ksushi

I never claimed Colon could bring in a guy like Reyes on his own. He could certainly add to good package. If you don't think there is any value in a guy like Colon to a team attempting make the playoffs then you, sir, are insane as well. And I bet a great deal of people around baseball thought that there was no way Theo would move Nomar for Cabrera and a back up first basemen, but he did and it was the move of the century. If I were Omar I would jump at that deal. Say what you want about Bedard, but hes a crafty pitcher and one of the smartests hurlers in the league. His injury history is a little off-putting, sure but if I were the Mets, a gamble on a top-flight starter is a gamble I'd be willing to take. Betancourt is an outstanding defender that could play short for my team any time. As I said before, if you think Omar is heavily invested in the Mets future, you're dead wrong. He is invested in keeping his job and that means making the playoffs this year. I think they are more likely to be in the playoffs if they add more defense (Reed and Betencourt) and shore up the rotation. And as for Reyes being a "top three" shortstop, I don't know if that is so clear cut. He is a poor defender at a demanding defensive position. His OBP is .350ish right now and with his best attribute being his speed, you'd figure him a fit for the lead off spot, but I don't think he gets on-base enough to have a big impact there. For my money I would prefer Hardy, Ramirez, Tulo, Jeter, Theriot. For the long haul, I would prefer Drew as well.

We could offer the Mets a semi-decent package that would help them now. I would consider Colon an attractive option on the trade market, and he certainly would be that to the Mets, but his status is more than uncertain right now. They have no time table for his return, so July 31st might come and go without Colon taking the mound. Moss/Lowrie/Masterson could do something for them, but I see other teams being able to stomp that. I'm not familiar with Reyes's contract, but if he has a few more years to go, Seattle seems like a good fit. Ownership isn't thrilled with the Bedard trade (and why would they be? it was a fleecing) and could look to spin him. He would have a lot of value to a borderline playoff team in the NL like the Mets. A Betancourt/Bedard/Reed package could bring them Reyes. I think they need somebody new to build their team around out in Seattle. Felix, Beltre, Johjima, Clement and maybe Ichiro are all guys who could be positive contributors a couple years from now. But with the Seattle farm system now in Baltimore, they need to make something happen via trade to bring in one or two more guys who will definitely help them out in the long run. If they could net Pelfrey in a Mets deal they'd be animals.

That's awesome news. Soon you should be hearing some more awesome news around here about this very guy. Hmmm

I disagree about Jose Reyes being highly unlikely to move. I think Omar is under a lot of pressure given that a lot of moves he has made haven't paid off. I think Reyes could be had for the right price. Theo proved that trading a scuffling star SS can jump start a team. You need defense more than anything up the middle of the diamond, and Reyes has been disappointing all year. I wouldn't be surprised if they hooked up with Seattle and traded Reyes for Betancourt + other big pieces. Could be very beneficial for both teams. If Reyes becomes available, we should definitely have our fingers in that cookie jar. We should make a very decent offer, but the problem is Omar is fighting for his job now. He needs to do something this year, and while we could offer an impressive bounty, even one that would really help the Mets down the road, Omar isn't looking down the road. His road ends with September if he doesn't make the playoffs this year.

Have we even seen Colon in the 7th yet? Maybe once? This isn't Old Colon, this is New Colon, not quite the same as the Old Colon. He isn't who he used to be, and I have to think with the way Buchholz is impressing right now Bartolo Colon could best add to this team by being added to another.

Hitters are realizing that they can't wait him out anymore. Now he doesn't have to pound the zone, cause hitters will swing, now he has to be close to the zone because as we saw against the yanks, they're swingin early. That is going to really open things up for him. Look for a huge second half from Lester.

I think Buchholz and Colon will get a shot if we need somebody before Zink will. I know Zink has done well, but I don't think he factors into our long-term plans like Buchholz, and I don't think he could have as much value on the trade market as Colon if we can get him on the field. Both of those things have to be taken into account.

I pretty much knew there would be a "but" in there, I didn't do any extensive looking around, cause I didn't really need to. Point is simple, it was professional athletes being professional *******s. It happens.

I absolutely knew you'd come through for me on this one. It was a sixth sense. Hoorah. I definitely think that the speed is over-valued by fans and baseball people alike and could be taken advantage of in a trade. I think thats real, and I would love to see Theo exploit that.

