a700hitter

Right. He said if they need to. He also said that it would be easier to pick up a big bat at the trading deadline than to pick up a pitcher. He has made several remarks about picking up the bat later. Tito this week siad that he likes this team and doesn't think it needs another bat. So I am taking their remarks at face value. I leave the mind reading to you.

If you knew half as much about anything that I know, you'd be twice as smart as you already are.

Some contracts can be real killers, like Lugo. I don't think that a 5th year of Bay would be a terrible thing, especially since they are offering 4. In 4 years, the team will have oodles more money, so it will not cripple them. They have the resources to get Holliday or Bay without crippling the team financially. They would still be extremely profitable, and neither would sacrifice the future. They convinced themselves that they may not need another hitter. It's not about that they can't afford it. It's about them thinking they don't need a big bat. You and I think otherwise. Their "we don't want to sacrifice the future" argument doesn't fly here, because these guys would only cost $. Gonzalez would put a hurt on the farm system. I think this FO is great, but like all businessmen, they spin some ********. The "not sacrificing the future" excuse is BS here, because there are FA options. I've noticed that they have actually stayed away from the "we can't afford it" excuse this winter, because they know that it has been exposed as BS. They are taking the tact that they don't need a big bat, but if they do they'll pick one up during the season. This is a typical cop-out used by Front Offices all through baseball. Minaya has been floating that line to the Met fans for 3 or 4 years already. The Met fans caught on last year. My friend calls it the Met spin cycle. The "we will fill in our team as needed during the season" will be followed by nothing major being done at the trading deadline with the cover story that other teams "wanted too much, and we don't want to sacrifice the future." This is nothing new. Fans all over baseball hear this BS. Our owners engage in the same stuff, but so do the Yankees. Because the Sox and the Yankees have a lot of revenue, they engage in it less often than most teams. We both think the Sox need a big bat, and we both know that they can afford it. Is Bay at 5 years so much more of an injury risk than Lackey at 5 years. He's been injured in each of the last 2 seasons, but we both like that deal... right?

I will not be complaining if we get 3 solid years out of him. By 2013, if he can't play the field, he can probably DH, because Ortiz will probably be sitting under a mango tree by 2013.

What I wanted the team to do was improve their pitching and batting order from last season. They have improved one and taken a step back on the other. I don't understand why they would do that. I am hoping that they are not done making moves, because these moves make no sense to me if they are done. They have improved the pitching, but they are going to support that pitching with an inconsistent offense?

If a team gives him the 5th year, then that is the market for Bay. The Sox could afford to pay him the market rate. The increase in ticket rates would have paid for the 5th year.

If they go forward with Kotchman, it would be a very regrettable mistake by the FO.

They are going to need to. They can't wait for him to recover and become tradeable.

I think the player's union looks at this type of data. If they see revenue growing without player payrolls keeping pace, that would be a major issue for negotiations.

I can't see a trade being made until he has recovered from the thumb surgery. That will take about 8 weeks bringing us to the middle February. That really doesn't leave the team much time to execute a plan. If they are waiting on Lowell being moved before they bite on Beltre, they are out of luck. Beltre will be long off the market by the time Lowell gets traded.

I think this is a very good point. The Red Sox while not as profitable as the Yankees, they are bringing in more revenue every year. I have always said that the Sox ownership knows how to create and maximize income streams. The increase in revenue year over year is staggeringly successful. In that time revenue has increased 77%. Payroll has increase 38% over the same period.

My point is how does an underrated player get a contract of 5years/$70 million. Someone must be noticing. We can debate whether or not he's overpaid. I lean towards that he is overpaid, but not grossly. He is certainly not a value contract. I am not looking to argua about this, because i was glad that the Sox signed him, and I am glad that he is on the team.

Frugal? How can you claim that when they spent ungodly amounts for Lugo, Dice K and Drew in 2006? Also, their payroll is usually the second or third highest in baseball. That's frugal?

Kotchman is not an acceptable plan.

It doesn't seem like their is any opportunity to get rid of Lowell. The recovery from his surgery is going to take him almost to Spring Training. I don't think they will DFA him and eat his entire salary. I think the Sox are stuck with him. Maybe his hip has healed more and he will have regained some range. Towards the end of last season, he was moving better than he had all season long. What was his fielding range like in August and September?

There would be no infield hits and lots of DPs.

Should anyone take posts seriously from someone who can't pass Introduction to Accounting at a Community College? Seriously.

It would be a killer lineup, but without a bit of speed.

Of course I am happy about the Lackey acquisition, but I have been confounded by the Kotchman love by the FO and Tito since last season. Apparently, it is continuing as Tito gushed about him on Thursday. IMO, there are many better first base options. Kotchman is at best a bench player. I am also not a big fan of Cameron. He's 37, and he's just not an adequate replacement for Bay's bat. How important is defense in LF in Fenway?

Except for last season, the Red Sox had the highest ticket prices for 13 straight years. I'm not complaining about the past. I am saying that there is no reason not to add another hitter in 2010, and I am not okay with them staying with the current roster, because IMO they have given up trying to construct a 2010 team that would have a realistic chance of beating the Yankees.