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Mueller at second doesn't work for the reasons already stated. Youk at second (as much as I love Youk) doesn't work. When was the last time you saw a 6-2, 220 LB second baseman? I don't have TV so I'm not the authority on this, but I doubt Youk has the range to play second. Youk at first is the OBVIOUS solution. He's hit much better than Kevin Millar, plays as good (if not better) defense, at a fraction of the price. Theo on WEEI last night was commenting on the fact that the trades this year may not be the expected prospect-for-proven veteran, but rather change of scenery deals or even talent for talent deals. Perhaps Millar could be dealt for a reliever? Wow. This post I just made has absolutely nothing to do with Mark Bellhorn... gotta throw something in so Yeszir doesn't scold me for going off topic. Mark's on pace for 183 Ks and 87 walks. That's a lot of freaking strikeouts. I heard on the radio that Adam Dunn was leading the NL in strikeouts and he has 3 fewer strikeouts than Bellhorn.

We cut salary, but we still had to pay luxury tax and team officials are trying to get away from doing that. Money is OF COURSE an issue, otherwise they wouldn't have tried to trade him to Texas, wouldn't have tried to put him on waivers, etc. Money is an issue with Manny's gigantic contract. Believe me, I want nothing more than to bash the hell out of the Yankees from now until the day I die. I happen to disagree with you all that Manny Ramirez is irreplacable. Yes, he's a .300, 40 HR, 130 RBI threat every year, but he basically goes against everything the organization stands for (no long term contracts, don't put all your money into one player) and the $20 million could be spent in other ways. Look at who the Red Sox were able to pay after NOT giving Pedro 15 mil/year: Clement ($8 mil), Miller ($1.5 mil), Wells ($4 mil). Imagine what they could do with an extra $20. They could get a left fielder who could not only hit the ball, but also play good defense. In addition, they could also improve the bullpen, second base, and the bench while they're at it with the money saved. Just look at the late 90s Yankees-- not a superstar in the bunch. This team can win without Manny Ramirez.

The bottom line is though that Manny's just ONE player. Teams have survived the loss of a superstar and actually teams like Texas actually get better. Manny can hit, but that's ALL he can do. I'd much rather have a well-rounded alternative.

Sure, who wouldn't-- but I don't think the Mets are interested in parting with David Wright for the very same reasons you'd love to see him in a Red Sox uniform. I guess my idea was a little more.... realistic. You think the Mets would take Millar too? Minky's hitting .208. I'd love to see Millar shipped out, and I wouldn't mind seeing Youk play a lot more. I really do like Mueller, and his .390 OBP (he walks more than he strikes out), he is limited with what he can do offensively. I just don't see Wright being traded from the Mets.

Finally some people who agree with me on Manny. I've been saying for years that I'd like to see Ramirez go. I still hate how slow he is on the basepaths, how he doesn't run out ground balls, and how bad he is on defense. He's always been an incredible hitter, but that money could really be used to strengthen this team in multiple areas. The problem with moving Manny right now is that he's in a season long slump. Opposing GMs have got to worry about what might be causing it, and as a result is value might be down. The Mets are probably one of a few teams who could actually afford his contract, and who might be willing to take it on. The problem with sending him there would be that the Mets already have three outfielders: Cameron, Beltran, and Floyd... all of which are playing well. Might it make sense to take on Cameron in a potential deal, lessening the financial impact on NY while givins us an instant replacement OF? That is something I wouldn't mind, and even putting Cameron back in center and shifting Johnny to left (where his poor arm wouldn't hurt us as much). That's not a bad idea actually.

I don't think the team sees Olerud as an everyday player, Millar is really sucking, and it seems that the Sox aren't committed to Youkilis as an everyday man yet either. A stopgap 1B is not completely out of the question IMO.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050612&content_id=1087676&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos He's quoted on Redsox.com (see above) that he would like to "improve internally", so maybe that means he's going to shakup the roster a bit? Just a thought. There doesn't seem to be a lot of obvious names out on the market, but I imagine Theo's looking for a first baseman, bullpen help, and perhaps another starter?

