The Resin Blog

Clay Davenport's PECOTA projection for 2010 Sox

2012-02-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

Boston Red Sox Projected 2012 Record 95- 67

Pos	Name	AB	H	DB	TP	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBA	SLG	EQA	EQR	WARP	G C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF	DH
Team	BOS	5620	1560	326	34	207	807	770	572	1049	122	48	.278	.350	.458	.278	837	31.0	162	162	162	162	162	162	162	162	154
C	Jarrod Saltalamacc	294	69	15	1	11	35	33	23	87	1	1	.236	.297	.404	.244	33	0.6	81	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	559	169	36	2	31	87	111	78	102	1	1	.302	.392	.541	.312	106	5.5	0	146	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2B	Dustin Pedroia	565	169	36	2	19	93	72	68	65	20	8	.299	.378	.472	.293	94	4.5	0	0	138	0	0	0	0	0	0
3B	Kevin Youkilis	508	140	30	2	26	79	88	70	109	4	2	.275	.376	.494	.296	88	4.2	0	8	0	130	0	0	0	0	0
SS	Mike Aviles	362	100	21	3	9	44	35	19	53	11	5	.277	.316	.428	.256	44	1.1	0	0	8	8	81	0	0	0	0
LF	Carl Crawford	571	162	35	9	16	91	59	38	103	28	10	.285	.334	.461	.272	81	2.9	0	0	0	0	0	130	0	0	0
CF	Jacoby Ellsbury	569	168	36	6	21	88	90	45	80	35	10	.296	.354	.492	.288	92	3.8	0	0	0	0	0	0	138	0	0
RF	Ryan Sweeney	388	113	23	2	6	48	48	38	59	4	2	.291	.356	.407	.268	52	1.4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	105	0
DH	David Ortiz	472	130	25	1	26	69	74	66	95	1	1	.275	.368	.499	.294	80	2.7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	130
2B	Nick Punto	233	63	12	2	2	29	24	29	38	5	2	.271	.354	.364	.259	29	0.8	0	0	8	16	41	0	0	0	0
C	Ryan Lavarnway	235	59	12	0	13	33	34	24	61	0	0	.253	.328	.470	.270	33	0.9	41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24
LF	Cody Ross	217	59	12	1	9	29	32	18	46	3	1	.272	.335	.467	.274	31	0.9	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	41	0
SS	Jose Iglesias	147	37	7	0	1	15	11	8	26	3	1	.255	.295	.335	.225	13	0.0	0	0	0	0	41	0	0	0	0
C	Kelly Shoppach	113	24	4	0	5	13	13	12	39	0	0	.213	.305	.393	.244	13	0.4	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
LF	Alex Hassan	69	18	4	0	2	10	7	7	13	1	0	.268	.345	.421	.267	9	0.3	0	0	0	0	0	16	0	0	0
RF	Darnell McDonald	71	19	4	1	2	10	7	5	16	1	1	.266	.319	.434	.261	9	0.3	0	0	0	0	0	16	0	0	0
CF	Ryan Kalish	63	16	3	0	2	9	9	6	14	2	1	.256	.326	.429	.263	8	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	8	0
2B	Nate Spears	33	8	2	0	1	5	4	4	6	1	0	.251	.330	.389	.254	4	0.1	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	0
1B	Lars Anderson	32	8	2	0	1	4	5	3	8	0	0	.255	.331	.415	.259	4	0.0	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2B	Brad Emaus	31	8	2	0	1	4	4	3	5	1	0	.257	.328	.400	.257	4	0.1	0	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	0
LF	Daniel Nava	29	8	2	0	1	4	4	3	6	0	0	.259	.344	.389	.260	4	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
C	Jason Varitek	29	7	1	0	1	4	4	3	8	0	0	.233	.316	.422	.255	4	0.1	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Pitchers

Pos	Name	G	GS	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	WARP
Team	BOS	571	162	1460.0	1343	675	146	533	1180	95	67	48	4.10	1.285	19.0
SP1	Jon Lester	30	30	196.3	168	82	17	67	191	14	8	0	3.70	1.197	3.7
SP2	Josh Beckett	30	30	192.3	177	91	22	53	162	12	9	0	4.19	1.196	2.4
SP3	Clay Buchholz	26	26	162.7	153	69	16	61	115	11	7	0	3.74	1.315	3.0
SP4	Daniel Bard	40	20	144.0	126	61	13	51	135	10	6	2	3.77	1.229	2.2
SP5	Alfredo Aceves	32	20	140.0	138	66	15	40	92	9	7	0	4.19	1.271	1.6
CL	Andrew Bailey	50	0	50.0	42	16	4	15	45	4	2	36	2.91	1.140	2.2
P	Daisuke Matsuzaka	12	12	69.0	66	37	8	31	52	4	4	0	4.76	1.406	0.4
P	Mark Melancon	58	0	65.0	59	28	5	25	50	4	3	7	3.81	1.292	1.2
P	Franklin Morales	55	0	55.0	49	27	6	28	48	3	3	0	4.32	1.400	0.5
P	Matt Albers	46	0	55.0	52	28	4	25	42	3	3	2	4.55	1.400	0.1
P	Rich Hill	8	8	46.3	44	24	4	26	37	3	2	0	4.67	1.512	0.3
P	Carlos Silva	8	8	45.7	49	25	5	11	25	3	2	0	4.81	1.313	0.2
P	Michael Bowden	40	0	40.0	36	20	5	18	31	2	2	0	4.53	1.350	0.2
P	John Maine	7	7	39.3	39	22	5	21	27	2	2	0	4.98	1.527	0.1
P	Felix Doubront	35	0	35.0	31	16	3	17	29	2	2	0	4.16	1.371	0.2
P	Junichi Tazawa	20	0	30.0	27	14	4	11	23	2	1	0	4.27	1.267	0.2
P	Bobby Jenks	30	0	30.0	27	15	3	10	28	2	1	0	4.37	1.233	0.1
P	Scott Atchison	16	0	20.0	19	9	2	6	15	1	1	0	4.16	1.250	0.1
P	Vicente Padilla	16	0	20.0	18	10	2	8	16	1	1	0	4.37	1.300	0.1
P	Clayton Mortensen	10	0	18.0	17	10	2	8	12	1	1	0	4.87	1.389	0.0
P	John Lackey	1	1	6.3	6	3	1	2	4	0	0	0	4.84	1.270	0.0

PECOTA likes the Scutaro trade/savings w/Aviles and Punto Ttaking over at SS

2012-02-09T10:17:00.002-05:00

Mike Aviles vs. Marco Scutaro: PECOTA seems to think that Boston made the right move here by sticking with the 31-year-old Aviles over the oft-injured and and 36-year-old Scutaro. The system projects Aviles to hit .279/.310/.422 for a .254 True Average, with Scutaro at .281/.347/.391 and a .255 TAv. That's the same value, even if one comes through power and one through patience, but given relieving themselves of Scutaro allows them flexibility and production elsewhere -- starting with Cody Ross, and ending with [insert eventual trade target/signing here], Boston's decision makes sense.

If you're curious about overall value, it's basically a wash, with Scutaro coming in at 1.9 WARP and Aviles at 1.6, despite Scutaro's projection for about 200 more plate appearances due to having the second base job to himself in Colorado. Combining Aviles with Nick Punto closes the projection gap, but playing Aviles full-time would also do the trick in PECOTA's mind.

NY Yankees cologne & perfume? WTF?

2012-02-09T10:03:00.002-05:00

"We'll begin with something that is not a joke. The Yankees will release both a perfume and a cologne. Seriously. They are doing this because, presumably, they think people will buy them. And no, they don't smell like sweat, an Italian sub, resentment, old hot dogs, a swimming pool full of gold doubloons, anything having to do with George Costanza, anger, any personal drippings from Derek Jeter, entitlement, or barbecued centaur meat. The one for men is called "New York Yankees" which is a name I feel like I've heard before somewhere. This is a little like Ford calling their new car "Ford Car", NASA naming a new planet "Planet" or Oprah starting her own TV network and calling it "Oprah." I mean, it just isn't done! The one for women is called, and this is subtle so be prepared, "New York Yankees For Her." I assume the "For Her" refers to a woman you happen to be pointing at while reading the title.

This is certainly a target rich environment, and that's more than enough from me on the subject, so might I humbly suggest channeling any misplaced anger and/or jealousy you have towards said baseball franchise at this particular pursuit in the comments. Or, to put it more bluntly, three and a half cents to the best new slogan or take-off of "New York Yankees." The perfume, not the team."

