Sara

Holy cow!!! That's a ton of money if this turns out to be true. I really wanted Matsuzaka but $38-$45 million seems a little high. Peter Gammons and Steve Phillips were talking yesterday on Sportscenter about probable contract terms for Matsuzaka being three years for about $15 million a year. Boras' intent being to get another large contract when Matsuzaka is 29 years old. If that is true and the Red Sox end up signing him at $15 million per year plus the posting bid of around $45 million...that means the Red Sox basically got him for $30 million a year??? I am not sure how I would feel about that. I don't think anybody, especially someone who has never pitched in MLB, is worth that type of money annually.

Wells was scheduled to pitch tonight. Does this mean he is on his way to another team?

Isn't it a moot point if Papi doesn't play again this year? As much as I think Papi got robbed last year, a player who misses one sixth of the season (especially the last sixth of the season) isn't going to get the MVP, playoffs or not. As much as I hate to say it, all the media seems to be talking about Jeter winning the MVP. It's going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

An interesting read from Bill Simmons (ESPN Page 2) mailbag:

This is good news despite Manny not playing tonight:

Why not bat Youkilis 2nd (high OBS) and Pena 4th (3rd highest slugging percentage on the team behind Papi and Manny)? Either way, Papi will be lucky to see three balls in the strike zone all night from Weaver.

I was amazed and wholely depressed at this trade deadline. It seemed, based on published news reports, that the Red Sox had a shot at two players that not only could have helped this year, but also had promising futures: Roy Oswalt or Andrew Jones. I would have taken either of those players over "prospects" like Lester and Hansen. Both Oswalt and Jones are All-Star players under the age of 30 that could have helped as corner stones of the franchise. These weren't just rentals either; both are under contract beyond 2006. Heck, the Red Sox traded some of the best "prospects" in all of baseball (HanRam, Sanchez, and Marte) for Lowell, Beckett, and Crisp and then can't pull the trigger on a trade for Oswalt or Jones? Imagine a line up with Manny, Papi, and Andrew Jones or a pitching staff with Schilling and Oswalt at the top in 2007. I guess my point is, even if the front office thought the team was not competitive enough to win in 2006, either of those guys would have been huge in the years beyond this season. The one time the Red Sox SHOULD have traded prospects, they didn't. :dunno:

My name is Sara and I have been a Red Sox fan my whole life. Unfortunately, my immediate family is split between the Red Sox and the Yankees. My mom was born and raised in Natick, MA while my dad is from Morristown, NJ. A Red Sox fan marrying a Yankee fan??? It happened! My dad got to my two older brothers and converted them to the Evil Empire. My mom got to me and convinced me that pinstripes was NOT the way to go. Needless to say, the women in my family suffered greatly until 2004!!! My favorite players are Tek, Trot, and Big Papi. Let's Go Red Sox!!! Yankees Suck!!!