Dojji

.800+ OPS for a catcher is always very, very good, and so is a .300+ AVG. Yeah, AVG doesn't count for much, but if a guy's making good contact, the power will usually come. I don't concern myself with lack of power when we're dealing with small sample sizes since it often stems from lack of opportunity rather than lack of skill. He's getting on base at a tremendous rate and that matters more to me. Besides, we know that Brown can hit for a bit of power since he's had decent SLG the last couple seasons in AA and AAA and the question for him right now is consistency, which a high OBP is the best possible sign to answer.

"Improvement" and "chasing a big name and making sweeping roster moves" is not the same thing. Team won 95. That's the target. You really don't want to frig with anything when you've got a 95-win team unless you see something that obviously needs fixing. 6 different members of the Boston starting lineup and 3 members of the starting rotation underperformed SEVERELY last year, or performed well but had playing time shortened more than usual by injury. We'll see a lot of improvements. Bullpen and lineup look to be better next year than they were this year even with no roster changes. Oother than catcher, it's hard to see a way to improve anywhere but the rotation that you wouldn't get hit with the problems of diminishing returns and worse-case-scenario downside.

I really have a hard time believing that. The Yankees have to turn that money into actual quality players and then turn those players into a team before I'm even worried.

Yyyyeah. If there's one player who you'd think would be totally unavailable, it's Jimmy Rollins the world champ. Philly fans would lynch the GM, and with Philly fans that's not necessarily an idle threat.

Youks > Pena, and it's not close. I mean what'd Youk make, 1 error all year? Not too much else to complain about though. At least they got it right with Pedroia.

Powe is taking over the game. Amazing to have a guy off the bench who can do that stuff.

I'm sure that would destroy my world. If Theo goes over 2/16 I'll be surprised.

Go ahead. No reason not to. Use the relatively short money in this year's deal to negotiate a slight long-term discount.

Oakland has this fellow named Daric Barton. I doubt Beane gives up on him after one year.

Yeah, you're right BSN, lucky we picked up 2 guys who throw 100MPH, right? I'm not worried about a high 80's fastball, that's survivable. What has me nervous with these guys is what the different baseball does to their offspeed stuff. That's really what messed Igawa up. Daisuke went from an ungodly arsenal to basically a 3-4 pitch pitcher (fastball, slider, cutter, change). Oki broke through because he found that one of his pitches worked BETTER with the American baseball. If I saw some evidence that these Japanese star pitchers had practiced with an American baseball I'd relax a lot more about bringing one to the States.

I hear this argument every year in some form, in some sport, and it makes just as little sense each time. How many goals? Probably not nearly as many, if only for the simple reason that the puck wouldn't be routed through him as often. Bergeron, Lucic, Kessel, Sturm, Ryder, Savard himself, and when he gets healthy, Kobasew, would all be in line for as many offensive chances as Boyes. A bad team will go to a guy by default because he's the ONLY guy and then you'll see him score a lot of goals simply because of so many greater chances with the puck. We're not a bad team so Boyes doesn't get to do that here. Also, if Boyes doesn't leave and go to St. Louis he possibly doesn't take that step forward at all. When you get a lot more chances it helps your development, this is true in every sport. Frankly, Phil Kessel's development from a speedy "floater" to an aggressive 3 zone player with quick hands and a scorer's touch makes me not miss too many of the offensive players who are gone. Bout the only guy I'd still like back is Joe Thornton.

I wish Brown were a little younger. If he was 24 or 25 and doing what he did this year in AAA then using him as the heir to 'Tek would probably be a lot more popular a solution. He's looking like one of those guys who does everything pretty well -- but he's 26 in his first year of AAA and 1 bad Spring away from permanent AAAA status (which is a big reason why I *HATE* the term) as a 27 year old catcher in AAA. This guy looks very much like he's broken through but the problem is he doesn't really have any time left to prove it before he's 27 and officially off the radar screen. If he wants to be anything more than an also-ran he needs to make a big league roster this year.

We'd have to either put Masterson back in the rotation or sign a big-name FA if we did that, because otherwise we'd only have 5 useful starters (Beckett, Lester, Dice, Wake, Bowden)

Maybe this is where Mike Lowell will go. Lowell, Buchholz, Bard, Exposito?

Because otherwise Teixeira won't come here unless he's guaranteed a job as the starting first baseman, for all 162 games less injuries and unforseen circumstances, period, end of sentence. You would rather bench Youkilis? So? Even if that's true, this team is committed to Ortiz' spot on the roster and in the lineup. Even if he sucks next year this team will still have no alternative but to go into the season with Ortiz as the starting DH. I don't think I can make myself any clearer here. Once the season is started you can talk about the adjustments made then but that won't include Teixeira. Besides, Teixeira knows his best value has to include his defense. Since he's still fairly young he might have another contract to look forward after this one so I suspect he and Boras will be putting him in a position to show his ability as much as possible. Which means Teixeira as the starting 1B for someone and no alternative schemes need apply. Except that you're using a premiere big name free agent bat for a flexibility signing. That's more of a job for Casey Blake or Eric Hinske. It's not unlike signing Sabathia to be your long man. Sure, he'd do the job and do one hell of a job at it -- if you could convince him that he should stoop to that. And once again, you're overlooking the need to sell this situation to Teixeira, which I do not believe would be an easy sell. And Teixeira's ego is going to allow him to enter into an uncertain playing time situation when he could play every day for 4-5 other teams? These are baseball players, and there's things more important to them than money. Their role and being given a chance to play are the two most classical examples and without trading Lowell, you can't offer Teixeira either.

Cobwebs are starting to form on Manny Fernandez. So much for platoons. Course, I love TT so I don't have a big problem with this.

Someone who's already in their rotation will go to the bullpen when Price enters the rotation next year. I suspect that closing will be that pitcher's responsibility (likely Edwin Jackson)

Don't the Yankees already have enough of this kind of pitcher?

The other reason not to chase Teixeira is the worst case scenario. Usually with a free agent the WCS is pretty much wherever you started before you pursue the free agent but in this case, Mark Teixeira is not going to come to the team if it already has 2 competent and relatively popular corner infielders. You would almost have to trade Lowell before signing Teixeira is a realistic possibility. After all, I doubt he'll take "oh we're going to trade him before Spring" seriously and no one of Teixeira's caliber wants to volunteer to find themselves in a roster scrum. Not when 4-5 other teams can guarantee him a full-time starting 1Bman gig for the next 6-7 years!. So here, the worst case is that Boras leads you on, you deal Lowell, and Teixeira signs somewhere else. Then what? You're actually weaker for chasing the big name at the expense of sense, that's what.

Oh, the usual things -- money, picks, salary ceiling, bad economy, etc.

I really doubt we can.

The fact that this can't be the primary concern does not stop it from being a concern. If only from the opportunity cost of signing Teixeira vs. being able to blow the bank on Sabathia. You can't have too much pitching. You can have too many corner infielders. If you had the choice between Youk at 3B, Teixeira at 1B and Wakefield in the rotation, or Lowell at 3B, Youk at 1B, and Sabathia in the rotation, which do you think you'd go for? I'd say it's obvious that you should go for Sabathia, not because either option is bad, but because Youk, Lowell and Sabathia is more likely to be a truly great combination than Youk, Teixeira, and Wakefield. And then if you're worried about 3B at the start of the year, you have Lowrie, Lugo, Youk, Bailey, and Carter on hand to mix and match until Mikey's ready, or you can sign Casey Blake to fill the role you were looking to crowd Mikey into.

Anyone else still remember the Helton trade? We've been trading Mike Lowell for awhile now.