Palodios

That sounds like a great clause for a reliever to have in his contract. Normally arbitration is meant to protect teams from losing players to free agency, but in the case of relief pitches it can hurt their career and hit their pockets.

I'm not familiar with Gomez, but his stats don't show him getting all that many SB in AAA. If coached correctly, and a player can learn technique, speed has a much better chance of translating into the majors than power hitting which needs to deal with better pitching, because its simply less complicated. A slightly stronger arm at C won't be anywhere as significant a difference. And it definitely has an impact on OF defense.

Reading comprehension is crucial? We'll get along much better without comments like these in the future. I'm just surprised you're so high on Iggy without any results -- so far he's exactly as advertised, a weak hitting defensive genius.

I don't understand how you are so down on Lowrie, who has put up .800+ OPS at pretty much every level he's played in, and can be so much behind Iglesias, who has shown very little offense abilities whatsoever.

Speed is something that isn't developed over time like power, batting eye, or glove skills. He stole 50 bases last year, so its probably pretty clear that the speed is already there. Crawford's defense and 15 home runs per year aren't what's scary, its his speed, and Jennings already has it. That being said, I agree that he won't be an impact player for quite some time.

The NL loves cheap defensive specialists:D

Yeah, I know. What I'm saying is Papi needs to sit when he's told to sit, and like it.

Ortiz doesn't want to sit against lefties either, but if Francona isn't a complete idiot, Ortiz should be sitting. I'm tired of his bitching, for such an inconsistent player over the last three years, he needs to suck it up.

I've found my post of the year:D

I'm surprised you're so optimistic about this. In the last 40 years, how many times have the Yankees have made zero moves in an offseason?

I just don't see him costing any less than Hughes+Nova+Montero+2. One year of a franchise player is one thing, but 4? That'll cost a ton prospect-wise. I think there are definitely better options for the Yankees out there that won't burn the farm, tip the cows, and rape the farmer's wife.

4 year of Felix... It'd be hard to pry that away from Seattle, even if the next 4 years will cost 70 mill.

It is starting to concern me on how little the Yankees have done this offseason. They resigned two of their guys, missed their big target, lost a strong bullpen arm, and haven't signed a single impact player after being bounced out of the playoffs early this year. They have a farm deep with trade chips and a ton of money to spend. Its almost too quiet, eerie, even. I think something is brewing.

Even though A-gon had a good split in 2010, and Ellsbury may have hit balanced in his career so far, I'd avoid a L/L combo at any point at the top of the order. And I bet that's what Francona is thinking as well.

Watch the Carl Crawford to Boston press conference. Not only is it highly enjoyable, but Crwaford explicitly calls that a myth, and says he will hit wherever Francona wants him.

The sox weren't looking for a low-risk, high reward guy. They wanted good deals on reliable relievers that they could count on. I was a little surprised that they're paying 12 for Jenks, and only 3 for Wheeler, so it definitely works out to be good money on the bullpen. Had Kerry Wood of pre-All-star 2010 showed up in this bullpen in 2011, it'd be a huge problem.

AL East- Red Sox- The rotation, lineup, and bullpen are all going to be tough. AL Central- White Sox. The Twins will be pretty close, but I think adding Adam Dunn will push the White Sox over the edge. AL West-- Oakland. I know its a long shot, but the Angels really went nowhere last season/ the offseason, and the Rangers only had 90 wins and are losing their Cy Young pitcher. Oakland had 80 wins last season and actually made some solid upgrades this offseason. Wildcard(Yankees) - Their rotation is better than we give them credit for. And they're the reigning offensive leader. National League NL East(Phillies) - Duh. NL Central(Brewers)- Greinke, and their drive to keep Fielder will push them over the edge. NL West(Giants) - Reigning WS champions, with a rotation that would be the best in the majors in almost any other year. NL Wildcard(Braves) - Just a hunch. Awards Cy Young AL- Felix Hernandez. With Cliff Lee gone, and the wins barrier broken, I don't think he'll be touchable in Seattle. NL- Tim Lincecum. He's popular with Cy Young votes, and for good reason. The strikeouts don't hurt either. MVP AL- Adrian Gonzalez. A 10% boost in offensive production in Fenway, a monster lineup, a team that is destined for the playoffs, and lots of big-name spotlight. NL- Albert Pujols. No real reason, but he seems like a safe bet, doesn't he?

I think you misinterpreted the question. As in, the reigning AL and NL Cy Youngs, not the previous two cy youngs from one specific league.

Didn't Francona mention Ellsbury leading off as highly likely?

Dice-k is around two more seasons. Plenty of time to figure it out.

Trivia question-- Has there ever been a team that has had BOTH of the previous year's Cy Youngs on their team?

The best reference for this can be found at http://www.soxprospects.com/dh0605.htm It shows you which top picks have gone where. The sox have used quite a few first 1st rounders for big trades, ie Jason Bay, Vmart, and just recently A-gon took two first rounders. Big name 1st and 2nd rounders for the Sox-- 1st-- Bard, Ellsbury, Buchholz, Lowrie, Bowden 2nd-- Masterson, Pedroia, Lester. 1st and 2nd round draft picks have been huge for this organization.

This is the kind of bargain deal Theo has been looking for. The thing about the vesting option is that if he has a bad season-- they give him less opportunities, and then he's gone at year end. If he gets injured, he's gone. The only way if it vests is if he's effective, and at 3 million per year, I'd be more than happy to bring him along for another year. Plus, he's a Type A that doesn't cost picks. Win-Win-Win-Win.

Lee makes more in a year than a lot of doctors do in their lifetimes. I think he'll be fine.