In his latest appearance on WEEI's Big Show, Peter Gammons discussed the playoffs, the offseason, and, of course, the Red Sox. Here are the highlights:
- The Red Sox will likely pick up David Ortiz's 2011 option in part because they'd be afraid to see him playing for the Yankees or Rays if they let him go.
- Adrian Beltre was never comfortable in Seattle like he was in Los Angeles and is in Boston. Gammons thinks the third baseman could end up signing with the Tigers this winter and wonders if he'd be uncomfortable in Detroit's spacious home park.
- Although Adam Dunn insists he doesn't want to DH, he may end up having no other choice. The Nationals appear unlikely to re-sign Dunn because "they don’t know where to play him in the field," according to Gammons, who says the Yankees are a potential destination for the slugger.
- If they pursue either player, the Red Sox are more likely to go after Carl Crawford than Jayson Werth.
- Crawford signing with the Angels may not be as likely as people think, Gammons says, since owner Arte Moreno "isn’t always great with free agents."
- Daisuke Matsuzaka is a trade candidate this winter, and Gammons can envision Boston dealing him to the Mets for Carlos Beltran.
Why in the world would Theo take on an extra $8.5M for Beltran? Is he afraid the DL won’t be full enough next season?
wondering the same with the mets and dice-ks contract.
Except Dice-K is not getting 8.5m more than Beltran… he’s getting 8.5 million less…
Might as well have a cheaper injured player…
not if the said player (dice-k) is still owed MORE money throughout the life of his contract.
How would Beltran and K-Rod + cash for Dice-K and Papelbon sound? Sounds too big of a trade for Mets to pull off though.
Adrian Beltre was never comfortable in Seattle like he was in Los Angeles and is in Boston. Gammons thinks the third baseman could end up signing with the Tigers this winter and wonders if he’d be uncomfortable in Detroit’s spacious home park.
# Crawford signing with the Angels may not be as likely as people think, Gammons says, since owner Arte Moreno “isn’t always great with free agents.”
# Daisuke Matsuzaka is a trade candidate this winter, and Gammons can envision Boston dealing him to the Mets for Carlos Beltran.
Gamons has no place getting paid to talk or write about this nonsense, his biased views and his lack of knowledge for baseball is appalling
Right Peter Gammons has a total lack of knowledge for baseball that is why he is a Baseball Hall of Fame journalist and been covering baseball for 40 years. Good call total lack of knowledge.
Great, who cares? He’s a homer for his Red Sox and is not a good reporter. Just because you’ve been doing something for a long time and get into a HOF (see Andre Dawson for more info) doesn’t make you great.
Right Andre Dawson 438 career home runs over 2700 hits, 8 All Star Games, 8 Gold Gloves, and a Rookie of the Year Award does not make him great either. Peter Gammons is one of the best and most respected journalists around baseball. To bash on him for talking about the Red Sox on WEEI which carries Red Sox games is absurd.
Yes, Andre Dawson, who did that over the life of a 20 year career. Dawson averaged 3.1 WAR a year for his career-good, but hardly HOF worthy. Also, it was only due to a 4 year spread of 6.0+WAR that he made it to over 60 WAR. Coupled with averaging only 135 hits and 21 Homeruns a year…yeah, need I go on? Do some real homework instead of spitting stats out, dude. 8 All Star and Gold Gloves-great, like those mean anything at all. Gold Gloves are the epitome of bs in baseball, and All Star games are more often popularity contests than they are the best players playing. He is the result of having a long career. Talk to a sensible fan on this site-they will tell you the same thing. Very good player? Yes. Hall of Fame? Hardly. Then again, the Hall of Fame has become the Hall of Very Good lately, I suppose.Anyway, the real subject-yeah, around baseball, maybe. But the average fan and reader is well aware of Gammons being a bad reporter. So what, he often picks the Yankees to do well. This is what we would call hiding our true colors in the business. Jay Leno has been doing his show for a long time now-does that made him funny? Hardly. Long career=/=Great at what you do.
You might want to get all the info before commenting,he is actually an employee of the Boston Redsox.
So are you supporting my point that Gammons is a complete and utter homer for his Red Sox or not? Because by saying this, you are neither proving nor disproving anything.
Whatever pal. Just because the man is in the Hall of Fame doesn’t hide the fact that he’s an obvious Boston homer and he lacks objectivity in his reporting. Obviously you’re blind to that fact.
