In today's notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox would move closer Jonathan Papelbon after the season to open up the closer's role for Daniel Bard. He speculates that the Brewers, Twins, Rays, Braves, and Phillies could be in the market for a closer this winter. Papelbon is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season.
Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…
- Scott Boras said he undervalued Stephen Strasburg last year, even though he eventually signed the largest contract in draft history. Boras added that being around San Diego State coach Tony Gwynn helped Strasburg become prepared for what lied ahead.
- Cafardo says that New England isn't a high priority area for scouts before the draft because by time they can get out to see the players in the region, it's too late in the game for a cross-checker to confirm anything.
- Cafardo predicts that Jacoby Ellsbury will be traded this offseason. He'll arbitration eligible for the first time after 2010, though he's been battling rib issues basically all season.
- He also remarks that the Red Sox would have to play Mike Lowell if they want to showcase him for a trade. Lowell has received just 50 plate appearances since the end of April.
- Kevin Millwood should become major trade bait as the deadline approaches because he's pitched well and is in the final year of his contract.
- The Brewers would love to make Randy Wolf available, but no one would take him on with more than two years and $24MM left on his deal. Meanwhile, Milwaukee still isn't sure if they'll try to improve their catching situation or become sellers and look towards next season.
- The feeling is that once Seattle trades Cliff Lee, pretty much everyone on their roster not named Ichiro and Felix Hernandez will be available as well.
- Diamondbacks' CEO Derrick Hall isn't happy with his team's performance and has talked about re-evaluating his management staff. They could be major players at the deadline, with Justin Upton representing the only untouchable.
- Cafardo says that the feeling among big league executives is that the Dodgers will not give up the prospects necessary to acquire Roy Oswalt, but they would be okay taking on the money.
- Adam Dunn would be a perfect fit for the Red Sox if they let David Ortiz go after the season, assuming the Nationals don't re-sign him.
No way Boston gets rid of Jacoby after this season. He’s too valuaable on top of their lineup and no one else on that team steals bases at the rate he does, when healthy.
Man, cafardo’s numb. The Sox are’nt going to trade Ellsbury just because they might have to pay him “4-5” mil next season. they don’t have a major league ready OF prospect and that would leave Drew, Cameron, Hermida to play 2-3 spots, their all a 40 mph wind gust away from landing on the DL. Sure i get it if they sign Werth or Crawford, but wouldn’t they just use ellsbury to suplement cameron to a 4 OF role or just have a rotateing DH and Platoon in RF. Hell they could sign Both Werth and Crawford, Use Ells in center, Rotate DH, trade cameron or hermida and use the other as a 4 OF/PH. Actually sounds like a good idea, would be one hell of Defense
They’ll trade a CF in his prime because he’ll make 4-5 million but they’ll pay over the top veterans 8+ million.
Ya I agree; there is no chance the sox trade Ellsbury this offseason. His value coming off of this year will be the lowest it’s ever been considering he won’t touch any of his career numbers due to injury. He is an athletic, talented young kid who is going to have a horrible season numbers wise due to the time he spent and will continue to spend on the DL. He may not get 200 at bats this year.
Not a chance he’s traded.
Papelbon may be tho. They will have to uncover another guy to take the 8th inning over if Bard is to be the closer though.
The Sox don’t have major league ready OF prospects? Josh Reddick and Ryan Kalish say “hi.” (Could loop Nava in with them too.)
Nava is a 27 year old who’s only played one game, Reddick and kalish are alteast one more year away from being mlb regulars, drew, cameron and hermida are all free agents after next year and highly doubt the sox will retain any of them.
Seriously, Nava? What is wrong with you
i dont think the red sox are going to get rid of papelbon or ellsbury i mean come on they’re not sellers
Papelbon I can believe, Ellsbury no. With Paps they have a guy coming closer to a $10M+ a year contract for a closer, albeit a damn good one. But the Red Sox have another option in the arm of Bard who has been the saving grace this season of the bullpen. Paps can pull in prospects who can be spun for a young power bat. As for Ellsbury, it’s more of a question of who takes center? Kalish isn’t exactly ready for the big stage (Not to mention the Sox very rarely start a season with a rookie starter) and projects more as a right fielder, Lin strikes me more as a future defensive replacement, and anyone else on the farm is 2-3 years away.
