SoxFanForsyth

Fangraphs.com. It's got everything you could ever want.

Fangraphs.com It's a fantastic site.

I thought that was a pop out.

Wow Papi. That's amazing.

His FB% is up around where it was in 2008-2010, when he averaged about 36 HR/season. His LD% is also up at 22.4% (highest of his career). He's getting hosed by HR/FB. His HR/FB is usually anywhere from 16.5% to 20.5%. This year, it's 6.5%. That's unfathomably low for a guy like Gonzo.

Wow. Look at those Deer in the Headlight eyes.

Iglesias is on the DL in Pawtucket.

Aviles is really starting to come down to earth defensively lately.

Jesus Christ. Can we stop kicking the "Gonzo sucks at everything" horse??? It's more annoying than watching Gonzalez struggle.

In lieu of VA, I will post the lineups. Good afternoon. Here is a preview of tonight's game: RED SOX (26-25) Podsednik CF Nava LF Gonzalez 1B Ortiz DH Saltalamacchia C Middlebrooks 3B Sweeney RF Aviles SS Punto 2B Pitching: RHP Clay Buchholz (4-2, 7.19) BLUE JAYS (27-24) Johnson 2B Escobar SS Bautista RF Encarnacion DH Rasmus CF Lawrie 3B Arencibia C Cooper 1B Davis LF Pitching: RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-4, 3.56) Game time: 7:07 p.m. TV/Radio: NESN, MLB Network / WRKO Red Sox vs. Alvarez: Sweeney 2-7, Gonzalez 0-5, Pedroia 1-6, Ortiz 2-5, Youkilis 0-5, Aviles 0-2, Salty 0-2. Blue Jays vs. Buchholz: Bautista 6-22, Mathis 1-9, Escobar 1-5, Arencibia 0-8, Encarnacion 0-7, Davis 0-6, Vizquel 1-5, McCoy 0-4, Johnson 0-2. Stat of the Day: David Ortiz, Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto each have 30 extra-base hits, the most in baseball. Notes: After a 4-3 homestand against the Rays and Tigers, the Sox have three games in Toronto before returning home for six games against the Orioles and Nationals. .. The Sox have won three of four, four of six and 14 of 20. ... The Sox are 1-2 against the Jays this season, those games coming April 9-11 at Rogers Centre. ... The Sox were 15-14 in May. ... Buchholz is 7-3, 2.58 in 12 career appearances against Toronto, 7-1, 2.29 in the last four years. He is 5-2, 1.62 in seven starts in Toronto. ... Buchholz has a 4.56 ERA in his last four starts. It was 9.09 in his first six. ... Buchholz's 7.19 ERA is 121st (and last) in the majors among qualified pitchers. His 1.83 WHIP also is last. ... Alvarez is 0-0, 0.72 in two career starts against the Sox. He held the Sox to one run over six innings on April 9. Alvarez has been hit hard in his last three starts this season: 17.1 IP, 28 H, 12 ER. ... The Red Sox have 36 RBIs from their leadoff hitters, by far the most in baseball. ... Saltalamacchia has five home runs in his last 10 games. ... Ortiz has hit 29 home runs at Rogers Centre. Among opposing players, only Alex Rodriguez (34) has more. ... Big Papi has 390 career home runs, 54th all time. Jim Edmonds is next on the list with 393. Song of the Day: "Blue Jay Way" by The Beatles.

It's a new month. The Sox are 14-6 in their last 20. They are 6-1-1 in their last 8 series. Keep winning. Buchholz vs Alvarez Lineups are out (nudge, nudge, VA )

The thing with the Red Sox is that they are loaded with 3B talent. And that's crazy because 3B talent overall is down in the minors. They've got Bogaerts, Middlebrooks, Cecchini, and Vitek. All 3B. I just think it would be pretty smart to deal from a position of strength (minor league 3B) for a position of weakness (MLB SP).

Keith Law recently said during a chat that Vitek is a better player than Cecchini. Personally, I've never seen either of them play, and definitely not to the extent where I can draw a conclusion on who is better. Regardless, I have heard that Cecchini is an underrated prospect and could certainly be the breakout player for the Sox farm this year. If we can get away with sending Youk + $2-3mm + a prospect with a lower ceiling than Cecchini and get Garza, I'm all for it. One thing the Sox could definitely do is let Theo play into their hands. We all know that Theo falls in love with some guys for unknown reasons (See: Lugo), so there may be a guy in the Sox farm that Theo has a mancrush on and can't get over (Think: Sean Coyle).

Yeah I did say majority - My bad. I thought I just said $$$. But, the more I think about it, you're not going to get much back unless you pick up the majority of his contract. If you're looking at a 3-way trade, you need something of value going to Chicago. To get Garza, it will absolutely take 2-3 quality prospects. You get one from the Dodgers for Youkilis (plus a low level prospect), and you send one. The deal still makes sense.

WMB will make some rookie mistakes, sure, but he's got much, much better range than Youkilis. I don't even think it's close in terms of Youk v WMB. The diving stop that WMB made against the Rays on the line drive, Youk doesn't sniff. Against (I believe) the Twins, there was a ball that was chopped that Middlebrooks had to jump to get that Youk wouldn't have made, etc. I've seen quite a few balls that Middlebrooks has ranged for that Youk wouldn't have gotten. It's like comparing Aviles to Iglesias. Iggy will make rookie mistakes, but he's a much better defender than Aviles.

You're getting Youkilis for 100 games. Why would someone give up a strong SP, which is the most valuable position in baseball, who is under control for 1.5 years plus negotiating rights, for 100 games of an injury prone guy who hasn't been himself since mid-July of 2011?? That's ridiculous. If you were in the Cubs shoes, you would never, ever make that deal. You have to trade something of value to get something of value. And I didn't say to pick up his entire salary, I just said plus $$$, meaning 1.5-2mm.

No chance you give up Youk by himself and get back Garza + 1. That's delusional.

I think you're overvaluing Youkilis tremendously, and the recipient would only be getting 1/2 of a season of him. That's assuming he doesn't hit the DL again. Again, very much overvaluing him. I hope he comes back and turns back into his old self, but it's a gamble to say the least, considering he hasn't been himself since July, 2011. Did you see the return that players like Gio Gonzalez and Matt Latos got this offseason?? If you want an above average starting pitcher, you have to give up some talent. Garza would be a good return. He's a guy who is able throw 200+ innings. He's got a career 3.86 ERA in the AL East. He would be under control for 1.5 years. And Cecchini is the Red Sox 11th ranked prospect per SoxProspects.com which is much more informed regarding Red Sox prospects than Fangraphs. Also, Cecchini didn't make BA's top 100 or Keith Law's top 100, both of which invest much more time with prospects than Fangraphs.

Yup. Kemp just went down for another month, and I just heard Buster Olney talking about how the Cubs are itching to start trading some of their players (i.e. Dempster and Garza, via ESPN) I wouldn't be surprised if a deal happened very quickly. There's really no point in wasting time in the Red Sox or Dodgers case. They're both trying to win this year, and would like to improve their team ASAP. My guess is that the Sox/Dodgers/Cubs have a 3 way deal involving Youkilis, Cecchini/Vitek, Garza, and 2 Dodger prospects (Red Sox pick up majority of Youk's $$$).