The Red Sox announced that about 81 percent of existing ticket prices would remain unchanged for the 2007 season. I'm sure that relieves many of our anxieties that tickets could actually get expensive.
"America's Most Beloved Ballpark" already had the highest price tag for a family outing of four, currently only requiring a second mortgage, a downgrade to regular from high test, turning the heat down to 60 at night, and buying only generic turkey hot dogs for weeks.
If I can find my Game 1 ticket stub from the bleachers in 1975, I think it will show $4.75 for attending a World Series opener. Now that's almost the price for a bottle of water. Well, water is the commodity of the 21st Century, and I'm sure that Mr. Henry will confirm that, although a lot of other commodities haven't treated him so well in the recent past.
Of course, that also means that 19 percent of ticket prices will rise. I guess I'd like to sit in the Monster Seats someday, and that'll probably only cost me about an arm and a leg as they say. As for sitting in the newer roof boxes or a luxury box, that would be great, but not at the cost of getting a chance to sit atop the 37 foot wall.
Now that the World Series is over (thank goodness), we can talk baseball again. The 1968 Series had more intriguing characters with Gibson, McLain, Lolich, and so on, and I don't remember it raining all the time. Of course, that was quite awhile ago, when they played World Series games during the day. Do the Sox try to get younger and more athletic (excepting Ortiz and Ramirez), or do they bring in overaged, overpaid, over-the-hill veterans looking to pay up to the luxury tax.
As currently constituted, we can't say the Sox can't compete for a championship, because we don't really know what team will be on the field next season. The Sox tried to go pitching and defense last year, and ended up with solid infield defense, bad pitching (stats don't lie), and anemic offense. Meatloaf never wrote a song "One out of Three Ain't Bad", because frankly, that doesn't work.
Schilling and Wakefield are old. Wily veterans or accidents about to happen? Beckett has to adjust to the Hitters' League, Papelbon (we hope) should be fine, and Sox fans everywhere wish Jon Lester well, but can't expect him to play next season. The Sox now have no reliable closer, unless Keith Foulke is habituating Golds' Gym or Lourdes, and as for Mike Timlin, see Schilling and Wakefield. Delcarmen, Hansen, Edgar Martinez, Breslow, and the rest could work out, or not. Jamie Moyer could get over 10 million dollars from Philly (as long as he doesn't belong to AARP), so any pitching won't come cheap.
Offensively, the Sox don't compete with the Yankees, Indians, White Sox, and some of the better AL offenses. Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis were barely adequate for corner infielders offensively. Coco Crisp gets a pass for playing hurt, and we don't know about Wily Mo. The Yankees have apparently signed Sheffield, so he's not the answer, and forget about Barry Bonds. Carlos Lee?
The Sox front office must have moved past its dysfunctional self from last winter, so we can anticipate a more coordinated approach. As they say, "money can't play", but the charge for the Baseball Ops side is to find guys who can, and money's just a tool.
Farewell to Trot Nixon, who played hard and sometimes hurt. The bases clearing double in the World Series will be his signature Red Sox moment.
This offseason determines the future direction for the Red Sox, who have to get better on both sides of the ball, get younger, and ultimately more productive from the farm. But don't cry for the business side, because they're raking it in.
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59 comments:
Give Trot the respect he deserves and sign him to a deal (similar to Bernie Williams) that would allow him to retire as a Bosox
...trade Lowell,let Trot go
rightfielders/crisp Leftfield /manny rightfield again
sign Aramis Ramirez from the Cubs-
third/bats behind Manny.
trade for Juan Pierre
sign Japanese star pitcher
Pierre cf
Pedroia 2b
ortiz-dh
Manny
Aramis
Youk 1B
Tek
Crisp LF
Gonzalez
Pierre is a poor option, Pedroia is un tested, Another Ramirez he'll be resigned by the Cubs, The Jap Pitcher- he's an unknown.
Soriano, a 5yr 85$
search a deal for peavy or sign Zito to a 3yr
yanks will send sheffield to another team, then try to deal for him,
Andruw Jones, he will be avaible.
JUST MAKE DEALS
i read every day that everybody is making some noise with potencial free agents, but isn´t the red sox, i am getting nervous about that.
Trade for Sheffield? Absolutely not. As good as he has been the last few years, he is a major clubhouse headache. Not something a team going for a championship needs.
I don't know if you've noticed..but the Yankees and Red Sox don't really trade between each other. Especially not star players, it just doesn't happen.
I say let Loretta go, let Cora go, keep Gonzo, and sign Soriano to play 2nd base again (he'll be happy to get to play there again, i'm sure in the FA market he's not looking for someone who wants him to play LF) and let Pedroia be the backup infielder.
sign Zito. just do it. let Matsuzaka go to the Yankees, although I hope..
a) he doesn't.
b) he'll turn out to be one of the biggest flukes in MLB history
c)i doubt that will happen, he'll probably be great, but he can go to the Mets.
Aramis Ramirez???
This isn't a Rotisserie franchise!
No Heart
No Hustle
No Glove
Pedroi isn't gonna cut it...tries to pull the ball too much for a guy with warning track power. Needs to study Nellie Fox films if he's to make it. Keep Loretta.
Trot, never more than a popular platoon player...goodbye and good luck.
Don't invest 85 mils in some unproven foreign pitcher...let some other sucker do that.
Crisp throws like my granddaughter...hits like her too. Goodbye to a mistake.
Have a sitdown with Manny. Either he hustles and doesn't quit on his team, or get the best deal you can for him. Manny being Manny is a worn out act.
