01:31 PM EST on Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Frank the moderator: Two Red Sox chats next week:
Tue. Jan 31: Sean McAdam & Wed., Feb. 1: Steven Krasner
Drop a question now.

Sean McAdam: HI everyone. Good to be back. Let's get to some questions right away

mattfrankel: Starting pitching. Is David Wells definitely on his way out? To where? And can the Sox expect to get anything in return? Same with Clement -- now that Crisp is secured, is Clement's role with Sox safe, at the 3 or 4 spot in the rotation?
Sean McAdam: Wells wants to be traded to a team on the West Coast, but the Red Sox aren't about to give him away. They've had offers for him, but nothing that has motivated them to make a deal. I think Theo Epstein and Terry Francona will sit Wells down in Fort Myers in a few weeks and try to convince him to stay, reminding him that he has a chance to win another title. If that fails, they'll go back to listening to offers, but will only make a deal that helps them
Sean McAdam: I think Clement will stay. He only would have gone in a deal to get them a CF, and now that and SS have been filled, there are no more obvious holes. That is, unless Foulke shows signs that he's going to have trouble. Then, the Sox might have to use Clement to get a stop-gap closer.

fred: Hi, Sean. Has there been an official announcement on the signing of Alex Gonzalez yet? What do you think of his acquisition?
Sean McAdam: Nothing official, but it certainly seems done. The Sox weren't about to give more than a year guaratee and were waiting to see if that was enough to get him. Gonzalez is a terrific defensive shortstop, but he won't hit much at all. Personally, I think they would have been OK going with Alex Cora at about half the money, and seeing if Dustin Pedroia was ready by mid-season. But since it's only $3 million, they're only tied to him for one season and there's no draft pick compensation for signing him, then I guess it's not a bad signing.

boomer5: What do you think of Coco Crisp?
Sean McAdam: I like the Crisp trade. The Red Sox are getting a player who's still improving and they're going to control him for four seasons. Crisp is roughly comparable to Johnny Damon at the same stages of their career. He needs to be a bit more selective at the plate, particularly in the leadoff spot, but I think he can give them a ..300-18-75 season with 20 steals and pretty good defense.

astros: manny sticking around?
Sean McAdam: For the time being, yes. It's too late to move someone with that much salary, so the earliest they could try again would be the trading deadline in July. Even then, it's tough to move a player of that consequence because the Sox would need to get someone back who could fill his spot immediately. More likely, they'll try dealing him again next winter, when there's more time to make corresponding moves.

Chadwickjrm: Sean- Pitching and defense wins championships. Therefore, I think the best moves the Red Sox made this offseason were the ones they didn't make. By this I mean they kept Delcarmen, Papelbon and Lester. What is the likelyhood of seeing Papelbon and Lester somewhere in the rotation in 06?
Sean McAdam: I agree -- I think it was imperative for the Sox to keep their best young pitching prospects. There was never any indication they were wavering on this. Any time their names came up in trade talk, the Sox walked away -- as they should have. I think it's at least possible that Papelbon will start the season in the rotation, particularly if Wells gets traded. If Papelbon isn't in the rotation in April, he will be soon. As for Lester, he needs a half-season at Triple A, but I can see him being used in spot starts after the break, then worked into the staff the way Papelbon was last year.

jemarcil: Hey Sean, money has a way of changing players minds about wanting to be traded. Is it possible to rework Wells' contract to maybe guarentee all those incentives he has to get him to want to stay?
Sean McAdam: I think that would set a bad precedent. By all accounts, Wells' issues are not with his deal, but rather, with the sometimes suffocating atmosphere in Boston. I expect the Red Sox to dig their heals in on this one. If Wells doesn't want to pitch, they won't pay him. It's as simple as that.

georges: Wouldn't Hanley Ramirez have been as good defensively and better offensively than Gonzalez? Didn't the Sox give up too much-Ramirez, Sanchez, DeJesus and a prospect for a pitcher with prior arm problems?
Sean McAdam: I don't think we could say that Hanley would have been, right away, as good with the glove as Gonzalez. That's asking a lot. As to what might have been expected from him at the plate, who knows? Did the Sox give up a lot to get Beckett? Sure. But even with the injury concerns, they got a 25-year-old pitcher with plus stuff and good makeup who's already shown he can pitch in the spotlight (2003 World Series). To me, it was a gamble worth taking.

wrosenberg: Sean, do you see any pleasant suprises for the sox this spring ?
Sean McAdam: I'm not sure there are going to be any roster spots up for grabs. As usual, this team is pretty settled. The decisions will come at backup catcher (Flaherty, Bard, Huckaby) fourth outfielder (Mohr, Stern) and maybe the 11th pitching spot. If anyone is capable of opening eyes, it might be Pedroia, but then again, with Loretta, Cora, Graffanino and Gonzalez in the middle infield, where would he fit?

jemarcil: What's your schedule for the Big Show this week? There is nothing more valuable than your basketball insights.
Sean McAdam : Sorry, no more Big Show appearances set for this week. You'll have to wait until later for my keen hoops analysis!

wrosenberg: Sean...are we about a year away from finally seeing the sox farm system bear some fruit with the big club...and I am not just talking about the sox farm system developing players that we can trade for established stars
Sean McAdam: I think that's accurate. Papelbon could contribute in a big way this season, and Lester could have an impact by mid-year. Also, Hansen could provide an alternative at closer if Keith Foulke stumbles. As for position players, Pedroia will probably have to wait until 2007. By then, David Murphy and Brandon Moss could be ready.

astros: now with miribelli gone who will be wakefields catcher? we all know tek. cannot catch the knuckleball.
Sean McAdam: As stated earlier, that will come down to one of three veteran guys -- John Flaherty, Josh Bard and Ken Huckaby. My money's on Flaherty, since he has the most major league experience and always has had the reputation of being a solid receiver. But Francona loves Huckaby -- he had him on Team USA a while ago, so that may give him an edge. As for Bard, he looks ticketed to Pawtucket, where he can provide depth at the catching position.

