The Red Sox Thread

[JDPNYY]

I genuinely have a hard time distinguishing between the tweets from the "real" Peter Gammons and the Fake Peter Gammons twitter account tweets that you often post here. Actually that would make for a fun game. Post three tweets with the Twitter handle blocked out (two fake, one real) and have us guess which one from the real Peter Gammons.

Agreed 100%. I had the same thoughts.

[4bronxbombers]

I genuinely have a hard time distinguishing between the tweets from the "real" Peter Gammons and the Fake Peter Gammons twitter account tweets that you often post here. Actually that would make for a fun game. Post three tweets with the Twitter handle blocked out (two fake, one real) and have us guess which one from the real Peter Gammons.

Same with me.

[b-ball-lunachick]

Actually, he just needed an adult with him so he could ride the go-karts.

I genuinely have a hard time distinguishing between the tweets from the "real" Peter Gammons and the Fake Peter Gammons twitter account tweets that you often post here. Actually that would make for a fun game. Post three tweets with the Twitter handle blocked out (two fake, one real) and have us guess which one from the real Peter Gammons.

I actually like that as a thread idea as long as people guess without checking.

Same with me.

Me three!

[mhmajp]

I genuinely have a hard time distinguishing between the tweets from the "real" Peter Gammons and the Fake Peter Gammons twitter account tweets that you often post here. Actually that would make for a fun game. Post three tweets with the Twitter handle blocked out (two fake, one real) and have us guess which one from the real Peter Gammons.

Would Mr Coffee or someone please set this game up, STAT?

[Mr Coffee]

Would Mr Coffee or someone please set this game up, STAT?

The problem is neither of them tweet very often.

[ArodEra]

Sox still in on Swisher, according to Edes.

[YankeePride1967]

Ken Rosenthal just tweeted the Napoli deal may be in jeopardy. Today was supposed to be the press conference introducing him. Said physical was done recently. Napoli has appeared in more than 114 games only one time in his career.

[flymick24]

the results are in: he's too hairy

[TommyK8]

If he was signed to play 1B, he wasn't valued as a catcher.

The cost to sign a player is not based on how you will use him. It's based on his value in the open market. Victorino was valued as a centerfielder and Napoli as a catcher. You can argue the Red Sox overpaid for one or both of them based on how they intend to use them, but their value is not based on how the Red Sox intend to use them. It's like if I buy a brand new car intending to only drive it on Sunday afternoons. I may be paying too much for a car I'm going to use that way, but I'm not going to get the car for less because I will only drive it on Sunday.

I think the Yankees signing Youkilis will add some fun to the games next year. I reiterate my prediction that the Yankee fans will soon be liking Youkilis. Well, at least if he produces. If he sucks or gets injured, he will probably be detested more than ever.

[ArodEra]

Wouldn't surprise me if the Sox had second thoughts and now want Swisher instead of Napoli. Seems like a typical, shady Sox tactic.

Either that or his mother's nipples scared them off.

[cptcarl]

They had to give up AGon in order for the Dodgers to take back Beckett and Crawford. So keeping AGod was not a possibility or they'd still have the other two.

This is wrong. A-gon was the price we had to pay to rid ourselves of the Puunto curse. Seriously, yes, "Beckett and Crawford", but that sounds like dumping Beckett and Crawford were equally good quantitatively. The Crawford dump was FAR more important to the future than Beckett. Hell, Beckett could re-surface as a relief pitcher a la Dennis Eckersley. I don't see Carl as anything more than a below league-average player going forward, a 4-5 million dollar player being paid 21 million.

[cptcarl]

Victorino is an overpay. He's also something they absolutely didn't need. They're not contending, and he sure as hell isn't gonna help change that.

It seems to me that they signed (and overpaid) Victorino to become a stopgap Jason Varitek. A tangible, voluble, visible clubhouse leader. A seed crystal from which the young guys can take a compass bearing. Or something like that. I'm not saying it's necessarily worth $39M/3, but I think that's what they had in mind. Pedro Martinez (interviewed during Papi's golf fundraiser this week) seems to agree. (Bostonherald.com)

[False1]

The cost to sign a player is not based on how you will use him. It's based on his value in the open market. Victorino was valued as a centerfielder and Napoli as a catcher. You can argue the Red Sox overpaid for one or both of them based on how they intend to use them, but their value is not based on how the Red Sox intend to use them. It's like if I buy a brand new car intending to only drive it on Sunday afternoons. I may be paying too much for a car I'm going to use that way, but I'm not going to get the car for less because I will only drive it on Sunday.

I think the Yankees signing Youkilis will add some fun to the games next year. I reiterate my prediction that the Yankee fans will soon be liking Youkilis. Well, at least if he produces. If he sucks or gets injured, he will probably be detested more than ever.

You really believe this? Name me some teams that were competing for his services as a starting catcher. Over the last 3 seasons, he's averaged 120 games and just over half of those have been at C. I'd say at best he was valued as a "catcher-lite". I was hoping (but not anticipating) the Yankees would sign him as DH/BUC/1B to add some RH power to the lineup and prevent aging vets from rotating into the DH spot versus taking full days off. I'd imagine he'd carry some extra value given his ability to catch for a spell and potentially free a team from having to carry a BUC, but I don't think anyone was or should view him as a guy who is going to catch 120 games or so.

[Black Sabbathia]

Totally agreed

[ieddyi]

The cost to sign a player is not based on how you will use him. It's based on his value in the open market. Victorino was valued as a centerfielder and Napoli as a catcher. You can argue the Red Sox overpaid for one or both of them based on how they intend to use them, but their value is not based on how the Red Sox intend to use them. It's like if I buy a brand new car intending to only drive it on Sunday afternoons. I may be paying too much for a car I'm going to use that way, but I'm not going to get the car for less because I will only drive it on Sunday.

