This is just in response to the nay-sayers and scolders of my last post:

Mets Hurting;Red Sox-Mets Potential Trade

(http://www.majorleagueblogging.com/major-league-baseball/mets-hurtingred-sox-mets-potential-trade/comment-page-1/#comment-1100).

There were a few scolding comments, however, the idea was again brought up via MetsBlog.com (probably the top Mets Blog). Matthew Cerrone (author and site creator) had this to say:

…lastly, i’d have to think long and hard about what can be had for Jose Reyes, whose ultimate potential i am starting to lose faith in… last month, Boston talk-radio host Danny Picard suggested on his blog I’m Just Sayin, that, in the off season, the Red Sox should offer RHP Clay Buchholz, top prospect RHP Michael Bowden, OF Jacoby Ellsbury and SS Jed Lowrie to the Mets for reyes… this would be super tempting, to say the least…

Obviously, this is A LOT to give up for Reyes and that good of an offer won’t happen, but Buchholz, Bowden, and Lowrie for Reyes+… I don’t see how that couldn’t happen (before Reyes’ injury). Hopefully his injury isn’t catastrophic and if he’s back in time healthy by the deadline, I can see such a deal being at least talked about, and I want credit.

The Baltimore Orioles. A good offensive fantasy baseball team. But that’s about it, unfortunately. They’re a Pitching Staff and a Bullpen away from a playoff spot – and 3 top MLB teams as well (Red Sox, Yankees, Rays -probably respectively). You have to absolutely love their lineup (i’ll include Matt Wieters of course over Gregg Zaun):

1-Brian Roberts/2b: According to ESPN Player Rater (http://games.espn.go.com/flb/playerrater?) he’s the 3rd best 2b as of now. Probably more like the 5th or 6th best, but still top notch in r;sb;295+avg

2-Adam Jones/cf: ranked 10th overall by ESPN Player Rater. Enough said. HR/SB + R/RBI + 315+Avg?!

3-Nick Markakis/rf: top 45, but Avg should raise and make him top 25

4-Aubrey Huff/1b: i’ll take him and his rbi on the O’s for one more year

5-Melvin Mora/3b: should put up acceptable #5 hitter stats in this lineup

6-Matt Wieters/c: I’m sure you already heard the Evan Longoria at 3b comparisons

7-Luke Scott/dh: 3 hr and 7 rbi in his last 2 games back from shoulder injury

8-Nolan Reimold/lf: top 6 prospect for the O’s (3 hr the past 3 games; 5hr in 53 ab’s)

9-Cesar Izturis/ss: Bleh. Sorry.

Their rotation consists of (for the most part): Jeremy Guthrie; Koji Uehera; Rich Hill; and then a sundry of guys. Their pitching prospects (that rate from B to B-) are David Hernandez; Troy Patton; Chris Tilman; Brian Matusz; Jake Arrieta; Brandon Erbe; and Zach Britton.

So the question is, what should/can they do? Honestly the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays should be great for years to come with their payroll availability, players, and rotations (minus payroll for the Rays of course). This year (although only 6 games outs), they probably don’t have a chance. Not without a solid rotation or bullpen. They have the third worst ERA in all of baseball.

I think they have some pieces other teams should be interested in that are more than expendable: Felix Pie/of, Ty Wigginton/if, and Gregg Zaun/c. This first tier probably won’t yield many good players in return. The next tier consists of Aubrey Huff/1b, Jeremy Guthrie/sp and maybe Melvin Mora/3b. They have 7 pitching prospects that are generally rated b- or better.

Aubrey Huff + Jeremy Guthrie to maybe the Mets could work out. The Mets should be looking for a 1b/of replacement for Carlos Delgado and an additional SP that can be more consistent than Oliver Perez, Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding, and Jon Niese. I think Huff + Guthrie can net the Orioles a group of Tim Redding (a MLB starter); Jon Niese(sp) or Brad Holt (sp); Reese Havens or Wilmer Flores (ss); Joe Kunz(rp); and Jefrey Marte(3b) or Ike Davis(1b). This deal provides them a young sp for Guthrie plus a needed relief arm along with someone who can at least pitch for them now (Redding). In addition, it provides the Orioles with a 3b and ss for when Mora and Izturis are done/not worth it. As a Mets fan, I think it’s a bit much, but I’m attempting to be realistic. I’d rather the Mets go for Nick Johnson/Nationals for cheap and keep Daniel Murphy in LF. Honestly, I just want the Mets to get another Ace and forget about everything else – especially if the Phillies end up landing another SP.

