Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump...where Scu Scu Scutarooo wins it for the Giants.

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.

When Marco Scutaro came up to bat with the game tied, two outs and a runner on second base in the 10th inning last night, anyone who pays a lick of attention to all things Red Sox [team stats] understood completely that Scutaro, a midseason pickup by the Giants and last offseason’s salary dump by the Sox to the Colorado Rockies, was going to get the job done.

It’s what he did in his two unspectacular but quietly productive seasons with the Red Sox and what he had shown in his two months in the regular-season as a Giant.

So, yes, Scutaro did his job.

“That’s what makes it so much special, the way we did it,” Scutaro said. “We’re always against the wall and my team, it just came through first series, second series and now we sweep the Tigers.”

Scutaro lined a single into center field that knocked in the go-ahead run in a 4-3 Game 4 victory that gave the Giants a sweep and their second World Series title in the last three years.

Scutaro did it.

Of course he did.

Herald: Scutaro's a champ

Marco Scutaro gets the last laugh. Despite busting his ass last September while the Sox season crumbled around him, he gets dumped in Colorado for Clayton Mortensen. While the rival Dodgers thought that Adrian Gonzalez & Josh Beckett would reverse their mediocre ways, the Giants picked up Scutaro hoping that he'd have a repeat of his late season success.

Sure enough, Scutaro hit for.402 in September to keep the Giants ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West and in the playoffs, he was a gift that kept on giving. Scutaro got a couple gifts out of it himself: the NLCS MVP and a World Series title. Congratulations Marco, you deserve all of the glory coming your way.

 

Globe: Going steady | Herald: Giants beat Tigers in 10 for a sweep | CSNNE: Giants win 2nd title in 3 years | WEEI: Scutaro leads Giants to World Series

Sox shortstop situation is depressing

I don't mean to dampen your mood, what with all the Cody Ross excitement and all (we totally have another outfielder, everybody!), but the Scutaro trade has left us in a bit of a bind.  We knew going into this trade that we were essentially creating a large problem to chip away at another problem.  Although, we all expected the Sox to announce the signing of Roy Oswalt, not Cody Ross.

But it's not until you take a deeper look at the problem we just created in short that you really begin to question this trade.  And Eric Seidman of fangraphs.com has done just that.  Brace yourselves:

In approximately 30 percent of his career plate appearances, Aviles has a very good .350 wOBA against lefties, compared to a .307 mark against same-handed righties. However, those career splits include his rookie 2008 campaign, when he hit .325/.354/.480, put up a .360 wOBA and posted a +11 fielding mark. Suffice to say, he hasn’t come close to those stats since, and his 2009-11 numbers are more indicative of his expected output.

Essentially, the Red Sox have two shortstops that can’t hit, and only one that can field. Plus, the good glove belongs to a 34-year old part-time player that hasn’t played over 100 games since 2009 and hasn’t spent more than 500 innings at the position since 2008. The Red Sox offense will still produce well, especially if Carl Crawford regresses, but it isn’t yet clear that the trade-off of the shortstop position for Oswalt is beneficial to the team. This isn’t a traditional platoon in any sense of the term, and it’s hard to envision how this tandem will pay dividends over the course of a long season.

Replace "Oswalt" with "Cody Ross" and the outcome is even worse.  The only positive to come from this is the "PuntoViles Platoon" nickname Seidman created.  I'm on-board with that.

In fairness, the Sox aren't looking for a triple-crown candidate to fill in at short.  The offense will take care of itself.  They just want a solid contributor on offense and a competent glove in the field.  I think the PuntoViles Platoon can provide just that. 

But I still don't believe the Sox made this move to go after Ross.  Unless they plan on shipping Kalish off for some pitching help, and plan on getting creative to fill the void in Right next year and beyond.  In fact, Jose Canseco has thrown his name into the ring, tweeting that he'd like a tryout with the Sox.  He's only 47.  Surely he has 3 or 4 good years left in his syringe (badum tss!). 

Whatever Cherington's plans are, they certainly can't end with Cody Ross.  But if you need me, until the curtain is pulled back and his master plan is revealed, I'll be over here scratching my head.

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox spend some of the Scutaro money

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...

