Hot Stove Thoughts

Lackey to the Red Sox: On paper, this looks to be a great deal for the Red Sox. They get a number 1 starter that will likely slot into the third spot of their rotation. Apparently, they have lost faith in Matsuzaka. He now becomes the fourth, or maybe fifth starter, behind Bucholz. Two things would worry me as a Sox fan. The first is the Angels unwillingness to go to five years. Lackey has missed the start of the last two seasons with injuries, so it makes you wonder what the Angels know. They clearly know him best, so you have to wonder a bit. The second thing that would worry me a little is his desire to sign with a team where he will clearly be looked at as a number three. Maybe he is the ultimate team player, but most top flight pitchers have the attitude that they are number one and that is what makes them perform at their best.

Halladay to the Phillies/Cliff Lee to the Mariners: You have to think this keeps the Phillies at the top of the National League as of now. Word is they will lock him up for an additional three years as a condition of the trade. Hard to argue with adding Halladay, although you have to figure he starts diminishing at one point. My only problem is that unless Hamels bounces back, they are back in the same spot as last year and one dominant pitcher has not proven to be enough in the playoffs. The Mariners will team Lee with King Felix at the top of the rotation to create a pretty potent 1-2 punch. If they can get into the playoffs, they will be a tough out with those two leading the way. If they can agree to extension with Lee, it will also provide them with some insurance if Hernandez proves to be too expensive.

Matsui to the Angels: You would have to think this marks the end of the Vladimir Guerrero era in Anaheim. Matsui can provide plenty of pop from the DH spot and has proven to be a clutch hitter in the postseason. The Angels have clearly lost more than than they have gained to this point of the offseason, but you have to give GM Tony Reagins the benefit of the doubt based on recent success. At 1 year and 6.5 million, Matsui could prove to be the steal of the season much like Bobby Abreu did last year.

It should be noted that while all of these deals appear very likely, none have been officially announced.

The Captain?

Jason Varitek, who wears a "C" on his jersey like a hockey captain does, had his club option for one year and $5 million rejected by the Red Sox earlier this week. After a miserable year behind the plate and a decreasing ability to throw base runners out, Boston brought in Victor Martinez at the trade deadline. While Martinez is no better at throwing runners out, he provides a legitimate middle of the order threat. On Wednesday, Varitek decided that he would take his one year, $3 million player option and return to the Red Sox. Why? Because it was more than he could get from any other team. He clearly has more value to the Red Sox than he would to any other team, and they did not find him to be worth the money. The question now is will Varitek continue to wear the "C". I do not see how he can. Every player will know that the team did not really want him back, so I find it hard to believe teammates will view him in that regard. Varitek has long been considered one of the better game callers and leaders in the game, it is a shame to see him go out this way.

Yankees Come Through in Game 2

Game 2 was a game the Yankees had to have, and they came through. The Phillies got out to an early 1-0 lead on a second inning single by Matt Stairs that scored Raul Ibanez. Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui gave the Yankees the lead with solo home runs and they would go on to win 3-1. After dropping game 1, the Yankees had to win this game. They now travel to Philadelphia for 3 games where they will need to win at least one game to get the series back to the Bronx. The Philadelphia crowd will make things much more difficult, especially with a Halloween night game. The insane Philly fans do not need any extra incentive to be out of control, but Halloween might just give them some. The Phillies should be able to ride the home field advantage to two wins and head back to New York with a chance to close out their second consecutive World Series title.