I would say on-base ability is more crucial in the lead-off spot than speed. Many things have to play out in a teams favor to take advantage of a speedy player. His speed definitely creates some hits, rushes defenders causing errant throws, factors on the pitchers mind. I can tell you from experience, that a fast runner at first base doesn't factor as much as you think on a pitcher, but it does do some things. If anything, it matters more to the catcher, which goes back to the bit about defenders being rushed. I think having a guy like Ellsbury on first to start a game means the middle of the order sees more fastballs. All that is great, but I think speed is a complementary skill. It complements a good route-runners defense. It is what turns good instincts into good plays. It turns close plays into base-hits. That is how I look at speed and I think you can build a very good team without very much speed. I'm not saying its a negative or a non-factor, but in Jacoby's case, I would trade his speed and potential for proven on-base ability and power in a heart beat. I agree speed matters. To say it equates to roughly 4% importance when it comes to putting together a baseball team isn't saying it doesn't matter. It just matters significantly less than pitching and hitting. When you have a prospect like Ellsbury and a pressing need to fill, I think the best way to maximize the value of the prospect is to use the game changing speed as a selling point and turn that player into real run producing talent via trade. I think trading a combination of Ellsbury, Lowrie, Moss, and Bowden could net us any player we could possibly acquire on the open market. I would trade Ellsbury and Lowrie over the other two in that group because of the position they play and the particular skill sets they bring to that position.

If the BABIP gods favor you, then you're lucky, and I don't hold that against a player. I didn't mean to say that in my previous post but it sorta came out a little bit that way. I do think, however, you can kind of excuse a guy who has had an inordinately unlucky BABIP. He might have crossed some bats, spit on the rubber, or used Ted's name in vain. Typically, when any player is "hot" hits are dropping in when they are hit hard and when they are blooped. It's just what happens. I've noticed that lately, everything off Ellsbury's bat has ended up in a fielders glove. I do think a combination of wrist soreness and bad luck are making it tough for him to put up numbers now, but regardless of that, I don't like his chances of being a legitimate presence in the lineup but I do like his chances of being able to bring one in as trade bait. If you want to get in a real awesome arguement about baseball with me, keep reading. I'm in the mood. (Read: I'm bored at work) Speed is Ellsbury's most valuable asset. I would argue, that speed is the most exciting and the least impactful skill a player can have. Nothing is more exciting than knowing you have a player on the bases who can or might score from wherever he is IF the ball is put in play and gets through the infield. He gets a lot of points for the speed, but in order to put that speed to work he has to get on base. Once he gets on base, it can only take him so far. Lets say there are two outs, Ellsbury walks. Steals second. Steals third. Now he is standing on third with two outs, but if the batter at the plate can't reach base, he might as well be standing on first base because the only place he is going is to get his glove and hike it to centerfield. The inning is over. Speed is a skill that depends on your own ability to get on base, and the ability of the other hitters in the lineup to drive you in. I'm not saying it isn't useful, but I'm saying it isn't SO useful its worth putting all your eggs in his basket*. I would say that hitting and pitching make up 70% of baseball. If you pitch and hit well, you will be effective. From there, I think defense takes in about 20% and managing 5% speed maybe 5%, but I'm willing to amend this list to include other things before I commit to saying speed is as important as a good manager because it might not be. Speed has too many IF's. * taking a page out of JHB's book, but if you didn't LOL at that sentence, I don't like you.

