Boston Red Sox 2009

richb · 08-17-2009, 02:04 AM

Preseason Movements

ELVIS HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING
SHORTSTOP MERRY-GO-ROUND CONTINUES IN BOSTON

Boston receives:
SS Elvis Andrus

Texas receives:
SS Jed Lowrie
RP Javier Lopez
SP Nick Hagadone
OF Josh Reddick
SS Carson Blair

Not that I don't like Jed Lowrie, I just can not see him being a franchise shortstop for years to come. Andrus is a guy who could win the batting title, Gold Glove, and lead the league in stolen bases in a few years. He's not quite there yet, and probably won't be for a year or two, but mixed together with Lugo and Green could see some time. He'll probably start the season in the bigs until Lugo is fully healthy then get more regular time in Pawtucket. Lopez was a tough guy to part with given his 2008 numbers, but I feel like I can piece together this bullpen without him. Hagadone and Reddick were both mid-level prospects. Hagadone could be a could mid-to-back-end starter and Reddick could be a decent power threat with a big arm in center, but I value Andrus much higher. Blair was an interesting throw-in that they requested. The kid can't play ball, but he could win a Gold Medal in a 100-meter dash.

SOX SIGN PEREZ ... YEAH, REALLY, THAT'S IT

Free Agent Signing
SP Odalis Perez signs one-year deal with Boston for $750k with another $750k triggered at 50 IP.

In other news, Toronto picked up Ken Griffey Jr.? Seattle will be getting Vernon Wells in return for Griffey and pitcher Edward Paredes.

Right when I thought all the preseason dealing would be done, a blockbuster:

SOX TRADE THE FARM TO KANSAS CITY
HOPE THEY ENJOYED THE HUGE PAW SOX CROWDS

Boston receives:
SP Zach Greinke

Kansas City receives:
SP Justin Masterson
SP Clay Buchholz
SP Brad Penny
SS Will Middlebrooks
1B Eddie Lora

Now, this deal is pretty complicated. Yes, looking at it, it seems like I dealt half my rotation depth for one pitcher. Then again, you could see this like the Royals gave up their one guy in a rebuilding mode that was a beam of light. However, this is how I broke it down: Last year Greinke showed what he can do with a 13-10 season and a 3.47 ERA. He signed a hefty contract by Kansas City standards, but still very manageable. In my eyes, and those of my scouts, Greinke might be the best pitcher in baseball. Apparently, the Royals don't think so. Either that, or they value Masterson and Buchholz more than we do. Don't get me wrong, both will be good middle rotation guys or maybe even number two guys, but they will never be Greinke in our opinion. We are losing a lot of depth, but really only one starter in Masterson as Penny was slated as a spot starter. Speaking of which, Penny was only added as opposed to cash. This says to me that the Royals are not trying to trade away their would-be Wildcard chances in this deal. Buchholz was slated to start in Pawtucket and maybe stay there until September. Middlebrooks was a low-to-mid-level prospect who is too far away to project yet, but with Andrus he is not really needed. Lora was another strange throw in, as he doesn't provide much of anything.

Anyway, now, our rotation consists of Josh Beckett (28-years-old, under contract through 2010), Daisuke Matsuzaka (28-years-old, under contract through 2012), Jon Lester (25-years-old, under contract through 2014), Zach Greinke (25-years-old, under contract through 2012), and Tim Wakefield (42-years-old, under contract through 2010). That makes me feel a lot better trading three of my top five pitching prospects. Pretty surprising that our whole rotation is owed less than $30 million this season, seeing as how our payroll is around $120 million.

Season's greetings up next!

richb · 08-18-2009, 11:39 AM

2009 Starting Snapshot

Here's a look at our opening day 25-man roster, projected starters, and some guys to keep an eye on down on the farm.

Starting Lineup

1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury (LHB)
2. 2B Dustin Pedroia (RHB)
3. DH David Ortiz (LHB)
4. LF Jason Bay (RHB)
5. RF J.D. Drew (LHB)
6. 1B Kevin Youkilis (RHB)
7. 3B Mike Lowell (RHB)
8. C Jason Varitek (SHB)
9. SS Nick Green (RHB)

Bench

IF Ivan Ochoa (RHB)
IF Elvis Andrus (RHB)
OF/1B Brad Wilkerson (LHB)
OF Rocco Baldelli (RHB)
C George Kottaras (LHB)

Starting Rotation

1. RHP Josh Beckett
2. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
3. LHP Jon Lester
4. RHP Zach Greinke
5. RHP Tim Wakefield

Bullpen

MR RHP Ramon Ramirez
MR RHP Manny Delcarmen
MR LHP Odalis Perez
SU RHP Takashi Saito
SU LHP Hideki Okajima
CL RHP Jonathan Papelbon

