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With a HR again today (9), I can't help but wonder what the Sox can do to maximize his value right now. Can they even trade Youkilis? Can Middlebrooks play the OF? Are there elite SPs available for a hot prospect at a key position?

Where's Jacko? They just traded Montero for a guy who is going to miss the 2012 season? Probably the most valuable Yankees home-grown prospect since, who Jacko, Robbie Cano? Traded for that. Bummer.

No, it can't continue to be this bad. People need to not over-react to any particular outing or game. Losing a game like yesterday is painful, but its just one game. One thing that is lost in yesterdays game is the role that errors played in the Yankees comeback. There is no room for errors. It isn't okay to just make the routine plays at the major league level. Shortstops especially need to proactively make good plays, not just be hoped to make the routine ones. In a rally like yesterday, any team has a limited number of at bats to chip back. You can't give them extra outs. That just kills you.

Valentine's quote about Youkilis had to do with Youk's drive and passion, right? Unless you know him personally it is probably hard to verify whether that was "painfully honest" or jus "wrong". Get over last year. The reason Pedroia can talk about the way it is done in Boston is because the Red Sox were one of the most successful teams over the past decade. It isn't productive to talk s*** about players on the team, especially not after winning 3 games against a division rival when the team needs it most. Like it or not, the team has lost 5 straight games since that quote. Is it V's fault? No, but it didn't help. If you're going to push on the Sox players to do the right thing, make sure you're holding the manager to the same standard. A 12 year old could tell you that setting off a firestorm around Youkilis was stupid and completely non-productive.

I wouldn't call the bullpen not being able to hold down wins the same thing as the team giving up on V. Different things. The club has actually had a few decent rallies and showed more than last year, they just have a rotating cadre of bullpen arms willing to blow the game on any given night.

Cliff Lee didn't choose NY and the piles of money the Yankees offered him. Do you really think that between TX, NYY and PHI Lee was just waiting for the Sox so he could choose them? C'mon man.

I'm actually not at all dejected by all the s*** these Yankee fans are talking. Not one bit. The Red Sox have their own problems to tend to. They are a mess. This is more like a sprinter who has a pulled hammy or a golfer whose shot is off. When they are at the top of their game they worry about their competition. When they are off their game entirely its much more about focusing on each game and the road to recovery. These problems are not due at all to the nature of the competition, they are entirely on the Sox. In a way, that feels better than having a good team that simply isn't good enough to beat another good team.

I felt like there was something too simple about spelling it Swaim. I have a relative with that last name (with the 'w'), maybe that's why it came off poorly. I feel bad for Valentine because I think this is a task that might prove to be literally impossible for him to do. Imagine a country who is trying to get over a particular event by bringing in a leader who does everything in his/her power to avoid or repair the damage from that event. By acting as the exact counter-argument to the event, the event keeps its influence when the real goal should be to forget the event and genuinely move on. Perhaps it will turn out that Valentine will end up being the perfect example of why a manager like Francona actually was the best fit for Boston and allow Cherington to go get someone in that mold. The idea of putting someone in there who takes news away from the players by creating it himself seems like trying to outthink the room. They should put someone in there who is so boring that neither the players or the manager are the story. That's really the goal.

I simply can't imagine where they would get those arms.

A loss is a loss. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Etc., The season doesn't swing based on a blown 9-0 lead over the course of a few hours. That said, its just a really depressing loss. I will be interested to see how Valentine addresses this loss after the game.

Officially a low moment in Sox nation. Hopefully they are planning a plaque for the end of the sellout streak.

Officially a low moment in Sox nation. Hopefully they are planning a plaque for the end of the sellout streak.

with a negative OPS+ this would almost by definition be a good thing. I can't imagine they are giving up anything significant for him (if this deal actually happens). The best we can hope for is a resurgence in a new setting for Byrd. Not holding my breath or anything...

