The Official Thread of the 2006 Boston Red Sox

[SteveF]

Good one. :cool:


henson was actually traded to the reds from new york, along with 3 other players(?) for Denny Neagle. But he refused to play baseball for anyone but the yankees, threatening to go into the nfl draft, so the reds were forced to trade him back to new york. good old cashman only took him back if they threw in michael coleman.

in hindsight the reds still made out, as pena is the only guy making an impact in the bigs. but at the time he was basically a musclehead who swung at bad pitches (i know, very little has changed, but he's young) :D

7/12/2000
Traded Ed Yarnall, Drew Henson, Brian Reith, and Jackson Melian (minors) to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Mike Frank and Denny Neagle.

3/21/2001
Traded Wily Mo Pena to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Drew Henson and Michael Coleman.


that henson, he was a regular brandon lyon

[Blackout]

Ellsbury for sure (I hope I get to see him with Wilmington this year, but we don't see them until a month into the season), but I don't know that I would say Moss and Murphy are a "few" years away. Both exhibited good power in Portland, led the team in runs, and Murphy can run a little. If they perform at Pawtucket this season, I wouldnt' be as worried about rushing an outfielder (especially in a utility role) as a pitcher.

IMO, Murphy and Moss are locks for AAA this year. No, not ready for the majors, but usually guys in AAA are at least capable to fill holes in the majors (and I think on a lesser team, they would be locks for midseason jumps up).

Unfortunately for you, I dont see Jacoby in Wilmington, and if he is not for long. He was so above Lowell last year, but it seems like he (and Lowry/Buccholtz) were only there as they had been playing since early March. Ells stole like 10 bases in his first 7 games. It was nuts (I was at two of them). Not only that, Lowry was hitting the ball wherever he wanted.

I like Moss more than Murphy. The kid is a regular dirt dog. Class act too! He'd be perfect roaming Fenway's RF someday (the comparisons between him and a healthy Trot are endless besides).

I'm wondering if Pedroia gets a cup of coffee this year. He deserves it, but like Youk the past few years, they'll want him tohave AB's over being up in the show.

[kennedy]

I know, I'm hopeful to see Ellsbury. I hope he starts slow but we'll see, might depend on who he has to face early in the season, and I don't have the Blue Rocks schedule available. Also, since Portland will probably lose so much talent to Pawtucket this year, they may be starving for talented bodies. I was in a similar situation with Brad Eldred last season, and never got to see him before his promotion.

Pedroia reportedly came into camp heavier than expected and not the "good" weight. He was terrific for the 'Dogs last year, the most memorable moment for me being when he hit homers in both ends of a doubleheader against us in Bowie. The injury slowed him at the end of the year, so he's behind a little bit already. I think his progress might depend on how much work the Sox decide they want to get him at short.

[Blackout]

Actually I forgot, Ellsbury has a hurt wrist. As of last week he was playing in the field but not swinging (which didnt stop him from having a bunt single of wakefield in a minor league intrasquad game). That might be enough to land him in DE for a bit.

[UMO Better Blues]

From Gammons ESPN Blog: (http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryDate=20060320&name=gammons_peter)

Pena loves to play, wants to learn and because he was out of options and in the big leagues at 20, his development has been seriously retarded. Boston hopes it has another Jesse Barfield, who after the age of 23 and with almost an identical number of at-bats, had a .309 on-base percentage, the same exact .780 OPS and 45 homers, in contrast to Pena's 51.

I knew I'd been hearing his name forever. Out of options at 20. :rolleyes: That's pretty foolish.

[Rover]

I don't mind the deal because Arroyo is a mediocre pitcher who most likely won't get much better. However, the Sox have set up a curious situation with their staff. 3 starters will be 40 or are already (Schilling, Wakefield, Wells). Looking two or three years into the future (Arroyo's contract length) when those guys are gone, we'll still have Beckett, Papelbon (assuming he works out this year) and Lester (again assuming he makes the bigs) and maybe Clement if he doesn't get dealt. Not saying this is a bad move, but there is a lot of uncertainly once the old guys move on in the next year or so.

[Haunted]

I don't mind the deal because Arroyo is a mediocre pitcher who most likely won't get much better. However, the Sox have set up a curious situation with their staff. 3 starters will be 40 or are already (Schilling, Wakefield, Wells). Looking two or three years into the future (Arroyo's contract length) when those guys are gone, we'll still have Beckett, Papelbon (assuming he works out this year) and Lester (again assuming he makes the bigs) and maybe Clement if he doesn't get dealt. Not saying this is a bad move, but there is a lot of uncertainly once the old guys move on in the next year or so.
You are correct, but assuming Papelbon, Lester, and Burnett don't fall apart, that'll be a strong top of the rotation. #4 & #5 pitchers are usually easier to come by.

[Pal]

Hopefully Pena gets off to a good start, because it won't be long until WEEI starts stirring up to boobirds, especially with the likelyhood that Arroyo will have a very good season in the NL. A guy who strikes out more often than Bellhorn, replacing a media/fan favorite? WEEI must be salivating... :rolleyes:

That said, I think this is a good deal, but I'd rather have Arroyo than Clement.

[GreatLakerMohawk]

For what it's worth, Arroyo will probably get lit up in that little league excuse for a ballpark in Cincinnati. It's as bad as pitching in Colorado there.

[CLS]

Arroyo has a quality (cheap, and signed for a few years) that's much more attractive to teams like the Reds than it is to the Sox. So IMO, his greatest value is/was as trade bait.

