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...

Trade Proposal

There's a trade proposal that's been bouncing around my head for quite some time now. The Baltimore Orioles have said they want to shed payroll and are open to trading both closer Jim Johnson and catcher Matt Wieters. The Red Sox don't need a closer but a catcher like Matt Wieters would certainly be worth exploring.

I know the odds are slim that the Orioles would make a trade to improve a division rival but there has been precedent. Most notably in my mind was the Mike Boddicker trade that sent Curt Schilling and Brady Anderson to the Orioles. It could happen again and I keep thinking this could be a trade could make sense for both teams.

Matt Wieters would be a great fit for the Red Sox. He has two years left before free agency which would be the perfect amount of time for Boston before one of its two stud catching prospects (Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez) are ready to take the reins. David Ross is only really good for 60 games per year and he's only signed for one more year. Wieters could come in and have a relaxing year for him (he led the AL in games caught last year) and the next year he could mentor Swihart or Vazquez as one of them back him up in his year heading into free agency.

Wieters is perhaps the best defensive catcher in the AL (Gold Gloves in 2011 and 2012). He's hit more than 20 HR in three straight years. He'd be an upgrade over Jarrod Saltalamcchia and salary wise - he would be cheaper with arbitration probably getting Wieters $8.5 million next year and maybe $10.5 in 2015. Salty's probably going to get a 3-year $30 million deal at the least in free agency.

What would be in it for Baltimore? I'd suggest trading catcher Ryan Lavarnway who right now is probably going to catch the majority of the games next year but who would be extraneous with the arrival of Wieters and starter Felix Dubront. Both players are just 26 and both under team control for at least another 4 years. Dubront could be the 3rd starter right away for the Orioles and Lavarnway could be their starting backstop. Both are also very cheap and the two in exchange for Wieters would save Baltimore more than $10 million in 2014 alone when you factor in what a starting pitcher is going for in the free agency market.

It should also be noted that Wieters agent is Scott Boras - so Baltimore knows they are probably going to lose him to free agency anyway. Why not trade him now and get more than just a draft pick for him (especially now when they could use salary relief)?

A deal worth thinking about.

Red Sox Options at Catcher

The more I think about it the more I think the Red Sox will be going with a combination of  David Ross and Ryan Lavarnway at catcher next season with Lavarnway getting about 3 out of 5 starts. Why do I think this?

I think it is becoming clear that Boston isn't interested in having Jarrod Saltalamacchia back. They could have offered him a qualifying offer of $14.1 million but they didn't do that because doing so would have meant any team signing him would have lost a draft pick. The Red Sox seemingly wanted to make it easier for another team to sign him. The Red Sox have also made it clear they aren't prepared to go beyond a 2-year deal for Salty. With Carlos Ruiz getting 3 years from the Phillies and Brian McCann getting 5 years from the Yankees - Salty is bound to get a 4-year deal from someone. Sticking with the 2-year offer and making that public is akin to begging another team to sign him.

Why do this is they aren't comfortable with Lavarnway?

Some have mentioned Boston making a trade for a backstop. Ryan Hanigan from the Reds? Sure he would probably come cheap and is a very good defender but does that defense improvement mean more than the better offense you'd gain from Lavarnway? Plus even though it would only cost a B-level prospect that's still a cost and then it would put you in a position of still having Lavarnway hanging around waiting to get his at bats. Chris Iannetta from the Angels? Why? He doesn't have the offensive potential of Lavarnway and he will cost $10 million in salary over they next two seasons.

When you add it up - the answer comes back that the Red Sox will be going with David Ross and Ryan Lavarnway next season at catcher. John Farrell has already said he thinks Ross is good for about 60 starts. That leaves about a 100 starts for Lavarnway. They must feel comfortable with him.

I do too.

Red Sox Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous Red Sox thoughts and observations while I try to keep the bad taste of last night's Patriots game out of my mouth.

