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Edgar's here for the forseeable future. Especially because he's said he'll change positions if/when Hanley hits the scene, which will mean he could probably play third base or Hanley could play third.... I'd be surprised if Renteria doesn't finish that contract as a Red Sox. Plus, he's a bit overpriced at $10 million so he'd be a hard sell even if the Sox tried to move him.

On base percentage is important-- if you're Adam Stern or Johnny Damon, someone who can help themselves score with their legs. For a slow bitch ass like Kevin Millar, he's not helping the team by walking or hitting stupid crappy singles. He depends on the bottom of the order to drive him in. It's perfectly acceptable for someone like Juan Pierre (Florida) to be a singles hitter because once on base he's capable of stealing a base, going from 1st to 3rd on a single, etc. If Millar's on first, you need at least 2 hits (possibly 3) to score him. Regardless of what position he plays, Kevin does not do his job offensively. I'm so sick of people praising Kevin for his cheerleading abilities. Let's face facts here: Kevin Millar's career postseason stats: (.239/ .327/.348) He hit .125 in the World Series last year, .250 against the Yankees with NO homers and 2 freaking RBIs. This guy doesn't hit in the clutch, he doesn't hit away from Fenway, he plays below average defense, and is the fatest singles hitter in probably the history of the game. Kevin Millar is a waste of a Red Sox uniform.

the replay is actually on MLB.com. You can go to the video sections and get the play of Dye making the catch against the wall, and the A-Rod ball kicking is in that replay. He didn't make a physical kicking motion, but he watched that ball all the way from right field, and made absolutely no effort to get out of the way. I could very easily see a guy who's willing to slap Bronson Arroyo get in the way of that ball. Considering his teammate was on his way back to first, A-Rod, who HIT THAT BALL, was also in between first and second, taking his sweet ass time getting off the field AND he watched the throw coming back to first. A player who's widely considered the best in the game can certainly judge that throw and tell that it's coming right for him, and a more honest player probably would have gotten the hell out of the way.

It should be Delcarmen or Gonzalez going down, preferably Delcarmen. Jeremi is perfect for the long relief/mopup type role. Sox fans should riot if Youkilis gets sent back to Pawtucket to make room for Remlinger.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20050809&content_id=1163472&vkey=pr_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc There's the Cubs' press release on Remlinger. Like I said, NESN is the only place I've heard Bottalico's name even mentioned.... but they said he's supposed to report to Pawtucket today.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2129718 ESPN's reporting this is a done deal, and NESN has also reported the Bottalico signing (although I haven't seen that in print yet). Bottalico's supposed to be in a Pawtucket uniform today, and it remains to be seen what happens with Remlinger, but the details that ESPN is reporting seems to be pretty specific for just a rumor.

Haven't heard anything like this. He certainly hasn't been released, he pitched for the Twins (against the Red Sox as a matter of fact) two days ago (on the 7th). This guy would absolutely have to pass through waivers unless the Twins DFA'd him too, and even then they'd have to wait 10 days I believe.

First of all, Bottalico was DFA'd, and was probably released since he couldn't be traded, so he was free to sign with whomever he wanted to, free and clear of the waiver process. http://games.espn.go.com/cgi/flb/playernewsarchive?statsId=5820 Here's the transaction info on Matt Perisho-- he was released by the Marlins on the 3rd, which means he too was free to sign with any team he wanted.

and in an era of professional sports where very few managers are willing to take risks (stolen bases, sacrifice bunts are down), it seems unlikely they'll do something like this. Could Mike Myers play first base for one out while Chad Bradford gets out a tough righty, and vice versa? Probably. But the problem is most managers are so afraid by how they'll be scrutinized by the media that they don't take risks like that anymore. This kind of senario is even more important to the Red Sox because they are down to just the one lefthanded reliever in Myers. It would seem all the more important to be able to have him for later in the game. As far as the rules go, I'm pretty sure a player can switch positions as often as you damn well please, as long as they don't come OUT of the game. Also, if you move the DH to the field, you lose the DH... but those are the only applicable rules I can think of. As far as one guy throwing with both hands... have you ever tried throwing with your off hand? It's a fun joke, but there's no way these guys could get MAJOR LEAGUE hitters out "switch pitching." Most of them are hittable enough with their strong arms.

