Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump... where Crawford won't let his elbow stop him from playing.

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Carl Crawford knows how this story ends.

Given the condition of his left elbow, especially after a platelet-rich plasma injection in late April didn’t spur significant improvement, the left fielder conceded he has been told by doctors that, eventually, he likely will need Tommy John surgery to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament.

“Probably at some point it’s going to blow out on me,” Crawford said yesterday. “It’s one of those deals where it is what it is.”

So why wait?

“Thought about it,” Crawford said, “but at this point, if I can play, I think (the Red Sox) want me out on the field. I’m just trying to do everything I can to get back out on the field. Right now, I feel like if I couldn’t help the team I wouldn’t get out there.”

Herald: Crawford: Surgery can wait

After all of the injuries that have plagued Crawford, this one is the worst to hear about. His elbow will blow out. Don't know when it'll happen but when it does, it will be another painful surgery and rehab process to get back on the field. He just can't catch a break.

He should get some credit for playing through in order to get back to the Sox. He's someone that "gets it", someone that's willing to do whatever it takes for the team. Considering all the crap that is spewed about this team "not giving a damn", he certainly does AND he's one of the highest paid players on the team. That certainly says a lot about his character and is someone who you want to have in the clubhouse.

Now how effective will he be? Depends on how much he can handle the pain. Albert Pujols has had similar damage to his ulnar collateral ligament since 2003 and he's been doing A-OK. But Albert Pujols is a machine and impervious to any pain whatsoever so maybe not the best comparison but you get where I'm going with this. Crawford has gone this far with the nagging elbow, I think he'll be fine once he gets back up.

Rest of the Links: Globe: Sox head into all star break with another loss | For Red Sox, trouble showed up early |  Future is bright for young Red Sox| Herald:  Bronx bombers feel no remorse |  Lester's woes continue  | Buchholz rested, ready  | Crawford: Surgery can wait |  Sox off to take much needed break | CSNNE: Sox at a loss |  Ortiz has answer for first half woes: injuries | Valentine surprised Gonzalez's illness got the best of him | WEEI: [Expletive] first half ends for Lester | Ortiz: "It can't get no worse" | Lester: "It's obviously not good" |  Six man rotation out of break

 

Your Morning Dump...where we'll take Adrian

Every morning we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump...

It’s become popular sport to ridicule the notion of the so-called mystery team, but suffice it to say that at the start of the offseason, no one anticipated that Prince Fielder would end up signing a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Tigers. Few thought that Albert Pujols would leave St. Louis in order to sign a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels.

Would the Red Sox have been able to afford either Fielder or Pujols on the sorts of deals that they signed, or Gonzalez for whatever he might have commanded on the open market? Maybe, maybe not. But what the Sox knew was that they could take the three-prospect needed to trade for Gonzalez and that they could afford his $6.3 million salary in 2011 as well as the seven-year, $154 million extension that will kick in next year and run through the 2018 campaign.

The Sox knew that they had a comfort level adding Gonzalez for his age 29-36 seasons at the value they established in negotiations with him. Whether they would have been similarly confident in the return on investment if they had to sign him through, say, his age 38 season, or if they had to pay Pujols through his age 42 season or Fielder through his age 36 season (given the likelihood that erosion of his somewhat limited defensive skills will turn him into a DH at some point in his deal) is not as clear.

WEEI | Prince Fielder and the challenge of building through free agency

Alex Speier brings up a great point in mentioning the mystery team. And had Adrian Gonzalez been part of this crop, there may have been even more teams willing to go overboard.

Gonzalez surely would have gotten nine years and $200+ million on the market. We got Gonzalez at eight years and $160.3 million (since he made $6.3 million last year). Are Casey Kelly, Raymond Fuentes, and Anthony Rizzo (whose stock has dropped, perhaps somewhat unfairly, after a disappointing time in San Diego) worth $40-50 million?

I say yes. I became infatuated with Gonzalez pretty early on, but I think rightly so. He's the complete package, and somebody you absolutely build around. For the extra cost of prospects to get the certainty of bringing him in -- and saving a bunch of money -- we got a franchise first baseman who for my money is more likely to keep playing at a high level throughout his contract than Prince Fielder (fat) or Albert Pujols (senior citizen). 

