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The hope is that between Iglesias, Kelly and Renfroe the Sox can develop a longterm SS who they can "set and forget".

The SS represents the worst case scenario for this team. I actually don't see the attempted solutions as the problem, rather the longterm approach is the problem. Is anyone here actually concerned about Gonzalez's ability to turn routine double plays, groundballs, etc., into outs? I'm not. I realize his range is poor and his bat sucks, but at least we know he'll make the routine plays. The bigger problem that this highlights is the longterm lack of a solid SS plan. Lowrie was the closest thing to the organizational philosophy paying off at that position, but unlike Pedroia in 2007 the injuries have killed his ability to get comfortable. Personally, I thought Renteria was a good signing, until he sucked. Lugo was a more suspicious signing to me, and proved to be just that. There aren't easy answers for this season. Alex Gonzalez isn't it. He's not even a step in the right direction. His acquisition should be pretty clear indication of the type of talent available at this point in the season. Few people around here were excited about Julio Lugo or Jack Wilson or Christian Guzman. Or Orlando Cabrera or most of the other names discussed here. There were no good answers, as far as I can see.

You would rather have whom as your #6 starter option? A prospect?

Bedard would only be reasonalbe on exactly the type of contract Smoltz got. Unless that's a 4th option after options 1 and 2 have paid off, I don't like it. If they signed Lackey and traded for Felix, then Bedard to a reasonable deal sounds like good insurance.

At some point, for sure. When they get Alex Gonzalez for virtually nothing to fill a hole? No, not then. Making the playoffs is not headed down the flusher. The great thing about this FO is that they aren't going to mortgage the future to make a run this year. They plan on always being competitive, not just to win this year and then sell the team short in the future. That seems obvious.

I think the Red Sox should find a way to get Adam Dunn for 2010. He will have a year plus an option at a reasonable price. They could let him go in two years for draft picks. He could easily displace Papi as the team's DH and would really add a lot of pop for a team that gets on base a lot. He, rather than Mark Teixeira, may be the player the Sox truly missed out on last offseason. This year's .282/.407/.569/.976 is comparable to Teixeira's numbers given the different leagues, pitching, etc., (Teixeira: 288/.384/.543/.921). He is an ideal DH and is only 30 so he should have some good DH'ing years in front of him. He's a bad OF, but he could man LF in Fenway in a pinch as well as Ortiz can man 1B when needed. It just seems like an easy fit. Any questions of Dunn's ability to hit a baseball should be out the window at this point in his career. In terms of pitching, John Lackey is a very good pitcher. I bet that he's a better value than AJ Burnett, and he's certainly a better option than D-Lowe was last year.

I've seen Kotchman already flash the glove enough to warrant making that move to have a plus defensive 1B able to come off the bench. He made two plays last night I think (a catch heading toward the RF stands and a errant throw-catch/tag) that were really good plays.

I have no problem with people who tend to lean more toward the rules rather than away from them. Flaming insults should not be tolerated. This is a board where we discuss baseball, and although it sometimes resembles a bar more than a boardroom, having dynamic minds like JHB around really improved this place. I know people didn't want to "placate" a single poster, but I don't think that keeping people from insulting others unnecessarily is really placating. If it is in the rules, it is in the rules. I, for one, appreciate the thought he put into his posts and he literally helped change the way I think about and discuss baseball. That can't be said about many posters here.

Unfortunately you were, which is why he left. I would take him over you any day of the week.

The only real knock against him was the 1st inning, and that's mostly because 3 runs in the 1st lately has basically meant the Sox were going to lose. Tonight the offense didn't let him down. It would be really nice if Buchholz and Penny could expect the same type of offensive support from here on out. It would suddenly make their staff look a lot better.

It's like a cobra attack on this board tonight... post after devistating post... seriously though, Tazawa was fine. He was roughly as good as Dice-K has been for most of his starts the past two years: a rough inning, some battles, some good pitches at opportune times, leaving with a lead.

