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I really like your idea of this 3-way: Anaheim gets: Manny Ramirez Arizona gets: Prospects Boston gets: Erstad Santana Vazquez I would like to compliment that by saying we then do the following: Trade Matt Clement to Texas for offense. If they're still willing to give up Blalock for pitching and Hank could play first I'd say do it. Otherwise Adrian Gonzalez + (Sorano maybe?) would be a nice package for Matt. OR trade Clement to Milwaukee for Overbay. Then the rotation would be: Beckett, Schilling, Wakefield, Santana, Vazquez with Papelbon and Arroyo starting in the bullpen able to start in case of ineffectiveness or injury. If a first baseman can be acquired for Clement, Erstad can play center (keep in mind he was also a gold glove centerfielder). Also use the money savings to bring Johnny Damon back. The lineup is most certainly weaker, but strong enough with a stacked pitching staff: LF Damon SS Renteria DH Ortiz 3B Lowell RF Nixon C Varitek 1B Overbay/Gonzalez CF Erstad 2B Pedroia/veteran (Soriano/Graffanino/Grudz) I dislike how lefthanded it is, but with the pitching staff above-- it's certainly good enough to get us to the playoffs and beyond.

I also read somewhere that Farnsworth allows hitters a less than .200 batting average against. Definately a decent power arm if this is indeed true. Any printed sources that state this or still just WEEI? Seems like the Sox are in no way counting on Keith Foulke to be the closer. They're instead adding guys with closer experience (albeit neither Mota or Farnsworth were all that successful)... they're adding power arms to the pen. Also this is a big indication to me that the team feels that neither Delcarmen or Hansen will be ready to start the season. If this is true, the Red Sox bullpen should be a strength-- especially if Foulke DOES come back strong. I have a feeling he'll be traded before opening day though.

I'm not crazy about Soriano's defense, but he's a scary talented with the bat. Imagine how dangerous he'd be with some plate discipline? What about Clement to Texas for Adrian Gonzalez and Alfonso Soriano. Texas wants pitching, the Red Sox can move Matt Clement. They save money on Clement and get two things they need: a stopgap 2b (who can eventually move to the outfield when Pedroia is ready) and a lefty power first baseman with a good glove. I like the idea of Zito but like others have said not if the price is Lester. I would, however, consider a package that includes Abe Alvarez and Kevin Youkilis (a guy Beane really likes) and probably another prospect (Shoppach?). If Billy insists, Arroyo can be included somehow, but try to do it without him and put Bronson in the bullpen. If the Sox could pull off both of those trades, plus sending Wells to San Diego for a reliever and probably Dave Roberts, the rotation would be as follows: Beckett, Schilling, Zito, Wakefield, Papelbon. Damn good IMO.

Honestly, I think the Red Sox are prepared to call Manny's bluff if they don't get good value in trade for him. For a team that is looking to build for the present and the future, I wouldn't be surprised if he was dealt for top prospects, but I seriously doubt this would be a salary dump move. The Red Sox know that Manny will be forfeiting a lot of money if he truly does sit out if not traded..... and we all know how much Manny loves Money..... I'd say it's a 70% chance he's traded, and I think the Red Sox will get decent value for him.

1) Based on what I've heard about Millege, that he has the chance to be a great outfielder, I say we keep him with the organization as a potential replacement for a Trot Nixon or starting outfielder in 2007. 2) Pedroia struggled a bit at AAA, so he could probably use some more seasoning. One option that's been mentioned before is taking Kaz Matsui's contract from the Mets to help offset Manny Ramirez' gigantic contract. If he's brought in, he could potentially platoon with Pedroia. Otherwise, a Graffanino/Grudzielanek type player to start until Pedroia is ready is the best option. I think Dustin will be given the opportunity to win the job in spring training, but the Red Sox should (and probably already do) have a backup plan.

maybe a guy like Victor Diaz could be pryed from the Mets instead of Xavier Nady. Younger, similar 2005 stats, higher ceiling with better power potential. just a thought.

