Need Fast Actin’ Relief?

First off, for all of you thinking that without Billy Wagner we should absolutely NOT trade Papelbon, his ERA is over 10 in the playoffs. Now I love what he brought to the team for a power lefty out of the bullpen, but if you want someone who historically has not performed well in the playoffs, than there you go. I STILL BELIEVE they should and will trade Papelbon. He would be a VERY valued commodity for many teams in baseball and could bring us or be a vital piece in our plans to acquire a slugger.

To all of you that don't think Bard is ready to be a full-time closer for the Red Sox. Papelbon had less Major League experience at the time he took over the role from Keith Foulke than Daniel Bard does right now, and in case you can't remember Bard didn't do too poorly in this year's Postseason. If you need a closer, Mike Gonzalez from ATL and Fernando Rodney from DET could come relatively cheap. Personally with Daniel Bard's stuff and confidence in his secondary pitches I see no need whatsoever to shelter him from the limelight of closing, but those are two players who you could use to take some pressure off and ease him into the role.

As difficult as it may be for all you "Old Guard Supporters" within the next 2 years, those players should/will be gone. You're resident heart throb and third baseman will be on another team hopefully still raking and playing Gold Glove caliber defense but his range is declining (and be declining I mean nonexistent) and watching him run is almost as painful as watching Varitek attempt to throw runners out. This brings me to my next point. Varitek SHOULD be back this year and that's it. But I am not opposed to letting him go. We AREN'T going to carry 3 catchers on the team at any point until September so long as Victor is catching almost every day. Even the strongest of Varitek Army Advocates know that the right move is to buy him out and get a strong armed backstop, but I guess "pitch selection" is worth 3 mil a year. *snickers*

David Ortiz to me is an enigma. The guy pours in just about 30 bombs and 100 Ribs, and we want to run him out of town. You're right in saying that he is in the decline stage as well. Noticeable bat speed has clearly been lost from his swing, but the guy still has value for OUR team. The has made it abundantly clear that if he doesn't produce he won't be part of the team. Since he can't contribute on defense what good is a guy clogging up a spot in the order with an OBP barely over .300? Short Answer: Not much. But for a 3 month stretch he was in the top 3 offensive performers in baseball. So he obviously can make adjustments even with a diminished skill-set, but which David Ortiz will be more prominent next season the first half of the season, or the second? I think it will honestly be somewhere in the middle, and if that's what Theo wants out of his DH then he's back if he doesn't think that he will even get that, then he's gone.

Most of these moves WILL require to eat some serious crow, and cash. But in order to put out a perennial contender, sacrifices are going to have to be made. If you don't think I LOVED David Ortiz, and his late inning heroics while I was in High School, you have me all wrong. If you don't think I was in AWE with the glove work of Mike Lowell at 3^rd and the clutch wood work he did at the plate then you are sadly mistaken. And if you don't think that I was enamored at the leadership, gamesmanship, and stoicism that Varitek brought to the 2 position than you clearly DON'T know me and you should probably get to know me better. But baseball is a business, and in business, those who are reactive don't win. This sellout streak started when this team didn't just get come under new management, but won meaningful games instead of crumbling to the pressure. If we don't make significant splashes in the aforementioned areas, do you want to go see a rebuilding team? That's what I thought.

As far as Manny DelCarmen is concerned, he's and his goatee, are still a joke.

Stay Tuned

Ryan