He is a Red Sox fan yet none of the comments that you just mocked are really biased? He is one of Baseball’s best and most optomistic sports writers. No reason to say that stuff because he didn’t say what you want to hear.
I do remember last year when he thought Brad Penny would get moved at the deadline for a “Smoak type bat.”
you mean a 35 ounce Louisville Slugger? I think that was fair value for Penny
he might be biased, but he’s no Jon Heyman.
How is Gammons biased? He is a Red Sox season ticket holder who picks the Yankees to win all the time. He is the most unbiased and accurate baseball writer around.
oh come on bro…. you seriously don’t see Gammons as being bias? their is nothing wrong with it, just about every writer is. i still admire his consistency though
Morons,he is employed by the Redsox.
Quick, Gammons masks his homer-ism by picking the Yankees to play well. CLEARLY THIS MEANS HE IS NOT BIASED, GUYS!
Gammons is always good for a laugh… not much else.
Of course Gammons is a big homer for the Red Sox and it’s tiring to hear or read his pro-Boston drivel in various media venues. Sure Peter the Mets will gladly take a washed up DiceK for Carlos Beltran straight up. Talk about dreamland
I think the Sox will offer 2 years at $8M per year for Ortiz, before just picking up the option.
Fantasy Theo agrees! If he hits like he did this year next year then he will be worth having a two year deal.
As fantasy theo i would agree will we go after crawford before worth….who wouldnt?
And Peter G, Fantasy theo would rather take his chances with Dice K over beltran
I’d probably would go after Werth before Crawford. He’s a right handed bat and has put up similar WAR values to crawford. Werth is older, but he’ll almost certainly be cheaper and maybe even shorter in contract lengh.
“Daisuke Matsuzaka is a trade candidate this winter, and Gammons can envision Boston dealing him to the Mets for Carlos Beltran.”People still listen to this quack Gammons? As bad as I’ve been hearing the Mets wanting to trade Beltran, I doubt they’d make/accept such a ridiculous trade.
The Mets would make that trade in a heartbeat, they need another decent pitcher, alas Beltran just had a setback with his knee. He was starting to come around at the plate, but he’s been shut down for the year. Can’t see Theo making that type of dumb move.
“the mets would make that trade in a heartbeat, they need another DECENT PITCHER”exactly why dice-k doesn’t make sense. a 10million dollar #4 starter who doesn’t even eat up innings? pass.
Right, when giving up an $18.5mill centerfielder coming off microfractures in the knee that nearly ended his career, the Mets really should expect more…
daisuke is owed more than 18.5million. and beltran is actually useful when he is fully healthy, can the same be said of dice-k? not really.
Dice K is owed 12 mil per year I think. And this year he has been worth 10 according to WAR. Put him in the NL and in Citi Field and he should be well worth his salary. 12mil isn’t bad for a legit starting pitcher.
Dice-K has a career FIP of 4.21 and posted a FIP in the low 4s in every year but his injury plagued 2009 season, where he put up a FIP well over 5 in 12 starts. He has also pitched better on the road than at home during his career, so moving from a hitters park to a pitchers park will probably help reduce his peripherals as well. Moving from the AL East to the NL would further help his numbers.
He will never be a workhorse, and will drive you crazy with walks, but a 6 inning pitcher who threw in the low 4s in the AL East is definitely useful. I don’t know if the same can be said about an OF dealing with serious knee issues. I wouldn’t want Beltran at his current salary.
You also keep harping on the money, but Dice-K is only scheduled to make a little over $20 million total over the next 2 seasons, less than $2 million more than Beltran is due.
Which is why it works. Beltran might be better “when healthy” but he also might not ever get back to the shape he was once in. In fact, at 33, it is getting less and less likely.
Dasiuke’s had injury troubles, too, but not to the degree of Beltran. And while he is owed more, it is also spread out over 2 years.
If the Mets opt to trade Beltran, do you seriously think they will get a better pitcher than Daisuke? If Beltran is the 2006/ 2007 / 2008 version, maybe. But the 2009/2010 Beltran? Not likely…
Thanks everyone for making my point
Bored tonight so I was thinking what about ellsbury for Grady sizemore. Sizemore has power and can swipe a bag, plus they’ve both been injured. Ellsbury has speed, .300 average and plays a good defense. Something to think bout.
Not if you’re the Indians. The Sox would have to give up a lot more than Ellsbury.
