Posted by Alex Speier

DANA POINT, Calif.–A summary of information gleaned from Day 3 of the G.M. meetings:

–The Red Sox view resolving their catching situation as their most immediate priority. The team met with Scott Boras today to discuss a number of free agents–both those who finished 2008 with the Sox and other clubs–and touched base for the first time on Jason Varitek’s contract situation.

Unsurprisingly, Boras seems interested in a long-term deal for the catcher, while Boston would rather err on the side of the shorter term. It would be an upset if Varitek gets a contract for more than three years with the Sox, or any other team for that matter. Then again, Boras has pulled contractual rabbits out of the hat before.

–Though the Tigers and Dodgers seemed the most likely alternatives for Varitek (with L.A. being a possibility only if Russell Martin was either traded or moved to third base), Dodgers G.M. Ned Colletti said that his team was “probably not” interested in Varitek. Detroit President Dave Dombrowski declined to comment on Varitek.

–There have not been any signs that Russell Martin is available in a trade.

–The Indians could have a catching surplus with Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach, and while they would listen to any offers on any player, they would certainly not mind returning with both catchers in their control next year.

“I’d be happy (bringing both back),” said Indians G.M. Mark Shapiro. “Kelly last year was one of the top ten catchers for a little over half a season in the major leagues. Vic is a pre-eminent, switch-hitting, run-producing catcher, a great receiver, great game-caller and leader on the team when he’s healthy…Vic can also play another position (first base), too.”

–Beyond the Rangers, who feature a startling surplus of catchers, and are looking for big-league ready starting pitching (perhaps a pitcher along the lines of Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden), few other names of available alternatives have surfaced. Brad Ausmus is only interested in catching in San Diego or retiring. The Sox seem uninterested in Pudge Rodriguez (another Boras client). Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino is on the market, but he seems better suited to backup duty. All things being equal, the Sox would rather have at least one veteran catcher, but they are not averse to having two relatively green backstops if the talent would be superior.

–The Sox believe that their current stable of Triple-A catchers has been underrated. Dusty Brown hit .290 with a .377 OBP and .849 OPS with the PawSox. He is currently playing in the Dominican Winter League, where he entered yesterday hitting .304/.421/.790. George Kottaras had a rather unusual but in some ways impressive season, hitting .243 but with a .348 OBP, .804 OPS and 22 homers in Triple-A. He is building strength this winter. Brown is viewed as a legitimate big-league defensive option, while Kottaras might not be at that level yet, but he has made significant strides to near that point since the Sox acquired him in 2006.

–A.J. Burnett, to no one’s surprise, opted out of his contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday. He told Toronto officials that he was pursuing a contract for as many as seven years, though there are signals that he would be fine with a five-year deal. (The Jays offered four years.) Burnett has an exceptional arsenal, but he has made more than 30 starts just twice in his big-league career. Given that, while the Red Sox (and every other club, for that matter) have long been enamored of Burnett’s talents (Boston looked at him extensively at the trade deadline in 2005 and then again when he reached free agency following that year), it would be hard to anticipate that the Sox would commit $80 million for the pitcher.

–The Sox have not expressed any interest in Burnett’s former teammate with the Marlins, Ryan Dempster. Dempster went 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA for the Cubs this season.

–Greg Genske, who represents CC Sabathia, said that he plans on talking about the 2007 Cy Young winner with the Red Sox. Still, there are few indications that the Sox would be drawn into a bidding war for the pitcher.

–The Sox are open to having Julio Lugo return as a means of achieving excellent depth at shortstop at the start of the 2009 season. At the same time, the team is also exploring potential ways of moving him, whether an exchange of “bad” contracts with another team or by eating salary in hopes of getting a prospect. The Red Sox and White Sox (who are looking for a shortstop) could not find a fit for an exchange that would involve the likes of Lugo and Nick Swisher.

