After reading some comments that disagreed with the post, I figured the thing to do was to plug all the players, stats, and information into thefoulline.com’s supercomputer and find out for sure which team is the best. So, I’ve ranked the positions of the three teams that are the cream of the crop in the AL East: New York, Boston and Tampa Bay.

If I were a General Manager, these are the guys I would want.

First Base

1. Mark Teixeira
2. Kevin Youkilis
3. Carlos Pena

This position was pretty close. All three guys are Gold Glove-caliber players with some pop in their bats. Teixeira has more power than Youkilis, Youkilis has a better batting average than both guys, and Pena grew up in the next town over from me. Each guy brings a lot to his respective team, but if I were starting a team and could pick a prototypical first baseman, it would be Teixeira.

Second Base

1. Dustin Pedroia
2. Ben Zobrist
3. Robinson Cano

Pedroia is the reigning MVP and has emerged as a team leader for the Red Sox. All-Star, Gold Glove, Rookie of the Year – this guy has already had a great career and he’s only been around for three seasons. Zobrist has emerged this year as the all-purpose All-Star for the Rays who delivers big hits in the clutch. Although he doesn’t have much of a track record, he’s reliable at any position; I’m still waiting for this guy to play catcher. Cano has had an up-and-down last couple of seasons, but this enigmatic Yankee can hit for average with above-average power. What knocks Cano to third is his inconsistent defense and mental lapses on the basepaths.

Shortstop

1. Derek Jeter
2. Jason Bartlett
3. (Distant 3rd) Whichever has-been SS Boston has thrown out there this year

Derek Jeter wears his pants too tight, but the Yankee captain always delivers in tight situations. Just when I thought Jeter was on the decline, he puts up a monster year and is the AL MVP. Speaking of MVPs, Jason Bartlett was the St. Petersburg Devil Rays Most Valuable Player in 2008. He provides the Rays with solid defense and is among the league leaders in batting average, and he’ll be a top 5 shortstop in 2010. As for Boston: Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Alex Gonzalex, Nick Green… enough said.

Third Base

1. Evan Longoria
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Mike Lowell

As much as I love Mikey Lowell, this is obviously a two-horse race. Longoria is going to be a Hall of Famer and arguably one of the best third baseman of all time. Meanwhile, A-Rod is a steroid-using, Madonna-dating douche bag that can also play some ball. Not to mention, A-Rod is still owed a billion dollars on his contract and is playing with one hip.

Outfield

1. Bay/Ellsbury/Drew
2. Crawford/Upton/Gross
3. Damon/Cabrera/Swisher

Carl Crawford is the best all-around outfielder out of all these players, and Upton is the best defender, but BJ is still living off his amazing ‘08 postseason and has done absolutely nothing all year. The fact that Gabe Gross has a Major League job blows my mind. Boston’s triumvirate is superior as a whole; all three Red Sox outfielders are all-around solid players with base stealing ability. J.D. Drew drives me nuts and is overpaid, but he has the tendency to come up big when it counts. I love to watch the Yankee outfielders play. Johnny Damon makes every routine pop-up an adventure, I’m certain that I have a better throwing arm than Nick Swisher, and who the hell names their kid Melky? New York will upgrade this position in the offseason with either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.

Catcher

1. Victor Martinez
2. Jorge Posada
3. Dioner Navarro

Martinez is a great hitter but a defensive liability behind the plate. Posada can still hit, but he’s getting old and dinged up. Navarro is hitting .221 and has fallen off considerably in 2009. This is the weakest of all the positions. I’ll take V-Mart.

Starting Pitchers

1. Josh Beckett/Jon Lester/Tim Wakefield
2. James Shields/Matt Garza/Jeff Niemann
3. CC Sabathia/A.J. Burnett/Andy Petitte

This was the toughest choice for me. I ranked this one on who I thought I would want to pitch in a five-game series. I’m obviously unsure who would be in each team’s rotation, but I’m guessing that this is pretty close. Boston has the best big game pitcher in baseball in Josh Beckett, the best left-hander in the the AL in Jon Lester, and an oft-injured 50-year-old knuckleballer in Wakefield. I would have felt better if Dice-K had been better this year, but I like this threesome. As for the Rays, Shields has the “big-game” moniker but has taken a step backwards this season. Garza was lights out last year in the playoffs but has become average. Jeff Niemann is a rookie, but he shows the poise of a veteran and has been Tampa’s best pitcher. If Garza takes his psychiatric medication and Shields regains his form, these guys could be tough. New York has the most money committed to their pitchers, but with the exception of Andy Petitte, no one has had post season success. Until CC and A.J. can prove themselves in the playoffs, they’ll bring up the rear.

