Labor Day linkage..
- Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) thinks that the Padres would like to keep Steve Garrison, who they DFA'd earlier today. The lefty was protected by the club last winter.
- Having Lars Anderson and Anthony Rizzo waiting in the wings won't necessarily preclude Boston from retaining Adrian Beltre and/or Victor Martinez, says Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that he's hearing a lot of speculation about Jayson Werth taking Scott Boras on as his agent. However, he also tweets that players tend to follow their teammates and he may be drawn to Arn Tellem as the agent secured Chase Utley's seven-year, $85MM deal with the Phillies.
- It may be time for the Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa to part ways, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- A recent move by Cubs manager Mike Quade may have scored points with GM Jim Hendry, opines Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter) wonders aloud when A.J. Burnett will rank as a "full-fledged crisis" for the Yankees. Burnett is set to earn $16.5MM each season until 2013.
- It will be an active offseason for Boston, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
yes please!!! get tony outta their. no more Aaron miles and Randy winnless. BTW, would the yankees consider doing a bad contract for bad contract swap of Kyle Lohse for AJ burnett+5-8mil? Lohse has 24mil left on his contract for 2 years while Burnett has *gulp* 50mil left on his, but has been somewhat effective.
both seem to need a change of scenery.
No. Burnett is still at least a tad decent. But he is still one of the most overrated pitchers in Baseball. Although maybe a Brett Gardner/Cloby Rasmus swap would work.
actually the more and more i think about it, the less i like it for the cardinals. that would be adding on atleast another 18mil in salary when they can just release him.
i wouldn’t mind a gardner/rasmus swap, fills the cards needs of a leadoff-esque hitter.
I would happily give you guys Gardner for Rasmus ONLY if Crawford gets signed.
Seriously, like, in a heartbeat I’d do it.
Funny how Granderson kind of screwed up the Yankees/Crawford plans.
I don’t know why the Yankees would want to trade Granderson anymore because he has been a beast since he changed his swing and stance batting around .300 with 7 homeruns going into yesterday.
not really they could easily move swisher to DH have right be granderson, center be gardy and left be crawford then swish can give days off to each other fielder and tex, and if they let arod dh for a day or two you dont lose too much by not having swisher in the lineup
Not really. It’s more that the Yankees have like 3 DHs playing the field so they don’t have the flexibility with the DH.
Though Granderson’s recent surge (Detroit fans can finally shut up, he’s only 0.3 WAR behind AJax now) has made me feel a bit better about that. The thing is I’m fine with having either Gardner or Crawford, but I don’t make those decisions.
Wait *feels your forehead*…is something wrong? Are you feeling okay? We just agreed? Now come back to reality Ferrariman.
You said to me yesterday that you would take Rasmus over Gardner any day and everyday. And Burnett is still way more valuable than Lohse for the simple reason that when Burnett is on (which isn’t that much anymore) he pitches like an ace. He still can shut down teams when on.
I just notice that Gardner is now a 5 WAR player, possibly being the craziest performance in the majors this year, as he was seen as noting more that a 4th OF by most. Ironic that possibly the best value in baseball plays on a team with frivolous resources.
Which is why trading Gardner even with a Carl Crawford signing is a bad thing. Most people say I’m overvaluing him but, lead off hitters lime BG with pacience, speed, and defense don’t come around often.
I’ve been one of the few supporters of the guy, but I never saw him being this good. An elite defensive CF with blazing speed and good obp skills at mlb min is a great value. I saw him as better than the often beloved Ellsbury, but a 5 WAR guy is a pretty amazing feat for him, even among the generous projections.
If Tony is gone after this season Rasmus may stay because of Tony being the main problem.
Well…. then John Lackey is rate #2!
lackey has had more than just 1 great season , though, i do agree he is overrated.
As a Yanks fan… I’m kind of mum on that. B.G. is a lead-off hitter that has good OBP, and get this: he sees more pitches in an at bat than anyother hitter in the AL. That goes along with his tendency to make at bats a battle, fouling off 93% of 2-strike pitches, and not to mention his great speed. He also has good defense and one of the best arms in the Majors. Talk to the Yankees about that ONLY if Carl Crawford is signed.
