redsoxfan3

You are comparing 43 plate appearance in 2011 to 166 in 2012. The 2012 was a bigger sample size. I don't really find your point about comparing the clubhouses under Francona and Valentine relevant. When Lavarnway played last year, that was the time when the clubhouse issues started coming out. Both seasons, he played in what is known to be bad clubhouses in terms of chemistry. Let's not use that as the scapegoat to why he is not performing well offensively. You are going too much on that .231 average last year. That was only 43 plate appearances. This past year is what you have to go by, because it is a bigger sample size. LaRoche, Napoli, and Swisher are all better options at 1B. First of all, they can all play 1B at the Major League level. Secondly, they are all better proven offensive hitters than Lavarnway. Just because Hatteberg had success transforming from a C to a 1B does not mean that Lavarnway will. If we do go with the route of Lavarnway playing 1B, he needs to play a full year in AAA at 1B, so he can learn the position. I am not against that, but expecting him to start and saying that he is "much better" than anyone but LaRoche is where I have a problem. I don't want someone that has never played 1B in the majors to be our permanent starting 1B. I also do not want someone who has a career batting average of .172 in the majors starting at 1B. You are so set on Lavarnway starting at 1B, but do not want Iglesias to start? That is ironic. Lavarnway has not proven to be much of a better hitter than Iglesias. At least Jose is a Gold Glove caliber SS. You cannot say the same with Lavarnway, especially since the guy has never played 1B in the majors. If I had to choose between the two, I would sacrifice Iglesias' lack of offense in the majors for his defense over Lavarnway. Like I said, I am open of the idea of Lavarnway learning 1B, but he is not doing it in the majors. He needs to go to the minors to do that. I think Lavarnway will have the most success as a platoon C next year, or even getting another half year in AAA to work on his offense.

This is way to early to say one way or another. We have made no offseason moves whatsoever, neither have the Guardians (aside from hiring Francona). I do not know a lot about the Guardians, so I cannot really say how they are going to do. I can tell you that they will have a decent manager. As for the Red Sox, it could be a year like this past year or it could be a complete turnaround. We have the potential to have a strong offseason and be able to realistically compete in the AL East, but that depends on several factors. One thing we will need to do for next year is to avoid a lot of injuries.

That is a great idea! Let's have Lavarnway, who is not even a 1B, start at 1B for us next year. Let's not forget how great of a hitter he was this past year. That .516 OPS will be killer for us. All joking aside, that is a stupid idea. If we want him to play 1B for us in the future, we need for him to play in AAA next year so that he can learn the position and work on his offense. He is not ready to hit in the majors. He could revamp his swing and improve some this offseason, but the only way I see him in the majors is as a backup C or platoon C. I do not want someone who has no previous Major League experience playing 1B, especially since he proved this year that he was not solid offensively in the majors. Don't go on a tangent comparing him to Pedroia and how Pedroia hit poorly and came back the next year and was solid offensively. Not many people are comparable to Dustin. I am not saying it is impossible, but don't get your hopes up. If we are going to sacrifice a position for lack of offense, I want it to be with Iglesias at SS, who we know will be one of the best defensive SS's in all of baseball.

He has been mentioned in several reports I have seen. Him with Bill Mueller and Varitek have been the options of former players. I think a former player like Varitek or Lowell would be a decent option. I just hope that Cherington really does evaluate and interview a lot of candidates and does not just the idea of only hiring Farrell in mind. I know that he will conduct several interviews, but let's just hope he gives others a chance. I am not big on Farrell and I am not saying he will not be a good manager here, but there are plenty of options. Let's just hope we choose the right option.

Agreed. It is just best that we move on from him. He had some great years here and will always be remembered, but it is time to move on. I do wish him the best of luck elsewhere.

