Who Will the Red Sox Target for 08/09 FA? Who Will They Trade?

[xChopsx]

In like 5 years someones going to be getting David Beckham money... 

arod already gets david beckham money.


also, i could care less if people say we bought championships. they can enjoy thier crappy small market teams, while we enjoy contenders. Good knows we pay enough at the ballpark for it. They print money down at landsdown street, it better put a quaility high priced team out there when i'm paying 50 bucks for crap seats if im lucky.

Beck is getting 50mil a year compared to Arods 27.5???

[crownsy]

In like 5 years someones going to be getting David Beckham money... 

arod already gets david beckham money.


also, i could care less if people say we bought championships. they can enjoy thier crappy small market teams, while we enjoy contenders. Good knows we pay enough at the ballpark for it. They print money down at landsdown street, it better put a quaility high priced team out there when i'm paying 50 bucks for crap seats if im lucky.

Beck is getting 50mil a year compared to Arods 27.5???

beck is getting 50 only because of mostly endorsments and a also a cut of merch sales. He's not payed 50 mil. in fact,he makes almost exactly the same as alex, 28 mill.

http://www.davidbeckhamnet.com/2007/02/david-beckham-to-get-28-million-base.html

If you want to compare on just thier salary's Arod makes slightly less. If you through in alex's endorsment deals, then he makes on par or more than beckham.

Arod's estimated income per year with his endorsments is around 55 million or so i belive.

[Chris]

If the redsox get burnett and texeira that would be amazing and you would think we would win another ws for sure. But if we do everyone will most likely say we yankeed or bought a trophy. Can't lie i would sort of feel that way myself

the major league i think should do a couple of things to get the league as a whole more competetive. 1st if you are the last team a player like texeira played for, you have have the right to offer maximum deal of 8 year 180 million (Bonus/incentive up to 10 million) vs Other teams could only do at most 7 years at 160 million(bonus/incentive up to 5 million).

Why i think this is a good idea is that players like cc sabathia would be enticed to stay with milwaukee and help them for their future instead of thinking of going to the yanks for their dirty money.

Also i think baseball should have a cap a player can make a year. If the payroll cap climbs then that percentage it climbs can be also be increased for a single player cap.

There are a lot of things MLB should do...like having an actual salary cap.  The problem is, the players (or more accurately agents) run things.  They have by far the strongest union in American Pro Sports, and they simply won't let something like that happen.

[yall hate]

If the redsox get burnett and texeira that would be amazing and you would think we would win another ws for sure. But if we do everyone will most likely say we yankeed or bought a trophy. Can't lie i would sort of feel that way myself

the major league i think should do a couple of things to get the league as a whole more competetive. 1st if you are the last team a player like texeira played for, you have have the right to offer maximum deal of 8 year 180 million (Bonus/incentive up to 10 million) vs Other teams could only do at most 7 years at 160 million(bonus/incentive up to 5 million).

Why i think this is a good idea is that players like cc sabathia would be enticed to stay with milwaukee and help them for their future instead of thinking of going to the yanks for their dirty money.

Also i think baseball should have a cap a player can make a year. If the payroll cap climbs then that percentage it climbs can be also be increased for a single player cap.

There are a lot of things MLB should do...like having an actual salary cap.  The problem is, the players (or more accurately agents) run things.  They have by far the strongest union in American Pro Sports, and they simply won't let something like that happen.

I dont think we really need to worry about teams 'buying' championships.  In recent history, the highest salaried teams arent winning championships. 

[yall hate]

Sox made an offer to Tazawa.


Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker is reporting that Red Sox vice president of international scouting, Craig Shipley, had formal negotiations with Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa, which resulted in a $6MM contract offer. No word yet on whether or not it's a Major League deal.

Current reports state that both the Red Sox, Braves, and Mariners have offered contracts to the 22-year-old right-hander.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Could be a great signing if they can get him.  I wouldnt expect anything from him for at least a year, likely more, but the kid has some serious 'stuff'.

Name: Junichi Tazawa
Height: 5-11
Weight: 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 6/6/1986

Delivery

Tazawa’s delivery has been the subject of concern for many fans. His arm lags behind his shoulder through his deliver, and his follow through is fairly upright and ends abruptly. These things are not uncorrectable and shouldn’t be a major concern for fans.

