Yesterday's MLBTR Chat - Red Sox
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors is now doing a live weekly chat on Tuesdays and if you haven't checked it out yet you really should. In addition to being a highly knowledgeable baseball fan, Tim's also got a good amount of inside info on just about every team in the MLB. As we're quite big MLBTR fans ourselves, we'd like to recap everything Sox-related he touched on in his most recent chat and offer our own opinion on his take. Enjoy.
[Comment From theo epstein] can i get anything for lugo this offseason?
TD: Cant see how that would be possible. Owed $18MM through 2010. The Sox would have to eat money to get anyone.
[Comment From Mike] Do you see any other names being moved before August 31st?
TD: Kotsay seems likely. August deals dont seem to have the same amount of rumors leading up to them.
[Comment From Jon] What are the chances the Red Sox add a bat? I keep hearing Kotsay, but that doesn't seem to make much sense. Any chance they go after someone like Milton Bradley?
TD: With the DH spot fully occupied, Bradley doesnt seem a good fit. Plus, the price seems to be high and that window may have already closed if the Yanks made a waiver claim on him.
[Comment From Jason Varitek] Will the Red Sox want me back next year ?
TD: Maybe one year, less than ten mil.
[Comment From Jason Bay] Do the Red Sox want to lock me up long term?
TD: Havent heard those rumblings. They are a team that can afford to wait until '09 and decide.
[Comment From Kevin Youkilis] How much do you think I'll get paid from Theo in the offseason?
TD: $6-7MM?
Overall, not too much information we all weren't already pretty familiar with. The Sox would love to dump Lugo, but it seems that there won't be too many interested parties even if the Sox were willing to eat most of his salary. They may have to suck it up and keep him around, using Lowrie in a super-utility role (not my favorite option, but unfortunately it seems to be the most likely one for now). If they do somehow get rid of him, though, it would sure be nice to see them make a good signing at the SS position for a change (or not sign anyone and go with Lowrie in the short term).
The Sox seem likely to acquire Kotsay according to both Peter Gammons and MLBTR and with Drew heading to the DL, the timing couldn't be better. The Sox have had Kotsay on their radar for quite a while and for good reason: think of him as a significantly better version of Bobby Kielty (i.e. a fourth OF capable of pinch-hitting late in a game or standing in for an injured player for a couple weeks). As for the Milton Bradley suggestion? No dice. Teams with a worse record (most notably the Yanks) would claim him before he even had a chance to get to the Sox, let alone the fact that Bradley is also a part-time DH and we have no need for one.
The answer to the Varitek comment seems pretty obvious; Tek and Boras will want a multi-year deal, which could very likely end up being the deal-breaker for the Sox. Financial terms should be easier to arrive at as even the great Scott Boras couldn't convincingly argue that Tek deserves to be paid as one of the top ten catchers in the league. He was lucky to get $10 million per year on the last deal he signed. In the end, I think 2 years and $14 million is fair, but the Sox better can't afford not to be diligent in pursuing catching prospects (a la Taylor Teagarden) this offseason.
The length of Bay's tenure in Boston depends largely on how well he plays next year in a full season with the Sox, but he's far from being the club's top priority during the 2009-10 offseason as Josh Beckett will be looking for some "new money." It would be surprising if Bay didn't stick around past '09 as part of the reason the Sox acquired him (by giving up Hansen and Moss in addition to Manny) was for his age and club-friendly salary. But then again, a lot can happen in a year, and Matt Holliday's lining up to be a free agent after the season, as well...
Youk's arbitration eligible and after getting a raise to $3 million this offseason, that number figures to double next year. He's already set new single season career highs in home runs and runs batted in and is on pace to set new highs in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits and doubles. A couple years from now, $6-7 million may look like a bargain for the man fans affectionately call Youk.
[Comment From theo epstein] can i get anything for lugo this offseason?
TD: Cant see how that would be possible. Owed $18MM through 2010. The Sox would have to eat money to get anyone.
[Comment From Mike] Do you see any other names being moved before August 31st?
TD: Kotsay seems likely. August deals dont seem to have the same amount of rumors leading up to them.
[Comment From Jon] What are the chances the Red Sox add a bat? I keep hearing Kotsay, but that doesn't seem to make much sense. Any chance they go after someone like Milton Bradley?
TD: With the DH spot fully occupied, Bradley doesnt seem a good fit. Plus, the price seems to be high and that window may have already closed if the Yanks made a waiver claim on him.
[Comment From Jason Varitek] Will the Red Sox want me back next year ?
TD: Maybe one year, less than ten mil.
[Comment From Jason Bay] Do the Red Sox want to lock me up long term?
TD: Havent heard those rumblings. They are a team that can afford to wait until '09 and decide.
[Comment From Kevin Youkilis] How much do you think I'll get paid from Theo in the offseason?
TD: $6-7MM?
Overall, not too much information we all weren't already pretty familiar with. The Sox would love to dump Lugo, but it seems that there won't be too many interested parties even if the Sox were willing to eat most of his salary. They may have to suck it up and keep him around, using Lowrie in a super-utility role (not my favorite option, but unfortunately it seems to be the most likely one for now). If they do somehow get rid of him, though, it would sure be nice to see them make a good signing at the SS position for a change (or not sign anyone and go with Lowrie in the short term).
The Sox seem likely to acquire Kotsay according to both Peter Gammons and MLBTR and with Drew heading to the DL, the timing couldn't be better. The Sox have had Kotsay on their radar for quite a while and for good reason: think of him as a significantly better version of Bobby Kielty (i.e. a fourth OF capable of pinch-hitting late in a game or standing in for an injured player for a couple weeks). As for the Milton Bradley suggestion? No dice. Teams with a worse record (most notably the Yanks) would claim him before he even had a chance to get to the Sox, let alone the fact that Bradley is also a part-time DH and we have no need for one.
The answer to the Varitek comment seems pretty obvious; Tek and Boras will want a multi-year deal, which could very likely end up being the deal-breaker for the Sox. Financial terms should be easier to arrive at as even the great Scott Boras couldn't convincingly argue that Tek deserves to be paid as one of the top ten catchers in the league. He was lucky to get $10 million per year on the last deal he signed. In the end, I think 2 years and $14 million is fair, but the Sox better can't afford not to be diligent in pursuing catching prospects (a la Taylor Teagarden) this offseason.
The length of Bay's tenure in Boston depends largely on how well he plays next year in a full season with the Sox, but he's far from being the club's top priority during the 2009-10 offseason as Josh Beckett will be looking for some "new money." It would be surprising if Bay didn't stick around past '09 as part of the reason the Sox acquired him (by giving up Hansen and Moss in addition to Manny) was for his age and club-friendly salary. But then again, a lot can happen in a year, and Matt Holliday's lining up to be a free agent after the season, as well...
Youk's arbitration eligible and after getting a raise to $3 million this offseason, that number figures to double next year. He's already set new single season career highs in home runs and runs batted in and is on pace to set new highs in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits and doubles. A couple years from now, $6-7 million may look like a bargain for the man fans affectionately call Youk.
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