Go after Willis. Lugo good option if available.
Forget Andrew Jones...his agent, Boros, has already stated he expects to work a 20 mil per year deal for him. He ain't worth it.
Let Trot go, he's a hustler but is hurt way to much. play willy mo, He will only get better and develop if he plays more. Let crisp go, and let one of the new kids play center. Manny needs to go also. he doesn't want to be here anyway. spend the money on pitching, thats what wins you championships
Pitching :
Schilling
Beckett
Willis
Papelbon
Tavares
Relief:
Faulke
Wake
Lopez
Timlin
DelCarmen
Closer:
Hansen
Lineup:
Crisp CC
Grafannino 2nd
Lowell 3rd
Papi DH
A-Rod SS
Willie Mo RF
V-Tek C
Youklis 1st
Hinske LF
If Manny is to be traded, send him to Anaheim for E. Santana, B. Wood (SS capable of Tejada-like power) and one of their bullpen arms (Donnelly or Shields)
Resign Gonzo for a year at SS until Wood takes over for the future.
W/ Manny's money off the books, sign Soriano to take Manny's Place
Sign Jason Schmidt, move Paps to the rotation and let Hansen close.
Schill, Schmidt, Beckett, Santana, Paps/Wake
CF Coco
1B Youk
DH Papi
LF Soriano
RF Wily Mo
C Tek
3B Lowell
SS Gonzo
2B Pedroia
Manny is 34, and you will not receive value for him..keep him. Why would Anaheim give up any kind of a package including Santana and Wood for Manny, when they could have A-Rod (4 years younger)for the same deal, or keep all their players and sign Carlos Lee (Moreno;s not worried about money)
Lefty hitter with power?...Papi??
Sign, #3 or #4 guys for the rotation, padilla, wolf maybe mulder, not lilly though. This is the worst free agent market in recent memory, with many teams looking for talent and a lot of cash to spend. The sox don't need to get bogged down by another Manny-esque contract. Go for the inexpensive deals this year, and yes, have a rebuilding year. Trade manny and lowell, and schill. Trade manny if you can get a good pitching prospect in return (straight up for E.Santana would be sweet), otherwise keep him. Trade Schill in a market where everbody wants a starting Pitcher, the mets are desperate try to pry Millege away from them. Sign A Rowand, great defense and cheap. Whoever the sox can get the most value on the dollar for either cocoa or manny, trade em, to make room for Rowand. Sign Lugo, great fit. See ya later Trot. Let Willy Mo get his AB's. Sign a whole bunch of new people for the pen, they're completely unpredictable, except at the back end, Gange maybe?
Trade ManRam for starting pitching and young hitting. Sign Soriano to play 2B(good lead off, steals bases, and drops bombs)pick up two more outfielders who can hit (20+ bombs) sign Gonzo again to a one year deal. Maybe look to trade lowell and another player for a first basemen who can hit for power and move Youk to 3rd.
lets go theo... dont screw this year up too
Sure he's a great hitter, but he's also a clubhouse headache and refuses to play his position... pitcher Babe Ruth. Just keep Manny and deal with it, instead of writing a new chapter of regret.
Offer Trot the 4th outfielder position. If he declines, okay.
Hinske was an afterthought and should be traded.
Wily Mo must go if Manny stays -- too many weak fielders. Coco is on the bubble: his Mary Damon arm isn't worth it if he doesn't get the hitting going.
Have to try to make a deal for another starting pitcher, possibly zito. Papelbon movin to the roation and throw tavarez in as well, who piched well as a starter. Beckett needs to learn he is in a real hitters league and stop throwin fastballs.Hansen may be ready to close but def need to imiprove that bullpen. Coco, his weak arm and groundouts to second base have got to be moved, regardless of value you can get for him. sign gonzo. try to get another solid bat i.e. soriano, lee, or jones. Maybe Vernon wells to replace coco. I have the sweetest swing in a sox uniform since williams so you have to keep me. sincerely Manny Ramirez
if you want to trade manny , go for soriano, you can´t leave big papi alone in the lineup.
Sign Zito or Smith,
meaby if you trade manny you don´t have to sign neither.
you have to search a trade for miguel cabrera. 3b of the future , 23 years an he already has the power.
2b soriano
cf crisp
dh papi
3b cabrera
C Varitek
1b youkilis
rf willy mo
SS alex gonzalez
lf you name it...
rotation
Shilling
becket
zito or shmitd.
Earvin Santana, (in case you have trade manny)
julian tavarez.
Closer, brad ligde .
Wily Mo is Reuben Sierra in wolf's clothing, a DH in training. He can't play D worth a fig. He might hit 30 HR but cost you 5 or 6 games in the OF, and he'll keep chasing that low outside splitter until his last day in the ML. Strikeout city. Trade him NOW. Keep Trot as a No. 4 outfielder. Move Hinske. Build a RED SOX team, not a rotissiere roster. How about Frank Catalanotto - he hits like a maniac in Fenway. Go after Lidge for the closer job. Keep Gonzo, and hey, everybody talks about someone to hit behind Papi but wants to dump the guy in front of him. Loretta got 180 plus hits. He's a good part of all those RBI Papi put up and he plays an extremely steady 2B. I love Youk's dirt dog style and grit, but I'd love to see a Jason Morneau type at 1B. Maybe if Lowell goes Youk could resume palying 3B.
