 |
| Sox Nation might see a lot more of Jarrod Saltalamacchia behind the plate in 2011. |
1. It appears that the Red Sox are prepared to start the 2011 season with Jarrod Saltalamacchia as their primary catcher. The 25-year-old, whom the Sox had long coveted, was acquired last year in a late season trade with the Texas Rangers. Once a prime-time prospect, Salty struggled at the plate and even had issues throwing the ball back to the pitcher before coming to the Sox. However, according to GM Theo Epstein, Saltalamacchia showed the Sox during his short time last season with the team that he has what it takes to be more than just a back-up: "He really opened some eyes...the way he handled pitchers, the way he threw, the way he conducted himself in the clubhouse. He was impressive to everybody."
Translation: Goodbye Victor Martinez, hello Salty and welcome back Jason Varitek in a back-up/platoon role for what will most likely be his final year with the Sox. With former Blue Jays catcher John Buck inking a three-year, $18 million deal with the Marlins yesterday, Martinez' stock undoubtedly elevated to the $10 million/year or more level, a place the Sox might not be willing to go to.
2. Despite outwardly denying reports, it appears that Theo and the Sox brass has drawn a line in the sand with free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. One source has the Sox going as far as four years, $52 million with Beltre. It might just be another instance of the Sox playing chicken with super-agent Scott Boras, but it's hard to believe that a gold-glover who just hit .321 with 28 homers and 102 RBI's doesn't command a bigger deal in terms of years and dollars. If Beltre bolts, Jed Lowrie would be the most logical replacement internally but the bet here is that trade discussions for Adrian Gonzalez heat up, with Youkilis switching from first to third.
3. Sources have the Sox shopping middle infielder Marco Scutaro for a middle reliever. Scutaro has an attractive contract (he enters 2011 in the final year of a two-year, $11 million deal with a third year option) that could definitely yield quality returns on the open market. Personally, I'd like to keep Scutaro around. On a team decimated by injuries last season, Scutaro was a gamer who played hurt and switched to second when he couldn't make the throw from short. You can never have enough players like that on your team.
4. Sources also indicate the Sox talking to the Diamondbacks about a possible trade for outfielder Justin Upton. Only 23-years-old, Upton is a slick defender with some serious pop in his bat and appears only to be getting better. It would take a lot to land Upton but with old friend Kevin Towers now the Arizona GM, Theo has a familiar face to bounce ideas off of.
5. If one Buchholz isn't enough, why not add another? Just a few days ago, the Sox claimed Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Blue Jays. A distant cousin of Sox star Clay, Taylor is a 29-year-old right handed reliever who pitched sparingly last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, he was once rated as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America in 2003 and in 2008 had a career year in the Rockies bullpen, posting a 2.17 ERA over 66.1 innings. Opponents hit just .188 against him. Could be a steal.
6. Welcome to Boston, Andrew Miller. The Sox landed the former 6th overall pick in a trade with the Marlins that sent lefty-reliever Dustin Richardson to Florida. Miller, a former teammate of Daniel Bard at North Carolina, has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency the fast two seasons but still has the talent to bounce back. Remember, he was the centerpiece in the 2007 trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. Could be a great find for Theo, especially considering Miller is just 25-years-old and stands 6'7''. A change of scenery could definitely benefit Miller, and we all know left-handed starters that tall, that young and that talented don't grow on trees.
No comments:
Post a Comment