It might be a little early to start a thread like this, but I wanted to talk a bit about how the playoff races have DRASTICALLY changed over the last month or so. Houston and Oakland have surged, putting themselves atop the wild card races and back in the hunt. These are two teams who were proclaimed dead not long ago. Baltimore has flopped. 10 games out of first. What happened?!? Cleveland's ahead of Minnesota. Washington and Philly have both fallen behind the Atlanta Braves (again). No teams above .500 in the NL West?!? Could a below .500 team make the playoffs? Biggest surprise? Toronto One hot streak and they could be in second place in the AL East. Certainly within striking distance of a playoff spot. Can Oakland ride their pitching (and limited offensive attacks) to glory? Yes and Yes. Atlanta did it for 13 (possibly 14) years. They both can make the playoffs, but like those Atlanta Braves teams, may struggle in the postseason. Will Atlanta win again? Yes. No strong teams in that division, Atlanta has enough to win it. Should be a very interesting and fun two months, and not just in New England, either.

I agree with Crespo here. I wouldn't mind having Tony back next year in the proper role, as a utility player off the bench. He's solid, and he's the best option this year, but Dustin will get a chance next year to show what he's made of. I think it's unfair to judge Pedroia's AAA numbers right now. First of all, he started poorly but heated up, and had his average up to .270ish before hurting his wrist. Since then, he played hurt, and as a result struggled a bit. Not to mention the fact that he's young (21?), and playing in AAA for the first time. This guy was in COLLEGE last year, it's going to take some time to adjust. He can still finish in AAA strong and fight for the job next spring.

I've heard in other places that Reggie Jackson was an *******. Of course, I can't remember where now... One thing Boomer isn't-- it's shy about sharing his own opinions. He was the only guy who called out Manny to the public (calling him selfish) and he's expressed the fact that he's not crazy about Joe Torre, either. Boomer is not intimidated by the media, which in Boston, is very important.

I think right now he'll basically fill the role Olerud did, only to a lesser extent. Back up Millar, giving him a day off here and there... I don't know how good his defense is, but he could be a late inning defensive replacement for Millar? My first instinct is that Petagine is a 4A player, but we'll find out either way relatively soon. Olerud's on the 15 day DL retroactive to whenever he stopped playing (a couple days ago) so you're basically looking at Petagine for 2 weeks or so as a stopgap until Olerud comes back. Seeing as how we're not dependant on his offensive performance, it doesn't exactly worry me. I'm always curious and excited when new blood joins the team (Graffanino, Bradford, Cruz, now Petagine) to see how they'll do, so I hope Francona throws him directly into the starting lineup this afternoon.

Honestly, when the Red Sox embraced the "idiot" theme last year, who was the one guy missing? David Wells. He's the one guy who wasn't in Boston who fit that mold above anyone else. Needless to say, I think he fits in with the clubhouse just fine. Crespo-- you may be on to something. We may indeed have the fattest clubhouse in baseball. I like David Wells. Time and time again, this team has desperately needed a win, and he's delivered. He didn't deliver opening day, but holy crap-- first game as a Red Sox, against the Yankees and Randy Johnson... who expected him to win?!? If you take David Wells for what he is, NOT as a replacement for Pedro but as a solid #2 or #3 starter, he's great. He gives you a lot of innings, doesn't hurt himself with walks, and is a big game pitcher. He's burned the Red Sox a few times in key games, and doesn't have to deal with the same crap he dealt with in New York with the Yankees. I'm just confident that the Sox have a great chance to win every time he takes the mound. Isn't that all you ask for in a starting pitcher?