I think the Redsox should trade Manny to the Angels and get Ervin Santana and Howie Kendrick. Then I think the Redsox should trade Jacoby Ellsbury and Craig Hansen for Dontelle Willis.The Roster should be like this
Starting Pitcher
Josh Beckett
Curt Schilling
Dontrelle Willis
Jonathan Paplepon
Jason Jennings
Bullpen
J. Taveras
R. King
M. Timlin
M. Delcarmen
C. Breslow
Closer
B. Fuentes
Lineup
1. J. Pierre
2. B. Hawpe
3. D. Ortiz
4. A. Soriano
5. P. Feliz
6. A. Rowand
7. K. Youkilis
8. J. Varitek
9. A. Gonzalez
Couldn't agree more, Simon. Sifting through complete nonsense to find 1-2 reasonable ideas drives me nuts. Granted, this offseason carries a much larger weight than any in the Epstein Era, but c'mon. These ramblings are giving Sox Nation an awfully bad name. Aramis Ramirez? Juan Pierre? Trade for Miguel Cabrera? My 7-year old cousin just made all those moves- on MLB 2K6.
For those of you who haven't noticed, MLB's revenue sharing has altered the makeup of the league. We can't, and won't, go out and make this nonsensical, farfetched blockbusters. Moves will be tactical and scrutinized. Obviously, the points of concern are the rotation, the bullpen, an IF bat, and some OF power.
1. Deal with Manny. Production like his is irreplaceable. But Jesus, wouldn't I love to kick him out the door.
2. Sign Matsuzaka, no matter the price. If only to prevent him from becoming a Sox killer in pinstripes for the next decade.
3. Find a deal for Coco. Love to see him in Denver, with Fuentes or Hawpe coming here. Although, wish we could've made the move before Ryan Shealy went to KC- he'd be perfect at 1B.
4. Sign either Aaron Rowand on the cheap, or a stopgap a la Kenny Lofton. Jacoby Ellsbury is in the wings, and Andruw Jones WILL be a FA next year.
5. Do NOT, at any cost, believe in Dustin Pedroia. Prior to actually seeing him, I held out some hope he could be a ML-player. Alas, MVP Eckstein, he'll never be. See if Loretta is available on a 1-2 year deal, no more.
6. Sign Julio Lugo. I'll hate to see Gonzo go, but we need a spark at the top of the lineup, and Lugo's defensive shortcomings will pale in comparison to his offensive boost.
7. Explore closer options. Gagne scares me, but not as much as starting the season with Hansen or Foulke penciled in. I love Craig, and think he'll be a solid ML arm someday soon, but not yet.
8. Sign Aubrey Huff. Ignore his poor Fenway numbers, he's a platoon with Wily Mo, who for the time being, will remain in Red.
9. Avoid the Zito-Fest like the plague. He's destined to bust.
10. Endorse a blockbuster deal if, and only if, it involves either Manny to LAA for a combo of Santana, Weaver, Wood, Kendrick, Figgins, Shields or Donnelly, OR Mr. Willis from Miami is avaiable for a combo of Hansen, Ellsbury, etc. However, neither will appear.
2007 Opening Day Lineup
1. J. Lugo SS
2. M. Loretta 2B
3. D. Ortiz DH
4. M. Ramirez LF
5. W. Pena/A. Huff RF
6. J. Varitek C
7. M. Lowell 3B
8. K. Youkilis 1B
9. C. Crisp CF
Rotation
1. C. Schilling
2. D. Matsuzaka
3. J. Beckett
4. J. Papelbon
5. T. Wakefield/J. Tavarez
'Pen
J. Taverez/T. Wakefield
J. Lopez
C. Breslow
M. Delcarmen
C. Hansen
M. Timlin
***CLOSER TBD***
(Possibilities include Brad Lidge via trade, Brian Fuentes in a Coco deal, Eric Gagne if he's healed up or Danys Baez on the market.)
PLEASE NO KEITH FOULKE.
Who is going to take Lowell and his $9M contract? sign Loretta...Sign Gonzo...get a real, real catcher to back up Tek...trade Manny period DO IT and swallow some of the contract be sure it is a NL team....get a pitcher or two or three and do not trade any pitchers. Pedroia can go in any trade as can Willy Mo...Why not sign Cora???
we have a wonderfull team here. lets get rid of all the guys who had a down year so that they can have an up year with some one else.lets scour the farm system for players who are not quite ready to play for the sox, but are ready to play for any one else. that is if we have any left.lots of teams can do well on the cheap. allthey have to do is trade with the sox since they are pretty much able to convince us that if we give them our best and they give us their hyped then we can keep charging more for tickets since the guys we get are so talented that we need to pay them lots of money. by the way. Isn't there some way we can cram in some more mini-comm. by having the umpires dust the plate more often?And, how about the charity plugs. If we keep it up, we may be able to drive all other charities excepting the ones larry dreams up into extinction. baseball anyone?
Zito, Schmidt and Matsuzaka are teh only pitchers out there via free agency that are not pitching machines. They need to make a run at either soriano or carlos lee. Manny should not go anywhere unless you can get a number 1 pitcher / power corner infielder / and significant bullpen arm. Sign Gagne he pretty much had a entire year off to get healthy and should regain most of his form from the years past. Trot deserves a contract he is what it means to be a red sox.
