SB Nation - Boston Red Sox

SBN Baseball Awards: Cy Young

Randy Booth — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:28 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

7 months ago: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke delivers to the Seattle Mariners in the second inning of a spring training baseball game in Peoria, Ariz., Sunday, March 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Now we're getting to the big boy awards.

We've given away our Manager and Rookie of the Year awards, but today we reveal the winner of the Cy Youngs.

Maybe there will be a shocker. Maybe us bloggers found out that Zack Greinke doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Or maybe Tim Lincecum's pot bust made us all revert our votes and give him 3rd placers.

Maybe, but probably not.

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	C.C. Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

Did I vote for Lester? Perhaps. I honestly can't remember. But hey! He was in the hunt!

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadephia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

Marijuana does a body good, apparently.

Change 'Dem Sox!: Jim Thome A Red Sox In 2010?

Randy Booth — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:38 -0000

by Mark Avery - AP

2 months ago: FILE - In this May 25, 2009 file photo, Chicago White Sox's Jim Thome watches the ball fly after hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Thome from the Chicago White Sox on Monday night, Aug. 31, 2009. Also joining the Dodgers' lineup is right-hander Jon Garland, who came over from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The deals were announced in the top of the eighth inning of the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game, with both trades completed before the midnight EDT deadline required for postseason eligibility. (AP Photo/Mark Avery, File)

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There are so many things wrong with Jim Thome going to the Red Sox that as I propose the idea, I'm also going to talk myself out of it.

It sounds messed up -- and it is -- but follow me on the journey, won't you?

Let's just get the obvious out of the way in reasons why the Sox and Thome aren't a match:

Can't play defense. The only person that doesn't play defense on the Red Sox is David Ortiz. Do we need two Ortiz-like defenders? One is bad enough.
Might have better offers elsewhere. He could probably be the starting DH for a lot of American League teams, including the White Sox, who could bring the slugger back.
Lefties dominate him. OK, dominate is not the word for a player with 564 career home runs. Let's just say he's not as good against lefties as he is righties.

Randy, you made a good case against yourself. Good job. Now let's turn the page and talk about why Thome could be a fit with the Red Sox.

First of all, Thome is a slugger. Even at the age of 38 last season, Thome hit 23 home runs in 107 games with the White Sox. He had an .891 OPS before the All-Star break last year. It doesn't matter who the batter is, we'll take that. While his batting average might not be the prettiest, he can still put good wood on the ball.

Thome is also a perfect candidate for the Sox because he has a fantastic batting eye. His lifetime .404 OBP (with a .277 batting average) would make him fit right in with players like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, Victor Martinez and, potentially, Jason Bay (and hopefully whoever our new shortstop is).

OK, he can hit for power and get on base. That's a good combo. What else? He's going to be cheap. He made $13 million last year in his time between the Dodgers and White Sox, but I will guarantee right now that Thome will not sign for more than $5M this offseason. There is no way. If he does, I will change my avatar to Evan Longoria for one month. And I hate Evan Longoria.

Signing Thome would be kind of like the Sox signing John Smoltz, Takashi Saito and Brad Penny last year. Three guys who are obviously past their primes, but Theo Epstein still sees that they can contribute somehow. Well, Penny did all right -- he wasn't a complete bust. Smoltz was a complete bust. And Saito was great. So if Thome's between Penny and Saito, I'll be happy.

Thome would be great insurance for the Sox if David Ortiz decided to hit like David Ortiz pre-June 2009. If Ortiz falters, we can stick Thome in the lineup on occasion and, hopefully, he doesn't falter. Thome is like the white version of David Ortiz ... and I really can't see many more differences than that, to be honest.

The only thing that would make Thome better is if a) he hit lefties better (that way, Ortiz smashes righties and Thome smashes lefties -- a great combo) and b) Thome could really play defense. But then again, if Thome could do both of those things, he would be going for more than $5M this offseason.

With Thome, the Sox would get a power hitter off the bench that has a great batting eye (not to mention a great clubhouse guy, from all reports). The downsides are the fact he's older and can't play defense, but he'd provide substantial pop off the bench and could help the Sox if anything happens to Ortiz in 2010.

Call me crazy, but I'm pulling for Randy to be right in this debate.

Poll

Who's right in this debate?

SBN Baseball Awards: Rookie Of The Year

Randy Booth — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

Could this guy win SBN's Rookie of the Year for the AL? Maybe.

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With Manager of the Year out of the way, we turn our attention to Rookie of the Year awards voted on by SB Nation bloggers.

In the American League, will a late run by Rick Porcello give him the nod? Or will consistent Elvis Andrus earn enough votes to take the award? Andrew Bailey, anyone?

In the National League, Andrew McCutchen dazzled, but can he earn more votes than valuable arms in J.A. Happ or Tommy Hanson?

Results after the jump.

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

No votes for Daniel Bard?! No way?! (As dirty as he was, that's sarcasm. He needed a little more work -- like Bailey -- to earn some votes). Interesting to see Andrew Bailey earn more first place votes than Elvis Andrus, but he comes in second by just two points.

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

More interesting voting results: Andrew McCutchen and Chris Coghlan earn more first place votes than J.A. Happ, but he still takes second place. Tommy Hanson won this one pretty easily.

Tomorrow we will see results for the Cy Young.

Jason Varitek Player Option? REMIX!

