Boston Red Sox

Tek met with Henry on Friday without Bor-ASS.
Tek set up the meeting.
I really can't see any other team signing him.
He'll be 37 when the season begins and any team that signs him would lose their 1st round pick next year.
He'll probably re-sign a one year deal for about six or seven million loaded with incentives and a club option.

gregkitefan wrote:

Tek met with Henry on Friday without Bor-ASS.
Tek set up the meeting.
I really can't see any other team signing him.
He'll be 37 when the season begins and any team that signs him would lose their 1st round pick next year.
He'll probably re-sign a one year deal for about six or seven million loaded with incentives and a club option.

I'm fine with that as long as he doesn't catch 80% of the games anymore.

He should start no more than 60-65% of the time.

Tek claims that he didn't realize that other teams would have to give up a 1st round draft pick to sign him (after he rejected arbitration) and that it wasn't the decision of Scott Boras. Apparently the Sox were ignoring calls from Boras, so that is why Tek asked for a meeting to "clear the air." I respect Tek, but don't care one way or the other if the sox sign him. They will make a big acquisition this year when smaller market teams can no longer afford big players due to the recession.

On a side note, the sox signed Pap to a 6.25 million dollar contract for the year. Nice pay raise from the roughly 1 million he made last year. Now they just need to sign Bay to an extension.

YourDirtisMyfood wrote:

I liked Aardsma. Who'd we get for Pauley and Aardsma?

For Pauley we received RHP Randor Bierd from Baltimore. Not really sure what his deal is, but Pauley clearly isn't a major league caliber starter. Might as well replace him with a reliever who might be useful in the future.

For Aardsma we received LHP Fabian Williamson from the Mariners. Not major league ready. I guess the big issue was Aardsma's control problems.

I feel we need two good bats and perhaps another starter to be contenders. Smoltz and Wakey baby are still two big questions marks as starts while Drew, Lowell and Papi are big questions at hitting. Can we somehow trade for Mauer with Minnesota now, since there's no way Minnesota can afford him in two years?

YourDirtisMyfood wrote:

I feel we need two good bats and perhaps another starter to be contenders. Smoltz and Wakey baby are still two big questions marks as starts while Drew, Lowell and Papi are big questions at hitting. Can we somehow trade for Mauer with Minnesota now, since there's no way Minnesota can afford him in two years?

Mauer will never leave Minnesota. For no amount of money. Homeboy came up in the farm system, born and raised in The Cities. He's going nowhere.

Stone Is God wrote:

Arcticangel wrote:

YourDirtisMyfood wrote:

I feel we need two good bats and perhaps another starter to be contenders. Smoltz and Wakey baby are still two big questions marks as starts while Drew, Lowell and Papi are big questions at hitting. Can we somehow trade for Mauer with Minnesota now, since there's no way Minnesota can afford him in two years?

Mauer will never leave Minnesota. For no amount of money. Homeboy came up in the farm system, born and raised in The Cities. He's going nowhere.

Thankfully for you he's not a Boras client so if he's happy he might take a hometown discount. I still think if someone is showing him 4 years at $16 million per, it would be hard to pass up. Who knows?[/quote]

I know it's naive of me...but I just believe that people from the midwest (even superstar athletes) don't look at life with dollar signs for eyes.
It was good of the Twins to tie up Morneau for as long as they did (2014 I believe). I think the reason they didn't push as long of a deal on Mauer was that they believe the same things I do...he's going nowhere. Hopefully they won't abuse the trust of my corn fed midwestern boy!

Not sue where the Mauer hopes came from, but, I don't see it happening.

Plus, at some point, he's going to have to move out from behind the plate, he's hurt WAY too much ... actually, isn't he tentative to be ready for this spring training? Thought I saw something about a kidney issue.

Stone Is God wrote:

jimed14 wrote:

Not sue where the Mauer hopes came from, but, I don't see it happening.

Plus, at some point, he's going to have to move out from behind the plate, he's hurt WAY too much ... actually, isn't he tentative to be ready for this spring training? Thought I saw something about a kidney issue.

You're 100% right. He'd be better served to get out from behind the dish. I think his bat is way to important to his team rather than how he is as a catcher.

There's been talks of moving him to 1st and moving Morneau elsewhere...
...but Mauer is very opposed to the idea. He's not budging. He's a great catcher... but in some ways I agree. He had a solid and mostly injury free season...but it seems to go year to year.

PS: Sorry for hijacking the Bo Sox thread!!

gregkitefan wrote:

YourDirtisMyfood wrote:

I feel we need two good bats and perhaps another starter to be contenders. Smoltz and Wakey baby are still two big questions marks as starts while Drew, Lowell and Papi are big questions at hitting. Can we somehow trade for Mauer with Minnesota now, since there's no way Minnesota can afford him in two years?

You must have missed how last year the Sox were 3rd in runs, 3rd in average, 3rd in slugging and 1st
in OBP.
That was with Ortiz and Lowell playing hurt pretty much all year.
But you still think they need two bats????

yes. Both Yanks and Rays got better in the hitting department this year and their pitching will be right there. We can't be complacent with hoping our hitting will come through with what we have. Don't forget we lost Manny at the All-Star break and quite frankly that void was never fully filled (although Bay is a great addition). We need a Hanley/Tex type of hitter added to the lineup in my opinion.