Sox and Pinstripes | Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees – The Greatest Rivalry in Baseball

A look at Boston's 20 non-roster spring training invitees

This is a time of anticipation. The Super Bowl is over, and Truck Day is nearing. This Friday, the truck containing equipment for Red Sox spring training will depart from Fenway Park en route for Ft. Myers. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 18. Though another snowstorm is on the way, spring training is around the corner, as is the promise of warmer weather, sunshine, the pop of a fast ball meeting the catcher's mitt and the crack of a line drive rocketing off a bat.

Another sign that baseball is about to begin is the announcement of the list of non-roster players invited to spring training by the Red Sox. This year's list contains veterans (some will be cut while others will start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket) and prospects who have a chance to help the Red Sox either this season or next year.

The list of pitchers includes:

• Randor Bierd - Bierd is the reliever Boston acquired last year from Baltimore for David Pauley. The 25-year-old right-hander has major league experience (4.91 ERA in 29 games in 2008 for the Orioles, which had to keep him on the major league roster because he was a Rule V draftee), and last season was his first in Triple-A (4.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 26 games at Pawtucket). The Sox are high on Bierd and believe he can help as a reliever and a spot starter. He is ticketed for Pawtucket.
• Fernando Cabrera - The 28-year-old righty was exceptional at Pawtucket in 2009 (1.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 22 saves, 43 games) but he was roughed up in a brief stint with the Sox (8.44 ERA in six games). He will likely join Bierd at Pawtucket.
• Brian Shouse - Shouse pitched for Tampa Bay last season, recording a 1-1 record, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP, and allowing 31 hits in 28 innings. Now 41, Shouse actually pitched in seven games for the Red Sox back in 1998 when he had a 5.63 ERA and allowed five runs and nine hits in eight innings. A left-handed specialist, Shouse has limited lefty hitters to a .213 average over the course of his major league career. Shouse will compete with prospect Dustin Richardson for the second left-handed spot in the bullpen.
• Kris Johnson - The Red Sox have a deeper and more talented farm system than the Yankees, but they made a mistake when they drafted Johnson ahead of Joba Chamberlain in 2006. The left-handed Johnson is 25 now and no longer considered a top prospect. He was pounded at Pawtucket last season (6.35 ERA in 22 starts).
• Casey Kelly - If San Diego opts to trade Adrian Gonzalez to Boston before the July trade deadline, either Kelly or Buchholz will be required to get the deal done. With top first base prospects like Lars Anderson and Anthony Rizzo in the Red Sox system, Theo Epstein might be best served keeping Buchholz and the 20-year-old Kelly, a right-handed starter who is on the fast track to the majors. Just think of a Red Sox rotation with Lester, Buchholz, Dice-K and Kelly a couple years down the road when Lackey and Beckett are gone. Kelly is the real deal. He features exceptional command and control of a low 90s fast ball, a dazzling 12-to-6 curve ball and an effective change-up. Boston's first round pick out of high school in 2008 will open the season at Double-A Portland andhas a chance to earn a mid-season promotion to Pawtucket.
• Adam Mills - There is a chance this seventh round pick out of UNC-Charlotte in 2007 will make his major league debut in 2010. He is not spectacular, but Mills has an arsenal of four pitches he throws with pinpoint command. Mills has pitched well in every minor league stop and will open the 2010 season in Pawtucket's rotation. His major league future could be as a reliever.
• Kyle Weiland - A third round pick out of Notre Dame in 2008, the 23-year-old Weiland isn't well known in Red Sox Nation like Kelly, Stolmy Pimentel, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa and Felix Doubront, but he is an intriguing prospect. The right-hander posted a 3.46 ERA and allowed 119 hits in 132.2 innings at advanced Single-A Salem last season. He will open the 2010 campaign at Portland.
• Edwin Moreno - The 29-year-old right-hander made 19 appearances out of the Padres bullpen in 2009, posting a 4.84 ERA and a ghastly 1.93 WHIP. The Venezuelan will likely serve as depth in the Pawtucket bullpen.
• Joe Nelson - Along with Shouse, Nelson has the best chance of this group to make the Red Sox out of spring training. You might remember the right-handed from Tampa Bay, where he recorded a 4.02 ERA in 42 games (40.1 innings, 32 hits). Nelson had a 2.00 ERA in 59 appearances with the Marlins in 2008. Last season, he limited hitters to a .138 average with the bases empty, but with runners on, hitters raked him to the tune of a .317 average. In his career, he has held hitters to a .195 average with no runners on base and a .261 average with runners on. Nelson had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox in 2004. If he is healthy, he has chance to contribute to the Red Sox bullpen this season.
• Jorge Sosa - In 2005 with the Braves, Sosa was 13-3 with a 2.55 ERA in 44 games, including 20 starts. He has not matched that success, but the Dominican righty has posted decent minor league numbers and would provide insurance at Pawtucket.

The list of position players include:

• Luis Exposito, catcher - Mark Wagner and Tim Federowicz are Boston catching prospects who are known for their defense and game-calling abilities. The 23-year-old Exposito is respected for his defense, his leadership and his bat. And, like Iglesias, Exposito looked impressive in the Arizona Fall League. Two years ago, the Sox did not have highly regarded catching prospects. Now they have three, and Exposito appears to be the team's catcher of the future.
• Gustavo Molina, catcher - No relation to baseball's catching Molina brothers, the 27-year-old Molina is much like Kevin Cash - all defense, no bat. He will compete for a spot with Pawtucket, which will likely also feature catching prospect Mark Wagner and veteran minor leaguer Dusty Brown.
• Lars Anderson, first base - One of Boston's top prospects, Anderson did have a disappointing 2009 season. He was expected to potentially make his major league debut. Instead, at Double-A Portland, he hit .233 with nine home runs and 51 RBI in 447 at-bats. Anderson, a left-handed hitter who is still just 22, has a high ceiling with his power potential, needs to cut down on strikeouts and plays proficient defense at first base. As baseball writers and baseball fans, we are too quick to dismiss a top prospect just because he has a bad year. I'm not making that mistake with Anderson, who will eventually force the Sox to move Kevin Youkilis to third base.
• Yamaico Navarro, shortstop and third base - Navarro was recently considered Boston's top shortstop prospect until the team signed Cuban free agent Iglesias. The 22-year-old Navarro is still highly regarded and, like Jed Lowrie, can play multiple infield positions. He will likely open the season at Double-A Portland.
• Angel Sanchez, shortstop - The 26-year-old minor league veteran was a wise free agent signing. He is an exceptional defensive shortstop and also proficiently plays second base and third base. Sanchez gives the Sox utility player insurance at Pawtucket. He had a cup of coffee with the Royals in 2006 and hit .305 in 449 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas (Toronto) last season.
• Gil Velazquez, infielder - Essentially, Sanchez is an upgraded version of Velazquez, who had brief stints with the Red Sox the last two seasons. Velazquez is versatile - he can play every infield and outfield position - but he is a light hitter.
• Zach Daeges - Daeges missed most of last season with a severe ankle injury, but he is healthy and ready to continue to ascent to the Red Sox. Not known for his defense - he is an average outfielder at best - the 26-year-old Daeges is a line drive hitter who has the type of plate discipline Theo Epstein covets. Daeges had a breakout 2008 season at Double-A Portland (.307 average, .412 OBP, six home runs, 63 RBI).
• Ryan Kalish - The Sox are well-stocked with promising outfield prospects, and as mentioned earlier in this column, Kalish is one of the best in the system. He started last season at advanced Single-A Salem and earned a promotion to Portland, wher ehe hit .271 with 13 home runs, 56 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 391 at-bats. An above average defensive outfielder, he can play center field and right field. Kalish is ticketed for Portland to open the 2010 season but will likely see time at Pawtucket.
• Che-Hsuan Lin - Lin, a 21-year-old outfielder who was signed out of Taiwan, is the organization's top defensive outfielder and has a strong and accurate arm. He also boasts tremendous speed. He is slated to start the 2010 season in Double-A Portland's outfield. Center field is his primary position. If not for the presence of Josh Reddick, Kalish and Ryan Westmoreland in the Red Sox system, Lin would be more known in Red Sox Nation.
• Darnell McDonald - Now 31, McDonald was a first round pick of the Orioles in 1997. Though he has not lived up to expectations, the athletic McDonald is proficient in the outfield and hit .267 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 105 at-bats for the Reds in 2009 after hitting .314 with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 280 at-bats at Triple-A Louisville.

In memory of the true founder of Sox and Pinstripes

It was 115 years ago today that this blog was founded.

OK, I wasn't born yet, Jeff still had a few years to go before he was birthed and the internet, along with computers, had also yet to be created, but nevertheless this blog does not exist without February 6th, 1895.

That was the day Babe Ruth, the greatest player to ever exist, was born.

Many like to debate whether "The Babe" was the best hitter, but it is really of little effort to try. There is no other player responsible for starting the game's best, biggest and most heated rivalry, and there is no player who could have made the Hall of Fame as either a pitcher or a hitter, had he continued his career full time either way.

Ruth still holds the World Series record for the longest complete game of all time (14 innings). He also pitched a World Series game where, after trailing 1-0, he drove in the tying run himself and then shut the other team out for the rest of the game before his team won in extra innings. Ruth has been ranked as the fifth greatest Red Sox pitcher of all time and his stats back it up. Even as a pitcher, he still hit .304 with power.

From 1915-1917 he was the league's winningest pitcher, and in 1915 he lead the league in ERA.

It's true comparing players of different generations makes little sense when discussing the best player of all time. After all, Ruth did not face minority pitching or specialized relievers, which likely would have lowered his .342 career batting average.

It's also true many of the ballparks he hit in had 500 foot fences, pitchers routinely cheated with things such as spitballs, there was less watering down of pitching talent with less teams in the league and there were no known steroids to enhance his playing abilities.

Oh, and pitching was dominant back then, too.

The best way to compare a player is to compare his achievements against the same players of his time.

Even so, defensive metrics  would be useless. Ruth was not fast, he had inferior glove technology compared to today, and defensive stats back then were faulty at best. Suffice it to say, his pitching abilities were the best true measure of his defensive abilities, not how he played in right or left field.

If you can come to terms Ruth could have been an elite, Hall of Fame pitcher, than you can move past all the variables except his hitting.

If you accept that it's player against contemporaries representing the best measure  of a player and his place in history, than consider this:

In 1920, Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs and set the single season home run record for Major League Baseball to that point.

He went on to tie or break his own record three times before he retired in 1935.

In 1920, he hit .376, which by comparison, was only 4th in the league (Derek Jeter's .334 was 4th in 2009).

Ruth also had an .847 slugging percentage, the highest total by anyone to that point by nearly 200 points (Albert Pujols lead MLB in slugging with a .658 number, 56 points higher than Prince Fielder, in the SAME season in 2009.) Ruth also had a .530 OBP (he walked a lot, I heard he's somewhere near the top with those as well), which was the highest number ever recorded to that point, too.

Babe Ruth, in 1920, averaged two bases per every out made that season.

And as far as creating the greatest rivalry in baseball and likely all of sports? Ruth won three titles with the Red Sox, then won four with the Yankees, including the first in franchise history, and through his sale sent the Sox into an 86 year drought of no titles while simultaneously beginning a string of 29 Yankees' pennants in 44 years. He hit his first career home run as a Red Sox against a Yankees' pitcher, and then hit the first home run ever in Yankee Stadium.

His .847 SLG stat in 1920 stood for 80 years, so clearly some of his numbers can transcend generations as well. In the 1927 and 1928 World Series' combined, Ruth hit .516 with 5 HR, 11 RBI and a 1.097 Slugging Percentage.

In his final game in which he would homer, Ruth made it a three home run game, the final of which was the first one ever hit out of the Pittsburgh Pirate's home park.

When Ruth's 714th home run ball finally landed, he had finished with a number more than double the next closest slugger over a span of a career.

Now for the real nitty gritty:

• Drove in 100 runs, 13 times (high of 171 in 1921).
• He hit over .300, 17 times, topping out at .393 in 1923.
• He lead the majors 12 times in home runs for a season and 13 times in slugging percentage.
• He finished with a (still) record of .690 Slugging percentage to go with 714 home runs, 2,174 runs, 2211 RBI and 2,056 walks, all of which were records at the time of his retirement.
• Ruth had 16 Grand Slams and 51% of his long balls came with men on base. He had 16 extra inning dingers, and to give an idea of the ballparks, 10 inside the park homers in his career (this from a man who had the 4th worst stolen base percentage of all time with a minimum 200 attempts).
• Ruth still holds a record for 72 multi-homer games in a career.
• Stole home 10 times.
• Record 11 consecutive games with an RBI.
• Second longest streak of 11 consecutive games with an extra base hit.
• Record 457 total bases in 1921 and times reached base with 375 in 1923.
• Had more RBI than games played in six different seasons.
• Career 1.164 OPS
• Career .474 OBP

Would Ruth have this outlandish of numbers today? Probably not.

But consider this:

At the time Columbia University ran tests on Babe Ruth and decided he saw 12% faster than the average human being, had 1.5 times faster "quickness and perception", and in terms of accuracy of understanding, Ruth was 10% above normal for the average human. All of this gave his brain, in terms of necessary makeup to be a great baseball player, an average efficiency rating of 90% compared to the average human's 60% overall rating.

This test took place probably around 90 years ago and who knows what methods were used to measure any of this, but it's still telling of Ruth the player at his time.

He was the most famous, well-known and most beloved athlete to ever walk the face of the earth, period.

And in his time, it's even more of a case as to why he was the most dominant player ever.

And when you consider he mastered the two toughest aspects of the game (pitching and hitting), it is a no-brainer argument Babe Ruth is the greatest player to ever live, in any generation, against any competition.

And because he changed the futures of two different franchises and because those franchises became the greatest rivalry ever, I can sit here and type away a tribute to the man responsible for Sox and Pinstripes, passionate Yankees fans and Red Sox fans, and the basis of the sport we all love today.

Happy Birthday Babe, and thank you for making all of this possible.

The Andrew Bynum Theory

Sundays in February are the most relaxing days of the year for me. There is no baseball yet (and trust me even with spring training games I have an idea of how the Yankees are doing), football is over after the Super Bowl (regardless of when the Pro Bowl is scheduled), hockey has not yet reached the postseason (that’s when I truly zero in on a day to day basis) and the NBA is at the point of the season where the Knicks are mathematically eliminated so I lose all personal investment in NBA teams.

 

Well, almost all of it.

