a700hitter

No, I don't think I am mistaking anything. Even if the Sox swap Beckett for a young veteran RF to fill the RF spot for the next 4 or 5 seasons, it would leave the Sox with 3 starting rotation spots to fill and a bullpen to rebuild. That's a 4th place team. If instead they get a premium bullpen arm and a 5th starter for Beckett, they are still short 2 starters (1 being a top of rotation guy) and they still need to significantly rebuild the bullpen. Again IMO, that equates to a 4th place team. We are not going to get a better starter than Beckett in a trade for Beckett, so in every scenario we need to replace a top of rotation guy. Unless the Sox are prepared to go hog wild in the FA market, IMO if you lose Beckett and Papelbon in the same season, you will be fighting for 3rd place at best. What scenario can you envision where Beckett gets traded and Papelbon leaves and we are a playoff caliber team?

If that is the case and they do get rid of Beckett in the same year that they lose Papelbon and they need a 4th and 5th starter too, we are looking at a 4th place finish in 2012. I don't think they would bring Valentine into losing circumstances like that.

The only factor the Sox were considering was $. They knew what he could and did get, an they weren't willing to pay it.

:lol:I see that you are familiar with the area. A close friend of mine is familiar with the cops there. I don't doubt that some drug pushers, club owners and strippers don't show up dead every once in a while, but no tourists get hurt. The precinct is at the end of the block. If tourists started becoming victims of anything other than STD's they would shut the place down. I have heard from very reliable sources that the cops get freebies when they are off duty. The cops have contained the sleaze, but they are not going to let tourists get victimized. When the Yankees are in town, those places are full of Yankee fans and Red Sox fans fill the places when the Sox are in town. The sleazy establishment owners know that hurting tourist would be bad for business and their survival. BTW: I've been going there before Flyntt opened his club. I won't go in there. It is too commercial, too upscale and not seedy enough for my tastes. East Baltimore Street is not for the feint of heart, but it you go there wearing a Red Sox hat when the Sox are in town, nothing bad will happen to you unless you request it and pay for it.

I agree. There is an excellent chance that he never throws another pitch for the Sox.

The area around the race track is not something that I would like to stroll through.

I am familiar with the crime statistics, but it almost never involves tourists, and nothing bad happens on East Baltimore street.

He's a self centered, me-first player. Unfortunately, that is more of the norm than the exception.

Agreed. I wasn't saying he was stupid. I love Lee. He was a Yankee killer. I just wish that he had watched his mouth a little and didn't taunt Zim so much. He got Zim to hate him so much that even Yaz's lobbying to get Lee out of the doghouse didn't work. Yaz begged Zim to pitch Lee against the Yanks in'78 during the Boston Massacre. Zim refused Yaz and pitched some kid Sprowl from AAA. The kid s*** the bed right out of the gate.

I disagree. Beckett isn't going anywhere.

I agree. Papelbon would have stayed if the Sox paid his price. He knew that they would not give him his price, so he left. Papelbon wanted his price and the Sox didn't want to pay him his FMV. It's as simple as that.

Don't assume that the guy is dumb because he comes from Louisiana. People made the same unfair assumption about Terry Bradshaw. Papelbon doesn't come from an uneducated family. Quite the opposite.

Under your theory, I guess the Red Sox must have read paps mind and concluded that he wasn't coming back and that's why they never made an attempt to contact him. Certainly Pap would not tell them that he wasn't coming back. That would not be smart from a negotiations standpoint. Even if he had no intentions of signing with the Sox, he would never tell them, because he would use them to help his market value. The yanks and Sox have been played in this manner by numerous agents. BC was quoted in the paper more or less telling him to take an offer if he got it. It doesn't sound like they had any interest in keeping him. Papelbon didn't have to read any minds. Their actions (or inaction) spoke volumes.

If we sign Madson for a large contract, in order to pat ourselves on the back we would also have to assume that the Phillies are stupid. They are not.

Maybe the Sox can pry Sean Marshall from the Cubs as the compensation for Theo.

I think that's right.

If he had the surgery in June, I don't think he'll be able to give us anything meaningful in 2012. Maybe he'll get a few innings in September.