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

** The Red Sox outrighted Scott Atchison to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Maureen Mullen of CSN New England tweets. The Red Sox had designated the 35-year-old for assignment late last month. He posted a 3.26 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings for the 2011 Red Sox and logged 61 1/3 more innings at Triple-A with a 2.64 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9.

** The Red Sox signed 17-year-old Australian Daniel McGrath, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The left-hander will visit Boston's Spring Training camp for a week before returning to finish high school in Australia. Bradford hears 15 MLB teams had interest before Boston completed the deal.

*** Great game last night, kudos to NYG... Looking forward to what BB add to this team as I feel we're on the cusp of having another dominant "Dynasty Type" of team.. Lots of youth and talent.. I would be surprised to see them back in the dance within the next 2 seasons...
** Yesterday we learned from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Reds remain in talks with free agent righty Roy Oswalt, though he still prefers the Cardinals or Rangers. The latest: There's "no traction" in talks between Oswalt and the Red Sox, a big league source tells WEEI's Rob Bradford.

Melancon swins with Great Whites (in a cage of course)...

2012-02-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

Sox potential closer trying to flex his cahones in NZ... Is this the Closer mentality? Maybe/Maybe not but it's a good start to show "Sox Nation" that he's game for game!

Yesterday's News

2012-02-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

** MLBTR 2012 Free Agent Tracker **
** Yahoo! Sports Free Agent Tracker **
** MLBTR 2012 Free Agent Arbitration Offer Tracker
** MLBTR Arbitration Submissions for 2012
** Celtics may have a rising star in Rookie JaJuan Johnson

** 74 Die in Egypt Soccer Riot... Do we really need any more proof that these religious whack-jobs are out of control? The whole Middle-East is so messed up that they kill at Soccer games? Really? This is just more proof that "God Kills"! It's bad enough that we have to deal with Christians who "Hate" gays (and really want them dead and off the face of the earth) but now we have to worry about Middle-easterners who kill at Soccer events! Please... Humanity sucks A$$!

** The Red Sox still have a great chance of signing Oswalt, a Major League source tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. However, this is the same source that told Edes on Friday that Oswalt would sign with the Cardinals soon, and that did not materialize.

Yesterday's News

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

** Wes Welker FULLY EXPECTS to be back with Patriots next season.. But, here's the catch, so does Ochocinco! hahaha

** Dan Duquette doing what Dan Duquette does; The Korean Baseball Organization is displeased by the Orioles' signing of 17-year-old lefty Seong-Min Kim to a minor league deal because of his age and is threatening to petition Major League Baseball, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles GM Dan Duquette said he doesn't understand the complaint, as Kim and his family were both in favor of the move, and he is closer to 18 than to 17.
** MLBTR begun collecting lists of 40-man roster players with less than five years of service who are out of options. For the Red Sox, I've confirmed it's Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, Andrew Miller, Darnell McDonald, Franklin Morales, and Matt Albers.

** Verbal Masterbate from Epstein; "I didn't need to leave in '05/'06"...
** Looks like the Pats will have a full compliment of Offensive Tackles in the Superbowl; Light, Vollmer and Solder all ready to go!
** Teixeira not adjusting well to "The Shift" when he's batting Lefty... Very consistent bad numbers against the shift!
** Edwin Jackson will STILL accept a one year deal (Regardless of Boras's claims that every team in the world wants him for 3 or more years!)
** Worst All-Stars of all time (by WAR) (No Sox on this list even though Matt Clement could have been added to it)
** Julian Edelman; Cornerback, Wide Receiver or Special Teamer (All 3 on Super Bowl Sunday)
** Gronk out of the boot, Light is sick...
** It's media day! This is where the Patriots talk allot, say nothing while licking their team mates nuts. NYG will probably have choice words towards Pats players and coaches (no pumping the Pats tires)..

2012-02-01T12:21:00.000-05:00

Five Keys for the New England Patriots to Win Super Bowl XLVI: Fan Take

By William Browning, Yahoo! Contributor Network

The New England Patriots will win their fourth Super Bowl title in 11 years if they can beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. Quarterback Tom Brady had a dynamite year and can win his fourth title as well, all with the Patriots.

If New England wants to win, here are five things they need to do.

