The Red Sox have started off the trading deadline season by acquiring two left-handed power bats. Early in the morning they acquired Adam LaRoche from the Pirates for 2 minor leagures. DME called me and lied through his teeth that David Ortiz was getting shipped to Pitt. I knew he was lying cause Ortiz is better, cant play first base in the NL and makes no senses for the rebuilding Pirates. LaRoche is probably best known for being extremely ADD, causing him to have lapses in the field and leading to his departure from Atlanta. His only attribute is a career .220 isolated power making him a good bench guy. If the Sox feel Mike Lowell is useless, they can move Youkilis back to 3rd base and play LaRoche at first.
News broke that the Sox also traded Julio Lugo and his 4yr/36Mil corpse to the Cardinals for Dave Duncan's little boy Chris. Same deal as LaRoche, Duncan is a left handed power bat(.200 iso) who is a train wreck in the outfield. The two players should add some depth in the Dave Roberts/Willy Mo Pena mold.
Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts
The Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox, unlike the Yankees, made qualified upgrades to their team during the offseason. After trading out the temperamental Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay in 2008, their team has only got better. While you can easily argue that Manny is one of the top hitters in the game, his defense is substantially subpar. While Manny had a “great defensive year” in 2008, only being 3 runs below average defensively speaking, his career average is something in line with -20 or more runs, or -2 wins. Jason Bay on the other hand, despite being on a defensive ability decline (from being worth positive runs to negative runs in the last few years), isn’t projected to cost his team much more than a run defensively next season (especially at less than spacious Fenway). When you combine this with a strong, but slightly inferior, offensive skill set (Jason Bay is a .900+ OPS guy, compared to Manny’s 1.000 OPS abilities), you do not get much of a loss in overall contribution value in swapping Manny for Bay -- especially when you factor in that you never know which Manny Ramirez is going to play for you day by day.
The Red Sox spent much of the offseason investing in low-risk, high reward acquisitions like John Smoltz, Takashi Saito, Brad Penny and Rocco Baldelli. These players aren’t getting paid a whole lot but have enough upside, when healthy, to make huge contributions to their teams. For an example of this upside, we look at John Smoltz, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past two decades. Smoltz is projected to make his debut with the Red Sox sometime around July. If healthy, this would give the Red Sox a powerful, fresh arm down the final stretch of what is surely to be the most competitive divisional race in all of baseball. Rocco Baldelli, if healthy, would easily be one of the game’s best 4th outfielders. Brad Penny…well, no one really expects much from Brad Penny, whose entire career has been propped up by luck and strong first half starts that mask his late season collapses. Anything he does better than Tim Wakefield will be pure gravy. Then, of course, there is the always dominant ex-closer Saito, a non-tender from the Dodgers this year due to injury concerns. These guys, if healthy, will be very important come September.
Let’s not, however, forget the “those other guys” on the team, the prospects we have yet to see get in on the action full time. Clay Buchholz still has sick stuff and will surely get a chance to prove himself this year, if for no other reason to be traded to the Rangers mid-season for a catcher. There is also uber prospect Michael Bowden looming and dominating in AAA; expect to see him make an extended stint in the big show this year.
Oh yeah, there’s also reining MVP Dustin Pedroia, who, despite being incredibly overrated, is still valuable defensively (and offensively, provided he continues to smack line drives above a 20% clip). There is also the now-healthy (or so Theo Epstein claims) David Ortiz, who is just a fucking monster. Don’t expect the 40+ home run days of yore from him, but 30+ is still very reasonable. If Mike Lowell can’t stay healthy, Kevin Youkilis may have to slide back to third to make room for a guy like Lars Anderson -- the Red Sox’s #1 ranked prospect (who can’t be any worse than Lowell was in his limited plate appearances last year) -- to play first. I’m not a fan of JD Drew (injured, inconstant), but 25 year old Jacoby Ellsbury has show much defensive prowess in center and above average offensive skills at the plate and on the base paths that will only develop further as he enters his prime years.
All in all, you have to say the Red Sox not only have a great line up, but some great depth to protect the team against injury (especially in terms of pitching). I do not think, however, that the Red Sox have upgraded their 2009 team by a large enough margin to match or surpass the Rays offseason additions (and thus, I expect The Red Sox to be at least as “inferior” to the Rays in 2009 as they were in 2008 -- notice that word in quotes). On the other hand, I do think the Sox have increased their team by a better margin than the Bronx Bombers and see them as the team to beat for the AL Wildcard in 2009.
