01:18 PM EST on Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Frank the moderator: Art Martone drops by TODAY @ NOON to trade thoughts about the latest developments with the Red Sox. Submit a question now.

test: Art -- What is the first item of business for these guys? I would guess that things are already in motion since the "two" have been part of the gang of four.
Art Martone: Hi, everyone! Let's get started. I think the first order of business would be, in order, 1) determining whether or not they can re-sign Johnny Damon, 2) seeing if there's a trade partner out there for Manny Ramirez and 3) seeing what they can do to fill their holes at first base and shortstop (and potentially in the outfield). How they attack No. 3 may depend in great part on what happens with Nos. 1 and 2.

FatJack: Art, The airwaves are full of talk about Tejada coming here in exchange for Manny. Seems like wishful thinking to me. Do you agree?
Art Martone: The latest rumor is the Mets may try to get involved as a third team: They would ship a package of players to Baltimore for Tejada, and then turn around and trade Tejada for Ramirez. That sounds more plausible that a straight Tejada-for-Ramirez trade between Boston abd Baltimore. Still, the Mets are going to want the Red Sox to pick up a good portion of Manny's contract and I'm unsure how the Sox will respond to that.

wrosenberg: Art, Could Manny really sit out training camp if the sox don't deal him ?
Art Martone: He could . . . but he won't get paid if he does. For that reason, I doubt a holdout by Ramirez is very likely.

Bob H: Is there abt signifigance to the fact that the "press conference" was done so informally (sitting on a sofa without a podium or red sox flag behind them?)?
Art Martone: No, I don't think so. The reconstruction work at Fenway has forced them to hold their press conferences in the Crown Royal Room behind the third-base grandstand (the old .406 Club has been torn down), and it's a limited space. They had it set up differently for Theo Epstein's press conference and the configuration didn't work so well, so I think they tried it this way to better accomodate the number of reporters they had. I believe they had a similar setup for all post-Theo press conferences there, such as the ones with Beattie and Wilder.

wrosenberg: Art...Is it me or has Schilling been very quiet this off-season ?
Art Martone: Are you complaining?

srvince1: is john henry really competent to oversee the sox?
Art Martone: Absolutely. Like all of us, John Henry is a combination of strengths and weaknesses. I believe in this case, one of his weaknesses -- which I think I'd describe as a tendency to detatch himself and over-delegate -- led to this situation, in which the animosity between Epstein and Lucchino grew to such an extent that Theo was prompted to leave. Had Henry been more involved in the negotiations, or involved earlier, he might have been able to keep that animosity at manageable levels. But his strengths are considerable. He's a progressive thinker who, I think, has articulated a clear vision and direction for the organization, and has hired people who are committed to executing that vision. Let's not forget, this team has had enormous success since his ownership group took over.

wrosenberg: ART, I spent 11 hours Saturday on-line trying to get sox tickets and got nothing...Do you think the sox care that such things happen ?
Art Martone: I think they care passionately. I just don't think they know what to do about it. One thing you have to say about this ownership group is that they're very conscious of the customers. My personal feeling is that the current technology for selling tickets online isn't quite able to handle the enormous number of people who want to purchase them. How they fix it I don't know, but I do think they'll try.

Bob H: Is there a chance that Damon does a Veritek- namely, tells Boras to accept a 4x40 (or so) to stay where he has a cult following>
Art Martone: There's a chance, sure. But the feeling among baseball people is that Damon will go back to Boston. The Yankees, they say, are sniffing around merely to drive the price up (same as the Sox did to Bernie Williams in 1998). Unless Damon is as mortally offended by the way the Sox have handled negotiations as he claimed to be in his Newsday interview -- which was as transparent an attempt to spark a bidding war between the Yankees and Red Sox as I've ever seen -- I think he'll be back. Or let's put it this way: We have no indication yet that he's seriously thinking about leaving.

wrosenberg: Art...how disappointed were the sox with Clement last year and are they likely to deal him ?
Art Martone: I don't see how they can be disappointed, since he gave them pretty much what his career numbers indicated he would. I think a) the acquisition of Josh Beckett and b) the anticipated return of Curt Schilling has made him expendable, and -- since the pitching market exploded this offseason -- he's a fairly inexpensive alternative for teams shopping for pitching . . . which is everyone. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they traded him, particularly if Damon leaves and they need to acquire another outfielder.

tomd: whats the most the Sox should give Damon?
Art Martone : I think a five-year deal at $12 million per is the outer limit to where I'd go. That may be more than the Sox are willing to pay, though.

wrosenberg: Art.. Will Wells report to camp if not traded ?
Art Martone: People close to him say he won't. I think it's far more likely he'll stay away than Ramirez.

wrosenberg: Art...is this the year Jim Rice makes the Hall ?
Art Martone: Good question. I think in his post-steroid era, Rice's candidacy is going to get a real boost from serious voters who a) appreciate what he was able to accomplish without chemical help, and b) understand that his raw numbers (achieved as they were in the 1980s) are probably just as, if not more, impressive as some of the numbers that were hung in the steroids/small-ballpark era of the '90s. My personal feeling is that Rice falls short of what I would consider to be a true Hall of Fame standard, but that if Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda are in, then there's no coherent reason to bar Rice. By *those* standards, he's a Hall of Famer.

