Palodios

Most recent article I could find, from three weeks ago. The sox want him wearing a cup, but he's still resisting. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Red-Sox-s-Beltre-rolls-dice-usually-plays-3B-wi?urn=mlb,225635

Wait, does he wear a cup now? I heard he doesn't use it because it limits him defensively. Defense is more important!

Ofcourse there will be regression. But the general opinion here is that after putting up an ace-like year last year, he's going to be a nobody this year.

All of that has been said already. It just seems like no one is willing to entertain the idea that maybe he's become a better pitcher in the last year.

I really don't get how you can just discount Javier because he's moving to another team. Last season he was 5th in IP, 6th in ERA, 3rd in WHIP, 2nd in strikeouts, and tied for 4th in wins in the National League. Last year, his VORP was higher than any Red Sox pitcher-- how does that not make him a difference maker? Yes, he'll see some decline because of the league and the stadium, but to think he'll actually fall back to mediocrity after a breakout season? As much as I'd like to see that, I'm skeptical.

They want to give Beckett a contract like Burnett/Lackey, but for some reason I don't see him wanting that. Call it a hunch, but I think he believes that the intangibles and his ability to anchor a team makes him worth the sixth year, and that's where the negotiation is.

8 by 23? Sounds about right to me. As much as I would have liked to see him Boston, I seriously doubt they'd pay him that much. Let the VMart negotiations begin, eh?

His arguement still stands. 6 IP and 3 ER with that lineup will win games. And winning games makes a difference.

Did you even read his post? He said even with a 4.50 era, a huge 1.50 bump from last year's stats, he'll still make a big difference for the yankees because of reliability. Will more runs mean fewer innings? sure, but he's still a dependable pitcher capable of better than average pitching.

Let's just be clear about this. It is incredibly rare for a 5-man rotation to stay intact for an entire season. Remember last season when we had a big pile of quality starters(Dice, Penny, Smoltz, Masterson, Wake, Lester, Beckett, Buchholz), yet only ended up getting consistency from Beckett and Lester? Wakefield is still an important part of the starting rotation, even as a #6 starter. Someone has the flu? call Wake. Minor injuries like a torn fingernail or sore hamstring? call Wake. Daisuke being Daisuke? Someone has a rough start? Warm up Wake. He's a good pitcher that can pitch as a starter or long relief. I can't say this enough times, but by having a quality veteran guy waiting in the wings, it means they don't have to rush guys up like Bowden/Tazawa, etc, that could use a little bit more time in the minor leagues. Wakefield wants a shot at the Red Sox wins leader, and between spot starts and long relief, he can still get the 9 a year he needs. Its a good situation, and management knows it, especially since they cut the costs on his rolling contract this year. Wakefield is a win-win situation, and they will not trade him.

As much as I like Lowell, think about it. Why has he been so hard to trade if he would have average defense and above average offense? He must still have a lot of issues with his hip, meaning poor defense, and tons of double plays.

I also believe Buchholz will have his breakout season. This offseason, I keep pointing to the span of three consecutive games where he pitched against Verlander, Sabathia, and Halladay and kept the Sox in all of them. He can pitch against the best of them.

The problem with letting him go in 2010, is finding a decent offensive replacement for 2011. Drew/Scutaro/Cameron aren't getting any younger, and they'd also be replacing Ortiz/Beltre/VMart. Unless Mauer gets out of Minny, or if the Sox can somehow get one or two very strong bats for 3rd/DH, the offense is only going down without Vmart.

So why exactly does Drew bat so low in the order? In the playoffs he batted eighth.

Lester was the first to arrive last year too, wasn't he?

The problem with Gonzalez isn't just the farm system, its that the Padres want mlb ready players for him. Every article I read on Padres websites were saying Buchholz+Ellsbury+prospects. Considering the low price of both of those high calibur players, I really would hate to see that trade, especially if they couldn't lock up A-gon long term.

Do these forums have IP banning? I got here about two minutes before the mods did, and wasn't particularly pleased with what I saw.

Jeff Vinik owns a small part of the Red Sox. He recently bought the tampa bay lightning. labro is trying to be clever, but I'm not sure why its at all relevant that a minority share holder for the Sox buying a hockey team.

Delcarmen will be back in the bullpen. The other options do not make more sense, no matter how angry they are with him. One of the two spots will indefinitely go to one of the 6 starting pitchers for spot starts and long relief. It sounds like they're putting a big pile of relief pitchers into spring training and seeing who looks the best, maybe thats boof, maybe richardson, maybe nelson.

He's got a long season ahead so what's the big deal? Normally I'm against this kind of thing, but its not even spring training yet, and he seems pretty intent on getting back into shape. I have no problem with him taking a week off from pre-pre-season to go see his family--which this is probably what this is about.