NateGrey

.. Updated: Nov. 27, 2006, 3:36 PM ET MLB official: Ramirez might be dealt by Saturday By Buster Olney ESPN The Magazine The Red Sox are aggressively shopping outfielder Manny Ramirez now, according to major league sources, at a time when the slugger's trade value has peaked, and there is a sense among some executives that their trade talks are gaining momentum. Manny Ramirez Left Field Boston Red Sox Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OBP AVG 130 35 102 79 .439 .321 "I wouldn't be shocked if the Red Sox traded him by Saturday," says one big league official. By Saturday, Boston's negotiations with free agent outfielder J.D. Drew are expected to finish officially with a multiyear agreement. At that point, Boston will be in better position to trade Ramirez, who has driven in more than 100 runs in each of his six years with the Red Sox, and in 11 of the last 12 seasons. Ramirez has been an extraordinary producer of runs for Boston, and an equally extraordinary producer of melodrama. He has asked for trades repeatedly, has often played at something less than full speed, and at the end of the 2006 season, there was some question about whether he made a full effort to play with a sore knee. Among the teams involved in the conversations: ? The San Francisco Giants, who might have to involve a third team to become a serious player in this market, or perhaps swallow some of Boston's worst contracts, like that of pitcher Matt Clement. ? The San Diego Padres, who can build a deal around reliever Scott Linebrink. ? The Dodgers, who are starved for power hitters, loaded with prospects and could probably offer the best possible package of youngsters, from third baseman Andy LaRoche to pitcher Chad Billingsley to outfielder Matt Kemp. ? The Rangers have had talks about Ramirez, but as recently as last week, the Red Sox still preferred to talk about a swap of shortstop Michael Young for Ramirez -- a deal that almost certainly won't happen. The Orioles have spoken with the Red Sox about Ramirez recently, but their conversations hadn't advanced in recent days. The Guardians and Red Sox talked last week, but those conversations are dead; the cost in salary and prospects were simply too high for the Guardians. The Angels and Red Sox had talked in the past about a Manny deal, but those conversations have apparently ended. Ramirez has 10-and-5 rights and can veto any deal, so the team working on a trade involving him would have to negotiate a settlement with Ramirez to get him to accept the swap. Executives with other teams say that in order to move Ramirez, Boston will have to come to grips with the idea that they will not get back major league talent equal to that of Ramirez; rather, they might have to settle for a deal much like the Gary Sheffield trade the Yankees made early in November, when they got three pitching prospects from Detroit. There are indications now that Boston's trade demands for Ramirez are dropping, to facilitate a deal. "They seem motivated to move him," said an AL official. Ramirez signed an eight-year, $160 million deal with Boston after the 2000 season, and his contract was considered all but untradeable as recently as six months ago because of an annual salary that approaches $20 million; the Red Sox placed him on waivers after the 2003 season, and nobody was willing to even take him even for free at that time. But the recent salary explosion -- Alfonso Soriano's $136 million deal, Carlos Lee's $100 million contract -- has cast Ramirez and his salary in a different light. If the Red Sox complete a Ramirez trade, there would be an enormous hole in the Boston lineup. But it may be that the Red Sox have other plans in the works if they gain contractual flexibility with a Ramirez deal, and with the addition of Drew and possible addition of Julio Lugo at shortstop, they might feel like they will still have a deep lineup. A Ramirez trade may also have an enormous impact on No. 3 hitter David Ortiz. "That guy will draw about 200 walks next year without Manny hitting behind him," said one scout. "I don't care who it is who bats fourth instead of Manny -- J.D. Drew, or Wily Mo Pena, whoever -- he won't be as dangerous as Manny was, because Manny can hit good pitching." Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. .......... http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2677627 ..........