FatJack: Art, How will the hiring of these two young guys affect some of the "more senior" people in the front office? We're told they worked as one happy group during the winter meetings, but could this move plant some seeds of confusion and jealousy?
Art Martone: I don't think it'll make for confusion; on the contrary, I think roles are now more clearly defined. As for jealousy, I doubt the people involved -- Bill Lajoie, Craig Shipley, Jeremy Kapstein -- would be jealous. Both Lajoie and Shipley said they didn't want the job, and while Kapstein would have taken it, he also has an important advisory role to go back to. Plus it seems pretty clear that Theo Epstein's coming back eventually, so I doubt anyone's looking at Hoyer and Cherington as being permanently in charge of baseball operations.

AZSoxfan: What are the possibilities of Boston winding up with Torii Hunter if Damon goes?
Art Martone: Hunter doesn't strike me as the type of offensive player valued by the present front office (his career OBP is .321, and his career high is .334), and there will be, of course, questions as to how he'll return from his injury. I'd be surprised if the Sox nibble on Hunter, especially now since Hoyer/Cherington are in charge and, theoretically, continuing along the same philosophical path blazed by Epstein. Had a more "traditional" GM, like Jim Beattie, taken over, it might be different.

LittleDoug2: Art, What are best first base options? didn't sox pay 400k for Cuban first baseman not too long ago?
Art Martone : They did, but they since found out that he's four years older than advertised and are either trying to negate the contract or have already done so. I think the Sox are waiting to see who gets non-tendered next week before they pursue a first baseman. Don't forget, that's how they acquired David Ortiz!

wrosenberg: Art...don't you think the perfect job for Kevin Millar this year might be a color commentator on TV ? He seems like a natural
Art Martone: Eventually that would be a perfect job for him, but he still wants to play. Odds are someone will sign him.

wrosenberg: ART...Are the Sox really thinking of peddaling Nixon ?
Art Martone: I think there's two questions here: 1) Are they shopping him? The answer to that is no. 2) Would they trade him? The answer to that is yes, depending on the deal.

wrosenberg: ART....is the Sox contacting Clemens agents more a public relations stunt than anything ?
Art Martone: No, I don't think it's a PR stunt at all. You would think Boston is one of the very few places Clemens would agree to come to at this stage of his career, so why not let it be known that if he wants to come back, they're willing to take him? All these years I've had this feeling that the final chapter in the Clemens/Red Sox story had yet to be written, and maybe this'll be it. I doubt it -- Roger is not exactly what you'd call a sentimentalist -- but if they offer him enough money and if he thinks they have a chance to win, sure, I could see him returning. I really could. I just wouldn't bet the house on it is all.

AZSoxfan: Is Alex Gonzales really a better potential shortstop than Cora, the guy who's already there? Is it worth paying for Gonzales when they already have Cora?
Art Martone: I think the Red Sox look as Cora as a shortstop of last resort, and probably with reason; he hasn't played the position regularly since 2001 and probably has more value as a jack-of-all-trades. Alex Gonzalez would be a dramatic defensive upgrade from the disappointment that was Edgar Renteria (at least in the field), and that could be inticing for the Sox. But the Tejada business may change things. The Sox may wait until they see if Tejada is actually going to be traded, by which time Gonzalez may have gone somewhere else. And if Tejada *isn't* traded, or is traded elsewhere, they may have no choice but to turn back to Cora.

wrosenberg: ART...the yanks seem to be very quiet this off-season..could the fact that they lost money last year be having any impact on the team ?
Art Martone: The offseason's young yet, Warren. Think their signing Nomar Garciaparra will generate some noise . . . ?

ddupre: I would suppose that Damon gets settled in the next few weeks. Do you think we'll be hearing Manny rumors through the start of the season?
Art Martone: Hi, Dave. I think Ramirez rumors will continue for as long as he's with the Red Sox. I have a sense this is different, though; I think he's serious about wanting out this time. The rumor is that it's an off-field problem that has nothing to do with the team or the fans (or his marriage, which is another rumor floating around). I have no idea whether it's true or not, but the fact that the Sox seem intent on dealing him -- and that he's willing to go virtually anywhere -- lends credence to the whispers that he's dead-set against returning, and that the Sox recognize this. Got to get back to work; thanks, everyone, for the great questions! Talk to you soon.

Frank the moderator: Thanks Art.
We'll schedule another SoxTalk soon.