Sox Fans Grab Mallets While Theo Prepares to Be The Whack-a-Mole

This will certainly be a defining offseason when Red Sox historians look back on Theo Epstein’s legacy as Boston GM. If the acquisitions work, fans and media alike will sing high praise – and the untouchable GM will become all the more invincible. If the moves fail, he will be chastised and become vulnerable for the first time in his career. It’s difficult to give a grade to Theo at this point of the offseason - much less begin to rip him in the media. For one, there’s still so much work to be done that any analysis is incomplete, especially with Mike Lowell hanging in limbo. On the other hand, the fact that there’s been so much contention over every signing thus far means that there's likely not a single person left in New England that is happy with our GM - and any failure for the free agents in the upcoming season will be overmagnified. Marco Scutaro, John Lackey, Mike Cameron. There is no concensus – lots of very intelligent people have advocated on both sides for all three acquisitions. Marco Scutaro is the best of a poor class of free agent shortstops. He’ll end up costing the Red Sox a 2nd round pick and is signed to a very favorable 3-year (or some would say 2-year) deal. He’s a late bloomer who some argue is a one-year wonder. Scutaro will have to be every bit as good as his breakout in 2009 for both sides to be satisfied. A good personnel move? Yes. But, it will be hard for Theo to win this one in the media...

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...

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...

That Damn AL East Superiority Complex

I’ve had it up to here with this “he can’t hit in the AL East" crap! Even a few select members of the Red Sox brass believe in this credo – and I feel downright shame that we would support Jason Bay over Matt Holliday merely for the fact that Bay has hit in the division whereas Holliday has never had the chance. Bogus. I ain’t buyin’ it. Would we be saying this about Jason Bay if he came over from a blistering stint in St. Louis? Remember, he hadn’t hit anywhere other than PITTSBURGH before Boston. Needless to say, it’s become one of my pet peeves – and I don’t even like saying the word “pet peeve”. I save that for only the most appropriate of circumstances. But, really, I’ve had it up to here. So I decided to look into the numbers and put my money where my mouth is. First off, it goes without saying that anyone who hits in a weak division, i.e. anywhere in the NL, or some other division where half the team’s players wear a dunce cap onto the field instead of a ball cap – has an easier time succeeding because of the poor competition. No doubt, it’s easier to hit in the AL Central than the AL East. True. No argument there. What is ridiculous is the amount of skepticism weighed against an MLB player by AL East teams because of some feelings of ultimate superiority. Hubris. That’s all it is – and it’s never been worth anything more than a lot of trouble.

Sox Sign Scott Atchison Away from Japan

The Sox signed Scott Atchison from Japan this morning, returning the former major leaguer to North America. Atchison received a one-year contract, with two club options. Atchison last pitched in the MLB in 2007 for the Giants, posting a 4.11 ERA and 4.80 FIP in 30.2 innings. Now 33, Atchison doesn't seem to provide more than middle relief depth for the Sox, though he has had his moments as a major leaguer, including a career 4.13 FIP ERA in 68.0 innings, including 70 strikeouts and 25 walks. In his last foray into the MLB, Atchison featured a 90-91 mph fastball, while mixing in a slider, curve, and occasional change up.

Thumbs Up to Scutaro

As Harold Ramis once said to Seth Rogen in Knocked Up after Seth knocked up his one night stand, "This is a good thing." It may have looked tragic at the time, but he got a beautiful daughter out of it and even got to spend the night with Katherine Heigl. Not a bad haul for a drunken mistake. The same can be said for the signing of Marco Scutaro. It wasn't quite the way we planned it (myself not included, I like Toronto import, especially given the alternatives), but it's what we have. Maybe the little guy will grow up to be a Rembrandt, maybe he'll be an alcoholic, but either way, he's ours and we need to love him. But let’s get something straight. There is a lot to like here – and signing Scutaro is like making the best of a bad situation. The nuts and bolts of Marco Scutaro are that he is an average fielding shortstop with plus offensive skills for his position. These kinds of players do not grow on trees...

Wagner to Atlanta, Pedroia to Short, Tito Really to the Tea Cabinet?

Pedroia to Short? Sometimes, the answer is so obvious that it was staring you in the face the entire time. Well, maybe Pedroia to short isn’t that obvious, but I’m surprised that it took this long for anyone to suggest the move at all, myself included. There are risks here, though. Pedroia was moved off short for a reason. Even during the minor leagues, many scouts liked him at the keystone long term. Now, three seasons into his major league career at second base, there is no saying what his arm or his range will look like across the diamond. Though he’s got great fielding skills for a second baseman, there are differences in reading grounders, going to the left up the middle, throwing distances, positional defensive standards, and a litany of other concerns when changing positions...

Financial Darwinism and the Economics of the AL East

The winter months always bring to light the advantages of the rich over the poor in the MLB. Without a doubt, there will, again, be a ring of publications bemoaning the struggles of low-market teams as they fight to compete in their league and division. The American League East division is, in many ways, a microcosm of the entire major leagues - running the gamut of haves and have-nots as hypercompetitive juggernaughts stand side by side with the financial runts of the litter. The state of hypercompetition in the AL East is shocking, if not alarming, in the way that it dominates competitive balance within the division. There is no escaping the trends. Any layperson can make the connection between finances and on-field success. The ‘08 Tampa Bay Devil Rays were the only team this decade to win the division other than Boston or New York. Before then, it was the Orioles in 1997. The Blue Jays were the only team of Tampa, Baltimore, and Toronto to even finish second in the past decade, in 2006. Clearly, there is a competitive balance problem, which is not being helped by the MLB Commish’s office nor the MLBPA. And why not? Sport fans love dynasties and heels – the Red Sox and Yankees fulfill both of these needs – even if they only love to hate them. And the MLB and MLBPA love the ratings, which inflate the sport’s bottom line.

Gonzalez Signs With Toronto – Scutaro or Bust!!!

Though the Red Sox will be seeing plenty of Alex Gonzalez next season, it won’t be in a Red Sox uniform, as their ultimate fail-safe signed on with the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. It’s never a good sign to see Plan B go off the market - or Plan C/D/F for that matter - as the Sox’ shortstop options are dwindling, meaning that they are all the more likely to go hard after Scutaro for a contract much more favorable to player than to team. At the off-season’s beginning, the team could select from any of Hardy, Stephen Drew, Scutaro, or a Gonzalez-Lowrie timeshare. Now, with both J.J. Hardy and Gonzalez off the table and Arizona clinging hard to Drew, the Sox’ options have become alarmingly limited to a shot at a trade with Diamondbacks or duking it out with Scutaro’s many admirers.

The Sox Try to ReHash ’09, Tug Hulett Who?

ReHashing 2009 with Kelvim Escobar and Justin Duchscherer In an attempt to rehash the 2009 off-season, the Sox have expressed interest in the dual cautionary tales, Justin Duchscherer and Kelvim Escobar. But the potential moves themselves are somewhat interesting in their projected roles with the team. As both would be expected to start, they would take the spot as the fifth starter much in the mold that John Smoltz and Brad Penny took on last year...