Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been wondering about lately:

Player A - 7 HR/ 24 RBI/ .241 BA/ .271 OBP/ .412 SLG/ .682 OPS
Player B - 5 HR/ 17 RBI/ .244 BA/ .312 OBP/ .360 SLG/ .673 OPS

Both players man the same position but Player B is making $17 million more than Player A. If you haven't figured it out Player A is Will Middlebrooks who is starting to get hot for the Padres while Player B is Pablo Sandoval who has been pretty disappointing so far for the Red Sox.

Middlebrooks probably needed a change of scenery and I wish him all the best. It's just that this comparison has been bothering me these past few days. The fact that Middlebrooks is also 7-years younger also makes this comparison a little harder to take on a full stomach (no Panda pun intended).

Who the Red Sox Should Trade

Brian MacPherson has a list of 10 players the Red Sox may be looking to sell. While I agree that the Red Sox would be wise to move Badenhop, Breslow, Carp, Dubront, Drew, and Gomes - I would disagree about the other names on his list (Lester, Middlebrooks, Miller and Uehara).

To the six players I agree the Red Sox should shop - I would also add:

Shane Victorino - has one more year on his contract ($13 million) and who is know hitting exclusively right-handed. Aren't right handed bats supposed to be in demand?

Edward Mujica - also has one more year on his contract ($4.75 million). I think of Mujica as another Mark Melancon who is dominate in the NL but for whatever reasons just had problems performing in Boston.

My reasons for disagreeing with MacPherson on the four players listed?

Jon Lester - to quote Teddy KGB "play that man his money." If they trade Lester he's gone for good.Pay him his money and just recognize the front office screwed up trying to be cute in their initial offers.

Will Middlebrooks - too valuable a prospect to trade. He has 30-HR potential as a corner infielder. Those don't grow on trees. He's also under team control for another 4 more years! Middlebrooks isn't going anywhere (for now).

Andrew Miller - I will admit that it would make sense to trade Miller since he's a free agent after the season but my heart hopes Miller realizes that he was able to turn his career around in Boston and that leaving may be a mistake.

Koji Uehara - if they do trade Koji I will understand but I would love to see him as the closer for another 2 more years. Main reason not to trade him - who's the closer in 2015? Does the Red Sox front office really want to go through that circus again?

Stephen Drew

The Red Sox re-signed Stephen Drew and I'm not that happy about it.

Does Drew improve the team? Yes. Is he better defensively at short than Xander Bogaerts? Yes. Did this move cost the team nothing but money? Yes. Is Stephen Drew already well liked in the clubhouse? Yes. So why doesn't this move sit well with me?

The plan going into the season was for Will Middlebrooks to play third and Xander Bogaerts to play short meanwhile Drew would sign elsewhere and Boston would get a compensation draft pick. I liked that plan and hoped that Middlebrooks could stay healthy and show some power and that Bogaerts could handle short at the MLB level. That was the theory. The reality is Middlebrooks hit just 2 HR with a measly .629 OPS and is now out for quite some time with a broken finger. The reality is Bogaerts already has almost as many errors at short (6) as Stephen Drew had all season (8). The reality is the Red Sox were not going to get a compensation pick for Drew signing elsewhere. The reality is the plan was not working. The reality sucks! Like forth place in the AL East sucks.

Another dose of reality is that signing Stephen Drew may signal the end of Will Middlebrooks in Boston. The Red Sox already have top prospect Garin Cecchini at third in Pawtucket so there was already pressure on Middlebrooks. Now with the signing of Drew - Middlebrooks will have to hope someone gets hurt in order for him to get the at bats to prove belongs at the MLB level. Who wants to be in that situation?

I'm not happy with the situation and like many fans I'm transferring those feelings of unhappiness unto Stephen Drew. At least I admit it.

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...

Tulo to Red Sox

Ken Rosenthal had an article saying that the Colorado Rockies should listen to offers for Troy Tulowitzki. He mentioned the Cardinals as possible trade partners. Ever since reading the Rosenthal article - I've kept wondering "What about Tulo to the Red Sox?"

The Red Sox have top prospect Xander Bogaerts ready to take over for Stephen Drew if Drew moves on via free agency but Bogaerts could just as easily shift to third. What about Will Middlebrooks who was the Red Sox opening day 3rd baseman last season and is on track to be so again next season? Put him in a package with Felix Dubront (an MLB ready starter with 4 more years of team control), Allen Webster (the key prospect the Dodgers gave up for Adrian Gonzalez) and one AA prospect. That's a pretty good 4 for 1 package.

For the Rockies - they get 4 cost effective players including a potential 30-HR 3rd baseman who can play right now in Middlebrooks. Colorado already has 22-year old Nolan Arenado at third and he just won the NL Gold Glove for 3rd basemen. The solution is simple - just move Arenado over to short. He used to be a shortstop and he doesn't have the pop in the bat that you'd want from a corner playing half his games at Coors Field. Dubront would immediately become the Rockies number 3 starter and Webster could be a number 1 some day.

