wyo-sox

I will step up and be the one guy you can all laugh at. I do not think Salty is as bad as everyone on here thinks. I do not think he is all that good but I think it is unfair to blame our pitchers performance on him. I can't stand it when people compare his 2011 averages to Varitech. I mean look at the difference in innings and who Jason exclusively caught for, while Salty caught for a knuckle baller that was terrible and Lackey. Last year there were some pitchers that faired better with Shop, but nobody wants to point out the pitchers that pitched as well with either catcher. If he is such poison behind the plate somebody explain why some pitchers did fine with him? I've heard this stuff about how he frames things that result in the umps calling strikes as balls. I have really tried to watch what he does and other catchers do and really could not see what he could be doing to confuse the umps. I do not see anyone knocking on Cook or Dice Ks door because they were just a good catcher away from being really good starters. Did Bard have a real turn around in aaa away from Salty? Our new skipper not only a pitching coach, but expert with this rotation..... if Salty is so much to blame....would he let Salty start the year behind the plate? I am not saying he is great, but to me there are two equal sides to the coin. Could the way he holds his mit or whatever have a negative effect on trained experienced pro pitcher, sure..... but pitchers sucking inning after inning can easily make a decent pitcher look pretty bad. .... and begin mocking, lol.

I have looked and could not find any studies or stats on post t.j. surgery pitching success. Anybody know of any? I've been curious what average changes, if any, there have been and how much it changes by age group. I hear the stories of those pitchers who come back after t.j. with great success. I suspect there are a great deal that do not return to pitch well but those do not make good stories so we do not hear much about them. Just a guess.

I was wondering the same thing. From what I read I could not understand why he never competed with Loney in L A . and why we did not really want to give him a shot at first this coming season. Like most things must be more to it than I see.

If it has leaked out they are talking to LaRoche it seems like the Napoli deal is all but washed up. We shall see. I think I prefer LaRoche at first anyway.

Gotta like the moves Pirates are making. Smart time for them to trade Hanrahan while they are about to loose control of him and his value is high.

Heyman reports: The Red Sox have an agreement with shortstop Stephen Drew on a one-year deal, league sources told CBSSports.com. The Drew signing will allow the Red Sox one more year to develop slick-fielding youngster Jose Iglesias. Drew's deal is pending a physical. The value of the agreement isn't known at this time. The Red Sox this winter have shown a willingness to pay high salaries in their free-agent deals so long as the length is reasonable. The one-year deal fits since Boston is well-stocked at the minor-league level with top prospect Xander Bogaerts as well as Iglesias. The Red Sox previously agreed to free-agent deals this winter with Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster, David Ross and Mike Napoli, though they are still working through some issues before finalizing Napoli's deal.

I do not know if Texas would be down for this but I would love to have a real short stop.

This has been my hope this off season. I typically am patient and trust the big boys making the big bucks know what they are doing. But every day that goes by and every deal that happens not involving Sox this feeling in my gut grows that we are not going to address the pitching. I read the Reds were looking for a leadoff man, and I really hoped our front office would get some pitching from them in a deal involving Ells..... then I see the three team deal involving the Reds yesterday....... I hope they get a couple pitchers soon.

Sure there are successful ballplayers hooked on alcohol and cocaine, not sure why that belief would make me pretentious. As far as me knowing much about about drugs, people and addictions, I'm not going to get into an internet contest over who has more personal experience with different drugs or addicts. I will simply respect your opinion even if I disagree. To your question on Josh..... I wont suggest how he became addicted to opiates. While stress was likely a factor, we both know the answeres as to why someone becomes addicted to something or even starts are more complex than a single factor like stress. Personal history, taught values, peer pressure, psychological make up, temporary circumstances etc..... are but a few things that could allow stress to trigger an addiction. Has Josh used opiates every time in the last few years when he was stressed? No, so there must be other factors in play he has addressed that have helped him deal with some of lifes stresses. I wont be pretentious and pretend to know what they are. I bet the Rangers do, and they are willing to pay him.

