We got Gonzalez

[runningshoes]

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/mlb/6609430/detail.html

[Mattingly]

You think he'll still be there in by the July 31st deadline, or will Pedroia be called up? Would obviously lose his rookie status if he plays 44 games, but team needs could be more important.

I'm seeing this also:

Herald: Gonzalez, Sox agree to 1-year deal (http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=123739)

ESPN: Report: Red Sox, Alex Gonzalez agree to 1-year deal (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2312875)

Globe: Gonzalez close? (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/)

[monty]

I think Gonzalez will be the starting SS until the trading deadline. Or, if one isnt brought in via trade, Pedoria will get his feet wet..

[KCGHOST]

A career .291 OBP is awful. Not even Big Papi can drive a guy in when he (the guy) can't even get to first base.

[FlashGordon]

A career .291 OBP is awful. Not even Big Papi can drive a guy in when he (the guy) can't even get to first base.I expect him to bat low in the order; he's probably being brought in for his glove. I think Renteria would have been given a pass on his offense if his defense hadn't been so inconsistent. At least the Sox are only tied to Gonzalez for one year. At least we know that the team line about not signing long-term is still in place.

[Evangelion]

A career .291 OBP is awful. Not even Big Papi can drive a guy in when he (the guy) can't even get to first base.
Gonzalez will be batting 9th in the batting line-up, where Cora was going to bat before Alex Gonzalez was brought in.

I'm glad they only signed him for one year contract. We can either bring a SS in during the deadline or during next off-season or Pedoria will take over the SS job during this season or next season. I doubt we'll see Alex Gonzalez beyond this season, unless he become a decent hitter, which isn't completely out of the question in Boston and at Fenway Park.

[Sean Casey]

Woohoo! Another Florida Marlins reject in the Red Sox infield

(end sarcasm now)

[SoxSon]

Woohoo! Another Florida Marlins reject in the Red Sox infield

(end sarcasm now)


I'm ok with the defensive game of these particular two Florida "rejects." :)

[Evangelion]

Woohoo! Another Florida Marlins reject in the Red Sox infield

(end sarcasm now)
The other reject, Lowell, won a Gold Glove last year. :rolleyes:

[DoubleX]

The other reject, Lowell, won a Gold Glove last year. :rolleyes:

And batted .236 with only 8 homeruns in 500 ABs (after hitting 83 in the previous 3 seasons), with an abysmal OPS+ of 77. I expect an OPS+ like that from Gonzalez, but Lowell better (and should) improve.

As for Gonzalez, I think he's mostly a stopgag. He's a stepup from Alex Cora (who can't hit or field) and he's probably just keeping the seat warm for Pedroia. Who knows, perhaps Pedroia will break in for the Sox just like Cano did for the Yanks last year.

[Boston Boxer]

XX, I can't help but feel a dark cloud over the Red Sox Forum whenever you post. I know you are a respected mod on your board, but man, you really make me feel depressed. I know you have it in you...say something uplifting about the Sox, just once:)

[DoubleX]

XX, I can't help but feel a dark cloud over the Red Sox Forum whenever you post. I know you are a respected mod on your board, but man, you really make me feel depressed. I know you have it in you...say something uplifting about the Sox, just once:)

BB, I try to post as I see it from an objective standpoint, and I don't hold back about the Yankees either when I have something objectively negative to say about them. For example, if you go back to my posts just after the Sox acquired Beckett and Lowell, I lauded it as a great trade here in the Red Sox forum, because at the time I objectively thought it was, and I still think it was very good trade (though I'm not as sure I was at the time). I honestly expect Lowell to bounce back and be at least as productive as Bill Mueller. If he returns to his old form, he'll be better than Mueller and provide a third potent bat to team up with Manny and Ortiz. Beckett, has a high upside and has shown poise in tough situations (i.e. the '03 World Series). There are some questions about him that I can't get past, so I post my thoughts on that (but I'll spare you this time :p).

I like the pickup of Crisp a lot. He's cheaper and younger than Damon and is already just about as good a hitter than Damon. It still remains to be seen how he'll hold up defensively full-time in CF, but I think the Sox made a major upgrade in getting Crisp and I think over the next 4 years, he'll be a vastly superior player than Johnny Damon. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Crisp moves to RF at some point in the next year or two (probably because Nixon will be injured at some point) and the Sox find someone else to play CF or that Brandon Moss will step up to play CF down the road.

