Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 13, 2011 at 6:51 PM
Thursday, the Japan Times announced that three-time Central League batting champion Norichika Aoki of the Yakult Swallows would be posted before the 2011 season, allowing teams to bid for the right to sign him. Because most people are more interested in other international player news, including me (Cespedes, Darvish), I...
Continue reading "Introducing Norichika Aoki" »
Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 13, 2011 at 11:40 AM
Continuing with our series examining the top free agents in the 2011-2012 class, the next stop is electric shortstop Jose Reyes. I think by this point, everybody knows who Jose Reyes is. He is a very good player; 2011 was his fourth season of posting a WAR of at least...
Continue reading "What Are They Worth? Part 3: Jose Reyes" »
Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 12, 2011 at 8:19 PM
Brewers fans may not want to read this one, nor fans of the team who is going to sign Prince. You're probably not going to enjoy what I'm going to say here. As I did last time, I will be looking at first how much Prince is worth, and how...
Continue reading "What Are They Worth? Part 2: Prince Fielder" »
Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 12, 2011 at 10:15 AM
I would like to look at the top-five free agents of the 2012 offseason and take a look at what they might a) be worth, and b) actually get; it is safe to assume that these will not be the same figures. The five free agents I will be looking...
Continue reading "What Are They Worth? Part 1: Albert Pujols" »
Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 12, 2011 at 8:21 AM
I'm going to take a short break from the free agent analyses to address something a little more current: Cuban defector Yoennis Cespedes has announced his free agency for Major League Baseball. Cespedes, a star in Cuba, defected to the Dominican Republic this summer, after hitting .333 with a Cuban...
Continue reading "The Next Big Thing? The Ballad of Yoennis Cespedes" »
Posted by Matthew Shaw on Nov. 11, 2011 at 10:39 PM
Phillies Have Deal with Jonathan Papelbon News broke today that ex-best closer in Red Sox history Jonathan Papalbon has signed a record-breaking deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Proving that he wasn't going to leave the offseason without spending $10 MM on a relief pitcher, Phillies GM Ruban Amaro, jr. signed...
Continue reading "Dual Post: Papelbon and the Phillies; Baseball and World War I" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Jul. 17, 2010 at 11:40 PM
On the heels of a couple of kick-in-the-nuts-rub-in-our-face-just-how-bad-we-look-right-now losses to Texas, the Sox win pretty in 11 Saturday night. Lackey pitches great, the bullpen (Bard, 2 innings of Papelbon, one of Thankyoujesus Delcarmen) pitched better, and the Sox play immaculate small ball to tie in the bottom of the ninth,...
Continue reading "Sox Win Big" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Jul. 15, 2010 at 8:44 PM
So much to say. Uhh, let's start with a moment of silence for George Steinbrenner. Whether you're a Sox or a Yankees fan reading the blog, I want you to recognize the George did a lot for fans of his own franchise, and did a lot for the development of...
Continue reading "Happy Second Half!" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Jul. 12, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Don't doubt this man: Say what you want about Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there are way worse pitchers out there. Evidenced by his 6-inning, 2-run performance yesterday afternoon, the man can pitch. Bard pitches two beautiful innings, Papelbon goes 1-2-3 in the 9th, add in a two-run homer from Darnell McDonald...
Continue reading "Good Day, Good News, Good Finish. I guess." »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Jul. 10, 2010 at 7:45 PM
That's right, George. It's July, and you know what that means? Three things, for the Red Sox. 1. Annual Theo magic time: TheoCorp works a little magic every July, except for 2006. So he'd better work some this year. Anyway, that's something to look forward to. 2. Returning players. Beckett...
Continue reading "Red Sox Players Can Come Back... Healthy?" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Feb. 15, 2010 at 11:04 AM
To quote your friend and mine, Bruce Buffer: "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's TIIIIIIiime!" The off-season, as far as Boston is concerned, is essentially over, and it is time to begin the usual flurry of pre-Spring Training looks at the team. Today's edition? Catcher. The team's catcher position is simpler than it has been...
Continue reading "Around the Horn: Catcher" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Feb. 11, 2010 at 11:50 AM
I was reading Ian Browne's Red Sox Spring Training preview this morning and came across this little tidbit of information: "Matsuzaka quickly fell out of favor with the Red Sox when he wasn't in good enough shape to pitch effectively. " [Right: Fat Daisuke cries as his flub prevents him...
Continue reading "Dr. Matsuzaka: Fatness Doesn't Make You a Bad Pitcher" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Feb. 4, 2010 at 5:56 PM
Word on the street is that MTR finally found somebody to take up the Yankees side of this blog. So I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Anthony to this thread, and I look forward to writing with him. With Pitchers and Catchers just a few short weeks away,...
Continue reading "Welcome" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Jan. 15, 2010 at 12:06 AM
With Pitchers and Catchers (the three greatest words in the English language) in a little over a month, I think it is a perfect time to start reviewing the Red Sox' offseason. We didn't get the precious Adrian Gonzalez. We didn't reel in Hanley Ramirez, bring back Jason Bay, or...
Continue reading "Offseason Roundup" »
Posted by Bill Zeltman on Dec. 7, 2009 at 12:06 AM
Number 8. The Red Sox have signed yet another shortstop to throw into the mix that has been their Achilles heel since trading franchise player Nomar Garciaparra. Last Thursday the Red Sox signed free agent shortstop Marco Scutaro to fill in the position last filled by Alex Gonzalez. Or Jed...
Continue reading "Sox Shore Up Shortstop Hole" »
