01:04 PM EST on Friday, January 20, 2006

Frank the moderator: FRIDAY AT NOON. Journal Red Sox beat writer Sean McAdam will be here to take your questions about all things Red Sox.
Drop a note and come back Friday.

Sean McAdam: Hey everyone...Happy to be here...Let's get to some questions, shall we?

wrosenberg: Sean...with the wonderful news that Theo is coming back...there are some fans like myself that are viewing this as the second coming..that we're saved...were the sox really in trouble without Theo ?
Sean McAdam: I'm not sure they were doomed without Theo, but there's little doubt that they're better off WITH him. I think there's a fallacy about how things would have been different had Theo remained on the job last fall. I don't believe that. I think Johnny Damon would still be a Yankee and Edgar Renteria would still be a Brave and Josh Beckett would be in the rotation. I think Jed and Ben had a similar philosophy. What they lack, however, is Theo's experience, and aggressiveness.

CarrollHardy: Do you think Theo will deal Bronson Arroyo for a CF/SS in spite of his new, multi-year contract with a good-faith request that he not to be traded?
Sean McAdam: I think Arroyo could very well be dealt. His agents were correct when they warned him that by signing the deal, he would become more attractive to other teams. Teams like to have fixed costs, and now Arroyo is a (relatively) affordable starting pitcher under 30 years old. He's a tempting acquisition for some teams. And let's face it -- if the Sox are going to obtain a CF, it will have to be done through a trade. If they can't get a CF for Wells, who wants to be traded, then they may have use Arroyo, who wants to stay.

Frank the moderator: From an email:
My question is: What are your reactions to the possibility of an Arroyo for Griffey swap? More upside than downside, or a mixed bag? Thanks. Pauliejon
Sean McAdam : I can't see the Red Sox taking a gamble on Griffey. It was great to see Griffey bounce back last season and have the kind of year that he had. But there's a lot of money left on his contract and the fact of the matter is, he hasn't played a full season in the last four. Plus, thanks to all the injuries, Griffey can no longer cover as much ground in the outfield. His best role would be to DH for an AL team. But then, of course, the Red Sox have that role nicely filled already.

No1Soxfan: Hi, Sean. Are the Sox close to a deal for Coco Crisp? Is it true they'd include Andy Marte in a trade involving Crisp?
Sean McAdam: Close? No. But working on it. A few weeks ago, the trade seemed closer to happening when the Indians were trying to obtain Ryan Langerhans from Atlanta to play left. Many saw that as a precursor to moving Crisp to the Sox. For some reason, however, that fell through. As for Marte, yes, with some reluctance, they would part with him for Crisp, whom they believe could be the answer in CF for years to come.

wrosenberg: Sean...I am curious...can you briefly describe the average day for a beat writer covering the sox during training camp ?
Sean McAdam: OK, you asked for it. The clubhouse is open early in the morning, when the players arrive, for about an hour. We have access then to talk to players for longer, developed features, etc. Just before batting practice, the clubhouse is closed. The players go out and hit, take infield, etc...and then the clubhouse is re-opened. We usually meet with the manager for about 20. minutes each morning, and ask about injury updates, roster moves, cuts, etc. During spring training, because players often play only 4-5 innings, the clubhouse is open during the game so we can go in and talk to players before they leave. After the game, it's business as usual -- clubhouse is open, manager is available, and we collect our quotes and go back upstairs to write. The tough days are road games. It's not unusual to drive 2 to 2/1/2 hours to Tampa or Fort Lauderdale, do a day's work, and then drive back. On some days, you can be gone for 12 hours. But then, I'm not complaining. Much

base185: Do you think the Red Sox were surprised by Tony Graffanino's decision to accept arbitration? The trade for Loretta seemed to indicate they didn't think he'd come back.
Sean McAdam : Yes, I think they were caught off-guard. They didn't want to give Graffanino a multi-year deal with Dustin Pedroia in the wings, and the deal for Loretta was a good one, I believe, since Loretta is a quality player and is signed for just one more year. When Graffanino couldn't find anyone else to give him a multi-year deal, he figured he would be better off going to arbitration with the Sox, where he'll get more than $2 million. I think he could be traded in the spring if someone needs infield help. They like him, but I'm not sure they want to pay someone that kind of money as a utulity guy.