Let's see...umm...I like Mike Timlin, I think he's very underrated and he's a great guy to have in the bullpen. For all the attention Tom Gordon got over the past 2 seasons, I think Timlin was every bit as good a setup man, and he close as well.

Manny and Ortiz form the best 1-2 punch in baseball that I think I've seen during my lifetime.

I used to try to find a reason to not like Jason Varitek, but it's impossible. The guy's a gamer. He's what a catcher should be - the heart and soul of a team. He's a throwback in that way.

What else.....Umm...Wakefield sure throws a good knuckler...

Theo is a terrific GM. The moves he made during the '04 season were not only perfect, but were gutsy.

How's all that been? :)

[BoSoxDieHard34]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy about this, add him to Lorretta, Lowell and Snow we have one of the best defensive infields in the game.

[Sean Casey]

I'm ok with the defensive game of these particular two Florida "rejects." :)

Defense is great to have, but at what point does it not become worth it to sacrifice about 60-75 points in batting average for an above average fielder. I was perfectly happy with Mueller's defense at third, and he batted .295 last year, a mark that Lowell has never reached in his career.

Gonzalez, although also an above average fielder, has an abysmal .245 career BA (only 1 point higher than Alex Cora's) and a dreadful .291 OBP (19 points lower than Cora's). Even Gonzalez's fielding percentage is lower than Cora's, and although fielding percentage isn't everything when determining defensive abilities, the stat still exists for a reason.

[Gjm130]

Finaly, we complete our infield... Gonzalez is a perfect fit for this team, I've seen him play in Montreal, and he's awsome...:dance :dance

[RichardLikeWhoa]

BB, I try to post as I see it from an objective standpoint, and I don't hold back about the Yankees either when I have something objectively negative to say about them. For example, if you go back to my posts just after the Sox acquired Beckett and Lowell, I lauded it as a great trade here in the Red Sox forum, because at the time I objectively thought it was, and I still think it was very good trade (though I'm not as sure I was at the time). I honestly expect Lowell to bounce back and be at least as productive as Bill Mueller. If he returns to his old form, he'll be better than Mueller and provide a third potent bat to team up with Manny and Ortiz. Beckett, has a high upside and has shown poise in tough situations (i.e. the '03 World Series). There are some questions about him that I can't get past, so I post my thoughts on that (but I'll spare you this time :p).

I like the pickup of Crisp a lot. He's cheaper and younger than Damon and is already just about as good a hitter than Damon. It still remains to be seen how he'll hold up defensively full-time in CF, but I think the Sox made a major upgrade in getting Crisp and I think over the next 4 years, he'll be a vastly superior player than Johnny Damon. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Crisp moves to RF at some point in the next year or two (probably because Nixon will be injured at some point) and the Sox find someone else to play CF or that Brandon Moss will step up to play CF down the road.

Let's see...umm...I like Mike Timlin, I think he's very underrated and he's a great guy to have in the bullpen. For all the attention Tom Gordon got over the past 2 seasons, I think Timlin was every bit as good a setup man, and he close as well.

Manny and Ortiz form the best 1-2 punch in baseball that I think I've seen during my lifetime.

I used to try to find a reason to not like Jason Varitek, but it's impossible. The guy's a gamer. He's what a catcher should be - the heart and soul of a team. He's a throwback in that way.

What else.....Umm...Wakefield sure throws a good knuckler...

Theo is a terrific GM. The moves he made during the '04 season were not only perfect, but were gutsy.

How's all that been? :)


very well put...

[Boston Boxer]

BB, I try to post as I see it from an objective standpoint, and I don't hold back about the Yankees either when I have something objectively negative to say about them. For example, if you go back to my posts just after the Sox acquired Beckett and Lowell, I lauded it as a great trade here in the Red Sox forum, because at the time I objectively thought it was, and I still think it was very good trade (though I'm not as sure I was at the time). I honestly expect Lowell to bounce back and be at least as productive as Bill Mueller. If he returns to his old form, he'll be better than Mueller and provide a third potent bat to team up with Manny and Ortiz. Beckett, has a high upside and has shown poise in tough situations (i.e. the '03 World Series). There are some questions about him that I can't get past, so I post my thoughts on that (but I'll spare you this time :p).

I like the pickup of Crisp a lot. He's cheaper and younger than Damon and is already just about as good a hitter than Damon. It still remains to be seen how he'll hold up defensively full-time in CF, but I think the Sox made a major upgrade in getting Crisp and I think over the next 4 years, he'll be a vastly superior player than Johnny Damon. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Crisp moves to RF at some point in the next year or two (probably because Nixon will be injured at some point) and the Sox find someone else to play CF or that Brandon Moss will step up to play CF down the road.