PLAYERS TO DRAFT:
o Jason Bay - The green monster may turn some of his HRs into doubles, but expect big RBI totals from the man who replaced ManRam now that he's out of Pittsburgh; 30 HRs, 110 RBI, 100 R, 900 OPS all possible.
o David Ortiz - Coming off a season plagued with injuries, the question is will Papi be healthy in 2009? If so, he could easily rack up 35 HRs, 110 RBI, 100 Rs and a .285 average at a discounted price.
o Jacoby Ellsbury - In one word, underrated. Ellsbury is 3 category guy who can rack up steals without hurting your team somehow. 30+ SB, .290+ AVG, 100 R, 10 HR all possible.
o Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon - Nothing that is not already known needs to be said about these guys.
OVERRATED GUYS:
o JD Drew - Inconsistent in production and health. Not worth the risk (or headache).
o John Lester- Great PR story (guy battles cancer, comes back to throw a no-no), but most of his 2008 numbers were based on luck. 4.13 career FIP and 78% LOB last year indicate impending regression. 4+ ERA, 88 BB, 160 K, 1.4 WHIP more likely than last year's 3.21/66/152/1.27 line.
o Dice-K - His 2.9 ERA and 128 hits in 168 IP were nice, but 5.05 BB/9 and 4.03 FIP are not. Expect some serious regression from Dice-K as those control issues come back to bite him big time this year. Definately not worth a top 10 pick, even for the Ks.
o Dustin Pedroia - Something about an MVP who can't hit 20 HRs in unsatisfying. While undeniably useful as 5 category 2B last year, his increasing GB/FB ratio and declining BB% are worrisome. With a strong LD% and speed, his high AVG should persist, but don't expect anything above 15 HRs. Considering that all but a few second basemen are second tier, it's not worth wasting a third round pick on a 2B (unless you get Kinlser or Utley at a ridiculous discount) when you can have the negligibly worse Mark DeRosa 12 rounds later.
o Kevin Youkilis - Anyone who reads this blog by now should know how overrated I think The Greek God Of Walks is. For a length explanation of why, you can checkout my comments in this post. Otherwise, let's just leave it at the fact that 2009 was a career fluke for the guy who never before posted more than 18 HRs or a +.170 ISO in a season at ANY level.
GUYS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
o John Smoltz - When healthy, he's downright filthy. Should make his debut after the All-Star break.
The Red Sox spent much of the offseason investing in low-risk, high reward acquisitions like John Smoltz, Takashi Saito, Brad Penny and Rocco Baldelli. These players aren’t getting paid a whole lot but have enough upside, when healthy, to make huge contributions to their teams. For an example of this upside, we look at John Smoltz, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past two decades. Smoltz is projected to make his debut with the Red Sox sometime around July. If healthy, this would give the Red Sox a powerful, fresh arm down the final stretch of what is surely to be the most competitive divisional race in all of baseball. Rocco Baldelli, if healthy, would easily be one of the game’s best 4th outfielders. Brad Penny…well, no one really expects much from Brad Penny, whose entire career has been propped up by luck and strong first half starts that mask his late season collapses. Anything he does better than Tim Wakefield will be pure gravy. Then, of course, there is the always dominant ex-closer Saito, a non-tender from the Dodgers this year due to injury concerns. These guys, if healthy, will be very important come September.
Let’s not, however, forget the “those other guys” on the team, the prospects we have yet to see get in on the action full time. Clay Buchholz still has sick stuff and will surely get a chance to prove himself this year, if for no other reason to be traded to the Rangers mid-season for a catcher. There is also uber prospect Michael Bowden looming and dominating in AAA; expect to see him make an extended stint in the big show this year.
Oh yeah, there’s also reining MVP Dustin Pedroia, who, despite being incredibly overrated, is still valuable defensively (and offensively, provided he continues to smack line drives above a 20% clip). There is also the now-healthy (or so Theo Epstein claims) David Ortiz, who is just a fucking monster. Don’t expect the 40+ home run days of yore from him, but 30+ is still very reasonable. If Mike Lowell can’t stay healthy, Kevin Youkilis may have to slide back to third to make room for a guy like Lars Anderson -- the Red Sox’s #1 ranked prospect (who can’t be any worse than Lowell was in his limited plate appearances last year) -- to play first. I’m not a fan of JD Drew (injured, inconstant), but 25 year old Jacoby Ellsbury has show much defensive prowess in center and above average offensive skills at the plate and on the base paths that will only develop further as he enters his prime years.