If the team with the 2nd biggest payroll in the league doesn’t want to pay Papelbon that money, what makes you think smaller market teams are going to give up quality prospects for him?
Because the Twins did pay Nathan and the Brewers paid Cordero.
I dont recall either of those closers being traded for prospects
When Seattle goes into sell mode …
How about a really unorthodox move – trade Figgins to the Angels. The M’s would have to eat a bunch of salary but if any team values Figgins – even during this horrible season – it would have to be the Angels.
The M’s owe about $4m still this year and then $9m for the next 2 years each. So that’s 2.5 years for $22m. I bet if they ate about $8m they could move him. So far he has been worth 0.0 WAR this season.
I don’t see that happening at all. More the likely is they don’t pick up Jose Lopez’s option (~$5M) and move Figgins back to 3B. They have a kid named Dustin Ackley playing 2B in AA right now and ripping the hell out of the ball the last month and a half. Only thing that needs to come around is his defense. If they think he can be anywhere near MLB average defensively, he’ll be playing 2B in Seattle next year. He’ll definitely get a cup of coffee this year.
Ackley certainly may be an option. Not sold that he’s ready to make the jump to the bigs yet. Sporting a sub 750 OPS doesn’t scream of someone you want to hand the reigns over to … yet.
Why not keep Lopez and stay at 3rd? The guy is having an awful year so far but at least he provides some pop in a lineup that needs that skill. On that team, if you have a choice between a guy who can hit 20 HR’s vs a guy who can run and get on a base at a decent clip I know which one seems like a better fit. Especially, when you consider the cost difference ($5m vs $9m).
Anyway – it was just a thought.
I’m only being slightly facetious when I ask why you would cover anything Cafardo says, especially when it comes to trade rumors? His primary source for trade rumblings is the Sons of Sam Horn message board. And his inside source is J.P. Ricciardi, who, fittingly, is no longer in Baseball.
Nobody ever said Cafardo was bright. Look what paper he writes for and all u need to know. why he gets to waste 5 pages of rambling on every Sunday goes to show how they are.
What happened to the days when the Globe actually had decent reporters on the Sox and now have discards like Mazz, Cafardo, etc..
Sad part is the Globe isn’t even the worst paper in Boston. I used to go to Northeastern and we’d get the Herald for free. That paper was so bad you couldn’t even call it trash, every article was some piece of right wing propaganda. I pretty much blame that paper for the reason that I don’t pay attention to the news any more.
Man, you took the words right out of my mouth. The Herald is such a trashy newspaper. I once saw a homeless guy choose a dirty, ratty copy of the Globe over a brand new Herald.
And of course the Globe is a bunch of trashy left wing propaganda. To find news that is truly unbiased and without agenda … it simply doesn’t exist. Most people just gravitate to a news source that best conforms to their political views.
…and the Herald is it’s lousy right wing counterpart.
ALL newspapers have agendas. They have to in order to make money.
They have to to make money? haha. If that’s the case, then I guess most of them don’t have agendas, because they certainly aren’t making money.
Yes, how dare there be a contrarian viewpoint in a liberal city like Boston, where the biggest newspaper in town is left-leaning!
Also, at least the Herald covers MMA.
I’m not gonna pretend that there isn’t an agenda behind a news report and I’m well aware of how conspiracy theoryish that sounds. What ever the political leanings are of whoever owns the paper will inevitably show and contrary to popularly belief, it’s typically not leftist. My point is simply about the Herald, at least some papers try to hide their agendas but the Herald seems to proudly display their agenda. It’s like FOX, it’s entertainment and NOT news.
Oh, you mean like Fox AND MSNBC, right?
Neither here, nor there for sports and the topic at hand, but Boston and NY both have what you describe. NYT has extreme liberal twist and NYP has the opposite. Boston Globe has extreme liberal twist and the Herald conservative. Many large cities have this, it gives the population what they want, but for sports readers, they are both left out in the cold since like u mentioned.. All 4 of those papers above have horrible sports sections now IMO opinion.
Wow. Cafardo is an idiot.
Funny how everyone of you hate his stories, yet you still read them and comment on them.
I certainly don’t and I doubt anyone else does. Another good thing about MLBTR is that it saves us that pain.
I’d love to see the Mets get in on Montero if he becomes available and is healthy. Thole could even be part of the package sent to Arizona. Just a thought.