No left fielder has the best arm in the league. If he did he would be a right fielder. I have nothing to go on but the fact he isn’t in right but I think you are giving him too much credit.
How does Brett have the most outfield assists of any player? And how does no LF have the best arm in the league? That’s pretty bad logic you have right there…and that’s how other teams should value him he’s a true leadoff hitter… but you’re a Red sox fan i’m not gonna bother with an argument
Outfield assists are a terrible stat. Why don’t we use fielding % too. It just depends on chances. I mean did Manny have a cannon arm when he used to throw runners out on hits off the monster? And your RF always has the strongest arm followed by center and left in that order. The reason is because the RF has to make longer throws (right to 3rd) and LF has to make the shortest throws (LF to 3rd). This isn’t Anti-Yankee bias, it is a fact. And I never said Gardner wasn’t a lead off hitter.
Well, those outfield assists eliminates runners on base ad saves runs. Besides, B.G. has a great arm anyway and his fielding % is pretty good too. And for RF to Home and LF to home it’s the same distance, so that kills your logic. most runners headed home get thrown out by outfielders, and runners heading to another base get thrown out by infielders.
Actually you are kinda wrong and kinda right because it depends on the dimensions of the field. In Fenway players are so much easier to throw out from left field than from right field because left field is already much more shallow than right field. Players don’t line up at the same distance all around, how they lineup depends on the dimensions. Assists are a very poor stat to say how good a players arm is because a player who has the strongest arm in baseball could end up with absolutely no assists. And what do you mean players don’t get thrown out at a base by an outfielder. You must not watch to much baseball.
Ok whatever, B.G. still has a pretty strong arm, but if you guys don’t look at him at that direction, he’s still good defensively. And a huge part of why I value him so is because the Yankees finally found their true lead-off hitter. It’s key because he can get on base and steal constantly and guys like Tex, A-Rod, and Cano can drive him in.
Actually, your logic on arm strength is quite flawed. Gardner could have a vintage Vlad arm, yet he would still play LF. RF at YSIII doesn’t need a dynamite arm as RF is not deep, and Gardner would play LF no matter what kind of arm he has due to the fact that LCF is requires quite a bit of range compared to RCF. As for Gardner’s arm, he gets OF assists as people have tried testing him and he has had one of the better performed arms this year with his mix of average arm strength and supreme accuracy.
Overrated is not necessarily how I see it, as I tend to look at him kinda like a prospect. He’s always been billed as a guy who has some of the best stuff in the game, yet is very inconsistent and cannot but it together over an extended period. He’s a guy, who like a top draft prospect, you pay for the potential and upside if he puts it together.
I tend to look at him as a hot mess who needs to get his collective sh*t toghether and pitch
Yes, I agree for Tony to leave and please take his cronies with him. The Cardinals lost a lot of key players that were getting the job done. I don’t know anything about AJ Burnett and maybe the Cardinals would be doing the Yankees a favor, who knows. Both could use a change in scenery. Right now, we have Suppan and Westbrook who could be vying for a spot next year but really don’t know.
Unless the Yankees suddenly stop making money….no, it won’t be a crisis.
don’t let the screen door hit ya Tony
sounds like its time for a TLR whitesox reunion
i really hope the Yankees can some how trade A.J. Burnett in the off season…even if they have to pay 8.5 to 10.5 of his salary…and the Yanks have some cheap talent they can package him with if they need to so moving him might not be to difficult…as long as he doesn’t try to block the deal..
10.5mil? prospects? kyle lohse entice you? 🙂
Ok NO. Kyle Lohse is a dead man in Yankee Stadium. And I’m not about to watch the Yankees give up talent like Banuelos, Betances or Phelps. Don’t even approach Montero. >=/
i wasn’t referring to elite prospects. probably some throw-in borderline B/C guy.
well i still say not to lohse to the Yanks trade
It’s not a complete crisis… A.J. actually got off to a great start on the season actually, and it wasn’t until around the ASB he turned into a complete nutcase.
As I Red Sox fan I like Burnett
Every MLBTR post that questions the Yankees just needs a sick joke by a Sox fan
Obviously. But if you knew me you’d know I’m not that kind of fan. I posted this knowing I would get a Lackey/Beckett crack.
