Mike Napoli hits an RBI double in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As it stands the Red Sox have 4 catchers for next season, Napoli, David Ross, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Ryan Lavarnway. However, the only first baseman on the team is Mauro Gomez. It been reported that Napoli will primarily play first while playing a little catcher. But doesn’t it seem like Napoli’s value is wasted at first? Napoli had a .227/.343/.469 line last season with 24 home runs and 56 RBI, the season before was .320/.414/.631 with 30 & 75. Although last season was a drop off, it was great numbers from a catcher, but with an OPS of .812, he’d be tied for 6th for AL first basemen (between Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Teixiera), for AL catchers he’d be third.

So what’s the best way to get value from him? I’d say to keep two catchers on the Roster, Napoli and Ross. Try to trade Salty, or Lavarnway to sure up other holes on the team. If there aren’t many options out there for first base the Sox could keep Salty, Ross, and Napoli on the roster with Salty and Napoli sharing time at first and behind the plate with Ross backing up at catcher. If that’s the case Larvarnway should be dealt,  if they could find a package including Lavarnway to bring in a shortstop or a young arm, that would be ideal.

It now seems like the Red Sox are out on Adam LaRoche, since the reports say that they’d be satisfied with Napoli at first. They do still appear to be in on Shane Victorino, Cody Ross, and Nick Swisher. Hear it from me, Napoli is a great offensive option at catcher but he’s not the answer at first. Worst case scenario they’d need to bring in a Swisher or someone to split time at first and can play an outfield position as well that way Napoli’s bat can be behind the plate as much as possible but when he’s needed to be played at first the lineup won’t drop off too much.

Rafael Soriano points to the sky after recording the final out of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

These two deals made two former closers available to the market in Rafael Soriano and Carlos Marmol. Soriano through free agency and Marmol through trade.

Soriano has spent the last three years in the AL East and had over 42 saves two of those years. He has a career 2.78 ERA, 132 saves, and the Yankees decided that he wasn’t worth the $11M option. For the right price, Soriano would be a great option for the Red Sox. Marmol is one of the most erratic closers in baseball, his BB/9 last season was 7.3, higher than his average, and his K/9 was 11.7, exactly his average. The problem with Marmol, besides the walks is his nearly $10M salary. If the Cubs were desperate to unload his contract and would take some of his salary in a deal, maybe the Red Sox could consider it.

The best value in the closing market could be Royals’ closer Joakim Soria. Soria missed last season with Tommy John surgery but has a career 2.40 ERA with 160 saves and a K/9 of 9.7. The scary thing about Soria is that his situation is similar to Andrew Bailey‘s last year which burned the Red Sox. Soria doesn’t have the injury track record that Bailey had, but the recent similarities can’t be ignored.

Two more former top-line closers available are Brian Wilson and Francisco Rodriguez. Brian Wilson had 4 straight seasons of at least 36 saves before only pitching 2 innings last season. K-Rod, someone who might have once been considered the best closer in the game, hasn’t’ gotten over 35 saves since 2008. Although he hasn’t gotten huge save numbers since getting 62 in 2008, last season was only his 3rd season of his career that he had an ERA over 3. His drop in the overrated save numbers might knock down his value a little that would help the Sox find a bargain in their bullpen.

Now of course, Andrew Bailey is arbitration eligible and will likely be back with the Sox. Rumors are that they would trade him but his value is very low. The Red Sox can’t take a gamble on Bailey again, at least not as their closer.

There are two other top outfielders that the Red Sox are most likely priced out of, Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn. Both of these outfielders will easily get $100 million dollar contracts, which hopefully the Red Sox have learned to not give out in free agency.

San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan scores against the St. Louis Cardinals during game seven of the 2012 NLCS ©Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

With all the top names off the board there are still some interesting free agents that the Red Sox could target for their outfield. Two of the better remaining outfielders are familiar with the AL East, B.J. Upton and Nick Swisher. In the past I’ve voiced my disfavor of signing Swisher but he is still an option none the less. Although Upton’s numbers are lower for the most part he provides more speed on the bases and in the field.

A cheaper option might be that of Angel Pagan. Sure, he provides little power but his career average is .281 and he gets on base 1/3 of the time. With the top of the order all set, Pagan could slide into the bottom third of the lineup and provide the no-easy-outs mantra that the team had in the years of Bill Mueller and Mark Bellhorn.

In an ideal situation the Red Sox would re-sign Cody Ross to play left and bring in Shane Victorino to play right. Victorino is coming off one of his worst years as a pro so maybe his value has diminished. Ross could provide the lineup with a little pop and Victorino could add to their OBP.

The player that I really like that I’ve heard very little about is Ryan Ludwick. At 34 Ryan Ludwick is a little older than the other outfield options but last year he had a good a year as any of the non-bank-breaking free agents. Last season Ludwick hit .275/.346/.531 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI. Last offseason Ludwick signed with the Reds for 1 year/$2M, if the Sox can get him for 1 year/$6M, i’d do that in a heartbeat. Ludwick will get much less than the 2-year/$26M contract that Torii Hunter signed, Ludwick has had a far less stellar career and has not been as consistent.

The last major outfield free agent is Delmon Young. I have no interest. A career OBP of .317, and a 162 game average of 16 home runs doesn’t wow me. He’s never lived up to his potential and his head isn’t all there. I hope the Sox stay far far away from Delmon Young.

John Tomase of the Boston Herald wrote that the Red Sox could over pay for one year contracts to keep the team competitive without giving up the future. Ryan Ludwick would fit that perfectly. Grady Sizemore and Ichiro Suzuki would also be options for one year deals.

The Red Sox don’t have the players on the roster that can be full-time outfielders and I don’t see any long term options in free agency so let’s just hope that the Red Sox don’t get tied in with more long term contracts.

So what can we expect from Pedroia next season?

Bobby Valentine congratulates Dustin Pedroia after they beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Although I was well ahead of the rest of the media pulling for a Jacoby Ellsbury for Elvis Andrus trade (One of my many Ells/Andrus articles), it seems right now that Ellsbury will stay in Boston for this season with Arizona a more likely candidate to trade with Texas. With Ellsbury plus the Red Sox resigning Ortiz make some pretty good pieces of bread in the Pedroia sandwich.  Yum. So we should expect Pedroia to put up numbers that we’ve gotten use to watching. Barring an injury Pedroia should continue to be a top-3 second baseman with Robinson Cano being the only clear cut player ahead of Dustin. He will drive in a solid amount of runs while having a steady bat behind him to drive him in as long as he continues to get on base.

The last question I have about Pedroia is this – Will Dustin emerge as a team leader? I’m not saying he hasn’t been a leader of some sort in the past but last season seemed like a year without a focus, without a leader, without a voice, and without a sniff of the playoffs. Besides Pedrioa, the only obvious leader on the team is David Ortiz. And we saw Ortiz take things personally with the media and personally with the management. A lot of things we heard from him were about his contract concerns. It went from we’re gonna get you to I gotta get mine. Maybe with a multi-year contract Ortiz will focus on leading this team again. But what about Dustin? It would be hard to envision a team with Ortiz after this contract runs out and maybe Pedroia needs to step up to be the top dog on the team. A player who played cribbage daily with Terry Francona lost his (figurative) competitive edge last year maybe bringing back Terry’s former pitching coach John Ferrell to manage the team will put a spark into Pedroia and develop a leadership relationship with the manager. Let’s not forget that Bobby Valentine quickly lost his connection with the veterans last year that can be restored this season starting with Pedroia.

PROS

- Joanna García.

Joanna Garcia-Swisher

Living close to Fenway, my chances of running into Joanna Garcia-Swisher are highly increased if Swisher comes to Boston.  Born in the 80s and growing up in the 90’s Joanna was on a beloved show of childhood “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” She moved on to the great Judd Apatow show “Freaks and Geeks”. She’s probably most famous from Reba, and has been on Gossip Girl. I show I’ll reluctantly admit to have seen multiple times. Garcia appeared on one of my favorite “How I Met Your Mother” episode “The Window” (Swish appeared on an episode as well). Now she’s starring on a new show called “Animal Practice” with Justin Kirk from Weeds. I saw the pilot and it was pretty good. Those are stats better than Swisher. I’d much rather have her Topps card.

CONS

-Everything else.

Swisher does have a decent career OBP with .358, not great, but not terrible and he averages 28 home runs a year. However his batting average (an arguably overrated stat) is just .254. I guess my big concern is having him as an everyday first baseman. His fielding percentage at 1^st this year is .984, for a reference Ryan Howard’s career fld% is .991 and Jason Giambi is .992. So he’s clearly not a great fielder at first. James Loney is .994%.

Now, let’s not get it twisted, my biggest need out of 1^st base isn’t fielding % but it’s not something I completely ignore.

