SuperManny

Theo was one of the masterminds behind 2004 so whats there not to love? Yeah there were a lot of players still from the Duquette era but for 86 years no other GM put together the right team to win it all. The Nomar trade, which I hated at the time, was as ballsy of a trade as any GM has made in recent memory. It worked out in the end which is why I give Theo a lot of room to work with these days. Since Theo has taken over the Sox have drafted much better and are going to be a lot better over the next decade than they were the previous decade.

Seriously, I don't think the Sox are going to finalize any deals that involve losing a draft pick until after the arb deadline so they know which players will cost draft picks. The Sox aren't going to give away draft picks if they don't have to.

You were a fan until they got the best SP on the market? So if they signed Zito to a huge deal would you have quit too? Thats just hilarious. Cora at $2M x 2 years is a little much but what does it really matter? $2M a year is nothing in today's market and the Sox have bigger things to worry about so they got him signed since the Sox currently have 0 SS's other than Cora. Pedroia can't play SS either but is a good option for 2B.

There is also one team in Japan (don't remember which one) that hates the posting process and refuses to use it because they thinks it makes the Japanese League look like a minor league for MLB. Their players will become FA's if they don't sign them.

Drew opted out of a 3 yr/$33M contract, he's obviously looking for and will get more. But Nixon isn't as good at this point. Nixon can't even play against lefties which is a huge liability. Nixon's WARP3 2004 1.7 2005 5.6 2006 4.5 Drew's WARP3 2004 9.8 2005 4.2 2006 8.6

Surprised to see Hansen so low? Do they think he's not as good as they first thought when he was coming out of college?

Pitchers are more hit and miss but the Sox have plenty of young pitchers which is always good. This year BA ranked the Sox #1 in the draft and #2 last year so thats good for the future though. At least a couple of them should pan out.

My favorite prospect right now is Ellsbury. I've been watching him since the day the Sox drafted him and loved him in the college world series. He is so damn fast and will be a perfect CF/leadoff hitter for the Sox in a year or two.

Bagwell? As a non roster invitee yes, otherwise no thanks. He didn't even play baseball this year and in 2005 had exactly 100 AB's for a .738 OPS. The guy is going to be 39 next season and I don't think you could count on him for anything at this point. He wouldn't be a bad guy to have on the bench if he's healthy but if he's starting for the Sox then something went horribly wrong in the offseason.

Wait, you just said OBP is worth 1.5 points of SLG (which is what I thought it was) and then say that SLG is more important. I was under the impression that OBP was more important since outs are such a rare commodity in the game. Since Youk and Lowell's only real difference offensively is OBP and SLG then wouldn't that make Youk more valuable than Lowell? In terms of roster construction I also think Youk is more valuable since the Sox don't really have any other high OBP guys to put at the top of the order. Add in the fact that the money saved on Lowell can be used to bring in another FA I don't see how Lowell is more valuable. Another thing to keep in mind is the available players for 1B that would replace Youk. Who are the Sox going to put at 1B next year that will be an improvement over Youk and at what cost? The difference in VORP between Youk and Lowell was about 1 and your comparing Youk to all 1B which is a more power position than 3B. If Youk was a 3B this year he would have had a higher VORP than Lowell.

Now theres something we agree on. I hate Giambi too, although more so because he plays for the Yankees and looks like a tool ever since he became a Yankee. He was the man in Oakland with long hair and tatoos and he goes to the Yankees and he looks like a sped.

I wouldn't want Bonds on the Sox because I don't think the team needs to expand from a 3 ring circus that it already is into a 7 ring circus it would be with Bonds. The Sox already have enough media scrutiny without adding the guy that everyone hates. That said I would rather have Bonds than Sheffield. I just really really hate Sheffield on so many levels. Bonds never intentionally screwed over his own teammates on the field. That alone is one reason I would never root for Sheffield. If the Sox somehow got Sheff (which isn't going to happen anyways since the Yanks are going to pick up the option) I would have a hard time rooting for the Sox to be honest. As for the steroids, everyone in baseball was cheating and I never understood why everyone took it out on Bonds.

I would rather keep the guy with more value than trade him. Paps and Papi have more value too but I woudln't go trading people because they have more value. You can get some RP for Lowell so go make the move which helps the pen, saves some $$ and spend it on FA pitching which the team needs. Honestly, I wouldn't have a problem with keeping both Lowell and Youk next year but if one needs to go it has to be Lowell. If you trade Youk then after next season you have no 1B or 3B since Lowell will have left unless he's extended.

Clemens seemed to have been willing to possibly come back so unless you know Nomar personally I don't think you can say anything definitively. He has spoke well about Boston and the Sox since he left and said he would never sign with the Yankees because of his time in Boston. If the Sox made him the best offer I think he would at least consider it.

Wait how is Youk not as good as Lowell? Lowell has one year left on his deal at more money than Youk will make in the next 3-4 years. 2006 Stats Youk .279/.381/.429/.810 Lowell .284/.339/.475/.814 So pretty much the same average and OPS. Big difference between the two is OBP and SLG. Youk is on base more and Lowell hits for more power. I would rather have Youk who is younger, cheaper, under the Sox control for longer, and makes less outs. Youk is perfect for the #2 spot in the lineup while Lowell is perfect for somewhere between 6-7 in the lineup. Its nice that Lowell hits for more power but he makes a ton of outs and a .339 OBP isn't very good at all. Theres a reason that Youk has more trade value and its because he's more valuable. Hold on to the league min guy and dump the overpaid veterain.

Seriously, how is it possible that anyone thinks Loretta was the best 2B the Sox have had in a while? He's actually the worst. I liked the trade at the time but he wasn't very good this year. And about the All Star selection, Tek was almost voted the starter and he was awful this year. Boston and NY gets people voted on that shouldn't be so lets not make All Star selections into something other than a popularity contest.

Yankee fans love Giambi and Sheff.

Barry was right though it wasn't a strike.

You mean the same Bronson Arroyo that had the ERA+ under 100 last year? Didn't you know he was the key to the Sox season? The savior? And WMP strikes out a lot I agree though that I can't believe anyone wouldn't like the WMP trade. Yes in hindsight it would have been better to trade Clement for WMP, seriously imagine that. But Arroyo was who the Reds wanted, although Boston should have tried to get them to take Clement and pay some $. Either way its a great trade for Boston in the long run. WMP is the Sox RF next year.

Tek should become a bench coach once he retires and then take over the manager's spot later on. I'm telling you Tek would make a great coach IMO.