Score Early

Scoring early and often can instantly put an opposing team on its heels and take the Giants out of their game plan. Brady needs to get to the secondary of the Giants early and the Patriots need to score on the first possession. Following that, the Patriots need to get their efficient offense in the end zone each time they touch the ball in the first quarter to put the game away early.

Brady's Success

When Brady had a passer rating of 100 or more, the Patriots lost only one game in the 2011 regular season. His worst outing was against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship when he had just a 57.1 rating. If Brady is allowed to complete his passes and not throw more than one interception, the Patriots will more than likely be victorious.

Big Plays

The Patriots thrive on big passing plays. The team has had a passing play of 40 yards or more in 11 games this season counting the playoffs. Not to be out-done, the Giants have had 12 such games. The Patriots may need to have more big plays for touchdowns than the Giants in order to be victorious.

Field Goals

If the game comes down to field goals, Stephen Gostkowski may kick his team to victory. However, he can be trouble no matter from distance he kicks. Gostkowski missed a field goal of under 30 yards against the Giants back on Nov. 6 when the Patriots lost 24-20. He has been perfect in the postseason, including a 3-for-3 performance in the AFC Championship, a three-point victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Game Plan

Head coach Bill Belichick is one of the best in the business. He will have his team ready and the game plan will be sound. How the Patriots execute the plan and put away the Giants will be a major part of any victory for the Patriots. Belichick has the edge over Coughlin in terms of coaching panache and can get the job done in a pinch with the personnel he has on the field.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

2012-02-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

Why the Red Sox are willing to take a 'different' approach to shortstop

Tue, 01/31/2012 - 7:57am

No Red Sox move this offseason raised more eyebrows than the decision this month to trade Marco Scutaro -- who was poised to serve as the team's everyday shortstop -- to the Rockies while turning the position over to Mike Aviles and Nick Punto.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, speaking before a Hot Stove Cool Music fundraiser for the Foundation to be Named Later, suggested that while he appreciates that shortstop is usually a bedrock position for competitive teams, he's comfortable with the Sox' approach. He suggested that there are precedents for teams to succeed even with some uncertainty at arguably the most prominent up-the-middle position on the diamond.

"It seems different," Valentine said of the Sox' shortstop position, "but not so different than the world champions were last year, and not so different than the world champions have been in this city. Often the shortstop is a staple piece of the group, but the exceptions have been successful also."

That claim seemingly hearkens to an approach that the Red Sox took several years ago.

Jed Lowrie spent his college career playing second base. When the Sox drafted him out of Stanford, they shifted him to shortstop. They encountered plenty of internal and external skepticism about Lowrie’s ability to stay at the position, as current Sox GM Ben Cherington discussed a few years ago.

“There was concern voiced about Jed’s ability to stay at short long term. It was concern based on good information, sound, subjective evaluation. I saw some of those concerns myself,” Cherington said then. “It would have been really easy to go down a path of moving Jed Lowrie to second base because it was a safer place for him to play. People thought he would hit enough to be a big-leaguer at that position.

“We had enough people challenging that opinion, saying that just because this guy didn’t look like the flashiest, smoothest defender who makes highlight-reel plays on Field 3 during spring training, does that actually mean he can’t play shortstop in the big leagues? What does it take to play shortstop in the big leagues? What does it mean to be an above-average shortstop in the big leagues? How would he compare to those guys if he was on the same field, in the same lineup, in the same league?”

Lowrie ended up serving primarily as a shortstop for the Sox. His ability to play that position made him a more enticing asset to the Astros in the offseason trade that netted the Sox late-innings reliever Mark Melancon. The team benefited from bucking conventional wisdom about the size and shape of a major league shortstop in the case of Lowrie.

It seems safe to assume that the Red Sox went through a similar exercise to the one they explored with Lowrie when deciding whether they could trade both Scutaro and Lowrie this offseason in order to entrust shortstop to Aviles and Punto. In the spirit of those questions, then, here is a look at how the last 10 World Series winners have manned shortstop:

2011 Cardinals - Opened the year with Ryan Theriot at short, but traded for Rafael Furcal (who was having a terrible year) at the deadline and featured him at the position for the rest of the year. Cardinals shortstops combined for a .688 OPS, exactly in line with the NL average and just under the MLB average of .697.

