Fireside Chats #68: Where we welcome Mr. Lackey and Mr. Cameron to the family

Wow...that was an unexpected flurry of activity. Join Paul and I as we break down the day during which the 2010 Boston Red Sox started to take serious shape. Are the Red Sox better this year than they were last season? Are they better than the Yankees? What does this mean for Matt Holliday and Jason Bay? or Josh Beckett or Adrian Gonzalez? So many answers today, yet as many questions. Thankfully we have Fire Brand contributor Troy Patterson on the line to help us dig into the action for the day. All that and more on this episode of Fireside Chats after the jump.

Red Sox ink Mike Cameron to two-year deal

[UPDATE by Evan, 9:00 PM] The Associated Press is reporting that the Mike Cameron deal is done. It's two years in the range of $15.5 million, according to Ken Rosenthal. I think it's a fantastic deal. Cameron has 20-home run pop while providing tremendous defense. It's unknown whether Cameron will patrol left or center. This makes Jeremy Hermida the fourth outfielder. Read on for more...

Lackey, Chapman to Boston?

UPDATE 2: Jon Heyman says that Lackey's contract is five years, $85 million. I'll wait a bit before passing judgment because initial contract term rumors end up being more "in the area" than accurate. I will say that if it's a fully guaranteed five years, I am very, very surprised Boston chose Lackey of all people to commit five years to. This seems to signal that Jason Bay will not return, although I'm sure the door is not closed just yet. Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that John Lackey is taking a physical with the Red Sox. If true (Price is working to confirm the rumor from a source he trusts), Boston at the very least has some sort of framework agreement in place with Lackey to bring him to Beantown.

Pressing reasons to improve the infield defense

There has been a lot of stress placed on the defense this offseason and that looks to continue with the interest in Adrian Beltre to replace Mike Lowell at third base. Other than the obvious value gained from a solid defense is there another reason to make sure you obtain positive gains this year in defense? I think I found it and it starts with Clay Buchholz. With Buchholz taking on the number three spot in the rotation there was an interesting number that seemed in common for our top three. That number is groundball percentage, which Buchholz led the team in during his limited appearances at 53.8%. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have established new career levels above 47% meaning 3 out of 5 starts by the team should have a large amount of work for the infield.

An Introduction to Pitch FX

In 2007, pitching analysis was changed forever with the addition of the Pitch FX system. While the technology in 2007 was not as widely available throughout all ballparks as it is today, it has helped the average fan be able to take a critical eye to pitches. Have you ever wondered how much vertical break Barry Zito's curveball had? How about the angle Randy Johnson's slider took as it swept across the plate? What about how our own Jonathan Papelbon throws his fastballs? Now you have the power.

All-Aughts Team of the Decade RP6: Mike Myers

Manny Delcarmen has the years of service, while Rod Beck would have been an appropriate homage to the early decade. Alas, they lost out on a Team of the Decade spot to someone else. It's not often that a player who has pitched just 52.1 innings for a club is named to the Team of the Decade. But it's not often a player like the sidewinding Mike Myers comes along, either.

Fire Brand adds writers (plus other notes)

Fire Brand is undergoing a couple of changes, much like the Red Sox. Unlike the club, however, there's no "bridge" year -- we're bringing you only the best. Troy Patterson and Lee Perrault of Yawkey Way Academy are joining Fire Brand to help us continue bringing strong opinion and analysis of the Sox to the masses.

Admiring Bridges

When Theo Epstein made allusions to (strike that) outright stated that 2010 would be a bridge season for his Boston Red Sox from the the championship team of 2007, through two successive playoff contenders, to a batch of young talent in A and AA ball, you could see the ugly start to come out of Red Sox fans across the Nation. Comments sections across the major news outlets in Boston were strung with statements that would have you believe that the mediocrity of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots has poisoned the well in Boston. If we can't trust in Bill, then how can we trust in anyone, including Theo?

New Poll Question: Which reclamation project is the best investment for the Sox this offseason?

It's a gamble, but which reclamation project is the best investment for the Sox this offseason? * Justin Duchscherer * Kelvim Escobar * Ben Sheets

Lowell to Texas, Beltre to Boston… And a Cherry Named Maximiliano

Lowell to Texas, Beltre to Boston? This rumor has been cooking for a long time, and it may finally be ready for consumption. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Red Sox and Rangers have a deal in place that would send Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers, with the Sox receiving top catching prospect Max Ramirez. Many expect the trade to be a precursor to the signing of Adrian Beltre. As per Rosenthal, the Sox would contribute a substantial portion of Lowell’s contract - in his words, with the Sox “eating nearly all of [Lowell’s] 12 [million dollar] salary.” Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal, on the other hand, has the Sox providing “at least half” of the deal. We likely won’t know for some time which of the two price tags will win out, but be certain that it will significantly affect the team’s outlook for the remainder of the winter. Is this the Sox answer to the Granderson deal in New York? Probably not. This isn’t the kind of blockbuster trade that substantially alters the team for 2010. In fact, the trade is curious in the sense that it would significantly hinder the team’s ability to maneuver for free agents for the rest of the off-season – and could put them out of the running for either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday...