The hot stove is getting hotter. Reports from the Boston Globe indicate that CC Sabathia's agent noted his client is not on Boston agenda this offseason, probably worth nothing in case you had visions of the big ace opening the 2009 season for the Sox. Also within the same report is news that Jarrod Saltalamacchia is going to begin playing winter ball, we'll keep an eye on his progress here at Fire Brand.
The Boston Red Sox are hot on the tails of 22-year old Junichi Tazawa to join the club, but there's another Japanese pitcher out there that may end up serving as the Sox's No. 5 starter in 2009.
Kenshin Kawakami, 34, is a free agent (meaning no posting fee) and reportedly has the Red Sox in his sights as the team to sign for. The Sox have mutual interest, apparently. He is a Sawamura Award (Cy Young) winner and Central MVP, winning both in 2004.
It'll be interesting to see if the Sox pursue Kawakami. He's been profiled as high as a No. 3 starter and as low as a back of the rotation starter. The Sox may be hesitant to commit long-term dollars to him, however.
Scott Boras said he thinks Jason Varitek is worthy of a four-year, $52.4 million commitment, which is what the Yankees' Jorge Posada got last year. Posada posted a career best 154 OPS+, the year before his free agency. Varitek? A career worst 73.
Which Red Sox left-hander has the best career winning percentage in games pitched at Fenway?
Today is election day for one of the most important and polarizing elections in the history of our great country. I hope everyone takes time out of their day to fufill their most important responsibility as an American citizen. Although all votes are confidential, we have the scoop on our 2008 Boston Red Sox! Check the names below to see who, and why, the local nine cast their ballot,
Rankings and predictions for the 25th-50th ranked Free Agents will be posted the morning of Wednesday, 11/5. My top 25 will be posted on Saturday, 11/8. I am looking forward to getting your feedback and hopefully by March, looking back at a 60% clip, a 20% increase from the year before. Just for fun, here is the entire list of my predictions from last year; again, you can access my old blog to read the explanations for each pick.
Bill James has come out with his new handbook for 2009, and in the handbook are the early statistical projections for players next year. This may be especially significant in the case of the Red Sox, as James has a vast amount of knowledge of players in the Red Sox system due to being employed by the team.
I assume at least some of you know about the Free Agent Frenzy -- a game that MLB.com rolls out where you predict where 15 top free agents sign and the confidence level you have of that. You get Opening Day tickets if you win. Here's my ballot: