According to recent reports the Sox are still in the running for Russell Martin. Teams that are interested are hoping he can put up numbers back to his productive years...
2010-11 MLB Hot Stove
- Thread starter BillD1984
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All they need is a good defensive catcher....with what they added, they do not need that much production from that position....
salsadancer7 said:
If they don't need any offense, Gerald Laird is out there, excellent catcher, terrible hitter
The Dodgers released him for a reason. They don't even know if he can even play this year, and if so, when? They also don't know if he will be able to catch again.
I always worry about players that were really good but end up getting released. There are lots of reasons, of course, but how will those reasons affect your team if you get him?
A team with money can gamble $5 million on a player that might be washed up or might be worth more than $5 million. The Red Sox gave $5 million each to Brad Penny and John Smoltz in 2009, just in case...
Theo Epstein has gone from being the dolt that missed out on every free agent to being the OK guy who just spent $300,000,000 on two pretty good ones. While, as a New England native, I like to see the team I follow buying $300,000,000 worth of players, I consider Epstein's track record buying veterans to be unremarkable. Basically, he benefits from being able to have the second largest payroll in baseball. He can give $10,000,000 a year to Matt Clement or $9,000,000 a year to Julio Lugo plus however much he paid all those other shortstops that didn't work out and still have enough money available to buy the next, needed veteran player.
Maybe the best deal for a veteran the Red Sox got in the last decade was when they were forced to eat Mike Lowell's contract as part of the price of getting Beckett.
What really made the Red Sox over the last few years was the fact that one fourth of their roster was filled with pre-arbitration eligible, young, all-star caliber players who were getting paid next to nothing. At the start of 2008, Ellsbury, Lester, Bucholz and Pedroia were getting paid a total of $1,700,000 between them, Papelbon was getting $750,000, all-star Okajima, in his second year in America, was getting $1,200,000, and Youkilis was only getting $3,000,000.
Those players would be worth an average of $10,000,000 a year each on the open market and will eventually have to be paid accordingly as their negotiating leverage increases. The future price of giving three prospects up for Gonzales is that it might also cost the Red Sox $30,000,000 a year in 2012 to 2014 for three veterans who will perform comparably to the three prospects they traded away.
Theo Epstein has gone from being the dolt that missed out on every free agent to being the OK guy who just spent $300,000,000 on two pretty good ones. While, as a New England native, I like to see the team I follow buying $300,000,000 worth of players, I consider Epstein's track record buying veterans to be unremarkable. Basically, he benefits from being able to have the second largest payroll in baseball. He can give $10,000,000 a year to Matt Clement or $9,000,000 a year to Julio Lugo plus however much he paid all those other shortstops that didn't work out and still have enough money available to buy the next, needed veteran player.
Maybe the best deal for a veteran the Red Sox got in the last decade was when they were forced to eat Mike Lowell's contract as part of the price of getting Beckett.
What really made the Red Sox over the last few years was the fact that one fourth of their roster was filled with pre-arbitration eligible, young, all-star caliber players who were getting paid next to nothing. At the start of 2008, Ellsbury, Lester, Bucholz and Pedroia were getting paid a total of $1,700,000 between them, Papelbon was getting $750,000, all-star Okajima, in his second year in America, was getting $1,200,000, and Youkilis was only getting $3,000,000.
Those players would be worth an average of $10,000,000 a year each on the open market and will eventually have to be paid accordingly as their negotiating leverage increases. The future price of giving three prospects up for Gonzales is that it might also cost the Red Sox $30,000,000 a year in 2012 to 2014 for three veterans who will perform comparably to the three prospects they traded away.
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Interesting article in the Washington Post today by Tom Boswell, criticizing Crawford as a poor fit for the Red Sox. Historically, he has terrrible offensive stats there, and only seven of his career homers are to left of center. According to Boswell, his swing generates absolutely no power to left field. Also, he doesn't have the arm to play right in Fenway but can't utilize his defensive range in Fenway's tiny left field, his on base percentage is low and it is curious that he only averages 95 runs per season for where he hits in the order and for the speed he has. He is the only non-pitcher to ever be given a $20 million a year contract who has never hit 20 home runs in a season, and his contract is $50 million larger than any that has ever been given to a player without a 20 homer season. He's not a stiff. In fact, he's an above average ballplayer, but he isn't a $150,000,000 for seven years ballplayer.
Well, well, well. Quite the shocker. Going back to the team that dumped him for Roy Halladay? And actually turning down NY money? Color me surprised.
With Halladay and Lee at the top. Man, that is probably the best 1, 2 punch in baseball. Too bad they lost their right fielder
Not just the best 1-2 punch, but by far and away the best starting 4 in all of baseball: Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels! Wow!!!
Most teams would be happy to call 1 of those guys their ACE. They have 4 ACES! The only thing that can beat 4 ACES is a Straight Flush!
Hamels is clearly not an ace and Oswalt is debatable, but the Phillies now do have the two best pitchers in baseball, and a good supporting cast as well. They easily win the NL on paper.
Sandra
The Yanks are in trouble. They have been OUT Yankeed now by BOTH the Phillies AND the Red Sox.
LOL poor Yankees how will they ever get by? For a whole bunch of years out-Yankeeing the Red Sox and Phillies didn't work so well.
Sandra
I think Philly realized to late a few years back that they could have had both Lee and Holliday, now they have both ...
The fact that the yanks did not get him makes me happy ...
Maybe there was something to the report that his wife did not want to live there.
The fact that the yanks did not get him makes me happy ...
Maybe there was something to the report that his wife did not want to live there.
LOL poor Yankees how will they ever get by? For a whole bunch of years out-Yankeeing the Red Sox and Phillies didn't work so well.
Sandra
Sandra....in the past NO ONE out-Yankeed the Yankees. It was not even close. This some coming season, yeah, the Yanks will more than likely win more than 85+ games....hell, maybe even 90 and make the playoffs....but they do NOT have the team to win a series or two in the playoffs.
