Welcome to the Red Sox, Clayton Mortensen

OK, show of hands, Red Sox fans.
How many of you heard of Clayton Mortensen before today?

I can't raise my hand. He's 27 years old and has been bounced around a few times.

He had a 9.42 ERA in 64 innings last year... in AAA.
That's disconcerting.
But he pitched OK for the Rockies in 16 games.

And he was a decent enough prospect in the A's and Cardinals system that maybe he can be a decent arm out of the pen.

I for one am sad to see Marco Scutaro go. I liked him. He played hard and played anywhere on the infield. Plus it is fun to hear Boston fans say "MAH-co."

In fact because this trade happened on the Eve of the Patriots/Ravens game, I am guessing that most Sox fans missed this trade... and come spring training when Jose Iglesias is struggling, a bunch of Sox fans will say "Wheh is MAH-co?"

And when informed that he is with the Rockies in exchange for Clayton Mortensen, the general response will be "WHO?"

And then there will be a frantic Google Search that will lead you all to this page.

Good luck, Clayton. You need a nickname.
Pitch well and we'll forget MAH-Co.

Padilla joins the Sox... hide the booze

After a year when booze and dysfunction in the pitching staff destroyed the Red Sox season, what better way to turn the page than bring a guy with a reputation of disruption, drinking and who shot himself.

OK, fine it is for one season and maybe he has his stuff together.
I just wonder if he would have fit in with Lackey, Beckett and Lester's in game toga parties.

It's odd, however. He's been accused of being too drunk to pitch in the 2002 All Star Game by some people, thus making it end in a tie.

He pitched 2 innings that game. Only Curt Schilling, the game's starter threw more pitches on the NL team that year. A 15 second internet search led me to that information.

Welcome to the Sox Vincente.
Try not to party too much.

Hey Red Sox... sign Omar Vizquel

I am dead serious. Bring him on board. How much would he cost the Sox? $1 million? $2 million for one year?

The Red Sox have wisely stayed away from this year's free agent class with the exception of Nick Punto who isn't exactly a superstar. He's there to give the Red Sox some infield depth.

But why not bring in Omar Vizquel as well?

One of the last remaining players from the 1980s is still floating out there. Why not tack on a 24th year to his career?

And what would his main purpose on the team be?

To start some games at short and help break in Jose Iglesias. What better mentor could the Red Sox shortstop of the future have than possibly the best defensive shortstop of all time?

And one who literally can say "I've been in the major leagues longer than you've been alive!"

Vizquel played 143 games in 1989.

Iglesias was born in January 1990.

Having Vizquel as depth and an unofficial coach could only help the Red Sox as they build towards 2013. $2 million to help develop the shortstop of the future is a bargain.

Compare that to the $44 million spent on Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo.

And with 2,841 hits, the Red Sox can watch him creep slowly to 3,000.

Combine that with Tim Wakefield needing 6 wins to tie and 7 to pass Roger Clemens and Cy Young for most ever wins by a Red Sox pitcher, you could have two of the slowest and most painful build ups to a baseball milestone ever happening at the same time!

And seeing that I don't think the Red Sox are winning squat in 2012, why not have THAT reason to go to the park?

Come on Sox! It's not like he's going to cost the Red Sox a draft pick or a long term deal. Bring him on board!

Besides, if he makes it to the Hall of Fame (which I think he will) then there will be another plaque with "Boston (A.L.)" on it. And that's not bad.

I'm Sully and I approve this off season for the Red Sox

The Red Sox had post season dreams that fell just short... like Carl Crawford's diving attempt on the last play of the season.

The manager is gone. The closer is gone. The Captain may have played his final game.
A new GM is in charge but undermined by the owners.

It's time to make tons of changes to the Sox, right?

NO!!!!

I have been advocating that the Red Sox take a step back and heaven forbid REBUILD FROM WITHIN.

Let the Angels cough up years and picks for Albert Pujols. And 5 years for C. J. Wilson? Gee whiz I wonder if they will regret that.
Let the Marlins pony up cash for Jose Reyes and a closer like Heath Bell.
Let the Rangers pay Yu Darvish's posting fee.

Jimmy Rollins? He belongs in Philadelphia.
Carlos Beltran? It's amazing that he syncs up his best season in years with a free agency stint. Have fun in St. Louis.

Aramis Ramirez? Mark Buehrle? Grady Sizemore? Jim Thome? Jason Marquis?

Who in that group is a good long term answer for the Red Sox?

And who is left in the free agent market? Prince Fielder? Roy Oswalt? Edwin Jackson?

And forget the trade market.

Yeah the Red Sox could have had Trevor Cahill or Gio Gonzalez.

But Cahill cost Arizona some of their top prospects including Jarrod Parker, their phenom pitcher who made a cameo in the post season.

And Gio Gonzalez cost Washington some of their best young players.

The Red Sox don't need to empty their farm!
They need to try out as many PawSox as they can.
The Red Sox need to fill in holes and they don't need to do it with high priced free agents, blockbuster trades that send the future packing and surrendering draft picks.

