Email a copy of 'Red Sox Notes: Castillo, Ortiz, Ross' to a friend
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By Steve Adams | at
Email a copy of 'Red Sox Notes: Castillo, Ortiz, Ross' to a friend
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DarthMurph
Backup catchers hitting below the Mendoza line typically don’t get midseason extensions, but nice try Ross.
start_wearing_purple
Actually I can see them keeping him on as a mentor for Vazquez.
Steve_in_MA
You mean Swihart. Vasquez is simply too anemic at the plate to survive as our starter.
Jeff Hill
Actually he could be a mentor for both. I see Swihart as the starter going forward with Vazquez being the next Ross. I think that Ross is a perfect comparison for Vazquez. Doesn’t have a high hit grade but he has a superb glove and arm grade.
DarthMurph
I can too, but he’s not getting it until after the season.
Jeff Scott
“Nice try”? That’s kind of cynical. I think he’s just being honest. He’s been around for a long time. He knows what he is and what he’s not.
Mikenmn
One thing that Ortiz has never lacked is a healthy sense of self-worth.
LazerTown
Wrong link to Christian V. It’s Vazquez not Vasquez
Doubt Ross gets extended. He has been pretty bad in Boston. They either need to decide if Vazquez is a starter or if they need a real starter.
LazerTown
I think asking $40MM over 2 years is a bit outlandish for him this offseason.
Beltran was 3 years younger last offseason, had a 131 wrc compared to Ortiz’s 132 wrc, and could actually play the field if needed. He still has value, but I have a hard time seeing that high a price for a DH on his age 39-40 seasons.
start_wearing_purple
Teams like Boston and NY can get away with paying aging stars who made their career with the team larger contracts because their leadership and marketability are intangibles that add to their value. I’d also argue that it shows a decent amount of good will to other players.
Steve_in_MA
2 years at $40MM would be quite outlandish. Ortiz is a one-dimensional guy. He’s a DH who can’t even run the bases any more. His open market value, after being slapped with a Q/O, might be as low as $10MM per season, and no more than $12MM per season. Now, how many teams are going to give up a 1st round pick and pay Papi 8 figures for him to do nothing but hit .275, drive in 100 runs and knock 30 out. The market for his services is very small, perhaps miniscule. Bradford way over-assesses Papi’s leverage.
Tom King
Vazquez not Vasquez
andrey
I will go on record as saying that you should not offer multiyear contracts to players past a certain age. So no mistake was made with Ortiz, no matter how well he has done.
Alphonso Soriano had 31HR, 101RBI and 18SB last season and was released this year. You never know when an older player is going to lose it. There is no reason not to go year to year on their contracts.
Chris_RG
Isn’t it about time the Red Sox pull the plug on Middlebrooks? Aside from the high-BABIP 2012, Middlebrooks has stunk, which is no real surprise to me considering his plate discipline issues in the minor leagues. (which is why Javy Baez struggling so mightily is not remotely shocking to me)
Jeff Scott
As a Red Sox fan, I want Ross back. I don’t care about his batting average, he’s a backup. His impact is beyond a mentor for catchers. Red Sox are going to have lots of young arms and Ross is great with pitchers. There’s a reason Lester wanted to throw to Ross and only Ross this year.
Unless you find someone who is a clear and undeniably impactful upgrade willing to serve in that role….don’t underestimate his value. There is no point in pursuing someone with marginally better stats in limited action at the expense of Ross’s knowledge/attitude/intangibles.