The Official 2010 Boston Red Sox Thread

It's possible but I don't mind having both guys in the line up. Drew gets killed because of the size of his contract (which shouldn't bother Sox fans because him being there isn't preventing the team from signing other guys at other positions) but he's been a very good player for the Red Sox since he signed with them.

 

Maybe, but isn't that usually the way contract work or at least how it usually ends up with older players? Who knows though, maybe the only way he'd sign with the Sox was if it was a 5 year deal and maybe he'll continue to produce next year. Then again maybe he won't. I guess we'll see next year.

 

J.D. Drew was 31 the first year with the Sox while Damon was 32 in his first year with the Yankees. The problem with Damon was that he was breaking down and his defense was slipping. Boston figured that might be able to get 1 more year of average defense with Damon in CF but after that they were nervous. They had Manny and Ortiz locked up at LF and DH for awhile and plus Damon's bat really didn't project as a corner OF or DH type. Boston was spot on with Damon and his defense as he obviously didn't last as CF in New York. J.D. Drew still plays above average defense with a good arm, so really the two deals really worked out for every player and the two teams involved.

 

Awesome, put Saltalamacchia on the DL now with an infection in his leg.

 

It's laughable right now on the injury front. It's too bad because if the team is playing this well with the Bill Halls and Darnell McDonalds of the world, imagine what they could do with a team that is even at 90% health.

Yeah Buchholz has finally broke out and it's great to see. I would like to see his K rate go up a little bit but his GB/FB rate has been very good and he's keeping the ball in the park. He's been a little lucky this year but hey I'll take it.

I dislike Matsuzaka for a number of reasons but he's actually pitched pretty well since he came off the DL last year in September. He's not the ace everyone thought he'd be but he's not crap either (eventhough sometimes it feels that way). He's a pretty good 4th or 5 starter for this team and he's actually pitched better than everyone but Lester and Buchholz. His salary is also pretty reasonable too. I bet if the Sox wanted to deal him they'd find a bunch of teams willing to bring him on, maybe not for a bunch of prospects but he certainly has more zero moving forward than Lackey or Beckett.

 

San Diego wouldn't want Matsuzaka back and he has a no trade clause so I doubt he'd go anywhere but a New York, LA or Seattle due to the Japanese ownership. Getting Gonzalez would probably cost the Red Sox Casey Kelly, Jed Lowrie and one of Lars Anderson/Anthony Rizzo and Ryan Kalish/Jacoby Ellsbury. Not sure if the Sox would do that when they could just sign him a year later.

As for Beckett I don't know. I do think it's a mixture of injury, tipping pitches, luck, not using his off speed stuff enough and falling in love with his cutter too much. Beckett's been horrible this year but he's still Beckett. I just think you mark this as a lost season and hopes he rebounds next year. I don't expect him to be an ace but I don't expect him to pitch like one of the worst pitchers in baseball either next year.

 

Well this is certainly interesting, the Red Sox have won the waiver claim for Johnny Damon. Damon has a NTC to Boston so if Detroit and Boston can work out a trade or if Detroit just decides to dump Damon will have to agree to come back to Boston. Damon has said this offseason a few times that he wouldn't go back to Boston because of how things ended and his time with the Yankees but he also said a few months later that he called Boston in the off season to see if they were interested in him and the Sox FO said no. Of course all of this time is meaningless because Damon said in the summer of 2005 that he'd never play for the Yankees. My guess is he would waive his NTC to come back to Boston and if he does it will be interesting to see how the fans respond to him.

Of course the main reason the Sox put in a claim is to block him from going to TB or the Yankees. And right now the Sox could probably use his bat at the top of the order and could probably live with his shakey defensive in LF for a month.

 

Damon rejected the chance to come to the Sox. I have mixed feelings on this but ultimately if he doesn't want to be in Boston, I'm glad he's not going to come back. He needs to get over the Sox letting him walk away. Pedro, Nomar and Lowe have already.