I think that there's also been a tendency to think of him as young, when he really isn't. He's almost 30, and I don't think likely to get much better. Nice curve, but batters were starting to sit on it. He isn't going to blow anyone away, so he'd need Maddux type control to be successful long term.

As for the future, when Schilling's done, that frees up a lot of money to sign someone, and since the Red Sox are a "now" team, I suspect that they'll worry about the future when it comes. And even at that, the farm system is building up. The last time we had this much hype about pitchers in the farm system was Rose/Pavano (and there was another one -- the fact I can't remember his name speaks both to my memory and the fact that he didn't do much) and Papelbon's already shown me more than they have.

[Blackout]

Juan Pena?

[ScottK]

Juan Gone?

Rotoworld is reporting that Gonzalez deal with the Sox was never final, and that after the Pena trade, he realized there was even less of a chance of making the team. So, he's reportedly going to sign with the A's today instead.

[Blackout]

Juan Gone?

Rotoworld is reporting that Gonzalez deal with the Sox was never final, and that after the Pena trade, he realized there was even less of a chance of making the team. So, he's reportedly going to sign with the A's today instead.

Interesting. Eades mentioned that Juan Gone wasnt going to show yesterday. I didnt realize he didnt have a final contract.

Plus, the last time he tried to field a ball in right, Pokey had an inside-the-parker ;)

[Blackout]

Sox claimed Hee-Seop Choi off waivers from LA today... !

[Haunted]

Sox claimed Hee-Seop Choi off waivers from LA today... !
:eek: :eek: :eek:

Well, Youks to 3rd, Lowell to backup status. This is great.
His line: .253/.336/.453 (.789 OPS), 15 HRs, 42 RBIs, in 320 ABs. More production than Millar, a little over half the at-bats. My concern is his K/BB ratio - 80 Ks, 34 BBs. Not great.

With Ortiz, Pena, and Choi in the lineup, they are going to strike out a lot. We better be patient... ;)

[Blackout]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Well, Youks to 3rd, Lowell to backup status. This is great.
His line: .253/.336/.453 (.789 OPS), 15 HRs, 42 RBIs, in 320 ABs. More production than Millar, a little over half the at-bats. My concern is his K/BB ratio - 80 Ks, 34 BBs. Not great.

With Ortiz, Pena, and Choi in the lineup, they are going to strike out a lot. We better be patient... ;)


He did look pretty sharp in Korea's lineup, which is why I am optimistic. Plus, he was... free. And he's only 27. I didnt see why he was on waivers... I wonder if they tried to send him to AAA? Weird. (who else do they have at first other than Nomar, wouldnt they want insurance??)

[Haunted]

(who else do they have at first other than Nomar, wouldnt they want insurance??)
You'd think, and I have no idea.

Don't forget, the Dodgers are the same team who hired Grady Little. :rolleyes:

[Blackout]

You'd think, and I have no idea.

Don't forget, the Dodgers are the same team who hired Grady Little. :rolleyes:


It gets even better. Choi DOES have options left! LA released him outright. Meaning, if we are heavy at the corners and he doesnt stand out, its AAA for him! That will come in handy when Lowell is hitting .210 in mid may

(Acrtually, I think Lowell is suited so a season similar to Mueller's 03 season. Maybe no batting title, but he'll use the wall well. Still, odds say he will suck, so we'll see)

[wildcat4life]

More depth for us, in any case. It's certainly good to have insurance with Youk able to play 3rd, and have a good player manning 1st if necessary. Of course in line with every Theo move, this move has good upside, as Choi is someone I and obviously the Sox FO have had their eyes on for quite a while. Choi has been stuck in Chavez Ravine and in Florida for a bit of time, and hits righties well, but he is also still blossoming as a hitter. He hit the **** out of the ball in the minors, but hasn't gotten much of a chance full-time. PECOTA has him as at .264/.364/.489 for 2006, with the projection with LA. Already that's a 106 OPS+ using positional adjustment compared to 2005 AL 1st basemen, and that's pre-Fenway. Did I mention we got him for free, and he still has an option? A no-brainer to pick him up really, I'm surprised he got this far. Also, with Lowell, Graffanino, Youk, Snow, and Choi, we may be seeing another shoe drop soon. It's not everyday you pick up a league-average or better player through waivers (and Choi is a much better major leaguer and has more upside than Arroyo did when we picked him up, and just look at all the things he brought us)

And I still have friends who think the Sox' season is already over, probably because of Damon. What the hell have they been paying attention to? This FO keeps making great moves, and they're not selling the farm or getting rid of great players doing it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. PECOTA's #1 comparable player to Choi? David Ortiz's 2003 season. I'm sure that was on the FO's mind at some point.

[Haunted]

Blackout: I know, I'm not sure why LA dropped him. Or how he got passed anyone.

Wildcat: I read that over in SOSH... good news about PECOTA. Also, he has over twice the run production as Millar did last year, with a little more than half the at bats.

I think Graff will be traded, probably soon - for a backup catcher maybe? They aren't going to carry Lowell, Gonzales, Cora, Graffanino, Loretta, Youkilis, Snow, and Choi. That's 8 players. Adam Stern has to stay with the big club for 17 more games, so he needs to be up. Since he has options, Choi can start in AAA with the plan to swap him and Stern. By then, we should have a better idea (better, not great) of Lowell's capability. Bench him, move Youks to 3rd and Choi at 1st.

Like I said, add Choi and Pena, and this team is going to walk and strike out an awful lot. Oh, and score a ton of runs. :D