I am a no on Hamilton, but I am a yes on Napoli. He would be a great addition because of his flexibility of being able to play both 1B and C. Those are two positions that we could use improvement. He did have a down year offensively, but if he can even regain some of his performance from 2011, then he will be worth it. In 2011, he had a .320 BA, .414 OBP, 1.046 OPS, 173 OPS+, 30 HR's, and 75 RBI's. This year he only hit .227, .810 OPS, 24 HR's, and 56 RBI's. If he can even hit to his career average of .259, with an OBP of .356, I think that will be pretty decent. He will be able to hit 20+ HR's and I think with Ross, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Middlebrooks, and Ortiz in the lineup, his RBI's will go up, especially hitting in a hitter's ballpark like Fenway. Ross hit close to his numbers with Florida from '08 and '09 this year by playing in Fenway. I think it is realistic to say that Napoli has the potential to succeed at Fenway as well if he can avoid injuries.

I think you could be right in saying that he would be a solid defensive first baseman. Here is the problem, the team is looking to move forward and start making changes. Youk was a well respected player on this team and a fan favorite. A lot of people would be okay with him coming back, but what good does it do for the organization? Yes, Bobby V is gone and there would be no problem with the new manager and Youk, but what message will that send to the team and to the fans if we bring him back? We traded the guy because there was an internal problem with him and Bobby Valentine, and he was underperforming. With bringing him back, that just shows that we are willing to go back in time. It is time for a fresh new start for this team. That means do not bring Youkilis back and move forward without him. I want some fresh faces next year on this team, not a washed up offensive player in Kevin Youkilis.

Exactly. They invest so much money in this team. Henry only attended 2 or 3 Spring Training games last year. I thought that was interesting. That does not sound like someone who is totally involved in the team. I understand that he has other commitments, but I went to more games than he did. It is not like he has to pay for tickets to attend the games.

Lavarnway is nothing more than a AAA player at this point, or a backup C. He needs time to develop still, so he should be in AAA. Iglesias is the only one that I really want to start next year. His defense is amazing and if we can add other offensive weapons, then his lack of offense will be a non-issue. Valencia needs to go. We obtained him because Middlebrooks was done for the year. Valencia is outright horrendous. Loney was just a fill-in at 1B because somebody had to replace Gonzalez. I do not really want Loney back next year. I am all for having Gomez stick around as a backup 1B or platoon player at 1B, but I am hoping that we can find a better alternative at 1B (Napoli). Nava needs to go, unless we cannot find a better 4th OF. If he is starting for us next year, then there really is probably no hope for next season. I agree with you on Salty. Ciriaco and Aviles could be decent utility players, especially if they could both learn to play in the OF. I would rather have Ciriaco than Aviles, but if we are stuck with both, I hope neither is more than a utility. Ciriaco adds speed and a spark to this team. We need to resign Ross and Ortiz. Pedroia is at 2B. I hope Iglesias stays at SS. Middlebrooks is at 3B. Ellsbury is in CF. That means that we have one OF position, 1B, and C that we need to really work on to add some offensive weapons to this offseason. As I have said over and over, I am all for looking at Swisher, Napoli, and Pierzynski if the price is right. Swisher can play in the OF and at 1B. Napoli can play C and 1B. I like the versatility there. Napoli could split time with Pierzynski at C. Swisher and Napoli could split some time at 1B. Swisher could also split some time with the open OF position. If that is the case, we need to get a 4th OF who could be a platoon player. A guy like Sweeney or Nava is not the answer. Kalish might not be either, but I have more confidence in his potential than Nava's or Sweeney's.

Thanks for the correction. That was a mistake. I got this injury confused with his previous. Either way, I still applaud his effort and willingness to play. All fighting aside, anyone who is not impressed with him still playing needs a reality check. As I said earlier, there were two games left, and he could have pulled a Crawford and ended the season and nobody could have questioned him because of a real injury.

I am not saying I disagree with you at all, because I don't. You are providing facts and have good points. I am definitely more optimistic with him than most. I guess it is just a matter of opinion when it comes to being hopeful with him. I am taking his bright spots and hoping that he can be more consistent with those moments.

I was talking to a guy that works in the FO for the Red Sox. He told me that John Henry is not involved with the team as much as he should be. That is pretty obvious. Lucchino on the other hand is obviously more involved with the team. I think Henry needs to focus more on the Red Sox than he does with Liverpool. Not to sound like a complete ******* or anything, but I think Henry's first priority should be with the Red Sox. I could really care less about the soccer team in Liverpool. The Red Sox are in rebuilding mode. It is time to get some new management and revamp this roster into a winning team. With a core focused around Pedroia, Ellsbury, Ortiz, Ross, Middlebrooks, Lester, and Buchholz, there is no reason that we cannot get some other players that will help this team win next year with the amount of payroll that we have available.