The Sox are making smart moves.
Mark Melancon? Not sexy but talented and can help in the pen.
Nick Punto? Won't make many headlines but gives the Sox some infield depth,
Kelly Shoppach? OK, he can't hit. But how can his bat be worse than Varitek's now?

Don't be worried about making noise for December 2011.
Focus on turning the page and seeing what the team needs.
Pile up draft picks and see what gems are hidden in the system.

Let the Marlins, Angels and Nats make the splash now.
I'm thinking about 2013 and beyond.

Keep up the good work of not doing anything big.

It's not going unnoticed by THIS Sox fan.

I'm glad that Ortiz will be with the Red Sox for 10 years

David Ortiz will be the DH for the Boston Red Sox in 2012.
At least there will be THAT stability and reminder of the championship seasons.

And he'll be a member of the Red Sox for at least part of 10 seasons.
It's a nice round number and a lot of great Red Sox players recently never got to 10.

Mo Vaughn lasted 8 seasons in Boston.
Pedro Martinez was with the Red Sox for 7 seasons.
Nomar Garciaparra was traded during his 9th season.
Manny Ramirez was dealt in the middle of his 8th.
Jonathan Papelbon gave the Red Sox 7 seasons.
Derek Lowe pitched all of or part of 8 seasons.

10 is nice.
Nice round number.
And with Varitek and Wakefield not guaranteed to come back, Ortiz could become the longest tenured Red Sox player.

And hey, he's still kind of productive if not all pumped up the way he used to be.

Flaws and all, I will always love Big Papi.
Glad it has been a decade.

Bobby V, The Lobster and Arnie Beyeler

OK, Bobby V is coming. The Red Sox are Valentine's team now. And the idea that it will be a calm player friendly environment is as likely as the Red Sox retiring Grady Little's number.

I think there is only one way Bobby Valentine's authority can work in Boston: Give him TOTAL authority. Make it clear that it is indeed his way or the highway. Take away as many obstacles as possible of people to challenge him.

Normally I think it is positive to challenge authority. But bringing in Valentine means a change in the culture, and that can't be done in a half assed manner.

It HAS to be Bobby V's ship. No "That's not the way we did it before."
Otherwise they just should have kept Francona or promoted one of his lieutenants.

Which brings a challenge regarding The Lobster.
Readers of Sully Baseball know that I believe Jason Varitek's nickname should be The Lobster.

The Red Sox captain is a free agent right now and the reasons to bring him back are hard to find.

He brings a tiny bit of power to the plate and he hasn't as awful as he was in 2009 when his .209 average and .703 OPS led to the Victor Martinez trade. But he has become subpar offensively.

The traditional arguments to retain The Lobster are his ability to call a great game and his leadership skills.

Well his game calling and handling the pitching staff didn't help the Red Sox in their historic nosedive. The pitchers all had ERAs with area codes and game plans seemed to change from pitch to pitch.

And his leadership skills didn't get Beckett, Lester or Lackey's act together when the team needed them more than ever. If it was indeed Francona's team and Varitek's clubhouse, then that needs to totally change with the arrival of Bobby V.

In a way, Varitek would be a relic of the Francona years and one that could possibly act as a tension point to the new manager.

Varitek could represent the classic "It's the way we do things around here" barrier.
And of course Bobby V is the "If that way was so great, then why was I hired?" counterpoint.

If the Lobster returns, and it isn't for his bat or pitch calling, then what else could he offer except a place for the veterans to turn to when Bobby V gets under their skin (which he will)?

So yeah, I am advocating that the Red Sox 14 inning win in the Bronx on September 25th be Varitek's last game as a player in a Boston uniform.

Now the Red Sox are not exactly a sentimental organization. Just witness how quickly Nomar, Pedro, Lowe, Foulke, Damon, Bellhorn, Embree, Manny and Papelbon were shown the door when they were considered to be done. Ask Theo and Tito how cute and cuddly the Sox are.

So Varitek just might not come back and turn up being a backup catcher for the Yankees for all we know.

I think they should keep him in the organization, but away from Bobby V.
How can they do that?

Drive 45 minutes south of Fenway and make Varitek the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Seriously, his playing days are done and putting The Lobster on Bobby V's coaching staff could be a recipe for disaster.

Manage the top farm club. Help the pipeline of young players up to the big club, be part of the organization and let Bobby V put his own stamp on the team.

And if (when?) Bobby V implodes and the situation becomes intolerable, he can be let go and Varitek can take over the club with managerial experience and familiarity with the young players he managed and the veterans who he played with.

All that is good, but where does that leave Arnie Beyeler, the current PawSox manager?

Make him the one provision for Bobby V. "You can pick your entire coaching staff except you need to bring Arnie Beyeler in."

Beyeler has been in pro baseball as a player, scout, minor league coach and minor league manager since 1986 but has never made it to the majors. He's not about to make waves.

