Bunch Of Small Red Sox News

All the big Red Sox stories for this offseason are basically over, but there are 3 small stories that are a little interesting...

1. "According to a source familiar with the situation, the Red Sox have withdrawn their request to the office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State to undergo construction that would bring in the right field fence at Fenway Park as much as nine feet. The move, which would have expanded the width of the Fenway bullpens fro 21 to 27 feet, had to approved by the Boston Landmarks Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Society. The proposal was met with some resistance from the Massachusetts Historical Society (WEEI)."

I have to say I am a little disappointed since we have so many left handers in this Red Sox lineup. Saying that, the idea was kind of stupid, since the field is already so short. When I walked by Fenway a couple weeks back they were doing construction, I am not sure what they are working on, but it seemed somewhat major. I have heard rumors they are getting a new "jumbotron", so maybe that is it.

2. "The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they have claimed catcher Max Ramirez from the Rangers and designated pitcher Matt Fox for assignment. Ramirez, 26, had nearly been acquired by the Red Sox last offseason in exchange for Mike Lowell, but concerns over Lowell’s hip led to deal’s collapse. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan was the first to report the Sox’ acquisition of Ramirez (WEEI)."

What happened to all these Rangers catchers? There was a time when the Rangers had 3 of the top catching prospects in all of baseball with Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Taylor Teagarden. Now the Red Sox have 2 of them. I am not sure what to expect from Ramirez, but he was pretty damn good in the minors posting a line of .286/.373/.381 last year, and .298/.396/.476 in the minors over his seven-year career. I like what the Sox did here, because it really can't hurt them. Hopefully between Saltalamacchia and Ramirez, one of them turns out to be something decent.

3. Mike Nicotera, the agent for outfielder Mike Cameron, said that his client was excited about the Red Sox' acquisition of Carl Crawford and that, even though Cameron is likely to be a fourth outfielder (barring an injury to Crawford, J.D. Drew or Jacoby Ellsbury), he looks forward to competing for a World Series in Boston.

“Mike wants to be with this club and feels like he will have a significant role with this club,” said Nicotera. “Mike thinks that this can be a very good team and that he has a chance to be a big part of it and that they have a chance to win a championship.

“That’s No. 1 in his mind. No. 2 is that he feels like, ‘Look, I need to show the Red Sox that I’m healthy. I feel great, but I need to go in there and show everyone that I’m healthy [following season-ending surgery to repair an abdominal tear]. When I show that, everything will take care of itself.’ That’s how he’s approaching it. He’s very positive about it (WEEI).”

I wish this statement came directly from Cameron, but it sounds like he will be fine with being the 4th outfielder to start the season next year. It really shouldn't hurt his playing time too much, as JD Drew loves not playing (maybe platoon?), Ellsbury is coming off an injury plagued year, and Francona likes to get his guys rest. So, I feel there will be plenty of playing time for all 4 of these guys. The best part? Every one of the them is a hell of a defensive player, so there will be little to no drop off no matter who is playing.

Mike Cameron's Year Over

Mike Cameron said Tuesday night that he is done for the season due to his abdominal tear. Speaking to ESPN.com, Cameron said he is scheduled to talk with general manager Theo Epstein on Wednesday to discuss a timetable for surgery.

"We're in a position now where we need all of the healthy — physically and mentally — guys possible playing in the field," Cameron said. "Me trying to play 65 percent is probably not beneficial to the ballclub at the moment.

"We're coming to the part of season now where it's important to have the healthiest guys on the baseball field. I'm looking at that aspect. Sometimes, as hard as it's been to give in to certain things, it's probably best to start looking at other options now (WEEI)."

What a bust this guy was for the Sox. So now the Sox are going to have to finish the year without Cameron or Ellsbury. That means a lot more playing time for Kalish and Darnell McDonald, which at this point I'm fine with. I mean I would like to have Ellsbury out there, but this late in the season I just don't feel like he is going to get back on track. I really like Kalish, and this could be a good thing for the Sox, so they have evaluate if he would be worth using as a full time starter for next season.

