Peter Gammons answered fans' questions today in a chat session for the Boston Globe. Most of the inquiries were Red Sox-related or required some guesswork from Gammons, but let's check out a few highlights….
- Gammons speculates that the Angels will end up landing Aroldis Chapman, pointing to Chapman's connection to Kendry Morales as a possible factor.
- Mike Lowell's hip is improving and his thumb injury shouldn't be an issue by March. Gammons thinks there will still be some teams that would be willing to take on $2-3MM of the third baseman's contract, and that the Red Sox will eventually be able to trade him.
- The Red Sox may try to acquire another big bat sometime down the road, but right now the team doesn't seem too concerned about it. They think their improved defense will help make up for the offense they lost when they parted ways with Jason Bay.
- If Johnny Damon can't find a two-year contract that's close to his asking price, Gammons wouldn't be surprised to see the outfielder back in the Bronx next season.
I agree with what Gammons said about Damon but i really think that Aroldis Chapman will end up with one of Baseball’s small market teams. Possibly the Marlins or Blue Jays. I’m also really impressed with the Royals’ signing of Noel Arguelles. I think that Mike Lowell would be a great veteran presence for the Baltimore Orioles although I don’t think that the Sox would trade within the division. I think Lowll would provide a good fit for a team if he can play first as well.
I think Boston’s desperate enough to dump Lowell anywhere and since Baltimore is basically a non factor in the AL East if they want them Theo would be wise to move him.
The Yankees will end up with Chapman. They’re sizing up the market. Damon will be there too. Lowell is washed up. I still think he’ll wind up in Texas.
keep dreaming
In breaking news, Peter Gammons rescinds his comment about the angels and instead reports that the RED SOX are the favorites. I’m waiting for it…..
did nobody read that the yankees and marlins specifically said that they were out on chapman?
I did
I did
I had also read that the Yankees weren’t interested in CC Sabathia or Mark Texiera…
…when? The Yanks were dead set on CC the moment the 2008 season ended.Teixiera was a bit of a surprise.Stop making half-assed comments.
…when? The Yanks were dead set on CC the moment the 2008 season ended.Teixiera was a bit of a surprise.Stop making half-assed comments.
Ya the Yankees were kissing sabathias ass once he was eligible for free agents. Teixera was a total suprise though and they stole him away from Boston. It was crazy
Wow. Some of you have your panties in a serious wad. Relax! It was just a light hearted way of pointing out that the Yankees are frequently “not-interested” in players that they end up signing…
Sorry Bamf9-
That post should have been attached to the comment by septhinox.
Ummm no…They said that their asking prices were high and in fantasy land. Cashman never said he wasn’t interested. Reading comprehension is key…
I had also read that the Yankees weren’t interested in CC Sabathia or Mark Texiera…
DAMON WITH GIANTS
DAMON WITH GIANTS
The Mariners are within a couple moves that will cement them in playoff contention in the American League West. What does this have to do with this post? Johnny Damon! I suggest the M’s sign Damon to split time with Bradley in LF. To put the finishing touches on a fine off season of upgrading the team Zduriencik should look hard at giving Jon Garland the same 2YR deal the Nationals gave Marquis.
This would give the M’s a line-up of RF Ichiro, 3B Figgins, LF Damon, DH Bradley, 2B Lopez, CF Gutierrez, 1B Kotchman, SS Wilson and C Bard. Their rotation would be RH Hernandez, LH Lee, RH Garland, LH Rowland-Smith and RH Snell. Wow!
The name Garland and the word Wow! should never be used in connection with each other.
The name Garland and the word Wow! should never be used in connection with each other.
Not a single guy in that lineup that can be counted on for 20 HR’s. It’s a fine squad but this talk of sealing a post-season place is a little silly.
Not a single guy in that lineup that can be counted on for 20 HR’s. It’s a fine squad but this talk of sealing a post-season place is a little silly.
There is nothing that can happen the rest of the way to make the mariners a “wow” team. Their offense is too poor even IF they add damon.
They are good though, they will compete with the angels and mariners who are all good not great as it stands.
