redsoxfan3

#20, #25, and #47. That's not too bad.

Ranked #20 and #47 according to Sox Prospects. Not too bad, so far.

Per Tim Brown on Twitter, "Starting to appear Red Sox will get Addison Reed. Three prospects in return. Medicals, details await." Definitely a good pickup, but hopefully we don't overpay.

It is almost that time of year. I moved away from Fort Myers a little over a year ago. I was fortunate enough to work at JetBlue Park for two years, and it really makes me miss Spring Training by not living in the Fort anymore. I will definitely be making a few trips there this year. Here's to a good season! We have a lot of question marks, but the potential is undeniable for 2016. We could be the best team in the AL if all of our cards fall into place. If Pedey stays healthy, Papi leaves on a high note, the rotation fulfills its potential, and most importantly, HanRam and Panda can perform a lot better, then we will be tough to beat. Like I said, that's a lot of what ifs, but let's hope for the best!

Do you guys think that the roster, as is, will compete for the top spot in the AL East? I obviously think that with the additions of Price, Kimbrel, Smith, and Young, that we are obviously a better team than last year. However, the question marks after Price in the rotation are concerning. I think signing a guy like Kazmir could really help solidify our rotation. Kelly would be able to move to the pen, where I think he would be able to excel. Also, I read some of the previous posts about Pedroia. I am probably one of the biggest Pedroia advocates amongst most of the Red Sox fans that I have talked to. He is injury prone and he saw a decline in range defensively. I think that a plan to give him days off will be a big part of him staying healthy. I also know that criticism from the media and fans from people that doubt him will only facilitate his desire to prove everyone wrong. He is a guy that should be able to play 130-140 games if healthy (hopefully giving him about 20-30 days off throughout the year). If we can get him to hit .300 with around 15 homers, and above average defense, then there is not another guy that I would want starting over him. Of course, that depends on his health. I just don't think you trade him away. He is a clubhouse leader and the heart and soul of this team, along with Big Papi. Here's to a great season ahead of us. On paper, this team will be competitive. But we heard that before the start of last season. Let's hope that this team can live up to their expectations. Happy holidays to everyone and happy new year!

I am generally pretty optimistic for this team, but it just seems like there are never ending problems. The problem in April was pitching. The problem this month is the offense. We hired a new PC and the pitching has been solid as of late. The first thing that needs to be done is to call up Castillo. Nava needs to go. I would rather experience growing pains with Castillo in the majors than have to witness Nava continuously suck defensively and strike out. Trade him for a sack of s*** to some team in Japan. I don't care, just get him off of this team. Big Papi will not be the same .300 hitter, 30 homers, and 100 RBI's. However, I fully expect him to hit .250 with 20+ homers and 75+ RBI's. Napoli needs to get back to the basics. I agree with Panda only batting LH. Holt needs to split time with Napoli at 1B once Panda is back. I fully expect Hanley to get back to his offensive production before he got injured. Pedroia will be fine. The lineup needs to be: Betts Pedroia Ortiz Ramirez Sandoval Bogaerts Napoli/Holt Swihart/Leon Castillo/Victorino Depending on how Castillo performs and Betts performance, a swap in the batting order may be useful. Please just get Nava off of this team. The team is in a slump offensively, but I think a spark from Castillo will add value. As much potential as this team has I strongly believe the offense will come around. I don't see it happening when we waste 3-4 at bats with Nava in the lineup. Farrell needs to shake things up.

Wow, this thread is a joke. Why waste your time posting this? If you want to be on the Cubs bandwagon, then go on your way. There is no need to make a new thread for it. Baseball is a game. You have true fans and then you have yourself. I am not the happiest with front office right now either, but I am not going to become a girl on her period and start making impulsive decisions. I understand the frustration with the FO, but I know that you have no loyalty to the Red Sox. You are the reason why some baseball fans are a joke. I appreciate the true fans of the game of baseball.

I could see that and maybe I am just overreacting and overthinking us not signing Lester. I would hope that we would still have enough payroll flexibility to sign at the bare minimum two SP's, but hopefully three. At one point, I have read reports on us potentially signing Lester and trading for Hamels. That was after the Ramirez and Sandoval signings. I am sure everything has to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

That is understandable. I see what you are saying. I haven't heard or read any articles from any scouts, doctors, etc. within the industry that have said that he is probably over the injury. I am sure they are out there, but I haven't done any research on it. I will take your word for it. If that is the case, I would not mind a healthy Masterson next year if he is filling in the #3 slot in the rotation.

