Red Sox have a big off-season facing them. Here's my position by position breakdown of what I'd suggest GM Ben Cherington should do regarding the every day players. In another post I'll make my suggestions regarding the pitching staff.
C - the Red Sox for better or worse are set with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway. Everyone hopes to get much more offense out of this duo than we saw in 2012. Even though Salty hit 25 HR - his overall batting performance leaves room for much improvement. Many are hoping that Lavarnway gets close to his minor league batting performance so that he can be the catcher of the future (say 2014).
1B - My preference for first base next year would be for the Red Sox to trade for Victor Martinez. I'm guessing that Detroit would be happy to shed the final two years of Victor's contract ($13 million in 2013 and $12 million in 2014) - so he would cost much in terms of prospects. Martinez has shown he can thrive in Boston both on the field (.322 career batting average at Fenway) and off (media favorite). He'd also be both a big clubhouse presence with the stature to stand up to anyone and also would be insurance at the catcher position if either Salty or Lavarnway have issues.
2B - Dustin Pedroia
SS - This is a weak spot for the Red Sox. What I'd suggest to turn this into a strength is to trade fan pariah John Lackey to Texas for Elvis Andrus. Jon Heyman has reported that the Rangers have no plans to trade Andrus this winter which normally would mean Andrus should have his bags packed. Andrus has two years left on his contract for a reasonable $11 million but the problem is in Texas he's blocking super prospect Jurikson Profar. I'd even throw in Jose Iglesias to make this deal happen.
3B - Will Middlebrooks
LF - The first item of business for Ben Cherington should be wrapping up Cody Ross on a multi-year deal (say 3-years $18 million). I say first item of business because with Ross in the fold then that gives them a little more leverage over David Ortiz as Ross could be made DH. Ortiz should be the second item of business. I will admit that Ross's home / road splits this season concerns me (.921 OPS at Fenway but just .684 OPS on road in 2012).
CF - Let Jacoby Ellsbury play the year and go to free agency. Guessing he will have a big year and be overpaid by someone else. All that is important is that he has a big 2013 first.
RF - Another problem spot for the Red Sox. Do the Sox go with existing options Ryan Kalish or maybe Che-Hsuan Lin? Or do they go for an outside option. Supposedly the Indians would be open to trading Shin-Soo Choo. That would be perfect. I'd even more in favor of giving Choo a long term deal than I would be for extending Ellsbury.
DH - David Ortiz. Just give the man a 2-year $22 million deal with some incentives for Ortiz to up the possible value of the contract.
If the Red Sox were to make these suggested moves they would field very formidable team in 2012. So llet it be written - so let it be done!
Showing posts with label Victor Martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victor Martinez. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Just as a reminder - before the season started I predicted that Mike Napoli would have a big season offensively. I predicted that he would do as well or better than Victor Martinez. I did not predict that he would be playing almost into November though... Magicians deal in sleight of hand while comedians deal in sleight of wits... Here's your feel good story for the day. I know both coaches involved and can say for a fact that they are both class acts... The last time the McRib was out Steve Rushin had a funny line where he said, "In span of 12 days, McRib and McNabb both discontinued." How funny is it that the line still applies just with McNabb being discontinued by new team... Cool update on what 2005 WSOP runner-up Steve Dannenmann is up to... As a reminder - "Britney Spears" is an anagram for "Presbyterians"... Has anyone had a more complete fall from public grace than Pat O'Brien? He must not have made many friends on the way up the ladder... The Human Torch was denied a bank loan... One of my tests for politicians is whether people who would wear giant paper mache heads would support them. If yes then I don't like the guy.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
It will be interesting to see who posts better offensive numbers as a C/1B this season - Mike Napoli or Victor Martinez... Sad to say but I think if 100 Americans were asked where the Island of Libya is located on the globe at least half wouldn't argue with you about Libya not actually being an island... The things you learn from the Internet: Sobering statistics for the day - Causes of death worldwide in March 2011 - Starvation 3,000,000; Malaria 250,000; Car Crash 100,000; Earth Quakes and Tsunamis less than 28,000... Who knew? I always assumed Bon Scott was the original lead singer for AC/DC but that honor actually goes to a guy named Dave Evans. He was replaced by Scott after a year... You don't see the media going out of their way to interview Cindy Sheehan now that