The Official 2009 Boston Red Sox Thread

Thank Omar and the Mets. Instead of just paying the guy for the final 2 months of the season and getting another 1st round draft pick and sandwich pick they decided it was better to free themselves of the 2 or 3 million dollars or so. Kudos to Theo though too.

 

As I posted in the Padre Thread, SD will also name Jason McLeod Assistant GM which is a HUGE loss for the Red Sox. He was the Sox top scouting director since 2004 so he obviously knows how to spot talent. Eff Jed Hoyer for taking him. Bad day for the Red Sox.

 

Scutaro and the Sox have agreed to a 2 year deal with a mutual option. No word yet on the dollar figure. Signing him on a short contract is definitely ideal, he's definitely an upgrade over Alex Gonzalez and was the best guy out there. Now it's time to figure out where the other offense is going to come from.

EDIT: 2 years 10 million dollar deal. With a player option for 3 million or team option for 7 million. Nice deal with little money. Not bad.

 

Red Sox are apparently trading Mike Lowell to Texas for catcher Max Ramirez and paying nearly all of Lowell's salary. Here's a bold theory/wish/hope, Ramirez will be then shipped out as part of a big trade for either Halladay (more likely) or Adrian Gonzalez.

I just hope the Sox don't then go and sign Beltre which it looks like is going to happen. But hey if he does come to Boston, they'll have a hell of a defensive infield.

 

Bonser is an interesting guy to take a flier on, especially since we're only giving up money or a non prospect for him, might at well throw him against the wall and see if he can stick.

I think its obvious the Red Sox are starting to really value defense, which is probably the main reason for trying to move Lowell and I'm assuming bringing in Beltre here. I know the Red Sox were pretty unhappy with the defense last year at 3rd and SS, mainly due to Lowell's hip he became a statue on 3rd base and that was a big reason why the Sox traded for Kotchman. An infield of Youkilis, Pedroia, Scutaro and Beltre would probably be on of the best in baseball and an OF with Drew and Ellsbury in it is pretty damn good too.

I still wish that the Sox could somehow get Adrian Gonzalez but I think it's a pipe dream. But I still think Max Ramirez will be the next Andy Marte/Juan Cruz/Adam LaRoche in that he won't be wearing a Red Sox uniform for long if at all

 

I'm not a Beltre fan myself but all accounts on the guy is that he's one of the best if not the best defensive 3rd baseman in the game. I agree that Beltre will probably bomb offensively in Boston, although the wall in LF could make him better than he was in Seattle but the guy can't get on base to save his lfie and is a hacker, not sure how he fits with the Sox style at the plate.

And you do make good points that the Sox don't lose much defensively if you put Kotchman at 1st instead of Beltre at 3rd because Youkilis is well above average at both corners. If the Sox can somehow sign Beltre to a 1 year deal I guess I'd be all for it, but anything more than 2 years max is just a mistake.

I do think the Sox are going to thread water this year by not doing anything major and really make a splash for 2011 when there are better FA available and some of their talent in the minors will be ready.

 

There's a rumor going around that Lackey is taking a physical for the Red Sox or will do so soon. Certainly interesting IF true.

 

Yeah I think IF Lackey is signed then you'll see Adrian Gonzalez or Roy Halladay as a Red Sox soon. I still think the Sox would be smart to lock up Beckett long term too though. If not than a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Matsuzaka and Buchholz/Wakefield is flat out nasty.

As for the offense I agree even if we get Gonzalez we'll still need a LFer, I don't think it rules out signing Bay or Holliday because the Sox certainly have the money and will have a lot of money coming off the books in 2011 but the Sox could also sign a Mike Cameron type of player (who would probably come close to the production of a Mike Lowell) for a year and push Ellsbury to LF to continue to strengthen the defense.

I'm still not sold that this report is in fact true though. We'll see, if it is true than Lackey will be a Red Sox.

Also there's a report the Sox offered 15 million to the Cuban pitcher Chapman.

 

Sounds like the report is true. Contract similar to Burnetts deal. I have always loved Lackey. Nice job by Theo as pitching wins.

 

Agreed. Word is that the Sox are trying to extend Beckett's contract too. Hopefully they can get that done quickly.

I do think the Sox will make a move using Buchholz or Casey Kelly now and they probably should. Hopefully they get Gonzalez in here as they need a left handed power bat.

 

Jon Heyman is reporting the Sox have agreed on a 5 yr deal with Lackey and also Roy Halladay and his agent are in Philly right now, leading to speculation he's going to be dealt to the Phillies. If so the Sox need to focus on getting Gonzalez now.

Also Buster Olney is reporting the Sox are talking to Mike Cameron now.

 

I like Edes a lot and think he's a good writer but that piece seemed like Dan Shaunessey wrote it and put Edes name on it. I didn't agree with a lot of the article. Does Lackey come with a risk? Of course he does as does any pitcher on the planet.

I also don't agree that this was a quick decision on Theo's part. I really do think the Sox were planning on getting a solid defensive team (starting with the trade for Kotchman last year) and building up the pitching staff because they knew they couldn't out hit teams like the Yankees or Phillies.

I actually think the smart Sox fans realize what direction the team is going in and is for it.

 

Baseball America released the Top 10 Red Sox Prospects going into the 2010 season. Here's the link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/toda...rganization-top-10-prospects/2010/269311.html

But here's the ranking:
1. Ryan Westmoreland, OF
2. Casey Kelly, RHP
3. Josh Reddick, OF
4. Lars Anderson, 1B
5. Ryan Kalish, OF
6. Junichi Tazawa, RHP
7. Reymond Fuentes, OF
8. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS
10. Derrik Gibson, SS/2B

A couple of my thoughts:
-I'm not sure if it's good or bad that Reddick was ranked ahead of Anderson. I realize Anderson had a bad year but I would have bet he would have been ranked 3rd. The only silver lining with Anderson is he was still young for Double A and still put up a solid OBP and has a good feel for the strike zone and according to a lot of scouts pitchers were pitching him a lot differently because he was a big name last year.

-I do like Reddick a lot and think he could be a solid MLB player. He has good speed and a great arm. He needs to work on his strike zone coverage though as he's a bit of a hacker but he's been working on it.

-Back in 2007 Ryan Kalish was the hot name before he broke his wrist and had a down year in 2008 but rebounded nicely in 2009.

-I'm not a fan of Tazawa, he didn't impress me at all in the MLB in '09, he just looked way too hittable to be able to consistently get AL hitters out. But I think he'd be perfect in a big ball park in the NL (cough San Diego cough).

-A lot of people are starting to like Anthony Rizzo a lot and think he could be better than Lars Anderson, he actually battled cancer in 2008 and came back strong in 2009. Everyone know

-Any Sox fan should know who Iglesias is. Hopefully the kid can improve at the plate because he's the best defensive player in the minors right now.

-The Sox are pretty high up on Derrick Gibson. He's a good player with a nice bat, good glove and solid speed.

Anyway I only expect Reddick, Tazawa and maybe Kalish reaching the MLB this year although I suspect none will have major impact. Kelly and Anderson should be ready to make their debuts sometime in 2011 if they have good years this year. It's really an important year for Anderson to get back on track. Other minor leagues who could get some MLB action I would think Michael Bowden and I'd be interested in seeing what he could do out of the pen and also Dustin Richardson being a lefty reliever and possibly making the team out of ST. Also possibly Mark Wagner as a back up catcher when the rosters expand to 40 men in September.

 

Well it's official per Terry Francona, Ellsbury will be in LF and Cameron will be in CF next year. Clearly the smart/right move. Now the Sox pretty much have 6 guys that are above average defensively on the team along with Ellsbury who should be above average in LF. The only below average fielder will be Victor Martinez.

 

It's for the luxury tax relief as Kotchman will probably end up making around 5 million dollars next year and Hall will only cost the Sox 2.5, I believe since the Brewers are paying the majority of it. Hall can play 3B, SS and the OF so he gives us some positive flexibility although I think he's average if that at any positive. I believe the Sox will use him as the back up INFer and put Lowrie in Triple A so he can play full time.

 

Keith Law of ESPN.com released his 2010 organizational rankings and named the Red Sox as having the 2nd best farm system in baseball behind the Rangers. As for the other AL East teams, he ranked the Rays #3, Baltimore #6, Toronto #16 and the Yankees #25.

Here's what Keith said about the Sox:
The Red Sox have more players in the top 100 than the Rangers and have almost comparable depth, but they don't have the high-end prospects to match a Smoak, a Feliz, or a Martin Perez, all of whom are high-ceiling and nearly major league-ready. Boston has stuffed its lower levels with gambles on over-slot high school kids after the first two rounds, giving the Red Sox a chance to add those high-ceiling kids even though they don't typically have a pick among the first 20 overall.

I'm kind of surprised that the Sox were ranked so high, I figured that they would be in the top 10 but #2 is very very impressive as Law is someone that I trust as he really knows his stuff. He's going to release his top 100 prospects tomorrow and I'd guess that Westmoreland, Kelly, Lars Anderson (who Keith is still a believer in), Tazawa, Reddick, Kalish and possibly one or two out of Rizzo/Iglesias/Fuentes will make the cut. Anyway good to see that the farm is still producing well.

 

Boston Red Sox. What were you expecting the Boston Braves?

 

Considering I've never heard of or read a single article by Frankie Piliere, nor do I know what are his qualifications or ever read an article from that website, I will stick with Keith Law who is not only a former Assistant to the GM with Toronto but also a scout who goes on the road during the year and actually sees everyone he writes about. He also has been pretty spot on with his opinions on players in the past and in my opinion is the most unbiased writer out there.

EDIT: You have to discredit the 2nd link you provided since it was dated 12/3/09. A lot of trades have been made since then so farm systems have a different look to them now than they did in Dec. (i.e. Toronto, Seattle, Philly, etc).

 

How is Keith Law a roamer? He's been writing for ESPN for 3 and a half years now and has a pretty good resume to back him up (former writer for BP, scout and Assist. GM of a MLB team). I think those things are more impressive and show that Keith has better understanding and knowledge than a MLB staff writer. And yes it does matter to me if I have heard of the person or not in order to judge an opinion or not. Hazel Mae is a MLB staffer too, she works for the MLB Network, but I wouldn't listen nor trust her opinion on anything baseball related.

Again the problem with these articles you're posting (besides the one from John Manuel) is that I highly doubt Mayo or Winston are scouts or have actually seen these players play. They probably have no idea who they are or what they even look like. Guys like John Manuel and Keith Law actually go to the high school and minor league games to scout these players.

And I wasn't stating we should take what Keith or anyone says as the Bible or they're right or wrong. I happen to like and trust Keith a lot and find him to be pretty good with his scouting reports on players therefore I trust him and his opinions over others because I know from experience that he's more often than not right about things.

 

Haha. Ok this discussion is over. I really don't think you really know who Keith Law is or ever read an article of his because that's exactly what Law does. That statement alone just goes to show you don't have a clue on this subject. Seriously, you don't know what you're talking about.

 

Again I don't care where anyone works, someone working for MLB over ESPN means nothing to me. It doesn't mean one is better than the other, so you basing opinions because someone works for Company A or Company B is completely false logic and just dumb. Would you trust Hazel Mae's opinion (MLB) or someone like Jayston Stark or Buster Olney? I do know who Mayo is but I admit that I don't know who Lisa Winston was (I thought she was another Hazel Mae/Kim Jones type for some reason) so I admit my statement about her not seeing these guys play were false and I was wrong. I did research and that's great she's been covering minor league baseball for a long time but she's still not a scout, she's a reporter. There's a big difference between her and Law.

Simple question though would you trust someone's opinion on a baseball player that is a registered MLB scout and had experience working in a MLB front office as an assistant to the GM or a reporter who has covered baseball for a long time?

Anyway I'm done with the discussion, I simply posted this (as well as a BA article a few weeks ago) just to get a discussion going on Sox prospects not about which writer or better than the other. But hey it helped kill a half and hour.