Where is Lowerie?

Where have you been?  He was traded a while back

this move makes the hole offseason seam out of sync….trade Lowrie because you have Scutaro…trade Scutaro because they do not have cash…why sign him in the first place? If money is such an issue WHY sign Ortiz to a 12-14m contract…they should NOT have offered him arbitration…

If they did not sign Ortiz or Scutaro…they could have kept Lowrie AND signed Oswalt AND signed the ex Philly Closer now that his price came down…if money is such an issue you DON’T sign expensive players when you have young controllable players at home…Lavarnaway could have DH’d…

After this trade the whole offseason seems dysfuntionsal..

Gyork, he was traded to Houston on Dec 14th  

agreed-fenian they got shoppach when they could have gotten chris snyder u trade a away both lowrie and scuto-(scuto best option at short for the sox) they bring in 2-3 possible starters minor league contractsnow they have 5+ players competing for one spot and one spot starter spot now their looking at getting oswalt or floyd??? most of these minor league free agents they signed will be released by the end of spring training!!!! i like malancon and bailey but they gave up an awful lot for for risky pitchers when u could just pick up madson!!!! best move so far getting ryan sweeny!!!!! hes not much of an up grade over reddick!!!!! if they r strapped for money let ortiz go put youk at DH and middlebrooks at 3B or trade youk and just put middlebrook to 3B!!!!!! u free up 13mil by getting rid of ethier of these guys!!!!!! 

Maybe the Red Sox think Bud Selig will give them Starlin Castro!

Maybe Ben will shock the world and get Hanley…or…Pedy was beggin to go back to short his natural position

Castro facing rape charges in Chicago.

You can’t let Ortiz go unless you trade him. He’s going to get the $ he wants or what the Sox give him through arbitration.

 Pedy is not a natural shortstop.  Just cause he played it in college and for like a year or two in the minors does not make him a natural.  And why would u move him from second when hie is the best or second best in the AL?

Do you really think this trade was talked about the whole offseason?  It probably just recently came up and you couldn’t of risked not re-sigining Scooter if the deal fell through. And Ortiz you had to bring back because of his leadership in the clubhouse and Lavarnway is unproven still for a full major league season

They can let Ortiz go.  Arbitration contract are not guaranteed.  Here’s the rule:  
The arbitrator, without opinion, awards the player a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. If the player is cut within 16 days before the season begins, he is entitled only to 30 days’ termination pay, or about one-sixth of his awarded salary. If the player is cut during spring training but after the 16th day before the season begins, he is entitled only to 45 days’ termination pay.

They actually made $1.5M by picking up Scutaro’s option and then trading him.  If they declined his option, they would have owed him a $1.5M buyout.  So instead, they picked up the option and traded him for a young pitcher.  Would you rather have $1.5M and a young pitcher or nothing at all???

Middlebrooks isn’t ready for the big leagues…and they practically gave up crap for Melancon and Bailey.  Also, ever heard of the word “negotiation?”  This is what the Sox have been doing all offseason in order to acquire players for much less than their market value. 

Ya but does it make sense to cut him if you still have to pay him $2-3M? 

The Red Sox are banking on the team as a whole undergoing an attitude adjustment after embarrassing themselves so remarkably last year.  They started the year historically terrible and bookended the season with their historically bad collapse. However, of all years, you would think that this 100 year anniversary of Fenway would be the year the wallets would open and caution thrown to the wind to bring a title to Fenway for this special season.  Instead, after so much money tossed across the pond to Liverpool, we are suddenly afraid to spend. Hence, spring training will begin with a parade of reclamation projects, injury risks, has-beens, and those at the latter stages of a career.  The organization from top to bottom alienated a huge part of its fanbase and you would think they would go to extremes to apologize for fear of losing the cash flow from fans.  There is a severe lack of trust and a rise in trepidation on the minds and hearts of Sox fans as ST approaches. Save for the intensity of a couple of players at the end, everything else went downhill, from attitudes to health to cohesiveness of players. The four biggest attitudes that MUST change for the better are Beckett, Youk, Ortiz, and Lester as the core of prima dona complainers and poison among the players.  Even in Little League they teach you to cheer on your teammates, run out every hit, and play like you respect the game.  The RS have a LOT to prove this year with opening a new ST park under new a new GM and manager.  This offseason has been a HUGE gamble on many fronts and if the majority of chips don’t fall where they are hoped to, and if injuries and bad performances creep in, then I am afraid we will see the end of the sell-outs at Fenway by the All Star Break, seeds of desention planted deeply if another bad start ensues, and no better than a third, and possibly fourth place finish.  The only things you can put money on are Gonzo coming back stronger, Pedy playing with renewed passion (if not anger), and Ellsberry playing to prove last year was not a fluke.  For all else, the bets are off. The pitching staff is too fragile and Beckett will not be able to withstand the onslaught of negativity if he does not come out of the gate on fire with something to prove.  A bad start from him and he will melt under the heat of the Nation. I feel bad for Cherington.  They pressure him to win the race and then tie his shoe laces together.  

