The latest swirling rumor has Wells going to the West Coast in a three-way trade that would bring Jay Payton back to Boston.
The guy can play. He'd solve our CF and leadoff woes, but he did go ballistic last year to get what he wanted. Is that the sort of team guy for which the Sox are looking? It probably doesn't matter in the short term...
And another thing...I don't want to give up Marte for Julio Lugo...Let Cora play short...We have all sorts of infielders that can play all over the infield. Cora's bat isn't going to kill us. Heck, the Mets won it all with Rafael Santana playing short.
Payton
Loretta
Ortiz
Manny
Lowell
Varitek
Nixon
Youkilis
Cora
That's a damn good lineup and a very good defensive infield. It becomes an excellent fielding infield (the best in the AL?) when you put Snow in there.
Payton covers a lot of ground. I haven't seen enough of him to know whether or not he covers as much ground as Damon, but he has a much better arm ...So, at the very least, we are the same on defense in the outfield.
I'll go to battle with this team...Especially with the young arms waiting in the wings...
Speaking of which...just think...in '07 this is a legit possibility
3B Marte
SS Pedroia
Closer Hansen
Delcarmen
Papelbon
Lester
Nice.......
I am les concerned about Payton's attitude than I am his health. He's not that old, but look what playing CF in Fenway did to Damon.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Marte for Lugo idea, I am not sure I agree Grieves, Lugo is pretty frickin' sweet and he's only been in the league a couple of years.
I am a bit torn on Lugo for Marte. Lugo is good, but I worry about his ability to handle Boston. Plus he is a FA after 2006. So we may have traded Renteria and tons of cash for one year of Lugo?
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree that now that the Sox will keep Manny, Cora can be hidden a lot easier.
Marte for Lugo would be an absolutely horrific trade. Lugo and Renteria are essentially as valuable as one another, and Marte - a cost controlled top prospect who could be only slightly below David Wright in terms of production, is about three times as valuable as either of them. Not to mention that, given our inclusion of $11 mil to the Braves with Rent, we'd be paying Lugo a large amount of money overall, when we have an option in cora that's really not that far below him in terms of production, and probably higher in terms of defense. I can't for a moment believe that the FO is even slightly considering that move.
ReplyDeleteYes, I meant to basically say what Andrew did even though it came out as - I am a bit torn on Lugo for Marte.
ReplyDeleteWhile the D-Rays are terrible to deal with from what I read, I think the Sox should continue to talk with the D-Rays and let them keep asking for Marte, but as things get closer to spring training, maybe they will settle for a lesser prospect - maybe (MAYBE) someone like Shoppach. However, I'm not sure the D-Rays are smart enough (they haven't been in the past) to actually take a perceived $.50 on the dollar instead of getting nothing. Its all the Mets fault for trading them Kazmir.
Just does to show how much I know. I didn't realize Marte was that good!!!
ReplyDeleteIs Payton really a leadoff option, by the way? It doesn't always have to be the CF, as it turns out. My current choices, in order of preference, are Youk and Loretta, with whoever doesn't lead off batting in the 2 hole. They're both RHH, which is an issue, but not as much of one as having two LHH in a row.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Dinos, Marte is exactly that good. He's been towards the top of every prospect list in baseball for a couple years, and is as close to a sure thing as a prospect can be - patience, power, glove.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, no one said it HAD to be Payton leading off...Youk gets on a lot, and works the count, but he isn't exactly a speedster on the base paths, either. A station to station leadoff guy isn't the best option, either.
ReplyDeleteTruth is they don't have a prototype leadoff guy. If they got Lugo they wouldn't have that guy either...
They could trade for someone, but like I said, I'd rather them hold on to these young guys and go with Cora and Payton (if it takes only Wells to make it happen).
Grieve, I was just responding to Payton's placement there in the original post.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we don't have the prototypical guy, but we're also not going to get him from anyone, it would seem (even Jeremy Reed at this point in his career would be better served by being in the 9th spot). Youk or Loretta both work for me.
This is all, of course, if we get Payton.
ReplyDeleteI just think he slots nicely in to the leadoff spot. He's not the greatest, but Loretta may profit more from hitting in front of Ortiz. I haven't been able to find much about Loretta's baserunning except that "he is a true student of the game"...He was my fantasy league 2b two years ago and he crushed...I am psyched he is here...
Also, Youk hasn't had that much big league experience at this point in terms of at-bats. Hiding him somewhere in the order could really help him gain confidence. You are exposed as a leadoff hitter, I think.