The M’s defense+pitching+OBP+improvements in comparison to what the rest of the ALW has done this off season certainly makes them the favorite to win the division title.
When you still have the 08 Mariners in recent memory it is hard to not be excited about the potential line-up I posted.
I’d take the M’s right now, considering how the Angels have done little to improve. Signing Matsui wasn’t really the wise move, since they need pitching and could have kept Vlad for similar dollars.
I meant to reply to the guy you replied to. sorry =p.
Take a look at what the Angels did right this off season. They didn’t over pay for any free agents including their own. They offered arbitration to the two guys who got picked up quickly, which netted them four draft picks. Replaced Vlad with a cheaper, more patient hitter, in Matsui. Replaced lefty Darren Oliver (7th Inning Reliever), who is/was still valuable for a former closer who saved 37 of 38 games last year. That move bolstered the bullpen, which was a huge problem for the Angels last year and with the return of Scott Shields the 7th, 8th, and 9th will look better than it did last year. The Angels also re-signed Abreu who had over 100 RBI. Then you have guys like Torii Hunter who is a Silver Slugger and Golden Glover winner, Morales who hit 34 Homeruns and 103 RBI., a platoon at 2B who hit over 18 home runs, a catching platoon who hit over 25 home runs, and I haven’t even got into AVG. OBP. or OPS. And the Halos Rotation consist of three players who have been All-Stars, and another guy who had an All-Star year last year.
Just because the Halos front office didn’t over spend on declining free agents or trade away their entire farm system for a one year rental doesn’t make them worse. Did the Mariners improve, absolutely. Are they over the hump? Well that certainly can’t be decided in January. As it stands the Mariners have a lot to prove before anyone should hand over the American League West. Less not forget that the Rangers have made a few moves to make themselves better. The M’s might not even be the 2nd best team in the league.
Well put
Very well put. & to add to what you were saying about their lineup, this is just my honest opinion but i think that Erick Aybar is severely underrated!
Take a look at what the Angels did right this off season. They didn’t over pay for any free agents including their own. They offered arbitration to the two guys who got picked up quickly, which netted them four draft picks. Replaced Vlad with a cheaper, more patient hitter, in Matsui. Replaced lefty Darren Oliver (7th Inning Reliever), who is/was still valuable for a former closer who saved 37 of 38 games last year. That move bolstered the bullpen, which was a huge problem for the Angels last year and with the return of Scott Shields the 7th, 8th, and 9th will look better than it did last year. The Angels also re-signed Abreu who had over 100 RBI. Then you have guys like Torii Hunter who is a Silver Slugger and Golden Glover winner, Morales who hit 34 Homeruns and 103 RBI., a platoon at 2B who hit over 18 home runs, a catching platoon who hit over 25 home runs, and I haven’t even got into AVG. OBP. or OPS. And the Halos Rotation consist of three players who have been All-Stars, and another guy who had an All-Star year last year.
Just because the Halos front office didn’t over spend on declining free agents or trade away their entire farm system for a one year rental doesn’t make them worse. Did the Mariners improve, absolutely. Are they over the hump? Well that certainly can’t be decided in January. As it stands the Mariners have a lot to prove before anyone should hand over the American League West. Less not forget that the Rangers have made a few moves to make themselves better. The M’s might not even be the 2nd best team in the league.
I’d take the M’s right now, considering how the Angels have done little to improve. Signing Matsui wasn’t really the wise move, since they need pitching and could have kept Vlad for similar dollars.
I meant to reply to the guy you replied to. sorry =p.
Its nice that you are confident in your favorite team but you need to remember that they were dead last in scoring runs last year and they really haven’t done much to address this, unless you consider signing a “speed guy” on the wrong side of 30, a “headcase” probably on the last team of his career, and trading for 1B without much power an improvement.
And before you get into the Cliff Lee argument, think about whether Lee will really give the Mariners more than they got out of Washburn and Bedard last year. I don’t think they will.
The M’s are still a team with excellent pitching, good defense, and sub-par offense. Hardly what I would call “the favorite to win the division title.”
The M’s defense+pitching+OBP+improvements in comparison to what the rest of the ALW has done this off season certainly makes them the favorite to win the division title.
