beck72

NY's option for Lieber is $8 mill. Likely to be rejected. He's worth $3-5 mill tops. They are supposedly high in Eric Milton though. Radke's GB/ FB ratio is near 1.0 for his career. But with his low BB total, he'd be a good fit for the Sox. Minn will likely resign him, as they only have Santana and Silva in their rotation

I posted these stats on possible FA SP's that might be good for the sox. Seeing how Radke, Perez and Ortiz did poorly in the playoffs, and Lieber hasn't lit it up yet either, does that mean the sox should only go after Pavano, Clement or Lowe? It's hard to say. I've always liked Clement. Pavano should go elsewhere. Lowe seems like a 4th or 5th SP. Yet you can't just write off the SP's who threw poorly in the playoffs. I think Radke would be a solid pickup, and win a lot of games during the year. He may not be a #1 or #2 SP for the playoffs, but a solid SP. Though he may give up a lot of HR's in the Cell, as he's not a GB pitcher. Ortiz' control is and has been an issue. Those walks in the Cell would turn into 2 and 3 run HR's. Perez did horrible in the playoffs. But what hurt him was the BB's [which was uncharacteristic for him, as the stats showed.] He could easily have been over-pumped, which could explain his loss of control. He seemed to be throwing everything hard. With Perez's poor performance, his FA price will be lower. One thing is for certain, Joey Cora should be able to pump his bro ALex for inside info on Odalis, to see if he's a good fit for the sox. [i did read that their were questions about Perez's weight]. Joey should be able to give Ozzie and KW the inside scoop on Odalis. One thing to consider, besides Pavano, which FA SP is capable of pitching in game 1 or game 2 of the playoffs? I don't know if any of them are. Radke and Perez tried but fared poorly. But can the others win a lot of games during the reg. season, stay healthy and keep their team competitive? I think Perez, Radke and clement all fit the bill. QS 1. Pavano 73% 30/22 1. Radke 73% 34/ 24 3. Perez 68% 31/ 21 4. Lieber 62% 26/ 16 5. Clement 60% 30/ 18 6. Ortiz 58% 33/ 19 7. Lowe 39% 31/ 12 GB/ FB 1. Lowe 3.31 2. Perez 1.68 3. Clement 1.41 4. Lieber 1.37 5. Pavano 1.31 6. Radke 1.02 7. Ortiz 1.01 SO/ 9 1. Clement 9.45 2. Ortiz 6.42 3. Radke 5.91 4. Perez 5.83 5. Pavano 5.68 6. Lowe 5.20 7. Lieber 5.11 bb/ 9 1. Lieber 0.95 2. Radke 1.01 3. Perez 2.01 4. Pavano 2.05 5. Lowe 3.43 6. Clement 3.68 7. Ortiz 4.96 ERA 1. Pavano 3.05 2. Perez 3.35 3. Radke 3.48 4. Clement 3.68 5. Ortiz 4.19 6. Lieber 4.37 7. Lowe 5,25 BAA 1. Clement .229 2. Pavano .252 3 Perez .253 4 Ortiz .258 5 Radke .265 6 Lowe .293 7. Lieber .298 *************************************************** Here's how they totalled. 1. Odalis Perez- 17 2. Carl Pavano -18 3. Brad Radke -20 3. Matt Clement -20 5. Jon Lieber -29 6. Russ Ortiz -31 7. Derek Lowe -32

Ozzie sure doesn't seem impressed by DAvis--- "Great defenisvely, but I wish we'd see more offense". While few C's are .300 hitters, the Sox could use a C who could handle the bat at least--SH, make contact, etc. Davis seems to be an all or nothing bat, like Jose V and Borchard. [And Crede for long stretches. Uribe's had his funks. Willie too--all three should see a lot of time] The sox need hitters who can battle, and at least make productive outs. The Sox are betting on their young guys to improve--Crede, Harris, Uribe. Davis would be, too. Counting on 4 of 9 guys to "improve" is a lot for a team who want to make the playoffs. IMO, Davis is the guy least likely to adjust into a solid hitter

I agree on Burke being the Sox backup. He has a nice short swing, and catches a good game. He also threw out 8 guys against 11 Sb's. However, I'm not convinced about Davis being the everyday C. His bat has shown some big, Joe Borchard type holes. And his defense hasn't been overly impressive. I'd like to see his CERA but I haven't seen any numbers on him and other C's to compare/ contrast with. He has allowed 34 sb's and thrown out 14. My point is w/ the sox seemingly content w/ keeping Crede at 3B and Uribe/ Harris at 2B, the sox will still be young, with probable low OBP at those spots. Getting a veteran C, who can provide some offense [hit LH, preferably--or at least both LHP and RHP equally well--make contact, get on base] and solid defense shouldn't be overlooked. By Ozzie's comments, I think that reflects his thoughts. I know KW thinks Davis can be a steal. I'm not convinced

Unless Davis suddenly turns around his struggles at the plate, you don't have to be a psychic to think Davis won't hit much in 2005. Davis did well at first. But then he tailed off again, back to what he has always hit. IMO, the sox would be better off with a C who can make consistent contact, and not K as much as Davis.

