Lots Of Medical Questions

Combine all the recent low-risk high-reward signings with the key injured players from last year and the 2009 Boston Red Sox may be better served setting up a M.A.S.H. Unit when Spring Training begins next month in Fort Meyers, FL. Needless to say, the Red Sox Team Doctors have their work cut out for them this year. Arguably Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Mike Lowell, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Takashi Saito, and John Smoltz all had better years in 2007. However, if the Medical staff can help return these guys even to their 2006 form, the Sox could be vying for another World Series title in 2009...but that is a big "IF".

Brad Penny (Shoulder)
2008: W-L 6-9 ERA 6.28 - 2006: W-L 16-9 ERA 4.33

John Smoltz (Shoulder)
2008: W-L 3-2 ERA 2.57 - 2006: W-L 16-9 ERA 3.49

Josh Beckett (Oblique)
2008: W-L 12-10 4.03 ERA - 2006: W-L 16-11 5.01 ERA

Takashi Saito (Elbow)
2008: 18 Saves 2.49 ERA - 2006: 24 Saves 2.07 ERA

Mike Lowell (Hip)
2008: 17 HR 73 RBI .274 Avg. - 2006: 20 HR 80 RBI .284 Avg.

Rocco Baldelli (Mitochondrial Disorder)
2008: 4 HR 13 RBI .263 Avg. - 2006: 16 HR 57 RBI .302 Avg.

David Ortiz (Wrist)
2008: 23 HR 89 RBI .264 Avg. - 2006: 54 HR 137 RBI .287 Avg.

Julio Lugo (Quadricep)
2008: 1 HR 22 RBI .268 Avg. - 2006: 12 HR 39 RBI .268 Avg.

Jason Varitek (Head)
2008: 13 HR 43 RBI .220 Avg. - 2006: 12 HR 55 RBI .238 Avg.

Notes from the Coast: Hot Stove Thoughts

Now that it has officially dipped below 60 degrees on the west coast and the Baseball Winter meetings are less than 2 weeks away, this is probably as good a time as any to stoke-up The Ol' Hot Stove and examine the latest offseason baseball rumors.

• No doubt that Mark Teixeira is a perfect fit for the Red Sox but there are several teams interested in the 28 year old First Baseman. Fortunately for the Sox, Teixeira has not re-signed with the Angels yet and truly wants to play close to his home in Maryland. Even better, it seems Teixeira may also want to play for a contender which would then eliminate both his hometown teams the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.
• That said, Red Sox fans should pray that C.C. Sabathia accepts the Yankees' offer of $140 million over 6 years because then that would greatly reduce the chances of the Yanks making a strong offer to Mark Teixeira. Unfortunately, the Yanks' offer has been on the table for over a week, so it looks like Sabathia may pass and take a lesser contract to play on the west coast.
• Even though Red Sox owner John Henry is a big fan, I can't believe the Sox are truly interested in free agent Pitcher A.J. Burnett. If anything, Sox GM Theo Epstein is probably trying to drive up the price for the Yankees. Word is that the Yankees are committed to acquiring 2 of the top 3 free agent pitchers on the market, so upping the ante will again make it tough for New York to make a strong bid for Teixeira.
• Now a free agent, former Sox Pitcher Derek Lowe desires a return to Boston. However, with Scott Boras as his agent, I wouldn't expect Lowe to accept a hometown discount which would make his chances of returning to Fenway as a 4th starter highly unlikely.
• Even if the Sox trade Pitchers Clay Bucholz and/or Michael Bowden to Texas for young Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, I wouldn't expect them to move Justin Masterson into the starting rotation. With Mike Timlin gone and Manny Delcarmen somewhat inconsistent, Masterson is too valuable in the bullpen. Instead I would expect the Sox to pick-up a veteran pitcher again like Paul Byrd and Bartolo Colon or maybe trade Julio Lugo to the Detroit Tigers for Dontrelle Willis in order to fill the 4th starter role on the pitching staff.
• It looks like Japanese Pitcher Junichi Tazawa will be signing with the Red Sox. The 22 yr old right handed pitcher's fastball has been reported anywhere between 90-97 m.p.h but he still needs a lot of seasoning so his signing shouldn't affect or impact any Sox front office decisions this season.
• There have been many speculative reports about the amount of suitors and contract offers for Red Sox Catcher Jason Varitek. Even if the Sox aren't offering Varitek the kind of money and years he and Boras want, I still expect him to finish his career with the Sox. Now that his divorce is final, I expect Varitek to have a better year at the plate which would mesh well with an incentive laden contract. Plus, Varitek's expertise at calling a game and his handling of both young and foreign pitchers would be invaluable training for a young catcher should the Sox acquire one.

Time To Tweak Sox?

Are the Red Sox suffering the same kind of World Series hangover that plagued them down the stretch of the 2005 season or is this the beginning of the end of a great run with these core players? The Sox have been inconsistent in many areas of the game this year and with 57 games left in the season, it doesn't look good for them to defend their Championship title.