Ellsbury is totally average outside of his speed. Look at this stats. He’s basically Scutaro with more speed and less power, and he’s what, 27 next year?. If they feel someone is ready to take over and we can get a good package for him, send him and Boras on their way.
“Outside of his speed”
That would be a problem if he didn’t hit .300 and steal 60+ bases in a healthy year. Yeah those kind of players stink.
BA is irrelevent, his OBP last year was .355 which is just above average. He doesn’t have much power and stolen bases are really overrated. UZR said his defense sucked last year and obviously the Sox management agreed when they put 38 year old Mike Cameron there instead.
Anyway, i’m not saying give him away, but if some stupid team that values speed too highly wants to give away something better we should take it, espcially as we have so many good OF’s coming soon.
Obviously average isn’t that important but .300 still has value. And like I said speed guys have value. It is a totally different Sox offense when Ellsbury in it.
.. yup, because the Sox’ offense is struggling without Ellsbury.
Oh look, Red Sox are
tied 1st with the Yankees in wOBA (.358)
second in ISO (.188)
second in OBP (.353)
second in HR (83)
1st in R (350)
1st in doubles (159)
Well .. they are last in SB’s (19).
And imagine how much better they would be with ellsbury!
Yeah, Mike Cameron’s defense in center really blows. What an insult to Ellsbury…
………………………
Batting average isn’t irrelevant. You’d be crazy if you’d just as well see a guy get a walk as get a hit. Hits move base runners, walks don’t. What you mean is that for a lead off hitter OBP is more important than batting average.
355 is just above average for OBP?
The Red Sox as a team are averaging an OBP of 352 (tied for 2nd in all of baseball). If 355 were just above average then teams as a whole should be pretty close to that number. But they aren’t.
You have entire teams that lack even one guy with a 355 or higher OBP. A quick scan shows that the following counts of starting players on each team with an OBP higher than 355:
Astros – 0
Pirates – 1
Jays – 1
Orioles – 2
Mariners – 2
Padres – 2
White Sox – 2
Angels – 0
355 is hardly outstanding but when you couple it with 60SB speed, the ability to play CF and his relatively low cost, Ellsbury is a very solid player to have on your squad. I’m not a Red Sox fan but I can certainly appreciate what the guy brings to the table.
355 is just above average for OBP?
The Red Sox as a team are averaging an OBP of 352 (tied for 2nd in all of baseball). If 355 were just above average then teams as a whole should be pretty close to that number. But they aren’t.
You have entire teams that lack even one guy with a 355 or higher OBP. A quick scan shows that the following counts of starting players on each team with an OBP higher than 355:
Astros – 0
Pirates – 1
Jays – 1
Orioles – 2
Mariners – 2
Padres – 2
White Sox – 2
Angels – 0
355 is hardly outstanding but when you couple it with 60SB speed, the ability to play CF and his relatively low cost, Ellsbury is a very solid player to have on your squad. I’m not a Red Sox fan but I can certainly appreciate what the guy brings to the table.
“and so all the sudden the Sox are going to trade Ellsbury”
His supposition is not reactionary to Nava as it is to the recent “fall-out” (if you can call it that) regarding Ellsbury’s rib injuries, how it was handled publicly, his “gamer” reputation and tension with the medical staff…not to mention the move to left field. Ellsbury’s name often appeared in trade speculations regarding Adrian Gonzalez so Carfardo isn’t off the mark with this off-season trade rumor.
Yes he is. His value has never been lower and probably couldn’t even get any lower even if he were playing and slumping. This alone makes him dumb to trade, but add to it the discount on arbitration they’ll get and it’d be even dumber.
And who exactly wants him in exchange for anything valuable? Just no.
Ya, but that was when ortiz was coming of a injury plagued season with 2 years left on his contract and only 33 (granted thats like 40 in dominican years).
I’m shocked he didnt mention some kind of Fielder-Paplebn swap.
As for the 5 teams he’s listed:
Brewers- if they are going to trade Fielder, whats the point of trading for Papelbon and paying him 12m for 1 year? Even if they dont trade Fielder, why spend 12m+ on a closer when you’re payroll is only 70-80m.
Twins- everyone said they NEEDED to get a closer when Nathan went down, they didnt and they are still winning.
Rays- Why not just re-sign Soraino instead of trading for and paying Papelbon
Phillies- they’re going to trade for Papelbon and have 22m+ tied up in 2 relievers? Uh, no.
