The offseason 2009/2010

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by Evangelion

Sandy Koufax got into the Hall of Fame despite his short career, but his period of dominance when he was an active player was that good, it couldn't be ignored. Pedro Martinez's 99 season is viewed as one of the most dominating season of all-time by a pitcher. Do you remember he K'ed 313 hitters that season in 213.1 innings. That's just ridiculous.

Pedro's time in Boston was an amazing run...7 years total, a 117-37 W/L (.760 wp) with an 2.52 ERA. He struck out 1683 in only 1383.2 IP, while walking only 309. He had a 190 ERA+ and a 0.978 WHIP.

That actually matches up pretty well with Koufax's best run of 6 seasons, in which he went 129-47 (.733 wp) with a 2.19 ERA. He struck out 1713 in 1632.2 IP while walking 412 BB. 156 ERA+ and a 0.970 WHIP.

The difference is that didn't have any other really good seasons. Pedro had a sign young award the year before joining the Red Sox, and had several other good seasons.

[yankeekiller34BigPapi]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

I'd say there's no doubt that Pedro gets elected to the HOF. He had one of the most dominant stretches by a pitcher...ever...and we, as Red Sox fans, got to see it.

Yeah he was something in the late 90's/early 2000's. Hitters couldn't touch the guy and that was in the middle of the steroid era!! I love the sports guys take on the whole time frame in the "now I can die in piece" book. Pedro was so good, that other fans were excited to watch him and talked about his performances.

[maximum jack]

Originally Posted by yankeekiller34BigPapi

Dude can we PLEASE put this to rest? He's not coming here. It's not going to happen this year or EVER. First off he's way too old for us to be interested in, he's not really an outfielder anymore, we have two guys who already occupy the DH spot (Lowell and Ortiz), he'd have yankee fans hating him for switching sides, and a good majority of Red Sox fans who aren't thrilled to have him here. On top of that I can't see the Yankees letting their world series MVP go. I think Damon is gone, but not Matsui. He's a perfect fit to be their DH. Other then the whole Japanese player connections on our team he has NO REASON to come here and the front office has NO REASON to want to bring him here. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!! Is this clear enough?

Dude, stop being RUDE. AND stop using ALL CAPS to emphasize your POINT. This is a discussion board. There's a reason this place isn't as active as it once was . . .

[yankeekiller34BigPapi]

Originally Posted by maximum jack

Dude, stop being RUDE. AND stop using ALL CAPS to emphasize your POINT. This is a discussion board. There's a reason this place isn't as active as it once was . . .

I'm sorry for being rude, but it's just that discussing Matsui coming here isn't really productive. I know that he's a free agent now, but c'mon. I fail to see the point of the remark about the capital letters, but I understand that you were trying to get a discussion going by saying that since there isn't a whole lot going on right now. I'm not trying to be confrontational by the way. You're a fellow Sox fan so you're okay with me.

[riredsox]

Red Sox release George Kottaras.
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/ar...=.jsp&c_id=bos.

[Dogdaze]

Originally Posted by riredsox

Red Sox release George Kottaras.
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/ar...=.jsp&c_id=bos.

I'm not surprised, with Tek resigning there really wasn't any room for Kottaras on the roster. Apparently Kottaras asked the Red Sox to release him.

It's being reported that the Brewers have claimed him.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I wish him the best of luck with the Brewers.

[Dogdaze]

Here’s some of the rumor’s and trade speculations for the Red Sox so far this off season;

Roy Halladay:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200.../roy.halladay/

We know the Red Sox made an offer last summer for Halladay, and apparently the Jays will be trading him, so I assume the Sox still have interest. According to this article, http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/s...tml?id=2237466 the Jay’s are willing to let teams negotiate with Halladay for a long term extension. I believe Buchholz will be the Sox center piece with other prospects and we know the Sox have money to offer an extension, so I think it’s possible we can trade for him, though the Yankees no doubt will be in the hunt as well, and they could offer a nice package too, as could other teams.

Adrian Gonzalez:

We’ve all heard the rumors regarding Adrian Gonzalez, and we’d all love to see him in a Sox uniform. But I’m not sure the Sox would have enough of the type of prospects SD wants to make a deal.

Peter Abrahams doubts the Sox can deal for him as well in this article; http://www.boston.com/sports/basebal...ez_a_barg.html

Felix Hernandez:

Last July Theo apparently made a trade offer for King Felix which was rejected and as much as we Sox fans would love to see a trade happen for Hernandez, I don’t believe it will happen any time soon and according to this article it appears to confirm the M’s aren’t planning to trade him. http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/archives/184555.asp

Hideki Matsui:

http://www.npbtracker.com/2009/11/ma...ngels-red-sox/

Matsui is a good hitter and could be valuable to the Red Sox if he can still play regularly in the outfield. He would also hold some value in generating revenue and fans in Japan for the Red Sox.