Chadwickjrm: Why wasn't Trot Nixon ever discussed in trade rumors? I don't think he's ever lived up to his offensive potential, and defensively I'm sick of seeing him get late jumps and turn the wrong way on fly balls.
Sean McAdam: Nixon's name came up in some talks with Pittsburgh early in the off-season, but not much came of it. I'd guess teams are wary of him, giving that he hasn't been able to stay healthy the last two seasons. Nixon is on the final year of a contract which will pay him about $6.5 million this season. That, too, probably scare off some teams.

wrosenberg: Sean...any news regarding a contract extension for Ortiz ?
Sean McAdam: Nothing yet. I think Theo will sit down with Ortiz' agent in spring training and see if they can agree on something. Remember, though, the Sox are only going to do something if they can get something of a hometown discount, and Ortiz' agent is probably going to tell him that it might be worth testing the market, if only to drive up his price with the Sox.

jemarcil: Sean, curious to know the status of 2 pitchers no one talkes about, Lenny Dinardo, and Cla Meridith. I know Cla had a horrible time last year (although I thought he was put into a position to fail) but I thought the team was high on him? Have the soured?
Sean McAdam: DiNardo is a good bet to make the team as the long man/spot starter. I think he impressed them in the final month or so of the season. As for Meredith, he definitely struggled after his brief May callup, and he's got more talented arms (Hansen, Delcarmen) ahead of him in the organization. He needs to bounce back this spring to show that he's still in their plans.

robric: If Foulke is not able to effectively who do you see as next in line Tavarez,Timlin or would they put Paplebon in that position
Sean McAdam: If Foulke isn't effective, the Red Sox are in trouble -- period. They won't ask Timlin to do what he did last year, and I don't think Tavarez is the answer, either. He's never done it successfully in the big leagues. In my view, they would do one of three things: try Papelbon; trade for a veteran closer; or rush Hansen.

wrosenberg: Sean...Clemens showed up at Astros mini-cap to throw batting practice...seems to me this is a indication that if he comes back..It's Houston or nothing ?
Sean McAdam: I think that's the assumption. Roger had a sweetheart deal with the Astros. He lived at home and basically came and went as he pleased. No other team is going to let him do that, nor offer him the proximity to home. Unless it's the Texas Rangers.

astros: will papallbon be a starter this year you think, or be used in middle relief. is there even room in the bullpen nowadays with whom they picked up allready? thanks
Sean McAdam: I think Papelbon will start -- eventually. It will depend on whether they hang on to Wells, or how healthy Schilling and Beckett are. If there's room in the rotation, I think they'll fine a spot for him somewhere in the bullpen. He has nothing left to prove at Triple A.

robric: well what do you here about the rehab of Foulke is he coming along
Sean McAdam: The Sox are encouraged about the reports they get from Foulke and the training staff about his off-season rehab in Arizona. But until they see him, and see him pitch, I think he remains an unknown. And remember -- Foulke has a history of pitching poorly in spring training, which may make him doubly difficult to evaluate in March.

NatsFan: What do you think of the Sox decision to put all TV games on NESN? Even the Yankees don't go that far. The games on the local stations is what hooked me on the Red Sox as a kid. My family could not have afforded cable. Werner's and McGrails' comments about being "sensitive" ring so hollow that it's almost shameful. What's the loss in the long run in terms of young fans becoming lifetime fans? What's next , all of the radio games on their own sattelite.? Maybe Steinbrenner should open their eyes by soliciting bids from Channels 6, 10, 12, etc. for, gasp!, Yankee games.
Sean McAdam: I think it was unfortunate that the Sox pulled games from over-air broadcast. Seems to me, it wouldn't have cost them much to continue to sell the Friday night games to Ch. 4/38, especially since the people at WBZ were willing to double the rights fees. But baseball is a business, and the Sox are in this to make money. A few points to clairify 1)If you live in RI, all the games were already on NESN, so that doesn't change. 2) I'm not sure I see the argument about ``young fans.'' Being young doesn't stop you from watching games on cable. 3) George couldn't do that if he tried, since MLB has territorial rights that prohibit games from being shown in another team's market.

Chadwickjrm: Do you see the Sox agressively going after a certain player before the trading deadline? The reason I ask is you almost always see contenders sell off salary when they figure they're not in playoff contention. I would love to get more insurance for Schilling. Ben Sheets?
Sean McAdam: It's impossible to forecast who will be available in late July. A lot can happen between now and then, with injuries, surprises, etc. A good start, however, might be looking at teams with no shot of contention: Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Colorado would be a start. As for Sheets, I don't envision a scenario where they would give him up. The Brewers are getting better and dealing him would be the wrong signal to send to the fan base.

robric: at this point Mike Lowell has been viewed as nothing more than a salary dump what can we realistically expect from him
Sean McAdam: Hard to say. Lowell believes he had an off-year -- plain and simple. That DOES happen occasionally. He's worked hard this off-season and people believe Fenway will be a good hitting environment for him. There won't be a lot of pressure on him. He can hit as low as seventh in the order. I think it's reasonable to expect he provides very good defense (Gold Glove last year) and decent power, by which I mean 20 homers and 70 or so RBI.

Sean McAdam: That's about all the time we have for today. Thanks for all the questions. We'll do this again soon.