SoxFanForsyth

He does for sure, but last time the Sox faced Felix, our offense was abysmal, and Youk didn't play. Here's the boxscore , check out the averages at that game/average now: Ellsbury: .265/.316 Pedroia: .265/.293 Gonzalez: .312/.343 Ortiz: .267/.294 Drew: .257/ will not play, REDDICK .378 Lowrie: .361/ will not play, YOUK .281 Scutaro: .175/.259 Crawford: .168/.247 Salty: .204/.249 By no means am I saying we will definitely have success against Felix, I'm just saying this team is a completely different offensive team now than it was when we faced him earlier. Our offense was beyond struggling back then.

@Thunder?? Since when do you not use the quote function??

Never know. Lackey looked outstanding against the Orioles, and the Mariners have a much worse offense than the O's. Hopefully he has his game today. I can see Lackey throwing a shut out, and I can also see him getting bombed for 8 runs in 2 innings.

I'm not sure about giving up Doubront +1. Especially not +Brandon Jacobs or +Xander Bogaerts. Jacobs may have the highest power ceiling in our minor leagues, and Bogaerts is a SS with "Above-average power potential and home run projection. High offensive ceiling. Potential run producing bat." (per SoxProspects). I think Theo is a very smart GM and he will set a limit on what he is willing to give up for 2 months of a bat and no compensation picks. I'd give up Doubront by himself, but there's no way I'd give up our #10 Prospect (Doubront) + #13 (Bogaerts) or #17 (Jacobs). If the Mets want Doubront + a lower level prospect, fine. But if they're asking for Doubront + Bogaerts or Jacobs, I think we can live with Reddick.

Wouldn't be the first big name player to do it, and it's still the players decision.

Kalish started 2010 in AA ball, and came up and gave the Sox very solid production. I don't think he would be a hole in the line up if he came back and played RF next season. That being said, it would be beneficial for him to develop, so why not trade for and extend Beltran for 2-3 extra years, give Kalish time to develop from his lost season, and then net your prospects by offering Beltran arbitration after his contract with the Sox?

It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to having to prep everyday for big league hitters, take the wear and tear on his knees on a daily basis, and adjust to big league pitching. Don't get me wrong, I think he could be an elite catcher, but its a transition especially going from DH/C to full time C.

Hunter Pence is not part of the Red Sox makeup. In his best season, his OBP is around .340. He only sees 3.78 pitches per plate appearance. He's not a very patient hitter, doesn't work the count all that well. I know people can point to the Crawford signing, but Crawford's OBP was over .355 for 3 of the past 4 years, and the only year it was down, he was injured. Regardless, I wouldn't mortgage the farm for Pence, which is probably what we're going to need to do to get him. As far as the starting pitching goes, tomorrow is going to be a big day in terms of deciding whether or not we make a move for a SP in the market. Buch throws off the mound tomorrow, and if all things go well, that's a big step in the right direction. If his back is feeling good, he could potentially be in a rehab stint by early August, and be with the team by around August 20th or so by my estimate. Theo won't trade a prospect for a month of SP, and we still have Wakefield, Miller, Weiland, Doubront, and Millwood to take over that 5th spot in the rotation once Buch does get back. Personally, I think it should be Weiland, and the Sox should see how well Miller's stuff could play in short spurts out of the bullpen. If his stuff can go from 91-93 as a SP to 95-98 out of the bullpen, that could make our already solid bullpen outstanding, assuming he gains his control out of the pen as well.