These three teams are going to beat each other up for a long time. But with the playoffs right around the corner, I think Tampa will be odd man out. It’s close, but here’s how I rank them:

1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Rays

Did anyone really believe that we would have a McLaughlin-free post season? Or that Nevershortonstops could truly be playoff spoiler? Also, has anyone heard from the Boston Not-So-Badboys lately? Just when we think we have it all figured out, cellar-dweller Dirty Water Dogs comes within 2 points of taking out league-standout Rays Those Cowbells.

The smell of the playoffs is in the air. So what better way to ready ourselves than with a thefoulline.com Power Ranking?

1. Yankeehaters

Best record, most points, team finally hitting its stride. But I’m just stating the obvious. I plan on being in the final four.

2. Rays Those Cowbells

Good teams find a way to win. Even though it wasn’t pretty, RTC still added another one in the win column. These guys are simply too talented for another performance like this. RTC and LBC meet this week, and I’m giving the edge to Rays Those Cowbells.

3. Love Boat Captains

Ho hum, another win against a McLaughlin. The LBCs have stumbled over the past month and have a really tough match-up this week. The East Division and a definite playoff spot are on the line.

4. Sarasota Red Rays

These guys have been lights out against the far superior West Division this year, going 7-3 against them. Unfortunately for him, he is 5-5 against the (L)East division. With games left against LTZ, Yankeehaters, RTC, and LBCs, Sarasota Red Rays has his work cut out for him, but I still like his chances for the postseason.

5. Less than Zero

Really? You lost to NeverShortonStops? I’m still not sure how that happened. The playoff picture is getting a little fuzzy for our Canadian friend, but one thing for sure is that you can never count him oot.

6. Bostonbadboys

Even in the midst of a five-game losing streak, BBB is still in the playoff hunt. He really needs his pitching on track and a lot of luck to advance to the next round.

7. The Tek’s Message

Joe Mauer and Hanley Ramirez have carried this team team all year, and the reemergence of Cliff Lee has helped a lot. But even with a solid lineup and big-name pitchers, it’s too little, too late for The Tek’s Message.

8. Boston Braves

Hey, have you heard? The Boston Braves won the Fantasy title last year… zzzzzz… That’s old news. I was really hoping Dave Mc would challenge for another title, but when you throw out six crappy pitchers, all the starts in the world aren’t going to help. This tactic is played out. I have two more questions, Dave Mc. Who the hell is Bud Norris? And why in the world would you start him? Thanks for finally allowing me to beat you.

9. NeverShortonStops

After Dylan took out LTZ last week, I am officially nervous about facing him. Is there any chance that Dylan forgets to set a legal lineup? Or is playoff spoiler his new motivation? This is going to be a far more interesting week than I had hoped.

10. Dirty Water Dogs

Matt Mc’s team came way too close to knocking off RTC this week, which may have led to RTC having a nervous breakdown. Thanks for taking it easy on him, Matt. I hope you are a contender next year. The league is more fun with you talking smack and making trades.

Good luck to everyone this week… even you, Dave Mc.

Who doesn’t prefer the quaintness of Fenway Park over the sterility of the new Yankee Stadium? Who doesn’t prefer hanging Sox over pinstripes? Or Pedroia over A-Rod?

That’s what makes writing this post so difficult. The Yankees are without a doubt better than Boston, and are arguably the best baseball team I’ve seen in the past several years.

I used to argue that New York bought championships, that they couldn’t develop any of their talent and relied on throwing buckets of money at any and all high-profile free agents. Take Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, just to name the 2009 off-season. They committed over $200 million to three guys? I thought that this was a bad thing, and horrible for baseball.

But the more I think about it, I can’t help but think that they’ve got the right idea, and maybe Boston should get off their pocketbook and throw some cash around. Can you imagine if Theo Epstein had given in to Teixeira’s demands and given him an additional ten million? They would be running away with the division. Instead, they get to face him 19 times each of the next eight years, and we’ve already seen how that’s worked out.