Face it Manny is not going anywhere. The Red Sox will be big players this offseason though. You can expect a real shock this offseason.I have heard from numerous sources that the Sox will make a serious push for Soriano offering him his natural position at 2B. The offer I am hearing is somewhere around 6yrs 100 million. A average of 16.6 per year.Also expect Schilling's close friend Jason Schmidt to be in a Sox uniform next year.A offer of 4yrs 44 million will get it done.You will see Lugo as our SS next year although I am not a big fan. He will get big money though at around 4yrs 36 million. They will sign JD Drew and he will be the right fielder for the next 3 yrs @ 10 per season.Trot Nixon will sign with Seattle for a contract around 3yrs 18 million, with Ichiro switching to CF they need a solid defensive RF and he fits the bill.Expect Eric Gagne as your setup man for the next couple of years the talk is 2yrs 8 million most of which is incentives. Expect a trade with Houston Kevin Youkilis and Brandon Moss for Brad Lidge.The Sox will sign Kevin Millar as a safety blanket at 1B. George Kottaras will be your backup catcher. Look for the Sox to make a big push for Iwamura. He is young,fast and has power. If the win the bid on him expect a move to 1B for Lowell or a trade.Daisuke Matsuzaka has a good chance of ending up in a Red Sox uniform I am suspecting the put a bid in around 30 million, which should be enough.They will then most likely sign him to a 6yr 60 million dollar contract.They wil also sign Eddie Guardado to a 2yr deal as there Lefty Specialist. Expect Craig Hansen to spend most of the 2007 season at Pawtucket fine tuning his abilities. Unfortunatly I expect Jon Lester to miss the 07 season due to his bought with cancer. Roger Clemens will announce his retirement although if something happens to a Sox pitcher in the first few months expect a Rocket lauch back to Fenway.So as I see it here is your 2007 Red Sox.
C-Jason Varitek #33
1B-Mike Lowell #25
2B-Alfonso Soriano #11
3B-Anoki Iwamura #17
SS-Julio Lugo #2
LF-Manny Ramirez #24
CF-Coco Crisp #10
RF-JD Drew #23
DH-David Ortiz #34
B-Wily Mo Pena #22
B-Eric Hinske #12
B-Kevin Millar #15
B-George Kottaras #44
B-Alex Cora #13
1-Crisp
2-Drew
3-Ortiz
4-Ramirez
5-Soriano
6-Iwamura
7-Lowell
8-Varitek
9-Lugo
SP-Curt Schilling #38
SP-Daisuke Matsuzaka #53
SP-Jason Schmidt #29
SP-Josh Beckett #19
SP-Jonathon Papelbon #58
RP-Tim Wakefield #49
RP-Manny Delcarmen #57
RP-Eddie Guardado #46
RP-Mike Timlin #50
SU-Eric Gagne #28
CL-Brad Lidge #54
In response to Anonymous right above me, apparently the Red Sox plan on surpassing the Yankees in payroll, eh? Gagne to SET UP for Lidge?
Drew just passed up $33M over 3 years, and I can bet it wasn't so he could sign for $30M over 3.
Realistically, what the Sox should do is focus on filling a few holes with the right big names, and then fill the rest in with players who come at the right price. You won't see Soriano and Drew and Lugo and Iwamura and Matzusaka and...etc. I hope they fill the closer role with Gagne, only the best closer of all time when healthy, which would allow Papelbon to move to the rotation with few worries. Assuming Matsuzaka signs with the Sox, as reports indicate very well might happen, and you have your five man rotation (Schilling, Matsuzaka, Beckett, Papelbon, and Wakefield). From there, you have two major holes at RF and SS, fill ONE with some big money, and find the right deal for the other...and the rest is filling out the bullpen and bench.
Don't expect a massive overhaul, and I don't think one is needed.
First if we do land Matzy, Theo sould look at trying to move Beckett to Texas in a Mike Young trade..Then try and get Schmidt to sign.
Schilling
Schmidt
Mazty
Paps
Wake
For closer..If you can get Gagne..Go for it..If healthy, Nobody's better...Dont sell the farm for Lidge..Talk to Colorodo @ Fuentes...Maybe Crisp for Fuentes
Pen
Timlin
Tavarez
Delcarmen
Hansen
(L)King/Walker/Romero (all FA)
Lineup
Pierre/Mathews jr (both FA)
Young
Papi
Manny
Youklis
Lowell
Tek
Pena
Peroria
Bench
Cora
Hinske
Barrajas(FA)/Kottz (from the Wells trade)
Murphy or Huff(FA)
1. Sign closer Dannys Baez. The Sox need a closer and Baez has been successful.
2. Sign Daisuke Matsuzaka, assuming the Sox have the highest bid. Could be a young Pedro, guys like this are hard to find.
3. Sign reliever David Weathers. The Sox need relief pitching.
4. Sign JD Drew. If the Sox are serious about winning, they need a good number 5 hitter. He is what Trot Nixon should have been – consistently putting up 25-30 homers, 100 RBI with a high obp.
5. Sign catcher Greg Zaun. He will bring a bigger bat than Mirabelli, if he can catch Wakefield than he will be perfect.
6. Trade Mike Lowell and Wily Mo Pena to Anaheim for Orlando Cabrera and 1st base prospect Kendry Morales. Lowell is a better investment in terms of contract length and dollars for Anaheim than signing Aramis Ramirez. Cabrera is a better investment than Julio Lugo for the same reasons. The Angels have a trio of great young middle infield prospects. The Sox can move Youkilis to 3rd and either Morales or Hinske can provide power at 1st base. Pena is a man without a position but he does have power and the Angels don’t mind free swingers.