Age is an issue as well. Swisher is turning 32 in the offseason. 32 isn’t old by any means but Swisher has most likely peaked. I might be alone when I see the Red Sox as a rebuilding team, one a couple years away from being a serious World Series contender again. By that time, what will they want with a 34/35 year-old converted first baseman?

Nick Swisher fails to catch the ball at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Is he really a leader for the youth? I mean, he’s not a bad clubhouse guy but I hear how he will bring back “The Idiot” mentality into the clubhouse. That was 8 years ago. What makes you think that the idiot formula will work again? The idiots were fun, but that’s because they were winning. They had a carefree attitude but aren’t players being carefree why the Red Sox are in this hole? Who cared less about what people said than Josh Beckett? It’s doesn’t mean that they need to be Adrian Gonzalez either. Instead of basing players on if they’re an idiot or not, why not just get nice guys who care how they play?

Swisher has said that he wants a $100M dollar contract, there is no way he will get that but he’s still going to ask for more than I’d be willing to give him. Let’s just say that he gets $16M per year for 4 years. I’d rather have Cody Ross and James Loney at that combined price for less years.

If the Red Sox can wait one year the free agent class in 2014 is pretty good. Robinson Cano, Michael Morse, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Brian McCann, Tim Lincecum, Dan Haren, Matt Garza, Adam Wainwright, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Josh Johnson are some of the guys leading that class. If the Red Sox hold off for a year and see how the kids develop they can fill the needs next year. Wouldn’t you rather have Brian McCann than Nick Swisher? Or what about one of those pitchers?

Throwing foolish money at players has hurt the Red Sox. What’s the rush? There are plenty of first basemen out there who can hit .254 and hit 20 home runs. Even old friend Brandon Moss who has only 233 at bats this year has 19 home runs and is hitting .275. I’m sorry Joanna.

This season I’ve come off to others as someone with mixed opinions of this player. A lot of people that I run into at Boston bars love this kid and think he’s a great prospect and the shortstop of the future.  I have to be Debbie Downer and hit them with a reality check. Here’s the thing, he’s not a prospect. Pedro is 26. Sure 26 is young but most 26-year old atheletes are fully developed ball players

Pedro Ciriaco throws to first. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

In 50 games Ciriaco’s line is .317/.329/.431, which is a good average but a low OBP and he provides no power. He does have 10 stolen bases and hasn’t been caught. On the other hand, Pedro has only walked 3 times while striking out 32. That strikeout rate isn’t exactly what the Red Sox like.

So here’s the question: Can Pedro be the starting shortstop until Xander Bogaerts is ready to emerge?

Now that comes with a lot of “ifs”. For one, Mike Aviles is arbitration eligible next year and I assume he will be back. Secondly, Jose Iglesias is up, most likely for good.

Iglesias is only 22, only hitting .111, and playing a lot of shortstop for the Sox these days. Is he still considered the shortstop of the future? Even if the answer is yes, his bat is still at least a year away.

With Aviles, he’s not helping the team progress. I don’t see him in the big picture. He’s alright, but the Red Sox most likely won’t be competitive next year, if they were I’d prefer Aviles to be a super utility player. If they’re not competitive, I’d try to trade him.

So I’m rambling all over the place. Pedro Ciriaco. Is he a hidden gem? Could he turn into a post prospect sleeper, much like, but nothing like Jose Bautista.

Bautista before 2010 had 6 years of hitting less than 16 home runs each year. He was 29 when he finally burst on to the scene. I am no way saying that Pedro will ever hit even 10 home runs in ta season, I’m just saying that Jose found a way at 29 to take a huge step in his career. Maybe Pedro can learn to take some pitches.

Last year in brief time with the Pirates, Ciriaco hit over .300, as he did in the minors this year. However, before that he hasn’t hit over .300 since A-ball in 2008. Not every player hits over .300 but if you provide no power, you’d better get on base. In Pedro’s 8 seasons in the minors his OBP was .299. UNDER .300! Even Iglesias, a guy we are constantly told can’t hit, has a minor league career OBP of .313.

So let me wrap up this post that is really going nowhere. I LOVE PEDRO. * insert the vote for Pedro jokes here* He’s not a solution though. He’s clearly a player we should root for just not if we hope to win. He’s great to watch in the field and on the bases, but hey, so was Darren Lewis.

Adrian Gonzalez grimaces after being hit by a pitch. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

The deal was a win. The Red Sox got almost completely out of the biggest deals in team history. In trading away Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto the Red Sox have traded away $270M and will only pick up $12M of it. I like Gonzalez a lot but he wasn’t worth the high price tag he had. Getting out of the Beckett and Crawford deals is a blessing. Crawford has not even come close to fulfilling his contract and still has 20M in 2013, $20.25M in 2014, $20.5M in 2015, $20.75M in 2016 and $21M in 2017. That’s a whole lot of Benjamins.

I fully expect Beckett to go to the Dodgers and be a good pitcher. He’s on a World Series contender and is returning to the National League. Gonzalez is going to put up good numbers in the middle of their lineup. Maybe once Crawford recovers he will thrive in being out of Boston but those players wouldn’t have put up great numbers in Boston, let them be someone else’s worry.

What the Red Sox got in the deal, besides payroll relief, is young prospects; notably arms. They got James Loney and four prospects (Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, Jerry Sands, and Rubby De La Rosa). Before I get to the prospects, let’s talk about Loney. The first word that comes to mind is “eh”. Whatever. Loney has a yearly average of .284/.341/.423, not impressive for a first baseman and neither is his 4 home runs this year. The good news is that Loney is a free agent after this season.

Here’s what baseballnewssource says about Allen Webster.

Allen Webster, right-handed starting pitcher – Featuring a mid-90s sinker, the 23-year-old Webster induces a lot of ground balls, and he also has a curve ball and change-up, both of which are plus offerings. MLB.com ranks him at No. 65 on its Top 100 prospects list. Webster is 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 22 starts at Double-A Chattanooga. An 18th round draft pick out of high school in 2008, Webster entered the season at No. 95 on Baseball America’s 2012 Pre-Season Top 100 List.

Rubby De La Rosa is 23 and can throw triple digits.  Last season De La Rosa played 13 games as a Dodger before his season was halted by Tommy John surgery. He had a 3.71 ERA as a 22-year old rookie.

Ivan De Jesus, 25, is batting .263 in 23 games this year, in the minors this season he .295/.333/.415. Bleacher report’s Mike Rosenbaum (MLB Prospects Lead Writer) writes this about De Jesus.

The son of 15-year big-league veteran Ivan De Jesus, Sr., he has a simple, line-drive-oriented swing that allows him to spray the ball to all fields. His best attribute is easily his plate discipline, as he’s always demonstrated advanced on-base skills. His speed has deteriorated since the injury, though he was never particularly fast to begin with.

Capable of playing multiple infield positions, De Jesus’ defensive actions and fringy range profile best at second base. Given his limited upside, it’s hard to see him as anything more than an organizational player or a reserve infielder.

Jerry Sands, 24, has raw power to all fields. In 2010, in the minors, Sands hit 35 home runs. His career minor league numbers are .290/.377/.565 however his major league numbers have been underwhelming. Mike Rosenbaum writes.

a lofty bat path and physical strength at 6’4″, 225 pounds. He’s a streaky hitter who isn’t afraid to draw a walk, but has a tendency to make weak contact too often.

Even though he possesses slightly below-average speed, he moves well once he gets going and has decent range for a corner outfielder of his size. His arm is kind of fringy, but would still be more than enough to handle left field at Fenway Park.

From a physical standpoint, Sands’ game is similar to that of Double-A outfielder Bryce Brentz’s. They both have undeniable raw power as well as the propensity to get themselves out, but seem capable of providing at least average production as a corner outfielder. Therefore, his acquisition may have ruined Brentz’s small chance of being a September call-up.

It seems that Webster and De La Rosa are arms with a future leading the Red Sox rotation. Sandy has the capability of being a solid corner player, but he’s more of a gamble. Sands could just as easily be a 4-A player. De Jesus is most likely a utility player at best. The best part of this deal is still getting out of the money. I urge the ownership to not go out and sign another big money player, like Josh Hamilton, this offseason. And I hope fans are smart enough to agree.

The biggest need in the offseason is now lineup help. There aren’t a lot of free agent first basemen available but I wouldn’t mind a Mike Napoli who can play 1^st, catch, and DH. I’ve addressed how they can improve shortstop.

This deal most likely increases the chances that Cody Ross gets re-signed and that Jacoby Ellsbury returns after he tests free agency a couple years down the line. (Although I still push for an Ellsbury for Elvis Andrus swap) There are a lot of outfielders available but this last month the Red Sox will really explore what they’ve got in their system. Maybe Ryan Kalish will emerge as the player we’ve been waiting for.

This final month is going to be a big view into the future. Can the Sox rebuild while still competing? I think so. They may not be World Series favorites for a couple of years but the should be in playoff contention and once you’re in, anything can happen. It’s very tough for a team of stay competitive while also developing their future, but this deal is a great move in that direction.

