Spudboy

Fred I never said anything about going the other way meaning hitting it down the line. Going the other way is a nice ability to have. But when a pitcher does not help you it is not so easy as Fielder and Ortiz have said.

Such childishness.

Yes. And we all must try to remember that at his age he should still be in Portland. The kid is playing above his level.

I think ( and hope ) that X shows significant improvement in his footwork and reads / reactions. I think that the footwork has really hampered his throws to first, although he does have a strong arm. It's easy to assume that with his size that he will not make a big jump in range. But if you figure in his lack of experience in reading batted balls, it can become clear that his range will improve. I say these things without looking at defensive charts or stats. So go ahead and blast me!!!

I'd love to see Owens dominate in Pawtucket and be brought up by the deadline if needed. From what I have read, he would probably benefit most from a complete ( minus a September call-up ) season in AAA to further develop. I feel the same way about Swihart.

I have to confess that I have always wanted Ortiz to go to the opposite field more when he faces the shift. Of course, hitting singles or not hitting for power is not what he is paid to do. I mentioned this during the 2014 season. I saw an interview with Prince Fielder who explained why it is so hard to just go the other way as an adjustment. As "U?" has said, there is a lot more to it that just casually plunking it to left.

It was a good read. However I don't quite understand some ideas put forth. Like how do the Sox win 86 game when scoring only 54 more runs than they allow? And who the hell believes that the Sox infield defense is so good? It may be better than last year but until X ups his defensive game the Sox defense up the middle appears suspect.

I can see no reason for you not to participate in game threads. As long as you can stomach the usual reactionary, emotional, not thought out posts! Game threads on Talksox used to be a lot of fun. If more reasonable, informed, and intelligent people like yourself post in game threads, they can become enjoyable once more.

Excellent post.

Signing both Lester and Shields was probably never in the cards. The Sox trading Lester was another indication that the Sox may have known that he was gone anyway. It makes no sense to say that they would have had Cespedes in stead of the two that they signed. They needed to address a weak offense and a void at 3rd base. Cespedes was not a bag of chips anyway. He has declining numbers and is a hack defensively. And a ceiling of 20-25 HR was not exactly Sultan of Swat stuff. The Lester trade netted Porcello. A younger and most likely cheaper pitcher with upside.

No. You are not completely wrong. As you have pointed out, none of us know for sure. All we can do is speculate. Last summer I suggested that the Sox may not have wanted to resign Lester and my supposition fell upon deaf ears here. I still think that this is a possibility. The Sox have stated their "policy" concerning signing players / pitchers north of 30 long term. I think that given this backdrop, the FO pretty much knew that the price tag for Lester was going to go well beyond whatever figure $ value they had applied to Lester. Certainly this is possible once Detroit made their initial offer to Scherzer. I have sated that I believe that they should have tried to sign Lester prior to the 2014 season. Maybe even before the Detroit offer. That baseline or starting point of 70 was certainly curious. Especially since they had already made larger deals with Becket and horse face. The 135 offer could represent a final offer that the Sox figured that they could live with if Lester was to take a "hometown discount". Or, it could have been an effort to appease the fans. They could now say "we tried" when they knew or suspected that someone would offer significantly more than the Sox were willing to pay. Ultimately Kimmi, you are correct. We just do not know.

No. I do remember that Saltie's Father was an Olympic athlete!

I'm not sure how to interpret what you have said here. I normally make allowances for your less than perfect mastery of the English language ( no insult intended here, Ortiz ). But this sentance make no sense. It does seem that you are insulting those that oppose your view, however.

I never heard this. I wish you could provide a link but it is all moot anyway.

What? How did the Sox underestimate his value? They applied their own value to him and did not pay more than whatever that figure was. When did Lester say that he would take "125 mil"??????? I never heard this. Maybe I was in a coma. I think that the Sox misplayed this matter by not offering a reasonable 5 year deal PRIOR to spring training 2014. The 70 mil offer was a joke. However I never saw a quote from Lester saying that he was insulted. That is an idea put forth by the media and fans. I'm not saying 70 was a good place to start, by the way. I would have started at about 4/96 -5/110 and made a full court press at near those figures topping out at about 5/125 and made it clear that that would be the cap. It makes no difference. He is gone!!!!!

Every team signs stiffs.

Are you suggesting that I am not aware of the methodology employed in the construction of a pen? If so, you are way off target. The fact that I used "throw crap at the wall and hope it sticks" and my qualification that if he is on short money the deal may be justifed surely indicates that I am at least aware of this technique. We have discussed this subject many times on talksox. I have seen bullpens built a variety of ways since 1967. Several years ago a700 coined the phrase "dumpster diving" ( or Dempster Diving! ) while discussing the Sox move on some low risk / high reward dregs. I get it. It works sometimes. Other times it does not work. I'm glad that the deal is for "only" $1.5 mil ( lol ). This minimizes the risk, I guess. My preference would have been to sign Badenhop again since he is healthy and a proven performer for this team. Additionally, I am concerned that if Mujica is dealt that the Sox do not have a back up plan if Koji fails for whatever reason.

I just read that there is an agreement in place pending a physical. And Rosenthal the dwarf also says that the Sox are looking to move Mujica and his $4.75 mil tag. Not sure I get this one. If he is healthy, and that is just another IF at this point, he could make some starts if necessary. A solid performing arm is always welcome. But this guy pitched in 2014 to an ERA north of 6. This could be another scrap heap signing along with Ross. I'm not familiar with the nature of his elbow and shoulder injuries. But the fact that he has only made 50 appearances in the past two years combined with that huge ERA makes me wonder if what Jacko says is true. This is not what I wanted for the Sox pen in 2015. Other than Miller, who signed for 3 years in NY, I saw no reason to not resign all of the 2014 pen or at least most of it anyway. I wonder how much this guy will cost? If it's cheap money for only one year than throwing crap at the wall and hoping it sticks could be justified. Otherwise, if he sucks pond water and contributes nothing, it's a waste of time, a roster spot, and money. My bet is that he lands on the DL and skates after 2015. Who is the back-up for Koji if Mujica is dealt?

Maybe so. Or maybe he fits in the chart?

Probably. I don't fault Ortiz's emotion in the matter. We all want a winning team now. I have said this many times in the past. The Sox should always put a team on the field that is competitive. The market demands it and the Sox have the resources to do it. However, I like what the Sox have done this off season. They have shown some restraint while getting some guys that will make the team competitive and relevant. Of course I must be a bag lapping FO shill. Or boot licker.

True. But a team looking for sustained success also needs to seek value. Sometimes it's best to hold off from signing inflated prices when the timing of those pitchers availability does not coincide with your needs. In a perfect world the Sox could use their financial strength to build a contender overnight that would remain competitive for several or many years. Otherwise, team building may take more than just one off season. Be patient.

I just don't understand your gloom and doom perception. Granted, there are questions about health, etc. with this staff. And I would feel a lot better if there were proven 200 inning guys and real depth in the farm. The Sox addressed two needs this off season. As it turned out they were able to get one of the best hitters in the game and a pretty good hitter to fill a void at 3rd base. I do not believe the FO purposely decided to build a stout offense at the expense of sacrificing a good rotation. It is more like the FO responded to what was available now.

I wonder where Shields will end up? Has his price fallen? What teams need him?

Louis does have the sandwich concession on Yawkey way. This is probably why you have seen him there. I have had the pleasure of talking to Tiante several times. We both eat at the same Mexican restaurant and we have crossed paths there over the past 25 years. He is a remarkably friendly person.

This is a far more articulate version of what I tried to say a while ago.