Being the American League MVP certainly pays off.

The Red Sox are set to announce at 3pm that they have signed Dustin Pedroia to a six year deal for $40.5 million dollars (with seventh year option at $11 million, or $500K buyout). He'll notch a $1.5 million signing bonus just for putting pen to paper, and then a base salary that progressively increases from $1.5 million in 2009 up to $10 million in 2013 and 2014. Here's the breakdown:

2009 - $1.5 million
2010 - $3.5 million
2011 - $5.5 million
2012 - $8 million
2013 - $10 million
2014 - $10 million

That's $40 million in guaranteed base salary, with at least a 500 grand kicker of a buyout -- but if the Sox exercise his option, he'd get $51 million over 7 years... or $7.3 million a year.

The Globe also notes these interesting contract incentives:

The option will increase to $13 million if Pedroia wins another MVP at any point over the next six years. Anytime he finishes in the top three of the voting, his option would increase by $1 million each time, capping at $13 million.

I fear for the other API athletes this offseason - if they thought he was wicked cocky before, he's gonna be strutting something fierce now.

William Shatner is awesome, for many reasons-- but by far, the biggest reason is because he can get away with referring to Josh Beckett on national TV as "Josh Pecker". Of course he followed that up by referring to David Ortiz as "that black guy" who is "half black, half Mexican and half Dominican." I'm pretty sure Captain Kirk is the only guy living who could get away with that.

Of course, all of this occurred in character on Boston Legal, as part of a test for Alzheimer's for his character... but that doesn't make Josh Pecker any less funny.

video courtesy of ABC

Big thanks to Surviving Grady for finding this gem!

It's tough kicking back off to work after a long holiday weekend - especially one that involves a prolonged carb-loaded feast (and epic food coma that follows). But let's sort through some of the news leftovers that cropped up over the Thanksgiving holiday.

We may have silently been wishing for a 2003-like Thanksgiving, courtesy of Theo and co., but that was not to be. There were no blockbusters, no marquee signings - but that doesn't mean the Sox front office was lolling around in front of the TV, watching the Longhorns kill the Aggies on the football field. On Friday, the Sox did make a trade with the Rangers -- not for Salty or Teagarden, but for RHP Wes Littleton. In exchange, the Sox will send the ever-popular "Player To Be Named Later" (or the even more popular "Cash Considerations"). Wes is a sidearmer, which is always fun to watch - although considering he spent most of the season in AAA, and is out of options, we may not get to see him. The Boston reports on the trade conflicted with those out of Texas - here's what they said:

Here's the bottom line: If Littleton makes the Red Sox opening day roster, the Rangers could potentially get a second player. Littleton is out of options, so if he doesn't make the Red Sox roster, the Rangers would probably just get a little bit of cash.

The Dallas Morning-News (which can't spell "Buchholz", but does seem to know its stuff when it comes to the Rangers) also had this interesting tidbit:

GM Jon Daniels said the player to be named may not be acquired until close to opening day, so the club isn't commenting on much regarding the deal. I suppose if the Rangers could put together a deal with Boston that sends one of their catchers (Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden) to Boston for one of the aforementioned pitching prospects, any future considerations regarding Littleton could be dropped, essentially making him a throw-in to a bigger deal. But I don't expect that.

Meanwhile, the trend continues for former Sox wanting to return to the Fens. Derek Lowe has been batting his eyes in Boston's direction all offseason, and now hothead Jay Payton wants back in the Boston mix. Derek- you're welcome back anytime. Jay - not so fast.

It appears it's only a matter of time before the Sox (finally) announce the worst-kept secret in Boston: that Junichi Tazawa will be pitching in home whites at Fenway. Taz (yep, I'm calling him Taz) is scheduled to arrive in Boston this week, take a physical, finalize the $3 million deal -- and then announce the acquisition by the end of the week. Considering he's fond of wearing Carhartt jackets, as this picture shows, I think Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield will be happy to have him join the crew.

Today marks the last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became ranked free agents in order to be eligible for compensation. Which means that the free agent market will be picking up considerably (and just in time for winter meetings). It also means that the Sox must decide by today whether to offer arbitration to Jason Varitek - sewing up two draft picks in compensation if he does not accept, but locking themselves into what will surely be a fairly high contract if he does accept. Players who are offered arbitration have until December 7th to accept or decline.

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! I hope you have a happy, safe, fun and relaxing holiday, surrounded by family and friends.