The biggest downside of this deal is the chance of us watching Josh Beckett pitching in the World Series later this year. At least we’ll have someone to root against.

This week Red Sox star left fielder and owner of a $142,000,000 dollar contract will have Tommy John surgery, ending his season. So I ask, how often do 100 million dollar contracts actually work out?

I went on Wikipedia and found the list of $100 million athletes, these are the baseball players.

I got player 2012 WAR from baseball-reference.  Now in the player’s defense, their WAR will change this season, in most cases, as an elite player it goes up per at-bat.

Current contracts   Total Value     Years                 2012 war

Alex Rodriguez    $275,000,000    2008-2017      1.6 (lowest since he was 20)

Albert Pujols         $240,000,000    2012-2021      3.8   (lowest of entire career)

Joey Votto              $225,000,000    2014-2023      4.5  (Lowest since 1st full season in 2008)

Prince Fielder      $214,000,000    2012-2020      2.7 (won’t be his best year but will be good

Joe Mauer             $184,000,000    2011-2018      2.6 (Will be below his average)

Mark Teixeira     $180,000,000    2009-2016      3.6 (Could end up being one of his better seasons)

CC Sabathia         $161,000,000    2009-2015      2.0 (Will be his worst year as a yankee)

Troy Tulowitzki   $157,750,000    2011-2020       .4 (This will be his second season below a WAR of 1, he was injured both times)

Adrian Gonzalez   $154,000,000    2012-2018       2.7 (Will be about half of his best two years)

Miguel Cabrera    $152,300,000    2008-2015       5.7 (Outstanding year)

Carl Crawford        $142,000,000    2011-2017       .4 (better than his 0 last year…)

Johan Santana       $137,500,000    2008–2013       .1 (Worst of his career. Besides not playing last year)

Alfonso Soriano   $136,000,000    2007–2014        1.2 (Sadly will most likely be his best in the last 4 years)

Vernon Wells      $126,000,000    2008–2014        -.4 (Last year was his worst with -.8)

Barry Zito             $126,000,000    2007–2013        -.2 (has been negative 3 of the last 5 years)

Jayson Werth      $126,000,000    2011–2017         1 (last year was 1 too)

Ryan Howard      $125,000,000    2013–2017         0 (only over 1.5 once in the last 5 years)

Cliff Lee                 $120,000,000    2011–2016         2.3 (8.3 last season, 1.5 the year before)

Matt Holliday       $120,000,000    2010–2016         4.1 (Will be one of his better seasons)

Jose Reyes           $106,000,000    2012–2017         2.0 (One of his worst season, but not bad)

Carlos Lee           $100,000,000    2007-2012        .5 (Worse than his career average)

These are the no longer active players that were on the list; Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, Jason Giambi, Carlos Beltran, Ken Griffey Jr, Kevin Brown, Albert Pujols.

How many of these players have lived up to the contract? Judging by the list above only Cliff Lee, Holliday, Sabathia, and Cabrera have been worth it. Votto has played well but has been hurt by injuries and Tulo would be a top player if he could stay on the field. Out of the 21 players I listed above, I only listed 4 as a success.  I consider Teixeira borderline and Adrian Gonzalez and Jose Reyes are still early into their contract to consider it a failure.  On the other side of the spectrum it’s too early to deem Prince’s contract a success based on his first year being very good. Besides their performance, each player is only 1 injury away from the team throwing all that money out the window.

Boston Red Sox left fielder

That leads me to my point. Red Sox, please don’t sign any more 100 million dollar players. Once in a while you’ll hit on a Matt Holliday but more likely you’ll get saddled with a Barry Zito (I had mercy by not saying Carl Crawford here).

In my no-GM-experience opinion, bad contracts are almost impossible to over come. The Yankees have overcome some bad contracts, but it’s only over come by throwing more money at them. Look at the Lackey deal ($82.5M) and Crawford. That’s over $225M that if were put through waivers, no team would claim. People wouldn’t take those contracts if all it would cost them were the money. Careless spending hurts you in future spending.

It’s not that I don’t want the Red Sox to spend money; I do. I want Fenway park to look like a Rick Ross music video (or how about a Ciroc commercial? Better?), I would just prefer the money spent on 2 or 3 very good players instead of 1 excellent player. There weren’t necessarily great other options in that particular free agent class but just because you’re spending money doesn’t mean it’s a good investment.

What I’m saying is that this offseason instead of throwing over $100M at Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke, how about breaking up that money in a combination of Edwin Jackson, Mike Napoli, and re-signing Cody Ross to all much cheaper and shorter contracts. It fills three holes in your lineup and if one doesn’t work out, you’re only tied to the money for a couple more years. Whereas, if some team gets desperate enough for Josh Hamilton they could offer him a contract for well over $150M. Hamilton could have one or two great years and become an albatross for the final 5 years of his contract. Even worse, from what we’ve seen from Hamilton in his career, he could get injured in the first year and miss significant time.

At the time of the Crawford signing, I was excited. I liked watching him in Tampa and I didn’t think the money would be an issue. I knew it was an overpay, but I didn’t think that ownership would cap themselves on spending. That’s changed.  The Red Sox need to adjust their thinking. In fantasy sports there is a strategy called “Stars and Scrubs”, owners pay a lot for a few stars and hope they can find enough dirt cheap players that will overachieve. This strategy doesn’t work unless other owners are asleep at the wheel. With processional sports, you’re not going to sneak anyone worth value past other GMs. In addition, it’s not like there is more than one 2010 Jose Bautista per year.

The best way to build a team is with solid players front to back. Look at the Rangers for example. The highest paid player on the team is Michael Young, who makes a little over $16M and he won’t be back on the team next season. The only other players on the team that make over $10M are Hamilton and Adrian Beltre (they did just trade for Ryan Dempster who makes $14M this season). This lineup leads baseball in runs scored and are 5^th in the AL in ERA.

The Rangers have only had one player in their history with a $100M contract, ARod, and they weren’t a good team with him on the roster.  So maybe they’re on to something. It will be interesting to see how the team handles Josh Hamilton in this offseason. I doubt that they will overpay to keep Hamilton. I think they will deal Elvis Andrus to bring in an outfielder to replace the start that they are going to lose. As I suggested in my last article, the Red Sox should offer Jacoby Ellsbury to the Rangers for Andrus, thus preventing the Red Sox from giving their speedy outfielder another $100M contract.

I recognize that salaries are going up and they’ll eventually have to give another huge contract, just hold out as long as you can. Part of me thinks that the ownership of the Red Sox agrees with me but it’s more likely that the team will throw money around again to try to buy good press, to excite fans. Fans like stars, I agree, but fans LOVE winning.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles bobbles the ball at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

For the past 8 years the Red Sox have had well documented problems at shortstop. The list includes Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Marco Scutaro, Mike Aviles, Nick Green, and Alex Cora. My personal favorite was Pokey Reese. That is the 100% truth. So what are the plans for the Red Sox this offseason when it comes to filling the void?

Most likely scenario: Mike Aviles gets arbitration and returns as the starting shortstop with Jose Iglesias serving as the backup.

Is that really what we want? Currently Mike Aviles is batting .252 with a .283 OBP and .392 SLG. He has 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases. He’s out of the top-10 for shortstops in all of those categories except home runs. In his defense, he is 5 out of all shortstops in defensive runs saved over average with 12.

Aviles is only making $1.2M but at 31 he’s most likely peaked.

What would make more sense with these players: Have Jose Iglesias as the starting shortstop next year with Aviles are a util/backup.

In triple-A this year Iglesias is hitting .259/.306./.301/.607. He has 1 home run and 12 stolen bases. Besides the average and steals, Iglesias trails Aviles in all other categories mentioned. However, it is well believed that Iglesias would already be one of the top defensive shortstops in baseball.

At 22, Iglesias still has lots of room for improvement and his bat isn’t that far behind Aviles. As a backup, Aviles can provide support at 2b, SS, and 3b, all positions that has started at in the past. Aviles even played 5 games in the outfield last season.

Best-case scenario: Trade for Elvis Andrus from the Rangers.

Many people believe that Jurickson Profar is the best prospect in baseball and rumors are that he could be up soon. The biggest thing holding Profar back is Elvis Andrus at shortstop for the Rangers. The projected infield (with Andrus) for the Rangers next year is Beltre, Andrus, Kinsler, and Olt. Not a lot of room for Profar. So there is a very good chance that Elvis Andrus will get traded this offseason. The biggest reason that I don’t see Andrus in Boston next year is that the Rangers might not want to trade him to a competitive AL team.

This season the 23 year old shortstop is hitting .297/.367/.395/.762. Andrus also has 19 stolen bases but is 18^th for shortstops with only 2 runs saved above average. Offensively Andrus would clearly be the best shortstop that the Red Sox have had in years and he’s only one year older than Iglesias.