Unless the Orioles want to trade Wieters+ to Boston, since they would love the Catcher, for Clay Buchholz + Michael Bowden – if the Red Sox or Orioles would even do that, obviously, Wieters should be untouchable. A deal like this, however, may make them a contender this year or next. The Red Sox rotation is probably deep enough: Beckett; Lester; Dicek; Penny; Smoltz; Wakefield; Masterson to maintain pace. A rotation of Guthrie; Ueherea; Buchholz; Bowden; Hill + Prospects looks pretty good.

So in my fantasy land, if I was the Orioles GM, I would perform the following trades:

In about 2-3 years, the team could then potentially compete for the AL East or at least the Wild Card. Else, at least the Orioles should enjoy watching their only 4 current bright spots for years to come (Roberts; Jones; Markakis; Wieters) with hopeful pitching prospects.

In an emotional night during which Nick Adenhart was honored, Boston dropped to the lowest you will see them all season—last place—after a 6-3 loss to the Angels.

Tim Wakefield was solid through six, giving up three runs on six hits, but Jered Weaver was better giving the Sox only one run—unearned—through 6.2 innings. After a rare poor performance by Justin Masterson in the 7th, a two run 8th could not pull the Red Sox out of the hole.

Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia had a hit in three at-bats, a sign he might be coming out of his slump. Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4 as he continues to tear the cover off the ball. It seems like him and Pedroia are evening each other out. For every line drive in the gap that Youkilis hits, Pedroia hits a line drive right at someone, like his scorcher into the glove of a leaping Chone Figgins.

I didn’t tune into this game until about the 4th inning since I wasn’t very pumped up for baseball after a 5-4 OT Bruins win over the Canadiens on Thursday which was Boston-Montreal at its best and ugliest. After the disappointing game on Friday, I’m still not very pumped up for baseball. I’ll still probably watch the game on FOX though, unless I go to the Boston Blazers fan fest at TD BanknorthGarden. Post-opening week April is always a dull time for me, especially when both the Celtics and Bruins are doing so well. Come the Yankees series on the 24th I’ll be back into it.

Red Sox Notes

Brad Penny makes his Sox debut today.

Jed Lowrie is just 1 for 11 so far on the season.

After three poor games against Tampa, Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 in Friday’s game.

Sox color commentator Jerry Remy fell ill before the game, leading NESN to bring in some guests to the booth, my personal favorite being the always entertaining color commentator for the Angels, Rex Hudler.

The Red Sox and Rays wrapped up a three game series in Boston today. Tampa hit three home runs off of Daisuke Matsuzaka, one in each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4thinnings. A two run shot coupled with two solo shots turned out to be all the Rays needed offensively, winning 4-3.

Matt Garza pitched well for the Rays, going seven innings while giving up just one run on an RBI triple for Jason Bay. He exited with the lead, which the bullpen held in the final two innings.

The Rays entered the bottom of the 8th with a three run lead before a two out RBI double by Mike Lowell brought the Sox within two runs. In the 9th Jason Varitek got his second home run (and hit) of the season that just cleared the bullpen wall and Ben Zobrist’s glove. After a Jacoby Ellsbury flyout and a nice pick and throw of a Dustin Pedroia line drive, David Ortiz drew a walk, putting the tying run on board. Kevin Youkillis then popped out to former Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler in center to end the game.

The Sox head west for two three-game series against the Angels and Athletics starting tomorrow. Tim Wakefield will get the ball for the first time this year and George Kottares will get his first start of the season. Jered Weaver gets the ball for Anaheim.

With their young veteran Scott Kazmir on the mound, the Rays looked like AL Champions against the Red Sox. Jon Lester went only five innings giving up eight hits and five runs. The ‘pen gave up two more as the Sox fell to .500 on the year after a 7-2 loss.

