example1

If Scutaro is healthy he should stay at SS. He's this team's established veteran SS for this year and next and when Pedroia is back Scutaro will undoubtedly start over Lowrie. No need to complicate things by making Scutaro move at this stage. Lowrie can earn the spot if he wants. Also, I think it's funny how forgotten Lowrie has been as far as injuries/illness go. He's a switch hitting rookie SS who has shown good tools for a number of years. If he reproduced his MiLB numbers for the Sox they would have a .800 OPS SS on their hands. He was supposed to be a legitimate starter option yet he was out with mono so early, and he's injured so often, that he's not even included on most injured lists in 2010.

I think Bowden should translate into a nice long option out of the bullpen over the next few years. Over the course of a season in that role he could stay near the top of his game and really hone his repetoir. He's probably not going to make it as a starter on the Sox, but there's no shame in entering the 'bigs as a reliever.

Patterson is a weird case. He's a career .369 OBP guy in 1532 PAs at AAA. He's got a career .856 OPS too, which isn't bad. Also, that's not an insubstantial sample size. Compare that to Darnell McDonald's career .760 OPS in his AAA career (3718 PA). I think he's a decent pickup for this team considering they are at PLAN E or PLAN F for their roster. It is frustrating to have to be talking about any of these guys though, so we agree there. They can win the WC without having to catch the Yankees. These three teams are really very competitive, actually. Two of them will make the playoffs, one of them won't. That might be the Sox this year, and it would be largely due to injuries.

That could definitely be an answer. I think every year it is this time of year when some official organization tells the franchises how much money they actually spent. Maybe over the courst of a full season with all the minor moves, trades for PTBNL and cash, etc., make the accounting very difficult or requiring of official oversight. Thanks.

I'll take Jose Iglesias. Glad he's open for adoption.

No. Their fans often resort to that when the discussion of going over the established luxury tax is brought up, as some sort of justification. I don't think justification is needed, as long as Yankee fans are just willing to acknowledge that the financial advantage they have--even over other very larger market teams--is significant enough to have a meaningful impact on the field.

It is my understanding that this isn't the first time they have paid the luxury tax, so you're not really making any point you couldn't have made yesterday or last year. Weak sauce. It is also important to note how the luxury tax is being handled by the FO. They are trying to avoid going over it. They aren't disregarding it with some pathetic explanation that by doing so they are bolstering the rest of the league. They try to avoid going over it and it acts as a prescriptive limit for how much they should spend. Just like the other teams who have gone over it historically, except for the Yankees, who don't care about it. That's the difference.

Theo might be smart enough not to sell the farm to try and compete when this team is already plagued by the injury bug and there are two superior teams in the division already. You would have them sell everyone to get a guy who is going to be a FA after this season (Dunn) or would you have them drastically overpay to get a position that will be filled when players return from injury? You are clearly just venting, but it isn't Theo's fault that Beckett, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Martinez, Varitek and Buchholz all got hurt. Sorry, it just isn't.

The best answer to the roster issue would be a trade, wouldn't it? I don't trust that Nava, Hermida or McDonald clearing waivers. I think any of the three could be moved for a decent reliever or as part of a deal for one.

There is video on SP of Ryan hitting off a teee and he looks great. I usually hate citing other sites that I (we) visit, but in this case I would say they definitely have the inside story, with his dad posting there and all. He doesn't look like his balance etc., are completely there yet, but I can say for damn sure that his coordination and swing speed are still greater than anything I could do and I'm willing to bet that if anyone could overcome this it would be him. He's on the cusp of a dream and was blessed with those 1 in a million tools, so he's got as good a shot as anyone could hope for.

Why are you suddenly counting loss column with like 70 games left in the season? I didn't hear you counting losses when the Sox were 1 game back with their reserves in the game. Your credibility around here is like the seasons, always coming and going. You become very reasonable and intellectual when the teams are close in the standings and you are a few steps from having the lesser team. Once there's some separation you drop into stereotypical Yankee fan mode. Your intellect and experience are strong, it's unfortunate that you are so goddamn predictable.

It is hard to know which is the more valuable player between the two. I would probably keep Nava but it is a loss either way.

Really interesting exchange between Ryan's father and posters at Soxprospects.com. Sounds like Ryan is doing very well in a human sense, which is what matters most.