He is a 4th OF at best. He is a AAAA player. He is nothing special, but for a team like the Twins or Astros, he is definitely an average 4th OF or below average starter. He might gauge some interest in the trade market this year. I am all for trading him for a younger prospect or having him included in another trade.

I agree with you on bringing in another established late inning guy, but I still do not think you can count out Melancon. He has pitched pretty bad this year, except for his last few outings. I think he deserves a look this Spring. Realistically if we can sign an established closer and have Bailey and Melancon as the set-up men, then I think we will be in an ideal situation. Melancon's role will then be determined by how he performs in the Spring. I think it is too early to count him out though.

I agree. Beckett will be more consistent in the NL and a bigger ballpark. He is almost like a completely different pitcher in L.A. The sad thing is that if he were to stay in Boston, he would still have struggled and underperformed. He did not want to be here and was miserable. We have the payroll to rebuild and to sign free agents that will help us win. No more big contracts, unless it is to a true ace or to lock Ellsbury up long-term. Stay away from Hamilton. If we are going to sign free agents, two to three year contracts will be best. No more 7 year 100+ million contracts.

Tazawa, Melancon, and Bailey all deserve a look for closer next year. Bailey has been shaky his last few appearances. Melancon has been strong in his last 10 innings, by only giving up one run. Tazawa has been consistent so far in his stint in the majors this year. Keep all FA options open and all potential trade options. If we can get a legit closer and still have Bailey, Melancon, and Tazawa pitching in late inning situation, I think we will have a solid pen. I am still not sold on Bailey being our closer, although the potential is definitely there.

Actually, Pedroia is in the lineup tonight, along with Ellsbury. This is the type of leadership and toughness that we need on this team. All of the rookies, take note on how Pedroia is still playing with a broken thumb. The heart and willingness to never quit with this kid is unbelievable. This season is a lost cause and it would have been easy for him to throw in the towel.

My ideal roster for 2013: C/1B- Napoli C- Lavarnway/Salty/Pierzynski 1B/OF- Swisher 2B- Pedroia SS- Iglesias 3B- Middlebrooks U- Ciriaco (Work on OF in offseason and ST) U- Aviles (Work on OF in offseason and ST) RF- Ross CF- Ellsbury LF- Delmon Young OF- Nava/Kalish SP: 1. Brandon McCarthy 2. Edwin Jackson 3. Buchholz 4. Lester 5. Lackey/Doubront/De La Rosa/Morales/Aceves Bullpen: CL- Bailey SU- Tazawa SU- Melancon RP- Atchison RP- Miller RP- Breslow RP- Mortenson/Hill/Morales/Padilla/Aceves/Bard/Doubront/Carpenter I know I only have 12 position and 12 players, but the 25th spot is a toss up to the person deserving it the most out of ST. Possibly a guy like Gomez, Kalish, Nava, or Lavarnway could win it as a position player.

I agree that Fenway would be a good place for Napoli. If we use him as a platoon at 1B and C, that could be a good thing. I like his versatility. He can hit for power and would be a good middle of the lineup bat for us. He would be a nice compliment to Ross, Ortiz, Pedroia, Ellsbury, and Middlebrooks. I think those are the five guys we need to build this team around. SS, C, 1B, and LF are all positions that we can improve on. Ellsbury should be considered in any potential trades for a true ace, as long as we can sign someone decent to replace him. The more offensive weapons we add this offseason, the more capable we are of having Iglesias start at SS. At this point we cannot afford to have him start at SS, because he barely gives us any offensive production. I am all for giving Lavarnway a platoon role at C, as long as we have another decent C with a good bat.

