Hot Stove Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous offseason baseball thoughts and observations.

Less than a week removed from the Red Sox winning the World Series and the sentimentality is starting to drop by the wayside. Monday if you asked me - I would have said that the Red Sox need to do whatever it takes to sign Mike Lowell. Today I'm not so sure. Yes I think it would be worth it to sign Lowell to something like a 3-year $40 million deal but anything over that in time or in money may not be worth it. Don't get me wrong - I want Lowell back and I think even though he's 34-years old I don't see a great drop off for Lowell either offensively or defensively, however, I do see him being dead money in 2011 if a 4th year is added to the contract... I would bring back Curt Schilling for the one-year deal he's looking for. The Red Sox have Josh Beckett, Dice-K, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholtz in the rotation for next year but Tim Wakefield is a question mark. Having Schilling back as the number 3 starter (he did have a 3.34 ERA post All-Star game this year) would take the pressure off the younger pitchers and would be insurance against injury. There is no pitcher available for free agency that could give the Red Sox such a known quantity at just a one-year deal. If all six starters remain healthy that also gives the Red Sox the flexibility to rest the starters more often which paid big dividends during the playoffs this year. Even though you are over-paying Schilling at $13 million its just for one year and that allows them to wait for the free agent class after next season to add a big arm... If I were Joe Girardi - I would be lighting prayer candles around the clock hoping that Andy Pettitte returned to pitch for the team in 2008. Pettitte is the rock of the Yankees pitching staff. All the other starters have question marks - Wang is so-so away from home, Mussina may be cooked, Hughes is young and has injury issues and Chamberlain may be better suited to the bullpen. The Yankees need Pettitte if they are to contend next year... I'm sure the Red Sox will offer Eric Gagne arbitration. It will be interesting to see down the line what becomes of the draft picks the Red Sox will get when Gagne signs elsewhere... I wasn't aware that Tom Werner was such a disliked person in San Diego. Just knowing that he had anything to do with Rosanne signing that national anthem that time makes my respect for Werner drop several notches...