SoxSport

I don't see Ellsbury in the long range picture here. Not with the development of Kalish. Ellsbury started digging his own grave here when he changed agents--to Boras--a couple of years ago. That was a sign that maybe he was prematurely overrating himself. Those type often never improve to the next level, needed to get the big contract. Though having Boras almost assures that he will be overpaid. Look at the kind of money Boras has stolen from the Dodgers for Manny. Another guy who is a goner is Papelbon. He will want more than he is worth at this point. And Bard is waiting in the wings to take over as closer. You don't think Bard wants to set up another year, do you?

Lowrie was solid before all his injuries. Looks like he is solid again. The FO has developed a lot of good young players in recent years. Lowrie is one of them--if he can stay healthy.

I would add Nava to the OF mix next year. This kid can flat out hit. Saw him play Tues nite. 3 hits, including a HR. Has some power.

Saw him play Tues nite in Scranton for Pawsox. Didn't notice any problems with his throwing back to the pitcher. He's a big, powerful guy. Runs well.Got a couple of hits, but not for power. Played 1B the last few innings, which I thought was a hint of things to come. He seemed patient. The lefty starter Castro pitched pretty well for 6 innings or so. Control type of pitcher. He would fit in the BP right now. Bowden relieved, and did not look good. Control off. The Scranton catcher, Montero, looks like a stud. About the same size as Salty. Bats right. Had 3 hits, including a HR. Showed some class, picking a bat up for a Pawsox hitter on a foul ball. Good kid. The best hitter on the field was Nava. This guy has a swing like the young Yaz I saw many years ago. Bat cocked high just over the left ear. Smooth swing like Yaz that can't be taught. 3 hits, including a line shot over the RF fence.Pulls the ball better than young Yaz, who peppered the Big Monster his first year at Fenway. Nava will hit .300 anywhere, and should start in Boston next year in LF or RF. Played RF in Scranton.

Damn, sorry for that misunderstanding about lifting Lester. I wasn't following the game and thought Lester had been lifted after the 7th. Didn't realize he loaded the bases, and Tito had to bring in Bard in the 7th. Tito has done a great job this year considering the injuries. You just can't give him enough credit. He might even deserve MOY.

why o why o why o why did Lester get removed at 99 pitches--shutting out that lineup? Cmon media--ask the question.

Lester out after 99 pitches. With a shutout. Just plain ridiculous. Bring somebody else in they can hit. A RHder to turn Teix around. Bam. 2-1. Now they have to get through the LHd lineup with Bard and Pap. This is classic overuse of the BP.

Lots of age in the OF. I doubt Cameron figures as a starter next year. Drew will be in his last year. If Ellsbury gets traded, it will be for a power-hitting outfielder. Kalish will start next year if he continues hitting in September. He could be their CFder.

Heck, they're all juicing. Probably. There are holes in the testing you can drive a truck through. When somebody is caught, it's for taking aspirin or it's a screw-up.The HGH market is wide open. There is corruption wherever there is big money. Accept it.

worst case scenario. Beltre has these monster contract years, then declines. Boras is a negative. But you never know.Maybe he likes Fenway. Fenway likes him. VMart would be a good sign--as DH, catcher and 1B. Switch hitter. Depends on the money. He's worth $12-14mil, 3 years? He'll want 4. Papi is gone. Can't hit LHP. Overrated at this point. Big ego. Will want too much money. Starting him against CC was a joke, and they knew it. Aside from these guys, they'll never beat the Yankees without some more LHP. Lackey was a waste of money. To beat NY in Yankee Stadium, you need LHd starters. Doubront is a better start there than Lackey or Beckett--the way he is pitching. Imagine, their most expensive starters have been their worst.I would trade Lackey off-season, if I could. Start Doubront next year. Dice-K has actually been pretty good lately. Surprise.Wake is done. Cut the cord. Lester and Buchholz are the aces now. Another trade possibility is Ellsbury. Boras, again. Kalish is ready to take over CF.Maybe Ellsbury for Werth or another power hitting outfielder. Maybe Kalish and Ellsbury in the same OF? Big changes coming next year. Lowrie, Kalish, Doubront and Bowden figure to be part of the team. That SS kid will eventually get to Fenway next year the way he is playing.

Nava back up replacing Cameron. It's one thing to be unlucky with injuries, it's another to prolong the agony by misjudging the injury. Seems to have happened to both Cameron and Ellsbury--2/3 of their starting outfield out for most of the season so far. And Cameron probably done. Abdominals can last forever. So maybe the OF willl be Drew, Ellsbury, Kalish, McDonald and Nava for t he rest of the season. That would be my top 5. Kalish and Nava both strike me as guys who can hit at any level. Just a hunch. Wish Ellsbury would get those Bora$$ stars out of his head and play ball.

Isn't it Jarrod Salty? If not, it should be--forever.

