mvp 78

I don't think Hill will be back next year.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/clubhouse_insider/2016/08/mike_hazen_red_sox_in_wait_and_see_mode_on_jonathan "Red Sox general manager Mike Hazen said he spoke to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski Wednesday morning and there was no update on Jonathan Papelbon, who remains a free agent. "There’s no update as of right now," Hazen said midday in a radio interview on WEEI with Lou Merloni and Mike Mutnansky. "We’re just kind of in a wait-and-see (mode)." "This is a time of year where a manager has to ride guys in certain cases... you can just never have enough quality good bullpen guys." Hazen spoke of the dearth of options for improving a team once August arrives and trades can be made only if a player passes through waivers. As far as Pap's personality, Hazen noted, "When the game starts to ratchet up in intensity, you know I agree, sometimes a little crazy goes a long way." Hazen said the team has not held September call-up talks yet, but the early returns from Yoan Moncada at third base have been positive — when he's playing. Moncada has been out of the Double-A Portland lineup lately because of a left ankle sprain. "A little residual ankle soreness," Hazen said. "So far, so good (at third). I think he’s handed himself well. ... I do think it’s going to help him move faster." Verstaility and position switches have helped other Sox players move quickly in the past, Hazen emphasized."

I would have tried to trade Pedey for a #2 starter. My reasoning was: 1. The rotation was the greatest need. 2. The Sox had a lot of IF depth (especially when including Holt in the mix). 3. Pedroia tends to get injured every year and provides diminishing results. Pedroia has pleasantly surprised me this year because he is now not trying to hit a HR every time and is using all fields, his defense has rebounded from last year's nightmare of a season and he has yet to get injured so far. If he could stay healthy, I wouldn't move him at this point. I just think he's a ticking time bomb with the way he plays.

If you read enough of SNC, you'll see the whining too. I know he's not the main Price basher.

What does Tomase think about it? Back in 2013, he didn't want Papelbon back. If it's the same now, I'm back in. I go the opposite of whatever the prevailing opinion is by Tomase + Buckley + Cafardo.

What do the Nationals think? “He was a great teammate,” Baker told reporters. “He was popular with his teammates. We wish Pap the best and he wished us the best. He wanted us to win (the World Series). Those were his parting words.” Max Scherzer spoke for his teammates about the level of respect for Papelbon in their clubhouse. “He’s not a distraction whatsoever,” Scherzer said. “He comes in to play every single day, he works his absolute tail off and he competes on the mound for us. All that stuff, last year … just media circus. We were 100 percent behind him. We understood all his intentions. He was great for our team. He was great for everybody in this clubhouse. To sit here and say he’s a bad teammate or anything like that, it’s garbage to me.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/steve_buckley/2016/08/buckley_bad_idea_for_red_sox_to_bring_back_jonathan_papelbon Buckley says it's a bad idea. NOW I'M ONLY HALFWAY OUT AGAIN!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/08/16/nick-cafardo-there-downside-adding-jonathan-papelbon/IpnAEJ3LIhGPY5oShductK/story.html Cafardo says there is no downside to Papelbon. I'M OUT!!!

If they sign him, I'll hold my nose the way the Yanks did with ARod and Chapman. But the FO knows far more than me so whatever they decide is best for business. Anyway, I thought Papelbon was going to announce his signing Wednesday AM? Well, we're waiting...

Beckett pitched well for the Dodgers down the stretch in 2012. He was fine for them while he was healthy.

No no no... He was including himself in the "thinks they are smarter than the FO" considering his constant whining about Price.

If he goes to the Cubs, my hatred for them will be complete...

People thought it was a great deal at the time because Webster and DeLaRosa were included in it. Five years later, DeLaRosa is a bottom of the rotation guy and Webster is currently pitching in Korea.

Chris Young - Good Deal Carson Smith - Good Deal Sandy Leon Re-signed - Good Deal Exercised Clay's Option - No Brainer Traded Garin Checchini for cash - Good Deal You can question Price over and over, that's fine. Kimbrel has been good when healthy. Pomeranz pitched fine last time out. I think the catching staff needs to learn how he should pitch.

I thought this was a current Red Sox vs former Red Sox tracker? If it's strictly a Yankees tracker, it should go in the Yankees forum.

Wouldn't the Carl Crawford tracker be Red Sox LF vs Carl Crawford?

2012 wasn't a "great deal." They basically gutted the team and handed over some top stars to help an NL team win 3 pennants in a row.

Farrell and Co needs to get these guys to bounce back. You're bound to give up runs to the best hitters in the game sooner than later.

It seems like it. I would recommend that you don't read the gamethreads. They are the Mos Eisley Cantina of Talksox.

The silly part to me is the endless patting themselves on the back. I guess that's how things were at BDC? If we're keeping score, my offseason was pretty spot on in regards to needing a #2, thinking Hanley would be fine at 1b and not the disaster everyone thought he would be, wanting Pablo gone so that Shaw could play 3b, not wanting to get Buchholz's no brainer option, wanting an ERod replacement the second he went down, wanting Taz and Uehara's innings managed, etc... Would people want me to talk about this ad nauseam? I guess all they have is "welp, we thought Benintendi and Moncada were "really great" but you only said they were just "great." s***, you got me man... I'm ruined.

I've never stated as such.

Here's what I said about Moncada over a month ago.

This is what I said back in mid June:

When teammates have to start commenting for you to the media on why you are grabbing your crotch and fighting teammates, it becomes a clubhouse issue.

Would he make this team better though? I'd rather have Hembree out there than Papelbon.