I don’t joke about Lackey/Beckett much. I fact I HATE the Sox but I don’t exactly go far enough in the rivalry to make cracks about their players(except Manny… LOL)while I have posts about the Red Sox saying they have a good farm and I also praise the work of Lester and Buchholz
As I praise the Yankees for their work with homegrown players also. It was a little joke because I like to mess with people.
Ok then no problem. BTW do you think Montero starts out at Catcher and then gets moved in 2-3 years or he is a fulltime DH/OF/1b?
I just can’t see a situation where he plays catcher. It is either Montero next season in the bigs at DH or in the minors catching. He doesn’t have the skill atm or body type to catch. And if I were a Yankees fan I’d rather see him in the bigs making an immediate impact instead of in AAA working on being a catcher.
That’s why he stayed in Triple-A this year. Many Yankee fans including me and my Dad were pretty pissed. But Cashman has no excuse whatsoever of not bringing him up this time. But in the end I think Montero does work with Cervelli and Tony Pena and plays Catcher for a part of his career.
Just curious, how many times have you seen him catch? Also, he has ridiculous value if he manages a Posada like defense with his bat. I mean how much worse than Posada/VMart can he be?
Also, his body type actually is close to a decent catcher in ATL and the same height as a small town kid in Minn.
I’ve seen him catch a couple of times, but not in a while. I defenietly watched him during spring training and was not impressed. But I still want him up next season, ad Cashman better bring him up.
I just relay what I read in reports. Fangraphs doesn’t see him as a catcher and said that he is still terribly below average (well below Posada even) and any improvement this year was overrated and he still isn’t making the strides he needs to. And issues with body type is from most sports writers.
I’m not saying he will be a catcher, but if he can even produce Posada like defense with his offensive potential, he will still be one of the best catchers in the game. I just find it funny how so many people have such solid opinions when they actually have never seen the guy catch. Scout to scout varies on his catching abilities and Newman seemed optimistic about his development there this year.
Before the season there was much discussion over whether Beckett or Burnett was better. Now it’s which one is worse.
I think the Yankees’ #1 priority this offseason should be signing…….. Dave Duncan. If he can’t fix/help AJ, nobody can.
As for those who would trade BG for Rasmus, I personally wouldn’t. Gardy hits for much more average than Rasmus (who’s in the NL no less), while Rasmus does have more power, do we really need it? Tex, Swisher, Cano, A-Rod, Grandy, and Jo-Po/Montero provide more than enough homers as it is. Plus, Gardy is less of a platoon hitter than Rasmus (but not as bad as TLR makes it out!).
As for signing Crawford, no thanks! Sure he’s a great player, but I doubt he’ll be that good in 3-4 years when his speed starts fading.
Dave Eiland is a good pitching coach… but Imagine Dave Duncan working with Phil Hughes, Joba, and the Yanks upcoming pitchers like Banuelos, Phelps, and Betances. Pretty scary if you ask me. He could also fix A.J., but still AJ got off to a great start though. BG is our lead off hitter, and we aren’t gonna have as much success without him because he’s our catalyst, and I absolutely love his ability to get on base constantly… which is why I value him so
its a double edged sword. if you want Duncan, you gotta take La Russa with him. Get ready to see guys like Marcus Thames and Ramiro Pena getting starts over Brett Gardner and A-rod.
Bullsh!t! Dave Duncan knows what success the Yankees bring, and how their system is better with young pitching than the Cards. And nothing could a little money do to sway him? Lol… I’m kidding about that last part. But do teams really have to do that to get his services? Are DD and TLR really that tight?
well they’ve been with eachother since their oakland days..which is like basically 20 years. the yankees will have a mangerial vacancy at the end of the season…yeah i would think its an all for 1 deal here.
Screw that, I hate the way that guy manages, and besides Dave Eiland is still a good pitching coach. And I think Girardi comes back to manage
Which is why I don’t want Dave Duncan as the Yanks pitching coach.
Girardi isn’t a drop dead genius as a manager…but I’d rather him than TLR. At least Joe knows how to fill out a consistently good lineup card.
Yeah I’d rather have Joe G too, he also actually uses his bullpen effectively, and efficiently.