The Tigers might make a sensible fit, since they have a vacancy at shortstop after opting out of Edgar Renteria’s contract. (Detroit is also looking for a catcher and relief pitchers.) They also have a couple of contracts in Dontrelle Willis (2 years, $22 million remaining) and Nate Robertson (2 years, $17 million) that match up reasonably closely with Lugo’s two years and $18 million remaining.

“We look at anything,” Dombrowski said of the possibility of a salary swap. “We look at each and every opportunity we have, and we weigh them all.”

–New Mariners G.M. Jack Zduriencik is trying to fill a managerial vacancy. Sox pitching coach John Farrell’s name has been rumored as a possible candidate. Zduriencik, who has not established his list, has approached Sox G.M. Theo Epstein informally to provide a timetable about when he might ask for permission to interview any Sox employees.

–While the Dodgers made a short-term, high-dollar offer for Manny Ramirez, agent Scott Boras made it clear that he is seeking a long-term deal. L.A.’s offer seemed mostly like a P.R. move designed to provide evidence of an attempt to land the slugger. Possible Ramirez suitors include the Mets (though G.M. Omar Minaya has emphasized repeatedly that his primary emphasis is on pitching), Yankees (Brian Cashman has been taking the same tactic as Minaya, emphasizing the need for arms), Dodgers, Phillies, Giants and, as a longshot, the Blue Jays. (Toronto, after all, was ready to commit somewhere in the vicinity of $60 million to Burnett.) The Oakland A’s, rarely a team known for landing top-of-the-market players, represent an interesting hypothetical–the team shed tens of millions of dollars in payroll last year.

–The Sox have shown little interest in the high real-estate district of the relief market. The team did not demonstrate interest in free-agent right-hander Bobby Howry, nor will they get involved in the sweepstakes for southpaw Brian Fuentes. The Sox spent years trying to pry Fuentes from the Rockies, but as a pitcher who might command as much as $10 million a year, his pricetag is too much for someone who would be a middle reliever.

Posted by James Stewart

 Now with Election 2008 in the books and a much slower pace of life style for me, the blog will be back up and going with a much more steady amount of posts.

5. The fact that I could write in the name Jesse Ventura or any other name on my ballot made me a happy camper when I went out to vote on Tuesday Night. Not shocked that Obama won and the way he won. I agree with what Felger said that Obama ran a near perfect campaign. He’s told us change and now I’m waiting to see if he can execute his game plan.

Comes back to Boston Saturday

4. I’m lucky enough to be going to the Boston College - Notre Dame Football game on Saturday Night at 8pm. You can catch Meter, Peter Cronan, Jayme Parker and Chach with the broadcast at 7:30 across the WEEI Sports Radio Network and clicking listen live at the top of the page. I’m excited to be able to attend because every game in my memory bank has been very competitive. Being objective and just watching any sporting event is a ton of fun.

3. The Boston Bruins are the 4th team in this market and they may have gotten me back watching them on a regular basis, with there 5-1 victory over the (Minnesota) Dallas (North) Stars. It was a complete hockey game; good back and forth puck movement, a great goalie at work (Tim Thomas), good hard hits and a few fights. The Bruins fans who were there, wanted to be there.

2. WWE Survivor Series will be at the TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday Night, November 23rd. It’s going to be headlined by Chris Jericho defending the Raw Championship against John Cena. It will mark the return of John Cena to the ring in his hometown of Boston. One of the most appealing things about the Survivor Series has been it’s 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 elimination tag team matches on which the Pay Per View Event was created for.

1. This YouTube Video was first shown to me by a close friend of mine. It’s worth going through the entire series if you have the time. This is just part 1.

Love, Like and Hate mail welcome at jstewart850@yahoo.com

Posted by Paul Flannery

We are live from my Ikea chair for tonight’s game between the Celtics and Thunder. So many questions will be answered tonight: Was Ray Allen’s revival a one-night deal, can the C’s win back-to-back games on the road, are the Thunder any good?