Epstein thought it would be better to sign low-cost, potentially high-reward players in John Smoltz, Brad Penny and Takashi Saito, all of whom have equated to bust, bust, bust. To make matters even worse, Boston is now trying to add 38-year-old Billy Wagner. Wagner is fresh off Tommy John surgery and is due to be paid $8 million this year. That’s a lot of money to pay four aging ex-all-stars, all past their prime. What’s next, is Theo Epstein going to make a run at Sandy Koufax?

The last high-profile free agents that Boston signed have been Edgar Renteria, J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo and Dice-K Matsuzaka. I just threw up in my mouth.

If Boston’s free agent scouting was half as good as their farm development, they could avoid these money-pit signings and land some real talent. Is it time to start looking at a new General Manager in Bean town?

I hate that the Yankees are better than Boston. I hate that this may be the norm for the next several years, unless the Red Sox change their off-season approach. I hate that the Yankees are arrogant douche bags that are far too clean shaven for my liking.

But what I hate most, is that New York is primed to win their 27th World Series title this year.

After 19 weeks of fantasy baseball at its finest, it’s still up in the air which teams will advance to the final four. I’ve spent the last several weeks scouring lineups, analyzing upcoming schedules, and evaluating free agents, all in anticipation of writing which teams are Playoff Pretenders and which are Playoff Contenders.

Pretenders

Dirty Water Dogs
Was it only last season that Matt McLaughlin was making deals and putting together a unprecedented nine-game winning streak on his way to making it to the playoffs? This year, Team DWD got off to a slow start and has not been able to recover. These Dogs definitely don’t cut the mustard.

NeverShortonStops
The good news is that Dylan has set his lineup. The better news is that he has a chance of taking down Less than Zero this week and playing playoff spoiler. The bad news is that NSOS will be watching the fantasy playoffs from the comfort of his new house.

Boston Braves
The defending champs will not make the playoffs. I repeat, the defending champs WILL NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS! If I say this enough times it may actually come true. I believe that Dave Mc’s two-start pitcher strategy has run its course, and he will not have enough in the tank to overtake LBCs or Rays Those Cowbells. You put up a good fight this season, Dave. Now it’s time to crown a new champion.

Boston Badboys
These guys took the league by storm at the beginning of the year, riding the coattails of Albert Pujols. But suspect starting pitching and a revolving door of mediocre shortstops have led to his demise. There isn’t enough tapioca pudding in the retirement home to ease the dissatisfaction of this missed opportunity.

The Tek’s Message
I swear that this is not an anti-McLaughlin post. It’s just that when I look at their respective teams and upcoming schedule, it’s easy to deduce that we will have a McLaughlin-free playoffs. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that we could combine the rosters of all three Mc-teams into one “Super Team,” and they still would not make it to the postseason. Of course, I also anticipate that the McLaughlin household will bust their butts in the offseason to ensure that they don’t miss the playoffs in 2010.

Contenders

Love Boat Captains
Am I the only one who is sick and tired of the LBCs running all over the league? Am I the only one that was happy to see her drop two big games in a row? Am I the only one who noticed that she has righted the ship and is back to form? Am I the only one worried about facing her in the playoffs?

SarasotaRedRays
These guys have been flying under the radar for most of the season, even with AL MVP Mark Texiera and the dynamic duo of Roy Halladay and Justin Verlander on his roster. SRR has four really tough games to finish the season. If he splits those games, I predict he makes it to the final four.

Rays Those Cowbells
If you ever want to have “roster-envy” go check out Dan the #1 Rays Fan’s lineup. He has a “Who’s Who” of starting pitchers in Lincecum, Haren, Peavy, Oswalt, and Lackey, mixed with a murderer’s row of hitters led by Carl Crawford, Ian Kinsler, and Carlos Quentin. The problem with this team is getting them all on the field at the same time and having them perform to their capabilities. If this team stays healthy, watch out. This fantasy baseball rookie is the real deal.

Less Than Zero
Although LTZ has been considerably more quiet this season than last, there is still no one in the league that ever looks forward to playing this high-scoring machine of a team. LTZ has led the league in weekly scoring five times this season and is always a threat to crush his opponent.

