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.

Are you kidding me?

It came out an hour after the trade was finalized with the Dodgers that Manny Ramirez asked his agent Scott Boras to tell the Red Sox he would behave the last 2 months of the season if the Red Sox would drop the (2) $20 million options on his contract.

Too little, and way too late. Sure he was well received (like Wayne Gretzky and David Beckem before him) in Los Angeles on Friday and went 2-4 in his debut with the Dodgers but Ramirez may have realized Thursday night that he shot himself in the foot by forcing the Red Sox hand. Not only is he now in a new league but also a league without a DH, so he'll have no days off in the field the rest of the way. Also, he will be to patrolling the huge left fields of the NL West which will expose his lackluster defense. On top of that, but he'll be facing the top NL pitching in the West while hitting in a weak Dodger line-up with little protection behind him. All of which will not help his campaign for a huge new contract.

Ramirez is seeking a 4 year $100 million deal to finish out his career but early reports are that he would probably only get about $35 million for 2 years (less than the 2 Red Sox options). In the end, what Manny (and Scott Boras) probably wanted was for Boston to void the 2 options on his contract, so he could become a free agent at the end of the year. Then, with Ramirez raking at Fenway the last 2 months of the season, Boston and their deep pockets would be in the bidding to help drive up the price on a new contract.

It's obvious that Manny Ramirez does not like to be controlled nor told what to do, so him having to take anger management classes for an altercation last month and the Red Sox holding all the cards on his contract was enough for him to quit and hold his talent hostage from the team. Unfortunately, it got ugly when the Red Sox called his bluff. His plan backfired and now the word his out on Manny as a possible 'quitter'. Big market teams won't be as interested in giving the 36 1/2 year old Ramirez what he wants this off-season unless he really tears it up the rest of the season and now that may not be as easy as Manny once thought. Oops!