2010 Giants - Edgar Renteria was the everyday shortstop at the start of the year, but Juan Uribe became the primary option at the position for most of the year when Renteria was injured in early May. Renteria reclaimed the position for the postseason and ended up winning World Series MVP honors. Giants shortstops had a .736 OPS, ranked eighth among the 30 major league teams.

2009 Yankees - Fellow named Derek Jeter, who had an exceptional season. Yankees shortstops produced an .868 OPS, fourth best in the majors that year.

2008 Phillies - Jimmy Rollins, who was still performing at an elite level for shortstops. Phillies shortstops had a .777 OPS, seventh best in the big leagues in 2008.

2007 Red Sox - Julio Lugo, who hit .237 with a .294 OBP, .349 slugging mark and .643 OPS, making him one of the worst everyday players in the majors that year. Red Sox shortstops produced a dismal .633 OPS, ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams that year.

2006 Cardinals - David Eckstein was the everyday shortstop through mid-August, when he missed roughly a month due to injury. During that time, St. Louis featured Aaron Miles at short. Eckstein, who had a solid .294 average and .350 OBP that year, ended up being the World Series MVP. St. Louis had a .711 OPS from its shortstops, ranked 18th among the 30 big league teams.

2005 White Sox - Juan Uribe was the guy for the White Sox. Over the years, some Sox officials cited Uribe as a player who wasn't a prototypical shortstop but ended up being a solid contributor to a championship team. He looks too big for the position, doesn't walk and his range is not that of, say, Jose Iglesias. But he has a cannon of an arm and significant raw power, and ended up being a significant contributor on the left side of the infield on two championship teams ('05 White Sox and '10 Giants). In other words, there are some profile similarities between Uribe and Aviles. That said, in 2005, Uribe was a .300-ish OBP guy, and the White Sox only had a .678 OPS from shortstops en route to its championship, 20th in the majors.

2004 Red Sox - They got 58 starts from Orlando Cabrera, 56 from Pokey Reese, 37 from Nomar Garciaparra, seven from Cesar Crespo, three from Ricky Gutierrez and one from Mark Bellhorn. From its Frankenshortstop, the Sox ended up achieving decent production, with a .716 OPS that ranked 16th in the majors from its shortstops. That said, the defense was pitiful, pushing the team to make the deal for Cabrera.

2003 Marlins - Alex Gonzalez had an outstanding year, complementing his Gold Glove-caliber defense with 18 homers and a .756 OPS. The Marlins had a .724 OPS from shortstops, 12th in the majors.

2002 Angels - That Eckstein fellow again, who had a .293 average, .363 OBP and .752 OPS. As a team, Angels’ shortstops had a .732 OPS, 10th best in the majors.

Of those 10 teams, only one (the Yankees with Jeter in ’09) featured an All-Star for the team that won a World Series. Five of the last 10 World Series winners received below-average OPS from their shortstops (including the 2007 Red Sox, who had the second-worst OPS from shortstops in the majors). Four received a top-10 OPS from their shortstops, while just one (again, those ’09 Yankees) ranked in the top five in major league shortstop OPS.

Defensively, the group was similarly mixed. Gonzalez in ’03 and Rollins in ’08 are the standard-bearers who delivered Gold Glove-caliber defense; Jeter won a Gold Glove in ’09, though the merits of that award have been oft-disputed. Cabrera in ’04 was also an elite defender. Furcal, while no longer at that level, represented a solid glove.

Also of note: Two of the last 10 World Series winners traded to acquire their postseason shortstop in the middle of the season.

That is not necessarily a commendation of Aviles and Punto. The jury is very much out on the duo, as Valentine acknowledged.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how it will play out,” said Valentine. “If I had a preconceived notion of how it would play out, why even go to spring training? I’ve never seen any of the guys play, except for Punto a little.”

There is little question that premium up-the-middle players are a critical asset for teams. That said, recent championship history suggests that World Series-winning teams have not always featured the prototypical shortstop. Indeed, the ensemble of championship shortstops of the last 10 years points to the notion that there is more than one way to skin the proverbial (and pitiable) cat.

That does not mean that the Sox have identified a successful formula for doing so. At the same time, recent championship experience suggests that the team’s willingness to enter spring training with something of a question mark at a key position should not be dismissed out of hand.