I completely understand we are willing to go over the luxury tax. You said it yourself, only Henry knows how much his budget is for the team. The only fact that I have is that the Red Sox were all in on Lester and fell short of 3 million per year in the Lester sweepstakes. That does not look good. There are not many left handed pitchers available, let alone an ace that we are familiar with. I have no idea how much money we have left to spend. All I know is that we didn't want to bring back Lester and it does not look to promising with our payroll at this point based off of the limited sample size that we have to work with. Let me just go on record hear by stating that I am completely fine with only spending money to sign FA SP's. My proposal was just an idea of what the team could do. In my mind, we have the flexibility to trade a couple of young SP's and we have a surplus of OF's. I know that a trade is going to happen one way or another, which is why I was coming up with trade proposals. We can sign three SP's via free agency or we can trade for three SP's. I don't give a s*** how it gets done. I just think that we all know that the big priority is SP'ing.

So, according to your logic, I cannot look at something that happened last year? You can compare one year production in this scenario. Porcello had a solid year last year and Masterson's injury prone season was horrible. I took a look at their career numbers. This debate is just all subjective. I can argue my opinion and you can argue your opinion. The biggest concern that I have with Masterson is what makes you think he will be completely healthy in 2015? There is no guarantee, so you have a risk there. Is there a chance that Porcello's ERA regresses toward his career ERA? Based off of his peripherals like you stated, there is obviously that chance. In my mind, Porcello is healthy and is coming off of a career year. As of right now, that is more intriguing to me than facing the uncertainty with Masterson's health.

No kidding there are plenty of options that only cost money. We clearly lost Lester last night because ownership apparently didn't want to offer Lester $25M a year. With your theory saying we have plenty of money, that is incorrect. We do have flexibility with payroll, but it is not limitless. Trading away only two of eight minor league starting pitchers will not impact our minor league depth. Think about it logically. Trading away two minor league starting pitchers for two major league starting pitchers will not impact our depth, it will only improve our rotation. We are trading away two SP's for two in return. Once again, your logic is flawed.

Porcello's 3.43 ERA last year and Masterson's 5.88 ERA last year are reasons enough for me to choose Porcello. Not to mention Porcello's 1.231 WHIP and Masterson's 1.632 WHIP last year proves Porcello is the better option.

Sell the future? lol my proposal is not selling the future. We have eight pitchers who could all start in the rotation in AAA or go to the pen. Let me know how trading two of those away is selling the future. Marrero is blocked by Bogaerts (assuming he can improve his offense like he showed in the last couple months of the season). Cecchini is blocked by Panda and is already in AAA. There is really no room for either of them in the near future. Margot and Devers are nowhere close to the majors. We would get four years of Hamels. We would only get one for Porcello, but we only have one year of Cespedes. That seems pretty fair. I specifically said we will keep Owens, Betts, and Swihart. Also, we would keep Johnson and Rodriguez. The last time I checked, we can only start 5 pitchers and we potentially have 8 in AAA. Trading two away, having 5 in AAA, and moving one to the pen in no way jeapordizes our future. So I guess selling the future means only trading two from a surplus of pitching depth in the minors and trading two guys that are blocked for at least the next six years. I am glad you are not the GM, otherwise we would be as good as the Astros or Cubs for years to come. We need a healthy balance of prospects and veterans.

I can't disagree with that. Having a salary of $25M for Lester each year and adding Hamels' salary on top of that would be something that is likely improbable.

