Entries Tagged 'Hot Stove' ↓

Over the course of the year, Curt Schilling made it perfectly clear that if the Red Sox didn’t extend him, he’d test the free agency waters. So, it seemed a bit - how should we say … pushy - that he’d officially file his papers the morning of Boston’s World Series parade through the city.

Schilling has thrown a lot of good things Boston’s way, but he’ll need to see some good things tossed his if he’s going to stay.

Don’t get us wrong, Schill was definitely soaking it all in Tuesday, videotaping the parade while kicking back in a “We Did it Again” shirt on a duck boat. He was a prominent part of the promenade, and made no bones about the fact that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Still, doesn’t such a quick move, when he had plenty of time to file the papers, seem like a bit of a “F-you” to GM Theo Epstein? And why, exactly, if Curt wants to stay in Boston so badly, would that be a good move?

We’re puzzled by it. In his weekly Tuesday morning spot on WEEI, Schilling was gracious and made it clear that a return to the Sox would be by far his top choice. Still, he also made it clear that, “It’s entirely possible that I’ve played my last game for this team.”

On his 38pitches blog, Schill has already enumerated a list of teams he and his family would approve of signing with. Naturally, as he’s committed to throughout the season, there’s no Yankees on the list, but there seem to already be classes of teams forming in his mind. Perhaps subconsciously, Schilling lists the first 5 teams (Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia) alphabetically, then does the same with a second flight before tacking Milwaukee on to the end (guess he doesn’t want to pitch for the Brewers, huh?).

Considering the fact that he’s just looking for a one-year deal, it’ll be interesting to see which of those teams bite. Clearly, the Indians and Tigers are only a pitcher away. If that. Schilling could walk into either clubhouse and be slotted as the No. 3 starter right away, with the offensive production behind him to make a huge difference. The same can be said about the Angels, though to a lesser-degree. Anaheim clearly needs more offensive pop, but Schilling has always pitched like dynamite there, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they made a run at him.

The Mets and Phillies are perhaps the most intriguing clubs among the top list. Both would require a move back to the NL, but that would make Schilling that much better. It’s possible that he might get another four, five extra wins out of such a move, assuming he stays healthy. And, naturally, a move to the Mets would fill in the gap left there by Tom Glavine, while also reuniting Schilling with Pedro Martinez, and tension in the process.

That’s where things get truly intriguing. It’s possible that the Mets or Phillies (who could REALLY use a Schilling return) would be willing to throw $12-13 mill at the Big Schill, the number he was searching for in the preseason. There’s no way Epstein is going to match that. But what if Epstein offers Schilling $8 million? Would he be willing to take the $4 million pay cut to stay in Boston and finish his career with a “B” on his hat? It’s hard to tell. Only Schilling truly knows the answer to that question, and he’s not telling anyone.

One thing seems almost certain: The Red Sox will offer Curt something. And at least a couple of other teams will offer him something, too. Probably more than Boston will. That’s where rubber will meet the road, and we’ll find out if Schilling meets the road, too, based on his decision.

– Cameron Smith, 38 pitches photo graphic

He just couldn’t help himself.

Curt Schilling was out of the spotlight. His team was finding a way to win for two straight days, pushing across enough runs against the woeful Tampa Bay Devil Rays to cruise after surviving a four-game series against the AL West leading Los Angeles Angels. Of course, Schilling was part of that earlier survival, winning his start while teammate and prospective Cy Young candidate Josh Beckett lost his.

Curt Schilling was doing a good job of staying in the background … then someone asked him a question again. Does anyone have some duct tape to shut the guy up?

In short, there was no need to bring attention to himself. But like he has so many times, Schilling couldn’t help himself.

Instead, here’s what Schilling said on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI, via the Globe’s Gordon Edes:

“They asked me about it,” Schilling said of his appearance on WEEI. “It’s not a big deal.

“It’s one of those situations you’d certainly have to look at. Knowing that I’m probably going to spend one more year playing, if circumstances happen and things happen and they made some moves that were positive, I’d love nothing more than to finish my career working on a pitching staff where I know that there are young guys that are going to be positively impacted by me being around [after] I was gone. I enjoy that. I love working and talking and being around young pitchers.”

