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I don't think you should give him an out, Doj. He got it wrong. He doesn't know what he's talking about, but he hoped nobody would actually read his post thoroughly. He has stated the Reddick = Ellsbury point in multiple places today and was just wrong about it.

I'm not going to labor this question, because it isn't worth it. I don't know how after so many years of watching this team and actively discussing them we could think about doing anything like bringing in Andruw Jones. He is absolutely not the type of player the Red Sox would go after. He's not versatile enough to be on the bench. He's hit .158 and .214 the past two seasons--even if he had a good IsoD (it's decent) that's too many outs for a good club. This team should be trying to get better, not older, slower and shittier. .... I'm sure others will jump in with anti BSN07 comments, which would be unwarranted. I appreciate BSN07's enthusiasm about this team and his consistent posting. A good guy to have around. .... okay, that's out of the way now. I think this team is one move away from being a really strong contender. It is fair to say that lost in the midst of all this s*** about the Yankees being so good is the fact that the Sox quite probably have the better pitching staff of the two teams. Their SPs are more balanced, younger, cheaper and at least as productive overall. While we all watch the Yankees win in the playoffs it is hard to do anything other than complain and bitch and moan (i've done plenty of it). However, if Theo were actually able to pull off one of the "big moves" that we have discussed ad nauseum, this team would be right there with the Yankees again. Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Prince Fielder... probably a few others too. That's not far off. Most of us are doubtful that they will spend what it takes to get big FAs, but I have reason to believe that they can pull off a big trade and that Theo will probably just fly under the radar for awhile until that happens. The more I think about it, the more I realize that despite the dire prognostications about the next season or two being "rebuilding" or "quite" or whatever, there is no way that they can waste years of Drew, Matsuzaka, Papelbon, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lester and Ellsbury being in their primes. They didn't sign these guys to play on a mediocre team. They signed them to be the core of a good franchise. I see every reason to think that the FO sees the club as closer than they might let on to other clubs and I think they will hold their cards very close to their chest throughout the offseason. Transparancy is overrated.

The Sox have an Ellsbury clone. His name is Raymond Fuentes. Reddick has hit double-digit HRs in the minors in each of the last 3 seasons. Jacoby Ellsbury has never done that in the minors. Jacoby Ellsbury steals more bases than just about anyone else. Josh Reddick stole 5 bases total this year. It's cool though, Austin Jackson is just a Melky Cabrera clone, without the experience.

What makes you think he's an Ellsbury clone?

Per usual, they're screwed if they do and screwed if they don't. Do: end up overpaying by probably at LEAST 1 year, possibly more, limit future flexibility and competitiveness. See: Lowell, Mike; Ortiz, David. Don't: have huge hole in lineup, don't have adequate offensive production now. Only one team can stomach having players on their roster for too many years who shouldn't be there...

I'm willing to bet there aren't a lot of Royals or Pirates fans who have the same "focus only on the field" mentality. I don't think it is a coincidence that such a brasen lack of caring comes from someone whose team is never out of contention or more than 6 months from a multiple hundred-million FA signing. On one hand you make it very clear that you just don't give a s***, none of this stuff matters. On the other hand you say all you care about is the game. You put up your Yankee fanhood like a shield. Like most Yankee fans it deludes you into believing there is something rightous about what you're doing. Kind of like a bullfighter.

I agree about the emotions stuff. It is convenient to believe it wasn't widespread in the mid-90s. I believe it was. We can agree to disagree. This doesn't make what Steinbrenner does look like child's play. It makes it look like the history of the Yankees is filled with absurd disadvantages that should make people put even less weight in their many dynasties. Kudos to you for pointing it out. That Wikipedia entry had virtually nothing to do with payroll disparity, which is what we were talking about. Telling me that your OLD girlfriend was a meth user, so your current alcoholic one doesn't look so bad is an interesting tactic. I'm not impressed.

I'm not arguing that it is about countering one move against another. I'm just saying that I can understand owners and GMs responding to on-field gains by teams who are logically potentially standing in their way. Whether or not Teixeira was every desired by the Red Sox, his addition to the Yankees was like 7 wins added or something. If the Rays added 30 wins worth of players I would definitely want the Sox to be aware of that and respond, perhaps by bidding for players the Rays want.

Each of these points was addressed in my post. Your reaction is predictable too. 2007 and 2004 were tainted, those teams spent just as much as the Yankees. $127m and $184m are the same amounts. Manny and Ortiz definitely used in 2004. A-Rod only did in Texas. It's a joke Gom. You can definitely do better. I would love a link. I looked for about 20 minutes and didn't find any comprehensive listings of the salaries in the 50's and 60's. How about you "look up baseball history" and inform the rest of us about what we're missing. Don't let my sour grapes ruin the high-fives you give yourself every morning.

I'm actually fine with doing this. It seems logical for one owner or GM to respond to moves of another team. I just think the fans of those teams can't then turn around and say "other teams just aren't investing their money" or "You could spend that much money too", when defending their team's enormous financial advantage. Teams try to spend the money on the best players, but when push comes to shove, the Yankees don't lose out on someone they really want.