2012-01-31T10:38:00.000-05:00

Belichick’s kind of roster: Patriots have 18 undrafted free agents

The Patriots have put together a roster full of guys that no one else wanted. It’s a motley crew and that seems to suit this organization best.

Sure, Tom Brady is protected by an offensive line with a good pedigree. The defense is led by first round picks Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork.

But overall this is one of the most random rosters in the league. 18 undrafted free agents dot the 53-man roster, including eight starters.

More than one-third of the Patriots roster was undrafted. The Patriots also have eleven more players that were taken in the fifth round or later in the draft. Less than half of the team was drafted in the first four rounds. 12 Patriots were signed “off the street” or during training camp.

Essentially, the Patriots have a roster of misfits. We think that’s been a big part of their success this year. It’s a roster that Belichick embraces, and one that falls in line with the “Patriot Way.”

“I tell the team that I don’t care how you got here, it’s what you do when you get here. It doesn’t matter if you were drafted in the second round, the fifth round, or not drafted at all,” Belichick said in response to a question from PFT in Indianapolis.

A lot of teams say that to their players, but most squads are more sentimental about hanging on to past mistakes. The Patriots are far from perfect in personnel, but they do a better job than most of self scouting.

“Players ask me before the season, if we sign them as a free agent or if we draft them, ‘What do you want my role to be?’ Whatever you make it, I don’t know,” Belichick said. “If you play good, you will have a big role, if you don’t play very well, then someone else will have a bigger role than you will.”

Belichick says he looks for undrafted players that are dependable and work hard. That sounds obvious, but it’s clear the Patriots genuinely value these skills more than raw talent. Their running back position — led by two undrafted players BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead — is a great example of the Patriots finding diamonds in the rough and knowing how to use them.

“There’s a goal that they have in mind with the guys that they bring in, and they try to bring in guys that they think will buy into that,” special teams ace and fifth-round pick Matthew Slater said. “You kind of have that sense of urgency from the day you come into the league knowing that things are not going to be easy for you.”

“With [Belichick], you know the best players are going to play. No matter where you are taken or what the deal is or anything else, the best players are going to be out there. If you prove yourself, there’s no politics about it,” Wes Welker said.

That’s why Belichick is comfortable enough to bench a $6 million receiver (Chad Ochocinco), release a free agent bust (Albert Haynesworth), or even trade a future Hall of Famer (Randy Moss) in the middle of the season.

“You’ve got to kind of come in and be willing to do dirty work; whatever it takes to stick around,” Slater said. “I think a lot of guys on this team have that mentality, and that’s why we’ve had the success that we’ve had.”

This may not be the most talented Patriots team of the last decade, but it’s obvious Belichick loves to coach this group.

It’s his kind of team.

Yesterday's News

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

** An AL GM who is not associated with the Red Sox or Cubs believes that Commissioner Bud Selig will give Boston a significant player in the compensation agreement: "I don’t think MLB wants executives leaving their teams before their contracts are up and therefore he will try to deter teams from doing that again."
** Former Red Sox reliever Dan Wheeler signed a minor league deal with Cleveland. He had a 4.38 ERA over 49 1/3 innings last season. The Red Sox offered Wheeler arbitration, which he declined. Because he signed a minor league deal, the Red Sox will not receive a draft pick as compensation.

** Mankins responds to Justin Tuck about "Being Dirty O-Line" with "I'll take that as a compliment"..
** Wake considers retirement
** Before they were Pats

Yesterday's News

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

**** BTW - I've been informed that I have Floppy Nipples ****

** Youk Breaks Off-Season Silence..
** Dolphins changing the one working part of their game, going from 3-4 to an Attack 4-3...?
** John Harbough dismisses Gillette scoreboard-gate as "Nonsense"!
** Sox and Bailey avoid Arbitration with a contract for $3.9m

Yesterday's News

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

** Gronkowski's OK and will be OK for the Superbowl
** Sox make an offer to Edwin Jackson
** What about Edwin Jackson?
** Sox may have Ryan Theriot and/or Alex Cora in their sights?
** JD Drew calls is a Career
** Sox agree to terms with OF Cody Ross for $3m
** Sox avoid arbitration with Daniel Bard
** Making sense of the Scutaro Trade (WEEI.com)

Sox team filling out nicely (In My Opinion)

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts on the 2012 squad:

Sad that Scutaro was dealt but we needed the money and he was a liability in the field at SS..

