The Red Sox will not extend a long-term contract to Jacoby Ellsbury and will go with another year of arbitration eligibility. This despite his MVP-caliber season in 2011. Ellsbury will probably get a $5 million, one year deal for 2012.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, a Marlon Byrd trade may be part of the "compensation" package agreed to between the Cubs and Red Sox. The 34-year-old Byrd, who hit .276 with 9 HRs last year, is on the downside of his career and does not seem to fit the "significant player" test of the agreement. Byrd's best year was 2009, when he clubbed 20 home runs and hit .283 for the Texas Rangers. This is not a solution to the on-going Red Sox right-field conundrum.
The early results from our latest FenwayNation Poll show that more than six in ten readers (61.6%) feel the Red Sox—as currently constituted—will not make the post-season. Less than four readers in ten (38.4%) feel the Carmine Hose (as is) will make the "tournament". Optimism reigns in at least one overseas outpost in the Nation. A vote from Ho Chi Minh City (still Saigon to us) in Vietnam was cast in the "Yes" column. Finkenstein, Austria, however, comes down on the negative side. You can still vote in the poll HERE.
The Red Sox re-upped left-handed reliever Rich Hill (of Milton, Mass.) to a minor league pact. In 2011, Hill pitched eight scoreless innings (12 Ks) before being shut down for Tommy John surgery in June.
According to comments made by A's GM Billy Beane, Josh Reddick will be a starter somewhere in the Oakland outfield in 2012. Reddick himself would prefer center-field, but will obviously take anything that's offered. Josh made some nice comments about Boston:
Barring the return of J.D. Drew to Fenway's right field, the Carmine Hose have a problem. I'm sorry, but a McDonald/Sweeney/Aviles platoon doesn't cut it. In addition to the several options out there (Carlos Quentin being the best one), there's another intriguing possibility that might be just as good.
Rumors are flying that the San Diego Padres will trade first-baseman and former Red Sox property Anthony Rizzo to the Tampa Rays. The complex deal would then ship Rizzo to the Cubs (Theo and Jed still covet him) for catcher Geovany Soto.
Melvin Mora announced his retirement today. The 39-year old Venezuelan native spent time with the Orioles, Mets, Diamondbacks and Rockies. Mora should occupy a special place in the hearts of Red Sox fans. Why? On September 28th, 2007, his surprise bunt lifted the Orioles to a 10th inning, 10-9 win over the Evil Ones at Camden Yards. The Red Sox, who had beaten the Twins earlier, now clinched the American League East. They went on to win the World Series. Mora caught A-Fraud napping in the 10th, laying down a surprise bunt that scored Tike Redman with the winning run. Earlier, Red Sox alum Jay Payton's bases-loaded triple with two outs in the ninth tied the score. The Boston clinch ended the Empire's streak of nine straight division titles. Melvin, we hardly knew ye. But we will love you always.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Red Sox outfielder Ryan Kalish (pictured here with a young fan) disclosed an additional surgery—this one on his ailing shoulder—that will set his return back until May or June. This, in conjunction with the departure of Josh Reddick, makes it all the more critical that Boston get a right-fielder this off-season. The spectre of a Ryan Sweeney/Mike Aviles platoon for half the season is not acceptable for a contending team. Of course, the Red Sox are now in a much more vulnerable position with trade or free agent partners with this new information on Kalish. We continue to feel that a deal for White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin (a right-handed hitter who could pepper the Green Monster) is the best option.
As we await the dropping of the next shoe (hopefully) on Yawkey Way, it's important to find other baseball-related items with which to Occupy Our Minds (not to be confused with the 'you-know-what' movement). Speaking of politics, as we await the 'Hawkeye Cauci' on Tuesday, we were delighted by a column by Summer Anne Burton on Fangraphs.com. The piece focuses on various baseball-related activities by some of the presidential contenders. Ron Paul (pictured), Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and President Barack Obama are highlighted in the article. By the way, Ron Paul is the only person to ever hit a home run over the fence at a Congressional baseball game. By the way, is it me, or does Ron Paul bear a striking resemblance to former Red Sox catcher Bob Montgomery—at least in this picture?