Besides, think about how little financial flexibility we've had this offseason. Take away Gonzalez's $21 million salary, and then picture us getting in bidding wars but having the same constraints. We likely would have had to trade off more salary (either by dumping Lackey and eating the majority of his contract rather than hoping he can give us something in the final two years, or by selling off Youkilis Marco Scutaro-style), or just lose out on all three and hope that Anthony Rizzo was really going to be something.

So if you've spent the offseason criticizing Red Sox ownership and management, give them kudos for this move at least. These days, you don't often acquire a franchise player below market value.

ESPNBoston | In Boston, it's what have you done for me lately? | Herald | Sizable barrier cleared | Carlos Pena hoping to create more memories | WEEI | Report: JD Drew 'very likely' to retire

Los Angeles Angels sign Pujols AND Wilson.

What a morning.

In the matter of hours the Los Angeles Angels have swooped in and have not only signed Albert Pujols, arguably the best hitter in the Majors, they also have signed top free agent pitcher CJ Wilson.

Let's first tackle the shocking signing of Pujols, as first reported by Yahoo's Tim Brown:

Latecomers to the Pujols derby, the Angels will pay Pujols $250 million to $260 million over 10 years, a devastating turn for the Cardinals and a departure from past organizational philosophies for Arte Moreno’s Angels.

After a month-long search for wealth and happiness, most notably in Miami, Pujols will not return to the only organization he’s known.

The contract value is the second or third highest in baseball history, behind the contract Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees in 2008 ($275 million) and perhaps higher than the one Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers in 2001 ($252 million).

The Angels have learned their lesson from last season when the Sox came out of nowhere to sign Carl Crawford. Pujols has full no trade clause AND no opt out clause. So he's there for all ten years and will be 41 once this deal is done. This is a huge risk long term and you can point to how screwed the Yankees are with A-Rod (cue Nelson pointing and laughing). But at least for the next five years, the Angels are going to be heavy favorites for a World Series with Pujols in the middle of their lineup.

An hour later, it's also being confirmed that CJ Wilson is going to home to join him. According to Brown, Wilson is getting a 5 year, $75-million deal. Wilson fits real nice in between Jered Weaver and Dan Haren  in their rotation. Add Ervin Santana in the mix and that's one of the best rotations in all of baseball.

This just makes the playoff race that much tighter. The five best teams in the AL are in the East and West and will be fighting for four spots. One team will be looking at the AL Central division champs in anger come late September.

(Photo Credit:monkeywithahalo.com)

Alert the townspeople, the Marucci Black bat is out

 

via Mr. Irrelevant

Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready to get your mind blown...

I haven't been waiting for it, but the "Marucci Black" bat has been unveiled and it is swwweeeeetttt, I think. I first thought it was a new scotch, but I was wrong. It is the bat that will get you chicks and help you hit the long ball, at least, that is what I got from the commercial.

They couldn't get enough stars to tell you about it. If David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Jose Bautista, Bryce Harper (#1 prospect in baseball), or pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (yeah, a pitcher), then the hot blond marketing chick will get you to buy this bat. They probably could have gone without Harper and Vogelsong in this ad. Especially Vogelsong, since he only has 12 hits in his 7-year career.

Unless this bat is corked more than Sammy Sosa's collection or can do the magic of an aluminum bat, I don't get the hype. If they are trying to market it to guys like me, then they are wasting their time. I couldn't do much with the Louisville Slugger that cost $20 or the aluminum bats in high school.

It's nice to see Ortiz getting all of these endorsements, it is a good way to make up the gap in the Sox low-ball offer.

Pujols A Red Sox?!?

Gordon Edes hates St. Louis Cardinals fans.  It's true. 

One of the only things helping Cards fans sleep at night, while they watch Pujols threaten to leave via free agency, is the knowledge that both the Yankees and Red Sox are all set at first.  With those two out of the running, the market (and potential dollars) for Pujols is significantly smaller that it would be if these two teams were on the prowl for his services.  Makes his chances or coming back to St. Louis next season significantly greater.

Well, Gordon wants you to know you shouldn't count the Sox out just yet.

