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This is probably old news to most of you by now, but MLBTradeRumors.com via SI.com said the Red Sox tried to re-acquire Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

Ramirez has obviously proven to be a tremendous chip to give up in acquiring Josh Beckett and given the Red Sox desire to boost the offense, he'd be an amazing addition.

Disclaimer:  When the Beckett deal was made, I was not that high on Hanley Ramirez and wondered in a post or 2 just what was it people saw in him.  His OBP in the minors wasn't great and he certainly had documented attitude issues.  Fortunately for me, those posts have yet to be brought back on-line since we switched providers.

That said, Ramirez has been an offensive force hitting for average, power, getting on base and stealing.  What is most amazing to me is that he walked 92 times in 2008.  That's 36 more times than at any other level of baseball.  His .400 OBP was 10th best in baseball last year.

While SI.com didn't talk about specific offers, they did suggest that "Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz were among those mentioned in a potential package for Ramirez."

While having to trade to get Hanley back would be painful, he certainly would be an offensive upgrade whether he played SS or was moved to CF.  SI reports the talks for Ramirez actually happened a few weeks prior to Teixeira moving to New York.

My take?  Given Ramirez's performance so far and the fact he just signed a 6-year, $70mm deal, I would go pick up Ellsbury and Buchholz and drive them to the Marlins front door.  My guess is that the Red Sox were ok dealing those 2 guys, but balked when the Marlins, and rightfully so, asked for more.

SI says there is little chance the deal gets revisited.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Reports have surfaced that the Red Sox are close to signing Brad Penny and the once and former Tim Wakefield catcher, Josh Bard, to contracts.

Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald has Penny set to sign a 1-year, $5mm deal with another $3mm possible in incentive earnings.  Penny was terrible last year suffering from shoulder issues.  Speaking of shoulders, he has perhaps the widest shoulders in the history of baseball.

Penny will compete for a middle to end rotation spot.  McAdam suggests this MIGHT allow the Red Sox to keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen.  My take?  Prepare Masterson for the rotation as Penny is a huge question mark.

I'm not overly thrilled with this signing, but I suppose signing someone of Penny's potential skill level was necessary (like Bartolo Colon).  If one of the young guys, such as Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden can't help, then it is nice to have a pitcher like Penny to turn to.  His health is a major concern though.

As for Josh Bard, McAdams says it is a non-guaranteed $1.6mm deal.  Many of us recall his struggles catching Tim Wakefield and the subsequent trade to re-acquire Doug Mirabelli.  Bard hit very well in 2006 (once traded to SD) and slightly less so in 2007, but regressed terribly in 2008 and was ultimately released by the San Diego Padres.  Per McAdam's article, he is looked at as a back-up.

With Kevin Cash now a potential Yankee (minor league deal), the Red Sox had to sign someone, right?

Bard is just a glove at this point and one that can only catch conventional pitchers.  Again, I am not thrilled by this deal as the Red Sox have not really addressed the bigger need at catcher.

Penny and Bard both have major question marks and I am not expecting either to have a major or even moderate impact on the 2009 team.  To me, both represent insurance (the cheap and questionable kind, like from SBLI).

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Happy Holidays all.  No matter what you celebrate, I think there is always room for various feats of strength, the airing of grievances and Festivus miracles.

Having had some time with family over the past few days, I figured it a good idea to talk about the Red Sox and what happened on Tuesday.

First off, here are some of the many possible feelings once might have felt, as a Red Sox fan, over the Mark Teixeira signing:

My guess is that most Red Sox fans felt the Red Sox either blew it, or Teixeira didn't really like the idea of being a Red Sox and when the Yankees finally made an offer, he jumped.  If you are in the group that thinks the latter, you are probably wondering just what could the Red Sox have done?

It really doesn't matter what the reason, the Yankees just upgrade themselves at 1st base by offering yet another massive contract to a free agent.  It is a double improvement b/c not only did they get him but the Red Sox did not.

