I am never in favor of trades where the Red Sox have to pay players while said player is on another team. If the other team wants him so badly, they can pay him. 

I blame the media for this absolute s***show that is the Red Sox. All this doubt, and negativity generated by the pigs in the media trying to earn their paycheck has absolutely consumed this team. I may be one of the few who is actually on Beckett’s side. It’s almost as if he’s become the scapegoat for all this backlash. The poster child for chicken and beer. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Get off the guy’s back. Clearly him and Lester are trying to succeed, as well as the rest of the team, but I’m sure that gets kind of hard when the media won’t let them turn the page. 

A large part of this is Felger and Mazz. A Boston sports radio show that absolutely despises the Red Sox, or at least that’s how they talk about them. If I were a player, I would be pretty pissed walking out on a field playing for a city who mocks me. Maybe if the media, or better yet the fans layed off a little and showed some support the team will start gaining some more confidence. You know, just a thought…

Totally agree.  Even if you get lessor prospects,  We know the Sox don’t want to go into Luxury tax area so I think the idea is payroll flexibility so you can rebuild this roster.

The morons in the front office will probably trade Middlebrooks and Ciriaco thinking they can grab that last wild card spot. Blow this team up and start with a new group of young hungry players that are not sitting on the big fat paychecks.

In my view, the best course is for the Red Sox to keep everybody, play out the year, and figure out what they have and don’t have. Then, during the off-season, take whatever action they think appropriate; and if they trade away any high salaried players, all money owed to those players should be assumed by the teams receiving them. If that condition isn’t met, keep the players and use them in reduced roles.

I am fine with holding on to high priced players and using them in lesser roles, consistent with lessened expectations, resulting from realistic evaluations. Paying them to play elsewhere dilutes the home team in ways that require a separate discussion.

I am also fine with bringing up players from the farm system and relying on them to fill all perceived needs, regardless of how they perform, so long as they give full effort. Give them their chance. Let’s see what they can do. Let’s watch them grow, while we regain our love and respect for the home team at the same time.

There was a time we all loved the Red Sox. We have to find that again. And we must start by looking within ourselves, adjusting our emotions, accepting the Red Sox as they are, and helping them move towards a better situation by appreciating and supporting them.

Considerable applause when they take the field; considerable applause during the game for hustle and good plays; and considerable applause when they depart the field, win or lose, would be a good place to start.

I agree with you in the fact that the media does have and readily sticks to it’s agenda without question.  However, I have witnessed the traditionally venomous Boston sports media soften it’s negative stance a bit in regard to pompous and entitled athletes when said athletes actually admit to their trangressions and that those transgressions may have negatively impacted their respective team—and thus apologize to the fan base for compromising the quality of the product that said team places upon the field.  
In speaking about Beckett for example: genuine apologies are incredibly effective in allowing both parties—the athlete and media—to understand the other’s opinions/concerns/rationales for the their role in the public’s(?) perception of the athlete—as provided by the media outlets(!).  Eventually resolution will arrive, but only if accountability is accepted with grace by the athlete in question.
  
That’s another thought to go with yers.. 

Beckett can be moved which I been saying for a long time, now its official so do it. If we eat most of his salary then were talking a good prospect back. Id take Mike Ott straight up. If were not eating much salary then I wouldnt expect to great of a player(s).

Trade ONLY if it is not a salary dump…if not he an Lackey can be overpaid #5 starters on this team next year…

The Rangers wanted to pay Cliff Lee a truckload of money…if they want Beckett and they do not have other options…make them pay…or let him play out the rest of his contract here as co #5….

Time for Beckett to get the Eff out from this team.

I am getting tired of picking up salaries foir our players to play for other teams while we get nothing in return (Kevin Youkillis). For a pitcher, in these desperate times for teams right before the trade deadline, I want blood for them. Just like when we are interested in a player and teams want our lungs for that player.

i haver never said this to anyone,but quit being a pinkhat fan.you siding with beckett and blaming the media shows you haven’t been following the red sox.Are you even a red sox fan? 

So is the Media’s fault that the red sox blew a 9 game lead last season or is it the media’s fault again that this team will not make the playoffs again.SMH.

Who the F wld want him and his contract???

sox will be getting king felix today !

of course the Sox would have to absorb most of his contract…..don’t they always.

good point; but if they have no idea what they have/don’t have at this point in the season, maybe baseball operations isn’t the best career for them.

Don’t forget, this is Boston. Win, everyone loves you, lose, the world is falling. It’s a 162 game season. Even in 2007 people harped on them during any losing stretch >1 game.  Too many “pink hats” have consumed the stadium the past decade or so. Real baseball fans can’t afford to go to the game, so you won’t see much applause. 

I actually prefer the Pawsox nowadays. Cheaper, good baseball, at times, and most players play their tails off. Besides, the media hasn’t gotten a hold of them as much, so the purity of their performance is more absolute. 

Are we are trading the PawSox to Seattle to get him ?  Major Coup for Ben if he pulls that deal off

I have to agree. I don’t think Beckett’s the problem and I’ve been surprised by everyone demanding Beckett get dealt but almost no one says the same for Lester. I think Beckett has pitched much better this year than Lester, and Lester has a chip on his shoulder too.

Beckett isn’t the problem – the media has contributed to all of this.  Beckett took the brunt of everything that happened and said nothing rather than rat out anyone.  And, he took the Brunt of Valentine telling him to take the day off so Cook could pitch before a deadline, and, again, Beckett said nothing rather than blame Valentine or anyone else.  And, let’s not forget Cherington’s statements on Friday.  I have been a Red Sox fan for 65 years, and they are still breaking my heart with all this garbage. 