All in all, you have to say the Red Sox not only have a great line up, but some great depth to protect the team against injury (especially in terms of pitching). I do not think, however, that the Red Sox have upgraded their 2009 team by a large enough margin to match or surpass the Rays offseason additions (and thus, I expect The Red Sox to be at least as “inferior” to the Rays in 2009 as they were in 2008 -- notice that word in quotes). On the other hand, I do think the Sox have increased their team by a better margin than the Bronx Bombers and see them as the team to beat for the AL Wildcard in 2009.
PLAYERS TO DRAFT:
o Jason Bay - The green monster may turn some of his HRs into doubles, but expect big RBI totals from the man who replaced ManRam now that he's out of Pittsburgh; 30 HRs, 110 RBI, 100 R, 900 OPS all possible.
o David Ortiz - Coming off a season plagued with injuries, the question is will Papi be healthy in 2009? If so, he could easily rack up 35 HRs, 110 RBI, 100 Rs and a .285 average at a discounted price.
o Jacoby Ellsbury - In one word, underrated. Ellsbury is 3 category guy who can rack up steals without hurting your team somehow. 30+ SB, .290+ AVG, 100 R, 10 HR all possible.
o Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon - Nothing that is not already known needs to be said about these guys.
OVERRATED GUYS:
o JD Drew - Inconsistent in production and health. Not worth the risk (or headache).
o John Lester- Great PR story (guy battles cancer, comes back to throw a no-no), but most of his 2008 numbers were based on luck. 4.13 career FIP and 78% LOB last year indicate impending regression. 4+ ERA, 88 BB, 160 K, 1.4 WHIP more likely than last year's 3.21/66/152/1.27 line.
o Dice-K - His 2.9 ERA and 128 hits in 168 IP were nice, but 5.05 BB/9 and 4.03 FIP are not. Expect some serious regression from Dice-K as those control issues come back to bite him big time this year. Definately not worth a top 10 pick, even for the Ks.
o Dustin Pedroia - Something about an MVP who can't hit 20 HRs in unsatisfying. While undeniably useful as 5 category 2B last year, his increasing GB/FB ratio and declining BB% are worrisome. With a strong LD% and speed, his high AVG should persist, but don't expect anything above 15 HRs. Considering that all but a few second basemen are second tier, it's not worth wasting a third round pick on a 2B (unless you get Kinlser or Utley at a ridiculous discount) when you can have the negligibly worse Mark DeRosa 12 rounds later.
o Kevin Youkilis - Anyone who reads this blog by now should know how overrated I think The Greek God Of Walks is. For a length explanation of why, you can checkout my comments in this post. Otherwise, let's just leave it at the fact that 2009 was a career fluke for the guy who never before posted more than 18 HRs or a +.170 ISO in a season at ANY level.
GUYS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
o John Smoltz - When healthy, he's downright filthy. Should make his debut after the All-Star break.
Boston Red Sox v. Tampa Bay Rays
Originally I was going to start this post off by saying the Yankees would win the division and this post was dedicated to who would win the AL Wild Card but with no bullpen and no pitching depth and injury risks to Chien-Minh Wang, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, I'd actually say this division is up for grabs. While I still think the Yankees are going to to win the division, here's my "Wild Card" prediction by match ups. A Yankees/Red Sox match up has already been done so I'm going to do Rays/Red Sox
Catcher
Dioneer Navarro v Jason Varitek.
An old washed up player who has trouble getting his OBS over .300 in recent days versus an young up and coming stud. Maybe if this was Veritek a few years ago, I'd go with him, but this is not the Veritek of old, this is the Veritek who is 36/37 years old
Winner: Rays
First Base
Carlos Pena v Kevin Youkilis
Since Kevin "The Greek God of Walks" Youkilis' rookie season, he has never had an OBS under .381. However Pena is no stranger to walking either having an OBS the past two years of .411 and .377. Pena has also had more HRs than Youkilis of last dinging 46 two years ago and 31 last year versus Youk's 16 two years ago and 29 last year. But Youk has had more plate appearance than Pena, who is the past twp years has maxed out at 490 ABs. Youk is also getting better and better as the years roll on, was 4th in the AL in OBS last year, and is much younger than Pena who seems to be inconsistent and showing his age. It's because of this that Youk wins over Pena, but not by much.
