Cafardo Mailbag: The John Lackey’s Contagious Edition

by | Jul 27, 2012 | Boston Red Sox, Brent Lillibridge, Che-Hsuan Lin, Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Hernandez, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jose Iglesias, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, Lester's Cancer Scare, Mark Melancon, Marlon Byrd, Nick Cafardo Mail Bag, Ryan Kalish, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts

It’s trading deadline time, so that means questions abound about possible trade options; the Josh Beckett/Jon Lester conundrum; and concern over Carl Crawford‘s elbow.  Let’s dive right in to the yummy goodness that is this week’s Cafardo...

The Resurrection of the Farm System

by | Jul 18, 2012 | Anthony Ranaudo, Anthony Rizzo, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Jacobs, Brandon Workman, Bryce Brentz, Casey Kelly, Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Drake Britton, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, Jackie Bradley, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Kevin Youkilis, Kyle Weiland, Reymond Fuentes, Ryan Kalish, Ryan Lavarnway, Stolmy Pimentel, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts

<a title="" When Theo Epstein assumed the role of Red Sox General Manager prior to the 2003 season, one of his missions was to build a “$100M player development machine.”  While his goal was certainly ambitious, he faced two big obstacles:  a...

What Went Wrong in the First Half: Part 1

by | Jul 12, 2012 | Aaron Cook, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Clay Buchholz, Cody Ross, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Bard, Daniel Nava, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Repko, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Ryan Kalish

So here we are at the so-called mid-point of the season:  the All-Star break.  While we knew this season would likely be tougher than seasons in recent memory, few could have expected the veritable roller coaster ride the Red Sox have been on since Opening Day.  Up...

The Advanced Scout – New York Yankees

by | Jul 6, 2012 | Aaron Cook, Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Andrew Miller, Andruw Jones, Andy Pettitte, Austin Romine, Boston Red Sox, Brad Meyers, Brent Lillibridge, Brett Gardner, cc sabathia, Cesar Cabral, Cody Ross, Curtis Granderson, Daniel Nava, David Aardsma, David Robertson, Derek Jeter, DeWayne Wise, Dustin Pedroia, Eric Chavez, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, Freddy Garcia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Joba Chamberlain, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Matt Albers, Michael Pineda, Mike Aviles, New York Yankees, Nick Punto, Nick Swisher, Oakland Athletics, Pedro Feliciano, Phil Hughes, Rafael Soriano, Raul Ibanez, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, Ryan Kalish, Vicente Padilla, Will Middlebrooks

After a horrible 2-5 road trip, capped off by a sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics, the Boston Red Sox (42-40, 7.5 games back) return to Fenway Park to host a four-game series against those damn New York Yankees (49-32, first place). The Yanks are 6-4 in...

Cafardo Mailbag: The King Felix Fetish Edition

by | Jul 6, 2012 | Adrian Gonzalez, Ben Cherington, Blake Swihart, Bobby Valentine, Boston Red Sox, Brent Lillibridge, Carl Crawford, Clay Buchholz, Cody Ross, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, Felix Hernandez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, Matt Barnes, Nick Cafardo Mail Bag, Ryan Kalish, Ryan Lavarnway, Theo Epstein, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogearts

I’m not going to waste any time today.  On to the mailbag! With Jon Lester not performing like the ace we expected, do you see the Sox making a bid for a proven ace? Zack Greinke or King Felix are the two I would love to see GM Ben Cherington pursue. I would be...

The Advanced Scout – Seattle Mariners

by | Jun 28, 2012 | Aaron Cook, Andy Pettitte, Boston Red Sox, Brendan Ryan, C.C. Sabathia, Casper Wells, Charlie Furbush, Cody Ross, Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, David Ortiz, Dustin Ackley, Erasmo Ramirez, Felix Doubront, Felix Hernandez, Franklin Gutierrez, Franklin Morales, George Sherrill, Hector Noesi, Hisashi Iwakuma, Ichiro Suzuki, Jason Vargas, Jesus Montero, John Jaso, Josh Beckett, Justin Smoak, Kyle Seager, Lucas Luetge, Matt Albers, Michael Pineda, Michael Saunders, Mike Carp, New York Yankees, Nick Punto, Ryan Kalish, Seattle Mariners, Stephen Pryor, Tom Wilhelmsen, Toronto Blue Jays, Vicente Padilla, Will Middlebrooks

After taking two of three against the pesky Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox (40-35) wing it to the West Coast to take on the foundering Seattle Mariners (32-45). The Mariners are 4-6 in their last 10 games, while the Red Sox are 8-2 in their last 10. The Sox are...

The Advanced Scout – Toronto Blue Jays

by | Jun 25, 2012 | Aaron Laffey, Adam Lind, Adrian Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves, Bill Mueller, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Morrow, Brett Lawrie, Casey Janssen, Clay Buchholz, Clayton Mortensen, Cody Ross, Colby Rasmus, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Nava, Darren Oliver, Drew Hutchison, Dustin McGowan, Dustin Pedroia, Edwin Encarnacion, Felix Doubront, Francisco Cordero, Franklin Morales, Henderson Alvarez, J.P. Arencibia, Jesse Litsch, Jon Lester, Jose Bautista, Kelly Johnson, Kevin Youkilis, Kyle Drabek, Rajai Davis, Ricky Romero, Ryan Kalish, Sergio Santos, Toronto Blue Jays, Vicente Padilla, Will Middlebrooks, Yunel Escobar

After taking two of three from the Atlanta Braves and closing out the interleague portion of the season schedule, the Boston Red Sox (38-34) welcome the Toronto Blue Jays (37-35) to Fenway Park for a three-game skein. Toronto’s starting pitching has been...