I agree with Zenny 100% here. Kevin Millar is just below average in every facet of the game. Personally, I'd like to see Youkilis get more playing time. Good things seem to happen when he's in the lineup.

by the way, Embree gave up 3 runs in 1 inning of work. Who was it who said we had more than enough pitching? I think whoever said send Embree to Pawtucket wasn't too far off track.

This team is wicked frustrating. Just like about this time last year they sucked for 3 months, then stepped it up in August but it was too little, too late. Luckily for us last year, no other team really put up a fight for the Wild Card. This year it's a way different story. With Minnesota, Texas, Toronto, and New York all serious contenders, the Wild Card is far from a guarantee. We need to start winning consistently now! Or as Yankshater would say-- get in a groove.

Renteria comes up with another chance to do some damage and flies out. The man's hitting .257 with RISP and .161 with RISP and 2 outs. I understand we've got to be patient, but how far does this go? Is it too late to just get Orlando back?

This one's gone from bad to worse. Apparently Maddux hit a homer off of Halama, and now the score's 9-2 with Chicago still threatening. A 7 run 7th is no longer enough! What is it about the Sox, they just can't get it together this year?!?!?

apparently the pressure of pitching against his hero was too much for Arroyo. 7-2 after 5 1/2 This one's started UGLY. I can't listen on account of this afternoon crap. Just can check the scores over the internet. We need a Lincoln Park, 7 run 7th inning! (only WEEI listeners will know what I'm talking about, but hey, can't afford TV!)

Weaver was picked by the Angels last year and signed at the deadline with them. He did not re-enter the draft.

I think what you see is what you get with Wells. He's fully capable (obviously) of shutting out good teams like the Yankees last weekend and St. Louis yesterday, but because he can't overpower people, he's also prone to the bad outing (like against LA) when he isn't locating his pitches. With Wells it's all about location, which means he's less consistent than someone with dominant stuff who might be able to get away with pitches more often. I like how Wells doesn't walk a lot of folks, he makes you beat him. I like how he's not intimidated by the big boys (Baltimore, New York, St. Louis, etc), and he should be a valuable pitcher down the road. However, he will still have outings like he did in Toronto or even LA (which wasn't THAT bad) where he misses over the plate and gets hit hard.

Comparing Bellhorn and Ortiz on the basis of strikeouts just isn't fair. David Ortiz is a power hitter. He's slugging .562 so far this year with 14 homers and 47 RBIs. He produces runs as a result of swinging very hard, and has a lot of success doing so. Power hitters strike out-- it's what makes them power hitters. He's K'd 46 times and walked 31 times. I was defending Bellhorn's strikeouts last year (look it up if you want) because he was still producing runs. His OBP was in the high 3's, and he was hitting for a little power and driving in runs. I was of the opinion that he was one of the better run producing second basemen out there. This season, Bellhorn's strikeouts have really been a problem. He's K'd 65 times (19 more than David), and only walked 32. A 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio is pretty bad. He still gets on base at a reasonable clip (.360) considering his bad batting average but his .365 slugging percentage is way way down from last year. I've said in previous threads (and I maintain the opinion) that Mark Bellhorn is not the problem with this team's offense. More should be made of the struggles of Renteria, Ramirez, and Millar than those of Bellhorn, but comparing Bellhorn with Ortiz is just wrong.