Winner: Red Sox
Second Base
Akinori Iwamura v Dustin Pedroia
Iwamura, in his two seasons in MLB has had an OBS of .359 and .349. Pedroia, in his essentially two seasons have had a OBS of .380 and .376. Pedroia has a better career OPS+, SLG, HR, and SB%.
Winner: Red Sox
Shortstop:
Jason Bartlett v Jed Lowrie
In five season, Bartlett's career OPS+ is 85. I actually am not quite sure how to read defensive stats on baseballreference.com, but because he's a former Twins, and from what I've heard, he's a darn good defender. Lowrie only has a handful of starts under his belt, but his minor league numbers shows he has plate discipline but little to no power. I also don't know anything about his defense but I assume because he's a Red Sox it's pretty good. This match up is pretty bad but I'm going to give it to Lowrie because I think he can get on base in the pros
Winner: Red Sox
Third Base
Evan Longoria v Mike Lowell
I don't even need to look up the players stats to know just how awesome Longoria is and just how average Lowell is
Winner: Rays
Left Field
Carl Crawford v Jason Bay
Crawford has a career OBS+ of 101 but is a damn fine base stealer. Unfortunately his career OBS is .330 and he's injury prone. Bay has a career OPS+ of 131, can hit 30+ HRs a year. Bay walks and has power, what more do you want out of a player?
Winner: Red Sox
Center Field
B.J. Upton v Jacoby Ellsbury
More are young guys known for stealing bases. Upton has a better OBS than Ellsbury. But Ellsbury steals more bases and (although limited sample size) at a better rate. Upton has more power capabilities hitting 24 two years ago but last year only had 9. In his four season, Upton's OPS+ is above 100 versus Ellsbuy's which is not. Therefore, I give the edge to Upton. Plus, BJ stands for Bossman Junior
Winner: Rays
Right Field
Matt Joyce v J.D. Drew
Joyce is young and has some pop but doesn't have the best plate discipline. J.D. can walk and has power but is old and can be inconsistent. However, Drew has proven to be awesome and healthy and he was that last year. I think Joyce will be better than Drew soon, but not next year.
Winner: Red Sox
DH
Pat Burrell v Big Papi
Ortiz' career OPS+ is 138 versus Burrell's 119. Ortiz has has seasons of 40-50 HRs and Burrell has never gotten above 33 in the past 6 years. However Ortiz seems to be on the decline, doesn't have Manny hitting behind him, and now is facing steroid allegations. But Burrell isn't without his faults either having streaks of amazingness and streaks of shittiness giving him just above average total numbers. If Burrell could consistently hold his career numbers I'd give him this one but it's just so hard to.
Winner: Red Sox
Bullpen
Dan Wheeler v Jonathan Papelbon
Troy Pervical v Hideki Okajima
The best closer in the game and one of the leagues best set up man versus two old guys. No question
Winner: Red Sox
Rotation
James Shields v Josh Beckett
Beckett's career ERA+ is 116 versus Shields 114. Shields ERA+ is rising every year versus Beckett who can be amazing (2007- 145)or just his normal self (2008- 115). Josh Beckett can be amazing but Shields is younger and will probably be better than Beckett NEXT year.
Winner: Rays
Scott Kazmir v Jon Lester
Both are about the same age but Kazmir has two more years on Lester. Both essentially have the same ERA+. Kazmir edges Lester is K/BB ratio because he can strike out guys but Lester seems to be getting better and better every year and able to (unlike Kazmir) able to be a big game pitcher. It's for this that I barely give the edge to Lester
Winner: Red Sox
Matt Garza v Dice-K
Both essentially have been in the league the same amount of time and essentially have the same K/BB ratio. Dice-K strikes out a lot of guys but also walks a lot of guys. Garza steadily have had an ERA+ of 118 the past two year versus the streaky Dice-K- because in his first year he had an ERA+ of 108 but 159 last year! Dice-K is in his prime but Garza is younger. Because Dice-K can strike guys out and because he IS in his prime and has shown to be great (4th in Cy Young voting last year) and can be GREAT, I'm going to give this one to Dice-K, but another really close one
Winner: Red Sox
Andy Sonnanstine v Brad Penny
Penny has actually sucked in his overall stint in LA and Sonnanstine is young and should only get better. But last year is ERA was mid 4.00 with a 102 ERA+. But because he is younger and Penny last year SUUUUUCCKKKKEEDDD, the young guy beats the old dude.