7. Sign Kerry Wood. He is worth a chance as a reliever and you can never have too much pitching.
Lineup:
1. Crisp cf
2. Youkilis 3b
3. Big Papi dh
4. Manny lf
5. Drew rf
6. Morales 1b
7. Cabrera ss
8. Varitech c
9. Pedroia 2b
Bench:
Hinske Zaun
Cora Kapler
Rotation:
1. Schilling
2. Matsuzaka
3. Beckett
4. Papelbon
5. Wakefield
Bullpen:
Baez Timlin
Delcarmen Weathers
Hansen Tavarez
Wood
2007 Starting LineUp
C Jason Varitek
1B Kevin Youkilis
2B Michael Young
SS Alex Gonzalez
3B Aramis Ramirez
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Gary Matthews Jr
RF JD Drew
DH David Ortiz
Bench
C George Kottaras
1B Kevin Millar
INF Alex Cora
OF David Murphy
Rotation
Curt Schilling
Daisuka Matsuzaka
Josh Beckett
Jonathan Papelbon
Dontrelle Willis
Bullpen
Tim Wakefield
Julian Tavarez
Mike Timlin
Manny Delcarman
Bryan Corey
Jamie Walker
Eric Gagne
2007 lineup:
Youkilis 1b
Giles 2b
Ortiz dh
Ramirez lf
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Pedroia ss
Varitek c
Crisp cf
rotation:
Schilling
Matsuzaka
Beckett
Papelbon
Tavarez
bullpen:
Wakefield
Timlin
Delcarmen
Lopez
Baez (cl)
sign J.D. Drew, trade Gabbard to the Braves for Marcus Giles, sign Baez and Matsuzaka.
Trades Manny to the angels for Brandon Wood and Ervin Santana
Craig Hansen and David Murphy to the marlins for D-Train
Crisp to the rockies for Brian Fuentes
Free agent signings
D.Matsuka 5y 45m
A.Iwurama 4y 16m
A.Gonzalez 2y 6m
C.Lee 6y 60m
G.Mathews 3y 16m
J.D Drew 4y 40m
2007 Lineup
G.Matthews jr. {CF}
A.Iwurama {2nd}
D.Ortiz {DH}
C.Lee {LF}
J.D Drew {RF}
M.Lowell {3rd}
K.Youkilis {1st}
J.Varitek {C}
A.Gonzalez {SS}
Rotation
D.Matsuka
E.Santana
D.Willis
J.Beckett
C.Schilling
Ok look at it this way. the red sox will NOT get akinori iwamura and daisuke matsuzaka. I think they have the winning bid on DM, the mose seems reasonable. So Trot is gone, i think, and im not that upset... just a good platoon right fielder. so i think dont think the rockies will trade for fuentes unless the red sox gave up lester or hansen: that wont work. so sign gagne and speier just to set him up with timlin. Also, DO NOT TRADE MANNY! .321, 35, 102. where else can you get those numbers. you just cant. Soriano would love to play 2nd, so if you can, sign him, not lugo. Wily Mo is going to produce, maybe 275, 28, 95. thats good numbers. so this is what i think would look good.
Crisp cf
Soriano 2b
manny lf
papi dh
pena, drew rf
lowell 3b
varitek c
youkilis 3b
Gonzo ss
Bench:
Dave Roberts, George Kottaras, Pedroia, if drew is in then pena
Starting ro:
Matsuzaka, Schilling, Paps, Clement (dont forget about him), Lilly
Pen:
Bradford, Breslow, hansen, Wake Speier, Timlin, Gagne
Now Thats a realistic idea.
Manny isnt going anywhere and forget Willis or Cabrera. After we spend all that money for Matsuzuka the only other big name we can bid for is going to be Soriano and then tinker around the edges, like a cheap lefty #5 starter, think Randy Wolf, (also, no one is taking Lowell's contract). Then spend on a closer. If we're successful then the team shapes up like this:
Lineup:
Crisp CF
Soriano 2B
Ramirez LF
Ortiz DH
Wily Mo/Nixon/Hinske RF
Youkilis 1B
Lowell 3B
Veritek C
Gonzalez SS
Bench: Cora/Hinske/Pedroia/Backup C
Rotation:
Schilling
Beckett
Papelbon
Wolf
Matsuzaka
Bullpen:
Tavarez
DelCarmen
Timlin
Wakefield
Hansen
Closer:
well, thats why Theo gets the big bucks, let him figure it out, but, i'd take a flyer on Gagne
Lets face it, we got an overpriced aging team. Stop bringing in more veterans. With Soriano coming in and Beckett improving on last years numbers this is a playoff team. We were ahead in July last year before the injuries and look at the Yanks roster, their pitching isnt that good. So 92 wins is both acheivable and in the playoff mix. Then Theo has a whole year to bring in young talent
Wake up people!!!
Manny is going nowhere
Lowell is going nowhere
There's some nice fantasy lineups here but lets get realistic
Coco
Loretta/Lugo
Papi
Manny
JD Drew
Lowell
Tek
Youk
Gonzo
Maybe just a couple changes from last year. There won't be any big trades involving Manny or Lowell. Any improvements will have to be via free agency
Rotation
Schill
Matzuzaka
Beckett
Paps
Wake
Re-do the pen Theo, but hold on to Hansen, Timlin, Delcarmen and Tavarez
GO SOX!!
