Red Sox start offseason with bang, acquire Jeremy Hermida

UPDATE: Theo on the trade: "It was a chance to get a guy with unfulfilled potential for a reasonable cost." The Red Sox consider Hermida an average defender in either left or right field. (MLBTR) The Red Sox have acquired Florida Marlin outfielder Jeremy Hermida for lefty pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. Hermida, 25, has been long on potential after being the 11th pick in the 2002 draft. However, with injuries and no "leap forward," he was a liability to the club at a $2.25 million salary, sure to rise in arbitration.

Theo’s “95-Win Team”, Beckett’s Extension, Falling Dominoes, and the Mailbag

Theo’s “95-Win Team" In recent years, one of the most important axioms put forth by the Theo Epstein and the Red Sox front office is the law of the “95-Win Team”. According to this directive, the team’s goal is to target 95-wins annually in an effort to compete every season. This is really a great piece of wisdom, as a team that wins 95 games will make the playoffs most years. In fact, the Wild Card winner since 2003 – the first year Theo took the esteemed office of Red Sox General Manger – has averaged a record of just about 95-67. However, this doctrine relies on one major assumption – that this team will always be able to perform up to their expected level... Josh Beckett's Extension Over the past few days, rumors have been circulating that the Sox and the Josh Beckett camp have been discussing a contract extension. Adding fuel to the rumors, Beckett and agent Michael Moye have indicated that there will be no hometown discount for the Sox, so the team will have to be ready to shell out quite a bit of cash. Introducing the FireBrand Mailbag And, finally, introducing the FireBrand mailbag, where we will answer all of your darkest, most burning questions about Red Sox Baseball. If you would like to ask the writers a question to be answered on the site, please forward your inquiries to Mike_Silver_FireBrandAL@yahoo.com.