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I think you could be right about the price, but that is too much for my liking. You lost me at Kalish. This team can't trade two MLB ready players and perhaps the best pitching prospect in the system who is only a year or two away. I just don't think that their system can handle it right now, to be quite honest. They have some really good talent coming up in the next few years, but most are still a year or two away and the cost to fill those holes with anything effective could be prohibitive. Kalish is this team's RF in 2012 (IMO) and is worth a lot. There aren't tremendous OF options in 2012, the spot will be opening naturally, he's cost controlled, he's remarkably athletic, RF is big and benefits from a good arm... Keep Kalish. He's worth the gamble.

I'm wrestling with the idea of Greinke coming to the Sox. On one hand I don't think they have the need at pitcher. Of course it would be great to add a pitcher of Greinke's caliber, but dealing Matsuzaka would be tricky. On the other hand, I think the Sox are about due for a significant trade/signing. I think adding Greinke could be about as impactful as any move they could do. It would hold true to getting younger and better and would add another ace caliber arm in the toughest division in baseball. That's a meaningful, franchise-changing move. I have a reputation around here for caring about which prospects are involved in a deal like this. A deal for Greinke would be no different.

Yeah, I'm really happy for you guys and look forward to seeing what the results will be like in the Premier League. If I were a Liverpool fan I would start expecting to compete yearly with Man-U, Arsenal and Chelsea atop the league standings and have regular entries into the Champions League.

I think Howard is a pretty good example of the upcoming contracts we will see for power hitting first basemen in the 2011 class. There are easy arguments for Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder being more valuable players than Ryan Howard.

Can't say I disagree with Lee. He is one of a few pitchers who is truly at another level. He makes it look so f***ing easy, paints the corners with all of his pitches, and uses the top of the zone as well as anyone with his velocity that I can remember since Maddux. He's really impressive to watch. Not only are his command and stuff absolutely filthy, but he has also mastered the ability to set hitters up and execute to get them out. Masterful. I wouldn't be pissed off if the Sox said that they had to prevent him from going to NY and went all in. It would be a kamakazi kind of move, but selfishly I think he would be fun to watch for the next 3-4 seasons. After that I'm not so sure. Thanks for doing that Dojji. I think that's a pretty good list. I am hesitant about with a few of them, but the list really just provides a structure for the larger discussion we were having.

What do you mean "drop everything"? What precedent can you cite for this? Teams that just stop paying the contracts they've agreed to? Forget about the cost/benefit of the acquisition? I don't think so. Only in rosy YankeeLand is free agency like that. Pujols isn't worth any cost. He actually nets the team some amount of money. He can be quantified. Teams simply don't find themselves able to "drop everything" and shell out $30m for one player. It just doesn't happen. Historically there are two contracts that really even approach that $$, Roger Clemens (Yankees) and Alex Rodriguez (Yankees). Generally there is only one team that can drop 30m without planning for it. That's more than half of what the Rays hope to pay for their entire team every year, and would be more than 25% of most teams in baseball.

Whether or not the Tigers want Martinez, the point stands that he will be coveted this off-season. The Sox will need to sign him before he hits the open market. I would be fine with them doing what it takes to keep him around. He's a plus offensive catcher with position flexability and, as such, is hard to replace. As for Pujols, he should command near A-Rod money, pushing $30m per year. Until he's signed a deal with St. Louis I am fine with the Sox holding their chips just in case.

"The best offense in the National League this year" my ass. I feel for the fans of Cinci and Minny. It's a long road to get to the playoffs and a 3 game sweep can seem like a s***** way to end an otherwise really good season. It never does the season sufficient justice.

This is actually a pretty good series. Both teams are relatively young and dynamic and they both had impressive seasons. I think the Rays are the better team, but they are in a big hole with Cliff Lee standing in their way. Texas has the offense to challenge the Yankees pitching staff and I really want the Yankees to lose. Texas has a very good team and could be a serious threat for the next few years.

At least the Twins didn't take part in any of that annoying "fighting back" that teams of lower caliber might try when confronted with elimination. It's like watching the German little league champion playing the Taiwanese for a chance to go to the international finals. They seem like they're star-struck by the Yankees. Geez...

Yep. f***ing pathetic. Seems like a new yearly tradition.

