Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Dan Wheeler to decline arbitration

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal has the scoop on reliever Dan Wheeler, a type B free agent. 

Wheeler must be confident in his ability to get a better deal in free agency. He's coming off a decent year. His 4.38 ERA over 49 innings doesn't look good, but FanGraphs notes he had a 3.71 xFIP, so he pitched a little better than his ERA indicates. In that same page, you can see that Bill James has him projected for a 2.80 ERA in 2012, which I'm sure would be something GMs will pay for.

I wouldn't mind having Wheeler back -- with the usual caveat -- at the right price. I certainly wouldn't commit several years to him, but if we can get him for a year or two on the cheap, I think he could pitch better than we saw last year.

Your Morning Dump...Where Ortiz and Wheeler are offered arbitration

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.

They also announced they have declined arbitration on Erik Bedard, Trever Miller, Tim Wakefield, J.D. Drew, Conor Jackson and Jason Varitek, so they will receive no compensation if any of those players leaves via free agency. Drew is expected to retire, and the move to decline arbitration is procedural.

Ortiz and Wheeler have until Dec. 7 to accept or decline the offer. If they accept, they are automatically under contract to Boston for the 2012 season. Papelbon, who's already signed as a free agent with the Phillies, was offered arbitration to ensure the team will receive compensation for him.

CSNNE: Sox offer arbitration to Ortiz and Wheeler

WEEI had a little more insight on possible compensation for Ortiz if he accepts arbitration...

In the case of Ortiz, a Type A free agent, the Sox will receive two draft picks should he sign with another team. The fact that a team would have to part with a draft pick in order to sign Ortiz might also dampen his free agent market, since other teams might be reluctant to give Ortiz a multi-year deal while also parting with a pick that would likely come from either the first or second round. The Sox are now the only team that can offer Ortiz a contract without losing a draft pick for signing him; added to the acknowledged mutual interest in continuing their relationship, the Sox’ offer now increases the likelihood that such an outcome will occur.

Of course, Ortiz (who turned 36 last week) could also accept salary arbitration, in which case he would likely be in line for an increase over the $12.5 million salary he received in 2011, coming off a year in which he hit .309 with a .398 OBP, .554 slugging mark, .953 OPS, 29 homers and 96 RBI in 146 games.

WEEI: What arbitration means for the Red Sox and David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Dan Wheeler

Thanksgiving has limited my time to analyse this offer to Ortiz and less importantly, Dan Wheeler. It is very likely Ortiz will not go anywhere else and a deal longer than one year is not likely. 

As far as the others who were not offered arbitration, there is still a chance of them returning to the Sox. Looking at the list of free agents, there will be a lot of short-term deals.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Related:

Herald: David Ortiz, Dan Wheeler get arbitration | Projo: Red Sox offer salary arbitration to Ortiz, Wheeler

The rest of the links:

Herald: Giving thanks for this Sox bounty | CSNNE: Merloni analyzes the Sox managerial field | ESPN Boston: Former nemesis gives Valentine thumbs up 

Red Sox decline options on two relievers

The (not-so-) lucky guys? Dan Wheeler and Scott Atchison. But both could be back, says the Globe's Peter Abraham.

Atchison's option was for the 2012 MLB minimum plus $200,000. He remains on the 40-man roster and is not eligible for arbitration. So the Sox could simply tender him an offer at the minimum or slightly above and retain him.

Wheeler is a Type B free agent. So the Red Sox could offer him arbitration and get a draft pick once he signs with another team.

My personal feeling is that we should bring Atchison back for next to nothing. Unless I'm mistaken, he can be optioned to Pawtucket, so he's flexible. (If I'm wrong about that, it's only Scott Atchison -- wouldn't be the end of the world if we lost him.)

I'd offer Wheeler arbitration, too. His ERA was in the mid-4s this year, but he did have a tidy 1.11 WHIP. If he takes arbitration, fine, he'll be relatively cheap free agent reliever with whom we're already familiar. If he declines, we get a draft pick. To me, it's an easy decision.

Your Morning Dump... Where the quest for 200 continues

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 has become the Red Sox' version of Groundhog Day.

