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Which is what would make a return to Boston (or even Baltimore) so sweet for him. According to ESPN, the Phillies and Orioles have made offers to Arizona for Vazquez. They didn't mention the Payton thing.

According to ESPN, Roger Clemens will officially be the highest paid pitcher ever after the Astros announce his signing of a 1 year, $18 million contract. Supposed to be announced today. MLB.com says 2PM CT the ESPN link below I didn't see a time (although I only scanned it). http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1972067

Williamson is out until at least August, so Hawkins will get his shot. I agree though.... I'd take a healthy Williamson back in a second.

I don't THINK this will happen, but Theo would be an idiot NOT to trade his backup outfielder for a proven starter. Vazquez really only had 1 bad HALF SEASON with the Yankees, and he'd CERTAINLY be welcome on the Red Sox as far as I'm concerned. Despite what the morons at YES say.... I have NEVER said Javy was a bad pitcher and I DO believe he can return to where he used to be. He's got a better track record than Pavano, Clement, Arroyo, Wright, even Wade Miller.

Welcome. I guess I'm one of the few who has no effing clue who you are.

Again, I agree with John here. Johnson outpitched Clemens (and had better numbers in every single pitching category BUT W-L, which is so dependant on the team surrounding him that it shouldn't even be counted) in 2004. Also, Clemens pitched in the National League. His last 2 years in the AL were a lot closer to Pedro's 2004 than Clemens' 2004. If I had to rank those 3 for potential 2005 performance: Johnson Martinez Clemens Clemens is certainly in the same class as Randy and Pedro, but he certainly (in my opinion) doesn't deserve more money than they do.

I certainly don't expect him to be the next Jeff Weaver, but the next Clemens? Please. John, I think you're right. He should win 15ish games with an ERA in the mid 3's.

great value for all these guys contribute. Bellhorn's coming in knowing he's the everyday man at second, he should match last year's production even if he doesn't cut down on the K's. If he does.... look out. Arroyo's going to be very valuable to the Sox next year as a swing-man between the bullpen/rotation.

Is this for real? Anyone who says Pavano is the next Roger Clemens must be retarded.

I agree with John here. Clemens on a 1 year deal is not worth more than $15 million... which means he probably won't get more than $15 in arbritration. How can he make more than Pedro? Or Randy Johnson?

Keep in mind that there will be 29 teams that would LOVE to have Sheets if Milwaukee decides to deal him. Granted, probably only 10-15 would be willing/able to resign him, but you can bet your ass the Yankees will try to get him. Now, I can't imagine what they'd have to offer Milwaukee that the Red Sox couldn't... but there are teams with deeper farm systems that would also be in on any Sheets trade talk. Bottom line: I wouldn't count on it, but it'd be nice to add an arm of his caliber.

Chitalian: Welcome. http://www.talksox.com/sim is the League website. You'll find just about all info you want/need there. There's also an entire forum dedicated to the sim league, located here: http://www.talksox.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=19 In League General Forum you'll find the rules and stuff. The rest is pretty self explanatory. Please go into the signups and add your AIM name so you can be more easily contacted. Again, Welcome. I look forward to dealing with you in the future.

Hey man, it's what NY reporters were calling him.... that's not our name

How much does Millar really HELP in the clubhouse though? He openly said he'd rather have A-Rod than Manny and Nomar, then made his JD comments.... I wonder just how liked he really is in the clubhouse.....

Regardless of who's on first, the Sox will be able to compete with the Yankees on the field this season. IF Giambi returns to pre-2004 health and production, the Yankees will be very dangerous. Randy vs Schilling will be an incredible matchup, as will Mussina vs Wells. The bottom 3 I think the Red Sox have the advantage pitching wise. Mantei will be key to the bullpen. If he's on, the Red Sox will be very good late in games. If he struggles, the Sox will too. Overall, I'd say these two teams are pretty even. Both have health questions (the Yankees moreso in my opinion), but both teams will be in contention in September. It's going to be a fun year.