Ozzie's quote on PK, "He's the best player I have right now" says PK will be around. Gload will be backup. No to OLerud

Lima's crazy, in at least two languages. Ozzie wouldn't want to see his circus act for 162 games and I don't blame him

I know Ozzie would take Roberts over Hairston. After seeing how Roberts ran wild vs the Sox, Ozzie had a huge man crush on him.

Here's my take from what KW and Ozzie say: Crede and Harris will be given the opportunity to turn it around. [but both could be pushed by aside by Uribe if they falter--The Sox should know in spring training if they got the message or not, as both probably were told they needed to work on some things: Willie being more mature, and Crede w/ his conditioning/ mechanics. I wouldn't be surprised if Willie was traded in spring, if he didn't learn anything in the offseason]. They have the talent and could be better than almost any FA pick up they could get at those positions [within reason of course, they Sox wouldn't be getting the Beltre type FA's anyway] , if they perform up to their capabilities. PK will be around at 1B. He's Ozzie's top player. [He may DH to start the year if Frank isn't ready] Gload-bench guy Frank- DH, good for team on and off the field Uribe-should be starting somewhere, esp if someone is injured or performing poorly. Could handle the bench if someone outplays him, is a hard worker w/ a good attitude. Ben Davis-- Ozzie not sold on him. KW is, thinks he can turn it around. Ozzie should get the benefit of the doubt. [Get a LH hitting C, ala AJ pierzynski]. Burke- a good backup That leaves SS open. Vizquel makes sense and fits for the Sox, a switch hitter and can hit #2. Guys like Renteria, Cabrera will cost an arm and a leg, close to $10 mill. Those guys can't carry and lead the Sox for that money. Look for a trade if it falls into their laps, if a team signs a big FA and needs to trade away their current starter. [For example, if LA signed Nomar and had to trade Izturis]

As the playoffs begin today, I'll be watching a few players closely as possible additions to the Sox [At least in my world ] While solid performances may jack up the price to get them, either free agency or trade, I'd like to see how these guys do under pressure. Among them: 1] Odalis Perez. [FA] Starting game 1 vs STL. He'll be facing one hell of a lineup, on the road. I heard somewhere that he said if LA beats STL 'they'll win the world series' or something to that effect. Just be quiet and play the game 2] Chone Figgins. Rookie Dallas McPherson is supposed to play a lot, and that would probably put Figgins at 2B. The sox could put him in CF and hit leadoff. Saw the replay where he scored from 3rd on a GB vs Oak, in the game they took over 1st place, beating the throw home w/ a nice hook slide. Any sox player who tried to do that would've broke their leg. 3] Scot Shields. [could come with Figgins in a deal for Carlos Lee] Though he may not see much action in middle relief, would look great on the south side. If he can pitch well in Fenway, he could throw in the Cell. 4] Carlos Beltran. [FA] The Sox would only likely get Beltran if the traded both Lee and PK. A long shot to sign, but the sox don't have a young position player to build around. Had a great run helping the Astros get back into the wildcard race 5] Troy Percival. [FA] Supposedly back throwing in the 95, 96 mph range. Has always had mound presence. Will never forget his poise in 2002 during their world series run. Would put Shingo back into set up. 6] Dave Roberts [FA]. Don't know how much time he'll see in the playoffs w/ Bos. But would be a nice platoon guy to hit LH, and play all 3 OF positions for the Sox. He had close to 40 SB's in limited paying time this year in LA and Bos. The sox certainly could use him for a spot, and play him vs RH pitchers. Provides speed, defense and a nice contact hitter from the left side. Would replace Timo Perez for about the same price [less than $1 mill] Are there any other players people are interested in watching during the playoffs as possible additions to the Sox in '05?

I've been a Shields advocate for a while now. He's the kind of versatile pitcher Ozzie would love-could start, go 1, 2 or 3 innings. He's pitched over 100 innings this yr, all in relief. Shields could even challenge for the 5th spot. Plus, Shields GB/ FB ratio would be great for the Cell. He's at something like 1.70 now, and throwing more GB than ever. Any reliever the Sox get should get a ton of GB and K's. Shields can do that. I know Ana. needs a few big bats, with Glaus moving on, Salmon retiring, rookie McPherson going to 3B and LF Guillen should be traded. Instead of PK [Ana has Erstad there for a few years] Ana may want carlos Lee. Not sure what kind of package could be worked out, but something along the lines of Figgins and Shields for Lee. [esp. if figgins could play CF--then Rowand could move to RF or LF]. Lee's prob. worth more, as he's locked up for a few years. Ana could add a prospect as well. Figgins won't have a spot next year, with Adam Kennedy signed for 2005 [maybe 2006] to play 2b, and the rookie Dallas at 3B. And they have a super UTL guy in Robb Quinlan, who was hitting .340+ before he got hurt.

