Mark Loretta

[RichardLikeWhoa]

Alright, this is starting to bother me. Maybe, I haven't done an official search but why hasn't Loretta been brought up between the Red Sox fans and the Red Sox organization?

Come on.. Does anyone seriously think Pedroia can do what Mark did? Absolutely not.. 1 yr deal sounds amazing to me.

This guy is top notch, even though he's old..................

[EvanAparra]

Alright, this is starting to bother me. Maybe, I haven't done an official search but why hasn't Loretta been brought up between the Red Sox fans and the Red Sox organization?

Come on.. Does anyone seriously think Pedroia can do what Mark did? Absolutely not.. 1 yr deal sounds amazing to me.

This guy is top notch, even though he's old..................

The point isn't 'is Pedroia going to be as good as Loretta was', it's 'if we dont give Pedroia a chance, and keep putting off giving him playing time, he will NEVER be as good as Loretta was.'

I think that after this next year is said and done, Pedroia will have had a better season than Loretta. Loretta is a solid player, but he's not exactly a guy that tears the cover off the ball either.

[DoubleX]

Looks like he's going to the Astros. Link.

[EvanAparra]

At least I will get to watch him now.

[Mike D.]

Best of luck to Loretta with his new team. His one year in Boston was very solid, and from all accounts, he was a good guy.

[Jager]

I'm just curious why the Sox didn't resign him. Especially if he was open to a utility role anyways. He's a better hitter than Cora, and he's played all the infield positions throughout his career. I would have liked to see him back for another year. Especially since it was a one year deal for 2.5million.

[Evangelion]

I'm just curious why the Sox didn't resign him. Especially if he was open to a utility role anyways. He's a better hitter than Cora, and he's played all the infield positions throughout his career. I would have liked to see him back for another year. Especially since it was a one year deal for 2.5million.

I was thinking the same. If he open to being a utility player, I saw no harm bring him back. He could back-up 1B and 2B.

It's good to see he got a job in Houston though. Best of luck to him.

[EvanAparra]

We gave Cora a 2yr-4million deal, couldnt fork over the extra 500,000 to get a utility guy that can actually hit?

[Charger567]

Evan, Loretta may not tear the cover off the ball, but when you are batting .300 there is no need for that. I personally don't really like Cora, Loretta was one of my favs on the team. Cora can't hit for his life, Loretta is an above average contact hitter.

[EvanAparra]

Evan, Loretta may not tear the cover off the ball, but when you are batting .300 there is no need for that. I personally don't really like Cora, Loretta was one of my favs on the team. Cora can't hit for his life, Loretta is an above average contact hitter.

Charger, although he has been a .300 career hitter in his career, he hit .285 this past season, which was only .007 above the league average. His stats seem to be heavily inflated by Fenway, as he hit .261/.313/.309 away from home, which is absolutely terrible.

My point being is that he's not that good of a hitter anymore, but next to Alex Cora he looks like Mickey Mantle.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Lorettas power declined very much. He is still a good contact hitter.

Pedroia is our top-position player prospect. Right?

So give him 2-3 years and then I will start to make the math.

I expect him having a .260 avg. 350 OBP. 8 HR, 50 RBI-season.

Pedroia was known for his excellent patience in the minors, so his OBP could be even higher. Those nubers will be better in 2008.

I think it is the right time to give the chance to Pedroia. He will have no pressure, he is the only rookie positional player on the team, he will bat 9th an everybody will support him.

[DoubleX]

Given that Mark Loretta signed with Houston for 2.5 million and Miguel Cairo just re-signed with the Yankees for 750,000, can someone explain to me why the Sox felt Alex Cora was worth 4 million over the next two years? I've been trying to figure it out, and I just can't. Loretta is a vastly superior player and he ended up getting just 500,000 more than Cora? I don't get it. Why not just go a little more for Loretta? He'd be much more worth the value. Cora's value should be much closer to Cairo's (I actually believe Cairo is a better player as well, though not by much).

[EvanAparra]

Im pretty sure its because they feel Cora can back up SS better than Loretta can.

[Dogdaze]

Given that Mark Loretta signed with Houston for 2.5 million and Miguel Cairo just re-signed with the Yankees for 750,000, can someone explain to me why the Sox felt Alex Cora was worth 4 million over the next two years? I've been trying to figure it out, and I just can't. Loretta is a vastly superior player and he ended up getting just 500,000 more than Cora? I don't get it. Why not just go a little more for Loretta? He'd be much more worth the value. Cora's value should be much closer to Cairo's (I actually believe Cairo is a better player as well, though not by much).

You do have a point DoubleX.

If I was Theo, I would have resigned Loretta, have him split the 2nd base duties with Pedroia, maybe use Loretta in later innings, let Pedroia play the early innings something like that.

Of course we may not have the roster space for both Loretta and Pedroia. But Loretta is a proven veteran, declining a bit, yes, but a proven player and an all star last year. So while I think Pedroia will be good this year, it's possible he may still need to time adjusting to the Major's and having Loretta available if needed would be nice.

That being said, I will also say that I do like Cora in a utilities role, I just would have kept both Loretta and Cora, roster space permitting. So is Cora worth 2 mil a year? debatable, but given the over inflated market this year, maybe so.

Anyway, I think Loretta will do well in Houston, and wish him the best of luck.

[DoubleX]

Im pretty sure its because they feel Cora can back up SS better than Loretta can.

That's a good point. It's not so much signing Cora instead of Loretta that I don't understand, it's the amount the Sox signed Cora for. 2 mil per seems awfully steep for a backup utility player that can't hit a lick and won't help you on the bases either. If Loretta, who is still a starting quality middle infielder, is getting just 2.5, I can't see how Cora can be justified at 2. I also think Cora is a slightly lesser player than Miguel Cairo, and Cairo just settled for a one year deal at 750,000. If not for the Sox offer, I think a deal similar to Cairo's would have been what he'd likely receive on the open market.