Deadspin buddy Daulerio asked me what I was thankful for, so allow me to requote what was posted over at Deadspin:

I'm thankful for tailgates in the chilly fall air, spring training games in the hot Florida sun, the anticipation of the preseason, and the first day of ball. I'm thankful for 90 feet, 100 yards, and all that happens to cross that distance. I'm thankful for Longhorn football, Boston baseball, Texas BBQ, New England pubs, Colt McCoy, Josh Beckett... and Bacon Pants.

There's no baseball on tonight, obviously... but there is Longhorn football-- so Hook 'Em Horns!

It's now just 78 days (!) until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, with the first full-squad workout just six days after that. And just in time to drum up some anticipation, the Sox released their spring training game schedule today.



Some interesting notes:

* The Sox open with a split squad scrimmage against Boston College on Feb. 25th - and also match up against Northeastern on the 28th.

* They will host Team Puerto Rico (in anticipation of the World Baseball Classic) on March 5th... which side will Alex Cora play for?

* Sox play fellow Ft. Myersians Minnesota five times, and the Rays four times.

* The Ft. Myers games will wrap up on April 2nd with, of course, the Twins.

See the full slate after the jump...

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What to get for the Red Sox fan who has everything...

video courtesy of boston.com

I'm not gonna judge how people choose to spend their afterlife -- but I can't help but think that's just a bit too far over the sanity line and into Creepytown.

Hat tip to Surviving Grady.

Georgia Tech played host to two Sox-ian ballplayers for their Thursday night game versus the (not-so) mighty Hurricanes of Miami: current Sox stalwart Jason Varitek and Sox hopeful (?) Mark Teixeira. Yet another reason why college football rules- it brings together Tek and Tex at Tech.

Jason played ball for GA Tech and, along with Nomar Garciaparra and Jay Payton, led the Yellow Jackets to the 1994 College World Series. Teixeira also played ball at Tech, and snagged the Dick Howser Trophy as the national collegiate baseball player of the year in 2001 while he was there. Fun fact: Tex was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 1998 draft, but opted to head to Tech instead.

Last year, Jason read the lineups for Tech during a football game. Note to ESPN: don't let a golden opportunity to have a Tek-Tex tagteam lineup next time around, OK?

Hat tip to jason-varitek.com for sending on the story, and to Bekah for the photo.

The Red Sox front office guys have been busy little bees. Reportedly, the Sox have made two offers - one to Jason Varitek and one to Junichi Tazawa.

Per Rob Bradford, the Red Sox offer (categorized as "initial") to Varitek is for one year - and, not surprisingly, is for less than the $13m annual haul earned by the Yankees' Jorge Posada. That kind of short-term deal is most definitely not what super-agent/demon spawn Scott Boras is looking for, and is likely either an offer designed to be rejected offhand by Varitek... or as some kind of stalling tactic to buy the Sox time to continue to explore other options. Boras swears Tek has options, too:

Boras said the Red Sox are not the only team bidding for free agent catcher Jason Varitek, but declined to go into specifics. "Yes, of course," Boras said. "Obviously, there are teams that are looking at a catcher than can win 60 percent of your games. There are teams interested."

Meanwhile, that same article notes that Jarrod "Please, please let me come play in Boston" Saltalamacchia is tearing up the Dominican winter leagues.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Red Sox have also reached across the ocean to make an offer to Japanese dynamo pitcher Junichi Tazawa. Reportedly, the price tag is set at $6 million, and included a long-term development plan for Tazawa. Despite what some (perhaps over-eager) folks have stated, Tazawa has not actually signed with the Sox, but is leaning very heavily Boston's way.

All of the news on the deal is being reported by Japanese outlets (and repeated by English-speaking papers), but SoSH poster TokyoSox has collected together a good list of basic points: the Sox are very strong frontrunners, although the Rangers have also made an offer (along with the Mariners and Braves). Terms of the Rangers' offer have not been disclosed but it's thought to be a MLB deal, and the longest/richest of the 4 offers he's received so far. Tazawa's manager says it's not just about the money or number of years in the contract, it's also about putting Tazawa's future first and helping him grow, and the Sox get that (and Tazawa also likes that there are other Japanese pitchers and staff on the team). Tazawa's people indicated they expect to reach a decision about the whole process in "3 to 4 days".

Here's a great stop-action photo of Tazawa's delivery -- and, bonus! awesome high socks.

I've also got video of Tazawa pitching, after the jump...