HOUSTON -- Free-agent slugger Carlos Lee has agreed to terms on a six-year contract with the Houston Astros, according to a Houston television station. KRIV-TV, citing Major League Baseball sources, reported Friday morning that the outfielder had agreed to a six-year contract worth an unspecified amount of money and would be flying to Houston from Panama on Friday to sign the contract. Houston general manager Tim Purpura was not immediately available for comment. The Astros have scheduled a 4 CT press conference, during which they are expected to announce the signing. Lee, who was paid $8 million in 2006, is a career .286 hitter in eight Major League seasons, with 221 home runs and 772 RBIs. He has driven in 80 or more runs each of the last eight seasons and has scored 100 or more runs four times. Since the 2003 season, Lee is tied for 12th in the Major Leagues with 131 home runs and ranks ninth with 442 RBIs. Lee's combined statistics with the Brewers and Rangers last season included a .300 batting average, 37 homers and 116 RBIs. Lee's agent, Adam Katz, met with Astros owner Drayton McLane and Purpura on Wednesday. ............. Another one bites the dust . :dunno:

BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Red Sox today announced that the club has added righthanded pitcher Kyle Jackson and left-handed pitcher Phil Seibel to their Major League roster. Jackson's contract was purchased from Double-A Portland of the Eastern League. Seibel's contract was purchased from Triple-A Pawtucket of the International League. In other roster moves, the Red Sox activated three pitchers, right-hander Matt Clement, lefthander Jon Lester, and right-hander David Pauley from the 60-day disabled list. Boston also assigned left-handed pitcher Abe Alvarez outright to Pawtucket after activating him from the 60-day disabled list. The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein. With the moves Boston currently has 32 players on its Major League roster pending the formal addition of Alex Cora by Major League Baseball, which would put the number at 33. Jackson, 23, was 6-0 with a 1.59 ERA and one save in 24 relief appearances at Single-A Wilmington and 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA and one save in 22 outings at Double-A Portland in 2006. The right-hander was selected by the Red Sox in the 32nd round of the 2001 First Year Player Draft. He led the 2006 Arizona Fall League in victories, going 6-0 in his 11 relief appearances with the Peoria Javelinas. Seibel, 27, combined for a 6-3 record and 1.24 ERA in 22 games/13 starts for three Red Sox farm clubs in 2006. After missing all of 2005 due to ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow, he opened 2006 by going 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four starts at Single-A Greenville. Seibel was promoted to Double-A Portland on April 26 and posted a 2-3 record and 1.20 ERA in nine starts for the Sea Dogs. The lefthander joined Triple-A Pawtucket on July 15 and was 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA in nine relief outings the rest of the year. Seibel has spent the last three seasons in the Boston organization after being claimed on waivers from the New York Mets in November 2003. He pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in two games with the Red Sox in 2004. BOSTON RED SOX MAJOR LEAGUE ROSTER (As of November 20, 2006) PITCHERS (20): Josh Beckett; Craig Breslow; Matt Clement; Manny Delcarmen; Lenny DiNardo; Kason Gabbard; Devern Hansack; Craig Hansen; Kyle Jackson; Jon Lester; Javier Lopez; Edgar Martinez; Jonathan Papelbon; David Pauley; Curt Schilling; Phil Seibel; Kyle Snyder; Julian Tavarez; Mike Timlin; Tim Wakefield. CATCHERS (2): George Kottaras; Jason Varitek. INFIELDERS (5): Eric Hinske; Mike Lowell; David Ortiz; Dustin Pedroia; Kevin Youkilis. OUTFIELDERS (5): Coco Crisp; Brandon Moss; David Murphy; Wily Mo Pena; Manny Ramirez. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, > http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20061120&content_id=1744393&vkey=pr_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

First Furcal now Pierre, LOL @ The Dodgers .

Erm? :dunno:

We'll leave that to ARod .

Who's going to hit behind Papi if they trade Manny?