The question is, where would he bat in Boston? For the Rangers Andrus is a top of the order guy, but with Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the team, the top of the lineup is pretty full. It’s possible that an Ellsbury for Andrus swap could take place with Josh Hamilton headed to free agency? Or Ellsbury could be dealt in another deal to open up room in the top of the lineup.

Other shortstop options: Some shortstop free agents (or with options that might not get picked up) are Jason Bartlett, Yuniesky Betancourt, Stephen Drew, Alex Gonzalez, Cesar Izturis, Jhonny Peralta, Marco Scutaro, and Ryan Theriot. These are shortstops that could start but I wouldn’t trust them all. The only player here I’d be comfortable with is Stephen Drew.  Drew is an enigma. Every year of his career he’s batted over 15 points different than the year before. Every year with over 322 ABs he’s hit over 12 home runs. Much like the Drew brother that we know, Stephen has had his own injury problems.  When healthy, Drew provides more pop than any other of the shortstop options. If drew was the starting shortstop next year, they’d have to make sure that they have a good backup (Iglesias of Aviles).

One problem with a Drew signing is that it would just perpetuate the shortstop carousel because he’s not a long-term fix. But he could be a hold over.

Long term fix: One shortstop I didn’t mention is Xander Bogaerts, who Conor wrote a piece on. Xander is only 19 and not ready for the bigs. However, he’s hit at ever level that he’s been at. This year in Single-A Bogaerts hit .302/.378/.505/.883 with 15 home runs in 104 games. He’s recently been called up to double-A. In 6 games he’s hitting .385/.385/.731./1.115 with 2 home runs. Bogaerts isn’t going to be big league ready to start next season but by the end of the year call ups he could be called up, and if he performs it could be permanent.

Looking at these options, I won’t be satisfied unless Iglesias or Andrus  is the starting shortstop next year. With almost complete certainty that Ellsbury will test free agency as soon as possible, I’d really try the Andrus/Ellsbury swap. Both teams fill their whole in the field and keep a bat at the top of their lineup.

Bobby Valentinelooks at Carl Crawford after a failed bunt attempt. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

I’m not one to believe in jinxes, curses, Harvey Dent, vampires, or Mitt Romney. There are a lot of things that have hurt Carl Crawford during his time in Boston, but does his number factor into that?

Here are the number 13s in Red Sox history according to redsoxdiehard.com

Bob Fothergill      1933

Elden Auker         1939

Reid Nichols        1985

Billy Jo Robidoux 1990

John Valentin       1992-2001

Rey Sanchez         2002

Lou Merloni         2003

Doug Mientkiewicz   2004

Roberto Petagine    2005

Alex Cora           2006-08

Alex Gonzalez       2009

Billy Wagner        2009

Angel Sanchez       2010

Niuman Romero       2010

Carl Crawford       2011

• Robert Roy Fothergill was nicknamed “Fats” or “Fatty”. Although he only played 28 games with the Red Sox he hit .344 in mostly pinch-hit duty.  During one of his crash diets in 1928, (with the Tigers) Fats bit home-plate umpire Bill Dinneen and commented “That’s OK. That was the first bite of meat I’ve had in a month.”. Fothergill died at 40 after suffering multiple strokes. His 28 games played with the Red Sox were the least he played in a single season.
• Elden Auker only played one year with the Red Sox, he donned number 13 and his 9 wins were the lowest he had in any full year of his career.

No one wore #13 for a very long time…

• Reid Nichols never played over 100 games in a season with Boston because he was stuck behind Jim Rice, Tony Armas and Dwight Evans in the outfield. Talk about unlucky!
• Billy Jo Robidoux was born in Ware, Massachusetts. The 1B/OF/DH signed with Boston when he was 26. He hit .182 with 1 home run and 4 RBI. That was the end of his career.
• John Valentin was the starting shortstop for the Red Sox from 1992 until 1996 when a prospect named Nomar Garciaparra got called up.  Valentin never saw shortstop again.
• In 2002 Rey Ordonez played 102 games at shortstop for the Red Sox, he had 16 extra-base hits.
• Lou Merloni. The “Merloni Shuttle”. Best friends with Nomar. Stuck with EEI. How unlucky can one guy be?
• Doug Mientkiewicz. How many former players have been sued by the Red Sox?
• Roberto Petagine. The Red Sox signed Petagine from the Japanese Central League. In that offseason he had knee surgery. He played 18 games and had one home run with the Sox.
• The Red Sox were ready to hand shortstop to Alex Cora after trading away Edgar Renteria. The team decided to trade for Alex Gonzalez (for the first time) before the deadline.  He took Cora’s position, but not his number, yet. Cora batted .238 with one home run and 18 RBI.
• Alex Gonzalez. Second time in Boston, the Sox let him walk away at the end of the season. The Red Sox haven’t made the playoffs since.
• Billy Wagner. Pitched 13.2 innings for Boston, 5 runs scored, rejected arbitration.
• Angel Sanchez. One game played, zero hits.
• Niuman Romero was called up to replace Ángel Sánchez, who was traded to the Houston Astros for Kevin Cash. He played 2 games, had zero hits.
• And finally Carl Crawford. Crawford’s first year in Boston was the lowest .avg, stolen base total, and runs scored of his career. In the offseason he had wrist surgery and is still experiencing discomfort. So far this season, in the 20 games he’s been back, he’s putting up better a AVG, OBP, and SLG than last year. Hopefully last year the jinx of 13 was just a fluke. Although his SLG is much lower batting 2^nd, his AVG is 19 points higher and his OBP is over 50 points higher. So maybe he just needs to be batting 2^nd?

As we look at these players there hasn’t really ever been a great player that has wore number 13 for the Red Sox. Is there a chance that the number 13 is jinxed after all? No, don’t be stupid!

Josh Beckett walks of the field after being relieved. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Oh, my God, we’re having a fire! Sale.

As Tobias Funke famously suggested, maybe it’s time for a fire sale. Now before you jump all over me I’ll let you know that I believe the Sox are going to be buyers, not sellers. I’m just hopping on Mr Rogers’ train to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The Red Sox have been opposed to make right decisions for a few years now, so I don’t expect them to make the right move in this instance. You may be opposed to the Sox selling, but aren’t you sick of not watching the Red Sox in the playoffs. This will be the third straight year of golf in October; maybe it’s time to mix things up. First thing we’ll do is target players that the Red Sox can trade, players that they won’t be building around. Secondly, I will throw out potential trades for such players.
There are three lists. Pitchers I would try to trade, hitters I would try to trade, and players that I don’t need to trade, but would for the right price.

PITCHERS
Josh Beckett
Matt Albers
Aaron Cook
John Lackey
Mark Melancon
Vicente Padilla

HITTERS
Kelly Shoppach
Mike Aviles
Nick Punto
Carl Crawford
Daniel Nava
Scott Podsednik
Cody Ross
Ryan Sweeney

FOR THE RIGHT PRICE
Daniel Bard
Jose Iglesias
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jon Lester

Trade #1. Josh Beckett and Matt Albers to the Dodgers for Zack Lee, Chris Withrow, and Scott Van Slyke. (I would include Kelly Shoppach if the Dodgers would add a better second prospect)

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: Beckett is a problem in the clubhouse. I don’t really believe in addition by subtraction so that’s why the Red Sox are getting a high upside pitching prospect, who is still a ways away. Beckett is still owed 15.75 over each of the next two seasons plus the rest of his salary this season. Albers makes 1.075 million this year and is arbitration eligible next season. The Red Sox will save over $33 million. That’s what they’re giving up. They would get Zack Lee. Lee is the Dodgers top pitching prospect and it was rumored that they would have given him up (plus a package) for Garza. Beckett has slightly worse numbers, although in a tougher division, plus is signed to longer years. Beckett’s contract isn’t one that would scare teams away. Lee is only 20 years old but hasn’t put up good numbers in the minors. In Single-A this year he only walked 1.6 batters per 9, while striking out 8.5. However, Double-A has seen those walks go up to 5 per 9. I expect that will lower once he gets going. Chris Withrow is a 23 year-old pitcher who has recently been moved to the pen. That move could very well be permanent. Withrow has good stuff but his control is still in question. He averages 5 walks per 9 in his minor league career and 9.3 strikeouts. Those are similar to Daniel Bard’s numbers as a starter in the minors. Scott Van Slyke is already 26, not much of a prospect anymore, but he’s torn up Triple-A. He hasn’t had success in the majors, but he’s a throw in player that the Sox can take a chance on.

Why the Dodgers should do this deal: First of all, if they would give up Lee for Garza, they should for Beckett. Beckett would be their second best starter and his numbers should be even better in the National League, in Dodger Stadium. His ERA with the Marlins was .36 better than with the Red Sox. Albers and his 2.35 ERA would be a nice addition to the bullpen. If the Dodgers are serious about making a run at the playoffs, this would be one of the best moves left that they could make. The new Dodgers ownership is showing their willingness to spend.