The Cody Ross deal is exciting in that we have another Dirt Dog type who is a great Clubhouse guy and a terrific fielder (of all 3 OF positions – has a career .988 Fielding PCT and the average for all players is .983.. He only made one error in last two seasons BTW).. Oh, and he’s a Righty who will platoon in RF when Crawford is back… Perfect complement to Sweeney..

Nick Punto is a solid defender and is another Clubhouse guy.. Plays everywhere in the INF… Decent offensively too..

Shoppach is a bad ass Defensive Catcher.. maybe we’ll see him hit like he did in San Diego… If not we’ll see him throw some runners out at least..

Andrew Bailey… Solid Closer/power arm… Nice trade…

Mark Melancon looks like he’ll be ok but we’ll see what happens.. Like this trade too…

Ryan Sweeney… Solid hitter (no power) and solid fielder… Another solid player..

Manager/Coaches.. It looks like a killer coaching staff to boot..

Mix all that in w/what we have and I like how the roster has filled out.. Lots of complementing players, can play multiple positions and some of which are Dirt Dogs… Kind of reminds me of the 2003 off season when we stockpiled all sorts of talent (just not as defensively gifted talent)… The only worry here is another innings eater for the back of the rotation (Silva, Padilla, Millerand Cook, Duckworth or Mortensen aren’t to be counted on yet… I think Padilla and/or Silva have a chance to break the rotation at the 5 spot - and/or be a long man in the pen if something changes in Aceves’s status)..

OF - Now we have Ross in Left, Ellsbury in Center and Sweeney/MacDonald/Aviles in Right to start the season… Kalish may make it in there too..
1B – Gonzales/Youkilis
2B – Pedroia/Aviles/Punto
SS – Punto/Aviles/Iglesias
3B – Youkilis/Punto/Aviles
C – Shoppach/Saltalamacchia/Lavarnway
SP – Beckett/Lester/Buccholz/ Maybe Bard / Maybe Aceves / and/or two of Silva, Padilla, Miller and Cook (as of right now)
RP – Bailey/Melancon/ Maybe Bard /Albers/ Maybe Aceves /Jenks/Morales Maybe Tazawa / Maybe Miller too

I like how it’s come together w/the exception of the 4th Rotation spot (we have plenty of beef for the #5 spot – One of Silva/Padilla/Aceves/Bard might end up here – who knows)… We’re pretty covered in all positions (even SS as we have youth in Aviles & Iglesias while Punto is in his 30’s but still strong).. Lots of interchangeable parts.. Nice strategy that Cherington is implementing.. Totally reminds me of 2003…

2012-01-24T08:55:00.002-05:00

Why did the Red Sox dump Marco Scutaro and his salary?

Aaron Gleeman

Jan 23, 2012, 10:47 AM EST

I’m among the people confused by Boston’s move to dump Marco Scutaro and his $6 million salary on the Rockies for a marginal minor leaguer in Clayton Mortensen, in part because Scutaro was hardly overpaid and in part because the Red Sox’s in-house options to replace him at shortstop are so underwhelming.

It still doesn’t make much sense to me, but Alex Speier of WEEI.com offers a few details that explain the situation somewhat.

For instance, Speier notes that because of the wording of Scutaro’s contract the Red Sox would have taken a sizable luxury tax hit if they’d simply declined his 2012 option, so instead they exercised the option and then dumped him on the Rockies (who have no such luxury tax concerns).

There’s been plenty of speculation that the Red Sox shed Scutaro’s salary in order to make a run at Roy Oswalt and in the meantime they sliced nearly $8 million in money as it’s counted against the luxury tax. Speier reports that the Rockies were the only team willing to take on Scutaro’s entire salary.

As for why they’d trade Scutaro without having a good shortstop replacement waiting in the wings–particularly after parting with Jed Lowrie earlier this offseason–Speier points to the fact that he’s 36 years old, somewhat injury prone, and perhaps declining defensively. And for now at least the Red Sox feel more comfortable than you might expect with a time share between Mike Aviles and Nick Punto.

Whether or not all that adds up to the Scutaro salary dump being a smart move by the Red Sox is another issue–I’d still vote no, certainly–but at least it makes a little more sense than it did at the time.