jacksonianmarch

he wont be the same Gagne. Rumor has it that his FB is topping out in the low 90s now instead of 98-100 like it was in the past. He might be the best set-up option left around, but throwing him into the closers role is akin to the yankees waiting on Dotel last season.

that would be very very funny. Ensberg hit .235 last yr in Minute Maid launching pad.

He also only walked 7 times in 95 plate appearances. To assume that he will have a .365OBP in his first full yr in the majors is a huge over assumption.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2006/12/talks_heat_up_o.html interesting to say the least.

look at his last 2 yrs with the Mets is what I am saying.

I'm not a sox fan, but man would I love that. I hate Longshanks. He has run more stars out of town yet claims he is doing his civic duty. Here is to hoping Manny would make him suffer before delivering the final blow.

but they do if they are locked into 2 more yrs at 5 mil per for a switch hitting Roger Cedeno.

okay then. What is his "spectacular" quality.

right now is about as high as his value will go. His contract is now considered a bargain and he still has a reasonable amount of years left as a top line commodity (you should hope). But this isnt like he is 25 anymore. Each yr that passes is a millisecond that falls off his bat speed, is a 5-10% increase in chance of injury, and is a 100% increase in media ******** thrown his way. For those reasons, this is the yr to do it if it is going to get done. I can see it now, Manny gets kept and the media follows him around like a dog. "Manny's bowel movements were a little loose today. That bastard must have been doggin it, what a f***er. Consider him s***ing on all your collective heads!".

I dont know. But if holding onto Crisp solely for the potential to trade him next yr is the motivation for waiting for a move, then they could be backing themselves into a corner.

puzzling that they are looking for young talent, they get offered a young power arm who could close and a young powerful 3b and they turn it down, instead choosing to focus on the 31? yr old Shields who has thrown near 100 innings for the past 3 or 4 yrs.

he has a vagina and a bad attitude?

riverside, you are running a double edged sword here. Right now, the sox can maintain that Crisp was injured and that was the reason why he struggled. He still has value. If he comes out next yr and sucks eggs, then the sox wont find any suitors.

each yr that passes is more value that ticks off Manny. 35 is still 2 or 3 good yrs of production. 36, you are down to 1 or 2.

Lugo's OPS vs lefties was WORSE than Cora's at .718 (60 points below how he hit vs righties). It doesnt help much aside from adding speed.

You can see if a kid is special early on, as far as having a special skill that someone else doesnt possess. There are plenty of good players out there that dont do anthing spectacular, but do multiple things well. You see a guy like Milledge come up in NY, and he has a rocket for an arm, runs like a gazelle and is strong like an ox. That kid is special. Pedroia has a bat with little pop, a noodle arm, and no range. But if he can field the balls hit to him well and square the ball up at the plate while showing decent patience, then he can be a solid 2b. There is just nothing about his game that makes you say wow over.

Mr. C. If you move Manny you essentially rip apart the only thing the sox have that has consistently creamed lefties in that lineup. The ball he hit last yr over the monster has been sighted orbiting Jupiter, yet its fire trail makes it a little hard to see clearly. He is a right handed monster, the perfect compliment for Ortiz. If you remove Manny and place Drew in his place, then any lefty worth their salt will decimate the sox middle of the order. Just to give you an idea, Manny was 4-5 2HR a double, 3BB and 6RBI last season vs RJ. If the sox move Manny and fill LF with WMP and RF with Drew yet keep Cora at SS, then here are your OPS vs lefties in the lineup. 1. Crisp CF .736 2. Youkilis 1B .791 3. Ortiz DH .988 4. WMP LF .660 5. Drew RF .716 6. Lowell 3B .695 7. Varitek C .688 8. Cora SS .776 9. Pedroia 2B .505 Ortiz is the only guy with great production vs lefties and that still is 50 point below where he was on the season. Other than that, nobody is over .800. Now you are trying to tell me that a rotation with 3 lefties in it wont benefit the yankees coming into BOS? Manny was the lone force vs lefties last yr with an OPS approaching 1.1. He destroyed RJ as well.

that is why I was shocked when they turned down LaRoche and Broxton. Broxton would step in as closer and LaRoche is ready now to play 3b as a right handed power bat with 19HRs and a .900+OPS last season in AAA. That's better than anything they will get elsewhere.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2006/12/tito_on_manny_d.html francona doubts a trade will take place. The media will keep spinning.

If the angels get LaRoche then they are out of the Manny sweeps.

and it looks like he will be asking for a 1 yr deal with a player option. What luck, the yankees have 3 AAA prospects who will likely be ready in 1 to 2 yrs and they will have 3 rotation spots opening over the next 2 yrs. I think he has a lot left. Clemens workouts and work ethic, plus big body equals less chance of breakdown. And with the sox on the verge of ridding themselves of their only right handed power threat, the lefty seems poised to have success against the sox.

care to elaborate or are you just upset?

I think he needs a full yr in AAA. Remember, remission does not mean no more chemo. I am not sure of his course, but remission is something that is usually shot past in term of therapy. Expect him to be weaker and leaner than ever before coming into ST and he will need a bit to strengthen up. He should be sent to AAA for the full season with the potential for a late season call up. Get him out of the spotlight, let him get back to full strength and then consider bringing him up.