He seems OK. He'll use it as an excuse to take another couple days off, but he should be back to his normal self by Saturday.

Should be neat to see what Roberto is capable of. This guy could be a classic 4-A player, or he could have just figured out his stroke in Japan. It's hard to figure just how much Francona will play the man. The day we got Graffanino, he started. The day we got Jose Cruz Jr, he started. Will he do the same with Roberto just to get his feet wet? Seems like the perfect day to do so. Day game after a night game, so Kevin would appreciate the day off. Plus it's against KC, so it's not like they're throwing him into the fire of a rival game.

Lamar has got to be the worst GM in all of baseball. Seriously. Of course when the Mets give him Kazmir for Zambrano, that gives him more validity for asking the world for his players. That having been said, this team has been in the league for 7 years now, and hasn't ever had a winning season. You'd imagine even a rebuilding team could have built a decent team in that time. One of the main reasons was brought into light here: Lamar has always had unreasonable asking prices for his players, and as a result rarely makes trades... He could have had some top-flight prospects to go along with a solid core (Baldelli coming back next year, Crawford, Gathright's solid, Upton, Cantu, Young, etc, etc) and augmented the future for this team. However, they're stuck with the likes of Baez and Huff, who will help them now, but that doesn't do them much good 20 games out. OK, that having been said, I was pretty dissapointed when I heard Theo was looking to package Sanchez in with Arroyo for Burnett, and I'm pretty glad he's still here. He's been absolutely nasty at AA after flying through A ball. He'll probably finish the season out at AA (Maybe a breif stint in AAA) but could probably get an invite to spring training next season with a chance to make the club in the bullpen. 16 hits and 32 K's in only 27.2 innings pitched? That's nasty. He's got a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio and averages 10.5 K's/9. That's pretty amazing. Of course, a ton of pitchers dominate AA and don't get the job done at the major league level, but it's nice to see such success.

He'll be back next year, I strongly believe that. I read on ESPN that it's in his contract that they had to make a decision on that option now. (maybe August 1st, I'm not sure of the exact date, but this was the time they were supposed to decide by). They declined the option because it was for $15 million. No freaking way is Bernie Williams worth that much in this market, with his diminished skill set. Bernie Williams has always been a Yankee, and always will be IMO. Bernie is man enough to understand that the Yankees weren't willing to pay him $15 next year, that doesn't mean they don't want him back. I suppose it's possible that he signs elsewhere, but I can't picture him in any other uniform.

Oakland does this every year. They always play their best baseball in the second half (at least of late), so why should this year be any different? Personally, I'm glad to see the Oakland Athletics playing well. Billy Beane is not only very smart, but he's also got a lot of guts for trading Mulder AND Hudson within days of each other. He knew he would take a lot of s*** for it, but he also knew that he was getting some serious talent in return. The Hudson trade has yet to pay dividends to the Athletcs, as Juan Cruz struggled mightily and Dan Meyer has struggled at AAA (and don't forget Charles Thomas), but the trade with St. Louis has helped the A's significantly. Danny Haren and Kiko Calero have helped this year on the pitching staff immediately. Meyer and Cruz are both young enough and should be able to help down the road. Not to mention the fact that Barry Zito has rebounded from a rough start, and the two pitchers the A's got from Colorado: Joe Kennedy and Jay Witasik-- have also pitched well in Oakland so far. The offense is still below average and probably the worst of any serious contender, but with that pitching staff, they should at least challenge Anaheim in the AL West, and be in the Wild Card race all year. Man, I hope the Red Sox win the division. The Wild Card is going to be one hell of a race.

