Well, pretty much most of the championship team is gone...at least the whining part...Looking at who was available in the pitching area to trade, it is strange that Arroyo was the choice. He is pretty flexible and cheap...My guess is that the little noise he made when people started to get traded had something to do with this...
Sure, we still have Manny, but he doesn't lament about everyone leaving and how bad the front office is...Besides, they tried to train him.
And when will Damon make his comment on this? Come on, it is all there. Bronson signs the hometown discount and they trade him? That is why no one wants to play in Boston...blah, blah, blah...
Meanwhile the Sox still have an extra starter. So how does it round out?
Schilling
Beckett
Wakefield
Wells
Clement
Does Papelbon crack that group? Does he go to the pen so we don't have to see Seanez?
Speaking of the rotation...I am excited about it. That is a talented group.
I still think that Pena might get flipped to another team in a deal...The papers were saying that the Nationals loved him, but didn't have the pitching to offer Cincy...Could a deal be in the works there?
Seems a bit strange to get a right-handed hitter to platoon with Trot when Dustin Mohr is putting up decent numbers this spring. Maybe with Soriano still making noise about having to play the outfield, he'll be heading this way...Although, dumping a 24-year old not eligible for free agency until '08 with tremendous upside might not be the way to go...
With that said, can't see Trot here next year...
I will add more randomness when things occur to me.
Damon HAS made his comments known. It was in the Htfd. Courant today. I'll find it and be right back.
ReplyDeleteAs skeptical as I am about Pena, I'm very strongly against flipping him for Soriano. We have Pena for 3 years; Soriano would be a rental. Also, it's clear he has an attitude problem; he's 30; and he doesn't walk much more than Pena.
ReplyDeleteThe Damon stuff was not on the Courant website, but he said 'I just talked to him last night. He was excited about working out of the bullpen........I'm really upset for Bronson....I bought a house in Boston that I could not afford because they said we'll ger something done real soon. That was right after the '04 World Series. Obviously, that never happened. I felt the loyalty from them was gone." There was more, but it will turn up out there sometime today. Take care guys, and thanks for visiting my place from time to time. See ya...
ReplyDeleteYep, here it is. Nice prediction, GR. I'm shocked how quick that was. God, the Courant sucks even more than the Boston or New York papers -- they try to be both! We're going to be getting this all friggin' season, thanks to these guys.
ReplyDeleteI love this quote:
"I bought a house that I could not afford at the time, in Boston because they said, `We're going to keep you, we'll get something done real soon.' This was right after we won the World Series [in 2004]. Obviously, that never happened. After they didn't come to me during the [2005] season, my loyalty to them wasn't there anymore either. I felt the loyalty from them was gone. ..."
"Could not afford at the time?" Damon made EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS that year. I know the housing market in Boston's tough, but...
Damon bought a house that he couldn't afford? Who's fault is that? And how much could that have cost with the millions he was making? Even if he meant Bronson...Bronson's a millionaire, as well...not sure how that comment applies...
ReplyDeleteYes, I am against flipping Pena, too, but I have to think that something is in the works...Here's why:
They have Manny, Trot, and Coco...They have Dustin Mohr. Adam Stern has been impressive. They just traded for Pena (who has NO options because of his MLB experience so they can't send him down unless he agrees to it). They also just signed Juan Gone to a minor league contract.
That's a boat load of outfielders...
Honestly, I look at some of the log-jams and I think, "Man, they have a lot of guys for a few positions"...but then I guess that might be the plan. One thing is for certain...The Sox have way more depth than any team in their division.
But...
I'd like to see more in the 'pen.
Does this look right?
Timlin
Foulke
Seanez
Tavarez
Papelbon
Di Nardo
Am I missing someone?
Also, would he have been able to afford that house with the $10MM he was offered?
ReplyDeleteFunny, I don't make anywhere near $1MM/year and I can afford a house in the Boston area...Maybe I can become Damon's financial planner.
You're missing Riske. ("Well, Bob, I wouldn't say I'm missing him...") Then there's the young guys Lester, Hansen, Delcarmen. Seanez and Riske are terrible. Some of these guys (Papelbon, Lester, DiNardo) can start if/when guys in the rotation get hurt.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the glut of outfielders. With their impressive springs, maybe Mohr or Stern are tradeable?
I wonder if Pena can play 1st. Seriously. He has one game at 3rd(!), but if Lowell stinks, that would be a nice plan B.
Youk
ReplyDeleteLoretta
Gonzalez
Lowell
Manny
Crisp
Nixon
Varitek
Ortiz
That's 9...
Pena
Mohr
Bard
Stern
Cora
Graf
That's 15.
