Red Sox roster predictions

The Sox have no shortstop, no center fielder, no first baseman, a brutal bullpen even with Seanez and a starting staff of a 43-year old disgruntled Wells, Shellshocked Clement (check his post-beaning stats) and two guys in Schilling and Beckett who may never start thirty games in a season again. Toss in a slightly depleted farm system and free agent class that limits their capacity for improvement and you have a team in trouble.

I think the Jays will win 89-91 games this year. I can't say that I feel the same about Boston. I don't think the Rocket will return, but that's the one possibility that nullifes everything.

[Voltron87]

later in his career beckett will earn much more than he is earning now, that number is misleading since a lot of becketts value comes from the fact that he very likely will turn out to be a very strong pitcher for 7-8+ years. arroyo... won't.

[ QUOTE ]

I'd rather have Arroyo at his salary than Beckett at a Clement type salary.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really understand this, the red sox can afford to pay beckett that much money and he could turn out to be worth every penny and more of it. Arroyo is an slightly above average pitcher who really isnt that special, beckett is a much better player to have right now. even if beckett earned clement type money now (which he will eventually) that cash value consideration doesnt affect the decision for the red sox, they have enough money to easily make it worth it.

[cdxx]

[ QUOTE ]

We've gone through this every year for the past 3-4 years now. The Yankees make a big splash in the offseason trade market, everyone in Red Sox Nation panics and thinks this is the year the Yankees run away with the division with 150 wins, and every year the Sox remain highly competitive all the way to the very end, and the Yankees find a way to blow $200M+. I expect this year to be no different.

[/ QUOTE ]

the red sox start out competitive and blow sizable leads in the division in august and september. i expect this year to be no different.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
later in his career beckett will earn much more than he is earning now, that number is misleading since a lot of becketts value comes from the fact that he very likely will turn out to be a very strong pitcher for 7-8+ years. arroyo... won't.

[ QUOTE ]

I'd rather have Arroyo at his salary than Beckett at a Clement type salary.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really understand this, the red sox can afford to pay beckett that much money and he could turn out to be worth every penny and more of it. Arroyo is an slightly above average pitcher who really isnt that special, beckett is a much better player to have right now. even if beckett earned clement type money now (which he will eventually) that cash value consideration doesnt affect the decision for the red sox, they have enough money to easily make it worth it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Basically, I think Arroyo is underrated and that NL pitchers in general are overrated compared to their AL counterparts. Compare how Javier Vazquez and Randy Johnson did in the AL compared to how Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite did in the NL. And those aren't the only examples. Clement was much worse in the AL as well. And look how good Pedro was last year (although much of that was going from Fenway to Shea I'm sure).
Also, don't act like money doesn't matter to the Red Sox. If money didn't matter, we'd have Johnny Damon in CF.

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
The Sox have no shortstop, no center fielder, no first baseman

[/ QUOTE ]

omg!!!111!!!! you're right lolololol how are we going to play w/o any of those positions lololol.

hmm, did it occur to you that the Sox off-season moves are not complete?

[ QUOTE ]
a brutal bullpen even with Seanez

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you don't realize who our bullpen will consist of next year.

[ QUOTE ]
Shellshocked Clement (check his post-beaning stats)

[/ QUOTE ]

wait, you think that was some kind of career altering event? I would much rather take his career stats, thank you very much

[ QUOTE ]
and two guys in Schilling and Beckett who may never start thirty games in a season again.

[/ QUOTE ]
or, they might be 2 #1 starters

[ QUOTE ]
Toss in a slightly depleted farm system

[/ QUOTE ]

you mean, the net loss of 1 pitching prospect?

[ QUOTE ]
and free agent class that limits their capacity for improvement

[/ QUOTE ]

was Josh Beckett a free agent? was Loretta?

[ QUOTE ]
and you have a team in trouble.

[/ QUOTE ]

in conclusion, if the season started today, you would be right. fortunately, it doesn't.

[ QUOTE ]
I think the Jays will win 89-91 games this year. I can't say that I feel the same about Boston.

[/ QUOTE ]

you can't possibly predict how many games the Sox might win, since our opening day roster isn't nearly anywhere close to being set.

[Voltron87]

I agree with your general idea about AL/NL pitchers, but I think you are overapplying it here, beckett is just a much better player than arroyo even given the switching leagues compensation. Beckett is good enough/young enough, and arroyo is just not that special a pitcher and is not going to approve.



[ QUOTE ]
Also, don't act like money doesn't matter to the Red Sox. If money didn't matter, we'd have Johnny Damon in CF.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't compare not signing an old johnny damon to a 4 year, 13 million a year contract to whether a young pitcher like beckett is worth an additional 4-5m a year. totally different things, and my comment was specifically saying that the red sox can easily afford to pay beckett that much money and it will be worth it, not that the red sox can easily afford anythign they want.

[Salva135]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

We've gone through this every year for the past 3-4 years now. The Yankees make a big splash in the offseason trade market, everyone in Red Sox Nation panics and thinks this is the year the Yankees run away with the division with 150 wins, and every year the Sox remain highly competitive all the way to the very end, and the Yankees find a way to blow $200M+. I expect this year to be no different.

[/ QUOTE ]

the red sox start out competitive and blow sizable leads in the division in august and september. i expect this year to be no different.

[/ QUOTE ]


I'm not denying that has happened, but the Sox have taken it down to the last 2 games and 3 weeks of the season in the past 2 seasons, respectively, so really, you can't argue haven't remained neck-and-neck with the Yankees until the end.

Looking solely at end results, the Red Sox have had more success than the Yankees over the pat 3 years, despite the fact that every year the entire world has thought that the the Yankees would go 162-0.

[DougOzzzz]

[ QUOTE ]

I'd like to keep Arroyo rathern than Beckett or Clement.

[/ QUOTE ]

Arroyo couldn't strike out Mark Bellhorn last year. Looked promising in 04 but seems to have lost it. I don't see much upside with him.

[Pudge714]

Nobody can give a good prediction about the Jays or the Sox because their opening day rosters are probably only 75% set.
As for Clement I would think getting struck by a 90mph object in your head would be a life or career altering event.

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
As for Clement I would think getting struck by a 90mph object in your head would be a life or career altering event.


[/ QUOTE ]

it actually happens a fair amount, at all baseball levels. it's not as big a deal as wisehandpoker is making it out to be