Looking towards 2011, the Red Sox have many decisions to make about their catching core. Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek are both free agents with Kevin Cash and Jarrod Saltalamacchia eligible for arbitration. The Sox have Dusty Brown waiting in the minors to get his chance to be a regular member of the Sox, but does he get his chance in 2011? I have some thoughts on the matter (shocking, I know), but would love to hear what you guys think. Which 2 catchers will be on the Red Sox roster to begin the 2011 campaign? You can pick up to 2 of the following choices.

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After being diagnosed with a cavernous malformation in his brain back in March, baseball was the furthest thing from 19-year old Ryan Westmoreland’s mind. The top rated position player in the Sox system had successful surgery in March 16th and now just 5 and a half months later, he is suiting up for the Lowell Spinners, getting back to what he knows best. Although Westmoreland will not be jumping into game action immediately, being cleared to participate in team practices and workouts is a huge step in his return and an even better sign that he is healthy. Westmoreland’s story is a journey and everyone associated with he Red Sox is hoping that most of the story is still being written with a happy ending yet to come. Continue reading this post »

No matter what part of the season we are in or what scenario the Red Sox face, I am a Red Sox fan through and through. Ultimately, I am a fan of the sport of baseball and enjoy watching surprise success. I love incredible catches and clutch hits when a team needs them the most and watching the underdog succeed. After the Red Sox lost to the lowly Orioles last night, I couldn’t help but be happy for a franchise that has plummeted to the basement of the AL East over the 13 seasons, finishing above 4th once (3rd in 2004) since winning the division in 1997. Since Buck Showalter took over the club 27 games ago, the Orioles have the best record in the division at 17-10. They are still 33 games back in 5th place and 20 games behind the 4th place Toronto Blue Jays, but some positive momentum is fun to watch. Continue reading this post »

Photo by Yahoo! Sports

In the last day to make waiver wire trades, the Sox have traded Hyde Park native Manny Delcarmen to the Colorado Rockies for cash and a young A prospect, RHP Chris Balcom-Miller. Balcom-Miller was drafted in the 6th round of the 2009 draft and will report to the A Greenville Drive. According to Alex Speier of WEEI.com, Balcom-Miller has a 177:29 career strikeout-to-walk rate in the minors. It was clear Tito no longer had faith in Delcarmen and was relying more on Scott Atchison recently, so it was a matter of time until a move was made. More information to follow as it comes in. (UPDATE after the jump) Continue reading this post »

Photo by AP

I needed a day to decompress from the crushing loss on Sunday night at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, but now am ready to move on. This day has been expected for some time now. The day when fans of the Red Sox could say goodbye to the 2010 season and begin to think about off-season moves and 2011. The day when the hope and desire of the players on the team meet with the mathematical improbability of their attempt at reaching the post-season again given missed opportunities and of course the biggest topic of the year: injuries. It was fun while it lasted, but now it is time for Theo and his crew to begin aggressively thinking about the 2011 campaign and what needs to be done to return to the baseball’s ultimate stage, the World Series. Continue reading this post »

Come join me for a LIVE CHAT at 7pm TONIGHT!!! Bring your questions and comments, because I will cover any baseball or Red Sox related topic as we get ready for game 3 of the crucial series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. The game begins at 8pm on ESPN and I will be giving my commentary for the hour leading up to the game and the first few innings. Tell you friends!!

As the MLB season is winding down, GM’s have to begin to think about which future free agent players they would like to resign. In every case, sacrifices need to be made, so I pose to you a question about the top 4 Sox free agents after this season. I know the Sox can sign more than 1 of these 4 players, but I want to know, which player is a must to resign if you could only pick 1? Check back for my opinion and analysis on the Sox potential moves this off-season.

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Photo by AP/Winslow Townson

After an weird, but great outing from Jon Lester on Friday night, the Sox turned to their Cy Young candidate Clay Buchholz to win game 2 against Matt Garza. Buchholz did everything he could to push the Sox to victory, but it just wasn’t enough as the Sox offense struggled, collecting 10 hits, but only pushing 2 runs across in the 3-2 loss in 10 innings. The loss now puts all the pressure back on the Red Sox to salvage the series with a victory on Sunday, a game crucial to keep themselves in the hunt for October. These types of games are always painful to watch, because Buchholz gave the Sox all he had, lowering his league-leading era to 2.21, but has nothing to show for the outing except a team loss. Continue reading this post »

The report came out on Thursday that Dustin Pedroia will likely need season-ending surgery. The decision isn’t going to be made for another week or so, but I can tell you for sure, Pedroia is done in 2010. Whether he has surgery or not, the Red Sox would be stupid to push Pedroia back onto the field, because the season is basically over barring a major miracle. There is a need to err on the side of being cautious given the importance of Pedroia to the Sox franchise and the need to have him back at 100% when everyone reports to Fort Myers, FL in February. The only thing worse than losing Pedroia for 2010 is losing him for a part or all of 2011 as well. Continue reading this post »