The next trade I would do would involve Ross or Sweeney.
It’s been reported that the Reds and Pirates have scouted the Red Sox outfield extensively.

Trade #2: Cody Ross and Mike Aviles to the Pirates for Tony Sanchez, Nick Kingham, Alex Dickerson.

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: Both Ross and Aviles (abr. elig) are free agents after this year, so why not get something for them? Tony Sanchez went to school at BC and was once a highly thought of prospect. Here is what piratesprospects.com says about the catcher who they list in their 4th tier of prospects.

“Tony Sanchez was hitting for a .277/.370/.390 line in 141 at-bats in his second run through Double-A. At the age of 24, and in his second run through Double-A, he should have been putting up better numbers. He got hot in his final two weeks at the level, which was enough to send him up to Triple-A. His path is similar to the one Jordy Mercer took. Struggle in year one in Altoona, start slow in year two, then take off around the middle of May. The biggest concern with Sanchez is that he’s not hitting for power. In his two seasons at Double-A he combined for an .087 ISO. He improved this year, with a .113 ISO, but once again it was his second year at the level. Until he shows improvements, I’d put his upside as an average starter, with his value fueled by his defense.”

Kingham is a 20 year old who is throwing 95. Besides the fastball piratesprospects says he has two other above average pitches. Alex Dickerson is 22 and still at A-ball which is worrisome but he was drafted with no true position so maybe he’s destined for the AL. He’s expected to hit for power.

With these prospects, the Red Sox can consider Sanchez as a potential starting catcher a couple years down the line and eventually Kingham is expected to be a middle of the rotation guy. I don’t have high hopes for Dickerson but maybe he can become a DH.

Why the Pirates should do this deal: The Pirates would only be taking on what is left of Ross’ and Aviles combined 3.2 million dollar salary. Ross would be their starting right fielder and hitting in the middle of the lineup. Garrett Jones would go to first and Mike Aviles would be a huge upgrade at shortstop over Clint Barmes. Ross would hit 4th or 5th and Aviles would hit 6th or 7th. These additions would be huge upgrades to the Pirates lineup, who look ready to break their under .500 streak and make a playoff run.

Trade #3: Ryan Sweeney and Vicente Padilla for Neftali Soto (and a very low prospect).

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: The Red Sox could go to arbitration with Sweeney this off-season but their OF is already pretty full. Soto could be the replacement for David Ortiz in a year or two. Soto has bad numbers this year, he’s hitting .227 in triple-A, however his career average is .271 and he had 30 home runs in Double-A last season with a .272 batting average.

Why the Reds should do this deal: This is the first deal where I’m not sure if they should. However, Soto isn’t coming up anytime soon with Votto at first and his OBP and AVG are an of concern. Sweeney could be a platoon OF that can backup all 3 positions. Sweeney could even be the starter at CF if the Reds get tired of Drew Stubbs and his below .300 OBP. Padilla would be a solid reliever in the middle of their pen.

Trade #4: Kelly Shoppach. Shoppach HAS to get traded. LAD, LAA, SF, STL, and OAK are all contenders that could use Shoppach. The Sox won’t get much but if they can get a decent prospect for him I’d be happy. I consider his value equal to a relief pitcher prospect who’s expected to be a 7th or 8th inning guy, and not too far away from the bigs, nothing more than that.

Trade #5 Jacoby Ellsbury and Jose Iglesias for Justin Upton. I wrote all about this trade here a week ago.  It seems like Upton is less available than he was last week.

Players I haven’t mentioned in trades yet but listed above.

Jon Lester – I wouldn’t trade him. However, if the Red Sox got a great offer for him, I wouldn’t turn it down; either that or if Lester was the centerpiece of a Felix Hernandez trade.

Aaron Cook – If anyone offers something for Cook that won’t cost the Red Sox money, I’d take it. Get something for him, he could be an asset for someone.

John Lackey – No one will offer anything. I just put him on the list because I WOULD trade him if I could.

Mark Melancon – I hated this trade at the time and his value has dropped since. It’s possible that a team needs a reliever desperately. He had good numbers in the NL, if someone offers a good role player or a C prospect, I’d take that.

Carl Crawford – I like Crawford. He’s a good player; the worse thing about him is the contract. He’s playing injured. If someone would take his whole contract, I’d take nothing for him. Just get the money off the books. If they offer a good player (like the prior Hanley rumors) or a prospect, I’d pay some. However, he’s not someone that I’d trade and eat his salary (like Renteria).

Nick Punto – He doesn’t have a lot of value, if someone needs a util and is willing to take his $3 mil next year, I’d take almost anything.

Daniel Nava – I love watching Nava, but he’s not as good as we think he is. He’s slightly better than a 4-A player. You don’t have to deal him, but he’s not going to add much here besides being a 5th outfielder.

Scott Podsednik – He’s injured, and has low value. Dave Roberts-esque. The Red Sox traded Henri Stanley for Roberts. Expect someone of that value… exactly.

Daniel Bard – I’m still hoping they can fix him and have him setup but I’d listen to offers if someone sees him as a future closer.

Let’s take a look at future money off the books if the 5 trades I proposed happen.

$31.50M from Beckett ($15.75M per year, plus the rest of this season)
$1M from Albers. (He makes 875,000 this year and will get a bonus in arbitration this off-season. $1M is a very low guess)
$2M from Aviles. He makes $1.2M this year and is arbitration eligible. I’m going low on his offer too.

$2M from Sweeney. He makes $1.75M and is also arbitration eligible.
$10M from Jacoby Ellsbury. He makes $8.05M this year and has one year left in arbitration.
$2M from Jose Iglesias.
-$9.75 for Justin Upton

The Red Sox are also losing Dice-K’s contract, which is $10M.

So let’s add up next year’s money off the books, including Dice-K but only including 1 year off Beckett. The other year will be future savings. For the sake of the argument let’s pretend that Ortiz comes back at the same salary, which I doubt.
15.57 + 1 +2 +2 +10 + 2 + 10 = 42.75 – 9.75 = $33M

Guessing on arbitration, if the 5 deals I listed happened, the Red Sox would save about 33 million next year.

Assuming that they resign all of the bullpen, this would be their Depth chart.

C – Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Lavarnway, Tony Sanchez (top catching prospect)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez, Neftali Soto, Scott Van Slyke
2B – Dustin Pedroia, Nick Punto
SS- Pedro Ciriaco, Punto
3B – Will Middlebrooks, Punto
LF – Carl Crawford, Daniel Nava
CF – Ryan Kalish, Jackie Bradley, Jr. (probably not ready)
RF – Justin Upton, Nava
DH – David Ortiz
SP – Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey
CP – Daniel Bard?
RP – Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Alfredo Aceves, Junichi Tazawa

With 33 mil to spare the Red Sox will need a SS, a CF (maybe), and a SP or two.

SS- Stephen Drew (you all cringe at that last name) has a $10m option that I couldn’t see getting picked up. The Red Sox can probably offer him 7. Jhonny Peralta also has a $6 Mil option. Jason Bartlet would be a defensive gem real cheap who can’t hit ($2.5m?). For the point of this exercise, let’s say they sign Drew for $7mil for a year.

26 Mil left.

CF – Michael Bourne will cost at least 15m, Josh Hamilton will be close to $20m, Shane Victorino at least $14m, BJ Upton, 13ishh. However, Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, Ross, and Grady Sizemore would all be significantly cheaper. What about Torii Hunter? Would he come to Boston given the bad history here?
Let’s pretend that he came to play with his friend Crawford. 2 years, $8 mil per.

18 mil left.

That leaves a pitcher or two needed. Zack Grienke is someone that would scare me in Boston. But what about Shaun Marcum? He makes $7.73M this year and has excelled in the AL East. What if the Red Sox offer him 3 years and $12M.

That leaves $6 mil for arbitration boosts, adding a bullpen arm, and a couple cheap veteran starters (like Aaron Cook was this year). Those numbers will be a little over $6M but the team salary would be pretty much what it is this year but your farm system is so much better.

This would be the lineup.

LF – Crawford
2B – Pedroia
1B – Gonzalez
DH – Ortiz
RF – Upton
3B – Middlebrooks
CF – Hunter
C – Saltalamacchia
SS- Drew

That lineup is arguably better than this year’s lineup. Plus, you added hitters Van Slyke, Tony Sanchez, Alex Dickerson, and Neftali Soto to the system.

The rotation would be.
Lester
Marcum
Buchholz
Doubront
Lackey

And you added Zack Lee, Chris Withrow, Nick Kingham as pitching prospects.

The bullpen would be Daniel Bard, Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Alfredo Aceves, Junichi Tazawa. That’s if you don’t add anyone else.