Scott Kazmir pitched well for Tampa going six innings giving up just five hits and one run while walking three and striking out four. The Rays bullpen held the lead despite JP Howell giving the Red Sox a great chance before Grant Balfour got out of the jam in the 8th and hanging on in the 9th for the save.

At the plate Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford both had three hits and an RBI each while Carlos Pena hit a two-run home run to cap a 4-run 5th for Tampa that put the Rays in front. Former Ray Rocco Baldelli went 1 for 4 in his Red Sox debut. Kevin Youkillis was the only member of the Boston lineup with more than one hit, going 3 for 4 with an RBI.

Home Plate umpire Bob Davidson had a very wide strike zone tonight. It usually is not that big of a deal, but the comments on redsox.com’s recap are putting the blame for the loss on him. Despite not being very pleased with his strike zone, I am not about to say the loss was his fault. The only reason it seemed like he was favoring the Rays was because they caught on to it quickly, something the Sox failed to do. They realized that if they threw to the outside corner they would get an easy strike, while the Red Sox didn’t pitch accordingly. But in better news, the Yankees are now 0-2 and in last place, a position they usually find themselves in early in the year before they begin a tear. Despite this, we can’t take anything for granted.

The rubber match between the clubs is set for 1:35 later today. Matt Garza squares off against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Both teams look to gain ground on the first place Blue Jays and Orioles (not quite as strange as saying the same about Tampa a year ago, yet still very odd)

A rainout pushed opening day back to Tuesday, but it couldn’t stop the Red Sox as they beat the Rays 5-3.

Josh Beckett pitched seven innings of 2-hit baseball, allowing just one run. He also set down ten Rays by Way-of-the-K. Despite two walks in the 8th that turned into runs by Okajima, Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Rays for the rest of the ballgame.

Dustin Pedroia got the offense off on the right foot in the 1st by pulling a knee-high pitch into the Monster seats in left. The Red Sox would get the bases loaded later in the inning but they failed to score. Tampa Bay would tie it in the 3rd but the Sox would strike for three runs in the bottom of that inning and led the rest of the way. Jason Varitek also added a solo shot in the 6th to make it 5-1.

Despite having regular season baseball to watch on Monday, it just wasn’t the

Sen. Kennedy, a lifelong Sox fan threw out the first pitch to Jim Rice.

 same without the Red Sox. Management had a great day planned for the game. Sen. Ted Kennedy threw out the first pitch to Hall of Famer Jim Rice, Johnny Pesky declared “play ball”, and the Red Sox entered the field from the stands. NESN even had a new theme and opening for the 2009 season. The players’ entrance was a little cheesy, but Kennedy’s pitch was very inspirational, despite Rice catching the it from only a few feet away.

The Sox and Rays go at it again tonight at 7:10. A pair of lefties, Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir take the mound for their respective ballclubs. Lester is 4-0 lifetime against Tampa but he was 0-2 in the playoffs last year. Kazmir is 6-7 against the Red Sox and 4-4 at Fenway Park. Former Ray and Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli is expected to be in the starting lineup, most likely replacing JD Drew,  to get a right handed hitter in against the southpaw Kamir.

It looks like Red Sox Nation has to wait one more day. The pouring rain (and a thunder clap I just heard) has washed out the Sox-Rays season opener. I always thought the Red Sox owners were geniuses but not psychics. They had an off-day scheduled for tomorrow in case rain did indeed fall, and the game is now slated for 4:05 on that day. Now I’m stuck watching (and being tortured by) the Indians and Rangers playing in a warm, sunny afternoon game that all baseball fans know and love.

The decision to postpone the game came just after 10 a.m. despite clear skies at the time. The Red Sox took advantage of the sun to take some BP and infield drills after the announcement was made public. Beckett and Shields will throw tomorrow.

The Sox and Rays aren’t the only ones to lose their Opening Day games, as the White Sox and Royals are also postponed due to what I’m hearing as snow.

Our fans look forward to this unofficial Red Sox Nation holiday each year, and we want to make sure that they are able to enjoy the full experience including both the special pregame ceremonies and a full nine innings of play,” Owner Larry Lucchino said. “We reserved an alternate rain date for tomorrow for just such adverse circumstances as present themselves today.”