Tazawa lands well, which I think is one of the most important things for pitchers, and unlike many Japanese pitchers, his slightly awkward delivery is not used to mask his pitches or deceive the hitter, so mechanical changes shouldn’t throw off any rhythm he has or subtract from his production.

Tazawa balances his weight well, which maximizes his velocity and movement, and also puts the least amount of stress on his arm, compared to production of velocity as is possible.



Stuff

Tazawa features a low-mid-90s fastball, which tails in on right-handed hitters. His curve, which generally sits between 75-78 mph, is an effective offspeed pitch with sharp, late break. His slider, or possibly a shuuto, which he throws the least of all of the pitches breaks mostly down, and sits in the low-mid-80s.

Tazawa’s fastball has enough movement for backdoor strikes on the outside corner, and to cause lefties to chase it out of the zone. His fastball/curve speed ratio is ideal, and will cause hitters to swing on their front foot. His slider, perhaps the most impressive pitch in Tazawa’s repertoire has potential to be an out pitch in the bigs.



Pitching Style

Tazawa’s style is not dissimilar to that of Clay Buchholz, though he has a lesser fastball. Tazawa relies heavily on his curveball and slider, though less heavily on his slider. To go the distance in the major leagues, one mustn’t rely too heavily on their breaking stuff.

Similar to fellow countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tazawa is a nibbler. In the majors, this could will be a problem. Japanese baseball has notoriously large strike zones, and it has taken time for Matsuzaka to adjust; he’s arguably still in the infancy of his adjustment process.

Tazawa controls both sides of the plate and changes speeds well, which is impressive at his age. It is rare to see a pitcher of Tazawa’s age able to throw the high-inside strike and strike a man out looking.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/76353-junichi-tazawa-scouting-report

[xmuscularghandix]

redsox interested in aj burnett and i love it. Sign him up to a 5 year deal worth 60-65 million. Aj burnett and beckett? are you kidding that would be a sick strikeout duo

If we get willis for lugo we will have a pitching staff filled with past marlins that helped them wing the ring impossibly

there is no way tha signing aj burnett is a good thing. he is a mediocre injury prone pitcher who only shows his potential in his contract years. he is the jd drew of pitching. i will be extremely disapointed if we sign him at all. derek lowe is the big pitcher we could bid for, and we won't becuase his stock is too high after his postseason performance this year (contract year) our pitching staff is set and if we get any pitchers they should be middle relief or pitchers for the future.

FOCUS ON TEIXEIRA!

[yall hate]

redsox interested in aj burnett and i love it. Sign him up to a 5 year deal worth 60-65 million. Aj burnett and beckett? are you kidding that would be a sick strikeout duo

If we get willis for lugo we will have a pitching staff filled with past marlins that helped them wing the ring impossibly

there is no way tha signing aj burnett is a good thing. he is a mediocre injury prone pitcher who only shows his potential in his contract years. he is the jd drew of pitching. i will be extremely disapointed if we sign him at all. derek lowe is the big pitcher we could bid for, and we won't becuase his stock is too high after his postseason performance this year (contract year) our pitching staff is set and if we get any pitchers they should be middle relief or pitchers for the future.

FOCUS ON TEIXEIRA!

all of the pitchers are flawed.  Lowe is too old for the contract he wants. burnett should not get a 5 year deal.  but people over pay for pitchers.  Hopefully we just play a role in jacking up the prices for our rivals.

but our pitching staff isnt set.  who is our number 5?  if Wake's shoulder is truly messed up, who is our 4th?  after beckett, lester and matzu we dont know what the starting rotation looks like.

I am sure they are going to put forth a strong effort for tex.

[yall hate]

More info on Tazawa

The article quotes  ”They want me to come over, and I understand how I can develop. I feel like it’s a good team”. Nikkan Sports is reporting that Tazawa has already decided on the Red Sox, and says that he’ll be able to officially sign at the beginning of December.

