Varitek returns to Red Sox

Word on the street via Jon Heyman has Jason Varitek accepting the Red Sox’s offer of one year plus a second year with a mutual option. The race to find a catcher of the future can wait.

Classy Kotsay

Great interview with Mark Kotsay in today’s MLBTrade Rumors. In it he revealed how well he understood his level of talent, that he didn’t like his first FA experience, [...]

Varitek to retire?

I can’t see it happening, but apparently Jason Varitek may elect to sit out the 2009 season or even retire.

This is a ploy for some team — whether it’s the Red Sox or another team — to blink. Varitek will play in 2009, and the only way it’s for the Red Sox is if it’s at their price.

Sumo Lounge TRIVIA: First night game

When was the first night game played at Fenway Park?

Manny a Tornado?

The Can-Am Worcester Tornadoes have offered Manny Ramirez a contract for two years at $24,000. With Worcester as my birth city and a city I still frequent multiple times a week, it would be great if he signed.

The Tornadoes have had former Red Sox prospects play for the team such as Greg Montalbano and Ed Reilly, who pitched the first ever Tornadoes game and then retired immediately after the game. Former Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman has been the manager since inception. Johnny Pesky and Roger Clemens were among those that attended Tornado games in 2008. I attended the first game for the Tornadoes; you can read about it here (sadly, the pictures no longer work).

Sox Officially sign six as Non-Roster Invitees

Within the last couple of days, the Red Sox have officially signed six players to minor league contracts and will report to Spring Training as non-roster invitees. Mostly seen as depth in case of the inevitable injury, the six players are:

Fernando Cabrera (RHP): Probably has the most major-league potential of the group, the 6′4″ Cabrera has very good stuff, including a low-mid 90’s fastball with good sink on it and an above-average split-change. Underwent elbow surgery last year, but came back and threw well in the Puerto Rican Winter League, picking up 12 saves while only giving up 12 hits in 22.1 innings and posting a 23 K/6 BB ratio.

Fireside Chats #32: Where a Keurig machine is our answer to greenies

Paul and Tim discuss the merits of the Keurig coffee machine, the contracts of Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon, and look at the early returns from the infield in the 2009 “For Better or Worse” series on Fire Brand of the American League. Oh…and how could we forget banging our heads against the Varitek wall a few more times before a final decision is made.

All that and more on Episode #32 of Fireside Chats on MVN!

An adventure with my broken down car

Click here to read what I just had to go through. Argh!

Fire Brand’s Top 40 Sox Prospects

Recently, ESPN ranked the Sox system 7th in all of baseball. This was quite a compliment to a team that just this past season graduated four of Baseball America’s top five Sox prospects (Buchholz, Ellsbury, Masterson, Lowrie). Led by Director of Amateur Scouting Jason McLeod, the Sox quickly stocked up their system through the amateur draft and international free agency. Their 2008 draft class has arguably the highest potential of any team, and all of that was made possible by the Sox willingness to go over the slot to obtain guys that are considered to have signability issues. Part of the reason that has caused this has been the emergence of top prospects Pedro Alvarez and Matt LaPorta, two unsigned draft picks in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Spending over the slot should be a continuing trend for a team as rich in resources as the Sox, allowing them to remain as one of the top systems in baseball.

Mike Lowell: For Better or Worse 2009

In our continuing series of “For Better or Worse 2009″ and community projections, I now give you Mike Lowell. To catch up on the rest of the series you may have missed so far, go here.

Let’s call a spade a spade here; how many of you really thought, even as recently as the middle of December, that Mike Lowell would be penciled in the starting infield for the 2009 Boston Red Sox?