seabeachfred

That might be better for us Dupree but keep in mind the Angels are fiddle faddling around and going from one extreme to another and what they're looking for is experienced pitching they can use NEXT season when they hope to do what the Red Sox did this year, and right now you hear one story from them one day and another the next. They even came out today in an article and said if they can't get the pitching they need they may just have to slug their way to a title, something I find to be totally ridiculous. No one slugs themselves to a WS Title. You better have the pitching or you're s*** on a roll. In addition to that, with Napoli back on first a trade for Trumbo would put both Gomes and Nava on the bench and those two were very productive players for us this season and perfect compliments on a team that was unified as any I can remember. Of course, they could bench Jackie and move Trumbo to right and Vic to center, but how that would work I don't know. Frankly, I'm not sure what else to tell you my friend but that I like this team we had this season so much that I would like to keep most of them together because I think right now we are about good to go as is. I'm sure if Trumbo is offered to us we'd be interested but it would cost either Nava-Gomes or Bradley their jobs and I don't really want that. Boy, you really twisted me around on that one.

Well put my friend, and, yes, the idea crossed my mind as soon as I finished reading that story. But baseball is a business too and I know how Kemp loves LA, and he has been treated very well by the fans through his injuries and times when he didn't go all out. In Boston he would be treated well until he started going half ass and loafing about. He would then become another Crawford and start saying to himself that he wished he never came here. He is no Pedroia, or a Papi, a Napoli or a Victorino. I doubt he is even a Bogaerts. However, I would suggest you read up on him and form your own opinion. I do not like the Dodgers any more than I like the Yankees, and there certainly is a bit of bias in my opinions, but in this case I think I have an ax to grind. My friends on the other Red So boards argued for years which WS winner was their favorite----2004 or 2007. Because most were long suffering fans, the vast majority said 2004. I like the 2007 team like no other team I ever followed either here or when I was a kid. However, this year's team has supplanted 2007 as my favorite and by quite a bit. Last to first and then all the way to the top with a WS win. Our team this season was a united and together as any team could be and I want to keep that unity of purpose and chemistry together. I think if we get a couple of the wrong types it could shake that camaraderie. I think Kemp would be a bad mix for the reasons I've said all along. However, if we do get him, much to my chagrin, I will root like hell for him every time he comes to bat or takes the field. I'd have to....he would be one of us.

Your choice would be my choice. Younger and less injuries---but he would have to agree to an extension. No extension, no Stanton. He had some injuries last season but has been healthier by a long shot than Kemp has. I think he would also love to play for a winner. Kemp is already playing for a winning team and loves LA. We get more out of Stanton. Having said that, if worse comes to worse and we get Kemp, I hope it doesn't cost us three or four of our best products. And, yes, he would then be one of ours and I would root my ass off for him.

Reading the Los Angeles Times this morning there was a story about Matt Kemp and is agent, former star pitcher Dave Stewart. In that article Kemp made it clear he did NOT want to leave LA and even encouragement by Stewart that such a change of venue might be in his best interest, the Dodger still seemed disinterested. When you take that attitude and combine it with a recent shoulder operation (reduces power---see Gonzalez), a even more recent ankle operation (reduces speed), and hamstrings that have given him trouble his whole career with tightness and pulled ones, what you have is a guy with tremendous talent but total injury prone in a number of critical areas. I know if he gets fully recovered he could be a machine but his last two years have been anything but that and so I wonder do we want another redux of Carl Crawford with a little more power? I think Ben has to tread very lightly on this and then trudge on down to the bar and have a stiff one before showing the courage necessary to move away from this.

Pal, they might have gotten cheap because before the season they didn't think the Red Sox were going to be worth s***. By the time they made the play for Soriano they saw that the Red Sox were a definite threat to win the division and perhaps go deep in the Playoffs. I'm beginning to believe that though me and few others can be paranoid about those MFY it is becoming clearer to me that their front office might be paranoid about the Red Sox. Just look at their actions since we won the World Series this year.

What I like about this Bellhorn was that when I said the Yankees were going on a spending spree after we won the World Series just about everybody on this board said the same thing. It leads me to believe that we all have the Yankees' number. Hell, they will go over $300 million if they want to; the $189 million luxury tax threshold means absolutely zilch to them, the rotten greedy bastards.

Worth some real consideration for the Hall of Fame come January, 2019. He was a helluva pitcher.

The only problem with that User is that Peavy would be more in demand in a trade than Dempster would be, and Jake will be needed by us next year in my opinion. I think you can see now why I would very much appreciate it if Ben did not make any big trades at the Winter Meetings that would negate some of our pitching depth, both in our rotation and within our prospects group. Dempster is replaceable; I don't think Peavy is at the present time....and who knows what kind of shape or mental shape Doubrant is going to show up in and how healthy Buchholz is going to be and for how long. Of course I could say how we don't know if Lackey will be as effective as this season and whether Lester has returned fully to ace status. To be safe let's hold onto what we have with the possible exception of Ryan.

Well one reason is that players like Cecchini, Renaudo, Swihart, Owens and possibly Brentz could make it and I don't want to dilute our youth corps for a diva who might not be such a bargain after all, and an expensive one at that. You say Stanton? Great talent and future but what would it cost us? You know that IF the Marlins put him up for sale they are going to want a bundle for him. Bautista? I like the guy but would Toronto trade him within the division? Most likely not. T he Kemp thing has me concerned too. Here is a five tool player perhaps heading south after two miserable injury plagued years, and with hamstrings that are always tight and ready to burst, not to mention an ankle injury hurt in the mid-summer that still hasn't healed, as well as shoulder and hand problems. Now I don't doubt for a second a healthy any one of these guys could make us better but I am not looking just at 2014. There are seven more seasons in this decade and I would like to see us competitive in all of those years. What we don't want is that dry spell of young players that plagued us from 2009-2012. Perhaps Cherington will decide to pull the trigger but if any of those names I mentioned are mentioned by the other team, and that included Bogey and WMB, Ben should put on his helmet and tool his scooter out of town as fast as he can go.

As Frank Sinatra liked to croon so many years ago....NICE AND EASY DOES IT EVERY TIME!!!!. Just as long as we start seeing those young pitchers getting their shot when they're ready.....yes, even your man Webster. And please, no big trades at the Winter Meetings where we lose some of our top prospects. We have to think long term as well as for 2014.

Palodios, when was the last time I disagreed with you on anything? Can't remember either but this is one of those times. First of all, the Yankees and Red Sox don't trade with each other, and now I think such a non-factor as that is set in cement. Now I would applaud trading for Gardener. He would be a great fit, BUT it means another page from that bastard Lucchino's book......give the kid more seasoning. Bradley is either going to be our CF or not and there has been too much humming and hawing going on about just letting the kid have the position. Let's say we trade for Gardener (and it would have to be a three way trade I think). To me it means for the good of the young man we let Jackie go in a trade for a pitcher or another prospect and not have him waste away in the minors---which he would do if he stayed in Boston after we made the trade for Gardener since most likely the outfielder we got from the Yankees would be such a good fit for us that he would take over CF and hold it for years. Do you really want that?

.....And I prefer to wait indefinitely for any big trade. I think we are pretty well set right now once we get that utility infielder we need and that extra outfielder, a RH batter who can spell Bradley when we face a real tough lefthander. Having said that, we need to give him, Bogey and WMB the chance to show what they can do. I had three fears entering the offseason VA. One was we might not resign Napoli. Thank God we did and that was a big load off my mind. The second was that after a WS win and a year when he was pretty much confined to his CEO office and the duties associated with that job that Lucchino would once again try to start meddling in baseball operations. This talk about making a big trade for Matt Kemp or some other hotshot is the third fear I had and if Larry is getting involved again that could be what might be going down in the Winter Meetings. I hope Cherington and Farrell hold the line and do nothing foolish to play havoc with our long range plans.

If "Ski" fits in with the team it could be a big plus for the Red Sox. He is tough and calls a good game and he is pretty good man at bat in the clutch. The worry is whether he will interface with his teammates the way Salty did. Face it, Jarrod was pathetic in framing pitches and he cost our pitchers a lot of strikes, but OTOH he did show improvement in his three years with us and maybe playing in a pressure less situation in Florida he will be relaxed enough to make his game better. However, I am happy to go into 2014 with the team we have because I think we have done all we could to get up to speed, and once we get our utility infielder and extra RH outfielder who can play center we will be fine. I just don't want to see us make a big leap for a big name and wind up giving three of our top prospects away. Let the mountain come to Charington and he can pick and choose----VERY CAREFULLY.

And with all due respect User we better hope that Lucchino doesn't decide to put his f***ing ugly nose in baseball operations again. He always seem to do this after a year or two minding his own damn business. The rumors of big trades for prospects that I've heard sound very much like he is trying to put his rotten and palsied hands back into matters that don't want or need him. All this talk about his belief that "we can't fall in love with our veterans" is a pile of ******** in my opinion. A leopard doesn't change his spots, and Cherington and Farrell must have owner Henry's ear that Larry much be kept out of their hair. If you haven't read Francona's book, do so. Larry and Werner were meddling bastards those last few years.