Disabled List

SP John Smoltz (Late June or Early July)
SS Julio Lugo (Mid-to-Late April)
OF Mark Kotsay (Late May or Early June)

Top Ten Non-ML Prospects

1. AAA 1B Lars Anderson
2. AAA SP Michael Bowden
3. AA SP Stolmy Pimental
4. AA SP Junichi Tazawa
5. SA OF Ryan Westmoreland
6. SA SP Casey Kelly
7. A SP Stephen Fife
8. AAA SP Bryan Price
9. AAA SP Kris Johnson
10. A SS Yamaico Navarro

Looks like we're going to have to draft really well over the next few seasons. Beyond the top five there is not any real mid-level talent left. I'm sure a few guys will jump out of the woodwork, they always do, but we will really have to do out research when the draft pool is released.

And in other trade news, before the seasons starts, more interesting trades in the MLB. Tampa Bay made a shocking move by trading Carl Crawford to Atlanta for shortstop Omar Infante. Omar can play several positions, but he is naturally a shortstop. That must mean they didn't have faith in a seemingly solid Jason Bartlett. Good to see Crawford go to the NL though, good riddance.

The day after we traded with Kansas City, Baltimore got in on the deal by trading first baseman Ty Wiggington and pitcher Ryan Adams to the Royals for pitcher Kyle Davies and former Red Sox infield prospect Will Middlebrooks. The Royals get a solid bat in the deal, but I'm not sure who wins this one. I'll say Kansas City, but I don't think it'll matter.

In a minor deal Seattle traded OF Franklin Gutierrez to the Astros for pitcher Mike Hampton and outfielder Mitch Einerston. Meh.

April Schedule

Let's play ball!

3 vs. Tampa Bay
3 @ Los Angeles of Anahiem
3 @ Oakland
4 vs. Baltimore
2 vs. Minnesota
3 vs. New York *
3 @ Cleveland
4 @ Tampa Bay (1 in April, 3 in May)

* played out by me in game

April up next with write-ups of the New York games!

Dolphinfan · 08-19-2009, 12:35 PM

I'll follow along as I am a big Red Sox fan.

PhillieFever · 08-19-2009, 01:05 PM

Some very interesting moves there,it'll be fun seeing how they work out over time.

08-17-2009, 02:04 AM	#1
richb Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 5	Boston Red Sox 2009 Preseason Movements ELVIS HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING SHORTSTOP MERRY-GO-ROUND CONTINUES IN BOSTON Boston receives: SS Elvis Andrus Texas receives: SS Jed Lowrie RP Javier Lopez SP Nick Hagadone OF Josh Reddick SS Carson Blair Not that I don't like Jed Lowrie, I just can not see him being a franchise shortstop for years to come. Andrus is a guy who could win the batting title, Gold Glove, and lead the league in stolen bases in a few years. He's not quite there yet, and probably won't be for a year or two, but mixed together with Lugo and Green could see some time. He'll probably start the season in the bigs until Lugo is fully healthy then get more regular time in Pawtucket. Lopez was a tough guy to part with given his 2008 numbers, but I feel like I can piece together this bullpen without him. Hagadone and Reddick were both mid-level prospects. Hagadone could be a could mid-to-back-end starter and Reddick could be a decent power threat with a big arm in center, but I value Andrus much higher. Blair was an interesting throw-in that they requested. The kid can't play ball, but he could win a Gold Medal in a 100-meter dash. SOX SIGN PEREZ ... YEAH, REALLY, THAT'S IT Free Agent Signing SP Odalis Perez signs one-year deal with Boston for $750k with another $750k triggered at 50 IP. In other news, Toronto picked up Ken Griffey Jr.? Seattle will be getting Vernon Wells in return for Griffey and pitcher Edward Paredes. Right when I thought all the preseason dealing would be done, a blockbuster: SOX TRADE THE FARM TO KANSAS CITY HOPE THEY ENJOYED THE HUGE PAW SOX CROWDS Boston receives: SP Zach Greinke Kansas City receives: SP Justin Masterson SP Clay Buchholz SP Brad Penny SS Will Middlebrooks 1B Eddie Lora Now, this deal is pretty complicated. Yes, looking at it, it seems like I dealt half my rotation depth for one pitcher. Then again, you could see this like the Royals gave up their one guy in a rebuilding mode that was a beam of light. However, this is how I broke it down: Last year Greinke showed what he can do with a 13-10 season and a 3.47 ERA. He signed a hefty contract by Kansas City standards, but still very manageable. In my eyes, and those of my scouts, Greinke might be the best pitcher in baseball. Apparently, the Royals don't think so. Either that, or they value Masterson and Buchholz more than we do. Don't get me wrong, both will be good middle rotation guys or maybe even number two guys, but they will never be Greinke in our opinion. We are losing a lot of depth, but really only one starter in Masterson as Penny was slated as a spot starter. Speaking of which, Penny was only added as opposed to cash. This says to me that the Royals are not trying to trade away their would-be Wildcard chances in this deal. Buchholz was slated to start in Pawtucket and maybe stay there until September. Middlebrooks was a low-to-mid-level prospect who is too far away to project yet, but with Andrus he is not really needed. Lora was another strange throw in, as he doesn't provide much of anything. Anyway, now, our rotation consists of Josh Beckett (28-years-old, under contract through 2010), Daisuke Matsuzaka (28-years-old, under contract through 2012), Jon Lester (25-years-old, under contract through 2014), Zach Greinke (25-years-old, under contract through 2012), and Tim Wakefield (42-years-old, under contract through 2010). That makes me feel a lot better trading three of my top five pitching prospects. Pretty surprising that our whole rotation is owed less than $30 million this season, seeing as how our payroll is around $120 million. Season's greetings up next! Last edited by richb; 08-17-2009 at 02:05 AM.

08-19-2009, 01:05 PM	#4
PhillieFever Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Elk Twp. NJ Posts: 6,763	Some very interesting moves there,it'll be fun seeing how they work out over time. __________________ We're All Wednesday Aren't We? WAWAW

08-18-2009, 11:39 AM	#2
richb Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 5	2009 Starting Snapshot Here's a look at our opening day 25-man roster, projected starters, and some guys to keep an eye on down on the farm. Starting Lineup 1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury (LHB) 2. 2B Dustin Pedroia (RHB) 3. DH David Ortiz (LHB) 4. LF Jason Bay (RHB) 5. RF J.D. Drew (LHB) 6. 1B Kevin Youkilis (RHB) 7. 3B Mike Lowell (RHB) 8. C Jason Varitek (SHB) 9. SS Nick Green (RHB) Bench IF Ivan Ochoa (RHB) IF Elvis Andrus (RHB) OF/1B Brad Wilkerson (LHB) OF Rocco Baldelli (RHB) C George Kottaras (LHB) Starting Rotation 1. RHP Josh Beckett 2. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka 3. LHP Jon Lester 4. RHP Zach Greinke 5. RHP Tim Wakefield Bullpen MR RHP Ramon Ramirez MR RHP Manny Delcarmen MR LHP Odalis Perez SU RHP Takashi Saito SU LHP Hideki Okajima CL RHP Jonathan Papelbon Disabled List SP John Smoltz (Late June or Early July) SS Julio Lugo (Mid-to-Late April) OF Mark Kotsay (Late May or Early June) Top Ten Non-ML Prospects 1. AAA 1B Lars Anderson 2. AAA SP Michael Bowden 3. AA SP Stolmy Pimental 4. AA SP Junichi Tazawa 5. SA OF Ryan Westmoreland 6. SA SP Casey Kelly 7. A SP Stephen Fife 8. AAA SP Bryan Price 9. AAA SP Kris Johnson 10. A SS Yamaico Navarro Looks like we're going to have to draft really well over the next few seasons. Beyond the top five there is not any real mid-level talent left. I'm sure a few guys will jump out of the woodwork, they always do, but we will really have to do out research when the draft pool is released. And in other trade news, before the seasons starts, more interesting trades in the MLB. Tampa Bay made a shocking move by trading Carl Crawford to Atlanta for shortstop Omar Infante. Omar can play several positions, but he is naturally a shortstop. That must mean they didn't have faith in a seemingly solid Jason Bartlett. Good to see Crawford go to the NL though, good riddance. The day after we traded with Kansas City, Baltimore got in on the deal by trading first baseman Ty Wiggington and pitcher Ryan Adams to the Royals for pitcher Kyle Davies and former Red Sox infield prospect Will Middlebrooks. The Royals get a solid bat in the deal, but I'm not sure who wins this one. I'll say Kansas City, but I don't think it'll matter. In a minor deal Seattle traded OF Franklin Gutierrez to the Astros for pitcher Mike Hampton and outfielder Mitch Einerston. Meh. April Schedule Let's play ball! 3 vs. Tampa Bay 3 @ Los Angeles of Anahiem 3 @ Oakland 4 vs. Baltimore 2 vs. Minnesota 3 vs. New York * 3 @ Cleveland 4 @ Tampa Bay (1 in April, 3 in May) * played out by me in game April up next with write-ups of the New York games!

08-19-2009, 12:35 PM	#3
Dolphinfan Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 110	I'll follow along as I am a big Red Sox fan.