Boston had maintained an interest in Ross throughout the signing season, but pounced after his asking price dropped significantly -- initially, he was seeking a three-year deal -- and after left fielder Carl Crawford underwent surgery last week to address an arthritic condition in his left wrist. 

They also acted after trading infielder Marco Scutaroand his $6 million salary to the Colorado Rockies, which freed up the money they privately said they needed to have before making additional upgrades. 

Ross’s signing does not mean the Sox have abandoned their pursuit of adding another starting pitcher. They remain in discussions with free agent Roy Oswalt, though a team source cautioned they are exploring other options as well. Barring a trade for someone like White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd, there does not appear to be another option as attractive as Oswalt, who could prove a bonanza if he stays healthy. 

ESPNBoston | Sox add OF with White House experience

First, the pluses.

Cherington got Ross at an apparent bargain of one year, $3 million. With the thriftiness being shown on Yawkey Way, this has to be considered.

Second, Ross appears to be someone who can be flexible, as he will be expected to platoon with Ryan Sweeney in right, and then play possibly even less when Ryan Kalish is ready.

But there are some minuses to this deal as well. For one, if we freed up $6 million of Marco Scutaro to improve other places, is it really smart to spend half of that on essentially a 4th outfielder? Ross comes with the reputation of a lefty masher -- he has a lifetime .912 OPS against southpaws -- but last year he was under .700 against them. Is this an aberration, or are his skills starting to deteriorate?

Alex Speier pointed out yesterday that the Red Sox actually gained $8 million in breathing room for luxury tax purposes (I won't bore you with the math; go read his article about it). In that case, we theoretically have another $5 million to spend. I have trouble believing Roy Oswalt would sign for that, and I don't know that there's anyone out there who's all that valuable beyond Roy.

So now the $170 million team has two platoons at very important defensive positions (at Fenway), an injured left fielder, about 15 question marks in the starting rotation, and a very much unsettled bullpen. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Rays are set for repeat seasons, and the Blue Jays are quietly terrifying. I'm not trying to take this all out on Ross -- he'll probably be a perfectly adequate addition -- but the Sox don't appear to be solving their biggest problems. I would have rather seen them take their chances with a Sweeney/Darnell McDonald platoon for a few months and have more money to flash at Oswalt than potentially eliminate themselves from his bidding just to get the slight upgrade that Ross represents over Darnell.

ESPNBoston | Cody Ross, Red Sox agree | Herald | Cody Ross agrees to sign with Red Sox | Globe | Cody Ross says hello, Red Sox fans | CSNNE | With money to spend, Red Sox sign Ross, target pitching

 

Your Morning Dump...Where we wonder what the Sox will do with $5.5 million

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 need for a proven, innings-eating starter is acute, which could mean ongoing talks with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt could gain traction relatively quickly.

The Red Sox have been very interested in Oswalt the entire winter, a source familiar with those talks said last night, but it remains to be seen whether the new money will go toward an increased offer Oswalt’s way.

Another option could be a trade for White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. The Red Sox believe left fielder Carl Crawford will miss a minimal amount of the regular season due to his recent wrist surgery, so it appears less likely the club will budget the money toward another outfielder.

Herald: Salary dump sends Scutaro to Rockies

Pitching seems like the obvious choice to spend the nearly $6 million made available via the Marco Scutaro trade to Colorado. Well, to be exact, Scutaro is was expected to make $5.5 million in 2012 and Clayton Mortensen will make $414,000. Do the math and we get $5,086,000 and some pennies of newly available cash.

What about the hole to fill at shortstop? Well the Red Sox loved the bullpen-by-committee tactic used around the turn of the century so much, they have brought it back for short.

Punto, a classic No. 9 hitter, is a very good defensive shortstop who can play anywhere in the infield. Aviles, who spent some time this winter playing the outfield, has more offensive upside than Punto. He can also play third base.

That shortstop position has been a fun one to track since July 31, 2004. Congratulations, Nick Punto, you will be the 106th guy to play shortstop for the Sox in the last 8 years. My count may be off, it's all Edgar Renteria's fault.