Really? Because my roommate is a grounds keeper at fenway. He told me that they are very explicit in encouraging all employees to cheer and add the atmosphere of the park. As a visiting player, if you don't know in advance that the entire venue will be rooting against you, antagonizing you and generally attempting to make you uncomfortable, then you are either very ill-equipped to handle professional athletics, or have never belonged to a highly competitive travel team of any kind. The athlete has no right to ask the employee to leave. Period. What happened is absolutely pathetic on the part of the players. To try and say that because Williams also went to court that he shares in some of the guilt is a little ridiculous. I'll be honest, I am not incredibly familiar with this incident, but I did some digging on the associated press website and got a little bit of information. I just think you're being a little ridiculous and aren't really taking everything into account. From AP.com: Yes, williams was present in court. No, I do not think he did anything that could have possibly provoked the brutal beating he took. Karim Garcia has always been a hot head, going back to his days in the cleveland system. He doesn't deserve to be playing professional sports. He is a total *******. but... about the manny thing. Why are people pining to have this handled publicly? Do you really need the Red Sox to make his sanctions public? Two grown men can't just deal with an altercation behind closed doors and move on? This never should have been leaked to the press, and the people out there who want Manny to be punished are ignorant to the kind of things that actually go on in a locker room on a regular basis. This kind of scuffle is definitely not rare, especially with the team playing like they are, especially with the player in question struggling. He IS being treated like everyone else! They're letting him handle it behind closed doors where this whole thing should have unfolded to begin with.

Last four from buchholz have been kinda cool: 4-0 with a 0.40 ERA in 22 2/3 IP, 22/5 K/BB here we go.

Now, I know it is early, and usually when I say something like this I end up looking like a jackass in one way or another. So here is to hoping that happens and Ellsbury gets back to being the total dreamboat. I would have traded Jacoby Ellsbury this past winter, and I really wish Theo would have too. Personally, I don't place a lot of importance in a players offensive ability if they play up the middle and after seeing Coco Crisp have probably the best defensive season I've ever seen in CF, I was 100% willing to deal with his inconsistencies at the plate in favor of the glove. Plus, I think we've seen some of the worst baseball of Coco's career in terms of offense the past couple years and it has to get better from here. In that short clip we saw of Ellsbury in Sept./Oct. we saw a .350 hitter, chances are, he will never approach that average again for a longer stretch of time. He's a good player, but are we sure he is going to be THAT much more productive than Coco to justify not capitalizing on his sky-high trade value? Even still, if Theo played his hand well, he could bring a kings ransom for Ellsbury. I just don't see Ellsbury being much better than a .290/.370/.400 guy year in, year out. Which is really valuable, don't get me wrong. But when you have a guy with the pedigree of an Ellsbury so early in his career, if you can turn that into a mainstay in the middle of your order if the right guy becomes available via trade. If we get a chance to reel in a power bat somehow, I think our bullpen is fixable with in-house options and I think our starters are outstanding, but our offense worries me. I would pull the trigger on an Ellsbury+ for big bat deal in a heart beat, not saying it will happen, but I'm really hoping something along those lines develops this offseason. I'm extremely worried that Manny's power seems to be reliant on bad off-speed pitches, I'm really worried that Tek has died, I'm really worried that I will have to see Julio Lugo in a Red Sox uniform for the duration of that contract (2 years left after this? Please god, no). I don't think Ellsbury is going to be a big presence in our lineup. And I think the week or two long swoons we're having now that might not be a big issue this season, and won't keep us from being a good offensive club now, but they might be symptoms of a big problem we're going to have as guys like Tek, Manny, Ortiz, Drew and Lowell get older. I don't know if it will happen this july, but as good as our pitching outlook is for the next 5-7 years with guys like Lester, Buch, Dice, Beckett, Bowden, Masterson etc. Our offensive outlook is not so hot as is. So, heres to hoping he makes me look like a jackass, but right now I love the idea of trading him.

The Seattle Mariners are the worst 100 million dollar team ever.

It isn't wasting innings. Buchholz needs to improve his fastball command to be a viable rotation option for the sox. If he can't repeat his delivery for all of his pitches, he'll be a mess, but it is an easy fix, but he needs the AAA time. Hopefully he can get it together, it looks like he has.

