“I think the next season and the season after that, these are all going to be very interesting times for the Red Sox,” said Lucchino.

(more…)

You’re Ben Cherington and you know you are in way over your head.  You are desperately hoping that Henry and Lucchino will give you a “mulligan”—a do-over for 2012.

(more…)

Theo Epstein has just fired the Vice President of Player Personnel, Oneri Fleita, and there is already speculation Boston GM, Ben Cherington, might be headed for the Windy City.

(more…)

Who kidnapped our Red Sox?  The Owner? CEO? GM? Manager? Players?

Hand me my Red Sox souvenir Giant Foam Finger: ALL of the above! And it’s time for the Citizens of Red Sox Nation to take their team back!

(more…)

[Ed. Note:  We have attempted to make the case that the current owner, CEO, GM, manager, and players are ruining the Boston Red Sox.  Now, in the last of the 6-part series, we propose a solution.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We the people of Red Sox Nation, in order to form a more perfect team, believe it is our duty to the Boston Red Sox franchise and the game of baseball to buy the team and own it forever.

(more…)

We ask for a FIFTH time: Who kidnapped our Red Sox?

Hand me my Red Sox souvenir Giant Foam Finger, YET, ONCE AGAIN!

A: ALL of the above! And it’s time for the Citizens of Red Sox Nation to take their team back!

(more…)

We ask for a FOURTH time: Who kidnapped our Red Sox?

Hand me my Red Sox souvenir Giant Foam Finger, ONCE AGAIN!

A: ALL of the above! And it’s time for the Citizens of Red Sox Nation to take their team back!

(more…)

There was once a boy called Ben who was brave and quick-witted. He lived with his brothers, John and Larry in a small ballpark and their most valuable possession was their jackass, Josh. But the day came when Josh gave them no milk and Ben’s brothers said he must be sold.

(more…)

http://tilwemeetagain.net/main/page_products_til_we_meet_again__mlb_caskets.html

I’m calling it…3:28 PM…EST…July 22nd…

The frustrated surgeon snaps off the gloves and the nurse covers the patient’s head and Red Sox hat with a white sheet.

R.I.P. Boston Red Sox, 2012.

(more…)

It’s not a surprise that the Red Sox are shopping Carl Crawford, but it is a shock to hear a rumor that the Miami Marlins might consider swapping Hanley Ramirez and Heath Bell for the fragile erstwhile Super star.

(more…)

You’re Ben Cherington and you’ve got the ball.  You always wanted to be the guy on the mound with the entire season on the line. You got what you wished for: to be the one who makes the choice at the moment of decision on the diamond: this will be the turning point in your baseball career.

(more…)

Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, and Matt Garza are the Big Three starters on the meat market slab and “buying” teams that are desperate to fill a rotation slot, say #3 or #4, include the Red Sox, and their AL East rivals the Rays,and Yankees; so what would a deal for the “Tres Hurleros” [Spanglish] look like?

(more…)

The Red Sox should trade Lester and Ellsbury for “King” Felix Hernandez; so says the Globe’s Nick Cafardo, but are there other Sox players to make a better deal?

(more…)

Rather than obtaining a pitcher with a long-term contract [like John Danks], who could quickly go from great to garbage, the Sox might consider renting a Dempster. But, how much are the Sox willing to pay for ONE extra win?

Cubs GM “Thiefo” Epstein is intimately familiar with the value and talents of the Sox prospects and may be keen to deal with his former under-study, Ben, again.

[Previously, the April [21st] trade sent RHP Michael Bowden and LHP Hunter Cervenka to the Cubs for Marlon Byrd. And, Theo gave Ben “The Other” Chris Carpenter in compensation for himself.]

The Cubs have baseball’s worst record (26-49) and are already in re-build mode and want to deal almost any player for prospects, hoping to become a young, competitive team before Bud Selig retires.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that Chicago is willing to pay part of Ryan Dempster‘s $14MM salary in a deal in order to receive better quality prospects in return. Their plan is to accumulate talent, not save money.
Although Dempster, 35, is currently on the DL with a lat strain he is expected back around the All-Star break.

Dempster played catch Friday and could throw off the mound Saturday or Sunday, but he will not be ready until sometime after the All-Star break.

Dempster, on the disabled list since June 16 with a sore right lat, said Friday he’s making progress.

“It won’t take me long once I get going,” Dempster said. “I haven’t said [I'm returning on] ‘This date’ because if I feel good, it could be sooner than that. I’m completely pain free. I just don’t know how I’m going to feel throwing.”

Dempster has pitched to a 2.11 ERA in a dozen starts this season and may be the best value starter on the market. And, Dempster is in the last year of his contract, which makes him a low-risk half-season rental.

If the Cubs were willing to eat half of Dempster’s remaining contract [$7 million], about $3.5 million, and the Sox were willing to deal 1-3 prospects, there is a deal to be made.

