Lazlo's Closet

Hey, Pedro’s back in Boston as an assistant to general manager Ben Cherington! I’m guessing it has nothing to do with the shitty offseason they’ve had or trying to boost ticket sales.

Oh well, I guess I like this because Pedro is the tits and hands down my favorite Red Sox of all time. Just him being back alone will be more entertaining than that shit team on the field last year.

Well, wouldn’t you know—the Boston Red Sox are still in the running for free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Per Gordon Edges of ESPN Boston, a source is indicating that the Red Sox are still in contact with Hamilton and still have interest in the 2010 American League MVP.

“The Red Sox, according to a baseball source, remain in a holding pattern on Josh Hamilton, the free-agent outfielder who reportedly has designs on a long-term contract of at least six years.

He won’t get a deal of that length from the Red Sox, but Boston officials will remain in the mix for Hamilton as long as the possibility, however slim, exists that he could be had for a shorter deal.”

All I can do is just scratch my head.

Why?

Hamilton is not a good fit for the Red Sox and would crumble in the high pressure market that is Boston.

This signing would be disastrous.

Why? Why? Why?

Do the Red Sox not have any brains? Josh Hamilton is not a good fit in Boston. He will crack under the pressure. He does not have the mental capability of dealing with the Boston media and the fans.

On an interview on WEEI, Boston’s assistant general manager Mike Hazen stated that the team and the free agent slugger are still in contact:

“We’re staying engaged with Josh and all the other free agents, and we’ll see where it goes. You don’t know how these markets are going to develop. Sometimes you have a clear understanding of what they’re looking for and sometimes you don’t. We just stay engaged in all of those things, and as the market moves and it presents itself, you have a choice. You have your choice to get in or get out.”

Well, if the Red Sox do end up signing Hamilton, it better be only a three-year or a four-year deal rather than some massive seven-year contract.

The Boston Red Sox made yet another free agent signing on Thursday as they signed relief pitcher Koji Uehara to a one-year, $4.25 million contract.

The 37-year-old has had a pretty solid career as a relief pitcher as he most recently played very well in 2012 with the Texas Rangers. Uehara threw 36 innings this past season while recording a 1.75 ERA and holding opposing batters to an impressive .160 batting average—but that wasn’t his most impressive stat.

Uehara posted a 14.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2012, which is the third best since 1990.

For what it’s worth, I do think Koji Uehara is a very good relief pitcher and if he performs nearly as well as he did this past season, then he should be a very reliable component to Boston’s bullpen in 2013.

For some unknown reason, the Boston Red Sox met with free agent outfield Josh Hamilton on Monday, according to the Boston Globe.

This came the same day that the team signed Mike Napoli to a three-year, $39 million contract and one day before the signing of outfielder Shane Victorino to a three-year, $39 million contract.

Hamilton will likely be receiving the largest contract this offseason out of everyone in the free agent market. The 2010 AL MVP hit 43 home runs last season for the Texas Rangers while batting .285 and knocking in 128 runs—but is he really a fit for the Red Sox.

Nope. He does not fit Boston at all.

Hamilton has a heavily-noted addictive personality and would likely crumple in the extremely, high-pressure stage that is known as Boston.

So if the Red Sox do hand out a large contract to Hamilton, then I’ll likely lose my mind because there’s no doubt in my mind that he will fail in Boston.

Scouting report courtesy of SoxProspects.com:

“Elite defensive skills highlighted by extremely fluid hands and soft glove. Excellent instincts and anticipation produces his well above-average range. Will get to balls that most, if not all, will not. Plus, accurate arm. Adept at throwing on the move and has outstanding body control. Future perennial Gold Glove shortstop. Grades as an “80″ defensively. Can also play second and third base more than adequately. Major League ready in the field. Plus bat speed accented by quick wrists. Low maintenance, compact swing. Little lower body in swing mechanics. Pulls ball hard, but struggles driving the ball the other way. Minimal power projection. Can evolve into a solid-average hitter for batting average and show doubles power as he matures. Small frame with not much more room to pack on muscle. Extremely impatient approach. Making strides and improving with understanding of his strike zone, but inexperienced professionally and very age advanced.  Neglects to cover outer third of plate with eyes.  Struggles staying back against breaking balls.  Must improve with handling of off-speed stuff to hit consistently at big league level. Above-average speed. Projects as #9 hitter in first division team’s lineup, with ceiling of #2 hitter as he approaches his late-20s. Due to advanced defensive skills will most likely learn to hit at the major league level and slowly ramp into becoming more proficient at the plate over the course of big league career.”

So I think that it’s pretty clear that Iglesias can field…but can he hit?

