We heard earlier this evening that David Ortiz plans to return to Boston next season, either through arbitration or a multiyear deal. Now let's check in on some other Red Sox news:
- GM Ben Cherington's comments today suggest the Red Sox won't be bringing back Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- The Sox have talked to other clubs about Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Red Sox and White Sox met to discuss a possible Carlos Quentin trade, but there's no match at the moment, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Boston has checked in on Brad Lidge, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- DeMarlo Hale, the club's bench coach for the last two seasons, won't be returning for 2012, writes ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Hale is expected to take a job in the Orioles' organization.
MeowMeow
Aw, come on, at least let Wake compete for a bullpen spot. Long relief or something.
notsureifsrs
you don’t want bedard but you do want wakefield? why i oughta
Ben_Cherington
You do realize that wakefield has a top 10 best knuckleball in the majors right?
MeowMeow
If you don’t love Wakefield, you have no soul, numbers be damned!
MaineSox
I love Wakefield, I just love him somewhere else.
Varitek'sMitt
My sentiments exactly
MaineSox
I love Wakefield, I just love him somewhere else.
notsureifsrs
^this. i still love him. i just think we should see other people
Varitek'sMitt
^Sorry kinda screwed up your response
notsureifsrs
^this. i still love him. i just think we should see other people
Shawn from New Hampshire
Brad Lidge? god I hope thats a joke
Redsoxn8tion
Guys, these are just rumors. I definitely don’t see Tex back, but Wake is a possibility.
Redsoxn8tion
I meant Tek.
wholenewworld
Amazing that Tim Wakefield has a winning record and Matt Cain has a losing record.
(Not a slam on Tim at all. Love his story. Hope he catches on somewhere.)
User 4245925809
Amazing what the best offense in the game will do for a pitcher isn’t it, vs one of the most anemic ones?
As for no Wake.. If Wake not returning is a “package” with for SURE Varitek being GONE for good.. Then I guess it is ok. Tek is of no use, while at least IMO Wake could have helped a little.
Pewis Lee Leach
Looks like Buck got his boy from Boston.
Ben_Cherington
Let’s play NAME THAT CREATURE!!
Here is your clue: RED SOX SUCK!! HAHA I HOPE THEY LOSE EVERY GAME!
Is it:
A: Preacher Creature
B: Bleacher Creaturd
C: Teacher Creature
or
D: Bleacher Creature
Good Luck!
Phillies_Aces35
I know the Red Sox don’t want to pay money for a closer but I hope they’re not looking at Lidge as any more than a 7th/8th inning guy.
Would love to see the Phillies make a run at Scutaro if they cannot get a deal done with J-Roll.
notsureifsrs
who are you offering? i haven’t rosterbated in a good 20 minutes
Lunchbox45
What would the red sox like from the jays for scutaro?
casey janssen will do, yes?
Ben_Cherington
Joey Bats will do, yes?
Lunchbox45
done.. we’re talking this guy right?
Ben_Cherington
Thats the one!
notsureifsrs
he’s stealing signs
notsureifsrs
he’s stealing signs
Mick_In_Ithaca
Wouldn’t mind having Scutaro back, but I wouldn’t want to lose Janssen.
Lunchbox45
2B > 7/8th inning reliever
Mick_In_Ithaca
Jays need to improve pitching more than offense. I’d like them to keep the good pitchers they have. Janssen plus Santos might be a dandy combo at the back end of the pen. And Scutaro is 36. He’s not an everyday player at this point, although he’d be quite useful for 400 PAs or so. But for $6M?
Maybe they’d take Litsch. Oh yeah.
Lunchbox45
I’m sure theres a chicken, beer, jesse litsch joke out there some where
commenter3346
A lot since the Jays are in the same division.
I’d rather trade away Lowrie though. I like Scutaro a lot more than him.
commenter3346
A lot since the Jays are in the same division.
I’d rather trade away Lowrie though. I like Scutaro a lot more than him.
MaineSox
I’m going to go with no, partially because as a 7th/8th inning reliever Janssen’s value is limited (plus he’s still a relative question mark) and partially because with the current market for SS/2B I think the Sox could probably do better.
Lunchbox45
I cant think of anything else the sox would want
hed be a nice 2B pick up for the jays though
MaineSox
Agreed, Scutaro would be a great fit for Toronto.
What about Janssen plus a minor league pitcher (not a particularly highly rated one obviously)? I don’t know enough about the Jays’ system to take a guess at who they might have who fits that bill though.
Lunchbox45
its so tough because its a divisional rival.
wish you guys would have let him go!
cyberboo
The Jays aren’t trading Janssen. He was the one bright spot in the whole bullpen last year and many saw him taking over the closers role. Would Boston trade Bard for Scutero. If the answer is no, you have your answer about Janssen.
Nation15
Scutaro to Giants possibly?
JohnnyC
K-Rod is still out there…
EarlyMorningBoxscore
I’m now convinced that this off-season the Red Sox are not going to do much. I had some hope at possibly getting someone who I might be excited about. However, that seems less and less likely.
Phillies_Aces35
They don’t really have too. I also heard Gammons say they’re not going to go over the luxury tax for the third straight year and with Big Papi accepting arbitration, they’re not going to have flexibility.