Yankeehaters
For someone that dislikes the Yankees as much as I do, I sure have a lot of Yankees on my team. Believe me, I’m not proud of it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. After spending the majority of the fantasy season in my division’s basement, I’m back where I belong, in first place with the most points in the league. Team YH is finally playing to its potential and peaking at the right time. My only regret is that I won’t have the chance to avenge my loss in the finals last year to the Boston Braves.

If the playoffs started today, these would be the match-ups:
#1 Yankeehaters vs. #4 Rays Those Cowbells
#2 Love Boat Captains vs. #3 Less Than Zero

Of course there are four very tough weeks of fantasy baseball left, and it is still anyone’s game. Good luck to all… except the Boston Braves of course.

I am really glad I didn’t.

This first week was Bizarro baseball, even in Fantasyland. Who would have thought CC Sabathia would go -20? Followed by Cy Young Award winners Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum, with Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Brandon Webb all following suit?

Who could have imagined the Boston Braves and his auto-picked lineup, rising from the dead to knock off the Dirty Water Dogs? Who could have predicted that Dylan would field a team with a reasonable number of shortstops and dominate in week one?

And who could have possibly conceived that Team Yankeehater would get absolutely destroyed?

So once again I plan on doing a weekly post appropriately titled, The Good, the Not-So-Bad, and the Ugly.

Where is your team going to end up?

THE GOOD

Less Than Zero:
When I saw that I was facing LTZ to start the season, I began to reminisce about our battles from 2008. It seemed like every game went down to the wire. Unfortunately, this game was over by Tuesday. LTZ fields a team of proven stars mixed with a few diamonds in the rough. I know I’m wishing I picked Josh Johnson or Erik Bedard right about now. LTZ, I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you a better match this week, but I’m not sure anyone could have.

Never Short on Stops:
Do not adjust your computer screens. You are reading that correctly. NSOS is making the first of what may be many stints on the Good side of this column. Solid pitching, tough lineup top to bottom. Nice drafting, Dylan.

Rays Those Cowbells:
I’ve known for a while that Dan the #1 Rays Fan knew his stuff. He’s always quick with an informed opinion and always has well thought-out comments. I think we we would be really good friends if he didn’t like those bastard Rays. Am I surprised that RTC had a great draft, then subsequently improved his already strong team with a great trade? In a word, nope.

THE NOT-SO-BAD

Boston Braves:
There is no team in the league that I would rather see lose than the Boston Braves. He auto picks his team, picks up crappy 2-start pitchers (i.e. Hiroki Kuroda), starts the week off down by a bunch, and then manages to rally back and win. I am at a total loss for words right now. Will someone please beat this guy in week two!?

Sarasota RedRays:
At the time I’m writing this, SRR’s game with team Love Boat Captains is still up in the air. Regardless of the outcome, SRR deserves to be in this group. His team features the re-emergence of Troy Tulowitzki and a pitching staff that is throwing the ball great and stacking up points. SRR is going to be tough all year. I just wish I could figure out if he was a Red Sox fan or a Rays fan.

Love Boat Captains:
One of these days, my lovely wife’s team is going to really destroy her opponent. It’s going to be one of those weeks where the game is over by Wednesday afternoon. It’s going to happen eventually. I think. Every week, without fail, this team is in a nail-biter. Keep track of LBC this season. You’ll see a good team that plays hard every week, and it seems like every conceivable thing that can go wrong will. How does she still manage to pull out more that her fair share of victories? I have no idea.

THE UGLY

Yankeehaters:
If there was a really god-awful ugly column, Team YH would headline it, and I have no idea how it’s happening. I really 100% genuinely like my lineup. I like them so much that I’ve only traded one away. I don’t plan on staying down here in the ditch too long. Things are going to change this week. I hope.

Dirty Water Dogs:
If there was a stat for smack talking to his dad, Matt Mc would have won by a thousand points this week. Unfortunately, CBS keeps track of hits, walks, HRs, and wins and losses. Looking at Matt’s lineup, I don’t love his team, even with the two-headed catching monster. But they sure as hell can play better than they did this week. I guarantee that Matt’s pitchers won’t have a repeat performance of week one in the future, and by the end of the season the Dirty Water Dogs will be Showstoppers.

