Hot Stove Update

Only a few days into the hot stove season, and there’s already a ton of movement. We already said goodbye to Eric Gagne (will he go back to Texas? who cares!), saw Curt Schilling, Matt Clement, Bobby Kielty, Eric Hinske and Doug Mirabelli file for free agency, and learned Royce Clayton (always the bridesmaid and never the bride) was DFA’ed.

Good news today? Tim “Timmeh” Wakefield and Julian “Freddy Krueger” Tavarez both had their options for ‘08 picked up by the club- which means the Sox have locked up at least a Beckett-DiceK-Lester-Wakefield-Buchholz potential starting group for next year, with Tavarez as a kicker. Even better, it means 1/2 of the Timmeh Team is locked up- Mike “Timmeh” Timlin, we’re waiting on you, now.

Even better news today? The coach for the bullpen pirates will not be heading to Pittsburgh to coach the Pirates; John Farrell released a statement taking his name off the table for consideration for a job with the Buccos. Keeping Farrell in Boston was quite possibly the #1 item on my offseason wish list for the Sox, so this news is like Christmas coming early. It sounds like Curt Schilling agrees- he sent this email to the Globe today about Farrell:

John Farrell is a HUGE part of the equation, not just for me either. He’s as good as anyone I’ve ever worked with and probably the most over qualified pitching coach in the world. This guy is a GM already. I think him doing what he’s doing is a testament to his love for the game more than anything.

This guy gets it on so many levels, personal and professional. While I would claim we are very close friends, he was always my coach first, which is something I desperately need at this point in my career. He’s as upfront and honest as you could ever hope someone in his position would be.

Add to that he’s as genuine and nice as anyone I’ve ever met. One of my real pleasures in life is the ability to rag him about the fact that he wears a 10 5/8 hat, or something close to it.

Good pitching coach, better person.

Speaking of Curt Schilling, he continues to post over at 38pitches.com very openly and honestly about going through the free agency process. I’m hoping (cross fingers, toes and every other available appendage) that the Farrell news also bodes well for a Curt re-signing. Curt also today posted the opening letter he received in 2003 from the Sox. Not only is it hopefully a sentimental heartstring tug on Curt, but it’s a fascinating peek into the innerworkings of the front office and great look at the underlying philosophy of the club. Here’s my favorite part:

Well, we think that the Schillings and the Red Sox might just be another great fit – a perfect marriage – and we hope that we can demonstrate why. We are here to tell you all about the Red Sox: who we are, where we are going, and how we’re going to get there. We want to share our thoughts on everything from advance scouting to the way we set up our family room at the ballpark. We’ll discuss the neighborhoods where you might live and every inch of the old neighborhood ballpark you would call home. We’ll be honest about the small weight room and crowded clubhouse, but we’ll also tell you about Ted Williams’ old locker and the feeling you get walking up the ancient tunnel to greet 35,000 of the best fans in baseball. We want to tell you about the type of person and player we want to represent the Red Sox, and how we’re filling our clubhouse with them. We want to tell you all about the unparalleled passion of Red Sox Nation, and about how hard we are working to bring a World Championship to Boston. We’re sure you have hundreds of questions for us, and we’re here to do our best at providing answers.

One bit of sad news: Kevin Cash was assigned outright to Pawtucket-AAA, and refused the assignment- so he’s now officially a free agent, and up for grabs. We’ve got a couple of great catcher prospects in the minors, but I’ll really miss Cashie- as he was such a hardworker, and always struck me as a stand-up guy.

Mike Lowell still has yet to file for free agency- which shouldn’t make anyone relax about his status, but definitely is a positive sign that he’s really working through options with the Sox first before going on to test the broader market. Some Lowell fans have built on the grassroots campaign that started with the “Keep Mike Lowell” and “Don’t Sign A-Rod” chants I heard while I was at the celebrations in Denver, and started the Lowell Yes / A-Rod No website. All like-minded Sox fans can head over there and show support.

Sean Danielson – no relation to Karate Kid Daniel-san

The Sox also put the last piece of the Joel Pineiro trade in place today, with the acquisition of outfielder Sean Danielson from the Cardinals as the “player to be named later”. Danielson is a Texan (YAY!) from San Antonio will start out at Portland-AA, and has been described as what sounds like a very Pedroia-like player:

Scrappy, undersized, and speedy, Danielson is a great clubhouse presence at any level. He’s very capable defensively, able to play al three OF positions well with great range. Strong arm.

And in “Long, Long, Long, LONG Shot” news… could it be possible that Tom Glavine might end up in Boston? He was born and raised in Mass., and he and his kids remain huge Red Sox fans. He’s also got a good shot to finally nab a World Series ring back in his old stomping grounds. Hmmmm….