I think Joe’s roster makes it a little easier to fill out a good lineup card.
Isn’t there talk of TLR retiring? Plus, I’m sure that Dave Duncan wouldn’t mind a few extra bucks in his bank account by joining the Yankees. Plus, he probably likes that we held onto Shelly for as long as we did, so there is SOME family connection there.
We also have Eric Duncan his nephew in Triple-A. But if TLR is that tight with Dave Duncan he might retire if TLR decides to retire.
HAD E.Duncan (thank god!), I think he’s with the Braves or Nationals now…
as for the whole TLR & Duncan thing, he may retire with TLR, but he may not, and I think that any (pitching) coach out there would like to come to the Yanks, not only because of the constant chances to win, but the fact that there are so many young pitchers in the organization, so that they have plenty to work with. Plus, to me, DD seems like the type of guy who loves a challenge and loves his work (seriously, to do what he’s done, you have to REEEEAAAAALLLLY like what you’re doing!).
I don’t know, but if I were Cashman, I’d put quite literally EVERYTHING else on the backburner until I do my damnest to get Duncan in a Yankee uni. Plus, I think it would also be a good thing for Girardi, sort of like a motivation for him to stay, that he’s getting surrounded with good coaches as well as good veterans and promising young talent.
This is our speculation so the Yankees might not even take any interest in signing Dave Duncan just because Dave Eiland is right there.
True, I never said it was fact. Although, I certainly hope it becomes so!
I think Burnett’s role will be diminished as time progresses. Obviously he’ll still be a very expensive starter seeing plenty of games, but his inconsistency will be less painful if Lee is signed and Hughes matures into a very good front to mid-rotation guy. AJ the #4 (or 5?) isn’t nearly as bad as AJ the #2.
CC-1 Lee-2 Huges-3 AJ-4 Joba -5 not a bad rotation assuming the yankees get lee…when do they not get their man
meh, Joba isn’t gonna happen. You’ll probably more than likely see Nova in there, with the hopes that he’s at best 4th starter worthy. The Yanks may start going young with the rotation since they actually have legit prospects.
Count on Manny Banuelos being in that rotation also. He may be 19 years old but he and Dellin Betances are already in Double-A. Banuelos will end up being #2 to Sabathia I believe(in a scenario where the Yankees don’t get Lee)or Phil Hughes. I just know and feel that the Yankees are going to get much younger in their rotation, as well as the offense. You can count on Manny Banuelos, and maybe even David Phelps trying to get a rotation spot as early as 2012 or 2013. Banuelos is really young, and really underrated, and I think he will end up being one of the best pitchers in the league. Like Felix Hernandez, I think he will start the Majors at a very young age.
I think Banuelos will be in the rotation, but he’s still some time away, at the very least he’s a year or two away. Personally, I’m not too keen on getting Lee. We’ll be paying for what is mostly going to be his past-prime years, and with our good pitching depth in the minors, I wouldn’t mind holding out on one or two years of not being WS champions to save money and get a rotation of some combination of: CC, Hughes, Joba, Banuelos, Betances, Brackman and AJ (unfortunately).
I don’t think that Brackman will be anything more than a reliever or a setupman, not to limit his ceiling it would be great if he flourished into a great starter. Though AJ is a rollercoaster I think a combination of CC, Hughes, Manny Banuelos, Betances/Phelps/Brackman, and A.J. would be one of he best in baseball someday. I’m actually not worrying about Cliff Lee which is good because I can just pay my attention to the future, If we get him, that’s cool. If we don’t, we still have great talent in the minors.
I had some serious doubts about Brackman too, but this year he turned things completely around, and he’s been flat out dominating AA, which according to most people in baseball is the hardest level because of the volume of talent that there is there. I certainly hope he realizes his potential though!
Out of the young pitchers, I think the ones that will stick (at least with the organization) barring some major trade are: Banuelos, Betances and Brackman (Killer B’s anyone?) I don’t know why but I’m just not 100% sold on Phelps, I think he’ll definitely stick at starting, just not with us. As for Joba, I still envision him as a starter, and I think, much like Hughes last year, that spending this year in the pen will benefit him in getting some of that confidence back that he seemed to lack when he was starting last year. I also think that the innings problem caused much of Joba’s problems last year (again, much like Hughes this year), Joba pitched pretty well up until the last couple of months of the year. So, ideally, for me the rotation next year should be: CC-AJ-Pettitte-Hughes-Joba, then after that it should be: CC-Hughes-AJ-Joba-Brackman/Banuelos/Betances and so on, adding the young guys year by year.
