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Does him waiving his no-trade also waive his no arbitration clause? Also, did you notice that part of his contract was that the Mets would lease an ocular enhancer machine that throws multi-colored tennis balls at 150mph? He also required a 15 person suite for home games. This guy should meet Dice-K. Nah. He shouldn't. Dice-K can just stay away from the club.

Ahh. That type of arbitration eligible. Got it. I was thinking about pre-FA arbitration, which he's obviously too old/wealthy for. All the more reason for them to trade him then. Less reason for the Sox to give up much though. I would prefer Garza over Beltran, and would prefer that the Yankees get Beltran over Garza. Either would be a nice deadline though.

I don't think you have to be arbitration eligible to get draft picks. You have to be a Type A free agent. Unless the rules have changed.

Puke for joy, or puke because you dislike him?

I like that Theo is thinking outside the box and supposedly making Matt Garza a top priority. Garza would be a smart addition. 2012 rotation: Lester Beckett Buchholz Garza Lackey Yes please. Not sure what it would take to land him, but the Cubs don't have a great track record managing their teams well. The Sox could probably move a package less than what they gave up for Victor Martinez for him. Their team is pretty set moving forward so there is probably room to move guys who could be MLB starters on other teams but who may never have a major role for the Sox. As for Beltran, I don't see it happening. Theo's love for JD Drew and Drew's high salary seem like factors that will go against it. Also, I don't think they would give up the prospects the Mets would want (keeping in mind that Beltran should be a type A and will probably be worth 2 first round picks). WIth all that pessimism, I should say that I think Henry and co., are most likely to overpay in a season like this. The World Series is in sight and winning a WS would buy them a few more seasons of NOT spending everything at the deadline. If Beltran is available, go for it.

You know what I can picture now? Aging A-Rod, Pujols and Teixeira struggling with injuries for the next 10 years. Sweet.

Weiland is a legitimate arm from the minors who could be helping the Sox out for years to come. He may be destined for the bullpen but I would think his potential is at least as good as Masterson's was when he arrived on stage, maybe even better as a starter. In any case, I suspect he would have been called up either way eventually this season... he's just up a bit earlier than we would hope.

I think that's a slightly overblown need. They would be in better shape if their actual LF was hitting at all, or if their RHH were hitting at usual levels (Pedroia and Youkilis, which they are showing signs of now) and if they were healthy across the board. Beltran isn't a savior, he's a good player but he would cost a shitload. Ethier would be a nice addition anyway, but he wouldn't be a solution. If there were a RH RF it would be ideal, but there isn't so a simple upgrade at the position might be the best we can hope for.

Wouldn't it be great if a player wanting to play for a particular team meant a trade there was more likely to happen? I'm pretty sure that Ethier to Boston has been rumored before because he and Pedroia are close friends. That said, what type of package would it even take to make it happen? His defense would be vulnerable in RF, but he would be dangerous in the mid-lower part of the order with other offensively limited players like David Ortiz and Carl Crawford ( ).

This is an absurd premise.

I actually think it's a solid point if he's a type A and they can get the draft picks for him. Theo has shown time and time again that he's willing to let good players go for the picks and I think Ortiz's value as a DH is less than guys like Beltre or VMart who played on both sides of the ball. I still think they will resign Ortiz, but if there's a decent plan B I can support draft picks and reinvestment elsewhere.

Doubtful. I suspect they may resign Ortiz to another couple seasons, making the "after Ortiz" question a 2014 problem.

The issue with Miller is way more about his head than his stuff. He has the tools to be a frontline starter. That's why he was a top draft pick and a Friday night starter for a national championship caliber team. What makes me optimistic is that with all of the moving parts there may be a fix or two that could let him get back to effectiveness. His FB is certainly hard enough, and from what I've read/heard, his CB command has never been the issue. That combination bodes well for his future. There is a 5th spot available, he makes the rotation younger and is probably able to be had for not too much money. Seems like he'll get his shot to prove himself.