When you still have the 08 Mariners in recent memory it is hard to not be excited about the potential line-up I posted.
There is nothing that can happen the rest of the way to make the mariners a “wow” team. Their offense is too poor even IF they add damon.
They are good though, they will compete with the angels and mariners who are all good not great as it stands.
Kotchman gives you great d at first. That and a few silly faces is all Kotchman can do. Damon’s dwindling defense and inflated numbers being in New York wouldn’t really benefit your Mariners. And I’m only kind of guessing that if you want to lite the fuse of that stick of dynamite you call Milton Bradley, go ahead and take at bats away from him. Garland isn’t a good pitcher. He’s a number 5 on most rosters and really is just a good innings eater. I like Hernandez and Lee, but the rest of your rotation isn’t really impressive. But hey if you make the playoffs, you’ve got a great 2 man rotation.
As an Angels fan, just go ahead and make those moves. But quit counting on making the playoffs.
Kotchman gives you great d at first. That and a few silly faces is all Kotchman can do. Damon’s dwindling defense and inflated numbers being in New York wouldn’t really benefit your Mariners. And I’m only kind of guessing that if you want to lite the fuse of that stick of dynamite you call Milton Bradley, go ahead and take at bats away from him. Garland isn’t a good pitcher. He’s a number 5 on most rosters and really is just a good innings eater. I like Hernandez and Lee, but the rest of your rotation isn’t really impressive. But hey if you make the playoffs, you’ve got a great 2 man rotation.
As an Angels fan, just go ahead and make those moves. But quit counting on making the playoffs.
The Mariners do not have the offense to match the Angels. Ichiro and Figgy will help but I do not see any real threats beside them. Bradley may cause chemistry issues in the clubhouse. Im not sold on the Mariner offense. I do like Lee and Hernandez but that is it. Bring it on!
The Mariners are within a couple moves that will cement them in playoff contention in the American League West. What does this have to do with this post? Johnny Damon! I suggest the M’s sign Damon to split time with Bradley in LF. To put the finishing touches on a fine off season of upgrading the team Zduriencik should look hard at giving Jon Garland the same 2YR deal the Nationals gave Marquis.
This would give the M’s a line-up of RF Ichiro, 3B Figgins, LF Damon, DH Bradley, 2B Lopez, CF Gutierrez, 1B Kotchman, SS Wilson and C Bard. Their rotation would be RH Hernandez, LH Lee, RH Garland, LH Rowland-Smith and RH Snell. Wow!
HOPEFULLY damon goes to a good team…he is a good guy.but i dont thnik he fits with the giants
HOPEFULLY damon goes to a good team…he is a good guy.but i dont thnik he fits with the giants
i bet you he’ll go back to yankees
Greatest move Epstein could yet make, is if he would find somebody to take 9M of Ortiz’s salary and hang onto Lowell since he seems bound and determined to move salary around. Keep the leader at least, he can play some 3B and am sure he could learn to play some semblance of 1B in an emergency, at least better than what we have seen Ortiz play in inter league games the last few years.
See, the problem is though that while Lowell may be more of a leader of the team, Ortiz is a HUGE leader in the fanbase, even with his horrendous first half last year. The Red Sox will never trade him; however I do think his reputation with the fans has gone down enough that there will be no problem if they don’t resign him next year (because unless he has a monster year I strongly doubt he’ll be back).
Epstein has not shown a propensity to fall into this nonsense in his reign as GM. Look at his unpopular moves with the fanbase already? He let Damon, Martinez, Mueller, Millar all go and barely brought Schilling back, the bloody sock hero. Epstein has done more to FINALLY show the rabid fan base that he will do what is best for the team in the long run, regardless of their feelings that any GM in history that they have had in my memory and that is what they have looonnngggg needed. No more Dick O’Connel, or Sullivan’s, even Lou Gorman’s that would sometimes bend and try to placate the masses.Somebody that would finally let go the favorites before they are finally toast and can get something worthwhile. The cold hard business world mentality is what the Red Sox have needed injected for decades. Look a bit South. It’s worked don’t you think?
