NO Fear in Tex fallout for Red Sox

tex.jpgOne of the biggest topics during the Hot Stove season around baseball, and definately around Boston, was the Mark Teixeira signing. Tex is considered one of the best power hitting players in the game, and one of the best defensive 1b in baseball. While I believe he is a good player, I do not believe he is the superstar to anchor your team, and not worth the 180 million dollar contract he signed. I will go into the reason why I think that, and why Red Sox nation has no need to worry.
Last year, Mark hit .308, had 33 hrs, and 121 rbi’s. Those are very good numbers, but do they represent the best in the league? I don’t think so. Albert Pujols hit .357 with 37 hr’s and 16 rbi’s in a horrible lineup. He makes 13 million compared to tex’s. The guy he is replacing is Jason Giambi. He only hit .247, but had 32 hr’s, and had 96 rbi’s. The offensive numbers isn’t as much of a difference you would expect the 180 million guy to make. There are plenty of power hitters out there that haven’t got that money that deserve it more than him. Now that brings me to Kevin Youkilis. Youk hit .312, with 29 hr’s, and 115 rbi’s. Youk also won the gold glove. Youk recently just signed a deal that makes him 10 million dollars a year. That’s a 13 million dollar difference for 4 more hr’s. 
The Red Sox nation should not worry about getting a power hitter in the lineup. The Red Sox have the resources, and the farm system to off-set the Tex loss. Even though Prince Fielder just signed a two year extension, he most likely will be available next year by the deadline since the Brewers most likely won’t be able to afford him. Albert Pujols could be available in 2011, but most likely 2012. But they don’t have to just go out there and spend a lot of money. They have a sure fire prospect in Lars Anderson, who is the best Red Sox hitting prospect since Hanley Ramirez. Scouts project Anderson to be up in late 2009, and starting by 2010. He is the guy to watch out for, and could be the hitting star we lost in Hanley. 
We won’t know how it will go down until the season starts, to see how Tex will adapt to his new settings in a big market. He may thrive in it, and like it, but he will not put up Pujols or Arod numbers. He may not even put up Kevin Youkilis numbers. And how will that look to the Steinbrenners who just payed 180 million for him, while the Red Sox payed 40 million for Youkilis.
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Getting ready for the 2009 season!

Man, I love this time of year. Spring training is right around the corner, and the ever so popular trucks leaving Fenway is going down on Febuary 6th. I really like the additions the sox have made. They are low cost, and have a very big high upside. Here are some of the key additions the sox have made:

John Smoltz: It was a stunner that he left Atlanta, and came here to Boston. Granted he is over 40 years old, he can still produce when he is healthy. I hope all the Red Sox fans realize that if he is healthy, and is able to contribute, he will give us number 1 or 2 type stuff at the back end of the rotation. That is HUGE! Last year we had Wakefield and Byrd on the back of the rotation. That is a huge difference now. Smoltz could possibly earn up to 10 million dollars this year, which isn’t bad for what you could get out of him. 
Brady Penny: He has a chance to be our 5th starter. Last year was a down year for Penny by his standards, but injuries had a part of that. He had a bum shoulder for most of the year, so that affected his pitching abilities. The previous year he was an ace on the Dodgers. He had a very low era, and he came in 3rd in the cy young race. If his shoulder has improved to a point where he can get back to his ace stuff, he would fill out our rotation at the back end, and make the rotation the best one we could possibly ever have. Imagine a rotation of Lester, Beckett, Dice-K, Smoltz, and Penny? If they are healthy, it could turn into basically a video game rotation.
Takashi Saito: He is one of our lower signings in which maybe fans may not know much about him. He had elbow problems last year while on the dodgers. He is close to 40 now, but he has nasty stuff. He was one of the best closers in the NL for a couple years, and he could compliment Papelbon, Masterson, and Ramon Ramirez. 
Rocco Baldelli: Finally the hometown fans get to see the local guy come back to the area. He has had a very difficult career, due to his horrible health condition he was enduring. The sox were able to help him diagnose the problem, so hopefully he can get his career back on track. If he does, he was once a 5 tool player, and may be able to get back to form. They signed him for cheap money, so there should be no risk involved.
I think fans have been disappointed with the off season because they failed to sign Mark Teixiera. But honestly, it is better that they didn’t. There is no way he is worth the money he signed making 23 million a year. He barely puts up better numbers than Youk, and Youk makes 10 million. The sox have a prospect coming up soon by the name of Lars Anderson, and he could put the fans minds to rest about the situation. They have a couple needs they have to address, like catcher. I think Tek will be back, but I would like to see them go after Saltilamachia from Texas. The price may be high, but he has the chance to be something special hitting wise, and could turn out to be a decent catcher. They need to get a big power bat soon, and I think they will go after Prince Fielder. He is very young, and has been in the league for a couple seasons now. He could hit 50 home runs easily in Fenway I believe.
Thats my first ever blog, and I plan on doing more during the season. I am very excited, and can’t wait. Please leave comments and opinions, and let me know how you feel!