What foresight by the Sox.

The regular season begins tomorrow, but only for the  Braves and Phillies. The rest of us have to wait to Monday, but with showers in the forecast, the Red Sox and Rays may need to wait longer. In an ALCS rematch, James Shields and Josh Beckett are scheduled to pitch at 2:05 on Monday.

In Boston, the offseason hasn’t been nearly as long as in, say, New York. This year, despite a football-less January, the Celtics continue to push for a repeat, and the Bruins have been simply dominant and both of those teams may be playing in June. Even our new lacrosse team, the Boston Blazers, has had a great year, and they could clinch the playoffs with a win tonight against Buffalo. Baseball has seemed to be an afterthought since December. Once the season starts that is all going to change, and NESN is going to lump the Bruins on their plus channel with the Red Sox on the regular network, as it always does in April.

Rain or no rain, I’m just glad the Red Sox are getting back into action. They got their first game at a big league park yesterday, opening up Citi Field with the Mets, despite a rain delay in the 6th. Yet, I wonder why they opened up Citi Field instead of the new Yankee Stadium, like they did with the old one in 1923. I guess Major Leauge Baseball would rather the first Red Sox game at the Stadium to be a regular season game and really, who can blame them?

One of my friends told me today that they don’t think David Ortiz is very happy with the Red Sox. I don’t think he is, but some of his comments do seem a little less upbeat than in previous years, not just with the Red Sox failing to improve the lineup, but with Major League Baseball and the steroid issues too.

Ortiz is very important to the Red Sox’ lineup. If he isn’t happy the team will suffer, though not to the same extent it did with Manny last year. Ortiz only hits, unlike Ramirez who hits and plays left. Manny is also a more dangerous hitter than Ortiz because he has no weaknesses in his swing, unlike Papi who isn’t strong to the opposite field. Ortiz will only hurt the club’s lineup because he is less of a clubhouse headache. Manny quit on the Sox in 2008  and caused trouble internally, while Ortiz just doesn’t have that kind of mindset.

Ortiz’ performance will suffer if he is unhappy, so the Red Sox may want to deal with this now, even if there is nothing going on with him. Better be safe than sorry.

I realize this isn’t a very important post, but it’s a slow news day so far in Red Sox Nation.

*Cough cough* no. Joba is good, but he isn’t All-Star good. Yet. And the Yankees rotation isn’t very dominating. CC Sabathia was grossly overpaid and pitched well in the inferior NL. He will be lit up by every AL East team other than Baltimore, not to mention other teams in the AL. And does anybody remember how the Red Sox lit him up in 2007? I sure do.

Heh heh heh...

Wang is also good but he isn’t as good as the media has portrayed him as.Wang is also very hittable. Burnett had one good year—2008, a contract year. He was also well overpaid and he has never pitched under pressure. Chamberlain has great stuff but he has never pitched out of the rotation in the big leagues. 5+ innings is much different from the 1-2 innings he pitched before. And he will get thrown out many times if he continues to act the way he likes to—throwing two straight pitches at a batter’s head, like with Kevin Youkilis. And Pettite is old. He will be average at best this year.

But the Red Sox rotation is a different story. This rotation has the perfect balance of youth and veterans. Josh Beckett is both young and a veteran and he should have won the Cy Young in 2007. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been incredible in his two years in the Majors and he can only get better in his third year. Jon Lester is only the best lefty in baseball, and therefore must be better than Sabathia. Brad Penny should put together a solid year or better and John Smoltz is proven to be a terrific pitcher and a big game pitcher. Tim Wakefield is statistically the best pitcher on the Red Sox and the only problem he could have would be his catcher, who thinks he’s up to the challenge of the knuckleball. And Wake even said he has been comfortable throwing to him during Spring games.

Basically, no matter who’s out there for the Yankees WE are poised for a sweep every series. The Yankees have the offense, but the Red Sox have the pitching, defense, and consistency that never seems to come out of the Bronx anymore. All the Red Sox have to do is win the Spring game tonight and they will prove my point that the Red Sox CAN sweep the Yankees multiple times this year.