Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

by Randy Booth on Mar 13, 2008 6:05 PM EDT in News

Now that my mind is being unkinked thanks to spring break on my heals, I've had more time to think about the Red Sox. Here are some things I've been thinking about with a clearer mind now:

Let's start with our starting pitching dilemma. Josh Beckett is hurtin', Daisuke Matsuzaka is babyin' and who knows what is coming after that? My vote to start in Japan: Tim Wakefield. No JB, no Dice-K, and no Schill means Wake's the next in line. There's no doubt in my mind that Wakefield deserves it and would do a good job.
Speaking of Japan, does anyone else think it's weird that the Red Sox's sacred opening day is going to be in Japan? I still can't quite grasp the concept. It just won't feel like opening day.
I don't think it'll be too long before we know for sure who will backup Jason Varitek this season now that Doug Mirabelli has been released. I think Kevin Cash is a great possibility, but perhaps trading Coco Crisp could net us an appropriate backup.
I'm sad about the release of Mirabelli. This means no more "Dougie Going Deep" jokes. Ahh, the end of an era.
David Aardsma is looking great so far this spring: 5.2 IP, 2 ER and 8 SO. He'll be a strong addition to the middle of the bullpen. I can see him subbing in for the set-up role at times as well.
Relief pitching always brings me back to Javier Lopez. There's no doubt he'll make the team. I'm fine with that as long he effectively pitches against lefties -- we all know he didn't do that last year.
The Red Sox seem to be trying to get a real good look at Jed Lowrie this spring. His .086 BA doesn't look so sweet through 35 at-bats. Dustin Pedroia syndrome, anyone?
Curt Schilling was put on the 60-day disabled list by the Red Sox today. It's a shame Schilling has been plagued with this injury. I have a lot of respect for Schilling and I know this is killing him to be sitting on the sidelines.
I've been throwing around this crazy idea, so bare with me. If the Sox continue to see their starting pitching injured and/or struggle, what are the chances the Sox try and trade for John Smoltz near the trade deadline? He could be a hot commodity if the Braves fall out of the race early. Smoltz has made it clear that he wants to win. That's all he wants this season. He'd fit really nicely into the Sox's starting rotation. But hey, I'm just throwing out ideas here...
Bartolo Colon hit 93 on the gun today in his debut as a Red Sox. That is fan-freakin'-tastic. If he can consistently stay around that number then he could start the season in the Red Sox rotation. I'm really rooting for Colon. He's got the skills, so now let's see if he has the desire.
Just 12 more days until opening day. Get excited everyone.

0 recs | Comment 16 comments

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Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

All good points.

I agree that the Sox should make a push for Smoltz if they fall out of the race. However, I find it very unlikely they fall out of it by then. They have a good, deep rotation, and a quality pitching staff and one of the best managers in the game. Even though they had an off year last year I see them making another push to return to prominence atop the NL East standings.

by Red Peltic on Mar 13, 2008 6:14 PM EDT 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

I agree. Perhaps Smoltz will need to weigh the options: stick it out with a team that, odds are, will unravel at some point OR go to a team that has won 2 World Series in 4 years?

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Mar 13, 2008 6:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Odds are we'd see Smoltz ERA jump nearly a full point. Perhaps more, since he's so familiar with NL batters. That being said, I think Smoltz is an excellent pitcher and I'd love to have him on the team. He's a gamer.

I wonder what Smoltz'd cost in players & prospects, though. He's near the end of his career.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Mar 14, 2008 9:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Smoltz is a very good pitcher, but a dumb bigot. I'd rather take my chances elsewhere.

Bottom 9th B:1 S:0 O:0 With Bill Mueller batting, Dave Roberts steals (1) 2nd base.

by britsoxfan on Mar 14, 2008 3:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Lester should start opening day.

by gnick55 on Mar 13, 2008 8:57 PM EDT 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Why should Lester start?

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Mar 13, 2008 9:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Definitely not Lester. He has been getting shelled in ST. If our top three starters are all out, then it's Wake. But things aren't looking so good for us this season.

by Albert Chang on Mar 13, 2008 9:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

I actually don't really have a good reason to want Lester to start instead of Beckett or Dice-K. It's just that Wakefield is so old and to be honest, a bit stale, whereas Lester is something new and exciting. Which I think is fitting for opening day. We've seen him handle the pressure and attention of a big start before why not here?

by gnick55 on Mar 14, 2008 2:23 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

It's a long season ahead.