:dunno: . lol .

http://espn-ak.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1119/photo/g_matsuzaka_i.jpg Big league hitters can breathe a sigh of relief. Daisuke Matsuzaka isn't eligible for free agency for another three years. Maybe. The 24-year-old right-hander is considered the best pitcher in Japan. Earlier this month in the U.S.-Japan All-Star series, Matsuzaka tossed a complete-game five-hitter for a 5-1 victory in Sapporo. The Seibu Lions' ace did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, and retired 10 of the final 11 MLB hitters to become the first pitcher in the series to toss a complete game. Daisuke Matsuzaka posted a 2.90 ERA for the Seibu Lions last season. "Without question he could pitch in the major leagues," U.S. manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. "He has four major league pitches, and has a good idea of what he's doing on the mound. It's hard to compare him to anybody because of his unique delivery." While the Class of 2005 from Japan isn't expected to produce an impact player, many are waiting for Matsuzaka to make his way to a big league club. "I would definitely like to play in the majors," Matsuzaka said after the game. "I wanted to show what I could do." Matsuzaka has to play three more seasons in Japan to become a free agent. However, the Japan Times' Web site reported Kokudo Corp. has decided to sell the Seibu Lions. It's possible Matsuzaka could reach the majors sooner through the posting system in Japan. Under the current rule, if a Japanese player wants to make the move to the majors before qualifying for free agency, the player is put up for auction under the posting system. If Matsuzaka doesn't care which major league team gets his exclusive negotiating rights, he may leave Japan after the next season. Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhisa Ishii used the same method to go to the majors. Matsuzaka was the winning pitcher in Japan's 6-3 victory over Cuba in the preliminary round of the Athens Olympics. He also played a key role in helping the Seibu Lions win the Japan Series this year. Cubs outfielder Moises Alou, who singled off Matsuzaka in the sixth inning of the game in which Matsuzaka tossed a complete game, was impressed with the hard-throwing right-hander. "He pitched really well,'' Alou told the Associated Press. "I was lucky to hit a fastball right down the middle.'' Two other pitchers, Koji Uehara (Yomiuri Giants) and Kei Igawa (Hanshin Tigers) also impressed against the major leaguers. Uehara and Igawa have publicly expressed their desire to go the majors. However, just like Matsuzaka, they have to play more than three seasons to become free agents. Can they wait? Well, maybe not. It is believed they may also use the posting system to get out of Japan sooner. While the Class of 2005 from Japan isn't as strong as recent years, three position players who announced they would like to go the majors have the potential to bring some impact. They are: Tadahito Iguchi (Daiei Hawks): A second baseman with tremendous speed. He stole 42 bases in 2003 and it was his second stolen base title. His fielding would also be above average. However, he has been playing on artificial turf. He could struggle on natural grass, just like Kaz Matsui did wth the Mets. He has some power, but he will mainly be the type of player who hits between the gaps. He cares about on-base percentage (his OBP for 2003 season was .438) more than hits and home runs, so he could transfer from the middle of the lineup to the leadoff spot. His career batting average is .271 with 149 home runs and 507 RBI. He's played for the Daiei Hawks for eight seasons. Norihiro Nakamura (Kintetsu Buffaloes): Two years ago, he was almost about to wear the Mets' uniform. According to some reports, they had an agreement in principle, but Nakamura changed his mind after successfully completing a physical. It is believed the Mets had agreed on a two-year, $7 million contract for Nakamura, but Nakamura signed with his former team, the Kintetsu Buffaloes, for $30 million over five years. He is not a free agent, so he will have to go to the majors by the posting system. It is hard to guess who will join the money game, but his salary will most likely be less than a two-year, $7 million deal. His offensive stats in the past two seasons declined due to injuries. He still has tremendous power, but at the same time he is a five-time golden glove winner. His career batting average is .267 with 307 home runs and 916 RBI. He's played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes for 13 seasons. Toshihisa Nishi (Yomiuri Giants): A second baseman with great range, and a four-time golden glove winner. Although he had a career high 28 home runs this season, he is recognized as one of the smartest leadoff hitters in Japan. He played in the Japan-U.S. All-Star exhibition games, but he batted just .118 (2-for-17). He said before the series, "I would like to show my ability at this series." But he also said, "If no major teams offer more than $1 million, I will stay here, in Japan." It is hard to guess how many teams could make an offer of more than $1 million for Nishi, who is 33 years old, and a career .274 hitter. However, if a team signs Nishi for $1 million, he could be a bargain deal. His career average is .274 with 121 home runs and 389 RBI. He's played for the Yomiuri Giants for nine seasons. > http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1926706 ......................................................................

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfBycPyvnPY Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz0ACLcSCPI ...........................................................................

