Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports examines the Red Sox' negotiations with Josh Beckett and the Yankees' center field decision in a pair of new columns. Let's check out some noteworthy points:
- Rosenthal points to the lack of top starting pitching talent available in the next two or three free agent classes, suggesting that this could make signing Beckett more important for the Red Sox.
- Although the Sox generally don't like committing long-term contracts to pitchers, Rosenthal opines that keeping Beckett might be less risky than losing him, due to the lack of viable replacements.
- The other top starting pitcher whose contract expires this season is Cliff Lee, who "most baseball people agree" will go to the highest bidder. That may end up being the Yankees, who could use Lee to replace Javier Vazquez.
- At least four teams (the Royals, Reds, Padres, and White Sox) attempted to acquire Brett Gardner this winter, hoping to start him in center field.
Not to knock Ken Rosenthal, He is one of my favorite writers, but I don’t think that the free agent market will lack “top starting pitching talent”. Aside from Beckett and Cliff Lee there are…
Brandon Webb
Javier Vazquez
Jorge De La Rosa
Ted Lilly
Mark Buehrle
Wandy Rodriguez
Edwin Jackson
^^^ Those aren’t Cliff Lee’s or Josh Beckett’s but the Red Sox wouldn’t have the worst rotation in Baseball if it went something like, Lester/Lackey/Bucholz/Jackson/Rodriguez…
With that said, I guarantee the Red Sox will end up locking up Josh Beckett. It’s going to happen.
actually wandy rodriguez&edwin jackson & Buehrle aren’t a free agent next year..not sure where you got that from.
and their is guys like justin duscherer, ben sheets, rich harden who should net a pretty penny with a good season.
No Ferrariman, they are free agents next year. I mean next year as after the 2011 season. Not after this season.
Kind of odd you lumped Jorge De La Rosa in there with that group. His stats suggest he’d be a good reliever against lefties, but as a starter? I doubt any one would court him aggressively as a free agent.
“Cliff Lee will replace Javier Vasquez.” That’s like saying a bazooka will replace a pop gun…
Don’t forget: Bowden, Hansack, Kris Johnson, Kason Gabbard, David Pauley, Charlie Zink, and Tim Wakefield. All of them provide rotation talent and are completely reliable for the next decade as highly touted Red Sox insurance in case Lester, Dice-K, Beckett Buchholz and Lackey do not all simultaneously win the Cy Young:)
Therefore Boston…Like they did by passing on Lackey, will never need another Free Agent because of superior draft skills and a completely homegrown MLB roster.
I bet the house they’ll get a free agent next year. Superior draft skills? They’re very good at drafts, and they have a great farm, but there roster isn’t completely homegrown if one of their pitchers recently signed a 5 year deal – Lackey. And you said they passed on Lackey. I’m just kind of confused on what you wrote.
Must be irony.
David Pauley is on the Mariners.
Tim, where is the sarcasm button?
Your post was just really confusing. I didn’t know what was sarcasm and what wasn’t. Sorry man.
Same sorry about that
I think the Reds and Yanks could match up well in a Gardner trade.
The Yanks might be interested in a young guy like Frazer to be their LF and super utiity guy who gets loads of PT subbing for their older infielders. If there were some wiggle room I think Arroyo would be atractive given his stuff and experience in the AL East. The same could be said for Cordero as a killer SU guy for MO.
The Reds would be interested in Gardner obviously but if the package were to expand with Cinci adding in more value I could see them pressing hard for Romine at C.
I 100% agree on Romine. Infact, I was just thinking last night that the Reds should try to acquire Romine, but They have Drew Stubbs in CF. I guess they could move him to left but I don’t know what the Yankees would want in return. Maybe Yorman Rodriguez and Mark Serrano or Theodis Bowe? Maybe Gardner and Romine for Yonder Alonso. He could DH after Nick Johnson is gone.
I dont think the Yankees have interest in trading away Romine.
They have Montero for the future.
Who is going to be a DH not a catcher
I think he’ll be a catcher. Even if he is a DH I still think the Yankees will give him at least a chance to catch.
I do too, but honestly the yankees think highly with both of these kids. And they probably don’t plan to give away either of them. As a yankee fan myself, I can tell you I use to think of Montero as a catcher until recently, then I think Buster Olney wrote about how different it is for him rather than other catchers, and I changed my mind. For me I see Montero as the bat of the future, but Romine as the catcher of the future.
I honestly see the Yankees catcher of the future as either Monter or Romine, or a catcher on the open market or through trade that the Yankees know they can acquire. For example, who’s to say the Yanks wont sign V-Mart when he’s on the market?
I don’t see them acquiring someone through trade or free agency for a position where most of their top prospects are catchers. Obviously with the right offer, the outcome changes but at this point they aren’t trading either of them, you saw it with Halladay. The yankees are actually starting to use their prospects in their own organization.
There is no guarentee he will stay behind the plate. It would be too risky now to trade Romine and there would be no reason too unless its for an established player not a prospect like Alonso.
Thats why I said they will try Montero behind the plate. Plus, we are talking about the Yankees. You don’t think they can go out and acquire or sign a catcher if they need one? They’ll be fine but I don’t think they would hesitate to trade Romine if it were for the right package. Yonder Alonso is one of the best prospects in Baseball. I’m not saying they could get him, but there is a chance. Also, Bronson Arroyo is on the block. The Yanks may have intrest in him.