On heels of the 'Brinks Robbery' heist that netted Andrew Bailey, BenCher is now sending signals that—with the possible exception of a fourth starter acquisition—he's done dealing. We are now facing the prospect of a three-way "platoon" of Ryan Kalish (assuming he's healthy enough), Mike Aviles and newcomer Ryan Sweeney (pictured) in right. Call it the "Mike Ryan" platoon to honor a past Red Sox utility guy. Is this really a viable option for the 2012 Carmine Hose? There are still trade and free agent possibilities out there—the most attractive being Chicago's Carlos Quentin. We need to make a right-field move (along with another starter) or face the likelihood of just not being good enough to cut it in the ever more competitive AL East.
As the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham rightly points out, the state-side Evil Empire apparently has fans in the one place on Earth that really deserves the moniker—North Korea. At the funeral ceremony of the late, not-so-great Kim Jong-Il, a small boy is seen keeping warm with a NYY knit cap (pictured)—which he may have actually purchased online at the Official Yankee Shop HERE. Wait, the 'Dear Leader' didn't allow Internet access, did he? Maybe his 28-year-old son is more web-savvy and we'll see a thousand Yankee Caps bloom in Pyongyang some glorious day soon.
CBS' Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox have dropped out of the hunt for Braves right-handed starter Jair Jurrjens.
In a conference call with reporters last night, new Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey expressed excitement about the opportunity of being on the big stage and also being back on the East Coast (he is from the Philadelphia/southern New Jersey area and lives in Connecticut). He's also already got a good relationship with new Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine. The Nation will, however, need to get used to a new type of closer—more along the lines of Keith Foukle rather than Jonathan Papelbon. Here's how Bailey put it in his own words:
According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Red Sox, after their acquisition of closer Andrew Bailey, are not reverting to their "stand pat" attitude. Heyman and other sources suggest that Boston is aggressively pursuing starting pitching to fill the four (and maybe five) holes in their rotation. The key players mentioned today are Matt Garza (who would require a trade with the Cubs), Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt (pictured). Other reports by Heyman indicate that the Yankees and Blue Jays have better prospect offerings than the Red Sox in the pursuit of Garza. However, as we have pointed out before, this would be a perfect time to exact "significant player" compensation for the Theo exit.
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington made a lot of people in the Nation smile tonight—trading for soon-to-be 28-year old closer Andrew Bailey in exchange for Josh Reddick and two minor league players. On the surface, it seems like a steal for Boston—filling a gigantic hole for very little cost. The 2009 Rookie Of The Year has a career ERA of 2.07—with a WHIP of 0.954. He's given up only 117 hits in 174 innings pitched. The Red Sox also acquired outfielder Ryan Sweeney in the deal. Great job, Ben!
In an interview with Steve Buckley and Rob Bradford on WEEI's "The Big Show", Dustin Pedroia indicated that, based on his knowledge, Carl Crawford is on a "mission" to have a big year in 2012. The Muddy Chicken (an unfortunate nickname given last year's clubhouse issues) also said he hopes Kevin Youkilis is not traded. The second baseman pointed out (correctly) how Youk's grinding at-bats aid the rest of the line-up by wearing down pitchers and showing the full pitching arsenal to those lower down in the order.
According the the very reliable Buster Olney of ESPN, Andrew Bailey will be dealt soon to either the Red Sox or Texas Rangers. Olney indicates that, contrary to other reporting, Boston does have the assets necessary to set up a reasonable deal with Oakland GM Bill Beane. Bailey, or some other real closer, is desperately needed by the Red Sox—no matter what the NOG's propagandists say about Melancon et. al. Let's hope BenCher makes one substantive deal before the ball drops in Times Square.
While the Bronx Embalmers have had about the same comatose off-season as your Carmine Hose, one of the Evil Ones has been busy—getting "medical" treatments in Germany. Based on a recommendation by none other than Kobe Bryant (another charter member of the League of Frauds), Rodriguez received a treatment on his balky knee called "Orthokine". The procedure takes blood from the arm, spins it in a centrifuge and then injects the voodoo mixture into the affected area (in this case, A-Fraud's knee). Believe it or not, MLB has sanctioned this treatment, and Rodriguez even got the blessings of the TweedleStein and TweedleBrenner. I can't quite recall, how many more years are left on his contract?