As for Lee, if we get him, I won’t complain, just, if I were Cashman (which obviously I’m not!) I wouldn’t go after him, specially after his recent back problems re-emerging. Backs don’t tend to agree with older pitchers, or younger ones even! Look at Aceves this year (and at the end of last year too).
Remember that Pettitte has to make a decision to retire or come back. The way the Yankees mishandled Joba I think was a monumental fail and I’mreally glad they didn’t do that with Phil Hughes. Joba still might be a good starter, but he needs to get his confidence and control back. Phelps is a good pitching prospect in an underrated Yankees farm system. He might be traded, or he might start with, whatever the case is with him, you can pencil in CC Sabathia, and Phil Highes when these guys are ready. Banuelos, Betances, Brackman, and maybe Phelps will all try to get a spot rotation. This is a sceneatio where the Yankees don’t get Lee. 2 of them will win a spot, while the other 2 go to the bullpen. I think Banuelos and Betances would win the rotation spots, which makes up a young rotation, with Hughes who is going to be young for a while, he’s 24 and already is a stud. A.J. I hope by then will get his collective sh*t toghther and pitch like the ace he is when he’s on. Either that or Brackman outpitches him and you ave an even younger rotation, but I’m not sure how that will work out with CC, because he will be in his early-30’s and the best for him might be to have another veteran in the rotation(of course Phil Hughes will be a veteran by then but he would still be fairly young). But for now this is just speculation. I do hope that Brackman, Banuelos, and Betances do make it up to the Majors and pitch well though.
I agree with the fanatic, Joba’s not happening. And I would put AJ dead last in the rotation if I’m in charge…give him as few starts as possible, do to him what they’ve been doing to Javy this year.
AJ always does this though….he is always up and down the yanks knew that when they got him…one day he has no hit stuff other days he is the worst pitcher out there…but he us big game pitcher
wow none of you are in the mlb so stop saying we should do this its they should.your not a yankee nor ever will be you dont get paid nor get credit for a thing.as for some of the topics gardner is a solid guy as is rasmus.a.j would be nice going out of the al all together he did well last yr and with toronto who knows age catches up to some guys quicker than others.and i believe if boston picks up a few relievers and resigns the guys vmart beltre and ortiz with ells youk pedrioa and cam it would be a nice lineup.i like buck as well though very underrated guy.and with lee you might get a few good years left but i doubt in 4yrs he is gonna be as good i hope texas can resign him would be nice for the sport to have new teams get players gets boring when the same teams do it bos nyy nym probably a few others.its nice you people are openminded and dont only care about your favorite team.wish there were more rays fans though and not the bandwagon ones but true fans
Bandwagon fans? This is MLBTR. We speculate about the lates rumors. SPECULATE. And I’m pretty sure these people are true fans of their teams, since they know everything about their team including the farm system.
what an idiotic post.. and ps theres no rays fans here because the 145 of them total are at tropicana.
Must be those same bandwagon Rays fans that continue to leave the thunderdome half empty night after night, even when they are tied for 1st place on a nightly basis..
If they paid for a bangwagon, they would have to trade Longoria away.
Whos more overrated…Burnett or Zito lol?
zito was dominant and one of the best pitchers in the game. then kinda flopped..
AJ is a contract year pitcher, has filthy stuff but lacks the mental stability to harness his talent.
I don’t think LARS ANDERSON and ANTHONY RIZZO will ever even “displace” the likes of DARNELL McDONALD!
Rizzo is a legit top 5 or 10 first base prospect in all of baseball…and Lars was before he struggled. Obviously anything can happen with prospects, but knocking Anthony Rizzo makes you sound ignorant.
I’m trying to decide whether you’re making a joke or you’re seriously insane….its a tough one.