Randy Booth — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:55:46 -0000

[Note by Randy Booth, 11/10/09 2:02 PM EST ] According to the NESN report, Varitek reported that he will pick up his option, not necessarily that he had picked up his player option. We could see Varitek officially pick up his option today.

OK, so maybe Jason Varitek isn't back in Boston yet:

Contrary to a report, Theo Epstein just said that Jason Varitek has not yet picked up his option . That could come tomorrow, however.

The buried Ortiz jersey

Travis G — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:34 -0000

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Remember the construction worker who buried a David Ortiz jersey in the cement of the new Yankee Stadium? How's he feeling about now?

Since the Yankees moved into the supposedly jinxed ballpark, three things have happened: David Ortiz was exposed as a PED user, he had his worst year season since joining the Red Sox, and the Yankees won the World Series in their first year at the new digs.

There's just one thing to say to Gino Castignoli... thanks!

Jason Varitek Will Exercise Player Option

Randy Booth — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:07:45 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox batter Jason Varitek heads back to the dugout after striking out to end the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in New York. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is at left and home plate umpire Bill Miller, right, signals the strikeout. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Per NESN:

NESN learned on Monday night that the 37-year-old Varitek will exercise his $3 million player option for 2010 that includes up to another $2 million in incentives. The move is expected to be formalized on Tuesday and will keep Varitek with the Red Sox through at least the end of 2010.

With the incentives, Varitek would earn an additional $400,000 for starting 80 games in 2010 and another bonus for every 10 starts thereafter.

No shocker, but it did seem to come kind of quickly.

Red Sox Exercise Victor Martinez's 2010 Option; Decline Jason Varitek's

Randy Booth — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:38:40 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Jason Varitek unsuccessfully tries to lay down a bunt in the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Monday, July 20, 2009. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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The Red Sox have officially brought back Victor Martinez for the 2010 season, while declining the team's 2010 option for Jason Varitek.

No shockers here. V-Mart came to the Sox and just simply mashed the ball. There was no doubt he'd be back.

With Varitek, only one option exists now: his player option. The team option was worth $5M -- an option that only would have been exercised if Varitek won the MVP in 2009 (OK, that wasn't a steadfast rule in the contract, but it essentially would have to happen). The player option is worth $3M. This gives Varitek the choice to come back or test the free agent waters.

Now we all know the smart thing for Varitek and agent Scott Boras is to exercise the player option. However, we saw Varitek and Boras do the very unsmart thing last year and decline arbitration and opt for free agency. Dumb. Will they make the same mistake twice? Who knows.

Sox Bargain Gets Cheaper: Wakefield Agrees to 2-Year Contract

USG — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:03:40 -0000

More photos » by Eric Shelton - ASSOCIATED PRESS

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield delivers to the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Eric Shelton)

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Thanks to Drugs Delaney for breaking the news here on OTM.

Long said to be one of the best bargains in baseball, Tim Wakefield's perpetual $4 million team option will not be picked up for the first time since 2005. Instead, the Red Sox today signed him to a two-year deal worth $5 million with incentives thought to be worth a maximum of $2 million. Those 2 years should gives him a good shot at taking over some team records--not a surprise, given his lengthy tenure with the team.

For the Sox, this deal not only shaves off about a million dollars from their 2010 budget, but more importantly, given its frontloaded nature ($3.5 million in 2010, $1.5 million in 2011) gives them salary relief to spend on the impressive 2011 free agent class.

Red Sox re-sign Tim Wakefield

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:18:23 -0000

More photos » by Eric Shelton - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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WEEI.com's Rob Bradford is reporting that the Red Sox have come to terms on a two-year deal with pitcher Tim Wakefield.

The new contract will pay the 43-year-old a guaranteed $5 million — $3.5 million in ‘10 and $1.5 million in ‘11 — with the opportunity to earn various incentives that could bring the package’s total worth to approximately $7 million over the two years.

The signing comes after the Red Sox declined his 4 million dollar club option for the 2010 season. Wakefield, who underwent surgery on a herniated disk, is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

He is just three wins away from tying the record for most wins by a pitcher in a Red Sox uniform, currently shared by Roger Clemens and Cy Young at 192.

Red Sox announce several decisions

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:46:41 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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The Red Sox announced that they will decline catcher Jason Varitek's 5 million dollar club option, but the option gives Varitek a 3 million dollar player option to exercise if he so chooses.

Varitek hit a disappointing .209 with 14 home runs, and will lose even more time in 2010 with Victor Martinez playing catcher full-time. If he is looking to play everyday, he would be smart to decline the option and move on.

Speaking of Victor Martinez, the Red Sox announced that they have exercised his 7 million dollar club option for the 2010 season. Martinez hit .336 with a .405 on-base percentage after he joined the Red Sox. The 30-year old catcher could be in line for a long-term deal in the next couple months.

In other Red Sox-related news, infielder Nick Green and outfielder Joey Gathright both elected for free agency after the Red Sox outrighted them off of the 40-man roster.

Green played shortstop for the Red Sox for a majority of the season, but only hit .236 in 103 games with 6 home runs. Green is scheduled to have back surgery and likely won't receive any contract offers until he shows signs of improvement from the surgery.

Gathright made the Red Sox postseason roster after only making 30 at-bats, finishing the year with a .267 average. He likely will receive minor league offers as well.