Josh is very open about his addictions and has a solid accountability system, which is why there is concern over the media in Boston. I am not all that worried. It is really naive to think there are not lots of other mlb players or red sox players hooked on dope, pills, alcohol and peds. And it is not like he was using last week, he has a solid track record of being clean. Seems to me Josh has done well witth success. I see no direct link to media pressure, baseball success or pressure and his past abuse of drugs. If anything, the opposite.

With you 110%. I think Hamilton on the roster make Napoli and Victirino a ton more valuable

I have not liked the idea of big dollars for Hamilton..... but the more I think about it I like it. If we were to sign him for four years, and get a true ace (even if we wait till next year)....... That gives us one of if not the best infielders in Pedroia, one of if not the best outfielders in Hamilton, and an ace in ??????? I think that combination as a foundation really lets role players shine, is great for young players to come up around, and makes us pretty competative quickly.

I agree, I feel like we really over estimate his value. Take into account he is only under contract for a season, he has an agent that will do everything possible to do the over priced free agent drama next year, he has a proven history of injuries, and when you set aside his one great season his numbers arent that amazing.

I just always got the feeling they did not like each other, I remember hearing Youk was one of the reasons Ells did not want to stay in Boston long term. I remember Youk calling out Ells one year for not being with the team when he was out with an injury. Given that if the ever fluid circumstances landed them as team mates in Clevland I would find that ironic.

I did read the Guardians are talking to Kevin Youk. So it would at least be ammusingly ironic if Ells ended up sharing a locker room with Youk, lol.

I dont really get the line in the sand with Cody Ross at two years, then go and give Shane three years

I think he is a lifetime .235 loosey goosiness, I'm all in.

I think this a good move, but arent there quite a few players that hit good at Fenway or tore up Lester last year?

I'd pass on Dempster. I think his best days are behind him. AL east would make him a more expensive version of the pitchers we brought on last year.

This season will be ever so interesting for Ells. If he has a repeat of last year, I doubt he gets much of a pay day. Boras can demand what he wants, but it is up to Ells to prove what kind of player he is. Another average or sub par year and nobody will care about that one great season a few years ago, and when he becomes a free agent it will be a few years ago. To me he would be the toughest player to decide what to do with. I think I would trade him in season when he has his first hot streak.

I am having a really tough time being positive looking forward towards opening day. No matter how I look at it our current roster seems like a bad team to me. The reality is any moving general manager makes is a gamble. Just like good hitters strikeout 70 percent of the time I imagine most moves general managers make miss a large percentage of the time. If you have a great roster your misses don't seem so drastic. when rebuilding from a terrible roster your hits and misses are scrutinized and magnified by the fan base. If the front office gambles on prospects then I the fan have at least 2 to 3 years to maybe see that gamble pay off. If the front office gambles on the free agent market this year I feel like it's a gamble with a much higher chance of losing, and if that gamble does lose I as a fan will have to wait 2 to 3 years to recover from that loss. And even if there is short term success from the free agent gamble this year I would doubt it is sustainable beyond 2 years. so unfortunately as a fan I will still watch almost every game this upcoming season. But I have very little anticipation for a good season. Maybe I'm wrong and we will be surprised which would make for the most fun season. I guess will have to wait and watch them play games. I fear waiting for a productive hot stove will leave us frustrated as there are no clear cut gambles it seem to put the odds in our favor.

America has a bar culture. Boston does not offer any unique temptations. Hamilton's addictions were publicized. I am quite sure there are many current MLB players who abuse drugs, alcohol, people, pills, roids etc......... The fact Josh's struggles have been somewhat open to the public do not make me much more concerned over any other player who I know nothing about what is in their closet. Maybe in some ways I would be less concerned. Josh touched booze twice in the last few years and was instantly held accountable in the press, and he stood up and admitted he messed up. Think any other ball players got drunk or abused drugs the past few years?

I would think that may help attract some big name free agents.

At first I panicked and was pissed Toronto got all these players and the Sox did not. But as I think........, these players were the heart and soul of a 69 win team. This type of move has potential to help them, or blow up huge in their face. I think I am OK letting Toronto be the east coast Dodgers and paying for a roster that proved to be a failure.

cool. I need to learn how to read / value obp better