In previous seasons, the primary reason to move Manny Ramirez was that huge contract. If he's serious this time, and will no longer be happy in Boston, the Red Sox need to persue trading him. If the latest is true, that he'd accept any deal just to get out of Boston, that opens up the Red Sox options but basically forces them to trade him. I like the idea of Manny and Wells to Arizona for Green, Glaus, and Vazquez. No one player can replace Manny Ramirez with the bat, but can 2? What makes that deal feasible is that the money works out, both teams are getting rid of happy players (Vazquez, Wells and Ramirez). Anaheim will probably get into the sweepstakes, but Boston may be forced to take on someone like Erstad to help ease the burden of Manny's salary. Anaheim's got talent to burn with the likes of Jake Woods, Ervin Santana, Kendry Morales, Casey Kotchman, and others. They could enter 2006 with a 1-2 punch of Manny and Vlad in their lineup-- damn scary. Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers? They have potentially the deepest farm system in the game, money to blow, and a new GM who's probably overanxious to make a splash. If I were the Red Sox I'd talk about a potential Greg Miller/Edwin Jackson trade that could potentially include JD Drew (we've got to take on some kind of financial responsibility......) The Mets rumors probably won't go away until the day Manny Ramirez is traded. If he isn't traded before Opening day, the Mets rumors will persist. It's no secret that Omar Minaya covets Ramirez, and the media will continue to play that up no matter what role the Mets play in potential deals. I like the idea of Manny for Delgado and Millege as a starting point, with the Mets potentially adding a pitching prospect. Delgado simply isn't as good as Ramirez, but he's a dominant bat and the prospects can make up for the loss of talent. Delgado is not great defensively at first, so there are drawbacks. With any deal including Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox HAVE to get a couple prospects, aquire at least one MLB ready player, and will be forced to either a) eat a portion of Manny's contract, or take on someone else's undesired contracts. So far the best proposal I've seen anywhere is the Arizona deal (Glaus, Green, Vazquez for Wells and Ramirez) because that seems like a deal that works for all parties. Ramirez and Wells want to go out west, Vazquez wants to come back east, and Glaus/Green are both decent offensive players. Yes, Vazquez struggled during the second half of 2004 with the Yankees, and he could potentially be a bust in Boston, but that's a risk I'd be willing to take since he'd be your #4 starter.

I'm obviously in the majority here, but I think this is a GREAT move by the Sox. Josh Beckett is a potential ace with proven MLB production. Mike Lowell is a consistent run producer who had an off year last year (IMO) and is moving from one of the worst parks for hitters in Florida to one of the best in Fenway. I think he'll thrive here no matter where they play him. The sentimental side of me would still like to see Mueller back at third, but frankly, Mike Lowell is just as good defensively, better offensively, and also a clubhouse leader. He is an upgrade over Billy at third. If he's shifted to first, he's ABSOLUTELY an upgrade over Millar. It's sad to see Hanley Ramirez go, but it's not like the Schilling trade 2 years ago-- Beckett is 26 years old and is in Boston for at least 2 more years and potentially more if resigned. Depending on which report you read, the Red Sox may eat a portion of Lowell's salary and trade him to the Twins for pitching-- stay tuned.

I agree I'd rather take the risk on Miller than spend big money on Burnett or Millwood. Papelbon should be given a spot in the backend of the rotation and Miller/Arroyo can battle for the final spot. I would not be opposed to spending the bucks on a sure-fire top of the line pitcher, but there just isn't one out there. The best choices are (in no particular order) Washburn, Millwood, Burnett, and Morris, and all of those guys are really #3 starters at best IMO. Burnett and Morris have never pitched in the AL, and Millwood is VERY inconsistent. Look at his career numbers, he tends to follow up a good year with a mediocre one-- even when he was in Atlanta, a haven for pitchers. I don't see any starters on the free agent market worth breaking the bank for, and with demand for pitching always high, the price on those guys will be high. As far as free agent lefties go, Guardado wouldn't be bad, but he's #3 on my list behind Ryan (#1) and Billy Wagner.

