Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (39) is congratulated after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE
Yesterday it was announced that the Red Sox had placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on waivers. After a solid performance on Monday night against Kansas City, in which he went seven innings allowing one run (unearned) on five hits, six strikeouts and two walks, teams may believe that he has enough left in the tank to pick him up for the playoff run. Bradley Woodrum takes a look at whether or not he is worth the risk. (Bradley Woodrum; Fangraphs)
On Saturday, Alfredo Aceves was suspended by the team for three games after storming out of Bobby Valentine's office because he was upset Andrew Bailey received the save opportunity Friday night. He was eligible to return for last night's game against the Angels. Whether or not he would be put back to the closer role was still unclear. (Brian MacPherson; Providence Journal)
Over at Green Line Outfit, John Leary finds interesting results as he compares the production of Red Sox players to the league average at their respective positions. (John Leary; Green Line Outfit)
It is a known fact that in baseball, highly regarded prospects don't always work out. Predicting major-league success from minor-league production is a difficult thing to do. Geoff Young writes about Adrian Gonzalez, James Loney and Casey Kotchman, and how their careers have played out compared to their projections. (Geoff Young; Baseball Prospectus) ($$$)
Most of the talk in the aftermath of the mega-deal pulled off between Boston and L.A. over the weekend has been about the Dodgers' side of things. This makes sense, as the players they got were brought in to help the team win now. With this in mind, Grant Brisbee ponders what Beckett could provide for the Dodgers going forward. (Grant Brisbee; Baseball Nation)
Even with the Red Sox out of the playoff hunt, the AL East is still an exciting division to watch, with Baltimore, New York and Tampa Bay still vying for postseason play. (Nick Fleder; Hardball Times)
After the mega-deal, the Sox clearly have taken a turn down a new road, and now have a clean slate. Apparently this wasn't enough for Kirk Minihane, as he advocates for taking this a step further and trading Dustin Pedroia. (Kirk Minihane; WEEI.com)
All the time I hear people saying how baseball is getting less and less popular, and more people are turning their backs on the game. Well, tell that the ESPN, who just finalized a huge new TV deal with Major League Baseball, which will benefit all of the teams. (Craig Calcaterra; Hardball Talk)
Losing Adrian Gonzalez leaves a big hole in the middle of this Red Sox lineup. Thankfully, they still have two guys who can provide punch and drive some runs in. (Tony Lee; ESPN Boston)
Old friend Adrian Beltre has been the hottest hitter in baseball as of late. The Texas third baseman has matched his hot bat with his typically great defense. He's been a valuable player over his career, and if he keeps it up, he may just be playing himself into the Hall of Fame. (David Schoenfield; Sweetspot Blog)
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