Bush is out of office. If I was Fox News I would have her on to see what her thoughts are on Libya and if she thinks her pain and suffering were used for political purposes. My guess is that it would take very little to get her to call President Obama a "chickenhawk"... If Clifford the Big Red Dog got so big because of Emily Elizabeth's love - does that mean Chihuahua's are so small because of racist hate?... April 4 is an important day in computer history. On that day in 1975 Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and 19 years later in 1994 Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark founded Netscape. The creation of the Internet browser will go down in history as one of the more important developments in technology. Michael Lewis included the story of the founding of Netscape in his overlooked book The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
It will be interesting to see who posts better offensive numbers as a C/1B this season - Mike Napoli or Victor Martinez... Sad to say but I think if 100 Americans were asked where the Island of Libya is located on the globe at least half wouldn't argue with you about Libya not actually being an island... The things you learn from the Internet: Sobering statistics for the day - Causes of death worldwide in March 2011 - Starvation 3,000,000; Malaria 250,000; Car Crash 100,000; Earth Quakes and Tsunamis less than 28,000... Who knew? I always assumed Bon Scott was the original lead singer for AC/DC but that honor actually goes to a guy named Dave Evans. He was replaced by Scott after a year... You don't see the media going out of their way to interview Cindy Sheehan now that Bush is out of office. If I was Fox News I would have her on to see what her thoughts are on Libya and if she thinks her pain and suffering were used for political purposes. My guess is that it would take very little to get her to call President Obama a "chickenhawk"... If Clifford the Big Red Dog got so big because of Emily Elizabeth's love - does that mean Chihuahua's are so small because of racist hate?... April 4 is an important day in computer history. On that day in 1975 Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and 19 years later in 1994 Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark founded Netscape. The creation of the Internet browser will go down in history as one of the more important developments in technology. Michael Lewis included the story of the founding of Netscape in his overlooked book The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Victor Martinez
So Victor Martinez has signed with the Tigers for 4-years and $50 million. Supposedly the Red Sox offered 3-years $36 million or 4-years $42 million. I don't blame Victor for taking the bigger offer from the Tigers nor do I blame the Red Sox for not matching the offer.
At the 2009 trading deadline - MartÃnez was traded from the Indians to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. The Red Sox gave up some pretty good prospects (Masterson for whatever reason hasn't blossomed in Cleveland) and in exchange they got 1.5 years of Martinez and now they will also get two top daft packs (Detroit's 1st round and a sandwich pick). You can hardly quibble with this deal from Boston's perspective. If they overpaid what they thought Martinez would be worth 4-years from now (and have foregone the compensatory picks in the process)- then fans would have a gripe.
At this point it looks like Jarrod Saltalamacchia could be the starter at catcher and maybe Jed Lowrie at 3rd for Adrian Beltre. I know that won't be popular with the average fan but the truth is those changes won't result in that much of an offensive drop-off. It really won't.
Vaya con Dios Victor. Thanks for the memories.
So Victor Martinez has signed with the Tigers for 4-years and $50 million. Supposedly the Red Sox offered 3-years $36 million or 4-years $42 million. I don't blame Victor for taking the bigger offer from the Tigers nor do I blame the Red Sox for not matching the offer.
At the 2009 trading deadline - MartÃnez was traded from the Indians to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. The Red Sox gave up some pretty good prospects (Masterson for whatever reason hasn't blossomed in Cleveland) and in exchange they got 1.5 years of Martinez and now they will also get two top daft packs (Detroit's 1st round and a sandwich pick). You can hardly quibble with this deal from Boston's perspective. If they overpaid what they thought Martinez would be worth 4-years from now (and have foregone the compensatory picks in the process)- then fans would have a gripe.
At this point it looks like Jarrod Saltalamacchia could be the starter at catcher and maybe Jed Lowrie at 3rd for Adrian Beltre. I know that won't be popular with the average fan but the truth is those changes won't result in that much of an offensive drop-off. It really won't.
Vaya con Dios Victor. Thanks for the memories.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
2011 Red Sox
Wait till next year? Why wait? Let's start thinking about the 2011 Red Sox now. Here's how I see next year's team.