Not optimistic about Buck, except maybe as a backup. It is astonishing to me that the defensive skills required to play catcher in the big leagues are so rare that players who only get on base at a .300 clip can stick in the game for a decade. The Sox should only use him as a last resort. V-Mart is only 31. It seems like they could reasonably sign him for 4 years, maybe even with an option for 5, and at something like 10-11m/year it would be a good fit for both sides. The team is better with his bat in the lineup at the C slot.

My brief and incomplete thoughts on the Red Sox for Liverpool fans: 1. The Red Sox are one of the most popular baseball teams in the country. 2. They are fierce rivals of the New York Yankees, dating back to the sale of American icon and baseball legend Babe Ruth in the winter of 1919. Since then, the Yankees have become arguably the most successful sports franchise in the world, and the Red Sox have been a team of near-misses and heartbreak. 3. The Red Sox had a number of chances to win the World Series in the ensuing decades, but they did not win until 2004. 4. They have had a number of powerhouse teams and star players, but they were supposedly subject to bad luck due to "The Curse" of having sold Babe Ruth to finance a Broadway play--the ultimate baseball f*** up... 5. Despite their history of losing, since 2003 the Red Sox have been among the best franchises in baseball. Not coincidentally (in my opinion), John Henry's ownership group purchased the team in 2002. 6. The Sox recent success comes from a willingness to spend for premier talent, and to spend in the scouting, recruitment and development of premier talent from all over the world. 7. Red Sox fans are known to be extremely dedicated--perhaps obsessed--with their team. The fanbase consistently travels to road games in support of the Sox. For instance, I live in the Pacific Northwest and have been able to attend a number of Seattle Mariners games against the Red Sox. Seattle is 2,484 miles (3,997 kilometers) from Boston, and Red Sox fans regularly fill 1/3 of the seats in the park. The same is true in most cities. 8. As noted above, the Red Sox had an 86 year drought without a World Series. During that time, Red Sox fans developed a reputation for being pessimistic. The team seemed destined to lose every year, no matter how good they were. 9. Even to non Red Sox fans, winning the World Series in 2004 was undoubtedly one of the greatest stories in all of sports history. Given the nature of the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, the story is akin to a great Shakespearean drama... As good as sports could replicate it, I would argue.

Can I just say (with apologies to Emmz) f*** the Twins. Sack up and at least make it a series. You're better than this. That is all.

Fortunately, my wife and I were initiated, so it brought me chills. That video, and the substantial time afforded by Ken Burns in the most recent Baseball movie gave me a nice dose of mid-2000's Red Sox glory. Those series with the Yankees were simply epic and the story of 2004 is better than the best works of fiction. Simply too good to be true.

It was enough time to tell the story to those who remember experiencing it so vividly. To the uninitiated I think it missed some of the heros.

Liverpool might be my favorite football team now, after this random 14 page explosion of premier league madness. For those who are interested, I think John Henry would be a good owner for any of my favorite teams, and I'm glad he owns my beloved Red Sox. If I were a Liverpool fan I would be at least optimistic about the team's prospects moving forward. He's got a shitload of money and seems capable of listening to the opinions of real experts in the sport. He's also got a lot of pride, which is good because he is an owner who hates to lose. He won't be satisfied with mediocrity.

He's a serious owner. He's very interested in winning and maxamizing his investment, realizing that the two go hand in hand. He's occasionally sloppy with his communication tactics, but he also spends a lot of money and brings in good talent. Overall I have been impressed with this ownership group. They took on the challenge of winning a championship for a team that had not won for 86 seasons prior and won two championships in a 4 year period.

It's an interesting comparison. Personally, I'm leaning toward Werth because of his natural fit in the middle of the lineup. Also, he's been a more valuable overall player the last few years, his defense isn't shoddy, his arm is good enough to be a weapon from LF in Fenway and he might actually be cheaper.

I agree that it has to be for the right price.

I bet they would have about as much interest in a year of healthy Beltran as they did a year of healthy Beltre last off-season. If healthy he's a great bounce-back candidate and less of commitment/investment than Carl Crawford would be. At his best, Beltran is an elite switch-hitting talent capable of a .900+ OPS. He could easily slide into LF and fit in this lineup.