EarlyMorningBoxscore
I know they don’t have too. I just as fan wanted to see something especially on the pitching side of things. If they could work a deal for Andrew Bailey and maybe a decent starter I’d be okay. I don’t mind letting Reddick play in RF that idea has grown on me.
EarlyMorningBoxscore
I know they don’t have too. I just as fan wanted to see something especially on the pitching side of things. If they could work a deal for Andrew Bailey and maybe a decent starter I’d be okay. I don’t mind letting Reddick play in RF that idea has grown on me.
notsureifsrs
day 2 of the GM meetings, first week of december: towel thrown in
atta boy
Lunchbox45
sox should have a firesale
do you realize the kind of prospects Ben would bring in after selling lester, pedroia, ellsbury and gonzalez?
start the rebuild!!!
MaineSox
Pawtucket and Portland would be locks for the playoffs!!
commenter3346
Those are probably the 4 untouchable players on the Red Sox roster. Especially Lester, Pedroia & Gonzalez (due to the fact that Ellsbury’s contract is up in 2 years & the probability he re-signs here is slim).
Lunchbox45
I did not know that, thanks.
notsureifsrs
day 2 of the GM meetings, first week of december: towel thrown in
atta boy
bighiggy
would you take kyle mclellan and westbrook or schumaker for lowrie or scutaro?
Ben_Cherington
NO, try again
bighiggy
would you take kyle mclellan and westbrook or schumaker for lowrie or scutaro?
Jwills
Lance Lynn and Schumaker for Scutaro seems good…..
dc21892
Damn, I wanted Boston to grab Quentin. Possibly Thornton as well. It would take a good quality package to get them, though.
User 4245925809
This will sound…Funny… But Scuttaro ATM is actually one of the few decent bats on the Sox team. Lowrie, sure but now am pretty sure he is the one they will move with the sad news ortiz will more than likely accept arbitration and Avilles available to be the utility infielder.
Ortiz, accepting arbitration hurts this team in multiple ways and helps in virtually none.
hawkny11
Wakefield and Veritek , combined, are 85 years old.
Enough is enough!
Retire men!
Jerry Case
Loyalty amoung major league players is dead….Now by no giving WAkefield a chance at long relief I say the ownership has the same lack of loyalty…WAkefield could have eaten up 120 or so middle innings this year for a measly million bucks…My loyalty has always been divided between The Sox & Cardinals…Maybe I can drop NESN this year & watch the Cardinals every night.
MaineSox
Talk about a lack of loyalty, if you’re willing to stop being a fan of a team because they are cutting ties with a guy who isn’t good for anything more than mop up duty, then maybe you should quit talking and do it.
Lunchbox45
Rays can use some more fans..
I say you kick out all the dumb sox fans and sell them to tampa for shields
MaineSox
They all go down there for the winter anyway, so maybe we just don’t let them back in.
User 4245925809
“Rays can use some more fans..”
They could use another voice other than Dewayne Staats.. Take it from someone who lives in central Florida.. His whiney voice, horrific homerism.. he is about as bad as it gets and hard to see how they could attract anyone new. Even Kevin Kennedy (his booth-mate) gets tired of it sometimes and it is plainly obvious.
NomarGarciaparra
Loyalty? At what point do we draw the line? If loyalty was limitless, Pedro would’ve retired in a Sox uniform…after his monsterous contract ended, during which he was injured for a significant amount of time. Nomar would’ve been in the same scenario.
StanleyHudson
Wonder who the Chi sox would want for Quentin.
notsureifsrs
annoying that they talked to the white sox and it wasn’t about thornton. makes me think they have a bullpen plan i am not going to like
commenter3346
Quentin has 1 year left on his contract, has injury problems, is poor defender and is expensive. No thank you.
Guest 5832
I love Wakefield, but for the team-sake, he has to go…
Tek -bye, bye
Lavarnway at Catcher w/ Salty, Salty gone after the year, Lavarnway full-time
Keep Scutaro/Youk infield
Scutaro gone at end of year, bring up Iglesias
Youk keep on until end of contract 100%, resign and later split time with Middlebrooks and DH
For now – Reddick in RF – there is no one else worth the $$ to replace him, he is cheap and relatively productive, this free agent class is weak in OF
GET PITCHING! GET PITCHING! GET PITCHING!
BoSox Fan 1950
Happy that David has accepted arbitration and will be back for at least one more year. Phew!
Wakefield may pitch next year but it won’t be with the Red Sox.
Varitek is done with being an active player here or anywhere. Hopefully he is offered a job within the Red Sox organization and eventually becomes a manager in the organization. Manager of the parent club? Dunno. Maybe. Some day. But first he has to pay his dues in the minors. Scutaro and Lowrie stay. One as the starting SS, the other as MLB’s premiere Utility man. If Lowrie is the SS, stays healthy and consistent at the plate as well as in the field, who knows? Maybe Iglesias becomes the trade bait chip. Methinks if Iglesias hasn’t been able to learn how to hit AAA pitching by now, he’s never going to hit major league pitching.
And, IMHO, Reddick and Kalish can fight it out during Spring Training for Right Field. My money is on Reddick.
Varitek'sMitt
I like the idea of a trade for Quentin. The problem is, I’m looking at the rotation and even if Bard moved to the rotation that still only leaves us with four starters unless Ace moves into a full time starter role as well.
Varitek'sMitt
Lester, Beckett, Bucholz, ?, ?