Why sign Drew you ask? The answer is WE DON'T SIGN HIM. Look, we have to give WMB and Bogey a chance to develop and it is high time we start putting some of our young players into the starting lineup. We got away from that after 2007 and it was more and more "they need some extra damn seasoning". That's how Kalish got hurt at Pawtucket in 2010 when he should have been in Boston and not JD Drew and his $15 million contract, which was the only reason he was here. Now is the time to give our kids a chance to show what they can do. If we could sign Drew and keep both WMB and Bogey in the lineup, then fine, but we can't. So Drew goes somewhere else---which is where he is going anyway. He's a Boras client and he has not more loyalty to Boston than Ellsbury had. To the Drews it is always about the money.

I guess it's now clear that if the Japanese post Tanaka to the highest bidder the Red Sox are not going to be in on it, right? I think I heard the ownership reiterate that they are not going over the $189 million threshold. Are we in the market for a starting pitcher?

Just check past Red Sox WS Titles RSFFL. When we win a World Series or if the Yankees miss the playoffs they go on a big spending spree. No surprise that they're doing that this off season. They also have to because attendance is down at YS by at least a half-million and their farm system is as dry as the Sahara. Besides the Yankees never rebuild because their fan base is contemptuous of any noise about retrenching for the future, and the press is always ready to pounce on them if they go by the boards to us or fail to get in the post-season. Their glut of spending really shouldn't surprise you or anyone else.

Ted--According to two scouts I know very well they believe that a player's power really starts to accelerate at around 25-26 and doesn't really level off until around 33-34 and then starts to go the other way. Cano played this year at 30 so those numbers could also be an indication that he was entering his real power years. It doesn't matter, though. He is a smart hitter and will not be swinging for the fences in that Seattle ballpark but he will get a lot of extra base hits and don't be shocked if he winds up leading the league in hitting once or twice. The guy can hit.

I've seen on the tube more times than I want to admit and here goes. At his best and in the best frame of mind he is a terrific talent. He hits, hits with power, runs, fields well and can throw. He is a five tooler. HOWEVER, the last two seasons he has been very injury prone and I don't just mean in one part of his body. He seems to be falling apart all over, hamstrings always tight and ready to blow, a very slow healing ankle that I think might actually be the start of an arthritic condition and all sorts of shoulder ailments. The last two seasons he'd be worth a Dempster and a mid level prospect but not a WMB or a Bogey or a Cecchini or a Renaudo or an Owens. I wouldn't call him a head case but does have his moods and when not performing well he has a tendency to loaf. That's how he hurt his still aching ankle this summer---loafing on a ground ball while running from third base, thinking the infielder was going to first and instead threw home. Kemp turned on the burners too late and slid awkwardly at home and injured himself. He had loafed like this before. We'd be taking a real chance trading for him. We might get a superstar revised and renewed or we may get someone who might remind of us of a Carl Crawford, and the Dodgers are talking about some of our regulars or our top prospects, ABSOLUTELY NO!!!!! I have said since last night we don't have to make a big splash and we certainly don't have to empty the bank on Kemp or any other big named honcho with a strangling contract.

I see where Hoplite is getting at Dojii but I'm with you on this.....we are just about set. We need a decent utility infielder who can play three positions, and a RH hitting outfielder who can play CF and spell Jackie when it is necessary, and only when it's necessary. We are not desperate to fill holes and as I said last night, silly or not, I really feel we are just about ready and good to go.

Morrison is out then.....as Ted says, we need a RH hitting outfielder who can play CF and spell Bradley for a rest or if he really struggles, but we must give the kid a full chance to show what he can do. No more extra ******** seasoning. When they're ready they play.

Reports out of Philadelphia is that Papelbon wants to be traded and the Phillies would comply. However, if they value Pap's ability they will ask for some real good prospects which the Yankees don't have....UNLESS the Phillies look at this as a salary dump. However, Papelbon could wind up on the Yankees.

Can you imagine what the farmhands in the Yankee system must be thinking right now? They are praying they don't get on the 40 man roster so they can be drafted out of the Yankee organization because they are screwed over. Many aren't doing that well right now but they have to know that even with motivation they are stuck like a bug on fly paper.

Who does our friend think he's kidding Pal? That Yankee ensemble looks a lot like a Geritol outfit to me, and while we could have our share of injuries, look at how many of them are recovering from serious injuries and are close to being on their last legs? This team could be gassed by August. Would you trade their lineup for ours now?

All good BPEF, but let me throw you a curve on one thing. Personally in that ballpark, Cano, who can hit to all fields, may actually win a batting title or two. He may or may not hit as many home runs but for a guy who hits for high average that park may be tailor made for him.