Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump...The market is heating up for Cody Ross

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 Red Sox signed Shane Victorino to man right field next season, but Cody Ross still out there on the free agent market.

His market is reportedly starting to heat up.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are "intensifying" their efforts to bring the former Red Sox outfielder to Philadelphia.  He has also been courted by Seattle this offseason.

CSNNE: Report: Phillies 'intensify' pursuit of Cody Ross

I am surprised more teams are not actively pursuing Cody Ross. Sure, money is the reason why more teams are not, but he's not looking for Hamilton money. It again raises the question of, why don't the Red Sox just sign him? I wish I knew the answer. Is there a lingering injury that they are concerned about? Are they testing out the market to see what other teams are willing to offer him? Or, do they not want to pay him more than double of what they paid him last season? Probably the latter.

Cody Ross will probably sign elsewhere by the end of the week and we'll move on.

On Page 2, Kevin Youkilis doesn't care about the reaction of Red Sox fans

Youk verbally agrees to deal with Yankees

It is almost official, Kevin Youkilis has verbally agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract. Yeah, $12 million for one year.

Former Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis has verbally agreed to become a New York Yankee, according to sources.

The deal is expected to be for one-year and $12 million, according to officials with knowledge of the talks.

Youkilis, who will turn 34 in March, will play third base for the Yankees in place of the injured Alex Rodriguez. In 2012, Youkilis hit .235 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in 111 games. After feuding with then-Boston manager Bobby Valentine, Youkilis spent most of the season with the Chicago White Sox.

Classic desperation move by the Yankees. A-Rod goes down and they pay well above market for a replacement.

I have always been a fan of Youk, but he is on such a steep decline and they still threw $12 million at him.

I'm sure there will be plenty of boos when Youkilis takes the plate at Fenway for the first time as a New York Yankee. None of them will be from me, that is, if I am in attendance. There or not, I have no problem with him going to the Yankees. New York showed interest in Youk over a week ago and there were talks of an offer to him. He didn't respond right away, making it obvious he was waiting for other offers. No one else showed interest and he got overpaid by the only team that offered him anything. Plus, he was shipped out of Boston, so he didn't leave the Red Sox to join the Yankees. I bet he would have come back to Boston over New York If the Red Sox were interested.

No matter how any of us feel, he is a Yankee, and we are going to hate him. Some will more than others.

Your Morning Dump... Where the Yankees want Youk

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 final act of Brian Cashman’s dormant week at the winter meetings was to assure the baseball world, through his words and a $12 million contract offer to Kevin Youkilis, that the Yankees were still capable of George Steinbrenner-style spending.

But those assertions did not speak as loudly as what emerged later — a one-year, $12 million offer to Kevin Youkilis, the former Boston third baseman and first baseman, and a key part of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry for many seasons. A few seasons ago, Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain more than once threw in the direction of Youkilis’s head for no apparent reason other than that Youkilis was being Youkilis, a tough, determined competitor with an unusual way of holding his bat, a great ability to foul off pitches and, more than anything, an ability to hit for both average and power.

If he is healthy, he would be an acceptable solution at third base until the injured Alex Rodriguez is ready to return. And if he accepts the Yankees’ offer, it will no doubt dismay Red Sox fans, who devotedly bellowed “Youk” year after year and still have not forgiven Johnny Damon for bolting Fenway Park for the Bronx in 2006.

NY Times - Back to Old Spending Ways, Yanks Offer Youkilis a Deal

A very large part of me (let's call it my brain) is actually hoping Youkilis does sign with the Yankees.  A smaller part of me (heart) wants to see Youk reunited with Tito in Cleveland.  That would be fun to watch.

But I want him in pinstripes.  Even with the addition of Napoli and Victorino, I look at the Sox roster and don't see a contender.  I'm fully prepared to sit out the next two post-seasons.  So if I can't enjoy the Sox winning, I certainly will be able to enjoy further implosions in New York.  Youkilis can make that happen.

First and foremost, as a resident of the great state of New York, I have many many friends who happen to be Yankee fans.  Unfortunate, but unavoidable.  These friends have nearly unanimously declared Kevin Youkilis as the most-hated Red Sox for the better part of a decade.  Now he may be their third baseman.  Now they have to root for him.  It's going to be awkward.  And I'm going to love every single second of it.

