Palodios

One player won't change the fate of this team(EDIT: Unless that player is a pitcher). Remember in 2010 when the Red Sox didn't go to the playoffs, so they decided to trade their entire farm system for a big hitting first baseman? How did that go?

I just don't think Stanton is worth Bradley, Barnes and Bogaertz, plus others. The cost to get him is going to be something this team will regret for many many years.

Yeah, the airport can be the tough part-- you can either take a shuttle to the blue line, and then take the blue line to the green line, or you can pay $50 for a cab each way. Usually I check to see if there is a line at the cab-stand, and make my decision based on that.

I'd avoid taxis if you want to save money. A one-way trip from one side of the city to the other could cost you up to $70-80 dollars. You can get either a weekend pass/ week pass to the subway for much cheaper, and is relatively reliable if you stay in Boston proper. The Kenmore T-stop is part of the experience anyway-- you basically pack into the train, and follow a gigantic crowd of people to the game. The Boston team store is expensive... but pretty much everywhere sells Red Sox stuff. Its great for paraphenilia, foam fingers, jerseys and specialized items, but for hats and t-shirts you're better off going to regular stores. Food depends on your tastes. I have many many favorites, and I've only lived near the city for six months. There are a few hostels in Boston, but I don't know anything about them. Might be a cheaper alternative if you want to put more resources into the games/ Red Sox gear.

The Tigers were incredibly lucky with the players they traded... most of them didn't get anywhere. But trading away two top 20 prospects is very dangerous. Look at the list from 2007. Do you really have faith in this Red Sox organization to know which players to trade away, and which players to keep? Right now, I don't. 1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, rhp, Red Sox 2. Alex Gordon, 3b, Royals 3. Delmon Young, of, Devil 4. Philip Hughes, rhp, Yankees 5. Homer Bailey, rhp, Reds 6. Cameron Maybin, of, Tigers 7. Evan Longoria, 3b, Devil Rays 8. Brandon Wood, ss, Angels 9. Justin Upton, of, Diamondbacks 10. Andrew Miller, lhp, Tigers 11. Tim Lincecum, rhp, Giants 12. Chris Young, of, Diamondbacks 13. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates 14. Jay Bruce, of, Reds 15. Troy Tulowitzki, ss, Rockies 16. Yovani Gallardo, rhp, Brewers 17. Reid Brignac, ss, Devil Rays 18. Carlos Gonzalez, of, Diamondbacks 19. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Dodgers 20. Mike Pelfrey, rhp, Mets 21. Matt Garza, rhp, Twins 22. Fernando Martinez, of, Mets 23. Adam Miller, rhp, Guardians 24. Clayton Kershaw, lhp, Dodgers 25. Billy Butler, of, Royals 26. Ryan Braun, 3b, Brewers

No way to tell if Wright is Zink or Dickey until he gets his shot. And knowing this rotation, he will. But hell, if he turns out to be as good as Wakefield, I think I'd be okay with that.

I'm starting to think it might be in this team's best interest to use both pitchers in swing roles. Last year, Atchison had 12 appearances with 2 or more innings. Mortensen pitched 12 appearances with 2+, and they were big innings. Morales had 5 non-starting appearances with 2 or more innings. Melancon had 5 in mopup. There are plenty of opportunities.

Steven Wright is a mystery right now. He converted to the knuckleball only recently, but he's been very effective once he got the hang of it. Charlie Zink was far more inconsistent than what Steven Wright has shown so far, and Wright has a 91 mph fastball. He could turn into a complete bust for sure. But as a 10th starter/depth option, I really don't see the harm in seeing if he can repeat his performance from 2012.

I was under the impression that pitchers are often o-k with going to the minors... when it means converting to a starter. Aceves has stated time and time again that he wants to start. Not sure about Morales, but I seriously bet it wouldn't be an ideal career choice for him to continue be a mop-up man. If you set them aside, and ask, with all seriousness, whether they would consider the assignment under the guarantee that they would be the 6th starter in the rotation once injuries arise... maybe it works?