I do not think we can afford to give up both Bogaerts and Bradley, but the Mariners would probably want both. If you think about it logically, why would the Mariners even want to give up King Felix at all? They would have to be blown away by a deal. They would probably ask for both players. We would probably have to throw in Doubront, Ellsbury, and Lester. That still might not be enough with Ellsbury and Lester coming to the end of their contracts. They would only be getting both guys for one year. They might require both players to agree to contract extensions beforehand, and at this point, that will probably never happen, especially with Boras being Ellsbury's agent. He will test the FA market. Trading for King Felix is complex and would take A LOT more than we should be willing to give up. I do not want to give up two or three top 100 prospects for a pitcher that we would only be getting for a guaranteed two years. He is a FA in 2015. He will most likely hit the FA market, unless he really loves Seattle that much. I think if we want to really go after King Felix, then wait until he is a FA and give the man the money he deserves. At this time in 2014 he will only be 28. He will still have a lot of baseball ahead of him if he avoids any serious injuries. Let's prioritize by making a strong farm system and test our luck in the FA market if we really want him in Boston for the season in 2015. The only way I want Hernandez is if he agrees to a long-term contract extension before we sell the farm for him.

Two free agents that really intrigue me are Kyle Lohse and Edwin Jackson. Lohse is having a career year. Jackson has posted an ERA below 4.00 the last two years. Is it realistic to sign Lohse to a 2 year/20-25 million deal? Is it realistic to sign Jackson to a 1 year/10 or 11 million deal? I think both could be good additions to our rotation. It is clear that neither are true aces, but if you put a solid four in your rotation of Lohse, Buchholz, Jackson, and Lester with Doubront, Lackey, Morales, Aceves, and De La Rosa fighting for the 5th spot, that could be a lot better of a rotation than we saw this year. If we sign both, then that means we could potentially try to trade a guy like Doubront for some prospects, or package both Doubront and Lester in a deal if we can package them together to get a true ace. We do have internal options next year for the rotation. We have Lackey, Doubront, De La Rosa, Aceves, Morales, Buchholz, and Lester. The thing is that we need to improve. Lackey could be a decent number 5, but he is a toss up. Lester is probably nothing more than a #3 or #4. Doubront has potential. Buchholz could be a solid #2 or #3 if he is consistent. I just think we need to improve with external options. If we can trade Aceves, then I am all for it. I do not like his attitude. Odds are that both Morales and Aceves stay in the pen if both are still with the team. De La Rosa could be ready, but he needs to have a solid Spring. He might start the year in AAA. I guess where I am going with this, is do you think Lohse and Jackson would be good additions? Who should stay with the team and who should we try to trade? It is pretty obvious Lackey will be with the team, if we have too many starters, is it realistic that he could go to the pen?

Supposedly they did. Now I am hearing that Go Daddy is claiming that they did not get hacked and that there was "intermittent service outages." I do not know if that means they got hacked and that is their excuse for not wanting to admit it. Either way, that might explain why the site was down.

The reason his OPS is so low is because of his slugging percentage being low. Like I said, he does not have much power. Only six of his 50 hits have been extra base hits. He is a guy that has some speed. He won't hit a lot of home runs or RBI's, but he will beat out a lot of double plays and will have some infield singles. He can steal some bases. Every player on the team does not have to have an .800+ OPS. That is not going to happen. You need players who can provide offensive sparks with speed. Let me make it clear that I do not want him around next year. I am just saying that I do not think it is fair for you to say he sucks. His OPS is s*****, but his batting average is good. Power is not his game.

I would not go as far as saying he sucks. He is hitting .316 in 172 plate appearances. That is not a lot of at bats in a season, but he has shown some consistency in 48 games. He doesn't hit for power. He does have some speed. He is not a bad player to have. I really hope he is not with us next year, but I do not think it is fair to say he sucks. Kalish is only 24 and he has not been back too long since being injured. You may not think he is the answer, but he still could develop into a decent OF. I am not giving up hope on him. I would probably start him in AAA next year to develop, unless he has a great spring. Plus Ross is our RF if we resign him, so there goes any chance of Kalish starting if we can resign Ross (unless Ross gets injured). I completely agree with Nava. He is a 4th OF at best. Going forward, I do not think Podsednik will be back next year unless we really cannot find a decent LF to replace him. I hope we can sign someone decent to at least a one year contract.

That is the plus. He will be able to platoon at both 1B and C. I don't know how much he will cost and how many years he will want. He is a career .259 hitter and can potentially hit 20+ HR's. The versatility is a good thing.