Red Sox sign Adrian Beltre

[nickagneta]

I could see a two year/$20 million contract that is at numbers of $7.5 million and $12.5 million. Getting rid of Lowell while having to pay 75% of his payroll and a contract structured like this would probably keep the Sox out of or just on the edge of the luxury tax.

And for only 2 years, it's a real good contract for what he brings. This is going to be a National League team with lots of running and great defense and pitching. Should be entertaining, at the very least for baseball purists.

[Big_Matt34]

i hope you're right, but they seem very wary of this lux tax threshold.

this seems like Theo's "this team is good enough to win" rationale.....

Well i personally believe this team is good enough to win, but i think its clear after this offseason they are willing to spend the money to improve. But like i said before, who are they going to get? I dont think A-Gon/Miggy/Hanley are realistic at all, none of those teams have any reason to trade them, except for the Tigers who need to shed salary, but they are asking for way too much and Miggy is so out of shape and only getting worse, ontop of being a headcase.

This team is EASILY the best defensive team in baseball, and i still think thats a top 3-5 offense in the AL. They wont hit a ton of homeruns but they will score enough runs, and play NL style like Nick said. Im pretty excited, this will be a [dang] fun team to watch.

[yall hate]

Sounds like its 2 years for 20 million, i dont care about the money so much as the years, and 2 years is a good deal.

SI_JonHeyman

beltre boston deal likely for 2 years but also will include an player opt-out clause. whatever, nobody's improving like #redsox this winter

if thats the deal, its a good one for the sox.  beltre will improve their defense immeasurably, get lowell off the field, and not break the bank (they could still make a deal for someone come trade deadline).

solid deal if true.

are you sure this doesn't break the bank?

this move makes me very concerned that they have no intention of getting a feared hitter for the middle of our order.

the question remains, what feared hitter.  until we see otherwise, agon isnt available.  they have said that.  we have said that.  there is really very little reason for them to move him etc...

miggy is a headcase who is eating his way through baseball.  who else?

[Donoghus]

if thats the deal, its a good one for the sox.  beltre will improve their defense immeasurably, get lowell off the field, and not break the bank (they could still make a deal for someone come trade deadline).

solid deal if true.

If Gammons is right you will like it even more. Nobody can complain about a one year deal, if he sucks then they can easily afford to make a trade for a big hitterl ike A-Gon.

http://twitter.com/Pgammo

Beltre 1 yr. Deal for $9m with player option for $5m. Physical coming

I'm down with that.  The market really went down for him considering what was being thrown around originally in the news.  People called Boras' bluff.

I'm still concerned that this lineup doesn't have enough pop.  Worried about the Sox offensively.

[winsomme]

i hope you're right, but they seem very wary of this lux tax threshold.

this seems like Theo's "this team is good enough to win" rationale.....

Well i personally believe this team is good enough to win, but i think its clear after this offseason they are willing to spend the money to improve.

don't you think this is one of those lineups that seems really deep but then can't step it up against the better pitching of the postseason...?

[Donoghus]

i hope you're right, but they seem very wary of this lux tax threshold.

this seems like Theo's "this team is good enough to win" rationale.....

Well i personally believe this team is good enough to win, but i think its clear after this offseason they are willing to spend the money to improve.

don't you think this is one of those lineups that seems really deep but then can't step it up against the better pitching of the postseason...?

Unfortunately that's the way I'm seeing it and I don't think resigning Jason Bay would've been the answer, either.

[winsomme]

i hope you're right, but they seem very wary of this lux tax threshold.

this seems like Theo's "this team is good enough to win" rationale.....

Well i personally believe this team is good enough to win, but i think its clear after this offseason they are willing to spend the money to improve.

This team is EASILY the best defensive team in baseball, and i still think thats a top 3-5 offense in the AL. They wont hit a ton of homeruns but they will score enough runs, and play NL style like Nick said. Im pretty excited, this will be a [dang] fun team to watch.

It will be fun during the regular season for sure.....maybe "fun" is the wrong word, but they'll win a lot of games...

and it's not about home runs....I think that is the mistake people keep making about the A-Gon/Hanley/Cabrera people....It's about having a feared hitter in the middle of the lineup. It's about having guys that other teams don't want to pitch to.

[Big_Matt34]

don't you think this is one of those lineups that seems really deep but then can't step it up against the better pitching of the postseason...?

I dont think they will have that one huge homerun hitter or that feared guy, but i can see all of Victor/Youk/Ortiz/Drew/Cameron/Beltre hitting over 20 homeruns and i think Youk/Ortiz hit over 30, with Beltre close.

