Spudboy

I'm not sure about that trade or it's origins but I would not mind seeing Samardzija pitching for the Sox. I don't see the back-up catcher position as a big need for improvement and certainly not an off season priority. Ross loves it in Boston and provides good skills for 30 or so games when Vasquez needs a breather. What do fans see that position as being? He runs into one occasionally and is a solid game caller. Especially when we will most likely have a young staff. And Lester likes him!

Sign David Ross for one more year. Simple.

I would not invest in 4 years of any reliever unless he was a Mariano type. I want Miller back but I don't see this happening because some team will be willing to over pay for him. This is why the Sox unloaded him. They did not want to pay too much for any one reliever. At least they got a very good prospect for him! Last year going into the 2014 season we were all lamenting the signings of Badenhop an Mujica. They both started off poorly. But now, I believe that both should be back. Mujica is on a multi- year deal isn't he? Sign Badenhop and look for someone to replace Breslow. Put Workman in the pen and move on.

In the past several days I've read that Sandoval will be seeking in the neighborhood of 6/100 and that the Sox will meet with his agent in Phoenix this coming week. As most of you probably know, I think most of today's big league athletes are way over paid. I can't believe that Sandoval can be worth anywhere near what he wants. I see him as being adequately ( within the context of what players are presently being paid ) compensated at his current rate. He is not a game changer or big time talent. He's a cuddly panda bear with a sort of catchy name and mediocre stats. Basically, an average player. I think that it makes NO SENSE to pay this guy anymore than 15 mil. a year. And that is being generous because he is just not THAT valuable. The grass always seems to be greener with players that are on other teams especially when the Sox do not have a decent in-house option at that position. Hedley is another player that seems to be attractive. The same with Hanley. I am wondering if the Sox are not able or willing to sign one of these guys, what will they do? Will they stick Holt at third and wait for Cechini to emerge? I think that we all agree that starting pitching is the main need of this team. How big of a priority is 3rd base to the Sox? Is there anyone on the Roster that can fill this position ( assuming that XB stays at SS ) or is there another 3rd baseman out there that the Sox would sign for a short dollar, short commitment? I'm not advocating this approach. But I can see this happening! Can Hedley be bought for 2 or 3 at 10-13/year? If so, is he worth that for 3 years? Obviously the Yankees should be in on this. What other teams may be willing to spend the big dollars to land the "Big Prize" Panda? Will he get that much from anyone? Even SF? I think that we should all be prepared for the Sox opting out on a big deal free agent at 3rd. It is a possibility. In any case, let's all hope that Cechini can refine his craft in the first half of 2015. He may be needed!

So it has been let known by his agent that Sandoval wants a 6 year deal. How do people here now feel about the Sox signing the 29 year old "245 lb. ( cough, cough )" 3rd baseman? Is he worth the risk of a six year deal? I say no, he is not. I would not sign him to more than 4 years in the range of $60. mil. He's just about an average player. Not exactly Beltre.

Well Fred, that sniff is going to cost $61. mil. If I am Yankee management I want to unload this cancer. I bet that The Yankee lawyers have been constantly looking for a way to release the puke.

I don't recall speculating about a Cueto for Cespedes deal but I have talked about trading Cespedes. I would rejoice if the Sox could land a front line starter for the guy. It's ironic, though. They traded a very good number one starter for him!

I'm sick of the guy. I can't think of one nice thing to say about him. He is a blight on baseball. I wonder if he will play this year. I can't see the Yankees eating 61 mil. But what a PR nightmare he is for not only the Yankees but for MLB as a whole. To me, the lasting image of him will always be him swatting the ball out of Arroyo's glove and the pretending to be innocent while standing on second base. This typifies his behavior. Everyone knows you are guilty yet you pretend to be not guilty. What a puke.

Lol. Okay. No one takes the Yankees seriously when these "reports" come out.

That is a staggering drop off. Maybe increase of shifts had something to do with it? Maybe. But there had to have been other factors as well.

Because it's superfluous. His Father is not a household name and so there is no confusion when using just Jackie Bradley to refer to him. It's not really a problem. I just believe that it is dumb and unnecessary.

Yeah, maybe it's true. I do like the kid. Other than the suffix to his name. The "Jr." thing I just do not get! He ain't Ken Griffey Jr.!!!! What I do like about him is his defense. You and I have rarely seen that type of defense in the Sox outfield. Yaz, Lynn, Evans. That's about it!

I'm more concerned about the Sox ability to be enough situations where a closer is needed in 2015!!!

Well one way or another he is a better risk than the two sure fire stoppers that the Sox had signed before Koji began his role of closer. Hanrahan and Bailey (?) accomplished nothing while with the Sox. Except for cashing their big paychecks. In most cases I would fully agree with you Ted. Two years for any player, especially a pitcher, over 40 is kind of stupid. But in this case the player comes with a very good recent background of success and presumably good health. The way the bargaining agreement is set up he was due to get a big increase one way or another. He certainly got it with a 100% increase in pay! I hope that Koji is productive in 2015. If he falls off of a cliff for 2016 so be it. It will just be another example of what happens when older players are signed to multi-year contracts ( Shilling and Victorino come to mind ).

Call me blind but I have not given up on Bradley the hitter just yet. I'm not sure where he will be playing in the near future. I do hope that he learns how to hit and can become a full time MLB CF. WMB is another story. Maybe he has been cursed by injury but he has not made progress in the last two years. I say unload him in a trade for pitching.

