Boston Red Sox - 2006

[Stu]

Looks like Theo's back...

Quote:

Epstein and Red Sox management issued a joint statement Thursday saying he will return to the organization full-time, but they did not specify his capacity except to say it will be in baseball operations. His return had been rumored almost since the day he slipped out of Fenway Park wearing a borrowed gorilla costume to avoid the media.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basebal...ejoin_red_sox/

[Misfit]

I'm curious if they'll officially make him the GM or if they will just give him some other title that essentially gives him authority over the current "co-gms." Either way, he'll probably be running the ship. I'm more curious what his authority will be in relation to Lucchino. Henry stated that Lucchino's role will not be changed at all but is it possibly whatever position Epstein assumes will actually be higher than Lucchino's? I doubt it, but it's fun to speculate.

And I suppose it's worth noting that the latest rumor has the Red Sox interested in Griffey. Griffey is still a good player but he seems more like a reaction to the Damon loss than a true replacement since he's a big name but doesn't really fit what the Red Sox need in their lineup. Griffey is unlikely to make it through an entire season as the everyday center fielder. If they could find a fourth outfielder to play center for maybe 60 games or so out of the regular season and play Ortiz at first on those days and DH Griffey, then I think it would make more sense. It still wouldn't answer the question of "who lead's off?"

[Misfit]

According to the Globe, I believe, it looks like Theo is going after Crisp once again. I'd much rather have Crisp than Griffey as Crisp gives us a young, established center fielder who can also lead-off but has the bat of someone who could hit lower in the order (he's a younger Damon but isn't as polished a fielder or baserunner at this point). Rumor has it that any deal for Crisp would cost the Red Sox Marte. I am fine with that. Crisp isn't some old guy, he's pretty young and trading a guy who has yet to prove he's as good as he can be hitting at the lower levels for an estalbished Major-League player is a good deal. Plus, when have the Braves ever traded away a highly-touted prospect that turned out great? I honestly cannot think of one. A deal would also likely cost the Red Sox a starting pitcher, probably Arroyo. As long as Marte is the only prospect they are giving up, I'm fine with that.

[Stu]

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfit

According to the Globe, I believe, it looks like Theo is going after Crisp once again. I'd much rather have Crisp than Griffey as Crisp gives us a young, established center fielder who can also lead-off but has the bat of someone who could hit lower in the order (he's a younger Damon but isn't as polished a fielder or baserunner at this point). Rumor has it that any deal for Crisp would cost the Red Sox Marte. I am fine with that. Crisp isn't some old guy, he's pretty young and trading a guy who has yet to prove he's as good as he can be hitting at the lower levels for an estalbished Major-League player is a good deal. Plus, when have the Braves ever traded away a highly-touted prospect that turned out great? I honestly cannot think of one. A deal would also likely cost the Red Sox a starting pitcher, probably Arroyo. As long as Marte is the only prospect they are giving up, I'm fine with that.

I would be fine with dealing Marte to get Crisp as well. He's a decent CF with good OBP, is only 26 years old and I think has 3-4 years before he's eligible for FA. I think the sticking point will be the Red Sox wanting to send Clement while the Indians will want Arroyo.

[CWood2]

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfit

Plus, when have the Braves ever traded away a highly-touted prospect that turned out great? I honestly cannot think of one. A deal would also likely cost the Red Sox a starting pitcher, probably Arroyo. As long as Marte is the only prospect they are giving up, I'm fine with that.

Jason Schmidt, Jermaine Dye were very young when traded. Plus, the book's still out on Dan Meyer and Jose Capellan.

Anyway, I think Marte and a pitcher is too much for Crisp. If it's Mota, I'd probably reconsider, but Clement/Arroyo could have even better value at the deadline when injuries and pennant races will up their value. Having Ellsbury, who has a similiar game to Crisp (although unproven) makes me even less willing to give up a potential cornerstone at third, especially since we'll need right handed power sooner or later. It's not a bad deal, and Crisp is a young, exciting player, but I'd only really do it if we've exhausted all our options in center. Marte should be considered untradeable IMO...and we could probably get Reed or Michaels without him.