I’m pretty sure Cleveland would prefer to have Sizemore over Ellsbury and I think Sizemore has more value.
I thought it was a pretty even trade, bc when healthy they both are good, plus ellsbury is younger. Idk.
When Sizemore is healthy he’s much better in every aspect except maybe base stealing. Ellsbury’s defense is very debatable.
Ells has greater speed but thats it. Ff the Redsox could even pull that off with minimal additions, they’d be crazy to no do it in a heartbeat.
When Sizemore is healthy, he’s the best CF in baseball. Jacoby is, well, not.
when was the last time he was healthy though? 2008? i agree he is the best when he is on, but you never know anymore after such a long layover.
Yeah…You must be really, really bored.
That is a lot to give up for 1 year of Sizemore.
Actually back in 2006 grady signed a 6yr contract.
He can opt out if traded. Actually, the team option for 2012 converts to a player option so if he has a good year, he can walk. If he has a bad year, the team he is traded to is on the hook for $9.35M.
“if Sizemore is traded:
* he receives $0.5M assignment bonus and his salaries for remaining seasons increase by 10%
* 2012 option becomes a player option (buyout forfeited if Sizemore declines the option)”
From COTS.
Yankees are looking to get younger and more athletic. Why would they want an older DH who takes half the season to get in gear like Ortiz and cannot play anywhere but 1st base and poorly at that?
1st of all, since when does Adam Dunn take half a season to get in to gear?
2nd of all, The Yankees are trying to get younger right? Thats why they will pay Jeter 80MM, A-Rod a Gazillion until he’s at age 42. Tex 6 more years worth of a lot of money. Do explain.
Pretty sure he was referring to Ortiz as the DH who takes half a season to get ready, since that’s who he named as the DH.
You forgot Rivera, CC has a big large contract, AJ, perhaps re-signing Pettite, Lee isn’t all that young either but he isn’t all that old but given the type of contract he will sign, he sure will be by the end.
Well, CC is only 30. Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova are young in the rotation, and Nova could be pitching in the rotation next year. Dellin Betances in the minor leagues is rising through the ranks with his Felix-Beckett mix delivery, as well as Banuelos and a couple other B+ types. The offense might not get younger(hopefully it will in the coming years) but the rotation certainly will.
Not really. You will have AJ for 3 more years and Cliff Lee for 7 and CC for 5.
All I can say is you can’t assume thing Span… and even if Lee does sign it won’t be for 7 years
All I can say is you can’t assume thing Span… and even if Lee does sign it won’t be for 7 years
If you think the Yankees are going to plan to have Nova pitch in the rotation next year, you haven’t been watching the Yankees for the last 15 years. They will not let a rookie pitch in the rotation if they can find a higher paid free agent to do it. The only way Nova is a part of the rotation is if people get hurt(Pettitte) or suck hard(AJ & Vazquez) like this year.
This of course notes the exception of Hughes who has tremendous upside and the disasterous Joba experiment of 2009.
It’s not that the Yankees won’t have Nova in their because he is a rookie, it’s because he has growing pains to go through before he reaches his ceiling of being a back of the rotation guy. If Brackman, Betances or Banuelos were ready (the killer B’s are not that far off) they would have no problem letting them start as rookies.
It won’t be because he’s a rookie. You have no intelligence if you think that. And that’s also not the reason they let Hughes in the rotation this season. Nova and him are pretty much the same age. Nova won’t pitch because he needs to work his secondary pitches AND pitching with men on base in the strech, as well as keeping his composure. And for signing free agents, it depends on a couple of things. 1st, Andy has to decide. 2nd, wether they sign Lee or not. Now if Andy retires, and the sign Lee, or if Andy comes back and the don’t sing Lee, they’re will be 4 Spots in the rotation. Nova should get consideration. The only way Nova doesent get consideration is if Andy comes back, and Lee signs.
If you will re-read my post I said Hughes was the exception to the no rookies rule because he has a high ceiling and is a pretty darn good pitcher. What I said is the only way Nova gets into the 2011 starting rotation is if they have a rash of injuries or disasters like AJ and Vazquez. The Yankees are notorious for going outside the organization to fill holes. This should not be news. The only starter that was not a free agent signing or trade that began this year was Hughes. That is 4 out of 5. I assume it will be like that again.
