Trade Preview Extravaganza 2009

Almost two months of the season have passed and people’s minds and thoughts inevitably turn towards what can be done to improve the team. I’ve heard some whoppers out there, like trading away our top 4 prospects to get Hanley Ramirez back. Uh, no. But here’s a more realistic look at what is brewing:

2008 Offseason: GM Meeting update

The first round of GM meetings is well underway at a fancy resort in Dana Point, CA. Here are some news items:

• Theo Epstein has confirmed that he has signed a new deal with the Red Sox as GM, but no details are available. He also says that on his to do list is Jason Varitek and improving the pitching staff.
• WEEI is reporting that the Red Sox will not attempt to re-sign Mike Timlin, though it is looking like he does want to give it another go in 2009. We’ll see who he ends up with.
• It is rumored that the Red Sox have offered Coco Crisp in a deal for San Diego’s disgruntled shortstop, Khalil Greene. As far as I can tell, the Pads don’t have anyone waiting in the wings beyond Luis Rodriguez; could this be part of a larger swap including Julio Lugo? Of course, GM Kevin Towers could always sign a free agent, though that crop is kind of thin. More on this potential deal in a later post; personally, I think the shortstop to target in a trade is the Brewers’ J.J. Hardy, but then we don’t match up as well with them.

2008 Offseason: What a Peavy would cost

So all the buzz is about San Diego Padres starter Jake Peavy. The Padres are going nowhere fast, and might deal their ace Ever since Paul DePodesta posted this on his blog, speculation has run rampant on the Internet about where he could wind up. Sean McAdam really stirred the waters with this article. Would the Sox really go after Peavy? Let’s take a looksee.

Is Lugo tradeable?

Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press has this suggestion: trade Julio Lugo for Dontrelle Willis in a “change of scenery” (disappointment) deal. Both players have inflated multi-year contracts remaining, and both have been big disappointments with their new teams.