Minus all the levity, of course.

Tim Wakefield is 0-for-5 in his nearly month-long quest to reach 200 career victories and his latest failed attempt was the toughest to watch. Through five innings last night, he flummoxed the aggressive Royals with his fluttering knuckleball and was staked to a three-run lead.

And it took only eight pitches for everything to unravel.

“It is what it is,” Wakefield said. “We’re trying to win the game, not trying to do a favor for me. We’re trying to win the game as a team.”

And Wakefield is beginning to sound like a broken record.

No, the odyssey for No. 200 isn’t weighing on his mind. Yes, he’s pleased with the way he has been pitching. No, he isn’t putting added pressure on himself to achieve a milestone that only 107 other pitchers (88 since 1900) have reached.

Herald - Groundhog daze

In last night's recap we detailed that awful, brutal, terrible, etc. etc. etc. 6th inning for the Sox.  If there was ever a time to use "the wheels came off" to describe an inning, last night was it.

But eventually Wakefield will get that next win.  He's simply been pitching too good, the bullpen too solid and the Sox offense is simply too potent to keep this Wake-winless streak alive. 

Let's look at the flip side of that.  Let's say Wakefield once kicked a little kitten and this winless streak is Karma's payback.  Let's say that Karma won't let him get another win all season long.  Do the Sox bring him back in 2012?  If you remember, he was a candidate to get cut prior to this year.  That was a real option on the table for the front office.  Thankfully they didn't, as we not only dealt with several injuries but Wake has been much better this season than last. 

But has he been good enough to lock up a spot next season?  Of course, there is much to play out between now and next Spring, but I say yes.  Tim is someone that's always been there when the Sox needed him.  And it would be an utter shame for him to leave this Sox without ever getting that win.  Especially with the ways in which he's come up short.

On Page 2, Albers speaks

Your Morning Dump...where Pedroia is on fire

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.

Pedroia had a two-run double to give the Red Sox the lead in the eighth. He was 2 for 5 to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. He has 23 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs in his last 32 games, hitting .379 in that stretch.

It was Pedroia who had won the game against the Rays about 20 hours earlier with an RBI single. The double, like the single, was to the opposite field. It came off Mark Worrell, a righthander with a funky sidearm delivery.

“It’s tough. I was tired and I’m sure everyone else was,’’ Pedroia said. “We’re just all trying to win the game. That’s what we get paid to do. We’re trying to go play the game right and whatever situation comes up in the game, we have to respond to it.’’

Globe | Pep club

Pedroia was tired: reliever Dan Wheeler noted that yesterday was the first day that he showed up to the park and Pedroia wasn't yet in full uniform. 

But he, and obviously the whole team (except JD), was able to prevail. 

I'll be interested to see how they do today. I know when I have a night of little sleep, sometimes the next day is no problem. The day after that, though, can be brutal. And my days consist of sitting at a computer, so I'd guess relying on your hand-eye coordination and reaction time would make the need for good sleep more important.

Either way, Pedroia is on fire right now. And since I forgot to mention him in my infield report card piece, let's just say here: despite a pretty slow start and some worries about lingering injuries, Pedroia is putting together another great year. The Globe included his latest streak above, but for the year, he's up to .293/.400/.466/.866. Meanwhile, he's on pace to fly past his career highs in homers (he has 13, would need 17) and steals (he has 17, needs 20).

And I think we all know what he means to the team. Tito loves him, the fans love him, his teammates seem to love him (or at least haven't started openly complaining about him. I think, and hope, he's going to be here a long time.

In my piece, he should have slotted right in ahead of Youkilis and been given a solid A-. 

On page 2, Gordon Edes talks about a guy who's been helping us out in hidden ways.

Jenks, Wheeler on DL

http://browniepoints.mlblogs.com is reporting that the Sox are placing both Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler on the DL today.

I imagine the details on these moves will roll out quickly.

To fill out their bullpen, Scott Atchison and Rich Hill are getting called up.

At least we'll have 2 fresh arms in the pen today?!