Throughout his career throughout Boston’s farm system, his hitting has been mediocre at best. Iglesias most success came in AA Portland back in 2010 when batted .285 while scoring 29 runs in 57 games for the Sea Dogs.

As of right now, there is a pretty good chance that Iglesias will end up starting at shortstop for the Red Sox next season, but is that the right move? He can’t hit. Period.

Will Iglesias ever be able to hit consistently? Who knows.

I’m not asking him to be a .300 hitter with 20 or more home runs, I just want him to be at least a .270 guy that can get on base and score some runs…but will he ever turn into that offensive player?

So a career .244 hitter with .377 OBP will likely be the Boston Red Sox starting right fielder in 2013—or at least that’s what the Boston Globe has reported.

According to the report, Gomes will be given a shot to not only make Boston’s roster as a platoon outfielder but as the team’s starting right fielder…Yeah, you heard me correctly.

“He’ll have the opportunity to earn the highest number of at-bats that he can,” manager John Farrell said told the Boston Globe.

But what’s so appealing to Gomes? It can’t be his pitiful batting average or his consistency of mediocrity over the years but his ability to hit well against left-handers…and pretty damn well if I do say so myself.

The right-handed bat has a career .894 OPS against lefties compared to a .732 against righties.

If Gomes were to play all the 162 games next year for the Red Sox, he’ll likely end up with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs, which is pretty solid production—but not if the team is relying on him significantly.

The only way Gomes can make it as Boston’s starting right fielder is if he’s at the bottom of the order, so no where near fourth, fifth or even sixth.

Gomes is set to only make $5 million this upcoming season, so we’ll just have to wait and see if he’s worth any of that money.

There was some speculation about the Boston Red Sox being interested in free agent closer Brian Wilson a few weeks back, but that speculation has since died down.

However, would Wilson be a good fit for the Red Sox?

The Londonderry, NH native will turn 31-years-old this March and is coming off of a season that was cut short due to Tommy John surgery.

For the past couple of seasons, Wilson has been one of the league’s top closers as he’s recorded at least 36 saves in each season from 2008 until 2011. Wilson has a career 3.21 ERA.

With that being said, would Wilson be an upgrade over what the Red Sox have right now? Well what do they have right now? A banged up closer in Andrew Bailey that pitched in only 19 games this past season with the team and is currently beginning to throw due to a thumb injury.

Even if healthy, is Bailey the answer for Boston in the back-end of their bullpen? That answer remains to be seen.

But with Wilson, he’s a proven, elite closer that has thrived under pressure and in the big stage of the World Series.

So ultimately, if the price is right and Wilson is 100 percent healthy, then bringing him in wouldn’t be all that bad of a transaction.

No. No. No.

This better not be true.

According to major league sources, the Boston Red Sox are among “four or five” teams in the race for free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Haven’t the Red Sox already learned? Spending big in free agency does not win you World Series.

Example: Adrian Gonzalez, John Lackey and Car Crawford.

Hamilton turns 32 next May and is coming off of a season with the Texas Rangers where he hit a career-high 43 home runs while batting .285 and knocking in 128 RBIs.

But is this really the kind of guy that the Red Sox would want on their roster? Is he really the kind of guy that should be playing in the very large market of Boston? Is he the kind of guy that can handle the high-pressure in Boston?

Absolutely not.

Hamilton would fall right into the same boat as Gonzalez, Lackey and Crawford—just yet another Red Sox free agent bust.

If you don’t already know, Hamilton has had struggles with drugs and alcohol over the years and all of his cases have been well documented. Granted, Hamilton might be clean right now, but isn’t this the kind of material that some “anger” Sox fans could use to torment Hamilton if he’s not performing well?

If Boston does choose to sign Hamilton, it will likely be a massive seven-year contract. And for whatever reason, if Hamilton does struggle and doesn’t perform well, then who knows how he’ll react to the scrutiny.

This has the potential to be a very, very costly signing for the Red Sox and the reward simply doesn’t equal out the high-risk that is involved investing money into a guy like Hamilton.

For the love of God—please pull the trigger.

R.A. Dickey is just something else.

We all thought Tim Wakefield was a great knuckleball pitcher, but R.A. Dickey is on a whole different planet—he did win this year’s past Cy Young Award.

Dickey might be 38-years-old, but he is a knuckeballer and probably has another solid three-to-four years left in him.

According to sources, the Boston Red Sox are currently in talks with a possible trade with the New York Mets.

A few names that are being thrown around are prospects Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Boegarts.

YES. Pull the trigger. I am completely fine with parting ways with those two prospects.

Dickey recorded a stellar 2.73 ERA in 2012 while posting a 20-6 record.