Sean McAdam, now of the Herald (and ESPN), had some interesting facts on the Red Sox since Theo Epstein took over and how he believes the Red Sox will operate in the future regarding free agency.  McAdam's take is that the Red Sox will no longer explore top (read: Type A) free agents as they:

 - Cost too much in draft compensation.  Of course, not having to pay for a 1st and 2nd round pick can be a savings in a way, but I'd like to see a study, which I'm far too lazy to undertake, that shows the success rate of players drafted in each round of the draft and what they were paid.

 - Have a history of being very, very bad ideas (Barry Zito, Carl Pavano, Matt Clement, Kevin Brown, etc.  Of course they can be good on occasion, but is a 50% or even a 75% success rate really worth dropping $100+ million George Bucks?

When you think about it, if you sign an elite free agent, your BEST-case scenario is to get full value out of the deal.  If a player is elite when you sign him, is he going to be elite and some?  That's tough to argue, so a free agent has to be "as advertised" otherwise the signing team "overspent."

 - Cost too much in money.  Growing and developing talent versus signing big names, provides some cost certainty.  Of course high-draft picks demand top dollar, but if a MLB team scouts well enough, there are often solid values scattered throughout the draft.  Examples on the Red Sox:

 1.)  Kevin Youkilis signed for $12,000 as an 8th round draft choice.

 2.)  Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia signed for $575,000 as a 2nd round draft choice.

 3.)  Jonathan (can't we just call you Jon) Papelbon signed for $264,500 as a 4th round pick.

It'll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do going forward.  My guess is that they have indeed grown tired of the elite free agent process.  J.D. Drew has thus far hit a $28,000,000 grand slam, but otherwise shown himself to be injured a bunch and just not a player you can count on everyday (i.e. as advertised/feared) and he never was really considered elite.

One silver lining in all of this is that AA prospect Lars Anderson (not Larz, the auto enthusiast, although I heard he had a good stroke.  In all seriousness, if you haven't visited the Larz Anderson park and auto museum, you are really missing something) has a clearer path to Boston.  It might just end up, after all, that sticking with Lars as the future was the far cheaper/better route.

The Red Sox still need someone to catch the ball when the pitchers throw it (that's important, right?) and could use a utility OF and IF as well as perhaps a starter.  Obviously they could put Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz in the rotation, but my bet is they try and trade for a more certain option or even go after John Smoltz.

Jeff Bailey, who was with the club during the year, might just stick as their primary pinch-hitter and back-up at 1st, DH and perhaps the corner outfield spots too.  Bailey reminds me somewhat of a Brian Daubach type.  Too old to be considered a prospect, but someone who raked AAA pitching (.301/.405/.562 in 2008) and can play a few positions.  He is far from graceful, but has shown some sticktoitiveness and that might just count for something.

My guess is we'll hear/read very little from now until the New Year, so Happy New Year all.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

SI.com wording is now:  "...reached an agreement in pricincple..."  

DOUBLE UPDATE:  Heyman now says the Yankees are on the verge of signing Teixeira.  He makes it sound like a virtual done deal.  8 years, $180mm with a FULL no-trade clause.  ESPN is reporting it too now, although nothing official.

UPDATE:  Jon Heyman at SI says the Yankees have entered the fray and are in deep discussions.  This could be Scott Boras using Heyman as a puppet or they are really going to make a push and commit over $400mm over the next 8 season on 3 players.  If indeed the Yankees are in the mix, a decision today would seem less likely.

Word is out that Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras will bless us all with their decision today.  Apparently it is between the Red Sox and the Nationals.

My take:  If the Red Sox land him, great, he is a welcome addition to the line-up, especially with the health of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell in question.  If he signs with the Nats, then the Red Sox probably dodged a bullet as why would anyone want to play for the Nationals?  I'm not knocking the city or the people there, just the fact that, at least in the short term, the are not going to be competitive.

If a player takes 3% or 4% more money and does care about the team, that says a bit about that player.

We shall see.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Maybe.

Several media outlets are reporting that Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and Principal Owner John Henry are in Texas tonight meeting with Mark Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras and perhaps Teixeira himself, in a scene somewhat reminiscent of Thanksgiving 2003 when Epstein traveled to Arizona to meet with Curt Schilling.

