jacksonianmarch

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ne8Q7TeybUc/Si2IuAsNHrI/AAAAAAAADHo/6l7gpRwXgdo/s400/male_cheerleader.JPG Dojji

I am going to put myself into Theo's shoes for a second... Catcher So, what are you gonna do at the catcher position. You have Salty, and you have a player in VMart who wants to come back pretty heavily. But it is pretty obvious that VMart's days of catching are coming to a close. Which is why I wouldnt consider VMart a C at all. But Salty is far from a guy who you hand the position to outright, since Salty might end up going the way of VMart and moving off the position due to his defensive deficiencies. So I would follow the big rumors that have flowed through this site recently and I would go out and get Chris Iannetta. He is going to cost a pretty penny. But he's a local kid with power in his bat, a good plate approach and a much better catcher than either VMart or Salty. He would probably cost you Doubront + a few other close to MLB ready guys, but he would be worth it in Fenway especially. First base- So, you have Youkilis and Beltre at the corner IF positions this season. Well, Beltre is a guy I wouldnt touch with a 10 foot pole on a long term deal and my guess is that he rides his way out of time with Boras pulling at the reigns. And the 3B market is ABSYMAL after this season aside from Beltre. So, the most logical thing to do is move Youk back to 3b. Then, you have a lot to choose from on the 1b side. Here are the list of guys who could actually make sense at the 1b position VMart, Dunn, Konerko, Lee, Pena Those are 5 guys with solid above average to elite bats. But you also dont want to run into a player who is going to have to be moved off the position into a DH role if you give them a long term deal. And with Fenway being a righty hitters dream, it might make more sense to go out and get a righty. Also, with AdGon probably not being available until the deadline in 2011 at the earliest, the sox are probably not going to want a 1b that is locked in long term. So, how about a 1 yr deal for a guy like Derrek Lee? He's having a massively bad yr, but was playing on a team that sucked monkey ass this yr in Chicago. If he shows any signs of life in Atlanta, how about putting him at 1b and seeing if he can find his stuff from 2009, where he batted .306 and hit 35 homers. He's very good defensively and should be completely healthy. And if he bombs out, it's a short term deal and allows you to chase Adrian Gonzalez unimpeded. Left Field I think the sox are going to make a major move in the OF, since Cameron and Ellsbury obviously havent worked out this season. I do expect the sox to move Ellsbury back to CF and use Cameron in a 4th OFer/intermittent DH role. But the sox need some more thunder out of their LF position, especially with Drew showing some signs of regression. You could go out and get Brad Hawpe and hope that this yr is a fluke? Hell, I'd love for him to be on the Yankees. But I think the sox are gonna have money to burn and going that route isnt as guaranteed as it would be if you went out and signed Jayson Werth. Give him a 4 yr deal a la Jason Bay and watch him club homers onto Landsdowne street on a nightly basis. He would be a beast in Fenway. This then allows redundancy in CF with Cameron and allows the sox to use Cameron/Lowrie/Salty/Iannetta/etc at DH if needed.... Designated Hitter I am unsure of what to do about Ortiz. The 1 yr deal is absolutely enticing, and there is no buyout, so it is truly a $12.5 million option. But what would his worth be? Maybe $8 million? So, is it worth risking $4.5 million by just picking it up, or do you risk losing him over that same $4.5 million if another team came swooping in and signed him to a 2 yr deal? One thing I would absolutely not do is sign him to anything more than a 1 yr guaranteed deal. I'd add club options on, but no player or vesting options. He's a ticking time bomb and flexibility is important. I think I would just take the option, pay him the $12.5 million and at least fill the hole for 1 more yr until guys like Salty and Iannetta settle in or until the sox see what their 1b situation looks like. So, the lineup that I put together goes something like this C- Iannetta/Saltalamacchia 1B- Lee 2B- Pedroia SS- Scutaro/Lowrie 3B- Youkilis LF- Werth CF- Ellsbury/Cameron RF- Drew DH- Ortiz That might do the trick while also keeping two major offensive positions (1b/DH) very flexibile

