Thursday Links: Is Jeff Samardzija a viable alternative to Jon Lester?

by | Dec 4, 2014 | Allen Craig, Anthony Ranaudo, Billy Butler, Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Moss, Brandon Webb, Cole Hamels, Deven Marrero, Henry Owens, James Shields, Jeff Samardzija, Jon Lester, Josh Donaldson, Mat Latos, Matt Barnes, Mookie Betts, Pedro Martinez, Will Middlebrooks, Yoenis Cespedes, Zack Greinke

Once Jon Lester makes his final decision, most expect the floodgates to open on the starting pitching market. Lester, who has garnered interest from the Red Sox, Cubs, Mariners, and most recently the Dodgers, is reportedly set to make his final decision before the...

Discount and Decline

by | Jul 17, 2014 | Adrian Gonzalez, Allen Webster, Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Cole Hamels, Drew Hutchison, Felix Hernandez, Homer Bailey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, Matt Barnes, Rubby de la Rosa, Zack Greinke

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or just stepped out of a time machine, you know about the depressing state of the Red Sox’ negotiations with Jon Lester. It’s a weird state of affairs – Lester said he’d take a hometown discount, the...

What is this Felix Doubront and what do we do with it?

by | Aug 7, 2013 | C.J. Wilson, Chris Sale, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Daniel Bard, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, Felix Hernandez, Jacoby Ellsbury, James Shields, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Reddick, Justin Masterson, Justin Verlander, Matt Harvey, Max Scherzer, Ryan Kalish, Stephen Strasburg, Yu Darvish, Zack Greinke

Sometimes I wonder why Felix Doubront isn’t held in higher regard among Red Sox fans, but then again, I’m not that surprised. After all, Doubront was signed as an international free agent in 2004 at the age of 16 – during a period in time where the Red Sox farm system...

Red Sox trade for Jake Peavy

by | Jul 31, 2013 | 2013 MLB Trade Deadline, Anibal Sanchez, Brandon Snyder, Brandon Workman, C.C. Sabathia, C.J. Wilson, Cleuluis Rondon, Cliff Lee, Derek Holland, Felix Doubront, Francellis Montas, Giancarlo Stanton, Gio Gonzalez, Hiroki Kuroda, J.B. Wendelken, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jake Peavy, Jose Iglesias, Justin Turner, Mat Latos, Matt Garza, Matt Moore, Mike Olt, R.A. Dickey, Ryan Dempster, Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogaerts, Zack Greinke

I’ll be honest with you guys, I still feel pretty baseball drunk from what happened tonight. First there were the Cliff Lee rumors. Then Jackie Bradley Jr. was pulled from his game in Pawtucket. Then there was a false report that Giancarlo Stanton had been pulled from...

Bold Predictions for 2013, Part 3 — The League

by | Feb 7, 2013 | Albert Pujols, Andrew McCutchen, Angel Pagan, Atlanta Braves, B.J. Upton, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Morrow, Buck Showalter, Buster Posey, Chris Carpenter, Clay Buchholz, Dan Haren, David Price, Denard Span, Detroit Tigers, Edwin Encarnacion, Edwin Jackson, Evan Longoria, Felix Hernandez, James Shields, Jared Weaver, Jason Vargas, Joe Blanton, John Farrell, Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes, Josh Hamilton, Josh Johnson, Jurickson Profar, Justin Upton, Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals, Keith Law, Lance Lynn, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Buehrle, Michael Young, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Olt, Mike Trout, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, R.A. Dickey, Rafael Soriano, Ricky Romero, Robinson Cano, San Francisco Giants, Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Strasburg, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Wade Davis, Washington Nationals, Wil Myers, Zack Greinke

Part 1: The Pitchers Part 2: The Batters Part 3: The League Once again, the same disclaimers apply:  1) Please feel free to bookmark them and come back later in September/October to see how I did — you know that if I hit on a few you’re going to hear about it. 2)...

Monday’s Links – Rejected Contracts and Gamebreaker Trades

by | Dec 10, 2012 | 2012 General Managers Meetings, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Brandon McCarthy, James Shields, Jon Lester, Josh Hamilton, Kansas City Royals, Kevin Youkilis, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Reynolds, New York Yankees, Nick Punto, Pedro Martinez, Ryan Dempster, Tampa Bay Rays, Wade Davis, Wil Myers, Will Middlebrooks, Zack Greinke

I feel like saying “Happy Monday!” would be an oxymoron of sorts, so instead: Happy Winter Meetings Hangover Day! Here’s some links to try and cure that metaphorical upset stomach of yours. Starting pitching continues to be a major hole for the...

GM Meetings Rumor Recap

by | Nov 11, 2012 | 2012 General Managers Meetings, Adam LaRoche, Anibal Sanchez, Grady Sizemore, Hiroki Kuroda, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bay, Joakim Soria, Joe Blanton, Josh Hamilton, Josh Johnson, Justin Masterson, Kyuji Fujikawa, Mike Napoli, Nick Swisher, Ryan Dempster, Stephen Drew, Torii Hunter, Zack Greinke

Ben Cherington and the Boston Red Sox delegation returned from the GM Meetings this past week with much to consider. The GM meetings are seen by most as a time to begin feeling out other teams, consider trades and engage in discussions with agents. The Red Sox did a...

Pillow Talk

by | Oct 17, 2012 | Allen Webster, Boston Red Sox, Brandon McCarthy, Clay Buchholz, Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson, Felix Doubront, Fenway Park, Jake Peavy, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Matt Barnes, Shaun Marcum, Zach Stewart, Zack Greinke

With the Boston Red Sox wanting to move away from longer-term contracts on the whole, it seems unlikely that the team will pursue any of the big name free agent pitchers this offseason. It’s been suggested by many that the Red Sox may dive back into the recycling bin,...