Some highlights:

    * 3 year, $3M contract (that’s $1M/year)
    * Major League contract
    * start off at class AA
    * remain a starter
    * personal translator

The dollar figure is a little surprising — there were numerous reports of a $6M offer earlier in the day. Maybe there is a bonus or incentive package that was left off of this report. We’ll learn more over the next couple days.

http://www.npbtracker.com/2008/11/details-on-bostons-offer-to-tazawa/


If this offer is true, it would certainly seem like a great deal for the Sox.  The kid is 22, and has been considered to be the equivalent of a top 10 draft pick.  for only 3 million spread over 3 years, that is much less then they would pay a top 10 pick.  additionally, if they are confident with him starting at AA, it would be reasonable to speculate he 'could' be in the majors one year later. 

Very good deal if it is true.

[nickagneta]

More info on Tazawa

The article quotes  ”They want me to come over, and I understand how I can develop. I feel like it’s a good team”. Nikkan Sports is reporting that Tazawa has already decided on the Red Sox, and says that he’ll be able to officially sign at the beginning of December.

Some highlights:

    * 3 year, $3M contract (that’s $1M/year)
    * Major League contract
    * start off at class AA
    * remain a starter
    * personal translator

The dollar figure is a little surprising — there were numerous reports of a $6M offer earlier in the day. Maybe there is a bonus or incentive package that was left off of this report. We’ll learn more over the next couple days.

http://www.npbtracker.com/2008/11/details-on-bostons-offer-to-tazawa/


If this offer is true, it would certainly seem like a great deal for the Sox.  The kid is 22, and has been considered to be the equivalent of a top 10 draft pick.  for only 3 million spread over 3 years, that is much less then they would pay a top 10 pick.  additionally, if they are confident with him starting at AA, it would be reasonable to speculate he 'could' be in the majors one year later. 

Very good deal if it is true.

It's a decent deal but reports are also saying that no one coming from Japan this year eventually projects to be less than All-Star quality talent on the major league level. Let's not forget that the Red Sox have drafted tons of guys over the years high in drafts that never made it to the major leagues. This kid is a year or two away from even making the major league club and that's only if he can make the cultural adjustment as well as the talent upgrade adjustment. He is no Dice-K.

Let's not forget how high this team was on Craig Hansen and where he ended up and Hansen didn't have a cultural barrier to overcome and was more of a physical specimen.

[yall hate]

It's a decent deal but reports are also saying that no one coming from Japan this year eventually projects to be less than All-Star quality talent on the major league level. Let's not forget that the Red Sox have drafted tons of guys over the years high in drafts that never made it to the major leagues. This kid is a year or two away from even making the major league club and that's only if he can make the cultural adjustment as well as the talent upgrade adjustment. He is no Dice-K.

Let's not forget how high this team was on Craig Hansen and where he ended up and Hansen didn't have a cultural barrier to overcome and was more of a physical specimen.

The kid is 22.  it would be impossible to adequately assess his upper ceiling. 

and of course the sox and every mlb team has screwed up draft picks, but Tazawa has been competing against and succeeding against much more talented players then HS kids.  the talent isnt equivalent to the MLB, which is why, unlike Dice and others, he will be starting in the minors.

The cultural gap is of course also a problem, but the sox have shown that they are good at providing what is needed to help. 

As for Hansen, EVERYONE was high on him.  we were just the only ones willing to pay what he was demanding.  Hansen was filthy in college.  absolutely filthy.

Ultimately, 3 million is nothing to pay for a prospect who realistically would instantly be top 5 in our system. 

Additionally, the flexibility it would give us to further pursue one of the Texas catchers (if they were balking at parting with a guy like hagadone or bard as part of compensation, you have now added a kid who is better)

[Chris]

redsox interested in aj burnett and i love it. Sign him up to a 5 year deal worth 60-65 million. Aj burnett and beckett? are you kidding that would be a sick strikeout duo

If we get willis for lugo we will have a pitching staff filled with past marlins that helped them wing the ring impossibly

there is no way tha signing aj burnett is a good thing. he is a mediocre injury prone pitcher who only shows his potential in his contract years. he is the jd drew of pitching. i will be extremely disapointed if we sign him at all. derek lowe is the big pitcher we could bid for, and we won't becuase his stock is too high after his postseason performance this year (contract year) our pitching staff is set and if we get any pitchers they should be middle relief or pitchers for the future.