FWIW - last season there were only 8 MLB 3rd basement who hit 20 or more HR (Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Reynolds and Jedd Gyorko were not primarily 3rd basemen). That's why I feel very comfortable with Will Middlebrooks who is almost a lock for 20+ HR in 2014 and he has 30 HR potential (Bill James has Middlebrooks projected for 32 HR in 2014)... I expect more offense from 3rd base in 2014 than the Red Sox got in 2013. I also expect offensive improvements at short (Xander Bogaerts is just a better hitter than Stephen Drew), and 2nd (Pedrioa played most of the season with a damaged hand that hurt his power). Improvement at those three positions should offset the decline in output at center (Ellsbury tough to replace), 1st (if Mike Napoli signs elsewhere) and catcher (if Jarrod Saltilamacchia signs elsewhere). Basically the offense is in good shape... Speaking of catcher - Alex Speier breaks down the options for the Red Sox. I would expect Boston to offer Saltalamacchia a 3-year $26 million deal maybe with a 4th option year. I'd also be fine with a platoon of Ross and Lavarnway... Red Sox have plenty of money to spend but I wouldn't look for any deals until after the Rule 5 Draft is done...

Red Sox Offseason Moves - Position Players

Here's how I see the Red Sox roster for position players going forward for the 2014 season. Pretty long position-by-position breakdown so if you are interested - it continues after the break.

Red Sox Win the World Series - Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts about the Red Sox winning the World Series.

This was the front page of the Boston Herald this morning... A lot of things had to break right for the Red Sox to win this year but Koji Uehara emerging as one of the most unhittable closers in baseball was one of the biggest. Uehara my sunshine, my only sunshine... It is a lifetime of columns like this why I viscerally hate Dan Shaughnessy. I also remember how he said putting seats on the Green Monster was an abomination that was going to ruin the park... One more reason to love John Farrell - when he came out after the game to accept the trophy - he wasn't wearing one of the cheesy t-shirts or hats that have become ubiquitous at these events. I've grown to hate those hats and shirts almost as much as Dan Shaughnessy. Almost... How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Fox Sports microphone pop?... Sad to think that last night babies were born in New England hospitals and those babies have never witnessed a Red Sox World Series championship. Won't someone please think of the babies!... Semi-sad to think that some key players from the 2013 team won't be around next year. Stephen Drew will be replaced, Jacoby Ellsbury most likely will be gone as a free agent, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia who is also a free agent (though his departure is not as sure as Ellsbury)...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Chad Finn mentioned yesterday that Jarrod Saltalamacchia has a higher slugging percentage than Giancarlo Stanton this season. I had to look that up to double check. While it may have been true so far this season it is certainly not close for their careers. Stanton now sits at .439 and .533 for his career while Salty's numbers are .447 and .423 respectively (not that anyone outside of baseball geeks care about this)...  Excellent point! If the NCAA lets Johnny Manziel slide then Dez Bryant should sue the NCAA for everything they have in the bank!... I know this is post Shark week but I wonder if remoras were called "cuddle fish" instead - would that change the way you look at their relationship to sharks? Would it change the way you look at cuddling in bed?...  25 things that turned 25 this year... 29 years ago Ronald Reagan joked about outlawing the Soviet Union. Today the Russian President just thinks his US counterpart is the joke... Howie Carr on the conviction of Whitey Bulger (audio)... The blacksmith who makes the weapons for Hollywood. It must eat him up a little that he doesn't work on Game of Thrones...

State of the Red Sox

This blog will from time to time give to his readers information on the state of the Red Sox. Today is one of those times.

I've been trying to make sense out of the moves the Red Sox have been making in the off-season. When you look at the moves as a whole then only one thing makes sense - there's another shoe (or shoes) to drop. Let me explain.

Shane Victorino? This signing makes no sense except in the light that the signing allows the Red Sox to trade Jacoby Ellsbury. Torii Hunter would have been a much better fit for Fenway's right field but Victorino is a better fit in center. For the record - I would have preferred to milk Ellsbury for one last year and then let him walk as a free agent and pocket the draft pick compensation. Ellsbury has Scott Boras as an agent is is almost a certainty to sign elsewhere next winter so the Red Sox may think getting out from under a potential over-bidding war now would be the best move.

Keep in mind that Ellsbury was originally drafted with the pick the Red Sox got for losing Orlando Cabrera to the Angels and that his eventual replacement - Jackie Bradley Jr. was a compensation pick for the Red Sox losing Adrian Beltre. So they must know the value of these compensation picks but have decided to trade Ellsbury anyway. (All the recent articles saying Ellsbury isn't on the trading block probably means that Ellsbury is on the trading block.)