They will make pitchers work, take walks, steal bases not strike out a ton outside of Cameron. I think they can hit in the playoffs, looks at the 2002 Angels, thats a team i can see this comparing to offensively. They won it all with pitching, defense, and a good enough lineup, i see no reason the Sox cant do the same. I know people will worry about the lineup, but im gonna trust Theo and the FO office here. You cant win the WS every year but theyve shown they can put a winner out on the field year in and year out.

[winsomme]

i hope you're right, but they seem very wary of this lux tax threshold.

this seems like Theo's "this team is good enough to win" rationale.....

Well i personally believe this team is good enough to win, but i think its clear after this offseason they are willing to spend the money to improve.

don't you think this is one of those lineups that seems really deep but then can't step it up against the better pitching of the postseason...?

Unfortunately that's the way I'm seeing it and I don't think resigning Jason Bay would've been the answer, either.

I'm with you on Bay. I actually hope he has a great season for the Mets, but don't think he was the guy for the Sox....

I just think they don't want to part with the number of prospects needed to land us that primo hitter.....

[winsomme]

don't you think this is one of those lineups that seems really deep but then can't step it up against the better pitching of the postseason...?

I dont think they will have that one huge homerun hitter or that feared guy, but i can see all of Victor/Youk/Ortiz/Drew/Cameron/Beltre hitting over 20 homeruns and i think Youk/Ortiz hit over 30, with Beltre close.

They will make pitchers work, take walks, steal bases not strike out a ton outside of Cameron. I think they can hit in the playoffs, looks at the 2002 Angels, thats a team i can see this comparing to offensively. They won it all with pitching, defense, and a good enough lineup, i see no reason the Sox cant do the same.

that's what was supposed to happen this year (making pitchers work, etc), but in the postseason what ends up happening is that without that potent middle of the lineup your lineup just becomes very (to coin a phrase) pitch-to-able...

pitchers don't fear any part of your order and just get people out.

when you get that feared part of the order, everybody else starts seeing better pitches.

[Fafnir]

when you get that feared part of the order, everybody else starts seeing better pitches.

I still don't believe this. When you have a feared part of the order, you have just that a good lineup that produces.

[Big_Matt34]

pitchers don't fear any part of your order and just get people out.

when you get that feared part of the order, everybody else starts seeing better pitches.

The whole feared hitter thing is kinda overrated, Youkilis had a 961 OPS last year, you think pitchers dont fear that? They have a deep lnieup that is not great, but very good IMO.

 The lineup is equal with last year or atleast close to it, and the pitching and defense got a huge upgrade. You also have to take into account that we hurt one of the two main rivals in the Angels, the Yankees are the only i think is better, but the Sox can definately beat them in a series wit the pitching they have.

[winsomme]

pitchers don't fear any part of your order and just get people out.

when you get that feared part of the order, everybody else starts seeing better pitches.

The whole feared hitter thing is kinda overrated, Youkilis had a 961 OPS last year, you think pitchers dont fear that? They have a deep lnieup that is not great, but very good IMO.

 The lineup is equal with last year i think, and the pitching and defense got a huge upgrade. You also have to take into account that we hurt one of the two main rivals in the Angels, the Yankees are the only i think is better, but the Sox can definately beat them in a series wit the pitching they have.

well, I guess I will have to simply disagree....Youk is not  a feared hitter on his own. teams don't pitch around him.

but put him before an A-Gon in the postseason and he will start seeing a lot better pitches.

[Big_Matt34]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=4795915

Free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre has reached tentative agreement on a one-year, guaranteed, $10 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, multiple sources have told ESPN.com and ESPNBoston.com

The deal will pay Beltre a base salary of $9 million in 2010. It includes a $5 million player option for 2011 and a $1 million buyout, and is contingent upon Beltre passing a physical exam, the sources said.

[Mean Gerald Green]

pitchers don't fear any part of your order and just get people out.

when you get that feared part of the order, everybody else starts seeing better pitches.

The whole feared hitter thing is kinda overrated, Youkilis had a 961 OPS last year, you think pitchers dont fear that? They have a deep lnieup that is not great, but very good IMO.

 The lineup is equal with last year i think, and the pitching and defense got a huge upgrade. You also have to take into account that we hurt one of the two main rivals in the Angels, the Yankees are the only i think is better, but the Sox can definately beat them in a series wit the pitching they have.

well, I guess I will have to simply disagree....Youk is not  a feared hitter on his own. teams don't pitch around him.

but put him before an A-Gon in the postseason and he will start seeing a lot better pitches.

So you don't think teams plan differently when Youk is coming up in the lineup? .961 OPS, a .305 average and 27 homers...yea who would fear that...