Catcher: I see Victor Martinez as almost a must sign in the offseason. He's said he wants to stay and the Red Sox really don't have any options. My guess is that the Red Sox re-sign both Martinez and Jason Varitek and carry Jarrod Saltalamaccia as a third catcher. John Buck is a long-shot free agent acquisition.
1st Base: The Red Sox are set here with Kevin Youkilis as the regular and if they re-sign Victor Martinez he can be the back-up (plus Saltalamaccia can also play 1st which makes carrying 3 catchers easier to justify).
2nd Base: The Red Sox should also be set here with the return of Dustin Pedroia. Bill Hall or Jed Lowrie as the back-ups.
Short: I'm not a Marco Scutaro fan. He's had 18 errors so don't sell me on his defense. His OPS+ this year is just 89 - so don't sell me on his offense. He'll be 35 next season. Unless there was personality issues - I don't understand why they went with this guy over Alex Gonzalez. Best case next year is Jed Lowrie is the starter and Scutaro is traded to a new location.
3rd Base: I don't think Adrian Beltre will be re-signed. He has Scott Boras as his agent and he also has a preference for the West Coast. If he comes back I'll be happy but skeptical due to his history of only performing during contract seasons. If he doesn't come back then Jed Lowrie is the logical replacement (the free agent pool after Beltre is pretty thin). I could see Lowrie as the starter with Youkilis playing every once and a while.
LF: I would like to see the Red Sox sign Carl Crawford and trade Mike Cameron (probably eating half of Cameron's final year). The Red Sox would most likely be losing Adrian Beltre's and Mike Lowell's contracts so that's $21 million right there to help pay for Crawford. Hopefully Bill Hall will be back to be the reserve.
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury gets another chance to show he's healthy. Ryan Kalish is the back-up.
RF: JD Drew.
DH: Pick up David Ortiz's option and let's see how he does / ages.
Starting Pitching: Pretty set with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Bullpen: I hope the Red Sox trade Jonathan Papelbon. I really don't care what they get in return. I just don't want him back as closer especially at the probable $12 million price tag he'd get through arbitration. I would spend the money in free agency on Rafael Soriano to close (he'd probably cost less than what Papelbon would get through arbitration) with Daniel Bard as his set-up man. If you keep Tim Wakefield as the long relief/ spot starter that leaves four spots (assuming the Sox carry 12 pitchers). It is the bullpen that really needs attention this offseason. Please no more Joe Nelson's or Scott Schoeneweis' this time around. As a suggestion - how about a trade of Jonathan Papelbon for Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers? Broxton could use a change of scenery and the Dodgers could use a closer.
Conclusion: The top three priorities for the Red Sox this offseason should be:
1. Re-sign Victor Martinez
2. Sign Carl Crawford
3. Trade Jonathan Papelbon / sign Rafael Soriano / rebuild the bullpen
Wait till next year? Why wait? Let's start thinking about the 2011 Red Sox now. Here's how I see next year's team.
Catcher: I see Victor Martinez as almost a must sign in the offseason. He's said he wants to stay and the Red Sox really don't have any options. My guess is that the Red Sox re-sign both Martinez and Jason Varitek and carry Jarrod Saltalamaccia as a third catcher. John Buck is a long-shot free agent acquisition.
1st Base: The Red Sox are set here with Kevin Youkilis as the regular and if they re-sign Victor Martinez he can be the back-up (plus Saltalamaccia can also play 1st which makes carrying 3 catchers easier to justify).
2nd Base: The Red Sox should also be set here with the return of Dustin Pedroia. Bill Hall or Jed Lowrie as the back-ups.
Short: I'm not a Marco Scutaro fan. He's had 18 errors so don't sell me on his defense. His OPS+ this year is just 89 - so don't sell me on his offense. He'll be 35 next season. Unless there was personality issues - I don't understand why they went with this guy over Alex Gonzalez. Best case next year is Jed Lowrie is the starter and Scutaro is traded to a new location.
3rd Base: I don't think Adrian Beltre will be re-signed. He has Scott Boras as his agent and he also has a preference for the West Coast. If he comes back I'll be happy but skeptical due to his history of only performing during contract seasons. If he doesn't come back then Jed Lowrie is the logical replacement (the free agent pool after Beltre is pretty thin). I could see Lowrie as the starter with Youkilis playing every once and a while.