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I give. The Pedroia family's awesome is too much to be contained. Dustin's parents are cute as buttons, and now his older brother (Brett, 30) reveals that the family has a honest-to-goodness Dustin shrine in their tire shop in Woodland, CA.

They should charge admission - turn it into a moneymaking museum venture. They could be an exhibit where you rub authentic Pedroia dirt on your clothes, and get your picture taken while you holler "Fuck, yeah!" at the camera (with a giant wad of dip, of course). Surefire winner.

(see the video after the jump...)

One customer who'd show up for sure? Matt Damon.

Three weeks ago, Matt Damon, of the Bourne movie fame and a well-known Boston Red Sox fanatic, stopped by Radial Tire Wholesale in West Sacramento. The topic of conversation? Baseball and wheels, and definitely in that order.

That story from Dustin's hometown newspaper has more sweet details about the Pedroia popularity in Woodland.

At a park near Woodland High School on Tuesday, Ryan Lewis, 11, was taking grounders with his father, Ron. The young fielder had a Red Sox T-shirt. The name on the back? Pedroia.

"Everyone wants to be like Dustin here," said the younger Lewis.

Just before it was announced he was the MVP, Pedroia called his parents, Debbie and Guy, brother Brett and lifelong friends. Everyone, it seemed, was more excited than the player himself.

"Oh, goodness, I didn't sleep at all," Debbie Pedroia said, half out of breath from her Woodland home. "He called me and I asked, 'Did you win it?' and when he said, 'yes,' I started crying, then screaming - 'He won it!' It's just so exciting for all of us."

Bobby Hawke, a Pedroia teammate from their Little League days, spent the weekend with Pedroia in Arizona.

"I saw him Monday, and he was pretty relaxed for being the next MVP,'' Hawke said. "Here I am, one of his best friends, and I am more anxious and nervous than he was."

The article also had a fantastically "vintage" photo of high school-aged Pedroia.

Bitchin' threads, Pedey.

Continue reading »

The Red Sox are set to officially announce in 10 minutes that Coco's heading on down to Kansas City - so it's time for the old "picture send off" to mark the end of the Coco era in Boston.

And, of course, the conversation with Royce Clayton about tacos:

video courtesy of FOX

UPDATE: The trade has been confirmed by both SI's Jon Heyman and the Globe's Nick Cafardo.

A Kansas City radio station (WHB 810) is reporting that the Red Sox dealt Coco Crisp to the Royals for 27 year-old relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez.

Neither the Red Sox nor the Royals have officially confirmed the trade yet, and (per MLBTR) Red Sox exec Ben Cherington was on XM's MLB Home Plate radio station saying "the report is premature." The Globe has more on the story from folks in KC:

[D]uring an on-air interview a few moments ago, Royals senior adviser Mike Arbuckle would not confirm that the deal was complete.

"I would say Coco is a good player and we're always interested in getting good players," said Arbuckle, who recently joined the Royals after working in the front office of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Arbuckle politely declined a request from the hosts to evaluate Crisp as a player, saying, "Well, at this point, he's still under control of another organization. I wouldn't want to get into a tampering charge."

The deal was first reported on the station by Brian McRae, a former Royals outfielder. When contacted via e-mail and asked if there was anything to this rumor, Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski gave a one-word reply: "Yes."

Per MLB.com, Ramirez went 3-2 with a save and a 2.64 ERA in 71 games for Kansas City this year, including 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA after the All-Star break.

In honor of the reigning MVP: a video from a guy who seems to know very little about Dustin Pedroia cracks a very original joke about Dustin's height. It's amazing someone hasn't picked up on the whole short thing before now!

Now, this is officially the end of the joke. Can we all cease talking about his height every single time Dustin's name comes up now? In fact, I double dog dare every journalist out there to refrain from using any of the following words in a Dustin Pedroia story:

short
wee
small
tiny
5'9" (wink!)
little
little big man
little engine that could

I doubt they'd make it a week.

First a Gold Glove, then a Silver Slugger and now the MVP.

Congratulations go out to Dustin Pedroia who was selected today as the 2008 American League MVP (a/k/a the "Kennesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award") - earning himself yet another bauble for what is surely becoming a crowded trophy room at home.

Dustin is the first Red Sox player to snag the award since Mo Vaughn back in 1995. He joins an illustrious group of Sox MVP players, including Vaughn, Roger Clemens, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Carl Yastrzemski, Jackie Jensen, Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx.