To get back to the spending of the cash, Roy Oswalt seems to be popping up in conversation as of late. Yeah, he did make an average of $14 million over his last 5 seasons, but he is coming off of a not so contract-friendly season. We sound like a broken record with Roy Oswalt talk, but he looks like the Sox best option. The Sox may have to make a few more adjustments to free up salary to ink Oswalt, or they could surprise us and spend some cash that wasn't made available via trade.

Another name that has popped up recently is Gavin Floyd. Floyd is still under contract for 2012 with the White Sox so he would have to be aquired via trade. The Sox could try to get him for a few no-names and take on most or all of his $5 million remaining without getting some cash off of current payroll. I would be happy with one of those two guys. We'll just have to wait to see if the Sox will pull the trigger on some starters. I love playing the game of "What will the Red Sox do next?".

Related links: Globe: Scutaro dealt to Rockies | CSNNE: Cherington confirms Scutaro dealt to Rockies | WEEI: Red Sox deal Marco Scutaro in preparation for likely run at starter | Providence Journal: Scutaro dealt to Rockies for Mortensen

On Page 2,The Sox and Bard meet in the middle on a one-year deal.

Phase 1. Trade Scutaro. Phase 2. ??? Phase 3. Profit.

 

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The Red Sox and Rockies finally consummated their Marco Scutaro talks, as Scutaro heads to Denver to play second base. In return, RHP Clay Mortensen is heading to Fenway.

Mortensen is 26 and has been relatively lackluster thus far in his career. He did tally a 3.86 ERA in 16 appearances last year, including six starts. According to Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox consider Mortensen a starter, though it's not clear as of now whether that means he'll compete for a spot in the big-league rotation at this point. FanGraphs projects him to put up a mid-4 ERA in a reliever role, although that projection is obviously based on him being with the Rockies.

If you read between the lines (and you don't really have to think that hard), this deal comes down to money. Scutaro is due $6 million and Mortensen is due $400k and can be sent to the minors. The Sox clearly believe their infield is not their biggest problem, and trust Punto and Aviles to hold it down while they spend their $6 million elsewhere.

The Sox are rumored to be after free agent Roy Oswalt, as well as White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, who would obviously require prospects as well. Another name thrown into the mix has been Cody Ross, although the Mets are reportedly making a run at the outfielder.

Oswalt seems the most likely to me. With Kalish waiting in the wings, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend money (and supposedly they have limited resources) on an outfielder. Meanwhile, they must be comfortable with a Punto/Aviles combo at short until Iglesias is ready, so it looks like they'll be throwing their money (if anywhere) at pitching.

Who knows if it makes sense. I suppose we could get a solid year out of Aviles playing close to full time between short and right, and Punto and MacDonald pitching in. But it certainly seems like trying to fill one hole by creating another.

Your Morning Dump... Where the Sox tried to dump Scutaro

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...

Just because the Red Sox [team stats] have not been able to bring in another starter on a major league deal does not mean they have abandoned hope of doing so.

That is why they are still maintaining contact with the agent for free agent starter Roy Oswalt, an alluring remedy for the club’s starting pitching blues. Oswalt may be amenable to a one-year deal worth roughly $8 million.

The fact the Red Sox have not yet made a bold run to lock up Oswalt at that price could be a sign of how close the team is to breaking the $178 million luxury tax threshold.

That could help explain why word spread from the Rocky Mountains yesterday that the Rockies and the Red Sox had spoken about a deal to send shortstop Marco Scutaro and his $6 million salary to Colorado. A low-cost return would likely have been the Red Sox’ goal but the talks fizzled, according to the Denver Post.

Herald - Red Sox still searching

As Scott mentioned last week, Scutaro and Youk are about the only players whose salary we could dump if we wanted to make a run at Oswalt.  And it appears as though the Sox attempted to do just that by offering Marco to the Rockies.  And while I have no real attachment to Scutaro, creating a new hole to plug another isn't exactly wise.  Sure, you could make Punto the everyday short stop (ugh) or slide Aviles in there, or even hand the reigns over to Iglesias prematurely.  But none of those options are exactly appealing.

This does show us that the Sox are in no way content to head into the upcoming season with the rotation they currently have.  Cherington has to be sweating right now, having the fate of his first season rest on the arm of a Cook, Silva or Padilla; not to mention Bard's successful transition from the pen.  But this trade also shows us that the Sox are serious about needing to dump salary to take on a substantial contract. 

