There’s really nothing on the free agent front for the Boston Red Sox as things remain quiet on that front. However on the trade front, things are starting to heat up between the Red Sox and the Tigers.
Per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
They’re (Detroit) also contemplating a deal with Boston to send either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis for Lugo, but some money issues must be resolved.
Obviously this isn’t a salary dump for either team but rather taking a chance on some players. With Jed Lowrie emerging last season, Lugo is expendable because with the amount of money left on his deal ($18 million) he’s making too much to be a backup. Plus the Tigers need a shortstop. If the trade happened, Robertson and Willis would probably compete for the 5th spot in the rotation with Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden. My best guess is if this trade happens, the Red Sox will keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen next season.
It turns out the Red Sox were planning to suspend Manny Ramirez back in July when he decided to take two days off when the New York Yankees were in town.
Per Pedro Gomez of ESPN.com:
According to multiple sources, Boston management had drafted an official letter of suspension for Ramirez, and delivered it to him at Fenway Park at around 11 p.m. on Friday night, July 25. For the second straight game, Ramirez had refused to play that evening, and the Red Sox lost 1-0 to the rival New York Yankees in front of a boisterous and sold-out home crowd.
The letter informed Ramirez that the suspension was to go into effect the next day, Saturday, July 26. It said Ramirez was being suspended without pay for being unwilling to play. Copies of the letter were also sent to Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association and Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras.
There’s really no need to rehash this any further. He’s not coming back to Boston. To me this is more of a concern for the teams interested in Manny’s services.
Former Red Sox shortstop Vern Stephens is a Veterans Committee Finalist for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It looks as though the Red Sox robbed Lee County blind in their new lease deal.
The Red Sox and MLB will be holding a “green initiative” at Fenway Park on Wednesday, November 19th.