For the Red Sox - they get a proven player who has a career road OPS of .819 - as a shortstop! Tulo's career home OPS at Coors is .934 which is like Big Papi at Fenway. Tulo could play short to start then as he gets older move to third, first or DH.

Of course as Rosenthal says - right now the Rockies say Tulowitzki is unavailable. The Red Sox should dangle my proposed package and see if they change their mind.

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.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox now has more stolen bases on the season (4) than Carl Crawford has for the Dodgers (3)... 8 brilliant scientific screw-ups... I saw that Geraldo selfie and all I could think was that the next thing he did was dance around with his junk tucked between his legs like Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs... The voice of God as a young man... I wonder if you added up all the time a PBS station takes for pledge breaks and pledge drives - how it would compare to the time an average station plays commercials?... Being stubborn means continuing to drink coffee even when you have diarrhea...  This photo of Jim Boeheim sleeping akimbo is just awesome... Who is the bigger disappointment at 3rd base in 2013 - Brett Lawrie for the Blue Jays or Will Middlebrooks for the Red Sox?... What actually happens at the end of Trading Places... It would be cool if Michael Keaton made an cameo on Justified as Ray Nicolette... Some comedian should do a person in the street interview asking average people if they are upset that Piers Morgan was acquitted of shooting Trayvon Martin...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- 10 of the most beautiful libraries in the US. I love libraries.

- This was an awesome Halloween costume. Part of me worries that the kid is an only child and parents to go to that extreme may be a bit smothering. I hope my concern is unfounded because that was an awesome costume.

- 15 Offbeat holidays in November

- Will Middlebrooks and the Red Sox. More like him please.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Since Kevin Youkilis was traded every MLB team has been involved in a trade except the Padres, Nationals and Mets. San Diego signed an extension with Huston Street and surprisingly was not a seller, the Nationals got back Jason Werth from the DL which is like adding the best available bat meanwhile the Mets have pretty much done nothing... MLB team Facebook pages get hacked. Tasteless yet amusing... Interesting - according to Peter Gammons if Craig Brelow throws to Ryan Lavarnway - it will be the first Yale battery since the 19th century... Wow - the hubris. Soyndra official referred to the Obama Administration as "Bank of Washington." All that taxpayer money down the drain... The plot thickens. According to Rob Bradford - Will Middlebrooks has not made two errors in one game this season - never mind two in one inning. So what was Bobby Valentine talking about? If that big detail isn't true - then what else was fabricated?... Cool - 24 vintage pictures of Abraham Lincoln... Adolph Hitler's sister-in-law was named Bridget - Bridget Hitler. That just sounds funny. Like it should be the name of an Irish punk band... According to MoneySupermarket - it would cost $282 million to be Batman...

Red Sox Magic Number - 98

Currently the Red Sox magic number is 98 but that will probably change today. You would think I'd mention the average body temperature being 98 degrees but I want to mention a different 98 that will also probably change today.

Elias points out that the last player to reach Will Middlebrooks numbers of .331 BA / 9 HR / and 33 RBI though their first 40 games was Albert Pujols. And as good as Middlebrooks has been - lets not get carried away comparing him to certain Hall of Famers such as Pujols. In all honesty - Middlebrooks is not even close to being the AL ROY at this point. That honor belongs to Mike Trout of the Angels.

Getting back to the number 98 - that's also the number of career runs scored for 25-year old Josh Reddick (a number that could easily change today). What does Reddick have to do with Middlebrooks? Besides being highly touted Red Sox prospects both Middlebrooks and Reddick have been hitting HR at the exact same rate of 1 HR every 15.8 AB this season.  Let's remember Reddick as a reminder of how bad the last few deals by the Red Sox have been (Reddick for Bailey, Lowrie for Melancon, Scutaro for nothing) as we wait for the Red Sox to move the guy Middlebrooks is replacing - Kevin Youkilis.

Although to be completely honest - just getting Youkilis out of town in and of it self would be a good trade for the Red Sox at this point.

Kevin Youkilis

The debate in New England right now is who will be traded first - the Bruins goalie Tim Thomas or the Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis? The Red Sox have denied that Youkilis is on the trading block but come one - who are you kidding?

The Red Sox have every reason in the world to be looking to trade Youkilis; he's highly paid and moving his salary will give them more flexibility for the rest of this year, they already have a better replacement in rookie Will Middlebrooks who also happens to be a fan favorite, and they are going to have to cut him after the season anyway because the Red Sox will not be picking up Youkilis' 2013 $13 million option. Of course they are looking to trade him.

Please note that I am not definitively saying he will be traded but I am saying Youkilis is on the trading block. The Red Sox may keep Youkilis for the rest of the year if they cannot come to agreement with another team on pieces that will help the team either this season or down the road. To tell us he is not on the trading block is to ask fans to suspend belief.

