AL East Sleepers: New York Yankees

For a team that won the 2009 league championship while standing atop the AL East leaderboards for much of the past decade, the team would seem, at first glance, bereft of sleepers.

Not so, however, even for these ’09 defending champions. A favorite even at this early juncture in Spring Training, the club could get even better by the time the season rolls around.

SP/RP Phil Hughes

Hughes is – and for quite some time has been – one of the best young pitchers in affiliated baseball. It was not so long ago – three years to be exact – that Phil Hughes was the best pitching prospect in the game, edging out Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey for that honor.

Though hamstring injuries and bouts of wildness slowed down his progress during the ’07 and ’08 campaigns, Hughes came back with a vengeance last season, reminding all bystanders why he was once such a highly touted prospect.

Still just 23 years old, the Yankees owe it to Hughes and to themselves to give the hurler another shot at a full-time rotation gig. Worth 2.2 wins last season, that number could easily swell to four or five if he pitches up to his potential…

Is Casey Kotchman our best bet at first?

As comprised today, Boston has two choices when it comes to filling it’s first/third hole: Slide Youkilis over to third and commit to Nick Johnson as first-baseman… or leave the window open for Beltre with the expectation that Kotchman ends up at first.

The question is:

Is Nick Johnson appreciably better than Casey Kotchman based on actual value?

To me, it’s a rather simple answer: No. Casey Kotchman is the better option than Nick Johnson.

Arbitration and it’s impact on the Red Sox

The arbitration tender deadline has come and gone, and unsurprisingly, many players were not tendered arbitration contracts they had the right to accept or reject.

Also unsurprisingly, Boston offered arbitration to its two eligible players: Jason Bay and Billy Wagner. Let’s run through the implications for offering arbitration to the two, and then take a look at players who’s possible Boston future was impacted by their club’s decision.

Guest Sunday: Looking back at the ‘04 Sox/Cards

Drew Silva, 22, contributes to Rotoworld.com, MLBTradeRumors.com and FanGraphs. Check him out on Twitter. Silva takes a look back at 2004, the season of salvation for the BoSox and revisits where the seminal players on the World Series teams are now…

15 bats the Red Sox could trade for — Pt. 1

On the heels of the Sox’s fourth disappointing offensive game in a row, it’s becoming abundantly clear that despite the team’s top five offense, it’s a top five incapable of sustaining any sort of playoff-caliber offense.

With that in mind, I have compiled a list of the 15 bats the Red Sox may have interest in. As the trading deadline approaches, I am keen to see if Theo has the “killer instinct” in him to make a strong move instead of holding onto his prospects with an iron fist.

With Jason Bay a free agent and his agent seeking a Mark Teixeira-type deal, is the time now to get a bat for now and the future? Here are some names that could don Sox uniforms sooner rather than later — you’ll see eight names in this article (in alphabetical order). On Friday, the final seven will follow, plus a summary of what the best fits seem to be.

Replacing Papi

The front office, manager and, most notably, the fans have been very patient with one David Ortiz. At .197/.288/.308 with no position and no speed, he may be the least valuable every day player in the American League at this point. The recent 6-game hitting streak is cute and all (and I totally understand the concept of baby steps with this terrible situation), but looking further you’ll see the shortest home run conceived in baseball history and five of those six games featuring 1-for-4 or 1-for-5 performances. To say David Ortiz is heating up is grasping for straws at this point.

If Ortiz is done, we must move on: Outside solutions for a potential DH.

Solutions aren’t easy to come by, because they must include a sacrifice. And a great “solution” will have to include a few good, young “sacrifices.” And parting with young talent, well, is just not an easy task.

There are roughly six players that interest me, some that will cost a bundle, some just a handful. One that might not even approve.

But if David Ortiz does not hit, a decision will need to be made, and soon.

Should Sox trade Delcarmen for Nick Johnson?

Peter Gammons went on Mike and Mike’s ESPN Radio show this morning. Thanks to Hacks with Haggs, there is a transcript of the proceedings. An interesting tidbit:

Washington with their 2-16 bullpen are trying to move Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns and some of their semi-attractive veteran players to get relief pitchers. I know they offered Nick Johnson to Boston for Manny Delcarmen. That hasn’t happened and may not until the Red Sox make a decision on David Ortiz.

This is a deal the Red Sox would instantly do if Big Papi was at his current level of production on July 31.

It’s May 22, however.

It still begs the question: should the Red Sox do the trade? If so, when?