Winner: Rays
David Price v John Smoltz
I question if both can finish the season next year. Last year in the playoffs Price was sick and his stuff looked amazing. On the other hand, when Smoltz was healthy, he was one of the best pitchers in the game. Smoltz actually doesn't have to pitch everyday and will be on a need by/ if-he-can-pitch basis. When he can't pitch, Tim Wakefield will pitch for him in that case Price will have the edge. But Price is too much of a wild card for me to pick him right now.
Winner: Red Sox
Totals:
Red Sox: 10
Rays: 5
I think the Red Sox have better players overall, are more experienced, have one of the best bullpen's in baseball, a deep rotation, a strong organization, a deep farm system, and a great GM that I have a hard time believing that the Red Sox won't make the playoffs
Catcher
Dioneer Navarro v Jason Varitek.
An old washed up player who has trouble getting his OBS over .300 in recent days versus an young up and coming stud. Maybe if this was Veritek a few years ago, I'd go with him, but this is not the Veritek of old, this is the Veritek who is 36/37 years old
Winner: Rays
First Base
Carlos Pena v Kevin Youkilis
Since Kevin "The Greek God of Walks" Youkilis' rookie season, he has never had an OBS under .381. However Pena is no stranger to walking either having an OBS the past two years of .411 and .377. Pena has also had more HRs than Youkilis of last dinging 46 two years ago and 31 last year versus Youk's 16 two years ago and 29 last year. But Youk has had more plate appearance than Pena, who is the past twp years has maxed out at 490 ABs. Youk is also getting better and better as the years roll on, was 4th in the AL in OBS last year, and is much younger than Pena who seems to be inconsistent and showing his age. It's because of this that Youk wins over Pena, but not by much.
Winner: Red Sox
Second Base
Akinori Iwamura v Dustin Pedroia
Iwamura, in his two seasons in MLB has had an OBS of .359 and .349. Pedroia, in his essentially two seasons have had a OBS of .380 and .376. Pedroia has a better career OPS+, SLG, HR, and SB%.
Winner: Red Sox
Shortstop:
Jason Bartlett v Jed Lowrie
In five season, Bartlett's career OPS+ is 85. I actually am not quite sure how to read defensive stats on baseballreference.com, but because he's a former Twins, and from what I've heard, he's a darn good defender. Lowrie only has a handful of starts under his belt, but his minor league numbers shows he has plate discipline but little to no power. I also don't know anything about his defense but I assume because he's a Red Sox it's pretty good. This match up is pretty bad but I'm going to give it to Lowrie because I think he can get on base in the pros
Winner: Red Sox
Third Base
Evan Longoria v Mike Lowell
I don't even need to look up the players stats to know just how awesome Longoria is and just how average Lowell is
Winner: Rays
Left Field
Carl Crawford v Jason Bay
Crawford has a career OBS+ of 101 but is a damn fine base stealer. Unfortunately his career OBS is .330 and he's injury prone. Bay has a career OPS+ of 131, can hit 30+ HRs a year. Bay walks and has power, what more do you want out of a player?
Winner: Red Sox
Center Field
B.J. Upton v Jacoby Ellsbury
More are young guys known for stealing bases. Upton has a better OBS than Ellsbury. But Ellsbury steals more bases and (although limited sample size) at a better rate. Upton has more power capabilities hitting 24 two years ago but last year only had 9. In his four season, Upton's OPS+ is above 100 versus Ellsbuy's which is not. Therefore, I give the edge to Upton. Plus, BJ stands for Bossman Junior
Winner: Rays
Right Field
Matt Joyce v J.D. Drew
Joyce is young and has some pop but doesn't have the best plate discipline. J.D. can walk and has power but is old and can be inconsistent. However, Drew has proven to be awesome and healthy and he was that last year. I think Joyce will be better than Drew soon, but not next year.