 

Generally, Sunday is special because I’m guaranteed not to work, and usually after my Friday night, I go easy Saturday night, which means Sunday I’m well rested and physically competent, but with Monday approaching I choose to do nothing but sit around anyway. Therefore, Sunday is the one day of the week I will watch TV leisurely. Yesterday I chose to watch the Celtics-Lakers game because though the NBA is my third favorite sport, I can get into marquee teams, heated rivals and iconic players. With Kobe Bryant on the court, the greatest NBA rivalry in the game taking place, and the TD Bank crowd in full effect, this made for a terrific opportunity to enjoy an NBA game.

 

Then there’s Andrew Bynum, center for the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

I am an NBA sucker. I love LeBron; when all is said and done I think he’ll be the most memorable player since Jordan.

 

I love Kobe . Watching him down the stretch and watching him go into a mode unlike most, if not all players when he’s in it, is truly remarkable to observe.

 

I love Wade and Anthony too. I’m buying what the NBA is selling when it comes to individual superstars. (Note: Tim Duncan is the rare exception. I respect the Spurs, I respect Duncan and I recognize he’s probably the greatest to ever play at his position, but I never liked watching the guy. Maybe it’s the ’99 championship or maybe it’s because he’s too perfect, either way, I can’t stand watching Duncan and the Spurs).

 

Then there’s Andrew Bynum.

 

I love watching him play. He’s awkward at seven feet, he still could use some footwork lessons from Kareem, he has a baby face and an adult voice, and he’s the center for the most entertaining team in basketball.

 

Oh, and he still reminds me of the Andrew Bynum I used to play basketball against in Rec leagues growing up. He still seems like he’d be the same guy I shared classes with in seventh grade. He still seems like he wears sneakers too big for his size like he did in the park in Plainsboro the few times I dared cooperate in a pickup game.

 

I grew up in Andrew Bynum’s school district. My team eliminated him in the playoffs in fifth grade. We used to call him “the Jolly Green Giant” behind his back because he was 6 feet as a 10 year old and would still need two or three rebounds before making a basket back then.

 

He was too tall, too awkward and too uncoordinated. Then through coaching, aging and a ton of hard work, Andrew Bynum became the center for the Lakers, a multi-millionare, a 10th overall pick, a first rounder, the youngest player ever to both be drafted and play in an NBA game and one of the main rising talents at just 22 years old in a league full of young talent. Bynum is an All-Star and will be a traditional BIG man, and though I haven’t spoken to him in nearly eight years, I still root for the guy because I feel like he’s a part of my childhood even if I didn’t know it then.

 

As a result, it’s been an annual occurrence once mid-January rolls around and the Knicks are cooked, I become a Lakers fan.

 

So why does it all matter? How does that relate to anything?

 

Andrew Bynum is not Shaq. He’s not Kareem. He’s still somewhat of a raw talent and still trying to stay healthy for a full season as a starter.

 

The Lakers were a dynasty a decade ago. They had Shaq, Kobe and role players and it was unfair.

 

Now Shaq is in Cleveland and the Lakers are defending champions. It reminds me a lot of a certain baseball team who was crazy good a decade ago, had a bunch of teams missing certain elements and then rose back to the highest power in 2009, much to the chagrin of most NBA fans and particularly Boston fans.

 

Maybe I like the Lakers for that, too.

 

But watching Bynum score 12 points and grab four boards in the first quarter, and seeing him finish with 19 points and 11 boards, completing a crucial double-double in a one point road win against another elite team in the NBA, sent me other messages besides,

 

“Wow, if you can’t beat them during their seventh straight road game, you’re not going to.”

 

It reminded me the Yankees are going to be just as good in 2010.

 

Basketball and baseball are two very different sports. One has a salary cap, though what seems like more ridiculous salaries. One is total and complete team work whereas the other is more individual, yet an individual in the former can literally put you into the postseason whereas with the latter it can’t.

 

They aren’t comparable in a “building a team” sense. But they are comparable in a “don’t mess with the formula” sense.

 

The Lakers are a powerhouse because they took a chance on drafting a 17 year old in the first round and hoped he could develop into the next big 7 footer for LA. Then they made some shrewd moves, topped by the trade for Gasol, and now they find themselves with two 7-footers, Lamar Odom, Fisher and Bryant, and the deepest team in the league who can beat you big or small, high scoring or low scoring, tough or soft.

Most importantly, they return a relatively familiar team, players who can play in the triangle, and offensive players meant to jam the lanes and spread out the offense.

 

If the Lakers don't repeat in 2010, it will be because Lebron reached a super-human status none of us ever saw coming, or Shaq resurrects himself for a month, or Kobe's injured finger breaks off. That's it.

 

The Yankees rid themselves primarily of: Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Jerry Hairston Jr., Brian Bruney, Melky Cabrera, Phil Coke, Eric Hinske and Jose Molina. There were others but they made almost zero impact on the World Champion team.

 

They replaced them primarily with: Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, Javier Vazquez, Randy Winn, someone like Ramiro Pena, Francisco Cervelli,and Boone Logan.

The first list has more star-power, more overall power, more recent heroes and most of all, familiarity. With the exception of Hinske and Hairston Jr. all of those players made previous impacts on the franchise before last season. Or they were homegrown and thus we have an irrational passion for them to succeed and stay long enough to see it happen.

The second lost is younger, less sexy and more of a question mark because we don't know what we could expect from those guys in New York. The only exception is possibly Johnson and Vazquez, who have indeed played for the Yankees before, but are now what we would assume to be seasoned veterans.

But really what we need to understand is the Yankees developed a formula again in 2009. They didn't have the pieces for it the last decade, but they rediscovered it last year.

 

It's not terribly complicated. New York had a durable starting rotation capable of  missing bats, a dominant late-inning relief corps, relievers capable of matching up well with any lineup design, and most of all, a lineup capable of making opposing pitchers crap themselves.

The Yankees lead the league in:

Hits, Runs, Home Runs, RBI, BB, OBP, SLG, OPS, and total bases in 2009. They also did not strike out much and stole bases at an impressively efficient rate.\

In other words, they had an unforgiving and patient  lineup.

Guess what they stuck to in 2010?

Much like Abreu, a walk machine who takes pitches was replaced with a younger version in Nick Swisher, the Yankees have done the same in the 2010 offseason as they did in 2009. No, they didn't sign an international legend or an "Idiot", but they did acquire a player who can hit home runs to right field, drive in a series of runs and another player who can get on base and get things going.

Granderson has better speed than Damon, and Nick Johnson has the best OBP of everyone.

Matsui and Damon may have hit more home runs, but again, the Yankees lead the world in them. Even if it means sacrificing around 10 (and that might be all it turns out to be), it will have been worth it for the speed and the fact the replacements will likely be on base more than their predecessors while still leading the league in home runs.

Then they took a  rotation who was mostly durable, and added another leg, the king of durability, Javier Vazquez.

Oh and he misses a lot of bats.

We've talked a lot about how the Yankees have become smarter recently with how they spend their money, and we've broken down why they will be just as good, if not better younger and more athletic, but it's important to see things for how they are.

 

The Yankees aren't changing the team approach because they had a weak Free Agent market. They aren't going from an offensive force to a defensive hopeful. They didn't go out and sign one or two big names in the hopes it would solve all their problems. Most importantly, they didn't get older to do it.

 

On occasion looking at a period of time in its simplest form, for what it really is, is all that really matters.

Watch Andrew Bynum and the  Lakers, and maybe they can show you that.

Nine Rules for Dating a Red Sox Fan

Brimming with the giddiness that only a new relationship brings, you are a woman who has met an interesting guy. This one has potential, you surmise. Nice guy. Decent looking (at least he has his hair and his teeth, so that's a plus). Engaging sense of humor. His idea of a dinner date does not involve the value menu at Mickey D's or the Grand Slam at Denny's. Early on - likely on the first date - he utters five words (or six if he doesn't use a contraction). "I'm (or I am) a Red Sox fan."

Chances are, the admission caused you no reason for alarm. Perhaps you're a Red Sox fan, too, and he immediately whisked you away to the nearest wedding chapel (unlikely). Or, maybe you are a Yankees fan, and your admission created an uproar in the restaurant that was worthy of a movie scene (also unlikely, since if you are a Yankees fan, you would not have gotten another date). Probably, you're not a baseball fan at all, and maybe you even didn't realize the Red Sox are a baseball team. "Really," you might have said. "I'm sorry, I don't follow hockey."

If the latter is true, or some variation (for example, if you don't follow baseball or you do and have a casual allegiance to a perennial loser, like the Reds or the Royals), your new relationship has a chance to blossom into the fairy tale that you have long imagined - as long as you enter the baseball season prepared. Remember, knowledge is power, and without knowledge in this case, your relationship with that Red Sox fan is doomed for failure.

As a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation who lives and breathes Red Sox baseball (and, yes, I am not exagerating when I say card-carrying member. Many of us actually belong to a group called Red Sox Nation and carry membership cards in our wallets), I am here to serve as your coach to ensure that, once baseball season begins, your new relationship does not end. If you envision a long-term contract with that new guy in your life, follow these "Nine Rules for Dating a Red Sox Fan."

1. Recognize and understand the situation in which you are about to enter. Sure, all is well right now. You met your guy in December or January - in the heart of baseball's off-season. Yet spring training is around the corner. And Opening Day is April 4, when the Red Sox host the Yankees (the relevance of this rivalry on your relationship will be addressed in a forthcoming rule).

Baseball is a game. Red Sox baseball is a passion - a lifestyle. It's one thing to date a Pirates fan or a Reds fan - or even a Cubs fan. Those teams are usually out of the pennant race by June, and even when the Cubs are a contender, most of their fans flock to Wrigley Field to drink and socialize, not to watch baseball. Dating a Red Sox fan is a radically intense experience. Sure, Red Sox fans love to drink beer and talk, but our attention is dramatically focused on the diamond. And when we're not at the ballpark, our eyes are magnetized by the game on TV or the cell phone, or our ears are affixed to Joe Castiglione's calls on the radio. Sometimes we are simultaneously focused on all three. And for a Red Sox 101 tidbit, Joe Castiglione is the Red Sox legendary play-by-play radio broadcaster. Trust me, life with your Red Sox fan in the off-season is MUCH different than your world once spring training arrives.

2. You will get a taste of the madness on Truck Day. In Red Sox Nation, Groundhog Day is not THE sign that spring is inching closer. Truck Day is our Groundhog Day. Only in Red Sox Nation is the moment when the moving truck that carries the team's spring training gear departs from Fenway Park en route for the spring training home in Ft. Myers, Fla. Fans gather to watch the beloved event - toasting to a safe journey with Sam Adams Boston Lager - and a Red Sox dignitary serves as the Grand Marshal. This year's Truck Day is Feb. 12. If you really want to impress the Red Sox fan in your life, treat Truck Day as you would expect him to shower you with affectionate gifts on Valentine's Day.

3. Spring Training is your prelude to the regular season. Baseball players use spring training to slowly but surely work themselves in baseball shape and a baseball frame-of-mind. You should do the same. During spring training, our minds wander to the Nation's current events - such as whether or not Theo Epstein will eventually trade a package of prospects centered around Casey Kelly and Ryan Westmoreland for Adrian Gonzalez, if Tim Wakefield should be part of the rotation or serve as the long man and spot starter, and will Jason Varitek hit above .200 and throw out a baserunner. Remember these dates - February 18 (pitchers and catchers report to spring training), February 20 (first Red Sox spring training workout), March 3 (first spring training games, albeit against college teams; split squad games against Northeastern University and Boston College) and March 4 (the major league spring training season debut versus the Minnesota Twins). You can make the most of your spring training by religiously following the next two rules. 

4. Learn the players and officials who compose the Red Sox. So you didn't get the aforementioned reference to Theo Epstein and the other names? Here's a remedy that will allow you to intelligently converse with your Red Sox fan. Buy a dry erase board, have him draw a diamond and write the Red Sox lineup (along with the team's pitching rotation), and memorize it by placing it by your bed so it is the last thing you see before you go to sleep and the first thing you read when you awaken. Here's a start:

Red Sox Projected 2010 Starting Lineup

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, C
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Adrian Beltre, 3B
7. J.D. Drew, RF
8. Mike Cameron, CF
9. Marco Scutaro, SS

Red Sox 2010 Starting Rotation

1. Jon Lester
2. Josh Beckett
3. John Lackey
4. Daisuke Matsuzaka
5. Clay Buchholz

By the way, Theo Epstein is the general manager and Terry Francona is the manager.

For extra credit, you can learn about the team's top prospects. The Red Sox are blessed with one of the game's best minor league systems, and many of the team's top stars are homegrown. You'll become familiar with the names Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Daniel Bard). You will earn bonus points if you can tell your Red Sox fan why you think that Theo Epstein should hang onto Casey Kelly (who is being compared to Zack Greinke) and Ryan Westmoreland (a five-tool player). And if you know the five tools (no, THAT tool is not among them), that's even more impressive.

5. Watch Fever Pitch - study it, memorize it and appreciate it. Typically, I would not recommend a romantic comedy. After all, it is a violation of the Man Book of Rules (which include staring straight ahead and not talking when you are at a urinal in a public bathroom and avoiding the wearing of pastels at all costs). In this case, Fever Pitch is acceptable because its' treasure trove of Red Sox history and valuable information on how to successful date a Red Sox fan outweigh the fact that it is indeed a chick flick.

By watching Fever Pitch, you will learn about the psyche of a Red Sox fan - why we were how we are. You will learn the meaning behind the phrases "Bucky "F*&&#&!!ng" Dent," "Bill "F!!!!!!!!%!!!ng" Buckner," Aaron "F!#&!!*!ng" Boone," and New York "F!!&&%!$$$$$$$ng" Yankees." You will learn about the team's rich history, and how the Red Sox for years were very good but not good enough, suffering indescribable heartbreak along the way until that magical 2004 season, when the Curse of the Bambino finally ended. No, I will not explain the Curse of the Bambino. Watch the movie!

6. Know thy enemy. There is really just one thing you need to know about the New York Yankees. They are baseball's version of Satan. The Yankees, their players and their fans represent everything that is evil and repulsive in professional sports. Under no circumstances is it socially acceptable for you to wear or own any item adorned with the Yankees logo - unless it is Yankees toilet paper or a t-shirt that features "A-Rod Wears Lip Gloss" or "Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers."