Stephen Drew makes Jose Iglesias expendable. The Red Sox top prospect is SS Xander Bogaerts who is probably a year or two away from the bigs. Iglesias has unbelievable fielding ability but very little in the bat department. Still he has trade value and signing Drew will allow them to move Iglesias.

Signing catcher David Ross makes Jarrod Saltalamacchia a trade chip. Pairing Ross with Ryan Lavarnway makes the most sense. Waiting to see where AJ Pierzynski signs to maximize Salty's trade value also makes sense.

I see the signing of Ryan Dempster as the replacement of Josh Beckett's innings and productivity at about half the cost. Good move (would have preferred Dan Haren but who am I?). The signing gives the Red Sox a rotation of Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Ryan Dempster, John Lackey and either Franklin Morales or Felix Doubront. Either Franklin or Felix easily could be turned into a trade chip.

To a lesser degree the signing of Koji Uehara also makes Daniel Bard expendable.

What could be holding up any moves is the signing of Mike Napoli. With Napoli in the fold the Red Sox would be able to take calls on Ellsbury with Iglesias, Saltalamacchia, Franklin Morales, and Daniel Bard as additional chips. It should be noted that the Red Sox have a pretty stocked bullpen and this is the time of year when teams start looking to fill holes in theirs.

Just throwing this out there but how about a trade that sends Andre Ethier and Chris Capuano from the Dodgers for Saltalamachia, Franklin Morales and a top prospect or two?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just a reminder but Rex Ryan needs to go 7-9 this season just to equal the 4-year record the Jets had under Herm Edwards. With today's loss the NYJ are now 3-6. Rex Ryan - worse than Herm Edwards?... 55 things you might not know about the US armed services... With the Red Sox signing David Ross - it will be interesting to see whee Jarrod Saltalamacchia gets traded to. I think Salty could really rake in the NL. Most speculation has him going to the Mets... It would be interesting to compare the records of the schools kids transferred to vs Penn State's record. The grass is not always greened... One side effect of Obama being re-elected - 4 more years of incessant gold commercials on Fox News...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How deliciously ironic would it be if President Obama's Executive Privilege ploy on the Fast and Furious scandal gets undermined by people leaking documents?... Pretty cool - navigating the solar system from your desktop... Is it just me or does Jarrod Saltalamacchia always look like he just came from a Phish concert?... 11 Authors who hated the movie versions of their books. Didn't know about the Mary Poppins story. They easily could have added Tom Clancy, Elmore Leonard and Ernest Hemingway to the list... Have you seen that Subway commercial where the fire chief steals and eats the fireman's sub? You know that same fire chief sexually harasses the female firefighter when nobody is around. You just know it... Wow - no wonder nobody is hiring! Obamacare adds $1.79 per hour to the cost of a full-time employee... My two word response to people who ask me why I support the death penalty - Jerry Sandusky.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

For what its worth - Jarrod Saltalamacchia is batting .206 with a .632 OPS. I'm pretty sure Jason Varitek could have topped those numbers... Cool - a penny that is worth $1.5 million... I think I am going to randomly point at objects and say in my most officious voice, "What is the meaning of this!?!" just to see the reactions I get... The entire list of the 213 players who returned to take part in the Fenway 100th birthday celebration... Ph studies show that vaginas should smell like vaginas - not like flowers or Red Sox starting pitchers... Joe Biden Bad Lip Reading = Awesomesause... Still say that ESPN should make Bobby Knight announce women's NCAA games paired with Jeremy Schaap. Admit it - you'd watch that... It will be interesting to watch how many Democrats up for re-election choose to campaign with President Obama. My guess is not many but I wonder if the snubs get to be a major story...

Red Sox Moves

The Red Sox made a trade with the Astros today sending Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houson for Mark Melancon. I think this may be good move for both clubs.

I like Jed Lowrie but honestly he's not as good as Marco Scutaro, Kevin Youkilis or Dustin Pedroia. Not even close. Where and when would he play? And is he as good as super prospects Will Middlebrooks or Jose Iglesias? Again - not close. In short there was no future with the Red Sox barring a big injury and Lowrie suddenly learning how to hit right handed pitching (career .214 BA and .635 OPS in 529 AB). For the Astros - Lowrie can step in and be the starting shortstop and be a 20 HR guy at Minute Maid Park. If Lowrie was a bigger name player you would see the Red Sox PR machine gearing up to bad mouth him on his way out of town.