In reading the various reports (WCVB, WBZ, ESPN, Yahoo, NASA and The Marblehead Reporter), it seems the numbers of years the Red Sox have offered is 8.  The dollars are ranging from $174 to $188mm over the 8 years.  No matter what, if Mark Teixeira signs with Boston, he would be signing the largest guaranteed contract in Red Sox history (Manny Ramirez was guaranteed $160mm over 8 years).

On WEEI Wednesday, Sean McAdams, formerly of the Providence Journal and now of the Boston Herald, said that Mike Lowell is NOT happy with these developments.  With that in mind the Red Sox will have a massive hill to climb if they think they can have Lowell play a Coco Crisp type role for the next 2 years.  Lowell isn't likely to accept a back-up role, is he?  He is guaranteed $24mm over the next 2 years and given Terry Francona's habit of giving his starters regular rest, perhaps there is a chance Lowell isn't traded.

I spent over a year on this site telling everyone I expected Crisp to be dealt and it never happened, until this off-season.  The Red Sox would clearly value Lowell in a "10th-man role," but he has an ego, as we all do, and might want to parlay the fact he still has value into future contracts.  I cannot blame him for that.  Then again, the Red Sox represent a chance to win while still making good cash.  In addition, he'd be the primary back-up for Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira and David Ortiz.

No matter, Lowell is a good person from all accounts and he has a right to be upset if the Red Sox sign Teixeira, but the facts remain that Lowell is coming off surgery on his hip and, more importantly, the Red Sox are all about getting better and giving themselves the best chance to win a World Series.  This a business after all.

As for the chance that Teixeira signs soon, don't hold your breath.  Boras has a way of being dramatic.  "I hate to do anything as dramatic as counting to three, but..."

DeVito, I mean Boras has a way of making things dramatic.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE:  Boston.com is quoting John Henry with the following:  "We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

So there you go.  A game of chicken (should I be capitalizing the "c" in chicken?).  If indeed Teixeira and Boras left the Red Sox with that impression, I have to assume they are going to accept the Washington Nationals offer.  And if so, good luck in Washington Mark.

Then again, I'm easily influenced by posturing.

Might this be another negotiation where Scott Boras has no leverage left?  The Daisuke Matsuzaka deal is a good example.  Then again, the J.D. Drew contract is another example where they grabbed their ankles and bid against themselves.

My odds of the Red Sox getting Teixeira:  2:1.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:39 PM | Permalink

It seems as though Rocco Baldelli received some potentially great news over the past few days.  As a Rhode Islander, Baldelli garners a higher than normal level of interest in Boston compared with other non-Red Sox players.

If he is able to get his condition treated and ultimately play more regularly, one has to assume he is far more likely to get a better deal if not for 2009, then beyond.

That said, I've never understood the fascination with Baldelli as a baseball player.  He is a good fielder to be sure, but he isn't terribly special as an offensive threat.  His career OPS is .770 and his OPS+ is 102.

He is injury prone (not talking about his current health issue) and has poor plate discipline with only 90 walks in his career compared with 346 K's in 1876 Plate Appearances.  To me, he is a bit like Shea Hillenbrand offensively (.761 OPS with a 95 OPS+).  He can hit and even hit for a bit of  power, but that's his only way of generating runs.

A career .325 OBP probably won't make him too appealing to the Red Sox or the Yankees.

I don't want this to be a "dump on Baldelli" post because it is not.  I just think his story, his local connection and the fact that, from all I've heard, he is a likable person, makes him appear a far greater talent than he really is.

Perhaps Baldelli's current ailment has been impacting him for an extended time and has limited his performance, but even back in the minors (including his various more recent rehab stints), Baldelli had just a .756 OPS with a .320 OBP.

If the Red Sox signed him to be the 4th OF, I wouldn't mind, but I don't think I'd consider him an ideal starter option (not that the Red Sox are looking for a starter) should one of the regulars go down.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 02:54 PM | Permalink

To date, the Red Sox have done very little this off-season.  Very little at least as it impacts the 2009 25-man roster.