While I'd welcome a persuit of Andruw Jones, let's first get a better handle on what exactly the Red Sox would be getting. One of the best defensive centerfielders in the game, yes. 51 homers a year? Not likely. Andruw's been with the Braves since 96, and his average is more in the 30 HR range. Granted, half of his games are in a pitchers' park, so he'd have 35-40 homer potential in Boston IMO. .267 career average. This guy doesn't walk a ton and gets a fair amount of strikeouts. He doesn't necessarily fit in with the organization's philosophy ov high OBP players. Andruw, while VERY talented, has also been accused at times of lack of effort and some analysts think his defensive skills are declining already-- and the man's only 28. His range factor has been on the steady decline since 2001 (when it was 2.95) and was just 2.48 last season. At $13,000,000/year I don't see the Red Sox persuing him aggressively. My guess is that they'll try to go after a short-term replacement in hopes that in 2-3 years, at least ONE of the following players: Luis Soto, Brandon Moss, David Murphy, Jacoby Ellsbury will be ready to be a full time outfielder.

Like you guys said, the Rockies deal makes the most sense for a couple of reasons. #1, Colorado has Shealy blocked by Helton, who I'm sure they'd love to move (like Thome), but his contract is monstrous. #2, the Rockies already expressed interest in Shoppach, so there's potential there for a deal.

The good thing is that they don't necessarily need a young guy with outfielders like Soto/Moss/Ellsbury and even David Murphy (who's supposed to be fantastic defensively) potentially available down the road. I like the idea of Preston Wilson if he's willing to come for a reasonable price. Of course, with Damon fleeing the team lacks a leadoff hitter, so Pierre is intreaguing to me. Here's a couple off-the-wall trade ideas. Rocco Baldelli-- coming off an injury, so maybe he'll come cheap talent wise. Is a Rhode Island guy so may have been a Red Sox fan growing up. Again, he's a risk but also is young and very talented if you ask me. Corey Patterson -- Seems like a Theo-esque move. Relatively cheap money wise, and could be cheap talent wise because he just hasn't panned out in Chicago. Could be a diamond in the rough.

Note: I know there's already a thread called "offseason moves" but it just is way to cluttered right now. I wanted to break out from that discussion and focus on centerfield by itself. Strong baseball teams are strong in the middle if Johnny Damon sticks to his guns and demands a 4-5 year deal (or even more) I think he'll be playing somewhere else in 2006. I looked over the MLB list of potential free agents and came up with the following list of outfielders due to become free agents Free Agent outfielders: Juan Encarnacion Brian Giles Jacque Jones Kenny Lofton Reggie Sanders Preston Wilson This is an unimpressive list to say the least. Lofton, Giles, and Sanders, are all on the wrong side of 30 and despite decent numbers by all of this season, injury and ineffectiveness has to enter into the discussion. Preston Wilson seems like an overhyped overpaid player to me and at 31 is probably going to look for a long term, big money deal. Juan Encarnacion and Jacque Jones are also players in their "primes" who may see this as their chance to get big payouts. None of these guys really seem like great options for the Red Sox. Here are some other guys I've either seen in rumors or come up with myself as possible trade acquisitions. Possible Trades: Corey Patterson--at 26, still young enough to develop into a top talent. Chicago's obviously lost patience with him, could he perhaps come cheaply as far as talent is concerned? At $2.8 million he's not exactly cheap, but could be one of those guys who could benefit from a change of scenery and playing time. Mike Cameron -- Also on the wrong side of 30 and coming off of a horrible head injury, this guy could be a big risk. Doesn't come close to replacing Damon's bat, but assuming a full recovery would be an upgrade defensively. The Mets have been shopping him since they acquired Beltran. If the Mets pay some of his salary, he could be a good temporary solution. Torii Hunter --similar offensive output to Mike Cameron, higher salary and probably higher talent demands. One of the best defensive outfielders in the game. Juan Pierre -- The man goes has a low OBP and no power, so he probably looks like a waste of time to the stathead Red Sox... but he creates havoc on the basepaths. Any other ideas? Who's your Red Sox CF for 2006 and why?

Maybe I rambled on too long and didn't do a good job getting my point across.... I'll try to be short and sweet: IMO, the Red Sox need to get younger, cheaper, and faster (in that order). If trading Manny Ramirez can accomplish that, it needs to be at least considered. That being said, considering that Ortiz/Ramirez is easlily the top 1-2 punch in baseball, it'd have to be a sweet deal. My only point was that trading Manny should be considered, but is not necessary. At this point, I'll be OK with either result as long as the 2006 team is better than the 2005 team.