The early results to our latest FenwayNation Poll suggest that our readership do not want to trade Kevin Youkilis for starting pitching. In fact, fully 61.7% of those responding so far are against such a deal, while 38.3% think it would be a good transaction. Interestingly, all of the overseas votes so far (from Australia, South America and Europe) are against the trade. The idea of the trade was raised in a column yesterday on WEEI.com. Depending on how you interpret the results, it could either be good or bad news for Youkilis. After all, despite being a huge fan favorite, almost four in ten would ship him off. If you haven't yet done so, you can still vote in the poll by clicking HERE.
UPDATE: Garza Market Heats Up. As BenCher continues to play the tortoise in the race for 2012 glory, there are growing indications that the stars may be aligning for a deal with the Cubs that could solve two problems. First, the two teams need to iron out the compensation for Theo Epstein "leaving" (some might say "being pushed out') of Boston. It's completely absurd that it's dragged out this long, with toothless threats from Bud. It's amazing how the mainstream sports media covering this team is totally giving the NOG a pass on this one. In any event, the second big problem (at least for the Red Sox) is finding a legitimate number four (and actually number five) starter for their rotation.
According to a report in Nippon Baseball Tracker (NPB), the Yankees are about to sign former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima to a minor league deal. Citing a report on the Japanese language website Sports Hochi, NPB Tracker quotes sources that the deal could happen right after the first of the new year. Okajima spent four full seasons with Boston (he appeared in only 7 games in 2011), posting a 17-8 record and a 3.61 ERA. He yielded only 221 hits in 246.1 innings pitched. He pitched 21 post-season innings for the Sox, with an ERA of 2.11—including 7.1 scoreless innings in the ill-fated 2008 ALCS. His work ethic and enthusiasm will be missed—as well as his cool entry song.
WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane sure knows how to spice up a listless off-season. In a piece today, Minihane simply asks the question of whether it's time to trade fan favorite Kevin Youkilis. He actually makes a pretty compelling case that now would be the time to deal Youk for starting pitching—before his trade value erodes further with advancing age. Nevertheless, the spectre of Mike Aviles and Nick Punto platooning at third is laughable—no matter how good their respective OPSs are. It's probably more likely that Boston trades one of its young, left-handed hitting outfielders (Reddick or Kalish, plus other prospects) for a number four or five starter. Assuming he's healthy, trading Youkilis (while certainly something to consider) would probably be a net loss for the 2012 squad. You did wake us up, Kirk, but don't do that anymore, OK?
Sure, we all remember BlackSeptember, but let's take a look at some of the Top Ten other moments of 2011:
As John Tomase points out in today's Boston Herald, the new strength and conditioning coach of the Red Sox is star in his own right. With a slew of sports and entertainment luminaries on his client list, Mike Boyle's hiring will not raise any eyebrows. From Carlos Pena to Ray Borque to Lenny Claaaahk, Boyle has whipped all types into shape. His tough style challenges people to excel using their own competitive juices. You think that might be needed in the cozy confines of the Red Sox clubhouse? Mike Boyle sounds like the perfect choice—maybe the best move of the entire off-season so far.
Multiple reports suggest that MLB has given the Oakland A's the formal go-ahead to relocate to San Jose—50 miles south of AT&T Park in San Francisco. With a much bigger and more diverse population in the South Bay than in Oakland, the A's (with the brand new Cisco Field) can legitimately start a re-building process that could take hold in the late teens. The new jewel of a stadium (the latest in a long line of 21st century parks that we don't have) will be able to draw a fan base that can help fund a Renaissance of A's baseball. Good for them. Finally, the Red Sox can play them in something other than the late Al Davis' concrete football bunker.
In five of Bob McClure's six years as KC's pitching coach, he had Joakim Soria on his staff. In at least three of those seasons, he was able to turn Soria (taken in the Rule 5 draft from San Diego) into a dominant closer. In 2008, he had 42 saves and an ERA of 1.60. In 2010, he notched 43 saves and a 1.78 ERA. With an off-year in 2011 (28 saves, 4.03 ERA), he has been discussed as trade bait by the Royals. The Red Sox have had discussions, but backed off the asking price. However, now that Bob McClure is in the fold, it might be time to re-start the Soria talks. McClure might be the perfect guy to make Soria a dominant ninth-inning guy again—something the Sox desperately need.