Kevin Youkilis also finished a very respectable third place in the voting, behind Minnesota's Justin Morneau. Here's how the final vote tally shook out:

Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Points
Dustin Pedroia, BOS	16	6	4	1							317
Justin Morneau, MIN	7	7	6	3	3	1	1				257
Kevin Youkilis, BOS	2	4	4	9	2	4	1	2			201
Joe Mauer, MIN	2	8	1	3	4	3	3	2	1		188
Carlos Quentin, CWS		1	4	8	4	4	4		1	1	160
Francisco Rodriguez, LAA	1	2	6	1	6		3	2		2	143
Josh Hamilton, TEX			2	2	3	7	3	2	4	3	112
Alex Rodriguez, NYY					1	1	4	1	4	7	45
Carlos Pena, TB			1		2		2	3	2	3	44
Grady Sizemore, CLE						2	1	5	6	1	42
Evan Longoria, TB						2	2	5	2	1	38
Cliff Lee, CLE				1	1	1	1		1		24
Miguel Cabrera, DET						1		1	4	1	17
Vladimir Guerrero, LAA							2	2	1		16
Jermaine Dye, CWS					1			2		2	14
Aubrey Huff, BAL						1			2	3	12
Milton Bradley, TEX						1	1				9
Jason Bartlett, TB					1						6
Mike Mussina, NYY								1			3
Raul Ibanez, SEA										1	1
Ian Kinsler, TEX										1	1
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA										1	1
Mark Teixeira, LAA										1	1

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the Kiss Cam ain't nothin' but trouble.

Although I despise its presence at a ballpark, I suppose it's slightly more palatable at a basketball arena. But only slightly. I have to think Jason Varitek hates the Kiss Cam even more than I do.

Friday night, Jason was at the Celtics-Nuggets game at the Garden, sitting courtside and doing the "hold-the-ball-for Lucky" publicity stunt at halftime. Tek was perfectly happy to be a part of all that. He was not, however, so thrilled to make a return appearance on the jumbo screens inside the Garden a little later in the game.

During a break in the action, the Celtics video people fired up the trusty ol' Kiss Cam. Typical nonsense ensued- random people mugging (and mugging down) for the camera. But then those crafty folks focused on Jason and a lady sitting next to him (who tried desperately, but unsuccessfully, to scoot out of the frame). Jason was not pleased. Everyone cheered and hollered for him to kiss her, but Jason was unmoved. He sat rock still and stonefacedly stared ahead until the cameraman finally panned off of him. AWKWARD!

So word to the wise: Jason Varitek is not really interested in performing an onscreen kiss for the unwashed masses at the Garden. At least he'll give a half smile to the camera, though!

It had been two weeks since the folks at Fremulon Insurance had posted any updates. I thought maybe they just had a post-Series hangover. But we're all going to have to wait a lot longer for more FJM posts.

[insert somber, funeral procession appropriate music here]

R.I.P. FJM.

The Red Sox offseason trophy cabinet has a few shiny new additions.

Jon Lester was awarded the 2008 Hutch Award, given annually to the ballplayer who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson (who died from cancer in 1964 at age 45), both on and off the field. Jon bested the field of ten finalists to win the award, including Rocco Baldelli, Ken Griffey Jr., Aaron Rowand and Lance Berkman.

The Award is even more special for Jon, who is also a cancer survivor and a native Washingtonian, who was actually treated in Seattle by the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the treatment arm of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (the group, founded by Fred Hutchinson's brother in Seattle). He'll receive the Award at a luncheon on January 21, 2009 -- actually out on the grass at Seattle's Safeco Field -- and legend Tom Seaver will be the guest speaker.

"Congratulations to Jon Lester on the Hutch Award. Jon handled his adversity with grace and dignity," said Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. "He is an inspiration to us all, on top of just being a really good kid.

And from Jon:

"This is a tremendous honor for me and my family to have been selected for the Hutch Award," Lester said in a statement released by the Fred Hutchinson Center. "I'm humbled to know that legends such as Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax and Lou Brock have won this award in the past."

Next up: Jacoby Ellsbury claims the James "Cool Papa" Bell Award - a Legacy Award presented by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City to the AL stolen base leader. He'll get to pick up his honor at a banquet in KC in January, along with all the other Legacy Award winners.

Jacoby also finished a strong third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, behind the unanimous winner Evan Longoria and the second place vote-getter Alexei Ramirez. Why MLB.com chose to memorialize the occasion with a photo that looks like Jacoby is taking a dump, I do not know.

