Sheets is good, and his shoulder problem may be fixed, but he’s going to miss at least 2 starts per year due to something or other (some of it unpreventable and not related to pitching…I mean, ear infections?)

not that I’m sure we’ll find the right one this year- no one looks too amazing that’s available. I think that Martinez is great to have, but since we want him to be able to play every day, we don’t want to wear him out catching 162 games a year- it would be great if we could have someone good enough to start with 2 out of the 5 starters, who would hopefully have some ability to throw runners out and call a game decently- offense will be less important for him- then on days where he isn’t catching, do the youk at third and martinez at first thing.

hopefully lowell would be ok with platooning/coming off the bench- at the end of the year we saw his slugging production dwindling, and I don’t think he’s hitting well enough to justify taking anyone else out instead.

For short, I’d love to see them pick up gonzalez’ option, but to split days with lowrie (assuming he gets healthy and can hit from the left, since presumably he’d be in mostly against righties) and see how they both do.

Getting a guy like Sheets or Duscherer seems like a great idea if they aren’t too expensive, since Wake has demonstrated that he probably can’t pitch a whole year, and either of those guys could use some rehab time at the beginning of the year then come in later. If he wasn’t too expensive, a year of Halladay would obviously be great, and then resign either Halladay or Beckett, but I can’t imagine him going to the AL East (or really, anywhere in the AL…), and a year of him certainly isn’t worth Buchholz in my mind, which seems like the probable cost.

next year is probably mostly minor changes with no giant trades this offseason, but I think we’re going to have to look way different as a team after 2010.

I know its easy to say now, but even still, during the game i was hoping they would let Wagner stay in past the 8th because he was playing well and i knew something would go wrong for some reason. Cant tell how i knew but i did, didn;’t think they would lose though, maybe give up a run or two.

But I’d also love to have a farm after said trade.

Why?

I was just wondering how important a captain is.

Let me help you:

we didn’t get as far as we could have!!!

Dur – neither did the Cards, Twins, or Rockies. Everyone could have advanced further, but only 4 teams have.

SOOO not like him so as far as i’m concerned that shouldn’t be brought up in offseason chats.

Really? Because I’m pretty sure that I want to cover every possible angle, including selling high on a guy who has some pretty big issues for most of the year.

going 1-12 in the ALDS is not like him

That’s what happens when you give a player 12 ABs – you can’t make any kind of reliable evaluation, because it’s such a small sample size. You’d almost be better off going the opinions of the fans who judge a player based on their looks (i.e. “OMG, Ells is SOOOO HAWT”).

we need a player that just plays third base

Maybe I’m taking this a bit literally, but it sounds like you would refuse a player just because they could provide extra flexibility. If you mean that you would rather have a 3B-only player for cheap than another Youk for a little more, then it makes sense.

Another thing is if we lose Varitek we lose our captain! Who can be the captain? What makes a player qualify to be a captain?

So what if we “lose our captain”? For one, it’s not a hugely important position – it doesn’t win us games, it doesn’t improve our skill level, it doesn’t save us money. And if you think it is an important factor, he can come back as an apprentice bench coach or something. We didn’t have a captain for a while before Tek was given the honor of an extra letter thrown onto his uni, and we don’t immediately need one as soon as he leaves.
Masterson: 1) Why? 2) No, seriously, WHY? 3) How?

Tek does need to realize its time to hang up the cleats. I love the guy to death but he is just not contributing anymore. I would love to keep him around as a catchers coach or something like that. Martinez could learn alot from Tek about calling a game, i mean Tek calls the best game there is. As for Lowell, he only has a couple years left but he still produces, he is still one of the best defensive third baseman in the game, and he is def not a liability at the plate. As far as captain goes, i dont think its necessary to denote a certain captain, just see if anyone steps up and takes it.

But I agree completely with letting Pedroia be the captain next season. He seems like the guy that can get a spark lit when the team needs it. Hell he’s a season removed from the AL MVP, and he played really well during the 2007 series. He’s been there, he knows what it takes.

…there are only 4 players named as Captain in the entire league. Most teams don’t have them, and I think ’Tek is the only one wears the C.

The team doesn’t need a captain…it was given to Varitek as a position of honour. They went without before he was named, they likely will again.

It ain’t gonna happen.

i don’t think the Sox have dealt with his injury very well. Instead of giving it plenty of time to heal, they rushed him into ST to try and keep Lugo out, basically, and then when he got hurt they tried to rush him back. Even later this season it was clear it wasn’t fully healed. Hopefully, a full, surgery-free offseason will get him healthy.

Gonzo isn’t any good NOW offensively, at least. I don’t know what we stand to lose by taking a flier on a JJ Hardy / Jed Lowrie combo. If nothing else, JJ is a great defensive SS with the ability to provide a power bat.

And Casey Kelly isn’t a shortstop—or at the very least he shouldn’t be given the incredible dichotomy between pitcher Casey Kelly (future ace at best) and Shortstop Casey Kelly (future defensive backup at best). Iglesias is the guy you want. He’s already got a major league level glove, and the Sox are convinced they can teach him to bat.

He’s also aging and expensive. If Lowrie can be an above average fielder (which it looks like he is) and a slightly below average hitter, then we’re doing okay.

With that small statement, you completely eradicated whatever credibility the rest of the comment might have. Judging a player based on one inning should be a crime.

And welcome back, BT.