The Evil Ones are reportedly bluffing their interest in right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to jack up the price the Red Sox will have to pay for the free agent. The Empire is using the same excuse as the NOG for not going after certain players—the luxury tax threshold. Both franchises are acting like they've never heard of the luxury tax before, a lame effort at best that's fooling no one. An actual quote from a Yankee source states, "We simply don't have the money to pay him.'' The Boss is surely spinning. The 37-year old Kuroda will likely cost Boston around $12 million—the jock-strap budget for Liverpool. The ruse that the Red Sox have made huge pick-ups in January will start to lose currency once January actually rolls around on Sunday. Boston needs a fourth starter—spare me the Bard/Aceves talk. Bard can be a good fifth starter—assuming the big three and a Kuroda-type are pitching well.
There are few more iconic images of Red Sox baseball than Carlton Fisk willing his ball fair to win Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Still regarded as perhaps the greatest single Fall Classic tilt ever, it lives on in our imaginations (and in the banner graphic of FenwayNation). Pudge turns 64 today, and we should all pause and thank him for the 11 great seasons he gave to us. In addition to being a premier backstop, he contributed 162 home runs and an on-base percentage of .356 over that span. We all know he should have been in a Red Sox uniform his entire career. But, postmarks and vanity spelled otherwise. In any event, happy birthday, Pudge!
Something tells me The Nation is going to like new Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure. In an interview on WEEI's "The Big Show", McClure laid out his pitching philosophy: "Kick ass and win". Pithy. He went on to suggest that stretching out Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves as starters will benefit them no matter where they end up in 2012. It gives us a little more comfort that two strong personalities reside in the new dugout—Valentine and McClure. Now they need to push to get the holes filled that still (glaringly) exist on the pitching side.
The two behemoths of the AL East have been quiet as church mice this off-season, but apparently, they still like a good skirmish. According to multiple reports, Boston and New York are vying for the services of free agent starter Hiroki Kuroda.
UPDATE: Sox may also dangle OFs (Reddick/Kalish) For Bailey.
The Red Sox finally made their coaching staff official today. Bob McClure (pictured) will be the new pitching coach, Tim Bogar will move from third base to bench coach, Jerry Royster will take over at third and Alex Ochoa will be first base coach. Dave Magadan remains hitting coach and Gary Tuck stays as bullpen coach.
MLB has slapped a $3.4 million luxury tax on the Red Sox for 2011. Only Boston and the Yankees will pay the tax this year. The Empire will pay $13.9 million—down from $18 million last year. The Red Sox assessment went up from $1.5 million last year.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the absence of any meaningful news about the Red Sox (except blown trades and no signings), we provide our readers with some good soccer talk.
Continuing the theme of the 'Lost Off-Season', the Red Sox lost out on LHP Gio Gonzalez, as the Washington Nationals dealt four top prospects to Oakland. The prospects are A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Derek Norris and Tommy Milone. Once again, Billy Beane has dealt away pitching for solid building blocks. Let's hope the Andrew Bailey trade is still in the works, and the Red Sox get something out of this dance. This is getting embarrassing, folks.
UPDATE UPDATE: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Red Sox are not strongly in on Gonzalez and Bailey at this time.
Once again, the Red Sox are sending signals that they are no longer willing to spend what it takes to win. In the midst of a report by Gordon Edes of ESPN, a source on the team was quoted as saying "anything that would cost a lot of money is a bad option." Well, they're good to their word. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal now reports that the Red Sox are out of the running for Carlos Beltran—because the cost is too high. Beltran will go to the Indians, Blue Jays or Cardinals instead. Get ready for the Cody Ross Era in right field. He's affordable.
According to ESPN's Gordon Edes, the A's are very close to dealing left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez—and the Red Sox are one of the two finalists in the mix. Boston would likely have to part with number one prospect 3B Will Middlebrooks. Reportedly, the deal is imminent and is likely to happen on Thursday. Stay tuned to FenwayNation for the latest news on this big potential deal.