Braves- They’re going to have holes at 1B, LF, CF and 3B (if Chipper retires), so doubt they’ll be trading for a closer for 1 season.
Expensive, declining closers are probably one of the least valuable trade pieces in baseball.
I can’t think of one team in baseball that would want Papelbon, unless the Red Sox pay 80% of his salary. Even then, no team is going to give up a good prospect to get him. He’s way to risky.
80%? Lol are you people ok? 80% of 12 million is what, 9.6 million? So basically your saying no team in baseball would sign Papelbon to a 1 year 3 million dollar deal if he was a free agent? Do you people remember what K-Rod got? Or even what Brandon Lyon got this winter? Relief pitching is always in high demand. I don’t think the Red Sox are gonna get Albert Pujols for him or anything, but to say something idiotic like no team would give up anything of value EVEN if the Red Sox paid 80% of his one year salary is an absolute joke…at worst he nets 2 picks a la Billy Wagner last offseason. Why on earth would he hold no value? At worst he would be one of the top closers in baseball for one year and then get the team draft picks, because he isn’t going to accept arbitration…he knows some team would give him a multi year deal.
What? Are you high?
Papelbon is the 2nd best closer in the game behind only Mariano Rivera and his post season resume speaks for it’s self.
IF the RED SOX ever put him on the market there wouldn’t be a team in contention that wouldn’t be beating down their door for him.
With that being said it’ll NEVER happen.
As a matter of fact I’ll bet they sign him to a multi-year deal this offseason.
Closers ARE a risky position to lock up long term but look at what Papelbon has done LONG TERM!
5 years as a dominating closer in the toughest division in the game of baseball.
Guys like Joe Nathan, Billy Wagner& Trevor Hoffman all melt like butter under the hot lights of post season play and even Mariano Rivera has choked on multiple occasions.
Papelbon has been consistant and dominating in all situation his entire career.
When you say rediculious thing like
“I can’t think of one team in baseball that would want Papelbon, unless the Red Sox pay 80% of his salary. Even then, no team is going to give up a good prospect to get him. He’s way to risky.”
It makes you look really ignorant.
Apparently you didn’t watch Papelbon last year. Closers can be replaced easily. The Twins are surviving without Nathan.
Such amazing nonsense made that much sweeter by you calling HIM ignorant.
The market for top-dollar closers has been declining for years, with team after team discovering that they’re just not worth it. Add to that the fact that Papelbon, despite his remarkable career resume, has been declining consistently for almost three consecutive years. What do you get? Not sure, but you definitely don’t get a trade for anything valuable.
The only team I WOULD have said might be behind the times enough to trade for Paps is the Mets. And they’re already busy proving right the theory that top-dollar closers are an unworthy investment.
Not really. Astros got Bourn and two other prospects for lidge even though he would be coming off knee surgery and had a 2.93 BB/9 rate. And he was very ineffective the year before plus cost 6.35mil. I’d say Papelbon has a lot more value than Lidge did. You’re just flat out wrong. Top closers are a premium and a team that has one makes themselves a lot better.
1.) Papelbon currently has a 4.3 BB/9, which is part of a steady and undeniable decline from his heyday. He’s very far from the best closer in the AL. I wouldn’t even say he’s the second-best closer in the AL East.
2.) Papelbon will make in excess of $10 million.
Papelbon doesn’t have a lot more value than Lidge did. Frankly, it could be argued he has much, much less. It’s a completely new market nowadays, one where closers (especially high-priced, clearly declining closers who will only be under team control for one year) have very little value compared to what it used to be.
This is what it will take for a team to be a player in the Papelbon market in the offseason:
1.) The ability to take on $10+ million dollars for a closer.
2.) The need for a closer
3.) Missing out on better closers, like Rafael Soriano, or lesser closers but with less cost (Affeldt, Putz, several others)
Now, name me some teams that fulfill these requirements. I honestly can’t even think of one.
Even if Papelbon were the second-best closer in the AL, I don’t think he would be able to bring back much of anything worthwhile. You can’t just look at a player without any context and say what he will bring back, like it’s some rule. The Yankees could put have put Derek Jeter on the trade market last offseason and gotten no real takers. That doesn’t mean he has no value to the Yankees, it just means that he’s not worth as much to other teams as he is to the Yankees. The other teams have to have a need for that player and his contract situation.
Trust me, the main reason why the Red Sox won’t trade Papelbon is because he is ten times more valuable to them than he is on the trade market. The timing just isn’t right.
You have no clue. A top closer makes your team so much better any team would want one. Imagine the Yankees dynasty if they didn’t have Rivera. How many WS would they have won? You think if they were throwing John Axford out there it wouldn’t have been different? Teams WOULD in fact give quite a bit for Papelbon. The walk rate is just sample size, He has has just 4 walks in 15.2 innings since April 23 and each were just one lone walk in each outing.
Closer is vastly overrated. You do realize the Yankee dynasty started without Mo closing right? As much as you deny it, Papelbon doesn’t have much value. His numbers are regressing across the board, and what contender needs a closer? (Not to mention a declining, expensive one)
You’re right. If you replace Brad Lidge and his 43 for 43 in save situations for idk, ron mahay the Phillies would have won it.
Notice the closers on the last 10 WS winners: Rivera twice, Lidge, Papelbon twice, Jason Isringhausen, Jenks, Todd Jones, Percival.
Notice how most of these guys (outside Jones) are not just scrubs. You’re argument is flawed seeing as it has proven to be true.
I think you could make a better argument that the correlation between those teams is a good 1st baseman. I forgot how the D’backs rode Kim and all his glory in ’01. Closers don’t win a team games, they preserve them. So giving a closer credit for winning is really a joke when he’s just asked to get 3 outs after a team was winning for 8 innings.
It shows that it has made a difference. the 9th inning is a whole other monster. in a one inning game where you are up one run it makes a huge difference having a great closer out there. how many times have you seen a mediocre closer given up the lead in a one run game?
Studies have shown that a severely average pitcher can save 75% of games. Guess how many 1 run games Rivera had to preserve in the playoffs last year? 0.
Studies have shown that 33% of percentages are made up on the spot. Would you like to refer me to this study?
Papelbon twice?? Keith Foulke was the closer for the Sox when the won it in ’04..
Top closers are swell. They make your team better by being really good. You are right.
Want to know something else that’s great about closers? You can make your own. No, really, you can, it’s true. In fact, Papelbon, Rivera and Axford, all three guys you named, were anointed as closers by the Red Sox, Yankees and Brewers. One day the manager just handed over the ball and said “Go get ’em.” They were setup guys, they proved they could pitch, and they got a shot at the late innings gig. Pretty cool, eh? You want more? Nathan came to MIN as a nondescript middle reliever and the Twins pinned a shiny sheriff’s badge on him after he arrived.
Now even if you think a Top Closer is worth $10m, and there more than a few out there so this is not an unreasonable valuation, you have to wonder why anyone would turn over a heap of prospects to get one for just one year. If you look through the system of most teams, you’ll usually find someone that could fit the bill. He may not turn out to be Mariano Rivera, but he might walk less than 4 per nine and he could convert 90% of his save chances and he’ll certainly cost less than $10m. It’s not a matter of wanting a Top Closer, it’s a matter of justifying the cost of obtaining one above the cost of owning one. Not many teams can do both.
Same thing goes for Sox prospects and how they’re way overvalued by Sox fans. Most of them would argue that Michael Bowden is going to be an ace.
Yes having a top closer is better than having not as good of a closer- that DOESN’T mean he’s worth 10m + “boatload of prospects” as some Sox fans claim.
Especially since Paplebon will leave for FA after 1 season. And since the teams Cafarto mentioned have other more important holes to fill besides closer.
The Brewers also have a good young pitcher in John Axford, who is basically already the closer (with Hoffman having lost that position). No way would they bother trading for Papelbon.
Frankly, I hope Doug Melvin has learned his lesson and quits spending so much on the bullpen.
Wait, you didnt enjoy the 20m spent on David Riske and LaTroy Hawkins?
“what lied ahead”? This is not an exception like “flied out”.
Cafardo is rediculious.
I can’t believe after all his wrong predictions over the years people still print them.
This is the same doofus that picked Toronto to win the AL East 4 years in a row between 05-08′!
Because Ricciardi was his BFF and only source.