A brief tutorial. The Red Sox were one of the game's most dominant teams in the early 20th century, winning five World Series titles (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918), but their fortunes changed after the 1919 season when owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for money to finance a Broadway play. Ruth became baseball's all-time home run leader (until Hank Aaron broke his record in 1974) and the Yankees emerged as a powerhouse while the Red Sox slumbered through several unforgettable seasons. The Curse of the Bambino was born. OK, so I divulged the Curse of the Bambino.

Why was it a curse, you ask? Well, for decades, the Red Sox suffered heartbreak after heartbreak, many of which were inflicted by the Yankees. Simply put, the Sox were good, but not good enough, often finishing second behind the Yankees. Then there was 1978, when the Sox coughed up a large lead in the American League East, fell behind in the last week and rallied to force a one-game playoff at Fenway Park. The hearts of New England were shattered when a light-hitting shortstop named Bucky Dent hit what would be the game-winning home run off Mike Torrez, who ironically pitched for the Yankees the previous year.

Fast forward to 2003. The Red Sox were apparently heading to the World Series when they held a 5-2 lead over the Yankees in the eighth inning of Game Seven in the American League Championship Series. Pedro Martinez had pitched a gem, but he was tiring and Mike Timlin was ready in the bullpen (the same Timlin who had not allowed a hit in the post-season). Manager Grady Little decided to stick with Pedro, who served up a double to Jeter and a base hit to Bernie Williams. Out trotted Little again, and once more he chose to stick with Martinez instead of opting for a fresh reliever in the pen. The rest is painful and bitter Red Sox history. Martinez surrendered back-to-back doubles that tied the game and sent it into extra innings. Then, in the bottom of the 11th inning, Aaron Boone blasted Tim Wakefield's first pitch over the left field wall, sending the Yankees to the World Series and the Red Sox to another post-season disappointment.

I must admit that I shed tears when Boone circled the bases. And a year later, when the Red Sox staged the greatest comeback in the history of professional sports by rallying from a 3-0 ALCS deficit against the Yankees and winning Game Seven at Yankee Stadium, I was overcome by tears of joy, and that feeling was replicated a short time later when the Sox won their first World Series (sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals) since 1918. Most men who are Red Sox fans will admit that they cried when the Sox won it all in 2004. That was the lone time that the saying "There's no cryin' in baseball" was not valid.

Another "must" to learn. You will find that most Yankees fans are really not true fans at all. When their team is winning, they will jump in your face boisterously touting the 27 World Series titles, yet when the first sign of a losing streak arises, they burrow their heads deep into their holes not to resurface until two consecutive wins have been secured.

As Red Sox fans, we are prone to unusual behavior during a winning streak and a losing skid. We are a bit superstitious - for example, we may or may not sit in a certain spot on the couch during a rally or destroy a certain shirt in the midst of a losing streak - yet we will demonstrate the same certifiable commitment to the Sox regardless of their place in the standings.

7. Never - and I mean, never - expect your Red Sox fan to take you on a date when the Sox are playing the Yankees (unless the date involves watching the game). The evening started beautifully. Dinner at a nice steakhouse. Pleasant ambience. Good conversation. This was about two years ago, and I was dating a woman who did not understand, but nonetheless tolerated, my addiction to Red Sox baseball.

The steakhouse was divided into two sections - a dining room and a bar area. I selected a table in the bar area, where a television screen was conveniently located over the side of the table where my date was sitting. I didn't tell her that the Red Sox and Yankees were playing. In fact, I think I deserve credit for taking her out for a classy dinner when "the rivalry" game was on TV.

The arrangement was ideal. I could have a conversation with my date, and at the same time monitor the TV screen. Perhaps my plan would have worked better if the Red Sox had been playing someone else - like the Orioles or Royals - but this was the Red Sox and Yankees. How could I devote my full attention to my girlfriend across the table when a crucial mid-season game was broadcast on the TV above her left shoulder?

I must say that I admirably attempted to focus on the topic of conversation, which probably had something to do with some issue at her office or some disagreement with a girlfriend. It was two years ago, so I can't remember. I do recall that the Red Sox won that game, though. It was in the late innings, and Kevin Youkilis delivered a base hit to lift the Sox ahead. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "I know!" she responded, apparently thinking I was addressing her latest story. Soon, though, she caught my eyes staring at the TV screen and knew that my response was related to the game.

"Have you listened to a word I have said," she asked. "And why didn't you tell me that the Red Sox and Yankees were playing?"

8. Be prepared for your Red Sox fan's home decor and wardrobe. Unlike Jimmy Fallon's character in Fever Pitch, my wardrobe does consist of something  beyond Red Sox apparel. After all, I am a die-hard Steelers fan, too. During the season, there is a likelihood your Red Sox fan will wear at least one piece of Red Sox apparel each day, not including a hat and, well.......

To match the wardrobe in the closer, chances are your Red Sox fan's home is covered in Red Sox memorabilia, artwork, signs, photos and other artifacts. Surely, I am not the only one, am I?

Some of you who follow me on Facebook as well as Sox and Pinstripes might remember the college friend with whom I reconnected on Facebook last summer. She was a Bengals fan, and we met to watch a football game one afternoon when I was back in town. We hit it off, and the next thing you know I am flying back and forth between Florida and Ohio for several weeks.

Some of you might have wondered what happened? How did the magical whirlwind reach an abrupt halt? Well, one evening at dinner, I pulled out my wallet and showed her photos of my Red Sox room that doubles as my home office. She excused herself (apparently heading for the ladies room), fled and I have not seen or heard from her since.

9. Know the mindset of your Red Sox fan from February to October (or, at least, April to October). Several of my friends are convinced that I need a woman who is equally passionate about the Red Sox. To that I say, "Nah, I have many other interests. She doesn't have to be a Red Sox fan, or even like baseball, as long as she does not like the Yankees and can tolerate my Red Sox addiction."

Part of this tolerance is related to understanding my mindset during baseball season. I find it difficult to pull my attention away from the Red Sox. I have media credentials to some games, and watch others via my MLB Extra Innings package at home, or with friends at a sports bar or in person at Fenway Park or another ballpark.

Last year, I met a group of friends at a wine bar in Orlando. During the evening, I struck up a conversation with a beautiful and friendly woman who was not aware that my cell phone was showing the Red Sox-Orioles game. I found it challenging to simultaneously focus on the conversation and the cell phone screen that would flash every time the screen would refresh on 30-second intervals. I had to know, will Clay Buchholz continue shutting down the Orioles? Will the Red Sox offense score enough runs? Are the Yankees losing?

There is a reason why so many male Red Sox fans are divorced or single and have never been married. The search for a woman who will accept the psyche and lifestyle of a feverish Red Sox fanatic is long and harrowing. As a woman, you could do worse than dating one of us. You could be stuck with a Yankees fan.

Towers joins the Yankees' structure

A small but interesting off the field transaction took place today. The Yankees signed former Padres' GM, Kevin Towers to a "consulting" job. Some rumors, if you choose to believe them, say it's only a consulting gig because that would mean the Padres still have to pay Kevin's salary after he was fired. Others say it simply means he won't have a very big impact on Brian Cashman and the Yankees' decisions.

Still, this move is interesting for a slew of background reasons.

Cashman and Towers are widely considered pretty good buddies, so I think their relationship, at worst, will be a warm and trusting one. What I find so intriguing is Towers just finished being the GM of the team with one of the tiniest payrolls in baseball. Now he's going to a team who just recently declared its first "budget". In a way this could be a small test of what many people have argued about when comparing GMs. Can a small market GM really thrive and show his brilliance when given unlimited money? Or does the GM simply depend on his payroll and they aren't comparable?

Personally, and I've stated this before, I think people like Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman would be just as successful with middle market budgets. Now when you're talking Padres' sized payroll of a few years ago? That might be a different story because then it's an entirely different strategy and mindset (your the team receiving prospects, your the team making two league minimum players the replacement for a developed star, you're the one doing "salary dumps". When it gets to that much of a difference, I think guys who have big check books would need to be re-trained more or less to learn how to acquire the talent they want. But give Epstein or Cashman half their budgets? I think over time they would adjust to it.

In other words, the strategy for putting together a team wouldn't change very much, but in the mean time they use what they have the best they can. And why not? Anyone else in their position would too, but it doesn't mean they can't succeed in other atmospheres. You can't take away the ability to evaluate talent.

In this case, you have the opposite effect. This is Billy Beane on the Red Sox had he been the one hired before Epstein. This is a kid in a candy shop. Now again, we don't know how much influence Towers will have, but I have to at least assume he will be what his job title states, which is to say he will "consult" with Cashman.

Maybe he has more advanced knowledge about NL farm systems and prospects, or maybe he has a hybrid NL West to AL East strategy in terms of player transactions and building the Yankees' future (it worked in a managerial sense for Torre when he came over from the NL and Girardi has the same former NL experience). Maybe he's just another intelligent mind in a Front Office becoming more intelligent seemingly every year. One thing is for sure, I think Towers failed more in San Diego because they simply didn't give him enough money to make a successful team rather than he's not a smart guy. Towers did a lot more good than bad for the Padres.

What's interesting is his biggest strengths seemed to be building bullpens from within and having an eye for pitching talent (deduce what you will about how much of an impact Petco Park had on those ratings) and that's something Brian Cashman could always use an extra hand with, particularly in starting pitching. It will be a nice little exercise to see what degree this move has, if any, on the Yankees in the future.

I don't think it can make a bad impact though, so Kevin Towers should be a solid addition nobody talks about.

Especially because he doesn't play in the outfield.

Yankees Randy after signing Winn

He's the inspiration for what is sure to be excellent fantasy baseball names, and he doubles as an outfielder; the Yankees signed Randy Winn for $2 million dollars today and ended the long national nightmare of a lack of left field depth for New York. Winn seemed to be one of the dark horse candidates to acquire the pinstripes, with Reed Johnson, Rocco Baldelli and, of course, Johny Damon, all drawing more public interest. At the end of the day, however, New York seemed to have found it's Gardner platoon.

Personally, I think when you get past the "this guy is gritty" and "this guy is a winner" sentiments, Winn is probably the best option behind Damon. He plays excellent defense (and has been tested in spacious ballparks as a member of the Giants and Mariners) and though he had a down year in 2009, it was by battling through non-chronic injury, in a pitcher's park, in a pitcher's division, with absolutely no protection in the lineup. In 2008 and 2007, Winn was able to hit .300 and .306 and steal 20+ bags (for those of you interested, Winn had a WAR of 1.7 last year, about 1.5 wins less than Damon, but likely at a third of the price). Like Granderson, the Yankees are hoping they are signing a guy who can revert slightly to what he was before 2009, and I think in both cases there's a realistic chance these players can (obviously the bet is much more with Granderson since he's still in his prime and not likely to get banged up.)

Still, as a 35 year old who plays plus defense in a big left field, not playing everyday and hitting as yet another switch-hitter in a favorable ball park to lefties and batting ninth, Winn seems to fit the bill as an ideal platoon player. What will be interesting is who Girardi decides to use against lefty pitching, since both seem to not favor very well, the one flaw in choosing the veteran as the platoon winner.

If Winn and Gardner can conserve each other and pose as speed threats (much more so with Gardner) out of the nine hole and post even respectable On Base Percentages, than this platoon will have been worth it from an offensive standpoint. The fact they both seem to play plus defense and one can feed off of the other would only seem to help both situations (which is to say Gardner is still young and unproven and Winn is getting old and too proven, thus both not having to play a full season should help). The wildcard in all of this is that Winn has always played in predominantly pitcher parks with terrible supporting casts, and he's never been in high pressure games having never made the playoffs. Sometimes those overlooked variables provide a spark in a player, even veterans who are over the hill and particularly with hitters.

More important, signing Randy Winn seems to cap an offseason signifying a true changing of business with the Yankees. New York claimed to have a budget and they seem to have stuck with it, admitting they had about $2 million freed up and signing Winn for exactly that. Johnny Damon will likely lose out the most  in this situation as he is the 36 year  old still on the market and he just lost his best marriage in terms of his skill set. Accepting the 2 year, 14 million dollar deal Cashman offered in the beginning of the offseason might have been a wiser choice.

Which brings me to my next point, this seems to be the new model of business for the Yankees:

When it was 5-10 years ago, the Yankees were more likely to sign the star player regardless of recent trends and future outlooks (Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano), they also went after players who they couldn't account for in mental makeup (Pavano, Brown, a younger, unproven Vazquez the first time, Randy Johnson, Jose Conteras, Kenny Rogers) and even targeted unnecessarily big name players (Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi.)

Really since the Yankees traded away Wright, Sheffield and Johnson in the same offseason after 2006, things have taken a different turn.

Now they live by these rules:

1. Properly evaluate your own players. As in, if Damon and Matsui aren't at the right price, if Giambi and Abreu don't appear to have productive future outlooks, just let them go.

2. Hand out contracts to Free Agents only in their prime and without mysterious pasts (as in: CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Nick Johnson and Randy Winn, who is considered "classy" instead of: Sheffield, Giambi, Brown, Pavano and Farnsworth).

3. Trade only for upside and youth: (Granderson, Swisher, Vazquez, Marte, Nady)

4. Hold onto the Blue Chips: (Hughes, Chamberlain, Montero, Cano)

5. Spend only when necessary : (not trading for Santana and Halladay AND giving them contracts, trading for Granderson instead of signing Bay or Holliday, barely signing anyone in 2007 so they could resign Pettitte, A-Rod, Posada, Rivera etc. Barely spending anything in 2008 so they could afford Tex, Burnett and Sabathia in 2009, barely spending anything (long-term) in 2010 so they can likely get one or two big pieces (Crawford, Lee) in 2011.)

6. Sign the important pieces quickly. This is the thing I think Cashman does so well and he gets the least credit for. When he knows there is a player who can set his offseason, Cashman wastes no time and tolerates no agent or player games in signing that player. Cashman knew he wanted Curtis Granderson, and he signed him frighteningly fast through a trade. He knew Sabathia would shape his spending spree last year, so he blew him out of the water, with a great deal right off the bat, and it ended up being 20 million more than the Angels, though with taxes in New York, it's not the type of overbidding we initially figured. He knew Damon was going to get one chance, so he offered him the 2/14 and when Damon rejected it, Cashman moved on

These are statutes teams like the Red Sox have already incorporated in past years (though they strayed away from it slightly this offseason), which is why they have more upside prospects in the system they can either try to pan out or trade for useful major league pieces, but  for the Yankees it's an especially big weapon. If New York could man a 180-200 million dollar payroll (right now I project the 25 man around 200 million even) and use that money EFFICIENTLY....Well, now you're talking a serious beast in the east. It seems like Cashman is headed in that direction and he seems mighty eager to do it since getting his extension at the end of 2008.