Ben may even be willing to part with Jose Iglesias in a 1-for-1 swap, since the Sox have a seven shortstop stockpile from Low-A to Fenway.

The Sox signed #24 overall pick Deven Marrero to a $2.05 million deal.

“Coming into the season Marrero was widely considered a top-10 talent, but the Arizona State shortstop’s stock dropped as he struggled offensively.

Even with the inconsistent offensive production Baseball America ranked Marrero as the 14th-best player in the draft class and ESPN.com rated him 13th, so if the Red Sox believe in his bat they got excellent value near the end of the first round.” [Baseball America]

Theo, no doubt is aware that Marrero is off to a good offensive start in the minors; in his first four games: .375/.412/.563,3 K/1 BB.

Today, the Sox collected another SS:
“The Red Sox have added one of the top international amateur free agents available in advance of the July 2 signing period, getting 18-year-old shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin out of Taiwan for $2.05 million.

The deal was first reported in the Taiwanese press earlier this month and is now official. Lin will still have to complete an investigation from Major League Baseball, but that shouldn’t present a problem.

Though 5-foot-8, 155 pounds, Lin has drawn strong reviews from scouts for his lefthanded bat. Some scouts have projected him as an above-average hitter, capable of hitting better than .300, though he won’t offer much power…” [Baseball America, http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2012/2613618.html]

With Aviles established for 2012 at SS and Punto and Lillibridge as backups, and 19 year-old SS Xander Bogaerts on the Salem Red Sox (A+) team, the Sox are loaded at SS.

Assuming that Theo would want a SS prospect, these other players could also be part of a 1-3 player package for Dempster:

Bryce Brentz, Rank: 1, Portland Sea Dogs (AA), ETA: 2013, Position: OF

Brandon Jacobs, Rank: 6, Salem Red Sox (A+), ETA: 2014, Position: OF

Kolbrin Vitek, Rank: 8, ETA: 2014, Position: 3B

Garin Cecchini, Rank: 9, Greenville Drive (A), ETA: 2014, Position: 3B

Blake Swihart, Rank: 11, Greenville Drive (A), ETA: 2015, Position: C

Oscar Tejeda, Rank: 13, Altoona Curve (AA), ETA: 2013, Position: 2B

UPDATE:

The Pirates have claimed infielder/outfielder Oscar Tejeda off waivers from the Red Sox, the team announced.  To make room for Tejeda, Pittsburgh has also designated left-hander Doug Slaten for assignment.

Tejeda, 22, was designated for assignment by Boston following their acquisition of Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge earlier this week.  Tejeda split time between designated hitter and left field this season, hitting .262/.294/.396 in 51 Double-A games.

With the current paucity of pitching, it is unlikely that the Sox will be willing to part with:

Matt Barnes, Rank: 4, Salem Red Sox (A+), ETA: 2014, Position: RHP, Age: 22, Drafted: 2011, 1st (19) or

Anthony Ranaudo, Rank: 5, Portland Sea Dogs (AA), ETA: 2013, Position: RHP, Age: 22,Drafted: 2010, 1st (39)

(Unless Theo would be interested in Chris Carpenter?)

A deal for a half-season rental might get Theo one player in return, like Iglesias or Brentz, or the Sox #1 draft pick, Marrero. If Theo is thinking quantity, he might get a 2-1 deal with some of the other Sox prospects, listed above.

Consider that Dempster might get 12-15 starts and, with a career W% of .491, he might go 6-6 or even 8-7.

What is a break-even or plus ONE game starter worth to the Red Sox?

Jose Iglesias? Brad Brentz? Deven Marrero? Kobrin Vitek?

Or, Chris Carpernter?

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The “Epstein Errors” will be a drag on the Sox budget until 2017 and the worst years will be 2012 through 2014, when the Lackey and Crawford salaries are both due.

In sum, from 2012 through 2014, the combined salaries will drain off a full 20% of the total Boston budget of $173 million; then, once Lackey is off the dole, things get better with Crawford taking 11-12% of the Red Sox Penny-Pinch Piñata.

(more…)

The Red Sox are $12 million away from a .500 record this season.

Our sources say that the remaining glitch in the Kevin Youkilis for Joe Saunders [RHP] trade is the Sox willingness to pay half of Youk’s $12M salary this season.

(more…)

With the 2012 MLB draft this Wednesday wafting into our baseball brain cavity, it is time to tell GM Ben Cherington who the Sox should draft in their #24, #31 and #37 slots.

Ben: 2 pitchers, maybe one lead-off hitter OF with some speed.

(more…)

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote a column in late April where he asked MLB scouts and executives for help in determining which clubs are contenders and which are pretenders.  The Red Sox to many scouts are seen as a pretender.   The reasons being according to Stark, are the lack of quality relievers and a week outfield.