…what? Aj isn’t a crisis yet?! 5.15 ERA and 1.509 WHIP Isn’t a crisis? 82.5 million over 5 years and that’s the pitching he’s giving??
on most teams it would be, but its the yanks.. worst comes to worst they sign some new pitchers and move AJ to the pen as the worlds most expensive set up man
Zambrano took that title.
When the Yankees do not win the world series, AJ will be the scapegoat. If the Yanks win the WS, no one will care.
Rizzo is 2 years away and probably a better prospect than Anderson, who is maybe 1 if he ever reaches his “peak” status with Boston.
“It will be an active offseason for Boston, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.”
I wonder what led McAdam to this brilliant flash of insight.
*girly giggle* I’m so excited for Boston’s offseason. 😀 2011 is gonna be a fun year!
What do you propose they do? Empty most of the farm by trading for Gonzo/Fielder? And then having to pay them a huge albatross contract especially Fielder? Then there is Papi who wants a multi-year deal and the Sox just wanna pick up his option. And then there’s V-Mart, who’s pretty overrated, injury prone, and horrible defensively. People are saying the Sox should sign him to a deal around 3 or 4 as a 1B/DH/C. Then you have to try and retain Beltre who has all the leaverage in the world and has a mountain of suitors that might have better offers for Beltre, judging how stubborn the Sox Front office have been ever since Theo took over. Is Papelbon gonna be non-tendered? Bard is ready to close? What about Varitek? Now he’s got the idea that h can play for more than one year. Are they gonna trade Ells? Are they gonna Ty and go after Werth or Crawford? It’s a pretty big puzzle as to what they are gonna do.
I think that’s why it’s going to be so much fun! I’m with BoSoxSam when it comes to this. This may be the best offseason the Sox have had in years. Theo knows he has to deliver, and I believe he will…but what will he do!?!?
I think it starts with resigning Beltre…he will be the biggest gamble Theo has ever made, but 12-15m/year over 3-4 years should be offered…the 3B position is so shallow, I’d rather overpay for Beltre than have to give up prospects in a trade.
After that, they need to figure out their OF situation. I don’t think a deal needs to be made, I’m perfectly happy with a *healthy* Cameron/Ellsbury/Drew OF….but if there’s any injury concerns, they need to address it. I would honestly prefer Werth on a 2-3 year deal than Crawford on a 4-5 year deal. I do not believe Crawford will prove to be worth it over the life of the contract he’ll end up getting. His game revolves around speed, and I firmly believe players of his skill set regress a lot faster than others.
They need to either resign VMart or trade for Napoli. There’s no other options, so they will end up overpaying for either one. They should have extended VMart at the beginning of the season. I would rather them get Kurt Suzuki, but his contract is likely too team-friendly for Oakland to part with.
They also need to exercise Ortiz’s option. I would rather them lock Ortiz up for another year as our DH than end up paying him over another 2-3 years, even if that 2-3 years is cheaper than this 1 year. Roster flexibility is more important at this point than the couple million they’d save by restructuring his contract.
Obviously, they need to rebuild their bullpen. Good luck, Theo. This part of the roster is where GM’s lose their hair. RP’s are so inconsistent, he might as well flip a coin and throw money at whatever is available. Scott Downs at 36 years old? I would rather him stay away. I know he’s been consistent, but other teams will likely set the bar higher than he’s truly worth. Whatever he does, he has a fairly good track record (up until this year) of putting together a solid BP..so I have faith.
Yes it’ll be so fun to watch Theo navigate through a very tricky, but exciting offseason! 🙂 I agree about Beltre, he’s about as close to a must-sign for the Sox this year as any. He’s so important to their offense, even if he regresses, and he’ll be an upgrade from basically every third base option for them.
Not sure about the outfield, although I agree with you on Werth over Crawford. Not just about getting stuck with some bad years, but also with a healthy Ellsbury I think Werth’s skill set will fit best with our lineup. We do have one weak link in our outfield and that is the Cameron/Kalish/Nava/McDonald spot. 😛 I was hoping to see Kalish start fulltime in 2011, but with some more struggles this year I’m thinking he might do well with a little more AAA time. So, I could see them moving towards a Werth or something, but only if the deal is really good for Boston, because they have a plethora of other, if slightly less exciting, options.