If they lost he would bitch even if they got Lee or Halladay. He just likes to win now.

Some love for Tazawa, I would hope. That was a nice start, aided by some actual offense that helped him bounce back with some confidence after the 3-run first. Overall his line was pretty good and he looked like he was in control. I got the sense he was confident when he got to 3 balls that he could continue to throw strikes. He probably isn't the savior, but he could be a nice #5 type starter.

Thank god. A win. A simple freaking win.

There is definitely something to be said for the Sox having been able to lose 6 games out of 6 and still be tied for the Wild Card lead. Part of me continues to hope that this is simply a second offensive slump that might disappear soon. I believe this is a good team and that they have the players to make a deep run into the playoffs. All that said, if they can't do better against TB and NY then it won't matter, they'll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. I really had a feeling that they were going to blow this one after getting the 2-1 lead. It doesn't bother me too much... just a bad dream.

Welcome to Red Sox Nation. This type of thinking: (what did I do that caused the recent (slump), (collapse), (meltdown), etc.?) is a part of being a Sox fan. I don't undestand the concept of just switching teams, but if I were going from one team to another I would go to the Red Sox. :thumbsup:

Guzman isn't that great. However, his 1.0 WARP for 2009 and his 3.6 for 2008 are both better than any options the Sox have currently. It is comparable to Mike Lowell's production this year, taking both offense and defense into account. Green's WARP for 09 is 0.1. Guzman is a legitimate, established MLB SS. When he hits well, he hits pretty well. When he doesnt he's like most weak-hitting middle infielders. I don't like him as an answer at SS and barely like him as a backup... but having to pick between he and Nick Green I'll take Guzman, especially if I'm lucky enough to still have Green as a backup.

This isn't really debatable. Jason Bay needs to be in the middle of the lineup. Without that one of the Sox best pieces isn't playing. It is akin to not having Youkilis or Pedroia. **EDIT: Hey, 6,000th post. How about that?**

I'm just gonna contend this point. I think Bay being out DOES hurt them, whether he has hit since May or not. He is better than Youk in LF and he's bound to hit the ball when he is at the plate. It makes a big difference in my opinion that the guy we dealt Manny Ramirez for is a non factor. it puts this team steps behind before the race has started.

ORS, I'm pretty sure Jacko already made that point. quite being redundant. My opinion is that the Sox really control their own destiny. If they play well enough to warrant a wild card spot they will probably get one. Of course, it totally depends on how well they control their own destiny. They are in the driver's seat, so to speak, by which I mean that they can drive themselves into the playoffs with good play, and drive themselves into the offseason with poor play. Other teams are not so much in the driver's seat because the Red Sox have the lead currently and are riding their destiny like a rented mule. Thus, they control their own destiny. Now, seen from another perspective, other teams really have to wait and see what happens for the Sox. If the Sox can win, then they are in, that's how I see it. Basically, they are driving their own destiny from the front left-hand seat in this American made season-car. We don't know how good the gas milage is, but we know that the Red Sox are driving and that they have a map to the playoffs, if they only choose to use it. That map, produced by Rand McDestiny, shows them exactly how to get where they want to go. They just need to win and they can get into the playoffs.

If he had managed to get A-Rod then it would have been a really, really good outing for a kid who has never faced mlb hitters before being called on in a big situation. I hear what you're saying about results, but results go both ways. He got out of one inning and then almost got through Jeter, Damon, Teixeira and A-Rod in extra innings. He didn't, which is why this discussion can be had, but that dam was bound to burst anyway. I was impressed regardless of his results on the scoreboard and look forward to him starting games sometime in the future.

It would be nice if they got him...

I'm not sure why, but me too. I wasn't super annoyed with the game today. In fact, the world seems somehow more familiar when the Sox are competing with teams like Tex and TB for the wild card and chasing the Yankees.