I think the Yankees signing Youkilis will add some fun to the games next year. I reiterate my prediction that the Yankee fans will soon be liking Youkilis. Well, at least if he produces. If he sucks or gets injured, he will probably be detested more than ever.

So, paying for an 18 wheel semi makes sense even though you're only gonna use it for a Sunday drive? Timmy logic

You've mentioned the " well, you'll love him when he's on your team " meme several times.

No, we won't love him. He's an ahole and always will be. We will tolerate him if he's productive, but will never like him for many apparent reasons. The real jerks on the team have always been dealt with the same way. Sheffield was tolerated, not loved, even though when he played he was very productive

Youkilis will never be liked regardless of production

[YankeePride1967]

Napoli has appeared in more than 114 games one time. He has played first now as much as be has a catcher. Someone who catches on a good year 60 games is not being priced as a catcher, he was priced because before 2012 he had a fee good offensive years. Still an overpay.

[TommyK8]

So, paying for an 18 wheel semi makes sense even though you're only gonna use it for a Sunday drive? Timmy logic

You've mentioned the " well, you'll love him when he's on your team " meme several times.

No, we won't love him. He's an ahole and always will be. We will tolerate him if he's productive, but will never like him for many apparent reasons. The real jerks on the team have always been dealt with the same way. Sheffield was tolerated, not loved, even though when he played he was very productive

Youkilis will never be liked regardless of production

How quickly you forget. Johnny Damon was a despised Red Sox, too. Maybe not as much a Youkilis. We will see how this one turns out.

I never said that the Red Sox got a great deal on either Napoli or Victorino. I said that they paid for them at catcher and centerfielder value. I will agree with False that it's catcher light value. If the Red Sox use them in other places, they are overpaying them even more based on how they are going to use them, but the market value is not set by how a club plans to use a player.

A perfect example of this was when the Tigers gave Victor Martinez the big contract and then said he was primarily going to DH. They didn't get him at the going rate for DH's, though.

[NerfBall55]

I reiterate my prediction that the Yankee fans will soon be liking Youkilis. Well, at least if he produces. If he sucks or gets injured, he will probably be detested more than ever.

Wow, you're really going out on a limb here......

[TommyK8]

Napoli has appeared in more than 114 games one time. He has played first now as much as be has a catcher. Someone who catches on a good year 60 games is not being priced as a catcher, he was priced because before 2012 he had a fee good offensive years. Still an overpay.

He has not played first as much as he has caught. Last year, he was at catcher 72 games and first base 28 games and 9 as DH. The year before, he was at catcher 61 games and first base 35 games and 19 as DH. Only one year did he play first base as much as he caught, and before 2010, he never played first. I will buy the catcher-light label, and it's true that he hasn't had a full-time load in the past, and that's all concerning. The Red Sox paid more in AAV because they limited the contract to 3 years. I also don't think they got a particularly great deal, but salaries are up big time this year.

[YankeePride1967]

He has not played first as much as he has caught. Last year, he was at catcher 72 games and first base 28 games and 9 as DH. The year before, he was at catcher 61 games and first base 35 games and 19 as DH. Only one year did he play first base as much as he caught, and before 2010, he never played first. I will buy the catcher-light label, and it's true that he hasn't had a full-time load in the past, and that's all concerning. The Red Sox paid more in AAV because they limited the contract to 3 years. I also don't think they got a particularly great deal, but salaries are up big time this year.

72 games, that is less than half of the major league season. Saying he is priced as a catcher is wrong. It was an overlay. It is okay to say the Sox overpayed. Just as the Yanks did for the fossil of Youkalis.

[Mr Coffee]

Wow, you're really going out on a limb here......

It could go either way.

[ieddyi]

How quickly you forget. Johnny Damon was a despised Red Sox, too. Maybe not as much a Youkilis. We will see how this one turns out.

I never said that the Red Sox got a great deal on either Napoli or Victorino. I said that they paid for them at catcher and centerfielder value. I will agree with False that it's catcher light value. If the Red Sox use them in other places, they are overpaying them even more based on how they are going to use them, but the market value is not set by how a club plans to use a player.

A perfect example of this was when the Tigers gave Victor Martinez the big contract and then said he was primarily going to DH. They didn't get him at the going rate for DH's, though.

Sorry, just not true. Johnny really fit the "idiot" tag and was basically harmless. He was just not hated for his personality as Youkilis is

[Jerkface]

Most of Napoli's play time is Scoscia related, not performance/injury related. Scoscia's hard on for Jeff Mathis ate into Nap's play time.

[BeantownYankee]

The Red Sox are in serious discussions with Ryan Dempster, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He cautions that there is no deal yet and the LSW Baseball client could still sign elsewhere.

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#uDYwC5Y5tlQ20gov.99

[RenoHightower]

How quickly you forget. Johnny Damon was a despised Red Sox, too. Maybe not as much a Youkilis. We will see how this one turns out.

I never said that the Red Sox got a great deal on either Napoli or Victorino. I said that they paid for them at catcher and centerfielder value. I will agree with False that it's catcher light value. If the Red Sox use them in other places, they are overpaying them even more based on how they are going to use them, but the market value is not set by how a club plans to use a player.

A perfect example of this was when the Tigers gave Victor Martinez the big contract and then said he was primarily going to DH. They didn't get him at the going rate for DH's, though.

No one forgot anything. Damon wasn't anywhere near obnoxious as Youkilis.

Also, you're still wrong about Napoli's value. If there were teams that valued him as a catcher, there would have been better offers out there for him to catch. There weren't, and that's because nobody viewed him as a credible starting catcher. 3/39 is roughly market value for a 1B/DH with Napoli's hitting talent.