I miss Pedro, I really do. I miss his enthusiasm, I miss the great feeling you get when it's his turn to pitch, you just know you have a chance to win. However, like most others, I don't think it was a mistake letting him go. If you read back posts, I predicted he'd be very good this year, just look at the facts pointed out by RedSoxRooter: No DH, No Yankees, No Baltimore, etc. Also, Shea stadium is friendlier to pitchers than Fenway is. ALL the signs pointed to Pedro being dominant in 2005. However, with all of his health issues, the biggest risk was adding that 4th year, and the Red Sox wisely didn't offer it. Look at all the players that get long term deals, start out great, then drag on the team's payroll: Kevin Brown, Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, Albert Belle, just to name a few. Just about everyone in baseball realized there was a huge risk in signing Pedro to a long term deal, and the Mets (desperate to steal some thunder from the Yankees) made that commitment. Half a season is way to early to determine that a 4 year agreement is a success / failure, but I believe that in time the Red Sox will not regret letting Pedro go to the Mets. May I also point out that for the annual price of Pedro Martinez, the Sox were able to sign Clement, Wells, AND Miller?

I never really understand Detroit's moves. They're usually very curious. In a market where relief pitching is in high demand, I'd have thought Detroit could have fetched some top-notch prospects for Urbina despite his inconsistency. Hell, the Cubs got Jerome Williams and David Ardasma (sp?) for Hawkins, who was basically hated by Cubs' fans because of his inconsistency. I like the move from Philly's perspective, since they had Utley to start, Polanco was basically an extra. Martinez should serve as a decent replacement for Polanco and Urbina (1-3, 2.68 ERA) was having a solid season in relief. Now it's hard to imagine Detroit's thinking, being 12 games out of first with a few prominant free agents pending (Young, White), I'd have gone after a prospect-- but what do I know.

I agree. I read a few select websites every day (mlb.com, espn.com), and they not only made a huge deal about the Yankees struggling, but also when the Yankees won 3 in a row it was the headline on espn.com. Of course, it was the headline every day until their streak was broken. A few weeks later, the Cardinals rattled off a similar streak (I think 10 in a row), but it still took the back stage to whatever the Yankees or Red Sox were doing. As a Red Sox fan, it doesn't necessarily bother me because I like reading about the Red Sox and Yankees, but as a BASEBALL fan, it really makes me mad that great teams like St. Louis and great rivalries like LA/SF don't get the media coverage they deserve from these (supposedly) neutral media sources.

To be honest, I still worry a little bit about Clement, just because he's had so much trouble commanding in the past. Vazquez had a great first half of the season with NY, so you're basically looking at one bad half season, which just about every pitcher in baseball has had at some point in his career. If Schill comes back soon, and Wells and Wake get on track, this team doesn't need Vazquez... My original point (which I'm still trying to back) is that this team doesn't have "More than enough" pitching-- we're 12th in the AL in ERA!! Realistically, I don't see Arizona trading Vazquez during the season anyway.. they're only 3.5 games back in a very weak division (meaning they could make a run), and Javy's signed awhile.

I made that post (and Gammons said it) before Renteria signed-- obviously he was mistaken. I'd like to see more Youk at 3rd and Hanley at CF and Pedroia at 2B as well. Although the way Edgar's playing, I wouldn't mind Hanley at short either! (only half kidding here)

I would be careful saying we have "more than enough" starting pitching. Arroyo has been shaky of late, Wells and Miller have health concerns, who knows when Schilling's coming back, and even though Clement has been the team's best pitcher, he's far from a guarantee. I'm not saying go hard after Vazquez (even though he's a better pitcher than Clement IMO), but I wouldn't say we have more than enough pitching.

Didn't Bellhorn already break the Red Sox single season record for strikeouts last year?

I think Bellhorn's been horrible this year, but Soxie has a point. Renteria hit into 2 DPs yesterday, and Manny Ramirez is lost at the plate. Bellhorn's taking too much blame here. That being said, I'd love to see him replaced. Last year I believed he was productive enough despite his strikeouts, but this season he seems to hit less and strikeout more.

Here's where you and I will have to agree to disagree Zenny. Personally I'd love to see the slow ass guys like Millar, Bellhorn, and Manny Ramirez (yes, Manny Ramirez) jettisoned and have faster guys (and better defenders) brought in. Like I said, I cringe when Terry openly admits that the Red Sox are slow, because I hate station to station baseball. The Sox won last year, but they were largely riding the pitching staff which got hot at the right time... It's not like the offense blew away the competition.