Honestly, I’m tired of just missing the playoffs. The worst place to be in sports is a fringe playoff team. Most likely you won’t win the World Series, and you’re not bad enough to rebuild. I’m sick of it. Things aren’t working the way they are. It’s time to rebuild. The thing about the Red Sox is, if they do these moves, they will be at least as good as they are now and their system will be more talented. With all this said, 2,500 words later, I don’t expect the Red Sox to be sellers and that’s too bad. And it’s not even that they’d be sellers. They’d be builders. This year is not going to happen, so take a loss for the rest of the year to build something big going forward. The Red Sox need another wave of talent in their system and this would provide that.

A fan runs onto the field past Jacoby Ellsbury during the third inning against Toronto. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-US PRESSWIRE

It seems that Upton’s days in Arizona are coming to an end. I’m not sure why the Diamondbacks aren’t more patient with their 24-year old star but I’m not complaining. Would a trade with the Red Sox work? The Red Sox have their speedy center fielder for only one more year of arbitration, then his price will skyrocket. If Ellsbury were always healthy, the Diamondbacks might jump at this opportunity to bring in the best position player in the American League last season. The problem is that Jacoby Ellsbury isn’t always healthy. I bet throwing Jose Iglesias into the deal could seal it.

For the Red Sox, Upton would be great. He’d be a power bat in the middle of the lineup for years to come. He’s signed through 2015. The problem with Ellsbury is that his skill sets at the plate are redundant with Carl Crawford. Even though Ellsbury is the better player, Crawford will be impossible to deal and his contract will make it tough to re-sign Jacoby. So Crawford can slide back to the top of the order where he was for Tampa. Followed by Pedroia, Upton, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Middlebrooks, Saltalamacchia, Ross, and Aviles. I’m not sure if Upton can play center, but I bet he can. If he can’t, Ross would platoon with the other outfielders. Upton may not get the stolen bases that Ellsbury does, but he will give you better power. Ellsbury has peaked at age 28, and Upton is still getting better. Jacoby did have 32 home runs last year, but I see that as an outlier.

For the Diamondbacks, they get a star back for the one they gave up. For some reason they don’t like Upton, maybe Ellsbury is more what they want. Ellsbury can be the leadoff hitter that Arizona lacks. Right now the Diamondbacks are starting Willie Bloomquist as leadoff, he has a .317 career OBP compared to Ellsbury’s .354. Bloomquist also has 6 stolen bases while getting thrown out 8 times. The rest of the DBacks lineup would be Hill, Montero, Kubel, Goldschmidt, Young, Drew, Roberts, and the pitcher. Young can slide over to right, as Ellsbury is a better defender.

To sweeten the deal the Red Sox throw in Jose Iglesias. Although I love Iglesias, he’ll be a better NL player. There is a mutual option on Stephen Drew for 10 million dollars, which the DBacks might not pick up. The Diamondbacks system doesn’t have a shortstop that’s ready to take over. That player could be Iglesias. With Upton’s $14.5 mil a year off the books and Stephen Drew’s contract, maybe the DBacks could even re-sign Ellsbury, if they like what he gives them.

I’m not saying that this deal will happen, but Ben Cherington should at least make the call. Jacoby is coming back tonight, so it’s only a matter of time before he hurts himself again, so make the call. Would you trade Ellsbury for Upton?

Clay Buchholz pitches against the Miami Marlins Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

“Do you know who I am?” Clay Buchholz asks as he slaps esophagitis in the face. “King Kong ain’t got nothing on me!” he yells before doing his best Ron Burgandy cannonball. Next thing you know ninjas drop from the trees and start to kidnap hostages at the Stoli sponsored charity pool party hosted by WAAF’s Greg Hill. Clay with no hesitation leaps from the pool and starts karate kicking the ninjas in a fashion that would make even Steven Seagal jealous. Not a hostage was harmed and the ninja blood was mixed with the tears of the unicorn that Buchholz found and the chemical combination was found to cure all known diseases. Hallelujah!

That’s how I expected the story to go when I read Craig Calcaterra on Hardballtalk call Buchholz noble and “maybe even a little brave” for attending this charity event. Calcaterra was defending Buchholz against the evil morning radio show “Toucher and Rich” who tweeted an opinion-less statement just laying out the facts. “Clay Buchholz didn’t travel w the team to the west coast, but was at a vodka-sponsored pool party at MGM Foxwoods last night. Details NEXT”. This was simply stating the facts of the story while teasing the audience to tune in. Calcaterra then picks on the lowest hanging fruit, twitter, to make a case against Boston and “neanderfans”. It’s simple target articles like that that try to make Boston look bad. They claim that Boston media blows things out of proportion (which is often true) but by blowing that out of proportion it perpetuates the problem that you’re trying to address.

Don’t get me wrong; charity is great. I’m all about charity. But brave? Clay showed up to a charity pool party that (I assume) other people pay to go to. A 27-year old going to a pool party? My hero!  I have no problem with him going. I’m just surprised that people are defensive about objections by fans or even the media. Don’t you think based on last year’s collapse and this year’s golf date with Josh Beckett that people get concerned with this pitching staff’s off day activities? Any time a player is on the disabled list fans are concerned about their health.

Even Greg Hill’s twitter says “I love how Clay Bucholz is being ripped for attending a charity event after a game. Is he supposed to lie prone at home all night?”  To which I say, no of course not. But Buchholz was in the hospital less than 24 hours before the event. Maintaining his body and health is part of his job. I’m sure he didn’t even drink. That’s not the point. Just because you have the opportunity to do a public event doesn’t mean you have to. Relax. Recover. Return. There will always be events like this in the off-season, or even during the all-star break.

I’m glad that Bucholz is helping with charity. But going to a charity pool party isn’t heroic. If spending quality time with Stoli is noble, I should be named Pope because there are none nobler than I.

Daniel Bard makes his way from the bullpen to the dugout with pitching coach Bob McClure. Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Today Daniel Bard announced that he’s decided that he should go back to the bullpen and the team agrees. Despite Bard blowing the save in Pawtucket last night and throwing two wild pitches, I think it’s the right move.

For a couple days now I’m been debating writing an article pleading with the Red Sox to move Bard back to the pen. I’m glad that they are finally seeing things my way.

If we look at Bard’s minor league numbers, in 07 he was a starter and his ERA was 7.08, his WHIP was 2.053, Bard averaged over one walk and one hit per inning yet he only averaged 5.5 strikeouts per 9. Those are terrible numbers. The next year he moved to the pen. He pitched in 46 games, finishing 17, with an ERA of 1.51, a WHIP of .0927, his hits per 9 dropped to 4.9 and his walks per 9 dropped to 3.5. His strikeouts per 9 jumped to 12.4. And the rest is history.

We know what he did this year as a starter and we know what he did last season as a reliever. So why not move him to the pen? If Bard bounces back to last year’s numbers he can be the closer. Alfredo Aceves has done a decent job but he’d be so valuable in the 8^th. Once Andrew Bailey comes back, he could take over the 9^th, with Bard going to the 8^th, and Aceves being the all so valuable bullpen guy that can pitch in any spot in the game, much like he did last year. That would make for a very good bullpen. Bard should the piece that this bullpen is built around. Hasn’t that been the story as long as we remember? We heard it again and again, closer of the future, closer of the future. So why did they bother to change it? Was the starting pitching market that tight this off-season?

Imagine if the Red Sox decided this before the season? They’d be able to keep either Marco Scutaro or Jed Lowrie, or trade them for something else. Right now Boston has Clayton Mortensen and Mark Melancon to show for it. What if they decided that they didn’t need to completely rebuild the bullpen? Which by the way, if we look at it now, looks pretty similar to last year, minus Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.

Just another case of team mismanagement.

Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia congratulates David Ortiz for hitting a home run during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Based on the current voting results from June 11^th, only one Red Sox player is slated to start the All-Star game, DH David Ortiz. In fact the only other player in the top 5 at their position is Dustin Pedroia, who is 3^rd among AL second basemen.

We can all agree that the fan voting in general is flawed but which Red Sox position players should be considered? Let’s go position by position.

1B. Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is possibly the most talented first baseman in the league. Not only that but he’s even played right field recently. Does he deserve to be an All-Star? As of today Gonzalez is 6^th among AL 1^st basemen in batting average with .267.  With 5 home runs Gonzalez is 14^th among AL first basemen.  RBI? 6^th with 35.  OBP, SLUG, and OPS are all 9^th among AL 1^st basemen.  With 22 doubles, Gonzalez leads all of the AL (tied with Ian Kinsler). Congrats.

Prognosis: Adrian Gonzalez does not deserve to be an All-Star in 2012.