First off, No Thanks at all to Arroyo, if the Yankees traded Romine for him I would be pissed. There really isnt any catcher worth trading for except McCann and obviously Mauer, those would be the only exceptions, so I would rather keep both of them. Also the Yankees dont trade prospects for prospects so they would most likely not do a deal for Alonso.
I don’t think it goes Mauer, McCann and then everybody else. Russell Martin, Miguel Montero, Matt Weiters, Jason Castro, Victor Martinez, Buster Posey, Kurt Suzuki, and Carlos Santana could all be available in a few years and the Yankees could get their hands on them. Could you imagine Matt Weiters as a Yankee? Gosh that would be awesome!
My whole point is I would rather have a home grown player unless we could get Mauer or McCann. That could change if Wieters, Castro, Posey, or Santana become just as good as them but for now, I would want those two or Montero or Romine.
I’d take frazier on account of him being a huge Yankees’ fan and being on the Tom’s River team…But I’m OK sticking with Gardner
I think Garnder will be traded next off season. This way they can sign Crawford, who they have repeatedly said they love, without missing a beat and losing their leftfielder of this year. I also think Garnder would have more value showing he can be a starting leftfielder throughout this year, rather then just a 4th outfielder.
I hope Rosenthall was joking, this coming offseasons pitchers are much deeper and more talented than last years.
It seemed like Rosenthal was drawing parallels between Boston’s situation and the Yankees’ passing on a Santana trade a couple years back because they’d be able to sign Sabathia and Burnett. He’s arguing that, while the Yankees had the luxury of passing on Santana to instead sign those free agents, Boston might not have the same luxury if they “pass” on Beckett.
Having said that, the comparison doesn’t entirely work, since, on top of the money, the Yanks would’ve had to give up a slew of prospects for Santana, making that decision easier. He also sells Vazquez a little short, and I’m not sure why he discounts the idea of the Red Sox pursuing Lee. I guess the thinking is that Boston would get outbid for Lee, since they’re not as likely as other clubs to offer $100MM+ to a pitcher.
I think Beckett and Lee will end up with the Red Sox and Yankees. Both the teams will need a starter, have money, and those are the 2 best available.
I think there is a legitimate shot that the Yankees will sign Carl Crawford plus one top tier free agent pitcher. Like Cliff Lee as Rosenthal said. Plus maybe V-Mart if Jesus Montero won’t be their catcher. I think they will spend big again.
I totally agree, in my mind Crawford is going to be a yankee. Then Pettite will retire, Vazquez will be a free agent, and then they have 2/5 spots in the roation taken by CC and AJ. Then 2 more spots by Hughes and Joba. Then they need one spot still, and if they’re going with question marks in the 4 and 5 spots, they will get someone reliable, most likely Lee.
I might even say that Carl is a Yankee now. He just still likes wearing the Rays uniform.
I would be a little surprised to see the Yankees count on both Hughes and Chamberlain to start in 2011. I’d be willing to bet that at least one of them ends up staying in the bullpen. Obviously, their performances this season will play a large part in determining their roles going forward, so we’ll see. I’d just be surprised if the Yanks front office believed today that both those guys would be counted on to take up two spots in the rotation.
I don’t agree. if that was the case they would already have the 5th starter spot for this year set up. They think both are going to start, if they didn’t they’d have their fifth starter already, and the other would be pitching one inning in spring.
I don’t quite understand why the fifth starter battle is good evidence for why both guys will be in the starting rotation. If the Yankees are set on both guys being starters for the long haul, one of them should presumably with the fifth starter job and the other should be sent back to AAA. If Joba lands the spot, Hughes will probably become their primary setup man and vice versa from what i can gather. This scenario would be detrimental to the 2010 setup man’s growth as a starting pitcher. I could very well have the Yanks likely 2010 plans all wrong, in which case all bets are off. Their treatment of Joba has been very unusual and my best guess is that Joba will underachieve in the starting rotation and Hughes will be given a shot at spending his career in the rotation. The fact of the matter is, neither have been treated exclusively as a starter and neither have shown that they’re going to be a rock in the Yankees rotation. Both, however, have demonstrated strong aptitudes for being relief pitchers. I have a hard time believing that both will produce so well as a starter that the Yanks will feel comfortable forgoing their obvious value as relievers.
don’t forget about McAllister coming through the system. He may not be a top of the flight guy, but if he can pitch similar to how he has been pitching in the minors, he could end up a decent number 3/great number 4.
I don’t like the idea of the Yanks getting V-Mart. He is a great hitter but a liability behind the plate. The Yankees already have a great hitting catcher who can’t catch well and another great hitting catcher who probably won’t be able to catch well in Montero. It is a formula that works for them but why add V-Mart when he would just be a more expensive replacement for what they already have in Montero/Posada?
I do agree they will spend big this winter. They have about $60M coming off the books. They do need to resign Jeter and Mo but that will still leave enough money left over to make plays for Crawford and Lee without increasing payroll all that much.
Cold day in hell when V-Mart becomes a Yankee.
With Romine and Montero coming up, there is no need. The Yankees have no incentive, currently, to trade away Romine, who looks extremely promising as an above average all-around catcher. Even if something happens with Romine getting traded, the Yanks may simply try and see if Montero can cut it at catcher.
The money can be spent far better in greater areas of need.
Don’t they spend big every time? That’s the only thing keeping them going.