But if Oswalt wants to come to Boston (and I have a good feeling he does.  This really is the best situation for him), perhaps he'll be willing to give us a huge discount.  This is a guy that earned $82 million over his past 6 seasons.  Surely he can afford to pitch for $3 or $4 million for a season before cashing in one last time.  What do you say, Roy? 

On Page 2, Manny may actually get a job

Red Sox don't have payroll for Roy Oswalt

The idea of Oswalt coming to the Hub was exciting, but Rob Bradford cautions that it won't happen without a corresponding move. He notes that the asking price for Oswalt is indeed lower than Hiroki Kuroda's $10 million, but that even at a lower figure the Sox won't get involved without moving another salary.

If you look at the Sox salaries for 2012 on Cot's, it's pretty puzzling as to who could be moved to open up room. These are the significant salaries for the upcoming year (I'm weeding out those under $3 million or so) in millions:

• Adrian Gonzalez: $21.857
• Carl Crawford: $20.857
• Josh Beckett: $17.00
• John Lackey: $15.95
• Kevin Youkilis: $12.25
• David Ortiz: TBA
• Daisuke Matsuzaka: $10.333
• Dustin Pedroia: $8.25
• Jon Lester: $7.625
• Bobby Jenks: $6.00
• Marco Scutaro: $6.00
• Jacoby Ellsbury: TBA
• Clay Buchholz: $3.75

They're not moving Gonzalez, Pedroia, Lester, Ellsbury, or Buchholz just to acquire Roy Oswalt. They'd probably move Beckett in the right deal, but it makes no sense to remove a starter to make room for another (worse, older, and more injury prone) starter. I can't see them signing Ortiz and immediately moving him, given what he means to ownership. No one's taking Crawford (and I doubt the Sox are all that interested in selling low anyway), Lackey, Matsuzaka, or probably Jenks without the Sox eating significant money (nullifying the point).

This leaves Youk and Scutaro. Many hypothesized that Youk could be dealt this offseason due to his inability to stay healthy, and that he's just a one-year gamble for another team. Scutaro isn't terribly valuable, but is relatively affordable at $6 million for a year of solid shortstop play. 

Does it make sense to create a giant hole in the infield to make room for Oswalt? With Jed Lowrie gone, we don't have the infield surplus we previously did. We do have Mike Aviles, not to mention the newly acquired Nick Punto and Brad Emaus. It still is hard to imagine. By moving Scutaro or Youkilis, the Sox would be committing to starting two of Ryan Sweeney, Aviles (in right or in the infield), Punto, and Emaus every day, and none of the infielders really play short adequately. That A) isn't very appetizing and B) doesn't leave much room for injuries to other starters.

Sounds like we should file Roy Oswalt into the "Unlikely" folder.

Silverman: Sox bring back Scutaro

The Herald's Michael Silverman tweeted last hour what many were speculating. Ben Cherington's first move as GM was to keep some organizational certainty at a position that has been problematic for Boston.

Scutaro had a .781 OPS (up 60 points on the prior year) in 2011 playing in 113 games. Of course, his health will be an issue as he is going into his age 36 season. The alternatives weren't great. Some thought Jose Iglesias would take the reins in 2012, but he couldn't even crack a .600 OPS at Pawtucket at age 21 this year.

Jed Lowrie can't be counted on to walk to the ballpark without injuring himself, so he's not a realistic option. And free agency? I'd rather not pay for an old (Jimmy Rollins) or brittle (Jose Reyes) option at eight figures a year.

Re-upping Scutaro wasn't a glamorous move, but it was a sound one.

Taking Stock: Jays - Sox series

After each series, we'll be taking stock in each player's...and maybe manager's...performance. If we like what we see, we're buyin'. If we don't, we're sellin'. Or maybe we'll just hold onto our stock until we see more next series.

Jacoby Ellsbury: Ellsbury went off in the first game of the series, going 4-for-5 with a solo-homer and a double. Ells is  riding a 18-game hitting streak and just tearing it up every night.

