Sign Jeff Keppinger for two years at 6 million total, he will backup Iglesias, Pedroia and Middlebrooks.  

Sign Cody Ross for two years 16 million total, put him in right and bat him in the fifth spot.

Sign Lance Berkman for one year 5 million with another 3 million in incentives.  Stick him at first and let him hit behind Ross and Papi.

Trade Alex wilson, Kalish and Salty for Justin Masterson and Matt Laporta.  Clevland gets a starting catcher, moves Santana to first, kalish to backup OF and a stud prospect in Wilson to groom.  Boston gets Masterson back to slot behind lester and Budhholz.  Laporta can backup at first and the corner OF.  Add a possible mid level prospect to Cleveland.

Lastly make a push for Hamilton, possibly a one year deal worth 25 million with a team option for a second year at 27 million.  

Lineup

CF Ellsbury

2b Pedroia

LF Hamilton

DH Papi

RF Ross

1B Berkman

3B Middlebrooks

C Ross or Lavarnway

SS Iglesias or Keppenger

 

Rotation- Lester, Buchholz, Masterson, Lackey, Dubront

Bullpen- Bailey, Bard, Melancon, Tazawa, Breslow, Acevas, Morales

Bench- Ross or Lavarnway, Cirioco, Keppenger or Iglesias, Laporta,  Gomes

Its a low budget balanced team that can win 90 games if the pitching gets back on track.  The offense will hit, has decent speed and can play to Fenways strengths.

 

I have some doubt that Hamilton will take a deal that guarantees him one year. 

Thats a lot of money for one year, I could see Boston resigning him or having a new deal ready to go mid season if he fits in with the team and city.  PUtting him in front of Papi is an amazing 3-4 combo not seen since Manny and Papi.

My personal feel is spend the money on the OF and say goodbye to Ells, now while you can BC keep the young infield with berkman backing up 1B

Bourn

Ped

J. Upton

Papi

Hosmer/ Berkman

Middlebrook

Salty/Ross

Isglesias/ Ciriaco

Sweeney, Nava, Sands

Upton is going to cost you four prospects, which will include Barnes, Checinni, Brentz and probably another top ten prospect, thats too much for a .275 hitter who hasnt played in a tough division before.  Hosmer is not a guy who will come cheap nor do I think he fits with this team.

Bourne is not a guy who I want over Ellsbury.  If Ells shows his way out the door by July, trade him and restock the farm to make a deal in the winter.  

Bradley will be ready after next year so CF is taken care of for years to come.  Id like them to save their prospects for a top of the rotation pitcher like King Felix.

This year is not the year to go crazy on fringe free agents, short term deals and incentive laiden contracts are what the market is dictating.  Play the market out and wait to trade after next season.  The RS are not contending this year so why waste your money now unless its on Hamilton.  No one else is showing promise like this guy can, he is a franchise player.

I will never figure out the fasination of signing nobodies when you have kids under control for years and can get the same thing out of them! THIS IS NOT FANTASY BASEBALL!

Help me SinceYaz, this board needs a calming figure!

Iggy at short until July, reassess then.

Lav/Ross at catcher until July, reassess then. Get Lav a first-basemens glove and get practicing.

Kalish platoons or is the 4th outfielder.

We fill the 5th spot in the rotation with somneone we already have and then hopefully the team does still go out an aquire a bona-fide leader as the #1.

 

 

Berkmen, Ross, Napoli, BJ Upton, Gomes are not names that make the team any better. That is a .500 line-up on its best day.

josh hamilton has no reason to sign with anybody for one year and will never do so. why would he when someone will pay him well over 100 million. it's josh hamilton who is control not the red sox or any other team. 

fans expecting a miracle overnight are going to be sorely diappointed. a .500 team would be a major step up from last year. patience is going to be necessary. more interested in how they finish two years from now, though as part of that ongoing process one hopes for some solid improvement this coming season.  

can't just trhow out names one owuld like to acquire in trades without realistically trying to gage who you have to give up to get them. teams are not stupid and aren't looking to give up young talent for nothing. the sox have some excellent players in the minors who will be making their way to the big leagues in the next few years. if they are going to be used as trade bait it better be for cornerstone players. 

 

It would be interesting to see what Hamilton (or any player) would do if confronted with a choice between $25MM for one year or $100MM for seven years.

If he took the 1/25 he's only have to have that one good year and he could once again be looking at $100MM, only this time for five or six years.   

In response to S5's comment:

Players prefer years over salary. You can usually offer less $ per year by adding a year or two. Ross wanted 3/25M. I bet 4/25 would haves worked.

This post has been removed.

