SoxSport

The important thing with a rotation is to get the proper coaching, to insure the pitchers pitch to their potential. The past few years, the Red Sox coaching went to pot--and last year they made it worse--showing Lucchino/Henry didn't understand the problem. They had an organization that had been around for awhile, felt entitled after winning two championships, and probably hadn't had enough new blood, especially in the front office which lost a couple of their top people plus all the consultants (James, etc) which were let go a few years back. This year, I think they'll be much improved. The manager is attuned to the pitching as the former pitching coach, and the front office has been reinforced with James and a few others. In particular, I'm looking for the starters to be properly prepared with scouting reports, to avoid early inning blowouts. I understand that wasn't always the case last year. The pitching should be much improved, as long as Ben doesn't get any bright ideas about converting Hanrahan to a starter.

Boras is becoming a liability. Some teams won't deal with him. His prices are too high.

Jen Royle is twittering away today. Says Sox won't give up draft pick for LaRoche. Still thinks Napoli will sign for 2 years. I'm thinking his agent won't be pleased about a lower commission.

I wouldn't overemphasize defense at 1B. The defensive positions are up the middle. The offensive positions are the corners. You have to have a hitter at 1B because your SS and catcher are usually subpar hitters. A hitter like Pedroia is well above average at 2B.Ellsbury in CF is an above average hitter when he is healthy. Hitting is important at the corners--infield and outfield.

Jen Royle, who seems closest to the Napoli situation--she's actually a friend of Napoli--now tweets she thinks Napoli will sign with the Red Sox for 2 years.

They could trade for Garrett Jones, and platoon him at 1B with Gomez. The Pirates want Iglesias, but the Red Sox may want to hold onto him for another AAA season--to see if he can hit.

If they wanted a guy like Napoli, they could have had Pierzynski, who would have been perfect in Yankee stadium. Napoli bats RHd, and has less value to the Yankees. They don't need him at 1B, he's too expensive to DH, and he may not be able to catch. Maybe that's why Texas let him go.

Right now, 3 years of LaRoche looks better than 3 yrs of Napoli, who has an red injury flag on him.

Girardi will never want a guy with a bad hip to catch. He's the wrong fit. Joe clearly prefers a defensive catcher.

http://www.sportsreelboston.com/2012/12/26/royledailyblog/ Here's the story from Jen Royle, the gal who broke the news about LaRoche and the Red Sox. It's still just a rumor, but all the outlets have picked up on it. The Red Sox could be between a rock and a hard place if they don't act soon--one way or another. If they want LaRoche, they will have to be aggressive--and quick. I wonder if their best bet isn't to take a chance on Gomez, last years' IL AAA MVP. This guy deserves a serious look. 1B calls for good hit, average field.

The Red Sox got two of the three best minor league pitchers in the Dodger organization in that deal. The Dodgers were going in a different direction, and they needed stars right now. They have money to spend, and have to get TV ratings and season tickets. The Red Sox had a bunch of bloated contracts and underachieving players. Great deal for them. Maybe a good deal for LA, but Gonzalez may be damaged goods with that shoulder. We'll see.

I agree about Gomez. They just don't like to give minor leaguers much of a chance--in my view--like many other teams do. Look at Manny Machado. The kid is 20, doesn't have a full year of AA ball, and now is being touted as an all-star next year, with just a couple of months on the Orioles. Seems like a stretch, but that's what many of the smaller market teams do. Some guys take longer than others to get to the next level.

Turns out Jen Royle's sources were legit. Confirmed by others in stories today. Rosenthal says they still prefer a deal with Napoli. Royle is a friend of Napoli's and so will not comment on him. If the guy really does have a hip problem, I don't see how he could catch many games. Maybe they see him more at 1B. But if the guy has a chronic hip condition, I would walk away from that level of contract. Maybe they can word it to protect themselves, but if he can't play, they are still out a first baseman. They still have a window to fill the position. I hear LaRoche would accept a 3 year deal from them.

Can't see TB improving after trading 2 of their top 5 starting pitchers. Pitching is what they are all about.

I'm following Jen Royle's tweets on LaRoche. She says LaRoche prefers to stay in DC, but Rizzo isn't budging on 2 yrs so far. LaRoche wants 3 yrs because of Swisher et al signings. The Red Sox would probably go 3 years, but looks like a contingency in case they reach an impasse with Napoli--if they haven't already. Looks like they are maintaining contact with LaRoche, if only as leverage with Napoli.