BOSTON (AP) - Infielder Alex Cora stayed with the Boston Red Sox, agreeing Friday to a $4 million, two-year contract. The 31-year-old hit .238 with one home run and 18 RBIs in 96 games with Boston this year. He started 47 games at shortstop, 10 at second base and four at third. Cora has a .244 career batting average, with 31 homers and 215 RBIs in 876 games over nine seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland and Boston. Cora was acquired by Boston from the Guardians on July 7, 2005, and filed for free agency Oct. 31. In addition to his base salary of $2 million annually, he can earn $1 million a year in performance bonuses: $250,000 each for 110, 120, 130 and 140 games started. > http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6182880 .................................................................................................................................. $2mill per for Cora? :dunno:

Stay away from RP's that put up good stats in a Padres uni . Seanez says hi .

"BASEBALL AMERICA GIVES RED SOX TOP GRADE FOR 2006 FIRST YEAR PLAYER DRAFT Baseball America today (10/31/06) announced that the publication has graded the Red Sox' 2006 First Year Player Draft as the best of the 30 major league teams. The 2006 Draft Report Cards are included in the latest issue of Baseball America, which went on newsstands today. Boston signed 27 of its 54 selections from the 2006 draft, including each of the first 13 picks. Red Sox players cited by the publication included RHP Josh Papelbon (named one of the top five second day picks) and 1B Lars Anderson (named one of the top five power hitters)." :thumbsup:

IMO, Scaff posting here is like the Sox signing Pujols to a 5yr $1 contract . . Welcome Scaff . :thumbsup: . Ass-kissing aside . lol . Who has the bigger upside ? Felix Doubront or Jose Alvarez?

Bard interview . http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/262624.html

Murphy > Kapler . Murphy = 4th OF .

What a week for Sydney teenager Michael Lennox. It started with a phone call to Michael's agent and culminated in the Cronulla baseballer signing a professional baseball contract with the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. In between Michael was named "Most Improved" player at the prestigious Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program and to add to that he turned 17 on Friday the day he became a professional sportsman. 'To sign a professional contract is a dream and to do it on my birthday is the best present I could ever think of' said an overwhelmed Michael. To suggest that it all started last week though is far from the mark. Michael began playing tee-ball for local shire club Illawong when he was 4. He has represented New South Wales since he was 13 and played in the Australian U/13 team which participated in the Cal Ripken World Series in the USA in 2001. Last year an invitation to join the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) baseball program provided Michael with the quality instruction and the additional training he needed to develop his potential. According to Head NSWIS Coach Andre Dejardins, 'Michael is a hard worker who has improved his running and throwing over the past two years. Perhaps the most important improvement however came in power which was a significant factor in this contract'. Michael's potential was recognised early on by his agent Stuart Hanrahan from Rising Stars Sports Management, but it has only been in the last 12 months that he has really attracted the attention of the Major League Baseball scouts here in Australia. His natural ability and extreme work ethic earned him a position at the Gold Coast Academy where he flourished under the tutelage of some of Australia's finest coaches. One of whom happened to be Australian National Men's Team coach and Boston Red Sox Scout Jon Deeble who was impressed with Michael's raw power. "We have been following Michael's progress since the National Championships last year and believe he has a chance to become the premier power hitter that this country has been looking for since David Nilsson left the big leagues". Link: http://www.risingstars.com.au/news2.htm Link: http://www.baseball.org.au/?page=26763 Hitting stats Pitching stats Fielding stats ....... :thumbsup:

.. C- Wagner 1b- M.Jones 2b- Natale SS- Negron 3b- Granadillo* OF- C.Fernandez OF- Ellsbury OF- Place DH- Jimenez SP- Buchholz SP- Bowden SP- Johnson SP-Bard SP-Doubront RP- Cox RP- Masterson RP- E.Martinez RP- K.Jackson RP- Richardson *J.Papelbon

Yep ..

Heard Laporta & Bard are heading back to school, is this true Jsinger?

Wells Hinske(off season?) Tavarez Foulke Loretta Cora ?

Building for the future + Sell outs = Cash cow .