 

Awesome job of the ump tonight throwing Beltre out of the game because he was talking smack to Felix Hernandez in Spanish and the ump thought he was yelling at him instead. Seriously can MLB offices do something about these umps? The night before Ryan Howard got thrown out in extra innings of a tie ball game because he threw his hands up in the air after he was called out on a check swing. Unfortunately the MLB offices have no backbone and the umps don't realize fans pay to see the players play and not them ump.

Also hey Matsuzaka is hurt again!

 

I didn't see the Manny thing yesterday but I find it very hard for anyone to be thrown out of a ball game after 1 pitch. Unless Manny was extremely aggressive and going after the ump, the ump should probably let it go. Again though I didn't see the incident so I don't know what went on.

And the Red Sox season is officially over now. They needed in the very least to take 2 out of 3 and couldn't get the job done. People can blame injuries but the bottom line is the Sox had leads going into the 8th in Game 2 and 6th in Game 3 and couldn't hold on.

 

Well if the Sox can win 10 or so in a row and either Tampa or New York goes 5-5 then certainly the Sox have a chance but making up 6 games with a little over a month to play is going to be tough. I read an article this morning that says the Sox should focus on beating out the Yankees instead of Tampa now since the Sox have 6 games left against NY and only 3 against Tampa. But thinking the Sox could take all 6 vs. the Yankees is just not realistic. It's over. It was a fun season at times and frustrating at times too. I would have liked to see the Sox get their team back at full health for the final 2 months and see if they could get on a run but injuries happen. Hopefully next year guys can stay on the field. There were positives this year seeing Lester continue to become a top pitcher in the game was great. Seeing Buchholz finally take the next step, seeing Bard form into a good pen arm, anything Beltre did. Some of the kids like Kalish and Doubront coming up and making an impact. Hopefully next year Beckett and Lackey rebound.

I'll try to find video on the Manny thing, it sounds like the ump was out of line but knowing Manny I wouldn't put it past him to have staged that on purpose (kind of like the Rivera incident in 2008 when he was with the Sox).

Anyway I have no reason to make excuses and I never will. I'm (for the most part) a realist and straight shooter. But thanks for the kind words.

 

I doubt Beltre will be back. He'll probably be looking for a long term deal after a great season. I think Fenway Park is perfect for him but I don't see the Red Sox locking him up long term for the money he'll be looking to get, especially when Adrian Gonzalez is a year away from FA and the Sox do have some 1B prospects in the minor leagues that are a year or two away as well.

Yeah Manny coming back from the White Sox should make for a fun weekend for sure.

 

I'm willing to give Lackey a free pass this year. He's been subpar like you said but I do think he'll rebound next year. Do I think he's going to be an ace or a #2 pitcher like we thought? Probably not but if he could be a solid 3 or 4, I'll be happy with that (even if he's being paid like an ace which will end up being a problem in many fans' eyes). It's not like Lackey's contract is going to cripple the finances of the team and prevent them for going out and getting another FA, especially since a lot of money is coming off the books between this year and next. But you're right if he pitches like this next year it's going to be annoying. The only positive you can say about Lackey is that he goes out and pitches and gives you innings and you know he's trying. Other than that there's not much else you can say before you start sugarcoating things.

 

But on the plus side we got rid of Manny Delcarmen, so that has to count for something right?

I posted something about the Delcarmen trade yesterday but the site was having some issues so I guess it never got posted. Anyway I'm glad Delcarmen is gone, his stuff never matched his performance and he was never going to be trusted in a big spot with this team. The kid they picked up for him apparently is a pretty good pitcher with a heavy heavy sinker so maybe this will work out for the Sox. Anyone that watched this team for the past 3 or 4 years knew Delcarmen was never going to be the set up man like everyone predicted. With that being said I have zero doubts that Delcarmen is going to dominate the Quadruple A league leading to fans and media members around Boston to kill Theo for letting such a 'valueble' arm go during the playoff chase.

I know I mocked Francoeur in the Met thread about the change of scenery but I think Delcarmen getting out of Boston will help him, maybe not pitching in Colorado but at his next stop, especially if it's in the NL.