The reason why no one has pried away Felix is the same reason no one has pried away Stanton-- The value of the player is probably worth 5-6 prospects, but no one is willing to give it up. Put it into perspective-- the Blue Jays were willing to give up a top 10 prospect and a top 50 prospect for a 38 year old knuckleballer with one year of control. One year of control of Adrian Gonzalez cost three top 100 prospects. How much do you think teams would be willing to give for a 23 year old masher with 4 affordable years of control left? I think 6 may be pushing it, but 5 is definitely a reasonable expectation.

And you would rather suck for the next decade too? When you're looking at a trade that would cost that many prospects, you need to play the odds. Remember when the Red Sox told the Mariners to take any 6 players in the organization for King Felix? We'd be looking at the same exact situation with Stanton, and it would cost this team a significant amount of talent to fill one hole. My major concern is trading away a pile of pitching prospects, picking up Stanton, having a lineup that mashes... but a rotation that gets mashed too.

Stanton isn't worth the Red Sox's top 5 or 6 prospects. If Stanton gets hurt, it would take 5-10 years to recover from that kind of move.

The big problem with Beckett and Dice-k was that they were insanely inconsistent. Daisuke rarely broke 5 innings, and would often get lit up and pulled in fewer than that. Beckett would pitch 7 shutout innings one day, and then throw 2 innings of 8 run ball the next. Having your bullpen pitch 7 innings in a game is the real problem. Lackey and Dempster are not pretty, but they pitch like workhorses.

The Red Sox have good defense, good offense, and an elite bullpen. I don't believe good chemistry helps to win games, but I do believe that bad chemistry will lose them. They have solid depth in the minor leagues at every position, filled with quality players at the upper levels. Morales, Aceves, De La Rosa, and Webster are a decent group of spot starters, and they have enough money to add another pitcher midseason if they burn through them. Things have to go terribly wrong for the Red Sox to be out of contention for the wild card this year. That being said, terrible things happen to follow the Red Sox.

I don't think it is nearly as clearcut. Napoli has had a better OPS the last two years. He's also not a complete liability on the basepaths, or massive leader in double plays. He may add some flexibility to the team if he's healthy enough to catch, although that remains to be seen. Agon is incredibly durable, and plays solid defense, but he's also been on a serious decline for a year and a half now. There's also the matter of 128 million dollars more for his services.

Sweeney sucks. That being said, as a minor league depth signing, I like him a lot. How often have we had anyone on the minor league roster who could be called up, play solid defense and not be an automatic out? He's very good depth, although seeing him for extended periods of time could be dangerous.

Sorry bud, I totally baited you there.

I just want to emphasize this point.

It seems very surprising to me that the Mets don't find themselves with more pitchers looking for pillow contracts. The Mets have a good market size, plus guaranteed primetime subway series games. It is a division that isn't awful to pitch in like the ALE, but won't get the scorn of the NLW teams for huge stadiums.

Quick poll: Who is more likely to have an impact at the major league level: A )Ryan Kalish B )Westmoreland C )Che-Hsuan Lin D )Darnell McDonald

Well s***. What a bargain for the Mets. He must have serious injury concerns.... I had considered him the second best pitcher available this offseason.

Do we have terms on Marcum yet? I anticipated 10 million for signing him, which would be significantly higher.

Woah, woah there. Marcum is in a different class than JJ. Marcum wouldn't be a depth signing, he'd be a major league signing, no doubt. There is a significant difference in talent between Marcum and JJ, and I want to make that clear. But if the Red Sox are only signing depth, JJ would be at the top of my list of depth signings.

Jurrjens would have been a depth signing, not a starter. I understand you to be far more realistic than most about the kind of starters who are willing to take roles as a team's depth-- you need to take a guy like JJ who has had a bad year, but at his best can throw 150 innings of 2.96 ERA -- like he did in 2011. Low risk, high ceilings-- aren't those the best kind of signings? I don't know why you talk about his past like he's sucked his entire career. He's had one bad year. One. If we judge every player by their 2012 stats, and ignore their 2011 stats, then the Red Sox are a 60 win team in 2013.

He is a 26 year old pitcher with a career 3.62 ERA. He definitely has his inconsistencies, but when he's on, he's on.