I can't imagine them doing anything proactive to get him. I would be surprised if they picked up his (expensive) option, and I would be surprised if that didn't make him test FA. The Sox would probably make a very efficient offer and he might go elsewhere. I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to touch him with a 10 foot pole, unless he wants to stay with them on his own dollar. I don't trust any of this stuff. If he had never had the slump the first half of 2009 and first month of 2010 then I would probably be all for it, but now I've seen what bad can look like for him and it isn't pretty. It isn't worth the risk and this FO is fresh from Mike Lowell's contract. Ortiz will want security, they will want minimal risk. It doesn't feel like a good match.

1) Milwaukee is pretty bad and in a division with some pretty solid clubs. If they know they're going to lose Fielder then they should be listening to offers. 2) Fielder isnt their only franchise player, they could part with him for enough of a return. I think it would have to be a heck of a return, but I bet it is possible.

PRINCE FIELDER: .927 career OPS (tied for 13th among active players, ahead of Ortiz, Teixeira, Hanley and David Wright. He's 21st among active players in career OBP (ahead of Dunn, Utley, Posada and Ichiro) and 11th in active SLG ahead of Matt Holliday, Ken Griffey Jr, Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones. That's pretty impressive at age 26. He's another David Ortiz in many ways, just better at an earlier age. I would take a chance on moving Beltre and shifting Youk to 3B for the remainder of the season if it meant getting Fielder for an extra post-season run--unlikely to happen but I'd be fine with them moving Kelly to make it happen, as I like what I have seen from Doubront and think they can scrape together a #5-6-7 starter without too much difficulty as needed in 2011, 2012, 2013. The DH spot will probably be available next year. At the worst the Sox would lose Ortiz in 2011 and would have moved Beltre so they would need a 3B again in 2011. I think many of us prefer Youkilis at 1B and think he serves the team best at that position, certainily more than Prince Fielder or David Ortiz would. DH could be primarily Fielder's, but he could occasionally play 1B so guys like Drew and possibly Martinez can slot in there over the next couple seasons. It would take serious balls for Theo to move Beltre from this lineup, but that move would benefit the club immediately and longterm. Fielder is a good enough hitter to build a team around, especially at his age. The Yankees are unlikely to pursue him so there's a good chance he's on Boston's radar.

Sometimes it benefits the Red Sox, so I'll call it a wash. He definitely deserves to be there.

I figured we needed a more specific 2010 deadline thread, solely dedicated to the topic. The common wisdom is that the Sox aren't going to be huge movers at the trade deadline. They were aggressive in 2009 by getting Martinez and, when healthy, the 2010 team is arguably as good as the 2009 team. By Ex W-L they are almost exactly the same at this point as they were in the 2009 season. In 2009 they were in first place; in 2010 they are 3 games out of the wildcard. Seems like as good a time as any to make a move to improve this team because I think they have a legit shot to win it all. The Red Sox are second in OBP and first in SLG. All seems well on the offensive end. However, does anyone see them agreeing to longterm contracts with Ortiz or Beltre for 2011 and beyond for anything other than a really good $$ club deal? Does anyone see Ortiz or Beltre taking below Free Agent $? We've been down this trail before and it usually ends up with draft picks (if Type A). Honestly, I don't see them extending themselves at all on either (no 2011 option for Ortiz, then an offer like $14m over two years). In other words, the team needs to be at least looking for a longterm corner IF/DH option now because we're in the "bridge period" and lack the equivalent talent to what they were hoping to get with Teixeira. They acknowledged they needed it then and they still need it now. We haven't talked much about Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, Hanley Ramirez, etc., for the past few months. What would an aggressive move on a longterm "cornerstone" player mean for this team? Adrian Gonzalez is probably safe in San Diego, but Fielder could probably be had, and so could Dunn. Hanley is the name that is always out there too, but he seems less likely for obvious reasons. Are there others? Would those guys--some of the best in the game--even be upgrades? Beltre and Ortiz have combined for 5.4 WAR this season, but can they sustain their pace? I'm skeptical of both and would look to upgrade for the longterm if possible even if it kind of derailed the 2010 team a bit.

The M's have a team .308 OBP and a .346 SLG on the season. Their .654 OPS is tied for 2nd worst in the majors with the Pirates, just ahead of the Astros. No offense to Vazquez but the Mariners are a really bad offensive club.