Of these potential platoons, right field appears step up to be the strictest. Ryan Sweeney is an interesting player for Boston to have acquired this off-season. Like many of his new teammates, Sweeney is a very selective hitter; he has swung at just 25.2% of pitches out of the zone and 42.5% of pitches overall on his career. He has good walks rates (11% last season and 8.3% career) and he rarely strike out (14% career). He also has shown almost no power, with a career .096 Isolated Power rating on his career. Playing in the vast Oakland Coliseum has certainly hurt that number, but Sweeney’s approach is the real culprit. The left handed hitter hits to all fields consistently and should get some help with his average and power from the large wall in Fenway’s left field.

Perhaps most importantly though, Sweeney is an excellent defender. Last season, he played all three outfield positions and in right field, he has been an elite glove by nearly every metric available. Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) rates him as 16 runs above average on his career in right, Total Zone credits him 24 runs above average and Defensive Runs Saved (DSR) gives him 21 runs saved. As the left handed platoon player, he will see the most action, givingBoston’s pitchers extra help in the field.

Paired with Sweeney is the newly signed Cody Ross. The hero of the San Francisco Giants post-season run in 2010, Ross was something of a disappointment in 2011. His .240/.325/.405 line was not what the Giants had hoped for, but it really wasn’t far off from his .261/.323.456 career line. Like Sweeney, Ross has played all three outfield positions and possesses a good glove. The advanced metrics are not quire as unanimous about his field, though, with UZR ranking him as -0.4 runs on his career while Total Zone credits him with 20 runs saved and DSR gives him 14 runs on his career. Whatever you make of those numbers, Ross is not going to be a liability in right even compared with Sweeney.

The Red Sox are betting that these two players will combine to be better than just the sum of their parts and there are many reasons to think they are right. With around three quarters of starting pitchers tossing from the right side, we should expect Sweeney to start around 110-120 games in a completely rigid platoon scenario. Ross will likely start 70-80 games total (especially with Carl Crawford potentially starting the season late), but only between 42-52 games in right field. Should he stick on the 40 man roster, Darnell McDonald will also likely start 20 or so games, spelling Carwford, Ellsbury or as a second RHH option in right, but for now, we will assume that Ross, who is the superior platoon-man will get all the action against lefty starters.

Going by Ross and Sweeney’s Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) against opposite handed pitching we can expect that the two should combine to be approximately 12% better than the average player on the offense. That is far better than last season, when Red Sox right fielders were around 15% worst than league average. It is also close to or better production than we could expect from a full season of Josh Reddick who posted was 9% better than average last season. Last season John Jay of the Cardinals posted a wRC+ of 112 with the Cardinals, and despite very average defense, he was worth 2.8 WAR on the season.

While Jay’s 2011 is a decent approximation of the offensive value the combination of Ross and Sweeney could produce, their aggregate defense should be much better. We can expect that the LHH and superior defender, Ryan Sweeney will play approximately900-1100innings in right field and Ross will see between 400-500 innings there. With that playing time split, Sweeney can be expected to save 10-15 runs with his glove and Ross could be expected to save 2-4 runs. Given that total defensive impact, the right field could be worth between 1-2 WAR on the defensive side alone.

The combination of Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ross makes the ideal platoon. While Ross is the better overall offensive player, limiting his exposure to righties will help him provide the most value as a hitter. Sweeney has the better glove and, as a the lefty in the platoon, he is going to see the most chances on defense and will avoid his Achilles heel- left handed pitchers. Projecting a total value of 3-4 WAR from the right field position does not seem overly optimistic and that is a major improvement over last season’s 0.6 total wins from the position.

Of course, the platoon will not be this strict a split between Sweeney and Ross. Manager Bobby Valentine will judge the best possible use of all six of his outfielders. Ryan Kalish will be in the mix and may even cut Sweeney’s playing time in half. Darnell McDonald will also see action against lefty starters and uber-utility man Mike Aviles spent time in winter ball brushing up on his outfield defense. This depth means that there will be an opportunity to optimize this position and how Valentine handles that will be an interesting narrative throughout the season. Regardless of the specifics of playing time, as long as the Red Sox employ an intelligent use of each player’s best skills, the right field position should be an asset this season instead of a liability.

On the topic of adding a starting pitcher before Spring Training, Cherington has said “We wouldn’t rule out adding a starter, but I think it’s unlikely at this point.  Keep looking for ways to improve the team, including the pitching staff, but I wouldn’t expect any major changes between now and the report date”.  With that being said, Boston still has plenty of work to do in-house in order to sure up their roster before the time that players report to Spring Training.  The two major issues are the arbitration cases of Alfredo Aceves and David Ortiz.  The hearing dates began this week and can run as late as February 21^st.  Cherington declined to give specifics as to the dates for Ortiz and Aceves, but did indicate that the issues will be resolved, “one way or another” before the team arrives in Fort Myers.

Ortiz, the Red Sox Designated Hitter was seeking a $16.5 million contract, to which the club countered with a $12.65 million offer.  In 2011, Ortiz saw a bit of a resurgence after much talk of his skills rapidly declining.  He appeared in 146 games, and in those contests he hit .309 with 29 home runs, 96 RBI, had a slugging percentage of .554 and an OPS of .953.  His slugging and OPS numbers were up for 2010, while his home run and RBI numbers saw only a slight drop.

Alfredo Aceves, on the other hand is looking for a $1.6 million deal, with the club offering him $900,000.  He went 10 – 2 last year with a 2.61 ERA and converted 2 out of 5 saves.  Aceves appeared in 55 games for Boston in 2010 and allowed an opponent average of .204 while rattling off a WHIP of 1.11.  Pitching has been a key for the Red Sox, as it is for any team, and has been the backbone of their championship teams, while being the Achilles heel when the team has faltered.

It will be interesting to see what new General Manager Ben Cherington does in these circumstances, as it will likely be indicative of his philosophy regarding how he plans to run the team during his tenure.

The acquisition of Jackson seems to have pushed a new name onto the trade market as Washington seems intent on moving lefty John Lannan to cut costs. Like many of the minor league signees Boston has picked up this off-season, Lannan is an extreme ground ball guy who lacks significant strikeout ability and has slightly above average walk rates. With a rather steep price tag of $5M, a deal Lannan should bankrupt the farm system, but it doesn’t have an signifcant upside for Boston either. Lannan has been a pretty consistent innings eater while with the Nationals, but beyond that he is really no better of an option than Cook or Silva. Boston could still make this move, but it would surprise me. With Gavin Floyd and possibly a few other still seemingly available, Lannan should be low on the list of options.

“We wouldn’t rule out adding a starter, but I think it’s unlikely at this point,” Cherington said before Wednesday’s Town Hall session. “We’re going to keep looking for ways to improve the team, including the pitching staff, I wouldn’t expect any major changes.”

Earlier today a report surfaced announcing that Boston was out of the Edwin Jackson race, later in the day another source came forward to report that the Red Sox were still infact speaking with Edwin Jackson and were also, surprisingly, still involved with Roy Oswalt.

Cherington putting the proverbial nail in the coffin on adding a starting pitcher makes the salary dumping move of trading starting shortstop Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies all the more puzzling.

Boston looks to be in the same position with Jackson/Oswalt as NYY was with Kuroda/Jackson: They're waiting for 1 to say yes to their price.

February 1, 2012 2:22 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Buster_ESPN

Buster Olney

Jackson is still said to be leaning towards taking a one year deal, most likely in the $10 million dollar range.

Boston has Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, Darnell McDonald, Franklin Morales, and Matt Albers all  on the 40 man roster and out of options . If the team did sign a free agent, at least one of these men would need to be designated for assignment and pass through waivers before landing in AAA Pawtucket. In January, the Red Sox were already forced to DFA pitcher Scott Atchison before they could add free agent signee Cody Ross to the team.

Should Boston sign another free agent, Darnell McDonald would be the obvious choice for the imperative DFA. The 33 year old outfielder is a hard working ball player and could fit well as the right-handed side of an outfield platoon, but his age and his limitations make him the most likely player to pass through waivers. With Ross on the team, McDonald’s role is less clearly defined and losing him to a waiver claim would not do much harm to the Red Sox.

The Red Sox could certainly use one or two of the other option-less players in a trade. Felix Doubront disappointed the Red Sox last season when he showed up to Spring Training out of shape and then struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness throughout the 2011 season. The young lefty does have some strong minor league numbers and could very well be a solid fourth or fifth starter in the near future. Michael Bowden has been an even bigger disappointment for Boston, first failing to stick as a starter and then struggling in his limited major league experience as a reliever. The righty does have better strikeout and walk numbers than his ERA has implied and he could be a good ROOGY or even a setup man at some point. He is a fly ball heavy pitcher though and Fenway doesn’t provide the best environment for his skills. A move to the NL and a better park would be a benefit to Bowden.

Matt Albers and Franklin Morales both put together decent 2011 campaigns and should figure prominently in the Red Sox bullpen plans. It would be tough to imagine either of these players getting traded. Both have a clear role in Boston and would not provide much value to a rebuilding team like the White Sox or the Mets. Neither is irreplaceable, by any means, but they are almost certainly going to be around for the start of Spring Training.

On his career, Stairs played for thirteen different clubs. The left-handed hitter played left and right field and first base, but he was primarily employed for his bat. By the end of his career, he was a pinch hitting specialist. He had good on base skills and hit for plus power throughout his career, with a solid .262/.356/.477 batting line.

Stairs will join Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley and Tom Caron in studio for NESN, commenting on “20-30 games during the 2012 season” according to the station’s press release. Stairs has the advantage of knowing the current baseball world very well, thanks to his extensive travels.

Edwin Jackson has multiple three year deal offers out there, one of which is from the Baltimore Orioles. However, teams have been told the free agent is more likely to take a one year deal to boost his stock. It seems Jackson and his agent Scott Boras are on to something and do not want to give any teams the opportunity to get the pitcher at a bargain. Earlier today Howard Megdal of MLBtraderumors.com wrote a piece comparing Edwin Jackson to Jason Schdmidt -

“It is fairly astonishing that we are entering the month when teams report for Spring Training, and Edwin Jackson remains as homeless as Thomas Jane in Arrested Development.

This is particularly true when we compare Jackson’s free agency to the one enjoyed ten offseasons ago by Jason Schmidt. The year was 2001. The Diamondbacks had just beaten the Yankees in the World Series. George Harrison died. Anthrax was in the air.

But none of that stopped Jason Schmidt. The righty, about to enter his age-29 season, had put up an ERA+ of 107 while pitching for two teams. For his career, his ERA+ stood at 99, with career walk rate of 3.8 per nine innings and a strikeout rate of 6.9 per nine innings. He was rewarded with a five-year, $41MM contract from San Francisco.

Fast forward ten years, and look at Edwin Jackson. The righty, about to enter his age-29 season, has just put up an ERA+ of 106 while pitching for two teams. For his career, his ERA+ stands at 97, with a walk rate of 3.7 per nine innings and a strikeout rate of 6.7 per nine innings. And he can’t find a job.

If Schmidt is any indication, today’s teams are missing an opportunity for a bargain. Over his next five seasons, Schmidt pitched just over 1,000 innings at an ERA+ of 127. He made three All Star teams, finished in the top four of Cy Young voting twice, won an ERA title in 2003, and reduced his walks to 3.2 per nine while elevating his strikeouts to 9.0 per nine. He was well worth that $41MM investment.

Chances are good that Jackson won’t approach Schmidt’s contract length, and his annual salary could dip below Schmidt’s as well, even adjusting for the decade that has passed. Why? Teams fear getting stuck with the other Schmidt deal — the three-year, $47MM contract he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2007 season. For that money, Los Angeles received 43 1/3 innings of 6.02 ERA pitching.”

In Boston’s case any pitcher they sign seem to only be stop gaps until the return of John Lackey or until one of their farm arms are ready for the bigs in 2013. Getting even one year of a 200 innings pitcher like Edwin Jackson in the fifth spot of the rotation could prove bargain enough.

The Red Sox were unwise enough to left Epstein leave for Chicago before outlining what they would receive back from the Cubs. Now with Theo Epstein fully entrenched in Chicago he is left to negotiating against Boston to decide what he is truly worth.  The Red Sox have thrown out names like starter Matt Garza and number one prospect Brett Jackson, obviously Theo is using the Mcphail case as comparison. The Red Sox believe Epstein is worth more than any other executive and with both teams at a standstill the clubs have asked Commissioner Bud Selig to decide the proper compensation.

Now that the case is out of both teams’ hands Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting one AL General Manager believes Selig will side with Boston.

“The Cubs and Red Sox will soon meet with a representative of the Commissioner’s Office or the commissioner himself to discuss the Epstein compensation issue. The best school of thought on this comes from an AL GM who is not associated with either team: “I think the commissioner will give the Red Sox a significant player. I don’t think MLB wants executives leaving their teams before their contracts are up and therefore he will try to deter teams from doing that again.’’

With Red Sox nation at threat level orange due to a subpar off-season could getting something of value from Chicago make everything worth it?