The solution to our pen is either Clay Buchholz or Bartolo Colon. We need one of those guys to right themselves and come up to the majors and right the ship. The problem with Colon is health related, and given his recent history, I don't know how good I feel depending on him to hold down a spot in our rotation. I know Clay has been at AAA working on fastball command, which is something I figured he would spend some time working on in the minors at some point before the second half. If you're the FO, you have to be rooting for Buchholz to out pitch Colon by a wide margin. The better/healthier pitcher will take the job and the Red Sox benefit most if that guy is Buchholz. The more he can contribute this year, the more certain his future in the rotation, the shorter the Red Sox offseason to-do list. It's clear he can effectively locate his offspeed, but he was essentially a junkballer before he got sent down because he was air mailing his fastball. He basically already has what he needs, and he has harnessed the fastball for stretches of time in the past but he needs to be aware of tendencies he falls into with his delivery that negate fastball command. When he throws the change, he collapses his back leg to slow his drive to the plate but it carries over into his delivery for the fastball and makes it tough to be consistent with both pitches. If I know that, they know that. Repeating a consistent delivery is the only obstacle in his way to becoming a very solid major league contributor. With Colon it is going to be about staying on the field. One way or the other, we need one of them. If one of them can Mastersons rotation slot, we can slide him into the bullpen and cut ties with Timlin (please, please, please) or jussend Smith back to pawtucket. I don't see us acquiring a reliever, so we need to get inventive, because we are a month removed from the trade deadline and we don't have anybody who looks like they want to step up and take a job. I thought last night was a picture perfect oppurtunity for someone to rise up and snatch a permanent set-up job but... it obviously didn't turn out that way. Last night was all the evidence I need to label our bullpen suspect. I had very high hopes for the pen this year, but my patience is gone. No more. We need Buchholz to take a rotation spot. He fell on some incredibly hard luck, struggled with his fastball command, and still managed to look absolutely filthy at times. When he comes up again, its to stay, and man do we need him right now. I think Masterson could be special out of the pen, and I think him and Buchholz together could give our staff the spark it needs right now. Imagine being Josh Beckett right now? You do a good job neutralizing Houstons only strength, shutting down the offense for seven strong and your bullpen can't even give you one inning. Not one. Pathetic. After these past two games, I think we have to do something. You don't want your starters putting pressure on themselves because the pen can't hold anything. That could be the downfall of the staff. Make a move, right the f***ing ship and that way we don't all have to gripe about how bad Varitek and Oki are and we can get back to winning despite them.

As promised, Pedroia emerges from the slump. Way to go. Now, to work on that OBP that is slightly disappointing.

To me, he looks like a guy who because of a solid delivery will be very good the first time through the league, and because of lack-luster control and stuff will get absolutely wrecked the second time through. Our bullpen holes need to be filled by the guys already in there. Someone has to step up and take a job, MDC is looking like he wants to be the guy. Craig Hansen has looked like that guy, but has disappointed a little bit here and there. And Oki is a train wreck. Those guys need to be better, I haven't been looking around at the majors much this season, but if the mets are out of it, maybe Billy Wagner becomes available. That is pure pipe-dream speculation, but it could be possible if the mets give up the fight in the first half.

A trade for either Salty or Teagarden will take more than just Bowden. It's an interesting idea and I could see it happening in the offseason, if we were willing to part with Bowden and Masterson. I think it will take about that much to pry one of them free. I don't think there is anything we can do this season, obviously. But heading into this offseason, unless the perfect deal falls into our lap, I think we'll end up with Tek behind the plate again next season and probably the season after that. The catcher position is thin all across baseball.

Yeah, I see Masterson as a starter long term too. He has all the intangible things you look for, poise wise. I think he could develop into a very dependable starter. But, i think they need to spread out the talent from our rotation as much as possible, we have about seven potential quality starters, the most attractive way to me to spread that out is by putting masterson in the pen, that sinker could be unhittable if he doesn't have to worry about lasting long innings and can cut loose for only two frames. To me, Buchholz and Colon could hold their own in our rotation, so a line up of Beckett, DiceK, Lester, Wake and either Buch/Chunk in the five is pretty nice IMO. masterson looks a lot better than Oki right now.

That and the reduction in BB could be related. If he is throwing strikes earlier in the account, slipping into fewer hitters counts, and getting early contact, that could and probably does mean on top of walking hitters less often, he is around the zone more often making hitters swing at close pitches. His strike percentage is only up two percent from last year (like 60 to 62%, I believe), not a drastic improvement, but I have seen a difference in his pitching, and I think its reasonable to assume that he has turned a corner in terms of location. Pitches out of the zone are less obvious take pitches, and early strikes have forced hitters into swinging at them, getting him some weak outs early in the count and forcing hitters to swing before they can wait him out for the free pass. It might be more or less the same amount of strike, but it is the when and where that has made all the difference. He is getting early strikes with his offspeed and making hitters go out of the zone for anything straight.