Winner: Red Sox
DH
Pat Burrell v Big Papi
Ortiz' career OPS+ is 138 versus Burrell's 119. Ortiz has has seasons of 40-50 HRs and Burrell has never gotten above 33 in the past 6 years. However Ortiz seems to be on the decline, doesn't have Manny hitting behind him, and now is facing steroid allegations. But Burrell isn't without his faults either having streaks of amazingness and streaks of shittiness giving him just above average total numbers. If Burrell could consistently hold his career numbers I'd give him this one but it's just so hard to.
Winner: Red Sox
Bullpen
Dan Wheeler v Jonathan Papelbon
Troy Pervical v Hideki Okajima
The best closer in the game and one of the leagues best set up man versus two old guys. No question
Winner: Red Sox
Rotation
James Shields v Josh Beckett
Beckett's career ERA+ is 116 versus Shields 114. Shields ERA+ is rising every year versus Beckett who can be amazing (2007- 145)or just his normal self (2008- 115). Josh Beckett can be amazing but Shields is younger and will probably be better than Beckett NEXT year.
Winner: Rays
Scott Kazmir v Jon Lester
Both are about the same age but Kazmir has two more years on Lester. Both essentially have the same ERA+. Kazmir edges Lester is K/BB ratio because he can strike out guys but Lester seems to be getting better and better every year and able to (unlike Kazmir) able to be a big game pitcher. It's for this that I barely give the edge to Lester
Winner: Red Sox
Matt Garza v Dice-K
Both essentially have been in the league the same amount of time and essentially have the same K/BB ratio. Dice-K strikes out a lot of guys but also walks a lot of guys. Garza steadily have had an ERA+ of 118 the past two year versus the streaky Dice-K- because in his first year he had an ERA+ of 108 but 159 last year! Dice-K is in his prime but Garza is younger. Because Dice-K can strike guys out and because he IS in his prime and has shown to be great (4th in Cy Young voting last year) and can be GREAT, I'm going to give this one to Dice-K, but another really close one
Winner: Red Sox
Andy Sonnanstine v Brad Penny
Penny has actually sucked in his overall stint in LA and Sonnanstine is young and should only get better. But last year is ERA was mid 4.00 with a 102 ERA+. But because he is younger and Penny last year SUUUUUCCKKKKEEDDD, the young guy beats the old dude.
Winner: Rays
David Price v John Smoltz
I question if both can finish the season next year. Last year in the playoffs Price was sick and his stuff looked amazing. On the other hand, when Smoltz was healthy, he was one of the best pitchers in the game. Smoltz actually doesn't have to pitch everyday and will be on a need by/ if-he-can-pitch basis. When he can't pitch, Tim Wakefield will pitch for him in that case Price will have the edge. But Price is too much of a wild card for me to pick him right now.
Winner: Red Sox
Totals:
Red Sox: 10
Rays: 5
I think the Red Sox have better players overall, are more experienced, have one of the best bullpen's in baseball, a deep rotation, a strong organization, a deep farm system, and a great GM that I have a hard time believing that the Red Sox won't make the playoffs
Really Boston Red Sox? Really!?
Here's an article I found on yahoosports.com. Normally I wouldn't care about anything related to what yahoosports.com opinion is ON sports because it's normally so bad but this was is just an AP article ON yahoosports.com so it's OK
Boston owner John Henry renews salary cap callReally!? You, of all owners want to eliminate team spending!? From the team that spent $50 million dollars just to talk to Dice-K? From the team that spent the fourth most out of any team in baseball last year? From the team that normally is the #2 highest spending team? From the team that's smart enough to know it's not about how much money you spend but how wisely you spent it? From a team that HAS wisely spent money on good players? From the team that has Bill James on their payroll? From the team that just saw the Tampa Bay Rays win their division and just saw the New York Yankees miss the playoffs? This team is calling for a salary cap? Really!? Wow. Good luck with that chief.
By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)—Boston Red Sox owner John Henry is renewing his call for a baseball salary cap.
He says he thinks all owners would support an “enlightened” salary cap to improve competitive balance and that players might agree. He did not give details.
Henry’s call came Wednesday at spring training after the New York Yankees signed three free agents for a total of $423.5 million during the offseason. The Red Sox gave out much shorter and cheaper deals.
Exactly five years earlier, Henry called for a salary cap when the Yankees obtained Alex Rodriguez in a trade with Texas after the Red Sox failed to complete a trade for him.
At that time, he advocated a cap to deal with a team that he said has far more resources than any other team.