Also in the 'burn it down' department, I hope Youkilis has a fantastic start to the season.  I want to see him ripping the cover off the ball.  Because when A-Rod comes back, and wants to take his rightful place at third (well, rightful except when it matters, like the post-season), I want to see confusion, chaos, and panic at Yankee Stadium.  I want to see Yankee fans demand that Youkilis keep his job.  I want the already-scorned A-Rod to be pushed even further down the Yankees totem pole. I want to see Yankee fans donning glued-on goatees and holding paper syringes while A-Rod is in the on-deck circle.

I just want to sit back and laugh.

Of course, New York will just end up rotating players at third and DH.  There won't be any metaphoric mushroom clouds rising above the Bronx.  But if Youkilis goes become a Yankee, I won't hold a grudge.  I won't boo him.  I will sincerely hope him nothing but success.

Because the side-effects of Youkilis succeeding as a Yankee, at least in my imagination, are going to make for one hell of a fun Spring.  Especially if he punches Joba Chamberlain in his stupid fat neck.  If nothing else, this needs to happen.

On Page 2, Papi likes the Sox new additions.

Former Sox drawing many suitors in the offseason

Like any baseball fan I've been spending a fair share of time on MLBTradeRumors this offseason, and I've been struck by the building interest in two former Sox: Kevin Youkilis and Jed Lowrie.

Youk is a free agent and someone who many fans had hoped would return to Boston, although it doesn't appear likely. MLBTR lists six interested teams and Boston is not among them. One who is: Cleveland. It'd be interesting to see how a Tito/Youk reunion would go. 

For what it's worth, Youk wasn't totally ineffective because of Bobby Valentine or the Boston environment -- it looks like he's just declining. His OPS in Chicago was .771 -- not as bad as the .692 he put up with the Red Sox before being dealt, but still a steep dropoff from the .833 of the prior year, and his .900+ OPSs of years prior. It's best to forget about his name and his history and remember that he's a player in relatively poor shape in his mid-30s. A .750 OPS is probably all that's reasonable to expect at this point -- and if he plays more than 120 games in a year I'd be surprised. I have trouble believing he will earn whatever contract he gets.

It's a little heartbreaking to read about Jed Lowrie. I never liked Lowrie as a player -- he just seemed like empty numbers and I thought he was an overrated defender -- but it's clear that Ben Cherington sold low on him. The shortstop market is notoriously weak, so much so that Houston would have to be "overwhelmed" by an offer to move Jed. 

The one saving grace is that Lowrie is not going to be a perennial All-Star or anything, because while a useful player he can't stay on the field. He put up a .769 OPS last year, along with 16 homers, but only played in 98 games. Still, would we be better off with two years of Lowrie than four years of Mark Melancon? It's hard to say no.

What do these players mean for the future of the Sox? Nothing, directly. Neither is returning to Boston. But both serve as cautionary tales. In Youkilis, we were forced to deal off a somewhat useful player for nothing because of the toxic environment that had developed. In Lowrie, Cherington dealt an important position for an unimportant position -- even throwing out the results, it's hard to look back and think that was a good idea. At the time we were able to talk ourselves into it -- hey, Melancon had closed for half a season! -- but going forward, Cherington will have to treasure players up the middle and trust himself to build a bullpen from castoffs and reclamation projects like Vicente Padilla and Andrew Miller.

Your Morning Dump...where White Sox moves could affect the Red Sox

 

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 didn't take long for Rick Hahn to make his first move as the general manager of the White Sox. Four days after officially introducing Hahn as GM, the team announced a two-year, $29MM contract extension with Jake Peavy. The deal will keep Peavy in Chicago through 2014 and includes an option for 2015.

MLBTradeRumors | White Sox extend Jake Peavy

The White Sox announced that they have exercised the 2013 club option on the contract of right-hander Gavin Floyd while declining 2013 options on right-hander Brett Myers and third baseman Kevin Youkilis.  Floyd will earn a base salary of $9.5MM in 2013.  Myers will receive a $3MM buyout instead of his $10MM option while Youkilis will get $1MM in place of his $13MM option.

MLBTradeRumors | White Sox exercise option on Floyd, decline on Myers and Youkilis

The White Sox joined the Tigers among super-active teams early in the offseason.

And their moves in a way affect the Red Sox. Jake Peavy was a guy some were speculating could be a good fit for the rotation here -- high potential, but due to injury risk and age, not requiring an enormous contract. I think most Red Sox fans would have been happy with Jake on a two-year deal, but I can't say I blame him (or the White Sox) on finding a way to continue their relationship now that they've seen some success.