The Tek’s Message:
I know only a few things about young Dan Mc. I know that he auto-picked his team. I know that he comes from a strong baseball lineage, and I’m pretty sure that he won’t be sub-200 points again this season. Any team that features Hanley Ramirez, Carlos Beltran, and Matt Holiday will put up some big numbers. This is just the first-week initiation, Rookie. You’ll be OK.

Boston badboys:
All winter long I’ve been listening to my old man prattle on and on about how he was going to kick my ass in fantasy baseball this season. Well, take a look around, Pop, we’re a couple of cellar-dwellers. To make it even more interesting, we play each other in week 2, which means one of us will be back in the basement next week. With your team as busted up as it is, I don’t plan on it being me.

Good luck to everyone in week two.

Everyone except Dave Mc, that is.

Will it be newcomer Dan the #1 Rays fan? We know he’s a baseball savant, but will it translate over to fantasy? Or will it be one of our returning players looking to redeem themselves after a disappointing inaugural season? (This means you Sarasota Red Rays, and whatever you’re calling your team this year, Dylan.)

Will the Love Boat Captains cruise to the playoffs?

Maybe the Boston badboys will break out of the retirement home, tattoo his password on his forehead and avoid the slow start that plagued him in 2008.

Will the McLaughlin triumvirate actually participate in the draft this year? Or will they make another lame excuse and let the auto-pick make all the tough decisions… again?

As for Team Yankeehater, I’ve done the draft prep. I’ve done the mock drafts, and I am counting down the hours until 7:00pm Monday night.

Game on!

As much as I love the real sport of baseball, there’s something about playing in a fantasy baseball league that really gets my juices flowing. Maybe it’s the spirit of competition, as ten team owners vie for the league title. Maybe it’s following every team in baseball, keeping track of “your” players, instead of just the ones on your favorite team. Or maybe it’s the six months of constant trash talking, or working out blockbuster deals with your family members over dinner. Perhaps it’s the chance for regular people to play General Manager, making trades, scouring the waiver wire, looking for the next hot player. For me, it’s all of those things.

So let’s get it started. These are a few questions I have going into the 2009 fantasy season.

• Is A-Rod still worthy of a top-5 pick, or will the Un-Natural wilt under the extreme pressure of the steroid scandal?
• Which round do you start looking at Manny Ramirez? If he had been signed a month ago, I would say 2nd or 3rd, but the longer these negotiations drag on, the more uninspired Manny will get. We all know how Manny reacts to being “disrespected.”
• Will Big Papi rebound from his disappointing 2008 season?
• Who will be the first pitcher drafted? Johan? Lincecum? CC?
• Is Dan the #1 Rays Fan too scared to join our league?
• Will Matt McLaughlin attempt to draft a team entirely of Red Sox and Twins players?
• Can we finally put to rest the “I could’ve won if I hadn’t lost my password” excuse? (That means you, Boston badboys.)
• Will anyone trade with Team Yankeehater?
• Will Dylan attempt to draft Cal Ripken Jr., Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount to add to his stable of shortstops?
• Can the Love Boat Captains continue her impressive run, or has that ship sailed?
• Will Dave McLaughlin finally acknowledge that he got lucky in the 2008 finals?
• Is Dan Mc a closet Yankee fan? With a team name like Fran-comas, I’m starting to wonder.

So it begins, boys and girl. I don’t care which team you play for. I don’t care if you sucker-punched Coco Crisp last year or if you’re dating Madonna. This year I’m pulling out all the stops to grab the title of TheFoulLine.com Fantasy Baseball Champion.

Only three spots in the league remain. Sign up now!!!!

What a difference from the old Charlotte County Stadium. There’s a boardwalk that goes around the entire field that allows you to watch the players in the bullpen. There’s a playground for the kids to climb on. Non-traditional grass berms line the field for families to enjoy the game. There’s even a tiki bar in left field.

Beautiful fields, friendly people, tasty hot dogs.

Too bad the Rays still suck.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Theo Epstein and Terry Francona don’t read thefoulline.com. If they had, we’d be watching Mark Texiera and Derek Lowe gearing up for the season in Fort Myers, while watching the enigmatic Julio Lugo and overrated Jason Varitek packing their bags to destination Anywhere But Boston.