It won’t be because he’s a rookie. You have no intelligence if you think that. And that’s also not the reason they let Hughes in the rotation this season. Nova and him are pretty much the same age. Nova won’t pitch because he needs to work his secondary pitches AND pitching with men on base in the strech, as well as keeping his composure. And for signing free agents, it depends on a couple of things. 1st, Andy has to decide. 2nd, wether they sign Lee or not. Now if Andy retires, and the sign Lee, or if Andy comes back and the don’t sing Lee, they’re will be 4 Spots in the rotation. Nova should get consideration. The only way Nova doesent get consideration is if Andy comes back, and Lee signs.
Banuelos has become a pretty elite prospect. In the chats various evaluators from BA, BP, Sickels, Piliere and KLaw, he is above Martin Perez and Casey Kelly. Law even said that a scout told him that lil’ Manny was the best pitcher he saw all year.
The problem with low level elite guys is that they aren’t ranked based on how good they are then, it is on their ceiling. As you go up the ladder the ceiling tends to drop. A future #1 pitcher in single A could become a guy who is projected as a #3 guy by the time he is in AAA based on the way he has filled out and has (or hasn’t) improved. So it is hard to put a lot of value in guys who are in the A levels because there are actually a lot of guys in that level who scouts describe as top of the rotation guys when in reality so few actually reach that level.
He’s a 19 year old who has dominated both A-levels and was great during the AA playoffs. Not really low level, but a lefty with an elite change, good hook and fb reported up to 97, he is an big time prospect.
I’ve heard his FB was 92-94 outside of one game where he was reported at 97. Probably just a hot gun.
He’s a 19 year old who has dominated both A-levels and was great during the AA playoffs. Not really low level, but a lefty with an elite change, good hook and fb reported up to 97, he is an big time prospect.
Both him and Betances have become elite prospects. Banuelos has a K/9 over 9, and a good groundball rate. Betances has become one of the more dominant pitchers in the minors with his Felix/Beckett mix delivery. Brackman has actually also bounced back from last year, along with nice years from D.J. Mitchell, Adam Warren, Hector Noesi, Ivan Nova, and David Phelps. Even Monty has bounced back from a slow start. Seems like every year the Yanks trade a prospect, the other prospects step up.
On another note I do agree with jwredsox. The ceiling of pitchers(and hitters) do tend to lower as they rise through the ranks.
1.You need to pay attention. I said ORTIZ.
2. A-Rod is an extension of a previous bad contract, signed 2 yrs when he was 32, not old for a great player in is prime. Jeter will not get a long term contract, regardless of the amount. Tex is 30 years old, again not old for a great player. Last year the Yankees let Matsui, Damon and Molina go because of age. They are still saddled with previous bad contracts, but will continue to to shed them as they expire and get younger and at a cheaper price.
As much as you and I don’t want it to happen, Jeter will get 4yrs/75MM
As much as you and I don’t want it to happen, Jeter will get 4yrs/75MM
1.You need to pay attention. I said ORTIZ.
2. A-Rod is an extension of a previous bad contract, signed 2 yrs when he was 32, not old for a great player in is prime. Jeter will not get a long term contract, regardless of the amount. Tex is 30 years old, again not old for a great player. Last year the Yankees let Matsui, Damon and Molina go because of age. They are still saddled with previous bad contracts, but will continue to to shed them as they expire and get younger and at a cheaper price.
Resigning Papi to keep him out of NY is a mistake. And, I don’t understand how TB could sign him when their owner already said he was cutting his salary by $50m. Theo has always said that he doesn’t make moves based on what NYY may or may not do, so that makes no sense to me.
Also, signing Crawford instead of Werth is only smart if two things happen: they trade Ellsbury and Crawford costs at least 40% (overall) less than Werth.
I’d like to see Beltre return to Boston next year, but two things scare me: 1, he only seems to do well in contract years; 2, Scott Boras.
Finally, trading Daisuke for Beltran makes little sense too. If anything, the Sox should waive him or trade him for next-to-nothing if the buying team will take most of his salary.
Just curious, but why do Boston fans want Ellsbury to be traded so badly?
Mainly because he was injured all year, and he didn’t seem like he was in a huge rush to get out on the field and help the team.
Is it just the fans or the management?
Because if he’s available, I sure would love for Jays to pick him up.
he broke his freakin ribs. You feel that everytime you breath and if you aren’t fully healed and you dive headfirst into a base you can re-fracture them. I have no problems with Ellsbury.
Yup. Banwagon fans have been hating on Ellsbury all season and it’s nothing ti mess around with.