Fan8: Sean, what do you think that the two or three strongest possibilities are right now to fill the holes at centerfield and shortstop, and how realistic are those possibilities?
Sean McAdam : Let's start with shortstop, where I think you'll see Alex Cora open the season at the position. Cora won't hit much, but then, neither will FA Alex Gonzalez, and at least Cora is signed for reasonable money. Dustin Pedroia could make things interesting with a good spring training, but I think it's more likely that he gets into the mix in mid-season. As for CF, I think they'll try to make a deal for either Jeremy Reed or Coco Crisp. Theo loves Reed, but he won't give Arroyo and Jon Lester for him. So unless the Mariners asking price comes down, they will focus primarily on Crisp.

wrosenberg: Will the fact that Theo's back have any impact on the Manny situation ?
Sean McAdam: I don't believe so. It's pretty late in the off-season to do such a complicated and expensive deal, no matter who the general manager is. But let's remember -- Theo once put Manny on irrevocable waivers, tried to send him to Texas in the A-Rod deal and twice attempted to ship him to the Mets -- at the winter meetings in '04 and again last summer. So Manny isn't necessarily here to stay. But he's here for a while.

base185: Just a followup on the Epstein question: Don't you think Theo's people skills might have prevented the alienation that seemed to develop between Damon and the front office? It strikes me that if the Sox had been a little more proactive with Damon, they might have kept him on the reservation, so to speak, and played into his clear desire to stay in Boston.
Sean McAdam: Perhaps. But I get the sense that, if anything, the ``proactive'' side of Theo would have forced the issue earlier. In other words, I think he might have told Boras and Johnny that the 4x$10 million offer was only good until the start of the winter meetings, so that the Sox could start looking for a replacement in a trade if Damon rejected it. I know this: Theo wouldn't have budged much on the Sox offer, beyond tweaking it by $500,000 or so per year.

wrosenberg: How likely are the sox to get a contract extension with Ortiz done before the season starts ?
Sean McAdam: There's clearly a desire on both sides to get something done. Ortiz loves Boston and wants to stay, and obviously, the Red Sox want him to remain. The fact that Ortiz signed a below-market deal two seasons ago indicates he's willing to take the so-called hometown discount. The Sox will only do an extension if it works for them. I think there's enough common ground to get something worked out. I'm just not sure there's time to do it before the season gets underway. Remember, though, Ortiz signed his last extension in May, so they could keep talking if there's progress being made in the spring.

CarrollHardy: Do the Red Sox really believe they have improved their pitching and defense to the point they could be willing to start the season with replacement-level hitters at BOTH SS (Cora) and CF (e.g. Jason Michaels, Dave Roberts, Jeremy Reed)?
Sean McAdam: I'm not sure what you mean by ``replacement-level'' hitters. Cora won't hit much, as I said in the earlier post, but then, what are the alternatives? Have you seen how poor an offensive player Alex Gonzalez is? Cora would be a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter, but he can do some little things -- bunt, move runners, etc. Remember, this team was willing to go with Pokey Reese for an entire season and I think Cora is a better hitter than Reese. As for CF, Dave Roberts is not the answer, and, I suspect, neither is Jason Michaels. I think the Sox' interest in both is minimal -- at least as far as an everday solution. Reed? They think he'll get better at the plate.