Kyle Weiland would have been an innings eater at Pawtucket this year for the Red Sox but for the Astros he can easily step in and be the 5th starter or even 4th starter. The Astros rotation is awful and they are actively trying to trade Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers. I could easily see Weiland giving them double the innings as a starter that they got from Mack Melancon last season. There's a value in that and you never know - Weiland could blossom into a very good NL starter.

Mark Melancon was the Astros closer last year but ask yourself - how valuable can any closer be to a 100-loss team? You could have Mo Rivera and what real good would it do you? So the Astros get a starting shortstop and a starting pitcher but they give up a young serviceable closer. In return the Red Sox get a guy who can close but who most likely will be a 7th or 8th inning guy and who is just 2 months older than Daniel Bard.

Yesterday the Red Sox signed veteran catcher Kelly Shoppach to a 1-year $1.35 million deal. A deal that basically signals the end to the Jason Varitek era in Boston. Stoppach has a career .909 OPS vs LHP including a .788 OPS last year. This foreshadows a platoon with Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2012.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Was not a fan of Erik Bedard but with the news that Clay Buchholz has a stress fracture and will be out for season it becomes very clear that Red Sox had to obtain a starter. There are worse things than getting a guy with a career 3.69 ERA to be your 4th starter... Stealthy Bastards. I would so drive around like that for hours at a time... Excellent run down of the prospects involved from the Red Sox perspective. The key to understand is that there was no room on the Red Sox 40-man roster for the guys they traded. There was a good chance the players could have been lost with no return in the Rule 5 draft anyway... Best protest sign at the Capitol... Of the players the Red Sox traded away - catcher Tim Federowicz had the best chance to actually be in the Red Sox long term plans. However, with Jarrod Saltalamaccia blossoming and Ryan Lavarnway being a total monster at AAA Pawtucket (.352 BA, .428 OBP, 1.113 OPS with 13 HR) there just wasn't room for him... I've seen a number of people who wonder why the Rockies were so willing to part with Ubaldo Jimenez as if that created a buyer beware situation. But couldn't the same be said of the Indians and their prospects? Why would the Indians part with stud pitching prospects? Maybe Jimenez really is "just" a #2 starter but how many top prospects ever even develop to that level?... Heh heh - Forty Fords. I can identify about half... Macro-economists have successfully predicted 9 of the last 5 recessions... Love stuff like this - Americanisms... Speaking of Harrison Ford movies - yesterday I realized that the actress who played the IRA girl in Patriot Games - Polly Walker - went on to be Attia of the Julii in Rome. I will never be able to watch Patriot Games the same ever again... Very cool timelapse video of the fog in a San Francisco neighborhood... One final Trade Deadline note - how funny is it that Baseball-reference.com lists Ubaldo Jimenez as the most similar pitcher to Erik Bedard? This about that for a while.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Jason Varitek has re-signed with the Red Sox for $2 million with $300,000 in incentives. This was a signing that you could see coming a mile away. Varitek has said that he doesn't want to play anywhere else (even though he would have been a great fit with the Dodgers) and Boston is very thin at catcher now that Victor Martinez has moved on. I'm OK with a platoon of Jarrod Saltalamachia and Varitek (who could be Becketts personal catcher and start against some lefties)... This joke made me think of another one - an optimist sees a glass as half full, a pessimist sees a glass as half empty, an engineer sees a glass as twice as big as it needs to be... If I was elected President - I'd have Hail to the Chief replaced with Carmina Burana... I do have to admit that going "cheap" at catcher does give off a Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena type feel for me. That thought is also a good reminder that Theo Epstein sometimes makes mistakes.... A galactic Lemur who craps arsenic and farts thunder would make an awesome cartoon. Sort of like Sponge Bob in space... Cool - All Mad magazine covers 1952-2010... I vow never to drink Ciroc faux vodka just because of those awful Diddy commercials. Awful!... Mentioning without commenting - LPGA drops 'female at birth' clause for members...

