Nah. I"d like to think we could do that deal with a less valuable throw-in, or Salty alone. Maybe if it was for Salty and Schlact.

I’m saying no only because I really like Poveda’s chances. But it’s tempting if you like Masterson that much.

I’d pass. I’m getting very comfortable with the idea of dealing Laird for whatever we can get and going into next year with Salty and Teagarden at catcher.

so I call Epstein’s bluff and tell him to kiss my ass.

I say no because I feel like that is a pretty weak return for a player of Salty’s potential. We do have a surplus at the position but I hate feeling like we absolutely HAVE to trade a catcher.

Masterson has looked pretty good but I feel like Salty > Masterson when playing for Texas. Masterson could have been lucky last year as opposed to good. He didn’t miss a whole lot of bats (6.93 K/9) and walked a fairly decent amount of hitters (4.08 BB/9). With a weak defense behind him this could spell disaster. Boston had, from what I understand, a considerably better defense behind its pitchers than we did in 2008. I don’t want to take a risk on a pitcher like Masterson in return for a guy like Salty. With the pitching depth this team has I’m not concerned about losing Poveda. As far as Bard, he looked lights out as a reliever last year but that was in 1/3 A ball and 2/3 AA ball. A converted starter in his first year in relief pitching doesn’t swing the deal fo rme.

I’d say Salty + Poveda for Bucholz, take it or leave it.

and I’m not optimistic that Masterson can have sustained success as a ML starter, so I’d pass – UNLESS I thought I could flip Masterson + for a guy like Sanchez from the Giants.

Why would you want Salty when you could have Russell Martin?

and struggling behind Boston and TB.

Who voted in favor of letting John Hart make the decision?

Was it John Hart? Are you there, John?
Nah, you’re probably out playing golf

Poveda in the deal. I think that guy is going to be good for us.

I know this is counter to CW aroudn here, but I don’t think Salty’s value is as high as everyone thinks. I think another year in Texas will knock him out of the “decent pitching in return” category and down into the “trade for another team’s disappointing player” category. I prefer to make the deal now.

Basically, I would take either Bowden or Masterson for Salty straight up, and Bard for Poveda doesn’t sound bad. I applaud JD for trying to get Theo to make a bigger deal, but I’ll take that offer.

Hold both catchers and watch their value rise in 2009.

And don’t trade Omar if Masterson’s all that comes back.

man, the Dodgers are gonna be good with Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda, Schmidt AND Buchholz. And Mike Lowell will look nice in a LAD uniform too.

awesome

Double freaking pass.

Such a ridiculous bag of pass.

good poll. I could go for one of these a day. Different players, teams, scenarios, etc. If you can’t (don’t want to) come up with them daily, perhaps some of us could chip in. I like being Jon Daniels. It’s better than sitting in my office. Maybe I should become a GM?

but I couldn’t find him.

I would do the deal. Let Masterson try to win a rotation spot in ST. If he doesn’t, send him to the pen. Let Bard be the closer in Frisco then OKC. He could be a late inning reliever, possibly a closer.

depends on how you view Masterson. If you really believe he will be a decent #3 starter, then you do that deal. A #3 starter and a closer prospect is good value for Saltalamacchia and Poveda. On the other hand, if you view Masterson as a reliever with the upside of Scot Shields, then you don’t do it.

I really like Masterson as a pitcher, but I think he is more likely to become Scot Shields than Derek Lowe.

do the Dodgers have a decent catching option behind Martin? Would they be interested in any of our guys if they dealt him?

For some reason I kind of remember that they do have a good young catcher. but I may be confusing their good young catcher with Martin…

and ask Bill James what to do.

pretend to go to the can, and do the opposite of whatever John Hart wants to do

he’s been an interesting name that we’ve been hearing for a long time but i don’t think he’s someone to hold up a trade.

question: are the people that are passing the same people that would pass on a salty for masterson + bard trade? is that better?

and don’t include any other semi-valuable pitcher, then take that deal. If it ends up that we truly can’t acquire Buchholz and no other team will offer something in the same ballpark as Buchholz’ value, then take that deal. And I’m not hung up on Poveda specifically, but I am against trading anymore of our intriguing arms for anything less than a sure-thing young starter.

In the end, and I know this isn’t how you’re supposed to look at it, but in the end Teixeira becomes a top pitching prospect in Feliz, a top relieving prospect in Bard, a very good starting prospect in Masterson that can already work the pen very well, a very decent future lefty pen arm in Beau Jones, our SS of the future in Andrus and our current # 4 starter and the only lefty in the rotation in Harrison. Wow. That deal just keeps looking better and better, especially with Teix traded for much less to the Angels and now leaving the Angels (possibly) with much less in return if he signs elsewhere.

Salty may have been much more valuable to us when we first acquired him, and the centerpiece of the Teixeira trade, but it’s looking more and more likely that he’s the # 3 or maybe even # 4 best prospect we got back in that deal. If we can turn him into two highly regarded arms that both end up in the pen for years or one even works out as a starter, and the other possibly our closer, I just might be convinced. The only thing keeping me from doing this is that we would be giving Boston exactly what they want and not making them give us exactly what we want…Clay freakin’ Buchholz.

http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/massarotti/2008/12/todays_qa_with_mazz_4.html

btown: Tony, what are the chances Bard, Bowden and Buchholz make the team?

Tony Massarotti: still think buchholz will be traded. i think we’ll see the other two at some point…

Someone on SOSH referred to a prominent media source of theirs who thought the bloom was off the rose on Buchholz within the Boston org.

If the Red Sox are over him, they couldn’t have done a more masterful job concealing it.

Would you still do the trade?

Masterson: (233 IP – 53 G/36 GS)) 3.79 ERA 8.3 H/9 2.28 BB/9 7.45 K/9 1.18 WHIP
Bowden: (405.2 IP – 82 G/79 GS) 3.15 ERA 7.91 H/9 2.35 BB/9 8.64 K/9 1.14 WHIP
Buchholz: (344.1 IP – 74 G/73 GS) 2.43 ERA 6.59 H/9 2.48 BB/9 10.91 K/9 1.01 WHIP

if ned colletti was already on the phone with theo he would be on line one – not like two

And tell theo good luck getting Martin without giving up buchcolz

Here’s a look at who’s looking for catching by a SoSH poster. The last post has an update that concludes that catching is a buyer’s market…

This is a probably the best explanation I can give as to why the Sox are unwilling to overpay with Buchholz to get Salty.

First, ask for Nolan Ryan’s permission to answer the phone.