Kevin Youkilis

Steve Buckley has a column in today's Boston Herald discussing why the Red Sox should bring back Kevin Youkilis and give him the starting role at 3rd base. His logic is - to say the least - lacking. Here are the three bullet points Buckley points to on why Youkilis should get his job back.

1. If Youkilis can return and show his old hitting prowess then the Red Sox will have added a proven veteran to the line-up. To this I say - old hitting prowess may be a bad choice of words because Youkilis has looked old at bat and in the field. Since last year's All-Star break Youkilis has hit .205 with a sub .660 OPS. Let's also be honest - the days of Youkilis hitting 20+ HR are gone. The years of Will Middlebrooks hitting 20+ HR per year are just beginning. Give the kid a shot.

2. Buckley wants Youkilis to get his job back to increase his trade value because to use Buckley's own words, "Youk is worthless [on the trade market right now]." There's a reason Youk is worthless Buck. Nick Punto is worthless on the trade market too - should we give him a starting job to try and improve that?

3. The third reason Buckley gives is the old - a veteran shouldn't lose his job to injury. To which I'd say in my best Don Draper voice, "THAT's WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!" Youkilis is making $13 million this year. He isn't coming close to returning value on that investment.

Red Sox Magic Number -131

It seems like many of the reporters covering the Red Sox have been beating fans over the head after Josh Beckett's last game and regarding Will Middlebrooks and the fact if you listened to some of them you would think Middlebrooks was 1 for his last 131 at bats (hey had to work 131 in there somewhere).

Their message comes down to, "Hey dumb-asses do you still want to trade Josh Beckett and Kevin Youkilis?" And my answer is not only "YES!" but to point out that these reporters just don't get it. Even after that great last outing - Beckett still has a replacement level ERA of 4.97 and he still is a petulant self-entitled multi-millionaire. Beckett pays more in taxes than most Red Sox fans make in a year. I don't want to hear him complain about wanting to do what he wants to do on his "18 days off". Screw him.

Trade him. I don't care about him any more. And I know many fans feel the same way. Free up his roster spot for someone who at least will act like he cares about the fans and about wearing the uniform. Get him out of the clubhouse. Get him off the team. He should bring back a good prospect or two from an NL team.

When it comes to Kevin Youkilis - I feel bad for him but my sympathy only goes so far for a guy who will make $13 million this year. The fact is Will Middlebrooks has struggled the last half dozen games. But the fact also remains that Middlebrooks has been much more effective than Youkilis this season (73 OPS+ to 124 OPS+). Besides people want to see what the kid can do. People don't really want to see Youkilis complain after a bad at bat or grimace in the field after making a diving attempt at a ball that is just outside his reach any more.

The Red Sox are still in the hunt for both the AL East and Wild Card spots but that doesn't mean they are likable. Only Dustin Pedrioa and Will Middlebrooks make me want to check the boxscores the next day. Boston ownership will be reaping some pretty poor numbers from NESN ratings because this team is so unlikable. Which will in turn mean less revenue for advertising. The Celtics will probably go deep into the NBA playoffs and suddenly it will be pre-season for the Patriots. That's when you will start seeing some moves.

But by that time it may be too late.

Top 5 - Moves I'd Make if I Owned Red Sox

Things are bad with the Boston Red Sox - that's no secret. Here's 5 moves that I'd make to try and fix things.

1. Fire Bobby Valentine. I think it is clear to pretty much everyone that Valentine is a bad fit. I would replace him with DeMarlo Hale who is currently the 3rd base coach for the Orioles. Hale knows the organization and the players. I don't think the Orioles would stand in his way to get a managing position. I'd give Hale a 2-year deal with an option which would keep the door ajar for John Farrell.

2. I'd move Daniel Bard to closer. I've been a constant advocate for Bard in the starting rotation but the situation warrants drastic action. Make Bard the closer until Andrew Bailey returns and then re-evaluate. The evaluation may say to keep Bard as closer and make Bailey the set-up guy. Or maybe Bailey comes back as closer and then Bard moves back to rotation? Right now Bard needs to take over closer role.

3. Taking Bard out of the rotation opens up the 5th starter role which I'd give to Aaron Cook who has done everything the team has asked of him. Cook is 2-0 in 3 starts for Pawtucket with a 1.35 ERA.

4. Trade or dump Vincent Padilla. I was against this signing from the start. The guy has a 9.82 ERA and is a clubhouse bomb waiting to go off. I'm not making him a scapegoat but I do want him out of the clubhouse.

5. This would he the hardest one to accomplish - trade Kevin Youkilis and bring up Will Middlebrooks who is killing the ball in AAA (7 HR in just 66 AB). Youkilis makes $12 million this year and has a $13 million option for 2013. If the Red Sox picked up half the tab they could probably swing a deal with some team in need of a 1st or 3rd baseman.

Those are the 5 moves I'd make if I was in charge of the Red Sox. So let it be written - so let it be done.

P.S. I'd also ditch once and for all Sweet Caroline. That gimmick has run its course. A love song to an 11-year old girl? Seriously - its an embarrassment.