Baseball GM Meetings Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous hot stove baseball thoughts and observations.

The Texas Rangers need a centerfielder. The Red Sox have two. If the Rangers lose out on the top centerfield free agents then a Coco Crisp for Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade could be good for both teams (good for the Red Sox at least). The Red Sox big needs are a corner infielder (if Mike Lowell is not re-signed) and a back-up catcher. Saltalamacchia could fill both those needs. Note - I wouldn't be against keeping Coco as a 4th outfielder or as insurance that Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't have a sophomore slump but I think Salty is going to be the real deal... Greg Maddux has reportedly re-signed with the Padres for a 1-year deal worth $10 million. Maddux is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. Last season he managed 34 starts and almost 200 IP. I REALLY hope that Roger Clemens doesn't come back next season and that Maddux wins at least 8 games to pass Clemens and take over 8th place on the all-time wins list. Maddux would need 14 wins to tie Kid Nichols in 7th place. I think the low key way Maddux went about re-signing with the Padres compared to the mercenary "look at me" way Clemens operates speaks volumes about the two pitchers as people... With the Yankees picking up the option on Bobby Abreu - it seems to me they have a logjam in the outfield. Melky Cabrera should be the starting CF and now with Abreu back in RF - that leaves Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui to fight it out for LF at bats and time at DH. Do they trade Damon (as has been rumored to the White Sox) or do they try to trade Jason Giambi? It seems to me that something has to give... Keep in mind that the Blue Jays collect their revenue in Canadian dollars but pay the players in US dollars. That means that the Canadian dollar going above a 1 for 1 exchange rate creates a windfall for the Blue Jays. Will they use this extra fiscal muscle to sign a big name player this offseason? I wouldn't recommend it but it should be noted that short is their big need and they have the money to take on a Miguel Tejada contract. I know Tejada is diminishing skills incarnate but he's also a big name and the Blue Jays could actually use a gate attraction...

Teixeira to the Braves

It looks like it's official - the Rangers are trading Mark Teixeira to the Braves for a package centered around catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and shortstop prospect Elvis Andrus plus two more prospects.

This trade could be the proverbial "win-win" situation for both teams.

For the Braves it gives them a solution to their black hole at 1st base. Not only does Teixeira have perhaps the best power bat available this trade-deadline - he also brings with him Gold Glove caliber fielding. With Teixeira in the line-up - the Braves are pretty solid 1-7 in the batting order. This puts Atlanta in a very good position to win either the NL East or the NL Wildcard.

Next year Texeira will probably get at least $12 million through arbitration but Atlanta will probably be losing at least that much when Andruw Jones goes the free-agent route. If Andruw Jones does leave as a free agent - then the Braves will get two top draft picks in compensation and they get to reload the farm system once again to make trades like the one for Teixeira possible. It should be noted that given the facts that Teixeira went to Georgia Tech and the Braves have Mike Hampton's contract coming off the books after 2008 - the Braves should not be ruled out re-signing Teixeira long term.

In the deal the Braves also got lefty reliever Ron Mahay. That helps strengthen the bullpen and again makes the Braves a formidable opponent down the stretch.

From the Rangers perspective - they had to trade Teixeira. They could not afford to risk keeping him and having him get injured. In Saltalamacchia and Andrus - the Rangers got the Braves' two top prospects (according to Baseball America). It is also rumored that the Braves will be including pitching prospect Matt Harrison in the deal. If true then that would be Atlanta's top 3 prospects according to Baseball America. How could the Rangers hope for more than that?

Two things to consider. From the Rangers position - I'm not sure how confident I'd feel about still wet behind the ears GM Jon Daniels dealing with the master of the trade John Schuerholz. In all the deals that Schuerholz has made the only prospect I can think of that went on to become a star is Jason Schmidt. That has to make Ranger fans at least a bit nervous. From the Braves position - I'm still not sold on Teixeira being the great hitter everyone cracks him up to be. Teixeira has almost a 60 point difference between what he hits at Arlington and what he hits on the road. His OPS is over 100 points lower on the road than it is at home. That has to be a red flag. At least the Braves have a one-year audition to see if Teixeira really can hit outside of Arlington (facing NL pitching should help there).