Predictable.

Yeah, cause everyone outside of NY is so impressed with their ability to throw truckloads of money to players to get them to play there. Such artistry. Such grace. Such ********. $16.5m for AJ Burnett? Really? The historically great Yankees teams would be embarassed about the currently great teams. The 2000's Yankees will forever have an asterisk by their name in many fans' minds, not because they have PED users swatting HRs (most teams do) but because they spend $67 million more than the second highest team. They should win. Honestly, a well run team with that advantage should probably win every single year, and I wouldn't be shocked if they did for the next 5 years at least. I would undoubtedly say the same thing if a team had such an advantage in the NBA or the NHL. It happens to be the case for the team I detest, but I would criticize any team doing that. To those who are rational or who are outside the Yankee's sphere of influence, it is an absurd situation that is not mitigated by the fact that teams like the Mets, Cubs, Tigers, Phillies, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Astros all spend more than $100m each. Don't bring arguments about revenue sharing. Don't bring arguments about other owners just not having the gumption to spend another $100 million per-year in markets where it wouldn't offer any return. Having teams be "competitive" is in everyone's interest, Yankees included; any financial efforts they make to preserve the facade of competitive balance is preserving the very system they ultimately benefit from. Without a popular league their wins don't mean anything, meanwhile the league is losing interest in cities that never win and have no hope to. I'm sure I'll be called a hypocrite by Gom, and other fans will say "stop whining". I don't care. It is an irrefutable fact that the Yankees make and spend way more money than anyone else. Whether they are crushing teams during the regular season or eeking out dramatic wins in the playoffs, they always have the advantage and are the heavy favorites. If I were a Yankee fan, I think I would feel guilty about the lopsided way that my team has achieved and would have to be prepared to defend against that argument every time I opened my big fat mouth about how great my team is, and how other people should bow to our dominance.

Transition does not mean bad. Even the years where they are transitioning can be really positive, especially if a FA like Halladay is brought in for a run. I would love to see them resign Victor Martinez. Even if they resigned him I could see them making a run at Mauer. In the last 5 years of Mauer's deal any team that signs him should be prepared for him to be a DH or 1B. Between he and VMart they would have quite a combination of catchers/1B/DH, which would be a strange position of strength to have, but a bad one. Absolutely. I agree. Halladay for a few more years would be great. Expensive, but great. While I agree that the Sox aren't the only ones who will be interested, I can't imagine the Cubs being able to top a package the Sox could produce. The Sox are likely one of the teams most interested in trading their young talent for a top WAR guy.

Let's see how badly he wants to go there. Think he'll take less than market value to go there? If Holliday were offered $6m by the Yankees and $18m by the Red Sox I doubt he'd sign with the Yankees. He only "wants to be a Yankee" because he wants to get paid.

Either way, someone is going to be blocking their way. The Red Sox aren't just going to disappear. Perhaps the Jays don't bite on an in-division trade for Halladay and the Sox overpay and get Felix Hernandez. Think the Jay's will have a better chance when they lose Halladay to FA anyway, while the Sox have acquired Felix? All that aside, the Jays don't have to "beat" the Sox/Yankees to get into the playoffs. They need to win their games against all teams and put up a playoff worthy record.

Why does everyone assume that every FO operates with the intention of getting to the playoffs? Toronto's internal goal may be to win 81 games and prepare the team for the longterm. I think Ricciardi got fired for not having dealt with the Halladay situation when he had the chance. If the Sox offered Buchholz as part of a package ONCE and Toronto didn't take it Ricciardi should have been fired. If chances are that the Sox get one season of Halladay by giving up a lot of their prospects, Toronto would probably gain over the longterm. If, on the other hand, the Sox could resign Hallady to a 4 year deal, it would be a tremendous move for them. Rays do. Jays? Do you really think they're playoff bound? I just don't see it. The Rays, Sox and Yankees are all considerably more stacked.

Like, why they didn't pick it up and then trade him...

I'm pretty sure Crawford has an option for 2010 and I haven't heard it won't be picked up.

Right now would be the best time to go to the Yankees too. They will certainly be willing to pay roughly what everyone else pays (probably more), and there is virtually ZERO pressure for any 2010 signee. IF the team fails the heat will come to A-Rod, Teix, CC, Jeter, etc., before it finds someone so "lowly" as Matt Holliday. More money, less pressure = win, win. EDIT: If Holliday is set on going to the Yankees and Bay is questionable then the Sox MUST get that impact bat (and probably all impact players they will need in the future) through trade. Adrian Gonzalez or Hanley or Prince Fielder. No need to wait. Make it happen by Thanksgiving.

Awesome... I think we've seen this before, haven't we? Honestly, who wouldn't want to go to the Yankees? They pay like 50% more than anyone else. I would prefer to play there too, honestly.

Was this in doubt? I mean, even when they lost in previous years they WERE in the playoffs. The 03 team and the 04 team were good enough to win it all... it is remarkable that they didn't, actually.