Instead of wasting prospects, the Yankees seem to be holding onto the cream of the crop and trading the rest for impact players signed for long term deals, except for Vazquez, who will likely net two draft picks and solidify the rotation in 2010.

Either way, the Yankees chose Randy Winn over Holliday, Bay and Damon. They chose Vazquez over Halladay.

The Bronx is burning with a new front office outlook, and it's one which could lead to a very dangerous franchise in the future.

Hermida's presence gives the Red Sox insurance for Drew

If an injury arises in the Red Sox outfield this season, there will be an array of capable reinforcements. First and foremost, there will be Jeremy Hermida, who avoided arbitration by signing a one-year deal. Theo Epstein's record of never having a player reach an arbitration hearing remains.

The 26-year-old Hermida could be a steal if he reaches his high ceiling. The Florida Marlins waited, and saw hope when he hit .296 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI in 429 at-bats in 2007, but they gave up on the left-handed hitter when they dealt him to Boston last November for minor league pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. A first round pick of the Marlins (11th overall) in 2002, Hermida became the organization's top-rated prospect before making his major league debut in 2005. A defensively sound corner outfielder, Hermida struggled at the plate last year in an injury-plagued season, hitting .249 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI in 429 at-bats.

Hermida has a chance to emerge as a potential replacement for J.D. Drew when Drew's contract expires after the 2011 season. Top prospect Josh Reddick, who can proficiently play all three outfield spots, will open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket and will offer added insurance in case of injury to Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury or Mike Cameron. Ryan Kalish, who is another highly regarded outfield prospect, will probably begin the year at Double-a Portland but will make his Triple-A debut at some point in 2010. He is equally as exciting as Reddick, who has greater power potential than Kalish.

With Drew's history for missing games here and there with assorted aches and pains, Hermida will get at-bats this season. On the mound, I believe that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be the team's most pleasant surprise. He is reportedly in exceptional shape, and I will not be surprised if he wins 16-18 games with a sub-3 ERA. Though he will likely not match his plate appearances from last season (491), Hermida should surface as the club's most pleasant surprise at the plate - unless Adrian Beltre pounds 30 home runs.

Comparing the Yankees and Red Sox question marks (Yankees' edition)

Yankees' positives:

Javy Heaven: Javier Vazquez is not being asked to be the ace of this staff. He's not even being asked to be the second or third starter. All Javy is being asked to do is do what he has done all but one year of his career. Pitch 200 good innings. You know who couldn't do that in 2009 for the Yankees? Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin. With Joba and/or Hughes taking up a spot in the rotation, that dynamic will stay the same in 2010. With Vazquez here and Gaudin and Mitre acting as insurance and a long reliever, the Yankees are guaranteed an improvement to their rotation. That in itself, should be a big difference between Javy in 2010 and Javy in 2004. Winning a World Series and coming off of a career year shouldn't hurt either.

Joba Rules: As the Lohud Yankees' blog so keenly pointed out, there is now only one meaningful phrase for "Joba Rules". The husky righty is no longer on an innings limit after throwing 157 last season. Chamberlain  was right around the century mark in 2008 and his lack of experience with endurance showed after he crossed that mark around August and then started struggling once he was being played around with in the rotation and once his arm reached new territories of use. It can only be a good thing that Joba is now conditioned for over 180 innings in 2010. Assuming he is the fifth starter, this is the best opportunity Joba has had as a starter in the majors and looking at his past, it's more likely he takes advantage of it than blows his chances.

Hughes' Hovers: What we knew in 2008 was Phil Hughes could be a front-end starter one day. What we learned in 2009 was Phil Hughes could be a dominant setup man as well. This season the Yankees have four set-in-stone starters and a stretched out Joba Chamberlain along with insurance policies in a healthier Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves. They have eight starting pitching options without factoring in anyone from the minors who may make an impact in 2010. Hughes still has a shot at being in the rotation barring injury or a lack of performance from Chamberlain, but the Yankees now also know if the bullpen starts out the way it did to begin 2009, Phil Hughes could be an immediate All-Star caliber setup man. The flexibility of such a talent in Hughes makes both the rotation and the bullpen deeper and more dangerous in 2010. That's a luxury the Yankees are going to enjoy for the first time.

Chad and Sergio down by the ball yard: Last year the Yankees had an insurance policy in Alfredo Aceves and another in Phil Hughes. As it turned out, both became more useful in the bullpen when Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Brian Bruney and Jonathan Albaledejo wore out their April welcomes. Now it's likely Aceves will stay in the bullpen and we're not quite sure where Hughes sticks. What we do know is instead of a player coming in midway off of a major surgery, we have a healthy Sergio Mitre at a recovery period where pitchers usually thrive. Mitre has never been good, but as a seventh or eighth pitching option, he should be solid for New York, particularly now healthy. Chad Gaudin pitched well for the Yankees down the stretch, and for the moment, he remains on the team in the same role as Mitre, with the possibility of one of them staying in the bullpen. Either way, it's two depth arms the Yankees couldn't rely on in 2009 and now should rely on in 2010.

Ain't Centerfield Grand?: Regardless of what happens in left field for the Yankees in 2010, whether it's Damon, Gardner, Gardner and Reed Johnson, or some other combination we don't yet know about, the Yankees will likely not suffer much. Gardner's defense can nearly compete with Damon's offense and vise versa, and a platoon of Gardner and someone else could probably duplicate what the Yankees had going on in centerfield last year. As for the middle of the outfield this year? Well that belongs to Curtis Granderson. And one thing is certain, for as league average and actually expectation exceeding as the Cabrera/Gardner platoon was in center in 2009, Granderson will be two or three times better in 2010. The addition of another player playing a premium position in his prime can only help an offense slowly and surely becoming younger.

Ca-"No you're not still too young": Robbie Cano flourished last season after a repugnant 2008 campaign. He was more alert on defense, more focused on offense, produced 200 hits, 25+ HR, a .320 average and became the all-around All Star talent we all saw and expected from him earlier in his career. What we know is it wasn't Larry Bowa, and it's doubtful it was Melky responsible for the turn-around. Likely it was more a reality check and a player in Cano heading into his prime as a baseball player. Cano will advance another year into it in 2010, and you could see him produce his first 30+HR season. It wouldn't be bad to have a 30 home run hitter with a .300+ average out of the seven hole for the Yankees next season...Perhaps if he can continue to improve on hitting with runners in scoring position like he did at the end of last season, he might be the five hitter and protector of A-Rod in 2010.

An April for A-Rod: Maybe the most overlooked storyline about the Yankees' World Series run last year was overlooked. Alex Rodriguez received all the credit he should have when he became the Incredible Hulk in the playoffs, when he put up a 30/100 season despite missing a month and when he got Mark Teixeira going. But what we didn't factor in is what his numbers would have been with the month of April added on, a month he missed due to injury and where the Yankees played just about .500 baseball.  Next year the Yankees could see 5-10 homers they weren't expecting and another 20 RBI from Rodriguez and who knows how that ultimately pushes Mark Teixeira or a Yankees team as a whole which seemed to revolve around Rodriguez throughout all of their championship run. I can't see the outcome being a bad thing, however.

Downsides for the Yankees:

Andy not so Dandy?: Andy Pettitte is a big game pitcher disguised as a three starter. He's a Yankees' horse who put up such a huge 2009 he received more than a 200% pay increase in guaranteed money this offseason. When Pettitte is healthy (he wasn't down the stretch in 2008) he has always put up solid numbers. The question, similar to that with Mike Cameron, is when does the "other shoe drop"? At what point does Pettitte realize his arm is finished and ride into the sunset as at least a five-time World Series winner? The Yankees don't have too many major injury concerns with Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter still performing at an elite level, Alex Rodriguez still being elite even if he does decline and Jorge Posada with the number one prospect in baseball waiting to replace him in the next couple of years, but with Pettitte they face one. It's likely Posada will only catch 120-130 games this season and Francisco Cervelli seems capable enough at a non-premium offensive position to fill those 30-40 games nicely. It's likely the Yankees pursue someone like Cliff Lee in the offseason next year. The problem is, in 2010, there is no true insurance policy for Andy Pettitte unless both Chamberlain and Hughes pitch at an elite level. That's a risk I'm not yet prepared to take for a defending champion. Not to mention, how will he react with so much guaranteed money this year?

Too much Champagne could cause a World Series Hangover:

If the Yankees don't have quite the same fire late in the innings to produce a comeback, or if they don't have the same magic  in the postseason or the same luck with health, it won't be a shock, it would more be expected. After all, no team has completely survived a World Series hangover since the 2000 Yankees, the last team to repeat as champions. Even that team, was dramatically worse than the 1999 version, which was worse than the 1998 version. This hangover wouldn't be as funny as Mike Tyson owning a Tiger and punching someone out (for the record, I didn't care for that movie), but it's still a possibility of happening. There's a certain sense of urgency generally lost when you become a champion, and even in New York, that could be all the difference a year later. Not to mention, pitching into November can't be a GOOD thing for Yankees' pitching, even if I don't believe it plays a big health role or that this team couldn't handle pitching adversity this season.

 Variables for the Yankees:

Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada's age:

It would be misguided to assume the  worst out of the Yankees' oldest players. After all, Jeter, Mo and Jorge helped lead the team to a world championship just three months ago. While we can expect Jorge to get less and less playing time until he hangs it up, we haven't really seen his performance decline alarmingly when he's been healthy. The same goes for Rivera and Jeter. Still, these three represent major positions for the Yankees and though Posada is more of a luxury than a necessity to the Yankees, we've seen what happens when he misses extended periods of time and it's not generally pretty. We also know eventually Derek Jeter won't be able to handle a position like shortstop year round and Mariano Rivera's cutter will eventually lose enough cut to take the magic away. The question is will that be in 2010 or sometime deep into the future? The other question is, how will this effect the team?

Damaso Marte: Marte has been an overall disappointment in his tenure as a Yankee. That's the bad news. In 2008 he was likely overworked and below average, posting a 5.40 ERA as a Yankee in a career high workload of a season. In 2009 he was terrible with a 15.19 ERA before getting injured for most of the regular season. It wasn't until he faced a grant total of 11 hitters in the 2009 playoffs that Marte even began to earn his keep. But because Marte was so dominant, and so healthy looking in that postseason, the Yankees won a World Series and as a result of their new-found confidence in the lefty, they were able to include both Mike Dunn and Phil Coke in trades for bigger pieces. Now Marte seems to be the "it" guy against lefties with no real competition besides Boone Logan. There is no longer a debate about whether Coke or Marte is the primary lefty guy or whether Dunn could outperform him next year. The only question that remains with Marte is which one are we going to see?

David Robertson: It's likely David Robertson is your setup man in 2010. And why not? He was absolutely filthy for most of the season and struck out a mind-boggling amount of hitters. Though David was hurt at the end of the year and seemingly hidden in the bullpen during the playoffs, he remains the second most talented reliever behind Rivera guaranteed to be a reliever this season. If he succeeds, the Yankees could have the best bullpen in the league, especially if Hughes is apart of it, if he fails, Hughes, whether he or the Yankees want him to or not, is the setup man and the Yankees face depth issues again.

Gardner and Damon: Left field at Yankee Stadium has been a great debate for most of the offseason. Some people want Johnny Damon back for a year, some want Brett Gardner to get a chance, and others prefer a platoon including Gardner like the Yankees had in center last season. This outcome is going to be interesting if nothing else. If Johnny signs there isn't much intrigue, Damon is the starter and late in games he's likely replaced by Gardner for defensive purposes (a reason to hit Damon lower in the lineup and have Johnson bat second). If Damon does not return, however, than the interest begins. Brett Gardner, as I have mentioned before, has taken time to adjust to every level of his professional career. He has also ultimately become an OBP machine with super speed at every level eventually. He is yet to get the chance to prove himself fairly at the plate at the MLB level. So if Gardner is handed the keys, or a healthy competition opportunity to left field next year, he immediately becomes the biggest question mark on the Yankees. Of course, if he fails, it doesn't hurt the Yankees much because he will likely be in a platoon to begin with. If he succeeds though, well now you're talking about a .350+ OBP out of the nine hole capable of stealing 50+ bases in a full season with Derek Jeter waiting on deck....Now that's scary.

Jeter a year older, Marte in the bullpen, Robertson, Gardner/Damon situation in left

Comparing the Yankees and Red Sox question marks (Red Sox edition)

It's always popular right around this time of year to start looking at how the rosters will set up for Major League Baseball teams. Here at Sox and Pinstripes, it's about that time to start deeply analyzing the Red Sox and Yankees  in 2010. 

The motto for this season should be, "What a difference a year makes".

The last time the Red Sox failed to win a playoff game was in 2006, when they failed to qualify altogether. That offseason the Sox went on a spending spree, paying a 100 million dollar package to acquire Daisuke Matsuzaka, committing a misguided 36 million to Julio Lugo in a four year deal and outbidding themselves enormously for JD Drew at five years and 14 million per season. Then they went and signed Hideki Okajima, who turned out to be one of the better setup men in baseball in 2007. In total, the Sox reacted to a disappointing 2006 by committing over 200 million dollars to the future, and adding 33 million to the books in offseason signings, not counting whoever came off the books at the end of the '06 season.

This year they're in the same boat, having failed to win a playoff game in 2009 and facing some major question marks. Jonathan Papelbon's numbers decreased....Again.

The team needs to find a way to replace the value in the most feared 3-4 duo in the game since David Ortiz is in the twilight of his career and Manny Ramirez is in Mannyland. Jason Bay was considered the first step, but he too is now gone to play for the Mets.

So the Sox went out and signed Mike Cameron, a 37 year old with a tremendous glove and decent pop despite a painfully low Batting Average and On Base Percentage, especially for a lineup which generally prides itself on high On Base Percentages.

Then they decided to not risk Mike Lowell's final year on his contract, and they signed Adrian Beltre, another player with tremendous range and a great glove, but a disappearing bat being relied upon to reappear in a hitting friendly Fenway Park instead of a pitcher's Paradise in Safeco (think, an inferior Curtis Granderson situation). 

Then the Sox signed Marco Scutaro, a solid glove coming off a career year at the age of 34 playing for the division rival Blue Jays. Scutaro, even when he returns to earth in 2010, should still be a CLEAR improvement from the Nick Green, Julio Lugo, and Jed Lowrie situation the Sox had going last year. (It's a shame the Sox were somehow wrong about how great Jed Lowrie was going to be).

Finally, with the offense not likely to be as good, lacking a clear middle of the order bat, including an aging Ortiz, a no longer effective Mike Lowell,  and more normal numbers from Dustin Pedroia, Boston decided to take the best starting pitcher on the market in John Lackey.

Lackey is a big game pitcher with big game experience, but he too comes with warts. He's been terrible at Fenway Park, he's been hurt back to back years and the Sox are paying him 16 million dollars per year over five seasons. Still, Lackey has number one potential when healthy and he will likely only have to be a three or four starter in Boston. The Sox, if nothing else, have a reliable and impressive front of the rotation.

This time Boston only put around 100 million into guaranteed money in the offseason and have clearly taken the route of runs prevented to counter out offensive runs lost. Personally, I like the idea of Victor Martinez for a full season, and the chances of Jacoby Ellsbury improving offensively once again, especially in left field where he will have less wear on his body defensively. It's conceivable if the breaks fall for the Red Sox, and Mike Cameron could add pop to the bottom of the order, Scutaro doesn't totally fall off a cliff from 2009, Beltre stays healthy and uses the Monster like some thing he can, Victor has a big year, Ortiz doesn't completely become a black hole and the defense works like Boston would prefer, the offense may not be missed from 2009 at all. Still, nobody in that lineup is particularly scary.

We just reviewed the Yankees' improvements yesterday, so now I think it's safe to look at the strengths, weaknesses and variables of both teams as they stand now.

Red Sox Strengths:

1. Marco Scutaro playing shortstop. As I said, anything he does will be better than what the Sox usually have going on at that position.

2. John Lackey. It's not out of the realm of possibility, Lackey could be the 4th best pitcher in this rotation. He was the top pitcher for the team who swept the Sox and made it to the ALCS last season.

3. Beckett in a walk year. Doesn't Beckett seem like the type of guy who would have a ridiculous 2010 because it's a walk year?

4. Jacoby Ellsbury in left. Ellsbury in left could figure out his range issues despite his speed, protect his weak arm, add more value as a corner outfielder and save his body so he could avoid late season and playoff dropoffs. It truly was the best move Boston made all offseason. Now they just need to hope Cameron could handle center.

5. Dice-K is healthy. Think of him what you will, but at the very least Dice-K is healthy for a full season. He racked up a lot of wins for two years before falling apart last season, so it will be interesting to see what he does in 2010. Either way, I'd take Dice-K over a full year of Wakefield or Michael Bowden.

6. Victor is in the house. A full year of Victor Martinez will make Jason Varitek's bat a distant memory so it could die a peaceful and overlooked death. Unfortunately for Red Sox Nation, Jason Varitek caught FOUR no-hitters, and he is the greatest pitch-caller to ever walk the earth, two legs or otherwise. Therefore, whatever Victor does on offense will be canceled out because Varitek won't be dropping a finger or two behind home plate. Sorry Boston fans, enjoy your league worst pitching staff with no Captain to make them pitch well.

Red Sox Weaknesses:

Age: If you purely add and subtract, Boston should gain four or five wins from last season based on who they gained and lost from the offseason. Mike Cameron alone had a 4.3 WAR for Milwaukee, until you factor in he's turning 37 and coming from the NL Central to the AL East and taking on a pretty complicated centerfield in Boston under the bright lights and pressure from Red Sox Nation.

Likely whatever Cameron loses in value this year can be made up by Adrian Beltre, but Beltre and Cameron together are already trying to replace Bay. Beltre also had a career defensive year in 2009, at least since 2006 which makes it unlikely for him to be quite as dominant in 2010, but the newly found offense from the Fenway tonic should help his value regardless. Unfortunately, Jason Varitek's corpse still takes a spot on this roster, and so does David Ortiz and Mike Lowell. This isn't 2007 anymore, so likely none of these three players will make positive impacts without some artificial help. Possibly a hip for Mike Lowell or wrists for Ortiz when he tries to hit a fastball.

Case in point, the Sox have some formerly major players who are now facing the end of their tenures, and though those players have replacements, those replacements have their own question marks. While we like to harp on the new left side of the infield with Scutaro and Beltre, new fields don't always translate well, especially a place like Fenway where players like Edgar Renteria have developed a case of the dropsies and blamed it on the infield grass. If the main focus here is run prevention, players from other places aren't always the safest best, especially when the most important piece defensively, is due to head into the twilight of his career.

Health: This ties in with age. In 2009 the Yankees had a bunch of health concerns with players like A-Rod, Wang, Posada, Chamberlain, Matsui, Hughes, Burnett, Pettitte and others from the core having missed time in recent memory. As it turns out, most of those concerns turned out more to be wishful criticisms and the Yankees won the World Series. This year the Sox have Mike Cameron, Mike Lowell, John Lackey, Dice-K, David Ortiz and Marco Scutaro all facing a similar situation and question of health in their futures.

The Offense: I think because someone like Peter Gammons predictably doesn't show concern, it's easy to forget what Jason Bay meant to the 2009 Red Sox. For that matter, what Bay did since he was acquired in 2008. It was easy to forget about the loss of Manny and the steady decline of Ortiz in 2008 because Bay put up about an RBI a game down the stretch and continued to hit right through to the Game Seven defeat to Tampa. Then Bay became an MVP candidate through to the All Star Break in 2009. It was literally two bad months out of eight in his tenure with Boston, and the fans and media collectively turned on him. The Sox will find a way to score runs. We know they're patient, and we know they have "professional hitters" for whatever that means, but no bonafied run producers is a problem for any lineup. V-Mart in a full season could be one of those guys, but he's mostly a catcher and catcher's don't particularly get relied upon to carry an offensive load. They have Youkilis, but he is what he is at this point and at best, could be half a solution.

Gone are the days of 90 home runs and 250+ RBI from Manny and Ortiz, and without Bay, the Sox may need three guys just to duplicate that. The late 90's Yankees are often looked at as teams who did not have a middle of the order bat and still won. They also had historically good starting pitching, defense and relievers. The Sox may have the defense and rotation to offset a flat lineup, but I don't even think you can argue about the bullpen. You're also talking about an inferior product on the bench and the bottom of a lineup for a team in a game that is simply played differently on offense. I think it's a pipe dream to try to use the late 90's Yankees as a blueprint to win today's game and the Sox will miss the threat of Bay's bat more than the media would have you believe.

Variables which could help or hurt the Red Sox:

The Year of the Buchholz: Look, I know it's going to seem biased to pick on Clay Buchholz after the finish he had to 2009. But I'm going to do it anyway. Buchholz had 11 starts, most of which (probably 10 of them) were impressive and borderline dominant. He then put up one of the better performances in the Sox brief postseason appearance. Still, it was one third of a season and we're talking about a guy in the "put up or shut up" stage of his career.

Buchholz not only has to prove he can be a MLB starter for a full year, but he has the burden of being considered an "Ace" by the Red Sox' brass as well. I just don't think 11 starts in mostly low pressure siuations against numerous "B" lineups assures me he's going to be solid this season. I'm sorry but Joba faced the same criticisms going into last season and even he at least shined for the better part of four months before this year. Buchholz has proven very little, but the positive is he could also turn a lot of heads this year as well, mine included.

Hitting the broadside of a Bard: I know Sox players have turned into a love affair from the system since the influx of Ellsbury, Papelbon, Pedroia and Youkilis, but let's not get carried away. For each of those players is a Craig Hansen, a Jed Lowrie, a Brandon Moss and Michael Bowden, players who have been highly touted and then proven absolutely nothing at the big league level. There are plenty more projected to be huge from early levels of the minors who never even get far enough to prove they're a bust. Daniel Bard has good stuff, he can throw 100 and he has a nasty secondary pitch. My problem isn't that I think Bard can't be a good reliever because he has an impressive rookie season and visually, he looks like a legit player. My problem is asking him to be a setup man for an entire season and then face the possibility of being the next closer when we know very little about his makeup still. At least the Yankees' top three setup man candidates have all pitched since at least 2008 and weren't callups last year. Then again, Bard could be the next stud like Papelbon was, and the Sox would have adequately protected against Jonathan's loud, obnoxious, completely unprofessional, premadonna, mouth.

Beltre in a Boston Ballpark: It's widely considered Adrian Beltre would find his groove hitting in Fenway instead of Safeco. Peter Gammons even said he'd hit more homers this year than Jason Bay will in Queens. I think logically, this makes sense. Fenway is notorious for raising batting averages, particularly for righties with a large wall to play with in short left field and odd dimensions conducive to big offensive seasons all around the park. For as much criticism as Yankee Stadium gets for being home-run friendly, Fenway is worse in the grand scheme of things when discussing offensive handicaps. My problem isn't the rationale for Beltre putting up a solid year in a self-made walk year with the bat. My problem is the downside. If Beltre doesn't recover like he's supposed to, if the wall messes with him, if tougher pitching in a tougher division in bigger games doesn't agree with him, well that's just another shot to an already fragile Boston offense.

Mike Cameron: Cameron is the biggest example of age being a major factor. He is in his late 30's being demanded to play an elite defense in a tough position reliant on complete health Furthermore, he's switching leagues, and being asked to at least contribute with power offensively. Oh, and at 37 and roaming Boston's outfield, he's being asked to stay completely healthy too. If he doesn't, well he's going to learn a few things about the Boston media compared to Milwaukee's sooner than he'd prefer and for the wrong reasons.

Oh Captain, my Captain: Was there any bigger exaggeration of the last five years than the ability of Jason Varitek to make pitching decisions for above average, sometimes dominant, sometimes Hall of Fame caliber pitchers in Boston this past decade? Seriously, when Varitek could still hit at all his play-calling was supposed to make him an elite catcher, the best in the game, the best captain, the best at what he does. Why? Two rings and four no-hitters. I guess by that logic, since play-calling isn't defied by age like Varitek's bat and throwing arm have been, the Sox are really screwed with Victor Martinez behind the plate and only his "above-average" knowledge of calling pitches. That or very good Sox pitching staff will pitch very well if it stays healthy because it's full of very good pitchers.

Coming up tomorrow: A look at the 2010 Yankees.

Breaking down the numbers for the 2010 Yankees

It would seem Brian Cashman has a few logical and obvious goals in mind for the offense in 2010. Take pitches, get on base, drive in runs. It's a popular offensive sentiment and one which the Yankees caught onto in the mid 90's, helping to catapult the team into a dynasty.

In 2009 the Yankees saw 3.88 pitches as a team, on average, in an at bat. That was good for fourth in baseball (the Red Sox were second for those interested).

It is unlikely at this point a player like Robinson Cano will change his approach too drastically as he heads into the middle of his prime, and the rest of the Yankee regulars from last season are pretty much veterans, so there are only a few necessary names to compare when trying to gauge where the 2010 Yankees will stand in this respect.

Last year, the following players had the following P/PA:

Johnny Damon: 4.06

If he is not the regular outfielder this season (though my hunch tell me it's becoming more and more likely he will be) he will be replaced by Brett Gardner primarily, with the potential for an unknown additional player to platoon.

For now we'll include just Gardner: 4.05.

A virtual wash in patience.

The number two hitter this year could be newly acquired Nick Johnson. We know Damon's rate out of the two hole last year, but Johnson takes an astounding 4.23 pitches per at bat. Compare that to the former DH, Hideki Matsui (3.93.)

With Melky Cabrera traded and Curtis Granderson new to the outfield, the Yankees gave away a 3.87 rate and took in a 4.06 number. Then, of course, we need to factor in a healthier, and a complete season from Alex Rodriguez, who takes 3.97 P/PA. In other words, among many things such as speed and OBP, Brian Cashman seems to want to improve patience to the lineup as well.

Meanwhile, looking at the big picture and if your thing is Sabermetrics, New York gained a 3.4 win share (WAR) from Curtis Granderson (as in Grandy is worth 3.4 extra wins compared to the average centerfielder) in a down year in Detroit's ballpark with Detroit's lineup, an offense which produced 172 runs fewer than the Yankees in 2009. Win shares take many things into account, including offense and fielding, along with the player's position. Keep an eye on whether or not the Yankees choose to increase Granderson's value both defensively and as a player by placing him in left field.

New York also gained 2.4 wins from Nick Johnson and in a platoon situation last year, Brett Gardner was able to post 2.1 WAR as well. 

Between those three Yankees, you get a total net of 7.9 wins to a team.  For those interested, Johnny Damon posted a solid 3.0 WAR last year and Hideki Matsui was 2.4, making him identically valuable to Nick Johnson. The difference is Johnson will now only be a DH this season, which works to his strengths as he was a below average first baseman. Staying off the diamond should also improve Johnson's questionable health track record.

The beauty of the 2010 Yankees is they don't have many areas where they can decline on offense. Curtis Granderson is coming off a career worst year but all outside variables favor him this season. Nick Johnson, as I mentioned, is playing only to his strengths. A full year of Brett Gardner would greatly improve the Yankees' outfield defense, a defense which could save up to 30 runs next season if aligned with Gardner in it, but if the Yankees go the Damon route they would likely try to risk gaining extra depth and offense. Gardner in the field saves runs, at the bat it's unclear what kind of long-term impact he could have, but he has gotten better with more experience at every level of his career, including the majors where he was greatly improved in 2009 compared to a brief stint in 2008.Therefore, Gardner, Granderson and Johnson all stand to only improve next season, and barring unforeseen injury, that should help the Yankees.

While Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon were important parts to the Yankees' offense last year (particularly in the playoffs) it's unclear if they could improve upon 2009's stats. That's why you saw Matsui get let go and the Yankees unwilling to give Damon more than a few million dollars if he returns. Brian Cashman is savvy enough to understand Damon and Matsui are likely to decline at this stage in their career. As I said, however, adding Damon's bat could make the Yankees' lineup downright relentless and scary.

Including the new additions to the Bronx Bombers, the health of A-Rod, the expected improvement in Cano's bat, and taking into account the losses of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon (possibly) and the aging of Jorge Posada (I can't count Jeter until he actually declines) the Yankees should still see about one extra win and 15 more runs from 2009. By adding Damon, that number could improve to 2-4 wins and 20-30 extra runs gained (including defensive liability). In other words, with either decision the Yankees make, their offensive additions and subtractions should still equal an overall addition.

And none of that, again, includes the extra month of A-Rod (and the subsequent effect on someone like Teixeira) or the aging of Cano, which I believe will outweigh any loss in numbers to someone like Jorge Posada.

Then we have the addition of Javier Vazquez. He had an unrealistic 6.6 WAR ranking last season as the ace of the Braves. By switching leagues and coming back to the Bronx, that number is likely to decline, but comparing him to Sergio Mitre, the full season of Joba Chamberlain (post innings limit) and Chad Gaudin, his primary competitions, Vazquez could still give the Yankees four or five extra wins.

On the other side we have another year in Andy Pettitte's arm, and the aforementioned hangover to Pettitte, Sabathia and Burnett from pitching into November, but as I've said, I don't expect that to be a factor with this particular pitching staff because they are conditioned for it. Really what it comes down to his will 200 sure innings of Vazquez plus the combination of Joba Chamberlain with no innings limit and conditioned for at least 180 innings without tiring (as he did in August and beyond last season) along with Phil Hughes compared to a combination of Chamberlain/Gaudin/Mitre be better?

I would say that's a guaranteed yes, and again, avoiding injury, the Yankees' rotation doesn't stand much chance to decline. Vazquez is still in his prime and in a walk year, Pettitte is a proven commodity, Sabathia is a proven horse, Burnett has been healthy now for two years in a row and Joba as a five starter, another year older and without the same endurance issues but facing direct competition from a list of names (Gaudin, Mitre, Aceves, Hughes), should mean nothing but upside to the rotation. With four pitchers likely to throw over 190 innings and another one conditioned for over 180, the bullpen should benefit as well.

It's not likely the Yankees will stay as healthy as they did in 2009 two years in a row. Despite losing Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte and Chien-Ming Wang for most of the season, and A-Rod and Posada for a period of time, New York didn't run into many injury problems all season. 

I wouldn't count on that again, but the depth of Gaudin, Mitre a year removed from Tommy John, Vazquez added to the rotation, and if the Yankees added Damon to the outfield mix, along with all of the great bullpen arms in the majors and minors, should help keep this Yankees' team a powerhouse even with a normal amount of injury.

It's likely the biggest controversy surrounding the Yankees' offseason is just a win-win waiting to happen, but if you believe Nady is a sign, New York would be wise to get Damon at the right price.

Either way, I could see this team realistically scoring around 950 runs next season.....And tiring out dozens of starters in the process. With a much more solid rotation and the same basic bullpen with depth (the key to the makeover last year) and with a healthier Marte, Mitre, A-Rod and the reliability of Phil Hughes as depth to either the bullpen or rotation, this year's Yankees team should be even  better than in 2009 with or without Johnny Damon.

And there shouldn't be much of an argument.

Pawtucket's 2010 roster will feature a plethora of minor league veterans

Like last season, Triple-A Pawtucket's roster will be mostly composed of minor league veterans to provide major league insurance in 2010. Though the rotation will feature top prospects (like Junichi Tazawa, Michael Bowden and Felix Doubront) and the outfield will include Josh Reddick (it appears that Ryan Kalish will open the year at Double-A Portland and eventually earn a promotion), the Paw Sox will feature a myriad of veterans who can help the Red Sox fill short-term needs.

Among the more interesting signings are:

• Tug Hulett - The soon-to-be 27-year-old Hulett plays second, shortstop and third base and has posted decent numbers in four minor league seasons. Last ear,at Triple-A Omaha (Kansas City), Hulett hit. 291 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI. The Red Sox like his versatility and plate discipline. Hulett has a future as a major league utility infielder.
• Darnell McDonald - A first round pick by Baltimore in 1997, the 31-year-old McDonald fizzled in cups of coffee with Baltimore and Minnesota, but he did hit .267 in 105 at-bats with the Cincinnati Reds last year, and he has been a .300-plus hitter at Triple-A the last two seasons. McDonald has plus speed as well. Though Reddick is likely the first call if the Red Sox need to summon an outfielder, McDonald provides some depth.
• Scott Patterson - The Yankees signed the 30-year-old Patterson out of independent league ball in 2006. Last year, he divided time in Triple-A between the Oakland and San Diego organizations. The 6-foot-7 righty offers depth to an already stocked Pawtucket bullpen.
• Jorge Sosa - The 31-year-old Sosa was 13-3 with a 2.55 ERA for the Atlanta Braves in 2005. He has not duplicated that success, but the right-handed reliever gives the Sox an experienced major league arm.
• Ramon A. Ramirez - The Sox like this 27-year-old righty reliever who posted decent numbers in parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Cincinnati. He does struggle with his control, but he has shown an ability to retire left-handed hitters.
• Robert Manuel - Perhaps the most intriguing off-season minor league signing, Manuel is a 26-year-old right-handed reliever who tossed four scoreless innings over three games in his major league debut with the Reds last season. He also boasted a 2.70 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 36 games at Triple-A Louisville. Manuel has pinpoint command, something that Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell covets.

Other interesting players destined for Pawtucket:

• Adam Mills - The 25-year-old righty is not mentioned in the same sentence as Tazawa, Bowden and Doubront, but the Sox are high on him nonetheless. An eighth round pick out of UNC-Charlotte in 2007, Mills features four pitches with excellent control. Though he will open the season in the rotation, his future in the big leagues could be as a middle reliever.
• Randor Bierd - Acquired from Baltimore in the David Pauley trade last off-season, the 25-year-old Bierd is participating in Boston's development program that mostly includes top prospects. Bierd is not considered a top prospect, but the Sox believe he could help soon at the major league level - as a reliever and a spot starter. Bierd has never pitched above Single-A when the Orioles plucked him in the Rule V Draft in December 2007. He spent most of 2008 with Baltimore, posting a 4.91 ERA in 29 games. He induces a lot of ground balls.
• Dustin Richardson - Now 26, the fifth round draft pick out of Texas Tech in 2006 is the organization's top left-handed relief prospect. He will battle with the recently signed Brian Shouse for a bullpen spot with the Red Sox, though chances are he will open the season with the Paw Sox. After he was converted from a starter to a reliever, Richardson had a breakout season with Portland (2.78 ERA, 38 games, 63.1 innings, 42 hits, 80 strikeouts) and Pawtucket (1.69 ERA, seven games, 10.2 innings, 17 strikeouts) in 2009.
• Mark Wagner - Red Sox catching prospects Luis Exposito and Tim Federowicz likely have higher major league ceilings than the 25-year-old Wagner, but he is respected for his defense behind the plate, his strong arm and his game-calling abilities. Wagner has an average bat that has improved in recent seasons. He hit .301 in 153 at-bats with Portland last season before batting .214 in 154 at-bats with Pawtucket. Wagner and another top defensive catcher, Dusty Brown, will share backstop duties for the Paw Sox in 2010. Both catchers can serve as adequate backups if an injury arises at the major league level.

Prospects you can't help but like:

• Zach Daeges - Known as an average defensive outfielder, the 26-year-old Daeges would have fit in well with the Dirt Dogs. He is a hard-nosed player with a plus bat - mostly a line drive hitter with a high on-base percentage and tremendous plate discipline. A sixth round pick out of Creighton in 2006, Daeges had a breakout season in 2008 but missed most of last year with a severe ankle injury. He will likely open the 2010 season in Pawtucket's outfield.
• Bubba Bell - Though Bell is 27 and has yet to make his major league debut, he has a chance to become a fourth outfielder at the major league level - though likely not with the Red Sox. Bell is a bulldog who plays the game tenaciously and as a result is injury prone. He can play all three outfield positions, which will help him eventually gain a major league job if he can remain healthy.
• Kason Gabbard - At 27, the left-handed Gabbard is no longer a prospect, but who can forget his contribution to the Red Sox in 2007, when he posted a 4-0 record with a 3.73 ERA in seven starts when Curt Schilling was on the disabled list. Gabbard was included in the trade for Eric Gagne, and since then his career has been derailed by injuries. Gabbard wasn't healthy last year when the Sox reacquired him from Texas, but if he can regain his health, he is an asset.

Though the Red Sox can't play by the Yankees' rules, they can contend for World Series titles nonetheless

Any general manager with a moderate baseball IQ should be able to build a perennial World Series contender when he has all of the financial advantages and resources of the New York Yankees. This is why it is astonishing that it took so long for the Yankees to win another World Series after they obliterated the Mets in 2000.

Brian Cashman will continue to give you lip service that the Yankees are serious about building a productive farm system, and Yankees fans like Vince will try to convince you that their homegrown players - and not the premium free agents like Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia - were the primary reason why the Evil Empire won the World Series last season. Vince will even point to the names of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte as examples of Yankees minor leaguers who made significant contributions last year. Of course, he fails to mention that those names are products of the Yankees farm system in the mid-90s, not here and now. Sure, Robinson Cano and even guys like Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera helped the Yankees win a ring in 2009, but New York would not have sniffed the World Series without overpaying for Teixeira, Sabathia AND Burnett.

The bottom line is that the Yankees play by their own set of rules, and the remaining major league teams are restricted by their limitations. Yes, the Red Sox (and Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies, etc.) are not small market teams. I've made that clear multiple times. They can sign afford to sign a premium free agent here and there, and they can take on a hefty contract at the trade deadline. However, they cannot afford to go on a frivolous spending spree like the Yankees did last off-season, which brings me to my point.

What has happened this off-season is good for baseball. Josh Johnson signed an extension with the Marlins. Felix Hernandez signed an extension with the Mariners. And there is a good chance that Joe Mauer will eventually sign a long-term deal to remain with his hometown Minnesota Twins. There is more competitive balance in baseball when the Yankees cannot raid small market teams and collect players by overpaying for them.

Unlike the Yankees, who do not have Boston's track record in successfully developing players (at least since Theo Epstein arrived in Boston), the Red Sox don't have to rely upon premium free agents to build a perennial contender. They' can't afford to rely upon high-priced, long-term free agents, nor do they have to rely upon these type of free agents.

This off-season, the Sox opted to pass on Jason Bay (reportedly because they were concerned about offering him a long-term deal because of questions about the health of his knees) and Matt Holliday and instead signed Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro to shorter term contracts. John Lackey was Boston's off-season splurge, and it was a wise one since it gives them the best rotation in baseball with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz.

Cameron is a two-year fix until Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish is ready to claim a corner outfield spot and Jacoby Ellsbury moves back to center field. Beltre is a short-term fix until Lars Anderson or Anthony Rizzo is prepared to take over at first base and Kevin Youkilis moves over to third. Scutaro will man shortstop until Jose Iglesias (who the Sox believe will resemble Orlando Cabrera at the plate and Rey Ordonez in the field) is major league ready. At least this is the potential plan. With the contracts of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell expiring after this season, and J.D. Drew's deal ending after 2011 (along with Cameron and Beltre), the Sox will have greater financial flexibility.

Likely, Beckett and Victor Martinez will be signed to extensions. Jonathan Papelbon could be sgned to a long-term deal, too, or he will be traded and allowed to walk after 2011 in exchange for two high draft picks. Chances are, the Sox will fill some holes with their talented prospects and some holes with premium free agents and/or trade acquisitions of young veterans who are nearing free agency.

Epstein is emphasizing run prevention through pitching and defense, and fielding a balanced lineup that does not feature the power generally associated with Red Sox baseball, out of necessity. The front office deemed Bay and Holliday too pricey for the cost and length of the deals those players were seeking. And top prospects like Reddick, Kalish, Anderson, Rizzo, Iglesias and Ryan Westmoreland are not ready for featured roles at the major league level. Epstein is crafting the 2010 roster in the best way he deems possible to contend for a World Series title.

There is a chance the Sox will trade prospects for a big bat at the trade deadline, and an unexpected injury could necessitate a trade, yet it appears that Epstein will do his best to keep Buchholz, Westmoreland and Casey Kelly, and he will not trade names like Reddick and Kalish unless he gets a difference-making young veteran in return.

Yes, the Yankees play by their own rules, but the Red Sox can continue to contend for and win World Series titles by mixing homegrown players with wisely selected free agents and trade acquisitions. The 2010 season will serve as a prime example of why this philosophy is successful.

Hairston Jr. speaks, most of Yankee Universe listens intently

In case you missed it, according to MLBTR and the latest update on the Johnny Damon Free Agency drama, Jerry Hairston Jr. had some interesting insight on Jim Bowden's radio show. Hairston Jr. says the Yankees didn't make him an offer because they're waiting for Damon's price tag to drop before resigning him.

I couldn't ask for anything better.

Though I believe the Yankees' lineup would be good enough and the defensive outfield better without Damon, acquiring him as a starter in the lineup and having Brett Gardner as a backup with Jamie Hoffman in the mix gives the Yankees more of a sure thing, a bargain left fielder, and makes the team deeper both as an offense and an outfield.

There is no real downside to Damon in left because even as his defense costs the team multiple runs per year, his bat in Yankee Stadium would outperform most of his replacements at this point. For the right price, Damon is a perfect one year rental before a bigger Free Agency in 2011 and if there is some sort of option, he could always be moved to DH/OF next season as his numbers likely decline.

Even with spotty defense, Damon won three extra games for the Yankees last year, mainly because of his bat, which, particularly in his home ballpark, outproduces his lack of defense. In 2010 as a Yankee, a combination of Bill James, CHONE and other projectile devices have Damon hitting around 17 HR and 95-100 RBI, which is something I agree with, and to me, that makes this a solid deal if it happens.

Johnny Damon batting second with some speed and a pull swing from a lefty at 3-5 million for one season is a steal for New York. Again, if it happens.

I believe Hairson in this instance because he's probably a reliable and neutral source and he may have been the best overall fit if New York isn't interested in a Reed Johnson type. So the fact the Yankees never even made an offer (and Hairston would have been signed within their questionable budget), tells me they're onto something. If it's Damon, that's the best case scenario and I think someone like Chad Gaudin at three million would be moved to make room on the payroll (assuming Damon makes something  like five plus incentives). Since the Yankees already have many pitching options as we reviewed yesterday, this shouldn't hurt the team much.

The only catch is whether Scott Boras is willing to take such a shot to his ego and whether Damon comes to terms with the fact he really has no legitimate fit anywhere else. Most of his value is based on being part of the Yankees' lineup full of protection, veterans, a balance and a short porch in right half the year.

If this does happen, you can have a lineup of:

1. Jeter
2. Damon
3. Teixeira
4. A-Rod
5. Johnson/Granderson
6. Posada
7. Cano
8. Swisher
9. Johnson/Granderson

Nothing like 30+ homerun potential or a .400+ OBP in your nine spot depending on if you face a lefty or a righty. I'd take both of them in the five hole over Posada because Granderson is likely to ground into less double plays and has the power and run producing ability and Johnson is more likely to get on base for Posada, plus as a switch-hitter, Jorge breaks up the lefties in Granderson/Johnson and Cano with another switch-hitter (Swisher), breaking up the other Granderson/Johnson in the nine hole and then another righty in Jeter leading off.

That's a balanced, lethal, run producing and on base machine of a lineup, and at a lower price than last year's cost.

Update: Brian Cashman has since shut down the rumor.

Of course, why wouldn't he? If he admits to it than Damon knows the Yankees come off as "needy". If Cashman keeps playing it cool then it's Damon up against the clock. Classic Cashman.

Papelbon signs, avoids arbitration

I envisioned the scene heading into a potential arbitration showdown between Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox. It mostly involved the outspoken Papelbon reminding everyone who will listen about his belief that he should become the highest paid closer in major league history. That showdown never surfaced; however, as the Red Sox agreed to a one-year, $9.35 million deal that could climb to $9.5 million if he meets the established incentives, according to the Boston Globe.

The Globe also announced that the Sox inked Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen to one-year deals, avoiding arbitration. The lone arbitration eligible player yet to sign is outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who the Sox acquired in an off-season trade with the Florida Marlins. Earlier this month, Boston signed Hideki Okajima to a one-year contract.

The Red Sox bullpen is mostly set, at least if injuries do not arise before opening day. Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Ramirez, Okajima and Delcarmen will occupy five spots. If there are no injuries to the projected opening day rotation of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz, then Tim Wakefield will likely be used as a long reliever and a spot starter.

This leaves one opening that could be filled by a left-hander (like recently signed minor league free agent Brian Shouse or prospect Dustin Richardson) or a righty (like Boof Bonser, who some baseball officials believe would be more effective as a reliever than as a starter). I think there is a greater likelihood that Shouse will open the season as a left-handed specialist rather than Richardson or Bonser claiming the final spot, though someone could emerge as the frontrunner in spring training.

Yankees add two to potential 25 man roster

Add Chad Gaudin and Boone Logan officially to what could be the 25 man Opening Day Roster. Both players avoided arbitration by agreeing to one year deals. Early reports indicate Gaudin will be paid $2.9 million and Logan will make $600,000 in 2010. The former was a mid-season trade acquisition who ended up paying off bigger than expected dividends when he posted a 3.43 ERA for the Pinstripes down the stretch (after a +5.00 ERA in pitching friendly San Diego) and the latter was the second return piece to the Javy Vazquez/Melky Cabrera trade a few weeks ago.

Gaudin was paid 2 million in 2009, so his contract is no surprise after he proved durable both in the rotation and the bullpen for New York. Logan's slightly above MLB minimum deal also comes at no surprise and it would seem, at least at first glance, the $3.5 million added to the books would just about cap Yankee spending this offseason. Of course, budgets have been ignored or stretched before.

Either way, by my calculations, the Yankees' 25 man checks in around 201.5 million at the moment. It's hard for me to accept New York will hold onto both Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin all season long with the addition of the durable Vazquez, but perhaps if one of Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain stays in the bullpen all season, the extra pitching depth will make sense, particularly with the departure of Ian Kennedy in exchange for Curtis Granderson.

New York may still pursue a Reed Johnson type and bump the Opening Day payroll up to about 205 million if they chose to do so and it would still trim around 10 million off the books a year after cutting about 6 million in the 2009 offseason.

Or they might not and let Brett Gardner and Jamie Hoffman represent left field and the extra outfield depth.

My prediction?

New York gets one more outfielder and brings up a Ramiro Pena, Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez, Kevin Russo type to play utility infield at league minimum...If Gardner is on the bench, it may be a Russo/Nunez type boasting power and a capable bat as opposed to late inning speed and defense. If Gardner starts, it could be someone like Pena, who offers pinch-running abilities and slick defense everywhere in the infield. Definitely, to me, one move leads to the other.

I would also think a contract that size insures Gaudin will be on the roster in some capacity, more than likely as a long reliever. In that case, the Yankees have: Gaudin, Mitre, Albaladejo, Nova, Ramirez, Melancon, McAllister, Logan, Robertson, Chamberlain, Hughes, Marte, Rivera, Sabathia, Vazquez, Pettitte, Burnett, Aceves and Sanchez as 19 names available to fight for 12 Opening Day pitching spots.

Of the 19, we know Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Vazquez, Hughes, Chamberlain, Marte, Robertson, Rivera and Aceves more than likely are shoe-ins at this point for 10 of those 12 spots, and all five rotation arms. That leaves seven names fighting for two spots with another four or five players left on the 40-man roster, but I have to assume Gaudin, Logan and Mitre are the early front-runners. Not bad in terms of pitching depth. Like in the most recent years, it appears the Yankees will go to camp with a ton of options for the bullpen, most of whom are homegrown, and they will see what sticks come April.

The team just helped itself today by adding two more names into annual offseason "reliever hat".

Jose Offerman's latest on-field tirade brings back memories of what the Red Sox once were

That Jose Offerman punched an umpire during a recent Dominican winter league game was no surprise. After all, the combustible former All-Star with the Red Sox is known for an inability to control his rage.

In 2007, he was playing in the independent Atlantic League and charged the mound (bat in hand) after being hit by a pitch. Offerman swung the bat at least twice, hitting the pitcher and delivering career-ending injuries to the catcher, John Nathans, who sued Offerman last year. Offerman's latest outburst happened as manager of the Licey Tigers. He threw a punch and knocked the umpire to the ground.

Offerman's on-field antics happen at a time when many Red Sox fans are concerned about whether the team will score enough runs to win in 2010 or evolve into a team that plays in a myriad of 2-1 and 3-2 games. I believe the Sox have a balanced lineup to accompany the game's best starting rotation and an exceptional defense, though I must admit I wouldn't mind seeing Adrian Gonzalez at first base. That said, I would much rather watch the 2010 Red Sox (which are composed of true professionals and have a strong chance to win the World Series) than the 2000 ballclub that featured malcontents like Offerman and Carl Everett and a rotation beyond Pedro Martinez that included Jeff Fassero, Ramon Martinez, Pete Schourek and Rolando Arrojo.

How times have changed in Boston. Out of those five pitchers, only a Pedro in his prime would crack the current Red Sox rotation. The defense that season was woeful with Offerman at second, Everett in center field, Dante Bichette in left field and Wilton Veras and Manny Alexander sharing third base duties (John Valentin was injured). Everett did hit 34 home runs, drive in 108 and hit .300, but he was, shall we say, not a pleasant clubhouse presence.

That 2000 team did finish 85-77, good for second in the American League East, but expectations are different in Red Sox Nation now. With two World Series titles since 2004, and a reputation as a perennial World Series contender, the Red Sox are no longer content reaching the playoffs every now and then. October baseball is expected - and actually demanded. Can you imagine Theo Epstein assembling a rotation heading into the 2010 season that included the equivalent of what Pedro Martinez, Fassero, Ramon Martinez, Schourek and the No. 5 tandem of Arrojo and Tomo Ohka were in 2000?

Yes, though I am confident the Sox lineup will generate ample offense to support the team's solid pitching and defense, the question of whether the team will score enough to win a World Series is valid. Still, when you find yourself doubting the lineup that Epstein has crafted for 2010, take a trip back to 2000. Things could be worse in Red Sox Nation. Much worse.

Should the Yankees make the same decision as the Red Sox in the outfield?

The day the Red Sox signed Mike Cameron I told anyone who would listen he would be playing centerfield on Opening Day in Boston. Depending on who was listening, it was greeted with obvious agreement, a complete and total disagreement, or a skeptical "I just don't think they would make Ellsbury switch positions" kind of uncertainty.

To me, it was obvious. As a fan I fall somewhere between Jeff (someone who doesn't believe  in Sabermetrics and relies mostly on what he sees with some statistics mixed in) and a newer generation of fan (we can call them the 100% computer generation. For me, I was in 4th grade when the internet was available to the mainstream public, but it wasn't until around 2005 when I started immersing myself passed players and their traditional season numbers in baseball stats and statistics via the internet.) I'm still fairly new headed into my fifth year when it comes to looking beyond the normal, common, statistics of baseball.

I believe Sabermetrics serve a generally positive and useful purpose, and it's no mistake the GM's of the league seem to be less and less known as former players and more and more known as "nerdy" studious types who heavily rely on statistics to scout and not just, well, scouts. With that said, I don't think the new style of thinking represents the entire sport. They aren't the say all, end all, and you can't just put equations into a computer and produce a champion.

But it's a nice building block.

There will always be human element and emotion in sports, particularly baseball where the game has more psychology and more happening when nothing appears to be in action than any other sport. But it's still logical in this day and age we can better simplify players and their strengths and weaknesses. That's why I trust newer statistics like OPS (and OPS+), UZR, (and UZR 150), and even stats which have existed but have become much more vital in importance like On Base Percentage. As I said, I'm a hybrid between the two worlds, and one thing is certain; both of these worlds do not like each other.

Either way, knowing Mike Cameron's defensive reputation past how many gold gloves he has collected and knowing the criticisms of Jacoby Ellsbury (his range despite his speed, his arm etc.) it was a no-brainer the Sox signed Cameron to play center for the next year or two. Ellsbury will run down everything in sight and be protected against an average arm playing a short left in Fenway, and Cameron should adequately patrol a tricky and fairly large centerfield.

Sure enough, that's exactly what the Sox' front office decided to do.

What occurred very little to me was whether the Yankees would consider the same thing the day they signed Curtis Granderson. Admittedly, New York's situation is more complicated. In recent history, they signed Johnny Damon to play center and he ended up in left. In this case, they traded for Granderson to play the next three years, and he has played all but 22 games as a centerfielder. This wasn't a situation of signing a filler to play the outfield with a Free Agent contract. Granderson stands to play a very large role on this team the next few years, it would seem somewhat value deflating to change his position before he plays a game in pinstripes.

Finally, we don't know if the Yankees' offseason is over yet. We can deduce the Sox are more than likely done with their outfield and probably offense as a whole and as a result they made an announcement as to the alignment already.

The Yankees seem still very much in the hunt for an outfielder, whether it ends up being a Xavier Nady/Reed Johnson platoon type, or a starter at a bargain like Johnny Damon. I think most of us are in agreement the Yankees will not give Gardner the keys to the left field Jeep without competition, and Jamie Hoffman will not be the sole competition.

So with all of that said, say Brett Gardner is a starting outfielder next year. Say Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher are the other two. We know Swisher is best suited for right field with an average arm and limited range and right field being the smallest field at Yankee Stadium.

That leaves Granderson, currently the starting centerfielder, and Gardner, currently the left fielder.

We know both are fast (Gardner is faster), both don't have terrible arms (Granderson's is better), and both are capable of playing both positions.

So who wins?

Gardner had a 15.4 UZR/150 last season in centerfield. That means compared to a league average defensive centerfielder, Brett Gardner saved 15.4 runs in a span of 150 games with his defense. As far as UZR metrics go, that's a very good rating (Ellsbury was in the negatives, hence why he is now going to play left field). The metric considers things such as: taking routes to the ball, range, arm strength and glove reliability, among other things when making these calculations. Most of us know Gardner is very solid defensively and very fast, particularly in a big centerfield at Yankee Stadium, and this metric only confirms those sentiments.

Then we have Granderson.

Granderson had a 1.6 UZR/150 last season in centerfield. For his career, he comes in at 4.9. Those numbers are good (it means he's an above average centerfielder defensively), but not elite. Don't be mistaken, UZR has nothing to do with offense and when factoring in Granderson's bat, particularly what he's capable of at Yankee Stadium, he becomes an elite centerfielder, but strictly on defense, he's just above average. For what it's worth, in a span of those 22 games in left, Granderson comes in at a UZR of 27.2, which is just about off the charts.

If you believe in these metrics and you can think rationally (more plays at the plate come from balls hit to the corner outfielders, left field in Yankee Stadium is above average size league-wise and requires the strongest arm, and Gardner is faster than Granderson and centerfield has to cover the most ground), this makes perfect sense. It means Granderson would be one of, if not, the best left fielders in baseball defensively (a big improvement over Damon who was one of the worst) and Gardner would also be way above average in center.

Between the two, if Granderson reverted to his career norm and Gardner repeated 2009 (which was actually worse defensively than 2008 in a much smaller sample size) the duo would save an amazing 32 runs over what basically amounts to a season. That's one run every five games from just two improvements to defense, assuming Granderson's numbers don't decline in left over a full season.

With that defensive alignment, the Yankees would have one of the better defensive outfields in baseball. With Gardner being faster in center, he could also cut into Nick Swisher's lack of range (-1.2 UZR) in right.

The question is how will the switch effect Granderson's value? Will the move hurt Granderson's offensive production? Will both players be OK with this?

And perhaps the toughest question to answer; Will Brett Gardner be a starting outfielder on the Yankees next season?

Only time will tell, but if the situation presents itself, the Yankees might be wise to follow the Red Sox and shake up their defensive alignment for better efficiency, and ultimately, greater success.

Whether he hits .250 or .270 in the majors, Iglesias is Boston's best hope of stabilizing the shortstop position for the long term

In Red Sox Nation, there is no debate over which position has generated the most frustration in Theo Epstein's tenure as general manager. Shortstop, anyone?

After Nomar Garciaparra was traded in 2004, Orlando Cabrera arrived and helped the Sox win a World Series. It seemed like he would be an ideal candidate to man the spot for at least a few years, but Epstein let him walk and brought in Edgar Renteria, who only lasted one season in Boston. Alex Gonzalez posted respectable offensive numbers and an exceptional defensive performance in 2006, but he was let go in favor of Julio Lugo in 2007. Yes, the Sox won the World Series in spite of Lugo that season, but there is no question that acquiring him was the worst decision Epstein has made as GM.

The shortstop position was in so much disarray last season that it resembled a tragic comedy, only if you are a Red Sox fan, it was no source of laughs. Lugo mimicked a Little League infielder. When the ball was hit his way, it was uncertain whether he would cleanly field it, or botch it for an error. And when he was able to snare the ball, there was a likelihood that his throw to first base would be nowhere no Kevin Youkilis. Nick Green filled in admirably while Lugo was injured, but Green is better with the glove at second base than he is at shortstop, and there is a reason why Green is a career utility infielder.

Gonzalez returned in time for the stretch run last season in a trade from Cincinnati and shored up the defense at shortstop, helping Boston claim the wild card. With Jed Lowrie and Green injured, the Sox were so desperate for a utility infielder that they signed Chris Woodward.