2B. Dustin Pedroia. With a .275 average, Pedroia is 4^th among AL 2^nd basemen. With 5 home runs he’s 6^th. 6^th in RBI as well with 25. His OBP is .333, which is 5^th. A .411 slugging % is 4^th in the AL as is his .744 OPS.  Pedroia has as many runs scored (33) as Dustin Ackley, 2^nd baseman for Seattle who have the 12^th best (out of 14) runs scored in the AL. They are tied with Kelly Johnson for 4^th.

Prognosis: Dustin Pedroia does not deserve to be an All-Star in 2012.

3B. Kevin Youkilis or Will Middlebrooks. Do I need to get into the numbers? Youkilis doesn’t deserve to be an all-star. Middlebrooks, although we love what he’s done, he hasn’t been up and contributing long enough to be considered an all-star. The good news is that Middlebrooks is in the top 10 in both homeruns and RBI among AL 3^rd basemen despite only having 124 at bats.

Prognosis: Neither Kevin Youkilis or Will Middlebrooks deserve to be an All-Star in 2012.

SS. Mike Aviles. With a .263 average Aviles is 6^th among AL shortstops. With 8 home runs Aviles is 2^nd in home runs. JJ Hardy has 11, but Aviles beats him in doubles, RBI, and average. With 37 RBI, Aviles leads all AL SS. Aviles is 9 ahead of Hardy who is in 2^nd place. Aviles is 2^nd in doubles to Asdrubal Cabrera with 15. A .282 OBP leaves Aviles 9^th in the AL. Aviles is 4^th in SLUG% and 7^th in OPS. Mike’s 7 stolen bases are 5^th among AL shortstops.

Prognosis: I believe that Mike Aviles should be the backup shortstop to Derek Jeter in the All-Star in 2012 game. Although, Asdrubal Cabrera deserves to make the team as well.

C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty is tied for 1^st among AL catchers with 11 homeruns. Unfortunately, A.J. Pierzynski, who also has 11, is beating Salty in most other categories. Salty has 30 RBI, which is 4^th among catchers. Unfortunately again, Joe Mauer is beating him in RBI and is beating Salty in a bunch of categories. Salty doesn’t have enough at bats but would be 2nd with a .525 SLUG, the only one higher is Kelly Shoppach. Four catchers would have a higher OPS.

Prognosis: Mauer deserves to start this year and Pierzynski should backup. If the AL carries 3 catchers, the 3^rd should be Saltalamacchia. Matt Wieters is right on his tail.

OF. No one! Here’s the top OF in Boston for each category. None have enough ABs to qualify for .AVG, .OBP, .SLG, or .OPS. In home runs Cody Ross’ 8 are 15^th. McDonald and Nava each have 2 and are ranked 44^th.  Ross’ 28 RBI are 15^th. Nava ranks 32^nd with 19, and Sweeney is 34^th with 13. Sweeney has 17^th doubles for 4^th among AL outfielder Nava is 15^th with 12. Ross has 9 and McDonald has 6. Runs scored, Ross is 27^th with 24. Ross and Sweeney have 19.  In stolen bases, Podsednik is 24^th with 4 and Nava has 2.

Prognosis: Sadly, Cody Ross has been the Red Sox best outfielder this year.  No Red Sox outfielder deserves to be an All-Star in 2012. However, Ellsbury could be all-star worthy based on last year, but will we even see him before the game?

DH. David Ortiz. This is a two player race. Ortiz and Encarnacion. David Ortiz leads every offensive category for DHs, except Encarnacion leads in HR, RBI, and SB but besides SB, they are very close.

Prognosis: David Ortiz deserves to start in the 2012 All-Star game.

After looking at these stats, the fans seem to be right. Ortiz should be the only All-Star starter from the Red Sox. Salty and Aviles should both be considered as bench players. Do you believe that? From this team full of high paid players Ortiz, Salty, and Aviles are the ones who deserve to be honored at the midsummer classic.

Derek already touched on Soler but him and have a different opinion on the matter. Part of me says yes, go for it Boston. Soler isn’t going to be in the majors immediately. I expect him to spend the year in the minors before playing for a major league team. Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are the exceptions not the rule. After this season the Red Sox will be looking for a right fielder or they could start planning for a potential Jacoby Ellsbury vacancy. Look at the outfielders the Red Sox have developed lately. Ellsbury is great, one of the better outfielders in the league when he’s on the field. But who else is there? Remember when Brandon Moss was a high prospect? Yeah, he has 14 at bats this season in the anemic Athletic offense. There’s Josh Reddick, a decent outfielder this year, but can he keep it up? He already has more home runs this year than the rest of his career combined. His SLUG% is almost 70 points higher than his career average.  Although his BAbip is around his career average he’s almost .100 over his career OBP. And let’s not forget Ryan Kalish who has been injured so hasn’t had a chance to show us much but has potential. My point is that the Red Sox haven’t developed much power in the outfield.  So why not bring in a young outfielder with huge upside.

When it comes down to the Red Sox roster, McDonald, Nava, or Podsednik will not stand in the way of a hot prospect. A few of those names might not even be on the roster in a month. So if next season Soler is ready for the bigs, finding room for him won’t be an issue.

Here’s the downside. The Red Sox have to be able to sign Ellsbury. If signing Soler means that they can’t resign Ellsbury then forget it. However, there is a chance that Ellsbury and Scott Boras will price the speedy outfielder out of Boston. Wouldn’t you like the have a young stud of an outfielder ready to replace him?

During the offseason I wrote that I’d prefer paying the price that Soler could cost as opposed to the price that Yoenis Cespedes cost. By the time that Crawford is in his late 30s, Soler will be hitting his prime. I like that timing and I’d like the chance to get some youth on this roster that can make an impact as a majority of the Boston stars are on the dowslope.

Boston Red Sox left fielder Daniel Nava signs autographs for fans prior to playing the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Red Sox defeated the Phillies 5-1. Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

I have a very simple question. Is this team likable? For the first time in a while, I feel like I can honestly say yes. Maybe it’s just me; maybe people have always liked this team regardless of who’s on it.

Here’s where I’m coming from. I like the underdog, the dirt dog. I mean, I really like dogs in general (see picture). I’ve rooted for this team my whole life and for most of it the Red Sox weren’t great. Basically I’ve seen one decade of great baseball, and almost two of underdog baseball. I grew up surrounded by the mantra of “There’s always next year”. I grew up playing games like Ken Griffey baseball. I’d always pick the bad teams and try to build them up. I still do that. I used to have one game that  had an “Expansion” mode, where two new teams came in the league, you ran one and had a fantasy draft. These teams were so bad that the best player in those drafts was a young pitcher named Rick Ankiel. I wonder if he’s related to the outfielder? Anyway, that’s where I come from. I like overachievers, guys who leave it all on the field. I like the kind of team that gets described the same way that someone might describe Dustin Pedroia.

Of course I love dogs! Meet my crazy puppy Tobey.

So are the Red Sox in that category? Last year was about two things, disappointment and underachieving stars. The only bright spot might have been Jacoby Ellsbury. But think about the disappointments, Carl Crawford, John Lackey, Kevin Youkilis, Bobby Jenks, Daisuke Matsuzaka, J.D. Drew, Clay Buchholz. These are all players with decent contracts that we expected more from. Now think about how the season ended. The way it went down, they way they responded. Terrible. That’s not the definition of a likeable team.

Now let’s think about this year. Yeah, we’ve got a lot of those same players on the roster but so far we haven’t had to think about them. This year we have Alfredo Aceves, a man willing to do anything that the team asks. A guy who thought he’d be a starter, then told that he’s going to be in the pen, then becomes the closer. Scott Atchison, a 36-year old who was pitching in Japan before pitching in Boston. Rich Hill a hometown guy.  Mike Aviles, a career backup who has never played more than 110 games in a season.

Currently the 4 players on the 40 man roster, not including the DL, that are listed as outfielders are Marlon Byrd, Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik, and Ryan Sweeney. None of these players were projected to start, only one to be on the team. Podsednik played 39 games with the Dodgers last season and started the year in the Phillies minor league system. Ryan Sweeney has only one season (2009) with at least 400 at bats. Marlon Byrd has had the best career out of all of them, and he averages 40 RBI per season. But most importantly is Daniel Nava. To me, he’s the most likable player on the team.  At 29, he’s played less than 90 games in the majors, all with Boston. Nava was a guy that no one wanted. He was designated for assignment and removed from the Red Sox 40-man roster on May 20, 2011. He was unclaimed and was out-righted back to the Pawtucket Red Sox. This year Nava was not even invited to major league training camp.

And let me talk about two guys who I really like on this team. Former 1^st round picks who have been underachievers their whole career but seem to be getting it together this season. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Andrew Miller. Miller had such high projections and he may never reach those. Who knows if he will ever be a starter, but I love his arm coming out of the pen. This season in 12 appearances Miller has a 2.38 ERA, 2.4 walks per 9 and 11.9 Ks per 9. All career best. His previous best in various seasons were 4.84, 4.7 bb/9, and 7.9 k/9. And Salty, what a player he has become. This is what people expected all those years when he was considered a top prospect. Compared to all AL catchers with at least 120 ABS (11 qualify), Salty is 3^rd in batting average at .273, 1^st in HRs with 10, and 4^th in RBI with 25. He has the best slugging percentage with .576 and OPS of .883. If he had enough at bats to qualify against all AL batters he’d be 7^th in the American League in SLG and 13^th in OPS.

