seabeachfred

Of course that lack of spending came when the Red Sox were heading into the toilet and were not a threat. Once the Red Sox won another World Series that cost cutting, if you want to call it that, went out like the baby and the bathwater. Nowadays the Yankee brass responds to the Red Sox. That is nice to say for a change instead of the other way around. As for losing Cano, I think the Snakees forgot momentarily that Yankee fan Boras was no longer his agent. I'm convinced that if Boras was still representing Robby he would have been resigned by the Yankees

You know iortiz, I think Sox Sport has shown remarkable patience and good cheer not responding with angry retaliation for the personal attacks that always seem to come his way. Now with Palodios I think he might have misinterpreted SS's true intent. I looked at the HOORAY as being said in a sarcastic and humorous tone. Then I also could be wrong but as one who was once totally ridiculously accused of not really being a Red Sox fan I can understand how such an accusation could piss someone off. Sox Sport is a Red Sox fan and is also a pretty knowledgeable baseball man IMO. Perhaps he doesn't respond because he has put his chief antagonist on ignore as I and a couple of others have. Truth be told, though, I would like SS to clear up to others what he meant by that hooray. He doesn't have to clear it up with me because I think I know why.

Logical target for them Pin? Yes. Realistic target for them? Be serious. The Mets are a cheap second rate outfit who have done wonders to alienate their declining fan base in Queens, Brooklyn and elsewhere. I think if I didn't know better they were already throwing in the towel for 2014. Maybe a little early for that but they need to do a helluva lot more than they have if they want to do anything but suck stale air this season.

Well Ted, you live in the heart of Mets country, or what is left of it, and I'm sure you hear a lot of scuttlebutt about their goings-on. Now they did sign Colon and Granderson this off season so they did expend some cash but we both know that they needed more than that, and the Mets fans I know from my trips to New York are not naïve or stupid. They must know they're being played and that's a good method to make certain they are and will continue to be the second rater in the New York region.

Correct me if you think I'm wrong but I believe the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry will be hotter than ever this coming season. It has to be because we know why they went on another ridiculous spending spree this winter. It must eat at their innards to see the Red Sox on top of the baseball world while they're sucking wind. I hope we really ream the hell out of them this season.

Be honest RSR, did you honestly expect those pack of skunks to really stay under the luxury tax? I didn't think so----and I don't think anybody else did either.

Barring unforeseen circumstances Pal I will most likely see this guy pitch against our team in the Home Opening Series early in April. That's my plan right now and my close friend who happens to be a big Rays scout of all people tells he can get me tickets from either one of his two Red Sox scout friends. Oh sure, I will most likely pass through the nose for the but what he hell I've this five other times and like 2008 this will be a flag lowering ceremony and worth every dime of it. As for Garza, if his elbow holds up he could be a big help to the Brewers because up till now they haven't really done a whole lot to improve themselves over the winter and they needed to do something.

I have some mixed feelings about this signing. It tells me that no matter what the Red Sox brass has said they are not quite sure if Jackie Bradley will fill the bill offensively in center field for us and they are hedging their bets by signing Grady Sizemore. It could be just that or it could be that for all the talk about their prospects they still get cold feet when facing reality on this score. I think the stuff over Stephen Drew and the fear that Will Middlebrooks will crater is another example of this. OTOH, while Sizemore has been a MASH unit the past two seasons he was one of the best outfielders in the American League for a number of years and is still only 31 and could be a big help to us if he can still play well. I want to look at it as a win-win but since I am dead set against resigning Drew for that same reason I am a little suspicious about the plans the Red Sox have for JBjr.

If this really happened we might actually catch lightning in a bottle. I do wish he was a RH hitter though.

Some of us know this and most of the rest should......The Yankees cannot abide the Red Sox winning the World Series and this was also stated by Tony Kornheiser on PTI this afternoon on ESPN TV. We saw it in our last two WS triumphs and we've seen it again this winter. There shouldn't have been any doubt the MFY were going to go on a spending spree to get back to the top right now. I think the Red Sox know they have a battle on their hands for the division, and throw in Tampa Bay, and maybe even Baltimore and Toronto into the mix as the latter could try and duplicate what the Sox did in 2013. The Yanks are now stronger; let's not kid ourselves and we have to fight like hell to beat them. If we do our jobs right we will but we will have to get big performances from most of our stalwarts this season. Let's let the Yankees pay for their profligate ways with one big cup of disappointment. It is up to us.