I’d love to see an OF of Kalish Jacoby Drew next season(i’d actually like them to try trading Drew but i don’t see it happening).
The only issue with Jacoby is the way he handled it when he got slammed in the press after Youks comment. Yet to be fair I think all the blame for that train wreck should fall on Boras.
Real fans have no problem with Jacoby. He fractured his ribs and was misdiagnosed. Theo himself said there are no hard feelings and it wasn’t Jacoby’s fault (ESPN yesterday). I am sure Jacoby wanted to be out there on the field, what ballplayer in their right mind wouldn’t? He was in a lot of pain from his ribs. Every thime he swung, ran, threw, it would have hurt like the dickens. I want him back leading off for the Red Sox next year, not someone else.
It’s just those crazy bandwagon fans. They all thought he was a superstar after last year, and now they’ve realized he isn’t/wasn’t that good. The problem is that they’ve taken it to the extreme thinking he sucks, which is not the case.
There are different groups of thought on Ellsbury, but a lot of those point to people wanting him traded:
Some think he is soft (probably not true).
Some think he is the classic Boras client who cares more about himself and the ultimate big pay day and in turn will be gone to the highest bidder as soon as he is eligible for free agency (probably true)
Others think he was overrated coming into the year (currently true) and if you can get a big return for him this offseason you should jump on it.
Those who don’t want him traded either think he is going to be a superstar or the return will be too low due to this lost season.
Agree completely. Ellsbury can bounce back. I don’t think these bandwagon fans realize this is a guy with fair plate discipline(.355 OBP last year I think) and had 120 SB over the course of two seasons. I say he is the AL comeback player of the year next year.
Agree completely. Ellsbury can bounce back. I don’t think these bandwagon fans realize this is a guy with fair plate discipline(.355 OBP last year I think) and had 120 SB over the course of two seasons. I say he is the AL comeback player of the year next year.
Uh…what? No thanks.
Bite the bullet, take the risk and cut Ortiz loose. Adam Dunn for a year at 1B if Beltre leaves and Youk at 3B. Or, take a chance on Mark Reynolds and keep Youk at 1B. If we sign Crawford then why not package Ells and Matsuzaka for Matt Kemp and Broxton. If we can do that, cut Paps loose and let Bard close and Brox setup. If that worked out, move Crawford CF, sign Werth and put him in LF, then you have Drew and/or Cameron left in the O.F. Forget trying to make Cameron happy and say he can play CF, that worked out really great huh. He is not a starter any longer, so he play where we tell him to?? Unique concept, make big bucks and play where we say. Maybe take a shot at Brandon Webb if we do a Matsuzaka trade, or whats wrong with giving a minor leaguer a shot at the rotation, Clay has done pretty good. You gotta go with them, stop spending forever on the farm. Either use them or move them. If Victor leaves, Daisk for Napoli in some sort of deal or Ianetta. Doumit can hit too and is a switch hitter. Bottom line, there are plenty of avenues to take, we just need someone to drive the car. Theo has made it past his little bridge and the Bosox Nation don’t want to hear that excuse again.
I think if were gonna deal with LAD the deal should be for Ethier..Trade Dice, Ells a C prospect and someone like Stolmy Pimenteil should get it done..OF of Drew Kalish and Ethier and when Drew goes You got Lin in AA this year and could take over CF if he has another solid year this year..Lots of kids ready to come up or deal…
Dice, Ells, and Stolmy, and another guys is DEFINITELY not worth it. Eithier isn’t good on defense at all, and his bat is only good, not great.
no way tampa would spend the money for ortiz i think there serious about resigning pena from what i read so that would eliminate that.i see crawford more of a possibility more and more i know the red sox are gonna make moves.they should stay away from reynolds though even if they dont sign beltre there is still the trade route though i they should try to keep him.having ellsbury and crawford would be fun with defense just like upton and crawford have been.I do think for catcher they should get a guy who has a strong arm instead of a good hitter unless they can find someone with both cuz there gonna get a few hitters or resign beltre and ortiz plus youk pedroia and ellsbury with cameron they can get by with a lesser catcher for a few yrs.The thing is they have options same with the other 29 teams guys will leave and new guys will come in im not a gm so i wont try to act like one
This post made my eyes bleed. I hope to Sweet Lord Baby Jeebus you typed it on a Sidekick while wearing boxing gloves.