Ellsbury Returns Tomorrow

Jacoby Ellsbury received clearance to resume playing for the Red Sox tomorrow night in Philadelphia. So far this season he has missed 37 of the club’s first 43 games. I may take him a little while to get back in the swing of things, but Ellsbury could be a nice spark for this lineup. Since the Sox lack power they really need a guy like Ellsbury to cause havoc on the base paths. This will also give us a much better defensive outfield then what we have been playing with since Cameron and Ellsbury went out.

Cameron is being reevaluated today, but it is thought that he will be back by the start of next week. Cameron could come along a little slower even when he does get back, and will probably be getting a lot of days off.

Ellsbury Closer To Return

We got good news early in the week, as Cameron has already started his rehab assignment, and now we are getting news that Ellsbury (recovering from a hairline fracture on four of his left ribs) might be able to start his in the next couple of days...

"Like we talked about [Tuesday], the last three or four days have been pretty good for him," manager Terry Francona said. "I think we hope the next three or four days are really good for him, because then the next step is playing in a game. I think we're getting closer. I don't know if we're there. We're getting close."

Ellsbury will need sometime in the minors, so I think by a week from Sunday he could be back in the lineup. Cameron I think will be back by Monday to play against the Yankees, so at least it seems the Sox will finally have some names back in that outfield instead of the AAA guys they have now (Hall, Van Every, McDonald).

Cameron Finally Back On The Field

He might not be back at Fenway, but Cameron is on his way, as the Red Sox have cleared him for a rehab assignment in Pawtucket starting today. Cameron will test his lower abdominal strain by serving as the designated hitter tonight and playing center field tomorrow for the PawSox.

I am not a big Cameron fan, but I really can't wait from him and Ellsbury to make their way back. I can't take watching Bill Hall play defense in the outfield anymore. It is painful, and there is something very depressing when you have the 2nd highest payroll in the MLB and your OF is Hall, Drew, Hermida, McDonald, and Van Every.

The bad news is that there is still no timetable for the return of Ellsbury, who is way more important to get back then Cameron.

Cameron To DL (UPDATED)

No good news coming from the Red Sox clubhouse today, as Mike Cameron will be placed on the 15 day DL with an "abdominal tear near the attachment site of the abdominal muscle and the pelvis". This is really bad news as most reports think he will be out a lot longer then 15 days.

To make matter worse Ellsbury is still out. The latest report on him says he is still having chest pains from his collision with Beltre. He is going to do an "aggressive workout" today, and that should tell them a lot more about when he might be able to return.

With Cameron going to the DL Josh Reddick will be called up. I actually really don't mind this. The kid can hit, and right now that's what the Red Sox need, and it wasn't like Cameron was doing anything anyways. The good news is that once Reddick arrives in Boston we won't have to watch Bill Hall in CF anymore.

If Ellsbury has to go on the DL the Sox will most likely call up Darnell McDonald.

***UPDATE***

If Cameron's injury requires surgery that would sideline the 37-year-old outfielder for at least a month to 6 weeks.

Dice-K/Cameron Injury Update (UPDATED)

Good news all around for the Red Sox today, as Dice-K and Cameron got good news about when they can return to the Sox. Cameron missed yesterdays game because of abdominal pain and they feared he might have an appendicitis, but that isn't the case. They are going to be more tests, but it doesn't sound like it is as serious as first thought.

Dice-K as pronounced himself ready to return to Boston's rotation after throwing 6 scoreless innings in a minor-league rehab start. He thinks he's thrown enough pitches and feels ready, though he knows the decision is up to Red Sox management, which from what I am hearing means he will throw 1 more game in the minors before they bring him up. He is scheduled to pitch again for Pawtucket on Tuesday at Rochester.

Dice-K looked good in his outing, and said he had a good feel for all his pitches. He allowed three hits, struck out two and didn't walk any batters against the Buffalo Bisons. His fastballs ranged between 88 and 92 miles per hour and he threw 86 pitches. No word on who loses their spot in the rotation when Dice-K is allowed to return, though I would think it has to be Wakefield.