Your Morning Dump... Where It's Nearly Time To Cement The Bullpen

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.

The team will hold an organizational meet following Tuesday’s game with the Rays, with the fate of several roster spots in the bullpen possibly in the balance. Of particular note is how to handle the middle relief and lefty specialists in the relief corps and who should make the trip with the team to Arlington when the team begins the season against the Rangers on April 1.

Francona will meet with pitching coach Curt Young, Epstein and front office staffers to discuss how to handle relievers Hideki Okajima, Dennys Reyes, Tim Wakefield, Alfredo Aceves, Matt Albers and Scott Atchison.

The team needs to decide what to do for a lefty or whether to take two north. Okajima and Reyes appear to be the front-runners with Andrew Miller, Randy Williams and Rich Hill on the fringes.

Reyes has made the biggest statement this spring, posting a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances, allowing just one run on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

WEEI - ‘Pins and needles’ time for Red Sox relievers as organization meets to map things out 

The bullpen is the last remaining piece of the puzzle for the Sox to put together.

I don't dare venture any great guesses as to who is going to round out the roster.  We're talking about people that have Hideki Okajima as the front-runner (the same Hideki that gave up 23 runs in his 46 innings pitched last season and has actually regressed this Spring), so clearly we're not on the same mental wavelength. 

I would say that Reyes and Aceves have pitched themselves onto the roster.  I can't imagine a Sox squad that doesn't list Tim Wakefield, and has Scott pointed out yesterday, Albers appears to be carving out his own spot.  With Papelbon, Bard, Jenks and Wheeler all seemingly locks, there's very few spots open to tussle over. 

It's definitely going to be a tough final call to make.  I'd love to see Miller make the cut, but hanging out in Pawtucket for a few months probably wouldn't be the worse thing for his career.  Randy Williams and Rich Hill, thanks for stopping by.  And no matter how consistent Scott Achison was in the second half of last season, he gets me nearly as excited as when my wife tells me to take her to see the new Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy. 

Rest of the links:

WEEI -  John Lackey: ‘I feel like I’m ready’ | Herald - Carl Crawford adding pop as his game develops | Rays take taste test with Manny Ramirez | Kevin Youkilis turns corner | Globe - SoSH hosting event to benefit Jimmy Fund | NESN - Intensity Increasing for Red Sox As They Hit Home Stretch in Spring Training

Crawford thinks Manny will make an impact in Tampa

AP photo/Dave Martin

Since 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays have been a huge threat in the AL East.  Well, now they dismantled the team, and they will be lucky to grab the third spot in the division. In a desperate attempt, they brought in Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to try to salavage any respect the fans and media might have for them.  As I heard someone say when Ramirez and Damon were introduced as Rays, "They are a lock to win the 2004 World Series".  So no way anyone should worry about these guys this season, right?  According to Carl Crawford, Manny will still add a 'fear factor'.

“He’s going to add that fear factor,” Crawford said. “He’s going to give [Evan] Longoria all the protection he needs. Having a guy like Manny, look what he did when he went over to the L.A. Dodgers, he helped Matt Kemp and turned those guys into superstars. I don’t see why he wouldn’t have the same effect in Tampa.”

“He’s going to fit right in over there. Trust me,” Crawford said with a laugh. “That’s why he’s there. If he’s healthy, he’s still a dangerous right-handed hitter. If he’s out there on the field playing, you can’t ever take him for granted. He can do some damage.”

Former Ray, Dan Wheeler also thinks the duo still has a little gas left in the tank.

“There is some star power there,” said current Red Sox reliever and former Rays pitcher Dan Wheeler. “When I was there we always had some guys, but a lot of our guys were young and coming up. We didn’t have the track records that Ramirez and Damon have. It’s good. It gives them something to be excited about. I know a lot of the fans were definitely disappointed with what happened this offseason.”

There should be no credit taken away from Damon and Ramirez. They are proven baseball players with a winning track record and they know the AL East very well.  They will still be effective in but in a much lesser way because lets face it, great ball players will decline with age, especially with a 162 game season.  I am still looking forward to seeing these guys for 18 games this season.