Hmm. Yeah, you’re right; if there was any GM that would trade a perennial fan favorite to better the team, Epstein is the guy. I remember myself being very upset by the Garciaparra trade at first..I loved that guy. But still, I doubt anything will happen to Ortiz. He had a strong enough second half (he still basically hit 30/100, although I hear his peripherals, whatever that means, were worse) to still be their DH, and especially with the power outage going on in their lineup a healthy and back-on-track Ortiz could be very helpful. Next year I like to envision something where VMart becomes DH; it would leave room for us to both nab Mauer and either start prepping Lars Andersen if he improves this year, or get one of those big-name first basemen. Of course this is a lot of dreaming by me, but I really think VMart would do well to DH. So I definitely think Ortiz will leave next year, almost even if he does well in ’10, because they will only resign if he comes on their terms.
Now however, if we see Ortiz traded this winter I will likely be okay with it. If Epstein finds the right deal and thinks its worth it, I think I will be able to understand. I just hope he doesn’t get traded for tax purposes; I can see it happening with Lowell because he really is beginning to lose any place at all on the team, but with Ortiz I just hope it’s for some players that are actually worth trading Ortiz for.
Big Papi & probably a low level prospect or a portion of Papi’s salary for Adrian Gonzalez!
bahahahaha ya thatll temp san diego , throw in a cheeseburger as well just to really sweeten the deal.
Ortiz wasn’t a bad first baseman once upon a time, but he can’t play first base anymore in a day in, day out situation. He can’t go to the NL. I wouldn’t be surprise he retires after his contract finished after the 2010 season. Ortiz would had been DFA if his contract was not so costly.
Not bringing back Martinez, Mueller and Millar were no brainers. Mueller quit after less than a year with the Dodgers because of injuries. Pedro gave one good year for the Mets out of a four year deal. The Sox would had gotten one good year out of three if Pedro stayed with the Sox. The Sox needed an upgrade at first base.
Not pursuing Damon could had cut either way. He was a very good leadoff hitter. However his defense decline rapidly after 2005. Damon saw Boston management in turmoil and bolted for the Yanks who needed a centerfielder. Theo took a hiatus when Damon signed with the Yankees.
The 2003/2004 Red Sox were more of a hybrid of Theo Epstein OBP picks and Dan Duquette’s picks. the 2007 Sox were more of Theo’s design, which saw the emphasis on pitching, even though the ace of the staff, Josh Beckett was the work of trades that happened when Theo took a sabbatical in 2005/2006.
Probably, Theo’s two best picks was Ortiz off waivers and picking Terry Francona as manager. Like any GM, he has his share of some truly bonehead moves as well, like using the Spinal Tap Drummer theme as his guide for signing shortstops..
Epstein has not shown a propensity to fall into this nonsense in his reign as GM. Look at his unpopular moves with the fanbase already? He let Damon, Martinez, Mueller, Millar all go and barely brought Schilling back, the bloody sock hero. Epstein has done more to FINALLY show the rabid fan base that he will do what is best for the team in the long run, regardless of their feelings that any GM in history that they have had in my memory and that is what they have looonnngggg needed. No more Dick O’Connel, or Sullivan’s, even Lou Gorman’s that would sometimes bend and try to placate the masses.Somebody that would finally let go the favorites before they are finally toast and can get something worthwhile. The cold hard business world mentality is what the Red Sox have needed injected for decades. Look a bit South. It’s worked don’t you think?
See, the problem is though that while Lowell may be more of a leader of the team, Ortiz is a HUGE leader in the fanbase, even with his horrendous first half last year. The Red Sox will never trade him; however I do think his reputation with the fans has gone down enough that there will be no problem if they don’t resign him next year (because unless he has a monster year I strongly doubt he’ll be back).
Greatest move Epstein could yet make, is if he would find somebody to take 9M of Ortiz’s salary and hang onto Lowell since he seems bound and determined to move salary around. Keep the leader at least, he can play some 3B and am sure he could learn to play some semblance of 1B in an emergency, at least better than what we have seen Ortiz play in inter league games the last few years.