And of course there's Youk, who everyone loves to speculate about. I agree with the CSNNE piece (in the links below) that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Youk is, obviously, in decline, and if the Red Sox are looking to move forward both in performance and in clubhouse makeup, it's probably not a great idea. I can see them revisiting it if they get priced out of other 1B and Youk for whatever reason isn't snapped up by anybody, but I'd say it's a long shot at best. I think Ben Cherington is more likely to be looking for the next David Ortiz-style acquisition -- trying to find somebody cheap and hope to hit it big. Obviously, there aren't a whole lot of Papis out there, but if he can even do something similar to the Cody Ross rental to fill the 1B hole, I think we'd all be satisfied.

Herald | Brian Butterfield back with John Farrell | 3 Orioles win Gold Gloves; 9 1st-timers, not Trout | ESPNBoston | Decision 2013: Starting rotation | CSNNE | No Gold Gloves for Sox; Reddick earns one at RF | Are Sox interested in free agent Kevin Youkilis?

Your Morning Dump... where Bobby V is just speaking his mind.

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.

This morning, Valentine initially spoke innocuously about the return of Youkilis until he was asked about their relationship and any “friction” that may have existed.

”I think that’s a joke,” Valentine said. “I wasn’t here last year. There was no friction in spring training. So I think that’s a joke. But I’ll take all that. I think the comment that I made early, he made a big issue out of and I don’t think he ever wanted to get over it.”

Valentine was asked how his relationship was with Youkilis after the Channel 7 comment.

”I have no idea,” he said. “It’s whatever he wanted it to be. Like I said, we didn’t have any strained relationship in spring training and I wasn’t around last year.”

By invoking last season, Valentine is apparently referring to the notion that some players on the team believe Youkilis was the source of the story regarding drinking in the clubhouse during games.

”Yeah, I was aware of that,” Valentine said. “I was a newcomer. I inherited that situation, didn’t cause it.”

Globe: Youk never got over April remark

Well then.

This has (sadly) become a rare sighting in Boston but Bobby Valentine is giving a strong opinion about how he feels about a player. And this time he didn't go too far!

It's not in the usual tradition of smearing a player but instead it was some good old fashioned honesty. It just re-assured that they didn't see things eye-to-eye. Youkilis never wanted Bobby Valentine or anyone else taking Terry Francona's job. He was really close to Francona and even said thank you to him in his letter to Red Sox nation. Bobby V's April comments just gave Youk something else to get mad at.

Bobby will look like the bad guy in this situation regardless of the recent comments but at least he's doing the one thing everyone thought he would do.Youkilis is on the opposing team so no need to defend him anymore. He was a beloved figure but trading him was the right thing to do and it's looking even better now that Middlebrooks is getting back on a hot streak. Once the White Sox leave, we don't have to hear about it about it again for the rest of the year....

Unless they face each other in the playoffs. Then just avoid all sports media altogether.

Rest of the Links: Globe: Middlebrooks was right choice | Youk never got over April remark | Youk sends letter to Red Sox nation | Herald: Firing up Youk | Sox on right road | Beckett fights off flu |   Crawford ready to go for tonight | CSNNE: Remember this? |  Beckett settles down after shaky first | Youk anticipates an emotional return | WEEI: How can Sox be fixed? | Why Cody Ross wants to stay & why the Sox might want to keep him|

Youk's final interview as member of Red Sox

   

WBZ's Dan Roche interviewed Kevin Youkilis before yesterday's game and it proved to be his last interview as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Youk doesn't go into much detail about the inevitable trade, but does acknowledge it will happen. Even with the talk of him giving up the game if his family needed him to, when he is on the field, he plays as if it is the most important thing in his life and you have to applaud him for that. I have been critical of Youk recently, but I will miss seeing him in a Red Sox uniform and I thank him for what he has done on and off the field.

Good luck, Youk!

Your Morning Dump...where Youk no longer has what the Sox need.

             

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 was emotional," Ortiz said. "He's my boy. I've been playing with Youk forever. To see him go like that is not easy. It's part of the game. It's like I told him, 'Go out and do your thing.' "

Ortiz said that word had filtered throughout the Red Sox' dugout just prior to Youkilis' final at-bat that a trade was being completed and the infielder would be exiting the game.

