UPDATE 4:53 p.m. SUNDAY: The Trade Breakdown: BOS Gets Erik Bedard and reliever Joshua Fields from Seattle. SEA Gets Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers and Chih-Hsien Chang from Boston. LAD gets Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez and starter Stephen Fife from Boston. 

UPDATE 4:06 p.m. SUNDAY: Gordon Edes says Erik Bedard is a Red Sox, and it seems minor league catcher Tim Federowicz was the price. More on this later.

UPDATE 4:00 p.m. SUNDAY: The deadline is now officially over, but things do tend to trickle in for another 30 minutes or so. Still no word yet on if Boston acquired anything other than Mike Aviles this weekend.

UPDATE 3:51 p.m. SUNDAY: Jayson Stark says that Bedard to the Red Sox is still possible -- is that what Boston has been working on this last 90 minutes or so? 

UPDATE 3:25 p.m. SUNDAY: Pure speculation, but the deafening silence coming from Boston and its beat writers at this moment leads one to believe that they are working on something. Thoughts on what? Ludwick to Pittsburgh is close, according to Jon Morosi, and Heath Bell may still be available, though it seems it would cost the team in prospects.

UPDATE 3:00 p.m. SUNDAY: Marc here now to keep with the updates and trades for the last hour and change.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m. SUNDAY: We are closing in on an hour and 15 minutes until the deadline. All quiet on the Red Sox front to this point.

UPDATE 2:32 p.m. SUNDAY: Bell apparently not the guy, it's Mike Adams. The Rangers have acquired Adams, not bell for two prospects per Jim Bowden. Bell still out there. 

UPDATE 2:25 p.m. SUNDAY: According to Rosenthal, the Rangers will acquire Heath Bell from the Padres. No other details at this point.

UPDATE 2:23 p.m. SUNDAY: Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston reports that the Red Sox have had no discussions in recent time with the Cubs about Matt Garza.

UPDATE 2:19 p.m. SUNDAY: Looks like we've heard the last of big-name outfielders being moved. Heyman reports that both Josh Willingham and Coco Crisp will stay in Oakland for now. We heard earlier B.J. Upton is likely to stay put.

UPDATE 2:15 p.m. SUNDAY: Heyman is hearing that a deal that would send Iannetta to the Jays has cooled a little bit.

UPDATE 2:00 p.m. SUNDAY: Exactly 2 hours to go until the 4:00 p.m. deadline. So far, Sox still interested in Bedard and could focus on the relief market. Gonna be a busy two hours.

UPDATE 1:55 p.m. SUNDAY: Joel Sherman reports that the Red Sox had some interest in Mets outfielder Scott Hairston, but the Mets didn't like the players they would receive in return

UPDATE 1:48 p.m. SUNDAY: Heyman reports that the Mariners are still discussing Erik Bedard with the Red Sox and Cardinals, among others.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m. SUNDAY: Alex Speier checks in to say that the Red Sox are not in discussions with the Padres about either Heath Bell or the other San Diego relievers.

UPDATE 1:36 p.m. SUNDAY: Just a few notes around the league. Jon Morosi believes that the Pirates could make a serious run at B.J. Upton with Jason Kubel off the market. Also, the Blue Jays appear to be interested in the Rockies' Chrs Iannetta. He is reportedly not in today's Rockies lineup. Meanwhile, the talks between the Nationals and Twins aren't going to well. 

UPDATE 1:20 p.m. SUNDAY: Will Middlebrooks, a Red Sox top prospect is not in the starting lineup for the Sea Dogs today. He'd played 17 straight games before today. Not really sure what to think about this. Ubaldo is off the board.

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After a brief delay to cover the Aviles trade, the Trade Watch is back- and better than ever. Ok, just as good.Anyway here is the latest-

10:00 PM: Indians are off Ludwick- With Jimenez likely in the bag, the Indians no longer appear to be in the Ryan Ludwick market. The Red Sox are not giving up too much for Harden and could still have a chance to get Ludwick. 

9:45 PM Harden for Lars- The deal appears to be Lars Anderson and a PTBNL for Rich Harden. Assuming that player isn’t a major prospect, this seems like a good deal for both sides. Anderson was permanently blocked in Boston and his stock had dropped significantly. Harden has been great when healthy, which is almost never. He is an outside candidate for Type B status so he does have guaranteed value beyond the season.

9:30 PM: Red Sox move on to Harden- with the Indians almost certainly getting Ubaldo Jimenez, the Red Sox are now said to be close to a deal with the A’s for Rich Harden. It is unlikely that Josh Willingham with be a part of it though. 

9:06 PM Ubaldo to the Indians? Numerous reports are coming in claiming Ubaldo Jimenze is being dealt to Cleveland for a package that includes Drew Pomeranz, Alex White and Matt McBride. Jon Heyman claims that a fourth player is being added as well. Jimenez is pitching currently but with relief warming up in the bullpen in the first inning, something is definitely going on here.

