cp176

Not to change the subject for sure because even though he wasn't technically fired, no way was Ben going to run the show but is there any concievable chance that Cueto could be coming to Boston.? Something I would really like to see. The potential of that rotation would look pretty good. Good to hear of his desire to come to here.

i'll go with this one.

Wow - I am glad to see this. I was beginning to have some doubts. Middle of the pack for the year. Better than that over the last half.

I was wrong. Swihart is an above average catcher right now and he will get better if he continues to catch. I guess I said that because when I saw him last year, it looked like he had some trouble keeping the pitch in the dirt in front of him. I think that it was Buchholz who wanted Hannigan to catch for him also (might be wrong there too) which also troubled me. I also realize that some of his passed ball total can be attributed to the fact that he was catching Steven Wright. I think that Vasquez is a serious defensive upgrade but I do like the kid. Have to say though that if we really knew that Vasquez would be ready to go by the first of May, I would be dangling this guy out there as part of a package to get us more pitching. You never know when somebody might take the bait.

Looks to me like this is a dead end argument. What do you think? You and I and most of the people that I know believe that the use of advanced metrics is a very important piece of the puzzle. Dombrowski believes it as well. Statistics are there to be used but they don't represent an end to the story by any means. For what it is worth, it looks like I don't believe in using them because I place a great deal of importance on what a player actually does on the field day to day. Stats represent a primary piece of the story if used correctly but they aren't the only piece.

Dombrowski has a pretty good feel for things it seems. Although we are better in the starting pitching area than we were going into last season, we could still use one good not average, healthy starting arm. Buchholz and Kelly - HOPE - not counting on either one of them to stay healthy though. Porcello might be that good middle of the rotation guy we need. I want to feel confident that E-Rod will continue to just get better. Actually I am sort of confident about that one. Infield defense still has some questions that need to be answered on the field. Can Pedroia stay on the field? Who will catch. If it is Swihart, we start the season average at best in a pivotal position. Ramirez at first ranks about a 0.1 on my confidence chart. From a power perspective, I don't know. I think they will hit. Once again though, I'm not counting on the pre-2011 Ramirez to show up. i really wish that he would show up on somebody elses roster. I bet DD feels the same way.

I've told you many times that I consider the use of metrics to be very important with respect to talent evaluation. I am pretty much in Dombrowski's camp though with how much importance to place on them. He has people in place who know how to use everything imaginable with respect to data collection.

It was meant as a compliment.

Going into last year's season, we had a ton of questions. Many of those issues have been dealt with. Lots of things can happen still but first base looks like the biggest issue to me right now. I also think that if Hanley shows early that he cannot do it, we have that position covered fairly well also. I like this team. I am curious to see what happens with the following - catcher, first base, and will Castillo and Bradley hit.

Sandoval might get dealt. maybe somebody would want him. Nobody wants hanley. We would have to pay his whole contract. i don't see Hanley being our future dh either. Encarnacion. If he can't play first, they will have to give him away.

Bogaerts is one of the best shortstops in the game. He will continue to get better. I am optimistic about Sandoval at third base. We won't know until it all gets going, but I think that he will get it done. As for Ramirez at first, I don't see how anybody can have an absolutely optimistic feeling about this one. He will be involved in too many plays to make me feel real optimistic. We hoped he could become an outfielder last year and we hope he can become a first baseman this year.

Talk about prospects - remember Casey kelly. Just got traded again.

Also wanted to add that I do think that you a very serious poster and that you are sensitive about what you write. I like that . You certainly are not nasty with your comments.

Also, just so you know, even though I think that Miley earns what he is paid to a greater extent than Buchholz, I am glad that it was Miley that got traded as opposed to Buchholz. We can cover Miley's loss. If Buchholz should have one of his good years, we can't cover his loss quite as well. It is worth the risk.

Personally, I like reading other people's opinions. I might not agree with them but that doesn't mean I don't like their opinion. I post here because I enjoy reading different viewpoints whether I agree or not. I'm not going to use data to try to change the way someone feels about an issue. We all are capable of drawing our own conclusions based on the tools we decide to use. I think that the way the MLB contract system operates is ridiculous. There is no justification at all for paying any of them what they are getting paid. I have my preferences. You can call them biases if you like. I prefer the types of players who work for their money. Thus I do not think that Buchholz is worth what Price is worth. I think that Miley is worth more than Buchholz. When I think a contract hurts the team, I will let you know. Saying this does not mean that I dislike Buchholz. I hope that he pitches well for us. You use great statistical data to support your arguments. Good for you. I do things differently than you. I'm ok with that. If someone has the money and wants to pay a pitcher 13 mil. for a half season of work, that is ok with me as long as it does not hurt the team in general or stand in the way of another player's progress. if someone wants to pay a player 200 plus for 7 years, as long as it doesn't hurt the team once again, fine by me. At this point in time, I don't think the Buchholz contract hurts us. I think that the Price contract helps us. Not because of the ridiculous contract but because he will play for us. Hanley Ramirez and his contract could hurt us. Posting here is fun for me. When it becomes over the top argumentative and nasty, which it clearly can, I will stop posting.

He fits very well in Boston. We have needed someone with his strengths and and we seem to have people that can cover his weaknesses. So far so good.

I don't look at trades that way. The needs of each team need to be taken into consideration. From a Boston perspective it represents a great trade right now. We have pitchers that look like they can give us what he gave us. I like him and all but that still is the bottom line. We need bullpen help and in the process of a rebuild Smith looks really really good. If Seattle needed a starter who was dependable although average then they got their man. Among Owens, Johnson, Wright, Porcello, and Kelly, we have Miley pretty well covered. Johnson being my sleeper pick. If Seattle has Smith covered well good job to both teams.

Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater - remember that one!

If Brian Johnson is healthy, his name will part of this mix. He doesn't have the power arm of Kelly, but he knows how to pitch. I think that if healthy he will become a better option ultimately than Owens.I think that he is a better "pitcher" right now than either Kelly or Owens.

This is really just your opinion. I am sure you can find people who will agree with you. I am not biased against Hanley, Panda, Porcello, or Buchholz. Words like bias and hypocrite don't really sound good to me. Disagreeing with you does not make me biased nor does it make me a hypocrite.

My feelings about Buchholz are based on years of watching him. Sandoval did not earn the money he was paid last year. I am not hypocritical for sure. I'm not arguing with you over this. Not worth it. Truth - I do care how John Henry spends his money. They are all overpays. I am looking ahead. We have a GM who is making what seem to me to be rational decisions. I am excited about this year.

I'm really not into the comparison mode. I just like people like Dombrowski. He saw needs, he told everyone what he felt the needs were, he has addressed them. Will all of the moves work out well - maybe. He gets an A form me but I probably was an easy grader. Hopefully, he has a few more moves to make.

Having a lot of Miley type guys I imagine is a very good thing. You get a lot of average possibly better than average innings. They are needed. Not many teams have an abundance of them. As for Espinoza, honestly who knows? My point here is that I have heard numerous times from many posters on talksox how solid our farm system is. If they are right, 3 of our top 6 prospects are now starting pitchers. That trends toward good things.

There is a chance now that Vazquez may be ready earlier than previously expected.

We will get a chance to see - Espinoza, Kopech, Johnson, I would even throw Owens in here.