[Misfit]

I would say Schmidt and Dye didn't pan out as expected. Schmidt had two really good years in 2003 and 2004 but other than that he hasn't been great. And Dye has never been that great either (just three seasons with an OPS over .800), though that is a little unfair to him considering he had that major injury a few years ago with Oakland. My gut feeling is that Marte is going to be another Adrian Beltre. I wouldn't mind trading him for Crisp and either Arroyo or Clement (or Wells, but I don't think he wants to pitch for Cleveland) with him for the simple fact that the Red Sox need to get rid of some starters anyways. And Crisp is only 26 (won't be 27 until November) so he's almost a prospect in himself. I don't even consider Reed or Michaels worth exploring, I'd almost rather see what Stern can do given that scenario.

I know everyone in Boston is excited about the sudden surplus of A prospects in the Red Sox system, but the likelihood even 3 of them turn out as good as projected is very slim. I remember reading an article not too long ago that was written a few years ago about the Red Sox farm system and their top 10 "can't miss" prospects. Of them, only Casey Fossum is even average at the major league level (I believe Brian Rose was the top prospect). Personally, the only guy I consider even close to untouchable is Lester, because he's a tall lefty with a power arm which isn't easy to find. And if someone offered a proven ace/slugger (depending on position) for him I'd deal him in a heartbeat.

[CWood2]

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfit

I would say Schmidt and Dye didn't pan out as expected. Schmidt had two really good years in 2003 and 2004 but other than that he hasn't been great. And Dye has never been that great either (just three seasons with an OPS over .800), though that is a little unfair to him considering he had that major injury a few years ago with Oakland. My gut feeling is that Marte is going to be another Adrian Beltre. I wouldn't mind trading him for Crisp and either Arroyo or Clement (or Wells, but I don't think he wants to pitch for Cleveland) with him for the simple fact that the Red Sox need to get rid of some starters anyways. And Crisp is only 26 (won't be 27 until November) so he's almost a prospect in himself. I don't even consider Reed or Michaels worth exploring, I'd almost rather see what Stern can do given that scenario. I know everyone in Boston is excited about the sudden surplus of A prospects in the Red Sox system, but the likelihood even 3 of them turn out as good as projected is very slim. I remember reading an article not too long ago that was written a few years ago about the Red Sox farm system and their top 10 "can't miss" prospects. Of them, only Casey Fossum is even average at the major league level (I believe Brian Rose was the top prospect). Personally, the only guy I consider even close to untouchable is Lester, because he's a tall lefty with a power arm which isn't easy to find. And if someone offered a proven ace/slugger (depending on position) for him I'd deal him in a heartbeat.

Good post. Two things I disagree with though...

First, we don't need to get rid of starters due to a surplus, especially when packaged with our top prospect. We'll trade one to fill a need in center, but if there's any position you need to depend on, it's pitchers of all trades. If Hanley, Anibal, and some hard throwers got us Beckett, I don't think it should take another top prospect and a proven pitcher to get Crisp.

Second, the reason our top 10 prospects didn't pan out was because the quality of our farm system was close to the league worst just 3 years ago. The last "can't miss" guys we had before recently were Nomar and Trot, and that was a while ago. Personally, I believe the Braves have the best scouts and the most concrete system intact for acquiring young talent and maturing them through their own ranks. Because of that, and because they know there are very few guys you can build on (Andruw, Chipper, Franceour, etc.), they can give up Bruce Chen, Adam Wainwright, Bubba Nelson, Jung Bong, Ryan Klesko, and the people we brought up earlier (all top prospects at one time) and look brilliant. However, I don't think Marte will join that list...he was blocked by a clause in Chipper's contract and even after receding a bit with a bad pro debut, it's impossible to find top young corner infielders with pop. That's why I wouldn't trade him, but it's not like we're getting Julio Lugo back in return.

[Misfit]

Looks like a deal is in place, but it still hasn't gone through so I wouldn't hold my breath:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2301457

Signing Gonzalez doesn't excite me as I feel he is the same player as Cora, though probably a bit better defensively. It basically just guarantees that we'll be trading Graffanino at some point. And if the Crisp trade goes through then we're pretty much set at the major league level with the only thing really needed being a left-handed reliever. That tells me that we're likely to only seek prospects with a guy like Wells.