That certainly holds true, but there is an argument to be made.  If you were to ask me right now I would agree with the scouts that the Sox don’t resemble a postseason contending team, but only the way they are playing.  When you drill down into a couple of areas it’s worth noting that the Sox horizon looks promising and here’s why.

First let’s address the bullpen.  Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon are no where to be seen and after a stomach turning start, Alfredo Aceves and company have settled down.  So much in fact that they are now the ones preventing the runs and giving the Sox a chance to win when the starters struggle.  Case in point, Wednesday night’s game when Daniel Bard left in the sixth handing over a 4-1 deficit to the bullpen with runners on base.  The relievers did their job, the offense did not.

Keep in mind that there is still a slight possibility that either Felix Doubront or Daniel Bard could join the pen before the summer months hit. With Aaron Cook pushing hard for a permanent starter position, Bard struggling of late and Dice-K close to returning, the bullpen could be the beneficiaries of having too many starters.  Bailey will be back around the all-star break and having him healthy for half of a season can only be a good thing.

Next, the outfield.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford should return this season and will take a mediocre outfield to an outfield most clubs would dream of.  The problem then will be finding enough playing time for Ryan Sweeny, Cody Ross and Marlon Byrd.  Not to forget Ryan Kalish and Jason Repko will be available this season at some point as well.

The offense is going to be fine and we’ve already seen it when the bats produce double digits in runs on multiple nights, sometimes on back-to-back nights.  Adrian Gonzalez will not hit .260 for the rest of the year and Dustin Pedroia will catch fire to the tune of two-run doubles at clutch moments of the game.

The starting pitching is an interesting cog to the Red Sox wheel. Clay Buchholz is now raising as many questions as John Lackey did a year ago and with a soon to be plethora of starters, there will be options.  If guys like Buchholz continue to struggle, Dice-K can’t perform and Cook fails to meet the requirements a trade in July will be necessary.  Kevin Youkilis is one name that is surely to float around the trading block from now until July 31 and if Ellsbury and Crawford return from injury and can produce, the guys like Cody Ross or Marlon Byrd will become potential trade bait.  A package of legitimate roster players will certainly draw interest and may be enough to lure a Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd or Matt Garza.  I’m not suggesting these named players would do the trick, but a Youk, Ross and a prospect or two has to catch Theo’s attention, would it not?

It’s early May and things are far from perfect in Beantown with the beloved Red Sox.  On paper right now they don’t resemble a postseason club, but in a month or two when some injuries heal and potential deals start to surface, this club could go from pretender to contender real quickly.

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Theo Epstein.  Love him or hate him he did a lot for the Boston Red Sox during his early years as the team’s general manager.  We’ll forget about what he’s left behind and his poor free-agent signings in his last few year’s in Boston and focus on the positives.  After all, that’s what the big party on Friday is all about; reflecting on the finer moments that have taken place at Fenway Park and celebrating those that have helped orchestrate them.

But Epstein won’t be at the ceremony when all the former Red Sox players who are capable and willing to return to the Fens take to the field and bask in the 100th anniversary of our beloved ballpark.  Rather, Epstein has been invited to attend only the game reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, a clear and direct snub by the owners, namely Larry Lucchino.

It’s no secret that there was no love lost between Lucchino and Epstein, a feud that carried on for many years after the 2004 World Series Championship.  Then this past winter Theo up and leaves for Chicago, not mincing words about his relationship with Lucchino, leaving the feud unresolved.  So how does the three headed monster respond?  They invite Theo, the brains behind the two world series titles, to the game only and not the actual ceremony.  A pathetic and embarrassing lack of human affection.

Bradford did say that a team source stated that the on-field ceremony is for former uniformed personnel only.  To make matters worse, Epstein apparently received his invitation on Thursday afternoon by a phone call!  These morons we call owners don’t even have the common courtesy to formally invite Theo as they have all the other former players.

This is John Henry and Larry Lucchino’s party, there is no denying that.  So there is no where for them to hide with this pathetic display of arrogant snubbing to a man who was instrumental in helping to build their empire.  So don’t try and cover this up by saying the ceremony is for players and managers only.  It’s clear you’ve screwed up yet again, so try admitting your mistakes.  It goes a lot further in this world than making up some BS story.  The whole thing stinks!

Epstein made mistakes, there is no denying that.  But what he did for the city of Boston, the Red Sox organization, Major League Baseball and the millions of Red Sox fans around the globe cannot be swept under the rug like an annoying bread crumb.  He deserves to be on the field and have his name announced as the greatest Red Sox general manager in the last 100 years.  But instead it’s doubtful we’ll even have the opportunity to say thank-you to Epstein for the great memories he brought to us Sox fans.

For what it’s worth, from this Red Sox fan, thank-you Theo.

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