 

I do think Okajima is gone this winter, I can't see the Sox tendering him a contract for 3 to 4 million when he was quietly back last year and just down right awful this year. Plus I don't think Okajima is really happy in the US and could see him head back home to Japan. He's definitely a strange guy and never really seemed to fit in with the club but hey he was great in 2007 and 2008 for us.

I think it's way too early to guess on bullpen roles for next year but I think Papelbon, Bard and Doubront are locks. I also think the Sox will give every opportunity for Michael Bowden and Dustin Richardson to make the team. I think we might see Tazawa in the pen at tis time next year coming off of TJ surgery. The Sox have a few guys in Double A (Jason Price comes to mind)that threw well so they might be given a look too.

As far as FAs, I know Scott Downs will be available but his pirce tag might be too high (in terms of money and surrendering draft picks) plus he'll be in high demand. Soriano is a FA next year too but he's having a great year as closer for Tampa (and was finally healthy) so he'll likely get a big deal to close. I would have loved to see the Sox trade for him back in Jan of this year to help set up.

The problem is putting together a pen is a crap shoot and guy's are just so different from one year to the next, even month to month (Marte was terrible for the Yankees all last year but was great in October while Hughes was great all year and terrible in October, go figure). You almost have to throw crap against the wall and pray it sticks. The past 3 years the pen has been pretty good, this year outside of Bard and Papelbon it's been really bad. The Sox could bring back the same guys they had this year and it could be lights out. If I were a GM I probably wouldn't spend a lot of my budget on RPers, just try to patch it together with gambles, buy lows and young minor league/prospect arms.

 

Another day, another injury. This time it's Felix Doubront. He's being sent back to Boston to do tests on his neck. He felt pain on his non throwing side of it. Thankfully it has nothing to do with his arm but it begs the question as to whether or not the Sox should bubble wrap Lester, Buchholz, Papelbon and Bard and send them far away for the winter.

 

You let them pitch but obviously watch their pitch counts closely. No need for them to be throwing 110-120 pitches each time out but no way do you shut them down now.

 

As always the main theme here is 'what do I know'? Haha.

Sucks about Pedroia but once he went on the DL a 2nd time I figured he was done for the year. Just as long as he's back healthy in time for the start of the season, that's all I care about.

It is amazing what this team is doing without a full year of Youkilis, Pedroia and Ellsbury. And unlike most people (like Bill Simmons) this Red Sox team is anything but boring. Sure they're frustrating to watch at times but they have a lot of fight and heart. Ultimately they will come up short but as a fan I am proud of them this year.

 

Even though this team is officially dead now, Lars Anderson is getting called up today. His overall numbers aren't great but since June 1st he's hitting .305/.365/.488. He would need to be put on the 40 man roster in November anyway or they'd expose him to the Rule 5 draft anyway. He could probably give them a shot in the arm against RHPs, right now LHPs are eating him up.

 

I got to give credit for Scutaro for playing through all of his injuries this year. You could tell he hasn't been healthy for awhile and some of those throws he had were probably as painful to watch as they were for him to throw. I say shut him down for the year. Might as well rest up for next season.

It will be interesting to see how Lowrie does for the rest of the year and if he's going to be given a true shot at winning the starting SS job in spring training next year. I know just about every Sox fan is really down on the guy (some of which is fair) but he can hit, that was never a question. The question was his defense. I bet if he's healthy he would out perform Scutaro.

I'm also interested in seeing Navarro, Reddick and Anderson play a little more. Surely all 3 will start out at Triple A next year but they will be on the shuttle bus to and from Fenway all year. It's too bad Reddick had a lousy year since he had tons of opportunities to play with the Sox. I still don't think he'll be anything more than a 4th OFer due to his hacking at the plate but if he gets a pitch he can hit he could really drive it. The kid can also play all 3 OF positions, has a good arm and has some wheels.

I also wouldn't be against a 6 man rotation between now and the end of the year and let Wakefield get a shot at a few more wins while giving the rest of the guys some more rest in between. Right now I'm openingly rooting against the Red Sox (we're not making the playoffs so why not try to get a better draft pick and who really cares if they finish 2nd, 3rd, 4th or last if they're not going to make the playoffs anyway) so the team might as well have some fun with things.