Check back early and often for continuous live-blogging goodness.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Alex Speier

DANA POINT, Calif. — Dodgers’ general manager Ned Colletti said at the General Managers Meeting that his organization would “probably not” be interested in pursuing free agent catcher Jason Varitek. LA has, however, made an offer to Manny Ramirez which would allow for the highest annual average salary in Dodgers’ history, and the second-highest in Major League Baseball history.

Posted by Alex Speier

Agent Greg Genske, who represents CC Sabathia, says that he has not yet met with the Red Sox but that he anticipates meeting with the team to discuss all his clients. For obvious reasons, he had no intention of ruling out the Sox as a potential suitor for a player who could well glean a record-setting contract this offseason.

Genske also said that Mark Kotsay loved his time in Boston, but that he remains committed to finding a job as a starting outfielder.

Mets G.M. Omar Minaya said that his club remains focused heavily on pitching, with a need to replace both two starters and a closer, making Manny Ramirez something of an afterthought. Minaya also said that his team scouted Junichi Tazawa, but that the Mets are not in the sweepstakes for the Japanese amateur.

Minaya also said that Pedro Martinez wants to pitch again, and suggested that he believes the former Red Sox ace can still compete.

Posted by Alex Speier

Want a big-league catcher? The road goes through Texas.

The Rangers have an enormous chip–four of them, in fact–in the form of what is easily the deepest major-league ready stable of catchers in baseball. That surplus takes the form of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Gerald Laird and Max Ramirez. All teams in need of catching help–including the Red Sox–are keenly aware of the attributes of that group. According to a few executives here at the G.M. meetings, the breakdown of the group is as follows:

Laird, 28, hit .276 with a .329 OBP, .398 slugging, 6 homers and 41 RBIs in 95 games this year. He is viewed as an above-average defender–some thought he ranked among the best defensive catchers in the American League last year–who can handle a big-league staff. He has just over four years of big-league service time, so any team that acquires him would control his rights for the 2009 and 2010 seasons before he reached free agency.

Teagarden, 24, made his big-league debut in July. The Scott Boras client is viewed as an elite defender, perhaps even better than Laird, and he had good offensive production in the minors (.267 average, .390 OBP, .509 slugging) before a very impressive performance in his first taste of the majors (.319/.396/.809). Some view him as the best of the bunch; the Rangers likely feel similarly about the 2005 third-rounder, meaning that they will be reluctant to part with him for anything shy of a top pitching prospect.

Saltalamacchia, 23, was considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball when the Rangers acquired him from the Braves as part of the Mark Teixeira deal in 2007. But Saltalamacchia struggled last year in Texas while dealing with both injuries and a shuffle between catcher and first base. Rangers manager Ron Washington suggested that he needed plenty of grooming as a signal-caller, which is part of the reason why he will play in the Dominican Winter League. Though he remains an impressive hitting prospect despite a mediocre offensive year in the majors (.253/.352/.364), executives from other American League clubs are divided about whether he can stick behind the plate, or whether he will eventually land at first base. That being the case, it would be hard to imagine him as an immediate replacement for Varitek.

Ramirez, 24, is very raw defensively, and multiple officials said that he is not ready to be a starting big-league catcher. He hit .217/.345/.370 in 17 games in the majors, but if he can develop behind the plate, there are only a handful of more impressive hitting prospects who catch. Ramirez hit .354/.450/.646 in Double-A this year, resulting in his quick rise to the majors. But, like Saltalamacchia, he is viewed by executives of other clubs as too raw to handle the role of primary catcher in Boston.

Posted by Alex Speier

DANA POINT, Calif.–The Red Sox have expressed some interest in left-handed pitcher Billy Traber as a means of improving organizational depth. Traber, who was briefly in the Sox system during the winter following the 2004 season and whom the Sox pursued last winter, had a 2-1 record and 3.40 ERA for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate and a 7.02 ERA in 16.2 major-league innings.

Posted by Paul Flannery

Come one, come all to tonight’s Celtics-Thunder live-blogging extravaganza. We’ll be doing it right here in this very space, and we’ll be kicking it old-school from our couch, like God and Will Leitch intended, and without that fancy Cover It Live contraption.