SSF while I generally agree with your observations and optimism about XB, I believe he would have been better off with a full year of seasoning in AAA. I realize that he would not have consistently seen the quality breaking balls and overall mastery that most MLB pitchers have. As you have said, and this is THE salient point when discussing him, XB is very young. He was pushed through the system out of need, not because he was raking at each level. The same holds true for his fielding. He was not ready with that skill set either. I look forward to seeing him play in 2015. I hope that your assumptions regarding him having made THE adjustments are accurate. If so, the Sox will have an above average SS offensively. And one whose defense should become average. As I have said many times, I have yet to see the "can't miss" aspects of his game. The 2013 post season was too small of a sample and he hardly overwhelmed at any point in 2014. But, I am very hopeful that he becomes at least most of what has been projected for him. That would be wonderful because this franchise has not developed a very good two way SS since Nomar broke. Time will tell, of course.

A Cetified Dud. I like that. Still Fred, the kid did look significantly better in September garbage time. I still have not seen the 'Can't miss" in this guy that so many had exclaimed. I think that he should have been finishing up at AA and moving onto Pawtucket this past year. Or maybe just spending the entire year in AAA. He was not ready for a steady died of MLB pitching. Even his skills at SS are far from ready. The Sox are forcing him to learn on a steeper curve. For better or for worse.

This is a clear case of "A bird in the hand". Finding decent relief pitching is difficult. Finding a closer even more so. The Sox were not going to make the 15.3 mil QA but wanted him back. The obvious thing to do was to strike a slightly more lucrative deal for the player and hope that you have the closer role covered for two more years. 2/18 is about what should have been spent. I had speculated that 2/18 - 2/21 would get it done. Jacko has a point. To a point, that is. Sure, Koji is a burgeoning geezer with a history of elbow injury. He did tire out in the second half of 2014. Maybe he will sustain a serious injury and never be the same big game, big time closer again. I see why not if the Sox use him wisely ( one inning only and in closing situations ). Or, he rests his shoulder in the off season and he comes back strong and resumes his dominant form. If so, this deal becomes a bargain. Look at it this way. If Koji pitches effectively throughout the two year deal, then the Sox paid only 2.7 mil for a closer in 2016. The big thing is just to have one of the pitching slots figured out. Now the Sox can go out and complete the process by getting some starting pitching and fill in the pen as needed.

No, they are not mutually exclusive. It's just that the Boston market is not accustomed to seeing several rookies prove themselves at the same time. Boston fans are used to seeing teams that should be competitive. Not teams that are loaded with players that are still in development as we saw in the second half of 2014.

I have no fear of Stanton not being able to play in the Boston market. What have we seen or even heard of that would lead us to believe that he would not work out here? It's all speculation. I'm not thrilled with the idea of spending $300. million to secure him. I dislike all big contracts because of the risk of injury. As I see it, Stanton is like any other player. He either produces or he doesn't. The only way that he would fail to be a hit here is if he did not produce as he has in Miami. Then the media and fans would go nuts and say that he could just not withstand the spotlight.

Similar in that Boston fans are worked up in a lather about getting a young, immensely talented and productive impact player. There is no one currently in the Sox minor league pipeline that projects to be anywhere near as impactful to the Sox lineup. I see no reason not to pursue Satnton. Gozalez proved to be a creep in the Sox locker room. I don't see why the fact that he did not work out that the Sox should be adverse to taking a big plunge on Stanton.

It's too bad that Kalish had a series of significant injuries. He was very exciting to watch play with his speed, athleticism, and aggressive play. But you are entirely correct. Prospects are just prospects until they actually demonstrate the ability to play well at the highest level. Anything can happen to derail a prospect. Look at Westmoreland, Kelly, Tavares, and even Kalish. Or, Jackie Bradley! As you said, a crap shoot.

But Fred they have a record of getting mid-tier pitchers. I said it long ago, the Sox will get a number one type ( probably not a true ace ) and a guy from the Masterson group of rotation fillers. And I won't be surprised if they go after some Dempster type and then just call it a day. I hope to death that I am completely wrong. I'd like to see a big splash pitching acquisition. Or better yet, two of them. But the signals Ben has been sending out ( "there is more than one way to build a rotation" ) make me suspect that the Sox will go the cheaper route and land a bunch of shlock.

I like watching Sandoval play. But I'm not sold on the practicality of signing him to what is projected to be the cost, 5/90-100. I can't see the Sox making that kind of commitment to a player of his quality and performance. The Sox need to decide whether they will try to stabilize 3rd base for the long term or if they will just go after a place holder now. Cechini is at least a full season of AAA away from taking the spot. And that assumes that he demonstrates good hitting skills in Pawtucket. I see Sandoval resigning with SF for a shorter, cheaper deal because he likes it there. Headley? How is his health? The Sox have several significant messes to address. I'm not confident that signing Sandoval to a long term deal would clear up one mess. It seems likely to me that signing a player of his size long term is asking for problems down the road. Pass. I am very much looking forward to the Series ending so the off season maneuvering can begin. I am very interested to see what the Sox do this off season. I suspect that whatever they do will not be enough to assure a playoff birth in 2015. Maybe they will surprise me as in 2013.

Really sad. Two children dead. I wonder if the Camero had defective airbags and if it was a contributor to the deaths?