FOCUS ON TEIXEIRA!

all of the pitchers are flawed.  Lowe is too old for the contract he wants. burnett should not get a 5 year deal.  but people over pay for pitchers.  Hopefully we just play a role in jacking up the prices for our rivals.

but our pitching staff isnt set.  who is our number 5?  if Wake's shoulder is truly messed up, who is our 4th?  after beckett, lester and matzu we dont know what the starting rotation looks like.

I am sure they are going to put forth a strong effort for tex.

I agree with your assessment.  I just don't think there are any top line starters out there who are worth the money they will be getting.  Considering the position the Sox are in (already have one of the best 1-3 rotations in the league, with a solid 4-5 guy in wakefield, and a bunch of talented kids bidding for the other spot), I just don't think they should be overpaying for someone.  They are much better off trying to get a quality 4th or 5th guy, in the Paul Byrd mould (or bring him back). 

I also am starting to really thin Tex will be in Boston next year.  They just have too much money to throw around, and he really helps them solve a problem going forward of having punch in the lineup (especially in a couple of years when Ortiz is either gone, or fading even faster).

[yall hate]

I also am starting to really thin Tex will be in Boston next year.  They just have too much money to throw around, and he really helps them solve a problem going forward of having punch in the lineup (especially in a couple of years when Ortiz is either gone, or fading even faster).

If Ortiz fades at a faster rate we are going to be looking at a hitter who is equivalent to Alex Cora by the end of the year. 

I agree about Tex, I think ultimately, like Sabathia with his various options, it is really going to come down to what he wants to do.  There are going to be a lot of very similar offers on the table, and it will ultimately come down to their preference on place to play. 

My prediction is that the Sox get tex in a deal something like 6 years 140 million (which is like 23.3 million a season).  as long as the deal is less then 6 for 150 (25 mill a year) I am fine with it.  My thinking is why stop at something like 6 years 120.  does the extra 5 million a year make a difference to this team?  no. 

[Chris]

  does the extra 5 million a year make a difference to this team?  no. 

And if they want to rationalize it, they can think about the fact that they just saved $5 million on a 4th outfielder, and will likely be saving another $4-5 million by not having to sign another set-up man.

[nickagneta]

It's a decent deal but reports are also saying that no one coming from Japan this year eventually projects to be less than All-Star quality talent on the major league level. Let's not forget that the Red Sox have drafted tons of guys over the years high in drafts that never made it to the major leagues. This kid is a year or two away from even making the major league club and that's only if he can make the cultural adjustment as well as the talent upgrade adjustment. He is no Dice-K.

Let's not forget how high this team was on Craig Hansen and where he ended up and Hansen didn't have a cultural barrier to overcome and was more of a physical specimen.

The kid is 22.  it would be impossible to adequately assess his upper ceiling. 

and of course the sox and every mlb team has screwed up draft picks, but Tazawa has been competing against and succeeding against much more talented players then HS kids.  the talent isnt equivalent to the MLB, which is why, unlike Dice and others, he will be starting in the minors.

The cultural gap is of course also a problem, but the sox have shown that they are good at providing what is needed to help. 

As for Hansen, EVERYONE was high on him.  we were just the only ones willing to pay what he was demanding.  Hansen was filthy in college.  absolutely filthy.

Ultimately, 3 million is nothing to pay for a prospect who realistically would instantly be top 5 in our system. 

Additionally, the flexibility it would give us to further pursue one of the Texas catchers (if they were balking at parting with a guy like hagadone or bard as part of compensation, you have now added a kid who is better)

If at 22 scouts can not adequately determine a player's possible upside ceiling than I don't want that scout working for me. Scouts do it all the time and are fairly accurate most of the time with some mistakes about just how good a player will get being made but for the most part they are pretty accurate or the player falls below expectations.

And Let's not forget that the recent trend in the MLB draft is towards college players and not high school kids so it doesn't matter who he was playing against as compared to players normally drafted stateside because 21 of the first round selections last year were college players that were, just like Tazawa, playing against non-high school level talent.

I think it's a good signing but calling this kid a top 5 in the system prospect is going way too far and having just a tad bit much love for what many project as a late inning, back of the bullpen guy with possible #3-5 starter stuff at best.