But after my initial disappointment with the lack of big name signings, I’m starting to really like the additions of Brad Penny, Takashi Saito and especially future Hall of Famer John Smoltz. These guys are low cost, with potential huge rewards for Boston. Even though Smoltz won’t be ready until June, he could be the big addition to the lineup that usually takes place at the trade deadline. If Boston makes the postseason, a lineup with Josh Beckett and John Smoltz would be scary.

Before we can talk about the playoffs, there are a lot of questions about this team that could severely affect their post season chances. Will Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and Mike Lowell rebound from their 2008 injury-plagued season? With Coco Crisp shipped off to Kansas City, is Jacoby Ellsbury ready to be the everyday centerfielder and leadoff hitter? Can a full season of Jason Bay make up for the loss of Manny? Who will be the Red Sox catcher of the future?

To make matters worse, rivals Tampa Bay and New York revamped their already dangerous lineups. The Yankees decided to spend a quarter of a billion dollars on big-game choker CC Sabathia, the oft-injured A.J. Burnett, and current thefoulline.com public enemy #2 Mark Texiera. Will this high priced talent lead to a return to the postseason for the Bronx Bombers? Or will these guys wilt under the pressure of playing in the Big Apple like Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown and Carl Pavano? Let’s hope for the latter.

As for the Rays, I really like the additions of Pat Burrell and Matt Joyce to fill the right field and designated hitter spots. This is a big upgrade of the Gabe Gross/Cliff Floyd combo. I’m interested in seeing whether Evan Longoria can duplicate his rookie season, and if the Rays can repeat their success with their closer-by-committee bullpen.

The good news is baseball is back.
The competition  for the AL East crown promises to be fierce.
Let the games begin!

This is a pivotal offseason for the Red Sox. There are some glaring holes in the Sox lineup that need to be filled. If this team remains unchanged, they’ll be watching the playoffs on television in 2009.

There’s going to be a lot of Hot Stove activity going on in the next couple of weeks. The damn Yankees have $90 million coming off their books and are eager spend to improve their poor pitching, and like it or not, the Rays are going to be here for a while. If Tampa acquires a legitimate closer and a quality right fielder they’re going to be dangerous. The American League East is no longer a two-horse race.

So if I were Theo Epstein, this is what I would do, in order of importance.

1. Sign Mark Texiera.

Tex would tear up Fenway Park offensively and play Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base. This MUST be done! A switch-hitting. perennial All-Star first baseman does not become available very often. As an added bonus, Tex is a free agent, so it wouldn’t cost Boston any of its young talent to acquire him.

Of course, this means Kevin Youkilis is moved to third base, and Mike Lowell is odd man out. I would try to convince a healthy Lowell to learn how to play first base and become Boston’s super-sub. With Lowell playing a mix of first, third and DH, he could prove to the rest of the league that he is healthy, and improve his stock for a trade. (Minnesota and the White Sox need a third baseman). It wouldn’t be the most popular move in Boston, since Lowell is such a class act, but we are here to win ball games. Get out your checkbook, Theo, and make it happen.

2. Derek Lowe makes his triumphant return to Boston.

Lowe is the type of sinker-ball-throwing, ground-ball-inducing pitcher that is tailor-made for Fenway Park. He’s proven to come up huge in big games, as in the 2004 playoffs, when he won the deciding game in all three playoff series. Not to mention, he wants to pitch in Boston again. He may even give Theo a discount.

I look forward to a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Dice K, Lowe, and Wakefield. This would keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen to help solidify the 7th and 8th innings before turning it over to Papelbon.

3. Deal a solid pitching prospect, namely Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz, for either of Texas’s catchers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden.

They each have different strengths: Salty is still a raw talent that hits pretty well but needs to improve defensively. Teagarden is a solid defensive catcher with a laser-rocket arm, and he has the potential to put up some big power numbers. What they have in common is that they both are ready to be a starting catcher in the majors.

I’m starting to lean towards a  Buchholz for Teagarden deal, but either way it’s an upgrade of the aging Varitek. Thanks for all of your hard work, ‘Tek. We’ll see you at Jason Varitek Appreciation day.

4. Trade Julio Lugo for a bucket of used baseballs.

Jed Lowrie is ready to be the everyday shortstop. Lugo sucks. Find some sucker GM to take him off our hands.

…..
It almost seems too easy to improve this team. If Boston makes these moves, you can go and get the champagne on ice. If not, it may be a long season.