Game 7 postgame article

[bobgeorge]

Boston Red Sox Baseball -- Rays Better Team In Every Way

Good season...best wishes to all those future Yankees in the WS.

Bob G

 

[Hardboiled]

Agree that the Rays are a better team.


I'm not sure you are right about the 2004 Tek negotiations. Didn't Boras play the timing against the Red Sox by not letting Tek get lower offers. Wasn't there a deadline that if passed the Red Sox couldn't negotiate? Boras played against them by not talking to other teams up until that time?

10 mil then, I thought, was a price no one outside of the Yankees could pay. 10 mil was low?

Agree on Ortiz to being a big question. Wrist? Manny? <unspoken>? Needs a backup plan at least. We can't have a DH striking out, grounding to 1st, and popping up all the time.

Beckett shouldn't be a worry to return healthy. I don't have the same feeling about Mike Lowell.

 

[jmt57]

Good season...best wishes to all those future Yankees in the WS.

Most of those Rays players are so young, it's going to be a very long time till they are free agents. If I'm not mistaken, don't baseball players have to have six years of service before they become free agents? That Tampa Bay team isn't like the Marlins, which was built for just one year. Their players are going to stay on the team for a few years.

 

[bobgeorge]

Most of those Rays players are so young, it's going to be a very long time till they are free agents. If I'm not mistaken, don't baseball players have to have six years of service before they become free agents? That Tampa Bay team isn't like the Marlins, which was built for just one year. Their players are going to stay on the team for a few years.

Yes, you are correct. When they do become FAs I don't see them keeping many, if any, of them. They will be like Minnesota and have to do things like trade Santana.

Bob G

 

[bobgeorge]

A'm not sure you are right about the 2004 Tek negotiations. Didn't Boras play the timing against the Red Sox by not letting Tek get lower offers. Wasn't there a deadline that if passed the Red Sox couldn't negotiate? Boras played against them by not talking to other teams up until that time?

10 mil then, I thought, was a price no one outside of the Yankees could pay. 10 mil was low?

What I do remember is that Boras did not get what he wanted for Tek, he misjudged the market for Tek. We wound up getting a "discount" at the time. I am curious as to what will happen now, some team may overpay for low BA/great handler of pitchers. I hate to see Tek leave, but if he stays he should always bat ninth and be allowed to be pinch hit for in late game situations. We have no one right now who could step in and do anything close to what he does with the pitchers.

Bob G

 

[jmt57]

What I do remember is that Boras did not get what he wanted for Tek, he misjudged the market for Tek. We wound up getting a "discount" at the time. I am curious as to what will happen now, some team may overpay for low BA/great handler of pitchers. I hate to see Tek leave, but if he stays he should always bat ninth and be allowed to be pinch hit for in late game situations. We have no one right now who could step in and do anything close to what he does with the pitchers.

Bob G

Bob, with calls coming from the bench on every pitch, is what the catcher does behind the plate possibly over valued? Or am I underestimating the effect a catcher like 'Tek has on his team's pitching staff? Also, it seems like 'Tek wasn't throwing out as many runners on stolen base attempts this past year, and the Rays sure ran wild on the Sox in the playoffs. I felt a lot of that was on the pitchers not holding the runners, but do you think his defensive skills have eroded somewhat also?

 

[Hardboiled]

What I do remember is that Boras did not get what he wanted for Tek, he misjudged the market for Tek. We wound up getting a "discount" at the time.

Not what I remember.

What I found was Sean McAdam in ESPN in 2004.

"When Varitek passed on the team's offer of salary arbitration, the clock began ticking for the Sox, who had only until Jan. 8 to re-sign him or lose the right to negotiate with him until May 1."​

Boras said he wouldn't talk to other teams until after Jan 8. He put the pressure was on the Red Sox.

Heading into the holiday week, the Red Sox knew no business would be consummated. That gave them exactly a week after New Year's to complete a deal for the player many in the organization would argue was Boston's real Most Valuable Player. With a standing offer of four years, $36 million on the table, the Sox could have waited until Jan. 7 or so, then tweaked their offer with another $500,000 or so per season​

So I think they paid more money than anyone else would. Of course, the Red Sox have lots of money. The question is do they want to throw money at Tek? If they get more bats, they can hide him in the lineup?