To face the "Big Jerk" on opening day http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news.jsp?ymd=20050113&content_id=930628&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp

It doesn't look promising, but the only guy who's faced him enough to really get an idea for how he'd do is Jay Payton. I'm not someone who is foolish enough to say the Yankees aren't better with Randy Johnson, but for the sake of the board, for the sake of your own reputation on this board, try to at least educate yourself before making statements like the one about Ortiz/Damon.

That's an intelligent statement, considering Johnny Damon has faced Randy Johnson exactly once in his career and Ortiz has NEVER faced him. Crap, David Wells has faced Randy Johnson (as a hitter) more than Damon and Ortiz COMBINED. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp?pitcherId=2131&teamId=2 You could have at least referenced SOMEone who's struggled against him in the past, like Payton, Millar, or Bellhorn... Bellhorn does look ugly against Randy though... 0-9 with 8 K's.... eek. You COULD have said something intelligent, referencing the fact that Damon is considerably worse against lefties than righties, or that Trot Nixon historically has struggled against left handed pitchers..... but then you wouldn't be a Yankee fan, now would you?

Who is also overpaid and overrated. Many people have said Jones isn't the same fielder he used to be (although still very good), and isn't exactly a dominant force with the bat over in Atlanta. I'd say Jones is slightly above average

For those who didn't see it, you CAN see the video on ESPN.com. I don't have Insider or anything and I was able to see it. They weren't exactly up in his face or anything... Randy kinda overreacted in my opinion. There hasn't even been the introductory press conference and he's already issued an apology. Not a good start for Mr. Johnson.

Good deal for a guy like Millwood. Good potential, but risky. Worst case senario-- they waste $3 mil on him. Here's Millwood's chance also to play his way into a bigger guaranteed contract. ESPN is reporting also the Guardians are close to signing Juan Gonzalez.

It's not exactly like Pedro had the best reputation for dealing with the media. He better get used to it.

One thing about my theory is that McCarty would not complain about a bench role. He would know going in that it's his job, and no trouble is caused. He did it in 2004 just fine. Minky/Millar have both told the media that they believe they are everyday players. I say trade them both.

I didn't say his career wasn't overpowering... I said my prediction for Mantei in 2005 is that he won't be overpowering. There are factors (his injury shortened 2004, his conversion to the American League, the Red Sox) that make me a bit skeptical that he'll return to dominance in 2005. Like I said, that's just my opinion.

John, I agree with most of what you said except the last one (about Mantei). I don't know if he'll be a "surprise" really, since the Sox know what he's capable of. I think he'll be decent, (ERA in the 3's) but not overpowering. Just my opinion. You're right about Brown and Johnson. Both are good pitchers (with bad attitudes, but that shouldn't change how they pitch), and both should be reliable starters for New York next year. I predict them both in the low 3's in ERA. They should have 30 wins between them by the end of the season. Pavano isn't bad, but he can't be expected to pitch as well as he did in Florida. I say 15ish wins with an ERA around 4. Bernie Williams is no longer in his prime, but he's not exactly Timo Perez out there either. He's still good for 20 homers and a .270ish batting average. His contract is up after 2005, and considering the Braves are always cutting salary, I wouldn't be surprised to see Andruw Jones as the starting CF in 2006. That being said, like others have noted, the Yankees may opt for a Juan Pierre-type centerfielder who can leadoff. I'm not sure about Giambi though. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees still try to get out of his contract, and if they do, they'll probably give more playing time to Tino. And who knows how Giambi will hit when he isn't taking steroids? How long has he been using them? I say the Yankees can expect .270 with at least 20 HR from their first base position in 05. All in all, the Yankees have questions, but so do ALL teams in January. Anyone who expects the Yankees to fall out of contention will be dissapointed in 2005. I think the Yankees biggest weakness right now is depth. If one of their starters goes down, they don't have reliable backups. Who plays RF if Sheffield goes on the DL? Bubba Crosby? eek. Who's their 5th starter if Brown, Johnson, or Mussina get hurt? Will they be unbeatable? No. Will they be in contention? Yes.