What about Saltalamacchia? He’ll still need to prove himself in these last 30 games or so, but if he does…maybe he’s the starter next year? Who knows. I do know Theo has wanted him there for years, so its a possibility. Oh and I agree, Suzuki would be fantastic. I’m just thinking they may believe that Salty can turn out to be a better catcher (hitting-wise, at least) than Napoli, and stick with him. But…catcher is the most interesting position to think about this offseason, IMO, because I don’t think they should resign V-Mart because of age+diminishing skills in everything but hitting. And his hitting is below average as a 1B or DH.
Oh I agree about Ortiz! I would like to see him for at least another year, because I think he’s got at least one more productive season left in him. And the option, while pricey, is not a problem for Boston, and would be only a one-year deal.
I’m super excited about the bullpen! xD This may be over-optimistic of me, but I see a bunch of ways to re-bolster it. Bowden seems cool with staying in the bullpen, and he looks useful there. Doubront has also become important there, but dunno if they want to make him a starter again or not. And I personally really love what Atchison has done for this team. Sure he’s given up some runs, but he’s been a very consistent long-man, and his numbers are inflated from a bad start to the year. I could see Atchison, Bard, Papelbon, Doubront and Bowden all in the bullpen next year. When you look at it like that, there are not actually that many slots to fill there. He’s already done a lot this year to restructure it.
Doubront, so I hear from Theo, will get a chance to start someday. And if I were a Sox fan(I’m a Yanks fan so that’s a bad taste, lmao just kidding.)I would’nt be so excited of maybe emptying almost half the farm including Casey Kelly for a slugger like Gonzo/Fielder. Those are great slugging first baseman but Theo should be hesistant to trade young pitching. And I know of the Sox’s future problems and solutions, so I would make Jose Iglesias, Ryan Westmoreland, and Kelly untradeable. There were always problems at SS for the Sox after Lugo left, and Scutaro is there to hold down the position until Iglesias is ready to take it, not long term. The Sox pitching is going to be much better with Kelly addition to Buchholz and Lester. Lackey was an over payment, I can see him being traded during the 3d or 4th year of his contract, but Kelly should be ready by then. Beckett was also one, but he’s still a good pitcher, and more likelyo finish his deal with the Sox than Lackey. And Westmoreland someone you cannot trade. He is gonna be a real stud in the league and can make that Sox outfield already good. Ellsbury is tradeable but, Reymond Fuentes is the exact same player. Who do you trade? Ells could net a nice return, and Fuentes can just take his place. As for 1B Lars Anderson lost all his trade value with the horrible year he’s had. But if he can rebound, he could be an impact while Rizzo can get either moved to a new position or traded for a proven big leaguer. Or Lars can just prove he’s a bust in what could have been his final year of development, and Rizzo could take over.
Um…wait. I’m confused. I agree with you? But you keep bringing this thing about trading for a 1B as if I suggested that, and I don’t it was mentioned at all before..anyway. I agree they shouldn’t trade for one, Youk needs to stay at first. And sure he doesn’t have the sexy home runs, but he’s still one of the best first basemen in MLB. Iglesias is staying, as you said, because Scutaro is the bridge specifically to him. Kelly obviously needs some time, but I agree he’ll be a great addition when he’s ready. I dunno how they’d trade Lackey exactly, assuming he declines, with that kind of price. I could see his role get greatly reduced though, of course, and maybe release or something like that if he totally falls apart. Reymond Fuentes is a -similar- player to Ellsbury, but Ellsbury is (so far) far and away the better hitter. I would say definitely trade Fuentes if you had to choose. Although I again wonder why you’re talking about all these trade chips, that’s not really been the discussion up to this point…*shrugs*
Who would you rather have as the future 1B for the Red Sox assuming Youk moves to 3B? Lars Anderson or Anthony Rizzo?
wait….what? I assume Youk DOESN’T move to 3b. That’s my answer. Eventually he moves to DH, but by then I dunno who’ll be 1b.
wait….what? I assume Youk DOESN’T move to 3b. That’s my answer. Eventually he moves to DH, but by then I dunno who’ll be 1b.
EDIT: I think this posted in the wrong place…ignore. 😛
So burrnett for soriano…. Cubs pay a year of soriano`s salary