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Zenny, Please exuse my ignorance, but Traber BETTER than Arroyo? Wow. He's had pretty decent minor league numbers, but Cleveland was willing to let him go for nothing... I hope you're right.

Not so fast... He too is a free agent.

I agree with this post 100%. I don't LIKE Jeter. I don't LIKE Bernie Williams, Joe Torre, etc. I don't LIKE them mostly because of the uniform that they wear. Do I RESPECT them? Absolutely. They are the kind of folks that play the game RIGHT, and play hard. Clemens has had his problems with Boston ownership, and some drama with Piazza, and has had the reputation for being a "head hunter," but so has Pedro Martinez. Martinez has created plenty of drama especially with some Yankees, and nobody's hating on him. Clemens proved that it's not all about money with him. He went to Houston for far less money Georgie would have given him, and he was the bargain of the century. He wanted to be at home with his family, but still play the game that he loves. I RESPECT that. I have the deepest respect for what Clemens has been able to do. He was the second best pitcher in the National League last year (Sorry Roger, but Randy was better) at 42 years old. He was the ace of that staff, and he carried that pitching staff. He's a warrior in every sense of the word, and I, personally, would welcome him back to Boston with open arms (if he wanted to come back, which he doesn't). My father hates Clemens too. There's some fans that just don't get over grudges. Not me. Congratulations Roger!

Clemens is one of the best, yes. A sure hall of famer, yes. Love the guy? I dunno.... he DID pitch in Yankee pinstripes... Congrats Roger... Well deserved! Although I wouldn't have argued if Randy Johnson had won it either, he was AMAZING in 2004.

Scott Boras waited with Ivan Rodriguez until he got what he wanted. Ivan kept saying he wanted to stay in Florida, but he was priced out of the market. Unlike the Yankees, the Red Sox WILL NOT allow their payroll to get out of control. In fact, I think I read somewhere that they wanted to REDUCE their payroll from last year.... The hangup here is the length of the deal. Epstein and the Red Sox know that catchers typically START declining right around Varitek's age. Boras knows that too, so he wants guaranteed money for 'Tek at age 37 because he knows if he hits the market in 3 years he's not getting $10/year. I believe the Red Sox will stick to their guns here. As much as I hate to say it, if Varitek demands that 5th year at $10/mil... he'll be playing somewhere else. The Red Sox should (and probably would) compromise with a mutual 4th year. It's that 5th year that might break this deal. I've already heard rumblings that the Red Sox were thinking about trading for Charles Johnson (Colorado). If these rumors are true, I'd expect they don't like their chances of resigning Tek.

If Varitek really wants to stay, he'll prove it by accepting a reasonable offer, and I believe the Sox WILL make a reasonable offer. I have the deepest respect for what Varitek has done for the Red Sox, and the role he played in this team winning the championship in 2004. But if he's asking for 5 years?!? Knowing he'll be 37 in that 5th year! How many catchers are still worth $10 million at 37? Not many. Nomar SAID he really wanted to stay, but rejected a very good offer. If Varitek is driven by greed this offseason, he WILL sign elsewhere. We'll see how much Varitek really wants to stay when he agrees to a contract (wherever that might be).

The thing that worries me about Zito is that he's gotten steadily worse the past 2 years. Granted, he had to come down a bit from a 23-6 season, but after getting worse for 2 consecutive years... it would concern me if I were attempting to deal for him. Anyway, On this subject, Peter Gammons said: Oakland doesn't want Posada OR Nixon... so Theo/Cashman would have to come up with something else.

Mulder is. Hudson's a righty.

That I can agree on. One thing I might monitor closely is the Al Lieter situation. He MAY become a free agent if the mutual option isn't exercised. He's no ace, but he could win 15+ games in Boston with an ERA in the high 3's.

Hey Johnny, Just want to say: No hard feelings! I would trade Nixon for Mulder or Hudson (like Crespo said) but Zito's a bit of an enigma. Not sure if he's capable of being a top starter... he was 11-11 with a 4.68 ERA last season. In fact, since his 23-5 year (2002) he was 14-12 with a 3.30 ERA last year, then of course the 4.68 ERA in 2004.... so he's been trending downward the past 3 years. I'm not sure I'd go hard after the guy unless he could prove he can be a top pitcher.

Just expressing my opinion. No need for either of these two guys.