Stick him as the first base coach and Bobby V can have his own bench coach, third base coach, hitting coach, pitching coach and bullpen coach. And that way the young players who played in Pawtucket last year will have a familiar face.

So let's review what this does...

Bobby V would have real control of the team (and why hire him if you don't give him control?) The remnants of 2011 leadership would be gone.

The Lobster Varitek would remain in the organization and build up his credentials to come in and bring back some 2004 and 2007 magic if Valentine doesn't fit. But we also would avoid seeing him clash with Valentine and continue to erode at the plate as he approaches 40.

And Beyeler gets to contribute at the major league level after more than a quarter century of dues paid.

Makes perfect sense to me.
Which is why it probably won't happen.

There's only two ways the Bobby Valentine era can turn out

Well, Bobby V is coming to Boston. I wrote earlier that I was fine with either Valentine or Sandy Alomar Jr. at the helm of the Red Sox.

So I can't complain.
It's a short term solution, but maybe the whole "He was gone but now he's back to prove he can still do it" mentality could work its magic the way that Jack McKeon had in 2003 with the Marlins or Jim Leyland gave the Tigers in 2006.

Or it can be a disaster like Davey Johnson with the Dodgers or Dallas Green with the Mets or Jim Leyland with the Rockies.

The Fried Chicken Crew didn't respond to super classy, totally lovable, two time champion Terry Francona? Well try Bobby V... a man who has been wrong exactly zero times in his life.

Just ask him.

A veteran team with a know it all outsider coming in as manager could be either a brilliant move or it could be a biggest bomb than the last decade of Nicolas Cage films combined.

So the Red Sox are either going back to the World Series or about to crash and burn in a way that will make us nostalgic for September 2o11.

Either way, it won't be boring.

Valentine or Alomar?

It is looking more and more like Bobby Valentine will be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. I can't say I am all for it or against it.

Obviously if Valentine comes in, I will root for him to do well.
I always thought that Bobby V was a fun and entertaining manager who did a good solid job in Queens. Remember the post Davey Johnson years were a wretched dumping ground of bad free agent signings, bloated expectations and losing seasons.

In 1993, the Mets were the worst team money can buy.
They had 6 straight losing seasons before Bobby V arrived.

They went from 91 losses to 88 wins in Bobby's first full season, 1997. By 1999 they were in the NLCS. By 2000 they were in the World Series.

He had one losing season and was out the door.

Which is telling. Bobby V rubbed people the wrong way. He was a know it all and didn't seem shy in telling people of his great knowledge.

And lest we forget he disguised himself to sneak back into the dugout after he had been ejected. I still think that is one of the funniest moments in baseball history.

Bobby did all of that in the cauldron of New York just as the 24 hour sports news cycle and the internet became influential.

I always felt like Bobby V should have taken over a franchise that had some talent but was a small enough media market that he could become a revered figure. Basically a crazier Tony LaRussa.

And he seemed to love the respect he got in Japan during his years of managing there. Maybe a team like Kansas City with their young talent could be Bobby V's domain. Actually I thought the Marlins were an ideal fit for him, but that is Ozzie land now.

Then again, as I wrote last year, Bobby V can take his time. He has a great job on ESPN and is terrific on the air where being a Know It All is a positive thing. (And if he gets something wrong, no team lost because of his decisions.)

It would take a great job to lure him out.
The Red Sox would certainly be a high profile job. And with Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Gonzalez and Lester still around they have a nice foundation.

I think the Red Sox are 2 years (and probably 8 pitchers) away from being a true pennant contender again.

Then again, how many people had the Tigers winning the 2006 pennant when Jim Leyland arrived?

It is an intriguing potential signing. And would be worth every penny if for no other reason than the post game press conferences will be awesome.

But I find Sandy Alomar Jr. to be an interesting potential manager as well.

He caught in the big leagues for 18+ seasons, making the All Star Team 6 times and he would have been the World Series MVP in 1997 if Jose Mesa could have held onto the lead.

As a catcher for nearly 2 decades in the big leagues, he called games and was brought in to mentor young catchers with the White Sox, Rockies, Rangers, Dodgers and Mets.

He has experience as a instructor, a coach and a bench coach.

In other words for a quarter of a century he has been thinking baseball strategy on the major league level. And he has the on field success to back up his instruction.

And he also beat Mariano Rivera in a playoff series. Just saying.

SOMEONE will be the recipient of that positive baseball knowledge. Why not the Red Sox? Sandy Alomar Jr. is a man who was raised in a baseball family with a Hall of Fame brother to boot!

Who can hear "Sandy Alomar Jr." and think "What the hell does HE know?"

Bobby Valentine is the best choice to win NOW. I personally don't think the Red Sox are going to win now... but I didn't exactly pick the Cardinals last year or the Giants the year before that!

I think Sandy Alomar Jr. is the better long term choice.

I guess I will be fine with either one.

Then again, I would have been fine with Kevin Kennedy coming back too.