Ever heard of the ignore button RJ????? 700 Hitter showed me where it was and what a Godsend. You don't have to be aggravated and the guy can only talk to himself.

It would appear that way RJ but you never know. I think our best bet is to guess who he will sue next.

RJ---You made a strong point when you said that you can never tell about some teams suddenly putting it together from one year to the next....Nationals, Orioles and A's, and that can be buttressed by the Red Sox from 2012-2013. In my opinion, unless the Tanaka people are jerking the Cubs off and are holding out for the Yankees or Dodgers, I think the Cubs signing this guy would be a coup. I honestly believe the Cubs will be 10-15 games better this season because the Brewers seem to be going another way and the Reds and Pirates did very little to improve themselves this winter. Besides, Tanaka can grow with the young prospects that could revive the Cubs. Jorge Solar is just about ready and Kris Bryant is pretty close to that and there are some other good players within two years of breaking through the lineup. I think this could be a win-win situation for Chicago and if Theo gets the green light he should move on it.......just as long as this isn't some soap opera by Tanaka to force the Yanks or Bums to raise the ante.

That's how I feel Spudboy. You don't jettison a player capable of hitting 30 or more homers playing third base just because he had a sophomore slump that slowed him down. He has tremendous upside as does Bogaerts and these young guys have to play and while it is only my opinion, I believe both of them can have big futures in Boston if they are given a chance and left alone to develop. Drew isn't worth big money and our friend Dojii was willing to pay him $25 million for two years when he is worth barely $7 million a year and then only if he was a utility player or fill in or jack of all trades. Personally think if we hold back Bogaerts we will regret it deeply and if we scuttle Middlebrooks we will rue that day.

See Doj, that's my whole argument for letting Drew walk and walk and walk. You give him a two year contract and there is no telling how long he stays in that lineup, and, meanwhile our best young player is gasping for playing time. NO in my opinion!!!!!! If I could be certain that Bogey and WMB would be starters and Drew would fill in enough to stay sharp and maybe even play a few games at second to give Pedey a breather (which he wouldn't want) and maybe even learn to play a little first, I could see that. That no way we give him $25 million for two years because for that money he is in the lineup to stay and we have good young players stacked up t his year and maybe next when Cecchini might be ready. Though I reluctantly say it because as everyone knows I don't want Drew signed for those reasons I droned on about for over a month, I would offer him a one year contract at $7 million to be a general utility player and NOT a regular. If he refuses that he should try the Mets or the Pirates or whoever team wants to take a chance on him. So far no one does.

Drew would not accept being a reserve and Farrell said earlier in the hot stove season that if he got Drew again he would play him at short and would NOT platoon him. I know there are problems that could erupt in the infield but it seems to be that most of my colleagues are looking at the worst of things that could happen. If things get bad, we can make a trade or bring a stopgap up to fill in and I still think Herrera can be a solid reserve if things go haywire. Drew blocks two of our best young players potentially and that is a risk I don't want. I would risk what you're worried about. Besides, Drew will never sign for peanuts and I don't want to give him a two or three year contract for big money, and IF we did sign him, much to my chagrin, it should be for one year with NO option and make it clear to him that he is now a reserve. He has no market, no one wants to sign him so why should we as World Champions take on a player no one else wants?

I guess you take it that both those guys are going to struggle and we'll need Drew to bail us out. Let me point out for you that offensively Drew was almost a sunk cost most of last season. Yes, he had a few hot streaks but got off to a miserable start (the concussion was certainly a factor but he still performed way below par) and in the playoffs was an automatic out, more likely a strikeout. We have good young players ready to play and unless the front office is bullshitting us and t hey're really not that good, then we should let them play and see them develop. Drew is never going to hit 20 homers and drive in 75 runs. Middlebrooks and Bogaerts are both capable of hitting 30 homers and driving in 90 runs. Drew was also supposed to be a stop gap last season. Well that season is over....Time to move on and time for Drew to do the same. Besides, the Yankees said pointedly they don't want Drew which to me means they will probably offer him some kind of contract since they are above all a rotten bunch of lying bastards.

