Wednesday’s Links – Around The World
Everyone everywhere is behind Boston.
Everyone everywhere is behind Boston.
The Advanced Scout tries to find a respite in numbers as he analyzes the Cleveland Indians
Daniel takes a look at the five Red Sox narratives that are annoying him the most... and they haven't even happened yet.
Hunter Golden collects all the GM Meeting rumors and puts them in a nice, bright bucket. Then eats them. Alive.
The Advanced Scout starts pounding Sam Adams Imperial Whites and analyzes the Cleveland Indians. Hic.
Well last night got out of hand, real fast. Luckily, the Boston Red Sox were able to pull out the win. Tonight, Justin Masterson will return to Fenway, as he leads the Indians against Jon Lester.
Having taken the last two at Cleveland, the Boston Red Sox bring the fight to their former top prospect, Justin Masterson. Masterson, the feature piece in the Victor Martinez trade, has struggled since the trade with much credit owed to his inability to put down lefties. Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, looks to continue his tremendous start to the season.
With seven drafts under their belts, this front office has taken the team from a roster of two homegrown regulars (Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon) in 2003 to eight in 2010. Among them are a perennial Cy Young contender, a powerhouse corner infielder, a league champion base stealer, an elite closer, a man with a 100 mile an hour fastball, and an MVP. In addition, there is a new crop of talent maturing in the minors, with some players nearing the point where they will make a Major League contribution. So, not bad for a few years. After the jump, we'll take a look at the best and worst draft picks of the past seven years.
I'm on the Rotoworld.com beat, and this just came across my desk:
Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun reports that the Red Sox offered the Blue Jays six pitchers for Roy Halladay at the trading deadline. The names: Daniel Bard, Michael Bowden, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Nick Hagadone and Justin Masterson. That's quite an impressive array of names, and it's shocking Toronto didn't snap it up. The scout that revealed this deal said the Jays had difficulty projecting Masterson's future, and -- probably most important --- "the Jays were worried about Halladay beating them next year." Obviously, Masterson and Hagadone are no longer with the Sox club so it's unlikely a deal could be reached in the offseason. If it's going to take more than that package to land Halladay, GM J.P. Ricciardi won't find any takers.What do you think? Are we lucky the Jays turned the deal down?