jacksonianmarch

This is a great move right now VA. I am just surprised he dealt him for so little right now. Beane is a smart dude, maybe he knows something we don't is all I am saying. If Beane thought he'd be totally healthy, he'd have held him until the ASB, proven he could handle the season and he would have gotten twice as much in terms of prospect load

He was concerned about Harden, but not concerned about Bedard. Bit him in the ass in the end

No, but I'm greedy!

Take a look at the haul the a's got for Gio and Cahill and tell me honestly if the sox have that kind of headliner talent with proximity in their system. Garza is better than Gio and Cahill, and Theo knows it

good. Now, get a frickin #2 starter, damnit!

Not right now. Lincecum would command a Felix level deal, and right now, the sox lack the high end, short proximity players they would command. And, I doubt they even consider it, they're 1 yr removed from winning it all and are returning a solid team for 2012 in a weak division

There is no way they deal Ethier before the break. He is coming off an injury plagued yr that saw his power drop. They're going to want to show that he is healthy before dealing him. He's a good hitter, although his defense is outright butchery

With Kalish out until midseason with labrum surgery on his throwing shoulder, I have a feeling the sox arent done. Sweeney is a gap guy, someone who you dont want to lean on for a full season, but a good 4th OFer type who can plug a gap. Thing is, Kalish wont be able to play RF for awhile and at that point, he'll still effectively be a rookie who has had marginal time at AAA and is coming off 1.5 yrs of injury. And with a labrum injury, how effective will his throwing arm be? Is he a guy you expect can man one of the toughest RFs in the game with a bum shoulder? I think the sox have a plan and are going to execute it prior to ST. They have to have someone else in mind.

Garza is a guy I see being dangled in the offseason, but ultimately dealt at midseason.

Well, it's difficult to say he left you with nothing. You do have Lavarnway and Kalish, who are likely to spend significant time with the sox in 2012. But the pitching aspect is dire, but he did go very young for 3 straight years, and that means that it takes much longer for your guys to get there. But typically the fruits of your labor are sweeter.

They have been looking into improving their pen, and if Walden was the setup guy with Madson the closer, they'd be all set

Head has big power but K's a ton. He showed he could hit in the SAL, but struggled in the FSL. He really parlayed one good half season into being the headline prospect in a deal for an all-star closer. Really interesting how that turned out. Alcantara is a young kid with a good arm but incredibly raw. Neither of them are likely to make it to the bigs let alone outshine Bailey.

Sweeney to me is more about defense than anything. Reddick's D cost them a few games an in Fenway, having a great fielding RFer is sometimes more important than a big slugger. Sweeney does two things well. He has a good eye and he can field. He doesnt hit for great average, doesnt steal bases and has no power. But in this lineup, having a guy who can play solid D at all 3 spots and play the hell out of RF is important. He'll be battling Salty for the 9 hole, but he does give you insurance should Kalish not be ready. My guess is that Kalish is in RF after the ASB

I dont see Madson on the Cards. Motte was the balls in the playoffs and their pen looked really good in October overall. Madson might end up on a 1 yr deal in Anaheim and try the market again in 2013

If Garza is actually available, then I find it increasingly difficult for the sox to outbid the Yanks. Garza is exactly what the Yankees are looking for and they have the young pitching chips to make the move.

Josh Reddick is going to die in Oakland. You gotta feel bad for the kid, going from a playoff contender in a great hitters park to the place where sluggers die on a rebuilding team. But he'll get a shot. In terms of this deal, all I can think of is...wtf is Beane smoking? Bailey is a solid pen arm who has been good to great for 3 years. Two things jump out to me. First, obviously, is health. After throwing 83.1IP in his rookie campaign, he hasnt been able to break 50IP and he's had elbow troubles for two seasons. Second, his WHIP has risen in consecutive seasons. So, either Beane knows something we don't, or he dealt away Bailey before proving he's completely healthy. This just doesnt make any sense. The haul Beane got should help them stay mediocre, as I didnt think anything of Reddick and Head and Alcantara are far enough away to not really be relevant. But if he had just shown that through mid-season he was healthy for the load of a year, then he could have gotten much, much more. Regardless, if this kid stays healthy, you've got a top notch closer. Elbows are tricky, though, and maybe Beane didnt want to hold onto him and pay him while rehabbing from TJS and decided to dump him for 50 cents on the dollar

He's not guaranteed a thing in NY, and I don't see how he would fit.

Warm body, sign here

Bogaerts needs to continue developing and stay healthy and he'll still be 3 yrs off. Youk can be a FA after this yr, although I think the option gets picked up. Middlebrooks is the guy who is most likely to get that spot if Youks is dealt or leaves

Phelps is a lot better than you give him credit for. He's got good stuff and has effectively dominated every level he's been at

They will both be in AAA this yr. Betances already made his debut in September last yr. Both could be playing in the bigs this season, depending on their performance or injuries