Dustin Pedroia: Pedey came out firing on Tuesday night, going 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 2 doubles. Like Ellsbury, he followed that night with a 1-for-4 game 2, and kept his average at .300. Pedroia hit the ball hard last night, but most of them were just loud outs.

Adrian Gonzalez: It's hard not to include Gonzo in this category. Gonzalez joined in on the fun in game 1, going 2-for-4, with 2 singles and a walk. Gonzo lead off the sixth inning in game 2 with a homer and left the game shortly after with tightness in his calf. I don't think that will keep him out long or at all.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Salty went 2-for-5 with a double and 4 RBI in game 1. He got game 2 off, and it may have hurt the Sox chances to score a few more runs.

Daniel Bard: I am not sure how much confidence Tito has left in Bard after his performance yesterday. Struggling may be an understatement for Bard's awful performances. In the month of September, Bard has pitched 3 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits, 7 earned runs, and 3 walks. His ERA for the month is 17.18 and opponents have a .313 batting average. This bullpen has very little time to get their act together.

Marco Scutaro: Marco went 3-for-6 in the series with 2 doubles. I know he has a ton of success against his old mates, and I want to make sure he can continue the little tear he was on against the Rays.

Taking Stock: Sox - Blue Jays Series

After each series, we'll be taking stock in each player's...and maybe manager's...performance. If we like what we see, we're buyin'. If we don't, we're sellin'. Or maybe we'll just hold onto our stock until we see more next series.

Jacoby Ellsbury: What has two thumbs, makes all the ladies swoon, and hit 5 doubles over 4 games (not to mention a 3-run home run)?  This guy!  Ellsbury has a 13 game hit streak, went 9-19 against the Blue Jays with 4 RBI's.  The only concern here is that he seems to have forgotten how to steal bases.  Might be time to dust off those "Willie Mays Hayes" comparisons.

Marco Scutaro: When the hell did Scutaro turn into Ted Williams?!  He had multiple hits in every game in the series, finishing with an astounding 11 hits in 17 at-bats.  Oh, he also had 9 RBI's in the series. 9!  With 4 doubles to boot.  Pretty slick in the field too.  It's like this guys in the tail end of his contract year or something!?

Jon Lester: 7 IP, 0 runs, 11 K's.  Win #15 on the year.  No one can doubt Lester's efforts lately.  He hasn't allowed more than 1 earned run over his last 5 starts.  His ERA has dipped from 3.32 to 2.93 over that span.  He's dealing.

Alfredo Aceves: Sure, he only got in on one of the games, but with Beckett spraining his ankle early in a 0-0 ball game, Aceves stepped in and delivered 3.2 innings of one-hit ball.  The Sox ended up losing the game, but once again Aceves was called into an unorthodox situation and rose to the challenge.

Daniel Bard: In the first game of the series he pitched 1.2 innings of hit-less ball.  But no one is going to remember that thanks to him costing Tim Wakefield win number 200 with his 5 run, 3 BB suck-fest on Wednesday night.  That very well could be the low-point of Bard's young career.

Dustin Pedroia: Yikes!  1 hit in 20 at-bats with 6 strikeouts.  The beautiful thing about Pedroia is that this poor series will be nothing more than motivation for him against the Rays.  Expect big things.

Andrew Miller: I don't want to harp on him too much.  As I wrote in the dump, he was never supposed to be playing in the majors this season, let alone pitching in must-win situations.  But, at the end of the day we need him.  And he's just not delivering. 

David Ortiz: Two sub-par games to bookend two stellar games.  In games 1 and 4, Papi finished 1-8 with a walk.  In the other two games he went 6-10 with a HR, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs and 5 runs scored.  Not quite good enough to buy, but nowhere near bad enough to sell.

Adrian Gonzalez: Not a bad series for Adrian, although he did sit out last night's contest.  6 hits in his 13 at-bats, with a solo shot, 3 RBIs, 3 doubles and 5 runs scored.  But like Papi, it just wasn't enough for me to buy. 

Tim Wakefield - Poor guy.  He keeps doing enough for the Sox to get the 'W', and the Sox keep finding a way to blow it.  He's no Jon Lester on the mound, but no one expects him to be.  We're going to hold this guy, softly caress his hair and whisper, "It's not your fault" into his ear until he grabs that 200th victory.