Like we needed to be reminded! According to WEEI.com, the latest from Yawkey Way is that the Red Sox are "not close on anything" regarding either free agents or trades. Apparently, this is to calm the masses who have been on the edge of their seats with all the hot rumors. The Red Sox continue to dole out the Kool-Aid by reminding us that they've picked up the likes of David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre in post-Christmas periods past. That's true, but they also locked up Curt Schilling over Thanksgiving dinner in the desert. This "patient" approach might be acceptable if there were one or two minor holes to fill. But we're talking Big Dig Sinkhole-sized voids here.
CBS Sports is engaging in a fascinating exercise this off-season: compiling what all 30 MLB teams would look like if they were comprised of just "homegrown" players. Here's how CBS sets it up:
According to several media reports, the Red Sox have abandoned their pursuit of Reds closer Francisco Cordero—mostly due to his age (36) and declining strike-out rate. Reportedly, Boston will now re-focus their efforts (we use that phrase loosely based on this off-season) on Ryan Madson (free agency) and Andrew Bailey (trade). If Bob McClure is really signing on as pitching coach, perhaps he can jump start the process of getting someone to work the 9th inning.
According to multiple reports the Red Sox are hot to land more starting pitching—despite the fact that they still have no legitimate closer. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman claims the Red Sox (along with the Orioles, Blue Jays, Rockies, Tigers and Rangers) are all interested in Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens. The soon-to-be 26-year old righty went 13-6 in 2011 with a stellar ERA of 2.96. In 152 innings he gave up only 142 hits. He does have some injury concerns, having only started 20 and 23 games in the last two years. He has a career winning percentage of 60% with an ERA of 3.40 over five seasons. If he is deemed healthy he would be a huge upgrade for the Red Sox in the fourth or fifth spot (depending upon where Bard fits in). This is trade the Red Sox should make. Something, anything, please!
Peter Gammons likes him and several reports suggest that Bob McClure will be the new Red Sox pitching coach. McClure pitched in the majors for 19 years, and has coached with a number of teams. He was pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals for six seasons. This is a long overdue move by Boston, since the most significant holes left on the 2012 team are pitching-related. Of course, this is not yet official, but needs to be consummated as soon as possible. What's the delay?
Baseball America now ranks third baseman Will Middlebrooks (pictured) as the organization's top prospect. Second on the list is the athletic Aruban SS Xander Bogaerts—who may actually also project as a third baseman down the road. Ryan Lavarnway, who had a nice run with the big club last year, is placed 9th on the list. Other players of note are power-hitting OF Bryce Brentz (5th) and RHP Anthony Ranaudo (4th).
Appearing on WEEI's Mut and Merloni Show, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine expressed a desire to meet face-to-face with Carl Crawford right after the New Year.
We're really searching for positive stuff to talk about this off-season. However, in another mind-boggling development, former Boston first baseman Bill Buckner will be heading back to Idaho and not coaching for the Red Sox. He'll be the new hitting coach for the Cubs' Single A affiliate Boise Hawks. Of course, the move is due to the resistance of the Red Sox ownership group to hire Buckner—as new manager Bobby V. wanted. Nice going, NOG. And kudos to new Chicago President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein.
FOX Sports has unearthed another possible closer target for the Red Sox—Seattle's Brandon League. Word is that if the Ms don't land Prince Fielder (please suppress your laughter here), they will likely deal League.
Well, you may have to wait for the identity of Boston's pitching coach, but both the bench and third coaches are now known quantities. Bobby Valentine announced that current third base coach Tim Bogar (pictured) will be the new bench coach. The rich panoply of third base coaches (Kim, Zimmer, Sveum, et. al) will now have one more—Jerry Royster (a good buddy of Bobby V.). Royster was interim manager for the Brewers in 2002 and lost 94 games.
It just gets weirder. In a WEEI interview today, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine announced that the team has hired a pitching coach—but they're not saying who that is. Hey, what's your problem? Just guess, OK? The rationale for the mystery is that a contract has not been finalized. Both Neil Allen and Brad Arnsberg have been mentioned as candidates. But, we'll just have to wait until Christmas to unwrap our new coach! In the meantime, the Nationals are apparently about to get Gio Gonzalez, the Rangers are getting Andrew Bailey and Beltran may be headed to the Cardinals. Who, us, negative? Nah.