***UPDATE***

"Sox outfielder Mike Cameron is returning to Boston to meet with team doctors Friday after an initial diagnosis here showed a possible kidney stone, his agent said Friday morning (ESPN)."

Dice-K Injury Update

Dice-K had a good day, and Terry Francona seemed very happy about it...

"Dice had a great day," Terry Francona said. "That was as good a day as you could possibly have. I don't think you can throw a ball like that and not be totally healthy."

With that being said there is basically no chance that Dice-K will be ready for Opening Day. I know that sounds like a big deal, but it really isn't. There are a lot of days off early in the season, so the Sox will be able to get by with a 4 man rotation if they want to, and even if Dice-K is out the first week or two you have 6 people who can be quality starters (Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Wake).

This shouldn't be a big deal, but we will have to watch Dice-K closely as he is coming off an injury plagued season.

In other Sox news...

- Mike Cameron (left groin) did not run today but took batting practice in the cages and on the field and felt fine. They are taking it slow with him, but he seems like he is going to be fine.

- Mike Lowell took some batting practice today, but Francona is still not sure when he will play his first game.

The Sox also announced their lineups against Northeastern and BC...

Northeastern game
Jacoby Ellsbury LF
Bill Hall 3B
Victor Martinez C
David Ortiz DH
Jed Lowrie SS
Lars Anderson 1B
Darnell McDonald RF
Che-Hsuan Lin CF
Gil Velazquez 2B
Pitching: RHP Casey Kelly

BC game
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jason Varitek C
Jeremy Hermida LF
Tud Hulett DH
Josh Reddick RF
Ryan Kalish CF
Pitching: RHP Boof Bonser

Red Sox Introduce Mike Cameron

Red Sox Sign Mike Cameron

"Just confirmed that Mike Cameron received two years and $15.5 million and will be in Boston Tuesday for a physical. It's interesting to watch the Red Sox change on the fly from a poor defensive team reliant on offense to a team more attuned to preventing runs via pitching and defense (Boston.com)."

Been a strange two days in Boston. I did not have Cameron or Lackey on my radar, but I really sat back last night, and I can become a believer in this. Boston was one of the worst defensive teams in the MLB last year. Most likely their next move will be to sign Beltre. If that was to be the case here is how Boston's lineup would look...

Ellsbury
Pedroia
Youk
Ortiz
VMart
Drew
Beltre
Cameron
Scutaro

I have my concerns with the offense, and I would still like to see them go out and trade for a guy like Cabrera rather then sign Beltre (Boras client).

MLB Rumors

Mike Cameron - The deal between the Yankees and Brewers appears to be dead. The deal was to center around Melky Cabrera and Igawa for Cameron, but the two clubs have not talked in over a week, so the deal seems have fallen apart. To be honest I thought this was a terrible deal for the Yankees.

Manny Ramirez - There are rumors the Yankees offered Manny a 3 year contract worth around $75 million, but now there are reports coming out that there is a split in the opinions in the Yankees front office. I would hope so considering this guy is known for hating media attention, and has more then a little bit a erratic behavior. Not that I think it is a bad idea for the Yankees to sign him, but I do understand why there would be some worry.

Mark Teixeira - Not much has changed on this front. The Sox are rumored to have made an 8 year $200 million offer. Some GM's already think the Sox have ran away with the race for Teixeira. "I think they're in the lead and ahead of where everyone else is right now," the GM said. "I'm not sure who's bidding against them at this point (ESPN)." The GM was not named.

-BMack

Mike Cameron To The Bronx

"The New York Yankees are set to trade Melky Cabrera to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Cameron, according to two major league sources, the New York Daily News reported."MLBTradeRumors

I knew from the days he was on the Mariners that he would be a Yankee one day. He just has that look. Cameron is a good defensive center fielder but a shitty hitter. His career batting average is .250, and even though he has some pop in his bat he strikes out a lot. Prediction is that he hits 28 HRs and has a 240 BA.

It's unfortunate that Melky Cabrera seemed to plateau last year. I think this will be a steal for the Yankees.