Obviously, signing Lester is crucial to building our rotation. Right now, Buchholz and Kelly are no better than #4 and #5 starters in our rotation in my mind. I am not big on us signing Justin Masterson. I believe that would just add another #4 starter to our rotation. I don't want a rotation of Lester, Masterson, Buchholz, Kelly, and one of Ranaudo, De La Rosa, Webster, Barnes, etc. I believe we need to sign Lester and Ross, then call it quits with signing FA's. We have too many OF's and too many AAAA pitches who have not lived up to their potential. I know that I might get a lot of people that might disagree with what I am about to propose. Sign Lester and trade for Hamels. If we sign Lester, we have our ace. If we trade for Hamels, we have a great #2 pitcher. Gordon Edes said that it will take three top prospects to trade for Hamels. Offer Barnes, Cecchini, and Marrero (or something similar) for Hamels. Obviosly, guys like Ranaudo or De La Rosa could be substituted for Barnes. Rafael Devers, Manuel Margot, or even Jackie Bradley could be substituted for Cecchini or Marrero. Cecchini and Barnes would offer the Phillies two prospects almost ready for the majors. Just choose three of the prospects previously mentioned to land Hamels if that is what it takes. The three untouchables are Betts, Owens, and Swihart in my opinion. The next trade should be Yoenis Cespedes and one of Webster, Workman, Ranaudo, or De La Rosa for Rick Porcello. I don't think Porcello for Cespedes will happen straight up. We could request a mid-level prospect back in return to make the deal fair. The Tigers will need a SP in return. We have Webster, Barnes, Ranaudo, and De La Rosa who could be potentially be fighting for the 5th rotation spot if we don't trade for or sign three SP's. We also have a surplus of OF's and AAAA SP depth, so losing Cespedes is bound to happen and losing two of Webster, Workman, Ranaudo, De La Rosa, and Barnes will not hurt us, especially with Rodriguez, Owens, and Johnson still waiting in the wings. Our rotation would be Lester, Hamels, Porcello, Buchholz, and Kelly. That is a hell of a lot better then it currently is. There would be no real need to try to extend Porcello during the season. We would have a AAA rotation possibly of Owens, Rodriguez, Johnson, and two of De La Rosa, Barnes, Webster, or Ranaudo (depending on who is actually traded for Porcello and Hamels). There is also the option that Workman, De La Rosa, and/or Webster could pitch out of the oen. I would say that our AAA rotation would be great. That would allow us to have enough time to see if one of the five separate themselves to be able to compete for the 5th spot in the roation for 2016. Also, we would be able to assess if Buchholz will get his s*** together. If not, we have some depth in the minors. Also, this does not make extending Porcello a priority. We would be able to have Lester, Hamels, Buchholz, Kelly and one of the five AAA pitchers competing for a rotation spot in 2016. The trades will also clear up some room in the OF by trading Cespedes. We would need to trade Craig as well. We would have an OF of Ramirez, Castillo, and Betts starting, with Victorino, Nava, and Holt on the bench. We could send Middlebrooks and Bradley back to AAA to hope that they can rebuild some trade value if they are not traded this offseason. Victorino will not be happy being the 4th OF'er, so I could see a mid-season trade in the works. That would leave Holt as the super-utility and Nava as our 4th OF'er. Our lineup would look like this: Castillo - CF Pedroia -2B Ortiz - DH Ramirez - LF Sandoval - 3B Napoli - 1B Bogaerts - SS Vazquez - C Betts - RF Rotation: Lester Hamels Porcello Buchholz Kelly Bench: Holt - Utility Nava - OF Ross - C Victorino - OF I don't know how realistic it is to sign Lester, trade for Hamels, and trade for Porcello, but I think this team could be positioned to really make a run for the WS in 2015.

That is correct. How do his numbers not "fly" at 1B? His .OPS at .739 would've been 15th in all of baseball and ahead of Teixeira since you only seem to care about .OPS. You are looking at one baseball statistic as your valuation of his numbers declining offensively. His oWAR was better in 2014 than in 2012. He had a better batting average in 2014 than he did in 2013. He had more home runs in 2014 than he did in 2012 and 2013. .OPS is not all inclusive in determining if his offensive production is deteriorating. If your reading comprehension was as strong as your Yankees bias, you would have realized that I clearly said that I believe Sandoval would be moved to 1B or DH if his defensive production declines. I never once said that the Red Sox were going to sign him because his defense is "amazing." I am looking to pay a guy $100 million who is well established as one of the better hitters in the postseason, has decent defense, and has an above average bat. Not because he is a superstar talent, but because the Red Sox need at LHH 3B, who is an above average player and will be able to add power to the lineup offensively. I never once said that he will not be overpaid, because he will be. In the market today, you have to outbid the other heavy hitters. You should know that, your Yankees try to do that every year and still suck. The Red Sox are potentially two front-end starters and a 3B away from another deep run in the playoffs. The front office knows the importance of fielding a competitive team. You might have to overpay for FA's, but that will mean we can keep our prospects. I know, it is hard for a Yankees fan to realize the significance of prospects.