Let's see...umm...I like Mike Timlin, I think he's very underrated and he's a great guy to have in the bullpen. For all the attention Tom Gordon got over the past 2 seasons, I think Timlin was every bit as good a setup man, and he close as well.

Manny and Ortiz form the best 1-2 punch in baseball that I think I've seen during my lifetime.

I used to try to find a reason to not like Jason Varitek, but it's impossible. The guy's a gamer. He's what a catcher should be - the heart and soul of a team. He's a throwback in that way.

What else.....Umm...Wakefield sure throws a good knuckler...

Theo is a terrific GM. The moves he made during the '04 season were not only perfect, but were gutsy.

How's all that been? :)

Very nice XX, you just made my day:laugh

[Mattingly]

I think Gonzalez will be the starting SS until the trading deadline. Or, if one isnt brought in via trade, Pedoria will get his feet wet..
Since he was acquired as an FA, even for a 1-year deal, I thought you couldn't trade him before 1 year had elapsed. Or was I wrong on this?

[SoxSon]

Defense is great to have, but at what point does it not become worth it to sacrifice about 60-75 points in batting average for an above average fielder. I was perfectly happy with Mueller's defense at third, and he batted .295 last year, a mark that Lowell has never reached in his career.

Gonzalez, although also an above average fielder, has an abysmal .245 career BA (only 1 point higher than Alex Cora's) and a dreadful .291 OBP (19 points lower than Cora's). Even Gonzalez's fielding percentage is lower than Cora's, and although fielding percentage isn't everything when determining defensive abilities, the stat still exists for a reason.


I feel like Lowell's offense in Fenway this coming season will be much better than his offense last season. I think Lowell is a player who's made for Fenway and the Monster. Of note is that his career OPS is higher than Mueller's. Also, I guess I don't think you can refer to someone as a "reject" when their defense alone is that good.

As for the Cora/Gonzalez comparison, I think you make a good point. They are both lousy hitters, yes, and they are both good fielders. The difference is that Gonzalez is a proven good fielder. Cora hasn't played enough innings to make anyone comfortable with him in a starting role. Could Cora carry SS fulltime for us? I don't know. But I do know that Gonzalez can maintain his defensive role fulltime. They both hit like $#%@, so I suppose that's the key difference. :)

[DoubleX]

I feel like Lowell's offense in Fenway this coming season will be much better than his offense last season. I think Lowell is a player who's made for Fenway and the Monster. Of note is that his career OPS is higher than Mueller's. Also, I guess I don't think you can refer to someone as a "reject" when their defense alone is that good.

Lowell has a swing made for Fenway. If he was playing there between 2000 and 2004, he'd probably hit between 30-35 homeruns each year and be a superstar because of the Northeast spotlight. He's only 32, so last year could certainly have been an aberration for him and he could refind his stroke at Fenway this year. That would be huge if he did.

[SoxSon]

Lowell has a swing made for Fenway. If he was playing there between 2000 and 2004, he'd probably hit between 30-35 homeruns each year and be a superstar because of the Northeast spotlight. He's only 32, so last year could certainly have been an aberration for him and he could refind his stroke at Fenway this year. That would be huge if he did.

You and I both know Lowell's swing, XX, I'm glad to see.
I'm really looking forward to seeing him in Fenway.

[DoubleX]

You and I both know Lowell's swing, XX, I'm glad to see.
I'm really looking forward to seeing him in Fenway.

I'm actually very curious to see him as well. I think I've always had an interest in his career because he was once a highly touted Yankee farmhand. Probably would have stuck with the Yankees if Scott Brosius didn't do a surprisingly great job in '98, since I think Brosius was initially acquired just to keep the seat warm for a year for Lowell. Then Lowell had the fight with testicular cancer after being traded to the Marlins, so it was good to see him not only recover, but really do well in the Majors after that.

Earlier in this offseason, I was really hoping that the Yanks would move Jeter to CF, A-Rod to SS, and acquire Lowell (or failing that, Bill Mueller to play 3B :)). When the trade between the Sox and the Marlins happened, I thought the addition of Lowell had the potential to be the best part of the deal for the Sox.

He also has the name of someone who fits in well with the Sox.

[Ontarioguy]

Finaly, we complete our infield... Gonzalez is a perfect fit for this team, I've seen him play in Montreal, and he's awsome...:dance :dance
You really thought so? I guess he wasn't that bad, but he certainly was a downgrade from Orlando Cabrera.

