Hudson To The Braves
Brutus: "It appears the Red Sox are now interested after losing Pedro and Lowe."
This just in. Hudson got traded to the Atlanta Braves. So scratch him out of the Red Sox' plans.
"Wells can still pitch, but that pig could break down at any time."
Here's the thing: the Red Sox signed Wells to an incentive-laden contract based upon the amount of starts he makes. This was a bad move. Give Boomer the guarantee, because (as his last year with the Yanks showed), he'll keep dragging himself to the mound to make more money each time, but might break down in the postseason. If they can give Boomer the rest and keep him healthy, he's a great pick-up. He's as good a big game pitcher as there ever was. Bank on it. I'm gonna sweat come playoff time when the Yanks have to face the Boom-Boom.
"Lowe was the Red Sox best starter in the postseason last year. 3 wins and a 1.87 era."
If I was the Red Sox, I'd let Lowe walk. I wouldn't even make him an offer, regardless of how he pitched in the postseason. He's erratic (always has been), and Boras is going to ask for a small fortune to sign him. I wouldn't sweat this if I was Boston.
"I think , at this point, their starters are a big question mark."
They may be, but who cares? Boston is playing with house money at this point. Why make a bad deal for a pitcher (like giving Pedro 4 years) when there's no pressure to win AT ALL in '05? I think the Sox are doing the right thing. They have one of the top revenue clubs in baseball, and will be in on guys like Johan Santana and Ben Sheets in the coming years. Wait, be patient, and if you have to, sacrifice '05 (not like any Boston fan cares at this point), and build a better team down the road.
If the Red Sox fall into the same trap that the Yankees did in '02, they're going to be worse off for it. The Yankees had a veteran core at the end of the road (much like the Red Sox do now), BUT instead of allowing themselves a transition year, they pushed to win at all costs in '02, and hurt themselves down the road (see: this year and last). That year saddled them with the Giambi contract, and made the Jeff Weaver deal which (in essence) crippled the franchise.
If I'm the Red Sox, I know I'm going to the Playoffs again, and there's no pressure for me to win it this time. I'd be patient, wait out the plum stud pitcher out there, and jump on him when he becomes available to me. In the meantime, stay competitive, and make the right smaller moves (like the Renteria signing).
I give major kudos to the Red Sox for letting Martinez walk. I think they made the right move. And in fact, this'll hurt the Yankees in the long term because the Red Sox will be breathing down their necks when the aforementioned Sheets and Santana are on the free agent market. If they inked Pedro to four years, this wouldn't be the case.
"I don't see how the Yankees can afford Unit and Beltran,, but, all indications are thats wht they plan to do."
Believe me: the Yankees PRINT money. They have their own network, draw four million fans, and are building a NEW Yankee Stadium that will be an absolute cash cow (and will also stop them from paying the luxury tax to the small market teams under the current CBA). Don't cry poor for George.
"The Cubs are going to unload Sosa in the next 10 days and probably offer Beltran an outrageous offer, maybe 7 years around $100 Mil, we'll see."
I can't see it happening because I can't see the Cubs unloading Sosa. Who is stupid enough to take him? Even Omar Minaya wasn't dumb enough to pull the trigger on that deal, and to me, the Mets would be the only team where a Sosa deal would make even remote sense.