"That was the talk in the dugout, that he was coming in and that he just got traded," said Ortiz, pointing to Youkilis' locker, which was already without the nine-year veteran's nameplate by the time the media entered. "Everybody was expecting that.

"How long was he here for, nine years? It doesn't happen every day. He was kind of mad and upset. I don't blame him. He knew it was coming, but it's still tough."

WEEI:Ortiz: To see Youk go like that is not easy

I attended yesterday's game and there was a feeling throughout Fenway that this was it for Youk.  From the standing ovation in the second inning, all the way down to the triple in his final at-bat, fans were saying goodbye even though  Then the players showing some emotion when he got pulled afterwards which gave fans some truth to the rumors.

But the final nail in the coffin was the tribute video played once the seventh inning ended. It was surreal watching all of this happen and it was a grim reminder that even if a trade is the right thing to do, it sucks seeing a player who has done so much get shipped elsewhere.

And it is good for everyone: Youk gets to play third everyday and is closer to home while the Red Sox give Will Middlebrooks the everyday spot that he has earned and hopefully he'll be able to do better than his predecessor. It's a pretty tough act to follow.

Rest of the Links: Globe: Nice sendoff for Youk | Many will miss Youk| Sox 9, Braves 4 | Herald: Youkilis changes Sox | Ross two good in Sox win |  Middlebrooks takes torch at 3rd | Youkilis trade makes sense for everyone|  Buchholz to DL | CSNNE: Kiss him goodbye | Youk leaves a winning legacy|  Punto, Sox react to trade|  Cook uses right ingredients in second start for Sox |WEEI:  A quest fulfilled |  Ortiz: To see Youk go like that is not easy | What we learned on Youkilis' last day as a Red Sox

Youkilis traded to White Sox

Youk says his goodbye to Sox fans earlier today.  (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

It finally happened.  Kevin Youkilis has been shipped out of Boston, and is on his way to Chicago.

In return for Youk, the Red Sox are receiving two players.  25 year old righty, Zach Stewart.  And 28 year old utility man, Brent Lillibridge.  If you want to get excited about these two guys, whatever you do, don't look at their stats on the season.  Just... just don't.

Lillibridge is expected to join the Sox and continue to do various utility-type things.  As far as Stewart is concerned, Cherington said, "He's a good thrower and looks like he can be a major league starter.  He just needs a little more time in the minors."

As far as Kevin Youkilis is concerned, this is by far the best thing for him.  His time in Boston had clearly expired.  He had a chance to earn his job back from Middlebrooks when he came off the DL earlier in the season, but just didn't have enough to do it.  And with the way Middlebrooks has been playing as of late, Youk wasn't going to be sniffing the field too often.  Now he gets a clean slate, and shifts to a franchise where he won't be under such a huge microscope. 

And, from the sounds of it, it seems like he's ready to go. 

"I just got off the phone with him, he's very excited to join our club and he's got a little edge to him that I like," White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said. "I can't tell you exactly what he said, but he wants to come in and prove some people wrong."

Good for Youk, and good for the White Sox.  Also, good for the Red Sox.  While they didn't exactly get anyone great in exchange for Youkilis, they shipped him off before he became a problem and got at least one player with a shot to have an impact on the club at some point.

Which, unfortunately, is more than we could say for Youk.

Your Morning Dump...Where Youk could be out of Boston soon

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 appears a Kevin Youkilis trade is imminent, as ESPN's Buster Olney reports that two officials involved in negotiations with the Red Sox say a deal could happen "at any time".

According to Olney, the choice for the Sox is down to the White Sox and an unnamed National League team. The Red Sox have reportedly spoken about Youkilis with the White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Braves and Diamondbacks, among other teams, though Arizona is said to be out of the running.

CSNNE: Report: Sox close to trading Youkilis

They are also unsure of what the Red Sox would get in return. I speculate a return of a jar of pennies, a fruit basket nearing expiration, and a one year membership to a "Jelly of the Month" club. The gift that keeps on giving the whole year.

At this point, I don't care what the Red Sox get in return for Youk. The Sox need Middlebrooks in that lineup everyday and can't keep shuffling the infield around much longer. Gonzo is obviously off at the plate, and I am sure the extensive right field play had contributed something to it.

The Sox will have to pick up a huge chunk of Youk's salary in any deal, and again, get almost nothing in return. I am, and everyone else,  should be absolutely fine with that. Whatever it takes to get his ass outta here.

On Page 2, Jon Lester is pretty damn frustrated with his pitching