The Twins would love Lowell. I don’t know what we would give up, Perkins…
Hadn’t thought of that. That be a good looking team:
CF Span
SS Hardy
C Mauer
1B Morneau
RF Cuddyer
3B Lowell
2B Punto
LF Young
The Twins would love Lowell. I don’t know what we would give up, Perkins…
Maybe the Cards would be interested in Lowell for 2-3MM.
Only if you threaten that Pujols won’t stay unless Lowell becomes a red bird.
They’ll probably believe you…
Maybe the Cards would be interested in Lowell for 2-3MM.
I would love to see Lowell with the Cards as long as they don’t have give up much or pay to much of his salary
I would love to see Lowell with the Cards as long as they don’t have give up much or pay to much of his salary
lol lowell in the national league..can you say train wreck? let alone a competitive team.
lol lowell in the national league..can you say train wreck? let alone a competitive team.
To me, that comment about defense making up for offense is nonsensical when talking about the AL East. A more valid response would be their pitching depth they obtained with Lackey makes up for signing or trading for another big bat. I doubt defense is REALLY going to be that much of an improvement, its not like they were terrible last year (as far as I know, not a Red Sox fan). Jason Bay was really clutch for them last year so he’ll be difficult to replace.
To me, that comment about defense making up for offense is nonsensical when talking about the AL East. A more valid response would be their pitching depth they obtained with Lackey makes up for signing or trading for another big bat. I doubt defense is REALLY going to be that much of an improvement, its not like they were terrible last year (as far as I know, not a Red Sox fan). Jason Bay was really clutch for them last year so he’ll be difficult to replace.
Last I checked, I -think- Red Sox were dead last in run prevention last year…but I could be wrong. But even if I am, they were pretty darn terrible last year.
Last I checked, I -think- Red Sox were dead last in run prevention last year…but I could be wrong. But even if I am, they were pretty darn terrible last year.
Run prevention incorporates both pitching and defense. The Red Sox were middle of the pack in both categories.
And yes, defense does matter.
Put David Ortiz at first for a whole season and then tell me if defensive value is “nonsensical.”
I think the Yankees learned very quickly how much of a hole they had at first base during the Giambi years, when they got the stellar defense of Teixiera.
You missed my point, of course defense matters. However, so they were middle of the pack last year but still got in the playoffs. Once you get there and you face the lineups of the Angels and the Yankees, defense becomes way less important than offense. Just a truth in the era of the DH. To think that adding the defense that they added makes up for not adding offense and losing Bay’s clutch hitting I think is silly when looking through the scope of the AL. First two games of the ALDS they lost 5-0 and 4-1…how would defense help that? I’m not saying defense is unimportant but their logic in not adding significant offense but adding defense to “make up” for it is stupid.
But if you think about it, the Yanks have always had a “monster lineup” ever since the early 2000’s. What was the biggest reason for their elimination year after year? Failure of the big bats to wake up during the playoffs and terrible starting pitching.
Defense never slumps (well… maybe almost never). Take Teix for example: He was miserable with the bat during the postseason but his defense was stellar — saving runs with the glove. More defense means more outs per batted balls. Defense has a direct correlation to ERA; pitchers last longer with a better defense. Therefore, by upgrading defensively, you are upgrading your pitcher’s ERA — in other words: better run prevention.
Which is more important in terms of wins? Offense or Defense? I think that’s debatable.
I would absolutely agree SP is the most important aspect of the game, especially the playoffs. What I took Gammons comments was on strictly defense, not including pitching, which is what I think he meant, maybe not. If we’re talking about pitching AND defense as you are saying, then its a toss up and your point is well taken.
But isn’t defense directly correlated to pitching?
Unless he’s a pure strikeout guy, a pitcher needs his defense to be successful. That’s why we use FIP and xFIP to take out that huge factor.
I think that Bay’s offensive abilities makes up for his defensive liabilities… but by how much? That’s tough to say. The whole science behind defensive metrics is still in an infant stage. We can’t give a true value for great defensive plays like we can for doubles, triples and home runs. We also have to consider the park factor: a bigger park needs better defenders. Even good hitters will have trouble posting great numbers in spacious parks to make up for defensive ineptitude.