Schilling also mentioned that he used to have a home in the area and would welcome a return.

“I love Tampa, I love the area, I love everything about it,” he said. “I loved living down there.”

How’s that for a wild turn of events? Schilling is willing to go pitch for Tampa, a place which clearly could use him? When can Tampa not use an ace starter, right? The answer to that question, of course, is never.

But there’s a bigger question here: why did Schilling have to say anything at all. He didn’t, and the only reason he did was in the interest of selfish campaigning for a future job, likely all to give himself more leverage in negotiations with the Sox. Just think about what Schill was really saying in that quote: 1) I’m willing to go play for a team that’s not a contender, so forget about the nonsense that I won’t jump for a rich payday on a losing team, 2) I’m willing to go pitch for another team in the division, 3) I’m not at all wedded to the idea of staying with the Sox at any lowball cost.

Of course, item No. 3 could be a total smokescreen, and it’s entirely possible that Schilling staged this whole farce thinking that Theo Epstein will blush and then be more likely to sit down with him sooner rather than later. Everyone knows Schilling would love nothing more than to end in a Red Sox uniform. To go out a winner on a winning team. To pad his stats in Boston to make a Cooperstown case and then put on a hat with a B at induction ceremonies.

But look at the situation from Epstein’s perspective. Why would he need an aging Schilling again next year? Just check out the prospective starting rotation without him next spring: Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz. That quintet would be largely dependent on Wakefield not retiring, but it seems like the guy is going to pitch until he’s damn well 50 years old, so we’re not betting on him taking a leave of absence.

It’s likely that nest season’s Red Sox rotation will belong more to young hurlers like Jon Lester than it will an aging Schilling.

Instead of paying a whopping $12-14 mill for another year of Schilling, Epstein - ever the shrewd financial negotiator - could re-ink a swing man like Julian Tavarez that could start of work out of the pen, keeping a man ready to move into a starting roll at the first sign of injury. Kyle Snyder might work even better. Then there’s the additional pitching prospects quickly working their way through the ranks. Rookie Nick Hagadone looks sensational in A and could be ready for a Buchholz type appearance by the end of next season. And that’s not mentioning players like Justin Masterson, perhaps the quickest rising arm in the Sox system, or Daniel Bard, the former North Carolina star who may finally be getting himself on track.

So Epstein and the Sox don’t really need Schilling. Would he be a nice luxury? Absolutely. Is he a necessity? Not at all.

That just serves to make Schilling’s comments Tuesday, well, all the more self-serving. It’s frustrating to watch a guy who would be a team’s playoff ace, on a team that is all but certainly headed for October, campaign for a future job somewhere else. It has to be hard for his teammates to watch.

Then again, they’re more than used to this crap by now. Senator Schilling has spoken, and in doing so, he may have moved closer to switching party allegiance.

– Cameron Smith

Today could be a truly seminal moment for the Red Sox, with the departure of a man who was to star in the Hub coinciding with the arrival of two supernovas in full development.

Jacoby Ellsbury is just one major draw in today’s day-night home doubleheader against the Angels.

Barring a shocking development, we have seen the last of Wily Mo Pena in a Red Sox uniform. The utility outfielder with hardly any utility has been stuck in a backlog of outfielders, behind more productive and well-rounded players with larger, long-term deals. It’s been clear that his future in Beantown wasn’t long in the offing for a good two months, but that didn’t get him moved at the trade deadline. Since then he’s been a light headache and a nuisance, saying that he wants to play and should have been trading, then backing off the statement and claiming it wasn’t a demand. All in all, he’s been an unabetted disaster.

That’s quite a contrast to the player who will take his place in the second half of the day-night doubleheader with the surging Angels, ace center field prospect Jacoby Ellsbury. The part-Navajo speedster from Oregon has bounced back from a groin injury in AAA to hit .412 with a 12-game hitting streak. It’s hard to keep numbers like those out of the major leagues.