I think they can benefit from his .070 BA and .148 OBP. Hopefully this is a deal that involves the Cubs giving the Sox some money or something. Ugh.

https://twitter.com/#!/nickcafardo/status/193729601099403264 If there's a single player I can imagine who would fix this team, it is Marlon Byrd. Well, no, that's not true. But its an interesting development.

This is exactly my point from the other thread. If the Sox had hired a guy solely based on his ability to manage a baseball team, rather than an interpersonal situation, this problem could have gone away on its own. As long as Valentine is seen as a hire specifically "because the players treated their clubhouse like a country club", he will carry the 2011 season around with him around his neck. Another manager would have had a fresher start, little-to-no resentment from the players, and possibly better performance. I think the fact that the narrative is that the Red Sox got Valentine because of 2011--as if he is punishment for 2011--means they won't be able to move on from 2011 very easily.

That's the other way to go with it Station 13. The question is what would they expect to get back for him? User Name's suggestion about Gavin Floyd seems like too little to get back for such a good prospect. He costs too much and Middlebrooks value will be huge over the next few years even with average production. I would think that only pitching makes sense at this point and it would need to be someone at least on-par with Buchholz or Beckett to make it worth it. As a700 said, any deal that could bring Felix should be lept upon, but otherwise I don't see great options out there.

I'm going to choose D: Valentine was the wrong choice to begin with and expectations that he could turn this around were misguided. I'm not saying his tenure in Boston will not be successful, I still have hope. However, I was thinking today about why it seems there is still a residual hangover from last year. How does a negative culture like that carry over despite regieme change and embarassment for all involved? I'm starting to think that hiring Valentine as the antithesis to Francona actually perpetuates the problems from last year, rather than extinguishing it. Rather than merely moving on, Valentine is supposed to come in and fix something. I can't help but feel that if they had brought in, say, Lamont or Swaim or someone much less interesting that the discussion about last year would have just gone away. Poor play would be identified as poor play, rather than a residual culture that even the masterful Bobby Valentine is unable to fix... or which he makes worse. They probably wouldnt have to be answering tons of questions about things that the manager says about players and just providing more bleeding chum for the media sharks. Another manager would have the right to say "Look, 2011 wasn't about me. It wasn't something I was involved with and something I'm not interested in re-hashing". For some reason, Valentine can't say that. He is supposedly the guy to fix this situation, so he cant pretend the situation doesn't exist... which is probably what's needed here. Just my opinion. I'm starting to worry that the Sox over-compensated here. Not Bobby V's fault. Hopefully the situation disappears and the team starts winning so he can define the team for himself. Not off to a good start though.

I agree about the need for pitching but I have a hard time seeing who that pitcher might be. Most seasons I can at least anticipate a few of the hotter pitching options who might be available at the deadline. Probably no chance the Phillies try to move Hamels if they don't have to (though their offensive woes could probably benefit from Youks). Any other pitchers who wouold be reasonable to look for? Any obvious closers/relievers who would be worth a significant offensive piece like Youkilis?

I assume you are kidding about this, but it wouldn't be inconcievable for the Sox to look at moving Middlebrooks for the right piece. It would make more sense to just set him up as their 3B moving forward because he cost virtually nothing and 3B is a pretty tough position to fill these days. Maybe a package around Youkilis (and his option) for Andre Ethier would make sense, though that's totally out of left field and random.

Didn't see a thread (recent) that had to do specifically with Middlebrooks. It's early in the season, but Middlebrooks has 5 HR and 16 RBI at AAA. Last year he raked at AA but struggled at AAA. Now he's showing AAA is not too much for him. This is similar to Ryan Lavarnway, except that there are no questions about Middlebrooks' ability to play 3B. The question is what are the Sox going to do with this kid? It is probably a given that he will be filling Youk's expensive shoes next year in an effort to get the payroll below LT. But in 2012 can the Sox take advantage of their seeming abundance of 3B talent and a market that needs 3B? I think there's a few teams on the West Coast that could use a 3B, so Youkilis would be an obvious option.