In any event: Congratulations to both Jon and Jacoby!

The Red Sox official uniforms always seem to remain (largely) unchanged over the years. As trends (teal! purple! aztec prints! funky lettering!) come and go, the Sox unis hold fast

So it would cause a minor ripple if the Red Sox road uniforms are changed in 2009, as this photo posted to Flickr (by wally1912) and discovered by Red Sox Monster seems to suggest might happen.

There's been no news about any possible changes floating around as far as I can find, and the Flickr picture page contains no details about the source of the photo or the probability of that design being adopted, beyond a note that it is a "proposed design for the 2009 Boston Red Sox road uniforms".

By contrast, here is the current road uni:

The new uniform adds red trim along the neckline and button placket seams, and adds a second red trim on the sleeves. Most significantly, though, this uniform reverses the nearly set-in-stone combination of red letters with blue trim, to blue letters with red trim (although, curiously, the player name is left red with blue trim). The photo also shows a possibility of taking away players' last names from the back of the uniforms.

This photo may be a total pipedream, and nothing may ever come of it - but it's fun to contemplate the possibility.

Brad Mills, Sox bench coach, former Tito college roommate and current Papi hug-recipient extraordinaire, is in Seattle today interviewing with the Mariners for the manager slot that's currently empty.

John McLaren, hired by the Mariners in 2007, was fired by the front office back in June of this year - and Seattle's bench coach Jim Riggleman temporarily assumed the helm for the remainder of the 2008 season. Mills is the first of eight candidates to interview for the manager position, and Seattle's new GM Jack Zduriencik (hired just a few weeks ago) is expected to see most - if not all - of the candidates in a revolving door interview process this week.

Congratulations to Kevin Youkilis and his brand new wife Enza, who tied the knot yesterday after a year-long engagement.

The couple wed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with 120 family and friends present - including David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia. More from the Globe (not a word from Inside Track- looks like they got scooped):

Enza, who briefly dated Ben Affleck back in the day, wore Vera Wang. (Youk favors sweatpants, but we trust he cleaned up for this occasion.) It's Enza's second marriage and the first for Youkilis, who'll turn 30 in March. A Newton native and former BC student, Sambataro is the CEO of Youk's charity Hits for Kids, which raised $1 million last year for children's charities and medical research programs in New England and Cincinnati. The couple will spend the off-season in Arizona, where Youkilis is again working out at the Athletes Performance Institute.

As eagle eyed (eared?) tipster Karen noted, the clues were out there.

When Pedey got his gold glove, I listened to the conference call and he said he was planning to go to Cabo San Lucas with some friends. And then there was the photographer Youkilis has used for past charity events, who just happens to be in Cabo San Lucas with a wedding party. I knew it was coming soon.

Up next: Jon Lester, who is scheduled to wed in January.

Last year I joked that the only reason Josh Beckett stages his annual Beckett Bowl event for charity is because the Red Sox front office turned down his request for a celebrity hunting tourney. ("Josh, just like we told Wakefield and Timlin, you can't kill animals for charity. Sorry.")

Either the joke is on me, or he reads the blog, because that is exactly what Josh is doing.

This Sunday, November 9th, through the 11th, Josh and his regular huntin' buddy Rusty Baker are hosting his first annual "Celebrity Invitational Hunt for Charity" at Josh's Herradura Ranch in Cotulla, Texas.

All of the meat harvested from the hunt will go to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, and the proceeds from entry fees and sponsorships will go to Show of Support and other charities. Perennial Beckett buds Kevin Fowler and Roger Creager will be there as well, and will provide a "campfire acoustic singalong". I assume there will be lots of Bud Light involved.

Naturally, Jon Lester will also be there to partake in the fun.

Rusty Baker (middle) and Josh pose like rockstars with a private jet... and some random dude.

And so I present to you the Huntin' Josh action figure, complete with camo gear, boots and optional cowboy hat and dip can.

Congratulations go out to Dustin Pedroia for nabbing his first Gold Glove award.

Although the official announcement is not for another 45 minutes, eagle-eyed SoSH folks spotted the Rawlings press release on the news wire. The Globe cites an unnamed "baseball source" rather than just pointing to the wire release- but WEEI credits the sports wire and notes that Dustin has acknowledged receiving the honor.