It is often useful to consolidate a place for trade deadline discussion, speculation, etc., Here it is. Any big moves on the horizon this year? Probably not. The club they have now is probably the team they have moving forward. In fact, with Andrew Miller looking like a good 5th starter we might just see some bullpen moves and maybe backup OF for next offseason, let alone this trade deadline. Of course, they'll need to figure out what to do with Ortiz but aside from that they should have a capable replacement in RF (Reddick or Kalish, leaning Kalish) and all other spots filled. Would there be anything bold or outside the box that they could do to really improve the club, in a year where few expect them to be really bold on the market?

My standard is who got into the Hall of Fame. By that standard I think it is plenty fair to say that it is a decent comparable. If someone says "Pedroia isn't good enough to get into the hall" I point at Rizzuto and the argument should be over. Have you taken an opinion poll of players in other clubhouses? What gives you this cherished inside knowledge? Or, to put it another way, name a single team that wouldn't want Dustin Pedroia... Some teams might decline because they have Utley or Cano, but they wouldn't decline because he's a bad clubhouse guy or because he doesn't make his teammates better or because he's not a great player.

I could re-write what I wrote earlier, but it still seems relevant so I'll just repost it. The guy is an iconic player on arguibly the best team of the decade. If he plays another 10 years I think he will have the universal respect that will get him in. In his case, the subjectivity of the voting should play in his favor. Phil Rizzuto got in with .273/.351/.355/.706 career, 1588 H, 38 HR, 239 2B. Pedroia is at .300/.370/.451/.822, 59 HR, 180 2B and should have a great shot. Pedroia's defense is exceptional and very consistent. Given their roles on their respective teams I think Rizzuto is a decent comp. Rizzuto had a total of 3 seasons with an OPS+ above 100 (i.e., better than league average regardless of position). He averaged 201 TB per 162 games. Pedroia has 5 seasons above OPS+ 100, and averages 288 TB per 162 games. I realize there is a difference between SS and 2B it isn't so significant that Pedroia's numbers don't stack up, especially if the Sox manage to win a few more WS in his career.

It is really hard to know what Ellsbury is going to do. If he keeps up this level of production then some team will pay him lots of money. If he keeps battling injuries (fingers-crossed he doesn't) then he might not get much more than $10m/yr. I suspect the former, but you never know. I don't think he has any particular loyalty to Boston.

Do you know much about Jackie Bradley Jr.? I didn't, but then watched a number of videos and did some reading. I definitely question his upside from a tools perspective, but he was the starting cf for a CWS champion team and won the MVP for the CWS in 2010. There are a number of pretty good videos of him on youtube where he sounds pretty mature and seems to have nice pop in his bat. Looks like a natural leader and he played in a good conference. I have no clue what his future is with the Sox, but I'm more optimistic than I was before watching some of those clips. He's definitely played in the spotlight in a major conference for a few years.

Because he wants too much money for what he's worth. Lots of other teams passed on him as well. re: your previous posts counting down to Josh Bell: it is dangerous to get your hopes set on any particular player in a MLB draft. I'm sure you know that.

Yep. I can't argue with this at all. A game ending double play and a 4 run lead in the ninth are not things that Francona squandered away. Now, if Sutton had been playing 2nd and Wakefield had been closing then maybe, but that wasn't the case.

They are overestimations of what could reasonably be expected of him in any subsequent season or on the FA market. The values are determined by the cost of each win above replacement that year, no? So in theory he was "worth" that amount those seasons. It doesn't mean that buying him again at that cost is a smart move. I think with Drew the FO hit the high end of what he would be worth in any of his given years, taking his sitting-out into account. They undoubtedly hoped he would have bruised the green monster a bit more, and they were probably thankful that the rest of the world came around to valuating defense like they did (or else nobody would agree he was worth the cost), but he's roughly worth what they pay him. Of course, in a world where FOs strive to load their rosters with players who are worth MORE than they are paid, they aren't doing cartwheels over his production. Nor has Theo loved having to defend Drew since the day he was signed. Those are intangable things that must just irritate a GM.