I disagree. Manny Ramirez is a prolific slugger, but he's just ONE guy. Granted, hit presense in the lineup impacts the team more than just his 3-4 ABs (because I'm sure people start thinking about Manny Ramirez when Damon/Renteria are batting because they don't want Ortiz/Ramirez batting with guys on base, which no doubt means Renteria and Damon and Ortiz get more strikes thrown at them with Ramirez in the 4-whole than they would if Carlos Beltran or Aubrey Huff were waiting behind Ortiz. That's common sense. I remember getting into regular arguments on here and with friends on how badly I wanted Ramirez gone. In fact, I remember after the 2003 season telling everyone who'd listen that Manny Ramirez was the Red Sox biggest problem. I'd continued to believe that until I saw a graphic in the 2005 division series comparing the numbers Ortiz and Ramirez have put up as a duo to none other than Ruth and Gehrig. When you consider that Ortiz/Ramirez are mentioned in the same sentence as that duo, you stop and think about the impact losing one of those players would make on the opposition. No doubt in my mind the Red Sox would be a different team without Manny Ramirez. The nature of losing someone of his caliber would demand change. That having been said, I believe, and nobody has convinced me otherwise, that the Boston Red Sox could not only stay competitive, but IMPROVE themselves if they played their cards right and moved Manny Ramirez. The team is old, fat, and slow. Typical Red Sox I know, but worrysome nonetheless. The rotation is dependant upon three players well past 35 and no doubt injury risks based on age alone: Wakefield, Wells, and Schilling. The most reliable reliever? Mike Timlin, also old. The 2005 corner infield of was either worthless (Millar), or old injury prone (Mueller). The leftfielder is careless, lazy, selfish, and slow. The centerfielder is fast and hard-headed, but maybe a little too hardheaded and definately is on the wrong end of 30 and already has a weak arm. The right fielder has his heart in the right place (and I love Trot Nixon), but hasn't become the superstar we all thought/hoped he'd be years ago and seems destined to fill a platoon role throughout his career. What does that leave us? An overpaid (but quality) shortstop, a solid catcher, and a decent (but free agency bound) second baseman. This team could no doubt benefit (in my opinion) from an infusion of speed and youthful enthusiasm. Dustin Pedroia will probably be given an opportunity to win a job out of spring training, and the Red Sox seem committed to Kevin Youkilis as the everyday third baseman in 2006. That's a decent start, but neither one of these guys figures to be a superstar, and the only guy in the system who has that kind of potential (Hanley Ramirez) is at least a year away. What's my point? The Anaheim Angels are seemingly desperate to add a potent bat to their lineup. They are overflowing with young talent, and have an owner who wouldn't be scared of taking on salary. I'm nowhere near as hellbent on trading Manny Ramirez as I've been in the past, because his offensive production cannot be ignored and he shouldn't be dealt on the sole premise of getting him out of town-- but the team has many urgent needs: bullpen help young starting pitching a first baseman a centerfielder a 4th outfielder (one who can hit lefties and fill in for Trot Nixon) bench help a second baseman (if Pedroia needs more development time) a third baseman (if Youkilis doesn't pan out as well as the organization thinks he will) If the Red Sox take the Yankee-esque approach of trying to fill all of these voids through free agency, they're going to end up in the same boat as the Yankees-- having an empty farm system and a major league team impaired by bad attitudes and big contracts. The right way to build a championship team is from the ground up. If trading Manny Ramirez can net a few young, cheap, potential cornerstone guys, this would be the right move in my opinion.

If Theo could pry some of the following talent from Anaheim: Kendry Morales, Casey Kotchman, Jake Woods, Ervin Santana...... for Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox would be stupid not to do it. If we have to be stuck with Manny's selfish attitude, lack of effort, can we at least be spared his bad defense and have him DH? If Mo Vaughn can play first base, so can David Ortiz.