I think we all knew that Mirabelli was the wrong answer as a backup this season and most who posted wanted us to look for a backup catcher. Maybe we have a suitable one in the system. I hope so.

Colon and Aardsma are good news in the pitching column while I sincerely wonder about Lopez after his weak showing last year. Beckett and Matsuzaka will be okay a little later and things will round out. The question is how long Wakefield will be able to go. He is getting pretty long in the tooth.

We can get by in the field without Coco and he might just bring a quality player and it will be what he wants as well. Whether that is a catcher or help in the pitching area remains to be seen.

I would give Lowrie plenty of time. It must be really tough on these kids to come up to the bigs. If he gets over the initial nervousness, he might might just fit.

by Longsuffering on Mar 13, 2008 11:48 PM EDT 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Re: catching prospects, I'm big on Mark Wagner within a year or two. He has really solid defense. I'm guessing that if he does well this season they'll invite him to ST next year and, providing Wake's still healthy, see how he does with the knuckler. (However, knuckleballers have pitched into their late 40s, so I think we're fine with Tim for a while.)

by Liza on Mar 13, 2008 11:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

I'm big on Wagner too. Obviously, it'd be nice to see him hold his own with the bat at a higher level, but if he can do that...well, let's just say he seems to be our only 'C' prospect with no questions about his defense.

by Allen Chace on Mar 14, 2008 12:11 AM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

The Sox seem to be big on Dusty Brown. He's not ready for the big-time, though.

Kottaras has been swingin' the lumber this ST, but I also don't think he's ready. Would he be better than Cash offensively? It's hard not to be. Cash & Clemens have about the same hitting ability (ug). Kottaras still has some work to do on his defense. He's working on his mechanics and needs to play more frequently than every 5th day. I think the Sox' F.O. will consider calling Kottaras up around the All-Star break if he does well.

The other option is a trade. Teagarden on the Rangers and Clement on the Mariners are two good targets. However, I think the teams would insist on receiving a pitching prospect with Coco for either of those guys.

My opinion is that Red Sox are still hoping that one of Kottaras, Brown, and Wagner pan out. They'd rather hold on to their pitching prospects and trade Coco for peanuts rather than package a pitcher with Coco for a catching prospect.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Mar 14, 2008 9:34 AM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

The Sox are in a position where a number of key players are at an age where injury or just decline will impact their contribution. I am talking about Wakefield, Schilling, Varitek, Rameriz and Lowell.

We have good quality at the other starting positions and we have good pitching with good prospects coming along.

It is time to think about having backup players to take some of the minutes now and to be in a position to take over as it becomes required.

I don't really know the catching prospects that well, but what has been said in this forum is none of our guys is without problems. Maybe the trade route is the way to go and if we lose Coco (a forgone conclusion) and one or our lesser pitching prospects, it would seem like a reasonable deal. I wouldn't make a case for any catching prospect to be able to handle the knuckleball well since Wake is unlikely to continue much longer. I know there have been people like Hoyt Wilhelm that went longer but those cases are unusual.

by Longsuffering on Mar 15, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

Good points all. However, I thought that I had heard that Wakefield is not completely healthy at the moment either. It looks like our 2 starters overseas could be Lester & TBD.

Additionally, at this point, Crisp has extremely limited trade value. Nobody has been able to scout him and there is absolutely no way to determine whether his offensive skills are coming back or not. It still seems to me that we need to break camp with Crisp on the roster. I just don't see him being factored into a catching deal right now, nor can I see Theo using him in an undervalued package.

by art0330 on Mar 14, 2008 7:00 PM EDT 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

I hadn't seen anything about Wake's health. What's up with him?

by Liza on Mar 14, 2008 10:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Sox Thoughts: What is going on in Ft. Myers?

My mistake about Wake. It was a discussion on Globe 10.0 talking about his back woes last year and the possibility of them occurring this year as well. Somehow, I thought they said that he was having problems now. Anyhow, now that Mini Matsuzaka has arrived, it looks like Dice-K and either Wake or Lester.

by art0330 on Mar 15, 2008 2:49 PM EDT 0 recs