Gonzalez is a completely different kind of shortstop then Cabrera. Gonzalez likes to plant and throw. He has a cannon of an arm, he can really get it to first in a hurry. Cabrera is a softer thrower but always throws on the run rather than planting himself.

I suppose as long as Gonzalez plays a solid defence the Sox should be o, despite his lack of offence. Papi and Manny cover up alot a guy like Gonzo pretty well in the lineup. As for Lowell, I think he'll bounce back nicely. Leaving Dolphin Stadium for the nice cozy Fenway Park, will be a major boost in itself.

[Gjm130]

I went to the game when he was hit in the head by a pitch....
He had to miss about 20 games. Therefore, the Expos lost 15 out of 20 games only after having won 9 out of 12....

That explains how much Gonzalez helped the Expos when they had a tough season...
This guy can be clutch when you need him to. Exactly what the Red Sox need.
He had 23 home runs with the Marlins, that's a high number...

[Ontarioguy]

I went to the game when he was hit in the head by a pitch....
He had to miss about 20 games. Therefore, the Expos lost 15 out of 20 games only after having won 9 out of 12....

That explains how much Gonzalez helped the Expos when they had a tough season...
This guy can be clutch when you need him to. Exactly what the Red Sox need.
He had 23 home runs with the Marlins, that's a high number...

I think we're getting our Alex Gonzalez's mixed up. I thought we were talking about the one that played with the Expos. The Sox signed the life long Marlin.:crazy

[Uncle Dak]

The 2006 Boston Red Sox are better on paper then both the 2004 world championship team, and the 2005 team.


The Red Sox have done a fantastic job this off season. :clapping After the Cubs let Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker go after this season, I hope the new management can do half as good as the Sox.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Is anyone watching the carribean series?

Alex Gonzalez is having a very good game. He is 3 for 3 right now and one bb with 2 rbis. He just didn't try to pull the bat too much and so there wasn't any fly out which we've seen so much from him in the past. But there were 3 very nice hits. Venezuela leads 8-1 right now.

[Evangelion]

The Red Sox haven't done a fantastic job this off-season at all. They didn't improve much outside of bring some players into the bullpen and adding Beckett, who know what we'll get from him at this point. The Sox did a nice job filling the holes they lost this off-season being Mueller, Millar, Renteria and Damon. Filled them with Lowell, Snow, Gonzalez and Crisp.

At this point, Snow a major upgrade on the defense side from Millar. Might lose some offense, but not Millar provide much of that last year.

Depending on what Lowell does, he might be a down-grade on the offense side from Mueller. Obviously, a few people were aware how good Mueller was at 3B. Still, bring the Gold Glove Lowell in Boston to replace Mueller at 3B isn't bad. Just have to hope he'll produce on the offense side.

Damon and Crisp. Currently, Damon the better defensive CF and lead-off hitter. So, at this point, Crisp is down-grade from Damon.

No contest at SS. Gonzalez is major down-grade on offense from Renteria. Even Renteria's sub-par offensive season last year put Gonzalez to shame. You can only hope Gonzalez play good defense to cancel the lose out.

The only add-on we add was Loretta and we know how old he is, so we really don't know what we'll get from him at this point.

Red Sox did damage control this off-season. They turned a bad off-season into a decent one in the end. But to call this a good off-season losing Damon and other key players is a bit of strench.

[Gjm130]

I think we're getting our Alex Gonzalez's mixed up. I thought we were talking about the one that played with the Expos. The Sox signed the life long Marlin.:crazy

HHHAHHAHHA....that's funny...
This is hilarious:laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh

[KingJ]

A-Gonz and Lowell's OBPs suck, but the good gloves and potential combined 55 HR, 160 RBIs they can produce in a good year (AL should provide that) could be more valuable than Damon and Renteria in the end.

[BoSoxDieHard34]

I wasn't confident in the Sox management a few months ago, but the last few weeks in aquiring Crisp and Gonzalez have me convinced that they are wanting a team to compete, which I think they have.

[TheKingofKings]

sorry to unplease you guys but he wasnt signed by boston check the roster

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Aleeeeex Gonzaaaaleeeez...

three run homer in the ninth and Venezuela leads 11-9...

What a bullet. Unbelievable. He is 3 for 5 in this game and 0.538 avg in three games...

If he doesn't try to pull the bat every time he could be also a very good avg. hitter.