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It is quiet as hell around here. Interesting. Probably a good sign. The team is just about complete at this point, I think. The pen has been sufficiently addressed, there is decent depth at the pitching position with AAAA guys like Rich Hill and Andrew Miller, and obviously the offense is in good shape. Defensively I think they will be tremendous, especially in the OF on the road. Their OF defense will improve in 2012 when Kalish takes over in RF. He's going to be the perfect complement to Ellsbury and Crawford. The era of Ryan Kalish can't start soon enough in my mind.

They have been over it a few times the past few years. If I had to guess I think they had gone over it 3 times in the Theo era. Could be more.

Papelbon + for Beltran would be a fun move for this club, though I don't know where Beltran fits if Ellsbury is still around... ...would the Sox really move both Papelbon and Ellsbury? I think they probably would for the right pieces. What would they trade Ellsbury for? Prospects? Anyway, I do like this: Crawford Pedroia Gonzalez Youkilis Ortiz Beltran Drew Lowrie Saltalamacchia

Yes. For the first time in a while I would say Crawford might have been signed for his intangibles. His tangible assets make him plenty valuable, but probably not at the level of $20m/yr for each of 7 years. However, his intangibles could pretty easily make the contract worth it. Not only does the contract also include the prime years of a potentially Hall of Fame career and consistent playoff appearances, but playing extra games in the playoffs is huge in terms of overall fan interest, merchendise sales, advertizing (both current and future), etc.,. If his WAR are the ones that take public perception of the team from "maybe" making the playoffs to "probably" making the playoffs, over 7 years that's a lot of value in advertizing and merchandise. Because the team is that close he is a smart investment to get that extra revenue given that he's probably worth at least 17m without the inflation of the current FA climate or any addition to team revenue. If his next 7 years mirror his last seven, then he would have 2719 H, probably two seasons away from 3000. He would have 195 triples (8th All-Time). He would have scored 1497 runs (85th all time), ahead of Rod Carew, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Jim Rice, Brooks Robinson, Tony Gwynn and a number of other HOF players. He would have 754 SB (6th All Time). I think you're absolutely right to question whether he's worth that much money in terms of regular season on-field production. In terms of "selling" and the Red Sox as a brand, though, I see him as an investment in the franchise as a whole.

Also, I brought this up earlier but nobody took note: Anybody old enough to remember Clemente? I'm not, but he seems like a guy who truly had 5 tools, but none of them were exceptional (except perhaps his fielding). Crawford's speed is probably better, but Clemente's arm was exceptional. At his current rate, Crawford will be pushing 2700 hits and maybe 700 SBs when he's done with the Red Sox. That would put him 11th on the all time SB list, passing Joe Morgan at 689. 8 of the top 11 are in the Hall of Fame and if he continues to produce he will probably have enough other numbers to get him in too.

We will see... I expect Dipre to be right. They will still have a potent lineup. With that pitching they really won't need much. With a lot of FA signings there are questions about how they will perform (even guys like CC or A-Rod). With Doc and Lee there is little question about how they will perform. These are easily two of the best innings eaters in baseball. They are masters at their craft and absolutely dominate the diamond like few others when they have the ball. Two Hall of Fame caliber pitchers (Lee won't get in, Doc probably will) is a special thing. The combination of excellent starting pitching

23m is a big contract. There are a small number of teams that see themselves as right on the verge of a championship who are willing to pay for certainty and playoff competitiveness. The Sox, Yankees and Phillies all showed up to the auction but only the Yankees are walking away empty-handed. It's a great thing.

I don't think there are any obvious replacement options, especially if they don't like Greinke. That's what gives this move such delicious comparisons to Mark Teixeira. We might have to project forward a few years to find the next franchise caliber pitcher who is available. I would dispute that Francisco Liriano is at that level currently. Someone mentioned Josh Johnson earlier, or Felix Hernandez. Other names to throw about are guys like: Ubaldo Jimenez--Unlikely, seems Colorado wants to build their team right now. Of course, Montero and Tulo and CarGo could be a pretty good trio to build around in a non-pitcher's park. Tim Lincecum--Seems like a good fit in SF (where wouldn't he fit, with his skills?). Still controlled for a few years. Zack Greinke--Yankees afraid of a recent Cy Young winner. Go figure. The kid gets a lot of s*** for battling anxiety on the big league stage in a time of tremendous identity formation. There is a reason the Red Sox (and most other good teams) take the time to let boys become men before joining the club. KC doesn't have--or doesn't care about--that ability. Both Greinke and Buchholz are pitchers who, if they let their stuff dominate, are very hard to beat. I think once they become confident in that they will be just fine. I think at this point both have turned a pretty key corner. Buchholz has better stuff, IMO, and I think his ceiling is just as high. Who else would be that elite talent? A guy like Chad Billingsley would be a nice mid-rotation young addition, but he's not a complement to CC. Lee was that guy, and I don't see anyone else who stands out. With that in mind, how much do you think the Yankees would offer John Lackey if they were in a bidding war with Anaheim right now? In this environment, Lackey still seems like a "smart buy" by the Sox. They could have punted for one year on SP and wouldn't have had any good options , and may even have felt compelled to trade some pieces for a pitcher. Even if his contract and performance so far hasn't met all expectations, guys like Lackey who can perform suitably in the AL are quite valuable for competitive franchises.

