The Red Sox have a 51-51 record after taking two of three from the Yankees in New York over the weekend. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Red Sox as they host the Tigers at Fenway Park…
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Aviles have drawn interest from rival teams, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. The Red Sox are looking to add at the trade deadline, but a modest deal is more likely than a blockbuster.
- The Red Sox remain interested in Justin Masterson, even though they saw him struggle in his most recent start, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Indians have told teams they will consider trading Masterson, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2008-09.
- A few teams inquired on Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Red Sox will likely wait until the offseason to seriously consider trading him, Cafardo reports (on Twitter). The Reds asked about Ellsbury, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
- The Rangers have pursued Red Sox players more aggressively than other teams, Cafardo reports (Twitterlinks). Texas has scouted both Aaron Cook and Kelly Shoppach and while Rangers officials have backed off on Cook, they maintain interest in Shoppach.
- Here’s the latest on Josh Beckett.
I’d love to get Ellsbury. The only thing holding me back is that he has shown to be somewhat injury prone. What kind of players does Boston want in return (Remember, though, he is only under contract through 2013)?
He’s had multiple injuries but I wouldn’t call him injury prone (e.g. Tulo). Freak-accident prone, maybe…
major league ready and even if not definitely pitching. could be one of two – a package like homer bailey, todd frazier, and didi gregorous; or if Bostons is patient – Cingrini and Didi
No its gonna cost your best not your excess.
A lot and more than the Reds are probably willing to pay (remember, he’s the MVP runner-up and best position player in 2011)
And I think most teams will point to that as a fluke year. The three years prior to 2011, Ellbury posted OPS of .729, .770 and .485 (injury shortened season), and only has a .686 OPS this year (in another injury shortened season). Boston can certainly ask for the moon, but they won’t get it from anyone. No one’s going to pay for 2011 Ellsbury.
Personally I’d do whatever it took to get Ellsbury in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
1st one was getting ran over by a freight train known as Adrian Beltre and they were going for a pop up down the LF line. Caught him in a vulnerable position, so couldn’t call it injury prone and same with the latest on his shoulder. He plays all out.
But missing 80 games (2012) with a shoulder injury and 144 with a few broken ribs?? This guy is a little too tender. A team making a trade for him assumes a major risk.
Boras client,knows there is a contract coming up in the future and would rather have him not play then put up poor numbers and dilute his value.
The rib thing was supposedly not diagnosed correctly the first time and he tried to comeback early thereby reinjuring it and causing a rift with the medical staff. That also plays into not coming back until he was 100% with the shoulder.
Would rather have him not play then put up poor numbers? Really? Did you read what you just typed?
sorry then should be than.
What? You’re criticizing him because you think he took “too long” to rehab? Are you a doctor or have some other reason to know how long it should have taken? Hamilton missed about half of 2009 with bruised ribs, and Bay missed two months earlier this year with one broken rib (Ellsbury had five). And the Padres put James Darnell on the DL with a shoulder subluxation on May 18th and he hasn’t started a rehab assignment yet, so he’ll be out at least as long as Ellsbury was.
Yeah well seeing as we are still in contention for a wild card, and we plan on competing next year and every year after I don’t think he will be cheap. Josh Johnson has only one additional year but the Marlins are asking the moon, we will do the same. Billy Hamilton would be a start.
In other words the Red Sox are not going to do much of anything, because the front office realizes this is a lost year but won’t admit it to the fans.
Cherington is in the Ruben Amaro situation somewhat…though Ben as a rookie GM may want to prove something and the Phillies’ closest approximation to a Carl Crawford contract is Cliff Lee, who at least has some trade value.
Other than that, admitting defeat with bloated contracts all around is something they share.
I would agree except Cherington is really Lucchino’s puppet in it all, and seems to have little pull. Where Amaro has pull.
If the Reds were to somehow trade for Ellsbury, they instantly become NL favorites. He would be a great fit for them.
Please take Justin Masterson from us…do us a favor , but please take Chris Perez as well. Maybe he will shut his whining, crying mouth!
I’d take Masterson because we know him. We have enough whinners–Aviles-questions every strike called by the umps. Perez has pitched well against the Sox in the past??same guy–a lefty??