LF: I would like to see the Red Sox sign Carl Crawford and trade Mike Cameron (probably eating half of Cameron's final year). The Red Sox would most likely be losing Adrian Beltre's and Mike Lowell's contracts so that's $21 million right there to help pay for Crawford. Hopefully Bill Hall will be back to be the reserve.
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury gets another chance to show he's healthy. Ryan Kalish is the back-up.
RF: JD Drew.
DH: Pick up David Ortiz's option and let's see how he does / ages.
Starting Pitching: Pretty set with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Bullpen: I hope the Red Sox trade Jonathan Papelbon. I really don't care what they get in return. I just don't want him back as closer especially at the probable $12 million price tag he'd get through arbitration. I would spend the money in free agency on Rafael Soriano to close (he'd probably cost less than what Papelbon would get through arbitration) with Daniel Bard as his set-up man. If you keep Tim Wakefield as the long relief/ spot starter that leaves four spots (assuming the Sox carry 12 pitchers). It is the bullpen that really needs attention this offseason. Please no more Joe Nelson's or Scott Schoeneweis' this time around. As a suggestion - how about a trade of Jonathan Papelbon for Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers? Broxton could use a change of scenery and the Dodgers could use a closer.
Conclusion: The top three priorities for the Red Sox this offseason should be:
1. Re-sign Victor Martinez
2. Sign Carl Crawford
3. Trade Jonathan Papelbon / sign Rafael Soriano / rebuild the bullpen
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Linky Links
Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- Victor Martinez' adoptive family in Ohio. Victor is a class guy.
- Do you want to know how to shoplift stuff? Wikipedia has you covered.
- Fictional Characters Whose Full Names You Don’t Know (Comic Book Guy? Cap’n Crunch? Barbie?)
- 727 Fuselage Home, Hotel Costa Verde. I want one! Seriously cool living space.
Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- Victor Martinez' adoptive family in Ohio. Victor is a class guy.
- Do you want to know how to shoplift stuff? Wikipedia has you covered.
- Fictional Characters Whose Full Names You Don’t Know (Comic Book Guy? Cap’n Crunch? Barbie?)
- 727 Fuselage Home, Hotel Costa Verde. I want one! Seriously cool living space.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Next time I'm in Vegas I will find a casino offering an over / under prop on Javier Vazquez' IP next year and I'm going to take the under. Everyone is talking about how Vazquez is almost a guarantee for 200 IP which will help save the wear and tear on the Yankees bullpen. When everyone is going one way - it is often very profitable to go the other... Heh heh - Milton Bradley takes out full-page ad telling Cubs fans to rot in hell... Happy 45th birthday to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. I didn't realize he was that old... Heh heh - Tweet of the Day from kbabak: "So in the last 24 hours, the Braves have landed themselves Chip Caray and Melky Cabrera. That's outstanding work. ::snicker"... Very cool. Video from a winter train ride in Norway from the point of view of the very front of the train (video about 10 minutes long)... Here's where I announce my geekhood, Doctor Who achieves record US audience. "The Waters of Mars watched by 1.1 million viewers on BBC America – the channel's biggest prime-time audience." I was part of that audience and I must admit I was surprised by the ending. I am looking forward to watching the final two episodes very much.... I'm a fan of Dr. Who but I'm also a fan of Dr. Tits... Interesting. A comparison between Harry Reid's Healthcare Bill and Stephen Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska Act. I love historical comparisons like this.... Happy 31st birthday to Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez.... Happy Festivus everyone....