fan8: Sean, what grade would you assign to the Red Sox off-season so far?
Sean McAdam: Hmmmm..maybe a B-/C+ Getting Beckett was a big move, as it gives them a potential front-line starter who's just 25. Those, obviously, are tough to come by. I think they've upgraded the bullpen, at least in the set-up area, by re-signing Timlin and adding Seanez, Mota, and Tavarez. Defense will be better with Lowell and Snow. On the downside, they have gaps in CF and SS, and in the leadoff position, and they haven't gotten themselves any closer's insurance if Foulke can't come back. A mixed bag, for sure.

wrosenberg: Sean...what with Theo coming back...are the sox more likely than not to consider bringing one of our hot prospects from the minors to take a shot at playing Center ?
Sean McAdam: I doubt it. There's no one close to being ready to play CF. David Murphy, their top pick from a few seasons ago, needs another year or two in the minors and hasn't played above Double A. Jacoby Ellsbury, taken from Oregon St. last June, has a half-season of experience in pro ball and won't be ready until 2008.

JH: What is the bullpen going to look like with the recent offseason signings?
Sean McAdam: They hope that Foulke can close again. If he can, that makes Timlin the main guy in the eighth once more, though they'd like to lessen his workload at 40. Tavarez and Mota can help him there, though. Mota is tough on LH and might be used to get lefties out. Seanez is probably more of a sixth-inning guy, and I see Lenny DiNardo as the long-man, swing starter.

Boomerfan: If the Red Sox are a B-/C+, what grade would you give the Yankees? How important was signing Damon for them?
Sean McAdam : Maybe a slightly higher grade -- B, B- The Yankees filled center field and their leadoff hole with Damon. I'm not sure they'll love that contract in 2008-09, but for the next two years at least, he'll help them. And of course, atop that lineup, he could score 130 runs. I'm not sure about their bullpen upgrades. I have questions about Farnsworth's makeup in New York. And they didn't improve their starting rotation, so that puts a lot of pressure on Johnson, Mussina and Pavano, because I don't think Small will be as good as he was a year ago.

wrosenberg: Sean...do you think the sox timed bringing Theo nack ...meaning they waited till the Pats season was over so they could get the maximum "good" press ?
Sean McAdam: I'm not sure it was as calculated as you suggest. In fact, I think they announced it earlier than they had planned, because there are still some things to be determined -- title, salary, length of contract, etc. But it appears someone was getting to write that Theo was heading back and they decided to try to get ahead of the story. I don't think they held anything. This has been a long process, with lots of things to figure out and remedy.

PawSoxfan: Sean, do you think Papelbon, Delcarmen, Hansen and Lester will start the year in Boston or Pawtucket? Do you see all of them making it to Fenway by the end of the season?
Sean McAdam : Good question..and a tough one to answer. Let's take them one-by-one. I believe Papelbon will be part of the rotation to start the season. He's ready, as he demonstrated late last season. It's hard to see Delcarmen or Hansen making the team out of spring training, since Timlin, Seanez, Foulke, Tavarez, Mota give you five relievers and DiNardo (long man) makes six. But if Foulke falters, or someone else is hurt, there could be an opening. I see Hansen as the closer of the future, but they would prefer him to get some Triple A work before putting him in the Boston bullpen. As for Lester, he could do what Papelbon did last year -- spot start in mid-season, and part of the staff in the final two months if he shows he's ready

JH: What are your expectations for Schilling this year?
Sean McAdam: Hard to say. The Red Sox hope that the winter of conditioning and workouts has strengthened his ankle and improved his stamina. Obvously, he's a huge part of their staff, but I don't think you can accurately predict what a 39-year-old body coming off a lost season can provide.

Sean McAdam: That's about all the time we have for today. I enjoyed the session. Hope to chat with you again soon!

Sean McAdam: That's about all the time (and questions) we have for today. I enjoyed the session. Hope to chat with you again soon!

Art Martone: Thanks, everyone, for participating in the chat! The questions were terrific, and there were a lot of them. Our apologies to those whose questions we couldn't use. Check back soon for another chat with Sean.