The Sox have one of the worst road records for a contending team in the history of baseball and are 3-5 since the All-Star break. Unlike last season, their set-up and middle relief have been horrendous and both the defense and starting pitching unreliable at times this year. After strong starts, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz seem to be approaching 'Sophomore slumps' and both Coco Crisp and Jason Varitek have been struggling at the plate all year. The bottom of their batting order is one of the worst in the league and even Manny Ramirez is showing his age lately.

In contrast, the Yankees are one of the hottest teams in baseball. Despite injuries to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, they are 8-0 since the All-Star break and recently have been bolstered by the additions of top hitting Outfielder Xavier Nady and left-handed relief specialist Damaso Marte. The Yankees were 9 games out of first place on July 4th and 6 games behind the Red Sox and now they are tied with the Sox in the loss column. Oh yeah, let's not forget that the Sox still have been chasing the Tampa Bay Rays in the standings for almost 2 months and it's the LA Angels that are the best team in the AL this year. Not only that but they've been swept by both the Rays and the Angels already this season.

With the Yankees moving into a new ballpark next year, there is no way Boston will be able to compete with New York in the future financially, so you can't blame Red Sox Management for wanting to see what the younger players can do. Plus, I'm sure Sox GM Theo Epstein is a bit gun-shy after the Eric Gagne for David Murphy et al trade fiasco last year. However, with a rabid fan base and by far the highest ticket prices in the game, the Red Sox also cannot afford to rebuild and aside from Dustin Pedroia and John Lester, it doesn't look like the kids are stepping up. This means that with aging stars and lackluster production, it could be time to make some big time moves and change the club to keep the momentum going into the future.

Notes from the Coast:

Word is that the Red Sox plan on signing ageless wonder Jason Varitek to a 2 year extension at $10 million a year. I think it is a great idea and a no-brainer but I can't help but be a bit worried. When Varitek retires in 2 years what will the Red Sox do then? They can’t be all that enamored with the catchers in their minor league system because they just signed Doug Mirabelli to catch Tim Wakefield again next year. Mirabelli is 37 and Varitek will be 36 in April. We all know what happened in 2006 when Varitek got injured during the second half of the season, so let's hope the Red Sox have another back-up plan for the back-up catcher position.

• A Huston Street in Boston, MA? Aside from the never ending Johan Santana saga, the rumor mill for the Red Sox has been slow this off-season. However, the Hot Stove may have a little flicker left. The latest is that Coco Crisp could be dealt to the Oakland A’s for Huston Street. Street is a great young reliever who won the Rookie of the Year award a couple of years ago. If the Red Sox make this deal, they would have a more effective replacement for Eric Gagne and solidify their bullpen for years to come.
  
• There is a post on Rajon Rondo's Yardbarker blog which claims that Celtics second year point guard uses his $300 daily stipend to support his gambling habit. If this is true, I’m sure the Celtics aren’t thrilled but I do think that maybe they should be more concerned with rookie Glen Davis possibly spending all of his $300 allotment on food. Even though 'Big Baby' has been playing and practicing a lot more lately, he also seems to be gaining more a lot weight. Check out this video of him trying out for the Washington Wizards before the NBA draft last summer where Davis looks a lot thinner. Even with a bad hip flexor, he still managed to lose 45 lbs for the draft after crash-dieting and working out. Such dramatic weight fluctuation is not a good sign for a young professional athlete.
• Putting a positive spin on the Randy Moss alleged battery charges. After playing for pennies and having an All-Pro season, Moss may try to break the bank again next year. Whether the allegations are true or not, the bad press may provide the Pats a little leverage in their off-season negotiations with Moss.
• Seeing Chad Jackson return kicks for the Pats during the Jaguars play-off game last week was a bit of a surprise and pretty much confirms that both Troy Brown and Donte Stallworth won’t be back with the Pats next year. This is probably Troy’s last year and when the Pats sign Randy Moss for more money in the off-season, it will make it harder to sign Donte too.
• I thought the Celtics loss to the Washing ton Wizards last Saturday night was bad until the Detroit Pistons got killed by the lowly New York Knicks 89-65 on Sunday.
• No pick-up for the Celtics after the non-guarantee contract deadline of Jan. 10th, so now we'll have to focus on the NBA trade deadline in February for any frontline or point guard help.
• Why are the Atlanta Falcons and Pete Carroll even talking? They just got burned by Bobby Petrino (a college coach who couldn’t handle the NFL) and Carroll’s past success on the professional level is lacking, so why in the world would you even entertain the idea of giving him complete control of your organization? More importantly, what is Pete Carroll thinking? He has rebuilt a great program at USC and already has 'complete control'. Besides, he is one of the highest paid coaches in college and probably makes more than some NFL coaches. If he is just talking, what kind of leverage could he be gaining with USC? If Pete Carroll is smart, he'll stay in college, make millions, and forge a legacy for years to come.
• Again, my AFC and NFC title game predictions for this week: Pats over Bolts 33-10 and the Pack over the G-men 17-14. Go Pats!