The Red Sox got outplayed because the team lacked solid fundamentals. If we can improve our defense by getting Manny the hell out of left field and getting an outfielder in left who can track down some balls, and also a center fielder who can throw, that'll go a long way towards improving the defense. Yes, we need better pitchers, but ask any pitcher who has someone like Mike Cameron, Andruw Jones, or Torri Hunter behind them-- those guys save runs and win baseball games with their defensive ability. My point is that we need to be able to win baseball games when we're not hitting homers. Being able to manufacture runs (instead of getting two guys on base and have three guys strike out trying to hit the 3-run homer) compliments your ability to hit the ball out of the yard. I'll admit Manny Ramirez drives me crazy with his bad attitude and huge paycheck. Frankly, I think we're stuck with him because nobody else is stupid enough to take on that contract for a one-dimensional player..... The Red Sox do not need Manny Ramirez to be a competitive team, plain and simple. Can they win WITH him? Absolutely, they proved it last year.... they just need to surround him with players who actually give a crap.

One Red Seat: How many runs did the OBP obsessed Red Sox score in the postseason? The way the Red Sox offense scores runs works out tremendously in the regular season, and can get them tons of runs against the Devil Rays and Royals of the world. And keep in mind that the Red Sox OUTSCORED the Yankees in head to head play but lost the season series. Overall runs scored numbers can be obscured by some laughers. The bottom line is (and I've been saying this for years) is that waiting for the 3 run homer simply does not work in the postseason. It just doesn't happen. The Atlanta Braves of the 90s are a PERFECT example. They had a tremendous pitching staff and some sluggers, but couldn't manufacture a run to save their lives. They made the playoffs every year, but couldn't score runs in the playoffs because the competition is better. All the White Sox offense got them was the best record in the AL and a AL Pennant. The Red Sox need to get back to what brought them glory (and what builds championship teams). FUNDAMENTALS. Pitching, defense, and playing good baseball. Not waiting for the other team to make 3 mistakes in one inning. How about forcing the other team to make mistakes by playing aggressively? The point is not to trade Manny Ramirez to save money. Even if they trade Manny Ramirez the payroll will be about the same. Why? Because they can USE that money to improve the team. I've said this 1000 times but I'll say it one more time: Superstars like Manny Ramirez do not win World Championships. It's the Bill Muellers and the Trot Nixons who know how to play the game the right way who do that. and isn't that the ultimate goal? Get rid of Millar and Manny, get some people who can run the bases, play defense, and will hustle down the line on a groundball for crying out loud. How many times has the best team in baseball also featured the game's best hitter? I'd be willing to bet it's less than half the time. EDIT: I'm not saying necessarily trade him for Beltran, but if trading him improves other areas, I'd be thrilled for Manny Ramirez to be someone else's headache.

BK Kim wasn't Japanese. I'm skeptical of Japanese pitchers though. The Red Sox signed Denny Tomori last season and many people thought he would really help our bullpen-- last I knew he struggled so bad at AAA that he was sent to Portland.... Seems like these guys dominate at first, but once the league learns them a lot of them become hittable. Shigetosi Hasegawa has stayed relatively reliable, but who else? Kaz Ishii, Hideo Nomo are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head, and both of those guys pitched well at first but struggled later. Otsuka (San Diego) and Tatasku are the most recent imports, and Tatasku also pitched well in year 1 and struggled in year 2. Anyone else remember Irabu? I forget his first name but he signed with the Yankees and was supposed to be the next great dominant pitcher in the bigs. He struggled mightily in New York, was exhiled to Montreal and very little was heard from him since then. A low-money, incentive laden contract is all I'd give for a guy who's yet to prove himself in the Major Leagues.

In my mind Mazzone would make the O's a contender if he signed there. Just look at the job he's done on pitchers. He's resurrected (sp?) careers: Chris Hammond John Burkett Mike Remlinger Jaret Wright Jorge Sosa Juan Cruz That's just off the top of my head. Not to mention helping develop a couple of Hall of Famers (Glavine and Smoltz). Maybe he gets too much credit and there's someone ELSE in the Braves organization who's doing it, but the success rate of the Atlanta organization (and pitching staff) during Mazzone's tenure cannot be denied.