1. soriano 2b
2. crisp CF
3. ortiz DH
4. manny LF
5. drew RF
6. lowell 3b
7. youk 1b
8. tek C
9. gonzalez SS
1. zaka
2. schill
3. beckett
4. paps
5. clement
closer; lidge
soriano makes the most sence as far as what to do at second. he is a good fielder and his power numbers match Giambi's. Willie mo is going to be a fearsome hitter in the near future. keep him in right field. as for a closer Gagne seems to be the gamble we have to take. we need an ice man and if he returns to his full potential then thats just what he'll be.think about it soriano,ortiz, manny, pena. that is about 170 hrs if not more! gonzie should stay, is glove saved us countless times last season and his bat did show some life in august. maybe this year we can get two or three good months out of it.
my (realistic) dream lineup:
Youk 1B
Soriano 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Pena RF
Lowell 3B
Tek C
Crisp CF
Gonzalez SS
Rotation:
Schilling
Beckette
Matsuzaka
Papplebon
wakefield
clement will have to come out of the pen only because no one wants his swolen contract. if you think we're getting D-train think again. you all konw where he's going and we have to play them 19 times. it would be cool to see what happens with nixon. the bench and pen need some new residents. hopefully epstein can make up for the renteria/crisp mistakes from the past two years.
Soriano at second? then why settle for Gonzo in the infield? While you're at it, just as well pencil in Tejada at short and Clemens as the closer. In fact, Carlos Lee might as well roam right field.
there is no way the red sox get all of those players in their lineup
here's my prediction:
1. Lugo-ss
2. Youk-1b
3. Papi-dh
4. Manny-lf
5. drew-rf
6. lowell-3b
7. tek-catcher
8. Coco-cf
9. Pedroia-2b
Rotation:
1. Beckett
2. Matsuzaka
3. Schill
4. Papelbon
5. Wake
Bullpen:
-tavarez
-timlin
-hansen-
-delcarmen
-lopez
-lidge
Bench:
-pena
-hinske
-barajas
-cora
-millar
Focusing on pitching, and trying to avoid losing more young players, here's what I say (Paul from Fairbanks, Alaska):
Pitching:
1. Schilling (one more good year)
2. Becket (should and will improve)
3. Daisy (will win 16 games)
4. Wakefield (three more years)
5. Unknown (shoulda been Arroyo)
6. Unknown (shoulda been Lester)
Note: The first four pitchers are all capable of winning 16 games each; and today's 15 game winner is the modern day equivalent of the old-time 20 game winner.
Bullpen:
1. Delcarmen (95 mph + improving)
2. Hansen (97 mph + improving)
3. Timlin (his last season)
4. Unknown (he'd better be good)
5. Papelbon (keep him there)
Lineup:
1. Crisp, RF (give him a full shot)
2. Pedroia 2B (intangibles?)
3. Ortiz DH/1B (big hitter)
4. Ramirez LF (big hitter)
5. Varitek C (his last season)
6. Lowell 3B (Mr. Doubles)
7. Youklis 1B (a .280 hitter)
8. Jacob Ellbury CF (you heard me)
9. Cora SS (just take the defense)
Note: Ellsbury is reportedly faster than Crisp--he is human lightning.
Are you kidding my - letting agonz walk.. bring in a wife-beater julio lugo as an upgrade at shortstop??
Are you kidding my - letting agonz walk.. bring in a wife-beater julio lugo as an upgrade at shortstop??
ok trade manny to the angles for santana, wood, and aybar/shields. Santana will be an amazing addition to this year and espicailly next years rotation, woods would play thirdbase, and aybar would play shortstop. If we aquire both aybar and woods then flip lowell for a closer. Don't sign drew, sign lee
Line up #1
Youkilis 1b (high OBP, should hit low 20s hrs and shouldnt have significant second half drop off like this year)
Crisp cf (slap hitter whom should be gone once ellsbury is ready)
Ortiz dh (MVP canidate)
Lee lf (A better attitude manny)
Pena rf (Given a full year strikeouts rate should decline and power should show with average he showed this year)
Varitek c (Comeback Year but will play less)
Woods 3b (Soon to be former Shortstop but he has power)/ Lowell (if he isnt traded; also if traded for youth it will justify the beckett deal)
Pedroia 2b (Going to be a #2 hitter soon)
Aybar ss (Decent hitter terrific defense similar to gonzo but a better hitter)
Rotation
Schilling (Last season)
Beckett (The return of a great pitcher)
Papelbon (roughly 15 wins and a mid 3 era)
Santana (same a papelbon)
Matsukaka (Future #1 or 2 as are the three above)
Wakefield (Rotation/Bullpen which is unfortune because of his dedication to the red sox)
Lester (I don't see him starting the year posibly finishing in the pen but more importantly get better even if you dont ever play baseball again)
Clement (Trade him if posible he'll have a year similar to well's last year)
Pen
Delcarmen (A Set up man by the end of the year)
Timlin (Set up man with delcarmen)
Tavarez (Should be trade but probably wont be until the trading deadline)
Hansen (Will put forth a decent year, '08 set up man, and closer in '09)
Lidge (via lowell trade and he will regain form and be a closer)
Shields (posibly pending manny trade set up or closer, the man maintains composure)
Bench
George Korratas(Maybe too soon but has two years to become full time catcher; also will learn alot from tek)/Anyone but mirabelli (.190 avg are you kidding me)
Hinske (good player but i dont see him getting enough time in, probably will be traded)
Cora (a reliable/good back up and should learn 1b just in case needed)
David Murphy (Let him get a taste of the big leagues again posibly replacement for crisp)
Minors Prospects
Gabbard lhp (another good left handed prospect with posiblity of weak #2 or strong #3)
Pauley rhp (Defintily wasn't ready this seasonsame for next year but could be a #3 starter in '08)
Jackson rhp (posible closer if hansen doesnt work out otherwise likely to be his set up man)
Buchholz lhp (theo likes his left handed pitchers whom i might add he is good at picking; future starter although 1-3 years away)
Alvarez lhp (good pitcher at best probably a #3/4 starter; best purpose to be traded in a package deal)
Ellsbury cf (posibly starting in the bigs next year; who knows how fast he will rise through the system)
Spann 3b(good hitter plays the hot corner but do discount his fall league slump because he has been playing all year and would likely play with 08 red sox)
West 1b (posible successor to youkilis getting old for double a)
Lowrie ss/2b(2-3 years away preferribly ss because of pedroia)
Masterson rhp (good reliever, few years away)
Martinez rhp(former catcher could start with the big team this year
Moss of (the power has returned hitting 5 hrs in the postseason at double a, will start season at triple a, and be ready for bigs in '08)
Henry/Theo will continue to get what they want with youth and the payroll should be going down if they dont screw it up by over paying. you don't necessarily have to always go out and gte the best player sometimes you need to wait for next years off season like this years sp, ss, and 3b positions. Youth is cheap and so are hometown discounts like the one they will get from papelbon. Do what the Braves had done for the previous 14 years in case of similar year of 06 braves dont be stupid and trade the youth away wait, patients is a virtue.
