Hi all, I haven't been around in awhile, but plan to come and add what I can to the madness
First off a quick catch up, I was really busy with my baseball team's this summer and added onto that I've been taking a sort of integration course because as most of you know I'm living in the Netherlands. So that's taken up most of my time recently. Good news is my Baseball team won our class's Championship and next year will be playing in a higher division and I just found out I have passed my course and no longer need to attend the school
So that means a little more free time to get back on here and yuck it up with the usual suspects.
Sooooooo much BS to sift through.... I will just try to keep it short and sweet on my current views of all things Red Sox,
The season was an abject disaster, we all have our own ideas why, which most hold some water. But I'm not going to beat this dead horse too much.
BV as manager of the Red Sox is one of those epic failures that which there is almost nothing positive to be salvaged by this experience. The only thing I can think of is that it was soooo bad maybe the next time the team has a good manager we will be happy. In hindsight it seems Farrell was always the choice. Boston must have felt last winter Toronto was not going to extend him thus making him available in 2 seasons. The length of BV's contract. Maybe BV was a punishment to us all lol
I like Farrell as the new manager. If only for the fact maybe he can possibly get Lester back on track. This team needs an Ace, not a couple guys with Ace potential.
Pitching coach:
Rick Peterson, Mike Maddux, Greg Maddux, Orel Hershiser(sp?), Dave Duncan are all names and people I think could hep. Obviously they are going to need to be on the same page as Farrell.
My outside the Box pick, Pedro Martinez. The Storyline just seems to entetaining.
Hitting Coach, Madagan did a good job in Boston. But going to Texas is smart as he is more accustomed to a veteran line up I think. This is a spot I think the Sox should try and find someone who's been in the game recently. Not like last season but recent. Someone the young players are going to be able to connect to. A new face. No one comes to mind right off.
The Trade....
I watched a Sox game at Fenway 3 days before it happened, if it had happened before I saw my game I may have been a little ticked. Overall I like what it has done for this team. Adrian was good, not great, the fact the packaged CC with him was a brilliant move regardless of how CC performs in LA, which I actually think he will return closer to normal carrer averages. But the contract was so God awful that any chance that came along to get out from under it was a no brainer. Punto was a nobody. Beckett is one of my all time favorites for personal reasons, but it was time for him to go.
I love the flexibility the move has given the Franchise. I hope the spend wisely. To be honest I hope they go the route of trying to develop a high percentage of the talent on the roster and/or using that develop talent to acquire more established controlled talent through trades. And only use free agency to finish off the product or when a no doubter comes along. Which I don't see any of those this off season. Josh Hamilton has issues and is on the wrong side of 30. Grienke is too much of an unknown for a 100M deal.
I think the Sox will look for more short term deals. Guys like Soria, Madson, Haren, and Floyd are guys I expect to be linked to the Sox. A bigger name that I am guessing will pop up in Justin Upton. He's on a fairly decent deal and would be a nice RH power threat in the lineup. If it doesn't work out in Boston well the team has shown that no one is unmovable and can ship him elsewhere.
SS...... To me it seems like with a young team defense will be important. So that would lead me to Iglesias. Ciriaco is a good ball player. But he may best be suited as a Utility player. Bogaerts is the wild card here. The team really needs to decide if SS is his true position or get training in whichever other position the Red Sox need. The Kid is athletic, I'm confident he can adapt to another position. 2B and 3B for the next coupe years are set IMO with Pedroia and Middlebrooks. CF will have Ellsbury(if hes not traded which if the right deal is there I'm all for) and Bradley Jr. there after I think most of us hope. That leaves, SS, LF, RF 1B. I am usually all for grooming young players, but if this team is going the youth route then I say let them all get there bumps together and build a young core that's battled tested together.
Well I think that should be enough to catch me up, I will try and join in the ongoing conversations
Back just in time for the Hot Stove
Linear Mode