The Yankees used him as their primary DH in 2009 because he had operations on both knees since June 2008. But Matsui said that he was going to prepare in the off season to play the outfield plus he has said he’d consider playing first base. If his knees can hold up and the Sox can’t resign Jason Bay or sign someone like Holliday, I’d be tempted to offer him a one year contract. But having said that, I doubt Theo will make him an offer since there’s really no way to prove his knees will be healthy enough to play regularly in LF, and at this time we don’t have a need for a first baseman or a DH.

John Lackey:

http://www.boston.com/sports/basebal...ing_their.html

In the above link to an article by Nick Cafardo, it mentions Theo doing his “due diligence” on FA John Lackey, but in the below link to an article, it mentions that the Sox and Mets have asked for Lackey’s medical records checking his health which implies they have an interest.

http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_wi...ackeys_health/

Depending on what they find regarding his health as well as the money/contract length he wants, and if a trade doesn’t happen for a pitcher like Halladay, I’m speculating that the Sox will make Lackey an offer.

Dan Uggla:

http://www.nesn.com/2009/11/report-r...placement.html

It’s been suggested that Uggla could play LF for the Sox. He’s athletic and could potentially adjust to play an adequate LF in Fenway. Though apparently Uggla said he doesn’t want to play another position besides second base. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

Uggla doesn’t hit as well as Bay or Holliday, at least so far, but has some power, hitting 31 HR’s in 2009, tied for 23rd in MLB, his OBP was .354, 77th in MLB, his SLG was .459, 69th in MLB and his OPS was .813, 72nd in MLB. And some have suggested that playing in Fenway could potentially help boost his offensive production.

If willing to play LF, Uggla who bats right could be someone the Sox might consider if they can’t sign Bay or Holliday. His versatility could make him valuable as he’s played 1st base, 2nd base, SS, 3rd base and OF in the minor leagues. He could platoon with Hermida in LF and occasionally play 2nd and possibly other positions when needed.

Miguel Cabrera:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/1...nse-for-Tigers

This is not a rumor, rather Ken Rosenthal making up a possible trade between the Red Sox and tigers for Cabrera to help the Tigers lower their payroll.

If Cabrera becomes available, I think the Sox should consider such a trade, but even though the Tigers are looking to shed some payroll, I highly doubt they’d trade Cabrera.

Billy Wagner:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Wagner said he’d be open to an arbitration offer to stay with the Red Sox, but Rotoworld.com reported that 8 clubs have interest in him as well; http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pla...=278736&spln=1

I’d welcome Wagner back if he accepts arbitration.

Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano:

http://www.rototimes.com/mlb/player....ews&nid=149898

Gonzalez LHP went 5-4 with an ERA of 2.42, 10 saves in 74.1 innings.
Soriano RHP went 1-6 with an ERA of 2.97, 27 saves in 75.2 innings.

Though the Sox are just kicking the tires on both, I think they could be helpful in the bullpen, though I'd prefer Brandon Lyon over Soriano.

[Evangelion]

Originally Posted by Dogdaze

We know the Red Sox made an offer last summer for Halladay, and apparently the Jays will be trading him, so I assume the Sox still have interest. According to this article, http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/s...tml?id=2237466 the Jay’s are willing to let teams negotiate with Halladay for a long term extension. I believe Buchholz will be the Sox center piece with other prospects and we know the Sox have money to offer an extension, so I think it’s possible we can trade for him, though the Yankees no doubt will be in the hunt as well, and they could offer a nice package too, as could other teams.

I doubt the Red Sox will deal Buchholz for one year of Halladay. J. P. Ricciardi rejected a large package Boston offer during the summer. I believe most people around baseball agreed it was too much for one and half years of Halladay. Halladay's value decline since then. The Blue Jays should look for a deal similar to the one Minnesota settle for with Santana. Everybody knows that Halladay leaving, so the Blue Jays don't have much leverage at this point. Likely should have took that deal offer by Boston during the summer. I'll be surprised if Buchholz is included in any deal involving Halladay after how Buchholz developed last season.

Yankees might be in the hunt. Honestly, if they want him that bad, then they can have him. If they end up with Halladay, then that likely prevents the Yankees from signing Hernandez when he becomes a free agent. I rather have Hernandez than Halladay mainly due to the age factor. The only thing I hope doesn't happen is the Blue Jays play both sides and increase their haul for Halladay. Didn't seem either team fell for this ploy when Minnesota tried and they end up with a subpar package they accepted from the Mets. I remember back then the Twins could had Hughes or Lester or Buchholz as centerpieces. Instead, they ended with Gomez, who's be dealt for Hardy.

[Dogdaze]

Originally Posted by Evangelion

I doubt the Red Sox will deal Buchholz for one year of Halladay. J. P. Ricciardi rejected a large package Boston offer during the summer. I believe most people around baseball agreed it was too much for one and half years of Halladay. Halladay's value decline since then. The Blue Jays should look for a deal similar to the one Minnesota settle for with Santana. Everybody knows that Halladay leaving, so the Blue Jays don't have much leverage at this point. Likely should have took that deal offer by Boston during the summer. I'll be surprised if Buchholz is included in any deal involving Halladay after how Buchholz developed last season.