Boston still has the standard fan favorites, Ortiz, Pedroia, and Ellsbury. That hasn’t changed.  And how can fans not like Gonzalez, a guy who switches positions for the team? I know his personality isn’t what Pedroia’s is but he’s still putting team first. Middlebrooks is winning fans over with his power. With these players and the addition of the misfit toys, how can you not like this team?

I know the counter argument, the starting pitchers. They aren’t likable. They lost most of the goodwill they had last season, but it hasn’t been terrible this season. Beckett has had some rough patches, Lester isn’t the ace that we thought he was, and Buchholz is at risk of losing his starters role but they appear to be getting better. And I mentioned some bullpen pieces earlier, but as a whole, are there any relievers on this team that you don’t like?

I like this team. I feel good rooting for this team. Who knows what will happen with Nava and who knows if Salty and Miller will keep up these numbers. But as long as we have guys that know they need to fight to keep their jobs, to stay in the lineup, to fight for future jobs once the Red Sox get their high priced players back, I will root for these hard workers much like I rooted for Bill Mueller.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro at Wrigley Field. Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Cubs today make it aware that they are willing to trade anyone on the big league roster besides Jeff Samardzija. That means that 22-year old star shortstop Starlin Castro is on the block. Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY reports that Castro can be had for two impact prospects. Would it make sense for the Red Sox?

I say go for it and here’s why.  Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Marco Scutaro, and Mike Aviles. These are the starting shortstops since the Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra on July 31, 2004. Let’s not forget Pokey Reese, Nick Green, and Alex Cora who each manned the position in more of a backup role. Castro would solidify the shortstop position, the first time in a long time, for years to come.

Theo and Hoyer know the Red Sox farm system in and out. I say let them pick any two, as long as one of them is a shortstop.

Theoretically, could the Red Sox get Castro for Jose Iglesias and Matt Barnes? Baseball America ranked Barnes as the 8th best prospect in the Red Sox organization in January. Right now Barnes is pitching great in Salem, but still seems to be a ways from the majors. On the same team is Xander Bogaerts, a shortstop who is ranked number 4 in the system. Ranked 2nd is pitcher Anthony Ranaudo who’s not doing great in AA. These are all relative to Will Middlebrooks being #1, who I consider off the table and on the big league roster for good. So if Theo choses any two of those guys besides Middlebrooks, would that get it done? Would the Red Sox be better off? Since all of them besides Iglesias are far away from the bigs, I’d even throw in a third (good but not top 10) prospect. I think that Iglesias is the type of player who will be better hitting 8^th in the National League.

First of all, Castro would instantly be the starting shortstop and thrown into the top of the lineup. Aviles can move to 2nd until Pedroia comes back and can then be a utility player or traded away. If Youkilis is still on the team, the lineup could be Castro, Pedroia, Adrian Gonzales (rf), Ortiz, Youkilis, Middlebrooks, Saltalamacchia, Ross, and Sweeney. Nava can be moved around in there and eventually we expect to get Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford back. This would make a great offense and make the need for Youkilis even less, and maybe he could be moved for a pitcher.

Castro is under the team control until 2016. The Sox would have Middlebrooks, Castro, Pedrioa, Gonzalez, and Crawford tied up for a while and I imagine they could get Ellsbury and Saltalamacchia signed too. This means the team needs only a right fielder (and I guess a DH) in the future. The rest of their efforts can go towards the pitching staff.

Castro has a career average of .306, an OBP of .341. He doesn’t get a lot of home runs, 10 last season, but he makes a lot of contact and can steal some bases. His WAR last year was 3 and he was an All-Star. His defense isn’t great, but I can live with that. He’s still only 22 so he has room to grow.

Not only do I think this would improve the team, I also think the fans would love this move. A young shortstop who’s fun to watch. My only concern is finding room for him, Ellsbury, and Crawford in the lineup at the same time. That’s a lot of players with a similar style. Two of them will probably have to hit in the lower third of the lineup once they are all healthy. That’s something I’m fine with, but it depends on their personalities as to if it would work. It’s a risk I’d be willing to take.

Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been a long time since the Red Sox have been over .500. In reality it’s been since the Red Sox’s season ending lost on September 28th to the Orioles. It’s been even longer since they’ve seen them playing good baseball.

As I write this article, 49 games into the 2012 season, the Red Sox are over .500 for the first time this year. Boy, how the world has changed since the last time the Red Sox were a winning team. Let’s take a trip back down memory lane. *Insert Wayne’s World flash back*

Since the last time the Red Sox were over .500…

• Manny Ramirez has un-retired. Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek have retired.
• Albert Pujols left the Cardinals, Prince Fielder left the Brewers, Mark Melancon unfortunately was traded from the Astro.
• We were forced to learn who Lana Del Rey was.
• Good bye Twilight (almost), hello 50 Shades of Grey!
• Middle and lower classes citizens in MA are no longer the only ones who hate Mitt Romney.
• The “With Mitt” app has learned how to spell “America”.
• Siri got sassy.
• I’ve perfected my pancake making technique.
• We learned that we should call Carly Rae Jepsen. Maybe? I think I lost her number. Carly, if you read this, please send it to me again. (I don’t advice clicking that link)
• SNL had their 100^th digital short. Plus, Laser Cats 7.
• Terry Francona went from managing the Red Sox to in the booth at ESPN.
• Bobby Valentine went from the Booth at ESPN to managing the Red Sox.
• Whitney Houston died and Blue Ivy Carter was born.
• The Cabin in the Woods came out (three years late). AND IT WAS AWESOME!
• People started caring about Kony.
• People stopped caring about Kony.
• They ‘ve made zero progress on “The Killing”.
• I got a Pinterest. I’ve yet to post on it. I’m not even going to link it here.
• Jordan “Lil’ Debbie” Capozzi left the “White Girl Mob”. Please hold back your tears…
• Khaleesi lost her dragons. Found my affections.
• One Direction apparently is a thing now.
• Facebook bought instagram and the people bought facebook shares (hopefully they didn’t).
• Dick Clark did his final ball drop.
• You became just Somebody That I Used To Know
• Kentucky won March Madness. More importantly I won my bracket. Anthony Davis has hopefully won a trip to the groomer.
• “Swag” got replaced by “YOLO”, the obnoxious level has remained constant.
• Zooey Deschanel has gone mainstream. But still loved by hipsters.
• Carl didn’t stay in the house. Shane is now a zombie.
• Have you seen Girls? Not bad.
•  A naked man in Florida ate someone’s face.
• Amber Heard is clearly the hottest person in the world. That has not been changed. Just look!
  

  Actress and grand marshall Amber Heard at the Daytona 500. Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

• Everyone except me has seen The Avengers. Even the characters in The Avengers have seen The Avengers and they were the ones doing the avenging.
• Steve Jobs has stopped texting.
• Hunger Games is no longer known only as a book read be tweens.
• Jennifer Lawrence has because super rich.
• Jennifer Lawrence has not called me. Call me! Maybe?

Try to remember back to almost the year 2011. A year when the Red Sox were over .500. Won 90 games. Just missed the playoffs. Remember we used this thing called Twitter. Posted on a website called Facebook. Used Gmail and Skype. Awaited the arrival of the hoverboard. Actually I’m still waiting for that. Only 3 years away!

• Have a Red Sox player’s home run make contact with the red seat, without being touched by a fan.
• Have an actual sell-out at Fenway.
• A two walk game by Marlon Byrd.
• A two home run game by Daniel Nava.
• Two walk off home runs in the same game.
• Five games straight without Cody Ross striking out.
• Steal of home by Kelly Shoppach.
• Inside the Park home run by David Ortiz.
• Mark Melancon getting a 1-2-3 inning/win.
• Daniel Bard pitching at least 5 innings in a game without a walk.
• Kevin Youkilis plays 150 games with the Red Sox.
• Kevin Youkilis not complaining after a strike out.
• No one with the team mentions the 100 year anniversary or bricks for a week.
• A month without an error by Mike Aviles.
• Liverpool wins a championship.
• Andrew Bailey gets 40 saves.
• Adrian Gonzalez shows emotions.
• Bobby Valentine goes one press conference without making himself the story.
• A Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford double steal.
• Darnell McDonald pitches a perfect game.
• John Lackey gets 20 wins.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka gets through 5 innings in under 100 pitches.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka throws a gyro-ball.

Want to add your ideas for giveaways? We could all use more furniture, right? I’d love to hear more suggestions.