Would they go with only 10 pitchers? I don't think so...but I guess it is possible, at first, since there are not too many games in the first few weeks...
and
I think Stern only has a handful of games to play on the MLB level and then he can be sent to Pawtucket...That might be in the plans...
Right now, I count a bullpen about 11 deep in terms of guys that could conceivably open the year with the Sox. They are:
ReplyDeleteFoulke
Timlin
Tavarez
Seanez
Riske
Papelbon
DiNardo
Delcarmen
Hansen
Van Buren
Vermilyea
For 6 spots, I have very little problem with that depth... add Lester to the back of it as well, not to mention Tim Bausher, Cla Meredith, and even Edgar Martinez and you have a great mL base of of relief talent. I'm actually not very worried about the pen. Seanez I'd be happy to lose, but I think Riske will be a solid addition, despite his ST numbers. The real question is Foulke, and I think we have enough power arms stashed away to cover that eventuality. To be honest, the depth that worries me on this team is middle infield. I'm happy with most of the other stuff, but Graffanino will likely go somewhere at some point, and then our MI depth becomes Cora, Machado, Pedroia, and then... nothing. Probably nothing all the way down to Jed Lowrie. That's a bit scary.
Foulke
ReplyDeleteTimlin
Tavarez
Seanez
Riske
Papelbon
DiNardo
Delcarmen
Hansen
Van Buren
Vermilyea was returned for the rule 5.
I am not looking forward to the Sox riding their minor league pitchers for their bullpen. While they have a bunch of guys just about ready down there, if the front office really thought they were all ready for the bigs then they wouldn't have gotten a Seanez. Certainly I think some of them can contribute, but not all of them.
I think Gonzalez/Cora at SS is good...same can be said for Loretta/Cora at 2b. Machado is around, too. And who knows about Graf? I think they'll move him, but are there many teams looking for a starting 2b with no full seasons of starts at this point? I'd keep him around and get him some ABs...
Again, take a look at the competition and their depth. Who's the backup to Jeter? To A-Rod? To Cano? The Jays have 1 guys (Aaron Hill) listed as their backup 2b and SS. The Os: Gomez is listed as their back 2b, 3b, and SS. I am good with what we have...
Earl Earl Earl...The Courant HAS to try to be what the readers here in CT. represent. A 50-50 split for Sox/Yankee readers. And to blame the paper for quoting accurately an unhappy ex Red Sox. You're better than that. Jeez Louise!
ReplyDeleteI guess what I mean is: Johnny Damon didn't hold a press conference to discuss Arroyo. This was not a c case of Damon simply being quoted. Instead, some reporter, looking for an "angle", hopefully a juicy one, actively seeked Damon out, informed him about Arroyo, and got his immediate reaction, and presented it as a "scoop". These reporters all know Damon is extroverted/stupid enough to discuss anything with them; he's not going to mouth off on the Sox if he's not asked.
ReplyDeleteWe're going to be getting this type of story - "Damon's take on the Red Sox" - all season, if not longer. It's bad sports journalism, not to mention extremely annoying, for both Yankees and Sox fans. If it's the Courant writers that are doing that stuff, then sorry, I have no problems saying "they suck".
(And I feel I've been plenty harsh on the Boston and NY writers in the past, so this isn't a case of anti-Hartford bias.)
Yes there sure are some roster decisions to be made in the next ten days. Stern will most likely be kept until he satisfies his rule 5 requirements (about a month). T-graf will definitely be gone – either through a trade or the Sox will most likely cut him. With the off days, they can probably go with 10 pitchers for the first two weeks, but I guess they will go with 11. There will probably be a mystery injury or two at some point. I suppose the Sox could put Wells on the DL until he is due to make his first start. They can back date that one so that he can be activated around the 12th.
ReplyDeleteGR is certainly right about Trot being gone next year.
As for Pena and the strikeouts (in another post), sure Bellhorn caught hell in 2005, but if Pena put up the power numbers he is capable of (which are better than the ones Bellhorn had in 2004), then the fans should be placated a bit. Plus he is very, very young
I also could not agree more with Earl that any Soriano talk is nonsense. The guys is overrated and is going to look for top dollar next year. Actually, he is already getting top dollar. Things like the sox should trade for Sorianon makes for good talk radio, but would really be a bad move.
It is funny. Damon is just fueling the fire. Does he not want any fans except in NY anymore?
ReplyDeleteTo me, and this is just me talking here...I don't think he wants to be in NY. I think that he is angry at Boston for not signing him sooner. Of course, he went to take the money, but what all his comments scream is "I loved playing in Boston and nothing will ever match that experience".
Yes, he said that no one got along (in recent quotes), and that everyone hated management...But I doubt that. Certainly seemed like they enjoyed it...
Makes sense Earl. But the Courant is no Daily News or Boston
ReplyDeleteHerald, thank goodness.