SoxSport

After listening to Tito, sounds like Crawford will bat 3rd: Ellsbury 1, Pedroia 2, Crawford 3, AdGon 4, Youks 5, Ortiz 6. Injuries permitting. The bigger question is Kalish. Epstein says he needs another year in AAA. That's another way of saying there is no room in the OF for him until Drew's contract expires. And they need some rhd bats--Cameron and McDonald, maybe, as backups. Bill James projects Kalish next year at 20Hrs, 82 rbis, 43 SBs, .271 ba--in Boston. That was before Crawford was signed. Kalish doesn't need another year in AAA. They just have no room for him.

Wake used to be a closer, and had a couple of good years in Boston in the bullpen years ago. That would seem to be his role, unless he's needed as a spot starter due to injury. It should be clear by now that the Red Sox have a lot of loyalty towards their older players---maybe too much, in my view. They do not unload older players like ballast, as the Patriots have been known to do. I expect Wake will play out his contract, unless he chooses to retire and forfeit a few million dollars (fat chance of that).

Papi needs to be platooned at this point. And he needs to bat 6th. He can't hit LHP anymore. And you hope he hits RHP next year. He will be well paid for all those great seasons and big hits he's had in Boston.

Barring any injuries, Lowrie may well be the starting SS next year. His projections are significantly higher than Scutaro's. Down the road, they will have some decision-making with Iglesias. Lowrie fits in there somewhere--backing up 3B and 2B as well. But the guy that makes the money (Scutaro) has the advantage. Reyes? Don't see him (or Beltran) in Boston. Kalish is another interesting situation. Bill James projects him as a 20/20 guy next year with the Red Sox. Maybe that was before the Crawford signing. Kalish is clearly the right fielder in waiting after Drew. Or they might eventually not re-sign Ellsbury. We'll just have to see how all this plays out. You hate to see Kalish in AAA next year. My guess is he plays a lot in Boston, with Drew and Ellsbury being injury prone.

Bring back Oki. He looked decent the last month or two.

I doubt Beltran is going anywhere unless the Mets pay most of his salary. They are stuck with an aging player with bad knees on the back end of a bad contract.

In the past 8 years, the Yankees have paid a luxury tax of $190 million total, compared to around $20 million for the Red Sox. Check the Sam Horn chatgroup for the numbers. The Yankees are in a class by themselves when it comes to spending. Consistently above $200 mil yearly. The Red Sox are in the $140-150 mil range almost yearly. AdGon's salary is only $6mil this year, which made Crawford affordable. The Red Sox will be below the luxury tax this year, as is their policy, while the Yankees will continue to be safely above, as is their policy. Anybody who says the Red sox spend as much as the Yankees is either nuts or has an agenda. Nobody spends like the Yankees.

I've seen that remark about his peripherals in the media. That was undoubtedly a factor. Wonder what Pap's peripherals were last year in comparison? Don't know if it matters, as the Sox aren't going pay any closer not named Rivera $12 mil +. Not with Bard locked up.

Jenks is an end run around Soriano signing with NY. I can see that coming. Soriano wants much bigger dollars for sure. But he has to setup in NY. Imagine paying a setup guy $12 mil per year! Only in NY. Jenks will probably be OK if he can stay in shape. He pitched well at Fenway and Yankee stadium last year . 0.0 era when I last looked. That statement I saw about his replacing Pap is a bit premature, but he has that potential. Pap didn't look much better last year. Jenks will be 30 during the season, so he has time for another big contract if he can come back. He can always set up with Bard closing. They still need a LHder for the late innings. off-topic --watching that Bing Crosby tape of the '60 world series/7th game on MLB.com. Hal Smith just hit a 3 run HR to put the Pirates ahead 9-7. This was one great game between two great teams. Tony Kubak had gotten hit in the adams apple on a ground ball, and left the game. I believe that ended his career. Costas is narrating the showing, with an audience and a lot of the ex-players present. Hard to see how anybody could beat that Yankee team, but the Pirates were tough and scrappy--a great team as well.

Jeez.. another nonsensical negative thread...administrators please. this is pure crap. 5 posts. back to the minors, son.