Either Ortiz is still a good hitter or he isn’t. I’m not a Red Sox fan so I don’t care what they do; but simply re-signing a guy so he doesn’t go to a rival is a stupid line of thinking.
And not the type of thinking Theo does, thank goodness. If he did the Sox would have resigned Damon, Pedro etc. If he thinks they want too much money or years and won’t be successful then he cuts them loose.
Dice-K to Mets for Beltran? Yeah, I’ll pass. I’d rather eat 15 mil, send him to Boston for Ellsbury and a prospect.
A center fielder with balky knees coming off a poor season and millions left on his contract for a young, cost controlled speedster AND a prospect. No thank you.
hey, when i said prospect i wasn’t talking Casey Kelly or anything, i meant a mid level prospect the Red Sox don’t have much of a use for. And Beltran was looking like his old self this month, he was hitting well. And, we’d be eating 15 mil of 18 mil, so the Sox only pay 3 mil.
I respect Beltran, I liked him. I just don’t think he is worth all that much any more. He is on the wrong side of 30, doesn’t run any more, is not really a CF at this stage and costs too much. To get a player like Jacoby who could very easily return to his 2009 season of .301/.355/.415 and 70SB I think the Sox could do better than Beltran.
Well, the injury Beltran went down with this week is nothing big, and agreed he really needs to move to RF and do some DHing, but trust me, he’ll hit next year. 3 mil will be a huge bargain for him. But, I understand you not wanting to give up Ellsbury.
I wish Beltran and the Met’s well. I have no dislike for either. Here’s hoping you get a half-way decent GM this offseason!
Thanks alot, good luck to your Sox next season, hopefully not as much injuries. Reminds me of the ’09 Mets, except the Red Sox will finish well over .500, which is great, while the Mets finished 20 games below last year.
Gammon’s hitting the sauce.Who wants Dice-K?
Here’s my 2011 lineups
scutaro
pedroia
Crawford
youkilis
Martinez
ortiz
aramis ramirez
Grady sizemore
drew
bullpen
papelbon
bard
dourbont
putz
Fuentes
Sean Marshall
The Gammons negative comments are stupid. It’s like saying Tim Russert knew nothing about politics. Both guys are/were continually in the process of talking to people. GAmmons knows things because people want to tell him .
I wouldn’t trade DiceK for Beltran. Good luck to him in his recovery and I hope he plays the career out with the nym.
Dunn to the nyy ? I think he’ll go to Baltimore and play 1b the way he wants it and avoid DH for a few years.
Totally not understanding the thought process by some people saying that a Matsuzaka for Beltran trade would be a bad thing. From a money perspective they both earn about the same as Beltran is owed $18.5 for 2011 and Dice-K is owed $10 mil per for 2011 and 2012. Yes, in the grand scheme of things the Mets would be taking over an additional $1.5 mil but that’s certainly not a huge amount. What has to be considered more importanly is that they are a) getting a decent middle of rotation arm that should play up better moving from the AL East to the NL East. b) They technically are lowering their 2011 salary payroll and freeing up $8.5 mil they can use towards another player 2011 salary. In other words, with respect to 2011 it could be, Beltran’s $18.5 – Dice-K’s $10 mil plus another player @ $8.5 mil.
Say what you want about Dice-K but he simply has a lot more upside that ALL of the available free agent pitchers aside from Cliff Lee. Add to the fact that they would only be on the hook for 2/$20 whereas any comparable free agent would demand at least a 3 or 4 year deal and this makes excellent sense.
From the Red Sox perspective I’m not sure it makes sense at all. Dice-K could be considered a dissapointment if you average out his total cost of 6/$103 mil to $17 mil per year. Given that he’s only contributed a 13-12 record and 5.00+ ERA in only 207 IP over the last two years he’s been a massive dissapointment. However, unless they plan on making a run for Cliff Lee or a trade for another teams #1, who else do they have or could they acquire that has is healthy and has more upside than Dice-K? With Beckett being iffy, Buccholz having a balky back and Lackey underperforming can they afford to just let Dice-K go? Also, with as many injuries as they’ve had this year, especially with their OF’ers, do they really want to add a $18.5 mil player like Beltran who no longer possess the combo of speed and power, to a fragile OF mix of Ellsbury, Cameron and Drew? And if he a better option at DH over Ortiz, who despite the criticism, was good for 30 hrs and 100 RBI this year? And if you’re the GM of a team that saw your team stay in contention but never really make a strong push because you couldn’t stay healthy is it smart to add Beltran to an OF of Ellsbury and Cameron, when all three players combined to appear in only 130 games in 2010 yet earned over $36 mil?