I think as statistical analysis of defense becomes more refined in the coming years, we might be able to answer how much value defense has in winning games. Is starting pitching the most important aspect in baseball? Perhaps. But, what happened to the Cards who seemingly had the best 1-2 punch in the playoffs?
Gammons is a hall of fame writer/reporter and works for the Red Sox. The Gammons being a homer jokes are so unoriginal and getting pretty annoying since that is what is written as comments for every one of his stories.
It is disgusting that Guerrero (.295/.335/.460 last year), who is just as much of an injury risk and almost strictly a DH can get a one year deal for $7-8M BUT Lowell (.290/.337/.474) is only worth $2-3M. If the Red Sox eat $9-11M of Lowells salary I think they are getting screwed. Theo has made it so Lowell has no value.
I thought Gammons was working for MLB network. He’s actually a Red Sox employee? I mean he always sounds like he is but I didn’t know he was actually collecting a check.
He works for NESN too, owned by Sox
i agree with your first point, the one about Peter Gammons, everyone that is bashing him, look at the top of this site and read, it says, “Peter Gammons answered fans’ questions today in a chat session for the Boston Globe. Most of the inquiries were RED SOX-RELATED or required some guesswork from Gammons, but let’s check out a few highlights….”
do you people know what red sox-related means? it means they’re talking about the Phils, Orioles, & Tigers! Duh!
Gammons is a hall of fame writer/reporter and works for the Red Sox. The Gammons being a homer jokes are so unoriginal and getting pretty annoying since that is what is written as comments for every one of his stories.
It is disgusting that Guerrero (.295/.335/.460 last year), who is just as much of an injury risk and almost strictly a DH can get a one year deal for $7-8M BUT Lowell (.290/.337/.474) is only worth $2-3M. If the Red Sox eat $9-11M of Lowells salary I think they are getting screwed. Theo has made it so Lowell has no value.
That is funny Dustroia, I feel that Gammons is unoriginal and getting pretty annoying.
Anyway, I agree with you on how Theo has made a mess on the Mike Lowell situation.
He really screwed that up royally.
I think the Twins would be a good team to partner up with as they need a 3B and a RH power bat to go Cuddyer.
I was watching MLB Network’s Hot Stove show. Casey and some other guy were saying how Boston’s offense sucks and they’re going to struggle to score runs. Rosenthal said that they’re going for run prevention, signing Lackey, Cameron, and Beltre, instead of run producing. I think Casey and the other guy’s heads exploded at the thought of run prevention as a way to win.
I hope Damon goes back to the Yankees. That might open up Swisher to be dealt. The M’s would LOVE him!!!
“I would love to see Lowell with the Cards as long as they don’t have give up much or pay to much of his salary”
——————————————————————————–
As much as Lowell plays the game as hard (and best) as he can and does still have the steady hands he always did on defense, could you just imagine him playing defense next to the hapless Lugo in St. Louis? Lugo, who can’t move *2* steps either way, can’t catch a ball if he does get to it and even if he does, you have no idea if he can THEN manage to throw it to the 1st baseman, or to somebody in the stands?
Lowell would probably be a good benefit for an awful lot of teams as a part time 3rd baseman, especially if he manages to come back with more range than he did last year, but not if Lugo is playing next to him for any amount of time. Lowell will need somebody to pick up some of the range he has unfortunately lost after his major surgery and will probably never fully recover. His bat, leadership and clubhouse demeanor are what he will be bringing. Three things that Lugo never had.
I think this is too rosy of an outlook. Yes, it’s nice to gain the draft picks. But Figgins and Lackey were big parts of the Halo’s success these last 7 years. You’re now hoping Wood finally fulfills his potential and Weaver takes over as the staff ace. Don’t get me wrong, the Angels still have a fine club, but the tides are turning and Jack Z should make Angels fans nervous.
Boston has done very well in regards to NOT signing/keeping Nomar, Pedro, Millar, Mueller, Bellhorn. I think Pedro signed a 5 yr deal with NY, That’s why he went there (Boston offered 4). I know Bos also had a few mistakes–Clement, Damon, Clemens. Theo has done more good than bad