Did the Red Sox really make an offer to Rivera? If so, they should make an offer to Soriano, who was better than Rivera last year and is younger. He can be assured of being the main closer after next year. Don't be shocked if the Yankees make a run at Soriano. They don't care about years.

What's happening is the best FA relievers are getting three years. Guerrier and Crain, yesterday. You can say teams are foolish giving three years to those guys and probably be right. But that's the market, and Theo is going to get crap for less. Just as soon bring back Oki and take a chance on Miller. I say pitch your starters another inning or so--go to 120 pitches in a quality start. That saves the BP for when you really need them. Doesn't make much sense to limit your expensive starters to 100 pitches, and then throw a bunch of junk out there mid innings. That's how games are lost. Further, when a reliever has good stuff, keep him in two innings instead of shuffling in another pitcher after one inning who may crap the bed. Ideally, you want your starter to reach your setup guy(s) and closer. The mid relief guys are there only when your starter doesn't have his stuff and craps the bed early.

What's also important are the LHH stats in Yankee stadium. Crawford, for example, has lifetime OPS of .831 and .350 BA there. In Fenway, it is .782 and .324. Hits well both parks, better in Yankee stadium with the short RF porch.

Well, they dodged a bullet with Lee--at least until the World Series. It might not make a difference. With the Phillies starting rotation, they will be tough to beat against any team in the playoffs. Barring injuries of course. Halliday pulled a groin in the playoffs last year, which contributed to the Philles' downfall against the Giants. I think they should be allright. When Papi was hitting left handers, he and Nixon used to kill the Yankees in Yankee stadium. Damon, too. This lineup has even better LHd hitting, and it's bound to help in Yankee stadium, regardless of who is pitching against them. It's really all about beating the Yankees. They have 19? games against them. Crawford and AdGon will help, not hurt, in Yankee stadium.

He kills the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, and pitched well for the Phillies. Not sure what the Red Sox have done against him. Their lineup has changed, anyways. TB won't trade Garza in their division. Don't think they want Greinke, with his issues. I think the Yankees are better off re-signing Pettite, if they can, and going with what they have. You can't win every year, and you never know what will happen in a season. Look at the Red Sox last year.

Salty, of course. The Yankees are really throwing dice on Martin. The Red Sox wised up and backed off. Salty is enough of a gamble. The Yankees figure they can use him as a LHd DH.

The Red Sox go through relievers like water through a sieve. They just don't last with 60+ one-inning appearances for more than a couple years. Maybe Epstein doesn't pay enough for them relative to how much they are used--which is plenty. Tito can do the bullpen a favor if he uses his starter another inning or two in a quality start, and doesn't use 3 relief pitchers in blowout win. Oftentimes, a mid reliever crapping the bed can turn a blowout into a close game, requiring more relievers. The other suggestion is following Johnny Sain's old advice: use a reliever for two innings if he's sharp. Heating up in the bullpen is wear and tear on a reliever. Sain was a very good pitcher in the 40s, and became one of the all-time great pitching coaches--stressing location for his pitchers, as Ted Williams did for hitters. Maybe the new pitching coach,Young , will have some Sain ideas. Couldn't resist that one.

That Red Sox lineup will hit anybody. But it will be a great matchup.

I said last night in the other thread that 7 years was too long. At $20 mil per year, he would quit at $100 mil. At 36, his arm would be falling off, anyways, and he'd be rich. What's interesting is that not one of those media dodos suggested that maybe he wanted to pick his team, and would take shorter years. You have to like Lee for not taking the biggest offer. post note: looks like Lee signed for 5/$100M, with option for 6th year.

Gammons said on MLB.com tonite it would be Ellsbury-Pedroia-Crawford-AdGon-Youks. Crawford will bat 3rd. Expect his numbers to go up hitting in Fenway.

It was Yankees vs Red Sox. Then, all of a sudden it was the Mets --for much less than the Red Sox or Yankees were offering. Maybe some suction to the NL going on there--away from the AL East. The Red Sox dodged a bullet. Maybe the Yankees did, too.