So, let's say the sox finish 5 games out of a playff spot and dont make it. This is the roster you are left with under your control not counting the minor leaguers who did not make the bigs for an extended period of time this yr C- Salty C- Brown 1B- Youkilis 2B- Pedroia SS- Scutaro 3B- Lowrie LF- Ellsbury CF- Cameron RF- Drew DH- Nava OF- Kalish OF- Reddick 1- Lester 2- Buchholz 3- Beckett 4- Lackey 5- DiceK 6- Okajima- if offered arb 7- Delcarmen- if offered arb 8- Bard 9- Papelbon 10- Atchison 11- Wakefield 12- Richardson Obviously, that isnt the team that will be fielded, but those are the guys under contract for 2011. Here is a non-updated list of 2011 FA's http://www.suite101.com/content/2011-mlb-free-agents-a154274

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/08/19/full-scouting-report-manny-banuelos/ Really good SR on Banuelos from Frankie Piliere. The little lefty is starting to turn into ace potential right in front of our eyes. 93-95mph touching 97, a 6/8 grade curveball and a downright filthy change all with solid mechanics and plus location. Kid continues to improve and sounds like an ace

Sorry SCM, you too

sox about to fall 7 games back in the L column

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=5477839

Wakey in the pen.

Josh Beckett and Manny Delcarmen are the failed experiments of the 2010 sox. The likelihood is, Delcarmen is off the roster come April and probably getting a shot at a setup gig elsewhere. I dont think he is this bad, I just think he needs to get out of pennant baseball for a little while. Washington wouldnt be a bad landing place for him

well, he came in as a massively overrated player then saw an overcorrection. I am expecting a mild C phase to a better representation of actual value (like the stock talk here).

DiceK has been your third best starter this yr. Beckett and Lackey have easily been more disappointing

Hughes has the out pitch, he just hasnt mastered it yet. His curve is filthy when he locates it, the problem this yr has been inconsistent command. His change has shown flashes as well, although he doesnt use it enough. I think with a full yr under his belt, I expect him to tighten up his location of his curve and be a bit more comfortable with the change

He shouldnt be unless he cannot go tomorrow.

tough to say, it is soreness in his previously fractured foot

Pedroia out with pain in his previously injured foot. My guess is that if he cannot play tomorrow, then he's set for another MRI and DL stint

They spent 5 mil on Taillon, 2.5 mil on Allie and 2.6 mil on this guy. They are really opening the wallet.

Heredia signed with Pittsburgh today for $2.6 million. Kid sounds like the goods. We'll be seeing him before long

and unless he has an abscess that fluid was collected from, they cannot be sure it isnt MRSA. They probably checked for colonization with nasal swabs, but cellulitis can be present due to MRSA with the swabs being negative. That being said, most cellulitides are strep and are easily treated with oral antibiotics. The IV was overkill unless he had already failed an outpatient regimen

I agree, over the objection of some one here. The thing most people arent realizing is that this is Hughes' first full yr as a starter in the bigs, even though he's had those prior runs as a part time starter and reliever. He's had to expand his arsenal again after shortening it for a season last yr. He came out lights out, then the league adjusted. The biggest step a rookie can make is the second adjustment and he's starting to show signs of that. He's becoming less reliant on the cutter, he's throwing more 4 seamers on the edge of the zone and he's starting to locate his breaking pitches. Perhaps the best start I saw from him came in the Boston game. His curve sucked and his FB was right around 90-91, but he made it work by hitting his spots and really changing speeds. He even mixed in a bunch of changeups and held a pretty tough offense to 2 runs through 6 innings with no stuff at all. That tells me that this kid is ready to take the next step. I dont expect that this season as fatigue is going to set in for a starter who hasnt started this late into the season. But he's gonna make for one hell of a starter and next season, he should be a top 10 starter in the AL.

Exactly the reason why headlining a winning team is gonna be so crucial

And the Yankees win, and another day is ticked off the calendar. BTW, for all the Hughes naysayers, he's really been money this yr and very good of late. He's thrown 3 straight QS's and his August ERA is 3.12. His overall season line has been money as well. 15-5 3.90ERA 116K in 134.2IP and a 1.21WHIP. Very, very solid