8:45 PM: Not to be outdone in the cryptic trade signal department, the Red Sox have pulled Lars Anderson from his game in Pawtucket, take that Cleveland!

8:30 PM: Scott Miller at CBSsports.com reports that Ryan Ludwick is likely headed to Cleveland, with the deal to be announced tonight or tomorrow. 

8:20 PM: For those not watching the Sox game, NESN just reported that Ubaldo Jimenez is warming up in the Rockies bullpen. That certainly makes it sound as if a deal is seriously in the works, is it us, the MFY or the Indians though?

7:45 PM: With Top Prospect Drew Pomeranz scratched from his Double A start, the Indians might be moving in on Ubaldo Jimenez. Pomeranz has been linked to the package for Jimenez.  

6:45 PM: Willingham, Crisp, Harden, Kuroda and Jimenez are all being discussed. The Red Sox seem to think that the price for a Coco Crisp is too high, given that he is almost certainly not going to bring them much in compensation picks. Josh Willingham and Rich Harden are much more appealing and they are certainly on the radar. 

The Dodgers and Red Sox are said to be "in talks," but that doesn't really mean much at this late a date. 

Ask ten different insiders about the state of the Ubaldo Jimenez deal and it seems you will get ten different answers. The Yankees seem to be drawing a hardline on this one, refusing to trade anyone you could have ever heard of for Jimenez. The Reds, Red Sox and Indians are all said to be in on the deal 

2:30 PM:Peter Gammons via Twitter- Says that the White Sox are not getting the players they need to move Carlos Quentin. In particular they are looking for a LH OF.

It is strange that one of Ryan Kalish or Josh Reddick wouldn't be on the table for that deal, as the Sox can only really use one in the near future. Are the White Sox selling or not? Personally I don't want to see either moved just yet, but I can't understand why they wouldn't be in the discussion. 

2:00 PM: Ludwick and Thornton- The price on the Padres Ryan Ludwick is now being viewed as very low and with the two top buyers for RF off the table Boston could get involved their again. The Indians are considered the front runners here, but the Braves and Reds are also interested. Thornton has apparently lost favor in Chicago, no easy feat with the laid back Ozzie Guillen at the helm. He is being pursued by the Rangers and the Yankees as well as Boston. I wonder if Boston's presence in Chicago gives them an edge here at all.

1:15: Ubaldo Update- The Sox have not had any further talks with the Rockies, but the Yankees are turning up the heat. Will Middlebrooks and Anthony Ranaudo have been discussed as part of a deal.

The lack of further talks leads me to believe the Sox have made a firm offer and the Rockies are pushing for more. I would not be surprised if we find out that Ranaudo is the sticking point. The Sox might be trying to keep the price high, but if the Rockies can't get what they are looking for from the Yankees the Red Sox might have a real chance.

12:45 PM: This just in- the Red Sox are agressively pursuing Carlos Quentin and Matt Thornton of the White Sox. Quentin is the right-handed right fielder with power that the Red Sox need and Matt thornton addresses their issues with left handed relief. 

it is easy to see why the Sox would be all over a deal for these two. Quentin has had some injury issues but he is an excellent power hitter who could thrive in Fenway and Thornton was among the game's best relievers before struggling this season. Quentin will be in his final arbitration year after this season and Thornton will be under team control until 2014, so these are not merely rental players. If this signals a White Sox fire sale, John Danks could enter the conversation as well.

12:30PM: Early this morning, the Detroit Tigers acquired Mariners pitchers Doug Fister and David Pauley, taking two more names off the Sox board. This has turned the front office's attention back to Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers. The Red Sox are also rumored to be heavily involved in the Ubaldo Jimenez bidding, while Yankees interest in the flame throwing righty might be waning. The Sox have also been connected to Oriole pitcher Jeremy Guthrie recently.

With the Phillies acquisition of Hunter Pence, another outfielder bat is off the market and it appears Boston has cooled on the idea of making a move to address that need. Ryan Ludwick is still being actively shopped and remains an outside possibility for the Red Sox.

Will Hanley Ramirez's recent battle with Jeff Conine and the Marlins front office put him on the trading block? It isn't likely, but you can be sure the Sox will check in on that too. 

We will be updating this post as news breaks and providing trade analysis and reactions for you all day today and tomorrow, so keep your browser right here.

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It's just a number. I've heard that a bit over the past couple of days. And those severely misguided individuals have a point: other than being a "nice round number", what does 500 mean that 499 didn't? That 501 didn't? That 237 didn't? And it's true.

The HR itself was semi-notable, if not historically notable. Chad Bradford is not an easy pitcher to hit a HR off of, in fact, a RH submariner should've been one of the toughest for Manny to hit one against. 

via d.yimg.com

But what is 500? It's a reason. It's a reason to celebrate all things Manny. Since he's come to Boston, he's done nothing but hit. There are many large FA contracts handed out in the modern era of baseball, and you'd have to say that of those players, Manny is one of few who has really met expectations. 