Curt Schilling Needs A Life
Curt Schilling is quite possibly the most annoying baseball player in the game. He is a rigid moralist (if I hear him brag about how he didn't take steroids to be the player he is/was one more time, I might have to make another post) with an opinion on everything. I literally mean everything. The presidential election, the Iraq War, his superior grammar skills, etc. He also sometimes just blogs about how many MLB rings he has.
In today's blogpost, Schilling basically says what I said yesterday about the Yankees signing of Mark Teixeira being overrated, only with a "we are just as good as the Yanks without Tex" attitude.
Two words, Schilling: as if.
Let's compare 25 men rosters:
1B: Youkilis vs Teixeira -- The Yankees win this matchup because while both first baseman are patient sluggers with relatively high batting averages (if you are into that sort of statistic), Tex clearly has more power (30+ HRs vs 20+)
2B: Pedroia vs Cano -- The Red Sox win this one if Cano continues his career with his 2008 numbers instead of his 2006/2007 numbers. If Cano were to "bounce back," however, he would be a formidible comparison to Pedroia, given his double digit HR power, more-than-competent ability to make contact and well-above-average defense.
SS: Jeter vs Lugo -- Despite his hugely overrated status and steady decline-in-ability as he is aging, Jeter is clearly better than Lugo in all categories other than defense (sabermetrically speaking, Jeter was rated the worst defensive SS in the game last year). Just look at their offensive numbers.
3B: A-rod vs Mike Lowell -- Yankees win this one with no question. A-Rod is one of the best baseball players of all-time and Mike Lowell is old, oft-injured and inconsistent.
OF1: Jason Bay vs Xavier Nady -- The Red Sox win this one because Bay is a 30 HR power guy with a career OPS that hovers around .900. However, Nady, until recently, was utilized as a utility guy throughout his career (much like Mark DeRosa). It took until last year to show what he's capable of doing (and it's actually pretty damn good).
CF: Ellsbury vs Swisher -- This one is a tie, in my opinion. While Ellsbury is clearly the better defender (if for no reason other than the ability to run at fly balls competently), Swisher is clearly more valuable (where it counts) offensively. Besides, Swisher really isn't an outfielder. He's more of a 1B/DH.
OF2: JD Drew vs Johnny "Ex-Sox" Damon -- This one again goes to the Yankees because Damon still walks, smacks extra-base hits and is, above all, consistent. Drew has some great ability but it often comes and goes in streaks. That's all and good for a 162 game season (sample size), but nothing to brag about come playoff time.
DH: Matsui vs Ortiz -- Both are health risks as of late, but Ortiz is clearly the better player in terms of power (which is what you want in a DH). Match point goes to the Red Sox.
SP1: Beckett vs Sabathia -- In 2009, Sabathia's arm will probably fall off, but Beckett is just as likely to get a sidelining blister on his index finger. Assuming both stay healthy, however, Sabathia's career and potential is clearly more distinguished (more K's, less HRs) and more consistent.
SP2: Dice-K vs AJ Burnett -- The Yankees win here if AJ stays healthy because Dice-K's walk rate is going to eventually bite him in the ass. Both have nasty stuff, however, and you could give a good arguement that this one is a toss up.
SP3: Wang vs Lester -- Yanks sweep this matchup, as Wang pitches like an ace. Want is great at inducing ground balls and not walking people, while Lester is just an above-average middle-of-the-rotation kind of guy.
SP4: Joba vs Tim Wakefield -- Considering how good and young Joba is and how old and not-very-good Wakefield is, I'm giving this matchup to the Yankees.
SP5: Phil Hughes vs Clay Buchholz -- The winner of this matchup is indeterminant because both are young pitchers with much hype, great stuff and tons of potential but very limited proven success in the majors. They can either be the next Roy Oswalt or the next Daniel Cabrera. Only time will tell
Relief Core: The Red Sox have a leg up on the Yankees in this category given their profound pitching depth.
CL: Rivera vs Papelbon -- While Papelbon will probably be great for many years to come and Mo Rivers is on his way out of the game, they both posses equally great talent. I have to give the edge to Mo and the Yankees, however, given Rivera's sheer experience in the majors.
All said and done, it's clear that the Yankees pretty much have better team all around. Outside of the DH position, second base and a corner outfield position, the Yankees have equally good, if not better, players at every turn. Despite his comment that he is "glad Youk is staying at first and Mike is at third," there is no way in hell he could look me in the eye and say Youk wouldn't be a better 3B than Lowell and Tex wouldn't be a better 1B than Youk. Such a claim defies all logic and reason.