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Next time I'm in Vegas I will find a casino offering an over / under prop on Javier Vazquez' IP next year and I'm going to take the under. Everyone is talking about how Vazquez is almost a guarantee for 200 IP which will help save the wear and tear on the Yankees bullpen. When everyone is going one way - it is often very profitable to go the other... Heh heh - Milton Bradley takes out full-page ad telling Cubs fans to rot in hell... Happy 45th birthday to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. I didn't realize he was that old... Heh heh - Tweet of the Day from kbabak: "So in the last 24 hours, the Braves have landed themselves Chip Caray and Melky Cabrera. That's outstanding work. ::snicker"... Very cool. Video from a winter train ride in Norway from the point of view of the very front of the train (video about 10 minutes long)... Here's where I announce my geekhood, Doctor Who achieves record US audience. "The Waters of Mars watched by 1.1 million viewers on BBC America – the channel's biggest prime-time audience." I was part of that audience and I must admit I was surprised by the ending. I am looking forward to watching the final two episodes very much.... I'm a fan of Dr. Who but I'm also a fan of Dr. Tits... Interesting. A comparison between Harry Reid's Healthcare Bill and Stephen Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska Act. I love historical comparisons like this.... Happy 31st birthday to Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez.... Happy Festivus everyone....
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Linky Links
Some interesting stuff for your perusal.
- Interesting look at Andy Beal - billionaire poker player (HT Tao of Poker)
- The inside look at how the Red Sox got Victor Martinez
- Sean McAdam breaks down the Red Sox / Angels series position by position
- Funny drawings (possibly NSFW if you have a dirty mind)
Some interesting stuff for your perusal.
- Interesting look at Andy Beal - billionaire poker player (HT Tao of Poker)
- The inside look at how the Red Sox got Victor Martinez
- Sean McAdam breaks down the Red Sox / Angels series position by position
- Funny drawings (possibly NSFW if you have a dirty mind)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The All-Disappointment Team
Going into the season many fans and fantasy baseball players had high hopes for certain players but not all the big names have pulled their weight. Here's my All-Disappointment team up to this point of the season.
C - Victor Martinez Indians - 0 HR before going on the DL
1st - Richie Sexson Mariners - .675 OPS
2nd - Freddie Sanchez Pirates - .236 BA - where's the guy who won a batting title?
SS - Troy Tulowitzki Rockies - .152 BA before going on DL
3rd - Ryan Zimmerman - just a .718 OPS before going on DL (yet still leads the Nationals in HR and RBI - that's how bad the Nationals are)
OF - Curtis Granderson Tigers - just 3 SB and a .246 BA
OF - Delmon Young Twins - Just 1 HR - the Twins would have been better off trading for the power hitting of Coco Crisp
OF - Gary Sheffield Tigers - .213 BA before going on DL - may be the end of the line
DH - Travis Hafner Indians - 4 HR before going on the DL
EDIT: As Donald pointed out - Andruw Jones should have been listed. He's the worst free agent signing this year.
SRHP - Roy Oswalt Astros - 5.06 ERA - really?
SLHP - CC Sabathia Indians - starting to turn things around but still no back-to-back Cy Young Awards
Closer - JJ Putz Mariners - 7 saves and a 5.21 ERA before going on DL
EDIT: As groug (what kind of name is groug?) points out - Barry Zito should be the SLHP. Mea culpa.
Going into the season many fans and fantasy baseball players had high hopes for certain players but not all the big names have pulled their weight. Here's my All-Disappointment team up to this point of the season.
C - Victor Martinez Indians - 0 HR before going on the DL
1st - Richie Sexson Mariners - .675 OPS
2nd - Freddie Sanchez Pirates - .236 BA - where's the guy who won a batting title?
SS - Troy Tulowitzki Rockies - .152 BA before going on DL
3rd - Ryan Zimmerman - just a .718 OPS before going on DL (yet still leads the Nationals in HR and RBI - that's how bad the Nationals are)
OF - Curtis Granderson Tigers - just 3 SB and a .246 BA
OF - Delmon Young Twins - Just 1 HR - the Twins would have been better off trading for the power hitting of Coco Crisp
OF - Gary Sheffield Tigers - .213 BA before going on DL - may be the end of the line
DH - Travis Hafner Indians - 4 HR before going on the DL
EDIT: As Donald pointed out - Andruw Jones should have been listed. He's the worst free agent signing this year.
SRHP - Roy Oswalt Astros - 5.06 ERA - really?
SLHP - CC Sabathia Indians - starting to turn things around but still no back-to-back Cy Young Awards
Closer - JJ Putz Mariners - 7 saves and a 5.21 ERA before going on DL
EDIT: As groug (what kind of name is groug?) points out - Barry Zito should be the SLHP. Mea culpa.
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