cp176

Castillo left Betts center Bradley right They will figure it out soon enough

Whether the front office did their homework or not, whether bad luck enters in or whatever else, in order for this team to get better, Hanley Ramirez has to go. It was a bad sign. We will have a better team without him on the roster, and my bet is that Dombrowski knows it. i feel for the guy but I do not think that his value as a potential hitter can compensate for the negatives that he brings.

If I had to make a prediction it would be that it doesn't work out and at some point in time people in charge will realize that it was a mistake to bring Ramirez in. It hasn't worked out. I hope that he does get some opportunity to play first so that it can be a problem dealt with sooner as opposed to later. I'm not sure that Shaw is going to be the answer but it is for sure that he has played well enough to deserve a chance at the job. If Ramirez goes one way or another, it won't even be noticed.

If Hanley's production was averaged out over the last 4 years, i do not think that it would be good enough to offset how he plays in left field. It is refreshing to hear about his willingness to give first base a try. If he can just catch the ball at first consistently, he very well might be able to help us. I'm hoping that it works out for him. It is too bad that it took this long for the move to even be mentioned.

I think that he will bring in a good one. I would like to see them bring in two. One by trade and one by free agency. I agree about Porcello, Rodriguez, and Miley. Owens would be good insurance and Wright could be used in a number of ways. Not late inning relief though. I guess I might be in the camp that says goodbye to Buchholz though. It is a a tough one but you have to call it a day sometime. I just don't think that he is worth a half a season. But - with that being said, if they do in fact have more $ than Buffet then what the heck. Another piece of insurance.

there is a big difference in poor and POOR - He should not be used in the outfield. I'm not sure that I would like to see him gonzo but using him as position player is going to be tough.

If Betts plus one brought us Harvey or Sale, I could see it. New Englanders never like to give up anything but that would be a Positive step as long as it wasn't the last one they made.

Your post here makes sense to me probably because I agree with it. What is a "hulk smash" though? It has been fun to watch the kids come along. I also still think although I might be in a minority here that they are getting about what could be expected from Sandoval. The big question ? comes to pitching. Who gets signed? Who goes to the pen? Who gets sent down? Who will be the top 5 in the rotation? I should say who will be the 5 deserving of being in the rotation?

Although I think that everyone on this current roster could be considered tradeable for the right return, I would like to see JBJ in right field for a long time. Right field not left. I am ok with Mookie in center.

Both points of view work here for me. First of all it is not my money. The concept of higher dollar fewer years makes a lot of sense if you are signing top quality players. I think that the Sox have been trying to be penny wise and have come up pound foolish when considering their latest moves. They will have to decide soon how badly they want to win in the near future .

All of your points are valid of course. You won't change my mind when it comes to building a starting rotation by using your best performing 5 starters though. Keeping someone in AAA because they are young or to be used as backup doesn't work out right for me if their performance is better than those ahead of them. Having two young starters in your rotation if they are good enough is not all bad. They could easily be supported by one or two top of the line starters. Counting on Porcello, Buccholtz, and Kelly looks like the same old recipe for disaster to me.

I hope that you are right. One thing known for sure is that many people who saw JBJ play in Portland and Pawtucket felt that way about him just a few years ago.

JBJ definitely looked ready to go. Secondary concern or not most people who had seen him play felt pretty much the same about him. Made watching Ellsbury walk a lot easier.

I think that the injury history was a legit concern.

Does Taz still have an arm hanging off his shoulder? He has been used and abused.

Aaron Wilkerson really - great start for him!

Not sure I would give up on Barnes just yet. No question that pitching is the biggest issue. I would consider Miley the only off season signing that was successful. For a #4 starter, which is what he is, 10 wins amounts to a sold year. Whether it is a good stat to use or not, if it was the only one that you had to use - 10 wins by a back of the rotation starter is good production. Next year - You know Porcello is going to be in there someplace - Miley - Rodriguez- you have to figure right now that Buccoholtz will get another shot sadly - Kelly, their reluctance to put him in the bullpen is sickening. By my count that is 5. I do expect them to go after the best power armed starter ( probably a righty) that they can get. I would like to see them trade for the next best available but I don't think it will happen. If Owens finishes his year positively, he deserves a shot, and by no means should he start the year in AAA. Johnson we don't know much about due to his injury and who knows what you can get out of Wright. I think that he deserves to be with them as well. They can't all start! This presents a real puzzle that will be interesting to see if they can solve or not. I hope that they make decisions based on who earns there jobs on the field. If that is the case, someone may have to be moved. The fact that they might have 3 lefties in their starting 5, doesn't bother me at all if they have earned it.

Most of the big money owners no exactly what they are going to get when they give out the huge 5-6-7 year contracts. If they get 3 or 4 years out of these so called super stars that translates into World Series games, everybody is happy. if not for JbJ, I would not have been in favor of letting Ellsbury walk. So what's it going to be - get 3 or 4 solid years out of a real star or throw a 4 year contract worth 20 or more at someone you hope can become a number 2 starter because he is 26, or hope that you can get some healthy years out of a guy who rarely has been healthy while at the same time hoping that he can become a decent fielder in position he has never played or hope that the third baseman can stay in shape for at least just a little while. The Red Sox in their attempt to play it smart and outthink the rest of the league have wasted a lot of money. Sandoval's contract may prove to be the best of these 3.

I agree. We needed a change. We got a change. Give him a chance. It probably won't be too long before we know what direction he will be heading in. Regardless of what anybody thinks or even knows about him, he has won. The obvious counter to that is so did Ben. That's good - i'm happy. I wish him well!

What you say makes sense for sure but when the $ start getting thrown around it is amazing how short memories become.

when you put Castillo and Ramirez in the same outfield together what do you get? This isn't a joke. He got lucky tonight that it didn't hurt us!

How many people here have heard of Bela Lugosi?

Looking forward to the pursuit of Price and the trade for the next best available arm.

Two good people here. Just not in agreement much of the time and that is ok.