I'm not sold on Jaret Wright. Sure, he has the potential to be very good, but SO MANY pitchers throw well for the Braves, leave Atlanta, and struggle. Leo Mazzone is an amazing pitching coach who seems to maximize the potential of his pitchers. Juan Cruz was amazing last year for the Braves after leaving Chicago. He went to Oakland this year, and struggled mightily. That's just ONE example. They returned John Burkett to a very good pitcher after getting released by the DEVIL RAYS. Jorge Sosa? A career 4.71 ERA.... is 6-1 with a 2.63 ERA this season. Mike Hampton, Chris Reitsma, John Thompson, the list of pitchers resurrected by Leo Mazzone is too long for my memory to hold. Of course, the players have to be talented to begin with, but a TON of pitchers perform better in Atlanta than they do anywhere else.

odd that he started the game and only pitched the 1 inning, but nobody threw more than 3 innings for the GCL Sox in that game anyway. It would be wicked cool to see El Guapo back in Boston... but he's got a long way to go. Perhaps a September callup?

Bellhorn deserves a shot to earn his job back, but he's got to be able to hit in AAA before they bring him up. Maybe what he needs is some time down there to get his swing straightened out. riverside-- I agree that a player shouldn't lose his job just because he's injured, but Terry's loyalty aside, should he have kept his job as long as he did? A bunch of members on this board will argue that he'd already should have lost it. I'm a big fan of Tony G. I think he plays a great defensive second base, holds his own with the bat, and is a damn solid player. Personally I think the combination of Graffanino/Cora render Bellhorn obsolete.... but I know Terry and company will give him another shot. Perhaps he should spend most of August in Pawtucket getting himself ready? There's certainly no reason to rush him back IMO.

Sizzlin's exactly right. The way this bullpen is set up (or every single bullpen in baseball) it relies heavily on the closer. Building a successful bullpen in this era starts with a dominant closer and works backwards from there. The Red Sox need Foulke to come back and be as good as he was in 2004, or else they're in trouble. My two cents: Rivera/Gordon/Sturtze > Schilling/Timlin/Myers Johnson > Wells Mussina > Clement Wakefield > Pavano (assuming health) Miller/Arroyo > Wright/Small/Nomo/Chacon/Brown Like I've been saying all along, the Yankees are stronger up front, but the Red Sox are deeper as far as the rotationis concerned. Of course, throw Schilling into that #1 spot, shift the rest of that crew back a spot, and the Red Sox look better. I'd say, MANNYHOF24, that you're pretty biased. Yes, Johnson and Mussina have been inconsistent at times, but so have Wakefield, Arroyo, Wells, and Miller. Also, Matt Clement was having a pretty bad July before getting hurt. SO, jump to the conclusion that the Red Sox rotation is so much better than the Yankees, because it isn't. Foulke coming back is a huge key. If he regains his dominant 2004 form, the Red Sox get stronger in the rotation adding Schilling, and add Arroyo to the bullpen making that stronger too. If he doesn't come back, Schilling will PROBABLY close for the rest of the season, which inherantly weakens the rotation.

This is extremely true. As long as we're ahead of the Yankees in the standings, they can (and will) block any player we'd try to get. The main reason why a player would go unclaimed is because if you claim a player, there's a good chance you might get stuck with that player. The Yankees got burned by Jose Canseco a few years back I think... he was placed on waivers, the Yankees tried to block him, and got stuck with him. Especially any useful reliever, a team like the Yankees would most certainly block a Wagner type guy, so I don't see that happening. Blockbuster deals rarely take place after July 31st for that exact reason.

riverside-- Bud Selig suggested that the penalty be something more like this penalty, but the Players' Association wouldn't allow it. This is not only a dark day for Raffy and the Orioles, this is a dark day for Major League Baseball. I bet most of us have forgotten the names of the lesser named players (Juan Rincon and Alex Sanchez are all I can remember off the top of my head), but everyone will remember Palmiero-- he was a Hall of Fame candidate before this news came down -- and look at what the corked bat did to Sammy Sosa..... this is much much worse. I always liked Palmiero. Thought he was a great hitter and a class act. He still denies "intentionally" using banned substances. What does that mean Raffy?