I think you and I are the only ones on the board to make this point. Nixon for Zito is a BAD TRADE!!! Zito's really not been as good lately as he was when he came up. For whatever reason, he was pretty hittable last year. On the other hand, Nixon saved the Red Sox' SEASON with his defense and will be very good offensively once he's healthy. I'd consider Nixon for Hudson.... but I'd rather have Nixon than Zito.

I think $12 mil/year is a VERY fair offer for Pedro. I think he needs 3 guaranteed years to sign, and I think the Sox should compromise and offer him a third year. Pedro is still one of the best pitchers in the game, and he is easily the top free agent pitcher. Radke should be pursued as a replacement for LOWE, not Pedro. 3 years, 36 mil with a mutual option for a 4th year. That's what the Red Sox should offer him WHEN he rejects the 2 year offer.

Ortiz = Biggest bargain of the century! Remember when the Boss wanted to sign him and Cashman said: No, we don't need Ortiz because we already have Giambi... Thanks Brian!

OK Guys, that's enough. Let's not forget that the demise of the Yankees started when they let Tino Martinez (a proven winner) go and signed Jason Giambi to replace him. How many rings have the Yankees won since they did that? NONE. Superstar power means very little in winning when it counts, and the Yankees have proven that. Contrary to popular belief, you CANNOT buy championships. You need to acquire the RIGHT players. Mientkiewicz is that RIGHT kind of player. He's hard nosed, plays the game right, plays INCREDIBLE defense, and is a CONTACT hitter. Don't get greedy. There's no need to overspend on Delgado or Sexson. Let the Mets do that.

I know, I'm just saying....

I say we all need to calm down. Some people were cracking on Johnny pretty hard, and I can understand him getting slightly defensive. We're all Red Sox fans here (well, most of us at least), so there's no reasons for heated arguments. Johnny, I can see that you and I disagree on some things already (Trot Nixon), but welcome to the site, and happy posting! (please try not to take anyone's comments to heart) It's a real shame the Expos moved out of Montreal... I live in VT so I went to more Expos games than Red Sox games!

I really hope someone doesn't try to post as many useless posts as possible just to get to 20k. I remember a certain user on this site who had over 1,000 by himself....but never said anything usefull. Quality is better than quantity. BUT, the prize for 20k is so small it's not worth the effort to make 100 useless posts at the last minute...

I also heard that Lou Merloni (a friend of Nomar's) laughed at these rumors and said "Nomar's not changing positions." The moral of the story here: Consider your source a NEW YORK paper says "a friend" of Nomar's says he's willing to switch positions..... Which is the ONLY team who would ask him to do so? The Yankees. Could this be the media creating a story out of nothing? Nah, that never happens... (please note sarcasm here). It's not like Anaheim, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis (if Renteria doesn't return), wouldn't sign Nomar to play shortstop. I wouldn't put too much stake in this rumor.

I'm with Yags (yagmaster) 100%. I said this in the first thread related to this (why was another thread started?), Mientkiewicz is my starting first baseman if I'm Francona. If Millar doesn't like it, trade him. It's not like we're taking a KEY bat out of the lineup. Ortiz to Mientkiewicz is a BIG downgrade. Millar to Mientkiewicz is a much smaller downgrade. I still believe if Doug's playing every day at Fenway, he has the bat control to hit .300, and just pepper the Green Monster with doubles. Not to mention his AWESOME defense. Millar is replaceable. Look how many .300, 15-20HR right handed hitters who can't play defense there are in the big leagues...

Where did you hear this? I would hate to see Nixon go, especially since he took less $$ to stay here, but Hudson's an amazing pitcher.

Since the Sox have Mueller signed through 2005, I seriously doubt they'll persue Beltre. They probably won't sign Renteria. He'll cost MORE than Cabrera, and they're prepared to let him walk if he asks for 4 years. I don't see either one happening.

Tough question. Mientkiewicz really struggled in 2004, partly because of injury and because when he came back, he struggled to get playing time with Morneau in Minnesota, then of course Millar in Boston. I have been very critical of Millar over this season. It's hard to feel confident in a guy who brings new meaning to the phrase: "streaky hitter." On the other hand, Mientkiewicz can be a .300 hitter when he's on, with 10-15 HR power. Over the course of a season, Millar has 20ish HR power. In a lineup with Ortiz, Ramirez, Nixon, etc, I think this lineup could get away with Mientkiewicz as their everyday first baseman. If it were me, and I HAD to pick, I go with Mientkiewicz. Honestly in Fenway Park, with that Pesky Pole, and the Monster, I think Mientkiewicz could be a pretty good hitter.