Speaking of Ortiz. I would rather pick up his option for 2011 rather than offer him a 2 year deal for 2011 and 2012 at a lower annual cost. Ortiz is simply a guy you want to go year to year with and I would rather overpay for 2011 than be stuck with him in 2012 w/ guaranteed money, which is what I’m sure he would demand for 2012. At the end of the day, Ortiz had a solid 2011. In regards to the notion that it took him half the season to get hot he did have a great May posting a line of .363/.424 w/ 10 hrs. Obviously that was the exception and not the rule. I could easily see Ortiz going .260/.350 w/ 25 hrs next year and to have a battle tested/Bosox Nation tested player who has survived thru tough times is not a bad player to have even at $12.5 mil.
I think it makes more sense for the Sox to go after Crawford and put him in left, move Ellsbury to CF and keep Drew in RF. Use Cameron as a very expensive 4th OF and back up starter in case Ellsbury misses signifigant time due to injury. Resign Beltre and VMart if you can.
Why get Crawford and waste his defense in Fenway’s LF? He does play 81 games on the road, but still. I think they could get him for less years, and he’d for sure be cheaper. Plus, he’s a righty and pretty much the same caliber player as Crawford.
Werth would play alright in Fenway – RH power bat with the friendly Green Monster in his sights. But I’m on board w/the BoSox signing Crawford instead. I think his skills would complement the team better. They already have RH power. They did well with a base-stealing monster like Ellsbury. Imagine Crawford + Ellsbury in front of Youk and that spells nightmares for the opposition. If memory serves, Crawford’s arm is better than Ellsbury’s. If so, I’d move Crawford to CF, Ellsbury to LF. Keep Cameron as 4th OF. Helluva 4th OF and at his age, I think it’s the right role.
Beltre should do the smart thing and re-sign w/the Red Sox. He’s a dead-pull hitter and really benefitted from hitting in Fenway. Hopefully, he’ll learn from Jason Bay’s mistake and not sign w/someone who’s LF porch is nine miles away.
Crawford won’t play CF. He already said he wouldn’t.
Why get Crawford and waste his defense in Fenway’s LF? He does play 81 games on the road, but still. I think they could get him for less years, and he’d for sure be cheaper. Plus, he’s a righty and pretty much the same caliber player as Crawford.
Crawford is more than just a good/great defender. He has one of the best all around players in baseball. He is everything that JD Drew is suppose to be minus the higher OBP. He hits for average, power, steals 40+ bases a year, has a lifetime 82% success rate, plays great defense and has been relatively durable for most of his career. He would easily be the best OF on the team.
Btw, who were you comparing him to? Who is the cheapier righty?
Umm I’m sure success rate is how you rate successfulness, but I have to ask how the heck is that rated? Some kind of offensive and defenisve stats?
Is it something like WAR?
And what site is it used on?
Crawford is more than just a good/great defender. He has one of the best all around players in baseball. He is everything that JD Drew is suppose to be minus the higher OBP. He hits for average, power, steals 40+ bases a year, has a lifetime 82% success rate, plays great defense and has been relatively durable for most of his career. He would easily be the best OF on the team.
Btw, who were you comparing him to? Who is the cheapier righty?
Even Though he never mentioned his name, I think he was referring to Jason Werth!
Even Though he never mentioned his name, I think he was referring to Jason Werth!
Yeah Werth is a good player but he’s turning what, 32 in May? Assume he will demand a 4 or 5 year deal. You have Drew locked in in RF next season. I suppose he can move to DH but that would still leave a lot of questions in LF and CF with Cameron and Ellsbury and their health issues. Why not use that annual salary slot and use Crawford to strengthen up that side and utilize Ells at his natural position in CF and use Cameron as the 4th OF?
Dice-K for Beltran. Don’t see it happening. Maybe Minaya would be coerced into the deal, but no way Theo goes for it. And all indicators show Minaya on the way out anyway. My thought is that both teams are (unfortunately) stuck w/sucking up those pricey contracts.
I occasionally agree w/Gammons, but lately not so much. He loves baseball with all his heart. That’s endearing. But maybe age has caught up w/him. His rationale just doesn’t seem to be what it once was.
i’d prefer to just keep beltran. as long as he doesn’t decide to have surprise knee surgery in march, i could see him bouncing back next year