At 22, Tazawa is unlikely to throw much harder than he does now; his fastball barely tops 90 mph when he is rested, and he struggled to hit 88 mph at the end of last season.

In Class A or Double-A, Tazawa likely will get hit harder and harder as the season wears on.

Because he knows what he's doing against corporate league hitters here, there is a chance Tazawa will make adjustments, although Ojimi is a skeptic.

The Mets scout believes the pitcher's body is too stiff to allow him to keep the ball down in the zone and Tazawa lacks the smarts and toughness to hang in and learn the lessons needed to apply his talent in the majors.

Although Tazawa probably will not pitch at the major league level for the next few seasons, at least he will take the plunge.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove08/news/story?id=3717007&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

While Tazawa was expected to be a top pick in Japan, not all the MLB scouts who've seen him are sold on the pitcher's future.

"His fastball is 88 to 93 [mph]," said a scout for one team who declined to be named. "He has a forkball, a curve, but the command of his fastball is so-so. His lower body is stiff."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3583152

Publicly available scouting reports vary wildly, with some raving of a 97-mph fastball and quality curve, and others saying his command is only so-so.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/SPORTS/809140382/-1/SPORTS0702

Scouting The Sports Top Prospects 61-70

61. Junichi Tazawa – RHP – Club Eneos (Japan) – 22

Tazawa made one of the most impactful decisions regarding international baseball, when he announced that he would forgo Japan’s amateur draft, in order to pursue a career in Major League Baseball. Tazawa is a highly acclaimed international prospect who was the MVP of the intercity Championship, while playing for club Eneos in the corporate league. He was used as both a starter and reliever and managed to strike out 36 batters in 28 1/3 innings, and was 4-0. The New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox have all been rumored to have sent scouts to watch Tazawa. According to one scout, “His fastball is 88 to 93 [mph]…He has a forkball, a curve, but the command of his fastball is so-so. His lower body is stiff.”

Scouting The Sports Prospect Grade: 78.5

http://scoutingthesports.com/?p=446

As you can see not all reports are as glowing as the BleacherReport.com scouting report and some are questioning whether he would even make a major league team after 2 years. I like the signing as his stats in Japan were good but I have serious questions whether the Industrial League is all that much better than American college ball, if at all, and whether Tazawa will able to handle playing American, pitch every fifth day, baseball.

[yall hate]

with any prospect, people will be all across the board.  but I would say scouts are wrong more often the right.  That is why they thought Hansen would dominate. Why they said Lowrie couldnt hit ML pitching or field the position, why Seattle gave up on a prospect named Varitek because he couldnt hit or catch well enough to be considered a ML starting catcher, etc, etc...

as for the trends of highschoolers... last year, 16 of the 30 were HS.  the year before, 14 of the 30.  The HS's are picked early and often because of the 'potential'.  And as for the numbers fluctuating, it is important also to note that HS's scare off a bunch of teams because they actually have leverage in terms of demanding bonuses because they can always go back to school. So a bunch of higher rated guys slip out of the first round due to bonus demands, not because scouts place their skill level lower.

but the fact is the guy has dominated in the league he was in.

his fastball has very very good late movement (thus the speed doesnt matter as much.  If you throw it 95 but it is straight MLB hitters will hit it, if you throw 92 with movement, they wont.)

At 22, he is a more advanced prospect then kids in the draft, he has a more impressive track record etc...He will likely be ranked as the number 2 pitcher in our system, behind only Bowden.  Bard and Hagadone are the next best pitchers, but Hagadone is returning from TJ surgery and Bard is a late inning reliever only.  A pitcher who has #3 potential is higher ranked.  (I guess we will see, if they sign him, what Soxprospects puts him at).


Ultimately, I am not expecting an Ace out of him, but I think he represents a creative way for the team to go get a kid who would be a top prospect really for significantly less then it would cost them if he were a top draft pick.




Edit:
The sox have been scouting him for over a year (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/).  Their scouting department regarding pitching has been pretty [dang] good lately (some exceptions, Hansen, etc...).

Additionally, the fact that he already possesses three pitches is huge.