Strating Line up
1.Ichiro {RF}
2.C.Crisp {LF}
3.D.Ortiz {DH}
4.R.Sexson {1ST}
5.J.Drew {CF}
6.M.Lowell {3rd}
7.J.Varitek {C}
8.J.Lopez {SS}
9.D. Pedroia {2nd}
Bench
B.Moss
E.Hinske
R.Barajas
R.Hidalgo
Rotation
1.C.Schilling
2.J.Beckett
3.J.Paplebon
4.D.Matsuzaka
5.T.Wakefield
Bullpen
R.King
M.Timlin
M.Delcarmen
K.Gabbard
C.Cordero
C- Jason Varitek
1st - Kevin Youklis
2nd - Dustin Pedroia
Short - Julio Lugo
3rd - Mike Lowell
LF - Willy Mo Pena
CF - Coco Crisp
RF- JD Drew
Starting Pitching
Curt Schiling
Josh Beckett
Johnathan Papelbon
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Ervin Stantana
Bullpen
Tavaraz
Timlin
Wakefield
Gagne
CL- Lidge
Breakout Year
David Murphy replaces Willy Mo in lineup one month into the season and never looks back
i llike murphey as a player, but pena has wayyy more upside and if either of the two get a chance to play every day it should be pena.
This is the roster
{Starting Pitchers} {First base}
1]C.Schilling 1]R.Sexson
2]J.Beckett
3]D.Matsuzaka {Second base}
4]J.Paplebon 1]D.Pedroia
5]G.Meche 2]A.Cora
{Bullpen} {Shortstop}
1]O.Dotel 1]J.Lopez
2]K.Gabbard
3]A.Rhodes {Third base}
4]M.Delcarmen 1]P.Feliz
5]S.Shields 2]C.Figgins
{CL]E.Gagne
{Rightfield} {Centerfield}
1]Ichiro 1]J.Drew
2]R.Hidaglo 2]K.Lofton
{Leftfielder} {DH}
1]W.Pena 1]D.Ortiz
2]J.Ellsbury
{Catcher}
1]J.Varitek
i posted posts ago but here are some ideas for trades
-crisp to white sox for macdouglas and anderson
-lowell to angels for aybar and shields
-lowell to the astros for lidge,youkilis to third and pena to play/learn first because the outfield unles center is an adventure
-hinske and a pitching prospectstarter such as (alverez and/or pauley) to cardinals for chris duncan for first which allows for youkilis to play third
- trade manny to angles for santana, wood and if posible aybar
- lowell izturis and aybar
-manny to dodgers for billingly, broxton, and kemp/betemit
-manny to rangers for kinsler, littleton, and pospects, move pedroia or kinsler to short,
- manny to phillies for hamels, castro, and victorino
- trade for a brewers middle inf hardy, weeks, or hall, move pedroia to ss if need be
- young starting pitchng pospects to reds for phillips
-
-trade wakefield for youth such as a middle inf or power hitting outfielder if you aquire young starting pitching for manny/lowell
- Pena and pitching prospects such as alveraz to nationals for cordeno
- don't get a free agent closer/ss/cf for a long term wait for next year the market will be better. Aquire youth in deals for lowell (20 hrs 80 rbis and gold glove defense) and manny (mvp candidate every year)
- don't sign lugo, or drew (there money is insane) youkilis, hinske, crisp, pena and varitek will all have better years at the plate, worst comes to worse trade for burrell for little and you have a 25 hrs 90 rbi guy which youkilis is looking to be this year anyways
What i would like to see
1B Youkilis/Pena
2B Pedroia
3B Lowell
SS M.Young(texas)
LF Manny
CF Crisp(Pena if Coco struggles)
RF Drew
C Varitek
DH Papi
SP:
1)Schill
2)Beckett
3)Matsuzaka
4)Wakefield
5)Papelbon
Enlight of some newly aquired information I would like to present the reasons why we don't want julio lugo
1. first and foremost he is a whimp and a wife beater
2. He isnt yet a defensive liablity but give him 2 years, when he starts to lose range. Range is his strong point stupid errors are his weakness and combine a lost speed with stupid errors and you have a horrible ss
3. He has more power then loretta but loretta hits better in the clutch (rbi). 59-37
4. Pedroia can play shortstop, he is the next eckstein. No one can believe it until they see it.
5. lets look at his projected contracts 5yrs/40mil or 4yrs/32mil. He is barely worth it now nevermind a few years from now and im being generous today.