"I really didn't think about it," he said of winning the award. "I take pride in my defense, it's a huge part of my game. In fact, my biggest (priority) is defense. I need to be extremely important to our pitching staff. I put in a ton of time with Luis Alicea and Alex Cora from Day One. It's only my second year playing second base. I took extra ground balls every single day and it definitely paid off."

"I got a lot faster in the offseason," he said. "I put in the time, did all the cardio workouts, speed work, and agility. That really paid off where my range got a lot better and my arm strength got better. I'm not the biggest guy in the world but I can make up with effort in the offseason."

Kevin Youkilis did not repeat at first base; that honor instead went to Tampa's Carlos Pena (who also beat out Youk in the Fielding Bible awards).

Here's how the full slate shakes out in the American League:

P - MIKE MUSSINA - YANKEES
C - JOE MAUER - TWINS
1ST - CARLOS PENA - RAYS
2ND - DUSTIN PEDROIA - RED SOX
3RD - ADRIAN BELTRE - MARINERS
SS - MICHAEL YOUNG - RANGERS
OF - TORII HUNTER - ANGELS
OF - GRADY SIZEMORE - INDIANS
OF - ICHIRO SUZUKI - MARINERS

Tony Gwynn signed on to stay another three years as the head coach of the San Diego State baseball team just yesterday, but he's not spending his time talking about his contract. He wants to talk about Justin Masterson.

After starting his college career at tiny Bethel College in Indiana, Justin transferred to SDSU and pitched for the Aztecs in Tony Gwynn Stadium, under head Aztecs coach Tony Gwynn. And Tony hasn't forgotten Justin.

"He's the type of guy that doesn't want to shake your hand, he wants to give you a hug," Gwynn said. "He's absolutely the same guy, and you can't help but love those type of guys because he really does it the right way. He does it with a great attitude. He does it with a smile on his face. And you know what? He's competitive as heck, but you'd be hard pressed to know that if you met him off the field."

And, of course, HOF'er Tony had praise for Justin's skills as well.

"At the college level, like most guys his size [6-foot-6], he could just overpower hitters. And with his stuff, he was able to do that for the most part. But now he's learned to pitch and it looks like he's trusting his stuff, and it looks like he's having fun. It looks like he's really enjoying himself and really trying to understand how to get guys out, and it looks like he's really paying attention and doing a good job.

"When he was here, I think you could see that he had that kind of stuff where he would be successful at the big-league level, and I think he's just scratching the surface."

And with the trade rumors constantly swirling this time of year, Tony also thinks that Justin will find a place to fit with any club, but that the Red Sox are particularly suited to his style and development as a pitcher.

"[T]he Red Sox are kind of the perfect club because they have enough of everything, where they can kind of take the time to figure out where exactly he best fits. But I think they found out this year that he fits. Somewhere in those 11, 12 guys he's a guy that definitely will fit into whatever role they want to put him in."

Today is like Christmas in early November for GMs across the land: super swell nice guy Scott Boras delivers the magical "book" he has created for each of his clients. Theo can relax: that means the Jason Varitek book will be in his hot little hands any moment now.

That also means today officially kicks off the insanity that this offseason is surely to bring - an insanity I like to call the "Varitek Conundrum".

Boras is already fueling the fire by insinuating Varitek deserves a Jorge Posada-like contract (4 years, $52 million). The key difference between them (other than Yankee front office stupidity)?

Jorge Posada's 2007 line: .338 .426 .543
Jason Varitek's 2008 line: .220 .313 .359

Posada also didn't help shore up Varitek's case by getting hurt the very next season and missing most of the year. And if Boras thinks the Red Sox, or anyone else, are going to pay Jason Varitek over $13 million a year when he's 40 years old, he is going to be severely disappointed (no matter how much he tries to make Tek into Carlton Fisk).

The facts are these: Jason Varitek has unquestionably been a pivotal key to the Red Sox success, and in particular to the success and development of the pitchers he works with. He is the captain of the team. There is not a person in baseball who speaks of his leadership and clubhouse skills with anything short of reverence, except maybe A-Rod's face after being smashed with Tek's glove. Jason Varitek also is getting old, his stats are in a steady decline since his all-star days (sharp decline, based on this year's horrific cliffdive), and his agent is going to want ridiculous money. He can barely hit at all, he certainly can't hit for power, and he's not even able to get on base with any regularity. It is logical to assume that the numbers will only decline as he nears the big 4-0.

