Top 5 - Red Sox Pitching Trade Targets

With Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in the fold - now all Red Sox fans attention tuns to pitching. My number one wish remains that they sign (re-sign?) Jon Lester but the Sox have a glut of players and a trade for at least one starter is bound to happen. Here's who I would consider the Top 5 pitching trade targets for Boston.

1. Cole Hamels Phillies - has 5-years and $110 million left on contract (if you include the 2019 option year). Maybe a package of Clay Buchholz, Jackie Bradley Jr., Allen Craig and Brandon Workman would be a good starting point.
2. Jordan Zimmerman Nationals - free agent after this season. Maybe a package of Yoenis Cespedis and Allen Craig get this done.
3. Doug Fister Nationals - free agent after this season offer same package as above.
4. Rick Porcello Tigers - trade him for Yoenis Cespedis straight up.
5. Cincinnati Reds - a number of pitchers here (Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, and Mike Leake) are all free agents after 2015 but the Reds may wait till mid-season to do any trading.

Red Sox Thoughts

The Red Sox have brought in both free agents Jon Lester and Pablo Sandoval for visits. My hope is that they sign (re-sign?) Lester and let Sandoval go back to the Giants.

Lester is a workhorse and I would not have an issue with a 6-year $127-140 million deal. I see the 31-year old Lester as a left-handed Curt Schilling who was able to pitch until he was 40-years old.

Everyone remembers the heroics of Sandoval in the post-season but in the regular season he's basically just a 6-hole hitter. Brian MacPherson has a good breakdown of what Sandoval is and isn't. Don't over pay for that!

Let me also say that I wouldn't mind if Clay Buchholz was traded as part of a package for Cole Hamels or straight up for Doug Fister (I think 3-years of Buchholz at $38.5 million total is a good value for the free agent to be Fister).

So let it be written - so let it be done!

MLB Hot Stove

With officially 150 days till 2015's Opening Day here's the first of what I'm sure will be many Hot Stove thoughts.

- I wonder if the Nationals would entertain an offer of 3-years of Clay Buchholz for free-agent to be Doug Fister? I think Buchholz would benefit from a change of scenery.

- Speaking of Boston trade targets - how about Jeff Samardzija of the A's? It would be just like Billy Bean to flip an asset like that. What does Oakland need?

- Troy Tulowitzki's agent comments on the Rockies potentially trading Tulo. Read the comments. Never realized the venom some Colorado fans have towards Tulowitzki. And comparing him to Gretzky, Shaq and Joe Montana? Jeez.

- I would agree with this sentiment.

- For the record - I am sick of stories on A-Rod. To paraphrase Jason Varitek "I don't read about .240 hitters."

Top 5 - Offseason MLB Moves

Here's what I see as the Top 5 MLB offseason moves - so far!

1. Doug Fister to Nationals and Steve Lombardozzi, Robbie Ray and Ian Krol to Detroit. This wasn't even a five nickels for a quarter deal. This was three nickels for a quarter. Fister would be THE ace on half the teams in baseball and the Tigers got a bench guy, a bullpen guy and a AA guy in return for him. Absolute steal by the Nationals.
2. Robinson Cano - signs 10-year $240 million free agent deal with the Mariners. Cano got PAID!
3. Mark Trumbo to Diamondbacks, Adam Eaton to White Sox while Angels get starters Tyler Scaggs and Hector Santiago. A potential 40-HR guy, a starting centerfielder, and two starting pitchers. Most impactful deal for three teams so far.
4. Yankees trade Robinson Cano for Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann. OK so it wasn't actually a trade but I sure feels like one doesn't it? Question - if someone made this trade in your fantasy baseball league - which side would you say was getting the better deal?
5. Prince Fielder to Rangers for Ian Kinsler and $30 million from Tigers. Too early to tell the impact of this deal but considering that Fielder was signed by Detroit in the first place because Victor Martinez got hurt (and is now healthy) and moving Fielder now opens a spot for rookie Nick Castellanos at third my inclination is that this works for both teams.

I said these were my Top 5 so far. I think there's still a blockbuster waiting to happen.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

So the Red Sox have signed AJ Pierzynski to a one-year deal. This feels a lot like when the Boston Bruins acquired Ken "the rat" Linseman. Will be tough rooting for AJ... Jesse Owens' Gold Medal from 1936 Berlin Olympics up for auction... The Nationals were lucky to get Doug Fister for almost nothing. As lucky as an average guy who happens to be in the right place at the right time when a super model decides she needs to have revenge sex... Vintage advertisements that weren't exactly politically correct... The BBWAA needed 4 tries to elect Rogers Hornsby to the Hall of Fame. Very, very flawed process... 19 shocking facts about Detroit's bankruptcy... Jarrod Saltalamaccia was a solid player and top shelf person during his time in Boston. I wish him nothing but the best with his new team. Godspeed Salty...  I think this idea was written only half in jest. I think it would actually work. Why not naming rights for sections of the newspaper?... Funny how some people who think it is wrong to lie to kids about Santa and the Easter Bunny still hold fast to the idea that Obamacare is actually a workable solution... Glorious! Dropping a red hot nickel ball onto various things. I love the Internets!... All the baseball Hall of Fame debates are petty compared to the injustice of KISS not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...