Fittingly, Ellsbury was an instant fan favorite in his earlier call-up to the bigs, grabbing cheers for undaunted hustle - he scored from second on a passed ball!! - and well-rounded defense and slap-hitting. Let’s face it: The guy hits like Johnny Damon. He runs like Johnny Damon. He fields like Damon … with a better arm. Most intimidating of all, he even looks a little like Damon. It’s truly eerie.

As excited as fans will be to see Ellsbury back in a lineup, they may be even more excited about the much-heralded debut of Clay Buchholz in the opener. The diminutive fireballer has more strikes than any other minor leaguer, and his start comes with as much excitement as any in recent memory. Certainly, last year’s Jon Lester debut comes to mind. But Buchholz has more of a power arm than Lester does. He runs over batters with his fastball, then pulls out a nasty curveball and a change up that keeps batters guessing. He’ll have his work cut out for him against the Angels lineup and John Lackey, but a number of fans are sure to be confident of his success, before he even gets started.

Clay Buchholz is ready and rarin’ to go. Watch out, this could be the start of a whole new era.

Understandably, Buchholz and Ellsbury are all the talk of the Hub. But as much as the spotlight may be rotating toward two new subjects, it’s departure from another is a stark realization of the failure of a trade. While Bronson Arroyo has drooped into true mediocrity in year two in Cincinnati, Wily Coyote has been a true disaster for the Sox. For better or worse, that ends this morning.

– Cameron Smith

Hi everyone. Sorry for this morning’s delay, but the fabulous Sox Nest admin site was getting some cosmetic surgery last night, but kept us from a TMA (The Morning After) post this morning. Crushing I know. But have no fear, we’ll work the Sharon Stone photos in some other evening (you know that was a Sharon Stone win. You know it.). But, we couldn’t go the day after a trade without acknowledging some of the best contributions in the local press. So, away we go:

Eric Gagne looks good in red, doesn’t he?

BOSTON GLOBE

Papelbon approves of move - Gordon Edes has been all over the Eric Gagne trade like a hyena around spoiled lunch meat. Today he talks about the role Jonathan Papelbon played in encouraging the move, and how excited he is to have a fellow uber-closer in the pen.

Winning move by Gagne - Daniel Malloy covers the Gagne press conference, and may have the vocab word of the year so far when a drops a “patois” on us in reference to French in the clubhouse.

BOSTON HERALD

Red Sox stage uprising - Game story of the day? Has to go to the Herald’s Michael Silverman, who meshes Kevin Garnett’s first pitch with Kevin Youkilis’ great play.

Pedroia shifts into third gear - Steve Buckley didn’t just seem to write four articles for today’s Herald, he did write four articles. The best of the bunch is this short of Dustin Pedroia, which is why the diminutive second baseman is rapidly approaching Trot Nixon status with the fans.

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Gagne says waiving no-trade clause easy - Still haven’t had enough Gagne? Try some Carolyn Thornton on for size. It’s not Malloy’s piece, but it’s not bad, either.

– Cameron Smith

Remember folks, this is just the facts. Just the facts, maam.

But first things first - Who the hell is pitching? Seriously! Does anyone know! Tim Wakefield on short rest (please!)? Big Lebowski Tavarez (ugghhh!)?

OK, well, Tavarez it is. Someone go get the TUMS.

Oh boy. Here we go again.

And will someone besides Big Papi actually hit a little? It’d be a nice change guys. It really would.

OK, here’s the stats, ala’ Baseball Reference

NOTABLES

- Let the record show that Baseball Prospectus is predicting a Tavarez start. They were right. Uggghh.

- Two bombs for Big Papi in one night? Maybe those knees are feeling a little better.

- Manny “Being Manny” Ramirez seemed a bit off last night at the plate. Maybe Erik Bedard had his number. Tonight he gets Steve “I’m not quite 50 … yet” Traschel. That seem like a mismatch to anyone else?

- Where, exactly, has Mike Lowell been the past two weeks? It’s like Dr. Double fell off the face of the earth.

- Decent odds we’ll see the Eric Gagne debut tonight one way or the other, don’t you think? Current over-under of time until someone comes out with t-shirts with facial hair on it is 2 weeks.

– Cameron Smith