In (my) ideal world, Tek would stay on in a kind of modified mentor role for two years while the Sox brought in a new catching prospect for Tek to tutor -- and someone who could shoulder the majority of the catching duties to give Tek more days off. Of course, since that means the payday would not be in Borastratosphere levels, I don't know if Jason will be willing to take the ego and paycheck hit.

But no matter what, the Varitek Conundrum means there's going to be a bumpy road ahead through to Fort Myers in February. Baseball is a business - and it ain't always easy.

The offseason hot stove always seems to simmer to a boil during the annual GM meetings, going on right now in Dana Point, California at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort (not to be confused with the winter meetings, to be held in Las Vegas from December 8-11). If you were a GM, you'd be here right now:

So it's only fitting that the first major news to arise out of the GM meetings for the Red Sox involves the GM: Theo Epstein re-inked another contract extension with the Red Sox. Although Theo would not reveal the exact terms of the contract, his last extension netted him $4.5 million over three years.

People are still jumping all over a rumor that's already been denied, posting like crazy. But just to put it to rest: both the Red Sox and the Padres have denied the report from the Tacoma News-Tribune (always my go-to source) that the clubs talked about a Coco Crisp-Khalil Greene trade. I'm not sure what interest the Sox would have in a career .248 (.213 last season) hitting shortstop when they already have Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugo (who is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic this year). Although, Nick Cafardo says there is some interest in Julio Lugo from the White Sox and the Mets- though it would likely require the Sox to eat some money to shed him. Mazz has a great column up about the SS position.

The Sox might have an interest in re-signing Sean Casey... just not anytime soon. Understandably, Theo has much bigger holes to fill before turning to the utility role that Sean serves.

"We'll keep our options open and look around, see what happens," said G.M. Theo Epstein. "Sean is probably going to do the same. I wouldn't rule anything out with respect to him."

By contrast, Nick Cafardo's report in the Globe says:

Epstein also said he's informed Sean Casey that the team would address more pressing needs, which likely means Casey won't be returning.

The starting rotation for the Sox still has a hole to be filled. Paul Byrd is still a possibility, despite that he filed for free agency. Alex Speier reports that Theo said Paul will "have a lot of options" to consider. Of course, even if Paul does sign with the Sox, there's no guarantee he'll slot into the starting 5.

Other candidates for an offseason starter acquisition? If reports are to be believed, not Jake Peavy: he has no interest in playing for Boston. The only AL teams he'd consider are the Yankees and the Angels. A.J. Burnett may be a viable possibility- his agent indicated Burnett will opt out of his current contract with the Jays and become a free agent. The Sox are one of the clubs being bandied about as a possible landing place - but there are reportedly many suitors for his services. The White Sox are shopping Javier Vasquez, and Nick Cafardo says the Sox have been linked to him as well (possibly as part of the aforementioned interest in Julio Lugo). And, of course, there's always Derek Lowe, who regularly sends love letters to Theo proclaiming his love for the Sox. Of course, he still wants to get paid a lot of money, but it appears he's pining for the Fens.

Meanwhile, Jason Bay suggested (or, rather, his agents suggested) that he'd like to sign a long-term deal to keep him on the Sox past 2009 (when his current contract expires).

"It's a situation where he's loving Boston. It's a great club and a great organization," said Nez Balelo of Creative Artists Agency. "He's a quality player, and I'm sure (the Red Sox) recognize that. Whatever they want to do, I'm sure that we're all ears."

According to Balelo and fellow CAA agent Joe Urbon, the Sox have not yet been in contact about a long-term deal.

No new specific news, but superstars Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday are both still on the Red Sox' radar as well.

And closing on the international front, the Red Sox are spending a lot of time focusing on 22 year-old righty hurler Junichi Tazawa from Japan -- who already has a major league contract offer from Atlanta, and is going to receive another from Seattle soon as well. Nick Cafardo also notes:

The Sox also have interest in Kenshin Kawakami, a 33-year-old righty for the Chunichi Dragons who went 9-5 with a 2.30 ERA last season. Kawakami is a Hiroki Kuroda-type pitcher with a cut fastball and good curveball who could man the No. 4 or 5 spot in the Sox rotation.

All signs point to the end of the Boston careers for Mike Timlin and Curt Schilling.

Yesterday, at the GM meetings in California, Theo Epstein discussed the "extensive conversation" he had towards the end of this season with Mike Timlin about Mike's future with the Red Sox.