Did I say he's done nothing but hit? He's also been at the center of a number of amusing situations, at least when one looks at them with the proper perspective. He's demanded and rescinded demands for trades. He's put property on sale on ebay. He's been late to spring training for...interesting reasons more than once. He's cutoff throws in which he was certainly not the relay man. He's robbed MFY utility IFs of HRs. He's high-fived fans in the middle of amazing plays. He's disappeared into the Monster during play.

Through it all, he's continued to hit. And moreso, he's been an absolute delight for those able to let the aforementioned incidents (and others) be seen for their entertainment value. 

And, of course, Manny has had the right perspective of the milestone. He wants 600, heck, he specifically mentioned hitting 501 in the midst of questions about the 500 mark. Manny loves to hit, and loves to see himself being successful at doing so, maybe moreso than any of his fans.

What else is 500? It's a reminder that when he's done, we're going to miss him. ...a lot.

via d.yimg.com

According to the Herald Tribune, people in Sarasota, Fla. are planning to build a $70 million spring training park to lure the Red Sox to move in:

SARASOTA — A $70 million stadium with 12,000 seats is being dangled in front of the Boston Red Sox to lure them here for spring training.

Industry watchers say it would be the most expensive spring training facility ever built in Florida, one on par with the bigger stadiums being used to woo teams to Arizona.

[...]

The plan has early support from both the city and the county, as well as Sarasota's lead tourism booster.

"The initial response is that the Red Sox would bring more of an impact," said Virginia Haley, president of the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau. "So it seems like there would be more consideration for the Red Sox than other baseball teams or a different entertainment venue."

The stadium would have 10,000 stadium seats, party decks along both the first base and third base lines, and berm seating. The cost estimate includes furniture and equipment for the Red Sox clubhouse and locker rooms.

It's quite a strong proposal if Sarasota decides to go through with it. The Sox already sell out in spring training, add a beautiful, brand new park to the discussion with more seats and the Sox will be rolling in the dough. We know the Sox like their moolah, so I wouldn't see much holding them back to stay in Ft. Myers.

Thoughts from Red Sox Nation?

Do you have a question you'd like the new Over The Monster Writer and the new Red Sox Beat Writer to answer? Confused about something dealing with the Red Sox or Baseball in general? Then ask him here in this post. You may ask as many questions as you'd like, whether they be personal or baseball related, and I will answer. I will give you 24 hours to ask your questions, and then I will answer them. That means you have until tomorrow at 4:00 PM to post your questions.

Post away!

Believe it or not, there are FAs who were apparently less desirable than Joel Pineiro.  Some of whom are still on the market.  Some of them might be a longshot, but I thought, hmm, Joel Pineiro is probably a longshot, at least earlier in the week I did.

So what's left?  Who's left?  And can any of them help the Sox, hopefully on mL-NRI contracts, unlike say this contract, for example.

"Pitchers", so to speak.

Dustin Hermanson

Am I the first person in the offseason, blogging, non-blogging, or otherwise to think of him?  We're running an open contest to be the closer(all entries must be received by the second week of February), why not someone who has actually been a full-time closer before?  I initially was concerned about the fact that Hermanson is considered a type A FA, but the White Sox didn't offer him arbitration anyway.

Chances he signs with us: 65%

Dan Kolb

Just re-read everything I said about Hermanson.  Kolb has closing experience, and should come pretty cheaply.  I think Hermanson is a surer bet to be a decent arm out of the bullpen either way.

Chances he signs with us: 40%

Kent Mercker

I honestly think that if Okajima had not been signed, Mercker might have been signed by the Sox already.  He's type B, so we wouldn't be giving the Reds the delicious hero sandwich pick with mustard they would receive.  However, Romero's signing might fill our LHRP reclamation project quota.  Mercker's been a pretty successful reliever the last few seasons, though he did have elbow reconstructive surgery towards the end of last season.

Chances he signs with us: 25%

Willie Eyre

I'm not serious about this one, trust me.  I do think it's important to check his stats last season, and realize that even in Minnesota's excellent bullpen last year, this absolute scrub finished 20 games.  ...automatically vesting options...yikes.  If Pineiro stinks, I'm sure that they'll watch his GF totals closely, but still.

Chances he signs with us: -12,000%

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Happy New Year, OTM readers/commenters/lurkers.  Hope everyone was safe for the holiday.

Someone that hasn't been mentioned yet(possibly because our best hope for him is that he turns into a semi-reliable 6th inning reliever or long man) is Runelvys Hernandez.  It's a depth signing, something to neither congratulate nor berate Theo about.  Low-risk/high-reward and all that.  He hasn't had any consistent success since AA.  A 95 MPH fastball and what was at least once upon a time a good curve.  Hoping he'll be Delcarmen-lite?

Anyway, after that exciting bit of "news" let me re-iterate the Happy New Year message, and let's all hope 2007 can make us forget some of the low points of 2006.