Time for Lester and Buchholz to step up as two true aces.

I'm sure the Sox would have offered it too if he had been interested. Happily. Apparently they offered 7 years. I think we will enjoy having Crawford on this club.

Time to start mining Jacko's bold claims from the past... I don't LOVE that the Phillies signed him, but in terms of the Sox getting to the WS I think it is the best of the three between NY, TX, and PHI. Don't love it, but I can take it compared to what I was assuming would happen. Heart goes out to Texas. I wonder what attracted him to Philly so much, aside from the rabid fan base, pitching with Doc and Roy and Cole and the 20m he will make every year.

The Yankees can take their money and shove it up their ass. It is worthless.

He didn't want to play for the Yankees. Who can blame him, their fans shat on his wife's head. The Yankees blew it. They couldn't close the deal. They had him sitting down and they didn't get it done. Players never want to play in a particular place, they always take the most money, Teixeira, yada, yada. Enjoy this Yankees fans. You lost your White Whale.

Five years seems reasonable. Not sure how much he gets AAV, but I wouldn't have been comfortable with a team paying him for 7 or 8 years. Yankees can sign him again when his contract is up.

I'm interested to know the terms of the deal. I think this officially wipes the slate clean and lets the Red Sox start afresh in the AL East next year. No marquee addition for the Yankees, Rays have question-marks. Aside from the Yankees making a huge acquisition, is there any doubt this is the Sox division to lose right now?

Yeah, the Yankees should just keep using their internal processes to make guesses about who will be a good fit. Burnett? Check. Randy Johnson? Check. Javier Vazquez? Check. Zack Greinke? He's young, good stuff, a Cy Young to his credit... No, we'll pass. Funny, funny stuff.

Yep. Go ahead and sign with Philly. I still like the Sox.

Link?

With much of the roster filled, and two recent acquisitions to think about, I'm trying to figure out who Carl Crawford is as a player and what his impact is likely to be. This little video is a good reminder of the fact that Crawford is a great athelete: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post?id=7431 I've seen a lot of comparisons between Carl Crawford and Roberto Clemente and decided to look into it further. The similarities are pretty stunning thru age 28 (where Crawford is now): [table] PLAYER | G | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS + | HR | RBI | 3B | 2B | TB | TOT WAR | WAR (162g) | Crawford | 1235 | 5383 | .296 | .337 | .444 | .781 | 107 | 104 | 592 | 105 | 215 | 2217 | 26.1 | 3.7 Clemente | 1213 | 5017 | .303 | .337 | .439 | .776 | 109 | 92 | 570 | 75 | 214 | 2062 | 24.2 | 3.6 [/table] Clemente did everything well and started his career very early like Crawford did. Clemente had a bit more HR power while Crawford is considerably faster. So, how did Clemente do during the prime of his career? Is it reasonable to hope that Crawford can keep that career trajectory going? [table] YEARS | G | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | HR | RBI | 1962-1970 (total) | 1282 | 5452 | .329 | .378 | .503 | .881 | 147 | 152 | 739 | 1962-1970 (162g avg) | 162 | 687 | .329 | .378 | .503 | .881 | 147 | 20 | 94 | [/table] During those years Clemente averaged 6.2 WAR per season, 7.1 WAR per 162 g. Players who hit 6 WAR consistently are tremendous players. If Crawford were able to produce at that level then his contract would be seen as fair. He's one of a few comparables, but Clemente is the comparison I like the most.

Most people should be VERY happy with the recent signings. If the Liverpool FC is run anything like the Red Sox you should be prepared for a few different--initially startling--tendencies: 1) Current established LFC players will not be treated like royalty. If they became free agents (i.e., their contract runs out) this ownership group will not be fooled into overpaying to retain their services out of ideas like "fan loyalty" or "fan pressure". If players try to use those ideas against the ownership group it won't work. 2) Cost-savings at all turns. The ownership group will likely try to be as absolutely effecient with money as possible in most areas. This isn't always the case (see point 3, below) but it is usually the case, and in between signficiant money signings, there might be confusion or frustration that LFC isn't getting (or entertaining) every major name that comes up. 3) Enormously satisfying moves. John Henry is a man of pride. He likes having his name associated with good players. That doesn't mean that he would see any significant benefit by bringing some washed-up but famous baller to the club to make a splash. He will approve spending ungodly sums on the best of the best, when he's sure that the supporting cast for that player will make LFC a really dangerous club. Following this front office's moves is at once both fascinating, frustrating, and totally, completely rewarding. The payoff will come, and money saved in one area WILL be spent in another. The conversion from one player to another may just not come overnight.

I voted for Youkilis. Maybe: Ellsbury Crawford Youkilis Gonzalez Pedroia Ortiz Lowrie Drew Saltalamacchia That looks like a fun lineup. I would also entertain the idea of Pedroia batting 3rd.