In response to Promise4you2's comment:

My fanatasy couch potato baseball is getting to the extreme I will be happy with this:

1B trade for hosmer cause of young age and berkman cause we sign him for 1year and he be willing to play back up and pinch hitting

2B Ped and Ciriaco

SS Stephen Drew only if he will sign for 1 year deal and Isglesias will get one year to mature

3B Middlebrooks and Ciriaco

LF Gomes and Nava

CF Ellsbury and Sweeney

RF Cody Ross resign for 3 yrs. and Kalish playing OF field depth and Pinch hitting see what he will do after injuries, Sands is able to fill RF and 1B if need be

C Ross and Salty splitting the duties

DH Papi and Berkman

Starters Lester Bucholtz Marcum Lariano sign both for 2 years Lackey Doubront

Pen to start Morales Acevez Atchison Bard Bailey Melancon Breslow Tazawa sign FA Frasor and Grilli for bull pen safety/injuries, incase either Morales or ? gets the nod to replace an injured starter.

My biggest fear is that the sox go out and do overnight fix, and it blows up in us the fans faces and we have a de ja vu next winter.

If all these prospects that we the fans have faith in will be ready in 2 years. It will take a year to get over this whip lash affect from a terrible season. I will agree give the youth and prospects a year to show what they can do and fix the kink 2014 winter.

All teams will fall and get back up.

In response to Promise4you2's comment:

Promise - there is a shameful number of posters here that seem to be certain that Lavarnway, and Swihart, and Gomez (de pooota madre!), and Cecchini, and Iglesias, and Middlebrooks, and Bradley, and Brentz, and Bogaerts, and Barnes, and Webster, and de la Rosa (the latter two being "farm scraps" according to Stiffy, btw), and Ranaudo, and Owens....and, bless him, I really do wish him well, the aged, hopeless, Pedro Ciriaco, ad nauseum, are all slam dunk MLB studs in 1-3 years.

If 4-5 of them become important players for the Sox that would be amazingly, almost historically, great.....if 6-8 do it, it would rival the early-70s Dodgers for the title of Greatest Group of Prospects Ever.

But let the yahoos rant, vent and vomit stupidity....it costs them nothing, but gives me perverse pleasure in laughing at their absurdity.

 

.

In response to jb12bb's comment:
[QUOTE]

Trade Alex wilson, Kalish and Salty for Justin Masterson and Matt Laporta. 

/QUOTE]


Geesh, you think you really gave up enough to acquire a backup 1B and 5th starter at best?? The Sox should throw in Bogaerts, Brentz and Bradley for these Indian studs.

I bet that deal sounds real good on the Indians message board!

In response to jb12bb's comment:

I wouldnt call 26 yr old, just converted to closer, #15 prospect Alex Wilson a "stud"...Good way to sell it though :)  Boras would like to talk to you...

In response to Promise4you2's comment:

Hey Promise,

Hope you had a good Thankagiving.

I get all sorts of grief for liking, or as some say "overvaluing", our kids...FA should be used to "fill holes". Unless its a complete no-brainer, you keep those prospects and not apply "the grass is always greener" or "win now" and forget about 2-3 years from now type of thinking.

The Red Sox have no plan.

This organization is a complete mess.  It's going to require a major front office overhaul to turn this around.

The idiots running this team are signing clowns (Gomes) and chasing mediocrities (Napoli) that they do NOT need.

Why?  Because they have no plan.

At the very least - sign ellsbury to a 6 year deal.  But no.  They waste cash on Gomes and hope to waste more on Napoli.

It's a complete train wreck of an off season. 

Sign Ellsbury, acquire two starting pitchers and play the youth. 

Gomes is not better than Nava or Kalish.  If the Sox are just going to sign slobs - then forget it.  Play the young guys who at least have the potential to improve!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My guess is Ellsbury and his agent, Scott Boras will want a contract similar to the one Crawford got with Boston (7 years, around $140 million).

Ellsbury is a very good player when he is healthy.

God forbid, the Red Sox are out of it by the trading deadline next July, then it will be best to trade him.  

In response to Ice-Cream's comment:

Oh yes - this is part of the plan - no doubt.  The Sox have no intention of keeping Ellsbury (their best player). 

He will be traded at the break - for "hot" major league prospects.

Just because BC and company arent disclosing their plan, doesnt mean they dont have one...Why would they announce what they want to do? What a dumb azz comment...

In response to EnchiladaT's comment:

.500 is better than the line-up we have now!

In response to southpaw777's comment:

It's clear to everyone in MLB except Cherington, what the Sox need to do. He has no clue. All you have to do is listen to him speak. Nothing but plattitudes!

...and how does that compare to posters with nothing but naysayings?

In response to southpaw777's comment:

Hey Southpaw, was away having another heart attack. Im collecting them like Yaz baseball cards when I was a kid! Merry Xmas