Red Sox deal Casey Kotchman for Bill Hall

It's been spread on Twitter that Casey Kotchman is headed to the Mariners for Bill Hall, a minor league PTBNL and cash considerations. When I first saw this deal I was curious to what this accomplished, but after looking at the numbers this makes a bit more sense. The cash is likely the money that Seattle got from the Brewers when they got Hall to cover some of his 2010 contract. So they are probably not adding contract and could be dropping some.

Terry Francona confirms Jacoby Ellsbury move to left field

According to Dan Roche on Twitter, Terry Francona has confirmed that Jacoby Ellsbury will be our starting left fielder in 2010. This also means Mike Cameron is in center field and Jeremy Hermida is either the fourth outfielder or on his way out of town.

Q+A: Boston OF prospect Pete Hissey

Pete Hissey was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 draft and hails from Pennsylvania. Hissey, 19, spent his second professional baseball season with mid-A Greenville. SoxProspects notes Hissey as a speedy centerfielder with an advanced approach at the plate with current below-average power that has the potential to improve. In 369 at-bats for the Drive, Hissey hit .279/.356/.347. He currently ranks 34th on the SoxProspects chart, an impressive ranking for a 19-year old (ranks seventh among under-20 prospects). You completed your first full professional season recently. How do you feel you handled it both on and off the field? Was it more difficult than you imagined? I learned a lot as the year progressed, and found out how to take care of my body, balance my eating, and manage the ups and downs of the season. I stayed positive through the tough times and felt like my attitude helped me to turn things around.

Red Sox and Adrian Beltre Agree to Terms

Someone pinch me... feels like I'm dreaming. Peter Gammons reports the Red Sox have inked Beltre to a one-year deal worth $9 million, with a player option for an additional $5 million.

What to Do With David Ortiz

Ask anyone about the playoff prospects of the 2010 Red Sox and they are sure to tell you that a large part of them are riding on the bat of a resurgent David Ortiz. Papi has been one of the biggest cogs in the Red Sox machine for the better part of the past decade. Pushing the team to the brink of a World Series appearance in 2003, he lit worlds on fire bringing the club to two world championships in 2004 and 2007. Then 2008 struck. Downed by an injury to his left wrist, Papi missed 45 games in June and July recovering from his subsequent surgery. Since then, Ortiz hasn't the same. Wrist injuries are death on power hitters. They decrease bat control and bat speed – two of the most important components of power hitting. But, the wrist is just one development in the evolution of David Ortiz as a hitter. He turned 34 this past November, showing signs of aging in his last few seasons. There were PED allegations. And, it wasn’t long before the injury that Ortiz was struggling at the plate, leading to suspicions that Ortiz has become somewhat of a second-half hitter. Still, what seems to have happened to Ortiz is that his wrist has combined with some of the drawbacks of aging - suggesting that Ortiz’s bat speed has slowed...

Singing a Bard’s Tale

Daniel Bard burst onto the scene this year after weathering concerns of a worrisome first professional season in 2007. Bard struggled in his role as a starter after arriving from the University of North Carolina, both at Single A and High A levels. His poor performance was punctuated by damaging walk rates that year, totaling a lofty 9.02 BB/9 in 75 innings. Carrying the burden of a bust label, the front office quickly reevaluated Bard's skill set and moved him to the bullpen in 2008. He hasn't looked back since.

Ignoring conventional wisdom

Since the introduction of Sabermetrics many concepts and terms have started to enter the main stream. OBP is now a regular on the NESN broadcast and OPS is often a common term in any presentation. That has not lead to a change in much of the conventional wisdom that we have started to be seen as not true. Just watch a few minutes of the ESPN Wednesday night game and by the third time you hear Joe Morgan call for a bunt you'll know what I'm talking about. One common misconception to me that would make player analysis much better is the understanding of streaks and slumps. To put it quite bluntly there is no such thing as a streak or a slump. There may be peaks and valleys in any given season, but that doesn't mean your doing anything different. Bill James wrote about this in one of his earlier papers Understanding the Fog. He said that there was no hot or cold streaks, but simply a cluster of events that made it appear to be on or the other. The point was the placement of them was completely random.

2010 Fire Brand of the Year: J.D. Drew

Every year, Fire Brand gives out it's prestigious, most honorable Fire Brand of the Year award. Previous recipients, chronologically: Tim Wakefield, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Timlin, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and Jason Bay. Wondering what the award is? Simple. The Fire Brand of the American League is a Red Sox player who exhibits character under pressure, an unassuming man who leaves the spotlight for other people but makes his indelible mark on the past season’s Boston Red Sox. A piece most people take for granted, but whom we would have missed dearly.