 - Traded Coco Crisp for Ram-Ram (Ramon Ramirez).

 - Non-Tendered Kevin Cash

 - Traded for Wes Littleton (this might not impact 25-man roster depending on where Littleton starts the year)

That's it.  We are no closer today to having answers than we were at the end of the season.

Who is going to catch?  Is Mark Teixeira going to sign with Boston (so much for my prediction last week that he'd sign in 2-3 days, but he is on record as wanting to sign before Christmas), where will Julio Lugo and maybe Mike Lowell get traded, who is going to be the 5th starter?

I've been through slow off-seasons before, but this is nonsense.  Next year, I'm tempted to just ignore the GM meetings, the Winter meetings and start following the action on 12/15.  Think of the time I'll save.  Obviously I'm too big a baseball junkie to go cold turkey on the Hot Stove league like that, but come on now, let's make some noise.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

ESPN's Steve Phillips is reporting that the Red Sox and Diamondbacks are discussing a Julio Lugo for Eric Brynes swap.  Here is the copy/paste:

--------------------------------------------------

Red Sox, D-Backs talking Lugo-Byrnes swap

"Posted by Steve Phillips

The Red Sox are having discussions with the Diamondbacks about a Julio Lugo-for-Eric Byrnes swap. Brynes would serve as a fourth outfielder for Boston; Lugo would play second base for the Diamondbacks."

---------------------------------------------------

Lugo has 2 years left for $18mm and Brynes has 2 years left for $22mm.

If the Red Sox can unload Lugo straight up for Byrnes, I'd be happy.  Why?  Byrnes has energy that no one can match.  Just 2 seasons (2007) ago he his 21 HRs and stole 50 bases.  He can play all 3 outfield positions and can even DH!  That DH reference was a joke.

Boiling this down, it is a swap of lousy contracts.  I just think Brynes offers more to this a team than does Lugo.  Lugo got to Boston and has produced 2 years of sub-standard offense.  Byrnes has done it in just his last season, a season, like Lugo's, filled with injury.

Plus, Byrnes is far more interesting to watch play baseball than is Lugo.  The guy has so much energy that he practically hovers.  All in all, this story is probably just a low-chance rumor, but we tackle all that we see here at YankeesRedSox.com.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:53 AM | Permalink

Many news sources have the Red Sox as the favorite for Mark Teixeira given his preference to be close to family on the East Coast.  That said, his price tag has been rumored to be 8 years and a minimum $160mm with $180mm closer to reality, on other words, the same committment the Red Sox made to Manny Ramirez in 2000.

Teixeira said he wants a deal done before Christmas, so we've got that going for us, but I think he will sign with however he is going to sign with in the next 2-3 days.

With New York landing their 300 pounder the Red Sox, while they will never admit this, will feel pressure to upgrade as well.  Adding Teixeira will add youth and quality to the middle of the order, both good things, but at great cost.

As for pitching, there has been talk of AJ Burnett, but I think that is crazy.  If they sign him, it'll be similar to the Matt Clement signing, unnecessary and a bad idea.   Burnett is a train wreck waiting to happen.  If New York does land him (or Boston or whoever), he won't pull a Carl Pavano, but he won't give them more than 550 IP over 4 years.  In other words, Bad Idea Jeans.

Lastly the news on just what Boston will do for the catching situation has been few and far between.  I think Teixeira needs to sign before we start hearing more on a catcher solution.

The Yankees made a big splash last night/today and this site has had plenty of news on it.  I'm feeling left out and want some positive Red Sox news to strike.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting that both Jason Varitek and Paul Byrd will not accept arbitration from the Red Sox.

Basically this means the Red Sox are assured some kind of compensation should either sign with another team.  But it also means both players might not be playing for Boston next year.

No matter what the outcome for either player, the Winter Meetings start tomorrow (Monday) and these sessions should finally kick-start the off-season and give baseball fans an idea of how their favorite teams will look in 2009.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink