Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

[Beantown]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Dale Sveum, the Red Sox' third base coach for the last two seasons, was
today named third base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Good riddance. Thanks for so much..

Ya know, costing us countless runs, etc.

[deeman11747]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Dale Sveum, the Red Sox' third base coach for the last two seasons, was
today named third base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Damnit!!!!

[Misfit]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Red Sox have offerred the Mets Manny Ramirez for Carlos Beltran. I'm not sure what I think of that. If it were to happen I think Beltran would just end up where Manny is now with management trying to trade him every offseason..

[Stu]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Bog Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Red Sox have offerred the Mets Manny Ramirez for Carlos Beltran. I'm not sure what I think of that. If it were to happen I think Beltran would just end up where Manny is now with management trying to trade him every offseason..

I don't understand the logic of trading one bad contract for another. I think they should try to revisit that Manny for Huff, Cameron and a reliever deal. This would free up some money and allow them to make a strong push for Konerko. I think TB would be more willing to part with Huff for less now that its the offseason. The only issue for the Sox would be Cameron's health.

[CWood2]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I don't understand the logic of trading one bad contract for another. I think they should try to revisit that Manny for Huff, Cameron and a reliever deal. This would free up some money and allow them to make a strong push for Konerko. I think TB would be more willing to part with Huff for less now that its the offseason. The only issue for the Sox would be Cameron's health.

Especially when the contract we get in return for Manny has 5 or 6 years left at $16 or so mil (off the top of my head, but about twice as long as what Manny has left)...how does that help us??

I'm now fully convinced that the Red Sox are determined to get rid of Manny simply because THERE IS NO FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY TO GAIN if we consider a deal like that. We couldn't even go after a Konerko or a Glaus, and then Ortiz is unprotected? If we could get a Lastings Milledge involved, maybe I'd be more understanding.

[GBrushTWood]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Two things have me fairly concerned about the future of the Boston Red Sox:

1) Theo Epstein has not been re-signed yet.

2) Rumors about Manny Ramirez being traded persist.

If either one of the above items continue to their completion (i.e. - Theo bolting), I think this team is in a lot of trouble, because I truly believe whomever is initiating these efforts (Larry Lucchino) is not thinking in the interest of winning baseball games.

[Misfit]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I agree, I question their motivation towards winning ballgames. That should come before financial flexibility. They can win with Manny, and I'm not sure they can win with Ortiz. I would prefer to have Lucchino out of player involvements and give Theo all of the authority he deserves. Lucchino has a way of screwing things up (though I suppose we should be happy he messed up the Arod deal a few years ago) and he opens his mouth when he shouldn't (like with the Ramirez trade rumors). I don't think he's the type players like having around.

[Stu]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

This is from Gammons:

"Their feeling is that with so much money floating around the industry and so few free quality free agents, Ramirez's contract -- three years remaining at a present-day value of slightly more than $17 million -- will not be that bad come spring training. Also, while Ramirez is unpredictable and sometimes had hustle lapses, he has played 150 or more games three straight seasons, bettered in Red Sox history by only Frank Malzone (7), Carl Yastrzemski (5), Jim Rice and Dwight Evans (4 each)."

Apparently Manny's agent says his preference would be Anaheim or Cleveland and that he does not want to go to the Mets. His agent is meeting with John Henry next week, but its not definite Manny is asking to be traded again.

[GBrushTWood]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

More good news...

David Wells requested a trade out of Boston and to West Coast Team X.

Does anybody else have a bad feeling about this off season? I have a bad feeling we're going to start seeing the end of the "fun loving happy goofy clubhouse" and the beginning of a "grouchy, pissed off, business like clubhouse" due to guys like Millar, Damon, and Manny not being around in 2006.
If you asked me today, October 21, whether the Red Sox management knows what they're doing, I'd tell you it's doubtful. I hope I'm proven wrong, but I just can't shake the feeling that the 2003-2005 team will be remembered as the golden era, and the future is going to be filled with "payroll flexibility" teams. After all, there is a trophy awarded to most wins per dollar spent, right?

Of course, I'm not arguing to spend $50M on Johnny Damon, but not to putz around with top talent like Ramirez when he is slightly overpaid.

[Misfit]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I don't mind Wells leaving. I think he's a solid starter at this point in his career but the Sox have too many starters right now so getting rid of one (especially one over 40) isn't too bad. A rotation of Schilling, Clement, Wakefield, Arroyo and Papelbon still isn't too formidable though.

[geigerm]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I wouldn't be surprised to see Arroyo go, too, if the Sox sign Burnett (or trade Manny and get pitching in return, which would be stupid). But getting rid of Wells can only be a good thing if they can pull it off. Hopefully Schilling will be healthy all year, and nobody will hit Clement in the head with a batted ball this year.

Of course, all of this is moot until Theo re-signs ...

[GBrushTWood]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I'm amazed at how many people think moving Wells is a good move. You pretty much know what you're getting from Wells. I can't say the same about any other pitcher in the starting rotation. Also, there's less than 1% chance in hell that a rotation of Schilling, Clement, Arroyo, Wakefield, and Papelbon make it through 162 games. There needs to be far more depth. Basically, I want to see Papelbon starting the season in the bullpen with 5 other solid options in the rotation.

[ILLCHILL]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

Personally, I don't see a reason why Papelbon shouldn't start. He was untouchable in his starts, we need to inject some youth into that rotation along with some gas, and he provides both. Also, between MLB and our minor leagues, he pitched about 160 innings, am I correct?

[Misfit]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

They need to get younger at some point in the rotatation, and Papelbon has proven thats where he deserves to be.

And I disagree about the comment that Wells is the only one you know what you're going to get. You know what you're going to get out of Arroyo and Clement, its just that both got off to such good starts everyone was convinced they could be frontline starters. Both of those guys are going to give you a low 4.00 ERA and 12-15 wins if backed by a good offense. And one could argue that, for a knuckleballer, you pretty much know what you're going to get from Wakefield. Wells just has the big game aura, but he didn't get it done in game 2 and he's certainly never a sure thing. We don't know what to expect from either Schilling or Papelbon. I'd like to see the Sox gamble on Burnett, just so we have another strikeout pitcher in the rotation. Papelbon certainly could have a fantastic season next year but he could also have a mediocre one. I think one can expect a year somewhat like the one Ervin Santana had this year. Dominant in some starts, hittable in others, and just plain bad in a few. Bottomline, you don't take a guy with Papelbon's arm and only get 60-70 innings out of it a season, you go for 180-200.

And Wells was definitly going to spend time on the DL next year, making him the most likely of the aged starters to go anyways. The Red Sox do not want to enter into next season with a rotation where 3 of the 5 guys are over 40 or near 40 (Schilling will be 39, if I'm not mistaken).

[GBrushTWood]

Re: Official Boston Red Sox 2005 Thread

I'm one of those people who think you should break in young pitchers by having them come out of the bullpen, then move their way into the rotation when there is a need.

I do not like having to rely on Papelbon as one of the starting 5, regardless of how good he looked this past year. To me, this is even more true in Boston, because the fans and stupid websites will tear him to shreds when he inevitably struggles a bit. I'd say let the kid continue to develop as a multi-inning Scot Shields type guy, where he can unquestionably help out the pen. If he threw more than 1 very, very good pitch, this might be different.

It's almost a given that one of the starters will spend time on the DL, and when that does happen, Papelbon should be given the chance to step right in. The Twins did a similar thing with Johan Santana, and while they probably misued him for too long, I like the idea in theory.