ChiSox-- if you don't mind me saying I think you're a bit biased. Buehrle and Garcia above Oswalt and Clemens? 1. Clemens 2. Contreras 3. Oswalt 4. Buehrle 5. Garcia

This should be a great series. Both teams have comprable offenses and great pitching. Ozzie went with Contreras to start the ALCS and ALDS.... seems logical that he'd also start him in the WS. No doubt the announcers and writers will argue about the benefits/drawbacks of having full rest vs staying sharp because the White Sox will have a few extra days off. Frankly, at this point of the season I don't think that makes much of a difference. SOMEone will be making history this October, and that will be great. Either Houston will win the first World Series EVER in their history, or the White Sox will win their first since 1917. I like Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox style and players (except for Everett), but it wouldn't bother me to see Houston win. Craig Biggio is one player who absolutely deserves to win a World Series, and Bagwell of course although he's no longer a major contributer. Those are two guys I've always liked. I think the White Sox have the better team (slightly), so I'll predict that they'll win....

I've been inactive for a while (I'm sure tons of posters on here probably appreciate that) but I'll chime in on this one. First things first: Trading Manny for Beltran would NOT save us money, it is actually a larger financial commitment in the long run because Beltran is promised more money and later in his contract he's due $18 mil/yr. Second: While I believe Carlos Beltran is a better player than he showed in New York last year, he is overpaid. $15-18 million/year is a TON of money. That having been said, when healthy he's as good as Johnny Damon as far as tracking down balls and has a much better arm. His offensive numbers would probably get a boost playing half his games at Fenway. Third: I'm only interested in bringing Johnny Damon back as a left fielder. His arm is too weak to play center IMO (see Bernie Williams) and he's not getting any stronger. If he sticks to his demand of 5-6 years, he'll be playing somewhere else next season. Finally, my thoughts on trading Manny Ramirez: 1. Keep in mind that trading him WILL hurt David Ortiz' production. He will receive FAR fewer hittable pitches without Manny's protection. 2. The main reason for trading Manny Ramirez would be to free up money to improve other areas of the ballclub (mainly pitching). 3. The Red Sox had the best offense in baseball the past 3 years, so I'm not particularly worried about replacing Manny Ramirez' offensive production exactly if trading him improves other areas of ballclub. Keep in mind what the ultimate objective is: To be competitive and ideally win the World Series each year, and it's a proven fact that being the best offensive team in baseball (2005 Yankees and Red Sox) can keep you competitive in the regular season, but doesn't get you very far in the playoffs. The 2004 Red Sox were not an exception to the rule. They won because of good performances from Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and Derek Lowe in the playoffs. Chicago rode a mediocre offense and 4 great pitchers to the AL crown. Anyone who reads my posts knows I was all about trading Ramirez in 2003, again after last season, and at the trading deadline this year. I've probably even been quoted as saying "Let Manny be Manny somewhere else." But if the Red Sox DO trade Manny, they've got a lot of work to do ahead of them as far as improving other areas of the ballclub in the process. Without Manny, this offense takes a nosedive and is nowhere near it's production of the last 3 years, period. Replacing Manny's production is impossible (short of bringing in Guerrero, Rodriguez, or Pujols... which is impossible), I'll admit that. But my point is that to be a competitive team you don't HAVE to replace Manny's production... but you do have to improve the team's weaknesses.

I still haven't forgotten the fact that Danny Haren was the one Cardinal pitcher in the World Series last year who really dominated us. Not that it helps now, but I've expected great things from him ever since. I know how illogical it is to base performance predictions on one week's worth of games, but on the greatest stage of all, he stood out above all their other guys. He was pretty awful earlier this season, but he's back now and pitching well. Haren's a better pitcher right now than Leiter, but the A's offense is far far worse than the Yankees' especially without Crosby. With both of these teams fighting for their playoff lives, it should be a great series. I hope Oakland sweeps it. Oakland caught a break in that they're not going to face Randy Johnson or even Mussina.

Can't imagine them letting him go. He's reminds me so much of Paul O'Neil it's scary. He is a quality player who isn't a superstar but gets the job done every day. He's steady defensively, works hard, and it seems like every time he comes up with runners on base or in a key spot he comes through for them. I respected Paul O'Neil but hated his guts when he was a Yankee. Hideki Matsui is the same way.