Via ESPN Boston:

You say the Red Sox, with two players already assured of being paid $20 million or more next season, wouldn't add a third? Don't be so sure. Ortiz's contract comes off the books after the season. So does the $14 million being paid J.D. Drew, the $12 million being paid Jonathan Papelbon, the $7.5 million being paid Mike Cameron, the $5 million being paid Marco Scutaro and the $2 million being paid Jason Varitek. That's more than $52 million right there.

Yes, the Sox already have $95.6 million committed in payroll for 2012, but they already have potential replacements for Papelbon in the already signed Bobby Jenks and Daniel Bard, a rookie shortstop to replace Scutaro in Jose Iglesias (if Jed Lowrie doesn't win the job) and a rookie outfielder in Ryan Kalish (or Josh Reddick) to succeed Drew. The starting rotation is set for the next four years, which leaves a ton of money left over to invest in another big bat.

This whole piece is swimming in the hypothetical, but once you really start to jump into it, it does make a whole lot of sense - at least from a Sox perspective.

Gordon spent a good chunk of the article discussing John Henry's childhood love of the Cardinals and Stan Musial, and used that as a jumping off point for him to pony up to bring Pujols to Boston.  I don't disagree that Henry would salivate at the chance.  I just don't think it has anything to do with his love of the Cardinals.

There wouldn't be a bigger stake to strike through the heart of the Steinbrenners than for the Sox to bring Pujols to Boston. 

This offseason the tables had officially turned. The Sox were the team that was able to 'get their men', while the Yankees looked on helplessly as theirs slipped away.  Not that Pujols is necessarily the Yankees 'man', but the PR nightmare that they would endure if he signed with the Sox would be monstrous.  That's all the motivation Henry needs to greenlight this deal.

The flipside to this is that the Yankees could essentially offer Pujols the exact same role as the Red Sox:  Part-time DH, splitting time at first.   If, and it's a big if, Pujols is willing to accept that role (and I don't know that he is), it'd certainly turn into a bidding war between the Sox, Yankees and a handful of other teams (Dodgers, Mets, Nats, Orioles, etc.). 

And if the Sox throw their hat into that ring, they better make damn sure he doesn't end up in pinstripes. 

Your Morning Dump... Where The Union Intervenes

 
Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says first baseman Albert Pujols and his representatives are being pressured by the players' union during contract negotiations.

"I know what he's going through with the union and to some extent his representatives because his representatives are getting beat up by the union," La Russa said. "Set the bar, set the bar. You've got to deal with it. It's not the way it should be."

"I think it's unfortunate whenever it happens, not just Albert, it should just be about looking at everything to determine what's your best deal. There's enough money, nobody is going to suffer. The union is not going to suffer. The bar is not going to suffer."

La Russa said he's seen too many players being controlled by the union.

"The whole time I've around it's been a factor, for a long time, a long, long time," he said. "I've had a number of players over the years that have looked at money first and regretted it later."

SI.com - La Russa: Union Pressuring Pujols

This story should give every Red Sox fan chills. 

We've heard all along how Adrian Gonzalez is going to play nice when it comes to negotiating his contract.  That he has no interest in trying to squeeze every last cent out of the Red Sox.  Both he and the Sox know he's going to get paid, so both sides are OK with unloading a fair-market pile of cash into Gonzalez's bank account. 

But that's all theoretical.  When it comes time to put terms to paper, this could be a completely different story.

The Players Union is going to want Gonzalez to rake the Sox over the coals during their negotiations.  Gonzalez has 100% of the leverage - the Sox traded for him with no signed extension, and gave away their top prospects to obtain him.  If they don't come to terms, and Gonzalez becomes a free agent, that's going to be one of the biggest black eyes in recent Sox history.  Theo can't let that happen.

So I have no doubt that the Union is going to ask Gonzalez to play hardball and inflate his contract as much as he can.  How much power the Union actually holds when it comes down to hammering out a contract, I have no clue.  But La Russa seems to think they hold some power, and he's been doing this a lot longer than I have.

Rest of the links:

WEEI - Sox trade Coello to Cubs for Thomas | Buchholz eyes Lester-type extension | Herald - Bulk rate suits Daniel Nava | Josh Beckett: Rough ‘10 behind me | Globe - Hill is angling for an edge | NESN - Healthy Dustin Pedroia Expected to Pick Up Where He Left Off Before Injury Derailed 2010 Season