Now Gonzalez is in Toronto, Green is with the Dodgers and the Red Sox are paying $9 million to Lugo for him to wear a Cardinals uniform in 2010. Though shortstop has been a carousel for the Sox, the team appears to have stability on the way. Marco Scutaro, who like Lowrie plays multiple positions, was inked to a two-year deal with an option for a third season. He will start at shortstop in 2010. Scutaro is a savvy veteran who plays solid defense and knows how to get on base. Lowrie, who has potential but has been derailed by a wrist injury the last two seasons, will fight for a utility role with Tug Hulett, who was signed to a minor league deal. Lowrie would offer versatility, but the Sox might want him to get regular at-bats at Triple-A Pawtucket.

As for the future, the Sox could have a shortstop who will claim the position for several seasons in Jose Iglesias, the Cuban who signed a four-year, $8.25 million major league deal with Boston last summer. As Alex Speier writes in his feature about Iglesias on WEEI.com, it is widely agreed upon that the 20-year-old right-handed hitter would be one of the top defensive shortstops in the majors right now. The question is his bat. Will he hit more like Cabrera or like a fellow Cuban in Rey Ordonez, who won Gold Gloves but had a .246 career average.

There are critics who claim that Boston will have trouble scoring runs this season, especially if David Ortiz does not rebound. Though it is true the Sox will rely more upon pitching and defense in 2010 than they have in previous seasons, this is a ballcub that has the resources to beef up its' offense in future years. With this is mind, Boston can afford to have a shortstop who hits .250 or .260 if his defense is exceptional.

Run prevention will always be critical, and it is important to have a shortstop, second baseman and center fielder who are plusses with the glove. Dustin Pedroia is a solid defender. Though Jacoby Ellsbury will play left field in 2010 and Mike Cameron will occupy center field, Ellsbury is likely the long-term solution in center field, and he is a plus defender regardless of what UZR says (as many Sox and Pinstripes readers know, I am not a proponent of Sabermetrics). If Iglesias hits like he did in the Arizona Fall League (.275, two home runs, 12 RBI, 69 at-bats), that will suffice because of what he can do in the field.

I am buying what Epstein is selling. Though I would rather the front office not rely so heavily on sabermetrics, I do like the idea of emphasizing run prevention via strong pitching and defense instead of ignoring those areas in lieu of sluggers. The Yankees of the late 90s did not have formidable sluggers. They featured a balanced lineup that included many guys who could hit 20 home runs. The Red Sox will have a similar look in 2010. The lineup from top to bottom will be productive. It will just not showcase an array of 35-40 home run threats like it did when Manny Ramirez and Ortiz anchored the middle of the order.

The Red Sox will be legitimate World Series contenders in 2010. And if they continue with a strong defense up the middle, they will be World Series contenders for years to come. Iglesias could be an important part of the lineup by 2012. His test will begin this season at Double-A Portland.

Red Sox rookie program, Brian Shouse signing among tidbits of Red Sox news

On this site, I'm sure I'm not in the minority when I write that I am ready for Truck Day, that glorious moment in February when the semi trailer loaded with Red Sox spring training equipment departs Fenway Park for Ft. Myers. Until then, I will remain occupied with the NFL playoffs (without the Pittsburgh Steelers), the NBA (and an injury-ravaged Celtics roster) and college basketball (which really doesn't get exciting until March Madness).

Though we are mired in the midst of a frigid winter, here are some tidbits of baseball information:

Red Sox rookie program underway

The Red Sox rookie program is currently being held. Each January, the Sox invite a group of major league ready and near major league ready prospects to Boston for workouts and seminars about life in the big leagues. This year's bunch includes Casey Kelly, Josh Reddick, Ryan Kalish, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Felix Doubront, Luis Exposito, Yamaico Navarro, Che-Hsuan Lin, Kyle Weiland, Ryne Miller and Randor Bierd.

Kelly (starting pitcher), Reddick (outfielder), Kalish (outfielder), Iglesias (shortstop), Exposito (catcher), Tazawa (starting pitcher) and Doubront (starting pitcher) are known by many Red Sox fans, especially Sox and Pinstripes readers.

Navarro was recently considered Boston's top shortstop prospect until the team signed Cuban free agent Iglesias. The 22-year-old Navarro is still highly regarded and, like Jed Lowrie, can play multiple infield positions. He will likely open the season at Double-A Portland.

Lin, a 21-year-old outfielder who was signed out of Taiwan, is the organization's top defensive outfielder and has a strong and accurate arm. He also boasts tremendous speed. He is slated to start the 2010 season in Double-A Portland's outfield. Center field is his primary position.

A third round pick out of Notre Dame in 2008, the 23-year-old Weiland isn't well known in Red Sox Nation like Kelly, Stolmy Pimentel, Michael Bowden, Tazawa and Doubront, but he is an intriguing prospect. The right-hander posted a 3.46 ERA and allowed 119 hits in 132.2 innings at advanced Single-A Salem last season. He will open the 2010 campaign at Portland.

As for Bierd, he is the reliever Boston acquired last year from Baltimore for David Pauley. The 25-year-old right-hander has major league experience (4.91 ERA in 29 games in 2008 for the Orioles, which had to keep him on the major league roster because he was a Rule V draftee), and last season was his first in Triple-A (4.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 26 games at Pawtucket). He is not considered a top prospect, but the fact he was invited to participate in the rookie program indicates the Sox feel good about him.

Ditto for Ryne Miller, an undrafted free agent who signed in 2007 out of Weatherford College. The 24-year-old right-hander had a breakout 2009 season, posting a 2.77 ERA in 27 games at Salem and a 2.75 ERA in 14 games at Portland.

My favorite well-known prospect out of this bunch is Exposito, who I think will become a solid offensive and defensive major league catcher. My darkhorse prospect in this group is Doubront, the 22-year-old left-hander who doesn't get as much attention as some of the organization's other top pitchers but has posted impressive numbers at each level. He will likely open the 2010 season in Pawtucket's rotation, getting his first taste of Triple-A baseball.

Red Sox sign Brian Shouse to a minor league deal

Apparently desperate for left-handed relief help, the Red Sox inked Brian Shouse to a minor league deal. Shouse pitched for Tampa Bay last season, recording a 1-1 record, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP, and allowing 31 hits in 28 innings.

Now 41, Shouse actually pitched in seven games for the Red Sox back in 1998 when he had a 5.63 ERA and allowed five runs and nine hits in eight innings. A left-handed specialist, Shouse has limited lefty hitters to a .213 average over the course of his major league career.

Shouse will compete with prospect Dustin Richardson for the second left-handed spot in the bullpen. The 26-year-old Richardson was converted from a starter to a reliever last year and had an impressive season (2.78 ERA, 38 games, 63.1 innings, 42 hits, 80 strikeouts at Double-A Portland; 1.69 ERA, seven games, 10.2 innings, eight hits, 17 strikeouts at Triple-A Pawtucket; three games, 3.1 innings, no runs, three hits with the Red Sox in his major league debut).

The mass exodus of Yankee killers

At one point last season we touched on an all-time Yankees' killing team. When you're a die-hard fan of any sports' franchise, the term "____ Killer" is generally common vocabulary. Selective memory or not, there are always guys who seem to thrive in making you miserable, whether they're aware of it or not. For instance, I know someone like Chone Figgins is a good player, but up until this past ALCS, he ALWAYS has been good against the Yankees. In fact, the majority of the Angels' offense since the mid 90's seems to fit in the same category.

One small detail I've noticed this offseason is that the Yankee Killers I know and hate, seem to be leaving direct competition, or at least the grounds of which they have been comfortable destroying my team whether it was with a bat or their right or left arm. Of course, initially, this was just a hunch, particularly when I saw Aubrey Huff left the Orioles for the Giants and thus wouldn't get to hit his daily home runs against New York 18 times a season anymore. With that said, I've compiled a list  of players involved in transactions this winter with Yankee-Killing statistics and the degree of awesomeness with said transactions.

Aubrey Huff - Played for: Orioles. Moved to: Giants.
Why he's a killer: 18 HR (3rd most against a team), 95 RBI (most against any team and more than all of his interleague numbers combined)
Outcome: It's about time. No more Huff on the Rays hurting the Yankees, no more Huff on the Orioles. No more Huff on even the Mets where he gets six games a year. He's on the Giants now, far, far, away.

Chone Figgins  - Played for: Angels. Moved to: Mariners.
Why he's a killer: 3 HR (tied for the most against any team except division rival, Texas), 44 Runs (third most against a non AL West team and one of the top two is defensively inept Baltimore), .327 career hitter, .393 career OBP, .832 OPS (3rd against AL teams with both the Orioles and Twins again at the top)
Outcome: Figgins is finally leaving the Angels which is basically like leaving the Yankee-killing  manufacturer to start your own business. Nothing he could possibly do in Seattle's lineup can compare to the hell he enacted as an Angel regardless of how many Ichiro's hit with him.

Jason Bay - Played for: Red Sox. Moved to: Mets.
Why he's a killer: In basically one season against the Yankees, he hit: 4 HR, 22 RBI, one game tying shot against Mariano Rivera, a line of .324/.388/.559/.947 and an OPS+ of 111 and he did it mostly as a member of the middle of the order of Red Sox Nation.
Outcome: From 18 games to six games, Bay will probably still haunt the Yankees when the two New York teams meet (albeit he slowed down a lot like the rest of the Sox in the second half last year), but now he can't do it three times the amount in significantly more meaningful games.

David Ortiz - Played for: Red Sox. Moved to: One step closer to the baseball morgue.
Why he's a killer: .306 lifetime BA (2nd among AL teams), .395 OBP (3rd), .572 SLG (5th), .967 OPS (4th), 29 HR (3rd) and, oh, right, the 2004 ALCS. You can add in the 2003 ALCS for good measure.
Outcome: Ortiz isn't going anywhere, but it's nice to know this is guaranteed to be the final year of his tenure as a Red Sox even if he's just a corpse (.254/.370 in 2009 vs NYY) and at this point resorting to normal powers. Unless he hits the juice again, I doubt you see Ortiz put up any sort of numbers like he did in the middle of last decade and it's nice to know as he decays, it kills off what's left of what was once the most feared 1-2 punch to ever face the Yankees' rotation.

Mike Lowell - Played for: Red Sox. Moved to: One step closer to the baseball morgue.
Why he's a killer: 12 HR (3rd against AL), .315 BA (3rd), .380 OBP (2nd), .516 SLG (3rd), .896 OPS (3rd), 121 OPS+ against the Yankees since he joined the Sox in 2006. Oh, and he owns Joba Chamberlain and gave him his first MLB earned run.
Outcome: Regardless of what the Sox Front Office would have you believe, this is an unintentional rebuilding year for Boston. It's not that I think the Sox will be bad or even miss the playoffs this season, it's more they were forced to choose a completely different course of action towards success and it's one very little battle-tested and completely unfamiliar to Beantown.

Why? Because Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and David Ortiz are all but finished as healthy, regular contributors. It's not that Cameron, Beltre, Scutaro and a full year of Victor Martinez can't overcome these three losses (plus Bay), it's that regardless, it's a changing of the guard. Lowell was a big member of the Red Sox the last three years and now he will likely play a non-existent role if he even sticks around long enough to experience it. That's a win for the Yankees even if Peter Gammons is ridiculous enough to predict Adrian Beltre out-homers Jason Bay in 2010, like he said on NESN last night.

Just for a quick comparison:

Mike Cameron vs NYY: .236/.312/.423/.734. Each of those numbers are among the bottom half of success for Cameron against MLB.

Adrian Beltre vs. NYY: .250/.299/.514/.813. Better hope that defense is really really good when it comes to the rivalry.


Placido Polanco - Played for: Tigers. Moved to: Phillies.
Why he's a killer: 127 OPS+. For those of you unfamiliar, OPS + is the measure of a player's normal OPS in a given situation on a scale of 100. So in other words, if your OPS + in a situation is above 100, that means you thrive in that situation. If it is below 100, you struggle. OPS, for those who aren't aware, is the combination of slugging percentage and On Base Percentage. In other words, the degree of ass you kick, and how often you get to do it. Polanco's OPS + against the Yankees as I stated is 127. It's the second highest number for him against any team in MLB except the Oakland Athletics.
Outcome: AL to NL = less Polanco. 88PA=4K. Just 4K in 88 PA! Less Polanco=less ridiculously uneasy OPS+ and contact numbers. Class dismissed.

Kevin Millar - Played for: Blue Jays. Moved to: Unknown.
Why he's a killer: 21 HR (1st among any opponent), 56 RBI (2nd), .283 BAA (3rd among AL teams), .370 OBP (2nd), .860 OPS (3rd), OPS+ 112. Oh, and I might remember two particular at bats where he may or may not have reached base and something bigger may or may not have happened when he may or may not have played for the Red Sox in what may or may not have been the playoffs.
Outcome: We don't know where he's going, but he is a Free Agent and we can rule out the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays as possible destinations. With Pat Burrell and Carlos Pena, I'd rule out the Rays and I don't think the Orioles want him when they just got rid of Aubrey Huff. I like the chances of Millar never playing in the AL East again.

Curtis Granderson - Played for: Tigers. Moved to: Yankees.
Why he's a killer: .405 career OBP (2nd among AL teams), 133  OPS+ for a guy who predominantly lead off for the Tigers.
Outcome: Tough to continue getting on base constantly when you're playing on the same team. By the way, as an aside, Granderson's most HR and RBI have come against the Twins and he has a 120 OPS+ against them....I think he'll fit in quite nicely in the Bronx.

Who I wish would leave the AL: Nick Markakis and Howie Kendrick.

Honorable mentions:

Roy Halladay: I only don't include him because he's a pitcher and at most he can effect a team six times a year. Don't get me wrong, in the big picture I'm ecstatic Halladay has moved onto Philadelphia, but can you really be a Yankee killer when you only face them a handful of times every season and never in a particularly huge game? I'm more glad the Blue Jays will be that much worse, at least in the short term.

Randy Johnson: Though the Yankees had the highest career OBP and second highest BAA of any competitor, Johnson is an honorable mention for two things. 1. 1995 2. 2001. He pitched out of relief in the '95 ALDS to help complete a two games to none deficit and lead the Mariners to the win in the series. Then, in 2001, he won co-MVP of the World Series with Curt Schilling when he flat-out dominated New York hitters and won Games 2 and 6. Where is he now? Retired.

We can all collectively be thankful for that.

And for the change of address for a lot of these life-time Yankee killers.