this site that I'm absolutely sick of: people complaining about scalpers. I'm not a 'scalper' by any means (though I have been known to sell extra tickets above face) but to be against scalping is, in my opinion, to be against capitalism. What's the difference between overpaying for Sox tickets and overpaying for a bottle of Coke at Fenway? It's all about the most simplistic microeconomic principles of supply and demand. The same people who complain about a $5 hot dog or say, a $25,000 car that costs less than $10,000 to manufacture, complain about paying 20% off face for a ticket. Does anybody else feel this way? Or does everyone think scalpers are the scum of the earth?

I hate when Billy Beane tries to work his way into trades like this. Instead of just losing Youk and Shopp, we'd lose those two and SWilly because BB decided to open his big mouth. I don't like this deal at all...you'd think Baird would learn his lesson after losing Dye, Damon, etc. to Beane over the last couple of years.

sarasox, i totally agree except for one caveat...Embree is a decent lefty-specialist. with timlin and williamson, there is no need for embree to fulfill any other roles...PERIOD

I agree, and I mentioned in my post that I understand the lineup juggling because of injuries. However, this inconsistent lineup isn't a new thing...it started at the beginning of the season with no NEW injuries and the constant shuffling of guys like kapler, millar, mccarty, etc. The only consistent changes the Francona should be making is Mirabelli in for Tek on Wakefield's starts. Its his job as a coach to put the best team possible on the field, with breaks in between for guys like Manny, Mueller, Damon, etc. If that means leaving a player who "should" be playing on the bench, so be it, thats baseball. A perfect example is Youkilis...he doesn't NEED to be playing (unless he's being showcased for a trade...) yet he still finds his way into the lineup with an inconsistent glove at third. Granted, he did get the only Red Sox hit yesterday. I just don't think all these changes are necessary. elsrbueno is right...francona is starting to look more and more like jimy williams...

Great point...but if Beckett stays out long enough, he's going to have a fresh arm too. I'd attribute part of his stellar performance in last year's playoffs (and Mark Prior's, too) to midseason injuries.

Francona blows my mind...everyone who knows anything about baseball knows that the only way players can get into grooves is to play CONSISTENTLY...can anyone remember the last time the Red Sox had the same lineup for more than 5 days in a row? Sure, injuries do occur, but I don't see the MFY shuffling their lineup every day! I have to question what is going through Francona's mind!!!

Hey, we all know that Theo and Co. will not make a deal if it's not good for the team, both in the present AND in the future. They know the future value of Youk, AA, Shoppach, etc., and I trust that they will not give up any of these prospects for 4 months of Carlos Beltran. Here's my reasoning: Suppose 2 out of the 3 prospects above give at least 4 years of quality offensive/defensive/pitching production to the Sox. What is more valuable? 4 months of Carlos Beltran (assuming there is no way we can re-sign him) or 8 years combined of quality production from our top prospects? I say stick with the prospects, and I have a feeling that's what the Sox are thinking too.

anyone know if wakey is still hurting? at sunday night's game against the dodgers, he was wearing some kind of brace around his wrist (which might explain his horrible performance last saturday)...i think one of the boston newspapers mentioned that he hurt his thumb...?

I wonder if he's going to act like a baby and lash out at the trainers again...