I’m happy so many of you are posting this way. I agree – the “chicken and beer” story was overplayed and insulting. When pitchers weren’t pitching they occasionally had beer, like on many teams before last year’s. And when Beckett didn’t seem sufficiently contrite, Boston pundits began to call him “poisonous.” Where’s the evidence? He cared enough to get himself ejected last night, when he wasn’t even pitching.

The worst part about the whole off season story was that it distracted us from the real problem – at the end of last year, AL East hitters began to figure out Beckett and Lester. That’s a job for the coaching staff. Maybe conditioning is part of the problem. But if you don’t think nearly any pitcher in the tough AL East who has to pitch half his games in a hitter’s ballpark isn’t going to periodically struggle, you’re being unrealistic. If CC Sabathia were a Red Sox, there would be “fans” on here calling him a bum.

Last year, Beckett was having a great season until September. As Braves and Ranger fans are excitedly posting on the MLBtraderumors forum, even this year his peripherals are at least as good as Ryan Dempster’s. He’s had some bad luck, and some bad innings. But he can still pitch in the AL East. Cherington is right – the win/loss record doesn’t accurately reflect this. Paying him to play somewhere else doesn’t make sense.

That said, I do hope Cherington works a few trades. I’d like to see Ciriaco take over for Aviles, Lavarnway take over for Shoppach, and some of the excess outfielders and relievers shipped out. And if the Sox start losing again, I hope they have the courage to lose creatively – phantom DL Lester and Becket, play Morales, and give other relievers spot starts to increase their trade value over the off season, while working to get in the best possible position for the draft.

ya, the media is pathetic.   i never liked dale arnold at first, but he has really emerged as a standout talk show host in this town.  d & c (bevis and butthead) are proven bigots.  it’s callaghan who drives the bigotry on that show.  arnold was on the show last week with dennis (bevis) and he acted completly different.  any nitwit who would listen to fleger and mazzerotti has to be totally ignorant.  bradford has no source as he makes up all his stories for the fools to read.   a “source” stills gets nitwit, weei readers, riled up.   

There are only so many roster spots available.  You can’t really go the “reduced roll” route in baseball.  You can only have a few bench guys and you can only have a couple of garbage time long relievers.  There’s no room to keep people around in reduced rolls.  If they’re not helping you, you either have to trade them, send them down, or put them on waivers.  Most guys with a big contract are not going to accept being sent down, because they don’t have to.  If you don’t want to pay them to play for someone else, then you have to put them on waivers and hope someone takes them off your hands, but you’re not going to get anything back for them.

Wow.  That’s the dumbest thing I’ve seen on here in a while… and that’s saying something!

Yes, the media are the ones who hold the ball in their hands and throw it each and every pitch, how pathetic.  They deserve to take the heat when this team should be a contender at the top of the rotation, instead of some of the worst starting pitching stats in the majors.  

When Becket pitched in Texas last week, I thought they said they didn’t want him?  I think it’s going to be difficult trading this guy not only because of his contract but because of his piss poor attitude.

My feelings exactly AL34. What good does it do to get rid of Beckett if the Sox are responsible for paying him. If there was some hotshot in AAA that was ready to be called up, trading Beckett might be an option. There isn’t so, in my book, he stays. Too often the Sox get rid of guys and end up paying these players to beat them. Youkilis is exhibit A. They got almost nothing for him and are paying a good chunk of his salary. Lunacy. Here’s hoping Beckett stays and turns his season around.

im telling you its true

Once Papi comes back, Ciriaco will be stuck riding the pine unless they move Aviles. IMO it would be a good decision to trade one of the two, along with one of our surplus OFers; if it means being able to land a solid starting pitcher to take Cook’s spot. Middlebrooks is not going anywhere, unless King Felix or Cliff Lee are involved. Even then, I think the FO would balk at including him in the deal. Too much production and potential at a very low cost. Plus, he showed that he has balls of steel last night. Huge base hit.

i’ve survived another Rob Bradford outing.

Seriously.  Take a look in the mirror pal.  You “hate the media” eh?  THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE???  You are utterly and remarkably clueless.

If Ben can pull this off without paying the majority of Beckett’s contract kudos to him and let’s annoint him Boy Genie 2. Besides I hear Lone Star goes well with chicken wings.

If Ben can pull this off without paying the majority of Beckett’s contract kudos to him and let’s annoint him Boy Genie 2. Besides I hear Lone Star goes well with chicken wings.

If Ben can pull this off without paying the majority of Beckett’s contract kudos to him and let’s annoint him Boy Genie 2. Besides I hear Lone Star goes well with chicken wings.

If Ben can pull this off without paying the majority of Beckett’s contract kudos to him and let’s annoint him Boy Genie 2. Besides I hear Lone Star goes well with chicken wings.

When the Sox owner trio fired and re-hired Theo and his gorilla costume on Halloween 2005,he then got his revenge.   Look at all the stiffs he overpaid. What is the worst team in baseball.? The flubby Cubbies-one year into Theo’s stewardship.   Boy Wonder?

Dale sucks and is arrogant

People listen to yourselves, “I’m getting sick of, we need to”  Blah Blah Blah … Look you guys didn’t pay 700 million to own this team. And please, if at all possible, stop crying about how much theses guys are paid. you can’t do what they do so quit crying about it. the game is the way it is, get over it or stop watching. Sox are having a really bad year, it happens.