they should have shopped youlk around in the first place. He has become poison in the clubhouse and Ells will not resign with him on the team. Chicago needs a solid infielder so if they wanted Floyd I’m sure they could have done a Youlk package that would have gotten it done.

How could you possibly know if Youk was a poison in the clubhouse when its a place you’ve never been. Just because he’s an emotional player, he’s labeled as a problematic person in the clubhouse.

If the rumors are true about pursuing Oswalt or Floyd, my hopes are that the Sox go for Oswalt. He’s a proven player who, despite set backs due to injury, could end up being a great low cost signing. Again, this is banking on rumors. Who knows, they may pass on him and set their sights on solidifying our right field a little more. 

Anyone but Oswalt. He will get hammered at Fenway because his fastball is all that he has left in an aging arm.   

Theres so many downsides to going “all out” and spending over the luxury tax. They did bad in 2011, thats a given, but going out and spending like crazy is definitely not the answer. You can either build a club who wants to win down the line, or wants to win right now. The Sox have seemed to consistently walk the line to make sure both are possible. If we exceed the luxury tax, yet again, we will be paying at a rate around 40%. If you value a lot of our players such as Ellsbury and Pedroia, you’ll see that having the money to hold on to as well as acquire players all hinders on how much of those taxes we’re paying. So after an off season in 2011 filled with big multi-million dollar signings, and a monumental seasons collapse, the approach seems to have been altered with Cherrington taking over. Lower cost singings and smarter buys might end up being the better way to do things, as seen with disappointing performances from high dollar free agents. 

      Ture, this doesn’t excite fans the way big blockbuster deals do but in the end, it could bring us back to a World Series and really, thats all that matters. Look at going from 03-04 when Millar, Ortiz, Nixon, etc were all brought on with low cost signings. In the end it paid off.
As far as the comments to clubhouse attitude, no one outside of that clubhouse can truly comment on what its like. No one knows. The only criticisms that can be made is the effort not displayed on the field. The act of running out every hit is a practice that needs to be brought back. This attitude of halfhearted playing really needs to go. In the end, that will be what gets the team back into the hearts of the fans. Not spending money, but playing the game like it should be played. Like it means something. Like your heart is in every single play. That will bring Red Sox nation back

 It seems to me the sox are getting set up for nexy year’s off season. there will be some stud pitchers available. i wouldn’y b surprised to see youk traded at the deadline for a hot prospect p. 2013 lineup will include lavarnway and middlebroks, either, iglesias, and matt cain in the rotation. bard will be the closer this year

Leadersip?  Ortiz was only offered arbitration because he was a Type “A” free agenet.  I think the Sox were hoping someone would offer him a contract so that they could get the draft choices.  He ended up screwing the sox by accepting arbitration.  Now the Sox are stuck with a one dimensional player who hurts them in interleague play.  He showed a lack of leadership all year long with Youk and the Pitchers, the Sox needed someone in the club house to step up and no one did.
I hope the Sox traded Scutaro to bring back Hanley.  It makes no sense to pick up his option and then trade him.  I don’t think Ben has control of the team I think John and Larry are pulling all the strings.  If not, Ben is lost at the wheel and this season is in danger before it begins.

 They say Tebow was given his choice, Jets or Jags. He chose the Jets.  Why?  My guess is–bright lights, big city. And that, in my eyes, kinda makes Tebow look the fraud. 

If the Jets are going to regiment two QBs during a game, the odds are against them that it will lead to a successful season. It may work in college but not in the NFL. Jets are just playing head games with Sanchez and putting a lot of pressure on Tebow to make the offense better. Jets will be sharing the bottom of the division with the Phins. Jets fans will not be happy, again.

Thank GOD the “BOW” isn’t suiting up in Patriot garb!