At that time, Timlin was leaning towards returning for another season in 2009, though the pitcher and Epstein reached "a mutual understanding that Boston probably wouldn't be the best fit for him going forward, that there would be other places with greater opportunities."

"But what a career that guy had in Boston," Epstein said. "He was really the staple down there for us-very reliable, very effective, a big part of two World Series teams. We should not let the offseason go by without tipping our cap to him."

And Curt Schilling's future is uncertain in baseball in general. In addition to blogging that he's "likely retired", Curt has also given some insight on his future on Facebook:

Although with Curt Schilling, as we're all aware, you just never know.

Doesn't matter who you vote for, just get out there and VOTE!

It's November, so you know what that means... yes, it's time for the first of what will be many Hot Stove Updates during the offseason. Free agency, arbitration and plain 'ol trades are all heating up as potential moves for the Sox over the next few months.

Before diving into the rumors, speculation and innuendo (Teixeira, anyone?), this first post will focus on the basics of which current Sox players are pieces in the offseason chess match this year.

In what is easily the most no-brainer move the Red Sox will make this offseason, the front office kicked things off right by exercising Tim Wakefield's club option for 2009 on Friday. At the (relatively) paltry price of $4 million, it was a bargain. Per the terms of his contract, it also sets up another club option for 2010 at the same price. Next year will mark Wake's 15th consecutive year pitching in the Boston home whites, a club record.

Next up: free agent extravaganza! So far, seven Red Sox players have filed for free agency: Sean Casey, Bartolo Colon, Alex Cora, Mark Kotsay, Dave Ross, Curt Schilling and Jason Varitek. Paul Byrd and Mike Timlin are also eligible to file for free agency, and it is likely they will file soon as well. The Red Sox have an 15-day window after a player files for free agency during which they are exclusively allowed to negotiate with him. The players (and their agents) are allowed to talk to other teams during that period, but they are not permitted to discuss financial terms.

The Red Sox also have four team members eligible for arbitration this year: Kevin Cash, Javier Lopez, Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis. All four players are Third-Year Players; the Red Sox do not have any Super-Twos this year. (Some notable Super Twos this year are Brian Bannister, Melky Cabrera, Cole Hamels, Russell Martin, B.J. Upton and Jared Weaver.)

The Red Sox will also be free to offer arbitration to any of their free agents who do not sign a contract with another ballclub. The Elias Sports Bureau rankings were released to the clubs on Thursday, and Jason Varitek netted a Type A ranking, and Paul Byrd netted a Type B ranking- meaning the Sox would get two and one compensatory draft picks, respectively, if they offered arbitration and Tek/Byrd do not accept. For everything you wanted to know about arbitration but were afraid to ask, see the Arbitration Primer I put together last year.

Now that the basics are out of the way, our next installments will dive into the all the latest news and tidbits about potential moves the Sox might make. Hang on, as always, the hot stove season is gonna be a bumpy ride.

Plus: a Halloween special Dugout, starring Jonathan Papelbon and the brothers Young!

Plus: a random weird video starring (not) Jonathan Papelbon, courtesy of Walkoff Walk!

Big congrats go out to the other boys in red, down Philly way, for shutting down the American League fish and claiming the 2008 World Championship.

Congrats to MVP Cole Hamels, the very definition of an ace. Congrats to the unsung heroes - Geoff Jenkins, Eric Bruntlett, Carlos Ruiz- who prevailed in tonight's game. Congrats to Philly big names Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Congrats to Slowcamotive Pat Burrell and his sweet ass. And most especially congrats to Brad Lidge, who erased the specter of 2005 with the final out of 2008.

If it couldn't be the Sox, I'm damn happy it was the Phils.

(But don't get too comfortable, we're coming for you in 2009....)

Just in time to wipe the smarm off the top of the page, it's Sox And Celtics! This is part 549732450 of a continuing series wherein our heroes (the Red Sox) visit their athletic neighbors (the Celtics), often while wearing green and/or drinking beer.

In last night's episode, Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis visited the World Champion Celtics home opener to watch the World Champion Celtics get their World Champion rings. Also, Youk did the old hold-the-ball-for-the-mascot-to-dunk thing.

Mikey LoLo was apparently too shy to be caught on camera, but he did talk to the Herald:

Lowell, who was sporting his honkin' World Series bling, said he thought the Green Team's new championship ring was "really elegant."

"I think they did a really nice job," the third baseman told the Track. "But, really, is there ever a real ugly championship ring?"

The answer is no.