Yankees might be in the hunt. Honestly, if they want him that bad, then they can have him. If they end up with Halladay, then that likely prevents the Yankees from signing Hernandez when he becomes a free agent. I rather have Hernandez than Halladay mainly due to the age factor. The only thing I hope doesn't happen is the Blue Jays play both sides and increase their haul for Halladay. Didn't seem either team fell for this ploy when Minnesota tried and they end up with a subpar package they accepted from the Mets. I remember back then the Twins could had Hughes or Lester or Buchholz as centerpieces. Instead, they ended with Gomez, who's be dealt for Hardy.

I wouldn't trade Buchholz for Halladay if it was for just one year either. An extension would have to be signed to make it worth the trade. I didn't make it too clear, but that was my intent, this is why I mentioned, "the Jay’s are willing to let teams negotiate with Halladay for a long term extension." and "we know the Sox have money to offer an extension".

My understanding is that the Jays will allow a window to negotiate with Halladay for an extension. The article http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/s...tml?id=2237466 states;

According to one report, the Blue Jays are willing to grant a Johan Santana-esque negotiating window to any team offering a package deemed acceptable by Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

There are similar articles that mention the same thing, this one for example;
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/p...urn=mlb,203635 which says;

Halladay only has one year left on his contract but the Blue Jays let it be known the other day that whatever team is interested in Halladay and makes the best offer will get a time window to try and get Halladay signed to an extension.

Bottomline for me is, If no extension is signed for Halladay then I wouldn't trade Buchholz.

[Evangelion]

I wouldn't trade Buchholz even if the Red Sox are allowed to work out a extension with Halladay. It's Boston that's locking up Halladay. While it's nice, I don't believe this changes the fact the Blue Jays must deal Halladay or run the risk of losing Halladay and only obtain draft picks for him. If the Twins settle for Gomez and a batch of uninteresting for Santana, I don't believe the Blue Jays will end up with a impressive haul, unless he plays teams against each another. Personally, I be comfortable with a deal similar to what Boston made with Cleveland for Victor Martinez. I be willing to package Bard and other top prospects, but not sure if I'm willing to part with Buchholz or Kelly. Mainly, Buchholz, who I believe is on track to become a viable starter or better.

[Cowtipper]

Fernando Cabrera has opted for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The 28-year-old righty posted a 1.71 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 52 2/3 innings this season as Triple-A Pawtucket's closer. He has a 5.12 career ERA on the major league level, but is likely to draw some interest on the open market.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pla...=278766&spln=1

[SwissRedSoxFan]

I think Anderson can get better than Adrian Gonzalez. And next year we won't win anyway. So don't do anything stupid. Play those big contracts out and we'll see whats on the FA market in 2010.

I really really want to see how Lars Anderson reacts on his bad year...

[SwissRedSoxFan]

The Red Sox claimed pitcher Robert Manuel off of waivers from the Mariners, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old righty made his MLB debut with the Reds this year, recording 13 outs without allowing an earned run. His Triple A numbers were good, too; Manuel had a 49K/16BB ratio and an overall 2.88 ERA for the Reds and Mariners.

His minors and majors stats:

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx...817&position=P

Can somebody explain to me, why the Mariners let somebody like this just go for nothing???

Manuel (RHP) was ranked 27th of the Cincinnati Reds prospects list by baseball america in 2009.

Roberto Manuel's scouting report:

"When scouts watch Manuel pitch, they just shake their heads. He rears back and throws 88-90 mph fastballs at hitters who are looking for fastballs. Yet time after time, they walk back to the dugout disappointed. Scouts can't explain it, but they can't quibble with the results. (...) Former shortstop. Manuel's delivery is compact and he manages to hide the ball for a long time. Most important, his fastballs seems to have a little hop to it at the plate, even if it lacks velocity. (...) He mixes in a fringy slider or changeup infrequently."

[Boston Boxer]

Originally Posted by SwissRedSoxFan

I think Anderson can get better than Adrian Gonzalez. And next year we won't win anyway. So don't do anything stupid. Play those big contracts out and we'll see whats on the FA market in 2010.

I really really want to see how Lars Anderson reacts on his bad year...

wow, bold post. I dont know about that. Do you really think Anderson could be better than Gonzalez?

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Originally Posted by Boston Boxer

wow, bold post. I dont know about that. Do you really think Anderson could be better than Gonzalez?

Yeah. His mediocre 2008, was because he was very much hyped. That's not good for a topprospect. He has incredible opposite-power, very good for Fenway. And we would have to give up very very much for Gonzalez. But I want to see what Westmoreland, Anderson and Casey Kelly can do in a Red Sox uniform.

I would be ok with a third place in 2010 and a high draft-pick, plus Wagner's maybe Bay's supplemental pick and then buy some good FA's in 2010.

Don't trade Lowell or Ortiz, they deserve to play their contracts out and try to prove us wrong with a good season.

[mg050369]

Lars CAN be better than Gonzo but WILL he be better? Very unlikely although I wouldn't be quick to deal Lars. Not all players progress in a linear fashion. He could be a classic buy low prospect that rebounds in '10.