I’d love to have Ellsbury in Atlanta. Even if we sign Bourn to an extension, we could put him in LF next year. Our outfield would be awesome in that scenario. Ellsbury, Bourn, Heyward… TITS.
I would absolutely love to see Masterson back in Boston again. They have the people to get him, as in BP pieces the Tribe needs and prospects as well that wouldn’t require any of Barnes, Bogaerts, or bradley.
Masterson has made sense over any other SP mentioned so far. Send them a couple of middle relievers, even a Cecchini/Brentz/Jacobs type prospect.
I would hope enough teams have interest in Masterson that he’s not traded for middle relievers and okay prospects. Masterson would be a great fit on a lot of teams.
Those “okay” prospects on many teams would be listed as their best.. Take the LAD and Chisox for instance…
Jacobs was listed on Sickels top 120 and both Cecchini and Brentz in “mentioned for consideration”
Not saying it wouldn’t possibly take more, but some people Boston has below the “3 B’s” are better than what many teams have as their best and could be used as key pieces in a deal for Masterson.
I wasn’t saying Boston couldn’t put together a package for him…..just that there are many teams who would easily beat what you proposed the Sox should give up for Masterson. I would expect the Cardinals to be all over it if they can give up a couple middle relievers and someone like Zack Cox.
For 1 thing the Indians are loaded with quality middle relief pitchers at every level they are only interested in Rh starter power arms / Lh starter power arms / RH power hitting corner outfielders / Rh power hitting 1st baseman and we will pass on anyone over 25 and anyone not major league ready.
Is that all?
Masterson is the Indians #1 pitcher, it will absolutely take a Barnes, Bogaerts, or Bradley type talent to get him in Boston. A couple of middle relievers? Why would you even want Masterson if he’s only worth a couple of middle relievers (which he’s not, I know fans have a skewed opinion of their own prospects compared to other major leaguers, especially in Boston)?
In no way, shape, or form does Masterson fetch Barnes.
Exactly.. This has been gone over before.. Boston was not willing to include any of those 3 in a deal for JUSTIN UPTON.. WHY would they for masterson??
There is always talk here about Teams protecting prospects and hyping them up.. Well.. Boston is one of the teams that has promoted multiple people FROM their draft corps and has multiple A-Stars (and an MVP) on their roster that they have drafted and as Cleveland knows 1st hand? They draft well.
When they protect people, or refuse to trade them (as in Barnes, Bradley, Bogaerts) there is good reason.
Agreed, JS. Not a chance in heII that the Red Sox would give up any of those 3 in a deal for Masterson. It’d probably take a deal for King Felix to pry one of those 3 out of the Red Sox system.
Then you won’t get Masty back. Oh well, just not the right fit, i guess. I know what the asking price would be and if the Sox aren’t willing to match, the Indians won’t make concessions.
Oh cool, you work for the Indians front office? You seem so in the know.
Masterson has had exactly one really good season, and now he’s gone back to being (almost exactly) the pitcher he was in ’09 and ’10. He’s a good middle of the rotation pitcher, and in no way worth a top prospect. I agree that it would take more than “a couple middle relievers,” but they wouldn’t get one of Bradley, Bogaerts, or Barnes more than one pitcher better than Masterson has been traded in the last week+ and none of them have netted a prospect of that caliber.
Then you won’t get him. The Indians aren’t actively shopping Masterson. He’s available if someone meets their price but he’s under team control thru 2014 so they aren’t desperate to move him, they have to be convinced and if the Sox aren’t willing to move a top 50 prospect for him, then it won’t happen.
Nobody is giving up a top 50 prospect for Masterson. If they do they got absolutely hosed; he’s not worth that kind of prospect.
Don’t act like Masterson isn’t good because you don’t like the price. The only other players that might fit what the Indians are looking for is Lavarnway and Brentz. Lavarnway doesn’t really fit positionally and the bat hasn’t been a massive disappointment considering his bat has to carry him. They drafted Brentz out of high school as a pitcher so i’m not sure if they’d be interested in him as a hitter and his approach doesn’t fit the Tribe’s mold. The rest of the top prospects are too far away from the bigs….. it just might not be a good trading fit.
