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The Red Sox acquired Bill Hall from the Mariners yesterday for Casey Kotchman.  They also received a player to be named later and cash.  Prospect Insider speculates it might be Hassiel Jimenez.

Hall is set to earn $8.4mm this year, but the cash in the deal will make the Red Sox hit only around $1.375mm or so.  I haven't found details on this yet, but Cot's Baseball Contracts suggest that amount.

Hall hit 35 home runs one year, but that was 2006 and since then, he hasn't done anything offensively.  2007 - 740 OPS (not bad), 2008 - .689, 2009 - .596 (ughh).

Hall will come in handy as a super utility player with his ability to play any outfield spot and any infield spot except first.  A quick look suggests he's a decent all around fielder, which is really where his only value lies.

Kotchman found himself without a position, especially with Mike Lowell still on the team.  Given Lowell's recent surgery, it is unlikely the Red Sox will be able to move him prior to spring training, so they'll let him get healthy and showcase him in pre-season and early regular season.

I think there is a strong chance he stays with the team well into the 2010 season given his decent righty bat and the risk that David Ortiz doesn't return to form.  He is a luxury to be sure at $12mm, but if he stayed, it wouldn't be the worst thing for the team, although he might not enjoy it that much.

Using February 17th as a reporting date, we are about 41 days until spring training!

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

News today that Terry Francona will have Mike Cameron start in CF and Jacoby Ellsbury in LF.  With that and yesterday's Adrian Beltre news, the Red Sox line-up looks like this:

c - Victor Martinez (.912 OPS)

1b - Kevin Youkilis (.961)

2b - Dustin Pedrois (.819)

3b - Adrian Beltre (.683)

ss - Marco Scutaro (.789)

lf - Jacoby Ellsbury (.770)

cf - Mike Cameron (.795)

rf - J.D. Drew (.914)

dh - David Ortiz (.794)

In other news, www.prospectinsider.com is reporting the Red Sox are close to trading Casey Kotchman to the Seattle Mariners.

This line-up isn't as good as last year's edition and can only hope to score as many runs as 2009.  That said, if Ortiz can hit like he did the last 4 months last year, Beltre benefits from hitting at Fenway vs. Safeco and a full season of Martinez instead of Varitek might keep things closer than one might think, but a many things have to fall correctly for that to be the case.

I still think this team needs a boffo bat, but with the salary committed thus far, I'm not sure we're going to see in in 2010 and expect hitting help will arrive in 2011.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Catchy, isn't it?  No?  You're right, it'll never take off, Adrian Beltre doesn't hit home runs.

File this as "asleep at the wheel," but I just learned that the Red Sox and Adrian Beltre agreed to a deal.  According to Peter Gammons, the deal is for 1 year at $9mm with a player option in 2011 for $5mm.  Wow, rumor had it Beltre was looking for a multi year, $13mm or so per year, or make that Scott Boras was looking for...

Analysis, this deal greatly improves the Red Sox defense and allows Kevin Youkilis to stay at first base. Casey Kotchman has once again been relegated to the bench.  Beltre didn't hit at all in 2009 hence the one-year deal.  He must think he will do very well in 2010.  Or, maybe he is finished and this, and the 2011 option are just gravy on an already lucrative career.  My hope is for the former, but the cynic in me thinks its the latter.

His offense has only been really good in one season.  In 2004 he had a 1.017 OPS vs. his career OPS of .779. Hmmm, how did that happen?  Regardless of how that happened, he parlayed that into a mega deal with Seattle. Seattle plays in a hitter non-friendly park and one could argue Beltre's numbers didn't look good there because no one does well there...except Ichiro.

So the Red Sox have signed a defensive wiz and a questionable offensive talent, but have limited their risk to 2 years and $14mm.  Not terrible.  This just puts an exclamation point next to their off-season plans of reducing runs allowed.  It'll be interesting to see the ERAs of the pitching staff as you have to consider the following:

Player: UZR 2009/2009 rank at position in Majors:

3rd - Beltre: 21.00/1st vs. Lowell: -14.4/last, if included in qualifying list

cf - Cameron: 10.3/4th vs. Ellsbury -18.3/4th worst (I'm not sure what to make of Ellsbury's rating, these numbers and what I see with my eyes tell 2 different stories.  I'm sure Ellsbury wasn't perfect, but 4th worst?  Tough for me to understand).

ss - Scutaro: 1.0/14th vs. Red Sox SS team total in 2009 of 3.1/12th in baseball (Alex Gonzalez was a 10.5)

I'd do an Ellsbury vs. Bay report in left, but Ellsbury didn't play an inning there in 2009, so I'll not do so.

No matter, it looks like this signing is the biggest net improvement defensively thus far and the Cameron signing is 2nd.  The Scutaro signing, is actually a net loss defensively, but I still prefer him there vs. Alex Gonzalez given the offensive upside.

Other news out suggests the Red Sox and Mets are talking about a Mike Lowell for Luis Castillo deal.  Basically a swap of contracts I would suspect.  Castillo is due $6mm in both 2010 and 2011.  Lowell really has no role here in 2010 and the Red Sox would be best shipping him sooner than later.  Lowell has been a good soldier, but his time has passed.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)