Yo Adrian?

Ok, forgive me for the cheap laugh in the title. As of 7 p.m. today, January 4, Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman is reporting via twitter (@SI_JonHeyman) that the Red Sox and free agent 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre are close to a deal. Heyman also has a story up on SI.com, but the Web version has little more information than his original tweet. Stay tuned as I'm sure more information will find it way out regarding the potential signing of Beltre

Just a Quick Update...

Starting on Monday, we will be starting our look at the Red Sox top 10 prospects (as ranked by SoxProspects.com). Working from the bottom up, Monday's post will feature SP Michael Bowden.

Winter Classic

I wanted to write a post about Jason Bay signing with the Mets, but then realized I didn't want to spend the time writing about a guy who left Boston for $6 million more.

On a much brighter note, today was the NHL's annual Winter Classic at Fenway Park with the Bruins playing the Philadelphia Flyers (for those Gen Y'ers or non-hockey fans, the Bruins and the Flyers were great rivals in the 1970s). As opposed to baseball news, I thought I would share some pictures from the game so you can see how Fenway looked as a giant ice rink. Thanks to Chris Forsberg from ESPNBoston for sharing the pictures via his twitter account @ESPNForsberg.

Who's on 3rd

It's like the old Abbot and Costello joke, who's on 1st, but now the Sox have their own dilemma: Who's on 3rd?

A quick look at the failed Mike Lowell trade and you might think "Since he didn't get traded, its gotta be Mike." No so fast my friend, there are more questions now that Lowell is back then when we all assumed the trade was a done deal. Just some of the things to consider include Lowell's overall health, how dependable is Papi, Lowell's range and how flip flopping from 1st to 3rd could impact Youk's fielding and hitting. While things seems to very fluid, here are a few potential outcomes of this offseason:

1. 3rd - Lowell
   1st - Youk
   DH - Papi
   
   This is pretty much the way it went last season until Martinez was picked up at the trade deadline. Lowell has his well documented health problems and there is no counting on Papi bouncing back from last season. Still, given all the potential issues, most teams wouldn't mind having this set-up.
   
2. 3rd - Youk
   1st - Kotchman
   DH - Papi/Lowell
   
   I see this as being a more likely scenerio for the season with Lowell rotating into 3rd for a few games and Youk over to 1st for scheduled days off. With the Sox heading toward a pitching and defense oriented roster following the signings of Lackey and Cameron, this would seem to be the favored alignment.
   
3. 3rd - ???
   1st - Youk
   DH - Papi/Lowell
   
   After spending the money to sign both Lackey and Cameron, signing a quality 3rd baseman would seem to be a strech, but it's always a possibility (did you see the Lackey signing coming?).
   
4. 3rd - Youk
   1st - Adrian Gonzalez
   DH - Papi
   
   This would be the prefered scenerio for opening day, but I still see it as a long shot. Theo would need to part with most of the major minor league prospects AND Clay (maybe even Bard too) to make this happen. We all know how much Theo loves the kids, so as much as I want it to, I don't really see this happening unless the asking price on Gonzalez drops.

Lowell Trade Off

Maybe it was my post earlier today, but a source has told the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham that Mike Lowell's busted right thumb requires surgery. Lowell's impending surgery seems to have destroyed the deal with the Texas Rangers for 1B/C/DH Max Ramirez, and no less importantly, put a kink in Theo's plans to acquire every MLB'er with the last name Ramirez. Abraham reports that Lowell will have surgery after Christmas and hopes to be back for the beginning of spring training.

Until reading about Lowell's impending surgery, this post was going to be about Scott Rolen's new contract and the possibility of the Sox pursuing him as a short-term replacement at 3rd. Guess I jinxed the Lowell trade by thinking of Rolen, so on that note, I look forward to watching the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2010 NBA Finals!

Report: Lowell Trade Creeping Forward

According to the Boston Globe, Mike Lowell's trade to the Texas Rangers appears to be moving toward competition. It will be interesting to see how long this drags on because I honestly can't remember any trade taking this long to complete. The longer it takes, the more you wonder if there is a serious problem with Lowell's thumb. It also brings another scenario into play: What if the trade doesn't happen? Lowell will come back, and despite his reputation as a pro's pro, what will his demenor be like? He would likely continue to play third, but rotations with Youk could impact Youk's overall fielding at both first and third. We'll keep an eye on the situation and provide updates as they happen.

Welcome

Welcome to the Splendid Splinter, a blog covering all things Boston Red Sox related. It's currently the dead of winter in New England, but the Sox are heating things up with the rumored pursuit of Adrian Gonzalez, the recent signings of John Lackey and Mike Cameron, and the seeming abandonment of the Jason Bay negotations. Based on what we have seen so far in the hot stove season, it looks like it is going to be great season...