We’ll be watching for signs of a back-to-back letdown, making fun of the Thunder (seriously, how long did it take those geniuses to come up with that logo? Five seconds?) and hanging on every word from Mike and Donny.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. What else do you guys have to do tonight, besides sweating the senate election returns from Georgia, of course.

Posted by Gary Marbry

Zink's Knuckleball Appeared In One Game

Here’s the third installment of Red Sox Reviews, this time looking at knuckleballer Charlie Zink and catcher David Ross:

Player                    ERA    W   L  SV    IP    H      
Charlie Zink        16.62    0   0   0     4.3   11     

* - There are 556 players in MLB history (since 1901) that have pitched in exactly 1 career game.  Those pitchers combined for a 19-76 record with a 7.60 ERA in those 556 appearances.  Of those 556, none pitched more than Zink’s 4.1 innings AND ended with an ERA higher than Zink’s 16.62. 

* - Zink was one of 13 pitchers to allow 8+ ER in a start and not take the loss in 2008 (none got a win).  It was just the 14th time that a Red Sox pitcher had done it in the last 50 years and was the first time since 1994 at Fenway Park.  In that game (a 19-17 win over Texas at Fenway), the Rangers’ Scott Feldman allowed 12 runs, but just 6 were earned.  Had two more of those been earned, Feldman would have done it twice LAST SEASON.

Player                    AB    R    H   HR  RBI    BA     OBP     SLG 
Dave Ross            8      1    1     0     0    .125   .125    .125

* - Ross has a career average of .062 (7-108) on 0-2 counts, the lowest mark by a non-pitcher in MLB since that stat has been tracked (1988).

LOWEST CAREER AVERAGE ON 0-2 COUNTS (since 1988; Min. 85 AB; * denotes active player)

Dave Ross* - .065 (7-108)
Jim Presley - .070 (9-128)
Ben Broussard* - .074 (14-190)
Milt Cuyler - .078 (7-90)
Willie Greene - .078 (8-102)

8th Lowest – Doug Mirabelli - .082 (11-134)
20th Lowest – Carlos Pena* - .090 (18-199)

* - Ross is just a .113 lifetime hitter with 2 strikes.  That’s the 2nd worst mark by a non-pitcher since 1988.

LOWEST CAREER BATTING AVERAGE WITH 2 STRIKES (Non Pitchers; Since 1988; Min 500 AB)

Russell Branyan* - .102 (119-1,161)
Dave Ross* - .113 (70-619)
Melvin Nieves - .117 (83-707)
Mark Parent - .122 (73-597)
Shane Andrews - .124 (115-931)

9th Lowest – Mark Bellhorn - .129

* - However, 16 of Ross’ 60 career HR (27%) have come with 2 strikes, nowhere near the lowest percentage.

LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF CAREER HR HIT WITH 2 STRIKES (Non Pitchers; Since 1988; Min. 50 career HR)

Carlos Quentin* – 10.0% (5-50)
Danny Bautista – 11.3% (7-62)
Brian Harper – 11.5% (6-52)
Hal Morris – 13.2% (10-76)
Ichiro Suzuki* – 13.7% (10-73)

14th Lowest – Vlad Guerrero* – 17.1% (67-392)

HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF CAREER HR HIT WITH 2 STRIKES (Non Pitchers; Since 1988; Min. 50 career HR)

Jayson Werth* - 43.9% (25-57)
Robert Fick – 43.5% (30-69)
Ron Karkovice – 43.3% (39-90)
Rex Hudler – 42.9% (24-56)
Chad Kreuter – 42.6% (23-54)

* - Since 2006, Ross has hit .178 after August 31 (18-101), the lowest such average in the major leagues during that span (min. 95 AB). 

LOWEST BATTING AVERAGE AFTER AUGUST 31 – ’06 thru ’08 – Min. 95 AB

Dave Ross - .178
Jose Castillo - .180
Darin Erstad - .183
Craig Monroe - .184
Willie Harris - .186

Thanks once again to www.baseball-r