On the Mariners being sellers:While I obviously agree with the notion of Ichrio and King Felix being safe, I think it’s safe to say that the M’s now view CF Franklin Guiterrez as a third player of a core to build around(so it’s a trio or triumvirate with Ichiro, Felix, and Guti).Also, while someone above floated the possibility of trading Figgins, I don’t think it likely, and yes, he will likely go back to 3B next season when(not if) Lopez is traded, with Dustin Ackley getting the 2B job(and for all the hype about Strasburg, remember that Ackley was the overall #2 pick in 2009–I’m excited for his debut, too.)So, that’s 5 players–Ichiro, King Felix, Franklin Gutierrez, Chone Figgins, and Dustin Ackley–who are all safe. I think the M’s will in all likelihood give long looks to C Adam Moore and OF Michael Saunders this season and next season, as they could be solid major league regulars. True, Moore has struggled, but I attribute that more to having Rob Johnson as your veteran catching mentor. Also, I think it likely that 2 of Doug Fister, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Jason Vargas(or perhaps all 3) will be in the rotation/bullpen, as they’re all young, cheap, and not terrible. And Erik Bedard will be too injured to be traded.So, that leaves the fire sale at Cliff Lee, Jack Wilson, Jose Lopez, David Aardsma, Casey Kotchmann, Milton Bradley, Ryan Langerhans, Brandon League, Matt Tuiasosopo, Sean White, and filler like Mike Carp, Josh Bard, and Josh Wilson. Not sure how much most of those guys would fetch, but Lee, Lopez, and Aardsma could net the team a decent return for 2011 and beyond. š
Agree with StarryEye above..except for Moore I have a feeling if they trade Lee theyll try for a C,SS, or maybe a 1B
I can totally see Paps on the Phillies
So they are going to pay Papelbon and Lidge 12m+ each? Great allocation of resources.
i thought his contract ended this year..its actually next…
here is a way to say the same thing w/o sounding like a doosh
Lidge’s contract actually ends in 2011…so unless the Phils are going to
move Lidge or pay both closers 12 mil a pop, it doesnt look like it would be
a good fit.
i thought his contract ended this year..its actually next…
here is a way to say the same thing w/o sounding like a doosh
Lidge’s contract actually ends in 2011…so unless the Phils are going to
move Lidge or pay both closers 12 mil a pop, it doesnt look like it would be
a good fit.
When was the last time a closer was traded and the team got anything of appropiate value? The Rays got Soriano for Jesse Chavez (5.11 carear era), if they let him leave after free agency they could net 2 picks, sound better at this point.
The only way they trade him is in a Huston Street kind of deal, Closer and two good prospects for a star player on the tail end of his contract.
The Braves tried to let him leave and collect two picks, but he accepted arbitration. This assured him a contract with the Braves, thus handcuffing the team that already signed Wagner. That is why the Rays got him for nothing, they had no leverage because every team knew they had to move him.
The Braves tried to let him leave and collect two picks, but he accepted arbitration. This assured him a contract with the Braves, thus handcuffing the team that already signed Wagner. That is why the Rays got him for nothing, they had no leverage because every team knew they had to move him.
The Braves should deal one of their young arms (I’m looking at you, Medlen…) to Seattle for Franklin Gutierrez. Atlanta could then move McLouth to LF and would have one of the best defensive OF’s in baseball!
The Sox are potentially faceing needing A catcher, corner infielder and a DH this offseason, doubt they resign Beltre, Ortiz’s option is a gamble, and V-mart wants to catch but the sox think he’s best suited at 1B-DH. So Papelbons name’s going to be trade rumors soon. So here’s a few basic trades that make sense to me.1. Papelbon For Kurt Suzuki. Sox rumored to like Suzuki and he’s entering Arb years, They have a high rated catching prospect waiting in the wing’s, oakland has a new closer every year, And Paps fits that Billy Bean trade and flip montra.2.Miguel Montero, Sox had interest in him 2 years ago when he was a back up, arizona is close to selling mode with Upton probally being the only untouchable. they could expand the deal to include Reynolds or maybe even Drew to fill a 3B void.3.Josh Hamilton, Should be a full time DH, could spot start OF, Texas won’t want to pay him, and the sox have plenty of arms that nolan ryan would like.4.Mike Napoli, just sound like a fair trade, Angels have mathis and need a closer next year.5.Mat Gamel or Casey McGehee, Brewers will trade one if they extend Prince6.Prince Fielder or A-Gone, sox will have to throw in prospect, alot of prospects, doubt Padre’s will want to pay Paps 12 mil though.