In today's blogpost, Schilling basically says what I said yesterday about the Yankees signing of Mark Teixeira being overrated, only with a "we are just as good as the Yanks without Tex" attitude.
Two words, Schilling: as if.
Let's compare 25 men rosters:
1B: Youkilis vs Teixeira -- The Yankees win this matchup because while both first baseman are patient sluggers with relatively high batting averages (if you are into that sort of statistic), Tex clearly has more power (30+ HRs vs 20+)
2B: Pedroia vs Cano -- The Red Sox win this one if Cano continues his career with his 2008 numbers instead of his 2006/2007 numbers. If Cano were to "bounce back," however, he would be a formidible comparison to Pedroia, given his double digit HR power, more-than-competent ability to make contact and well-above-average defense.
SS: Jeter vs Lugo -- Despite his hugely overrated status and steady decline-in-ability as he is aging, Jeter is clearly better than Lugo in all categories other than defense (sabermetrically speaking, Jeter was rated the worst defensive SS in the game last year). Just look at their offensive numbers.
3B: A-rod vs Mike Lowell -- Yankees win this one with no question. A-Rod is one of the best baseball players of all-time and Mike Lowell is old, oft-injured and inconsistent.
OF1: Jason Bay vs Xavier Nady -- The Red Sox win this one because Bay is a 30 HR power guy with a career OPS that hovers around .900. However, Nady, until recently, was utilized as a utility guy throughout his career (much like Mark DeRosa). It took until last year to show what he's capable of doing (and it's actually pretty damn good).
CF: Ellsbury vs Swisher -- This one is a tie, in my opinion. While Ellsbury is clearly the better defender (if for no reason other than the ability to run at fly balls competently), Swisher is clearly more valuable (where it counts) offensively. Besides, Swisher really isn't an outfielder. He's more of a 1B/DH.
OF2: JD Drew vs Johnny "Ex-Sox" Damon -- This one again goes to the Yankees because Damon still walks, smacks extra-base hits and is, above all, consistent. Drew has some great ability but it often comes and goes in streaks. That's all and good for a 162 game season (sample size), but nothing to brag about come playoff time.
DH: Matsui vs Ortiz -- Both are health risks as of late, but Ortiz is clearly the better player in terms of power (which is what you want in a DH). Match point goes to the Red Sox.
SP1: Beckett vs Sabathia -- In 2009, Sabathia's arm will probably fall off, but Beckett is just as likely to get a sidelining blister on his index finger. Assuming both stay healthy, however, Sabathia's career and potential is clearly more distinguished (more K's, less HRs) and more consistent.
SP2: Dice-K vs AJ Burnett -- The Yankees win here if AJ stays healthy because Dice-K's walk rate is going to eventually bite him in the ass. Both have nasty stuff, however, and you could give a good arguement that this one is a toss up.
SP3: Wang vs Lester -- Yanks sweep this matchup, as Wang pitches like an ace. Want is great at inducing ground balls and not walking people, while Lester is just an above-average middle-of-the-rotation kind of guy.
SP4: Joba vs Tim Wakefield -- Considering how good and young Joba is and how old and not-very-good Wakefield is, I'm giving this matchup to the Yankees.
SP5: Phil Hughes vs Clay Buchholz -- The winner of this matchup is indeterminant because both are young pitchers with much hype, great stuff and tons of potential but very limited proven success in the majors. They can either be the next Roy Oswalt or the next Daniel Cabrera. Only time will tell
Relief Core: The Red Sox have a leg up on the Yankees in this category given their profound pitching depth.
CL: Rivera vs Papelbon -- While Papelbon will probably be great for many years to come and Mo Rivers is on his way out of the game, they both posses equally great talent. I have to give the edge to Mo and the Yankees, however, given Rivera's sheer experience in the majors.
All said and done, it's clear that the Yankees pretty much have better team all around. Outside of the DH position, second base and a corner outfield position, the Yankees have equally good, if not better, players at every turn. Despite his comment that he is "glad Youk is staying at first and Mike is at third," there is no way in hell he could look me in the eye and say Youk wouldn't be a better 3B than Lowell and Tex wouldn't be a better 1B than Youk. Such a claim defies all logic and reason.