Everyone keeps factoring in his weight, which I do agree might factor into his health and/or production within the next six years. The main reason the Red Sox are signing this guy is to play 3B. If his defense becomes a big problem and to keep him healthy, there is always the option of moving him to 1B or be the next DH in Boston after Big Papi retires. I'm not really sure how Sandoval can be compared to Sabathia. Sandoval is a 3B and Sabathia is a SP. Sandoval has the option to potentially be moved to 1B or to DH. My point is that Sandoval could still be productive offensively by changing positions. I completely disagree with you about his production plateauing and getting worse. His production has been pretty consistent from 2009 to 2014, with 2009 and 2011 being his best two seasons. He is only 28 years old, so I don't see how you can say his production will get worse, at least not offensively. I can see from a defensive standpoint due to his weight, but that could possibly be solved by a change to 1B or DH down the road. I know you Yankees fans are used to signing guys to large contracts in terms of dollar amount and length and having those contracts become a disaster, but not every contract will be like that.

I do agree with you about him being able to call a good game. I am not really trying to make it seem like I want the backup catcher position to be a huge offseason priority and let me say that I would be okay with Ross being resigned. I would just prefer an upgrade. I am just saying that if Evan Gattis is being shopped around and the Braves only want a fairly cheap return, who would you rather have as the backup catcher, Ross or Gattis? I would prefer Gattis. I am not expecting BC to go shop around for a backup catcher. I know that SP, 3B, the bullpen, and figuring out the OF situation takes priority over the backup catching position. It just doesn't hurt for BC to do his due diligence on the situation.

I just don't see a lot of value in resigning Ross other than him being a mentor to Vazquez. He had a -0.3 WAR last year. Defense is supposed to be his strong suit, but he had a -0.1 dWAR (the first negative dWAR of his career). He is 37, had a slash line of .184/.260/.368/.629 last year, and you have to be concerned with his injuries. In my mind, he is a last option signing. You know at the minimum he will be able to mentor Vazquez, but other than that, you get a guy who is well below average offensively and just average defensively at this point in his career. I would prefer an upgrade option to backup Vazquez.

Thanks for the information. I have checked out his stats and read a few reports on him, but that is all I can base my opinion on. He was injured some last year. His career dWAR is below replacement level. His oWAR is above replacement level. My take on him is a guy who can hit for power, below average defensively, and might have some injury concerns. He did have a .317 batting average last year. Do you know if he is a good clubhouse guy? That was a huge negative with A.J. Vasquez is a good defensive catcher, who will get the bulk of the starts. I was thinking that it might not be a bad idea to get a backup who can hit for some power and provide some offense. I guess it depends on how much the Braves are asking for this guy.

MLBTR is reporting the Braves are shopping Evan Gattis. What do you guys think about possibly trading for him? Unfortunately he is a RHH, but he could split time with Vazquez. He put up 20+ HR seasons in 2013 and 2014. He is at least an interesting option.

The way I look at it, you draft the best available player, regardless of position or MLB needs. I do understand your frustration with the OF, we all have it, but that is why I am hoping we could possibly see Betts in September. We need to ship Bradley's ass to Pawtucket. Hell, if Betts keeps this hot streak up, I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in the majors before September. I just don't think that we can draft a high school player for a current need, because it won't have an impact for a while and by the time they have any direct MLB impact, the current needs could be altered.

The only optimism I have is that Bogaerts is hitting great, Napoli comes back tomorrow, Holt has been hitting well, and we hopefully get a healthy Victorino at the end of June or in early July.

We really need to make an adjustment in the OF. Once Victorino gets back, we either need to trade for a RF or trade for a CF. Victorino would obviously take over whichever we do not acquire via trade. I would preferably want a player who can platoon with Sizemore in RF. Depending on how Holt keeps hitting and can handle LF, I think a platoon of Holt and Gomes could be pretty good in LF. We need to move Victorino to CF. Bradley needs to go back to Pawtucket to get back on track. I think Carp could be a real option to trade. I would say Nava, but we would only be able to get a bucket of used balls in return. If Holt can continue to hit pretty consistently, Herrera and Carp are both almost irrelevant to have on the team. Holt can play 1B, utility IF/OF. We don't need Carp or Herrera. We need to trade Carp, Herrera, and a prospect for a decent RF or CF. It is easier said than done and I don't know who would want Herrera, but you would have to think that Carp could be a pretty valuable player to a team that is not in the AL East.