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Word has trickled out that the Red Sox have claimed Johnny Damon off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers.  Damon can veto a deal the Red Sox, so nothing is certain.  While digesting that, consider the rumor that the LA Dodgers are poised to waive Manny Ramirez and suddenly the Red Sox could be fielding 2/3 of their outfield from both their 2004 WS team (Damon and Manny) and their 2007 WS team (Manny and Drew).

Now if we could only track down Mark Bellhorn.  Mark?  Mark!!!

There's no doubt Manny Ramirez could help the Red Sox.  Could help the Red Sox.  Then again, he might come to Boston and promptly suffer from a bad haircut and wind up on the 15 day DL.

The question of value comes into these kinds of discussions.  Would Damon be an upgrade over McDonald, Nava and Kalish?  Probably, but enough to get them to playoffs?  Very hard to say.

Manny, with his .912 OPS yes, but would he actually try?  And more importantly, do the Red Sox really want either of these guys back?  Consider how and why they left.

Damon settled for a 4-year deal with the Yankees after complaining that the Red Sox didn't offer him a 5th year and Manny, well, Manny is a stooge.  He faked his way out of Boston and has essentially admitted as much.  For all of the physical talent he was given, he was severely shortchanged on the common sense gene.

Damon and Ramirez have talent, but at this point, I'd prefer to see Kalish and Nava (and others) take over the day to day outfield duties.  I'm not sure they are better at this point in their respective careers than Damon and Manny, but at the same time, I'm thinking Damon and Manny are best suited for their current .500 situations.  Retirement is nearing for both and they might not have the energy for a Last Harrah.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Dustin Pedroia is back on the DL after aggravating his foot, this a day after Jarrod Saltalamacchia was put on the DL for a leg infection.  Jacoby Ellsbury is back on the DL, most likely for the season, after re-breaking his rib.  Jed Lowrie is too drained fighting the lingering effects of mono to play everyday.

Mike Cameron is done for the year, Kevin Youkilis is too.  Jason Varitek is on the DL, Hideki Okajima is shelfed as is Kevin Cash and Eric Patterson.

I'm stunned at how many there are and the relatively frequency with which they occur.  I've never seen anything like this.

If there is a silver lining in all of this it's that we get to see players like Ryan Kalish, Daniel Nava, and Felix Doubront far earlier than we expected.

The new goal for this team should be just to avoid any more injuries and get the season over with already.  If they make the playoffs, great, if not, go home and get healthy.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

The Red Sox have managed to stick around despite today's brutal loss courtesy of Jonathan Papelbon and despite Kevin Youkilis being done for the year.

Over the past few weeks, I've allowed myself to think about the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Jed Lowrie could play an important role on this club.  He has been putting up good at bats and driving the ball (including 2 walks and a HR today).  Of course, the reality is that Lowrie has always been considered a decent prospect and now post-prospect, but he cannot be relied on because of his health.  Let's talk again in a year if he remains DL-free.

But should the Red Sox let Adrian Beltre walk, perhaps Lowrie could be the fill in, or better yet, maybe he could be the super-utility infielder.

Speaking of utility guys, Bill Hall has also been hot at the plate posting a .914 OPS since the all-star break.

As for the season itself, John Lackey, Josh Beckett have to get better.  These 2 guys make the most on the team and they have both been disappointments, especially Beckett.  Knowing that Beckett is being paid (or will be next year) $17mm a year, does it bother you that since he has been an AL pitcher, he has a 4.22 ERA?  It should bother you.

Plain and simple, I just don't think Beckett is that good anymore, or at least he hasn't been since coming to Boston on the whole.  It is his up and down season tendency that is most frustrating as his 2007 was great and his 2009 good to great, but what about 2006, 2008 and so far 2010?  You can't dismiss those.  I suppose I am being sucked into letting his most recent play weigh most heavily on my opinion making and that perhaps he is an above average pitcher, but to be considered a good to great pitcher, getting paid $17mm a year, you have to be consistent, and he isn't.

Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and to a lesser extend, Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-2 with a 3.09 ERA since May 22), have been the ones to carry this team.  While Lacky has provided innings, then aren't filled with much quality.

Fact is, this team has a big challenge ahead and everything has to work out perfectly, including the Yankees and/or Rays stumbling big time but life would be much easier if Lackey and Beckett can turn their seasons around.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Red Sox did make some changes prior to the deadline but not necessarily the moves they needed.

I'm all for designating Jeremy Hermida even though I just cannot fathom how a player who put up the minor league numbers he did, could fail. Regardless, he wasn't performing. Promoting Ryan Kalish is risky especially if he is going to play everyday. I assume the idea is to have him play for a week and get a taste for MLB life before Jacoby Ellsbury returns.

With no help in the bullpen, The Red Sox are basically saying that thy will survive with what they've got. Bullpens and their participants can flux back and forth and given the Red Sox track record with hte Eric Gagne deal they were probably happy to live with the devil they know.

Lastly Jarrod Saltalamacchia hasn't developed into the top flight receiver most thought he would.  As Theo Epstein mentioned, this is a classic buy low (like Hermida was) with the hopes that a change of scenery will do wonders.  Not sure we should expect much.  I like Chris McGuiness as he reminded me of Kevin Youkilis although he was a long way from the big-leagues.

I'm disappointed as I feel the Red Sox might just have been giving us a smoke screen all season.  While they have been ok this year, they have dug themselves a big hole and with no significant upgrades during the deadline I'm not sure even a healthy squad can get back into contention.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Run Prevention - So far the Red Sox have not been a run prevention club.  They are actually pretty bad at it.  For the reasons I mentioned previously, the club has struggled to keep runs off the board, but their offense, until recently, has picked up the slack.  Time to lock down the defense (hear me Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro?), get help in the bullpen and have the starters pitch like they should.  That's all I ask, I'm a simple man.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Part II:

Starting Pitching - No trades needed here, just better performance from the existing crew.  Jon Lester has been great after a rocky start to the season and Clay Buchholz has been what we all hoped he be.  It is up to the highest paid starters in John Lackey and Josh Beckett who have really disappointed.  Lackey can eat up innings, but he is paid to do much more, like be a top 2 starter when in fact he is pitching more like a middle of the rotation guy.  Certainly Lackey's performance last night is something to build off.

Beckett has had 3 terrible outings which make his numbers look that much worse, but if you post a 7.29 ERA and are hurt and you're paid a ton, you aren't helping.  With Beckett now healthy and pitching tonight and Buchholz off the DL and Wakefield headed to the bullpen, this group should get better.

Tomorrow - Outfield

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A follow-up to my relief corps commentary, Manny Delcarmen was just horrendous last night.  Turning a 6-0 lead into a tie game with the help of Jonathan Papelbon.  Thank goodness Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez kept the Mariners at bay (Anyone?  No?).

Delcarmen's performance is just further evidence the Red Sox need help bringing the gap between the starters and Bard/Papelbon.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)