I never acted like he wasn’t good, in fact, I specifically said that he was good, but he’s simply not worth that kind of prospect. For his career he’s got a 4.02 ERA and a 3.85 FIP (and a 3.90 xFIP, 3.90 SIERA, and 3.99 tERA. All of that suggests a ~4.00 ERA pitcher), that’s a pretty good #3 pitcher, but take out his single really good year (which he hasn’t been able to reproduce this year) and he’s averaged a 4.34 ERA and a 3.99 FIP in his non-career-years; still a decent #3, but neither one suggest he should be worth a top 50 prospect.
He’s not worth a top prospect, that’s ridiculous. He’s not on par with Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, James Shields, even Josh Johnson or any other ace type in trade rumors.
Boston can’t keep thinking it can do patch work to fix a sinking ship. Masterson? Really? The little things with Francona, Epstein and even Youk leaving signaled a changing of the guard and this team needs a rebuild fast. If they were smart and just bowed out of this AL wild card race (which they should) and just trade away people for prospects, they’d arguably have the best farm system in baseball then. Sometimes you need to just step away to fix up the team before you can compete again but clearly cherington is trying to keep up the hype built up by epstein.
It will be interesting to see who the Sox would play in CF if Ells is traded. I would like to see them consider Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the Sea Dogs AA affiliate.
Bradley won’t be considered a potential starter next season until after the all star break and probably not unless there’s an extended injury. The Sox would either try a platoon in center or try to sign someone cheap.
Pretty sure Kalish/Podsednik would round out the season out there.
Possibly. But I only see the Sox trading Ells if they get a solid starter out of the deal.
SWP, I agree with both you and Karkat. i don’t see Ells being traded until the off-season, if at all. IMO, trading Ellsbury now would be tantamount to the Sox running up the white flag on the season, which I don’t think they dare to at this point.
But if Ells were traded now or in the off-season, I think that some combo of Kalish, perhaps Podsednik, or who knows who else, would cover CF until JBJr was ready, which as you are liley correct would be after the ASG at the earliest.
I agree that it probably makes more sense to shop him in the offseason if you’re going to shop him, but I don’t see any reason not to listen to offers at this point if people are making them. If you can get a deal that makes sense right now, I think you absolutely do it; a combination of Ross, Sweeney, and/or Kalish can cover CF for the next ~year until JBJ is ready (I really think Bradley is ready by this time next year and you can get by without Ells until then if you can get a good enough package for him).
Maybe Beckett/Crawford for Lee?
The Mets need a catcher, what will it take to bring Saltalamacchia to the Mets?
They won’t trade Salty. Shoppach more likely to be dealt so Lavarnway can come up
I don’t think that Salty would be traded mid-season. I could see him being traded in the off-season, presumably meaning that Lavarnway would get the starting catching job.
but they can get more for salty and have shoppach back-up lavarnway
Sweeney out of the game – Trade coming?
Is he not still recovering from something that Bobby might’ve wanted to rest him? I can’t keep all the injuries straight anymore.
Per Abraham – No trade. Just replacement.
lol, false alarm, the man punched a door and broke a finger. I guess it was Kevin Brown impersonation day.
Shoppach would be a nice addition for the Nationals but it doesn’t seem like Rizzo is going to do anything.
Shoppach would probably be a nice catcher for anyone desperate for a starting or backup catcher right now.
Masterson at a fair price coming back to Boston would be interesting
Ellsbury not going anywhere,,, Salty is staying too,,,Aviles,Cook,Shoppach, Nava, Bard, I can see getting traded Beckett oh I wish we could even get a bag of golf balls for him his attitude sucks and he is a cancer on the team. Sox are slowly purging themselves of the trouble makers that are on this team Youk is gone Beckett they want gone, Lester if he don’t straighten up he will be consider to be traded and everyones favorite Big Papi i doubt will be coming back next year Boston loves him and he has been a big part of the community but no one man is bigger then the team and he needs to realize that.
Hope you’re right Mike 🙂