With the "washington expos" now nearby, the O's will need to make some headlines this offseason. Though they need pitching, a big bat or two will be added. [esp as Palmiero won't be back at 1b]

I'm another one who agrees about the need for the sox to get a dominant bullpen. Teams with great bullpens can handle injuries and poor performances from their SP's. Say a SP gets knocked around early and only lasts 3, 4 innings. A bullpen holds the other team from scoring more runs, and allows the team to get back into the game. The playoff teams all have a minimum of good up to great bullpens--LA led the NL in lowest ERA, STL, Ana, Minn, NY with Flash and Rivera. Hou has the weakest and still has good arms there. The sox need to upgrade here. Yet so far only 1 spot seems open. Adkins and Cotts should improve. But I don't see this pen being among the league leaders w/o filling more than 1 spot. Now, if some rearranging was done, such as putting Garland in the pen, and the Sox added a closer to this mix, then the makeup of the pen would be strong. BTW-I heard Hawk say that SS said he'd like to come back to the sox, even in the pen. I could see the sox sign a FA SP, have SS as the 5th starter, sign a closer or top set up man [Felix Rodriguez, and maybe Bob Wickman, Troy Percival] and put Garland in the pen. Now that would be solid

That 1st base coach was viewed as a problem [ie not helping guys steal bases] could mean Willie should be back. Getting a coach who can help teach sox players how to steal should help Willie utilize his speed. Now if that coach can also help willie bunt, I can see him hitting 9th on the 2005 sox. It makes sense getting a 1st base coach who can help these guys bunt and run.

Well said. One more year for Joe. Joe's definitely got more upside than Randa. Koskie as well

From KW's comments, Crede should be around. Talking about trading him and signing a FA doesn't sound like its in the works.

Sounds like you're making the case to keep him.

Looking at Joe's minor league numbers [career avgs, highs in SLG, OBP, etc] keeping Joe for another year, hoping he puts a solid full year together, is reasonable to expect. It's not like he was some scrub minor leaguer who never hit. He's had success in the minors and the majors. 2005 should see Crede in a sox uniform. http://www.sports-wired.com/players/profile.asp?Name=JEH Look at how Joe improved in his 2nd yr in AA [2000] and in AAA [2002]. He posted his best numbers. He's shown the ability to adjust. I also didn't know how well he did in his first few years, being one of the youngest guys in rookie and A ball leagues. That does tell me something.

The Sox have only two young position players to build around [Rowand and Uribe]. Crede is potentially another. Why trade him for nothing [because other teams won't give much for him] and sign a 30+ yr old free agent on the down side of his career to a big contract? The Sox still could fill other holes, like I mentioned earlier.

Lee can't bunt. But if he hit one of his patented easy flyballs to the OF, Lee would have had his 100th. But Ozzie going out of his way to help a guy who "cares more about his numbers than winning" would send the wrong message. Now if it were Rowand or Uribe then Ozzie probably would have gone out of his way to get them their numbers.

With a lot of players available for 3b, Crede wouldn't have much trade value though. The Sox would likely only get another teams "disappointment" or lower level minor leaguers who are a few years away from the bigs. Can the Sox envision a scenario where they trade Crede for a few average minor league prospects, and sign a FA for 2 years at 5 mill a yr, like Koskie, who gets hurt, misses 75 games and hits below .250, while Crede has a good 1st half and better 2nd half, and hits .285 with 25 hr's and 85 rbi's? I bet that's what KW is thinking when he's talking like this. Keeping Crede makes sense. The sox still could and should upgrade at ss or 2B, C, OF, the bullpen, and SP. There are still other guys with trade value

Welcome to soxtalk! For MB to mention it [even though he was asked] it had to be pretty fresh on his mind. A few guys who were nearing milestones could be who he was talking about [Jose 30hr's, Lee 100 rbi's?] Whoever they are, I don't think they'll be around in '05. Ozzie's managerial career [and KW's career as GM] is tied up w/ the 2005 Sox. If some players care more about their numbers than winning, why keep them around? Esp if KW can trade them for a decent return. And no one on the Sox is worthless [like Billy Koch] or has a Maggs like contract that another team wouldn't or couldn't take on.

Ozzie and KW have recently said that Lee "isn't a complete player", that he "knows what he needs to work on". this probably has something to do w/ it. Everyone has seen how "into" the game Lee is, laughing and joking in the field. I'll always remember Lee laughing at all the guys running on the field,[the KC game when 4 jokers ran onto the field] even the Sox were losing at the time. He should have wanted to deck the guy for wasting his time. Lee's mind seems everywhere but where it belongs--thinking about how to help his team win

Not Frank. He hasn't been around. He's talking about guys playing now. I think C. Lee is probably one of those more concerned about numbers than winning.

Does anyone know where I could find stats for bunt or IF hits? Seeing how the Sox need a leadoff type hitter, a player with the ability to bunt for hits and speed to leg out IF might be a possible trade target. Willie isn't a good bunter. And one offseason of work won't make him into someone who could bunt for 15-20 extra hits. I'm just looking for someplace that totals either bunts, IF hits or both.