Salty has an OPS of .971 his last 10 games in Ok City AAA. BA .250. That's good hitting for a catcher--back to where he was a couple of years ago before his injury. Good pickup by Theo. He did enough at the trade deadline, with all the walking wounded coming back soon. As for the BP, less is more out there. More reliance on the starters, that is, who are getting 80% of the salary. It's time for Beckett et al to earn those millions. Besides, they have Doubront and Bowden from Pawtucket for the BP. Both as good, probably, as anybody available to trade for.

I decided to make this a thread because it's almost a no-brainer. Here's a guy Lowell who just destroyed AAA pitching in Pawtucket (he obviously still can hit). And there's a guy Ortiz who hasn't hit LHP all year: BA .198, OPS .555. Those aren't DH numbers. Especially for a guy making $12.5 million. And batting cleanup, no less. Shame, shame, Tito. So why isn't Lowell platooning with Papi against LHP? The obvious job for him, as well as backing up Beltre. The answer is symptomatic of the roster problems the Red Sox have. They'll never make the playoffs in this division unless they deal with the politics that keeps rearing its ugly head dealing with some of their declining players. Wakefield is another, but that's another thread.

Good question. The answer may be a symptom of roster politics on the Red Sox. Another good question is why Lowell hasn't been platooning with Papi at DH? Papi has hit good this year against RHP, but his performance against LHP has been atrocious: BA .198, OPS .550 (approx.). Those kind of numbers are unacceptable for a DH making $12.5Million. Yes, sir. Roster politics can kill a team. Especially in a division with NY and TB.

Every high use reliever the Sox get seems to go sour after a year or two. I'm not saying Tito uses the BP much differently than any other manager (I think they all overdo it), but I think it's evident what they save in pitch counts for starters, they lose in too many 1-inning appearances for relievers. Don't forget, those relievers throw more pitches heating up in the BP than they throw in the game. Something that the media overlooks. Johnny Sain, the great pitching coach, always said the heatup was the wear and tear. That means fewer appearances, more innings per appearance, is better.

That spammer plagiarized part of my post.

The Red Sox seem to take an awfully long time "rehabbing" players. What has Ellsbury been doing the last 2-3 weeks? This guy has missed 2/3 of the season with a few cracked ribs? Seems like a bit much.

While the Red Sox are trying hard to keep their balance on the salary cap tightrope, the Yankees just bought the Houston Astros. It's like trying to fight City Hall. Can't be done without a cap. NY is like a 300 lb fatman eating a 30 oz steak--while ordering another. The best thing Epstein can do this year at the deadline is nothing. Just get your wounded back and hope for the best. Keep Lowell, and platoon him with the declining Ortiz. Leave the BP alone. That means use it less. Relievers are getting burned out. Maybe they just need more rest between appearances.

Lowell should be platooning with Papi--and should have been the whole season. That he hasn't is symptomatic of organizational problems with the Red Sox. The FO at times seems to be more concerned with stroking egos than winning games.

Seems like Epstein signs all these guys and then sorts them out according to how much they cost him, and not on their performance. Winning is not a business, Theo. Amazing this club has been so successful considering all the problems with injuries. McDonald and Nava really kept the outfield together, and are at least the 4th and 5th best outfielders right now. Nava looks like he can hit at any level. McDonald is a plugger. These two stand out over Hermida, Hall and Patterson. Hall has some value in the IF, though I wonder if he ever played 2B on other teams. When you throw in Lowell's ups and downs, it makes for a confusing roster situation. But with Lowrie back, Ellsbury and Pedroia soon to follow, it could sort itself out as the season winds down. Trouble is, I doubt this team will make the playoffs. NY and TB have been far luckier with injuries--so far. I emphasize , so far.

There's talk of extending Ortiz next year at $12.5 mm just to keep him from NY or TB. But the stats don't justify it. This team has a lot of trouble breaking the umbilical cord of a lot of guys who have seen better days. Papi, Tek, Wake,Lowell come to mind. And MDC as well, who can't pitch in high leverage situations. Sentimentality does not beat NY or TB, nor does it keep you below the luxury tax. The heart of the Red Sox right now are guys who aren't killing the payroll: Pedroia, Youks, Lester, Buchholz and Bard. And maybe VMart. Beltre could be if he sticks around, but that's unlikely. Ellsbury should be.

Last start was a good one. Too bad he didn't get a CG. 8 inn/117 pitches. For $15 million, he pitches the 9th on my club. Then I don't need 18 relievers in the BP. Does MDC suck or what? Break the cord, Theo.

The killer has been Pedroia. This team is DOA without him.

Nava down for Hermida is a just a sign of the roster problems the Red Sox have. Hermida makes more money so he stays. Nava and McDonald saved this club from embarrassment, and they'll get ditched at the first opportunity for players who have not performed as well, but who are higher on the payroll. Questionable priorities. Holding onto Lowell turned out to be a huge mistake.