The Red Sox team after the Dodger deal last year wasn't really a team. And they didn't have a full team in the first half due to injuries to core players. When you add in all the managerial and coaching dysfunctions, right up to the front office, last years' performance doesn't tell anything about this year. And that's without all the changes in personnel, coaching, manager, etc, which have occurred--for the better. Most people think the Red Sox will be much better this year. How much better is hard to say. My guess is they finish in the middle of the pack. But they are due for a season of good luck--haven't had one for awhile. And luck is a big factor for any team in a season.

The latest tweets from multi-sources are saying the Red Sox are going after LaRoche, and he won't sign anywhere for less than 3 years. The interpretation is they are pulling out of the Napoli deal. That would also be consistent with the delay in the Hanrahan deal--perhaps getting Garrett Jones was contingent on signing Napoli. Speculation, but the tweets is where it's at these days on rumors.

Holt projects as a utility guy in the Pirates organization. He needs more power to offset his defensive liabilities at SS, to be a starter. Iglesias has enough defense to offset his weak offense if he can hit .250. It's a good idea to give him a full year in AAA, since he's only 22 and still has upside. I don't know what the Holt for DeJesus part of this deal was all about, except maybe they thought Holt would be a better utility player.

Hanrahan deal finalized--Brock Holt for Dejusus final two players in deal. Holt is a 2B-SS, more hit than field. LHH, has always hit well for BA/OBP in minors. No power. .292 BA in short stint up with Pirates from AAA last year.Arm more suited for 2B. Looks like a utility player. A bit disappointing since everybody expected Garret Jones. They just might be waiting for Napoli issue to resolve before they move further at 1B. Pirates have 3 1st baseman on roster right now, so Jones is probably expendable for a mutually agreeable player.

Check out Gomez' minor league stats. He's been around since he was 19, but didn't start playing a lot in A ball until about 5 years ago. His last two years in AAA have been solid--hitting over .300, and playing decent 1B. His defensive numbers at 3B are not good. He looks like a guy who started early--age 19--and who took awhile to develop. He may have been held up by injuries his first few years. He hasn't played enough in Boston to get a solid read on his ML hitting potential, but he showed enough to stick around for a further look. Players take different times to develop, and it takes patience.

Swisher's numbers on the left side are probably inflated somewhat because of that RF porch in Yankee Stadium. GMs should factor that in for any LHd hitter coming from the Yankees. Ibanez is another example. Damon, too. The Yankees know this, and are always in the market for aging LHd hitters whose value might be better in Yankee Stadium. Ichiro is the latest.The Yankees have the most asymmetric park in MLB, and have long used it to their advantage stocking their team with LHd hitting and pitching.

Yeah, Ted was really a one-dimensional player. Played the wall well at Fenway, and had a decent arm. But he was an average player except for hitting.Babe Ruth was a better all-around player--being an ace LHP in his prime and great hitter as a Red Sox. Players like Mantle, Mays, Musial, Joe Dimaggio and Aaron were better all around players. Williams always said Joe D. was a better all around player than himself. Happy Holidays to all.

I think Speier is stretching his reasoning somewhat on Hanrahan. More likely, they want him as insurance in case Bailey slips on a banana peel--or as a solid 1-2 punch with Bailey reminiscent of the old Bard-Papelbon days. I also think it's true they expect rebounds from a lot of their core players, and probably aren't sure of the upside. They have nowhere else to go but up. Happy Holidays to all you folks.

If Napoli can't catch, his contract should be reduced in money as well as years. It would be hard to justify 3/$39.

Hard to tell what's going on here. The media doesn't seem to know, except for the initial players announced. A lot of people think Garrett Jones is involved in the deal. Maybe Iglesias, whom the Pirates seem to like. The Sox need a first baseman. Jones hits only RHP well, so they would have to have Napoli or somebody else to hit LHP. The Pirates also have another big power guy, Robinson, a LHH, and Gaby Sanchez, a RHH, to play 1B. Jones is also listed as a right fielder on the roster, which also fits in with their needs. Jones looks expendable, with a salary of $2.2mil 2012. Maybe more in 2013. Could be they are trying to balance things out in a deal which keeps them under the luxury cap. Could be they are juggling Napoli right now, and that could be a factor--in the cap and the 1B situation. Could also be there is banter about Iglesias or Kalish--or whoever the Pirates want for Jones. The elements of the Pirate deal could hinge on what they do with Napoli. If they get Jones, I suppose they have a fallback of Gomez at 1B against LHP. Gomes isn't bad at 1b--made one error in 13 starts for the Sox there last year. .987 fielding % in the minors. Much worse at 3B.