With the pursuit of Mark Teixeira over, it is time for Red Sox Nation (and presumably the Red Sox FO) to focus on the holes in our lineup and filling out the rest of the roster; specifically, catcher. Kevin Cash has signed elsewhere (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and Tek is a free agent, though it's looking like he'll return because of the lack of a market. The Sox have a good amount of young pitching prospects that the FO are basically refusing to move for a young catcher, and they have tons of money available. Unfortunately, there is no catcher on the market outside of Tek (and Pudge, but for what it would cost to bring Pudge to Boston they're better off sticking with Tek).
C: Pierzynski 1B: Pujols 2B: Altuve 3B: Miggy SS: HanRam OF (x3): CarGo, M. Bourn, D. Jennings UTIL (x2): E. Encarnacion, C. Hart BN: Cuddyer, C. Ross, J. Montero
This is where the draft pick compensation for free agents shows how unfair it is. Varitek is a solid veteran catcher. Yes, his bat is declining, but he's still a player many teams would love to have on their roster. No one is signing him because they'd have to give up a first round pick. This is totally unfair.
noseeum wrote:This is where the draft pick compensation for free agents shows how unfair it is. Varitek is a solid veteran catcher. Yes, his bat is declining, but he's still a player many teams would love to have on their roster. No one is signing him because they'd have to give up a first round pick. This is totally unfair.
He's a solid veteran catcher who's bat .238, .255, and .220 the last three seasons. He is coming off his worst season in his career -- sub-.700 OPS. He'll be 37. He wants to get paid. These are reasons he has no team yet.
I still think there is a good possibility of the Red Sox getting Salty from Texas, if the Rangers drop their price (i don't see the red sox giving up Buchholz), which i think they will.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
Kingct, I am assuming you mean Bowden instead of Pauley. If Pauley was all it would take to land Salty, I'm pretty sure he would have been in a Sox uniform weeks ago.
That being said, Teagarden will be more expensive than Salty. And that is fair. But with the Sox refusal to part with Bowden, Buchholz, or Masterson for Salty, I cannot imagine they would give up one of them plus someone else, which is what it would require to acquire Teagarden.
I only see Montero coming here if it's part of a salary dump with Burns, but I would hope the Sox wouldn't hand him the job - he needs to prove he is capable of platooning with Tek over a guy like Kottaras.
C: Pierzynski 1B: Pujols 2B: Altuve 3B: Miggy SS: HanRam OF (x3): CarGo, M. Bourn, D. Jennings UTIL (x2): E. Encarnacion, C. Hart BN: Cuddyer, C. Ross, J. Montero
rmande09 wrote:Kingct, I am assuming you mean Bowden instead of Pauley. If Pauley was all it would take to land Salty, I'm pretty sure he would have been in a Sox uniform weeks ago.
That being said, Teagarden will be more expensive than Salty. And that is fair. But with the Sox refusal to part with Bowden, Buchholz, or Masterson for Salty, I cannot imagine they would give up one of them plus someone else, which is what it would require to acquire Teagarden.
I only see Montero coming here if it's part of a salary dump with Burns, but I would hope the Sox wouldn't hand him the job - he needs to prove he is capable of platooning with Tek over a guy like Kottaras.
this is how i see the trade being completed..the sox need a 4th OFer and byrnes is a high energy good character guy that could really benefit in beantown..but kottaras is brutal..you thought there was a black hole in the sox lineup w/varitek this year, try giving kottaras 300 ABs at the major league level...UGLY..in his 2nd yr at AAA at age 25 he hit a whopping .214 w/97 Ks in 397 ABs w/a 75% ct rate..montero's 1st half in 08 was ruined by a slow recovery from a broken finger..in the 2nd half at age 25 he hit a HR every 20 ABs which is what he did in 07 for arizona..his ct% in 05 thru 07 averaged 84%..he is far more skilled and accomplished than kottaras..montero has the skills to be a starting catcher in the majors..kottaras should never be rostered unless for some reason a team decides to carry 3 catchers
I disagree. I do not think Kottaras is an everyday guy by any means, nor will he ever be, but I think put in the correct role, he could be somewhat successful.
My point here is that I wouldn't want to give up a Bowden-Masterson-Buchholz to bring Montero here. And if he came here with Byrnes, I would not want to turn over the full-time job to him; at this point, it's looking like Tek will be back, so the best bet is a platoon. I do think that Montero should have to beat out Kottaras for the other side of the platoon - Kottaras has no options remaining and would be released (I believe)/have to clear waivers to go to AAA. Both are about equal defensively and both have posted good numbers versus RHP.
Again, my simple point is that I do not think the Sox should be giving up any of their Big Three pitching prospects, or even a guy like Daniel Bard, for Montero. If he comes in a salary dump with Byrnes, then great. FWIW, I am a huge fan of Byrnes and would welcome his style of play and character in Boston in a heartbeat. He can play all OF positions and would be able to take over in RF when Drew needs his annual three-week rest. He'd also be able to take over in CF for Ellsbury if he struggles, and he would be a great defensive replacement/pinch runner/pinch hitter. I think he would be a great "10th man" for the Sox lineup and I would be more than willing to pay the remaining $22 million on his contract.
C: Pierzynski 1B: Pujols 2B: Altuve 3B: Miggy SS: HanRam OF (x3): CarGo, M. Bourn, D. Jennings UTIL (x2): E. Encarnacion, C. Hart BN: Cuddyer, C. Ross, J. Montero
bigh0rt wrote:He's a solid veteran catcher who's bat .238, .255, and .220 the last three seasons. He is coming off his worst season in his career -- sub-.700 OPS. He'll be 37. He wants to get paid. These are reasons he has no team yet.
Exactly. He made almost $11 million last year and turned down arbitration so he's looking for more. No team wants to pay a catcher with his skill set $11 million a year. Varitek made a big mistake turning down arbitration.
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by rmande09 » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:35 pm 