It's worth the gamble imho. We're coming off a World Series Title that was totally unexpected and Red Sox fans right now are totally in tune to Cherington doing what he thinks is best for the team, and what is best is to start getting those young players in the lineup. Odds are we don't repeat this year anyway but building up a solid nucleus of good young players we could come back from 2015-2020 and maybe get into two or three WS. This year is the time to do it. It seems we're like that motel chain that says "we'll leave the light on for you" because that's what we might be doing with Drew. He is out trying to gain a contract and couldn't give two shits about the Red Sox UNTIL everything dries up and then he wants back?????????? /as Sox Sport said, we don't owe Boras a damn thing and it would be good to give him a black eye while doing what's best for the Red Sox at the same time. We don't need Drew----and we can still win the division without him, and once we get that we have a decent chance of doing what you seem to think we need to have Drew for. We don"t!!!!

Thanks Jacko; some of us here have been saying that for the past few weeks. This IS the perfect time to turn the page and get those young players into the mix. Let Drew go elsewhere or let him sit out until June when a team signing him will not cost them a draft pick.

Palodios and BEL, this is getting to be like a soap opera....he's going here, no he's going there, no, we don't know where, or maybe this or maybe that. Still I'd sure rather be talking about this than the A-Fraud caper. The mystery does deepen, though, not that a number of teams are digging in for the home stretch.

Well if you're keeping score you have to know that the Lakers are in the running for those lottery balls too. I mean we are real s***** this season, but historically the LA Lakers have always considered the Celtics their biggest rivals due to all those NBA Finals they've battled in. The fact the Celts lead 8-3 in those series gives Laker fans a little more joy when they beat the Green.....kind of like when the Red Sox clean house on the Yankees as we did last season.

Whoopty freaking do!!!!! In a most miserable season for the ages, the LA Lakers actually finally won a game and against our historic rival Boston Celtics, 107-104. There hasn't been much for this Lakers fan to cheer about this season so excuse me if I show a rare display of elation over this turn of events.

I wish it were so SoxSport but as long as no team is giving Drew a sniff and as long as Ben and John keep keeping the door ajar in case Drew decides to throw in the towel and try his luck again with our team, this is go on being a miserable soap opera and what could turn out to be a problem for the Red Sox. Now we hear Boras is saying Drew could play multiple positions; first time we heard that. Is Boras now going to come down and except utility player money for his client? Only if his options are totally blasted all to hell. We have a good utility player in Herrera; we don't need Drew. I would also like to see Boras get a real black eye for a change, unable to get either Drew or Morales signed. Most importantly, I don't want either Middlebrooks or Bogaerts looking over their shoulders waiting for Farrell to break down and give his boy Drew a steady position at the expense of one of our younger infielders. Yes, I am and have been very strong and insistent that Drew should be allowed to go wherever he can get a contract just as long as it is not with us. That's my opinion.

It shouldn't Navafan. This is the fault of our front office for its insistence on holding out the welcome mat and door light out for the guy in case all other options dry up---which they seem to have. IMHO Ben Cherington should simply say we are moving on and wishing Drew all the luck in the world with his new team, whatever that happens to be. We have a shortstop and we have a third baseman and we have another 3B and SS moving up high in the minors. We cannot afford to have them get stacked up in Triple A. We don't need Drew and personally I don't want him. What we ought to be considering is where we move Cecchini when he is ready so we can get his smoking bat in the lineup. I still feel Middlebrooks has a nice future with us. We must not misuse this guy by relegating him to the bench or down at Pawtucket for the seasoning he doesn't need. LET DREW GO!!!!!!!!!!

We may now have to pay Jon Lester more than we thought it would take to resign him. As long as the turnstiles keep spinning and those TV contracts keep springing up there will be oodles of money available to those teams willing to spend. Just as long as we spend wisely I'm all for the Red Sox doing what they can to keep up as best they can, but contracts like Crawford's seven year $142 million are out.