Catching Up, Revised Priorities

Final Exams, No Not The SportsCenter Type.

I haven't been able to post much but there are several things I would like to acknowledge quickly. First off, Pavano is now a Yankee, and I am none the surprised, if Joe Torre called my house after hours I'd put pinstripes on too, maybe even dance around a bit, and it doesn't hurt that Pavano's grandmother is a Yankees fan. And here I was thinking that all the "idiots" were Red Sox fans.

I am a fan of Clement and he has a lot of potential, I don't have time to elaborate with stats or predictions but I am very happy with this signing. I'm not as quite satisfied now that Pedro is gone but only in the AL East are you required to possess more than one ACE. Matt Clement would be an astounding #3 Guy but a little unproven to be a solid #2.

John Halama, ain't nothing wrong with that. It's not like the Red Sox are paying him $8 Million and putting the name WEAVER on the back of his jersey. Too many Yankees fans are giving the Sox hell for this signing but it's just another Red Sox move much like the Bret Saberhagen or Pedro Astacio pick ups, it's always good to have these kind of guys on the roster... especially at the discount.

I am still mad about the Renteria signing, I'm sure I'll calm down eventually but the order of operations just kind of sets me back. As soon as Tek is back in red socks I'll be able to rest again. On the positive side he is a substantial upgrade at the plate from Cabrera and brings a glove rivaled by few in the american league, and the $10 Million price tag is a bargain considering the way the league average for short stops is rising, and the fact that Renteria is only 29 with playoff experience under his belt.

Pokey hasn't NOT been resigned, but I'll be sad to see him go... and Mark Bellhorn will likely start the season at second base with Hanley Ramirez beginning his position change in order to make the big jump to the big leagues.

January 8th is the deadline to sign now free agents Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe, Pokey Reese, Mike Myers, Dave McCarty, Pedro Astacio, and Orlando Cabrera - who is as good as gone now.

I'm not sad to see Pedro go, I was surprised to see the contract talks go as far as they did... just when you thought Pedro might return the Mets jumped in over a 48 hour period and swept Pedro away with a ridiculous offer. It may sound from previous posts that I wanted him back, I was just assuming he would return. I am glad to see him in New York - and I will admit that Clement & Wells isn't as tantilizing as Martinez & Lowe... but the offseason is still young. My next prediction would be either Milton or Burnett but until I see Varitek signed I'm not gonna do any pitcher hunting.

Tim Hudson would have been a fine fit for the duece slot, but now that he's gone to the NL it doesn't seem as much as they have missed out. I would have also liked Mulder but I figured he was off the market when Hudson was dealt. I never thought more than 1 of the Big Three would be traded this offseason. I'm just glad to see Bronson is still in a Red Sox uniform. A trade that still unpredictible is one that'll likely see either Doug Meintkeiwicz or Kevin Millar, or even both, leave the Red Sox. Reportedly the Beantown Bombers are sleeping giants in the Carlos Delgado sweepstakes. If Delgado is still available after Johnson & Beltran go to the Yankees, I can assure you that Theo will counter with this move for the right price.


So Here Are My Revised Priorities:

1) Jason Varitek 2) Solid Starter 3) Answer To The First Baseman Question
then distantly...
4) Bullpen 5) Backup Outfield 6) Backup Infield


So no more predictions... I'm just gonna wait for some more signings to make a post, and then throw some witting spins onto the results based on the stats from here on out....

I don't like to be wrong, I'm not a Yankees fan.




Paolo DeVito
Back In Beantown