6. Loretta projected contract 2yrs/8mil. I say two years only because jed lowrie or another middle inf prospect won't be ready til then. Loretta would probably settle for a 1 yr contact too.
7. once Lugo was traded to the dodgers he batted a whopping .219
8. Loretta is proven in a high pressure play like boston and lugo couldn't hack it in LA a much more pressured situition.
conclusion he will be overpayed, other in house ss options, a whimp, other players equally as valuable at cheaper rates, they want to play here and proven. Likely to be another renteria.
ok sorry but most of you dont kno wut ur talkin about u all are hoping for that one big blockbuster deal 2 happen and it probly wont most writers write that stuff so they can make porpaganda but here are some things that will probly happen...
julia lugo sings for 3-4 yrs at 7-9 million...
j.d drew signs for 4 years 14 million with a option...
matzazuka signs for 5 yrs 12-13 million....
we aquire some reliver noth9ing spectacular borowski maybe
and manny might be traded probly not becuase we cant get a big bat in return 2 protect papi and lets be real here as much as i love papi hes not the same guy without manny hel be walked all day and all night
projected rotation:
Curt Schilling
Daisuke Matsazuka
Josh Beckett
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield
Bullpen:
MIke TImlin
Craig hansen unless hes closin hes gona be a set up man
manny delcarmen
edgar martinez
craig breslow
okijima (he shud be a very good pitcher)
closer: tbd craig hansen is probly ur opening day closer and dont lose faith in him hes a good one or borowski but they will find someone
lineup
julio lugo
coco crisp
david ortiz
manny ramirez
j.d drew
kevin youkilis
mike lowell
jason varitek
dustin pedroia
1000000000000000000000000000000 percent agree
Everone who said Craig Hansen will be the opening day closer... keep trying to find the marbles you have lost.
The kid has got nowhere near the mentality he needs to have in the majors as a closer. Throwing him into the closer's role on opening day wouldnt be bright at all. IMO he has to enter the season in Pawtucket, or in the Sox bullpen as a middle reliever
agree with that one... but with the last guy too. there will be a few moves and thats it this offseason. the red sox arent getting all of these star players.
I'm upset with the Red Sox's decisions at the winter meetings, there is still a lot that can be done trade ideas and other thoughs
- manny to angles for wood 3b, izturas ss, and saunders closer/sp. Saunders could close for the year enter the rotation next year and delcarmen and hansen would fill the closer role for '08
-Lowell to astros for lidge, money would have to be sent with lowell but would be worth it. Lidge closer and hinske or youkillis plays third
-Manny to White Sox for Fields 3b, Gio Gonzalez sp, and MacDouglas closer. This would trigger a lowell deal also.
- Coco to White Sox for Fields 3b, and another prospect
- Wily Mo Pena and Alverez to Nationals for Cordeno
- Manny to Dodgers for Billingly and Laroche/Kemp/Lonely
Francona should do whats best for the team and not worry so much about respect cause if a player really cares about his team he will play when and where needed.
My opinion
line up for 07 as of now should be
Lugo
Crisp
Ortiz
Manny
Drew
Youkilis
Varitek (intchargeable with lowell; probably with bat higher in order out of respect not ability)
Lowell (interchangeable with tek)
Pedroia
Rotation (assuming we sign K-Dice)
Schilling
Beckett (should have a four pitch for this season cause he basically works with two curve and fastball but he should really work on a sinker, two seamer, cutter and slider cause his change up isnt good)
Matsuzaka
Papelbon
Lester
Pen
Delcarmen
Wakefield
Timlin (closer if no fa signed)
Hansen
Snyder/Hensack
Taverez (look for him to be traed as a starter similar to chacon)
FA/Trade for closer
Bench
Cora ss/2b
hinske 3b/1b
alomar jr. c (for wakefield but will serve as backup catcher)
Pena of (will start if one of current of traded which will pull david murphy into the fourth outfielder spot)
realistic 07
lineup
lugo
youkilis
ortiz
manny
drew
vartiek
lowell
crisp
pedroia
rotation
schilling
beckett
matsuzaka
wakefield
papelbon
pen
lester
timlin
delcarmen
tavarez
hansen
synder
bench
cora
hinske
pena
alomar jr.
mike gonzalez for closer?
Are there really that many idiots out there. Trot is one of the best players the sox ever had. Yea he get's hurt, but who doesn't??
Here is an idea. Let's let an injured Trot go and in return get an even more injured Drew to take his place. As far as some idiot saying trade Lowell... You really are stupid.His .987 fielding percentage wasn't good enough for you??? We need to dump Crisp. Yea he made some catches for us but Dave Roberts did to. Tori Hunter sounds good about right now huh??
If the sox can get some pitching that doesn't give up 36 and 30 home runs respectively, maybe we can do some damage, and put NY away early for a change!!!
Jason Tampa,FL
i think that sox should really worry about the closer position right now, i mean seriously...
07 lineup
Lugo
Crisp
Ortiz
Manny
Drew
Tek
Lowell
Youk
Pedroia
rotation
Schil
Beckett
Matsuzaka
Pap/Lester
Wakefield
pen
closer (FA signing?)
Timlin
Tavarez
Hansen
Clement
whoever else there is
Scratch Clement from that previous post...he is garbage and you are forgetting the great acquisitions of Brendan Donnelly and Okajima. I'd much rather see them coming out of the pen in relief than give the ball to Clement ever again.
don't forget jc romero
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